“We're the only ones who can help him...how are we supposed to do that?” Baekhyun asks as he stares up at the ceiling as if it would give him an answer. He squints and turns his head to the right. “How are we going to do that?”

Jongdae looks up from his book and sees Baekhyun in the same position that he's been stuck in for the last twenty minutes: laying on the bed with his legs propped up in a ‘v’ against the wall. Jongdae lets out a small laugh as he shakes his head. “You wouldn't think that a Prince has no power whatsoever.”

“And I thought you were the one who said I couldn't do anything within a span of two weeks,” Baekhyun sings as he closes his legs on the wall, making his shirt reveal a strip of bare skin which he immediately went to cover up. “Hypocrite.”

“That, I am indeed,” Jongdae agrees and closes his book. He leans back in his chair and props his elbow up on the table beside him. “However, I didn't think that would stop you. You never liked to listen to me. Or anyone really.” A wry smile works its way onto Jongdae’s lips. “Why start now my dearest prince?”

Baekhyun hums with a content smile. He drums his fingers against his abdomen and taps the wall with his heel. “I knew I was right in bringing you with me.”

Jongdae’s smile broadens and he nods. “You love me. Of course you would.”

He scoffs and slides his legs off of the wall to sit up on the bed. Baekhyun glances out the window into the dark night and his eyebrows furrow as he leans closer to the glass. Jongdae sees this and places his book on the table as he stands to walk over to baekhyun. He kneels on the bed and shuffled over to the window, glancing outside as well.

Jongdae squints as he looks at the deserted village. “Did you see something?”

Baekhyun doesn't answer, but nods his head. He presses himself closer to the window. Baekhyun taps the window to the right of them and Jongdae turns his head to see. “What is it?” Jongdae asks, still craning his neck to see at what Baekhyun is looking for. “I don't get it. I can’t see anything. What are we looking for?”

“Look dummy,” Baekhyun points to a something moving, almost gliding, down the street. He moves to try and get a better look when the thing turns down an alley.

“That's a bit creepy,” Jongdae mumbles as he turns away from the window and gets off the bed. “Didn't hear anything about some suspicious thing walking the streets. A warning would have been nice. But of course no one tells the innocent travelers.”

Baekhyun rolls his eyes and turns his attention back to where the figure had disappeared into, unknowing of Jongdae’s glance towards the windows.




“Man, I don't know who is leaving me these tea leaves in my mail. But whoever it is, thank you!” the burly man sitting at a table across from Baekhyun and Jongdae chuckles. “It's the best thing to drink after a hangover.”

“Set me up?” the skinny man across from him laughs and slaps his shoulder.

The two clink their tall glasses together, some of the bitter liquid spill over the rims. Jongdae cringes at the sloppy slurps from the two men and stabs a bread roll with his fork and scrutinizes it with his eyes. Baekhyun pays no heed to the obnoxious laughter behind him as he dips the bread into his soup.

Jongdae points at him with his fork, which still has the bread roll speared on it, and draws circles in the air as he squints at Baekhyun. “Our stay might be cut short. Yixing sent me a letter last night and it seems that Chanyeol would like you back asap.”

Baekhyun groans around the soup soaked bread in his mouth. He quickly chews and swallows when Jongdae gives him a pointed look. He dabs his mouth with a napkin and clears his throat before speaking. “Why?!”

Jongdae s the fork-with-the-bun at him with a stern frown and Baekhyun shrinks into his seat. He lowers his fork and adjusts his posture. “Chanyeol's engaged. He does need his younger brother there for support you know.”

“The wedding isn't for another year….” Baekhyun grumbles as he stirs his soup with a pout. “I don't see why I need to be there. He can just ask his little fiancee. He has a fiancee, he can ask her. He has someone who can help him with the wedding. He doesn’t need his brother to help with his wedding when he has a fiancee.”

Jongdae bites back a laugh, but a smile still works its way onto his face. The bitterness in Baekhyun’s voice expressing his feelings to him. “You'll find someone don't worry.”

“At this rate I'm gonna be known as the only prince who couldn't marry,” Baekhyun cries out as he stuffs his face with soup. “I'm already known as the prince who hasn't been courted or been courting someone. I look unwanted…”

“You're not unwanted,” Jongdae assures him as he reaches across the table to pat his shoulder. “You're just not lucky in the romance department. Why do you think we're doing this? I mean at this rate you're gonna have to go back without even gaining interest in anyone, but you know you can just get like a few pets. I've heard miniature dragons have become pretty pop-”

“You are not helping Jongdae,” Baekhyun blankly states. He gets a cheeky smile in response. Baekhyun looks down at his soup and lets go of his spoon, watching it sink into the soup with only the handle becoming visible. “I just want someone who can look at me for me not just because of my status.”

“Doesn’t everyone,” Jongdae mumbles as he pries the bread off of his fork. “Time will only tell what fate has in store for you Baekhyun. Of course someone could just pop in and change everything for you. Like you did for me,” Jongdae smiles at Baekhyun as he leans forward. He ignores the uncomfortable feeling of the wooden table digging into his stomach as Baekhyun’s face begins to brighten. “Remember that fate doesn’t always have love in the equation for you. Maybe it wants you to find it for yourself.”

“Like what we’re doing right now?” Baekhyun asks as he lowers his chin to look up at Jongdae.

Jongdae nods with a soft smile. “Like what we’re doing right now.” He moves himself away from the uncomfortable piece of wood that calls itself a table and stands up. “Come on, fate isn’t waiting for us.”

Baekhyun immediately follows after Jongdae who left him to pay for their lunch.

The two walk out into the bustling streets of the village. Its streets brought to life with dozens upon dozens of people walking around and merchants yelling over each other as they bag products for their buyers. Children run around as they wait for their parents to finish shopping. Teens walking together as they whisper to each other, a few girls even look towards the two of them, giggling as they walk away.

Jongdae turns his head to the left and to the right before nodding to himself and walking straight across. Baekhyun jogs after him, trying his best to keep his hood and apologizing to others on as he bumps into people.

“Where are we going?” Baekhyun breathes out when he finally catches up to a calmly walking Jongdae. He slows his jog to a walk as he can finally take in the environment around him. The area hasn’t thinned out, rather it seems to have even more people than before.

“Butcher’s shop,” Jongdae answers him as he avoids running into a small family of three going out on a stroll, Baekhyun narrowly avoids the mother and profusely apologizes when the father gives him a glare. “You want to know your fate, it’s starting with that kid.”

“Sehun?” Baekhyun asks when he catches up with Jongdae again.

“Did you call for me?” A voice makes them stop and stare at the person who’s in front of them. Sehun’s awkwardly shifts his weight from one foot to the other as he holds a paper in his hand. He visibly swallows and shrinks into himself when all he gets in response are stares from Jongdae and Baekhyun. Baekhyun wasn’t exactly staring at him, but Sehun could feel a stare coming from underneath the hood. “If you didn’t then I’ll just-”

Sehun makes a move to leave, but Jongdae stops him with a hand on his arm. “No, no.” Jongdae smiles and Sehun feels like running away. “We actually would like to talk to you for a minute. If that is possible.”

Sehun looks at Jongdae’s unnerving smile to the hand on his arm to the paper in his hand. He clears his throat and raises the hand with the paper in it. “B-But I have to finish my chores.”

Jongdae plucks the paper out from his hand and reads over it, but doesn’t let go of Sehun’s arm. Sehun’s body slumps in defeat as he glances from Jongdae’s eyes to Baekhyun’s hooded figure. He catches a glimpse of Baekhyun’s soft expression when he tilts his head and his hood moves. Sehun tears his gaze away as he feels his cheeks warm up.

Baekhyun bites his bottom lip as he pulls his down to the ground, cheeks feeling slightly warm. He slaps his cheeks as he squeezes his eyes shut.

“I’ll do this for you if you’ll talk to us,” Jongdae proposes, pulling Sehun’s attention from his warming cheeks to the man waving the paper in front of his face.

“What do you want me to talk to you about?” Sehun asks in a whisper as he catches someone snickering at him from the corner of his eye. “I’m not exactly someone you would want to acquaint yourself with. It would be better if you didn’t.”

Jongdae shrugs and folds the paper into a square. “Just wait for me at our hotel room.” Jongdae pats Baekhyun’s shoulder and leans in close to his ear. “Take him there and possibly start asking some questions.” He runs into the crowd, ignoring Baekhyun’s attempts at keeping him there.

Baekhyun doesn’t dare turn around to face Sehun. He just grasps the edges of his hood and starts walking forward. “Come on. Let’s go.” He doesn’t turn around, but relief washes over him when he hears Sehun’s footsteps follow after him. But disappoint inches its way in when he realizes that Sehun is only following him from behind.




Baekhyun’s freaking out. Internally that is.

He’s sitting on the edge of his bed while Sehun is sitting across from him on the edge of Jongdae’s bed. His cloak long gone from his shoulders, meaning that he has no hood. Which leaves his face completely exposed to whoever is capable of sight. Which means Sehun.

But Sehun hasn’t spared a glance at Baekhyun ever since they’ve walked into the room. No scratch that, ever since Jongdae left them together about twenty minutes ago.

However that doesn’t mean Baekhyun has been staring at Sehun. He’s been avoiding Sehun’s line of sight ever since Jongdae left them. He knows he should start some sort of conversation, but it’s kind of hard when the only people in the room can’t even make eye contact with each other.

It’s not like Baekhyun hasn’t talked with Sehun before, but now. Now it’s slightly different. Sehun isn’t the shy, awkward boy he met in the forest a few days ago. He’s now a shy, awkward boy with a past that Baekhyun isn’t sure he wants to pry out of him. It would be kind of rude to ask about the past of someone you just met. Right?

Baekhyun stops fiddling with his fingers and looks up at Sehun through his bangs. He feels his heart skip a beat when Sehun’s eyes widen and turns his head.

“Um,” Sehun coughs and picks at the blanket in between his legs. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

“O-Oh um,” Baekhyun struggles to find his words as he musters up the courage to look at him in the eyes. He doesn't. “Just wanted to ask some questions…” Great. As if he couldn't get any more cryptic than that.

Just before Sehun or Baekhyun could say anything else, the door slams open and Jongdae strides in with a bag overflowing with food. He drops the bag onto the table and kicks the door shut behind him. Jongdae plops himself down next to Baekhyun as he unties the cloak around his neck.

“What have you two been up to?” he asks as he drops the cloak onto the ground. Jongdae looks to Baekhyun for an answer, but only gets a hopeless shrug. He sighs and looks Sehun directly in the eyes.

Sehun visibly shrinks into himself and tucks his chin in to hide behind his hair. Jongdae doesn’t take his eyes off of Sehun and leans his weight back onto his hands.

“I only have one question for you: Who are you?”

A/N: Merry Christmas! I hope you enjoy this little gift I’ve given you guys. And I hope you all are having a nice wintery time. I sure as hell am enjoying doing nothing this winter break. I also kinda went on my first date but I’m not even sure if it counts as a date. So there’s that. AHAHA. Anyways. Thanks for reading! See you all the next chapter!