Tao bit his bottom lips as he watched his mom pack clothes into a small backpack. His eyes were tearing up just thinking about how his mom was going to be gone for a month. Yixing turned to see his son almost in tears. 
"Aw baby...." Yixing embraced his son, gently rubbed his back hoping to calm him down.

"Do you have to go?"

"Yes sweetheart. We have some business in the Nymph's territory. They're stirring up some problems."
Stupid nymphs. Tao thought as he sniffled and hid his face in his mother's chest.

"Peach?"

Tao lifted his head to see Yifan poking his head through the doorway. Tao smiled when he saw Yifan. Yixing smirked to himself as he pushed Tao into Yifan, causing the younger one to trip over his own feet. Yifan chuckled as he caught the clumsy 18 year old. 
"You good there?"
Tao nodded and hid his face in Yifan's chest. 
"Yixing, Junmyeon's waiting for you in front of the main gates." 
Yixing zipped up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder, taking one last glimpse of Tao in Yifan's arms.
"Yifan please....be careful. Watch over Tao and protect our kingdom."

Yifan stood up straighter as he bowed to Yixing, "I will do so with my life."
Yixing smiled softly as he patted Yifan's cheek, "I knew you were the one."

Yixing jumped out of the window. Tao raced to see what he had turned into. Tao smiled when he saw a large griffin like creature swoop down and pick Junmyeon up with its claws. Yifan chuckled as he heard the distant screaming of Junmyeon as he was tossed onto the griffin's back.

"That never gets old." Tao snickered as he wiped away a tear.

Tao took a deep breath of fresh air as he set a nearly full basket on the ground. It was mid summer and the peak of harvest season. Tao did have servants to pick the crops but Tao didn't mind spending a couple hours outside. The sun was high in the sky, very few clouds were there to shield Tao from the burning sunlight. Great, now Tao will become even more tanner and become the of Sehun's stupid jokes rather than Kai. Tao closed his eyes and he sat in the dirt, in between two rows of crops. He took in the sounds and smells around. He loved listening to the low hum of the variety of insects that thrived in the field.  His peaceful silence was shattered when he heard someone shouting his name. Tao took a deep breath, pushed his hair out of his face and picked up the basket next to him. He turned to see Chanyeol running down the hill towards Tao. Tao raised an eyebrow as Chanyeol came to a halting stop in front of him. Him and Chanyeol don't speak much, really didn't find the right words to speak to someone so different to himself.

"Hey Taozi!"

"Don't call me that."

"Okay Taozi I need your help."

Tao plucked a ripe tomato off the vines and examined it. Chanyeol took his silence as a sign to continue, "You see...Baekhyun and I spent a lot of time together and -"

"You want me to set him up with you."

Chanyeol blinked, "How did you-"

"It's obvious Chanyeol. Anyone in a twenty foot radius of you guys can tell you clearly got the hots for each other."

"Okay first of all, did you just say 'hots'? And second of all, 'each other'?"

Tao ignored the first statement, "Wow you're dumb, bad at fighting and oblivious. Baekhyun likes you Chanyeol."

Chanyeol grinned widely, smile stretching to his ears, "Really?!"

Tao smiled. Chanyeol's puppy love for his brother really made him happy. It's boring in the kingdom so any source of drama, whether it's from the housewives down in the village or Baekhyun's love life, Tao was happy enough to take it.

"Yes you blubbering idiot. Now don't make me throw these at you."

Chanyeol narrowed his eyes, "You wouldn-"

He didn't finish the sentence due to a very large tomato hitting him square in the face. Chanyeol stood still as the tomato plump and juice rolled down his face. Tao giggled as Chanyeol harshly wiped away the tomato goop from his eyes.

"Oh you asked for it Tao."

Tao screamed as Chanyeol pulled two tomatoes off the vines. He made a wild dash as he heard Chanyeol's thundering footsteps behind him. He yelped and arched his back when he felt the stickiness of tomato hitting him square in the back. Tao turned and raced up another row of tomatoes, hoping to get to the castle before something more precious than his back (his face) get hit. Luck was not on his side today. Tao tripped as Chanyeol grabbed the back of his shirt, sending both males flying towards the ground. Tao landed on Chanyeol with a grunt. The older male groaned as Tao sat on top of him.

"Hah, I win." Tao said victoriously. Chanyeol smirked, "I don't think so."

Tao's eyes widened as Chanyeol pulled out another tomato from his pocket. They were already on the hill between the field and the castle. Tao just need to run twenty more feet and he was home free. Again, luck was not on his side. Chanyeol rolled the two over and straddled Tao, pinning his arms and legs with his body. Tao screamed as Chanyeol ed the first few buttons of his shirt. He knew what Chanyeol was about to do and there was no way in hell that Tao was going to let that happen. But he had no way of stopping Chanyeol.

He squealed as Chanyeol threw the tomato on his chest, making sure it rolled down his chest, dirtying both him and his shirt.

"I hate you." Tao spat as Chanyeol smiled at him. Tao opened his mouth to say something when Chanyeol was suddenly tackled by a blur. A big, black angry blur.

In seconds, Chanyeol was the one being pinned down. Yifan sat on his chest as he threw heavy punches at his face. Tao screamed as ran to Yifan, desperately trying to tug him off of Chanyeol. He finally pulled him off of Chanyeol, resulting in the three of them to lie down, panting.

Tao got up and pulled Yifan up by his collar, "What the Yifan?"

Yifan simply frowned and closed his eyes. Tao sighed and patted his cheek, "Yifan look at me. What was that?" Yifan opened his eyes and Tao gasped, stumbling back. Yifan's eyes weren't his normal, warm light brown color. They were pitch black. 

"Unbelievable. Mom and dad left for two hours. TWO hours and you've already managed to beat up Chanyeol. Congratulations."

Yifan sighed heavily as Xiumin lectured him....again. This time, Baekhyun and Tao were also lecturing him.

"You hurt your own brother? Yifan what the ? Why did you do that?"

"He...he was pinning down Tao."

Tao's eyes widened as Yifan mumbled his answer. There was no way that Yifan was .....jealous? Chanyeol let out another whimper as Baekhyun wiped away the dirt from his bruised face.

"Yifan that's not okay, explain with more detail."

"He was pinning down Tao. And I got angry. Then nothing. Next thing I know, I was getting pulled off of Chanyeol and he was all bloody and messed up."

Xiumin rubbed his forehead as he paced the room, "Okay Yifan, I know about what's happening with you right now but you need to calm down. What if you get angry again but you shift into a dragon? Then there's no way of calming you down and you'll wreck havoc on our kingdom. And I'm not going to let that happen."

Tao frowned as he saw Yifan's shoulders slump. His head was facing the ground but Tao knew that he was hurt.

"Could you guys give us a minute?"

Baekhyun nodded and wrapped Chanyeol's arm around his shoulder, helping him out of the room. Xiumin threw on last glare at Yifan before leaving the room, slamming the door behind him. 

"I'm sorry about him. He's a bit dramatic when it comes to protecting the kingdom."

"No he's right....I'm dangerous to everyone. I shouldn't be king."

Tao stared at Yifan before forcefully pulling him up. Yifan stiffened as he felt Tao wrap his arms around him, pressing his face against Yifan's chest. "You were meant to be a king Yifan. I've seen the way you care for your brothers, for the villagers and the staff. They all love you and they couldn't ask for a better heir. Now I can't do this whole ruling two kingdoms thing on my own....I need a partner....a king."

Yifan looked down in surprise. Tao was admitting that he was the one to be a queen and that Yifan was to be his king. Yifan smiled widely as he picked Tao up. The younger squealed as he felt himself being risen up into the air. He quickly wrapped his legs around Yifan's waist, supporting himself.

"You're right peach. We're in this together."

"Together."

Tao was laying on his bed while Yifan by the window. He played with his fingers as he listened to Yifan read out loud from a book. He smiled as he listened to Yifan's deep voice. It was comforting. Tao noticed everything about Yifan. The way he sniffed when ever he paused, indicating that his allergies were getting the better of him. The way he cleared his throat every time his mouth got dry from reading aloud so much. Tao really liked Yifan's voice. Tao's shut slowly were lulled closed by Yifan smooth voice. He sighed and snuggled into his covers when his bedroom door slammed open. He jumped awake, gasping when he saw Luhan standing by the doorframe with a familiar girl behind him.

"Jaehyun?"

Jaehyun was the granddaughter of Grammy, the old woman who Tao visited at times in the village. But this was the first time she visited the castle.

"Jaehyun,what are you doing here?"

"Tao she's dead."

Tao snapped his attention to Luhan, "What?"

Luhan took a deep breath before answering, "Her grandmother, she's dead."