Luhan watched in envy as Yifan gently brushed a lock of hair away from Yixing’s eyes as he slept. The look on his brother’s face was unbelievably tender and he found it hard to believe that the two of them were nothing more than friends. “You two are very close, aren't you?” he asked, the words slightly bitter in his mouth as he remembered how close the advisor had been next to his brother in a family portrait.

“We’re best friends. It runs in the family it seems. His father was best friends with ours.” Yifan smiled softly down at Yixing’s sleeping face. The advisor never slept well on his back and he knew that due to countless nights they had spent together in bed as children. When Yixing shifted and murmured in his sleep, the prince a hand gently through his friend’s dark hair and the man settled, breaths evening out.

“I was jealous of him at first,” Luhan blurted out as he watched Yifan rearrange himself on the bed.

Yifan looked up at him in surprise. “What have you got to be jealous for?”

The elder bit his lips, already regretting his words. “I didn't mean to say that out loud,” he muttered, looking down at the bedspread sulkily. Yifan laughed and smoothed down Yixing’s hair gently. But Luhan couldn't let this go. “You're my brother. I'm the one who’s supposed to be there. I'm supposed to be the one who holds your hand when you’re hurt.” Luhan blinked. , was he crying? He swiped a hand across his eyes.

Yifan shifted uneasily. “Lu ge,” he whispered, moving to the other side of the bed beside his brother.

“I've missed so much of your life,” Luhan mumbled as he leaned into his brother’s arms.

“Well, we could catch up now.” Yifan dropped his chin onto his brother’s shoulder and nuzzled into his neck. “You smell like the forest.” He giggled when Luhan lurched away, swatting at him.

“I practically live in it, idiot," Luhan said. "Of course, I smell like it.”

“Really? What do you see in there? Father rarely allows me out of the palace. I've only been out twice.” Yifan bumped his nose gently into the crook of his brother’s neck, curious.

“Oh, it's amazing. On most days, the forest is quiet. Not the sad quiet but the cheerful morning quiet.” Luhan enthused. “There's a willow tree I sleep under a lot because it reminds me of Mother. When the wind blows through the dangling branches, the whole area smells of lilies.”

Yifan’s eyes widened, “Even though there are no lilies around?”

The elder nodded, smiling at the look of awe on his brother’s face. “Tell me about you. Duke Junseo told me you loved playing pranks.”

Yifan straightened, a smirk crossing his handsome face. “Which ones do you want me to tell, I've got many.”

Luhan glanced at Yixing’s sleeping face and grinned. “Tell about the ones you played on him.”

Yifan’s smirk widened. "I've played plenty but one of them was particularly memorable.” The prince’s smile was gleeful as he recalled the particular day. “Yixing is petrified of frogs. He hates them. One night, I snuck one. Just one frog into his bed.” Yifan was grinning so hard now that his brother thought his face might split apart.

“Shut up, Yifan.” A hand whacked the prince across the thigh and the injured man opened one eye to glare at his best friend.

“But it was funny!” Yifan protested as he broke into laughter.

“Funny to you,” Yixing grumbled and closed his eyes again.

“What happened?” Luhan asked curiously.

“He screamed so loud half the palace guards thought he was being murdered.” Yifan’s shoulders were shaking as he struggled to contain his laughter so as not to wake Yixing again.

“And he didn't try to get you back?” Luhan looked at him incredulously.

“He got back at me by asking my tutor to make me write an essay on frogs and their uses. The essay had to be twenty inches long.” Yifan wrinkled his nose at the memory. “I learnt so much about frogs I could probably quote something.”

Luhan laughed and poked Yifan in the side. His brother’s eyelids fluttered, an indication that he was falling asleep. “You’re sleepy.” Luhan murmured, sliding off the bed. “Get some rest.” Yifan blinked sleepily at his brother and patted the place beside him quietly. The elder laughed at his gesture, “There isn’t enough room. Sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Then, to Yifan’s surprise, Luhan pressed a kiss onto his forehead before slipping out of the room with a small smile lingering on his lips.

 

-

 

Yifan was jarred awake by a terrible screaming outside the window. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he became aware of Yixing shifting awake beside him. “What on earth...?” He clapped his hands around his best friend’s ears just as Yixing’s eyes opened. “Shh. It’s nothing. Go back to sleep,” he whispered, wincing as the screams pierced his eardrums.

Yixing pressed closer to him, eyes wide with surprise and fear.

“Shall I sing to you?” Yifan asked, over the screaming and his best friend closed his eyes before nodding. He hummed the lyrics to a lullaby his mother had taught them both and Yixing seemed to settle, relaxing against his chest. The screaming ceased as soon as he reached the chorus and he got out of bed, sliding Yixing down onto the mattress gently so as not to wake him.

Padding out into the sunlight made him awake fully, eyes focused on the handsome stag standing proudly under the rays of the morning sun. The storm had passed overhead, leaving the ground soft and mushy from the rain but the air was fresh as if the passing storm had cleansed everything in its path.

Yifan seemed not to notice the captain and the healer as he stepped towards his brother, hand outstretched. The stag stood still as he petted him, pushing his muzzle into Yifan’s chest. “A pigeon has been sent home. Your father is sending a team of soldiers to fetch us back.” Zhang Cheng’s voice broke through the haze in Yifan’s mind and he turned to face the healer.

Luhan made a mournful noise and his brother’s hand. The prince petted the stag gently. “I will see you again. I promise,” he murmured, pressing a gentle kiss on his brother’s nose. Luhan huffed and turned around as Yifan pulled his hand away. “Bye,” the younger whispered as the stag bounded away into the forest.

As the soldiers assembled the stretcher, Yifan took Yixing’s hand in his. The advisor was breathing heavily in pain as the walk down the stairs had been excruciating. He leaned his head against Yifan’s chest and relaxed when his friend started to play with his hair with one hand. “Does it hurt really badly?” he asked quietly when Yixing shifted and sharply in a breath.

“It's not too much, I can handle it.” The advisor breathed, grimacing as he changed his position.

“Your father has morphine, I could go and get it. You'll probably need it for the ride home anyway.” As he spoke, the healer appeared in their line of sight, evidently worried for his son.

“They are nearly ready for you,” Zhang Cheng said, reaching out to touch Yixing’s forehead. The splints had been removed that morning because the healer had feared the possibility of a lung infection and he was now paranoid and constantly checking his son’s injury.

“He will need morphine, won't he? The ride home will be rough,” Yifan asked, looking worriedly down at his best friend.

“Yes, I will give him a dose now and then he can lay down.”

Yixing did not flinch when the needle sank into the soft skin at the crook of his elbow, the yellow drug disappearing under his skin.

“Come now,” Yifan murmured, guiding his friend to his feet. The stretcher was laid out on the ground and the soldiers were waiting for them. The prince carefully settled his friend into the stretcher, arranging him as comfortably as possible. “I will be by your head, okay? Anytime you need us to stop, just let me know.” Yixing nodded quietly.

The prince had been insistent on carrying the stretcher despite the men’s protests. The four men lifted him, causing the advisor to grip the edges of the stretcher nervously, before he was handed off to the prince and the other three men who had mounted their horses. Zhang Cheng rode on his son’s other side to calm him.

“This is nerve wracking,” Yixing admitted as he was raised off the ground.

“It is.” The healer smiled at the way his son’s hands were clenching the sides of the stretcher so tightly. “We won't be going much faster than a trot so there's nothing to worry about.”

Yixing relaxed slightly but his voice shook as he said. “I’d much rather be on a horse.”

Yifan heard him and turned to smile at him. “The ground’s too rocky. It will hurt you more if you rode.”

Yixing pouted at him but laid back in the stretcher. The carriers were steady, all of them trying not to jostle him too much but that was always a possibility with how rocky the road was and the fact that they had to cross into the forest to get to the other side. Yixing had been dozing off, lulled by the gentle rocking of the stretcher when he heard a croak. His half closed eyes flew open and to his horror, he saw a raven perched at the very end of the stretcher behind the two guards. The bird cocked its head to the side, beady black eyes staring right at him. “Oh god.” He breathed, transfixed.

“What’s wrong?” Yifan asked, turning his head to look at his friend.

The bird opened its beak and cawed again, hopping a little closer. “Ra… Raven.” Yixing stuttered, eyes fixed upon the coal black bird standing at the end of his stretcher.

“What?” Zhang Cheng’s head whipped around, eyes widening in horror at the sight of the raven.

The other guards slowed their horses. “Is something the matter?”

Yixing had never seen his father so frightened before. The healer’s face was as white as a sheet when the raven cocked its head, eyes turning towards him.

“Get it off!” Zhang Cheng cried, terror running rampant through him. The raven cawed angrily when one of the guards batted at it. It spread its wings and flew over their heads, landing on top of Yixing’s chest.

“Papa!” Yixing cried out in fear, striking at the bird frantically. The raven hopped away in fright and flew off, squawking loudly.

“Are you okay?” Yifan asked quietly. “Do you want us to stop?”

Yixing shook his head even though he was clearly shaken. “I will be okay.”

The journey proceeded without a hitch after the scare but the encounter had rattled Zhang Cheng way more than he had let on. The moment they had arrived back at the palace, Liu Xing was upon them, nearly crying with relief that her son was safe.

“Mama!” Yixing allowed her to wrap him into her arms.

“What happened out there?” she asked, smoothing a lock of hair away from her son’s face.

“I fell off,” Yixing murmured into the crook of her neck, trembling slightly.

As she held her son in her arms, she noticed the look on her husband's face. The healer was pale and he never let go of Yixing’s shoulder. “We need to talk,” he said seriously, glancing towards the royal family who was having a tearful reunion of their own. The smile slid slowly off Liu Xing’s face when she realized what her husband wanted to talk about.

 

“Papa?” Yixing called when his paranoid father pulled the heavy drapes around his windows shut. “What’s wrong?” His mother was seated on the bed next to him, face devoid of its usual smile.

Zhang Cheng returned to his son’s bedside and reached for the history textbook he had brought in with him. He turned the pages slowly as Yixing sat up with interest. “Is that a textbook?” he asked as his father settled it on the bed carefully.

“It's my history textbook from back when I was a child,” the healer answered as his son leaned forward to turn the pages. Liu Xing lit the oil lamp sitting by Yixing’s bedside and watched as her son touched the book in awe. “Read this passage.” Zhang Cheng pointed to the page he had read before, voice strained.

As his eyes scanned the tiny text, Yixing could feel the weight of his parents’ gazes on him. His eyes widened as he continued and by the time he had reached the end of the passage, his eyes were as big as saucers. “So it was a Zhang?” he asked, looking stunned.

Zhang Cheng looked at his son and nodded. “It's not finished though. Here’s a list of the boy’s attributes.” He pointed to the list on the next page.

Yixing skimmed through it quickly, his heart rate picking up and something akin to terror starting to run in his veins. “I…I don't understand,” he stuttered, looking up at his parents.

“We believe that this may all just be a ploy.” Zhang Cheng spoke, face looking grim.

“What ploy? What could she possibly want?” Yixing curled into his mother when she enveloped her arms around him.

“That stag the king saw, it may have been planned,” his father said, avoiding his question.

“Why? Why would she plan something like that?” Yixing laughed, slightly hysterical from all the information he was getting.

"The King thinks she wants revenge on her pet. But it's more deep seated than that. The one she truly wants is…” Zhang Cheng cut himself off when there was a knock on the door. “Come in,” he called out and the door creaked open.

Yifan poked his blonde head around the door and smiled. “It's dinner time. I came to Yixing downstairs. Is he alright?” His brows creased into a frown when he saw how frightened his friend looked.

Yixing forced a smile and slid off the bed, wincing in pain as he stood. “I'm fine.” He grimaced as the Prince moved closer to him.

“I'll get him an ice pack,” Zhang Cheng murmured, tugging his wife along with him out the door.

“Sit back down. Dinner can wait until your father returns with the ice,” Yifan said and helped his friend back onto the bed.

Yixing blinked up at him and cocked his head. “Is Joonmyun still around?” he asked curiously as the prince settled beside him.

“Yeah. He's returning tomorrow though.” Yifan gave him a sad face and the advisor smiled.

“I will miss him,” the advisor murmured, leaning against the prince’s broad chest.

“I will too.” They sat in silence for a moment with Yifan’s arms curled around Yixing.

Yixing sighed and rearranged himself, nuzzling into Yifan’s chest. “I'm so tired,” he groaned, words muffled in the prince’s shirt.

“I know. But we both need to eat. You've barely gotten anything into your system except for the soup last night and the bread this morning.” Yifan a hand gently through his friend’s hair and Yixing purred softly when he scratched his scalp.

The door opened quietly and Zhang Cheng stepped inside, holding up an ice pack. “Here we are.” He carefully strapped the pack around Yixing’s chest, the icy coldness of the pack insulated with a cottony material. The advisor sighed with relief when the cold pack came into contact with his sore ribs.

“Good?” Yifan grinned, looking amused.

“Very good,” Yixing answered, getting to his feet.

“C’mon boys. Let's get some dinner and you can turn in for the night. Everyone is exhausted.”

 

 

-

 

“What's with your face?” Joonmyun laughed when Yifan appeared in the dining hall for breakfast the next morning. The prince’s face was screwed up and he was shivering violently even with a heavy jacket on. Yixing on the other hand, was smiling serenely at the lord.

“Don't mind him, he's just cold.” The advisor waved a hand at the prince and slid into his seat.

“Are you okay?” Zitao asked in concern when he passed the prince. Yifan nodded even with his teeth chattering away. Yixing smirked and gently laid the prince’s napkin over his lap for him.

“Th..thanks,” Yifan managed to stutter.

The regents were startled to see their son so pale and shivering in his seat at the table. “Yifan. Your lips are turning blue.” Yi Chen said slowly as he picked up his fork. The prince stole a glance at his best friend, who was eating peacefully. There was a small smirk on the advisor’s face as he put the piece of pancake in his mouth. Yifan was shaking so badly that he could hardly pick up his utensils.

Zhang Cheng took one glance at his son’s smirking face and burst out laughing. “Yixing, you didn't!”

Yixing blinked innocently up at his father and smiled sweetly. “I didn't,” he stated, holding out a forkful of pancake for his best friend.

“Oh. Oh!” Lan Ling bit her lip and tried not to laugh; she did not want to upset her son.

Yi Chen had no such reservations; he was roaring with laughter. Yifan’s face flushed red and he stole a glance at his advisor.

Yixing’s face was glowing with mirth. Totally worth it, he thought.

“What happened?” Joonmyun asked, bewildered. He had not been at the palace the first time Yixing had gotten Yifan with that prank. Zhang Cheng explained what had happened the last time all while trying to contain his laughter. Liu Xing was giggling away into her plate. “That was you?” Joonmyun’s mouth dropped open.

Earlier that morning, there had been a terrible high pitched scream coming from the wing where Yifan’s rooms were located and then there had been silence. Yifan nodded shyly, face as red as a beetroot. “How did you fall for that again?” The lord shook his head at the stupidity of his friend. “Anyway, the two of you are on good terms again, yes?”

Yixing’s smile grew wider. “Yeah.” Yifan nodded along and his best friend turned to him. “He agreed to not get back at me because he wanted me to forgive him for breaking my rib.”

 

-

 

"Thanks for that by the way. Now Joonmyun thinks I'm a girl because of how high-pitched my screams were," Yifan grumbled as Yixing draped a heavy jacket around him. His lips were blue with cold and he was still shivering, although less than before. The advisor had stoked up the fire and the two of them were flipping through books regarding curses.

Yixing was amazed that he had been able to convince the prince to look through the library for curse breakers. "He's my brother. I must try to help him," Yifan had answered his best friend's astonishment nonchalantly as he picked up a rather massive book on curse breakers. He too had been surprised at how willing he had become to research the curse. In the past, he would have found it a bore and skipped out to the archery range to shoot targets or the arena to spar with Zitao.

Now, Yifan sipped on hot chocolate as he turned the pages on a really old book on magic that Joonmyun had unearthed from somewhere deep inside the library. He was surprised that the library contained books on magic after seeing how much his bloodline abhorred it.

"Have you got any clue where to start?" Yixing asked after seeing Yifan's expression when he first opened the book.

Yifan flushed and shook his head slowly. "No. I was just following Joonmyun around that first week and we weren't researching the curse. We were searching for leads on the man that may have started this entire thing." He set down the mug and shrugged off the jacket. With how high the advisor had stoked up the fire, the place felt like a sauna.

Yixing smiled. "I managed to find bits and pieces of the curse that my father had written down but some of the ink has faded out over the years. We could start by analyzing the leftover words. When Joonmyun and I first looked over the words, we managed to fit together what we think may be the missing words. I'll read it to you." He waved a piece of parchment in front of the prince and settled into the chair next to him.

 

"A hart’s life he shall live wh(en the su)n rises,

only in his true form once the ea(rth is cov)ered by mid(night sky bla)nkets.

Neither man nor beast as the h(our of his birth pass)es.

Standing on two legs after midni(ght has passed but fo)ur wh(en the dawn app)roaches.

The blo(od of his fam)ily that ru(ns throug)h his veins,

on his twenty fifth birthday, an ar(row sh)ot true wi(ll be his ba)ne.

In his impending doom, a ki ve his on on.”

 

"That's it?" Yifan leaned back in his chair, face clouding with disappointment.

"Well the last line is too broken to figure out. I'll bet my money that there is something crucial in that line." Yixing set down the paper and looked up at his best friend. "So what do you think?"

The prince frowned, his eyebrows creasing as he thought hard. "There's nothing important in all these. They just state exactly what she wants to happen to him," he said, looking frustrated.

The advisor smoothed out the paper with his fingers and picked up the quill he had set out on the small table next to him. He dipped the quill into the ink well and carefully drew a circle around the words 'The blood of his family that runs through his veins'. Yixing raised his head to look at the prince quietly. "This part was ambiguous. But that first time you saw your brother, you had a reaction. Now, I can almost confirm that this part is talking about you."

Yifan wrinkled his brow again. "Almost? Why not confirmed?"

The advisor sighed and twirled the quill around his fingers, accidentally splattering ink on himself. He ignored the mess and set the quill down. "We had thought that the curse triggered your reaction but yesterday, when Luhan appeared, you were perfectly fine. Which complicates things. I need to talk to Father about this but the fact that you were alright yesterday makes me suspect that Raven has control over the curse."

The prince shifted in his seat, thinking back to the first time he had seen his brother. He remembered a haze clouding his mind and his fingers inching for the bow he had slung over his shoulder. He remembered Yixing yelling and then a female voice speaking to him. "That day..." He bit his lips, unsure of how much he should say. Yixing looked up at him expectantly.

"That day... there was a woman. A woman talking to me. In my head," Yifan gulped, "I don't remember very much of it but I remember black smoke and violet. Violet eyes." He remembered thinking how much those eyes reminded him of Yixing. Except that they were violet and the look in them were sultry. Yifan swallowed, Adam’s apple bobbing at the thought of Yixing ever looking at him like that. A bead of sweat trickled down his brow and he sneaked a glance at his best friend.

Yixing’s slim frame seemed to glow in the heat of the room, and the blue sweater he had on clung to his body tightly. Yixing raised his eyebrows at the prince’s sudden silence.

Yifan flushed, looking away. “It’s so hot in here. I’m extinguishing the fire.” He stood up suddenly and walked over to the fireplace, hoping that his best friend would put the redness on his face down to the heat of the room. Yixing shrugged at the prince’s odd behavior and looked back down at the parchment.

Yifan tossed a bucket of water over the fire haphazardly, mind still glued to the image of those violet eyes looking like his best friend. A stray ember flew upwards from the force of the water and glanced off his hand, causing him to snap out of his daze, yelping in pain.

Yixing was out of his seat in a flash, barely registering the flare of pain in his chest before taking the burnt hand into his. “You’re such an idiot,” he scolded as he examined the red mark across the prince’s hand. He rubbed a thumb over the mark gently and Yifan winced. “It’s not too bad,” the advisor murmured, making the mistake of lifting his head to look up at the prince. Their eyes locked and Yixing felt his breath stutter.

Yifan’s tongue slipped out and he moistened his lips nervously. Unconsciously, the prince moved closer, and the advisor could feel the heat radiating from his body. Yixing could not pull his eyes away as the prince leaned towards him, one large hand wrapping around his waist. They were now chest to chest and Yixing could smell the pine and cedar wood aftershave that Yifan used.

The prince’s gaze flickered from his best friend’s hazel eyes to his plump lips and he saw Yixing gulp, his eyes following the up and down motion of his best friend’s Adam’s apple. He rested his forehead against the advisor’s, feeling the rhythmic puffs of air coming from his lips. “You’ve got one chance to push me away,” the prince whispered, voice coming out an octave lower than normal and the husky tone coursed through Yixing’s body, settling on his nether regions.

“I…I…” The advisor stuttered, words getting caught in his throat. He gasped when Yifan pulled him hard until they were pressed together, his injury momentarily forgotten as the prince’s eyes took hold of his.

“I don’t hear any complaints,” Yifan breathed, making Yixing’s heart rate pick up. Their noses were touching and the advisor could feel the prince’s hot breath fanning across his face. His eyes fluttered shut when he felt Yifan lean even closer, his best friend’s soft lips brushing gently against his.

“What on earth are the two of you doing!” There was a shriek from the door and Yixing shoved the prince away so fast that he nearly lost his balance. Zitao was standing by the doorway, hands on his hips and staring at them.

“Nothing!” Yixing gasped.

Yifan picked himself up from where he had fallen. There was a frown on his face as he rose to his feet. “Yeah, nothing,” he repeated slowly with a sharp glance at his advisor.

Yixing could feel his best friend’s disappointment as he fumbled to pick up the quills and cover the parchment.

“O...kay.” Zitao raised his eyebrows and stepped to the side as the prince moved towards the door. “Joonmyun’s going off soon, you might want to go and send him off.”