It all started with a song.

                The day had been normal, like usual.  Minjun was patrolling his part of the territory on horseback and everything was fine.  Riding the bay gelding to the edge of his run, he pulled the barely winded creature up short of the steep downhill slope demarcating where the forest began and the town’s province ended.  Baby blue skies reigned overhead and the sun beat down warmly on his uncovered arms.  For a moment, he raised his hand to shield his eyes from the bright light so he could see over the land of thickly crowded trees. Within, he noticed a sparkling glint hidden inside the shades of green below.

                He didn’t exactly know what he was patrolling against – he hardly thought they were at risk of being invaded and he put little stock in dangerous woodland spirits coming in to steal away people and goods – but the village elders mandated they patrol so he did.  At least it got him out of working the fields like many of his friends.  There were few times he was grateful to his father for teaching him the relatively useless skill of sword fighting as a villager, but because of his ‘fighting’ ability, he was one of the few volunteered.

                “At least the weather is nice,” Minjun smiled, the lopsided expression lost on Fidget.  As his name implied, the beast beneath him shifted from foot to foot and shook his head, flicking his tail at imaginary flies as he did so.  “Well, let’s finish up here and head back then,” he grinned, patting the damp neck reassuringly before he clucked his tongue and nudged them along.

                The easy trotting motion bounced Minjun in the old saddle as he looked around, constantly scanning for the sight of anything in particular.  Nothing jumped out at him and he was just about ready to turn them back towards the village when a strangely loud humming sound caught his attention.  Letting Fidget keep going, Minjun craned his neck to see what he could, frowning when he didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.  Certain that the sun was getting to him and he was hearing things, he started to turn Fidget back.

                “Boo!”  Fidget spooked and bucked nervously, jumping sideways as he did so.

                “Yah!” Minjun yelped, feeling the saddle slipping out from beneath him.  He tried to grab on, desperately attempting to stay seated.  One hand pulled hard at the reins and his other slid down sleek fur, fingers tugging at rough strands of hair uselessly.  With his head ducked to his chest, Fidget whickered and reared, balancing awkwardly while Minjun continued his descent.

                Insanity beckoned as he was sure he heard something like, “It’s supposed to be shoo,” before he entered a free fall.

                Frantically, his hands reached for the sky, clawing at the air.  Wind slipped through his fingers and he managed a short cry until the breath was driven from his lungs when his back met the sloping hill.  “Gyah!” he choked, tumbling head over heels down the decline.  Blue and brown and black flashed in his vision as he fought to keep his eyes open, desperately trying to make sure he didn’t hit anything else.  It was impossible to control his path though, and the foreboding green of the tree line rose up to tower over him.

                The trunk of a tree partially caught him, slowing him down and bruising his shoulder.  It turned him sideways and allowed him to come to an aching stop in the shadows of the forest.  Flat on his back, the shade of the canopy was nice, and he could see patches of sky filtering through the interwoven leaves.  But his body hurt and his head was ringing.  “Dammit, Fidget,” Minjun groaned as he finally coughed and endeavored to sit up.

                Bare arms were scratched from his fall and his body spoke of unseen bruises beneath his thin clothes, but nothing seemed to be broken or badly hurt.  Except maybe his head.  There was no one else here so he had to have been hearing things back on the ridge.  The sword at his waist reminded him he would have a nasty welt where the handle had dug into his hip, but at least he still had it.

                “Ugh,” he groaned, staggering to his feet with a quick swipe of his fingers through dark brown locks, dislodging pieces of dirt and debris.  “Stupid horse,” he sighed again, carefully brushing at his dusty clothes as he glanced around and started to head towards the edge of the forest.  But through the quiet whisper of the wind in the trees, he heard a soft sound filtering through, catching his attention.  “Huh?” he blinked in confusion, pausing to turn and look back into the forest.  The faint, musical sound was coming from deeper in the woods.  “That’s strange,” he breathed, raising one brow curiously.

                Instinctively, he ducked as he thought he heard the strange humming noise again, but when he looked around, there was nothing different.  Nothing but the soft voice in the distance.  Minjun frowned thoughtfully, nibbling on his bottom lip.  It sounded like singing.  But who would be singing in the forest?  And why?

                Maybe if he didn’t like music himself, he wouldn’t have gone.  Maybe if he’d thought more of forest spirits in the woods, he would have turned around and headed back to get his horse.  Maybe if he hadn’t been so very curious, he would have been able to brush it off as nothing more than the wind playing tricks on him.  But all the maybes in the world didn’t stop him from heading further into the filtered light of the trees.

                His hand lingered on his sword pommel, just in case, and he stepped over debris with decently long legs.  The loose fabric of his pants caught on the occasional twig, but long boots kept him free from the worst of it.  And the temperature was cool in the shade of the canopy, drying the beginning tendrils of sweat from his hairline.  The quiet sounds of the forest soothed him, promising nothing dangerous was nearby as birds called to each other and smaller woodland creatures darted in his periphery.  And ahead… something sparkled.  Ahead was also where the singing was coming from.

                Nibbling on his lip thoughtfully, Minjun wove around the trees in his path, blinking in surprised astonishment as he began to notice a spring of some kind.  When he stepped into the small clearing, the music stopped and he had to shield his face from the too bright light.  Sapphire waters dazzled his eyes with the rays of the sun and a small waterfall cascaded from the small rise, creating just enough mist for transparent rainbows.

                “Wow,” he whispered in astonishment, briefly stunned by the unexpected sight.  Inching closer, he made his way to the edge of the water, peering into the crystal clear depths.  “Hello?” he called aloud, wondering where the singer had disappeared to.  He jumped when the water on the other side of the spring splashed, drawing his attention.  But nothing was there.  Just the moving ripples on the surface.  Minjun frowned at the motion, certain the waterfall hadn’t made them, and then frowned thoughtfully as he noticed what appeared to be a relatively small opening near the falling stream.  “What’s that?” he hummed to himself, his lip curiously.

                Before he could start making his way over though, the loud humming sound returned in force.  Minjun ducked and then flailed awkwardly as two small… things flew at his head.  He yelped, waving at the creatures with defensive hands.  But he was further startled when one flew directly in front of him.  It was gone before he could stare, but it was a tiny, winged man.  The other one pulled at his hair and he ducked forward, balancing precariously at the water’s edge.

                “Wait!”

                He definitely heard a voice that time.  And yet, it didn’t matter when one final nudge offset him enough to make him slip on the edge of the spring.  One foot shunted forward on dirt covered stone and his other knee buckled.  Minjun went from leaning forward to swinging back in a vain attempt to save himself.  It didn’t work.  Light and pain exploded in his head when the back of his skull connected with the rocks on his uncoordinated tumble into the water.  Consciousness flickered when the chilly water surrounded him, but it sluggishly fled as the liquid insisted upon invading his nose and mouth.

                Foggy consciousness came back with a splitting headache and blurred double vision.  The latter was only apparent when he attempted to pry open aching eyes as he felt himself being carried.  Minjun groaned weakly.  His hands were dangling in front of him and his head pounded with each step his carrier took.

                “Quickly now,” he heard in a low voice, flinching when something brushed his face and arms.  “He’s coming around.”

                “The path looks clear!” a much smaller tone added as if they were speaking from a far distance.

                “Get his horse,” the first speaker instructed.

                Minjun frowned, still unable to see straight.  But something soft and bluish was tickling his narrowed sight.  Were those wings?  And why wasn’t he dead?

                “Changsun’s already gone to get him,” the smaller voice murmured, a peculiar humming sound becoming obvious.  It made Minjun wince.

                “You should have just warned him off,” his carrier huffed, the vibrations of his voice traveling through Minjun’s body.

                “We tried, but then Channie spooked the critter and he got tossed.”

                “Then you made him fall in the spring,” the other man chided.

                “No I didn’t,” little voice immediately denied.

                “Junho…”

                “It was an accident,” he pouted, seeming to alight on Minjun’s back.  The humming sound stopped and he swore he felt something on top of him.

                “What…?” he managed to groan, hands responding weakly as he finally tried moving.  No one answered him and his vision finally steadied enough to confirm that yes, he was staring at very delicate looking wings hanging down a completely .  Equally gauzy looking material was gathered around his waist, but it was unlike anything Minjun had ever seen.  After running through the possibilities, he decided the most likely was also the most impossible and therefore not worth thinking about.  He closed his eyes to ease the ache in his head and was vaguely aware of when they stopped moving.

                His breath caught in his throat when he felt himself moving off the shoulder he was slung over.  The ground caught him with strangely gentle grace as a hand cradled his head.  Blurry double vision returned when he pried his eyes open.  He was nearly blinded by the halo of light around the stranger, but he noticed an angular face and… rainbow colored hair.  Then he was pulling away and something was being looped around his wrist.

                “Stay,” he heard the voice speak and a horse whickered.  Fidget?  “Come on,” the speaker urged, prompting the humming sound to start up again.

                “Are you sure it’s alright?” a new, tiny voice asked.

                “It will have to be,” the other answered softly, their presence disappearing ever so quickly.

                Minjun drifted in and out of awareness as he felt the sun moving across the sky.  Fidget tugged on his wrist where the reins were looped around his hand but was content to not drag him along.  Yet.  Eventually, when the pounding in his head retreated to a safe enough level, he dared to sit up.  Not his best idea, but neither was lying on the ground until the sun set.  That wasn’t for a couple marks yet, he knew, but it would take him a bit to get back to the village.  First… he had to get onto the horse.  With a look up that made him dizzy, he groaned.

                “Alright.  Let’s get this over with,” he sighed, steeling himself to stand up as well as the journey back.  He didn’t know what he was going to say to the others yet.  He barely knew what in the underworld had happened in general.  But first things first.  He had to get home.

                After far more trouble than he was accustomed to – his body was strangely weak and Fidget was not cooperating at all – Minjun made his way into the saddle.  He was fortunate his horse knew the path back since he was in little condition to do much guiding himself.  And then when he did return, the elder and scout master had to question him – after making sure he wasn’t going to die in the saddle anyway.

                The best answer he could eventually give them was most of the truth: his horse had thrown him and he’d hit his head.  No, nothing had attacked him – not really, and he hadn’t seen anything worth worrying about – the one had saved him after all…  Sort of anyway.  So he was left to be embarrassed about his mishap, the of jokes from Nichkhun and Taecyeon who found his predicament quite laughable.  Honestly, who was randomly thrown from his horse – never mind that Nichkhun had very much had the same experience last year?

                For the few days he was made to stay in the village recovering, Minjun spent his time actually mulling over what he could piece together.  Once the shock and surprise wore off, he could admit to himself that he’d probably encountered an otherwise feared forest spirit of some kind.  The little flying things had to be sprites or fairies.  And he was almost positive one of them had been singing in the spring he’d seen.

                On the fourth day after he’d returned, lying in bed with his hands pillowing his head, Minjun came to a realization.  “I want to go back.”  It made him pause with a puzzled frown.  He didn’t think he was under a spell.  And considering what had happened last time, he should probably steer clear of that area.  But he was doubly curious now.  He’d made many runs in that direction without incident and only now had something happened.  Was something changing?  And would they be there again if he did go?

                On the fifth day, after a sparring session with the scout master to confirm he was well enough, Minjun was allowed to take Fidget back out and resume his patrol.  He earned a raised brow when he requested his usual path, but he wasn’t denied.  Minjun took his time in returning to the edge he had last fallen from.  When he finally arrived, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.  The weather was similar to the last time, with more clouds and a bit cooler, necessitating sleeves, but everything was… normal.

                “Alright you,” he murmured to Fidget as he carefully got off the sidling creature.  “You behave while I take a look around,” he chuckled, slapping the dark neck affectionately as he found a small tree to secure him to for the moment.  He wouldn’t be long and there shouldn’t be anything nearby that would bother him, but he didn’t want to risk taking him down into the woods and him spooking or something and getting lost.

                Rubbing his hands together as he approached the edge he’d fallen off last time, Minjun couldn’t help but be a bit nervous.  He chewed his bottom lip for a moment and then nodded decisively.  “I’m going.”  That was all there was to it.  And just like that, he made his way down the hill.  He thought he could see smudges from his previous visit, though it was hard to say since it had rained two days ago.  The ground was still damp in some places along the tree line and his feet sank into the soft ground slightly more than usual.

                Pausing at the edge of the forest, he held his breath as he listened.  Nothing but the wind in the trees and the expected birds making their usual noise.  No singing either.  Minjun frowned thoughtfully but shrugged and stepped inside, one hand lingering on his sword pommel just in case.  Retracing his steps quietly, he felt almost like he was trying to track some elusive creature.

                The sparkling spring beckoned him onward in the distance and he flitted from tree to tree, hiding behind each one as he watched and waited.  He was disappointed by the relative silence – he would have even taken the humming sprites, but he didn’t let it dissuade him.  his lips, Minjun settled himself behind one of the trees at the very edge of the clearing, peering out from behind the barrier intently.  The waterfall created the misty rainbow as before; sapphire waters glittered like a sea of gems; and everything felt like he’d stepped into a realm of magic.

                For a long moment, he just knelt by the tree and watched.  It almost seemed as if time might have stood still for him while he was there.  More time passed and he struggled with feeling foolish about his fool’s errand, but still he did not move.  Instead, he shifted to rest against the trunk, half hidden in shadow while the sun continued to move across the sky.  He was a little hungry but it was so peaceful here.  Almost worth it just to come even without seeing what he was looking for.

                “Maybe I was just seeing things,” he sighed to himself as he finally rested his head against the trunk.  The breeze ruffled his hair, teasing his bangs in his eyes.  But then a chill ran across his skin and he froze.  Someone was watching him…  Swallowing noisily, he moved his head back to being level with the ground, scanning the area in front of him.  Minjun flinched with a gasp when he noticed sapphire eyes peering at him from the water.  They were topped by a crown of rainbow hair that glistened in the sun, the spikes defying the weight of the water unnaturally.  “Oh,” he inhaled, astonished to see the other… creature here.

                A loud familiar humming heralded the approach of the little fliers from last time, but he wasn’t ready for them to stop immediately in front of him.  “Halt!” they commanded together, both pointing very tiny daggers at him.  If he hadn’t been so stunned, he might well have laughed.  He knew they were trying to be intimidating, but it was more cute than anything.  Both were crowned with short, golden hair.  Both were tiny with shimmering dragonfly wings.  Both were clothed in little more than green, woven loincloths.  And both were glaring at him with determined expressions more suitable to affecting someone their own size.

                He didn’t realize they were just the distraction though.  Water chimed a musical cascade and then the other stranger was there, his back blocking out the sun as he leaned over Minjun with a guarded expression on his face.  Reflexively, his hand moved to tighten on his sword hilt and he gasped when the water spirit moved so fast he missed it.  A grip like iron caged his wrist and he stopped breathing to stare at the face a hand’s breadth from his.

                “Um…” he trailed off, hardly daring to blink.

                “What are you doing here?” the stranger asked in a soft voice, the fingers of his other hand moving quickly to trap Minjun’s chin in a strong but gentle hold.  He twisted his head to either side so fast but with such control that Minjun knew it would be child’s play for the creature to kill him if he so wished.  “You are alive and I made no move to harm you even when you trespassed.  Why have you returned?” he demanded flatly, turning Minjun’s face to look him straight in the eyes.

                The ability to speak simply deserted Minjun in that moment.  He hadn’t known what he was going to say before and he certainly didn’t now.  What did one say when faced with such unearthly beauty and power directly in front of him?  Though now that he was this close, Minjun could see that the other’s eyes weren’t blue.  They were actually a very mesmerizing shade of brown, but the water had made them seem otherwise.  “I don’t know,” he finally blurted, speaking the first words that embarrassingly came to mind.

                A confused frown marred the damp visage.  “Then leave,” he finally commanded, standing up and relinquishing his hold on Minjun without a second thought.

                When he stepped away, Minjun felt like he could breathe again and he inhaled deeply, shaken by the experience.  The little fairy men stayed right next to him, still attempting to be menacing, but more distracting than anything else.  “Wait!” he nearly choked, staggering to his feet with the help of the tree.

                “Stop!” the pair growled, brandishing their daggers in his face.  Minjun flinched and came up short when one of them actually nicked his cheek.

                “Ow!” he blinked, dabbing at the tiny cut.

                “Junho.  Changsun.  Let’s go,” the spirit called over his shoulder, never raising his eyes to look at Minjun.

                “Coming!” the pair cried as one, flitting away when they were summoned.

                Wide-eyed and completely unsure about what to do, Minjun watched them go.  He stared in fascination as the spirit literally walked on water before he sank into the surface with the barest of ripples.  And he gawked as the other man literally appeared to disappear beneath the liquid.  The two fairy men seemed to just flutter away, leaving Minjun to his stunned amazement alone.

                Shaking himself from his stupor, he dabbed at the cut on his cheek again and frowned.  “That was not how I imagined things might go.”  Not sure how to feel, he resigned himself to head back for the day.  It was nearly time for him to return after all, and no doubt the others would be worried if he failed to show up at a reasonable hour.

                He wasn’t wrong about being missed.  Just before dark, he could see Taecyeon and Nichkhun hovering near the edge of the village, their faces slightly pinched with concern.  “Hey!” the former waved with a forced grin, his expression still somewhat tense.

                “There he is,” Nichkhun snorted, bushy brows drawing together while he glared at the incoming Minjun with an annoyed but amused frown.  “We thought you might have gotten tossed again,” he added with a nonchalant shrug.

                “Or just gotten lost,” Taecyeon added with a shake of his head, moving close to hold the reins so Minjun could dismount with ease.

                “Eh.  I just lost track of time,” the rider waved off as easily as he could, concentrating on getting off since Fidget was, well, fidgeting.  Both his friends exchanged disbelieving glances, which he only caught because he just managed to look up in time.  “So I nodded off and took a short nap,” he pretended to admit, wincing inside at the lie.

                “Told you,” Nichkhun laughed, clapping the taller man on the shoulder as he waved a dismissive hand at Minjun.  He might have been more offended if he wasn’t just glad they were ready enough to believe him.

                A worried frown was Taecyeon’s answer until he took a breath and waved the pair back into the village.  “You’re just getting better from that head injury, Min.  You really shouldn’t be worrying us like that,” he chided while they wandered towards the community paddock.

                “I know,” Minjun dropped his gaze as he kept pace with them.  “I won’t do it again,” he quietly promised, even then wondering if he would anyway already.  He most certainly wasn’t done with trying to figure that spirit… thing out yet.

                “Good,” Taecyeon smiled with a satisfied nod, dark brown bangs falling into his eyes with the motion.  “Then let’s get Fidget here taken care of and then you can come over for supper.  The wife’s complaining you’re too thin and I know you haven’t been cooking much for yourself lately,” he teased with an easy smile, falling quickly into more usual banter.

                “Eh…” Minjun laughed nervously, always awkward when he was in the presence of Taecyeon’s wife.  She had a sister she was trying to set him up with and it was something she had yet to give up on.  Never mind she already knew he wasn’t particularly interested…

                “Taec!  He’s supposed to come to my house this time,” Nichkhun complained loudly, leaning on the taller man’s shoulder with both arms as he made a disgruntled face.

                Nichkhun’s wife was just as bad, but in a different way.  She always asked about his home and why he wasn’t still living with his parents.  Or married yet either.  And though he kept saying he hadn’t met the right person, she always seemed slightly disappointed.  He still wasn’t sure if she thought he was just being too picky and stuck up about the selection in the village or had any idea that he didn’t favor women.  He was happy enough to let her keep guessing either way.  The latter was one fact he didn’t really wish to become common knowledge.

                Both men frowned at each other with tense expressions before they rounded on Minjun at the same time.  “Whose house do you want to go to?” they asked at the same time, leaning forward intently.

                Minjun looked between the two faces – one chiseled and handsome, the other with a pointier chin and somewhat exotic features – and quickly feigned tiredness.  “You know,” he pretended to yawn, raising one arm over his head and the other covering his mouth.  “I think I should probably go lay down now.  With this,” he gestured towards the back of his head awkwardly, “healing head injury and all.”

                “Min!” they groaned in tandem.  Taecyeon shook his head with a roll of his eyes while he turned away to finish taking care of Fidget.  Nichkhun’s lips thinned and he peered at Minjun skeptically.  “I don’t really believe you but okay.”  He threw his hands up in reluctant defeat.  “But you’re coming over tomorrow,” he pointed, clearly not ready to take no for an answer.

                Taecyeon glanced over his shoulder to see how Minjun responded and he knew for a fact he would have to swallow one of their offers.  “Alright,” he agreed weakly, just keeping from wrinkling his nose.

                “Hah!” Nichkhun grinned triumphantly, the sidelong look meant entirely for Taecyeon.

                “Yeah, yeah,” the taller man laughed once with a flippant wave.  “That just means next time he’ll come to my house,” he explained matter of factly, clearly not bothered by Minjun’s capitulation.

                “Right!” Minjun agreed with a quick nod, waving once as he started to move away.  “So thanks for checking up on me and taking care of Fidget and I’ll see you both tomorrow!” he laughed as he retreated.

                “Eat something before you go to sleep!” Taecyeon yelled after him while Nichkhun laughed at his departure.

                Minjun was just as glad to get out of sight, quite frankly.  He liked them.  He did.  Their concern was genuine and they were good friends.  But sometimes they were a bit much.  “Ugh…” he groaned in the safety of his tiny home.  He didn’t have much, having moved in a couple years go when he left his own home because his parent’s disproved of him, but it was his own space.  With a frustrated sigh, he flopped onto his narrow bed and stared at the ceiling.  “What are you doing?”

                Lying to his friends.  Staying out late on patrols so he could search for what had to be a forest spirit – one that had pretty much saved his life.  Being slightly attacked by little fairy men.  He didn’t know what he was doing but he knew he was being foolish.  Unfortunately, that didn’t stop him from being curious.  Based on his encounter with the water spirit man earlier, he could have easily killed Minjun.  Every story he’d ever heard said that the forest spirits in general were angry and dangerous and prone to killing people simply for entering the woods.

                This one hadn’t and that made him curious.  And maybe a little foolishly brave.  But his words repeated in Minjun’s mind again: “You are alive and I made no move to harm you even when you trespassed.  Why have you returned?”

                He didn’t have a good answer when he’d been asked, due in no small part because he simply hadn’t been able to think at all.  And not just because the spirit man was incredibly attractive – he was – but he was also dangerously fast and powerful and magical, all of which had been more than enough to simply wipe away whatever he might have said.  But Minjun had returned to make sure he wasn’t crazy.  He returned to see why the spirit hadn’t killed him.  And he wanted to know why he’d saved him in the first place.  Not to mention he was still curious about the song that had first caught his attention.

                Unbidden, the notes resurfaced in his mind and he played them over in his head, starting to hum the sounds under his breath.  He was still curious, but he wasn’t completely foolish.  He’d wait a few days again before trying to go back.  That way, he’d at least be more healed and he could get Taecyeon and Nichkhun off his back about staying out too late.

                Satisfied with that plan of action, Minjun smiled to himself and twirled his fingers in the air in time with the song.  The more he tried it out, the more it reminded him of water and he became even more positive he was dealing with a water forest spirit of some kind.  One that he was almost determined to see again.