“Nice place you got here.”

            “Don’t touch anything.”

            Lay frowned. That cranky old Sun King didn’t have to be such a stick-in-the-mud; he was just appreciating the man’s quite impressive palace. He didn’t need to be so grumpy about everything, it wasn’t like Lay could really do that much anyway, purposefully or accidentally, seeing as how the rebel leader was practically flanked on all sides by their little posse.

            “Why are we here, anyway?” he all but groaned. “Shouldn’t we be like, setting up some sort of ceremony, or whatever other you guys do for your courting rituals?”

            “We’re not animals; we don’t have ‘courting rituals,’” Suho said with a sigh of exasperation. Lay just shrugged, brushing off his ‘mate’s’ response. He still wasn’t entirely onboard with this whole thing, but at least now he’d have some time to figure out how to get out of this mess.

            “And hush up about your matehood,” Kris demanded, and Lay rolled his eyes. Just a moment ago the Sun King had told him that they were in the ‘most secure place in the whole kingdom,’ his chambers, and yet now here was the same man, acting paranoid about a few slips of the tongue.

            “Whatever, my question still stands: why are we here?” Lay pressed, and Kris just pursed his lip in thought at the question.

            After a brief silence, the man replied with a vague, “There is work to be done,” and Lay resisted the urge to rip his hair out. Why did he say he’d work with these people again? Oh wait, he didn’t; he just got shoved into this massive, convoluted black hole of marks and mishaps and fights and politics and Gods.

            ing fantastic.

            “Just come with us,” Suho grumbled after a few minutes of awkward, frustrated silence, and Kris took that as his cue, apparently, to start walking out—when had Tao undone the seals?—of the room and into the hallway, with Tao and Xiumin following close. Suho stayed back for a minute, gesturing for Lay to join them, as Baekhyun and Chanyeol lingered around their King. The Interstellar let his eyes flicker between the two groups briefly, contemplatively, before he simply sighed and went along with them. What other choice did he really have at this point?

----------

            Suho really had no idea what Kris was planning, but he only hoped that it was alright to put his trust in the older man.

            “Your Majesty!?” he heard the shrill exclamation of surprise from a woman—no doubt one of the higher maids, if she was this deep into the palace in her cleaning routines. Suho watched as the scene unfolded. “We had no idea you were to return today…” Her eyes trailed to behind Kris, and they widened even more when they noticed Suho. “…along with his Majesty the Moon King! Oh dear me, I apologize greatly for our disorganization, your Majesties, we shall prepare immediately!” She spoke rapidly, with panic, bowing frantically as she instantly began dispatching firebirds in all different directions, no doubt to send the message to the other servants.

            “Calm your mind, maid,” Kris boomed, and the young woman jumped and immediately stopped in her tracks, keeping her head bowed and hands clasped in front of her in apology. The Sun King sighed at the action, noticing the obvious misunderstanding. “You are at no fault, nor are any of the other servants. My return was unannounced for a reason, and that reason remains even ‘til now. Halt your quivering, and stand tall!”

            “But I—” the woman tried to argue, but Kris was having none of it.

            “I will not hear disputes from such a meager person. Lower your shoulders, straighten your back, and lift your head, maid. You represent this Kingdom as much as I—show the pride of your land in your stance!” Suho bit his lip to avoid openly frowning as he saw the woman’s trembling shoulders. It was no secret that Kris was harsh when it came to instilling discipline in those working under him, but there were just too many times where the Moon King found himself feeling that the older man was just a bit too harsh.

            After a moment of painful silence, Suho sighed, prepared to speak up on the maid’s behalf. Yet, he never got the chance to, because as soon as he opened his mouth, the woman’s head snapped up.

            “Yes Sir,” she said, and Suho couldn’t help but widen his eyes a bit. From the cool tone in her voice to the entirely straightened posture, the woman’s freak-out from earlier seemed no more than a figment of his imagination. “All court members are present in the throne room, and counsel can be held if necessary. Meal preparations will commence shortly, and we shall arrange sleeping quarters for all guests if ever found necessary later today.” It seemed as though her answer was satisfactory, as Kris nodded easily at her words.

            “That will be all,” he said simply. “You are excused.” The maid bowed one more time before turning and walking in the opposite direction, giving Suho the chance to see the flickers of determination and confidence dancing in her eyes, and at that, the Moon King couldn’t help but smile to himself.

            So much for needing an intervention.

            “Well, come on then,” Kris huffed impatiently as he quickly glanced back at Suho and the others before striding down the hallway without another word. Suho followed immediately, knowing exactly where the older man was headed without even needing to bother with asking.

            They walked together as a group, all in relative silence, except for their slightly audible breathing and the light taps and rustlings from their quick steps on the floor. Even Lay didn’t bother speaking up, not even for a simple “where are we going?” or a “why should I be following you guys?” or anything. Out of curiosity, Suho glanced over to his side at Lay, only to see the man entirely and obviously spaced out, focused not on the world around him, but the world in his head. He vaguely wondered what the other was thinking about it, but decided not to try prying. He doubted the other man would appreciate it, and if they were going to get through this little… agreement together, they’d have to learn to avoid many squabbles, even of the trivial sort.

            Before Suho knew it, they—himself included—had already stopped, stood still in front of an overwhelmingly large golden door, decorated with intricate designs based on lore of the Sun Kingdom and more, with magic flowing through its every curve. Kris stepped forward, lifting his hand slowly to rest on the front of the door as he recited the chants even Suho didn’t know.

            Luckily, the process was short, and, barely a minute later, the magnificent entrance was creaking open, revealing none other than the Sun Kingdom Throne Room.

            Just like in nearly all the other areas of the palace, this room was enveloped in the most brilliant of golds there were, and down the center of the room starting directly from the entrance was a single white runner, reaching from the door all the way to the King’s throne itself. By each side of the runner, on plush cushions, sat all of the King’s court members, heads slightly bowed at the entrance of their King. Closer to the throne, however, were a few more empty cushions, obviousl