“Jang-mii? Jang-mii, are you out here?” a voice floated into the dusty, dirty shack, jerking Jang-mii out of her shock. She grabbed the weathered page and ripped it free of the leather binding, folding it up into a square before stuffing it into the bodice of her dress right as a shadow fell over the door. She whipped around, hoping that he had not seen her stuff the evidence down her dress as she smiled weakly at him.

“Kris,” she breathed as he stood in the ruined doorway with a hand resting on the hilt of his sword. I can't tell him. If he learns that his curse is growing worse, it would crush him… she thought guiltily. She hated hiding such a horrid thing, but she just simply could not bear to bring him such ill news. Now I know how he felt, keeping all those secrets just for my sake, she thought wryly, unable to not find the situation ironic.

“What are you doing here?” he asked her as he stood in the threshold of the door, looking highly uncomfortable. Even though the sun was to his back, framing his front in shadow, Jang-mii could still see that the color had drained from his face. His posture was stiff, too. Jang-mii was not sure how long it had been since he had been in the little shack that had twisted their fates a decade ago. He had been so brave then, and yet as he stood in the doorway of the witch's cabin, Jang-mii could tell that he was completely and utterly terrified. She felt the page of the spellbook shifting against the skin of her chest as she gestured to the many open tomes and disturbed articles on the table.

“I was looking for a way to lift your curse,” she answered simply, then glanced back at him with slightly raised eyebrows. “I stumbled upon the path on accident… But you knew it was here. Why on Earth would you come back to this place?” she inquired. She knew how much the place unnerved him, as it reminded him of the most terrible time of his life, and she found it hard to believe that he would return to the wretched abode on purpose. He chewed on his slip slightly as he glanced around the dusty house with a strained expression.

“It wasn’t this place specifically… I thought that it would be wise to the choose an area close to the capital, in case we decided to return there,” he responded quietly. After several minutes of standing rigid in the doorway, he finally edged forward, his boots throwing up clouds of dust as he traced over Jang-mii's footsteps while he wandered about the small building. “I suppose that on some level I hoped that maybe I would find something here as well. The witch had many homes, and I have searched every one… Save for this one. I could never find the courage,” he whispered as his gaze danced over the tables of tomes and bottles of ingredients and pages of parchment and long-dried ink pens. His eyes rested on the bed of straw in the corner. “I slept there,” he murmured and motioned to it with his head. The princess followed his gaze, and felt nauseous when she saw a chain attached to a pair of ankle shackles bolted to the wall, with reddish stains she could only imagine to be blood. How awful. Kris tore his gaze away from the makeshift bed, his face a light shade of green. “I can't be in here anymore,” he whispered, and she cried out as he abruptly lost his balance and stumbled into the corner of a table in his attempt to lean against the wall.

“Kris!” she shouted and scurried across the wooden floor to steady him. She held a hand against his chest as he leaned forward, and she could feel him breathing rapidly as he leaned heavily against her. She guided him out of the vile house and out into the afternoon sunlight, where he collapsed a few yards away in the lush grass. She watched pitifully as he leaned over in a fetal position, his fingers shredding apart the blades of grass while he groaned in discomfort. It was strange to see the normally strong, capable man reduced to such a state, but it was a testament to just how much he had suffered at the hands of the cruel witch. Jang-mii could never imagine the physical and psychological abuse. She kneeled down beside him, running her fingers through his red hair as she gently soothed him, and after a few minutes of struggling to breathe and muttering under his breath, he finally relaxed and sat up. She could see the glimmer of tears in his eyes, so she gently reached up and swept them away with the tip of her finger. “Are you okay now?”

“Yes,” he nodded weakly. His head twitched toward her as she resumed rhythmically running her hand through his red locks. She knew how much he loved it when she did that, and how it calmed him. “I thought I was ready to go back, after several years, but… I guess not. All of it just came rushing back at once,” he sighed deeply. She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest, staring at the dilapidated house as she continued his hair. “Did you find anything in there, Jang-mii?” he asked her hopefully, and she felt the cold rush of guilt as the paper rustled in her dress. A confession danced on her tongue, but she hastily forced it back down . I can't tell him. It would devastate him to learn that his curse is near irreversible and growing worse to boot. As such, she forced herself to shake her head.

“No. I’m afraid not,” she lied, and the crestfallen look that appeared on his face made her heart snap in half. She was doing what was best for him, but damn it, it was the most painful thing she had ever done. She bit down on her lip as he nodded mutely.

“I expected as much,” he laughed bitterly. “That spiteful old hag probably hid the spell page to make sure she had the last laugh.”

“Well, that means she had something to hide, at least!” she cried. She couldn’t divulge the full truth, but at the very least she could make him feel better. “If the spell was incurable, why would she bother hiding it?” He glanced up at her, and she was relieved to see a tiny smile had formed on his lips.

“Thank you, Jang-mii,” he murmured, and she straightened up slightly as he leaned forward to gently cover her lips with his own. His hands landed on her hips, resting there as he moved his mouth against her own for a few moments before he pulled back and stood up. She looked up at him, a little sad that it had ended so quickly, before rising to her feet herself and brushing off the dust and dirt her person had accumulated. As he held his arm out for her to her back up the path, she could not help but notice that his expression was acutely disappointed. Don't worry, Kris. I’m going to cure your curse… Somehow.

After Kris had safely delivered Jang-mii back to their new hideaway, his time was up, and after he transformed he wandered off to go about his business for the rest of the afternoon before he returned for the night. The princess was quite grateful, as it gave her the opportunity to show the unicorn what she had discovered and receive some much-needed advice. He ultimately arrived at the same conclusion, to keep it hidden from the prince to prevent him from losing hope, but neither of them could imagine what kind of act need be performed to break the curse. Jang-mii practiced the sword again in hopes it would clear her troubled mind, but despite her best efforts, she just could not chase away the cold hand of guilt that held her heart in an icy grip.

Just as the sun had sunk below the horizon and the stars had come out of hiding to embroider the black canvas of the sky, Kris came lumbering out of the woods, rustling the leaves with every movement of his massive red bulk. Jang-mii was still in the middle of the clearing, her skin shining with a thin sheen of sweat as she swung her smallsword about in continuous practice swings. As the ground beneath her feet rumbled with his mighty footsteps, she lowered the small blade and glanced up at his head eclipsed the moon, casting the clearing in darkness. She smiled gently as he leaned his head down, and she ran her hand up and down his snout, causing him to purr happily in satisfaction. It seemed that in his absence he had cleared his mind, for his eyes were swimming with happiness rather than sadness. The fact that he was feeling better eased her doubts considerably. I’m not sure what will happen from now, but… We're each working to help the other. Kris will help me stop Baekhyun, and in turn I’ll help him cure his curse. Everything must work out somehow, right? She thought as he nudged her towards the entrance of the cave.

“Okay, okay, I know. It's late. It's bedtime,” she laughed as she swatted at his snout as he continued to her with his gigantic head. She sheathed the sword and walked briskly across the grass in order to escape the incessant prodding by the playful dragon. Lay was sitting in the entrance with his bow on his lap; he had been on guard while he had watched Jang-mii practice her swordsmanship, but as the princess wandered in followed by her draconic companion, he yawned loudly and strung an arrow before lazily launching it at him.

“You're on guard duty. I’m taking a nap,” he whined before promptly sliding off his rock to curl up in the sandy bottom and fall asleep right there. Jang-mii giggled and shook her head at the unicorn, who was already snoring.

“It's hard to believe sometimes that he's a prince like you,” Jang-mii mused. Kris glanced down at the snoozing unicorn, then snorted and leaned down to grab him by the back of his shirt to carry him gently to the back of the cave, where he would be more sheltered from the elements. After he set him down in the sand, he curled up against the back wall so that Lay was well in range of the intense body heat that poured off his body. His eyes glittered in the dark as he regarded Jang-mii and gestured to her with the tip of his spiked tail, and she chuckled before crossing the small expanse of the cave and curling up beside him. She smiled gently as he looked at her, and she scratched him underneath the chin happily, laughing as his leg twitched and his tail thumped against the cave ground like a dog's. “Sometimes it's hard to imagine that you’re a prince, too,” she teased, and he pulled away to glance at her crossly. “Oh, don't look at me that way,” she laughed, and then squealed with glee as he blew smoke out of her nose with enough force to knock her onto her back. “Okay! Okay!” she cackled before she curled up against his chest.

One day, you'll be a man when I sleep beside you, she thought as she ran her fingers across his burning red scales. His heartbeat was a steady drum, but it was a soothing sound and feeling, and just a few minutes of listening to her already had her drowsy. She pressed her body close to his, enjoying the heat washing over her as she drifted off to sleep. She could feel the paper stuffed into her bodice, and she lifted a hand to hold it to her chest. I promise you, Kris… I will end your curse, and then, we can truly be together.

Jang-mii awoke with a start as her body lurched, and she scrabbled in the sand as she struggled into consciousness, throwing the fine grains around as she shot into a sitting position and glanced around in the gloom. She opened to cry out for Kris, but her attempts were cut short as a hand snapped over . Alarmed, her eyes widened and she moved to strike her attacker, but her wrist was caught by his other hand. Her scream of fright was muffled, and she writhed around in an attempt to break free.

“Jang-mii! It's me!” Lay hissed as he held her tightly, and once she realized it was the unicorn that had seized her, she relaxed enough for the fog of fear to fade from her mind. It was then that she realized that it was incredibly dark, much darker than it out to be with the light of the moon and stars spilling into the cave. She glanced at the entrance of their hideaway to find that Kris' massive bulk was blocking the light, and the air was rumbling with a low growl and his tail lashed back and forth, the bone spikes crashing against the cave wall to leave long, white scrapes against the stone walls. He was obviously agitated.

“What's happening?” she hissed as she stood up.

“I don't know! He just suddenly jumped up and went to the entrance,” Lay whispered back before releasing her wrist. “Stay here,” he ordered before jumping to his feet and whipping an arrow out of the quiver on his back, notching it into his bow before slinking quietly across the sandy surface to hop onto a rock and peer around Kris' large body. “No,” he breathed, and the horror in his voice made her blood run cold.

What she heard next made it turn to pure ice.

“I’ve finally found you, you pathetic excuse for a winged lizard,” came the mocking voice of the man who had been scouring the wilds in a desperate search, pillaging and ravaging as he went- the one and only Prince Baekhyun. “My, my. I do have to admit that you’re a sight to behold. See that, lads? The last dragon left in the realm of man. Too bad it's fake,” he sneered, and Jang-mii heard a chorus of laughter ring across the clearing. Dear God, he brought an army, she thought in horror. Terrified, she hovered against the back of the cave, shaking so violently that her shortsword began to bump against her leg. As she felt the touch of the leather sheath against her leg, she glanced down at it, swallowing deeply. I can't be afraid. We knew this moment would come. We must make a stand! She thought as her hand wrapped around the hilt of the sword, and her gaze returned to the mouth of the cave. Kris was hunkered down like an angry cat, snarling savagely at the encampment of soldiers outside their door led by the ambitious prince. “Did you think that you could hide forever, Kris? Did you think you could simply waltz back into your lavish life? Did you think that it would all go back to the way it was?” Baekhyun mocked. “You sad, pathetic creature. I almost feel bad for you. To think that you thought that Jang-mii could ever love someone as cursed as you. You’re nothing but a monster.”

That really pissed Kris off, and with a furious roar he shot out of the cave into the clearing, beating his wings as he reared back on two legs and roared with all his might. The cave rumbled fiercely, sending dust and pebbles raining down from the ceiling as Kris unleashed his fury, and Jang-mii gasped as she shielded her head. There was a flash of brilliant white light, and she looked up as she heard the sloshing of hooves striking sand to find that Lay had charged down the cave in his unicorn form.

Jang-mii! We have to leave! There's over one hundred men out there. Kris will hold them off long enough for us to escape! He explained to her as he kneeled down before her, and the princess had no choice but to clamber onto his back. He whinnied as he pranced around before he shot off with incredible speed, leaping out into the moonlight where Jang-mii was greeted with a scene of pure chaos.

The clearing was shining with silver armor, sparkling with the light from the heavens as knights on horseback paraded about in an attempt to avoid Kris' lashing tail and slashing limbs, poking at his tough hide with swords and javelins. Kris was positively furious, swiping at the cavalry unit as they pestered him fiercely in their attempts to storm the cave. The air sang with thundering hooves and clinking armor and ringing swords and Kris' snarls and men screaming, rising into a deafening cacophony so intense that even the gods above could likely hear it. As Lay charged on the outer edge of the clearing, his white coat practically glowing in the soft moonlight, Jang-mii caught sight of Baekhyun sitting on the edge of the clearing watching with a twisted smirk as Kris laid low his army of knights. Jang-mii curled her fingers into Lay's long mane as a fierce anger seized her, and she growled before wrenching her sword free of its scabbard.

“Baekhyun! Lay, there he is!” she cried over the din of battle. “Get close and I’ll drive this sword through his treacherous heart, and end this misery!”

Don't be foolish! You and I both know you are not strong enough to kill him. Those knights will never let us close, and we'll waste the opportunity to escape! Now is not the time for rash bravado, Jang-mii! Nothing will come of rushing in on account of hatred, he scolded her, completely ignoring her to continue charging toward the trail leading into the woods. Bitter, all the princess could do was gaze at the man who had caused so much suffering and hope that the acid in her gaze would burn him. Suddenly, the prince's black gaze flickered to her, and his smirk widened.

“Enough of this folly. Bring out the cage!” he roared triumphantly, and Jang-mii screamed as she was forced to latch onto Lay as he reared onto his hind legs. The forest was rumbling and shaking, and Jang-mii could hear the trees splintering all around them as something large advanced. Abruptly, an entire section of trees was suddenly ripped up by the roots as massive oxen stormed into the clearing, tossing their horned heads as they pulled a gigantic iron cage resting on a wooden cart into the clearing, a massive structure that towered over the forest and could easily hold Kris' draconic bulk. Lay took off as the oxen bore down on him, taking off across the clearing as he stumbled over the rumbling ground on unsteady hooves. Jang-mii glanced over her shoulder to see that the oxen stopped, and knights climbed onto the cart to unhook the hinges holding the door. Horses shied away as the heavy iron door crashed to the ground with a thunderous thwomp. “Get him!” Baekhyun shouted and pointed his sword at the raging dragon, and Jang-mii recoiled in horror as men sprung from the bushes holding large iron chains.

“Lay! Lay! Go back!” she screamed as she watched the iron chains sail through the air. Kris roared as one sailed through the air to wrap around his neck, and several men braced themselves, pulling on the chain in an attempt to drag his head down. Another wrapped around his snout, sealing it shut; two men on horses rode by his front legs, tying them together and causing him to fumble to the ground in a graceless heap. Kris thrashed violently, dragging the men across the ground as they struggled to hold him. “Lay! Lay! Go back, you stupid horse!” she shrieked and kicked at his side furiously as he leaped into the bushes and went charging through the forest. “Kris needs our help!”

Jang-mii! he snapped. It's too late. Do you really wish to waste Kris' efforts by being captured yourself? he scolded her. She knew he was right, but it didn’t make it hurt less. Anger turned to misery, and she buried her face into his flowing mane as she began to sob. As they raced through the forest, she could hear the dragon-prince's furious roars fading into the distance.

She screamed as the world suddenly heaved and she went sailing through the air, while Lay screeched beneath her and went tumbling onto his side. She landed roughly on the trail, but adrenaline chased away the pain so she could scramble to her feet and see what happened. Lay was writhing on the trail, an arrow embedded in his haunches. After a minute of struggling, he managed to get to his feet and limped over to her. It was clear to the princess that he could not run, and their pursuers were rapidly bearing down on them; she could hear the hooves pounding in the dark.

“Go!” she cried and pushed him roughly. He blinked at her, then snorted and tossed his head indignantly, stamping his foot. “Lay, go. There is no sense in you dying for me!” she insisted and shoved him again. “Damn it, Lay, move! If there is anyone who can save us, it's you, and so I need you to leave!” she shrieked and slammed herself against him, pushing him off the trail. He stared at her for a second, then gently reached forward to brush her cheek with his snout. Then, he whirled about and hobbled as fast as he could into the trees just as a trio of knights on horseback burst onto the scene. Jang-mii gasped as one of them grabbed her by the back of her dress and pulled her onto his horse, turning about to charge back up the trail. When they arrived back onto the clearing, Kris was still fighting strong, half-wrapped in iron chains as he slung about the knights struggling to weigh him down. His spiked tail raked across the grass to collide with a column of knights holding down the chain securing his snout, sending them flying across the clearing and loosening up the chain on his mouth. He roared angrily as it slipped loose and slithered to the ground, curling up at his feet with a series of clinks and thunks.

“Sir! The princess!” the knight holding her shouted as he drove his horse over to his waited lord. Jang-mii immediately went for her sword, ripping it free of its sheath, but before she could even attempt to swing it, it was wrested forcefully from her hand and tossed it into the grass.

“Unhand me, you damned son of a !” she cursed angrily as he wrestled her off the horse and struggled to pin her arms behind her back. Jang-mii bucked and kicked, managing to get an arm free enough for a second to punch him in the jaw before he struck her with a hand. As the gauntlet collided with her head she reeled, losing focus long enough for him to successfully pin her and present her to the smug lord. Baekhyun smirked as blood ran down the side of her face, then tutted and jumped down from his horse.

“So vulgar. The wilds have really turned you… well, wild,” he laughed as he regarded her with a hand on his chin. Jang-mii stood up straight before him, not even cowering as she noticed the hungry look in his eyes as his gaze swept over her noticeably short dress. His eyes hovered on the area between her legs before they shot up to meet her own. “You definitely need to be tamed. But, I have to handle one problem at a time,” he sighed before unexpectedly grabbing a handful of her hair and jerking her roughly forward. She shrieked and went to struggle, but ceased her efforts when she felt the tip of a knife against her neck. Baekhyun dragged her closer to the battlefield before he hissed in her ear, “If you would so kindly call off your attack dragon, both of you may just live to see the morning.” Jang-mii clamped shut, but as she looked to Kris, her strength wavered.

It was clear that he was exhausted. He was being weighed down heavily by the chains, his snout wrapped in several of the iron chains. His back legs were strapped underneath him, and one wing to the ground, but he was still swiping at them with his front paws. The knights circled around him, taunting him as they continued to throw the iron chains over his massive body. Kris… she thought miserably. It was clear that he was fighting a losing battle.

“Kris!” she shouted up at him, and the noise of battle slowly quieted. The knights held firm as they pinned the dragon to the ground, and his eyes flashed to her. His side heaved as he breathed heavily, and smoke poured from his closed jaws. “That's enough,” she called up to him, tears leaking out of her eyes as she realized their defeat, and what would likely come after. “That's enough now. It's over.” It's over. Kris whined loudly as he stared at her, straining against the weights securing him.

“Good. Now that I have your attention,” Baekhyun mused. “Be a good dragon and slither into that cage.” As he basked in his triumph, his grip on Jang-mii relaxed slightly, and in one sudden movement she snatched the knife from his hand and cut through the section of her hair that he had grasped, stumbling forward. As the knights rushed forward to seize her, she pressed the shape edge of the blade to threateningly. They backed off reluctantly, while Baekhyun just looked at her in annoyance. “What do you want?” he sighed.

“Your word, as worthless as it may be,” she spat. “You will not harm him. If you don't give me your word right now, I will slit my throat and your plans for this country will die with me,” she growled. Baekhyun gazed at her levelly, but to her satisfaction she could see some of the color drain from his face and his posture grow stiffer. His dark eyes flickered to Kris, and then he sighed deeply and nodded.

“I swear on my honor as a knight-"

“Not good enough. You aren't a knight, you’re a snake, and you have no honor besides,” she snapped at him, and he ground his teeth together in irritation.

“Fine. I swear, under pain of death, that on my honor as the second son of the noble house of Byun that no harm will come to the prince by my command nor by the command of any in my company,” he growled at her, placing a hand over his heart and dipping his head ever so slightly in some hope to appease the willful princess. Jang-mii regarded him warily, but she supposed that if Baekhyun honored anything, it was his status, and so she obediently lowered the knife and tossed it back to him. All the fight now drained out of her, she turned to Kris and shouldered through the knights to walk to his side.

“Oh, you fought so bravely,” she whispered as she reached up to gently rub his snout. He leaned down stiffly, burdened by the iron chains, to lower his head within her reach. “Do not fear, my love,” she told him softly. “Lay got away, and I will not simply submit to Baekhyun. There is hope yet. Now is the time to watch and wait,” she explained as she rubbed his face. He whimpered and leaned down to press his head against her, then obediently turned about and lumbered over to the cage, crawling inside and dragging the heavy chains with him. He curled up on the iron floor of the cage, his eyes trained on her, while the knights sprang into action to secure the door. She watched sadly as he was sealed in the iron prison. I will not submit, she thought again as she turned back to Baekhyun, who was watching her with a smirk. She strode purposefully back to him, marching right past him to climb onto his destrier with no assistance. He raised an eyebrow at her, then snorted and climbed on after her, snatching the reins.

“All right, men. Make for the capital!” he ordered as he whipped the massive horse around. The men clambered back onto their horses and gathered the wounded before they formed a column and, with Baekhyun leading, began to march back to Jang-mii's home. The iron cage creaked as the oxen were driven in the rear, and Jang-mii could hear Kris whining miserably.

“You'll never get away with this, you know,” Jang-mii told Baekhyun coldly. Baekhyun chuckled and tucked the reins in one hand to slide his other around her middle. Though a shiver traveled up her spine, she did not shy away at his repulsive touch.

“Oh, I think you’ll find that I will,” he purred in her ear. “You and your ex-fiancé definitely tried your best, I will grant you that. I never expected that wretch was alive and watching, nor did I expect you two to catch wind of my raids and my plans for your country… And you did manage to run from me for quite a long time. However, Jang-mii, there is something you failed to notice,” he mused, and she shuddered as his lips brushed against her ear. “I always get what I want. Always,” he growled. “So either you can get with the program and abandon that stubborn pride of yours, or you can resist, and watch everything you hold dear turn to dust… The choice is yours." Jang-mii bit down on her lip as be laughed cruelly and spurred his horse faster.

Never, she thought firmly. You may have won this battle, Baekhyun.

But I will win this war.