“Are you sure you are fine?” The gentle voice owned by the prince of Seonghwa was projected in the room once they were back in their private spaces. Worries came splashing in his heart as he merely viewed the back side of his loyal gate keeper. Changsub sat his body on the edge of the fellow’s cot until both of them heard the squeaky wooden door of the room being pushed, revealing Hyunsik’s figure on the other side with the same anxious expression.

“Is he alright?” The prince questioned as he invited himself into the space before stopping on the vacant bed. “Minhyuk, answer the questions. Just move your arm slightly or something. That will be enough.” Changsub told him and glanced at Hyunsik with lips pressed tightly together. Letting out a deep sigh when he saw the lad twitched his limb, the two princes made their way out of the room as the one with light silver hair following along.

“How’s the Crown Princess doing?” Changsub immediately asked after closing the door behind him slowly, not wanting to disturb Minhyuk’s seemingly weakened energy. He saw the questioned one gazing down the hallway as if that was where the princess’ room would locate. Maybe it was. “She will be alright. She had experience it before.”

“That explains how you seem to know what to do.” Nodding twice, Hyunsik told him that he would ask the kitchen servants to send them their dinner since he had a feeling they would not be in the mood of dining with the King and Queen in such condition. “That’ll be great.” Changsub replied when Hyunsik listed the menu and the latter was about to leave only to spin around at once.

“Naeun will not mind eating the same set of meal, Hyunsik.” The older fellow mentioned with a knowing smile thrown at the prince’s direction. It had only been two nights they had been staying there yet he could see the impact the princess had made in his life already. If only he knew she will be leaving soon.

With that said, the two nights quickly turned into a fortnight of their stay on the nameless island where the Iseung had claim for numerous years. Nothing much was happening as they simply carried out their lives as usual like the ones they had back in Navillera. Everyone took their sweet time enjoying whatever the nature had installed for them. With Crown Princess Chorong on her two feet again, a secret meet up would occur from time to time in the garden without triggering any suspicions.

Nonetheless, one soul in particular decided to stay in the palace’s library, studying the ancient words as he repeated the same few lines over and over again. Brows furrowed while attempting to make the perfect conclusion to his findings. Instead of spending his days outside with the Navillera, Prince Hyunsik sat on the corner of the room where two storeys bookshelves stood high with a ladder attached on its side.

“Searching beyond the crystal blue for its wonder.” He read the third line of the stanza in wonder. From his spot, he could see a hint of the mentioned colour right outside the window as the natural light lit a quarter of the room. Frankly, he already got the potential meaning of the first three sentences he had been researching. It was obvious. They should be expecting for sudden voyagers coming from a faraway land. Connecting the dots together, Prince Changsub’s group of travellers could not be a mere coincidence.

Deepest pit of Hyunsik’s heart tinkled in delight once he was done deciphering the few parts of his study though at first, it was to pass time. Yet the smile formed by his lips turned upside down and the crease on his forehead was more visible as he uttered the next few lines of the ancient wordings.

Unveiling sparkles of ash which makes one ponder

Knit its power together underneath the teak

Thus hope appears once moon at its peak

Whatever the stanza is trying to tell him, he was very determined in unravelling the hidden meaning. It could take hours, days or week. He would not mind it unless…well, two brains are better than one, right?

Transitioning from Iseung’s palace ground to the land of fire, the Crown Prince appeared to be in his own train of thoughts with his fellow cousin by his side. They met up for a reason and it was to discuss the primary problem playing in his mind. Summer took its toll on everyone but unlike the previous seasons, no water trouble was at present. In fact, the Haesang was more than happy to help dampening the dry lands.

“I think that is the best plan I managed to figure out right now. Do you have any other, Yoongi?” The mentioned prince turned his attention from the opened window before staying on Jimin’s face. “Can’t say I’m against it but don’t you think you have to tell Jiyeon about this? She never stayed in Seonghwa more than three days and to be here where her being the only Haesang will be tough for not only her but us as well.” The older one carefully listed the notes down.

Crown Prince Jimin’s idea sounded easy for many to comprehend and Prince Yoongi was indeed right. It would be hard to carry out. He could ask an extra help from his best friend since practically he was no different than his stepsister’s situation. Living in Haesang as the Haesang prince and the one who could conjure fire was definitely not easy. The fellow would understand how she would have to live in Seonghwa, right?

“Someone needs to tell her and the Haesang’s King, Jimin. And you know well I can’t be that one person.” Yoongi told him with eyes already seemed to be pouring with information. “Prince Changsub is not here to do it too. So do you have any idea who else you can trust to do it?”

A round of silence lingered in the discussion circle which took place in the royal’s meeting room and since they were the only ones that remained, it was safe to say no one would know Jimin’s hasty decision. If there was one person he would trust in delivering the message, it would be one fellow. “I’m heading there myself.”

After convincing his parents and the green haired male of his impromptu trip to Haesang, the recognisable golden brown lock waving softly by the wind instantly jumped in surprise when he saw the Crown Prince stepped into the stable. Walking straight down where his white horse was, the stable keeper or namely Byun Baekhyun rushed over to his side once recovered from the shock.

“Hey, hey you might be the Crown Prince but you can’t just take him out like that! He hasn’t eaten today.” Baekhyun spoke in panic as Jimin continuously ignored and dragged his animal companion out. It was about ten in the morning and the closed in stable felt stuffier as the time clicked by. “Aren’t you in charge of these horses? Why haven’t you feed them yet?” Jimin questioned sternly with a glare.

“Fine you win. The hays are right there.” The male uttered in defeat and gestured to the large entrance where on the side of it a tall stack of dry hay was gathered. The prince swore he heard the lad muttered somewhere along the line sounded, ‘I might be just a lonely stable boy here but mind you I might be a spy in an alternate universe for all we know.’

The ride to Haesang was decently clear for the young Crown Prince seeing that he had a good sense of the direction and path underneath the horse’s hooves. Down the forest area, he recalled the episode that happened before and there he was witnessing trees growing back after the Haesang united and replanted them after their former Crown Prince was uncrowned. However, for trees like firs and the occasional teak trees to reappear that fast over a course of seasons made him halted for a while.

He arrived in the Haesang’s palace by lunch time with Namjoon’s eyes widened in shock upon seeing the Seonghwa’s prince throwing a bright warm smile over at his direction. Opening the large gate for him to enter, Jimin saw his best friend, Taehyung conveniently walking out of the door. Jumping off the horse at ease, he gave the strap to the responsible one before he was attacked by a tight squeeze.

“Taehyung, it’s only been two weeks since we met. I can’t breathe.” Jimin chocked in between his words when the other prince yelled ‘little one’ aloud and cue the Crown Princess of Haesang with the similar action. “Two weeks are long weeks, Jimin. I miss you but I know someone misses you more.” Taehyung chuckled as he made way for his sister to stand by their sides.

“What makes you come here?” Crown Princess Jiyeon asked in pure curiosity. Exchanging letters were still a routine of theirs but none of the written papers told her of his arrival. “Are your father available for a quick round of discussion? I figured out a way of how to combine forces.” Jimin smiled at the two step-siblings and before they knew it, they already shifted into their distinct silvery purple and azure blue pair of wings.

It was midnight when he heard the rustling sound of bed scrapping the wooden floor. Being a curious fellow he was, Changsub opened his eyes as sleep apparently not something he should be doing and spun his body to the other side only to face Minhyuk’s back side again just like the one in the morning. Nonetheless, there was a slight difference and that would be the gate keeper’s body seemed to be shaking.

Advancing to Minhyuk’s bed in worry, Changsub placed his palm on the older fellow’s forehead, brushing his dark silver bang away while he was at it. Furrowed at the strange condition he was in, his eyes slowly flutters open only to spring up when he saw the prince in front of him.

“What- what were you doing?” Minhyuk stumbled with his question before leaning his back on the headboard of the bed. “Are you alright? You were shaking while sleeping. So I decided to check why. Are you sick because it seems like you might came down with a fever.” Changsub told him after knowing the temperature of the other’s body was a bit higher even for a Seonghwa.

“I don’t feel sick though. In fact, I feel cold.” He replied curtly before snatching the blanket on the feet of the bed, throwing it on his body while talking. Buying the seemingly false sentence from the older male, Changsub turned back before landing his back on his mattress once again. Listening to the light snore coming from him, the prince slowly drifted back to sleep after burning the weird thoughts of his mind.

Having a quiet breakfast in the dining hall with the royal couple was not something out of the ordinary as the only ones that usually livened up the atmosphere was either Sungjae uncanny set of questions or the bickering coming from Hyunsik and Chorong. Yet the surrounding felt empty when merely the soft clinking of utensils meeting with their plates was present in the room. Glancing to the opposite of his seat was Changsub; he still found the vacant seat disturbing.

“Hyunsik, did you see Chorong today? Why is she not coming down for breakfast?” The Queen decided to break the silence once she dabbed her lips with a napkin, looking at the called prince. Bobbing once, he answered, “I thought she would be already here so I didn’t swing by her room. She hasn’t been attending some of the sessions too.”

‘We haven’t been hanging out in the garden too.’ Changsub pondered before craning his head to his side only to see Minhyuk barely touching his meal. ‘This fellow is acting strange too.’ He added on in the back of his mind before he heard the two Haesang nearby casually conversing in their world with Sungjae joining in for a few seconds.

“I’ll go check on her.” Hyunsik informed as soon as he set down his fork and spoon, pushing the chair further back so he could move freely. Gathering the attention of many, the Seonghwa’s prince too sat up from his seat. “I’ll tag along.” He earned a quick nod from the Iseung prince.

Once they opened the door leading to the hallway, they witnessed the maroon head prince panting on the other side of the room. Hands reached for his shoulders, it was Changsub who asked Kyungsoo of why he was in such condition while Hyunsik firmly held his friend. Nodding twice, his eyes met with Hyunsik and in a blink of the eyes, the two princes shifted into their butterfly form, heading to the garden immediately after hearing the news and that would be: Crown Princess Chorong passed out on such early morning.

And that was totally not ordinary at all.