** Named after my favourite song in Hunchback of Notre Dame following on from my crack at Leo in the last chapter. **

Leo gulped as he took in his reflection. He had tied his long, black hair up in a loose half-up do and had draped his cloak over his shoulders. The Father wouldn't arrive until a lot later, which gave him plenty of time to go out, see the town and get back without him ever noticing. Or, maybe the old man would be impressed when he went out and came back unscathed. Leo didn't beleive the townspeople could be as dangerous as he was told- maybe they had changed since he had first arrived. He was sure they were just scared at the time. He knew he would be if he saw a stranger washed up on the shores of the riverbank. 

He bit his lip and pulled his hood up so it covered the majority of his face, going over to the door. The Father always kept it unlocked because he 'could trust Leo to be sensible', so it was easy to begin scaling down the narrow stairway leading to the main chapel- that's where he assumed the front entrance was. The passageway was dark, darker than the attic, and he struggled to see his hand in front of his face. However, it didn't seem too long before he was at the bottom of the stairway and standing in a large hall. Leo felt his jaw drop. It was grander than anything he had ever seen before; the windows seemed to be made of rainbows and gold statues were placed around the room. There must have been a million candles too. 

He stood staring in awe for a few moments before catching himself and moving on, making sure to keep himself in the shadows as to not attract any unwanted attention from the monks and nuns sat on the long benches in front of the alter. The door was at the far end of the hall, almost five times Leo's size. 

The young man felt goosebumps arise on his skin as he reached for the latch, and he shivered at the dull 'thunk' that was made by him opening it. 

A shard of bright light, hit his face through the crack in the door and he squinted, the early morning sunshine almost blinding him. He wasn't used to seeing it so unobstructed. He held his breath and took a step out, exposing more of his body to the light. It was warm- the attic was always so cold. He liked it! Closing the door behind him gently, he looked up, grinning under his hook at what he saw. There were so many people! All were bustling round in the square, talking, joking around, laughing... It was exactly how he had imagined it. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Are we there yet?"

"I swear to God, Jaehwan. If you ask me that one more time, I'm going to send you back to the palace!" Wonshik groaned as he urged his horse forward. He didn't want this mission any more than the next person on this trip but it had to be done. Woobin had apparently been sighted numerous times in the neighbouring kingdom, prompting Hongbin so send a group of his army's finest to go and see if the rumours were tru. The King's ally and childhood friend, King Gongchan, had given them liscence to roam his country without any threats from the law, as vagrancy was still illegal in his kingdom. 

"How far from the next kingdom are we, for the record?" Sanghyuk asked cautiously, a little scared of also getting scolded by his friend. Luckily, Lord Hakyeon stepped in before Wonshik could. "Not long at all," he said, pointing far into the distance where Sanghyuk could just make out the sillohuette of the border. "There is a town we can visit to get supplies before we begin properly." Hakyeon was not there for defence or attack purposes. Hongbin had sent his brother to deal with the diplomatic matters should Woobin be caught. He was well-known, well-liked; negotiations would need to be made to get their fugitive back into their kingdom. The young king himself, of course, had to stay behind and take care of his own country. 

"We'll get food, extra clothes and extra bedding, no more," Wonshik told his soldiers "We need supplies but we do not want to get weighed down.We want to move quickly."

"Yes, sir," they all chorused. The captain nodded and carried on forward, allowing his mind to wander. Woobin in another kingdom... How did the bastard get there? Images flashed in his mind of when he and Sanghyuk were riding to rescue the princes, him throwing Woobin off his horse, seeing the men trying to drag Hongbin and Hakyeon towards the edge, the carriage disappearing... "Wonshik!" He snapped round to see Jaehwan and Sanghyuk staring at him with large eyes. "Are you alright?" The elder asked.

The captain scoffed and shook his head, his hand resting on the hiltof his sword "I will be." 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Waaah! Look at all the food!” Leo muttered to himself as his stomach rumbled. He didn't have any money on him so he couldn't buy anything but the smells were making his mouth water. His eyes sparkled in his new surroundings, dancing with excitement and fascination at what he was seeing. 

He stood in the middle of the market in town, people bustling past him. They all dressed too colourfully- he felt out of place in his plain, white shirt and black trousers. Even his cape was grey. He was still alone despite being surrounded by the people he had dreamt of seeing for so long. He looked down and moved to the edge of the crowd, watching everybody continue to go about their business. Everybody looked so happy.

Suddenly, a small body darted between his legs and he looked down to see a small boy staring up at him. Something within him jumped and his eyes widened as he scrambled in his mind for what he should do. "H- Hello there," he bent down so he was face to face with the child "What's your name? I'm Leo." He reached out to shake the boy's hand but the child turned and ran off, round a corner into is side street. "Hey!"

He watched the boy disappear and bit his lip, moving to chase after him "Hey! Don't be scared!"

He jogged round the corner, stopping when he saw how narrow and dirty the street was. Why would a kid come down here? He suddenly went cold and drew his cloak tighter around himself "Hello?" His steps were slow and careful as he tiptoed down the cobbled floor "Hello?"

"Well, look at what we have here."

Leo whipped round to see a tall, muscular beast of a man emerge from the shadows. His arms were exposed, leaving the scars on his biceps completely visible. The younger man stepped back slowly "Wh- Who are you?" He whispered, a sudden feeling of fear washing through him. 

"Aw, don't be scared," the man laughed darkly, striding forwards and grabbing his wrist tightly, stopping him from going anywhere. "I only want to talk."

Leo struggled "Well, I do not, let go!" He tried to sound brave but the man seemed amused, reaching up and gripping the edge of his hood, causing Leo to panic even more. "Let's see what pretty thing is hiding under here, hm?" He knocked the fabric off the younger man's head and Leo let out a small cry as his chin was grabbed, tilting his head up. "A male ?" The man smirked, raking his eyes upward from Leo's lower region to his face. The smile faded and he growled, throwing the younger man away from him. "The demon!"

Leo hit the wall hard with a grunt, looking up to see the man drawing a jagged, rusted knife from his jacket. Demon? That didn't make any sense, the Father said he was good. How could he be a demon? He wasn't a demon!

The man lunged for him and he ducked out of the way, watching as his attacker tumbled heavily to the floor. He his heel and ran as fast as he could down the street, not looking back. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Thank you," Wonshik smiled tightly as he stood up from the stool he was sitting on, shaking hands with the shadowy man in front of him "Your information is appreciated." He reached into the pouch hanging from his waist and drew out a small bag of gold coins, throwing it at the the man who rummaged through it greedily. The captain left before he had the chance to attempt to barter for more, allowing himself to be led out of the small warehouse and back into the ally outside. 

He turned to head back to the main street, where he had left his friends waiting for him, when, suddenly, a large, cloaked figure rammed into the side of him. He almost feel to the floor and scowled, whipping round angrily and seeing a young man with long dark hair glancing behind him frantically. "Hey! Watch where you're-"

"Please, sir, you have to help me!" The person begged, gripping his armoured arm with his head bowed. Wonshik looked down at them with wide eyes as another person came lumbering round the corner, knife in hand, yelling insults and profanities. The captain pushed the first figure behind him protectively and half-drew his own weapon with a growl "What is the meaning of this?"

"Out of my way," the brute ordered.

“I’m only going to tell you this once,” Wonshik growled, pointing his sword at the man. “Leave. Now.”

The man stood still for a moment, and Wonshik could practically see the gears turning in his head. Then he finally made a move. 
The captain moved quickly, sword moving skillfully as he attacked the man. The first swipe left a gash on left arm, and Wonshik knew right away that this would be too easy. 

But he let his worry get the better of him, and glanced down at the young man behind him. The brute took advantage of his diverted attention and moved forward to strike him. Wonshik managed to avoid most of the blow, and the sword only grazed his side. He winced, but recovered quickly to knock the man’s blade from his hand.
The man looked up at him with wide eyes, and took off running in the opposite direction.
“Coward,” Wonshik mumbled as he watched the man clutching his injured arm as he fled.

He shook his head and turned, seeing the person who had run into him, cowering on the floor, arms held up as though to try and defend himself. "Hey," Wonshik said gently, kneeling down and pushing his arms away so he could see his face properly "Hey, you're okay. He's gone. What's your name?"

"L- Leo, sir," the young man whispered as he continued to keep his gaze trained on the floor, hair hiding his face from Wonshik's view. His voice was soft and weak, cracking slightly. Wonshik couldn't help but pity the man and helped him to stand "Where do you live? I can take you home if you-"

"No! I don't want to go back yet!" Leo cried, his head snapping up, eyes wide.

Wonshik froze. He raised his his hand and ran his fingers along the man's cheek, his plump bottom lip with his thumb. It was a face he could have identified anywhere. 

"Taekwoon..."

Leo frowned and drew back, hugging himself "Don't touch me like that, please." Wonshik was sure he must have been hallucentating but Taekwoon was there, he had touched him, heard his voice. "Taekwoon, it's me. It's Wonshik." He took a step forward, dropping his sword to the ground with a clatter. But the other man stepped back, fear filling his eyes once more. He backed up into the wall behind him and turned his face away as the captain came even closer to him. 

"I- I don't know who you are... Sorry."

Wonshik is going to need a stiff drink, dude

Hell, I know I do. But what will he do now??????????????