Wonshik frowned and took a step closer, a confused smile flashing briefly across his face. "What? Taekwoon-"

Leo shied away and pulled his hood back over his head, holding himself cautiously. "No, my name is Leo,” he corrected. 

He bowed slightly "A- Are you a soldier?" He had read about soldiers in the books the Father brought for him. Some were good while others were evil- there was no real stereotype for them. This one, Wonshik, seemed good. But he was scaring him. Who was Taekwoon?

The soldier laughed and took his wrist, causing the young man before him to yelp. He felt a strange sort of euphoria at seeing his lover again. He had no room for any other emotion "Captain," he said proudly, straightening his posture. "Stop these games now," he chuckled, beginning to pull Leo along with him as he tunred on his heel "Your brother will be anxious to see you!"

Leo gasped and begain to struggle, hitting the man's wrist as he was tugged towards the end of the alleyway "Let go!" He tried to dig his heels deperately into the ground, trying to pivot himself. Wonshik frowned and turned, only to recieve a fist to the jaw. He grunted and let go of his lover, falling onto his back and cupping his face. He looked up just in time to see Leo sprinting round the corner, cloak billowing behind him. Leo... It had only just dawned on him. Why had he introduced himself as Leo? 

Jumping to his feet, he grabbed his discarded sword and scrambled to chase after the young man before he got away. "Wait!" 

Heaving as he darted in and out of the bustling crowds, Wonshik leapt over a large manure pile, slipping and narrowly dodging a gang of street urchins lurking on the cobblestones. The thick air of the town clogged his lungs. The fine rain lashed at his sweating face, cooling it briefly.

In a panic, the soldier snapped his head round and his tawny eyes widened. He kept running, barging through a group of that lurked on the corner by The local inn, waiting impatiently for their next intoxicated customers.

The drunken women shrieked as Wonshik sped past. He saw Taekwoon dive into another alleyway, clearly not knowing where he was going. He seathed his sword and darted after him, forcing his way through the beggar ridden passage. The paupers tried to cling to his jacket; he began to sink into a repugnant quicksand as the they reached into his pockets.

Grunting loudly, he lashed out and tore himself free. 

Leo ran as fast as he could, his feet moving faster than his body would keep up with. 

He tripped on a loose cobble stone and tumbled to the floor, rolling onto his side with a hiss of pain.

"Gotcha!"

He let out a sharp cry as he was grabbed and yanked to his feet, back rammed up against a nearby wall. "Taekwoon!" Wonshik said desperately, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him.

 “Ah! No, let me go! I’ve never seen you before, please! I’m sorry, I will just go back home. Please let me go,” the other man panicked. 

“It’s me, Wonshik! I was your lover! You were kidnapped, don’t you remember? You were-” The soldier couldn't finish his sentence as he loosened his grip slightly, realising he was hurting his lover. “It’s really you," he breathed, reaching up and the other man's cheek "Oh my gods, you’re alive.”

“Please, stop it! Let me go! Someone help me!” Leo yelled, shaking his head violently.

“Taekwoon, please be quiet, listen to me- you were a prince, you're my lover; you were taken away and almost died... Please remember me,” Wonshik said began pulling him away.
“No, stop it! Someone help me!” Leo cried struggling to get away from the deranged man. “You have the wrong person, please stop it!”

“Impossible! You are Taekwoon, don’t you want to see your brothers, Hakyeon and Hongbin? Your Kingdom? You loved them all so much!" Wonshik could feel the tears pricking at his eyes now. Taekwoon really didn't remember. He didn't remember anything...

Leo continued to shake his head, trembling with fear. "P- Please, just leave me alone..." He whispered.

"Leo?"

A third voice made them both turn and Leo let out a relieved breath, shoving Wonshik away and scrambling away from him. "Father!" He sobbed, running into the old man's open arms. They held each other tightly as Wonshik looked on in shock. Father? It was clear it was meant in the religious sense of the word; the man wore a long black robe and dog collar with a purple sash wrapped round his thin waist. He was considerably shorter than Taekwoon (or Leo) but that didn't stop him from taking the younger man's head and lowering his face onto his shoulder, rubbing his back gently. "What are you doing out here?" He mumbled before turning to Wonshik. "Who are you?"

"I..." The soldier's mouth turned dry and he bit his lip, watching his old lover crying on the priest's shoulder. He was scared to death. And it was all his fault. He blinked away his own tears and clicked his heels together, straightening his back "Captain Wonshik Kim, Father, of the neighbouring Nydlican Army."

But the old man didn't seem at all impressed by the title "And what is the meaning of this?"

"Father," Leo interrupted, pulling on his sleeve "Please, let's just go home." He kept his head down to avoid all eyecontact with Wonshik. The man looked at him briefly and gave a heavy sigh "Alright." He turned to Wonshik and shook his head slightly "Go from here, son. Do not cause any more trouble."

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

Leo ran home with images that man filling his mind- never had he been so scared in his life. He couldn’t believe someone had tried to kidnap him. All the things the Father had said to him all these years about people wanting to hurt him; it was true. He finally understood why he could never go outside. It didn't take long to get back to the church, making sure to keep his face covered and to stick to the Father's side. 

As soon as they got back to the attic, the old man rushed him to the bed, removing his cloak and the string keeping his hair up and draping him in a thick blanket, lying him on his back. He bit his withered lip and wiped Leo's fearful tears away with his thumb. "Oh dear," he sighed "Why ever did you leave this sanctuary?"

Leo looked away, overwhelmed with the guilt from betraying his caretaker's trust. "I... I just wanted to see what it was like out there, just once." His answer was barely above a broken whisper. 

"And did you like what you saw?" 

He shook his head and let out another sob, eyes shifting back to where the Father had perched on the edge of the mattress. It would have been a lie to say he hated all of it. He liked the market and the buildings and the colour; he hated the people. They were everything he had been told. The elder tsked and ran his fingers through Leo's thick hair affectionately. He had never thought to cut it short, and Leo had never asked to. "Just thank God that you are safe, yes? And do not ever try anything like that again."

Leo nodded and sniffed loudly as the Father rose to his feet. "Try to get some sleep, okay? I am sure you are exhausted after all that. But no dinner tonight." 

The punishment was a small, reasonable one after what the young man had done. He didn't want to punish him too harshly anyway, the sheer fright the experience had caused was clearly punishment enough for the lad. 

Leo turned to face the bare stone wall as he heard the door close. He expected to hear the turn of the lock but it never came. The old man probably was confident he wouldn't try to leave again. And he was right. 

He had never met anybody from the outside in the five years he had been here, and they try to , kill and kidnap him? He was less frightened by the thug than he was of the soldier- of Wonshik. He had said a lot of things, too many things at once. It was all a lie. Or was it? He had seemed to convinced that Leo was the one he was looking for- this Taekwoon person.  But Leo didn't know him. He couldn't know him. He didn't remember anything from before he arrived here! 

He growled and grabbed his pillow, slamming it over his face and letting out a long, muffled scream. His head hurt, his chest hurt; he couldn't stop crying! He felt so stupid. Like there was something big that he was missing but nobody would give him any clue as to what it was. It was like he was playing a massive game and nobody would tell him the rules. 

Why didn't he understand anything?

Hongbin, Hakyeon and Taekwoon's kingdom finally has a name!!!!!

Nydlica (pronounced: Nid-Li-Ca). The people are known by other realms as Nydlicans, however, it is also common to use the slang Nyd (e.g They have Nyd blood in their family.) 

Our prince and our peasant are so puzzled, what are they to do??

Say tuned :)