Chapter 9 : The elvish lessons

.

Jongin had been restless for five days. Five terribly long days where he hadn't been able to talk to Kyungsoo alone. Five hopelessly long days where he couldn't think of anything other than Taemin, his white hair and the softness of his small hand. Five impossibly long days of whispering his name when he was alone in his home, to make sure that he didn't forget how to pronounce it.

Thankfully, Kibum had been incredibly busy rhapsodizing over Choi Minho and so, it seemed that the nymph hadn't realize Jongin wasn't listening to him at all. Both of them were lost in their own little worlds of pointy ears and foreign language.

Kyungsoo was occupied with his fairy work and didn't get a lot of time to come play with the nymphs. He was preparing actively for winter and had a lot to do in Hazelbarrow, the fairy village. The few times he had come to them, Jinki was always following. Thus, Jongin at least got some delicious pumpkin pies to cope with the fact that he still hadn't been able to ask his friend how to say his name in elvish.

It made him both sad and anxious to admit that he had no idea when Chinua would finally bring Taemin back to him and he really, desperately wanted to be able to tell his elf how he was called by that time. So there really wasn't any minute to lose chatting for the millionth time about that wonderful hair clip Choi Minho offered to Kibum.

His own bitterness was confusing to Jongin. He still had no idea why it felt so wrong for him to talk about Taemin to Kibum, or even Jinki. But in his frightened and timid little mind, Kyungsoo was the only one he could trust with such important information.

"I'm going!" Kibum singsonged loudly, making Jongin jump from his spot on their waterfall to look at him, surprised.

"Ah? Where?"

Kibum gave him a jaded stare, pursing his lips.

"I have a meeting with Minho!" He said in a voice full of reproaches.

Jongin blinked, wondering how long exactly he had been lost in his thoughts. Kibum was tapping his foot on the ground, sulking while looking at him, arms crossed over his chest.

"Did you even listen to me a bit or were you dozing off all morning?" He muttered.

Jongin swallowed hard at that and tried to excuse himself, but his friend didn't listen to his small babbling. Kibum left out a sigh before coming closer to him, poking Jongin's knee with a finger.

"You're acting weird lately..."

"I didn't mean to, I'm sorry."

"Is something the matter?" Kibum asked a bit more gently. "Should I stay here with you today?"

Jongin's eyes widened as he shook his head rapidly. It was evident in Kibum's tone that he was reluctant at the idea of staying here, but Jongin knew that if he said he didn't want to be left alone, his friend would drop off anything. Even Choi Minho.

"No, no. I'm okay. I'm sorry, I really was just... lost in thoughts."

Kibum pleaded his eyes at him, not totally convinced. But Jongin continued before the other could insist.

"I think I'm gonna go see Kyungsoo," he said with a smile.

Maybe the fairy would be at home and not too busy. Maybe the right time had finally come.

Kibum smirked at him, his cheerfulness coming back quickly.

"Don't eat too many pumpkin cream puffs," he snickered, "or your belly is gonna hurt again."

Jongin poked the other's forehead, pouting slightly as he muttered that he would eat as many puffs as he wanted and no one would stop him and he didn't care about belly aches, but Kibum was already trotting away, answering only with a chuckle.

Then the clearing was silent again and Jongin slowly got up, sliding from his seat on their waterfall and landing on the ground. The earth was cool against his feet, still a bit moist from all the recent rains. He could feel a small bundle of excitement in his chest at the prospect of finding Kyungsoo and having that talk he longed to share. So he took off.

It seemed that all his troubles had suddenly gone away like clouds in a windy afternoon. His steps were light and a small smile tugged at his lips. Still his hands were fisted as he silently hoped that his friend would be home and willing to waste some of his time with him. Jongin didn't realize that he was going a little bit faster with eagerness. He was jumping from root to root, waltzing around and humming slightly. The path to the fairy village was a funny one. Once Jongin had reached the stones valley, he took upon a very narrow path on the right of the clear way, squeezing himself between two Sambucus and immediately plummeted down the slight hill. Then he fell on the ground, walking on all fours and searching for the small opening between wild bushes. He had to crawl on earth for a few meters once entering the gap, before he could squat again under wooden arches. It was silent in there. The leaves were too dense and his vision was a bit blurry with fairy mist, but he knew the path by heart anyway. He followed the scent of cornflowers and straightened up finally when he arrived in front of a large river. Jongin hopped on one rock merging from the water, jumping to another one, and another one, and a last one, before he could land safely on the other side. He turned around a tree and positioned himself right in the center of the small circle of jasmine shrubs. This was definitely his favorite part about going to Hazelbarrow. With a bright smile, Jongin started to turn on himself, keeping his arms close to his body as he went faster and faster keeping his mouth open and chuckling from the sensation of vertigo it started to give him. He heard a familiar “pof!” and the ground beneath him crumbled, aspiring him whole. His body fell quickly, bumping against roots and soft earth and he kept his eyes shut tight, still giggling from the sensation of sliding so fast. Then his feet touched the ground again and he finally opened his eyelids, blinking a few times to adjust to the soft light and the thick fairy mist that made everything shine around.

A dozen of meters away from him, lost and hidden in dense wildlife, was Hazelbarrow. A myriad of very small and odds little houses were sprouting everywhere. Some had been carved in small trees, others in large mushrooms. Some had been built with leaves, wood and foam. From where he was standing, Jongin could hear the many little voices excitedly chirping around the streets and paths of the tiny village. He could see so many fairies flying around from one point to another. His arrival hadn't been noticed yet and he really planned on keeping it that way. Nobody ever looked at the guest's entrance for it was completely unexpected for any non-fairy creature to come in there.

Jongin tried to conceal his aura as best as he could as he slowly made his way around the village. He was so grateful that Kyungsoo chose not to live in the middle of the busy center. His friend, just like him, loved quietness and tranquility and so, had constructed his own home a bit further away from the others. It didn't took long for Jongin to finally stop next to the lovely little house. The nymph kneeled in front of it, smiling when he saw smoke coming out of the thing that Kyungsoo had told him was his chimney. It meant his friend was home. He held out his hand, taping with a finger against the round door and waited. He could hear faint muffled sounds and soon enough, the green wood moved as Kyungsoo poked his head out.

"What is it?" came his grumpy voice.

His bothered expression softened as soon as he noticed Jongin smiling shyly at him.

"Hello 'Soo," he whispered. "Am I bothering you?"

The fairy closed his house and flew higher to look at him better.

"No, of course not, Jongin. You know I'm always happy to see you. How are you doing? Why are you here? May I help?"

The nymph held out his hand for his friend to sit on it and petted his tiny head. The fairy looked a bit concerned to see him here. Jongin didn't come all the way to his house that often, mostly because there were so many unknown fairies around.

"I've been wanting to talk to you, to be honest," Jongin admitted. "Are you free today? If you're busy-... well... it's-... I can wait until another time."

He tried not to sound too sad at the mere idea of having to wait longer, because he didn't want Kyungsoo to think it was an emergency and drop something really important for him. The fairy tapped his palm two times with a gentle smile.

"I was only rearranging my library, it can be done tomorrow."

Jongin's face brightened with happiness and Kyungsoo left his hand to go back to the ground.

"Just give me a couple of minutes and I'll be ready. While I take a hat, you may grab something from my pantry... so I can make you a snack as we talk. Would you like that?"

The nymph showered him with thanks as the fairy disappeared with a laugh inside his own house. Jongin quickly moved around, reaching for the small wooden box that served as a storage room to his friend. He found dried fruits, some hazelnuts and chestnuts, and a bunch of marrows. There were also a lot of jars filled with things of every color and for a second, Jongin felt a bit lost. He finally took a few chestnuts and some dried apricots, as Kyungsoo was making his way back to him, his head hidden under a fluffy hat, and warm shoes on his feet. He was carrying a bag over his shoulder that had to be probably three times his size, but he didn't seem that bothered by it. It always surprised Jongin, that magical ability of fairies to bear things a lot larger than them as if they weighted nothing.

Kyungsoo still asked if it was okay for him to sit on his shoulder as they walked, so he wouldn't have to fly around in that cold weather, and Jongin immediately agreed. They went on their merry way, up and down road and hills, chattering over random subjects. They decided to simply go back to Jongin's home to talk, as it would provide them privacy away from other fairies and a shelter for Kyungsoo who painfully admitted that the weather that day was especially cold for him.

Once they arrived, Kyungsoo's nose was completely red from the wind they had faced and he rubbed his hands together in an attempt to warm himself up. He took an empty jar from his large bag before turning to Jongin.

"Could you give me some brushwood, please?"

Jongin obeyed silently, picking some snippet of wood from the branches on his ceiling. Kyungsoo put them inside his jar before putting his palms over them. The nymph was careful not to blink as a thin mist twirled around his friend. He was always so mesmerized by fairies doing magic in front of him. Kyungsoo's eyes glowed gold for half a second and small flames ignited the wood below him. He flew around, finding the cap of the jar back and screw it on before he sat in front of it, hugging his pot of fire with a delighted sigh as warmness wrapped up around his tiny body.

"So," he finally breathed out, his full attention on Jongin by now. "What was it that you wanted to talk about? I'll make the snacks as soon as my face will have a correct temperature again."

Jongin took a long and deep breath before wiggling closer to his friend. He could feel shyness taking over him again and didn't dare to look the fairy in the eyes anymore.

"A few days ago," he started, his voice wavering, "I met someone."

It was silent. Kyungsoo was waiting for him to elaborate and get to the point. Jongin could only hear his soft breathing, the fire cracking wood in the fairy's jar, and the wind, outside, howling through the branches.

"It was an elf," Jongin whispered.

Kyungsoo parted his face from the glass with surprise, a hiccup leaving his mouth.

"What happened? Are you okay?" The fairy hushed with concern.

"Yes yes, I'm okay. I'm-... I let him-... I showed myself to him."

Kyungsoo moved, getting up on his feet and coming closer to the nymph to grab his hand and pat his fingers gently. He said nothing, waiting for Jongin to find his words and express himself.

"I-... I wanted to look at him. And... I remembered when we talked... you and me... so-... so I thought it would be okay to let him. It was-... it was really nice."

There were a thousand questions Kyungsoo wanted to ask, but he didn't want to force Jongin to share the moment that seemed so special to him. The fairy could see his friend's eyes shining at the mere memories that he was recalling.

"We couldn't really talk," Jongin continued. "But hum-... we were close and I could look at him really good. I showed him my flowers and he seemed a bit impressed and-..."

The nymph let out a small chuckle, his cheeks flushing red with embarrassment.

"He taught me to say his name."

Kyungsoo tried to control his face to not show an expression too bewildered as Jongin finally turned his gaze at him.

"Is it okay for you to tell me who it was?" The fairy asked cautiously.

Jongin had a tender smile before he tried to articulate the name in elvish again.

"Tae-mi-n."

Kyungsoo blinked a few times. He had known that it was indeed the mountain prince that Jongin had seen at the ball, some weeks ago. But he hadn't imagined that the two of them would meet again. Still Jongin seemed so amazingly happy to confess their encounter, that Kyungsoo felt his heart warming up for his friend.

"It was him already-...," Jongin continued. "It had been him I saw at the ball, you know..."

"Are you glad you could see him again?"

"Yes," Jongin immediately chirped. "Yes 'Soo, I'm very happy. I'm so very happy. He was very gentle and calm and it didn't feel terrible. Or... it was a bit terrible at first, but then-... then I was all warm and peaceful and he was always smiling at me so I think he was happy too. It was fantastic!"

Seeing the nymph so excited about encountering someone new was definitely not something Kyungsoo was used to.

"And so, I was wondering-... could you-...," Jongin's voice went to his timid stutter once again. "I thought that maybe-... Could you teach me a bit of elvish? Like... how to say my name? I want-... I want to tell him my name next time."

"So... you do want to see him again," Kyungsoo acknowledged, matter-of-factly, as he nodded slightly for himself.

He regretted his words as soon as he saw Jongin's face fall into doubt and sadness.

"Should I not?" He asked in a quiet voice. "Is it forbidden? I didn't do anything wrong... did I?"

Kyungsoo shook his head before giving the nymph a small smile.

"No, no, it isn't forbidden," he said gently, "I was just thinking out loud. You are perfectly allowed to do anything you wish, Jongin. It's more-... how to say it?"

The fairy had a sigh, staying silent for a few seconds and Jongin stared at him, biting his lips, waiting.

"You know that fairies are the spirits' keepers. If you allow me, I will have to make sure that hum... Taemin doesn't do anything he shouldn't. Like talking about you to someone else whom you wouldn't want to meet. But from you... Jongin, dear, as long as it makes you happy, you can see him every day."

His answer brought the brightest of smiles on the nymph's face. Jongin was glowing.

"Can I?" He giggled. "That would be wonderful. But I don't think it's possible though... He must be busy. Are elves busy? Still I hope to see him again soon."

Kyungsoo gave him a gentle look before he went back to his bag, rubbing his hands together as he started to take out everything to cook the snack he promised to the nymph. For a few seconds, Jongin stayed still and silent, observing him handle the fruits and jars. But then he coughed slightly.

"So hum... Kyungsoo... would you be okay with it?"

The fairy turned to him, eyebrows high on his forehead, his round eyes widening.

"Okay with what?"

"Teaching me elvish... a bit," Jongin insisted without daring to look him in the eyes.

Kyungsoo sighed and sat back on the ground, crossing his arms on his torso.

"Well," he said slowly, "I could do that. I mean, I'm not exactly the best elvish speaker around but I guess I can help a bit."

Jongin clapped his hands with delight and Kyungsoo noticed the small yellow flower which suddenly bloomed in between some locks of pale pink hair.

"Thank you! Thank you so much 'Soo!"

The fairy diverted his eyes with a smile. It had been a while since he saw Jongin so happy that he made flowers bloom unknowingly. He had no idea what Prince Taemin had done to his nymph friend, but he must have been very charming.

"May I ask why you want me to do that, though?" Kyungsoo continued. He went back up, resuming his measures of ingredients to bake some nice little pies. "Why don't you just learn elvish with Kibum? I heard that he's learning from hum-... Sir Minho, is that right?"

The fairy finally assembled everything needed in front of him, ready to work his magic to cook everything together. But the heavy silence that answered his last question made him turn around to face a very, very uncomfortable Jongin.

"Jongin? What is it? Did I say something wrong?"

"I-... I just-... I mean-...," Jongin stuttered, "I haven't-... I haven't told Kibum. About my elf. I'm hum-... I didn't want to. I just thought-... You wouldn't judge me. Or ask questions. Or want to meet him. Or-... I don't know. I only told you."

Kyungsoo's eyes widened with surprise. Never had he heard of Jongin and Kibum having secrets from each other. But Jongin was looking at him with such a miserable pout, he didn't want to argue about that. Jongin trusted him with something that seemed incredibly dear to his heart, and the nymph had always been and would always be Kyungsoo's absolute priority. So be it. He would teach him elvish. And he wouldn't talk about it to Kibum.

"It is known that fairies are masters at keeping secrets," he said, as casually as he could, in an attempt to put Jongin back at ease. "I will teach you elvish. I'm sure we'll do just fine together."

Kyungsoo then went to take care of the chestnuts and apricots little pies.

They stayed together for the whole afternoon, and the fairy did his best to help Jongin pronounce elvish correctly. The nymph had whined for a good ten minutes when he discovered that his own name was quite a struggle to say in the other language; but Kyungsoo managed to cheer him up again with other words and simple sentences that would allow him some kind of conversation with his very dear elf prince.

They had planned to meet on the second day after the new moon. Kibum had told him to come by the hollowed conker tree and he would then lead him to the misty lake. Minho had never been to the misty lake, so when the nymph had mentioned it in their previous meetings, the elf had been quite curious. And then, Kibum had promised to take him there, chuckling about elves who knew nothing.

It had been quite hard to plan their meetings at first. Minho had to realise that nymphs had no notions of days, weeks, months or hours. Kibum lived with the sun, he had no idea what an April was, he only knew that at some point the weather was colder and Jongin's hair would change color, along with the leaves on the trees, before they finally fell. Nymphs ate when they were hungry, and not because the time had come to have a lunch, and he would sleep when he was tired, not because it was late in the evening. They had to find other landmarks, and Minho quickly taught him how to pay attention to the sun and the light to decide when exactly they would meet and avoid one of them waiting forever at a meeting point.

Even though the process was still a little random, Kibum was always so eager to see him, he would come early, and then patiently wait for his friend by entertaining himself in all the ways a nymph would find. Thus, up until then, Minho had always showed up to find the other buzzing to him in a waltz with a myriad of new questions about hair clips and elvish bread before he could completely reach the meeting point they had agreed on.

However, on that particular day, Minho arrived first at the conker tree and looked around himself with surprise. The weather was really becoming colder as November was arriving, forcing him to put some warmer clothes and high boots on. He let out a small sigh, crossing his hands in his back as he stood tall and proud. Just as his thoughts were starting to drift slowly to his current concerns at the castle, a sudden gust of wind made him blink and straighten up. It was icy and made the hair around his face fly up. Minho took a few steps on his side, putting his locks back correctly as he put his attention back on his surroundings. Another sudden blow got him to jump. It was warmer, but still made him close his eyes with the strength of it.

Minho frowned, moving a bit further away to protect himself behind a tree. Another blow made his long braided hair tousle around and the elf left out an exasperated sigh. Then he heard it. A very quiet and extremely soft giggle. Minho suddenly pleated his eyes, turning around with a suspicious face as he looked better at the trees.

"Kibum," he grumbled with a low voice, "I know it's you! Come out, wherever you are!"

Another giggle. And finally, his friend trotted away from behind a trunk and came to him with a large and bright smile.

"Hello Minho," Kibum chirped tentatively in elvish.

"Was this funny to you?"

Kibum nodded vigorously before coming closer to help the elf put his hair back correctly.

"Yes, your face was very funny. The funniest."

Minho rolled his eyes before pinching the small nose of the nymph.

"Are you sure you're a nymph?"

Kibum widened his eyes and blinked a few times.

"Yes, I'm a water nymph. Why do you ask?"

"Because you're so small and mischievous, I'm sure you're tricking me and you're indeed a fairy."

"I'm not small, it is you who is tall."

Minho laughed, his hilarity only going stronger when he noticed the sulky frown on Kibum's face.

"I am tall, indeed. But you're also really small. You're even smaller than the prince. To be honest I never thought I would find someone smaller than him before."

"The prince isn't small!" Kibum almost shrieked.

"Yes, to you he isn't, I suppose..."

Kibum was looking at him as if Minho had eaten all his favorite candies. With horror and outrage.

During their second meeting, Minho had experienced how truly playful his nymph friend was. He had also discovered how easy it was to , and that Kibum could have a hard time understanding non-literal jokes. But his reactions were always priceless, and most of all, it seemed the nymph truly enjoyed bickering with him. Thus, he didn't hold back.

"I will have you know that I'm still growing. Little by little. I was once very small but I'm not anymore. And I do assure you that I'm a nymph. I have no wings, you see. I cannot possibly be a fairy," Kibum had a satisfied smirk, as if now that he had pointed that argument out, Minho wouldn't have anything left to say.

The elf just looked at him fondly and decided, indeed, to not pursue the joke. Another thing he had picked up about Kibum, was that he seemed to really adore having the last word in a conversation. So he let him end the good majority of the teasings he tickled him with.

"I am sorry for my mistake. You indeed have no wings."

"Are all elves babbling nonsense as much as you?"

"Not as much," Minho answered in a chuckle.

"That's good to know."

After that, Kibum had taken his hand and led the way up to the misty lake. The first time Kibum had taken his hand so easily, Minho had been startled, to say the least. But it seemed like such a natural thing to do for the nymph that he tried not to think about it too much.

Kibum's hand was moist. That was another thing which had surprised Minho, before he realized it was only logical for a water nymph. His glowing skin seemed to always be covered in a very very thin layer of water and if Minho wasn't careful, his small hand would slip away.

On their way to the misty lake, Kibum told him all that he had been doing since the last time they saw each other. Or most of it. He punctuated his tale with questions like how to say "mushroom" in elvish and then how to say "mist" in elvish and then asking if elves ate pumpkins. When Kibum had first begged Minho to teach him elvish, the elf had been delighted. Incredibly surprised and honored, and terribly happy about it. He had wanted to do his best, to give him proper lessons like he had dreamed to teach faerish to elves. But he was soon forced to realize that Kibum didn't see it that way at all. He wasn't about to sit still for hours and learn rules and words in a logical progression. No. He would ask for specific but random words and sentences, and drown him under a million questions about elvish rites. The nymph had an unbelievable capacity to memorise literally everything Minho told him, thus, he was already able to croak out a tiny conversation. With mistakes, but still.

"Minho and Kibum soon arrive mist lake," Kibum said happily in his slightly broken elvish.

They had been going for a while now, through a maze of trees and hills. At some point, Minho had realized that they ended up in a part of the forest that he indeed never had been to, and it was always quite odd to admit that he didn't know the entire forest yet. The air was colder here and he could already see a thick mist around his boots, making it difficult for him to see where he was putting his feet.

Finally, Kibum stopped, and Minho took on the sight before him with a gasp. A few meters away from them was the shore of the lake. He couldn't even pinpoint the other end of it. The surface of the lake reflected the eerie mist and the yellow and brown colors of the leaves from the trees all around. Then, far away, Minho could see immense and thin trees, with white trunks; and he couldn't tell if they were coming out of the water, or from the other coast.

"Minho like it?"

The elf smiled at the tentative question and nodded to the nymph.

"It's wonderful."

Kibum then decided for a place for Minho to sit on, close enough to the shore so that he himself could swim around as they talked.

"I brought you a present," Minho casually said as he sat.

Kibum froze, only one foot dipped in the lake, before he hurriedly crawled out of the water and back to Minho with shining eyes. His whole body was lightly wiggling as he chuckled excitedly.

"Oh really?" He asked. "What is it this time? What is it? Have you seen I wear the hair clip today? You saw it, right? I always like your presents. So what is it?"

"Yes I saw the hair clip. I'm very glad you like it. It suits you perfectly."

Kibum's cheeks became rosy with the compliment. The nymph sat on his legs, clasping his hands together and trying his best to politely wait.

Minho took out an odd object from his bag and handed it to Kibum. It was round in some part, and then coming into a pointy stick. It felt quite heavy in Kibum's hands, but fragile. Kibum let his fingers run on the complicated patterns ornating it. There was gold and wood intertwined in arabesques, circling bright green stones carved as leaves, and then a smooth surface with oranges leaves trapped inside. Or so it seemed, at first. But when Kibum turned it a bit, the leaves moved and the nymph thought he saw a cloud in there. That got him to blink rapidly as he brought the object closer to his face. Then, he let out a startled cry.

"That's me! Minho!"

He looked at his friend with such a shocked face that the elf had to hold back a laugh. Minho still smiled brightly at him, and Kibum reported his eyes back to the object. There he was again, looking into his own wide eyes.

He had seen himself countless times already in his pond, or a lake. He knew his reflection quite well, but here, in this very strange object, it was so much clearer. There was no water waves. It was all smooth. And he looked so real it seemed there were two of him. That was quite unbelievable.

He knocked on it with a finger and bit his lips when he felt how cold and hard the surface was.

"How did-...? What is-...?!" Kibum whispered, unable to find his words at first. "Did you... put a lake in there? Is it frozen? How did you-...?"

He couldn't understand what was going on. Minho put a soft hand against his, coming closer, and Kibum could see him appear in that object. Now Minho was in there too, next to him. It was indeed a reflexion. He looked exactly like the real Minho.

"This is a mirror," the elf explained softly.

"Mirror?" Kibum repeated with awe.

His fingers went back to lightly the surface, then the ornaments.

"Is this elvish magic?"

"In some way, I suppose," Minho mysteriously answered. "I thought you never truly saw yourself, did you?"

Kibum finally put his eyes away from the enchanting present and looked back at his friend.

"No, I didn't," he admitted. "I'm even prettier than I thought! This is wonderful!"

The elf burst into a laughter, shaking his head at the cute ravishment of his friend.

"Thank you a lot," Kibum whispered with a little bow.

"You're welcome."

"I think it's my favorite present by now."

He went back to reverently caress the decorations on his mirror, and nudged Minho's elbow with his own.

"Minho? That is elvish?" He tried to ask, pointing at an ovale spot on the handle, where elvish letters had been carved.

Kibum was so absorbed in detailing everything with his eyes, that he didn't look at his friend, and missed the gentle expression that appeared on Minho's face.

"Yes indeed, those are elvish letters."

"What does it mean? Is it “mirror”?" Kibum immediately insisted.

"No, it's not a word. It's a name."

Kibum detached his eyes from them to look expectantly at the elf, waiting for more explanations. He didn't understand why Minho was suddenly speaking so slowly.

"Which name?" He finally asked with a frown.

"Kim Jonghyun."

Kibum blinked slowly at him and stayed silent for a few seconds. Then he scrunched his nose.

"What a difficult name. I don't even want to try to repeat that."

"Are you sure? I thought you would like to learn it actually..."

Kibum rolled his eyes and went back to staring at himself.

"Why would I?"

"Because that's the prince's name, in elvish."

Time stopped. Or so, it seemed to Kibum that everything had frozen around him in the most awkward way. He didn't dare to move, he didn't even dare to blink. He could hear his heart beating incredibly loudly suddenly. His mind was rushing and spinning, making him feel dizzy with all the thoughts that came across.

There was the fact that he had just learned how to name the prince in the elf's own language and it was both wonderful and terrible because he wasn't sure he would ever manage to say it correctly. But then there was Minho, and why would he think that Kibum was interested in the prince's name? Minho was the prince's best friend and he couldn't, he absolutely couldn't know about Kibum's infatuation. This was even more terrible. What was Minho thinking of him now? Would he tell the prince? Then his mind went back to the anxiety of how difficult this name was and how unfair it was.

Then he realized. He had between his two hands something with the prince's name of it. Thus, it might actually belong to Jonghyun. Which meant Minho had probably stole it for him. But Minho didn't seem like a thief though.

"Kibum?" Minho's voice was gentle and soft when he called him.

The nymph blinked at that, several times, and finally realized he was trembling. His shaking hands dropped the mirror, and it fell on his thighs, slipping to the ground. He opened his mouth, but wasn't sure what to say and where to start, so he closed it again. He went on like that several times before his face heated up with embarrassment.

Another brief thought came into his head. Was this what Jongin felt every time someone was looking at him? This terrible awkwardness. If so, it was awful.

Then the thought disappeared again, eaten by all the fears linked to Jonghyun.

"Kibum? Are you alright? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

Kibum finally came back to his senses, just enough to move away and curl up on himself.

"Why did you give this to me?! If there is his name on it, it should be his, right? Did you steal that, Minho?" The nymph whispered with a miserable pout.

This was definitely not what Minho had in mind when he had thought about this present. He had imagined an overjoyed Kibum, maybe a bit shy, but nothing absolutely terrible. He had thought they would talk about it with a lot of jokes and teasings. And so he felt a heavy guilt falling on his stomach at the sight of that mortified Kibum.

"No," the elf said quietly. "I didn't steal it."

"Does... the prince know that you offered this to me then?"

"No, he doesn't."

Kibum looked at Minho with an annoyed sigh, his eyes still showing how hurt and lost he was.

"It was the prince's belonging, but he doesn't use it anymore. To be honest with you, he has plenty of those things, and it was stocked away, never to be used again. So I thought that being offered to a nymph who would undoubtedly cherish it would be a far better end for this very nice mirror, than collecting dust in the drawer of one of the many empty rooms in the castle."

The nymph stared at him for a long moment, before his hands went back to the mirror, holding it again as if it it was the most precious thing he ever laid his fingers on.

"Is that true? The prince will not miss this wonderful thing?"

"I promise you that he won't," Minho insisted with a low bow. "I'm very sorry to have brought you such distress."

Kibum pinched his lips together and hid his face behind the small mirror. A soft silence fell between them again, before he dared to stutter another worry of his.

"Why-... Why did you think... that I would want-... I mean-... about the Prince's name, I-..."

Minho hesitated. He wondered briefly if he could continue with this or if he should stop. Kibum and him were friends, or so they wanted to be. But maybe this was too intimate. Maybe he was pushing his luck. Maybe he already shouldn't be so casual with a nymph's feelings. Then again, now that they were in that situation, he didn't want to lie.

"The first time I saw you, I was with Jonghyun, and actually, I saw you looking at him. I never saw you even once when I was alone in the forest, but I caught a glimpse at your aura every time I had been out with him ever since that day. So I came to think that it was him, who you came for. Was I wrong?"

Kibum could tell his face was burning with embarrassment. He had never felt so self-conscious ever before. It was one thing to have Jongin know, his fairy friends know... he could trust all of them. But Minho, it was confusing. Someone who was close to Jonghyun and who wasn't bound to secrets like Junmyeon was.

"Well, I-...," his voice was weak and acute.

Minho frowned a bit when he realized that the mist had gotten thicker around them and it took him a few seconds to realize that it wasn't coming from the lake, but from his friend. He had embarrassed the nymph so much that his water was evaporating around him, trapping them in fog.

"Kibum, I'm sorry," he immediately breathed out. "I truly am. I never meant to make you feel so sad or confused. I didn't mean any harm, and I apologize for the assumptions I made."

"H-have you told him?" Kibum suddenly murmured. "The prince... have you told him?"

"Of course not."

The nymph finally looked back at him with hopeful eyes shining through the mist.

"Really?"

Minho only nodded.

"And if-...," Kibum continued, his hands to give himself some assurance, "if I tell you that... I did came for him... would you tell him?"

"I would not. I would never."

The fog cleared out, just a bit. Just enough for Minho to notice it. He saw the shy little smile that Kibum had, then the nymph held out one hand between them.

"Can you promise?"

"I promise you."

"You have to put your hand against mine. That's how we promise."

Minho straightened up, obeying silently as he smiled softly at his friend. Kibum closed his fingers against Minho's palms, and the elf did the same.

"I promise you that I will never speak about you to Jonghyun," Minho said again, and Kibum seemed truly relieved this time.

"Thank you."

Minho had thought that Kibum having a liking for Jonghyun was cute the moment he had noticed it. But just now, he realized how serious it seemed to be for the nymph, and his heart ached for him when he remembered the royal wedding that was about to take place in a few months.

"Minho?"

"Yes?"

"Minho say prince name again?"

"Jonghyun."

.

.

.

Hey there,

finally, the new chapter is here! I'm sorry for the delay, the last few weeks have been quite difficult on me. But here we are, introducing Hazelbarrow & getting some Minho&Kibum interactions again. I hope you're all still enjoying this story.

Thank you to everyone leaving comments & kudos. I love you always and forever. ♥

Please take care of you now, and see you soon!