Chanyeol

 

The rain had begun the moment he crossed the borders of his kingdom and had kept on since, lashing down upon him and his envoy as they skirted the edge of the Enchanted Forest, trying to keep from being drawn in.

 

If there was one instruction that his father had drilled into his mind, it was to stay out of it. Kingdoms could be reached by other means, taking a longer route through other lands, over sea and he wanted Chanyeol to avoid the forest as much as he could.

 

“If you enter it, the forest could take you places. Places that you are supposed to be, to fulfil your destiny but it can also leave you stranded. I do not want you to take the risk, my son. It would tear me and your mother apart if we lost you to it.”

 

The words repeated themselves in Chanyeol’s mind as he rode, pulling the hood of his cloak up repeatedly to shield his face from the rain.

 

Lightning flashed across the sky and he flinched, tightening his grip on the reins. Dae-sung was nervous as they climbed the hill, rain pelting down so hard that they felt like stones rather than droplets of water.

 

“It’s okay, boy,” Chanyeol soothed, patting Dae-sung’s damp shoulder. It certainly did not seem like a good idea to be travelling in a storm so heavy but there was no shelter to be seen for miles.

 

There was a beat of silence where all he heard was the rain pouring down before thunder boomed across the sky.

 

Dae-sung reared, screaming and it was all Chanyeol could do to hang on, clutching at his reins as his horse took off, plunging into a breakneck gallop into god knew where. He could hear his envoy shouting, chasing after him but Dae-sung was going too fast.

 

Before he quite knew what was happening, they were under the cover of trees, Dae-sung still running, panting.

 

Tree trunks flew past him and branches snatched at his cloak like clawed hands as Dae-sung thundered through the forest with no sign of stopping any time soon.

 

Chanyeol could only hang on, listening to his heart pounding in his chest as he clung to the saddle, hoping and praying that he would be able to leave, to get home. His father’s warnings were fresh in his mind as the tree line broke apart and Dae-sung surged forward, galloping into open sky.

 

“Easy, easy, now,” Chanyeol gasped as his horse finally began to slow, his eyes lighting upon the massive castle rising in the distance.

 

The sky was black, save for a gentle sliver of moon and it was still raining, so heavily that he was soaked all the way through his socks.

 

“Come on. We’ve got to get to shelter,” Chanyeol said, patting Dae-sung. His horse was still trembling as he walked them towards the castle.

 

It seemed absurd that the rain had not stopped when it felt like they had been riding for hours but Chanyeol supposed it was usual for the Enchanted Forest.

 

“Who goes there?” the guard at the gate shouted as they approached, barely audible above the sounds of the roaring rain. He was clutching a spear and many other guards were clustering around him as well as if to get a better look at the intruder.

 

“Prince Chanyeol of Délfi!” Chanyeol called out, wary as they got closer. He was sure they would doubt him.

 

In his drenched cloak, he looked more like a drowned rat than a prince and he was fairly certain that they would doubt him.

 

“Are you here for the contest?”

 

“What contest?” Chanyeol asked when he drew level with the guards. “There is a contest?”

 

“Why are you here then, if you are not here to compete for the prince’s hand?” the guard asked, his gaze suspicious. “You do not look like a prince.”

 

“I am seeking shelter from the storm. My horse was spooked and I am lost. Which kingdom am I in, if I may ask?” Chanyeol swung down from the saddle, drawing his hood over his head as thunder roared again.

 

“Amari. The king and queen will want to see you. I can take your horse.”

 

Chanyeol’s jaw dropped. As far as he knew, Amari was across the sea from his own kingdom. There was no feasible way he could have cross an entire ocean just by riding through the forest for a few hours.

 

Or could he?

 

The forest was supposed to take him to places where he was needed, or where he was supposed to be. What business could he possibly have in Amari?

 

With no time to dwell on those thoughts, he was hustled quickly to the doors, shivering violently. When the doors opened, a rush of warmth spread over him and Chanyeol hurried inside, hugging his wet cloak.

 

Servants swarmed upon him, taking his cloak and handing him towels. Chanyeol was momentarily blinded by the actions, so overwhelmed by towels and warmth and the smell of food that it took him a moment to see the king and queen seated on the throne.

 

“Who is this?” the king asked, his tone short. He looked tense and grim as if something terrible had befallen him.

 

As did the queen, who wiped at her eyes every few moments and looked as if she might begin weeping at any time.

 

“I am Prince Chanyeol of Délfi,” Chanyeol said, growing more confused when the king’s face darkened. He was under the impression that there would a contest, as the guard had said to win their son’s hand but the atmosphere in the room was more like one of a funeral.

 

“I have only come to seek shelter from the storm,” he continued.

 

A look passed between the king and the queen before the queen rose.

 

“Come then,” she said. “The servants will prepare you a meal before you sleep. You must be terribly hungry and lost.”

 

Chanyeol followed, dripping water onto the carpet. He felt very unprincely at the moment, like a bedraggled doll that had been dragged through the mud.

 

The castle was largely silent, only broken by occasional raucous laughter from certain rooms that they passed. The queen offered him a pained smile when he looked at her in question.

 

“Suitors,” she explained, “here for my son’s hand.”

 

Her expression was sorrowful and Chanyeol wanted to ask why she looked so sad at the thought of her son being married. Marriage was supposed to be a joyous occasion.

 

Not that he would know.

 

Chewing his lip, Chanyeol the glass slipper he had brought with him on his journey. He had wrapped it in layers of cloth, sandwiching it inside his bags.

 

“This is to be your room for the night.”

 

Chanyeol’s jaw dropped open when he was led to a nondescript door.

 

Inside, the bed was piled so high with mattresses that it nearly reached the ceiling. A long golden ladder was set beside the bed, presumably for the user to climb onto the topmost mattress.

 

“Excuse our- unconventional bed, Prince Chanyeol. But this is all we have for now. I hope you’re not afraid of heights,” the queen said, her eyes flicking over Chanyeol as if gauging his reaction. Chanyeol swallowed.

 

“No, not at all. Thank you,” he said, bowing deeply. A ghost of a smile flickered across the queen’s face and she was gone, leaving him to the servants to undress and bathe him.

 

The food was warm and hearty, a heavy stew that filled him up. Chanyeol was ravenous, polishing off the meal so quickly that the servants were startled. When he had eaten and bathed, the servants left him behind in the room, staring up at the enormous bed.

 

Was this a test?

 

If it was, Chanyeol could not fathom what it could possibly be a test for.

 

Slowly, he climbed the golden ladder until he had reached the very top, counting under his breath.

 

There were at least twenty mattresses piled on top of each other and he did not even want to imagine the amount of people it had taken to set it up.

 

He climbed onto the bed, relieved that it was somewhat stable and crawled beneath the covers.

 

The bed was bigger than his own back home and it felt so empty and hollow that he rolled over, carefully removing the glass slipper from its padded bag. He turned it over in his hands, thumbing over the butterfly etched into the glass.

 

Perhaps he would find Luna in this land and win her over.

 

Heaving a sigh, Chanyeol tucked the glass slipper away, snuggling under the covers. He closed his eyes and groaned.

 

There was a lump in the bed.

 

He sat up, prodding at the mattress, hoping that it would make it go away but to no avail.

 

Resigning himself to a terrible night’s sleep, Chanyeol cuddled back down again. He tossed and turned for the entire night and awoke feeling as if he had not slept a single wink. His body felt bruised and ached as if he had been riding for hours.

 

Perhaps it had been from his riding after all.

 

When the sun came in through the windows, a servant knocked on his door.

 

“I hope you slept well, Prince Chanyeol,” the queen said with a smile when he joined them at breakfast, surrounded by all the other suitors. None of them looked like they had trouble sleeping.

 

Chanyeol returned the smile faintly, wincing when he sat down at his chair.

 

“Does something pain you, Chanyeol?” the king asked as he moved to reach for his spoon. Chanyeol’s cheeks flushed. He had not meant to show his pain on his face.

 

“My back,” he answered honestly, “I must have ridden for too long yesterday.”

 

The king and queen exchanged glances.

 

“Eat up, Prince Chanyeol. We have something to show you,” the king said, gesturing to the oatmeal. Chanyeol did as he was told, sure that his confusion was showing, as the servants cleared away the plates.

 

The king sent for some men to entertain the suitors while Chanyeol was squirrelled away.

 

“If I may be so bold, Your Majesty. Why does it feel so much like a funeral when the occasion is joyous?” Chanyeol asked bravely, unable to stand the oppressing silence any longer.

 

They were walking up a darkened hallway. He could see candleholders set into the wall but the stumps had long since burned out and had never been replaced.

 

“You are very perceptive, Prince Chanyeol,” the king said and the queen huffed. She wiped her eyes as they approached a single door set into a stone wall. “You will soon see why.”

 

Pulling open the door revealed a set of steps, spiralling up, up, up until they arrived at another door.

 

The king produced a little golden key and turned it in the lock.

 

All the breath in Chanyeol’s lungs rushed out of him in a whoosh. He forgot how to breathe the moment the king drew back the sheer blue curtains hung around the bed, revealing the young man lying in it.

 

“Oh,” he gasped.

 

His skin was as fair as snow and his lips petal pink, like the rose tucked between his fingers at his navel. A wisp of dark hair drifted into his eyes and Chanyeol had the sudden, irrational urge to tuck it behind his ear for him. Luna was nothing, compared to this man.

 

“He is under a spell,” the king said, his tone full of sorrow. “We’ve been looking for someone who can break it.”

 

“I- I don’t understand,” Chanyeol stuttered, still utterly bewitched by the sleeping prince.

 

“You will. If you’re the right one,” the queen said.

 

The room fell silent as Chanyeol took a step, and then another to stand by the prince’s bed. His hand shook as he reached out, gently brushing the lock of hair away from his face.

 

“What’s his name?” he asked, sinking down to one knee to get a closer look.

 

“Junmyeon,” the queen said softly as if trying not to disturb her son. “Kim Junmyeon.”

 

As if taken by an invisible compulsion, Chanyeol leaned down, pressing a kiss against Junmyeon’s cheek.

 

“I will break his curse,” he said with conviction. That was the last thing he remembered before the world started to spin around him. His legs turned to jelly and he heard someone cry out before everything went black.

 

-

 

Baekhyun

 

“So you- left your brother?” Baekhyun asked tentatively. Jongdae looked to be in a very fragile state when they left the cottage behind, his eyes rimmed red and misty.

 

“I left the kingdom,” he said shortly, “my parents were about to sell me into a marriage for an alliance. My brother tried to stop me.”

 

That was all he wanted to say on the subject and Baekhyun could tell that it was time to stop asking. He rested his hands against Jongdae’s hips, pressing his chest against his back as they rode out of the forest.

 

The wil’ o wisps had vanished and the forest was dark and foreboding once more. Baekhyun shivered, clinging closer.

 

Even Su Eun the horse seemed wary, every step he took, hesitant.

 

The forest was so quiet that it felt as if they could hear every rustle and every breath they took. There was no birdsong, no squirrels leaping across their path in search of nuts.

 

Something stirred in the bushes and Baekhyun tensed.

 

“Did you hear that?” he asked, unsure why he was whispering. Jongdae was stiff in his arms, turning his head from side to side to see what might come from the rustling bushes.

 

The brush shivered again.

 

A black shape exploded from the darkness amongst the trees and Baekhyun screamed, tightening his hold around Jongdae as Su Eun broke into a run, hooves thudding heavily on the forest floor.

 

“It’s a bear!” Jongdae gasped as he ducked, Baekhyun pressing as close as he could to keep his face from being shredded by the branches they flew past.

 

He could hear the bear’s weight as it chased them, low growls escaping its throat. It was a black bear and big, nails gouging at the dirt as it ran.

 

“Oh my god!” Baekhyun shrieked when a growl rang out from a bush that they just passed, “there’s another one!”

 

Su Eun shied at the sound and the momentum was enough to send both Jongdae and Baekhyun tumbling out of the saddle, slamming into the ground so hard that the wind was knocked out of them.

 

“Get up, get up!” Jongdae yelled as he yanked Baekhyun to his feet. Baekhyun found himself being shoved behind the prince as the lumbering form of the bear got closer and closer.

 

“When I tell you to, you run. Do you hear me?” Jongdae unsheathed his sword and the sight of the gleaming blade made Baekhyun flinch.

 

“What?” he gaped. “I can’t leave you behind!”

 

“Yes, you can. I’m to deliver you home. And I can’t do that if you’re not alive to see it!” Jongdae snapped.

 

“And you can’t do that if you’re dead!” Baekhyun screamed when the bear lunged, running for the undergrowth. He crouched behind the bushes, watching as Jongdae dodged the first of the bear’s blows.

 

He managed to get a good slash into the bear’s side, drawing a roar of pain from the beast but that only seemed to anger it.

 

It swiped hard and Baekhyun screamed when Jongdae fell, sharp claws catching his shoulder.

 

He leapt out from his hiding place, about to try and distract the beast when another growl echoed into the air.

 

The bear turned, snarling as the growling grew louder and closer.

 

To Baekhyun’s astonishment, a young man walked out of the undergrowth, growling and snarling as if he was talking to the bear.

 

He made a gesture and the bear growled back at him, lowering its deadly paw.

 

The man walked right up to the massive black bear, his palm held up as if he was about to pet the giant beast and it let him, dropping down to roll onto its uninjured side for the man to examine.

 

“What the hell,” Jongdae gasped when Baekhyun rushed to his side. He was bleeding, his sleeve torn to shreds and there was dirt smeared on his face.

 

“Did you have to slash him?” the man snapped when he rose to his feet. He looked so threatening that Jongdae shoved Baekhyun behind him again, never mind that he was injured and terrified.

 

“He was about to kill us both,” the prince snapped. “You tell me.”

 

The man glowered.

 

“Put the sword away. I’m not going to hurt you.”

 

“Oh yeah? Says the one who can talk to bears,” Jongdae snarked back. Baekhyun grasped his arm, in a sharp breath when he turned his head to glare at him.

 

“Stand down. You can’t fight him with an injured arm.”

 

“You should listen to lover boy,” the bear-man said, lips curling into a smirk and Baekhyun’s cheeks flushed. “I could have let Himchan tear you apart. But I didn’t.”

 

Jongdae hissed but to Baekhyun’s relief, he lowered his sword, sheathing the blade.

 

“You have a good horse,” the stranger said, raising his eyebrows. Su Eun came trotting out from the undergrowth, his coat covered in burrs.

 

Baekhyun smiled to himself when Jongdae visibly exhaled with relief at the sight of his horse. He really did love that creature so much. Of course, it could also be that without a horse, it would take them much, much longer to get Baekhyun home.

 

“Do you- would you know where these came from?” he asked, walking over to unearth his paintbrushes from Su Eun’s saddlebags.

 

The man frowned and shook his head, much to Baekhyun’s disappointment.

 

“My father’s realm is not like yours,” he answered, “but he may know. And you need to get that shoulder looked at before it gets infected.”

 

“Why should we trust you?” Jongdae asked. He was stiff, his eyes narrowed as he held his shoulder. The blood was still running, dripping between the cracks of his fingers to stain his skin.  

 

The man raised his eyebrows once more, directing his question at Baekhyun.

 

“Is he always this stubborn?” he asked. His eyes were so intense that Baekhyun found himself flushing under his gaze.

 

“I don’t know, sir. We’ve only just met,” he answered honestly. “But he needs help.”

 

“Then come with me. My father’s palace is not far. We can get him help and you can ask your questions,” the man said, his face softening at Baekhyun’s honesty. When he smiled, he did not seem as intimidating, the dark bags beneath his eyes almost fading slightly.

 

“What do we call you?” Baekhyun asked as he helped Jongdae back into the saddle, ignoring the prince’s protest. “I’m Baekhyun and this is Pr-.”

 

“Just Jongdae,” Jongdae snapped quickly, levelling Baekhyun with a look.

 

“Just Jongdae,” the man said amused. He swept into a bow just as the bear nosed at his side. “I’m Zitao.”

 

To Baekhyun’s amazement, he climbed up onto the back of the black bear that had moments ago been an angry charging beast and gestured with his arm.

 

“Come.”