Unbeta-ed. Mistakes are bound to be found. Oh hey that rhymed

It's fairly early in the morning when he wakes the next day, roused by the sounds of clinking metal from what he assumes is the cottage kitchen. A lovely savory smell wafting in the air has him inhaling deeply, pushing away the last vestiges of sleep. Now fully awake, Donghae sits up and stretches out his arms and back, hearing a satisfying pop before he stands and makes the bed as neatly as he can. Which is to say not much. Well, gods know he tried his best. The maids always appreciated his efforts at the least. Maybe Hyukjae will too.

Leaving his not so stellar handiwork behind, Donghae slips into the slippers he'd been loaned the other day and lets his nose guide him to the source of the mouthwatering scent. He finds himself at the archway leading to the kitchen and grins at the sight of Hyukjae standing by the stove.

The image reminds of him of the early mornings with his mother as a child. When most of the castle has yet to awaken, his mother would sneak to the kitchens and experiment with different food mixtures and combinations, bringing along Donghae should she find her youngest also awake to help her. On one such encounter, he remembers her distinctly telling him, "find a partner that knows their way around a kitchen, son, or else mother will not approve."

He knows she'd been joking then but there's a heaviness weighing him down at the thought his mother would have appreciated that Hyukjae can cook – and judging by the enticing smell from the stove, he can cook well. Disregarding the momentary gloom that came over him, Donghae clears his throat and successfully gains the attention of the other teen.

"Morning," Hyukjae says over his shoulder before turning back to stove. Donghae heads over to stand beside the redhead, leaning over the other's shoulder to peek at the source of the enticing smell.

"It's just a plain meat stew. I know it's pretty heavy for an early morning meal but the path we're headed to later is going to be pretty sparse of foliage and animals."

Donghae hums. "You said we're going to reach the borders of Fie X'hin tonight?"

"Yep," Hyukjae answers distractedly as he stirs the mixture cooking in the pot. "If I remember correctly, there's a festival happening today in the town we'll be entering."

Donghae perks up at the news. He hasn't been to a festival since he was a child. He steps aside when the redhead taps the wooden spoon he's holding onto the rim of the pot before setting it aside. Hyukjae grabs a mitten from the side and transfers the pot to the dining table. The prince, meanwhile, watches as the other teen quietly and efficiently retrieves two bowls and a pair of spoons.

"Well, enjoy." The redhead gestures for him to dig in and Donghae happily takes a seat. He scoops himself a decent portion onto his bowl and eagerly takes a mouthful of the stew. And then another and another, making sure to properly chew the meat and vegetable chunks.

"It's delicious," he compliments in between spoonfuls. On the other side of the table, Hyukjae's lips upturn into a relieved smile as he scoops a serving for himself.

Just as Hyukjae predicted, they reach a town just as the sun is setting after a long ride through the steeper paths – they were getting closer and closer to the mountains and the prince feels a tendril of dread as it meant he was that much closer to having to face his fiance. He pushes away the thought.

As they approach the brightly lit town, Donghae can't help the awe the courses through him as even from this distance, the sounds of lively chatter and music can be heard. Practically vibrating from where he's sat on the horse – a different one from the other day he noticed – the prince tries to mentally will the other teen to hurry along.

They dismount just a few steps away from the town entrance – a stone archway matching the fence surrounding the area. Donghae's got half a mind to just run blindly right into the heart of the festival but he does have self-control despite his childish tendencies; he can wait just a bit longer. But gods, does he wish Hyukjae would move faster – he wants to try everything, as in everything there is to experience here before the day ends; it might be his only chance to ever do this, after all.

Eventually, they reach the town entrance where a little wooden signboard had been placed; 'Shin He' the letters spell out. Hyukjae dismounts and just like yesterday, he offers a hand to help Donghae get down. Now, the day before, he appreciated the gesture as Donghae had been rather tired and it's been proven in several instances – none of which he'd like to recount – that a tired Donghae equals an even clumsier Donghae. Normally however, he doesn't particularly like overly chivalrous acts but somehow, it doesn't really come off that way from the other teen.

He takes the proffered hand without his usual fuss and watches for a moment as the horse walks back to the forest. Then with child-like glee he turns to the town, already eyeing the different stalls and displays, particularly the one selling fruit encased in a transparent glossy coating – judging from the faint smells he can pick up, he thinks it might be sugar.

“You look like you’ve never seen a candied apple before.” Hyukjae walks up to stand beside him, head cocked towards the stall Donghae is still staring down. The prince turns to the redhead.

“They don’t sell those at festivals in Kei’sei, so, yes, I’ve actually never seen one before.”

Hyukjae blinks before a smile lights up his oh so handsome face- Donghae stop drooling over him so obviously, he admonishes himself. The other teen gently takes hold of his wrist then.

"Then let's get some right now."

He's brought to the same stall he'd been eyeing and the smell of the sugar is even stronger, mixed with hints of apple and cinnamon. Hyukjae buys one, thanking the vendor and hands the treat to Donghae. He takes a bite immediately only to struggle with the hardened coating of sugar before finally managing to take a piece into his mouth. The prince takes his time chewing, savoring the sweet taste.

"So, what do you think?" the redhead asks after Donghae finishes his first bite. The latter the sugar left on his lips - he doesn't miss the way the other's eyes flit down momentarily - before replying.

"It's a lot more difficult to eat than I thought, but it tastes good. Pretty much how I thought it'd be, actually."

Hyukjae hums as the other goes for another bite – with minimal struggle this time. As Donghae finishes his candied apple, the redhead guides him around the festival, pointing out the different brightly lit stalls and games to the prince. Donghae listens attentively, soaking up everything the other tells him with no small amount of enthusiasm.

“Oh, this one’s my favorite.” The prince is guided to a simple looking stall – easy enough to miss if one wasn’t paying attention. The smell wafting over however is a whole other story. There’s a pot p