Everyone knew that the peace was short lived, nothing really lasted that long when you were a member of the queen's guard. It was what made Joshua jealous of the normal civilians of the capitol. They got to enjoy a sense of peace while everyone that was in the military fought for their lives.

Everyone was called to the palace late one night, with Joshua being forced to leave the twins with Kyungsoo's parents since Rose was at the hospital working late again. After making sure Sungcheol was ready to go Joshua and Sungcheol went to get Chan and Minhyuk before heading to the palace.

"I'm sorry to summon all of you here after hours but I need you to make negotiations with the kingdom of VIXX," said the queen once everyone was in the throne room. "I want to negotiate peace with them, as their alliance will prove useful to us," she said. Joshua was suddenly wide awake as he blinked. "You need us to do what?" He asked. "Negotiate peace?" He asked.

"What brought this on?" Asked Sungcheol. "We need an alliance, in case something happens and we need help," said the queen. Joshua kept his expression blank but Kris was warning him that this was a bad idea. Especially considering who was over there. The others were also being cautious, though they knew better than to say no. "When are we needed to leave?" Asked Sungcheol. "Now," said the queen. "We'll go then," said Sungcheol. "Dismissed," said the queen. Everyone bowed before leaving the room.

"Is she sending us to our deaths?" Asked Chan. "I was never quite the same after the last time," he said. "We'll have to deal with it," said Joshua. "I don't want to be labeled a traitor for saying no," he said. "They wouldn't go that far would they?" Asked Jeonghan. "It's possible," said Joshua as he scratched the back of his head. "Let's go get packed, meet at the gates in an hour," said Sungcheol. With that everyone went to get ready.

"This is total bull," said Sungcheol as he entered the apartment with Joshua. "I know," said Joshua as he sighed. "I'll leave a note," he said as he went to do so.

"What do you think we're going to face when we get there?" Asked Sungcheol as they left the apartment after getting packed. "I don't know," said Joshua. "Kris isn't sure either," he said. "He just told us to go with caution, he believes we'll be meeting someone else," he said. "Since we sent a messenger already," he said. "We sent someone first? That's a first," Sungcheol said with a snort as they reached the gates, spotting Jeonghan, Chan and Minhyuk already there.

"Man," said Joshua as he scratched the back of his head. "Usually we're here first," he said. "You had to make sure the twins were fine," said Jeonghan. "That and leave a note for Rose," he said. "I guess," said Joshua.

"I know it's been months since then but I half expected Mingyu to be here too," said Sungcheol as he sighed. "You're not the only one," said Chan. "Yeah," mumbled Jeonghan. "You guys really miss him huh?" Asked Minhyuk.

"You've done a great job in his place don't get me wrong," said Joshua. "But there's still that sadness hanging in the air, especially since we never recovered his pocketwatch," he said. "Sometimes I really regret the decision," he said. "But I really hoped he would've at least made it," he said.

"Anyway," said Sungcheol as they started walking, heading east. "What does Kris know about what we're going to deal with?" He asked. "Well," said Joshua. "We'll be meeting an elite group at the border, though I think they're only sending 5 members, to keep the numbers even on both sides," he said. "Basically what we are as the queen's guard, they are for the entire kingdom," he said.

"What?" Asked Chan. "The king only sends this group out when it comes to negotiations," said Joshua. "I don't know much about them but," he said, shrugging. "Oh," said Minhyuk. "I think I know who you're talking about," he said. "I remember Kihyun, Shownu and I training with them for a time," he said.

"Who are they?" Asked Joshua. "An elite group of soldiers, specifically formed together to attack the front lines," said Minhyuk. "There's 10 people in total and 5 are shapeshifters," he said. "There's a chance we'll meet all 10 of them together since each person has a shapeshifter partner but," he said, scratching the back of his head.

"Who is their leader?" Asked Joshua. "Everyone calls him Hui," said Minhyuk. "His shapeshifting partner is Hyojong," he said. "Is everyone a wolf?" Asked Sungcheol. "Yes," said Minhyuk. "Well, all the shapeshifters are," he added. "Hm," said Chan.

"Chan," Joshua said suddenly. "I just realized you didn't bring Hoshi with you," he said. "He's getting older," said Chan. "I left him with someone in the apartment building, it's alright," he said. Joshua nodded. "It's just, I've never seen you without Hoshi," he said. "He was with us since the beginning," hummed Chan.

"Anyway," said Joshua. "Who do you think we'll be meeting?" He asked Minhyuk. "Well," said Minhyuk. "It's a given that we'll be meeting Hui and Hyojong," he said. "But who he brings with him is questionable," he said.

"What do you know of the others?" Asked Jeonghan. "Each pairing are paired together according to what they do," said Minhyuk. "You have Changgu and Yanan who are their long range fighters," he said. "I was training with them for a while, they were able to help me maneuver quickly through a battlefield," he said.

"That would explain how you were able to get to Joshua and Mingyu so quickly," said Chan. Minhyuk nodded. "I had to be quick, and even though my large size makes me slow at times I've learned to respond quickly on impulse," he said.

"What do you know of their close range fighters?" Asked Sungcheol. "Hui and Hyojong are the leader of the team of 6," said Minhyuk. "Then you have Yuto and Wooseok, and Shinwon and Kino," he said. "They usually take the brunt of the close range fighting, it's what made the team so elite," he said. "Hongseok and Jinho are their medics, apparently Hongseok's so good with the healing magic that within a few minutes a soldier can be up and fighting again after sustaining a big injury," he said.

"Well," said Sungcheol as they decided to stop. "We still have a long way to go," he said. "They'll probably teleport to us when we reach the borders or something," he said. "Probably," said Joshua. "Rest up, we'll be travelling again in a few hours," said Sungcheol.