Kyuhyun stood tall and proud behind the man he had chosen. 

The man he picked was smaller than him and a bit chubby, but by no means fat. It was cute, really. In fact, everything about the man was cute. And beautiful. That was what had captured Kyuhyun's eyes immediately: the pure beauty that radiated off of the other man. 

They stood, both in white suits, before the mass of people whom had gathered for the announcement. There were whispers through the crowded as Kyuhyun guided the man before him to step forward. 

“Is that the one the prince has chosen?” 

“He is beautiful!”

“Is he really from here? I've never seen him before.” 

“He must be from here. The Prince always turned down royalty, remember?” 

Rumors whispered through the crowd.

Kyuhyun grinned; he knew the town would react this way towards the man he chose. He had to admit that amongst his many travels to the village for the very reason of finding a partner, he had never once noticed the man who stood before him. Not until the fateful day he had gotten lost. 

~

He had made his trek into the village, hidden by disguise, in order to find a lifelong partner he could take back to his castle to stand by his side when he took the throne. 

He thought he had given himself enough time to make it into the village, look around, and make it back to the castle before nightfall; however, as the sun began to set and he had yet to leave the village, he realized he would never make it before night fall. 

Turning away from the market, he finally started his way back to the castle. Unfortunately, once he got to the edge of the forest he needed to navigate through to get home, night had fallen. It was a full moon, so there was enough light to see; however, just 10 minutes into the forest, Kyuhyun knew he was lost. 

Suddenly feeling very tired, and a bit scared, the prince leaned against a tree and slid down to sit on his bottom to catch is breath, and maybe get his bearings. 

He sat there for a moment, eyes closed as he tried to calm his beating heart. He didn't want to admit it, but he was getting very scared being alone in the dark forest. No one even knew where he was. His village visits had been secretive as he was expected to choose his partner from the list of royalties his father had provided for him. But he had met all of them, princesses and princes alike, and none of them made him believe he wanted to stand by the other person's side for the rest of his life. 

Suddenly, the prince heard a twig crack. He sat up straight, eyes wide, ears open. 

What was that?, Kyuhyun wondered, his eyes scanning his surroundings. He saw nothing. 

His entire body was tense as he stood up. However, once on his feet, he heard an owl hoot loudly...right above his head. 

He jumped and looked up, making eye contact with the graceful bird. Shaking his head, Kyuhyun chuckled to himself about his sudden fear...for an owl. 

He continued chuckling lightly to himself as he continued trying to navigate through the forest. He was still lost, but he had to try to get home. 

A few more paces, and Kyuhyun froze. 

He had heard another twig snap, but was able to shake it off and continue moving. But as the snaps became more frequent and louder, Kyuhyun began to panic. He froze when he heard a soft 'ouch.'

He wanted to turn around to see who it was that was following him, but he was too scared to. The voice had sounded innocent; however, Kyuhyun was a prince; there would be a hefty reward immediately handed over to anyone who chose to hold Kyuhyun hostage, hence his disguise when going into the village. 

Kyuhyun closed his eyes when he heard the snaps continue and get closer. He wanted to move, to run away, anywhere, but fear had taken over his body and wasn't allowing him to move and inch. 

Kyuhyun tensed even more when he heard the snaps stop almost directly behind him. Had the person found him?

“Who are you?” That innocent sounding voice spoke out. Only this time, it wasn't just innocent; it was more...scared?

Kyuhyun opened his eyes at the scared intonation in the other's voice. How was it that he sounded as scared as Kyuhyun? Was he lost too?

“What are you doing here?” The voice spoke out again. “Who are you?”

Kyuhyun, against what his mind was telling him, slowly turned around to face the man who was speaking. 

“Who are you? Answer me.” The man yelled, the forced intimidation was obvious. 

“I'm...” Kyuhyun spoke, but knew he couldn't simply announce that he was the next in line for the King's throne. 

“Who are you?”

“I'm...lost.” Kyuhyun finally answered. He looked quickly at the man before ducking his head down again, allowing his hood to hide his identity. However, even with just a quick peek, Kyuhyun could see how beautify the other was. He tried hard to keep his head down. 

“What are you doing here? No one comes in here, especially not at night.” The man spoke. 

“I...I was going home and I got lost.” Kyuhyun mumbled. 

“Home? No one live out here.”

“I-...” Kyuhyun was stuck now. He wanted to get home, he wanted to ask the other for directions, but on the other hand, he still didn't know how the beautiful man would react to finding out he was speaking to a prince. 

The man sighed audibly. He could see the worry in the stranger's stance. “Where do you live? I'll help you get there. Everyone gets lost in these woods.”

Kyuhyun finally looked up to the other, pulling the hood slightly to still hide his face a bit. “You'll help me get home?”

The other nodded. Kyuhyun stared at the other's face. His skin was like porcelain, glowing in the moonlight. He seemed untainted from the dirt in the world. So unlike all the others his father had presented for him. 

“Yeah, I'll help you. Where do you live?”

“Hm...That way, I think...” Kyuhyun mumbled, pointing behind him. 

“Well, that helps. What do you live near? You can't live in the woods because no one lives in here.” 

“I live...” Anything Kyuhyun said would give it away that he was heading for the castle. 

“But...what's that way?” Kyuhyun asked, pointing again.

“That way? I can only think of the King's castle.” 

“Umm...there. I'm going there.” Kyuhyun mumbled.

“To the castle?” The man spoke incredulously, as if what Kyuhyun had said was ridiculous. 

“...yes...” 

“Why would you want to go there? Especially at this time? Only royalty can go there anyway. They won't let us get closer than the large stone wall.” The man scoffed.

“I...They will let us in...” Kyuhyun said. 

“Hmm, really? And why would they let you in?”

“I'm...I'm the prince.” They were getting no where and Kyuhyun really did want to get home. The only way of moving this along was to announce whom he really was. “I'm Prince Kyuhyun.”

The man froze for a moment, before he let out a loud laugh. Although it surprised Kyuhyun, he couldn't deny how beautiful a sound the man's laugh was. 

“You? You're Prince Kyuhyun? And I'm the King, himself!” The man continued laughing, grasping at his stomach as he gasped for air. 

“Yes.” Kyuhyun said sternly. He hadn't removed his hood, so it was understandable for the man to doubt his claim; however, Kyuhyun thought he would have been believed. 

“Sure... You must be really lost.” The man responded once he caught his breath. 

“But I am Prince Kyuhyun.” Kyuhyun spoke as he pulled his hood down. 

The man continued to fight his chuckles until he looked straight into Kyuhyun's eyes, unhindered by the hood. 

“Oh! Prince Kyuhyun!” The man gasped as he fell to his knees out of respect. He bowed his head low until his forehead grazed the ground. His eyes were wide with fright. He had basically insulted the Prince to his face; there was no way it would go unpunished. 

“Now you believe me. Can you help me get back to the castle, now?” Kyuhyun asked a bit impatiently.

“Prince Kyuhyun, I apologize for what I-...for everything I said!” The man rushed out, his head still bowed low. 

“Aish. Okay. I forgive you. Now get up.” Kyuhyun rolled his eyes. He just wanted to get home; he didn't want to deal with whatever formalities were custom in this situation. 

The man raised his head, but remained on his knees. 

Kyuhyun began to get impatient. “Can you take me home now?”

The man looked hesitantly at the Prince. “You...I'll be punished when we get there, right?”

“No! If you help me get home, I will make sure you aren't punished! I promise.”

The man cocked his head, trying to figure out if the Prince was lying.

“I promise.” Kyuhyun said, a bit less harshly so the man would believe him.

“O-Okay.” The man answered. He got to his feet and began to lead the way. 

They walked in silence until Kyuhyun couldn't take it anymore. The whole walk, he had been staring at the man beside him. His skin was flawless, the muscles in his neck were visible and strong, and the man's lips were plump and perfect. He wanted to know more about this man.

“What's your name?” Kyuhyun asked.

The man turned to the Prince, wondering if it would be okay to answer. “Sungmin.”

“Hmm...Sungmin.” Kyuhyun mumbled.

They were silent, again, for a few more paces. 

“How do you know the forest so well?” Kyuhyun asked.

Sungmin paused, again wondering if it was appropriate to answer. “I...I live here.”

Kyuhyun scrunched his eyes. “But I thought you said no one lives in the forest?”

“Yeah...I'm the only one. No one else lives in the forest.”

“So you live alone?”

Sungmin nodded. 

“Why don't you live in the village with everyone else?”

Kyuhyun was becoming more and more curious of the man who saved him in the forest. 

Sungmin shrugged. He didn't want to tell someone in royalty why he didn't live in the village with the rest of society.

“Do you not like people?”

“No, I like them.”

“Then you must like being alone.”

“No. Actually, I really don't like being alone.”

“Then you must live with someone else.” Kyuhyun stated disbelievingly.

“No; I live by myself.” Sungmin reassured the Prince. 

Kyuhyun stopped in his tracks. “Then why do you live in the forest by yourself? Why would you choose that over the village?”

Sungmin turned to face the other. “You promise I won't get punished when I bring you to the castle?”

It seemed like an odd time to bring that worry up, again, but Kyuhyun humored him. “Yes, I promise.”

“I...I used to be a servant for a noble in the far side of the village. I escaped, but knew I wouldn't survive if I went to far. I stay in the woods, by myself mostly.”

Kyuhyun stared at the other man. “You escaped?”

Sungmin nodded. “You...You're going to send me back to him once I get you to the castle, right?”

“No. No, I promised you that you wouldn't get in trouble, and you won't.” Kyuhyun said sternly. He had never met a criminal before; for that is what Sungmin is, a criminal. He escaped from someone who rightfully owned him. And yet, he liked being around this man even if he barely knew him. 

“You promise.”

“I promise.”

They remained in silence until they reached the gates of the castle. Kyuhyun walked ahead, planning to make his arrival known by the guards. But when he turned around to ask Sungmin to stay for he would get a reward for helping him, the strange man was gone. He disappeared into the forest from which he came. 

From that day, Kyuhyun would walk aimlessly through the woods, hoping to run into the other man, again. He had completely lost any and all interest he may have had for any other partner for himself. He knew, now, exactly who he wanted to live by his side when he took the throne: Sungmin. 

It wasn't until he got completely lost, again, that he heard the smaller man singing in the woods. 

~

Today was the announcement ceremony where the whole county would gather in order to see the person who would remain at their Prince's side once he takes the throne. 

They expected beauty, but were still shocked upon seeing Sungmin standing before their Prince. 

The Prince and Sungmin were then tossed bouquets of flowers and single coins for luck. 

Sungmin reached his hand behind him and grasped at Kyuhyun's hand. This was all too sudden and too different from Sungmin's previous life.

“It's okay. I'm here. You were there for me in the forest; I'll be with you here, always.” Kyuhyun whispered into Sungmin's ear, stepping closer to his new husband.