Minseok walks inside the throne room, the crown heavy on his head as he lets out a deep sigh. 

 

The mage is there, hanging around the throne, his blond hair swept away from his forehead, golden eyes glowing.

 

"I'm glad to see you again, my dear King." He sing-songs, a cat-like grin appears on his lips when Minseok comes closer. He looks higher than Minseok's face is, to where the golden crown sits on Minseok's black hair.

 

"I wouldn't say the same, mage," Minseok mutters and sits down on the throne, his shoulders sagging a bit when he relaxes just a little. There are warm fingers against his neck and he closes his eyes, rolling them. "What do you want this time?"

 

"You know what I want, my dear King." The mage says, his face appearing above his shoulder. King chuckles and shakes his head, standing up from the throne. 

 

"I told you many times I won't do it, mage."

 

"Gods and other Kings have bowed to me, what makes you think you can refuse for long?"

 

The King rolls his eyes and steps closer to the mage. "I won't bow to you, mage. That's not what a King does." Minseok lifts one corner of his mouth and tilts his head to the side. 

 

"Just you wait, my dear King." The mage smirks a bit, tilting his head closer to the King's face. Minseok just chuckles and steps away. "Get ready to travel a bit, mage."

 

The mage lifts one of his eyebrows, and the King turns on his heel, heading in the same direction which he came from. "You will be traveling for a bit, mage."

 

He hears the mage yell a 'what' after him before he disappears behind the door of the throne room.

 

The King is out of the Palace when the mage comes back two weeks later. The mage reins his horse closer to the stables and gets down, handing the black stallion over to a stable boy. 

 

"Do you know where the King is at the moment?" He asks, smiling sweetly as he runs a hand through his blond hair. The stable boy nods and directs him to the gardens. The mage doesn't need that, he knows the castle well, but he still appreciates it.

 

There the King stands, hands clasped behind his back, and the crown doesn't sit in his black hair, instead placed on the table beside the cup of tea. He's wearing dark blue court wear, and his hair is disheveled thanks to the light breeze.

 

"I'm glad to see you outside the Palace, my dear King. Maybe you will catch some tan out here in the gardens, even if I would advise you to not be here on your own."

 

The King chuckles and turns around, facing the blond mage. "I'm not here on my own, mage." He says and mentions for the mage to take the other seat, sitting down himself. 

 

The mage grins and circles the table while brushing his fingers against the King's forearm before he sits down and throws one leg over the other, resting his hands on his knees.

 

"How it went?" The King asks then and tilts his head back a bit, looking at the mage through half-lidded eyes. The mage rolls his own golden pair and chuckles when the King lifts his eyebrows.

 

"Good. It's good to speak more languages, but you get used to it. You speak Otheti in Oslura, Innasy in Icravell, and Liraie in Lorenth. You easily pick up swearing words in these languages if you hear them often." The mage smiles too sweetly, blinking innocently at the King sitting across him.

 

"Of course they would swear at you, you're a foreigner and a mage to that," the King chuckles. "But apart from that, something wrong?"

 

"I almost flooded Oslura when I whipped up a storm there. It was accidental because when I tried to talk some sense into their political ways, they started to swear at me."

 

The King closes his eyes and sighs, before leaning closer. "And how did that end up?" The mage grins again and chuckles. "They changed their politics and promised to worship me along with their Gods. Also, you should get a letter from the Governors." 

 

"Fine. I don't have anything I need from you, so you can go wherever you always disappear to. I have a court meeting I need to attend." The King takes the crown and places it onto his head again before he stands up, nods to the mage, and walks away. 

 

The mage just watches as two guards join the King, and shakes his head before standing up himself. 

He may as well wander around for a bit.

 

The mage is there when Minseok returns to his chambers that evening. Minseok chuckles a bit and takes the heavy golden crown off, placing it in its place. 

 

"I didn't mean my chambers when I said you can go wherever you want." He snorts and turns his back to the mage. "I didn't come straight here. I stayed in the gardens and I think I know why you love it so much there. Especially the Silver Garden." He hears the mage say.

 

There are hands on his shoulders and Minseok chuckles, letting the mage take his dark blue coat off for him. "Hmm? I would like to hear what the mage thinks." He mutters and tilts his head to his right, where the mage puts the coat over the backrest of a chair. 

 

The mage is behind him in no time again, hands on Minseok's shoulders as he slowly turns the man around. "It's really pretty there, I have to say. The frozen fountain is monumental, and if I remember well, the ice statue by the silver tree is Rae'e, God of Cruel Winter," the mage says as he works on opening Minseok's white tunic.

 

"But he isn't a good example of God. I would suggest Idirai, Goddess of Ice and Justice." The mage keeps his eyes low, not glancing up to the King's face. 

 

"Thank you for giving me a lesson on which God should I believe in. But get to the subject again, please. Why do you think I like Silver Garden?”The King asks and lets the mage drop his white shirt on the floor. He takes his shoes and socks off there and mentions for the mage to follow him to the bathroom. “You stay there, mage, and continue talking.”He points to the stool behind the back of the bathtub and the mage nods, sitting there.

 

Minseok takes off his pants and gets inside the bath with warm water, and listens as the mage talks. “It represents you, my dear King. The Silver Garden doesn’t represent just you, but your origin too,” Minseok hums quietly, indicating he listens and leans his head on the bathtub. “It’s where you come from, so I get why you like it there.”

 

“That’s not why I like it there, mage.”Minseok chuckles and closes his eyes to relax for a bit. “It’s because of the calmness there. It’s the same as the bathtub, mage. I’m able to relax here because of the warm water, and I’m able to relax there because of the cold. And my mother went there often, so I like to come there.”

 

“I met your mother once. She was cold, just like you. Not in a bad way, she ruled with justice just as you do,” The mage mutters, his voice low, and tangles his fingers into Minseok’s hair. He tugs at them just slightly, and when Minseok tilts his head back even more, opening his eyes, the mage is leaning above his head, his golden eyes glancing at the King’s face. “She bowed.”

 

Minseok just sighs and closes his eyes again. “I told you many times. I won’t bow to you, mage, I’m a King and Kings don’t bow,” he says and takes a comfortable position once again because of the hand that is still holding his hair. “You say that all the time, my dear King.” the mage mutters and leans down. Minseok raises one hand in the air, stopping him from leaning in more. “You don’t kiss the King. Not with your rank and not yet, mage.”

 

The mage is quiet when Minseok washes, and the King appreciates that. He talks again only when Minseok is in his bedrobe. “My dear King,” he starts, and his gentle palms appear on Minseok’s shoulder. “Believe me, you will bow to me.”

 

Minseok doesn't see the mage after that for two whole weeks. He doesn't miss him, but the mage has some kind of presence Minseok just notices every time he's around. 

 

That's why he smiles half-heartedly when he feels exactly that presence at the start of the third week. He's out in the Silver Garden, just by the ice statue and silver tree, thinking. 

"I expected to see you here when I heard you're not in the Palace."

 

Minseok lifts one corner of his mouth and turns around, facing the mage. His hair is a bit lighter and his golden eyes are shining the same gold they were, just sharper. The King nods his greetings and offers his elbow for the mage to take.

 

There's a small smile on his lips as the mage takes the offered elbow, linking his arm through. Minseok leads them through Silver Garden and the crown feels heavy on his head again. "I needed to relax for a bit and you know how I feel about this place."

 

"Yes, I know," the mage mutters and fixes Minseok's emerald green coat on his arm. "It's too cold for me here." He grumbles and Minseok chuckles. "Then why are you here?"

 

The mage just shrugs and stays quiet. "I didn't see all from Silver Garden the last time I was here. I thought you would make an excellent guide since you spent a lot of time here." Minseok hums and takes a turn to the right, the mage following his directions.

 

"There's something on your mind, mage," he says and lets the mage sit down on a bench. He sits down next to him and places a hand on his knee. "You suddenly disappeared for two weeks."

 

The mage chuckles and shakes his head. "Your head is heavy with the crown again, my dear King," he turns to his left and he seems unusually serious. "It was a personal thing, nothing that should worry you."

 

Minseok hums and turns to his right, gazing back at the mage. "You should worry about something else." the mage mutters. 

 

"I see you know about the ball." Minseok sighs and turns back. "I do." The mage nods and closes his eyes. "My dear King, I would say something, but seeing the ball is four days away, it's not in my place to do so."

 

The King turns to the mage again. "I think I know what you mean," he says and takes the crown off, placing it on his legs. "Listen, mage."

 

"I said many times I won't bow to you or kneel for you. You said Gods and Kings have done it, but I'm not them, so I won't. I'm your King too, mage." Minseok says, calm and serious, his usual self as the mage gazes at him.

 

"That's not why you won't bow to me." The mage raises one eyebrow, and his lips curl at the ends when he smiles. Minseok just stares for a moment before he sighs again and nods. 

 

"I fear bowing to you."

 

Minseok is wrapped in gold clothes as he looks around the throne room changed into a ballroom for this night. He's searching for one head in the crowd of hundreds until someone interrupts him.

 

He slightly flinches and then smiles. "Governor Baekhyun." He grins and stands up from his throne, stepping forward to bring the man into a short embrace. 

 

"My King," the governor grins back at him and gives him a quick respectful bow. "Where is your mage? I was hoping for a quick talk with him."

 

Minseok sighs and sits back down, tucking a stray hair behind his ear. "That's what I want to know, too. He's somewhere in this room, but I just can't seem to find him. It's like he doesn't want to be found."

 

The governor hums and turns half-way to the crowd. "It's always like this with him, my King. Don't worry, if you can't find him, he will find you." The governor smiles back at him, and then his mouth opens in surprise. "You sent him to Oslura, Icravell, and Lorenth not so long ago."

 

The King nods and sighs again. "I did, it's been a month. He told me he almost flooded Oslura with the storm he whipped up there." The governor nods and turns back to him. "Yes, I know about that."

 

Minseok raises a brow at that. "You were there?" Baekhyun only shakes his head. 'No, I wasn't. I heard it."

 

"It's been a while since I've seen you two together," he chuckles and looks back to the crowd, and the King does the same. "Yes, I know. I sincerely hope to find him soon, I want to ask him for a dance."

 

"I won't be holding you back anymore, then. I will go enjoy Chanyeol and leave you alone for our lovely mage to come to you, my King." Baekhyun smiles and bows to him before leaving, mending with the crowd.

 

Minseok sighs and leans back against the throne. He can't wait for this to end, but he still wants to ask the mage for a dance. 

 

"I heard you were looking for me."

 

Minseok turns his head to his left, and there, the mage is. He's half-way hidden behind the throne, but he's glowing. His hair is styled greatly, falling fashionably over his forehead and eyes instead of that mess he seems to wield on his head every other day. His eyes are shining too, the golden irises sharp as always, and they are lined with a thin line of kohl and there's a tint of orange on his eyelids.

 

He's wrapped in beige robes that compliment him, his hands adorned with a few golden rings. 

 

"You're staring, my dear King." The mage chuckles upon realizing the King is quiet and looking at him. Minseok quickly shakes himself out of his trance and stands up, turning to face the mage fully before offering a smile of his own.

 

"I'm sorry, that was inappropriate of me," he starts, and the mage shakes his head at him. "You look well tonight." 

 

A slight blush raises on the mage's cheeks and Minseok's grin widens a bit when he says his thanks to the King for such a compliment. The music in the background changes into a more slow and smooth melody, and Minseok offers his hand out. "Can you grant me a dance, mage?"

 

The blond man smiles and nods, taking the King's offered hand. "Yes, my dear King. I will gladly grant you a dance." 

Minseok leads them through the crowd to the dance floor and turns to face the mage when they stop in the center of the room. He wears a polite smile when he places his hand on the mage's waist, enclosing the mage's palm he's still holding onto the King's hand.

 

The mage places his other hand on Minseok's shoulder and quickly adapts to the dance as they start to talk between themselves.

 

"You seem to be in a grumpy mood these days, mage," Minseok starts with, looking straight into the man's eyes. He watches as the mage shakes his head with a small laugh. "I didn't have time to be in a presence of the great royalty, my dear King. It seems your coldness adapts to me the longer I stay here."

 

Minseok spins the mage under his outstretched arm before holding the man's waist again. "I liked your cheery self more, mage," he mutters and furrows his eyebrows when the mage lowers his head to gaze at the King's chest instead. 

"Is it because of what I said in Silver Garden?"

 

The mage lifts his head to look the King in the eyes. "You haven't said much, my dear King," he says and Minseok heaves a sigh. "But yes, it is because of what you said in Silver Garden." 

 

"Listen, Jongdae," Minseok entirely drops the formalities, and the mage quirks an eyebrow at that. "The King does not lie, and I intend on keeping it that way. What I said was true, I fear bowing to you," the mage opens his mouth and Minseok hastens to clear his exclamation.

 

"I fear bowing to the mage. The mage holds power the King doesn't have, thus he's stronger. But I want to bow." He stares deep into the mage's eyes, the man's lips slightly opened. 

 

"I want to bow, but not to the mage. Gods and Kings have done that, have bowed to the mage. I want to bow to Jongdae, to whom no other God or King ever bowed."

 

Minseok retires to his chambers alone, but when he walks inside, the mage is there. He's standing in front of the window, looking out into Silver Garden. 

 

Minseok takes off his crown quietly, placing it down before he walks closer to the man. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," he mutters after a while, and the mage just shakes his head. "I'm not uncomfortable, my dear King." He turns his head to look at Minseok, and the King sees the conflict in his eyes.

 

"Everyone bowed to me. Gods, Kings, and Emperors. They bowed to me, but only now I'm realizing they bowed to the mage, and not to me. You refused to bow for so long, Minseok," he drops formalities and turns his entire body to face Minseok and gulps. 

 

"I will continue to refuse to bow. I don't want to bow and I fear bowing to the mage," Minseok says and sees the slight pain inside Jongdae's eyes. "There's only one person I want to bow to, and that's you. But not as the mage, Dae." 

 

Jongdae just sighs and steps closer to him, his hands on Minseok's shoulders as he takes the King's coat off for him. "You should sleep, my dear King. It's been a long day, you surely are tired."

Minseok hums and stares as the mage works on the buttons of his tunic.

"Come lie down with me, Dae," he whispers and catches Jongdae's hand when the mage takes the tunic off. 

 

"I don't know," Jongdae mutters, his fingers tangling with Minseok's. "I didn't even kiss you yet, and what if someone sees us in the bed together?" He tilts his head to the side, catching Minseok's eyes. The King just lifts their hands, kissing his knuckles while still gazing into the mage's eyes.

 

"There's a thing called sharing body heat. It's cold here in Dlird, so no one would expect the King to sleep alone,” Minseok mutters against the skin on the back of the mage’s hand. “Come lie down with me.”He says again, and the mage sighs. Jongdae lifts his other hand and tangles it into Minseok’s hair, massaging the King’s scalp lightly. 

“Fine, my dear King, I’ll join you in bed.”

 

Minseok grins, kissing the mage’s knuckles again, and straightens his back, moving around to take off his pants, shoes, and socks before he lies down on a bed. He watches as the mage takes off his own clothing, slipping into the bed beside the King. He shuffles closer, pressing himself to Minseok’s side with a hand placed on his chest.

“Good night, Dae,” Minseok murmurs, hiding his nose in the mage’s blond hair. He hears him mutter the same and closes his eyes.

 

The King is long awake by the time the mage comes by, his eyes dropping close as he gazes around the King’s chambers. The King is by the table placed in the center of the sitting room, bent over with his eyes fixated on a paper in his hands. He’s wearing black court wear but the golden crown is placed on the table as the King seemed to forget to put it on his head. 

 

“Good morning, my dear King,” Jongdae mutters, rubbing his eyes as he gets up from the bed, heading closer to the King. “Good morning to you too,” Minseok murmurs, his eyes never leaving the yellow-ish paper in his hands. Jongdae looks over the King’s shoulder, noticing the broken wax seal on both ends of the paper and little silver tiger printed in the right upper corner. “Go get dressed, we don’t want anyone to walk in on us like this.”The King says and straightens up, moving around the mage to walk out of his chambers, taking the letter and his crown with him.

Jongdae stares at his retreating back, choosing to listen to him, and goes off to get dressed.

 

Minseok places the crown on his head on his way to the courtroom, before he takes a sharp turn to walk into the kitchen where he’s most likely gonna find his Confidant. “Yixing,” he calls out once he sees him, and the dimpled male turns to him, folding into a quick bow which Minseok dismisses with a wave of a hand. “Please, before you head to the court meeting, make sure to send a messenger to Vailia, straight to the royal family. And write a letter in my stead, exclaiming we’ll be traveling there at the wishes of Vailian Queen, my mother, as she wishes to see me.”

 

“Yes, Your Majesty. Should I write something extra?” His Confidant asks and Minseok hums a bit, taking a deep breath. “Send my wishes for a happy birthday to my sister, as we won’t get to Vailia in time for me to celebrate with her.” The dimpled male nods, giving the King another bow before he scrambles off.

 

Minseok sighs to himself and turns on his heel, walking out of the kitchen and taking off in the direction of the throne room, catching a servant on his way there. “Please, go to the court meeting and relay that I won’t be attending today,” he smiles a bit, just a lift of the corner of his mouth, and sends the servant off with a ‘thank you’. 

 

He walks into the throne room and sits himself down onto the throne, glancing at the smaller one beside his, the one meant for a Queen. He should have taken a wife a year ago, a Princess from Sosian, but denied, saying he could rule by himself until he deemed the right time to take a wife and sire an heir. 

 

He thinks back to the previous night, the ball, a celebration of his coronation three years ago. He knew he should take a wife, but that wasn’t his wish. Taking a wife meant bowing to her, a King bowing to a Queen, and that was something he didn’t want. He didn’t need a wife he wouldn’t be interested in, emotionally or ually. There was only one person he wanted to willingly bow to, and that was Jongdae. 

 

That was a thing he told the mage. That he wanted to bow, but he would refuse over and over again if it meant bowing to the mage. The mage had Gods, Emperors, and Kings bow to him, but Minseok wanted to show him he cared for him, Jongdae, and not for the mage. 

 

He startles when a hand lands on his shoulder and looks up, his eyes fixating themselves onto the face of the mage. “You seem deep in thoughts, my dear King,” Jongdae starts, his golden eyes searching for something in the King’s face. Minseok silently mentions to the Queen’s throne for him to sit on. The mage does so, his body turned to him just slightly.

“Is everything okay? Are you thinking of sending me away again?”

 

“No, I’m not,” Minseok shakes his head, waving the letter in his hand a bit. “A letter from Vailia. I’ll be traveling there, and I’m thinking of leaving you here because Vailia is up in the Northern Mountains and on the tundra, so it’s colder there, much more than here in Dlird.” 

 

Minseok hears the mage hum before he speaks. “I will gladly travel with you if it wouldn’t bother you, my dear King. I haven’t been to Vailia, so I would like to get to know the place my dear King comes from.” Minseok smiles and nods. “Alright, then. We’ll start traveling in five days, and I expect to arrive in a week, considering we will be stopping in one of the North Cities, Paira,” he says and the mage nods. 

 

Minseok chuckles as he turns his head to the mage. Jongdae is wrapped in thick dark furs, his teeth just barely chattering as he starts to warm up thanks to Minseok, who gave him his light fur to wear under the thick one. He himself wears just the thick one, being acclimated to the cold the Northern Kingdom of Vailia offers. He’s dressed in his military outfit, a sword hung beside his waist as he reins his white stallion closer to the mage. “Don’t worry, we should be arriving in three hours.” 

 

Jongdae nods at him and gulps before talking. “It’s okay. Thank you for giving me the extra fur, though. It’s really cold here, I didn’t expect it to be this chilly.” Minseok shrugs and looks at the mage. “Vailia is the Northernmost kingdom, situated in already high and cold mountains. The tundra around is cold too, as it adds to the cold biting air. But once you’re in Llyne, the heart of Vailia and capital, it’s warmer because there’s a fire lit almost everywhere, even if the people are acclimated to the cold.”

 

“It’s been years since I met your mother, so I don’t mind it,” Jongdae says, his gaze set ahead, and Minseok feels him slipping away from him, turning to his mage persona the more they near the heart of the Vailia, Llyne. “I want you to have this,” he proceeds to say, holding the reins of his stallion with just one hand as he slips an indigo-colored ring off his finger. “Indigo is Vailian color, but only royalty wears indigo-colored rings. This way, everyone will know who you came with.” He exclaims when the mage looks at him and hands the ring to him, watching as Jongdae puts it onto his gloved finger. 

 

“It’s good I know Vaila, that way I won’t have to ask you every time someone talks to me,” Jongdae says and Minseok agrees with a hum. “Yes, I’m more worried about my Vaila. It’s been three years since I spoke it, I’m fearing I will be rusty,” He takes the reins in both hands ago, adjusting his seat a bit. “But we won’t have to speak it that much aside from the town, everyone in the Castle of Llyne speaks Common.“

 

Jongdae just nods and Minseok sighs inaudibly, feeling that the man beside him is fully the mage again, not Jongdae he hoped to be talking with. He urges his white stallion to a faster walk, not believing the frozen path after slipping not so long ago, still holding up the tempo so the horses don’t become too cold.

 

It’s really three hours until they arrive in Llyne. The Gates swing open and Minseok throws a look at the mage before urging his horse into a canter, reining him into a direction of the Castle of Llyne, noting the mage catching up to him on his black stallion. 

 

People of Llyne look out of the windows, coming out of the small shops after hearing the sound of hooves on the paved road, watching as the royal retinue with the King at the head rides through the town. Minseok hears cheers and smiles before he waves to a bunch of children gathered around. 

 

Guards are waiting for them at the entrance of the castle, and Minseok stops upon recognizing the one standing in front. He gets down from the saddle, handing the stallion to a servant that appears from behind the guards. “General Kyungsoo,” he grins, taking off his leather gloves and shaking hands with the small wide-eyed male. “Your Highness.”The general says, nodding his head to Jongdae in greeting. “ The Vailian Queen and Princess Minseung are waiting in the throne room.”

 

Minseok sighs and runs a hand through his hair, his eyes flicking around. He has lost Jongdae. He really lost the mage inside the Castle of Llyne. What if he went out of the castle? What if-

 

“What’s making you look like a lost kitten, my dear King? Did something happen?”

 

Minseok whips his head around and groans, stomping his way over to the mage who stops in his tracks realizing that something actually happened and the King seems to be going mad. “You can’t do this,” Minseok hisses once he stops, his eyebrows tightly furrowed. “What?” Jongdae raises his eyebrows, genuinely surprised at the way the King is acting. “You can’t do this, mage. You can’t just disappear like this, without telling me or anyone. I’ve been running around the castle trying to find you.”

 

Jongdae opens his mouth to speak, but the King beats him to it. “Tell me next time before you disappear, Dae. I was scared you got lost here in the castle, or worse, you went out of the castle and got lost in town." Minseok shakes his head and closes his eyes. 

 

"I was in the library, my dear King," Jongdae mutters and steps closer to the King, placing his hand on Minseok's shoulders. "I'm sorry for making you worry." 

 

Minseok sighs and lifts one hand to grip Jongdae's. "Come. It's almost dark, we should get ready for bed." Jongdae nods just slightly. "Are we sleeping together again?"

"Yes, we are. It's colder in Vailia, and you're already cold in Dlird, so I think it would be best if you stay with me.”Minseok mutters and gives Jongdae’s hand a squeeze, tugging him along. The mage hums and walks with him, keeping quiet.

 

“Don’t undress too much. It would be best if one of the sheepskins stays under you and the other one on top of you, it will keep you warm,” Minseok says once in his chambers, as he takes the crown off. He undresses and watches as the mage takes off his own clothes, slipping into the bed to keep warm. He chuckles when Jongdae raises an eyebrow at him and climbs in beside him. “Your sister said you can sing pretty well,” Jongdae turns around a bit, tucking himself against Minseok’s side as he gazes up at the King. “Can you sing something in Vaila?”

 

Minseok chuckles and shakes his head. “I don’t remember Vailian songs, and my Vaila is gonna be rusty.” “Try something, at least. You can’t be that bad, my dear King.”Jongdae grins and places a hand on Minseok’s chest, seeking the King’s body heat. Minseok hums and thinks, trying to remember some Vailian songs.

 

“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

that saved a wretch like me,

I once was lost, but now am found,

was blind, but now I see. 

Was Grace that taught my heart to fear,

and Grace, my fears relieved,

how precious did that Grace appear,

the hour I first believed.”

 

“You don’t sound rusty at all, my dear King,” Jongdae says with a grin etched on his curled lips once Minseok finishes. “It was a Vailian lullaby, Jongdae. No one sounds rusty while singing lullabies.” the King chuckles and Jongdae makes a move to protest. “That’s not true. I heard a lot of people that do sound rusty while singing old songs and lullabies.”

 

“You should go to sleep, Jongdae. I intend on taking you out into the town tomorrow after having breakfast with my mother and my sister.” Minseok just buries his nose inside the mage’s hair, closing his eyes. “Mhm, okay. Sleep well, my dear King.”

 

“You too, mage.”

 

The King smiles upon gazing at the mage. He has taken Jongdae out into the town after breakfast with Vailian royal family. Minseok’s sister was boisterous as always and his mother was her usual calm self, Minseok having inherited it from her. But he still kind of felt like he didn’t fit in here anymore.

 

“I noticed the servants called you ‘Your Highness’ and not ‘ Your Majesty’,” Jongdae says when they ride away from the market place. Minseok hums a bit and looks at him. The mage is once again wrapped in furs to not get cold. “They called me the right title. I’m ‘Your Highness’ for them, my mother is ‘Your Majesty’ for them,” Minseok takes a deep breath, rolling his shoulders for a bit to release some tension. 

 

“When you’re elected a King of Itaral, you lose your right to the throne of your birth kingdom. When I was elected, I lost my right to the Vailian throne, thus my sister became an heir to Vailia. As my mother sits on the Vailian throne, she’s ‘Your Majesty to the servants of the Castle of Llyne. But they both answer to me as a King of Itaral.”

 

Jongdae nods and plays with the indigo ring on his gloved finger, glancing down at it. He reins his horse closer to Minseok’s then, turning his head to him. “You know, this reminds me of our situation,” he starts, and Minseok is glad they are talking in Common instead of Vaila, so no one understands them. “Our situation is different, Dae.”

“If you say so, my dear King.” Jongdae singsongs, a small smirk on his lips. “We’ll talk about it once we’re back in Dlird, I promise.”

 

They don’t talk much after that. Minseok sometimes talks with residents of Llyne, explaining to them who Jongdae is when they ask about him. The mage was right the previous evening, Minseok’s Vaila wasn’t as rusty as he thought it was. Minseok also makes sure to buy some warmer clothes for the mage so he doesn’t have to always snuggle with Minseok.

They had to the castle soon enough to have lunch with the Vailian royal family.

 

Jongdae is smiling, but Minseok doesn’t think he is actually happy. He hasn’t seen the mage use his magic since they arrived in Llyne, and he’s constantly cold, wearing the thicker fur around him even in the warm castle. Minseok also sees his eyes aren’t as shiny as they were when the mage came back from Oslura, Icravell and Lorenth. 

 

“Jongdae,” Minseok starts when they’re alone again, and the mage lifts his head from where he was reading a book he borrowed in the castle’s library. “What is it? You seem off a bit, Dae.” The King asks, walking across the room to crouch before the armchair by the fireplace Jongdae’s sitting in. The mage is bundled into himself, wearing a set of the clothes they bought earlier that day. Minseok places his hands beside his legs, looking up at him.

 

“Nothing, I’m just not used to having a limit with my magic,” Jongdae says, putting the book down and placing one of his hands over Minseok’s. “My magic is strongest in a desert and on a sea, I have a limit in cold climates. I can barely warm myself up.” the mage pouts a bit and Minseok smiles. “We’ll be coming back to Dlird soon, I just need to discuss something with my mother. Then we’re gonna go back.”

 

They’re back in Dlird in eight days after that, and they don’t see each other for a few days. Minseok is busy with court meetings and Jongdae busies himself with walking around the Palace.

 

When Minseok enters his chambers a week after their arrival, Jongdae is curled in an armchair, a book in his head and it reminds Minseok of the moment in Vailia. He smiles gently and takes off his crown, placing it down before he walks closer to Jongdae. He doesn’t attempt on waking the other up, he just takes the book and puts it down on a small table next to the armchair. 

 

Just watching the mage for a while, Minseok thinks about him. Jongdae was with him in Dlird for five years, and all Minseok ever thought about was him. When he was about to deny marriage, he thought about Jongdae. 

He sighs softly and places an arm under Jongdae’s knees and back and lifts him up, walking over to the bed. Placing the mage onto the bed, he moves a stray hair out of his face and smiles at the way Jongdae scrunches his nose and flutters his eyelids. “Mhmmm Minseok?”

“Yes, it’s me,” he mutters while he undresses. “Go back to sleep, Dae. I’ll just undress you.”

 

The mage hums and lets himself be undressed by Minseok, lifting his hips to help him get off his pants. He’s drifting off again when Minseok climbs in beside him. The King chuckles when the mage reaches for him and drapes him over his torso, his hand on Minseok’s lower back. Minseok sighs and leans his head on Jongdae’s chest, leaving his hand to hover over the mage’s heart. 

 

It’s Minseok snuggling closer to the mage that night, wanting to be close to him after the time they didn’t see each other. Minseok buries his nose in the mage’s chest when he feels Jongdae’s arm tighten around him and presses closer to his body. 

 

When the mage slips out of the King’s chambers the following morning, the King is still asleep, his face buried in a pillow Jongdae laid on, and the mage smiles at that. He considers wandering around the gardens, but instead, he walks to the stables.

What he finds there really surprises him.

The stable boy Jongdae came to know as Sehun, is inside the box of the King’s stallion, with a boy Jongdae recognizes as a servant. And they’re kissing.

 

“You know, if someone sees you two like this, you can be cast out of the Palace,” he mutters when he comes closer and they notice him.  “That won’t happen anymore.”The servant grins and Sehun nods, keeping an arm around the servant’s waist.

 

Jongdae raises an eyebrow at that, not knowing what they’re talking about. “The King and court issued a law last night that takes effect today and allows same- people to have a relationship.” the servant reports with a boxy grin etched on his lips and Jongdae opens his mouth, surprise evident in his eyes. “They did what?”

 

“They issued a law-” “I heard, okay. I’ll be off, I need to take care of something.”The mage says and turns on his heel, running back into the castle.

 

“Minseok!”

 

The King flinches and sits up in his bed, padding the space beside himself before he realizes the mage is not there. When he looks up, the mage is standing in the closed doors, his chest rapidly heaving up and down. 

 

“What? What happened?” he asks and starts getting up from the bed before Jongdae stops him by coming closer to the bed. “Yes, something happened.” The mage mutters before he crawls over to Minseok, caging the King in between his arms when the King leans back. “Jongdae, what are you doing,” Minseok mutters, placing his hands on Jongdae’s shoulders.

 

“You couldn’t tell me about the law, right?” the mage tilts his head just a bit and Minseok feels his cheeks go warmer at the thought of their physical closeness. “I guess you heard about it already?”

 

“I did,” Jongdae nods, and his blond locks bounce a bit. “Does it mean I can kiss you, my dear King?” Minseok closes his eyes and sighs. “Not as the mage, Dae. I told you, I won’t bow to the mage.” When he opens his eyes again, Jongdae is gazing at him with sincere eyes, his golden orbs warm.

 

“Not as the mage, Minseok, and not as the King. Just me and you.” Jongdae mutters and Minseok looks at him, biting his bottom lip before he nods softly. “Yes, you can kiss me, Jongdae.”

 

Jongdae grins before he slowly leans down, pressing his lips against Minseok’s in a gentle kiss, just a press of their lips, and Minseok sighs. He wraps his arms around Jongdae’s neck and smiles, kissing back just as gently and sweetly. Was this everything he ever wanted?

 

Yes. Yes, it was.

 

As they continue to kiss, Minseok thinks. Ever since they came back from Vailia, Minseok was busy with the court because he tried pushing the law forward, just so he could see Jongdae this happy. Maybe he could marry Jongdae soon too, so he can be happy too.

 

“Are you happy?” Minseok whispers once they pull back from each other. “Yes. Yes, I am, Minseok.” Jongdae shakes his head and caresses Minseok’s cheek. “My dear King, I’m so happy right now.”

 

“I’m glad you are.”