Taemin couldn't help but let out a joyful laugh when Minho raised him into the air. The idea, and the hope that Minho had missed him as much as Taemin had missed him made warmth burst in his chest. He wrapped his arms around Minho's neck as he was lightly spun around. It felt almost felt like this was the first time in a long time he was truly smiling. In a way it kind of was, if it weren't for Tom and Dee Dee his existence in the castle would truly be unbearable.

"Hi" Minho said softly when he eventually lowered Taemin to the floor blushing awkwardly. Taemin was also blushing but he was too happy to care very much.

"I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner" Taemin said with an embarrassed smile.

"No, it's okay, I'm just happy to see you"

"Me too..."

The two stood in an awkward but happy silence both with matching embarrassed grins.

"You two love birds done?"

Their heads whipped to Jonghyun and Onew who were also grinning albeit for a different reason.

Both Minho and Taemin blushed harder and looked away from each other but neither said anything regarding the statement from Jonghyun.

"Hi hyungs" Taemin said after a moment trying to force the blush on his cheeks to go down... He failed.

"Hey Tom, you planning to stick around for a bit?" Onew asked with a smile.

"Definitely" Taemin answered immediately. The whole reason he was here was to spend time with them even if it was as simple as standing with them whilst they sold eggs.

"Great, you wanna come back to the house with us?" Jonghyun smiled.

"Can I?"

"Of course. Minho's not the only one who's missed you you know."

Taemin blushed again. "Sorry" he said softly.

"Aw, it's okay" Onew chuckled, patting Taemin on the head. "You can help us sell seeing that the Dino here isn't doing any work."

"Hey!"

The three laughed as they sold eggs, chattering away about nothing in particular. Taemin was almost certain he'd never felt so happy before. He didn't care about time or the fact that he would be in trouble when he got home. He and Minho were never very far away from each other at any given time which also brought a smile to his face. They kept sharing little glances between one another, looking away quickly after but ecstatic all the same.  

Taemin had never sold anything before but he quickly learned it wasn't hard. He enjoyed it a lot. The towns people were loud and friendly, if not a bit thin about the waist line. Without him asking they told him stories and local gossip, which meant nothing to Taemin, spending more time talking than actually buying anything. Taemin didn't mind though. He'd never spoke to people like this before. They didn't treat him differently because of his status or seem stiff and wary like nobles. No, the people he spoke to were all relaxed and talkative, happy to just be themselves.

He noticed he seemed to attract the most attention from the older women and mothers in the market giving him variations of the words "what a nice young man you are..."

Taemin put it down to something Dee Dee once said about him being cute... Not that he agreed with her...

Speaking of Dee Dee, Taemin was piling eggs into a basket to be sold when the whole attention of the market turned to a carriage passing through it. Dee Dee's carriage...

Talk quickly changed to Alec and his nephew and niece. It became quickly apparent that no one knew what they really looked like or what they were like at all. A few seemed to believe that they were in league with Alec and the rest of the nobles and though the words upset Taemin, he couldn't find it in him to be angry at the people. Every other noble in the place seemed intent on making them suffer so why not them too? They didn't actually have any reason to doubt that... Or at least, not yet.

Taemin frowned for a moment as the coach passed through the square. Dee Dee was going to a lord's house... One hoping that she took an interest in their son, which she wouldn't of course. He also knew that she wasn't alone in that coach. Simon was with her, no doubt to ward off any potential suitors. Taemin wouldn't have been allowed to go with her even if he'd asked... He was still being punished after all... Not to mention he was starting to lock his door again which had made Alec furious.

"Don't like nobles?" Onew appeared beside him following his gaze and misjudging his frown.

"I have nothing against De- Lady Devaro, it's  the person she's traveling with that upsets me..."

"Is she not with her brother?"

"No... Alec likes to keep them apart..." Onew raised an eyebrow at Taemin's soft tone noting the slight sadness in it.

"So who's she with then?"

"Alec's son..." Taemin sighed. Onew didn't ask how Taemin knew this but just observed him in silence until, like everyone else his gaze was drawn back to the coach which reared to a halt, horses whining loudly.

Two innocent children, no more than six lay on the floor in front of the carriage having nearly been flattened under the horse's hooves. It seemed they had been playing and had strayed a little too far into the road. The coach had swerved violently to avoid them, had the driver been a second later the children would have been crushed.

The entire market place fell silent just watching the scene.

One of the children began to cry and the other scrambled to shush him.

The boy continued to cry harder as he clutched at the other child who seemed to be the older of the two drawing even more attention from the market as well as the coach's occupants. Within moments the doors of the coach burst open and an angry Simon stormed out. Taemin was too far away to hear what was being said but he watched on with the rest of the crowd as Simon pushed his way to the children and began yelling at them. Again he couldn't make out exactly what was being said but whatever he was screaming at the children was making them tremble.

It surprised Taemin that no one stepped forward to protect the children at all from Simon's wrath, not that Simon actually had any reason to be angry at the children and it made him wonder when the children's mothers were, surely they were close by?

Taemin was tense he wanted to help them but he knew Simon would instantly recognise him if he did but the temptation was high, especially when Simon advanced on them.

But from the coach Dee Dee dashed out to stand in front of the overweight teen.

More shouting followed but Taemin smiled. It definitely wouldn't have sat well with his sister had she allowed Simon to do anything to the children. When she had had enough of the yelling match, Dee Dee turned to face the children, kneeling on the floor and ignoring  the fact that her dress was getting dirty. She smiled softly at the frightened children before talking to them in a gentle voice. When they had calmed down she reached into her purse and gave them a couple of gold coins each stilling their tears.

They stared at the gold in their hands for a moment,  any and all traces of fear now banished from their minds completely. Giggling their thanks the two children stood and took off into the market to spend their new riches, but even before the children had disappeared from sight excited talk erupted around the market.

Dee Dee stood and brushed off the front of her dress lightly a satisfied smile on her lips. For the first time since stepping out of the carriage she actually looked around the market. Just as her brother had been, she was simply awed by what she saw, she had never really seen a market before.

Though somehow, through all the carts, stalls and people, and only for a moment, the siblings eyes locked across the square. Taemin didn't didn't react but held his sister's gaze briefly until her eyes moved on.

She was so caught up with the fact that she had just seen her brother she had completely forgotten that she wasn't alone and what Taemin witnessed next made him see red.

Gasps and whispers ran through the crowd after a loud SMACK resonated around the square. Dee Dee stood, slightly bent holding her cheek from where Simon had just hit her, a furious look in his beady eyes.

Taemin's body moved of it's own accord, eyes not really seeing what was in front of him, with every intention of storming across the market to make Simon grovel and beg Dee Dee for forgiveness. But he'd barely made it one step when a hand on his shoulder kept him in place. Taemin's head whipped round to glare at whoever it was stopping him, eyes landing on Minho who was watching Dee Dee walking into the coach, head still held high despite being hit. "Don't make yourself known to him..." he said quietly.

And just like that Taemin came to his senses though his anger did not subside. Minho was right. Simon couldn't see him, it would be such a waste to blow his cover now... but he would make his chubby cousin pay some how.

The square was hushed as practically everyone watched the coach disappear from sight.

Taemin had always been under the impression that Dee Dee would be somewhat safe with Simon... He knew the boy liked his sister and he always thought that would protect her... he thought wrong. The little bastard was just like his manipulating father and he knew, just like he would plot a way to make the boy pay, Dee Dee would be doing exactly the same. His sister was no pushover and wouldn't take being slapped in public lightly.

Slowly Taemin came back to himself, hearing the now very loud crowd once again. The topic again seemed to be of him and his sister but now the comments were a lot more positive, if he wasn't still fuming he may have even smiled...

"Are you okay?" Taemin blinked then turned to Minho who still had his hand on his shoulder.

"Y-yeah..." Taemin dropped his eye line. "Just a bit angry..." Minho didn't ask him any questions, which Taemin was thankful for and just watched him softly. Minho guess the other must know Lady Devaro and her brother, after all last time they had met Taemin had all but admitted that he was a noble.

"Don't worry, he'll get what's coming to him" Minho promised. Taemin looked up at the elder and gave him a soft smile.

"I certainly hope so..."

"Well that certainly was interesting" Onew said from besides the two. "I understand why you have a thing for her" he said to Minho, his eyes off in the direction the coach had gone.

Taemin's head whipped back to Minho, his stomach instantly dropping. His chest hurt a little too... who would have thought that he would be jealous of his sister..? Though somewhere in his mind he thought it ironic that his sister was infatuated with Flame and it turned out that Flame liked her back, the thought upset him somewhat.

Minho on the other hand began to panic, not wanting Taemin to think he was interested in someone else. He wasn't about to out right tell the boy he liked him but he didn't want him think he wasn't interested at all, besides the sad expression on the other's face made him both hopeful and slightly upset at the same time.

"Used to..." he corrected quickly, smirking when Taemin looked up again. "My attention's, er, elsewhere at the moment" he said trying not to look at Taemin. Had he not done so he wouldn't have missed the small smile that covered Taemin's lips shyly.

"Anyhow, the quicker we do this, the quicker we can head home" Onew sighed before heading over to Jonghyun. Taemin and Minho stood awkwardly for a moment and after sharing a brief smile headed back to work as well.

~*~

"Kyaa Tom you have been away far too long!"

Taemin just chuckled in Key's embrace. He had missed the feline male immensely over his time spent stuck in the castle. "I was starting to think we wouldn't see you again!"

Taemin frowned slightly at that. "I didn't mean to stay away for so long" Taemin sighed in Key's arms. "There were... difficulties with me sneaking out of the castle..."

"Well at least you're here now" Key said happily. "Aw, you're too cute!" Key squealed as the others watched from different points in the room. “You're so staying for dinner” Taemin grinned in Key's arms feeling oddly comfortable there.

“Okay Umma” Taemin giggled, finding it strange how no one seemed to react to Key being called that. If fact he hadn't even meant to let it slip. But Key took no offence so he lowered his guard a little.

Taemin ended up helping Key cook the simple meal with a smile never leaving his face, nodding eagerly when he had initially been asked if he wanted to help. He enjoyed cooking but never really got the chance to, what with his meals always being cooked for him. He had cooked very little over the course of his life and while he wasn't terrible at it he certainly wasn't good at cooking. After a few failed attempts and making a mess of the kitchen Key suggested, in the calmest tone he could muster, that he should take a break. Taemin huffed at this but admitted defeat, thinking it for the best, and flopped down onto a chair at the table Next to Minho and Onew.

“Don't worry about him”Onew chuckled. “He's always uptight when it comes to cooking, in fact I'm surprised that he asked you to help in the first place... he never asks any of us to help him...”Onew whined, eyes going over to the Diva in the Kitchen.

“That's because you lot destroy everything” Key called back, not turning around.

“But Tom messed up the kitchen!”

Taemin blushed.

“But Tom's too cute to be annoyed with really” the feline male sang as he cooked. Onew huffed and sprawled his top half out over the table.

Minho chuckled and turned back to Taemin. “So... will we be seeing more of you now?”

“I certainly hope so...” Taemin said, suddenly feeling shy. “There were a few things I had to... acquire before trying to sneak out...”

Minho still wasn't sure why “Tom” had such a difficult time getting out of the castle but he imagined that he would find out in due time.

“That reminds me!” Taemin said suddenly with an excited look in his eyes. “I have something for you...” Taemin fished about in his pocket before producing a key and holding it out to Minho. Minho took the key and studied it. It looked like any other key to him, Minho knowing nothing of the locksmith trade.

“What does it open?”

“Everything supposedly...” Taemin said with an eager smile. “It's a skeleton key, though whether it just opens all the doors in the castle only I don't know. I tried out on a few doors and they all opened, but I thought you should have it” he explained with a grin.

“Ooo!” Came a call from across the room as Jonghyun sprang up from the bed where he had been doodling on a scrap piece of paper and came over, snatching the key off Minho and inspecting it.

“Hey!” Minho frowned, not even aware that Jonghyun had been listening to the conversation as he had been practically silent since they had gotten home, and obviously he didn't appreciate having the key grabbed out of his hand like that.

“I just want to look at it” Jonghyun complained “Besides, what do you know about keys?”

“Nothing, but Tom didn't give it to you now did he?” Minho glared at the older boy who took no notice of him and just looked at the shaped metal in his palm.

“Tom where did you get this?”

“Well it wasn't me exactly who got hold of it, but it was with the castle caretakers... I doubt they ever knew it was there...”

“So it was stolen?” Minho wore a look of confusion. “Why”

Taemin fidgeted and looked at his hands atop the table. “Because I asked for it to be stolen....” he said quietly. “Well, I asked for something else to be stolen, and they grabbed this as well...” he tried not to make any eye contact with anyone, suddenly feeling like a child being told off, which was ironic considering no one really cared that he was stealing things from the castle.

“What did you ask to be stolen?” Jonghyun asked curiously.

“Keys...”

“Why?”

Taemin struggled for a moment but Minho spoke for him. “Oh leave him alone” Minho scolded Jonghyun without any real malice in his voice.

“Hm... well this key is definitely interesting... I can't tell yet if it'll open any door but it'll definitely open any door in the castle...” he trailed off, holding the key up as he stared at it.

“How do you know that?” Onew asked, having come out of his sulk on the table.

“Because it was made by someone from my family... and if it's a skeleton key-”

“It'll do it's job, because it was made by the best” Key finished the sentence, standing with his back to the stove.

“How do you know it was made by your family..?” Taemin asked quietly. To him the key had seemed completely normal.

“Because it's marked” Jonghyun told him. “Look” He came over to Taemin and showed his the top of the key. “Look between the first two prongs”. Taemin took the key and frown, eyes struggling to focus on such a small area. But as he stared at it he did notice something, something very small. It was carved into the metal, detailed and tiny. The symbol was of a key crossed over a hammer as if they were two swords.

“How come I didn't see that before?” Taemin mused out loud.

“Most likely because this key was probably only meant for the head of the Kim family... I imagine no one else was meant to know what this key was for...” Jonghyun said softly. “It worries me that it could so easily be stolen... I'm certain my family would have hidden this from Alec... How did your... friend, know it was a skeleton key?”

Taemin paused, listening to Jonghyun and thinking back. “I... I don't know...” Taemin said after a moment's silence. “He never said...” then again, Tom had been rather eager to get to bed...

“Hmmm... Could anyone have wanted you to find the key?” Minho asked in that gentle voice Taemin was coming to love but his answer was simple.

“Not that I know of...” Everyone in that castle seemed to be against him... the only two people he could trust were Tom and Dee Dee and currently his sister had problems of her own... “Besides, I wasn't even there... I was off doing something else...” it wasn't like anyone had wanted Tom to find the key right?

“Anyhow, this key could definitely be helpful” Minho smiled. “Could this be used on the treasury door?”

“I see no reason why not” Jonghyun replied. “But I'll still carry the lock picks with me” he grinned.

Taemin smiled, happy that he could be of help in some small way. “By the way, what was the symbol on the key?” Taemin asked eagerly, finding Jonghyun's family rather interesting.

“It's a trade symbol. That symbol means whatever it's on was made by the Kim family, whether it be swords, clothing, keys or anything else, but usually it's put somewhere out of sight. It's even on that chest with the cloaks in them, and on the cloaks themselves... You just have to know where to look...”

Taemin stared at the key for a moment longer before handing it back to Minho. “Well hopefully it'll be of some help...”

“I'm sure it will be” Minho chuckled.

“Speaking of help” Key called from the “kitchen” “Set the table”. Collective groans echoed around the room as they all got up to prepare for dinner.

~*~

“Do you want to meet us here tomorrow night?” Minho asked Taemin over their food.

“Tomorrow night?”

“Yeah, before we head to the crypt”

Taemin immediately nodded in agreement. He would take any opportunity at the moment to get on Alec's nerves, even if Alec wouldn't directly know it was him doing it.

“Will it be the same as last time?”

“No, this time it'll be something a little more dangerous” Minho promised with a smile.

“I'll definitely be here” Taemin promised back.

“Good, we'll need a couple of extra hands” Key chipped in. “You're probably gonna be out very late again.”

“That's fine...” Taemin wouldn't mind crawling back into bed with his hyungs again but he was intrigued. Whatever they had invited him to do the next night would be different from the last time that he'd sneaked out. He really wanted to know what they had planned but he'd have to wait. Besides it wasn't like he was desperate to spend any more time in the castle.

“We'll probably be even later this time” Onew sighed, prodding at his food.

“Why?” Taemin asked curiously.

“Because it's a big job with a lot to do in a small amount of time” Jonghyun answered... “A very big job...”

“You're not gonna tell me anything are you?” Taemin asked with a smirk which Minho returned.

“Nope, not today at least”

Taemin shrugged. “I had better wait then hadn't I?” he chuckled.

“Yah! Onew stop playing with your food!” Key yelled suddenly making the rest jump.

“But I wanted chicken” the older boy whined.

“You can't have chicken every night hyung”

“But-”

“No! Now eat before I force feed you!”

Taemin just laughed and continued eating.

~*~

“So why were you trying to get your hands on keys?” Minho asked as he and Taemin walked. Key had ordered Minho to walk him back again, but this time they didn't bother with the streets and just cut straight through the forest knowing Taemin was headed for the secret passage.

“I want- needed any keys that would open the door of my room...” Taemin said quietly.

“Your room?”

“Yeah... to trick Alec. I've been making out that I'm in my room when I sneak out... but they stopped allowing me to lock my door”

“That sounds... complicated...”

“It is...” Taemin sighed.

“How many keys did you have to get?”

“Well I have a copy, Alec had a copy and so did the caretakers... so I had my friend steal the ones from the caretaker's room whilst I grabbed Alec's keys from his room...”

“Wow” Minho chuckled. “It's seems you're more of an outlaw than I thought...”

“It was rather fun, and of course it annoyed Alec because all his keys are gone”

“All of them?! I thought you only wanted the one to your room?”

“I just grabbed all of them, I didn't have time to find just the one key... Turns out there are quite a few keys that are for Alec's personal safes and stores, but I haven't figured out which ones yet. But it's satisfying to see Alec fume.”

Minho was silent for a moment. “You seem close to Alec...”

“What?!”

“I meant that you spend a lot of time around him...”

The two fell into silence. Taemin didn't really know what to say to the statement. Maybe he'd given too much away... he knew he didn't have a real reason to hide who he was from Minho and the others but he just want to be someone else and hide his identity a little longer.

“Are you close to Lady Devaro as well?” Minho asked quietly having taken Taemin's silence as a positive.

“Yes...” he replied equally quietly.

“That's why you got so angry with lord Simon... Do you know Lord Taemin as well?” Taemin just nodded finding the situation rather awkward.

“Did... Did you really like Lady Devaro...?” it felt strange calling Dee Dee by her title...

“I did for a bit...” Minho admitted, staring at the surrounding trees. “I stopped her and her brother's coach when the first came here...”

Yes, Taemin could recall Minho flirting with his sister that night. “I did like her but now I, like someone else...” Minho trailed off... Taemin smiled softly at that not looking at Minho, a feeling of hope inside him.

“You wanna know something amusing?” he asked after a moment of silence. Minho turned his head back to Taemin and nodded. “Devaro has a crush on you... or at least you as Flame” he said with a smile.

Minho was stunned completely at a loss of what to say. Had he learnt that a month or so ago he would be jumping for joy but now... he felt nothing, except perhaps surprise. “How interesting...” he said with a chuckle. In fact he was glad he felt nothing for Devaro any more... it meant he could fully invest his feelings elsewhere.

Taemin just smiled, listening to the birds chirping in the twilight. He wasn't entirely sure why he felt so happy that Minho no longer liked his sister, maybe it was some dormant sibling rivalry... he knew he liked Minho, a lot, call him selfish but he didn't want him liking anyone else like that. “It's actually rather annoying” Taemin chuckled. “She's obsessed with Flame, but it makes Alec angry so it's worth putting up with it...”

They fell into a comfortable silence as they approached the cliff face both lost in their own thoughts. But when they reached the hidden entrance to the hidden passage they stopped, the air becoming suddenly awkward.

“So, what time tomorrow?” Taemin asked slowly trying to break the silence.

“Any time before sunset” Minho replied watching the boy in front of him. They became silent again, neither wanting to make the move to leave. “Tom...”

“Yes...”

“Who are you?” Minho asked, not being able to help himself.

Taemin just stared at the ground. “Do I have to tell you...”

Minho sighed and took a few steps closer to the other so he was standing in front of the other. “No... but you're making me awfully curious...”

Taemin sighed and looked up at Minho, trying not blush at their closeness.

“You can't want to hide from me that badly can you?”

“No, it's not that...” Taemin explained quickly, taking note of the soft smile on Minho's lips. “I just want to pretend to be someone else for a little while longer...”

“But what if I want to know about the real you?” Minho asked quietly.

Taemin fell silent again. On the one hand he was overjoyed that Minho was so interested in him, on the other giving away his identity didn't feel right yet.

“I'm not exactly hiding anything about myself....” Taemin said quietly, he looked up to Minho and gave him a happy smile. “I'm more myself when I sneak out to see you then when I'm at home”

Minho smiled back, if not slightly sadly. “Well, as long as you're happy...”

“I am... Don't worry though” Taemin gave Minho a flawless grin. “You'll find out who I am soon enough”

Minho smiled back and finally allowed himself to say goodbye to the mysterious boy whom he'd grown so fond of. They shared quick farewells and Minho watched as Taemin disappeared behind the hanging vines that covered the tunnel's entrance, reminding himself that he would see the boy tomorrow. Part of him worried, despite Taemin saying he would be there, that the younger boy wouldn't appear tomorrow and he would have to wait another two weeks to see him again... that would hurt... But as he walked back through the forest he smiled. If Tom said he would be there, then he would be there, and if he wasn't he was sure it wouldn't be by any fault of his own...

~*~

Hi people, sorry for the delay (and lack of anything in this chapter) but I'm going to try to get the next chapter up soon.

I hope you're all enjoying everything so far ^^

Let me know by commenting please *puppy dog eyes*

Mad Micky~