I landed on my back, my arms wrapped around my knees and my hands locked, but thankfully I landed on a soft spot of grass instead of cement, but the land still knocked the wind out of me and sent a painful jolt through me. I lay there for a minute, first making my lungs work, and then coughing out all the junk that had lodged down my windpipe. As I did, I took stock of my injuries. My back would be sore. My lip was sore, my fingers burned a little, but overall, I was fine. Much better than I had expected, to first stumble around a room filled with flame and then take a blind leap out of a window, to fall onto the ground from two stories up. Much better.

I finally moved, conscious of where I was, and stumbled to my feet, regaining my balance after swaying precariously for a second. My tentatively arched my back a bit, and winced as dull pain slammed into my back. Groaning a bit, I took one step, and another, before breaking into a slow walk, heading towards the woods where I knew Quiy was behind. I don't think anyone saw me, but I had to get out of here, just to be sure. As my muscles slowly loosened, I sped up to a jog, then a run, and after I was fully swallowed in the dark trees, I broke into a full out sprint, my breaths rasping in and out and my back throbbing with each step, but I was fine. I was fine.

Which left me to wonder what the hell happened with that mission. First the too-alert manor, the lord that already knew we were coming, Zelo disappearing, the room bursting into flame, and then T.K disappearing. It was too weird, too chaotic to be a coincidence. Something was wrong with that, someone had tweaked the tuners of that mission's strings, and I wanted to find at who. I needed to. It was my life, after all, at stake here. And I had no idea who had the power to put off three trained assassins. Who knew about the mission, who knew about us, who knew where we were going, who we wanted at the ends of our knives. No one. 

Jonghyun grunted. I looked up at him, and his foot was tapping, his eyebrow was arched, and his arms were folded. 

"What?" I hissed, agrivated at being snapped out of my thoughts. 

Jonghyun looked a bit confused, but mostly angry. "You were staring into space for about five minutes straight."

"Oh," I said, shrugging. 

Jonghyun's face turned slightly purple. "OH?" 

I squinted. What did he want me to say? "Um... sorry?" 

He nodded sharply. "It's not really a question, to apologize to me, but I will accept it out of the generosity of my heart." 

I slapped my hand over my heart. "Omo, really? Thank goodness, I was so worried that you wouldn't accept my incredibly heartfelt apology. Now I can sleep at night." No one, not even people with as thick skulls as our most favorite prince, could miss the sarcasm in my tone. 

His eyes could freeze fire. "That's not how you talk to your future king. I could have you thrown in jail."

"You won't be king by standing here, will you?" 

"The crowning starts at nine, and it's not even light yet." 

"So... how can you see me?" The sun was just coming up, jumping to the edges of the trees just behind Jonghyun's face. It made his face fall into shadows, and I should be glad, but somehow I wasn't.

"I can't." 

"Yes you can." 

"No I can't." 

"Yes you can," I said, certain that he should be able to see me. 

"No, my shadow is in the way. Thankfully." His voice was laced with the scorn of the upper-class. 

I scoffed. "Your shadow is too short for that." 

His face probably has just turned red. "Very impolite today, I see." 

I consider this. "Nope, this is pretty usual for me."

He sighed, pinching his nose with his fingers, before looking back at me. If the sun wasn't in the wrong place, I couldn't seen the expression that spread across his face. "You want me to go be king?" 

"I want to live a couple more days if my most glorious king would allow it, yes." 

"I will be king-"

"Okay! We're done here! Great! Goodnight!" I said, sensing there was a hidden barb in this, and I didn't want to here it. 

But Jonghyun just blazed on. "-If you come to the ceremony." I had expecting something, but not this. This was just hilarious. 

"Me? At your fancy rich ceremony? Sweetheart, you don't want to ruin your rule, which you certainly will ruin while you rule, before it starts."

His face was stoic. "You go, I go. It's as simple as that." I scan his shadowed face. Nope, he's serious. A sudden thought struck me. 

"Do you even know my name?" 

"How would I know your name?" 

"How about this; If you guess my first name, I go. You don't, and you only get one try, I don't go to the crowning thingy and you do." 

I could see him considering this, the wheels turning in his brain. 

"Fine." The answer was short, abrupt, and I allow myself a little smile. I've won for sure. 

I lean back, gesturing for him to guess, but he takes his time, studying my face until I felt strangely revealed and move to cover my face in his shadow, but he catches my arm and reels me back into the growing light, the clasp of his hand on my arm sending chills through me. 

He takes his time, and when he finally speaks, the answer leaves me dumbfounded. 

"Kibum." 

I sigh. Somehow, he must be either incredibly good at guessing, or he knows something I don't. But a deals a deal, and I won't go back on my word. Without a word, I sigh again, feeling my throat rasp where the smoke rubbed at the skin, and make a exaggerated gesture to the smirking prince, the future king. 

Lead the way.