Donghae’s sobs echoed through the ice covered trees as he and his friends were escorted deeper into the elven realm. His hands were bound in front of him and HanGeng and Kangin were also bound as they followed behind him. The elves kept their swords drawn as they walked, making escape impossible. Donghae wasn’t sure what he’d expected to happen when he encountered the elves, but it wasn’t this.

    Gazing through tear filled eyes, Donghae held back a gasp when a tall stone door came into view. It was located at the base of a towering tree and carved with elven symbols. A set of guards was positioned at the door. They all sported long dark braids like the elves that had captured them and they were heavily armed.

   “Captain Henry,” one of the guards greeted them. “We will take the prisoners from here. You need to surrender your weapons.”

    “Why?” Captain Henry asked, sounding concerned.

    “You’re under arrest for breaking the laws of the realm,” the guard informed as they surrounded Henry and forced him to drop his sword.

    There was a moment of confusion as the guard at the door arrested the unsuspecting captain and the remaining guard ushered Donghae and his friends through the door. Donghae’s sobs quieted as he observed the stone passages and carved stairways as they walked. It was fairly dark inside, the only light provided by torches that lined the walls. They climbed a set of stairs, moving higher up the inside of the tree. The higher they went, the larger the passageways became and the more open the space.

    “The King will see you now,” a guard commanded, pushing them through a set of doors and into a spacious room.

   The doors were slammed behind them, causing Donghae to flinch and cry harder. In front of them was an immense space carved from stone and roots. Moonlight shone down through spaces in the root tangled ceiling, giving the room an eerie blue glow. A set of winding stairs rose from the center of the room up to a wide dais. An intricate silver throne was situated upon the dais. It reflected in the moonlight as if it were carved from ice.

    Upon the high back throne sat an elegant elf with long blonde hair. When Donghae had imagined what elves looked like as a child, this was the image he had created in his mind. The blond elf wore long silver robes with blue trim that matched the silver crone on his head and his piercing blue eyes. He held a sword in his thin fingers and a smirk on his face.

    “Come closer, humans.” The beautiful elf commanded.

   Donghae didn’t hesitate to move towards the stairs, much to the annoyance of his friends. If he were going to die, he wanted to get a better look at the elegant elf on the throne.

    “Are you the elf king?” Donghae asked with childlike delight as he climbed the stairs and came to stop on the dais before the throne.

    “I am King Heenim of Aleumdaum. What business do you have in the woodland realm?” the king thundered, his voice imposing and expression fierce.

    “We came to see you, great king.” Donghae answered, bowing politely to the monarch and motioning for his friends to do the same.

   Kangin reluctantly followed along, dropping to his knees as HanGeng just stared at the blonde creature in front of him. Never in his life had HanGeng seen someone so striking. There was an ethereal light coming off of King Heenim’s pale skin and his ice blue eyes were piercing as they gazed down at him. HanGeng found himself unable to move, utterly captured by the beauty of the elf king.

   “HanGeng, bow.” Kangin whispered to his friend, reaching out and pulling on his fur cloak. “Don’t make him angry.”

   Rising from his silver throne, King Heenim approached them with his sword drawn. HanGeng didn’t even flinch when the sword tip was held against his throat and the elven king stared at him with narrowed eyes, the light from his skin becoming brighter as he did so.

   “What’s your name, human?” the king questioned.

   “HanGeng, Sire.”

   “Sire?” King Heenim repeated as he dropped his sword and circled around HanGeng like a predator. “I am not your king. I did not know men could be respectful.”

   “You are royalty and this is your home. We did not come here to be disrespectful.”

    “Why did you come here?”

    “To establish dialog between our realms and apologize for the harm we have caused in the past.” HanGeng replied, trying to sound as calm as possible.

    “You are too young to remember the wars,” King Heenim pointed out as he came to stop in front of HanGeng once more and reached out towards him.

   As soon as King Heenim’s hand touched HanGeng’s face, his pale skin flared with a bright glow, which promptly dissipated when he removed his hand. HanGeng swallowed nervously as the King stared at him with wide eyes. The ancient creature looked just as confused as he was.

    “Guards!” King Heenim called out, causing the doors to open and the same group of guards that had escorted them inside to enter. “Take these two to the prison. I will deal with their trespassing later.”

    “Yes, Sire!”

    “Wait!?” Donghae shrieked as the guards ascended the stairs and pulled him and Kangin up off the floor. “We did not mean to intrude, Sire. We came here to reestablish the bond between our two realms. Please, speak to us?”

   “What makes you think I wish to reestablish the bond with your world?” King Heenim spat, “I want nothing from the realm of men, but to be left alone.”

    “What about this one, Sire?” one of the guards inquired, indicating HanGeng.

    “Make sure his bonds are secure and bring him to my chambers.”

    “NO! HanGeng! Please, don’t hurt him?!” Donghae cried as he was drug down the stairs.

    “Be quiet, Hae. It’s no use screaming.” Kangin ordered the younger.

    “Listen to the ugly one, child.” King Heenim chuckled, “Your protests will only end your life quicker.”

    “Ugly!” Kangin shouted, struggling against his captors as he was dragged down the stairs behind Donghae.

    Turning on his heels, King Heenim moved gracefully down the staircase behind his prisoners. HanGeng walked obediently behind the elegant king, his hands bound in front of him and two armed guards with dark hair at his sides. Donghae was sobbing loudly as the group exited into the hallway and they began to separate. HanGeng watched as his friends were pulled towards the lower levels of the palace and he was led higher up.

    King Heenim silently led the way down the winding passages, his skin glowing softly as he walked. HanGeng couldn’t take his eyes off the beautiful figure in front of him. Though, he feared death or imprisonment, he couldn’t help but be enamored by the elven king. Turning a sharp corner, the group stopped in front of a carved door with blue jewels pressed into it. King Heenim forcefully pushed open the sparkling door and slunk into the chamber beyond. A gasp left HanGeng’s lips as the guards shoved him inside the room with their king and slammed the door behind him, leaving him alone with the monarch.

    Eyes scanning the chamber, HanGeng tried to take in his surroundings. He was standing in what looked like a bedroom. There was a large canopy bed to his left. It was carved out of white wood and was draped in green linens. Sheer curtains were intertwined in the bed’s twig like features, casting the mattress in shadow. To his left was a long silver vanity and tall matching wardrobe. Jewelry and glass bottles lined the dresser, along with several tall crowns. A soft white rug covered the center of the cool stone floor and there was a low table and an array of silk pillows upon it.

   King Heenim stood across the room in front of a silver full length mirror. He was inspecting his glowing skin in the reflective surface, almost as if he didn’t understand why it was shining like it was. HanGeng kept quiet, afraid to speak as the monarch ripped the jeweled crown off his head and tossed it onto the rug as if it were worth noting to him.

    “Take off your boots. I do not want mud on my carpet.” King Heenim ordered, without looking at him.

    HanGeng sat down on the floor with a clumsy plop, his bound hands not allowing for much grace. Luckily, his hands were bound in the front and he was able to pry his boots off with only a bit of trouble. He then used his balance as a trained fighter to careful stand back up, only wobbling a bit while doing so. King Heenim watched the process through the tall mirror, his expression almost curious as he did so.

   Turning away from the mirror, King Heenim perched himself on edge of the vanity before bending down and gracefully removing his tall grey suede boots. Heenim kept his eyes trained on HanGeng as he tossed the boots on the floor next to his discarded crown before padding across the soft carpet on his bare feet and stopping in front of said captive. HanGeng held hi breath as Heenim reached out and placed his long fingers under his chin. The contact instantly caused the beautiful creature’s skin to flash with light. Heenim flinched in response to the reaction and took a step back.

    “What do you want from me?” HanGeng asked, not sure why he was standing in the elven king’s bedroom and not locked in a prison cell with his friends.

    “Be quiet,” King Heenim scolded as he moved behind HanGeng and reached around his shoulders to untie his fur cloak. “You smell terrible. When is the last time you bathed properly, human?”

    “The snow doesn’t allow for much warm water in Eoleum,” HanGeng answered, knowing well his dirt crusted skin must be off-putting to the perfume scented elf. “We bathe once a month.”

    “Disgraceful,” Heenim scoffed, “Even after eight hundred years, human beings remain the same.”

    “Eight hundred years?” HanGeng repeated as King Heenim took his fur cloak from him and tossed it into the hallway as if to get rid of the smell it carried.

    “The last time I encountered a human was before the war,” Heenim explained, shutting the bedroom door and moving back in front of his captive. “You’re not like those who entered my forest before. There’s something strange about you.”

    “Just me?”

    “Yes, your friends are not like you.” Heenim answered with a shake of his head. “They do not cause the same reaction.”

    “Don’t you always glow?” HanGeng questioned with raised brows.

    “Not always, no.” Heenim informed, not divulging more. “Take off your cloths.”

    “Excuse me?”

    “Remove your cloths,” King Heenim repeated, moving to his nightstand and picking up a tall silver bell. “You need a bath before this encounter continues further. I can smell you from here.”

    HanGeng wasn’t sure how to respond as Heenim rang the bell in his hand and a high pitched chirp pierced his ears. The next thing he knew, the door to the room was opening and a group of dark haired elves in white robes entered.

    “Bathe this,” Heechul instructed his servants, indicating HanGeng with a flick of his wrist.

    Moving to the vanity, one of the servants removed a pair of long silver scissors from one of the drawers. The blades glistened in the dim lamp light of the room as the servant placed the scissors at HanGeng’s shirt sleeve and began to cut the fabric from his body. HanGeng’s eyes widened and he made a move to struggle, but stopped when he felt one of the guard’s from the hallway place a sword against his throat.

    “Fight against my orders and lose your life,” Heenim warned as pushed back the sheer green curtains of his bed and moved between them so he could lounge stylishly upon the mattress with his head held up by one finely manicured hand. “My guards are trained well.”

    “So am I,” HanGeng challenged.

    “But, they are ten times your age and possess power no human can. You will lose.” Heenim pointed out, “Fight me, and I will give the order for your friends to die before you could get one punch thrown. I am not going to harm you, human. So, stay still and let my servants do their jobs.”

    Keeping his eyes on the monarch casually watching him from the bed, HanGeng stood still and allowed the servants to cut his clothing from his body, his hands remaining bound. With each article of clothing that was removed, the light from King Heenim’s skin grew a bit brighter. The King’s ice blue eyes inspected HanGeng light an excited child, darting up and down and back and forth. Soon, HanGeng found himself standing in the center of the room as a pair of servants pushed a deep wooden tub towards him. He kept his bound hands held in front of his most intimate area, doing his best to hide himself from prying eyes.

    “Sire, water?” one of the servants asked, bowing politely to their monarch.

    Raising his hand as if to bid someone goodbye, Heenim flicked his wrist towards the bathtub. HanGeng watched with wide eyes as the deep wooden tub quickly filled with hot steaming water.

    “Thank-you, Sire.” The same servant stated with another big bow before he turned and helped HanGeng into the steaming water.

    Not much was said as the servants worked to clean the dirt from HanGeng’s body. It was a humiliating experiencing for the frightened man. He could feel Heenim’s eyes on his body as the servants washed him with sweet smelling soaps and oils. Once he was deemed properly washed by the monarch, HanGeng’s hands were unbound for a small moment so the servants could dress him –a sword at his back the entire time- before being retied.

    HanGeng was dressed in a set of simple elven robes. They were pale green with cream colored pants and a long top coat. After being sprayed with perfume and dusted with powder, HanGeng was left alone with the elven king once again. King Heenim rose from his bed and flicked his wrist, which caused the water in the tub to slowly disappear. He then moved closer to his captive and not so subtly sniffed his freshly washed neck.

   “Better?” HanGeng stated in a flat tone, honestly feeling better now that he was clean.

    “Yes,” King Heenim answered, placing his hands on HanGeng’s shoulders and leaning his face closer.

    “What are you doing?”

    “Stay still and don’t speak,” Heenim ordered as he hesitantly placed his lips on HanGeng’s forehead.

    As soon as the king’s lips touched HanGeng’s skin, the light radiating from him flared a bit brighter. Moving his lips along HanGeng’s face, Heechul placed soft pecks on upon the younger’s face, each time his lips touched skin the light radiating from his skin flaring a bit brighter before dimming. Taking a deep breath, King Heenim pressed his lips against HanGeng’s, keeping them there a bit longer for a soft kiss.

    HanGeng’s posture stiffened in response to the King’s kiss, but he soon found himself responding to the pressure. There was no denying the elven monarch was beautiful and the way his skin glowed was enchanting. HanGeng couldn’t help but kiss him back. As their lips moved against one another’s, the light from Heenim’s skin grew brighter and brighter, until it was almost blinding.

   The room was filled with intense white light, similar to the light that filled the halls of the palace each morning before the king woke. A current shot between the King’s lips and his captives, causing the light to intensify and heat the room. Unable to look at the blinding glow, HanGeng shut his eyes.

    “Sire? What’s going on in here?” Lord Leeteuk’s voice sounded as he entered the room and had to cover his eyes in response to the light.

  The current running between the King and his captor spiked, causing the younger to squeak in pain and jump back. As soon as their lips disconnected the glow light dimmed back to a soft glow. King Heenim stared at HanGeng with wide eyes. Both of them were panting and a bit out of breath. Lord Leeteuk looked back and forth between his monarch and the human standing in front of him, not understanding what was happening.

    “It’s night time. You never glow during the night.” Leeteuk commented in a worried tone. “Sire, why are you glowing?”

    “I don’t know,”

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