Once upon a time, the kingdom of Qingdao was beautiful.  Fields of green, rolling grass, cliffs that bordered the sea, white sand beaches that stretched for miles - a picture perfect land that heaven had touched. 

But twenty years ago, hard times had fallen upon the kingdom. 

Years of overfishing and neglect had left mother nature restless.  The once green grass grew yellow and parched, the beautiful sandy beaches now littered with debris.  The cliffs fell apart, the waves that smashed against it growing stormier each year.  The fishermen could only venture out so far before being sent back home with an empty net and broken hulls.

With no fish to sell, the once great kingdom was now suddenly on the verge of famine.  The streets were empty, the people starving, the King desperate for a solution.

The solution came one year later, when at an early summer's daybreak, news broke that the Queen was with child. 

A baby princess, the doctor they had trusted had told them, with hair the color of sunshine gold and eyes as blue as the Qingdao ocean.

A fairytale marriage - a long and well-respected tradition that would provide prosperity and good luck for the entire nation for the years to come, was just what the kingdom needed.

So, the King and Queen hired a Witch to craft a spell for their child.  The Witch did as he was told, writing up a prophecy for the new baby princess.  For now it was foretold that on the 15th year, this child would prick a finger on a spindle.  The entire kingdom would fall under a spell of sleep that would last until true love's first kiss.  And with this kiss, would come a new golden age of glory for the kingdom of Qingdao.

The kingdom rejoiced, and plans were set into motions.

...but the best-laid plans of mice and men often go astray.

On the fifteenth birthday, the child was led into a small, hidden room.

In it, a single spinning wheel.

The door closes behind the child, leaving an empty room to bear witness for what was to happen next.

Duty.

A word the child had been taught since birth.

And there was a duty to fulfill now.

A quivering hand, held out slowly to the needle point.

Fingers draw closer, inch by inch, until they are just a breath away from the spindle.

Eyes slide shut.

A breath is held.

In another kingdom, The Crown Prince of Guangzhou has finally been given his own prophecy to keep by his Fairy Godmother.

He reads it aloud with glee, memorizes its words, and dreams of the day that he will one day travel across the land to find his princess.

Somewhere out there, she's waiting for me.  He whispers to himself, clutching the paper to himself every night.

Just for me.

Travel by horse for seven days and seven nights

To a far-away kingdom lost in time

Defeat the dragon which guards the gates

And climb the highest room of the tallest tower

There, in ageless sleep

Lies the one with hair of sunshine gold

Eyes as blue as the sea

Kris rolled the worn scroll back up, taking care not to rip any of the already frayed edges of the yellowed paper as he tucked it back into his pack. 

When he looked back up, the sight of an abandoned castle greeted him.

Ivy was crawling up its sides, yellowed grass growing in abundance inside and outside of the gates.  The once pristine flags were now faded and torn, and there was the eerie sound of wind howling through empty stone corridors.  Kris shifted in his saddle.

Pearl stamped at the floor impatiently, and Kris patted a hand against her neck to calm her down.

He lifted a long leg, slowly dismounting from the horse without taking his eyes off of the castle in front of him.   Carefully lifting his pack to sling it over his shoulder, Kris placed a finger over his lips, motioning to Pearl to stay quiet and stay put.

His horse trotted in small, agitated circles, but did what he asked, waiting for him just outside of the gates.

He calmly pushed an arm through the straps of his shield, hefting it over his left arm as he reached behind his back and pulled out his sword from its sheath. 

Rolling his wrist to make sure his grip on the weapon was tight, he slipped through the gap between the gates, keeping an eye out and making sure to make as little noise as possible.

The courtyard was as beautiful as it was bleak - moss growing on stones, white birds perched on the decaying archways as he crossed underneath them.  This place had been beautiful once, something which was obvious through the marvelous sculpted marble and stonework.  However, though things looked aged, there was something about the place that made Kris pause.

He was examining one of the pillars, taking a glove off to feel how curiously hard and firm the stone still was after so many years - as if it had been repaired at some point - before a puff of warm, hot air on the back of his neck had him pause.

He took the time to slowly pull his glove back on, tugging it for good measure before turning his head to his side, looking down at the reflection of the inside of his shield.

A giant, grey dragon, breathing down his neck.

Kris sank down quickly, drawing his center of balance lower to dive out of the way, just barely missing the tail that came crashing into the pillar just seconds later.

Kris took the deafening boom of collapsing stone as a distraction, moving behind from cover to cover before forcing himself to stop behind another column when the sound had finally died down.

There was frustrated snarling as the dragon circled around, looking for the small human.  Not seeing one, it growled lowly, beginning to move through the courtyard with hawk-like eyes.  Kris kept an eye on its movement, shifting his position along the pillar to compensate for the dragon's movement. 

Kris in a quick breath, closing his eyes to still his heart.  When he opened them back up, he realized that the courtyard now too was still.  He realized his mistake too late, turning around the pillar to come face to face with the slit-pupiled eyes of the dragon itself.  It in a breath, extending its wings to its full, daunting length before giving a loud ear-piercing cry.  Kris fell backward from the shockwaves that ensued, scrambling back onto his feet in order to move away once again.  His foot was quickly caught by a scaly tail that s around his ankle, dragging him up and into the air in front of the dragon.

He struggled in its grip, pulling himself up to try and loosen the grip on his ankle to no success.

The dragon seemed to laugh at his attempts, its entire body shaking with a huffing, hissing sound, before opening its mouth wide, as if preparing to swallow Kris whole in its mouth full of great, white, sharp teeth-

A loud whinny broke through the air, and Kris soon found himself dropped unceremoniusly back to the ground.  When he looked up, he could see Pearl rising on her hind hooves, stomping down on the dragon's tail and causing it to yowl in pain.

He made a mad dash for his sword, picking it up as he turned back around.  The dragon was still distracted by Pearl who was weaving her way through the columns to catch its attention.  Kris panted, looking at the ridged back of the dragon, an idea suddenly striking him.

Charging forward, he threw himself on the dragon, fingers digging deep into the grooves of its ridges, allowing him to scramble up along its back.  The dragon howled in surprise, rolling its body to shake him off.  He dug his fingers into its grooves, holding on tight even as the rest of his body was tossed around on top of the dragon.  Once the dragon had exhausted itself, he continued to make his cautious way up its body, taking care to stop whenever he felt the dragon begin to toss and turn again.  When he finally reached the dragon's head, he climbed on top of it, feeling the dragon pause to look up at him between crossed eyes.

Kris lifted his sword hand into the air-

And brought it down to stoutly punch the top of the dragon's snout.

Dragons were going into extinction, these days, and hiring one, while still legal, came with a long set of rules and enforcements.  The biggest and most important change - dragons were no longer allowed to kill, but neither could any of its challengers kill the dragons.  The only way to get past it would be to get it to stand down in whatever way the knight chose.  In this case, Kris had fought enough of this particular type of dragon to know its weak spot.

The dragon shut its eyes, grimacing with a snarl before flopping down in defeat on the ground, tail lazily trailing down through the air after it.

Kris held on tight on the journey down, jumping off and tumbling to his feet when the dragon came close enough to the ground.

Despite its beating, the dragon looked happy enough to have gotten some exercise, tongue flopping out of its mouth as it panted like a dog.  Kris came up close to its face, patting its head to a satisfied growl. 

"Good fight."  A puff of air was his only response.

"Now where's your master at?"

Slitted eyes peered over at a tower in the nearby distance.

There were still figures which lined the sides of the hallway, and Kris took careful steps in order not to cause harm to them in their blissful sleep.  Curiously, he noted, all of the figures had cushions supporting them or blankets on top of them, and Kris couldn't help but wonder how they had managed that before they had fallen asleep.

There was something strange about the whole thing, Kris thought. 

But he had other things to worry - for example the fact that he was getting very tired, climbing up all of these sets of stairs. 

He had been climbing for what seemed like forever now, and judging by when he had stuck his head out of the window, it didn't look like he was any closer to the top.  Just how many steps did this damned tower have?

Still, Kris' complaints were half-hearted at best.

Because he knew what would be waiting for him at the top, and it was a moment he had been waiting for ever since he was a child.

The first thing the prince noticed when he finally kicked down the door to the highest room of the tallest tower - was how strange the decor was.

For someone who was supposed to have been a young woman, there was no trace of the pastel colors, the light pinks or yellows.  Instead, the entire room was decorated in blacks and reds, and it had Kris furrowing his eyebrows.  There was no trace of poofy dresses, tasseled pillows, no extravagantly canopied bed - instead there was a regular bed in the center of the room.

It was still big - but there was absolutely nothing else extraordinary about it. 

No matter though, he cared not for what his princess' personal tastes were, only that she was here. 

There was a lump waiting for him in the middle of the bed.  With a heart that began to beat faster at the sight, he drew closer to the bed, breath coming shorter as he reached out with a trembling hand to pull back the covers.

Hair of sunshine gold, eyes as blue as the sea.

Kris drew the covers back quickly - only to see an arrangement of pillows and blankets, in the shape of a human body.  There was a sharp intake of breath behind him, and Kris turned around quickly, only to duck as a long pole was swung in his direction with force.

"What the hell are you do- who are you?"

Kris yelled hoarsely, backing away from the silent figure who advanced with every one of his retreating steps.  The figure, clearly male, was dressed head-to-toe in black, from the shawl that covered long, muscled arms, to the tight pants that had tassels tied to them in distracting intervals.  

He would have looked at the figure's face if not for the fact that the man suddenly came at him with a running jump, his long legs twirling in a way that Kris hadn't thought possible. 

Kris countered what would have been a devastating swipe to his head by bringing his sword up quickly, holding it flat to deflect the blows. 

The man pushed off of the blade and flipped backwards, landing with poise on his feet and quickly adapting a fighting stance that Kris found himself hurriedly copying.

"I heard you defeat the dragon outside.  ...Who are you?"  Came the husky voice of the figure, and Kris felt his annoyance build.

"I asked you that question first, you idiot!"

The figure narrowed his eyes, giving him little warning before he moved forward to attack again.  This time, however, Kris was ready for him, bending a knee and ing his sword forward in a lunge.  At the last moment, the figure bent backward, sliding forward gracefully under Kris' extended arm only to pop out from the other side, whirling around to slam his pole into Kris' exposed back. 

Kris hissed, rolling forward, managing to tumble onto his feet in a crouched position.  He could hear the man running after him, and brought his shield up, lifting his arm at the same time as he rose from his kneeling stance.  The shield bashed into the man as he flew through the air, catching the man off guard and sending him flying back, his pole flying off to his side. 

While the man was still down, Kris charged forward, sword lifted above his head.  Before he could get close, however, long spindly legs shot into the air in a windmill motion.  Kris quickly dug his feet into the ground, backing up with his shield raised as the man used the momentum to hop back onto his feet. 

They stared at each other with narrowed eyes for a second before the figure feinted a retreat, causing Kris to rush forward in anticipation.  Kris realized his error too late when he walked right into the trap.  The man stamped his foot down on one end of the pole, causing the other end to go flying up - straight into Kris' groin.

Kris felt the air exit his body, dropping his sword to the ground as he stuck his hands between his legs, sinking slowly to the ground with a wheeze.

He heard the man burst out into laughter, dropping his aggressive posture to come over with a hand extended out toward him. 

"Good try, but I think I've won this round."

Kris swatted the hand away, rolling slowly onto his feet himself after the searing pain had finally left.  He groaned, still rubbing himself as he stiffly shook out his legs.  "...Yeah, yeah.  Whatever."

The man continued to laugh quietly to himself, slowly leaning back against the bed, as if waiting for something.

Kris took the moment to look around the room.  There was no one else with them.

"...so where's the Damsel in Distress?" 

The man smiled, leaning forward as he pointed a thumb at himself. 

"You're looking right at him."

Kris stood and stared at the man.

The man was tall, almost as tall as he was, although he looked just a little younger.  The tight black clothes he wore did nothing to hide the curves of his muscled body, emphasizing the man's powerful arms and thick thighs.  His face was a mixture of both terrifying and charming - while the man's dark eyes were intense, the curve of his mouth was like a cat's - curling up at the corners in a small smile. 

But the part Kris focused on most was the hair - field mouse brown.  Plain, common, brown.

Kris burst into laughter. 

"You're joking!"

It was only after another minute of awkward one-sided chuckling that he began to slow down, noticing that the man in front of him was now looking down at the floor, looking suddenly uncomfortable.

"...you're ...not?"

The two men spread out Kris' prophecy on the table, weighing it down at the corners with books to prevent it from curling in on itself. 

They pored over it, line by line, finally leaning back after a few minutes with the same conclusion.

"So you see - you can't possibly be my Sleeping Beauty.  Number one - you're a man.  Number two - you're not even asleep.  You're a Sleeping Beauty and you're not asleep!  Do you know how ridiculous that is?  Number three - your hair - "

The man scowled, twirling a lock of his hair between his fingers and staring up at it.

"What's wrong with my hair?  I like it."

Kris cringed, shoulders shuddering.  "It's such a ...common color."

The man looked affronted.  "Excuse me?  It's a very beautiful chocolate color, thank you very much."

Kris shook a hand in the air, waving him off.  "It doesn't matter what shade of brown it is, it's still brown.  I want a girl with hair as gold as sunshine, you understand?  You don't exactly fit either criteria.  This must have been some kind of mistake on my Fairy Godmother's side.  There must be other blonde damsels nearby that have been confused for you."

The man looked thoroughly annoyed with Kris, pushing away from the table to walk over to the barred window which overlooked the rest of the castle. 

"...It's not fair.  We're both men, but someone like you gets to be a Prince Charming, and I'm stuck here in this stupid castle waiting."

Now it was Kris' turn to be offended.  "Someone like me?"

The man turned back to him, anger and irritation written in his expression.  "That's right.  Someone whiny and selfish like you, who has the pleasure and the option to go wherever he damn pleases, to talk to anyone who he wants to.  I've been stuck in this tower alone for six years."

"...If you're going to be like that, I'll just take my leave then."

Kris sneered, turning to pick up his shield and sword from where they still lay on the floor.

A hand on his arm attempted to stop him as he opened the door and began the long trek back downstairs.  He threw the arm off, instead hearing the man scrambling down after him.

"Wait - wait - I didn't mean - you can't leave me here on my own!"

Kris rolled his eyes. 

"Just watch me."

The entire journey down the stairs was as tiring as the journey up, as Kris now had an annoying nag following him the whole way down, trying to beg Kris to reconsider.

They reached the bottom of the stairs in the same way, heading out from the main hall and back into the courtyard, where the dragon picked its head from its resting position, sleepy eyes watching them as they passed in a hurry.  As he reached the courtyard gate, ready to exit the castle once more, he felt an arm clamp down hard on his shoulder.

"Please - you don't understand - when I was fifteen, I messed up, and now everyone's asleep, and I - I've had to spend six years by myself.  You're the first one to try to save me and I -I know I've been a little harsh - but I don't know if I can last any more years without human contact."

Kris turned back to the man, eyebrows raised.  "Why do you think I care?"

The man furrowed his eyebrows, not understanding.  "Well, you're a Prince Charming, aren't you?  My mother told me they were kind and would never not help someone in need - "

Kris leaned into the man, so close that their noses now touched.  "Well, news flash - it's modern times now, princess, and I've got the choice whether or not I want to help you or not.  You've beaten me up, insulted my pride - is it any wonder why I choose not to?"

Kris turned away, walking through the gates and leaving them open as he left.  "Besides, nothing's stopping you from leaving."

A thudding noise had him pause, and he turned back to see the young man, standing just at the gates, hands pressed up against an invisible wall.  Kris paused, squinting to suddenly see the transparent spell chains around his wrists and ankles, completely taut, leading back into the courtyard.

Oh.

The look on the man's face had him feeling suddenly guilty.

The two stood facing each other, one on the inside of the gates, hands pressed up against a wall neither of them could see, the other one staring back at him with a hint of remorse.

"...what do you need me to do, exactly?  To set you free."

The man shrugged.  "Well, I'm a Sleeping Beauty, right?  I don't think I can leave this castle without a kiss."

Kris shook his head vehemently.  "That's a marriage contract isn't it?  I'm sorry - you're not my Princess - I'm not going to kiss you-"

"-a kiss on the hand would do, I think.  Even if it doesn't let me leave, it might at least wake everyone else up.  Then at least I'd have company.  Please."  The man pressed.

Kris stared, face drawn in a grimace as he thought about having to kiss another man - even if just on the hand.

"...How do you know that's going to do anything?"

The man shrugged.  "It's worth a shot, isn't it?"

Kris looked away, considering for a moment.  He hesitated, before finally nodding just once, hearing the man's gasp of excitement as he stepped back through the gate.

He was almost smacked in the face by the hand that extended out eagerly toward him.  Rolling his eyes, he plucked the man's hand up, sighing at the absurdity of the situation before steadying himself.

"You ready for this?"

The man stood back, closing his eyes and nodding, holding his breath.

Kris got it over quickly, pressing what he thought would be a swift, light kiss to the back of the man's hand.

The man's skin was surprisingly soft against his lips, skin smelling faintly of lavender and vanilla.

Kris' lips lingered on his hand longer than he anticipated, and he was only stopped when the hand was forcibly yanked from his grip, an embarrassed look coming onto both men's faces.

There was a moment of silence as they waited for something, anything to happen, broken only when a curious dragon plodded over to them, lowering its head between them and snorting in question.

Still, there was no magic spark, no singing of angels, nothing to indicate that anything at all had happened.  No pattering of feet, no screams and shouts - it seemed as if everyone was still asleep.

The other man looked devastated, running a hand through his light brown hair and huffing a sigh before leaning against the gate with one hand.  He made as if to begin to say something, but stopped instead when he fell through the gates, falling through where the invisible barrier had once been.

The dragon made a bleating noise of concern, and Kris rushed over to help the other man up, hauling him to his feet before letting go. 

"You alright?"

The man was staring down at his hands, at first expressionless, but soon a small smile grew on his face.  When he looked back up at Kris, Kris jerked back in surprise, suddenly finding himself with an armful of a lithe, muscled body.

He flushed, not knowing what to say, wrapping his arms back around the warm back for a second before pushing the man away.

"Alright.  I've done what you've asked.  I'm going now."

The man nodded, but tugged at Kris' shirt as he began to walk away, holding him to his spot.  "Not yet, I still have some stuff I need to pack."

Kris stared at him as if he had grown a second head.

"...what?"

"...well, if my Prince Charming isn't coming to me, I might as well find him myself.  Have room on that horse for one more?"

"No.  Absolutely no."

"Please, please, please!"

"How is following me going to help you any?!"

"You're going to find some Damsels, right?  Where there are other Damsels, there's probably going to be Prince Charmings too.  I'll try my luck with them."

"Wh- that's the worst logic I have ever-"

"Besides, I've seen the way you fight.  You're good, but I'm better - I've had six years of nothing but training.  Trust me, you need me.  Think of it as payback for the kiss."

A spluttering cry of indignation.

"No!  Absolutely not!"

He was already tying bags onto Pearl though, the horse surprisingly passive and calm for one who usually hated strangers. 

"Why not?"

Kris struggled to think of an excuse.  "First of all, and I can't believe I keep having to say this - you're a man - and I don't find men attractive - "

A snort.  "Who says this means I'm going to sleep with you?  Don't get my intentions wrong here."

"You... you talk too much!"

"And you're far too grumpy for your own good.  I'm the much needed breath of fresh air everyone needs, don't you think?"

Kris felt his irritation grow, but as he opened his mouth to yell at the man some more, his horse snorted softly, bumping her head against his shoulder.  Let him come!  The horse seemed to be saying.

It'll be fun!

"Oh come on, not you too, you traitor!  What's the idiot done to you, cast a spell?"

"Tao."  The man said in passing as he walked back toward the dragon, currently trying to press its entire massive face through the small gate. 

"...pardon?"

"My name's Tao, not 'the idiot'.  Well, technically, His Royal Highness Huang Zitao of the Kingdom of Qingdao, but I'm sure you've shortened your own name too, Prince...?"

Kris stared at Tao, at a momentary loss of words.

"...Kris."

Tao turned back to him briefly, smiling at him brilliantly.  "...Kris.  Won't you let me come?"

There was something about the way the sun was striking him just right that had Kris choking on his own spit. 

I'm just too nice for my own good, Kris thought to himself as he turned his nose up from the sight.  "...whatever.  Do as you wish."

A few hours later, Kris found himself cramped on Pearl's back, waist being clutched tightly by the man who sat behind him, eyes aglow with the light of the setting sun.

"...I'm surprised that Tiny let me go without argument."

"...Tiny?  ...the drag- that's seriously his name?!"

"Her name.  And she's promised to take care of the kingdom while I'm gone.  Someone's got to stay to make sure everyone stays safely asleep."

"...right..."

"So where are we going?"

"... Has anybody ever told you you talk too much?"

"You did, just a while ago.  You don't remember?"

"..."

"So where are we going?"

Kris made a noise of frustration.

He woke from his sleep to see that his crystal ball had begun to grow a shade of violent red.

Images of two men riding on horseback into the sunset were revealed against the glass.

His breath left him, face drawing into a look of concern as he bent down closer.

"...Huang Zitao.  What have you done?"