As Yunho’s long legs turned around the corner, Changmin d around the floor for his own clothes. Something he could throw onto himself for about sixty seconds before the king stripped him again and they continued their intimacy. He could not stop himself from grinning smugly; he was well aware of how good he was in bed, and for Yunho to point it out made things so much better. If his parents could see him now…well, they’d be furious. But they weren’t there. He was his own person, and he chose Yunho.

He loved Yunho.

That was why the temptation to just run away with him was so great. They could manage it. They could leave and never look back—because they would have each other. Changmin could envision it, as easily as breathing. Why stay a prince when he had love in his hands? Why continue to do a job when someone so near and dear to his heart could show him the wonders of the world? Marriage wasn’t necessary. As long as they were together, things could work out. They could be two men without a care in the world. They could be in a relationship and it would be…okay.

The entrance hall appeared empty as he slipped out, hurriedly doing a few buttons on his shirt. Changmin looked towards the kitchens, thoughtful. Perhaps he could grab some ice before he headed upstairs…the king would love his idea involving ice in their ual escapades…

“…what the rush is. He’s practically out the door as it is.”

His heart pounded in his chest and his feet froze for a split second. Voices came from behind the great tapestry of the royal line—where he knew a secret passage hid. Changmin ducked behind a pedestal and tapped into the powers he saved for emergency situations. He was not to use them in other realms, but…well, as he had little choice…

One murmured incantation later, and anyone who stared too long at the spot where he hid may see something amiss, but it would be blurred and they would quickly lose interest. Not quite invisibility but it would do. He was, after all, the Winter Prince; grumpy old immortal as he was, he had a bit of power in him, too.

Yunho’s imp advisor, a witch, her werewolf partner, and a group of gangly skeletons pushed the tapestry aside, talking quietly. He strained to hear them, but dared not make a sound. “You call it a rush, I call it a step forward,” the werewolf argued, his voice scratchy like a growl. “The world is progressing into a new age, and we have been left behind. Advancement in so many fields has happened in the different realms already. What’s holding us back here?”

“The king!” the skeletons whispered excitedly.

Changmin’s heart sunk.

“Yes, our foolish king who rules with his emotions instead of logic and rationality—he who puts matters of the heart over matters of his own kingdom! I knew it would be a tough adjustment when he took over from his father, but King Yanghyun…at least he had plans to help the town move alongside the modern period. But this king…” The imp looked around, lowering his voice to nothing more than a breath. “His relationship with the overseer of Christmastown is known across the land. Both are popular rulers—but even the Winter Prince is doing what he must and should for his realm. Meanwhile, our king sits in his royal bedchambers, writing love poems and dreaming of situations that cannot come true! They mustn’t!”

“Like what?” the witch asked, goggling at him.

“He don’t like being a ruler anymore,” one of the skeletons said. “And if ye ask me, I’m willing to bet my horse and buggy that it’s because of the damn prince.”

“Of course it is,” the imp replied shortly. “I should know, I spend quite a lot of time with his Majesty. Love changes our rulers, in case you haven’t noticed. The queen—may she rest in peace—was the love of Yanghyun’s life, but she kept the king grounded. This Changmin fellow…he’s doing the exact opposite. You should hear what the king asks me when we’re in private quarters. What do I think of his boyfriend? What if Halloween and Christmas could work together more closely? What if we ran away, wouldn’t that be so romantic?”

“Ha!” The werewolf snorted. “What a nancy boy!”

“That’s not all,” one of the other skeletons said, her voice reedy. “Remember how he used to always attend town hall meetings? He’s been absent during most because they coincide with the free days of the Winter Prince.”

“And let’s not forget that one of the maids caught him with the prince in a compromising position right in the middle of Oogie Boogie’s first nightmare exposure on New York City!” While the group shuddered, Changmin closed his eyes, sweat starting to gather on his forehead. He did not want to hear anymore, but…

The imp spoke again, scowling heavily. “I am tired of living in the shadow of a king who does not put his people first, who would rather run off with a prince because he loves him. It is foolishness I cannot overlook and it is a way of life I will never respect.” He drew himself taller (though this only raised him to about chest-height of the shortest skeleton). “He spoke of marriage around me today, and that is what made my resolve harden.”

“Oh my!” witch gasped and Changmin saw the skeletons shake their heads, bones clattering where they sat. He felt something cold grip his heart tight. It would be plain naïve of him to assume that no rebel factions lived in the realms—but to hear them plotting like this…so casually in the house of their king…

And to hear that Yunho wanted to go so far as marry him…

“No more.” The werewolf cracked his knuckles and grumbled something unintelligible. “I can’t bow to a king that neglects his duties.”

“We already have his replacement waiting in the wings,” the imp continued. “He is more than fit to rule, and will take Halloweentown into a new, better age. I wish it did not have to come to this, but the king should have considered his own future past marrying a prince who would never leave his realm and his duties for anyone, not even for love.”

“It is unfortunate,” the witch lamented slowly, sweeping her hat off in a sad motion. “He was so promising once upon a time…why did the prince have to become involved with him?” The others murmured their own opinions but they had begun to shuffle toward the double doors, fastening their cloaks for the cool weather outside. When they had gone, the doors shutting behind the last skeleton, Changmin found he could not move a step from his hiding place. He remained in his blurry state, unable to register that surely Yunho would start to wonder where he was.

The urge to run until his feet could no longer carry him waged war with reason inside him. The horror of it was that truth rang in their words. Hadn’t Yunho just said that they should take off without looking back? Hadn’t he confessed that love alone was enough to do such a thing? And Changmin had actually thought about it…he had considered it, even if for a moment, and it bothered him that he had.

For all the shortcomings that they surely exaggerated, he could not help but wonder if he was to blame for Yunho’s behavior.

Staying in the manor was too suffocating for him. He needed a way out. He had to think. He had to…

He needed to leave.

Changmin didn’t look back. If he did, he would succumb and give in and the realms be damned. But they could not take that course in life.

And when the winds brought his name, a pain-filled scream in his ears…his hand stilled on the door to Christmastown, salty tears still wet on his face. “If you can ever find it in your heart to forgive me,” he started to whisper, but found he could not choke out anything else. The tormented calls of his name continued, but he stepped into the tree’s narrow opening and shut the door behind him, cutting the screams off abruptly.