Word spread quickly around the Four Points, though many people didn’t want to believe the core of it: war had been declared upon the Northern Province. Word even reached beyond the Four Points, with the Sapphire Kingdom and the Mint County immediately declaring themselves allied to the cause of the Northern Province, giving Minseok a boost to his own armies. The Northern Prince himself sat in the war room, studying the several maps that were spread out in front of him. Each one depicted a geography of a particular area, such as his own Northern Provinces and Luhan’s Eastern Provinces. He also had maps of outlying kingdoms in case support for the opposition came from those area.

“Minseok,” Luhan entered the war room, carrying with him a silver goblet half filled with wine, “Kyungsoo and Jongdae have arrived.” He placed the goblet in front of his lover, slipping behind him to gently wrap his arms around his shoulders. Emerald green feathers tickled his fingers as he did so, but the sensation didn’t stop him from leaning down and placing his chin on the elder’s shoulder.

“My priority is finding Kris and Tora. This proposed attack is a mere distraction from his true intention.” The Northern Prince didn’t move to accept Luhan’s embrace, but neither did he move to push him away, and to Luhan that was a good thing. The Eastern Prince didn’t move from his position, instead turning his gaze to the maps on the table. Some had been scribbled over, indicating Minseok’s musings on where his Guardians would have been taken to. Some points had been harshly crossed out, while others had question marks next to them that suggested possibilities.

“I should’ve had him executed when I had the chance,” sighed the Northern Prince after a long time of silent deliberation, “It’s my fault that Kris and Tora are gone. If I had a colder heart, then-” Luhan pressed a kiss to Minseok’s chilly cheek.

“Kris and Tora are your Guardians, Minseok. It’s what Guardians do, but unfortunately this time their actions were expected of them. It’s not your fault that there’s a madman out there who wants to kill you.” he said.

“That makes me feel so much better.” The sarcasm wasn’t lost on the Eastern Prince.

“I know it was a bad choice of words, but you understood what I was trying to get at. You have brothers here in the Four Points willing to help defend you, and you have friends from beyond our borders willing to get the jump on this freak from the flank. Remember, we are one.” Luhan leaned back a little when Minseok began to turn slowly in his arms, affixing him with a cold stare that was void of emotion. Luhan knew better though, if the warm, slow kiss he received from the Northern Prince was any indication of his lover’s current emotion.

“You’re right, Luhan. I’m sorry I’m being so selfish right now.” Minseok said, letting his lover pull him back into his embrace.

“I’d do the same in your situation, though sometimes Sehun and Kai can be-”

“Idiots!” The two Princes jumped apart when the screech from Baekhyun snapped the air like a twig, “You shouldn’t have snuck up on me like that!”

“It was Sehun’s idea, not mine!” whined a dazed-looking Kai, who was rubbing at his eyes furiously. Behind him trudged Sehun, who held out his hands to ensure he bumped into nothing. Baekhyun huffed and moved to Minseok, patting him affectionately on the shoulder.

“We got your letter, Prince Xiumin.” he stated. Minseok had to raise an eyebrow at that. What a statement.

“I managed to get into contact with a friend of mine from Sapphire while travelling from the Southern Provinces,” Kyungsoo announced as he entered the war room behind Chanyeol, who was being strangely quiet, “He says that their spymaster has his agents tracking down activity around a particular ruined fort in your ice fields.”

“How did Heenim know where to look?” asked Minseok. Chen entered the room at that point flanked by Yixing and Zitao, the younger of which was busy nibbling on a long sugar stick he’d swiped from the kitchen.

“According to my own contact from Sapphire, High King Leeteuk has an arrest warrant out for the same man who wants to end your life, for conspiracy and treason. Heenim’s spies had tracked him to the same ruined fort before they discovered he’d left and moved for Port Flake.” said the Western Prince, depositing a letter on top of Minseok’s maps that had a broken sapphire blue wax seal on it. The Northern Prince’s eyes scanned the letter, reading the information that had been sent to the Western Prince from Sapphire.

“He’s taken my Guardians and left them to die, he’s marching on my capital…” The Northern Prince didn’t notice the blizzard outside speeding up, though others in the room did, “He’s going to regret crossing the Frost Gem.”

“Prince Xiumin, let me take you when we investigate the ruined fort.” Chanyeol spoke up, the first sentence he’d spoken since arriving in the north. Everyone in the room sans Minseok looked at him in incredulity.

“Chanyeol, are you mad?” asked the Southern Prince, “Xiumin needs to be here to order his troops! Without Kris here he’s the only one who can do it!”

“Actually, I think Chanyeol has a good idea going.” Suho’s voice made everyone swivel to the door, where the High Guardian leaned casually against the door frame with a small smile on his face. Kyungsoo spluttered.

“What are you talking about?” he asked.

“Luhan, Jongdae and yourself have brought armies with you to the Northern Provinces, yes? Your armies, plus that of Minseok, will easily match the proposed force headed for Port Flake as we speak. The bulk of the army is not due for a time yet, and with Chanyeol and myself Minseok can find his Guardians quickly and in time for their organised wedding.” A strange silence fell over the entire war room, all pairs of eyes swivelling onto the Northern Prince, who had stood up from his spot but not removed Luhan’s arms from around his person. This march was halting a wedding? It was all the more reason to put it down quickly.

“You were going to have a wedding here?” Baekhyun asked.

“You weren’t going to invite us?” Zitao added.

“Your invitations would have been sent today, provided I was not organising a put down of a rebellion.” Minseok replied, his tone accidentally snappish. Both the light bearer and the time keeper flinched a little, watching as icicles shattered around Minseok’s fingertips. Brushing the snow off his shoulders, he waited for Luhan to let him go before moving through the gathering toward the door.

“Are you sure you should be going with him, Suho?” asked Sehun as Chanyeol followed the Northern Prince.

“Sehun, as a High Guardian I am connected to all you Guardians, remember? Oh Minseok,” The Northern Prince turned his head around, “Keep the blanket. And perhaps wear your black armour.” Minseok nodded and turned left down the hallway, “Chanyeol, we will meet Minseok in the entrance hall. The rest of you need to organise your troops for a siege.”

“Yes, Suho.”

“We are one.” said the three outside the war room.

“We are one.” chorused the eight inside the war room.

~~

The ruined fort in mention was the remains of the once proud Fort Diamond, the pride of power for a long line of Northern rulers before its destruction in the greatest civil war the North had known, and that was some four hundred years ago. Much of the stone structure had been enveloped in ice due to blizzards and rough storms that often swept through the area. Below the ground, however, was where much of the history remained thanks to the ingenuity of the fort builders and designers, who decided that a shelter from the cold below the ground was a much better option than having one above ground. It was a long way from Port Flake, as the trio found out when Chanyeol was told to fly inland and toward the west, where the EXO mountain range separated Minseok’s territory from Jongdae’s.

“There!” Suho pointed to a spire that had not collapsed along with the others, its tip shining with a single diamond that served as a beacon for those who looked for it, “I can feel weak energy coming from below that structure.”

“Fort Diamond…” Minseok sighed as Chanyeol landed behind and outcrop of rock, close enough that the guards at the door to the underground rooms could be seen by them, but they couldn’t see the trio, “This place hasn’t been used for centuries.”

“So why would Kris and Tora be stashed here?” asked Chanyeol as he reverted to his human form, shaking excess feathers from his hair.

“When the fort was constructed, it was originally to be used as a prison for war prisoners. The civil war saw it used as a depot for supplies, which is why it was destroyed. Since then many smugglers use its underground stores as a cache for their stolen goods from traders coming from west to north.” Minseok rattled off, sounding like a text book. The phoenix stared at him, “What? As a Prince I need to know the history of my provinces.” Suho kept his eyes trained on the ruins themselves, watching as the guards at the door moved closer to each other and began conversing, most likely complaining to each other about being trapped in the cold. He could feel weak pulses of energy coming from below the ruins, though once they got underground he was sure he’d be able to pick them up stronger.

“How are we going to get inside?” Chanyeol asked, small embers dancing around his fingertips in anticipation. Minseok studied the fire briefly, then turned his attention to the stationed guards. They didn’t look very well trained, but he knew that a frontal assault would trigger whatever alarm had been set on the place. He didn’t know the fort’s layout well enough to know of any secret entrances or escape passages that could slip them in undetected.

“Tora would know what to do…” he sighed to himself, but the phoenix heard him.

“Wait, that’s it!” Chanyeol dismissed the fire around his hands and crouched down while trying to stand up, “We think like Kris and Tora!”

“An excellent idea, Chanyeol.” Suho smiled at him, and began to wave his hands around in a circle. A ball of water began forming in the gap between his hands, steadily growing the more he moved his hands.

“Minseok, do you think you would be able to…accelerate the process?” asked the High Guardian, commanding the ball of water to float from his hands to directly above the stationed guards. Minseok nodded and watched, ready for his moment to strike.

The ball of water exploded, catching the guards off guard and drenching them in tepid water. Minseok held out a hand and closed it into a fist, the temperature around the two guards dropping rapidly until they were frozen in their positions, their eyes wide and their weapons still unsheathed. Chanyeol let out a whoop and led the trio past the new ice sculptures, Minseok adding extra ice to ensure they wouldn’t defrost in a hurry. The phoenix pulled open the heavy doors leading to the underground portion of the fort, flaming torches lighting the corridors but providing little heat. Minseok pulled the emerald blanket draped over his shoulders tighter around his body and followed Chanyeol down the steps into the dank corridor.

“I guess this must be the entrance hall.” quipped the phoenix, gesturing to the broken wooden tables and chairs scattered around the room.

“This must’ve been where they processed the prisoners before throwing them in the cells.” Minseok added, looking down the corridor which lay beyond the closed iron bar door. A key glinted off a hook next to the door, and it was this key Suho used to unlock their first barrier and let them into the dungeon itself. It smelled like a four hundred year old dwelling, stale and unused. Wooden boxes and crates were stashed in random cells, kept in waiting until the smuggler or thief could return to them. At least Minseok could now send a troop to retrieve some of these items; while the thieves had been prosecuted, the good had never been recovered. Until now.

“There must be at least a hundred cells in this hallway,” Suho said, noting a corner up ahead, “and it looks like there are more to come.”

“As long as we don’t go in circles, I’ll be fine.” Chanyeol said.

“Suho, can you detect any sign of Kris and Tora here?” Minseok asked.

The High Guardian nodded. “I can feel two distinct pulses of energy, which tells me that Kris and Tora were separated into two different cells. Kris’ pulse is weaker than Tora’s, which means he’s our top priority.” Minseok fought back the urge to blast at a cell door with icy wind, instead pushing gently past Suho and leading the trio around the corner to the next hallway of cells.

“Agh, this is going to take forever! We’re fast running out of time; who knows how long Luhan and the others can defend Port Flake!” Chanyeol threw his hands in the air out of exasperation, “Though haven’t you guys noticed the lack of patrol down here?” Both Suho and Minseok froze. Now that they thought about it, there was no activity on that front…

Faint echoing footsteps had all three of them raise their guards. “Chanyeol, you big mouth.” Suho sighed in mock chiding.

~~

“Minseok’s soldiers have escorted the people of Port Flake to the underground sanctuaries,” Sehun told Luhan, who was attempting to wear a hold in the balcony he paced upon, “They are all safe.”

“Good, good…” Luhan replied, distracted by his own footsteps. Sehun sighed and stepped forward, placing a halting hand on his Prince’s shoulder.

“I know you’re worried about Minseok. We all are, but that doesn’t mean that you need to lose your head. The attack could happen any day now.” The wind walker made a point, so Luhan took several deep breaths to compose himself. It was lucky he did, for at that moment a servant walked onto the balcony, followed by two men who did not appear to be from the Four Points at all. The taller of the two wore a military uniform, and bore the blue insignia of the Kingdom of Sapphire on the brooch that fastened his cloak about his shoulders. The smaller of the two wore the insignia for the Mint County wrapped around his right arm, which was decorated with dark greens and blacks to help hide him in the shadows.

“These gentlemen said they wished to see the master of this castle, so I brought them to you, sire.” the servant squeaked out, bowing to Luhan and scampering away. The two visitors also bowed to Luhan.

“Eastern Prince Luhan,” said the taller of the two, “I am Knight-Captain Siwon, and I hail from the Sapphire Kingdom. When High King Leeteuk heard of the army marching against Northern Prince Xiumin, he sent me with a small brigand of my troops to assist you in the coming battle.” Luhan bowed at Siwon, who somehow managed to maintain an air of propriety despite obviously having been caught in Minseok’s blizzard barrier.

“I am Taemin, a spy from the Mint County. My Lord, Count Jinki, sent me to share with you the information that we have gathered about the coming threat.” the smaller of the two introduced, bowing as well. Sehun nodded at them both, excusing himself so he could take care of other business.

“Come in, gentlemen,” Luhan immediately put on his ‘Prince’ face, “Let us get you warmed up so we can talk properly.”

Author's Note: A few more clues in this piece, though I think that you guys can work things out from them. I'm no a very good clue-writer. And some cameos! Cameos are good.

-GuardianOfTheDawn :3