Though he was born noble, he’d never really had much responsibility to begin with.

His bloodline was ruined by delusions and hysterias his mother had passed down to him and his sister.

It had made him feel incredibly lonely as a child, isolated from the world.

And though he now knew there were those who cherished his presence - Udo, for example, who never failed to hold him up as a hero with his never-ending praise and almost overbearing physical affection - Kyungsoo found himself still strangely discontent.

He was trying to determine, really, whether there was truth in his sister’s words. There had been, once, a long time ago. And though those years had passed long by, even he could acknowledge that he held a duty to his people. He’d done nothing for them in the past - watching them waste away among the harsh white sands of his homeland.

At the time, his only excuse was that he’d been shook to the core - the long lasting repercussions of seeing his family tear itself apart right before his very eyes.

Yet the weight of responsibility was not one that he could very easily forget. It haunted his every waking moment.

And though he did not mean to, Kyungsoo found himself questioning the reasons for his own actions. Was it because he had really wanted to, when he’d begged Prince Sehun for audience with his brother? Or was it due to some sense of obligation to his people?

Then there was Kai. Kai, whom held a deep affection for him, and whom Kyungsoo himself held a deep affection for. The passion had been there since the first day they’d met. He’d felt the fire in Kai’s eyes burning something deep inside of himself, answering to the other man’s call.

But even he had to wonder if the feelings he held for the man were his own. Was it possible, that he’d seduced the man simply to escape his sister’s wrath and disappointment?

He recoiled at the thought, but could not fully set it aside. He’d been manipulated for so long by Kyungri that it was hard to think freely without her influence poisoning his mind.

Though he fully acknowledged that it was in his fatalist nature to think such thoughts, he found himself growing anxious rather than excited by each passing day. There was something coming - of this he was sure.

Now, if only he could figure out what it might be.

-

Not that he’d really minded, but the fact remained that he had been dragged outdoors far more frequently than his tired body would have liked. Of course, it was all due to the tireless efforts of an ever insistent Kai. The dinnish prince had taken to the recent return of his health problems with the same sort of worry his frantic and frazzled nursemaid had all those years ago.

Kyungsoo was quite used to his own health problems, and he did not believe that being outside would truly help him recover.

But he played along for his lover’s benefit, letting Kai drag him through the tall yellow grass every day, tickling their faces until they’d reached the familiar sandy banks of the great eastern lake. And though Kyungsoo was out of breath long before they’d even left the castle gates, his vision blurring with every step they took and the taste of liquid iron filling the back of his throat, he said nothing. He swallowed back the taste of his own blood, threw back his shoulders, and held on just as tightly to the grip Kai had on his fingers.

It was beautiful. The orange trees and the yellowing skies. It had always been Kyungsoo’s childhood dream to witness this - the glory and majesty of the fertile marshland their northern cousins called home. Crowning it all was Kai’s hair, falling like a halo around his ears, sticking to the perspiration on his face.

The fresh air will do you good! - the dinnish man had said, urging Kyungsoo to follow. At least, that was what Kyungsoo assumed him to be saying. He was getting better at interpreting Kai’s words these days, though this hadn’t always been the case.

He still remembered his blunder from two fortnights ago, when he’d accidentally insulted three generations of Kai’s family rather than greeting Kai in his own tongue like Kyungsoo had originally intended. Kai had taken it all in stride, shaking in low laughter that had his eyes wrinkling and his cheeks dimpling charmingly. He hadn’t attempted to speak the other’s language since. Kyungsoo’s cheeks still prickled with heat at the memory.

But he was learning. Though he couldn’t form the melodic, dulcet tones of the dinnish language himself, it satisfied him enough to be able to fill in the gaps. It pleased him greatly to be able to understand the beautiful words that came out of Kai’s equally beautiful mouth.

Kyungsoo did not, however, stop to gloat over his own genius. He recognized fully that the progress he’d made was due in large part to the help he’d received from Kai’s good friend and brother in marriage - prince Sehun.

The fair-haired prince had been making more frequent appearances lately. Sometimes in the company of his charming if not strong-minded lady love, and other times alone, under the guise of wanting to check up on the progress Kyungsoo had made on the mechanical arm Sehun had asked him to make.

Of course it had taken some getting used to, and of course it had been awkward the first few times they’d struggled through a conversation together, but at the end of the day, Kyungsoo was very much appreciative of the other man’s company. It was a gratifying feeling, to know that he’d somehow made peace with the one man who’d seemed to be at such bitter odds with him at the very beginning. The other man could almost be considered a friend now, and he was sure the Sehun felt the same about him - although it wasn’t something either would admit to out loud. Funny, how things had all worked out.

A twig dropped into Kyungsoo’s lap.

Today, Kyungsoo and Kai had found cool shade under the old sallow tree. Whilst Kyungsoo rested at its base, back propped up against the firm bark, Kai did as he wished, climbing the tree with graceful ease to do... well, whatever it was he was doing.

Kyungsoo carefully brushed the twig away with a low hum, careful not to disturb the cogs that lay bare and disassembled upon the leather palette he’d stretched out over his legs.

He smoothed over the cool metal with his fingers, feeling the momentary prick of its sharp teeth and crooked edges into the soft pads of his fingers. Kyungsoo plucked them like flowers, carefully setting them down into the open slots of the contraption he’d made and pushing down with his fingers until it made a click. He screwed the hinge tight and closed the compartment, tucking his tools snugly into his waistband and leaning back to take a good look at the rough metal arm he’d slaved over for the past fortnight. It was becoming something, slowly. Eventually it would become what he’d envisioned it would be. All that was left to do were just a few minor adjustments.

He reached down to pick out a small piece of fluff that had gotten stuck in the hinge, but a rustle of fabric made him pause. When he looked over, he saw Kai approaching from the field with a boyish grin on his face. Kyungsoo hadn’t even realized he’d been gone.

Kai’s hands were cupped around something. Much to Kyungsoo’s amusement, he saw that they were a collection of tiny wildflowers when Kai his hands in front of him, as if presenting the bouquet as a prize. Before Kyungsoo could closely examine them, Kai let the flowers trickle through his fingers - blue and red and purple - floating down onto Kyungsoo’s hair and lap.

Kai did it all, of course, without a word - though there was an endearing look of concentration on his face.

Kyungsoo let the dinnish man do as he liked, carefully placing his work beside him in order to pick up a pale blue flower that had fallen into his lap instead.

Blue flowers - they had been Kyungri’s favorite too, back when the weak little things still grew on the barren wastelands of their home. He remembered sitting with her in the dust, watching her pick petal after petal, whispering secrets and half-formed dreams into the wind that took them all away.

As he recalled the memory, he recalled a time when he had thought of his sister as his entire world back then. The only kind touch, the shield that often protected him from the mad cruelty of their mother. But time had changed her. Just as it had him.

Just as quickly as the smile tugged onto his face, it grew sad. Kyungsoo twirled the stem of the flower between his fingers before letting it drop into his palm and closing his fingers tightly around it. He could feel it shrink and tear under the crushing pressure.

“Do you think people are born cruel?” He asked absently, though he did not expect an answer back. Then, he continued - “Do you think it possible that the ones who are meant to love us are really the ones who hate us the most?”

Kai had moved away to gather more flowers. He had seen the beautiful image Kyungsoo made surrounded by them, and immediately thought to himself that Kyungsoo needed more. But he was close by enough to hear Kyungsoo speaking to him - close by enough to hear that solemn voice cry out to him. He poked his head out from the bushes, shaking the twigs from his hair before lumbering over to squat by Kyungsoo’s side. Bending down to catch Kyungsoo’s hollow eyes, Kai slowly cocked his head in question.

Kyungsoo could never hold onto his somber moods when Kai was beside him. There was something about the other man that inspired a confidence and optimism in him. So he smiled instead, shaking his head with a soft sigh of “never mind”.

As he loosened his grip on his hand, revealing its contents, Kai’s fingers darted in, deftly picking the crushed, wilted flower from his grasp.

He held it delicately, much like Kyungsoo had at the start. Kai’s eyes nearly crossed as he examined it. And then, with a disarming smile, Kai reached forward and tucked it behind Kyungsoo’s ear, pulling a strand of hair loose from where it had been trapped in the process.

“E zahra ye weimas sam wasim talas.” ¹

Then he quickly kissed Kyungsoo’s cheek and moved away without another word.

Back into the tall reeds, Kyungsoo supposed.

Kyungsoo, on the other hand, remained there. He reached up with his fingers to pluck the flower from his ear, regarding it with a soft look.

Even crushed, the little flower had an odd beauty of its own.

He took that as Kai’s answer and tucked the flower away into his robes for safekeeping, reaching for his work with renewed energy and a bright smile.

-

Kyungsoo took his design for its first fitting the next night.

Kai was with him, as always. But tonight, he was also accompanied by Sehun.

The two of them led him to the knights’ quarters with all the comfortable familiarity of frequent visitors. When they arrived, Prince Sehun did not bother to knock - instead, he announced his presence with a grunt of the knight’s name - Chanyeol, apparently - as he kicked the door wide open. He swept in, quite like the hurricane he was known to be, and was followed quickly by Kai.

Feeling his cheeks flush red, Kyungsoo chose to enter with a little more discretion, shuffling in with an apologetic grimace to the knights and the servants who glanced their way before closing the battered door behind him.

Kyungsoo wiped the sweat from his forehead with his arm before turning around.

Now, glancing around, he found that Chanyeol’s room was typical of what he would have expected a knight’s private quarters to be. It was dark, and amusingly small for a man so big. It was but sparsely decorated with the necessities - an oil lantern set on edge of the table, a dusty set of ink, quill and paper that looked like it had never seen use in its lifetime, and a set of hastily discarded armor lying in a pile on the floor.

Kyungsoo made sure to watch his step as he moved further in, lifting a foot to sidestep a sword that had been left balanced precariously on a stool.

It became quickly apparent by the number of voices in the room that Chanyeol wasn’t alone. When he looked, Kyungsoo spotted a figure seated by the small window of Chanyeol’s room, waifish and almost femininely delicate if not for the shrewd look to his eyes that sharpened his features.

As he stood from his seat and moved toward Kyungsoo, the stranger was swiftly introduced to Kyungsoo as Baekhyun - royal tailor and friend to the King. Kyungsoo recognized his name as the man his sister had visited for fittings in the past. She had fawned over the dresses Baekhyun had made for her. Kyungsoo did not understand nor did he share her enthusiasm. All he could see was that her new wardrobe was just as dour and drab as the other clothes in her collection.

Kyungsoo reacted as he thought he should, making sure to adopt his most pleasant smile (a twitching, shadowy thing) when he greeted the stranger. Though he was still quite jumpy when it came to close physical contact, Kyungsoo took the hand stretched out toward him. Kyungsoo’s smile soon turned to a grimace, however, when he felt his fingers being squeezed by Baekhyun’s crushingly strong grip.

“‘Tis truly a pleasure to meet the genius to whom my lover is indebted. I must admit that your reputation precedes you - I’ve heard many good things from both of the princes.” Baekhyun said, flashing a grin at Kai who folded his arms over his chest, looking quite smug.

Though it did not escape him that Baekhyun had referred to Chanyeol as his lover, Kyungsoo was far more interested in his apparent ‘reputation’.

...good things?

Both his eyebrows and his mouth formed rather serious lines on his face, and he glanced over his shoulder to find Sehun and Kai both wearing innocent looks on their faces. His scowl deepened.

What good things? He thought, only to be interrupted when he was dragged into a bone-crushing hug by the man in front of him.

“Bless you, good sir, for your charity. But look at my manners! Here I am, interrupting you from your duties!” Baekhyun said, letting Kyungsoo go and stepping away.

“And you - get over here, you big coward.”

Baekhyun scowled as he approached his lover, not at all intimidated by the other’s size when he reached up to grip the knight’s ear firmly between his fingers. Bent over and yelping, Chanyeol had no choice but to follow as Baekhyun dragged him to the other side of the room, practically throwing him in front of Kyungsoo. The knight quickly regained his balance, though he seemed somewhat reluctant to meet Kyungsoo’s eye. Sehun and Kai snickered somewhere behind Kyungsoo, nearly distracting him from Chanyeol’s shy, clumsy behavior.

Chanyeol almost seemed like a smaller version of Kyungsoo’s good friend Udo. The two had similar mannerisms, particularly when Chanyeol would duck his head and rub at the back of his neck self-consciously. To see the man acting quite similarly to his friend made it somehow easier for Kyungsoo to approach him.

Surprisingly, Chanyeol met him halfway, rolling up his sleeve without comment and sticking out his arm bravely. The Adam’s apple wavering nervously in his throat betrayed his lack of confidence.

Kyungsoo did his best to ease the other’s fears, slowly untying and unfolding the scrap of leather he’d wrapped around the metal arm. As soon as it was free, he dropped the leather to the ground, using both hands to hold the mechanical contraption up to the knight. By the shift of energy in the air, Kyungsoo became aware of the way the other occupants of the room were now focused on him, creeping silently closer for a look. Kai, in particular, seemed absolutely transfixed, climbing his way onto the nearby table to peer better over Kyungsoo’s shoulder.

Now it was Kyungsoo’s turn to become nervous.

“Here - I - I’ve fully articulated the fingers, as you’ll see. It should provide you with full mobility. That is, once you’ve acclimated to it.” He mumbled, bending each finger at its joint to prove his statement. He pried open its compartments from their nearly invisible under-seams, running his fingers on the delicate innards of his creation and applying light pressure on the intricately designed piston that would translate the minute tensings of Chanyeol’s arm muscles into movement. He demonstrated how it worked a few times, carefully explaining his work to the fascinated knight whose eyes had now grown to the size of the cook’s famous mince pies.

When Kyungsoo finally handed it over, it was almost snatched out of his fingers by the other man. He still had to help, of course. He instructed the man on how to slip the contraption onto his elbow and over his shoulder, feeling Chanyeol’s body shiver as he strapped the man in securely, tugging on the belts until he could no longer feeling them tighten.

There was an audible hush to the room when he stood back. With a gaping mouth, Chanyeol lifted the contraption slowly into the light flooding in from the windows, watching as it reflected off the polished metal back onto his face. He turned it over to study his new forearm in greater detail, laying his other, unblemished arm beside it in comparison. Then, when he inadvertently jerked in surprise, he was given an even greater shock when the metal hand he was now attached to clamped shut tightly with a shrill metallic shriek. Chanyeol flinched away at the noise, looking just as shocked as the other occupants of the room. It wasn’t until tension began to leak out of Chanyeol’s arm that it loosened its grip. They all watched, transfixed, as the metal hand slowly opened back up once more.

The silence was deafening. It caused Kyungsoo to feel sheepish and uncertain. He fell back into old patterns and fidgeted in place, glancing down at his hands as he wrung them together.

“It is still rough.” He admitted. “I will have it well oiled next time to prevent that sort of sound from occurring again. And I will take a few more measurements so that next time it won’t - ”

Kyungsoo was interrupted by a strong (thankfully human) hand that thumped him on his back several times.

“You brilliant man!” Chanyeol exclaimed, whacking him a few more times for good measure before stepping away to immerse himself in the sunlight flooding in from the window. While Kyungsoo (and Kai, who had stepped forward with a coo) rubbed at his back with a groan, Chanyeol laughed in great delight at the way the sun bounced off the metal.

In a moment that Kyungsoo would always remember, Chanyeol stood there for a moment, holding in his hand something Kyungsoo had made, gazing upon it with unconcealed emotion and awe. With eyes that were almost wet, Chanyeol stumbled over to his lover, showing off his new limb with pride and glee. “I have never seen something so remarkable in my life, have you, Baekhyun? Do you see it moving now? Whenever I tense my arm like this - ”

There it went again - curling noisily into a fist. Baekhyun in a breath, eyebrows raising above his hairline. Even he looked impressed.

“Yes, I see it. Very striking, indeed.”

The praise gave Kyungsoo a heady rush - a chill was sent tingling down his spine, the hair on his arms standing up. For some strange reason, he felt as if he were on the verge of tears himself, though he held them back.

“‘Tis a miracle!” Chanyeol’s booming voice nearly shattered Kyungsoo’s fragile eardrums, and he found his head lolling back and forth when the knight rushed back over to him and shook him by his shoulders (nearly clocking him in the face with an awkwardly formed iron fist while doing so).

“Well - when will it be finished, then? When will it truly be mine to have?”

Kyungsoo laughed wetly.

“Perhaps, in another fortnight? It shouldn’t take too terribly long - I’ve got to make sure there’s enough lining on the inside to keep your arm warm and comfortable in the winter -”

“A fortnight it is then! A wonderful, exciting fortnight. I shall be waiting - quite happily!” Chanyeol said, bursting into a hearty laugh as he whirled around to regard himself in the mirror. Already, there was a growing confidence in his movements as he flexed his metal arm.

Clearly curious, Sehun came closer, standing beside Chanyeol and letting out a low whistle of appreciation when the arm seemed to come alive more fluidly this time.

Baekhyun, on the other hand, took a seat on the rumpled bed, throwing his head back with a lazy sigh. He closed one eye, tipping his head after a moment so that he could regard Kyungsoo.

“Perhaps next time you might invent some way to keep him out of trouble?” He asked, with a wink. Kyungsoo blinked back at him, owlishly, still trying to determine whether the other man was joking or not. Baekhyun flashed a saucy grin at him. Kyungsoo returned it with a hesitant, dimpled smile of his own that had Kai pressing closer.

Kai poked at the corner of his mouth with his finger until Kyungsoo was forced to swat his hand away.

“Wait a minute - me, a troublemaker?” Chanyeol said, as if finally catching onto what had just been said. He looked absolutely scandalized. Using his new limb, he pointed an accusing finger (fingers, really) at both of the present royalty in the room. “The only troublemakers I see here are these two right! Do you not remember just last year, during our King’s wedding celebration? These two little scoundrels took off running with an entire roast of chicken! I had to chase them down only to have food thrown in my face!”

“An entire roast of chicken?!” Kyungsoo said, trying to stifle the surprising tickle of laughter that suddenly overcame him, at the same time as Baekhyun burst out with: “Chanyeol, they may be young but they are still royalty -”

“Well, there was certainly nothing royal about the way they both stuffed their faces full that night!”

Kai and Sehun threw oily, knowing glances at each other before they both collapsed onto the floor in a wild burst of laughter. Chanyeol had no choice but to speak up over it, face growing red with indignation.

“By the time I was finally able to stop them they were trying to feign ignorance - but they were plump with food! Bits of meat sticking to their cheek and all of that! Not to mention that there were dozens of witnesses to the crime! And then there was that pile of bones they’d left piled in the bushes by the gardens. That had all of the hounds trampling over the Queen’s beloved petunias for a bite. What a mess that was!”

Both princes’ laughter seemed to grow tenfold in volume, and Kyungsoo found the smile on his face growing stronger. What a wonderful time that must have been, he thought to himself, painting a colorful scene in his own imagination. The Northern Moors were filled with such lively, hearty people - and it was in these times that Kyungsoo found himself once again wishing he had grown up here instead, where laughter and bright sunshine seemed so at home.

“What was it like? The King’s wedding festival. Was it as lively as the rumors said it was?” Kyungsoo said, wanting suddenly more than ever to know every detail about everything that he had missed.

“Lively? That’s certainly one way to put it.” Baekhyun said, with a snort. “I don’t suppose you’ve ever met the traveler, Yixing?”

Kyungsoo thought back for a moment before nodding, his mind recalling the strange encounters he’d had with the man fondly.

“Then you must know of what he did during the festival?”

This time, Kyungsoo shook his head. He could immediately imagine a thousand possibilities, but he wanted to know what had happened by someone who had been there.

And so as the laughter died down, they all began to gather closer together, inevitably forming a storyteller’s circle as they banded together to tell their tales of the day and of the people they’d seen and the things they’d done.

Just like that, without even really realizing it, Kyungsoo found himself in the middle of it all, bundled closely between his dinnish suitor and the tailor who did not seem to mind his closeness.

It felt bright and cheery, just like the sunshine outside the window, calming him and warming him right down to his bones.

-

The three of them left some time later, arms wrapped around each other’s shoulders, still wiping tears of laughter from their eyes as they thought of the stories that had been told. They felt closer, some unity of heart found beating within the three of them. They all were, in truth, rebellious spirits.

Eventually they separated, though their pace did not quicken from the lazy stroll they’d wound up in. They still felt a pool of warmth in their bellies, like there would have been after a full meal.

“You know, I’ve been considering what you asked of me the other day,” Sehun said to Kyungsoo, surprising him as all three walked slowly toward the western wing, “and I’ve been given permission by my brother the King to extend a supper invitation to you. Tomorrow night, of course. We will be having roast pig and slow-stewed ribs - a delicious local dinnish fare, or so I’ve been told.”

Kyungsoo stumbled, catching himself before he fell flat against the ground.

“We?” He asked. “Who is we?”

“Kai and I will be there to support you, of course. As will Kai’s brother, the king consort, and their mother, the Chieftainess. Lovely woman - although she wears the strangest things.”

Kai grunted in agreement. Though he attempted a show of nonchalance, the careful way he watched Kyungsoo out of the corner of his cat-like eyes showed just how keen he was to see the other’s reaction.

“Kai’s mother?” Kyungsoo said in a faint voice, already feeling himself go weak in the knees. He had indeed asked for an audience with the king, yes, but to know that there would now be more than one pair of eyes on him - the pressure became almost overwhelming. “There can’t possibly be anyone else, can there?”

“Yes, of course there will be.” Prince Sehun said, apparently not picking up on any of Kyungsoo’s distress. “My mother and father will also be there.”

“The - the old king?” Kyungsoo warbled. “He will be there as well?”

He’d heard tales of the old king’s illness. How King Yifan had been forced to take on the throne prematurely when his father had collapsed from the stress of a mounting war. Between the two of them, Kyungsoo wasn’t sure who he feared more. There was a history between their countries which meant that there was no love lost between them.
“Of course he will! Is that a problem?”

Kyungsoo met Kai’s gaze, somehow feeling reassured in the other’s unfaltering stare. A fire was lit in the depths of the wild man’s eyes, burning brighter when the man smiled at him. Toothily, and without shame.

“Well,” Kyungsoo said, “I had only assumed that he would be unwilling to meet with someone like me.”

“Perhaps not,” Prince Sehun said, quite bluntly, “but you must consider that I am gifting you the greatest of opportunities. Here is your chance to seek favor with him, as you’ve asked for in the past.”

When Kyungsoo chewed at his lip hesitantly, Sehun offered him some reassurance.

“Although you may think otherwise, neither my brother nor my father mind you quite as much as they mind your sister. You may also find it comforting to know that the king consort has been chatting both of their ears off about how ‘charming you seemed’ when the two of you met. Tao certainly holds you in high regard - not only for your relationship with Kai, but for the brilliant potential you have in your craft.”

Sehun leaned in close to wink at him cheekily.

“You may partly blame me for his high opinion of you, though. He’s heard much about the charitable projects you’ve taken on my behalf.” Sehun said.

“But I’ve only taken one.” Kyungsoo mumbled, blinking, only to be shushed by Sehun who ushered them through the courtyard in a quick detour.

“The details of it do not matter. What does matter is that Tao is fond of you - and that alone has made it much harder for the king to refuse you audience. My brother is so smitten with his “little bird” that he’d gladly bend over backwards just to make his husband happy. You should see the looks they give each other when they think no one else is looking. They are practically obscene.”

The princeling reached out to pluck a ripe apple from a tree that they passed, wiping it roughly against his tunic before taking a bite out of it. Whenever he spoke, it was with a full mouth, spraying bits of food onto the ground in front of him in a way that was as disgusting as it was growing to be charming.

In other words, Sehun acted nothing like the royalty Kyungsoo had originally expected him to be, and for that, Kyungsoo could see why Kai liked him so much. They were similar in so many ways - brothers separated at birth perhaps, only to be reunited by their warm hearts and a shared love for mischief.

“You will come, won’t you?” Sehun asked. “It would serve as a proper introduction, seeing as your sister did you and your countrymen no favors the first time we saw you in the King’s court.”

“I will.” Kyungsoo said, with all the honesty in the world. Though the idea still might have frightened him a little, he found courage in his heart, and, beyond that - a growing desire to prove himself. And though he knew he would face great odds, he found himself comforted by the knowledge that he would have friends there to support him.

Kai tugged at a strand of Kyungsoo’s hair, jealous by the lack of attention he was being given. Kyungsoo looked back at him with a smile, catching Kai’s hand before it had the chance to dart away again. He pressed his cheek into the other’s warm skin, ignoring the sound of Sehun grumbling beside them.

-

1: Even a wilting flower has beauty.