He came running over the hill and could finally see the village he had missed for so long. The village he left. He took the hood of his head and let the sun shine on his young face.

“Newmist. I’ve missed you.” He spoke in to the wind, hoping it would send the message to the village on its way. He took in a deep breath of relief. ‘I’m finally home.’ He felt something wet nudging against his hand. He looked down to see his dog his fingers. He smiled as he patted the dogs head. He looked up again towards the village.

“We’re home, Growl.” He said to his dog as they both admired the beautiful sight. Growl was a Border collie. He was Baekhyuns most loyal friend. He was the one Baekhyun could always play with and cuddle with. He never got angry at Growl. He didn’t need to. He never disappointed him or went against his words. He was as loyal to Baekhyun as colors is to a painter.

“Baekhyun! If you wouldn’t mind helping us here?!” Someone yelled behind him. The said boy rolled his eyes, but never stopped smiling. He turned around and started walking. He looked over his shoulder and whistled to get the dogs attention.

“Come on, Growl!” He exclaimed as they both started running towards the yelling voice.

They saw three boys who loaded food, clothing and other items aboard a wagon drawn by two horses. Black Pearl and Moonlight. Black Pearl was male black horse with white hair and white legs and Moonlight was a female. Her body and hair was the opposite of Black Pearl and she also had markings on her legs. Baekhyun walked towards them. He smiled at them and their noses. They were always calm and kind towards him and his friends, but could be very mean towards strangers. They were well trained and obedient.

“Baekhyun. A little help here?!” The voice yelled again.

“Sorry, Jongin.” Baekhyun said as he went to help the said boy. Jongin was trying to lift a big gunnysack, filled with God knows what, onto the wagon. It was heavy. Extremely heavy, but it had to board the wagon no matter what. They both slipped their hands under it and counted to three before lifting it up. They let out quite loud groans as they tried to walk towards the wagon. They threw it in, not bothering with stacking it over or under something. They both pulled back and wiped some sweat off their foreheads. Baekhyun glanced at Kai and admired his sweaty iness.

Jongin was one of Baekhyuns best friends. He was quite tan in comparison to Baekhyun, whom had quite fair skin. Jongin had a handsome face with a strong and sharp jawline. He had black hair that covered his, now sweaty, forehead. He had strong muscles, but they didn’t show that much. He was usually sweet and funny, but he could also be quite stern and angry. Although that was a pretty rare sight. Baekhyun himself had only seen it 4 times through 10 years of friendship. Jongin was younger than Baekhyun, but he sometimes acted older than him because Baekhyun loved being childish and playful. Something his brother Sehun both despised and loved.

“Sehun! Where is the other sack?” Jongin asked and looked around. Sehun came walking back with a much smaller sack on his back. Despite its size it was also very heavy. It was light enough though for one to lift it, but it was easier for two.

“Here!” He sighed as he dropped it to the ground. He bent back and used his hand to push against his back. Baekhyun twitched his entire body and scrunched his face when he heard the cracking sounds. He hated when Sehun, or anybody, did that.

Sehun was one of the three boys that were loading on all the stuff they had brought with them. Sehun was Baekhyuns younger brother, but he was taller and more mature and so people always thought of him as the big brother. Baekhyun is always cuddly with Sehun and always depends on him for everything. He doesn’t think of himself as the older one, and so does no one else. Sehun is both handsome and beautiful. He has fair skin just like Baekhyun and although he is both sweet and kind, he always had a poker face on. He smiled rarely and laughed never. But Baekhyun didn’t mind. He loved him either way.

“Sehun! Did you feed the horses?” Someone asked as they came within Baekhyuns sight. It was Jongdae. He was a little smaller than Baekhyun, but he looked much stronger. He was always playful and loved to joke around. He could be mean sometimes, but he was the most kind-hearted person Baekhyun had ever met.

“I’m sorry! I forgot.” Sehun apologized as he went to get the food from the wagon. There were a few gunnysacks filled with different types of food. Some for them and some for the horses. He lifted one up and carried it out. He opened the big gunnysack filled with oats in front of the horses and poured some on the ground in front of them and they immediately started eating. He closed the sack and carried it back to the wagon.

“There.” He said as he walked to the horses and started stoking Black Pearls neck. He was Sehuns favorite since he was Sehuns horse. Both Moonlight and Black Pearl belonged to their late father, but before he died they were given to each of them. Baekhyun got Moonlight and Sehun got Black Pearl. Sehun loved Black Pearl ever since he was a foal and he was ecstatic when he was given the ownership of him. Baekhyun loved Moonlight too, but not as much as he loved Growl.

“Jongdae, are you done?” Jongin asked as he walked over to Jongdae. Jongdae lifted the last gunnysack onto the wagon and closed up the opening in the back.  He turned to Jongin and gave him a smile.

“All set!” He exclaimed as they got onto the wagon. Sehun and Baekhyun walked beside their horses and they made their way towards the village. The village none of them imagined returning to.

(A/N: Something like this, but much bigger and with a wall on the front part. And when they ride in the wagon/cart they sit in front of the wall and rest their backs on it. I’m imagining it to be something about 2m x 4m. Maybe 2,5m x 5m. Just so that it’s enough room for their stuff.)

 

 

They followed the path to the village. Their heartbeats increased more and more as each minute they neared the place. None of them had been there in over 10 years. It wasn’t that they couldn’t go back, it was more that they didn’t dare. They hadn’t been thrown out or banished. They had gone on their own accord. Or more accurately: They fled. They couldn’t stay there for different reasons. They left without telling anyone or leaving some sort of message. They left and never came back. Until now.

They stopped a few minutes away from the village. Baekhyun couldn’t breathe correctly since his heart was beating so rapidly in his chest. He tightened the grip he had on the reins on Moonlight. He felt his feet wobbling underneath him.

“Baekhyun, you okay?” Sehun asked from beside him. Baekhyun turned his head and gave him a smile, but it didn’t convince Sehun. Sehun sighed as he walked closer. He pulled his shaking older brother into a hug. He wrapped his arms protectively around him and his head. Baekhyun let his one hand hang on the side of his body and the other was still gripping on the reins, but not so hard anymore. He nuzzled his face into his brothers broad chest and breathed out. He slowly started to feel his heartbeat going normal.

“I know you’re scared. I am too, but we have come all the way here and we can’t run away.” He said and loosened up the hug so he could look Baekhyun in the eyes.

“Not again.” He said and Baekhyun nodded. Sehun completely loosened the hug, but grabbed his brothers hand instead.

“Everything will be fine.” He said and gave Baekhyun one of his especially rare smiles filled with love. Baekhyun treasured those moments he got those smiles. They let him know that despite his stern face and quiet attitude, Sehun really did love him.

“Thanks, Sehun.” He said and tightened the grip on his brothers hand. He took one last breath and signalized to Jongin and Jongdae that they were continuing. Jongin nodded and whistled to the two horses. They started walking and they were once again on their way.

Jongdae was breathing heavily as they neared the entrance. Jongin, seeing this, placed a soothing hand on his back and began up and down.

“It’ll be fine.” Jongin said and gave Jongdae a consoling smile.

“How are you able to stay so calm?” Jongdae asked accusingly, but felt his breathing slowly getting easier.

“Aren’t you scared?” He asked and felt Jongins hand tense up a bit before it was back to .

“I am. I really am, but I know we have to do this. I can’t leave him again. I’m so close to start all over again and I won’t stop this time.“ Jongin said sternly.

“I really hope you are right. I want to start anew too, but I’m not sure if I can.” Jongdae said and gripped his hair in frustration.

“We’ll be fine.” Jongin said and smiled at the upset boy. ‘I hope.’ He thought to himself.

 

As they entered the village they got looks from everyone. Who wouldn’t stare at a wagon filled with lots of stuff, two extremely beautiful horses and four amazingly handsome gods. The 4 of them all had brown pants, but only Sehun and Jongin had beige colored shirts.

Sehun had a black tunic with t-shirt arms and a thin, white rope wrapped around his waist to keep the tunic secured. He had a two swords hanging on his back. He had matching black boots that went up to his mid legs and black leather armbands that went from his wrist and almost all the way up to his elbows. They had no special pattern or design. They just had a big S on the upperpart closest to his elbows.

Jongin had a dark brown tunic that were ripped open and were now worn as a vest. He had similar boots to Sehuns, but his was brown and not black. He only had one armband on his left arm. It was dark green and with a sort of crisscross pattern. He had a sword hooked into the leather belt around his waist.

Jongdae was wearing a dark, green shirt with thin arms and a hood. It went all the way down to his and he had a big belt around his waist. A dagger was hanging onto it. He had a brown vest like kai and he was wearing dark blue hoses that were full of holes and had black boots, just like Sehun.

Baekhyun was wearing dark blue shirt with a sort of cape around his sweater, but it only covered his shoulders and a hood were attached to it. He also had a belt around his waist, but nothing was hooked onto it. He had a bow and arrows hanging on his back. He wore grey hoses and brown boots like the others.

They all had weapons, which you needed in these places, but they never used them unless it was necessary. No one used weapons except guards and warriors. And a few travelers, like these four was. People were staring at them for a long time. They just tried getting through all the people walking around in the square. The smiled (except Sehun) in a hope that people wouldn’t think weirdly of them. Many of the elders smiled and bowed at them. A few kids waved to them and a lot of girls were fluttering their eyes at them and playing with their hair. Clearly interested in the handsome young men. And because of that they got glares from the other young men in the village. After a while people went back to their business and the four boys could finally relax and see if they could find a stall to live in for the moment.

“Do you think we should ask someone?” Sehun whispered to Baekhyun.

“I think that’ll be best.” Baekhyun whispered back. He saw three girls standing in front of an Inn.

He breathed in and out once and went over to them with a smile. Growl happily tagged along. Baekhyun tapped one girl on the shoulder and she turned around. He bowed with one hand on his chest and then bent up to give her a bright and kind smile. He could clearly see the blush on her face. They were all wearing the same clothes: A white shoulder shirt with a brown corset that looked sort of like a vest. The opening in the middle and then a skirt secured underneath it. The skirt  went from their waist to their feet. They all had different colors. One was red, the other green and the last one blue.

“Excuse me. My name is Baekhyun and me and my friends were wondering of there was a stall somewhere here where we could settle in for the night.” He asked politely. The girls started whispering between them.

“He is Cute… They are Handsome… Gods… Nice body…” Where what he could pick up. He mentally rolled his eyes at them, but never dropped the smile. They girl he asked looked at him and gave him a seductive look.

“If you want somewhere to live, you can stay with us.” She said and walked closer. Baekhyun lost the smile and gulped.

“We would really just like to get a stall. You know, for our horses.” He said politely and slowly walked back, but she just came closer.

“You don’t want to live with us?” Another girl with a green skirt asked and she too gave him a seductive look. He politely smiled and shook his head. The girls all started pouting.

“Why not? We could make good company.” A third girl with the blue skirt said as she walked up to Baekhyun and hugged his arm between her s. He blushed and gulped again before the second girl hugged his other arm in the same way. The first girl came towards him and her finger from his jawline and down to his collarbones. Growl started growling at them, but they ignored him. He wouldn’t jump on them or anything like that. Not unless Baekhyun told him to.

“Come play with us.” She whispered seductively.

“TAEYEON!! That’s enough!!” Someone shouted from behind the girls. The first girl (Taeyeon) groaned before she crossed her arms and stepped away.

“Tiffany and Seohyun, let him go!” The voice said and the two girls let go of his arms. Baekhyun immediately ran towards Growl and his head, trying to calm him down. Which he almost immediately did.

“What am I going to do with the three of you?” The voice asked as the person owning it walked out of the big door leading in to the inn. It was a handsome young man. He looked a little older than Baekhyun, but nowhere near 30. He had brown hair falling diagonally down his forehead and quite the strong built. He was smaller than Baekhyun. He had fair skin and eyes filled with kindness. He wore just a beige shirt with baggy arms and they were neatly stuffed into his brown pants. He had brown boots, just like every other guy and he had an apron hanging from his neck that were secured at his lower back. He was clearly the Innkeeper.

“Sorry, Junmyeon.” The three girls said before they ran into the inn. The said man shook his head and turned to Baekhyun. He immediately smiled and bowed to the young boy.

“I do apologize for my waitresses. They can be quite the pain to deal with, but they are all very kind. Under the surface.” He said and they both laughed a little. Baekhyun stood up from the ground and bowed back at the Innkeeper.

“My name is Kim Junmyeon and I own this Inn.” He said as he reached out his arm from Baekhyun to shake.

“Byun Baekhyun.” Baekhyun answered and gladly shook the hand of the kind man.

“What can I help you with?” He asked Baekhyun.

“We were wondering if you had a stall we could place our horses and maybe sleep in tonight.” Baekhyun said politely to the nice man.

“Of course!” Junmyeon exclaimed and clapped his hands.

“We have a stall right behind the Inn. We can place your horses there and you can sleep in our Inn.” He said as he walked towards the wagon. Baekhyun ran towards the innkeeper as he walked towards Black Pearl and Moonlight.

“I wouldn’t touch them if I were you.” Sehun said as he stood between the horses and Junmyeon, arms stretched to the sides. He chuckled.

“Don’t worry. I’ve handled thousands of horses before.” He said as he ducked under Sehuns arm and walked closer to Moonlight. He slowly placed a hand on her neck and started it lovingly.

“You are such a pretty girl. I guess you’re tired after the long tour here, but don’t you worry. We’ll make it comfortable for you and your friends.” Junmyeon said as he started the horses head. Baekhyun dropped his jaw when he saw Moonlight melt into the touch. She even nuzzled her head against Junmyeons hand.

“Aww!! You are such a pretty girl.” He cooed as he hugged her neck. He then walked over to Black Pearl and did the exact same. his neck and then his head. Black Pearl also melted into the touch and also nuzzles his head into Junmyeons hand. That’s when Sehuns jaw dropped. Black Pearl was never cozy to anyone else than Sehun.

“You are such a good boy.” Junmyeon cooed as he grabbed the reins of the horses and started leading them towards the Inn stall. Sehun, Baekhyun, Jongdae and Jongin all had their jaws dropped.

“It’s not possible.” Baekhyun mumbled as thy followed the man towards the stall. Growl followed them obediently. As they neared the stall, Junmyeon told the boys to wait outside as he unhooked the big wagon and got the horses into one cubicle each. He took of all the equipment and hung it on the wall. He poured some water into one bucket and food in another. He did that for both the horses. Before he left he gave them one apple each and their heads.

“He is good.” Baekhyun whispered to Sehun as they watch Junmyeon take care of their horses.

“Uh huh..” Sehun mumbled, unable to utter a single word. When Junmyeon walked towards them, they panicked and ran back to Jongin and Jongdae.

“So!” Junmyeon exclaimed as he walked towards the four boys.

“You guys must be hungry.” He said and motioned for them to follow him, which they did. They followed him to the back door and they went in.

The inside was huge. The entire walls was built of brick and the rest of the house was built of nothing else than wood. There were wooden floors, furnitures, roof and a few windows here and there. It was a huge fireplace were some soup was cooked in a huge cauldron hanging from a hook. There were some dogs laying in front of it, keeping themselves warm. The Bar was right next to the staircase that went up to all the bedrooms. Every table was rectangular and could fit about 6 people around them. The place was filled with candles on the table, the counters, the end of the staircase and a few chandeliers hanging from the roof. There were both young and old people there, drinking and laughing and enjoying themselves. It looked so cozy.

“Welcome to Newshine Inn!” Junmyeon exclaimed happily before he went behind the bar counter.

“Newshine? Like in Newmist? Did you come up with that name?” Baekhyun asked and saw Junmyeon blushing.

“No. My husband did that.” He said and smiled to himself. Jongin, Jongdae, Sehun and Baekhyun all dropped their jaws.

“HUSBAND???” They nearly shouted in unison. Junmyeon jumped slightly, but smiled nonetheless.

“Yes. My husband Y-“ He stopped his sentence when a young man from behind him wrapped his arms around his waist. He turned his head and smiled brightly.

“Yixing!” He exclaimed before giving the said man a kiss on the cheek.

“Guys, this is my husband: Zhang Yixing.” He said as he introduced the man. Yixing unwrapped his arms from Junmyeons waist and bowed to the four boys. The man was taller than Junmyeon, but looked younger. He had fluffy brown hair that was brushed to fall diagonally over his forehead. He had cute and friendly brown eyes and when he smiled, he got a cute dimple on his right cheek. He had a strong body and wore just a dark green vest, a black leather belt around his waist, black pants and burgundy boots. He was very handsome.

“It’s nice to meet you all. Welcome to Newshine Inn.” He said and smiled happily. He had a sweet voice, clearly musical.

“T-thank you.” Jongin stuttered as they slowly got over the whole ‘husband’ thing.

“Are you guys hungry?” Yixing asked as he walked to the fireplace. He grabbed a ladle and poured some soup into four bowls. He placed them on a board and walked to a table where the four boys were now seated. He gave each one a bowl and a spoon.

“Just eat till your stomachs explode! It is my special, homemade chicken soup.” Yixing said and smiled proudly. The four boys laughed and started eating.

“Oh My God!! This is delicious!!” Jongin exclaimed and started eating in a not so beautiful way. Yixing and Junmyeon raised their eyebrows at him.

“Please excuse him. He just really loves chicken.” Jongdae explained and everyone laughed.

“Well, I’m glad he likes it. Can I get you some more?” Yixing asked when Jongin was going empty. Jongin smiled brightly, soup all over his face, and nodded rapidly. Yixing giggled and walked to the fireplace to get more soup. When he got back he handed the soup over to Jongin and went with Junmyeon to take care of the other customers. Baekhyun would occasionally look over the room and sometimes he caught Junmyeon and Yixing kissing on both the cheeks, noses, foreheads and sometimes even the lips. No one seemed to mind. They lived in their own world and the customers accepted that. Baekhyun felt jealous. If only he could be like as carefree about his feelings.

 

 

“Soo… Where are we going now?” Jongdae asked as they went strolling through the streets, admiring almost everything they saw. The village was just as Baekhyun remembered. The houses were standing close together, the rooms were all filled with light, and the streets were filled with laughter, playing, talking, singing and so much more. It was as if no one had any problems or worries in their life. People were smiling at them, waving, bowing and even sometimes talking to them.

“This village is so sweet.” Jongdae said when he saw a small wagon filled with all kinds of fruits. Watermelons, apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, pears, lemons, etc. He beamed up, grabbed Jongins arm and ran towards it. Sehun and Baekhyun gave each other the ‘our-stupid-friends’ look. Quite a common look between the two. Baekhyun shrugged his shoulders and the walked to their idiotic friends.

“This!”

“And This!”

“And That!”

“We have to take these!”

“I hate to break your moment here, but we don’t have any money.” Sehun said as he sat down on a wooden stool next to the wagon. Jongin and Jongdae glared at him.

“Don’t worry. I’m not selling this.” A voice said. They all turned their heads to see an old man behind them. He had his hands on his back and a big, friendly smile on his face. He came walking towards the boys.

“This is for the festival.” He said. They four boys frowned in a confused manner.

“Festival?” Sehun asked as he gave the stool to the old man for to sit on.

“It’s never been a festival here.” Jongin said as he placed all the food back on the wagon. Jongdae did the same.

“It’s only been here for 10 years.” The man explained. He gave signs to the boys for to sit down on the ground, which they did. 

“10 years ago there was an incident. Four people disappeared on the same night. They didn’t know each other, but it’s said that they left for the same reason. One reason only. No one knows who they were. They don’t even know if the story is true. They just know that these four people left without telling anyone. No note, no message, no sign. Nothing. They disappeared with the wind. And they have never returned. It’s been said that maybe they will. When they have nothing left to fear.” The old man told and the four boys listened, completely drowned in the story.

“Why has it become a festival of it?” Jongin asked quietly.

“Because after they left, the prince was acting weird. He was sad and unhappy. The king wanted to cheer him up and so he created an yearly festival for everyone to enjoy. It’s the one week of the year when everyone is free to do whatever they want.” The old man said with a bright smile.

“Why did the prince become unhappy?” Sehun asked and the man looked a little surprised when he saw Sehuns stern face. He looked emotionless.

“I apologize for him. He’s been like that since birth. But he is kind. I promise.” Baekhyun said to the old man and made him relax.

“Well, no one knows for sure why he became like that, but everyone thinks it’s because he didn’t like the fact that people ran away from his village.” The old man shrugged.

“OH NO!” The old man yelled and jumped up from the stool. The boys got up from the ground too.

“What’s wrong?” Jongdae asked and walked closer to the man.

“I was to bring this wagon to the castle, but with my back I can’t bring it there fast enough. Oh what am I going to do??” He cried out. Baekhyun felt sorry for the old man.

“We’ll do it for you.” Sehun said and surprised everyone. The old man looked at him in disbelief.

“Why would you do that?” He asked him.

“Because you’re a kind old man and because I really want to see the castle.” He explained and grabbed the handles of the wagon and started walking. They all watched him with wide eyes.

“He is one strange kid.” The old man mumbled and the three boys nodded.

“Excuse us, sir. Thanks for the story. We’ll make sure to get the wagon to the castle.” Baekhyun said and bowed to the old man. Jongin and Jongdae did the same before they ran after Sehun. The old man shook his.

“Say it’s a delivery from Han Woo!” The old man shouted after them.

“Such strange young boys.” he mumbled to himself before he went home.

 

 

“What was that about?” Baekhyun asked Sehun as the neared the castle.

“I wanted to be nice.” Sehun said and kept staring at the road in front of him.

“Come on! You’re never nice without a reason. Tell me the truth.” Baekhyun said as he ran in front of the wagon, forcing Sehun to stop. He crossed his arms over his chest.

“I’m waiting.” He said and tapped his food repeatedly on the ground. Sehun rolled his eyes and sighed.

“I need to see someone.” He said before pushing the wagon around Baekhyun and continued walking.

“Who I Gods name does he need to talk to in the castle?” Jongdae asked as he and Jongin walked up to Baekhyun.

“I… have absolutely no idea.” Baekhyun said and stared blankly at Sehuns figure walking away. Jongin placed a hand on their shoulders and stood in the middle of them.

“I’m just like you guys. I have no idea, but I don’t think we’ll find out if we just keep standing here.” He said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. They stared at each other before they rushed over to Sehun.

 

“Stop! No passers without the Kings acceptance!” One of the guards said as the four boys stood in front of the gate into the castle. The two other guards was holding spears and used them to block the way.

“We’re really sorry, sir. We’re just here to deliver this fruit wagon from Han Woo. He didn’t have the time to bring it himself.” Jongdae told them with a smile. The guard signalized to the other guards, they immediately lowered their spears, and the first guard told the boys to follow him inside to the castle. They walked down the path to the big front door. The sides of the path was filled with flowers, lights and a few statues here and there in the garden. There were purple/pink trees all around and hedges trimmed to be perfect.

The big entrance door was about 30 feet high. It was made of iron and it was so much art on it. Patterns, pictures, statues etc. They were just markings in the door, but it looked so extremely beautiful. The rest of the castle was made fully of brick. It was big and spacious. It had a few towers here and there and windows where light shined both in and out. Two guards guarded the door. They opened it as soon as they saw the first guard getting close.

(A/N: I’m not thinking exactly like this, but close enough. Imagine the garden where you see that bridge-thingy on the left side.)