Oh Sehun was a saint. He was a good king, an even better prince. Yes, truly, he was a good king, a king who killed “witches”, who brought misfortune wherever he went and even killed his former lover. But it hadn’t been his fault, after all, a curse laid on the handsome boy had caused this misfortune, it hadn’t been the good prince’s fault.

No—

That wasn’t true, though that was what the townspeople were told. The king in no way was good and though a curse had been laid on him, it had entirely been his own fault. He had known his lover was innocent, falsely accused; he even had evidence against the accuser but he had let his love die and had taken the accuser, a young woman, as his wife. Perhaps the young Oh Sehun had merely been a fool, or perhaps he had been attempting to please the people, who were sure the boy, Sehun’s lover, had been a witch. He had fit the part too, the soft, almost girly features, the charming laugh and the sympathetic, sweet nature he had. But that did not excuse Oh Sehun’s actions, Oh Sehun who stood there stone faced as he watched his lover be burned alive. Oh Sehun who had heard the soft, final, ‘I love you’ that had fallen from the boy’s lips before he died, the flames eating up his body. And with those words, the guilt that had been instilled in him when he first ordered the boy to die began eating him up, turning him into a hollow shell.

The guilt was not the only cause of this though, there was help. Sehun’s dead lover, had been blessed by a goddess. Blessed by the goddess of the water who all called the Lady of the Lake, after the Arthurian legend. The king’s lover was to grow old with Sehun and rule a kingdom with his tranquility, fashioned perfectly to match with Sehun’s fiery passion. He was to be Sehun’s best friend, lover, and strongest advisor. And when the king’s lover finally died a peaceful death, he was to go to serve the Lady of the Lake, to bring happiness and freedom to the land which was all too often wracked by plague, famine, and war.

But a young girl, vengeful and power hungry, had cut the poor boy’s time short. And for the part Prince Oh had played in destroying a life, the Lady of the Lake set a curse on him. She made the prince’s heart frozen, always longing for something, and made sure that wherever he traversed, Oh Sehun would encounter misfortune. But the misfortune he wrought on others was not the Lady’s doing but the doing of the prince’s new, young wife. How ironic, the accuser of witchcraft was a witch herself. A naturally evil and manipulative woman, she had not only helped Sehun push away the memories of his former lover and the guilt that ate him up, but added to the curse the Lady of the Lake set on Sehun. Wherever they went, they brought evil and misfortune. For five years they ruled a deteriorating land and finally, in Good King Sehun’s 26^th year in the living world, in the eleventh year after the burning of his love, things finally began to change.

Oh Sehun, per usual, was having trouble with the hollow gnawing in his heart. He was always looking for something, for someone, and nothing had been able to settle this need. His wife had convinced him it was merely because he wasn’t satisfied with the justice that had been doled out and had set out encouraging him to find and burn more witches. While Sehun wasn’t quite sure that was the answer, the burnings did bring him a little solace, pulling at an old memory that seemed to connect to the gnawing of his heart. It did nothing to alleviate the need, but it was an emotion, one other than hollowness and longing, one that Sehun relished.  However, there were problems that were arising. Many of the girls and boys that were sentenced to burnings were disappearing, with the perpetrator nowhere in sight, no evidence to be found. And so, good king Oh Sehun took it on himself to catch the villain and return the girls and boys to their rightful place on the stake. He set up camp outside of the joint prison cell with two girls sentenced to die on the stake. He checked on them periodically, eyes glinting as he attempted to find any evidence that someone had entered or was planning on entering the cell.

Nothing.

Eventually, he dozed off, only to awaken to a soft melodious voice. For a moment he thought he was in a dream, but as he stumbled to his feet and unlocked the door to the prison cell, the sleep was wiped from his mind at the sight of the singular figure in the cell.

A boy.

And not just a regular boy.

A beautiful one.

Full lips, ruffled blonde hair, soft features and a limber and light stance. Even in a simple long sleeved white shirt with loose sleeves and golden cuffs that marked the clothes of a middle class man, he was beautiful. The most beautiful thing about him though, was his eyes. A deep, stormy black, the boy’s eyes were full of secrets. Of untold I love yous, of uttered confessions, of such deep understanding for a moment it rendered Sehun speechless.

But Oh Sehun was a king, and kings didn’t let anything surprise or stun them.

“Who are you? Do you know who I am? You should be on your knees, uttering praises right about now.”

The boy crossed his arms, a smirk playing on his lips as he huffed, the same melodious voice now mocking and cold. It made Sehun’s heart shiver. “I know who you are Good King Oh Sehun. But I don’t bow to just about anyone. I only bow to gods and goddesses.”

Oh Sehun was not used to this insolence, especially not from a boy from a lower class than him. “Who are you swine? And what’s your business here?” The king leveled his sword, striding to the boy in two big steps, pressing his sword to the boy’s pale neck. “Speak up or face my wrath.”

The boy laughed this time, a high, mocking laugh. “You cannot hurt me Oh Sehun. I am Lu Han, under the protection of the Lady of Lake, sent here to rescue girls who would be unrightfully burned at the stake.” The only words that stuck in Sehun’s mind were Lu Han and Lady of the Lake. The name, even echoing in his mind seemed to send a warmth throughout his body, warming his frozen heart. How curious that just this boy’s name warmed his heart. The power of the Lady of the Lake was great. Carefully, Sehun moved his sword away from the other’s neck, sheathing it as he uttered quietly

“You’re under the protection of the Lady hm? You know she cast a curse on me?” The strange response seemed to catch Lu Han off guard for a moment before he seemed to gather himself and nod, voice seeming to soften a bit.

“I do.”

“A curse, a curse to freeze my heart, to send misfortune scrambling after my every step.” Sehun was in his own world now, gently touching his wrist as he spoke to himself. “Oh, how I suffered.”

“Well you must have brought it upon yourself.” The boy seemed unsympathetic, shrugging before he added “Besides, what do you want me to do about it?”

“Take me to her.” Sehun looked up, meeting Luhan’s eyes. “Let me ask her what I did.”

“You don’t remember?”

“My memories were repressed by a force outside of my control. A curse perhaps. Let me ask her what I did, let me beg her to free me from this curse. I have suffered long enough, I’m ready to beg for her forgiveness.”

“What about your kingdom?”

“My wife is capable enough to rule over it while I’m gone.”

Luhan’s face contorted in pain for a moment, the boy seeming unsure before he finally let out a sigh, running his fingers through his blonde locks. “I usually would say no but—there’s just something about you.” He seemed to grumble to himself for a moment before he sighed again, shaking his head. “Alright, alright, let’s get going then. We have lots of ground to cover.”

“Can’t you just—I don’t know, teleport us there?”

Luhan fixed Sehun with an appraising look as he strode past the king, Sehun moving right after, the king’s hand still on his sword. “Do you think I can just teleport back and forth as I please? You sound foolish. Besides, it can only work with one person anyways.”

“How did you get the accused out of the cell then?”

Luhan snorted. “That’s different. I was able to send them to the Lady because the Lady allowed me to. All who she decides to save and all those who serve her can enter easily. Those who do not, well, it’s not so easy then. If you really wish to meet her we’ll have to take the long way.”

“And what is this long way you speak of?”

Luhan didn’t answer for a while. When he finally did however, a smile seemed to slip onto his face as he uttered a soft “There’s no way you’d be able to find the way and no way I could give you perfect directions. Come on, I’ll show you the way. Hurry up and grab whatever you need to get and we’ll get going. I need to go there anyways.” The boy seemed to speak to the king as if he was a child, and Sehun obeyed, eager to get going as he moved to pack what he could and get moving.

Perhaps if Sehun wasn’t in such a hurry, perhaps he would have seen the storm raging in Luhan’s eyes.

--

Lu Han, it seemed, moved about as fast as Sehun. The boy seemed to always be pressing forward, not stopping until it was too dark to see. He avoided the main roads and big towns, deciding to stick to the smaller side roads and countryside. “This way you won’t be recognized in the villages we stop in.” Luhan stated rather matter-of-factly. Not that Luhan stopped in the little scattered villages anyways. The boy preferred camping out in the middle of nowhere. They settled in caves, in plains, anywhere “without a proper bed” Sehun complained. Honestly though, he quite liked it. He wasn’t used to the silence, the intimacy. It was even intimate with someone like Luhan who kept his distance from Sehun. The chatted yes, but Luhan told nothing about himself to Sehun, barely even smiling as he ushered Sehun along.

But Luhan’s lifestyle could only last for so long.

The first time they stopped in an actual village was because they were running low on food. Luhan was actually quite reluctant to do it even then but there was nothing he could have done.

“Let’s get out of here as soon as possible.” The boy grumbled softly as Sehun merely rolled his eyes, the two of them striding into town. “And keep your head down.” Luhan added, snapping at the king who raised an eyebrow in question “We don’t need any more attention than we already have.”

Considering how Sehun had gotten no attention at all because they hadn’t seen another living soul in their days of travels, there seemed to be no problem in general. Nevertheless, he lowered his head.

However, no matter what Sehun did, he still radiated the aura of a noble. Beggars swarmed around them immediately, tens of beggars, each with their own sob story. Sehun ignored all of them. Luhan, heart soft, gave them each a coin. Most left right then.

But a woman, messy dark hair pulled into a bun with ragged clothes, falling to her knees even after she was given a coin, caught Luhan’s attention. She held onto his shirt, tears streaked on her face as she croaked out softly.

“Please—I don’t usually beg but my son—my poor son—“

“Oh please woman, we’ve heard enough sob stories on our journey.” Sehun scowled, moving to try to yank the woman away from Luhan. He didn’t like how she was touching him.

“Wait.” Luhan’s voice caused Sehun to pause, the king’s eyes flickering to the boy’s face. He’d never seen that expression on Luhan’s face. It was a gentle one, the boy’s eyes were soft and for one moment, he seemed vulnerable. “What’s wrong with your son?”

“My son he—recently he fell and got a fairly large cut. We thought to just treat it with alcohol because that’s all we could afford but it just got worse. He has a high fever now and we can’t do anything to break it, please, if you just gave me a little more coin I could afford a healer for him—“ the woman broke into sobs again, the tears creating clear streaks on her cheeks before Luhan leaned down, gently pulling the woman to her feet.

“I think I should be able to help your son.” Luhan smiled, his eyes gentle as the woman stopped sobbing immediately, her eyes clearing a bit. “Though I don’t know if my remedies will work, I have a fair hand at herbs. You said he has a cut and a high fever correct?”

The woman nodded.

“Then turmeric, catnip and peppermint. Let me see if I can find some of these herbs and make a salve and concoction for your son, okay?” Luhan smiled, gently rubbing the woman’s back as he soothed softly “We’ll be back in town shortly okay? Wait for us.” The woman smiled, a hesitant smile, but finally, there was a bit of hope in her eyes.

Luhan pulled away, gesturing to Sehun “Come on, let’s find those herbs.”

--

During the search, for a long time all that could be heard was the soft almost birdcall-like whistles Luhan uttered. Sehun had asked a quiet “do we have time?” before the search but since Luhan had shut him down with a hard “Of course we have time.” The king had been silent. He was thinking, busy analyzing the expression on Luhan’s face when he had spoken to the woman and the gentle way that he had handled the other. It had sent a piercing thrum in his heart, shaking it like nothing ever had in a long time. It nearly brought a smile to his lips.

“What are you thinking about?”

Luhan nudged him lightly, causing the king to blink out of his thoughts before he fixed his eyes on the other, raising an eyebrow. “How did you know I was thinking?”

“Because you have this expression on your face when you’re deep in thought and it’s so obvious. Oh and probably the fact that you clearly aren’t busy picking the herbs I’m looking for.”

Sehun was silent for a moment. “I’m thinking about how upset I am, considering my curse is what caused all the misfortune in the town.” He stated it so matter-of-factly. He was done wallowing over that fact, he had been done years ago.

Luhan snorted at the king’s words, rolling his eyes as he replied “You blame everything on your curse, don’t you.”

“What do you mean?”

Luhan crossed his arms, setting down his herbs for a moment as he gazed at Sehun, raising an eyebrow. “You’re surprisingly helpless for a king. Let me tell you something, Oh Sehun.” The messenger took a step forward, meeting Sehun’s eyes “People die every day. And it’s not always your fault. What is your fault though, is the condition you keep your damn kingdom in. Sure, misfortune follows your every step, but have you ever tried to stop it instead of wallowing in your own self-pity?”

Sehun merely let out a hollow laugh “You don’t understand my pain.”

That comment sent Luhan off the edge. “You don’t think I understand your pain?” the blonde boy snapped, shoving the other “You don’t think I know what you’ve been through? Sehun—I’m dead, I died an early and horrible death and you don’t think I understand your misfortune? I know exactly what it means to be in pain, both physically and mentally, so don’t even talk to me about that. What you should be doing, you , is figuring out how to minimize the damage you’ve done. The misfortune you’ve been causing has only been multiplying because you haven’t been taking care of your country. Now shut up and help me pick the goddamn herbs.” The boy cut himself off, breathing heavily as he moved to rip the green leaves from the ground, nearly smashing them into the basket.

 It was the first time Sehun had been able to invoke a reaction like this and while the king felt a twinge in his heart, he merely pushed it aside and raised an eyebrow.

“You’re dead?”

“Long story.” Luhan replied shortly, still picking herbs though he seemed to have calmed down a little, now delicately picking the flowers.

“We have time.”

“Later.” Luhan merely shoved the other again, though this time there was no bite to his words though there was a glare on his face. “Now help me pick herbs.”

--

The moment Luhan applied the salve to the young boy’s rooms, the boy seemed to calm. He was asleep of course, but he had been thrashing and whimpering the whole time, out of his mind with a high fever. However, after the wound had been wrapped up with clean bandages and the concoction had been fed to the boy, he seemed to relax immensely, breath steady as he, immediately, seemed better. His mother was overjoyed. The woman wept and begged Luhan to take some food as thanks, though he tried his best to fend her off.

“We have to get going now.” The blonde boy spoke cheerfully, a smile on his lips as he bid the tearful woman goodbye. “Just make sure to give him that drink every single day and to apply new bandages and the salve every day as well. Good luck!” he waved, lips curling into a smile as he turned, Sehun already waiting ahead, the both of them only pausing as the woman cried out in return.

“We’ll tell Yixing stories about you two. The two good men who saved his life.” She lifted her arm in farewell.

Luhan merely smiled, continuing to walk as he whistled a bright tune. Sehun had never seen him this happy, had never seen him shine this brightly. Yet the king merely uttered a brief

“That was dangerous you know. Those who are good with herbs are often convicted as witches and burned.”

“Sehun. I told you, I’m dead. Besides, I can’t be killed anyways. Oh and off, this is a happy moment, don’t ruin it with your morbid thoughts.” Luhan didn’t even break stride, a bright smile on his face before he let out a laugh, running forward before he gestured to Sehun “Come on! Hurry up, we don’t have all day after all. We lost a lot of time helping out there.” And though his words were urgent, there was a smile on the messenger’s face, a smile that seemed to light up the sky.

Sehun smiled.

--

The next couple weeks Luhan seemed to open up to him. The boy seemed to have a spring in his step, fluttering like a butterfly as he moved. Laughing and smiling seemed much easier, and Luhan didn’t hesitate to tease Sehun. It was as if a barrier had been broken between them. Smiling seem much easier now to Sehun as well. There were no longer the stiff, formal smiles of the court but the bright smiles of a free man. He was a little rusty with the whole teasing part, but well, his heart felt fuller than it had in a long time. However, there was one thing that had not been addressed between them both. Luhan, when asked about himself, seemed to close for a moment. He avoided the topic, twisting words like a fox until Sehun eventually gave up pressing at that moment.

However, eventually under Sehun’s insistence the boy seemed to balk. After a full day of traveling, the two set up camp for the night, settling themselves down before Luhan sighed, closing his eyes.

“What do you want to know?”

Sehun was silent for a moment, considering his questions before he murmured softly “You’re dead?”

“Kind of.” The boy shrugged, taking a nearby stick to coax at the small fire that they had started only moments before sitting down “I mean, I died, yes. But luckily the Lady of the Lake was able to save my soul from well, I don’t really know where and give me my body back.  So I’m human like you of course, I have a physical being and I can be hurt, but I cannot be killed.”

“Care to tell me the story of your past?”

Luhan snorted, rolling his eyes “No. Too touchy of a subject. Try again.”

“Okay.” Sehun snorted, lips curling into a small smile at the other’s words before he hummed, tilting his head as he thought. “Well, I mean, there has to be some catch right? It sounds too good to be true, the Lady of the Lake just giving you, well, immortality.”

“Hey, the Lady is good.” Luhan scowled before he admitted “But there is a catch. The Lady saved me because I was to serve under her. I am to be her servant and to travel the world, saving those who do not deserve to die to bring to the Lady. To save those who are innocent.”

“So there is a catch.” Sehun smiled, triumphant for a moment before he tilted his head, gazing at the other “Have you ever thought of leaving the Lady though? You must have served for a long time.”

“The Lady is kind.” Luhan frowned at the other’s words, fingers playing with his shirt absentmindedly “Not many choose to leave her, where would we go? We cannot leave her either, the Lady sends us on missions and allows us into the human world when she needs us to. If she does not need us to go on missions, she keeps us safe in her home. Mind you, she has a very large home.” Luhan flashed a smile at the other, letting out a small chuckle.

“Has anyone ever tried to escape?” Sehun tilted his head, genuinely curious as he gazed at the other. “I mean, there must be some who tire of doing her bidding.”

“Why of course, there are some who eventually tire though many choose to stay for the Lady is warm and kind to us. But those who tire merely have to tell the Lady and they are released from their duties. Some though,” Luhan paused, a troubled expression coming over his face “Some choose to leave, to run away to the human world for one reason or another. The Lady warns us all what happens if we run to the human world and yet some still do.”

“And what happens?” Luhan’s eyes flickered to meet the king’s surprised at how eager the other seemed before he shifted, a little uncomfortable, swallowing as he fell silent for a moment.

“We all depend on the Lady for our life energy, she is the one who gave us our bodies’ back, who kept our souls from flying away. Those who are away from her for too long without her consent well, they are cut off from her supply of energy. They may sustain themselves on food for a while but eventually they all…fade.”

The air suddenly seemed quite a bit darker than before, and Sehun couldn’t help the small shiver that ran down his spine at the other’s words though he hastily covered it up with a sharp laugh “So the Lady of the Lake isn’t as good as you make her out to be.”

“She is good!” Luhan snapped back, scrunching his nose at the other’s words “I’m sure she doesn’t mean to make them fade, it just happens. Besides, she makes it her job to help all of those condemned people who are actually innocent. Just like humans to put the blame on those who have done nothing wrong, whether it be because of a grudge or to get out of their own problems.”

“Humans aren’t all that bad.” Sehun replied, taken aback by the distain in Luhan’s voice “You used to be a human too, how can you say that?”

Luhan was quiet for a moment, averting his eyes before he murmured softly “A human took my life when I had done nothing wrong, of course I feel dislike humans.” He looked up, and Sehun felt his heart throb at how sad the other seemed. But it had been too long since Oh Sehun had felt such an emotion, and the king had no idea what to do. So he merely cleared his throat, shifting in place. “So how exactly does the Lady of the Lake give you tasks? Does she tell you verbally and you just go? And afterwards you return to her?”

“No, well kind of.” The sadness in Luhan’s eyes had disappeared immediately, the messenger’s eyes unreadable again as he poked the fire. “She may tell us our first mission and send us off, but along the way, she may come up with other missions for us. The lady is after all, all knowing. And when we are on our trip, if she needs us to do something else, she’ll just tell us te—“the boy cut himself off as he seemed to let out a shudder.

A little spooked, Sehun glanced around, hand moving to his sword as he gazed at the messenger who had closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. There was no sound, no movement as Luhan held in his breath, eyes closed. And then with one fluid motion the messenger exhaled and the world seemed to begin to spin again.

“Telepathically.” Luhan finished before he stood up, grim as he moved to extinguish the first before a noise of protest rose from Sehun’s lips. “Like she did with me just now. Come on Se, we have to get going. The town we need to go to isn’t too far away, we can make it there and get business done before dawn. Then we can get moving again.”

The messenger was already heading away from camp before a word exited Sehun’s mouth and the king hurried to catch up, slinging his bag over his shoulder. Luhan had left his behind. “Wait,” the king finally got a chance to speak as he matched Luhan’s pace easily “Where are we going and what the hell are we doing?”

“We’re going to a nearby town that I had tried to avoid because I don’t want you to get noticed. Why? Well, apparently they’re burning some witches tomorrow morning.”

“That’s good though isn’t it?” Sehun blinked, blank as he gazed at the messenger who continued to hurry forward. “They’re getting what they deserve, those witches.”

“, Sehun they aren’t witches!” Luhan cursed, pausing for a moment to round on the other, smacking Sehun’s arm “They’re innocent, that’s why we’re going to save them.”

“The convictions must have some weight.” They had arrived at the town.

“I call bull.” Though Luhan’s voice was barely above a whisper, it held almost as much weight as if the boy had yelled. Sehun fell silent. Now that they had arrived at the town, the blonde had broken into a slight jog, Sehun hurrying after the boy who headed towards a seedy looking building, even more run down than all the other buildings in an already run down town. There weren’t even guards posted on the outside, however Luhan instantly headed to the back of the building, taking a deep breath as he pressed his hand to the cool brick.

Instantly, his hands began to glow a dim blue and Sehun watched in amazement as the bricks seem to melt and shift like water, morphing itself into a door which Luhan quickly opened, a grim smile on his lips as murmured almost mockingly “Have the honors of going in first.”

“So this is how you saved those witches that we had locked up.” Sehun bit his lip, stepping into the darkness, waiting for his eyes to adjust.

“They weren’t witches.” Luhan hissed in reply, stepping in after as he closed the door behind them “And mighty fine job you did, locking them up in a windowless room. They nearly went crazy, poor girls and boys.”

Sehun merely stayed silent as his eyes adjusted, instantly shuddering at the dark, damp cell. Though it was warm outside, it was chilly in here, and as his eyes adjusted in the darkness, he found himself looking at two girls, clumped together in the corner, staring at him and Luhan with frightened girls.

For a moment, there was merely silence.

Then Luhan stepped forward, a gentle smile curving on his lips as he extended a hand to the girls. “Don’t be afraid of me. I am a messenger of the Lady of the Lake. You two were convicted as witches weren’t you?”

Both the girls were quiet for a moment, eyes wide as they stared at the two boys before the one who seemed to be the older of the two uttered “Yes sir, my sister and I were convicted. But I swear we did nothing! We were just trying to help the baby, it wasn’t our fault she died. And our mama blamed us, calling us witches. Our stepmama never liked us…”

The younger girl seemed to let out a muffled sob, and Luhan’s whole posture seemed to soften. Sehun could feel his eyes drawn to the messenger who seemed to glow even in the darkness. He seemed like an angel, the way he spoke and stood. Perhaps he was.

“Don’t worry, I know you’re innocent.” Luhan stepped forward, not deterred at the way the girls seemed to shrink from him. “As I said, I’m a messenger of the Lady of the Lake. You know the Lady right? You must have heard stories about her.”

“Isn’t the Lady a myth?” the younger girl seemed a bit bolder now, her eyes wide with curiosity at Luhan’s words though she still clung tightly to her older sister.

“To some she is.” Luhan’s eyes seemed to glow brightly now, a smile on his lips as he spoke gently to the two girls. “The Lady will only reveal herself to the most noble, the most brave and the most kind of the kind. That’s why I am here. Because the Lady knows how brave and kind you two have been and knows that you’ve done nothing wrong. I’ll bring you to her okay? And what you do after that well, that’ll be your choice. Come on, I don’t bite, you can come here. Just take my hand okay? And I’ll rescue you from this dark place.”

The girls were hesitant at first, the younger girl looking up at the older, the older meeting Luhan’s gaze dead on, trying to tell if Luhan was lying or not. Sehun itched to speak up, to tell both girls roughly that Luhan was telling the truth and that they were foolish to doubt him, but merely stayed silent. Sehun would merely mess things up, best let Luhan do this.

And finally, when Sehun nearly spoke up to tell Luhan that it was no use, the elder girl extended her hand.

Slowly, she reached forward, and with a sort of innocent hesitance, allowed Luhan to take her hand. The younger girl merely clung to the older.

“Now close your eyes and count to ten, and I promise you, when you open them you’ll be in a better place.” The girls willingly obeyed as the younger, her voice shaky and high pitched, began to count.

“One, Two—“

Luhan closed his eyes, letting out a deep breath as blue light seemed to envelop the two, water seeming to trickle from the walls and the floor as it gathered around the girls.

“Three, Four—“

The water created a wall, enveloping the girls as it began to swirl and Sehun watched in awe.

“Five, Six—“

The water had completely enveloped the girls now as it began to swirl faster.

“Seven, Eight—“

Luhan drew away now, though the boy didn’t open his eyes just yet.

“Nine, Te—“

The girls were gone and Luhan visibly exhaled. He seemed exhausted, and Sehun felt the urge to wrap his arms around the other. For a moment, Luhan merely stood there, before his lips curled into a relieved smile as he gazed at Sehun. “They’re safe.”

“You saved them.” Sehun returned the smile, and he could feel his heart jump a few beats as he murmured, still in awe. “You saved them.”

“No, we saved them.” Luhan let out an exhilarated laugh before he pulled Sehun out of the cell, causing the door to melt behind them back into bricks as he began to run “Come on, let’s get moving.”

--

Even though Luhan was the creator of miracles, the Lady of the Lake who he credited it all to could not do everything. She was, of course, one goddess and even she could not watch over everything, even she failed sometimes.

And Luhan being Luhan, instead of blaming the Lady, always blamed himself.

“—Luhan it’s not your fault!” Sehun snapped, hands moving to grip the other’s waist as he pulled Luhan away from the baby who he had tried to save. The baby that now lay still, having taken its last breath.

“No, it’s my fault, I should have been able to save her, it was my job, I swear, if only I tried harder I would have been able to save her.” The messenger struggled in Sehun’s grip, hands desperately clawing as tears streamed down his cheeks. “Let me try again, give me another chance, let me save her this time!”

“Luhan!” Sehun finally roared and the messenger finally fell silent. They had been at this for a while, Luhan refusing to leave the house though the mother had done nothing to blame him. She had eventually disappeared, moving to quietly grieve in private unlike Luhan who grieved quite loudly. “Luhan.” Sehun spoke softer this time and gently pulled the boy, who had become limp in his grip, out of the cabin where the dead baby still lay and out of the town. At some point, Luhan had turned his face away from the people of the town, burying his tear-stained cheeks into Sehun’s shirt. 

Sehun stayed silent until he had dragged the messenger to their camp far away from the town. And with the gentlest voice Sehun had used in a long time, he spoke “It wasn’t your fault Lu. You know that. The Lady, as wonderful as she is, cannot watch over everything. And your skills as wonderful as they are, just weren’t enough without her help.”

Luhan grew still at Sehun’s words for a moment before he gazed up, the expression in the other’s eyes causing Sehun to freeze for a moment. He had definitely ed up with his choice of words. However, he merely received a soft punch on his shoulder as Luhan gazed down and Sehun could feel the boy relaxing in Sehun’s grip.

“You’re an you know?” Luhan mumbled, and yet he still clung on tightly to Sehun. “But thanks I guess, for trying to help.”

Sehun’s lips curled into a smile and almost instinctively he tightened his grip around the other “Don’t mention it.”

If Sehun could have one wish, he wished that this moment could have lasted forever, however Luhan eventually pulled away, wiping his already dried cheeks before he moved to grab his backpack. The moment of vulnerability was gone, and all that was left was the Luhan from before. “Come on. We’re nearly there, let’s get moving.”

The messenger managed a smile, and Sehun knew he would be okay.

--

“Here we are.” Luhan had stopped, causing Sehun to stop examining him and look up, gazing around him. They stood at the entrance to a forest, one that Sehun wouldn’t have bothered with had Luhan not stopped. There was nothing special about it, except the fact that it was in the middle of nowhere. Sehun had a feeling even those who ventured here would find their eyes sliding right over the forest had it not been pointed out to them.

However, Sehun’s attention to the surroundings was broken by Luhan’s sudden movement. The boy turned, facing Sehun as he took a deep breath, meeting the king’s eyes. “This is it. Are you ready?”

“Yeah.” Sehun paused for a moment before he murmured “Though I have one question.” Leaning forward, he gripped Luhan’s shirt, pulling the other towards him as he pressed his lips to Luhan’s drinking in the other as he uttered a low “Stay with me?”

Luhan’s lips were soft and plush and though the other stayed frozen for a moment, the next moment the messenger had begun moving his lips against the king’s, fingers tangling in his hair. In that moment, Sehun was content. But then Sehun was sent stumbling back a few steps, Luhan’s arms outstretched as the boy backed up a couple steps, staring at Sehun in shock.

“Your wife.”

“You know I don’t want her, not the way that I want you. Luhan, you make me feel so complete, you give me something I feel I’ve been lacking for so long.” Sehun could hear the tinge of desperation in his own voice “Please Luhan, come back home with me. Rule by my side.”

Luhan shuddered and Sehun thought he could almost see longing in the boy’s eyes. “I can’t.” Luhan straightened, stiffening as his eyes seemed to close “You know I can’t.”

Of course Sehun knew, but he couldn’t have helped himself, he had to ask. “Okay.” Sehun replied evenly before he swallowed, gazing at the other “Will you at least tell me this? Will I ever see you again?”

Luhan turned, quiet. “Let’s get moving.” He finally spoke. “We’re nearing the end.”

--

Luhan let Sehun into the dark forest, straight to a shimmering lake which lay at the heart, refusing to speak as he walked. Sehun could sense the boy was torn or at least, uncomfortable now that Sehun had uttered his feelings. Finally, Luhan stopped, and Sehun quietly set down his things as Luhan took a deep breath. Without warning, he began.

“Oh Great Lady of the Lake, one who wishes to see you approaches. Will you honor him with your presence, or will you turn him away?”

Luhan’s voice sounded quiet among the trees that muffled the echo and for a moment, Sehun thought he had been turned away. But then the pond seemed to glow, and from the water, a figure rose. A lady, clad in the same kind of clothes Luhan had been wearing when Sehun first met him, with sleek black hair. She seemed human, but when she opened her eyes, her eyes glowed blue. She was otherworldly and yet, Sehun was anything but scared. The Lady had a warm aura; that of a caring mother, and Sehun could feel himself drawn to the Lady. It was only his years of leading that kept him in place.

“Luhan my son,” the Lady’s voice was warm and she extended her arms. “You have returned to me. How was your trip?”

“I have accomplished what you have wanted mother, and though the trip was long and hard, I thoroughly enjoyed it.” There was a grim smile on Luhan’s face as he knelt, bowing his head to her before he added as he stood up “I have brought a guest, as you can see mother.”

“Ah yes, Oh Sehun is it?” the lady fixed her eyes on Sehun, her eyes seeming to glow a little less though she still murmured a soft “I believe you know who I am. And I most definitely know who you are, King.” There was surprisingly no malice behind the Lady’s words only warmth and Sehun wondered if he had been forgiven for his crime very long ago. “Now,” the Lady finished, a smile on her lips “What is it that you want from me, Oh Sehun?”

Clearing his throat, the king merely nodded, bowing his head to the Lady “Very long ago, you set upon a curse on me for something I do not even remember. For ten long years I have borne with this curse, watching my kingdom crumble around me. So now, I plead with you good Lady, please remove the curse on me and return my memories to me so I can serve my kingdom well and be the king that I know it needs.”

The Lady was silent for a moment, examining Sehun who still had his head down, waiting for a response. “Luhan.” She finally spoke up, and Sehun could feel the boy who stood next to him stiffen. “Do you think he has paid the price?”

For a moment Sehun thought Luhan would say that he had not paid the price and break Sehun’s heart yet again. However, the messenger merely exhaled, closing his eyes for a moment before he murmured “Yes, mother, I think he has paid the price.”

It was an odd question to be directed at Luhan but one that made sense, after all Luhan had traveled with Sehun for quite a while.

“Very well.” The Lady stepped forward and instantly, Sehun knelt, bowing his head. “I shall remove the curse.” Gently, she placed her hand on top of the other’s hair and instinctively, Sehun closed his eyes. For a moment, there wasn’t any movement before the Lady spoke, a bit of puzzlement in her voice “Oh Sehun, you know that my curse is not the only one on you. I merely made your heart freeze. The reason your memories disappeared was another’s doing. However, I will remove all curses on you.”

Sehun barely had time to react to the Lady’s words before he felt a shudder of warmth go through his body as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Bracing himself, Sehun waited for the feeling of relief, the feeling of the Lady stepping away and the joy of finally being freed from the curse. However, as seconds passed, Sehun felt no different. His heart still ached, and he was no more knowledgeable than before. Suddenly, the pressure on his head was gone, and Sehun gazed up, confused. The Lady and Luhan were gone, and he was left standing alone in front of the glittering pool.

“Luhan?” Sehun called out, frowning as he tilted his head “I feel no different, was everything you said about the Lady a li—“

Sulfur.

Sehun could smell it quite easily now, considering the prior burnings. But now, his eyes were fixed on the boy who was tied to the stake now. A boy with blonde hair and gentle eyes. A boy he loved with all his might. Luhan was his name, and he had been sentenced to die for being a witch, accused by a girl who had been said to suffer from a curse that Luhan cast with the herbs he had used to heal her mother. It was a lie of course, Sehun had been there when Luhan had healed the girl’s mother. He had also known exactly where Luhan had been when the “curse” had been cast. However, he had said nothing and the boy had been sentenced to die.

The prince watched as the fuse was lit, and he couldn’t help but avoid the gaze of his lover who was tied to the stake. It wasn’t his fault he hadn’t told the town, after all, the town had easily been behind the conviction. And though Sehun was the prince, he preferred not to upset the people in this town or anyone in his country. Besides, the girl who convicted Luhan had been so convincing and well, Sehun was sure she would be a much better fit to take over the throne.

The flames were reaching Luhan’s legs now. Surprisingly, as the flames crept up the boy’s body, he didn’t scream. There were tears streaming down his face and he seemed to be in extreme pain, but he didn’t scream, he wouldn’t let them win. Finally, in the last moments, Sehun met the boy’s eyes and watched as Luhan opened his mouth, mouthing three final words. And Sehun could feel his heart break.

The pain, so much pain, suddenly overwhelmed his body. Sehun could feel the flames creeping up his body, causing him to writhe in pain. Just when he thought he couldn’t take it anymore, he could feel himself falling into unconsciousness. He felt nothing but unconditional love and sadness; sadness that his lover had to watch such a sight. He hoped his lover wouldn’t forget him.

Sehun clawed his way out of his memories with a gasp as he swayed in position, tears streaking down his cheeks. Somehow, he had also experienced Luhan’s final moments.

Luhan.

Looking up, he could see the Lady standing in front of him, her eyes soft with a smile of understanding on her lips. Luhan stood next to her and Sehun could see his own pain mirrored in the messenger’s eyes. Staggering forward, Sehun merely reached for the other, a broken “小鹿.” Exiting from his lips.

Almost immediately, he watched Luhan shrink back, the other backing up so far he nearly fell into the pool, gripping onto the Lady as he hid slightly behind her figure. “Don’t come any closer.” The words caused Sehun to stop and the king’s face twisted in pain as the Lady seemed to reprimand her messenger.

“Luhan, you said yourself he has paid the price, how can you be so cold? You said yourself to me the other day that you had forgiven him.”

“He has paid the price.” Luhan cried and Sehun could see the raw pain in the other’s face. “And I have forgiven him or at least, I thought I did.” He shuddered, closing his eyes before a sob left Luhan’s lips, successfully tearing Sehun’s heart to pieces “It’s so easy to forgive him when he isn’t in front of you. It’s so easy to forgive him when he doesn’t remember. It was like he was a new person. But now he knows and I can’t—I can’t forgive him. It hurts too much.” Luhan was openly sobbing now, and all Sehun wanted to do was gather the other into his arms. But he merely stood there, staring at the boy he had wronged and killed.

“Is this why you wouldn’t leave with me to go back home?”

It was a harsh statement and the tinge of resentfulness and pain in Sehun’s words made it worse.

“I would have gone with you anywhere if I was alive.” Luhan spat in return, eyes suddenly full of anger “I would have gone with you to the ends of the world and god ing dammit, I’m still in love with you but you know the rules just as well as I do. Besides, how can I even trust you if my own lover killed me for power?” his words had risen to a desperate cry and only the Lady’s gently hand on his arm seemed to calm him as the boy lowered his voice “Besides, you have a wife waiting for you.”

“She’s hardly fit for the throne, she was the one who convinced me to kill you. Luhan, you have to believe me, I’m sorry for that and —I still love you too.” Sehun was pleading with the other right now. All he wanted was one last chance, one chance to prove to Luhan that he would be able to take care of Luhan and love him properly now.

Luhan was silent for a moment, taking a shuddering breath. Perhaps if it was earlier, it would have made Luhan happy to hear those words from Sehun, but who could he trust now? “I will go with you to overthrow your wife, the true witch, from the throne.” He finally spoke and all the vulnerability and pain in Luhan’s eye had been successfully bottled up “After that, I will decide where to go from there.” Luhan spoke as if they were strangers, and Sehun couldn’t help the noise of pain that escaped from his throat before he coughed, murmuring.

“That is satisfactory.”

The Lady it seemed, agreed as well for she merely stepped back from Luhan, gesturing the other forward. “I expect you to do well Luhan, this is truly something fit for someone of your caliber. Stay safe my son and Sehun, do not disappoint me again.” There was no warmth this time and Sehun could feel the mother’s love which protected Luhan bare its fangs at Sehun.

“I will keep him safe, I promise.”

--

“Luhan—“

“Stop.”

Sehun had been trying to talk to Luhan for the past ten minutes, ever since they had stepped out of the cave. "Luhan please, talk to me.”

“Sehun.” Luhan finally seemed tired of their games and he turned, his eyes tired. “Just pretend like nothing ever happened okay? I’m tired of your apologies. I can’t do any more than forgive you as much as I already have. Just, forget you ever remembered. I don’t want to talk about this.”

Sehun softened, he knew it had been his fault that things had turned out like this and well, this was the price he paid. He knew when to stop. “Okay, I’ll pretend as if I never knew and we can go back to how we were before I got my memories back, can we at least do that? Friends, at least.”

And finally, for the first time in hours, Luhan smiled. A small smile, one that made Sehun’s heart ache because there was nothing happy about it, but it was a smile nevertheless. “Friends.”

--

The queen was quite enjoying her time on the throne. There was no Sehun to question her decisions and easily, she had all the guards under her influence. It was nice, to be able to kill without anyone watching her, without anyone questioning her decisions. They had been so easily to entrance, the whole country that was, or at least, Sehun. He had been so young, so trusting; he still was. Trusting her words about how killing “witches” would help the ice in his heart when killing those woman was merely to maintain and show her own power as well as brew up a couple of lovely potions and of course, to stay young. And now, she was getting bored again. Killing wasn’t fun anymore, especially when it was burning. Perhaps it was time to end Sehun and take over the kingdom herself.

There he was now; ah, it would be so easy. The queen rose, a sweet smile on her face as she moved down the steps of the throne to greet her returning husband. Surround him with guards, blocking everyone’s view and poof, he was on the floor, bleeding out and she would execute the ones who had killed him for treason.

 “My love.” The queen purred “You’re finally home.”

“Enough of your sweet talk.” Sehun sounded harsher than usual. “What of the burnings?”

“Scheduled for tomorrow, my king.” The queen smiled “Another round of course. I have taken good care of your kingdom while you were gone.”

“Very well.” Sehun sounded satisfied, perhaps she would keep him around for a bit longer. “Release them at once and step down from the throne before I kill you for treason.”

The queen froze, staring at Sehun in shock before she let out a mocking laugh “Your mind has been clouded from your trip. I have done nothing but obeyed your orders and been a loyal wife.”

“You have done nothing but destroy the country and force your king to kill her lover.” The queen didn’t miss the wash of pain over Sehun’s face, but she was too distracted by the familiar, lilting voice. Hatred burning in her eyes, she met the gaze of Luhan, head on.

“If there is anyone who has destroyed the king, it is you. You are the one who has led to the ruin of the king and the kingdom. I have no choice but to kill you both. To be working with a witch, what a shame, guards!”

“The guards will obey me,” Sehun snapped in return “And you will be the one to meet your death.” However his words seemed to have no effect on the guards, who had already started barreling forward towards the two of them.

“The guards,” Luhan replied evenly “Will obey the real king.” His words seemed to strike a chord in the guards, and their eyes seemed to clear. While some stood there, confused, two reacted, grabbing the queen as she struggled, voice reaching a sharp scream.

“Guards! I demand you to arrest those traitors!” but there was no response from them. They knew who their true king was, and marching towards the exit, they held the queen tightly in their grasp. But the queen was not done, there was one final revenge she had to exact for the humiliating dethroning and with a high shriek, the glass panes broke, glass shattering all over Luhan, cutting through his soft skin, causing the boy to sway, then fall, Sehun letting out a hoarse cry as the messenger fell.

And then, abruptly, it was over. The queen had been dethroned and would instantly be killed outside of the palace gates for all to watch. But Sehun wasn’t interested in that. He was more interested in the boy, scattered in glass shards, beginning to paint himself a deep red. “Luhan, Luhan baby stay with me.” Sehun could feel his heart breaking again as he knelt beside the boy who he was watching die again. “Baby, come on, you can’t let her beat you, not when you’ve beaten her once before. Luhan, don’t leave me, Luhan, there’s still so much to live for.” Luhan’s mouth seemed to move, mouthing words only meant for Sehun, but the other had no more strength to speak and he seemed to shudder, closing his eyes, falling silent. Sehun couldn’t stop the low wail that exited from his lips as he lost his lover for the second time.

“Oh Sehun, did I not tell you to protect him?” Sehun looked up, eyes wide in surprise at the familiar voice. There, standing over them, was the Lady of the Lake. But her voice was not angry, no, it was warm, with amusement.

“Lady—I—“

“Do not speak Oh Sehun. And do not grieve as you do now. You know Luhan would not like that. Especially not when he’s still living and breathing.”

It was true! As Sehun gazed down, he could see the messenger had never stopped breathing, and though his wounds were many, they were already beginning to stop bleeding. “But—But how—“

“You know the rules Oh Sehun, or have you forgotten them?” gently, the Lady of the Lake lifted up Luhan in her arms, a smile on her lips “Those under me cannot die because they are already dead. All Luhan needs now, is time to heal.”

“And how long will that take?”

“As long as need be.” The Lady smiled, her eyes gentle as she took a deep breath and Sehun watched as the water seemed to envelop both her and Luhan “And when Luhan has healed and is awake again, do not worry, good king, I will send a messenger to tell you. Because I know how much you care for Luhan. For now though, Sehun, I expect you to rebuild your kingdom. Do not prove me to be a liar, good king, I shall be watching you.”

She was gone.

For a moment Sehun stayed there, frozen before he exhaled, standing to his feet as he turned, staring up at the throne. The Lady was right. It was time to rebuild.

--

For many months, Sehun waited. The first days, Sehun was optimistic. Luhan would wake up in a couple days, and somehow Sehun would convince him to stay and they would rebuild together. But as days melted into weeks and weeks into months, Sehun knew that perhaps it would be years, decades, until Luhan woke up. So slowly, Sehun pushed Luhan to the back of his mind and focused on the task at hand. Gathering his father’s old advisers and many others who Sehun knew he could trust, Sehun got to work. Piece by piece, the economy was patched together, the army was rebuilt, and Sehun made sure the people understood what was going on. With time, granaries begin to fill with food, each family began to finally find enough to eat, and trade begun once again.

But Sehun didn’t stop there.

He worked until his country was flourishing, the smartest in the world coming to his country for it was now considered the best. He was loved for the attention he paid to the public and the openness of the ruling body. He invited all the young boys and girls to come to the court, finding the most talented while making sure he knew those who would cause trouble; hopefully keeping them out of trouble. At the same time, he protected the poor and the ill and established a new moral code to abide by. All in the meantime, he discovered friends who had perhaps been there all along; friends who offered advice and helped the already flourishing kingdom.

There was only one problem.

Oh Sehun refused to marry.

At first, it had been no problem, the kingdom was in transition, but not in a period of wealth, Sehun was increasingly pushed to marry, for they needed an heir. But Sehun wasn’t inclined at all to marry, after all, he was waiting. Waiting for a message. Many days Luhan was in the back of his mind and Sehun carried on as usual, but in private, there were days where Sehun grieved for the other. Nothing his friends could do, could alleviate that pain.

“King Sehun, King Sehun! Someone is asking for you!” the sharp cry of Yixing roused Sehun, who had been dozing peacefully in his room, having finished settling many disputes already as well as ordering up a new tax law.

“Tell them I shall be right there.” Sehun rose to his feet, lips curling into a smile as Yixing rushed in, grabbing his hand, pulling him towards the throne room. After Luhan and Sehun had saved Yixing, his parents had never forgotten the other’s kind act. And eventually when they gathered enough money, they decided to send Yixing to the court, to learn from the Good King Oh Sehun. Sehun accepted the boy with no charge and now he and his parents were living in the palace under the king’s protection. Settling himself down on the throne, Sehun spoke.

“Enter.”

The person who stepped in took Sehun’s breath away. He was no longer unearthly, there was no longer the bright glow or the godly prance to his step. His clothes were still white, but he did not glow. However the smile on his lips was bright and when Sehun embraced him, he did not step away.

“When did you wake up?”

“About a month ago.” His words no longer sounded like bells, but it was still music to Sehun’s ears.

“And what brings you here?” Sehun could hardly keep his composure, finally being able to hold the one he had missed for so long in his arms. “I do not know if I can let you go now that you’ve come here.”

“I have come to serve under the Good King. Perhaps—as his queen?” there was a smile on Luhan’s lips as Sehun pulled back, eyes wide in surprise.

“But, you are the Lady’s messenger. Will you not fade?”

“Ah, Oh Sehun, there is much I have not told you.” Luhan smiled, eyes warm “The Lady rewards those of us under her protection. Every five years she grants us a wish. I did not use one in my ten years of service with her and after I woke up—“ Luhan paused before red seemed to blossom over his cheeks “I missed you.” He confessed “And so I used my wish so I could be with you forever.”

“So you are human?” Sehun couldn’t stop the smile from spreading over his lips as Luhan nodded, and he couldn’t help himself but to kiss the other senseless, cutting off the pealing laughter from the other as he returned kiss for kiss. “And what about the last wish?”

“Why,” Luhan paused, pushing Sehun away as he grinned, reaching to pull out a tear drop which glimmered like the glittering lake they had been at so long ago. “I thought I would give it to you.”

“No need.” Sehun smiled, and gently, he pressed another kiss to Luhan’s lips “I have everything I want, right here.”