Sehun ran forward through the doorway at full speed.

“Stop him!” cried Kyungsoo, following close behind.

Before he could regain his composure, the Admiral found himself pinned to the ground, with the blade of his own sword held firmly against his neck.

“Don’t hurt him!” cried Baekhyun, rushing forward to the Messenger’s side.

Chanyeol’s eyes widened as he tried to come to terms with what was happening. “You’re on the traitor’s side?!” he gasped, struggling against the pressure on his trachea.

“We’re all on the same ing side!” yelled Kyungsoo, locking the door to avoid any uninvited guests. “But we don’t have time to explain! We have to get off this godforsaken ship before we’re all killed by our own men!”

Chanyeol struggled to catch his breath. “What the hell is going on?!”

The Prince placed a gentle hand on the Messenger’s back. “Sehun, you can let him go now.”

The messenger did as he was told, taking the Admiral’s sword and getting to his feet.

Baekhyun immediately rushed to Chanyeol’s aid and threw his arms around his neck. The latter couldn’t quite figure out how to react.

“This is really heartwarming and all,” exclaimed Kyungsoo, interrupting the reunion, “but we really do have to leave. NOW!”

Chanyeol lifted his face from Baekhyun’s shoulder and looked up at the Prince. “What’s our escape plan?”

“The two of you must order your sailors to stop fighting at once!” replied Kyungsoo. “Tell them we’ve reached an agreement or something.”

Baekhyun shook his head. “That will never work, Kyungsoo. My men aren’t so easily fooled. If anything, they’ll immediately suspect that I’ve betrayed the Black Kingdom. We’ll lose our chance to save Luhan! I need to maintain my cover, so that I can continue to have access to the Black Military’s plans!”

“So what do you suggest?” asked Chanyeol, turning his gaze towards the Captain.

Baekhyun felt the blood rush up into his cheeks. He quickly cleared the lump that had formed in his throat before responding. “If the White Navy announces a surrender, I can take all of you to the Black Castle as prisoners of war. It will be your best chance to get close enough to Luhan to rescue him.”

Chanyeol furrowed his eyebrows in contemplation. “Who’s to say the enemy soldiers won’t just kill us all the minute we arrive? Do you really think the Black Kingdom would give up the chance to assassinate both of the White Princes and me?”

Baekhyun shook his head. “They wouldn’t do that, Chanyeol. It would be counterproductive. The whole reason they’ve captured Luhan is to draw the White Military out of the White City. It’s just a diversion! If they wanted to kill the White Princes, they could’ve done it already, when they were kidnapped. The real plan is an invasion of the White Kingdom, after it is left completely undefended. The Black Empire is hell bent on world domination. Just