“I have to warn General Suho!” exclaimed Sehun, raising his voice uncharacteristically.

Chanyeol grabbed his forehead in frustration as the two of them stood at the bridge of the Black Navy Ship. Baekhyun had taken Kyungsoo to the deck to parade him in front of the sailors, hoping to convince them of the sham surrender. Chanyeol had already sent word of the ceasefire agreement to his own ship to halt their assault. Their plan had been going smoothly until the Messenger had begun his revolt.

“Oh Sehun,” replied the Admiral, “we’ve already explained this to you. General Suho is one of our suspects. We can’t just walk up to him and spill the beans.”

Sehun refused to cooperate. “He’s not the White Spy! He can’t be! You know it as well as I do. He’s your friend! He’s Prince Luhan’s friend! He’s never been anything but loyal to the White Kingdom.”

Chanyeol shook his head. “We cannot trust anyone. Even if he was once our friend, who’s to say he hasn’t been turned. The Black Spy was able to capture the Prince under the General’s watch, perhaps a little too easily.”

“That’s my fault! General Suho asked me to protect the Prince. If he wanted Luhan to be captured, he would not have assigned me to that task. He knows how much I…” Sehun froze midsentence, realizing he was letting his feelings get the better of him.

Chanyeol stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on Sehun’s shoulder. “I know how much you love Luhan, Sehun-ah. But if we’re going to save him, we have to be rational. We can’t act on impulse.”

“Do the two of you mind keeping your damn voices down?” Kyungsoo burst through the door. “I swear I had to make an excessive amount of noise just now to make sure the Black Sailors didn’t hear your conversation.”

Baekhyun followed the small Prince into the room and locked the door. “I’ve told my men that the two of you are tied up in here and that I will personally keep watch over Prince Kyungsoo. Now if you don’t mind, I prefer not to blow our cover because the two of you won’t stop yelling.”

“What the hell are you arguing about anyways?” asked Kyungsoo, eyeing the two of them closely.

Sehun rushed forward towards the Prince and immediately fell to one knee. “My lord, I wish to make a request.”

Kyungsoo frowned down at the fluff of black hair below him. “You know you don’t have to bow to me like this.”

Sehun looked up at the Prince, eyes full of sadness.

Kyungsoo couldn’t help but pat the messenger on the head. “What’s wrong, Sehun-ah?”

“I have to warn General Suho of the invasion. It is my duty as his messenger to relay important information to him.”

Kyungsoo smiled. “His messenger?”

Sehun’s eyes widened as he realized the impropriety of his words. “I meant no offense, my lord,” he stammered, attempting to regain his composure. “Of course, I will serve you first, and Prince Luhan.”

“I’m only teasing you, Sehun-ah. Of course you are his messenger. He appointed you to this position. You swore to be his eyes and ears. Now you wish to fulfill your oath. It is quite honorable of you. But then again, you’ve always been a bit of a softy. I used to joke with Luhan that he had found himself two of the most precious lovers.”

Sehun’s cheeks became flushed as the blood rushed up into his face. “Two?”

Kyungsoo sighed. “You and Jongin. The two friends he loved more than anyone else. I always wondered how he would choose between the two of you, if it ever came down to that. But then the Black Spy betrayed his parents. It’s been so long and still, to this day, I can barely believe he did it.”

Sehun’s eyes filled with tears. “Maybe he didn’t. The Jongin I knew would never hurt Luhan or anyone else. But then again, I don’t even know what we’re capable of anymore. I just killed two sailors without any remorse.”

Kyungsoo knelt down and pulled Sehun into an embrace. “You were protecting me, Sehun-ah. I owe you my life.”

“The two of you need to stop,” interrupted Baekhyun, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. “I can’t deal with all these feelings right now.”

Kyungsoo pulled his face up from Sehun’s shoulder and looked up at the Admiral. “Don’t just stand there, Chanyeol!”

Chanyeol’s face turned an interesting shade of red. “Huh? What?” he stammered, taking his eyes off of Baekhyun, who he had been staring at intently. “Okay fine, let him go then,” he finished clumsily, hoping to change topics altogether. “But if General Suho turns out to be the White Spy, don’t say I didn’t warn you!”

Baekhyun laughed as he slowly approached the Admiral with open arms. “Thanks for trying, Kyungsoo. But I’ve always had to initiate things. I guess some things never change.”

Chanyeol stepped backwards, mortified. “This lovefest has got to stop! Or did you all conveniently forget that Luhan is captured by the Black Spy and the White Army is marching to war and the White City is about to be invaded. Or would you all just prefer that we stay here and talk about our feelings while the rest of the world falls to pieces.”

Kyungsoo shook his head. “Always such a drama queen.”

Sehun couldn’t help but laugh through his tears, but he knew they had wasted enough time. He got to his feet, pulling the Prince up with him. “I have a plan.”

Baekhyun stopped trying to hug a reluctant Chanyeol and turned towards the Messenger. “What kind of a plan?”

Sehun gulped as all eyes became fixed on him. “A plan to warn General Suho. Captain Baekhyun can tell his men to let me return to the White Navy Ship, so that I can deliver a peace treaty to the White City, detailing the conditions of surrender.”

“Do you really think anyone will believe that?” asked Chanyeol in a skeptical tone.

Sehun’s expression remained resolute. “They will if you and the Prince are still kept hostage. I am just another White Soldier. I have no real value. So if they know that they still have the two of you in custody, it won’t matter if I leave or not. You can