Foolish Godfathers

♕ ♚ 

“You’re mad! You just let him go! He stole from you!” a deep voice rang in the depths of the forest, waking up a few sleeping squirrels. “Baek! Tell him, because he doesn’t seem to be listening to me!”

Baekhyun, a creature way smaller in form than his yelling companion, only shrugged. His silver eyes were following the stars on the sky, and his fingers were brushing against sleepless leaves, turning them silver. His pointy ears were shining in the moonlight.

“But you gotta admit, Yeollie,” the fairy spoke, “this human is incredibly cute,” he pointed, smiling.

“But that’s not a reason to let him steal! He’s already stealing from everyone else, why did you let him steal our sacred herbs, Jun?!”

“For the love of my fairy dust, Myeon, please, reply to anything he says, or he’s gonna boil and we’ll have to clean the mess,” Baekhyun sighed, grabbing his other friend by his arm.

Junmyeon, the eldest of the three, only turned to look at them, with a massive smile on his face.

“I let him steal, because he needed it. These are not our herbs, but Yixing’s, and he let me do whatever I want with them. Moreover, the common realm is my realm, not yours, so don’t you bother your big head with what is happening downtown.”

“But… but…!” Chanyeol mumbled, but he knew he lost the battle.

“And he’s cute, right, Myeonnie, right?” Baekhyun wiggled his eyebrows, leaning against his friend.

“He kind of is, you’re right,” the two fairies giggled, as Junmyeon’s pointy ears turned pink, “there’s just something about him that makes me wanna cuddle him to death.”

“You’ve always had a weak spot for social casualties,” Chanyeol mumbled, writing something down on a piece of paper.

“He’s just a kid who’s had a harsh life! No need to be mean, Yeollie!” Baekhyun mumbled, “ahhh, the commoners love,” he sang, “there’s just so much more passion to it than the courtly one,” Baek sighed, smiling softly.

“This may change, get yourself ready for some drama,” Chanyeol mumbled back, stopping by a tree, examining it, and writing something down again.

“Huh?” the two other fairies stopped as well, and turned their heads surprised.

“What do you mean by that?” Junmyeon asked, and Baekhyun was practically crushing Chanyeol to the tree.

“What is that supposed to mean, Yeollie?!”

“Haven’t you heard of the young prince? There’s a rumor going on that he’s opposing the queen’s demands for his marriage. Apparently, he wants to find “true love,”” the tall fairy made an air-quote.

Baekhyun’s eyes shone, as his mouth fell to the ground, “oh my dearest dust!” he exclaimed, but his excitement was short-lived, as Junmyeon’s obnoxious chuckle ruined everything.

“Yeah, sure,” the eldest laughed, “as if our princeling was to ever go out on his world and venture the world looking for love. He’s too much of a spoiled brat.”

“Don’t say that about Minnie!” Baekhyun exclaimed, “I bet that if he could, he’d leave the castle right away and go on an adventure to find his other half! Deep inside, I believe he’s really romantic!”

“Romantic my , this kid wouldn’t survive a minute as a commoner.”

“Are you suggesting Jongdae is better for some reason?”

“I am not suggesting anything, I’m just stating the facts!”

“Oh youuuuuuu~~~,” Baekhyun started, ready to punch his friend, but was held back by Chanyeol. “I bet Jongdae wouldn’t be able to pretend to be royal as well!”

“Stop it! What are you even bickering about?! These two are from two different worlds, there’s no point in comparing them! They don’t even know about each other!” Chanyeol yelled, tired of his friends’ pointless fighting.

Both Baekhyun and Junmyeon only rolled their colorful eyes, and sighed.

“But if they did, I bet Minnie would –“

“Oh!” Chanyeol suddenly exclaimed, and they all stopped dead in their tracks.

They stood at the edge of the forest, by the bay, where the view stretched on the ocean.

“What? What is it?” Baekhyun quickly asked, looking around.

“Oh,” Junmyeon made the same sound as Chanyeol, stuck in awe.

“What are you guys loo—,” Baekhyun started, but the eldest grabbed him by the chin and turned his face downwards, towards the harbor, where two figures were sitting. “Oh,” he joined, at last.

“Is this… Jongdae?”

“Is it my Minnie?”

“Stop calling him that, he’s not yours!”

“I’m his godfather, of course he’s mine!”

“You’re his fairy godfather, he doesn’t know you exist!”

“Stop hurting me, Myeon,” Baekhyun placed a hand over his heart, pretending to be deeply hurt.

“The thief and the prince,” Chanyeol mumbled, “that’s interesting.”

Baekhyun’s eyes shone, “Myeonnie,” he started, leaning against the elder fairy, “Myeonnie, are you thinking what I am thinking?” he smiled brightly, grabbing the other by the arm.

Junmyeon looked at him, and for a brief moment his face lit up as well, but then the flame died away, “it’s forbidden, Baekhyun.”

“Oh, come on! It’s not like it has never happened before! We wouldn’t be the first ones to break the law!” the younger whined.

“Exactly. We should neither be the next ones to do it. Some spheres shouldn’t mix, Baekhyun.”

“But, Myeonnie! Look! They already know each other! It’s not like we would intervene that much! Just a little,” he giggled his goblin-ish laugh, and both Junmyeon and Chanyeol shivered.

“And you’re suddenly have no objections against it?” the eldest looked at he scribe, who only shrugged.

“As you said, the common realm is yours, and the high realm is his. I will just pretend I didn’t hear anything.”

“Please, he wouldn’t see love if it was standing right in front of him!” Bakehyun exclaimed, standing in front of his tall friend and waving his arms to the side.

“Love,” Chanyeol mumbled, “what love would it be, if you put a spell on them?”

“I don’t wanna poison them! Guys! I just wanna make their love dreams come true! Look at them! What a talk they would be! Everyone would know about them!”

“It’d be a beautiful love story, until the queen hears about it.”

Baekhyun smirked, as if knowing a tad more than the rest, “I wouldn’t worry about Yoona that much, my dears. Let’s just focus on this!” he gestured at Jongdae and Minseok, “are you in, Junmyeon? Will you give your baby a break from the hardships of this daily life?”

Junmyeon bit his lower lip, concerned, “do you promise nothing will happen to him?”

“Hey,” he placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder, “I just want them to fall in love. What can go bad?” he shrugged, and Chanyeol laughed.

“Everything can go wrong, Baekhyun, everything!”

“Okay,” Myeon nodded, “I’m in. Let’s create a love story this city hasn’t seen yet!”

“You’re crazy,” Chanyeol mumbled, starting to head up the road, away from the harbor.

Baekhyun and Junmyeon followed the tallest, quickly engaging in a heated discussion.

“How do they know each other?” the elder asked.

“I’ve no idea, but this is so exciting! We gotta figure out a plan now, something ground breaking, to make them fall in love!”

“This may actually be harder than expected, you know.”

“Wait,” the fairy stopped, “Minseok needs to get married, right?”

“That’s what I’ve heard.”

“What if… omg what if we make the queen throw a ball?! Then, you could turn yourself into a genie and grant Jongdae wishes and he could go to a ball as a prince and then they would fall in love, and no blood would be spilled, because everyone would think Jongdae is a prince, too!” the younger exclaimed.

“Well, no blood would be spilled until everyone realizes that Jongdae is not a prince, and he doesn’t have a kingdom,” Chanyeol pointed, as he was writing something down about another tree.

“We’ll think of it later. Details!”

“You promised nothing would happen to Jongdae,” Junmyeon reminded him, and Baehyun rolled his eyes.

“I promised, and I’m gonna keep my word. Chill, guys. Everything’s gonna be just fine. It’s all for fun!”

Junmyeon chuckled, letting out a bubble of air, and it seemed as if the tension left his body, “I like the ball idea,” he smiled, nodding his head.

“Perfect! Now we just have to figure how to get them to throw it.”

As he was mumbling to himself, trying to come up with a good idea, a harsh wind blew, as a figure on a horse passed them, and it ruffled Baekhyun’s hair.

“My hair!” he exclaimed, a few octaves higher, and Junmyeon and Chanyeol started walking faster, to escape the other’s whining.

♕ ♚ 

Minseok kept on fastening his horse, as if speed was to save his from his thoughts. But it did not.

“I wanted to make sure you were alright. Let’s face it, you wouldn’t survive if anything was to happen here.”

“I can take care of myself, father.”

“No, son, you can’t.”

The words were repeating in his mind, making him furious.

“I can take of myself,” he thought, “I don’t need protection, just let me be!” his thoughts were screaming, “if only you all left me alone.”

The prince suddenly stopped his horse, breathing fast.

“Leave me alone,” he mumbled to himself, looking up at the castle shining brightly at the top of the hill, “show me what is life,” he begged into the night, “show me what it means to live.”

Cold wind blew, disturbing leaves, tress, and ruffling Minseok’s hair.

A shiver ran down his spine, as he heard voice from behind him, getting close. Before he managed to react, three dark figures appeared in his sight. They were visibly taller and bulkier than he himself, which made Minseok’s blood run faster.

“Oh, ho, ho,” one of the voice said, and they all stopped for a moment, “look what we have here.”

The prince was stuck in fear, and it kept him in such a tight grip, that he did not even act upon the threat. He did not fasten his horse.

Sudden fear consumed him, and he was not able to think straight. Then, cold hands grabbed his calves, and it was like a basket of ice water over his head.

“Come down, pretty boy,” one of the men said, pulling him down. Minseok’s sudden struggling only made it easier for the other to pull him down from his horse, and within seconds the prince was pushed against a tree next to the road.

“What a pretty face,” a voice spoke.

“What a pretty set of robes,” another added.

“Let’s see if the pockets are also filled with pretty things,” the man in front of Minseok said, and when the prince opened his mouth to scream, he instantly felt something cold against his throat, and it made his heart stop. His eyes widened, any sounds died on his lips, and his face paled.

“Make one sound, doll,” the man said, “and we’ll fill our pockets with your blood,” he threatened.

“Let’s take the robes and see what he’s hiding underneath,” one of the voice suggested, and Minseok felt his stomach twist. His pendant.

“No,” he whispered, quietly, but the blade on his throat got pressed further.

“Now, what have I just said? No sounds, understood? Or I’ll wipe my silver blade across your porcelain skin, and we’ll have to destroy the masterpiece that you are.”

“He went out to the city, and was stubbed to death.”

His father words were ringing in his head, and he suddenly couldn’t believe in how careless and stupid he had been acting.

“So here is my favorite place. Where I am safe.”

Minseok did not feel safe. He did not belong in this world. He could not defend himself, nor could he take care of himself. He was no one outside of the castle.

“What a beautiful thing we have here,” he heard one of the men’s comment, and felt a hand wrapping around his neckless. He closed his eyes, too afraid to look Death in the eyes.

“This is… this is a royal pendant,” another one pointed, and they all inhaled deeply.

“Now, that’s interesting! Our little princeling! What a nice addition to my collection your head would be!”

He felt the coldness of the knife dive into his skin, and then stop. The noise went quiet for a moment, and seconds later he heard the men’s yells. Upon opening his eyes, Minseok caught the sight of the three men being changed into rats.

He blinked once, then twice, and three times, but each time he opened his eyes, all he could see were three ugly rats on the road, running around.

“What the…” he started, shaking violently, when someone hugged him tightly.

“Minnie, my baby, are you alright?” a high pitched voice yelled into his ear, and for a moment the prince thought he became deaf.

“Baekhyun,” another voice joined, “leave him alone. Don’t be a creep.”

“But look at him! He’s so shaken! He needs all my love and affection!” the person hugging Minseok screamed.

“He becomes way too easily attached,” a deep voice said.

The prince, still being crushed in a tight hug, looked up at two figures in front of him. One of the man was very tall, with big, pointy ears, red hair and massive, bright eyes, larger than Minseok had ever seen before. In his hand, he held a piece of wood and a paper, with a long feather attached to it. The other man, standing on the left, was much shorter, with pale skin, but dark hair, eyes, and eyebrows. What brought the prince’s attention, were the man’s ears, which were also pointy.

“Who… who are you?” Minseok mumbled finally, finding it hard to breath, “how do you know my name?” he asked, pushing the man who was hugging him away.

“Oh, my! Where are my manners!” he bowed ninety degrees, and then smiled, “your majesty!”

“He’s at it again,” the tall man whispered too loudly.

“I know everything about you, Minnie! I’m your godfather!” the young man in front of him exclaimed, throwing his hands up.

“You’re not his godfather, for the love of my fairy dust!” the shorter one yelled.

“Formalities,” the one in front of the prince rolled his eyes, “I’m your fairy godfather, if you prefer.”

“I… I don’t know…” the prince mumbled, getting way too confused with the change in action.

“My name is Baekhyun,” the young boy extended his hand, “I have a feeling we’ll be spending lots of time together, from now on,” he winked, as if he knew something that Minseok didn’t.

“Why… why… what?”

“Baekhyun, get the boy live! Leave him alone, he’s been literally almost chopped to death!”

“Junmyeon, how else can you get chopped?” Baekhyun asked back, his eyes twitching.

“Just leave him alone. The prince should be heading home, am I not correct?” the man, Junmyeon, looked at Minseok the same way his mother would, and it froze the blood in the prince’s veins. He swallowed, as fear started overtaking him again.

“I’ve just saved his life, I think I get a minute to talk to him!” Baekhyun exclaimed.

“Right,” the prince mumbled, “you did save me,” he pointed, as if to himself, “thank you very much,” he bowed deeply, “what can I do in return? Tell me what you want, and I will give you anything.”

Baekhyun’s eyes immediately shone, and his facial expressions fixed.

“Anything?” he asked, to make sure.

Minseok swallowed, but nodded, “I owe you my life. Name it and it’s yours.”

The other man smiled widely, too widely for the prince’s liking, and exclaimed excitedly, “throw a ball!”

Silence fell above them, and even the wind seemed to be surprised by the request, as there was no movement in the air.

“Ball?” the tallest man repeated, making sure for all of them.

Baekhyun turned around, looked at Junmyeon, and the other’s man slowly light up in realization.

“Oh!”

“Exactly,” the younger repeated.

Minseok observed them, very carefully, now paying all of his attention to the man in front of him. He had silver hair, milk complexion, grey eyes with gold in them, and pointy ears, painted gold at the tips.

“I’ve heard your mother is looking for a good suitor for you,” Baekhyun suddenly said, nearing so close to Minseok, that the prince could feel the other’s breath on his lips.

“Yeah…”

“Then make a use of the attention, and throw the ball. We love balls. We’ll drop by one day.”

“Are you sure you don’t want gold?” Minseok asked.

“I’ve got enough of that.”

“Diamonds?”

“Gosh, don’t show him that!” the tallest man exclaimed.

“He’s got problems,” Junmyeon whispered, pointing at Baekhyun with one hand and making round gestures near his head with his other one.

“Just the ball,” Baekhyun smiled, “throw the ball, invite the kings and princes from the furthest lands, and let us all have fun!”

“O—okay,” Minseok nodded, swallowing, “if that’s what you want, I’ll throw a ball.”

“Thank you,” the boy jumped back, smiling brightly, “I will make sure to visit you more often, Minnie. We’ve got some catching up to do! Now go home, before anyone else tries to kill you,” the young man said, and the three of them just like that disappeared into the forest.

“What the hell was that?” Minseok asked himself, terrified and stunned at the same time.

Had it not been for three rats still running around his feet and the burning on his throat, he would assume it all just a dream.

The prince quickly sat on his horse, and headed home, as the sun started rising on the horizon.

♕ ♚ 

Don't stay out late in the woods, okay muffins?