Contrary to the weather of the previous day, the morning dawned cool and sunny, only slightly humid from the rain.  Most of them were at least a little stiff for having slept on a stone platform, but the general air was one of readiness.  Rations were retrieved while the shelter was cleaned out and returned to normal.  There was nothing left behind to indicate that they had even spent the night there except for a relatively dry space and footprints in the soft, grass covered soil.  Even though the rain had stopped, there were still puddles everywhere and it did not take long for their feet to be soaked…and that was just from being in ‘camp’.

           On the road, it was worse due to all the mud.  There was more than one occasion where they had to detour around a muddy quagmire that promised more trouble than it was worth.  The one good thing about the rain though, was that it cleared the roads of most travelers.  In fact, the only other persons they found that day were two men about their age who had managed to get their horse drawn wagon mired in one of the mud holes they would have gone around.

           The elementalists stopped well before they reached the struggling duo vainly trying to get themselves unstuck.  Both men were mud spattered, as was the gray horse attached to the front of the cloth covered wagon.  Carefully, they scanned the surrounding area.  It seemed odd that anyone would have managed to get stuck…

           “What do you guys think?” Leeteuk asked from the front where he had resumed the lead.

           “I think they look stuck,” Eleanara stated, tilting her head to the side in thought.  She grinned when Leeteuk gave her a sidelong look, though he didn’t try to hide the lopsided smile that came to his face.

           “It couldn’t be a trap could it?” Kharin asked as she continued to scan the area.

           “It’s not that suspicious,” Siwon shrugged as he regarded the pair ahead.

           “No one but us on the road and a mired wagon and that’s not suspicious,” Kyuhyun asked suspiciously, one eyebrow raised in response to the statement.

           “Not after last night’s storm,” Eunhyuk chuckled, looking back at the distance they had covered so far.  It was starting to look less wet but was by no means anywhere near dry with several dark mud holes still littering the path.

           Summer smacked Kyuhyun’s back with an open palm and laughed, “It can’t be any worse than what we’ve faced before.”

           While Kyuhyun grumbled and winced, the others chuckled at the statement.  Unless appearances were vastly deceiving, it looked as if the travelers just had a bad bit of luck.

           “Let’s see what happens,” Leeteuk laughed lightly as he started them down the road again.

           As they got closer, they were able to get a better look at the pair and their dilemma.  The small wagon was quite stuck with the wheels sunk in nearly a third of their height.  As the back was currently covered with a thick cloth, it was impossible to tell how heavy it was, but based on the amount of mud on the persons and the horse, it appeared they had been there for at least a little while.

           The two men wore bright clothes and it was immediately obvious they weren’t villagers or anything else the group had really seen.  The one up to his shins in mud, pushing the wagon from the back, had what appeared to be a dark brown vest on top of a deep green tunic with burgundy colored pants and a pair of very dirty boots.  Medium length light brown hair tapered to just above his shoulders, clinging close to his head.  The one in the front, attempting to pull the horse forward, wore a similar cut of clothes with a slightly darker brown vest, brown pants of the same color and a cobalt blue tunic.  Both had dark brown travel cloaks slung over the wagon, the hems spattered with more mud.

           Completely focused on their task at hand, they did not notice the party approach until Leeteuk called out, “Hello.”

           The one in the back turned awkwardly to face them, mud clinging stubbornly to his legs.  He had a young face, framed by his hair and right then, his almond shaped, brown eyes were looking at them with welcome and hope.  “Well hello there,” he started with a smile and a half bow.  “I don’t suppose you could be convinced to give us a hand?” he asked, expression open and hopeful.

           His easy smile was infectious, as the group quickly found out when they returned it without thought.  Except for Kyuhyun who asked, “And who might you be?” before anyone else could say anything.

           “Please forgive my over-enthusiastic companion,” the man from the front requested as he came around to join him at the back, feet slogging through the mud.  He was taller than the other man, with sharper features, though he shared the almond shaped eyes.  Brown hair that glinted with reddish highlights in the sun crowned his head and he brushed one of the strands quickly from his dark brown eyes as he smiled at them in turn.  “I am Zhou Mi and this is Henry,” he bowed politely.  “We are, or rather were,” he started glancing significantly at the stuck wagon, “traveling minstrels.”

           “Pardon the question but, how did you not notice the mud hole?” Leeteuk asked, smiling slightly at the blunder.

           The pair grinned sheepishly and ducked their heads.  “Our own fault really,” Henry explained.  “We got lost in one of our songs and missed it entirely.”

           “Songs?” Eunhyuk asked eagerly.

           “Yes.  We perform at many of the villages we stop in.  Henry is astonishing with the violin and I primarily sing.”  That caught Kyuhyun’s attention as he focused on Zhou Mi, reappraising him.  The other members of the group were quite intrigued as well since they knew what minstrels were, but they’d never had the chance to actually hear them.  The monastery wasn’t exactly a place any entertainers would come to due to its location if nothing else.

           “So?  Do you think you could give us a hand…?” Henry asked again with another winning smile, even as he had no idea what to call them yet.

           Leeteuk picked up on the hint immediately.  “Leeteuk,” he introduced himself with a small bow.  The pair bowed in greeting and repeated the gesture as they went around the group, learning each individual’s name.  It did not take long and once they were finished, the elementalists exchanged looks and shrugged.  Henry and Zhou Mi were so disarming, they felt a little bad that they hadn’t already offered to assist.

           “Certainly,” Siwon smiled from the back, sensing that they had already shifted in that direction anyway.

           “Wonderful,” Zhou Mi grinned, placing his hands together in quiet thanks with another small bow before he returned to the front.

           Carefully, the group found a relatively dry spot to place their packs and, with a reluctant grimace at the mud, Eunhyuk, Siwon and Leeteuk moved to the back to help Henry push.  Kyuhyun volunteered himself to go to the front, where the mud wasn’t as bad and Kharin and Summer followed.  Eleanara stationed herself with a resigned sigh next to the packs, knowing she would not be much help in this situation.  When he noticed the two women coming to assist him, Zhou Mi looked faintly distressed.  “Dear ladies.  I could not ask that you muddy yourselves further in assisting us.”

           Kyuhyun laughed to himself at the genteel statement and then looked at Summer and Kharin who both seemed pleasantly surprised.  He frowned at the assuring smile they gave Zhou Mi and then sighed.  Kharin exchanged glances with Summer and they nodded.  “We appreciate your concern, but it’s our pleasure.  At least it’ll wash off,” she assured him with a confident nod.

           Fairly flustered by the response, Zhou Mi glanced back at Kyuhyun, catching the slight frown and his confusion deepened.  “If you wish,” he gestured instead, asking that they take the reins and pull from the harness where the mud was much reduced.

           “We are ready when you are,” Henry called ahead, looking over the top of the wagon at the general exchange with an entertained smile.  The three next to him all wore similarly amused expressions.

           “Very well,” Zhou Mi called back.  “On three.  One…two…three!”  Immediately, the group heaved against the wagon, feeling resistance as the mud clung stubbornly to the wheels.  After a brief few seconds of straining to no effect, the wagon inched forward and with the momentum started, continued on and out of the mud until they reached a relatively dry spot.

           “Aish,” Kyuhyun grumbled as he picked his mud covered feet up for further inspection.  Then he noticed the four who had been in the back and pointedly kept his mouth shut.

           “Thank you so very much,” Zhou Mi began enthusiastically as he bowed to the three in front and then to the three from the back who came around to join the rest with Henry in tow.

           “Sorry about your boots,” Henry shrugged helplessly as he regarded their hopelessly coated feet.

           “As Kharin said, at least mud washes off,” Eunhyuk shrugged, unconcerned by it.  Siwon and Leeteuk were similarly unconcerned.

           “Well, thank you again,” Henry bowed as he moved next to Zhou Mi.  He paused to look up the road and then regarded the rest of the group.  “We’re heading to Denmer Lake.  I don’t know where you’re headed but perhaps you’d care to accompany us?”

           Excited by the prospect, Zhou Mi grinned and agreed, “Yes.  The more the merrier.”  He gestured theatrically and bowed deeply using his hand to add a little extra flourish.

           Eleanara and Summer giggled outright while the rest smiled at the performance.  The idea did appeal to them, if only because they were so charismatic.  “We are heading that way anyway,” Siwon pointed out.

           “So we are,” Leeteuk conceded.  With a final check with the other group members, Leeteuk bowed to the pair and nodded, “I think we’ll take you up on that offer.  Just let us get our packs and we’ll be good,” he assured them.

           “Wonderful.  Oh!  I’m sure we can make room for your packs in the back,” Henry said excitedly as he went to remove the cloth.  The wagon wasn’t very deep or long for that matter, but neither was it very full.  There were a few hard cases in the back and two packs of their own, but not much else.

           At the curious look for the lack of goods in the wagon, Zhou Mi shrugged, “We travel light but our equipment does get heavy.  Lute,” and he gestured to the gray mare, “pulls the wagon well enough and she’s easy to take care of so it actually works out in our favor.”

           “So it would seem,” Eunhyuk grinned, among the first to set his pack in, excited at the prospect of not having to carry it.

           The others were already making their way over, setting the packs in neatly.  Zhou Mi stepped over to Eleanara and immediately offered, “Allow me, miss Eleanara.”  Before she could object, he had neatly plucked the pack from her hands and took it to the wagon.

           She flushed faintly and smiled shyly, “Thank you, Zhou Mi.”  Leeteuk noticed the exchange and pursed his lips but didn’t say anything.  He had been about to do that…

           “My pleasure,” he smiled simply.  “If you ladies would care to, there is room in the wagon for you to sit,” he offered politely.

           Henry climbed up to the seat where the reins were resting and looked back.  “We can’t guarantee how comfortable it is but if you’d like the rest, you’re more than welcome.”  Politely, they declined and insisted that they would be fine walking with the others.

           “Well if they don’t want to, I will,” Kyuhyun stated, already moving to the back.

           “Kyu…” Summer groaned as she placed a hand on her forehead and sighed.

           “What?” he asked, his hand resting on the back.

           “Never mind,” she waved, looking away.

           Leeteuk couldn’t help but laugh and then looked back at the pair.  “I think we are ready when you are.”

           “Very well,” Zhou Mi nodded, heading up to give Lute a pat on the shoulder.

           “Here we go,” Henry grinned as he flicked the reins.  Steadily, Lute hauled at the harness and pulled the wagon along and as the party started moving, they spread themselves out similarly to their normal walking pattern.

           Leeteuk and Eleanara walked next to the wagon on the left side while Siwon and Summer took the right side.  Kyuhyun sat in the back of the wagon as he had intended and Kharin and Eunhyuk took up the rear guard.  From their vantage point, they had the perfect opportunity to see just how many times Kyuhyun looked over at Siwon and Summer, though his expression was impossible to read since he was facing away from them.  Every now and then, Kharin would sneak a glance over at Eunhyuk and she’d have to smile to herself.  Once or twice, he caught her and smiled back.  The second time, he reached out to trace a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

           Kharin repeated the gesture on her other side and smiled shyly, “Thank you.”

           “You’re welcome,” he smiled sweetly.

           She found herself blushing harder as he didn’t look away and she finally had to focus elsewhere.  “So what do you think of our new traveling companions?” she asked instead.

           Eunhyuk looked at her for a second more and then regarded the duo.  “I like them,” he said simply, a different smile crossing his face.  “I wonder how good they are.”  The thought that they could play music, and actually performed, made him quite excited.  It had been far too long since they’d had any sort of music around them.

           “I guess we’ll have to find out,” she smiled, watching as the pair spoke to each other at the front.

           Almost as if they had heard her comment, from the pair came a light hearted song that almost instantly lifted their spirits and made them smile on the whole.  They were able to maintain a running list of various songs ranging from light hearted to comical and even a handful of heroic ones.  As the day wound down, so did their songs and they switched off, with Henry walking beside Lute and Zhou Mi taking the driver seat.

           Eventually, Leeteuk convinced Eleanara to ride in the back of the wagon and Kyuhyun finally stepped out to walk beside Summer, inserting himself between her and Siwon.  Zhou Mi started a polite conversation with Eleanara and she listened attentively, responding in turn.  She explained that they had actually come from Northsage monastery, which the minstrels had heard about, to their credit, but kept her answers very vague when he inquired as to what they were doing all the way out here.  Leeteuk moved up next to Henry and, with an ear towards the other conversation taking place on the wagon, chatted with the violinist in regards to their performances and what they were going to do in Denmer village.

           A handful of travelers passed them by later in the day but otherwise, their progress was uninterrupted.  As was their usual pattern, the group agreed to stop before full dark as the minstrels did not use torches often, preferring to travel in the daylight hours to prevent injury as much as for their own peace of mind.  Who knew what sorts were out and about on the road at night and while camp wasn’t much safer in that regard, at least they were more comfortable and prepared.

           To the elementalists great surprise, Zhou Mi and Henry offered to share their food, having brought decent travel stores with them in one of the hard cases.  “Travel rations get a bit old after a while,” Henry explained as he portioned out more food than normal into their travel pot.  “We tend to be fond of stew though,” he winked.

           “But we don’t have any bowls,” Kyuhyun pointed out, alternately excited about a change in food and annoyed about the lack of utensils.

           “We can use our cups,” Eunhyuk explained as he went to retrieve his automatically.

           “We may have some spare bowls too,” Zhou Mi expressed as he pawed through the cases in the wagon.

           “We can manage, Zhou Mi,” Siwon assured him easily as he went to retrieve his own cup.  “Thank you, though.”

           As it turned out, Henry wasn’t a half bad cook and the group enjoyed their first warm meal, outside of the inns they had stayed at, in days.  It was a welcome change from the usual fare and they also took the opportunity to remove their still slightly soggy boots and dry them near the fire.  The dried mud they could scrape off later but the biggest concern was getting them dry.  The grass felt good on bare feet and finally they felt themselves relaxing and unwinding.  In new company, it felt odd that they could be as at ease as they were but the minstrels made it easy.  Now though, they were vastly intrigued as to the musical prowess of their hosts.  While they talked to pass the time, they kept glancing back at the wagon that presumably, still held their instruments.  Henry and Zhou Mi smiled when they noticed.

(a/n: I had intended for this chapter and the upcoming one to be a single chapter but this one got away from me.  I hope you enjoy it regardless and will do my best to have the next one up as soon as possible!)