Jun knew lots of shortcuts to get to the castle quickly and quietly. His nerves were on edge as he was about to enter the dangerous territory that was his former wokplace. The church steeple was visible from here so Jun was able to check the time in order not to lose track. 

It was only half an hour until his friend's lunch break would start. Jun headed towards the castle's front yard, constantly looking around. He took the quickest way to the stables where his friend always used to eat with him. 

Jun was glad to see the horse he'd borrowed safe and sound in one of the horseboxes. "Hey, you. Glad you made it back alive", Jun said to the horse and softly patted its neck. He had been worried that something might have happened to the horse after it ran off in the woods the other day. 

Suddenly, he felt the tip of a sword against his back. Damn it. How could he have been so careless? He needed to find his friend... "Wouldn't have expected you to cause this much trouble...", a familiar voice said. 

Jun let his arms fall and turned around. "Seokmin!" he exclaimed. His younger friend grinned and put his sword away. "You really got me there!" Jun said with a chuckle. "But what exactly are you doing here? Are you out of your mind? The whole kingdom is on your and you just come to the castle in person?!" Seokmin scolded him. Jun sighed. "I came to help my friends", he explained. 

"Ah, yeah. I've met them. They got locked up. One of them even got shot but he seems okay...", Seokmin informed him. Jun's eyes widened. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't saved the prince...but then again, I'm glad I did...but now...", he stammered. "Wait, what are you talking about? Prince? What prince?" Seokmin answered, completely perplexed by his friend's words. 

"It's a long story. All I can tell you for now is that the princess is a guy. His name's Joshua. The king is responsible for his disappearance a year ago...", Jun told him. "Right now he's-" "Seokmin, are you-" another voice started. 

A guard had entered the stable with a sandwich in his hands, probably looking for Seokmin. Seokmin reacted quickly, dropping his own lunch before pulling his sword out and directing it at Jun who raised his hands. 

"THE KIDNAPPER!" the other guard shouted. "Calm down, I got this", Seokmin said, roughly handling Jun by holding his arms behind his back. "Come on, you filthy piece of trash! We're heading straight for the king!" "I'm coming along", the other guard said. Seokmin looked at him. "It's fine, I got this!" he said sternly but the guard shook his head and motioned for them to get moving. 

"Find Soonyoung's bar in the village. They'll help you and they're with Joshua. You have to get Mingyu and Wonwoo out at all cost!" Jun murmured. Seokmin made a noise that signalled him that he'd understood. "Silence prisoner! Pleading won't get you anywhere", he said out loud for the other guard to hear. 

~

"So, Jun saved you from your own father's kidnapping", Hansol said, just to see if he'd heard correctly. Joshau sat on a bar stool with a glass of water and some noodles in front of him. He had told Soonyoung and Hansol the whole story in detail. 

Joshua nodded in confirmation at the, as he'd learnt, younger boy's question. "Okay, and how does Jun want to get your friends out of the dungeons?" Soonyoung questioned. "I don't know...Jun wouldn't tell me his plan...if he even had one...oh my, what if he decided to turn himself in?" Joshua exclaimed, realization dawning upon him. 

"You think he'd do that?" Hansol asked, clearly shocked. "I don't know. It might be the only way to get Wonwoo and Mingyu out of prison...", the prince replied. "Maybe...but what are we going to do if it's really like this?" Soonyoung questioned. "We have to get him out, too, is what! Jun and I have been friends forever! I won't let King Hothead execute him!" Hansol burst out. 

Soonyoung took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I know, love, he's my friend too", he said. Hansol leaned against his side and sighed in defeat. 

Joshua made the assumption that those two were a couple two, like Mingyu and Wonwoo, judging by the way they interacted with each other; their looks and how Hansol leaned onto him for comfort. It made Joshua feel somewhat jealous. And it made him think about Jun. He definitely wouldn't let his father hurt him. 

A knock on the door cut through the silence that had fallen over them. A second later, a royal guard entered the bar...