Lu Han stared across the crowded pub, looking longingly at the door. At this time of night the townspeople were flooding the place, trading stories and getting drunk. It was the same old, same old. In the corner of the pub, in the shadows sat an elven thief, eying up the wretched souls who were ripe for the taking. Near him, at a rickety old table was the card dealer, ready to teach the wayward adventurer the kingdom’s most popular game. The bar wench was sloshing tankards of ale while the typical smattering of dwarves shouted at each other and edged towards a fight. Lu Han had seen it every night for eternity it seemed, with only the occasional respite - the time when he and the other minstrels would go on the road, and his days and nights would get eternally brighter.

“Looking for Minseok?” Baekhyun nudged at Lu Han’s ribs, letting the mandolin in his hand go lax.

“No!” Lu Han protested. Of course he wasn’t looking for the most handsome, wonderful, amazing, bard that existed in the kingdom. That would be foolish.

“Right. Just remember, Kyungsoo’s ring still hasn’t been found so until that happens there is no way you are going to see him.” Trust Baekhyun to make a depressing situation that much more depressing.

Lu Han sighed. The door to the pub clanged open, and everyone sprang into action. Voices were raised, and Lu Han and the other minstrels began to play the song of Swords and Fire, the one that told of the tales of the great adventurer….Lu Han paused. Wait, was this one called LaktoseIntoleranz?! What a strange name for an adventurer, and Lu Han had seen a lot of them.

Oh well, Lu Han thought. It was his lot in life.

“And the great LaktoseIntoleranz slayed a dragon, a mighty dragon at that,” Luhan sang, ignoring the way LaktoseIntoleranz kept running into the bar, then went to see the card dealer four times and lost it all. He totally missed the thief, not to mention he didn’t even check the bulletin board for odd jobs. And he most definitely did not approach one of the minstrels, Kyungsoo, and find out about his missing ring.

Sometimes life could be so frustrating.

At last count Kyungsoo had lost his ring over five hundred thousand times. Lu Han knew very well where it was, he had found out after a few thousand times of it being found. It was near the riverbank in the town over. Once the ring was found and returned to Kyungsoo, Lu Han’s life got better. He could travel to a neighboring town, where Kyungsoo would have to give the ring to his truly beloved, an ogre named Chanyeol. While there Lu Han would take up residence in a small inn, and join in singing with Minseok for a while. They would travel then, forever thankful to the adventurer for helping their friend Kyungsoo. Eventually they would even play at the final battle, recounting the mighty deeds of ...LaktoseIntoleranz or people like him.

But then there were times that the ring was never found, and Lu Han wilted away in the tiny pub in Winter’s Breath, bored out of his mind and missing Minseok. And the wait would be endless, until a new adventurer appeared and asked the right questions, knowing how much the ring meant to Kyungsoo.

The wait could be so brutally long Lu Han often thought he was going mad.

The sun was up, hanging in the middle of the sky. That meant Lu Han was walking down the path in the village like he did every day, past the blacksmith’s shop, past the potions store, and around the small houses of the villagers. He would walk from the pub, around the village for a few hours, and back to the pub to set up. Of course if an adventurer came into the village he would run over to the pub at light speed, making sure he was there when the man or woman ventured in, so they would always be greeted with a tune.

Lu Han looked forlornly at the happy villagers as he passed them. It wasn’t fair, he thought, how some of them were always happy and always together. They never had to depend on a ring being found to be happy. They never had to go weeks and weeks without seeing their true love. They never-

An adventurer was there. Lu Han booked it back to the pub, just in time to sing a song as …. mirranda0412 walked in the door. What a strange name. Lu Han brushed it off, continuing to sing as the adventurer walked slowly through the pub, thoroughly investigating everything. The adventurer even stopped in front of Kyungsoo and talked to him, giving Lu Han some hope. Maybe they would find that lost ring.

“Thank you, kind person. I am forever in your debt.” Kyungsoo delivered the line with a smile on his face, the ring in the palm of his hand. Lu Han had been right to be hopeful, this adventurer had come through. After a few more words, the adventurer received a small pouch of coins. The entire time Lu Han kept singing, but his heart was thumping in his chest. Minseok, this meant he would see Minseok soon. It felt like it had been years since the last time he saw him. If Lu Han could he would have hugged the adventurer, he was so happy.

Travelling through the Kingdom of Erinhold was a mixed bag. Usually the minstrels went by wagon and horseback, a lengthy journey that sometimes took forever and sometimes took less than the blink of an eyes. It was strange how time in the Kingdom was unfailingly consistent yet could never really be anticipated. Things happened at certain times, but then those times sometimes happened before they should. Lu Han had heard someone once say that not everywhere was like this, but he had only known this apparent inconsistency in his life.

Baekhyun, Kyungsoo, Lu Han, and Jongin loaded up their wagon near sunset, being extra careful when they placed their instruments inside. Lu Han climbed in the back with Jongin while Baekhyun and Kyungsoo sat at the front.

They set off as the sun sunk below the horizon, the howls of wolves accompanying their journey down the dirt path. Lu Han tried to sleep, but he was too excited. He hoped that time would suddenly speed up, as it sometimes did, and they would be at their destination at light speed.

“Are you excited to see Minseok?” Jongin asked in between a yawn.

“No,” Lu Han answered. Pfft, it wasn’t like he was in love with the man or anything.

Lu Han was in love. Completely and totally in love. When they arrived at the inn in the village of Dragon Fell, the first thing Lu Han saw was Minseok. The elf was standing in the middle of the inn, a mandolin in his hands as he strummed a song of amazing adventure. His pink hair glowed with the light from the fireplace behind him. His voice was like heaven, soft and melodious. His pale face and chubby cheeks were flawless. He looked so ethereal standing there Lu Han forgot everything else. Including to step aside as Kyungsoo delivered the ring to Chanyeol.

“I didn’t know you felt that way!” The ogre gushed, nearly knocking Lu Han down as he went in to hug Kyungsoo. Lu Han avoided a collision, stepping aside just in time. Minseok finished his song and Lu Han approached him.

“Hey,” Lu Han greeted, feeling his cheeks grow warm.

“Hey,” Minseok answered, smiling a wide and gummy smile that made Lu Han feel like he was the luckiest person in all of the kingdom. “I was hoping you would show up soon.”

“Did you miss me?” Lu Han asked, his entire body going warm.

“Yeah, but probably not as much as you missed me.” Minseok winked. Lu Han was pretty sure his heart stopped beating for a few seconds.

The door to the inn opened, spurring everyone into action. Lu Han was instantly next to Minseok, while Kyungsoo rushed to join them. Jongin and Baekhyun appeared, as Jongdae – a minstrel that played with Minseok. They started to sing a song of the great and mighty adventures of 4251AssHat, smiles on their faces as the adventurer explored the inn.

At one point he approached Kyungsoo and was thanked yet again, Chanyeol wandering up and proclaiming he was forever in mirranda0412’s debt. After the adventurer talked to a bounty hunter and avoided a fight with the mercenaries, he wandered out the door. The minstrels immediately stopped playing.

“Can I buy you a drink?” Lu Han asked as Minseok leaned his mandolin against the wall.

The elf nodded.

They took a seat at one of the empty tables in the back, Lu Han carrying the tankards of ale over. “What have you been up to lately?” he asked Minseok as he set the drinks down.

“Same old stuff. You know how it is, nothing ever changes.” Minseok looked thoughtful, “Oh! One thing happened 4251Ass Hat killed that witch outside town. That like never happens.”

“Wow! That’s kind of crazy.” Lu Han had only heard of that being done maybe a few hundred times.

“Yep, talk of the town for a week.” Minseok took a sip of his ale, smacking his lips as he swallowed. “So we get to travel for a while.”

“We do, don’t we!” Lu Han couldn’t hide his excitement.

“It’s been so long,” Minseok said softly. “You know sometimes I wish…”

“You wish what?” Lu Han asked after Minseok fell silent.

“Nothing, it’s not important. What’s important is that your hairstyle is still atrocious. For such a good looking human you are certainly lacking in style,” Minseok teased.

Lu Han laughed, launching into protests of how no matter how many times he tried to get a haircut it never took.

They travelled to Troll’s Reach, and then onto Maple Village. They played at an inn and then a tiny tavern that was known as a refuge for those who were wanted by the crown. At each stop Minseok and Lu Han sang together, their voices in perfect harmony as they entertained the patrons - and most importantly - mirranda0412 when he ventured into the venue.

Their travels were slow, and Lu Han was starting to think that time was figuring itself out in the Kingdom of Erinhold. A pattern was forming, where the adventurer only appeared every few days. It was a welcome change of pace, at least to Lu Han. It meant he had more time to spend with Minseok.

During the day they liked to take long walks, like they always did when they were together. In the afternoon they sat in the market, like they always had. The hot sun beating down on them as they conversed with their heads close.

“You ever think of singing a different song?” Lu Han mused one day.

“I wish. But what we sing is clearly the best, which is why there aren’t any other songs in the kingdom,” Minseok answered confidently.

“You’re right, I think.” Lu Han liked that about Minseok, he was always right. Minseok was, for lack of a better word, perfect. Absolutely perfect. And Lu Han was so in love with him it hurt - because someday soon they would part again and start everything all over again.

“What is your earliest memory?” Minseok asked one day as they pulled up outside a new inn a few towns over.

Lu Han thought hard. “Ones and zeroes,” he recalled.

“Ha, mine too!” Minseok was excited, adding, “It must be a sign that we are compatible.”

Lu Han couldn’t hold back, he enveloped Minseok in a hug. He was relieved when Minseok hugged him back.

“You should just tell him you like him,” Kyungsoo whispered as they finished a set.

“What? No!” Lu Han wasn’t about to make things more complicated. “It will never work out between us, you don’t understand.”

“Right, because it isn’t like I spend half my life waiting to give Chanyeol a ring and then spending a few measly weeks with him.” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes.

Okay, so maybe the minstrel had a point. Lu Han glanced at Minseok, catching the elf’s eyes. Minseok gave him a sweet smile, which Lu Han mimicked. Could he really confess to the elf? Did Minseok feel the same way?

It happened the next morning, as Lu Han left the inn for some fresh air. It wasn’t the first time he had seen something like this occur, unfortunately.

In a second he found himself in a dress, a pink polka dot one. No big deal, not really. But then the landscape changed to look like it was made of blocks, and when he spotted all the store owners he found their heads now resembled some strange clowns.

“Not again!” Minseok whined as he sidled up to Lu Han. “I hate when this happens.”

It was terrible, Lu Han could agree. When things like this happened the entire order of the Kingdom was gone. Strange things happened, people weren’t where they should be when they should be. A few times Lu Han found himself in a lake, and more than once it cut his time with Minseok short.

“I don’t get it, why does this happen,” Lu Han sat on the ground, resigning himself to the chaos that would ensue.

Minseok sat next to him, leaning against Lu han as he let out a few frustrated sighs.

They sat that way for a while, an anomaly since at this time they should be taking a walk.

Lu Han suddenly had an idea. “Hey, Minseok, should we try something we have never done before and see if it works?”

Minseok raised his head up. “Like what?”

“I don’t know, like maybe leaving the town now or going to the forest or perhaps we could go inside and sleep since neither of us ever do.” Lu Han felt a sudden burst of freedom tinged with fear. Because in the Kingdom of Erinhold one didn’t really do anything new. They just did things with varying degrees of frequency depending on adventurers.

“Sleep?” Minseok looked thoughtful. “Can we even do that?”

Lu Han had spotted a lot of people sleeping over the years, passed out in the beds of inns as he took a short walk around. Certain people always slept at certain times, but Lu Han and the other minstrels never slept. If they were sleeping they couldn’t play songs and greet the great adventurers of the kingdom.

“Let’s try, come on.” Lu Han stood up, pulling Minseok to his feet. With the elf’s hand in his own, Lu Han went back into the inn and walked up the stairs. He found a wide, unoccupied bed and flopped onto it. Minseok watched him, then cautiously crawled in next to him.

“I never knew beds were so comfortable!” Lu Han sunk into the mattress, regretting never having tried one before.

“It’s nice,” Minseok agreed. They relished in the feeling of the mattress for a few moments before Minseok rolled closer to Lu Han, placing his hand on the human’s chest. “Lu Han, can I tell you something?”

Lu Han swallowed, his eyes glued to where Minseok was touching him. “Sure.”

“I think I love you, like the way Chanyeol loves Kyungsoo.” Minseok was blushing, his cheeks painted a dusty pink as he looked at Lu Han hopefully.

“Y-you love me?” Lu Han squealed out, not believing his ears.

“Ah, forget I said it,” Minseok frowned.

“I love you too.” Lu Han smiled, pulling the elf to him. Minseok surprised him by pressing his lips to Lu Han’s, so bold, and so perfect. Lu Han followed up the gesture by peppering Minseok's face with kisses, so happy he felt like his heart would burst out of his chest.

After ten minutes of languid and chaste pecks they both fell asleep in each other's arms, experiencing sleep for the first time together.

When Lu Han awoke he found Minseok cuddled into his side, his head resting on Lu Han’s chest. Lu Han smiled the widest smile he thought had ever graced him, so happy, so content. He hoped they wouldn’t be separated for a little while yet, and that whatever had allowed them this one-off experience would let them do more.

After Minseok woke up they descended to the bar area of the inn, hand in hand. They found the other minstrels playing instruments with Baekhyun singing in Lu Han’s place. One glance around the bar told Lu Han that the environment had changed, but still wasn’t normal. Gone were the dresses and blocky objects. Now everyone was dressed normally but everywhere were tiny little dogs, barking and looking cute. The floor was covered in them.

When Baekhyun spotted Minseok and Lu Han he gave them a look of betrayal, which Lu Han promptly ignored

A few minutes later the door banged open and in strolled mirranda0412, who was wearing...some kind of strange armor which Lu Han had never seen before. There was fire that came from it, but what was most startling was that Lu Han had no compulsion to take his place and play music. The other minstrels seemed the same, they didn’t even scramble to begin the song of mirranda0412’s adventures. How strange.

The adventurer walked carefully past the puppies and went to gamble, but still Lu Han wasn’t compelled to action. This he had never experienced before. Was the kingdom changing this much? What else was possible?

“I’m kind of afraid,” Minseok whispered, looking at the puppies and then at the adventurer. If Lu Han was being honest he was kind of afraid too.

Baekhyun was the person who said it first. “I think we should break up the group.”

Lu Han and Minseok had been singing, while the other minstrels had been playing. It had been days and they still were devoid of the compulsions that normally drove them, the need to scurry forth whenever mirranda0412 entered the tavern. But still, they were a group, even if sometimes they weren’t because Kyungsoo's ring was still lying by a river bank.

“Break up?” Kyungsoo repeated. “Can we even do that?”

“Why not? Everyone is doing what they want now. Look over there,” Baekhyun pointed towards a table where a drunken nobleman typically sat. “He stopped drinking and last I heard he is living in the barn outside of town. That never happened before. And see there,” Baekhyun motioned towards the place the card dealer usually stood, “Guess he was in love with the lady at the potion shop all along, they just got married.”

It was true, people had been doing what they wanted, and the order of things were off. Lu Han and Minseok had even started sleeping every few hours. It was strange. Lu Han had an unsettling feeling about it all, like it was too good to be true. That soon enough he would be wrenched away from Minseok when a new adventurer arrived, and they would be separated for years. It would be that much more regretful the more they experienced together, the more time they didn’t have to just walk around town or sit in the marketplace.

“So you never wanted to be a minstrel?” Jongin asked softly, looking upset.

“I want to be an actor, actually,” Baekhyun announced. “Act on the biggest stages in the capital city.”

Chanyeol gasped. “But we’ve never been to the capital city!”

“But we could go now, I think.” Baekhyun smiled. “If you guys want we could go together, but just know I want to act when I get there.”

No one answered, all feeling lost as to what to do.

“Lu Han, is there anything you have always wanted to do?” Minseok asked quietly as they laid together in bed.

Lu Han knew the answer to the question, but wasn’t sure if he should say it.

“Because I have always wanted to stay with you. Not be separated, just live together all the time,” Minseok explained.

“Me too, that’s what I want.” Lu Han pulled Minseok closer to him, hoping that they would have the chance now.

As the days passed without order being restored, the group drifted apart. Chanyeol and Kyungsoo followed Baekhyun to the capital city. Jongdae and Jongin decided to tour on their own, playing the usual places. Minseok and Lu Han on the other hand ventured forth, finding a tiny little cottage in the woods where they decided to live.

Each day that passed the anxiety lessened, the reality that they might be torn asunder fading into a bad memory. It seemed that the order that had dictated their entire existence was no more, and that order had been a prison all along.

Lu Han delighted in varying up his routine, taking long walks with Minseok that weren’t always the same route. They planted a small garden and in the evenings they sat outside and enjoyed the chill in the air. They were in love and happy, living their lives like they wanted.

But the freedom they had gained had a horrible price. They had no idea what was going on in the kingdom aside from what news filtered into the nearby village. And it was already too late when Lu Han overheard people in the market square whisper “mirranda0412 defeated Lord BlackMoor.”

Lu Han regularly played the fighting songs as the adventurers went to face off against Lord Blackmoor. That was when the adventurer would, if successful, become a champion for the ages. That is when he would always return to the tavern without Minseok, Kyungsoo’s ring falling along a riverbank. That was a part of the old order, when things were guaranteed to reset. After the fight with Lord Blackmoor Lu Han had never once found himself not transported back to Winter’s Breath.

At the news, Lu Han tried to rush back to the cottage, afraid that something would happen. Afraid that the freedom they had found would be wrenched away from them, that he would be cast back to a life without Minseok. Lu Han ran as fast as he could until the world around him dissolved.

“Looking for Minseok?” Baekhyun asked, jabbing Lu Han in the ribs.

Lu Han had seen a flash of light and then that was it, he was back in Winter’s Breath, back in the small tavern without Minseok.

“Yes!” Lu Han answered, scanning the crowd. Minseok was gone, order had been restored. They were back to their routine, back to hoping Kyungsoo’s ring would be found.

“Well then let’s hope-” Baekhyun stilled as the door swung open, a woman with a long sword stomping in - “Shining Rose finds the ring.”

Lu Han began to sing, glancing at the new adventurer. She seemed to be observant, investigating her surroundings slowly before approaching the minstrels. Lu Han nudged Kyungsoo forward, trying to get the adventurer’s attention. She took the bait and began talking to the minstrel, learning of his missing ring.

Before long she returned the ring to Kyungsoo, and within a fortnight Lu Han was back singing in harmony with Minseok. It was a measure of happiness, but one tinged with depression because they had, for a short time, thought they would be together forever. It was a cruel joke that hurt Lu Han’s heart.

It had probably been over a million times that Kyungsoo had lost his ring when the adventurer’s stopped coming as frequently. It would be months between new adventurers, and eventually years. Lu Han fell into a depression because he wasn’t seeing Minseok. His surroundings seemed to mirror his mood, things breaking down slowly. Baekhyun had stopped talking a few years ago, now he just ran into a wall constantly swinging his arms.

The bar was now half on the ceiling and a strange repetitive noise was made whenever you asked the barkeep for ale.

Lu Han started to think the world would disappear one day, and he would never see Minseok before that happened. With no one to find the ring he couldn’t travel to Minseok. And right now there was no one.

Lu Han sang his heart out until one day his world went dark, a flash of ones and zeroes before he was no more.

Lu Han opened his eyes, blinking rapidly. He was in the warm sun, he could feel it on his skin. He looked around, staring at unfamiliar surroundings. He was in some sort of courtyard, a high stone wall around him. As he glanced upward he saw a stone tower and parapets. It dawned on him he was in a castle of some sort. He looked down, noticing he was dressed in unusual finery. When he ran his hands through his hair he realized he had a haircut, his hair was much shorter.

Where was he? He could remember the tavern, how life slowly faded away. How had he ended up in this place? He walked slowly over to the stone walls, marveling at how much clearer everything looked.

“Prince Lu Han! Prince Lu Han!” Lu Han turned towards the sound of the voice. A servant of some sort was running to him, waving his hands in the air in panic. Lu Han noticed as the man neared that it was Baekhyun.

“Baekhyun?”

“Shhh, it’s Sir Baekhyun the personal servant to the prince now or something. Anyway, your husband is looking for you.” Baekhyun smiled.

“Husband?” Lu Han repeated dumbly.

“Yep, now go find him.” Baekhyun pointed towards an opening in the courtyard. Lu Han took his time walking inside, afraid of tripping on something or running into an unknown obstacle. When he entered the castle he gasped at the rich interior before him. He had never been in a castle before. He followed the hall to a large throne room, where he found a roomful of people and two very prominent thrones at the head of the room.

“Dear, you are late!”

Lu Han’s jaw dropped as he looked at the throne. Minseok. It was Minseok.

“Minseok?” Lu Han whispered, too stunned to move.

“It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?” Minseok flashed a gummy smile. “Looks like you’re stuck with me now, husband.”

Lu Han ran to the throne, finding his new reality much more suitable than the last one. He enveloped Minseok in a bone crushing hug. This, Lu Han decided, was the best reality yet.

“Dude, did you see what they did in the main castle?” Sehun asked, mashing a few buttons as he ran through the throne room.

“What?” Junmyeon asked, his head buried in his homework, clearly not paying that much attention.

“They reused NPCs from the first game! The prince and his husband were minstrels, I swear,” Sehun scoffed.

“That so?” Junmyeon asked, disinterested.

“Yep, and do you know what else? No mods. I can’t even use my puppy floor or dress and wolf head mods.” Sehun sounded deeply offended.

“You mean the ones that glitched out your game?” Junmyeon finally looked up from his textbook. “The thing that made you whine to me until I locked you out of the house?”

“Hey! I didn’t know it would do that!”

“Right. mirranda0412, you should really play this one fair and square,” Junmyeon admonished. “Or better yet, maybe you should make an attempt to actually pass your history class this time instead of playing that stupid game.” He tapped a finger on Sehun’s discarded history textbook.

“Whatever. Go back to studying nerd,” Sehun mumbled, settling in as he opened the dialogue box with the Prince.

a/n- Yep, they are characters in a video game XD