It took a few days for Minwoo to get used to making the lone ride to the castle, 'fighting' the knights and rushing up the stairs to ride the prince back to the village. It was a lot easier if he pretended the prince was also and actor, and not one of the most powerful people in the kingdom. Once he knew what he was doing, he was actually able to have a little bit of fun, especially when he and the knights practised sequences and moves to make the fight more fluid.

Barely a week after he had started he was jogging up the stairs of the castle and wishing his armour fitted a little better. He pushed the door open, wishing it was lighter, and stepped into the room.

Prince Donghyun had draped himself over a chaise lounge in the room in a dramatic fashion, arms draping off the side. He gazed at Minwoo and waved a hand, saying, “Sir Minwoo, you must carry me from the castle. I am simply too weak from my imprisonment.”

Minwoo stopped in his tracks and stared at him. “Pardon me?”

“Carry me,” he ordered, arms reaching out.

He didn't have much of an option. Cautiously he stepped over to the prince, unsure how to go about it. The prince was taller than him and more filled out, he wasn't sure if he was quite strong enough to carry him in a reasonable manner. Was he even allowed to handle the prince in this way?

Prince Donghyun didn't give him much of a choice, putting his arms around his shoulders as an indication of hos he wanted to be held. Minwoo groaned internally and put his arms beneath the older, trying to lift him bridal style. Be it through fear of legal punishment for dropping a monarch or years of carrying stage sets around, he managed to hold the prince in his arms.

The stairs were a definite threat. He awkwardly made his way down, terrified of losing his balance. The prince seemed to regret his decision and clung to him, looking down with wide eyes. It took nearly half an hour for them to safely make it down to the bottom, at which time Minwoo spotted a knight glancing through the open doors then skittering away quickly.

He awkwardly carried the prince towards his horse, which seemed to be giving him a very sympathetic look. Or maybe it was laughing. He wasn't sure how horses expressed themselves.

He lowered the prince to the ground, then helped him onto the horse before mounting it himself. He could see the knights pretending not to look at them. This couldn't be more embarrassing.

The prince managed to make it more embarrassing. Apparently he had decided that being carried had been too great a risk, and instead insisted Minwoo guide him downstairs by holding his hand and leading him to the doors with their hands raised daintily.

Then he pretended to have been poisoned, and had Minwoo feed him an antidote.

Then he had Minwoo help him put on a coat to go outside in.

Then he sat in front of Minwoo on the horse so he was forced to put an arm either side of him during the ride back to the village.

Then, just as Minwoo was starting to consider faking severe illness, the prince had set up a small tea party inside the castle. A little table with two delicate chairs either side of it was in the middle of the room, small sandwiches and cakes and treats piled onto a stand. Two cups of tea had been poured and Minwoo wondered if the prince had done it himself or if a servant had set this all up and rushed away just before he had arrived.

“I ran out of ideas, and I was hungry. Have food with me.”

He nodded and sat down, feeling very unclean in the pretty chair. “This is really nice,” he said, smiling.

The price smiled back. “Enjoy it, I'm trying to think of some more fun things to do.”

His smile stiffened. He bit into a sandwich and hoped the fluffy bread and sweet filling would console him for long enough and keep him going.

Despite the ominous looming threat of more strange activity from the prince, he managed to have a fairly enjoyable afternoon. They chatted lightly about the sort of hobbies they had, the life Prince Donghyun lived at the palace, and the various people who had worked in the village during his life. Minwoo was surprised to find that in a calmer situation, the prince seemed quite knowledgeable and kind, and cared a lot for the people who he spent his days with.

He was also glad to learn that Bora had been moved to the palace, now playing boardgames with the prince in the evening in one of the larger entertainment rooms. He supposed she was living in real luxury now, rather than the single room she'd been cooped up in most days.

The prince decided not to go back to the village with him that day, instead insisting Minwoo took the leftover food back with him. They parted with polite waves and, feeling more hopeful, the actor knight rode home, munching on a cake slice.