A knock on his door roused Minwoo from his sleep. It was still dark outside and the faintest creep of sunlight was starting to poke through the undergrowth. Not even the birds had woken to start singing.

It was the fourth time that week he'd been woken so early.

“The prince is waiting for you,” Youngmin told him in a weary tone. He was dressed in flowing silk robes that fell to the floor, intricate jewellery decorating his neck and arms, eyes painted with a smoky powder. He looked exhausted, and behind him Kwangmin was leaning against his back, eyes shut and evidently half asleep.
Minwoo wouldn't help feeling a pang of sympathy for the twins. It couldn't be easy working in the mornings when the prince's morning would randomly start before the sun had even risen. “Go get some sleep you two,” he told them before getting himself ready.

He rode out, squinting in the hazy morning light. He could only imagine how hard it was to travel here for the knights. He wondered if Hyunseong was doing okay. It occurred to him that the only person in his strange group of friends unaffected by this change was Jeongmin, and he quietly envied the bard.

When he arrived the knights were stood unsteadily about, some of them leaning against each other for support. They were lucky the prince wasn't leaning out of his window to watch. He dismounted and approached the knights, who seemed relieved to be getting it over with. It was more of a general sword waving than a fight, and they went down without any fuss, many of them making themselves comfortable on the floor. He wondered if they were allowed to file complaints.

He scaled the staircase and pushed the door open, wishing it would be easy to move for once, and found the prince comfortably settled on the chaise lounge with a blanket. He stood in the doorway silently and wondered what the punishment for voicing his complaints would be.

The prince opened his eyes and grinned at him, then slowly sat up and stretched. “My Knight! You're here! I had a nap while I was waiting, I haven't been sleeping well at all.”

“Is... this the reason for the early starts?” Minwoo asked, trying to keep his tone light.

“Of course! I get so bored when I'm awake at night...”

“I see.” He held back a sigh.

The prince stood, blanket wrapped around his shoulders and gave Minwoo a tired smile. “Carry me down the stairs, I'm tired.”

He was fortunate he'd got used to carrying the prince now. Prince Donghyun would climb onto his back and he'd hold onto his legs as he headed down the steps slowly. This time he had to make sure he didn't step on the trailing blanket as well. When they safely made it to the bottom it was no issue taking him past the guards who all seemed to have fallen asleep now, and to the horse.

As they began to ride off, the prince leaned against Minwoo's back and was quiet as they left the 'castle' grounds. After a moment he spoke.

“Take me back to the palace.”

Minwoo glanced back. “Your Highness?”

“You're supposed to call me Prince Donghyun,” the prince replied, stifling a yawn. “I'm tired. I want to sleep.”

Minwoo glanced over at the early morning sun, watching the hazy rays breaking over the fields and through the trees like golden ribbons. “Now?”

“Hm.” The prince nodded.

He closed his eyes for a moment, holding back the retort, before turning the horse around and riding to the palace. He didn't know the exact route, but by a lot of guess work and the horse's own natural instincts of direction he soon managed to get close enough to see the massive, ornate towers of the Royal Palace. He stopped the horse at the gates to the main gardens. “We're here Prince Donghyun.”

The prince raised his head a little. “No, take me to the Palace.”

“Prince Dongyun... I don't think I'm allowed.”

“If I order you to ride me to the palace then you're allowed.”

He couldn't argue with that. With an encouraging nudge of his heels the horse trotted through the gates along a long cobbled path to the great doors. Around them beautiful fountains tinkled in the morning quiet, and flowers began to open in the sun. A few bushes hummed with bees beginning their gathering as he breathed in he was met with the aroma of exotic plants. The palace really was a magical place.

“We're here.”

The prince straightened up and stretched, before pulling the blanket off himself and draping it around Minwoo's shoulders, then dismounted.

“Prince..?” Minwoo touched the blanket, surprised.

“Keep it, I have loads.” Prince Donghyun beamed at him. “Besides,” he added, “it's going to be a cold morning.” With that he headed inside.

Minwoo sat outside for a moment, baffled, before he spotted some staff and quickly turned the horse about, leaving the grounds as fast as he could until he was back among familiar fields. Despite having the rest of the day ahead of him, he retired the horse to the stables and dragged himself, blanket around his shoulders like a cloak, back to his house and huddled into bed.

Unfortunately, that was the first of many times the prince had him make the long journey.