Baekhyun stared at Daehyun wide eyed. Daehyun just laid underneath the other, completely shock. The prince quickly pushed himself off Daehyun with his embarrassment creeping up with the rise of the blood that reached his cheeks painting his face in a different color.

"I-I am sorry..." He sputtered, his words coming out raw and fast. How improper of a prince to embarrass himself in front of a stranger. "I should get going." Baekhyun quicky added as he stood up. His cheeks were beginning to burn, able to feel the rising heat of his blood add color on his face. Other than the obvious fact of him being embarrassed from such an action, he was, in fact, incredibly nervous.

He wasted no time to escape the scene and slowly began to walk away before suddenly feeling the warmth of another grabbing a hold of his wrist, yanking him back. Baekhyun was very light weighted, as the pull caused him to fall backward towards Daehyun. The young man catches the young prince and flashes a warm smile at him. "You can't even walk normally now. Here, let me help you out." Daehyun said as he turns to his mother. "Eomma, can you hand me some herbs? You know the one that you can put on wounds?" He asked. 

"It's right next to you, dear." She said as she was arranging the corps on her side of the market stand. Daehyun looked up and saw them before his eyes.

"Thanks Eomma." Daehyun said as he took a handful of the herb's leaves from the stems of the Ebbi plant. The Ebbi plant helps open wounds heal and the people who gets ill easily. Daehyun picked up the delicate, petit evergreen leaves, gently picking up the fragile, four-leaf plant into his hands and carefully plucked off the rotten, dried leaves from its tall stem. 

Baekhyun, on the other hand, was utterly shocked. He didn't know what to say but complied with what Daehyun was saying. The young prince sat down once Daehyun let his hand go. He watched the other closely, eyeing where Daehyun's hand had last touched his skin. He would admit that he was afraid that Daehyun will hurt him somehow since he knew nothing about the other male.

Daehyun didn't seem to notice the nerves in the other because he rolled up the hanbok pants he wore. His eyes softens as he notices the cut, seeing how the cut itself was a bit deep and thinks he could see a piece of clay in the other man's cut. Daehyun bit his lips and gets up. He walks away to the other side of the market stand and came back with a gourd. He separated the water, grabbing a hold of a large bowl that would be able to carry the Ebbi plant and poured some water into it, carefully trying his best to not make it spill. He grabbed a hold of the plant's solid, flat surface and ducked them within the bowl to help rinse off any signs of insect activity and left over bacteria. He turns his attention to Baekhyun's open wound and begins to treat it with gently.

Daehyun opens the gourd up and pour a bit of the water on the open wound, washing away the dry blood. 

Baekhyun winced upon the contact of the water and his open wound, feeling it sting. It didn't hurt as much as he thought it would. He thought that it will hurt like the last time he cleaned up a wound. 

"Sorry this might sting a bit but I promise you, you'll be able to walk around in no time." Daehyun warned. He reach for a rock beside Baekhyun and place it in front of him before grabbing a smaller rock so he could crash the herbs into smaller pieces. Having already cleaned the plant, he reached over for a stick beside him to mix around the herb leaves and water. He uses a finger or two to touch the crush herbs, checking if it was moist enough to use. 

Once he felt it was to his liking, he rips off a long strip of cloth from his own hanbok. 

Baekhyun sat back as Daehyun place a good portion of the mix on top of the cut. The villager uses his hand to smudge it over the cut.

The feeling pierce through the prince's leg, burning slightly. "That hurts." He cursed under his breath. 

"Sorry." Daehyun says, his hands picking up the cloth. He pats the dirt and dust off, before placing it under Baekhyun's ankle. He took one side of the cloth and lap it over the wound before looping it under. He completely did this over and over until the side he was holding was short enough to be tied. He tied two knot before standing up himself. 

"Here, take my hand." Daehyun said, reaching a hand down towards the other. 

Baekhyun looks up, feeling a bit unease. His eyes fix on the hand in front of him. He notice that other's hand looks a bit bigger than his own. Soft in fact, especally for a farmer's boy who always work in the fields. Baekhyun took Daehyun hands. The two fitting like a puzzle, as if they were made for each other. 

Baekhyu felt his face flush upon seeing how feminine his hand looked compare to Daehyun. Daehyun was surprise with how small the other's hand was. He wanted to say something but he shook off the idea. 

"I guess I'll see you around?" Daehyun asked, breaking the silence between them. Baekhyun bit his lips but nods. 

"Yeah..." Baekhyun replies as he left quickly. Daehyun watches as he left before shrugging his shoulder and going back to work. 

Baekhyun makes his way back to the palace. As he was walking his mind goes back to Daehyun. He smiled softly to himself. Something about Daehyun made his stomach flip. Maybe it was the first impression or his personality. He couldn't pin down his thoughts. Something told him this wasn't the last time he was going to see the villager boy. When he got to the palace he walks over to a hidden ladder. It was made out of bamboo shoots and ropes. He slowly climbs up the bamboo rods and jump down to the other side once he made it to the top. 

The young prince pat off his hanbok and walk off to his room. On the way Baekhyun bumped into various court ladies. He was confused but he walks past them. 

"Move out of my way." 

Baekhyun froze in spot knowing exactly who it was. As he heard the footsteps get closer, the prince moved to the side with his head down. The person who walked by only stop to examine Baekhyun for a second or two before walking off. Baekhyun felt his shoulder tense up when being examine but loosen when the person left. 

"WangJa-nim, are you okay?" One of the girls ask, noticing how he looked. 

He looks up and smiles. "Yes, yes...Don't worry about it" He said. "Now will you excuse me.." He quickly added before continuing down his path without waiting for a reply.

-

"Pyeha...why not my son first? I am your first wife." The queen asked, holding in the anger. She was angry that her son won't get marry before Baekhyun. She thinks to herself; why must Baekhyun get everything.

"Kyungsoo is your son too. Why must it be Baekhyun?" She agrued, furious when the king ignores her. 

"What does he have that my son doesn't have?" She adds. 

"Is it because you love his of a mother." 

That's when the king slam his hand on the table and glare at his wife. "Stop. The family request for Baekhyun. So I will give them who they want." He said as he stood up. "You have no say in this. You're just the queen. Nothing high compare to where I sit." He added. 

"We'll ask Kyungsoo when he is ready." 

The queen felt offended by her husband's outburst. She huffed and left the king's quarter to go to her own, where her sons were waiting. 

-
-

"Daehyun it's time to pack and go back home." Daehyun's father yells as he was packing their things. 

Daehyun was making a bracelet out of grass and dread wheat for a little girl when he heard his father.

"Just a minute, abeoji." Daehyun yells back, turning his attention back to the object in his hands.
He loop all the pieces together before giving it to the little girl who was waiting patiently.

She takes it from Daehyun and smiles. "Thank you, oppa!" She chims, giving him a hug before running off to show her parents. 

He chuckles slightly, watching her go before walking over to help his father lift up heavy loads of various corps. 

"Anything new happen today?" His father asked, throwing bags of rice back into the wagon. 

Daehyun nods. "Yeah, it was actually something pretty interesting." He replies, picking up the stacks of woods his father bought and throwing them into the wagon. "I met this young man. He was well, interesting." 

"Tell me about it." His father asked. 

"He said his name was Baek, he is a stubborn young man. I thought he was a girl or something at first because of his hands. I met him when he was being attack by a group of drunk tax collectors. He got injured so I helped him by bringing him here to help wrap his wound up...he doesn't look like a foreign..He actually looks like us but high class...This is my first time seeing him around here" Daehyun said.

His father chuckles slightly. "Well isn't that new. Just be careful, there are many dangerous things around." He said, tying the last loop on the wagon, making sure everything was place and nothing was going to fall out. 

Daehyun nods to his father words before helping his siblings onto the wagon along with his mother. 

He walks up to the horses and ran his hand in each of the horses mane, telling them it's time to go. 

The horses snorts and lift up their front hooves before place back on the floor. Daehyun smiles softly before picking up the reins. 

"Abeoji, we are all set." Daehyun said as he climb into the seat with the leather rope in his hands. When his father gets on besides him. He took the reins from him and whistles, making the horse move. It was a while of silence between the two before his father broke the silence.

"You should practice some more on your sword techniques than teaching kids how to defend themselves. It'll help you a lot in the future, especially when the palace starts to drag people into the war." His father begins. 

Daehyun sighs. "I don't really think they'll do that." Daehyun interject. He was tired of hearing his father complain. Meaning this wasn't the first time his father mentioned the issue. He wonder why his father was stressing out about this.

"Why are you telling me this in the first place?" Daehyun asked. 

"I'll tell you and show you something once we get home." His father replied.

Daehyun nods and stays quiet the whole ride back.
-
-
Baekhyun was reading a book when the door creak open. He looked up to see his mother. He quickly got up and bow towards her.

"Eomma, what brings you here?" He asked, head still low.

His mother close the gap between them and brought a hand up to cup his left cheek. "Are you telling me I can't visit my own son? I came to see how you are feeling." His mother says. "Lately, I heard things about you and I got worried." She added. 

Baekhyun backs away a bit. "What did you hear?" He asked. His mother looked at him surprised. 

"Things like, you seem out of the blue. You aren't eatting well. You refuse to have people dress you. That doesn't seem like you Baekhyun. Are you okay?" She asked looking right into her son's eyes. Baekhyun shut his eyes and bows. "Everything is all fine here. Don't need to worry eomma. I just feel a bit sick." 

"I'll tell the maidens to prepare medicine." His mother said before sitting down in a chair. "But I didnt come here to lecture you. There is something else I came to tell you as well." 

Baekhyun looked up at her reluctantly before opening his mouth to say something. "What is it you must tell me?"

His mother looked at him sadly, with a smile that was fill with sorrow. "You are getting engage to Chanyeol WangJa of Baekje."