"Can I... go see Jongdae?" Asked Baekhyun, untangling himself from Chanyeol's arms. He's staring up at Chanyeol with large hopeful eyes, fingers clenching at the fabric of Chanyeol's robe.

"It's late, why don't you rest instead?" Chanyeol reached out for Baekhyun's face, but the smaller gently grasped his wrist, slender fingers bringing the limb down.

Baekhyun pouted, he wasn't the least bit tired. He slept throughout the afternoon and he was just merely exhausted from sitting for the majority of the day. "I've slept enough, Your Majesty. I also want to stretch my legs."

He clambered off of Chanyeol's lap on the throne to stand in front of the emperor, marvelling for a second at how much Chanyeol seemed to emit power from just sitting. Baekhyun stared widely at the emperor, still waiting for an answer.

"It's still dangerous." Chanyeol explained, forearms propped on the armrests.

Baekhyun tilted his head to the side, hands coming to nudge Chanyeol's knees apart. He fits in between the knees, Chanyeol spreading them wider to accommodate Baekhyun. Placing a hand on Chanyeol's right thigh, Baekhyun beamed at the emperor, rectangular smile on full display. "Won't you protect me, Your Majesty?"

Chanyeol laughed a bit, head thrown back. Baekhyun is simply too much. Once he stopped, he stared at Baekhyun, looking directly into crescent eyes that was alarmingly adorable. Baekhyun right then and there seemed to radiate light, he brightened up the throne room significantly, like a little ball of sunshine.

Chanyeol smiled, the smile he seemed to only show Baekhyun. "Of course I would, anything for you."

---

"Why isn't it healing?!" Came Minseok's voice, loud and panicked. The great general has a hand running through his hair, frizzled by the numerous times he's previously done it.

"I do not know..." Murmured Yixing. He surveyed Jongdae's main injury, the damn arrow that pierced into Jongdae's stomach. The skin around the object was turning dark as black, spreading slowly, but steadily across Jongdae's stomach. Any longer and it would reach Jongdae's heart and Yixing did not want that. He didn't want to pull the arrow out either, in case the poison would interfere with his element and let Jongdae die of blood loss.

It had been hours since Yixing used his element of healing and there was still no progress of Jongdae being cured. He was starting to stress, as everyone else in the room was. Minseok beside him began to curse the heavens, even though he prayed to them hours before. Other doctors, and even healers, started to lose hope as the time seemed to stretch with no positive reactions.

However, Yixing refuse to give up. Not only would he lose a great friend, Minseok would lose a lover and Jongsu would lose a father.

"Whatever this poison is, I can’t seem to cure Jongdae from it.” Yixing quietly added. It was not impossible, as he can feel his element trying to break in, but with his level, it was. Don’t get him wrong, Yixing is the best doctor and healer around, probably one of the best in the world, but at this moment, he doesn’t understand what he is doing wrong.

“We need to do this another way.”

“What other way?!” Minseok practically growled out. He paced on his spot beside Jongdae’s bed, looking utterly broken. He could definitely tell his lover wouldn’t get any better at all.

Yixing gestured to two healers, instructing them to take over as he stood up. He glanced at Minseok, but promptly ignored the question as he grabbed paper and started to write down a list of things.

“Come here,” Yixing spoke and pointed to a doctor. “Get these for me. Most are out of the city and are far out, but get anyone who can travel fast. Speed, teleportation, I don’t care. We have about three hours before we lose Jongdae.”

Yixing peeked at Jongdae and quickly scratched that out.

Shakely, he took back his words, “Make that two hours, I want those in one.”

“I- I don’t think that’s enough time-” The doctor stuttered out and stared at the long list of rare medical herbs and ingredients.

“Take as many people as you can, split up and get them, if you will. This is a Royal Healer’s request.”

It isn’t very often Yixing uses his title bestowed upon by Chanyeol, preferring to be called a normal doctor, but desperate times calls for desperate measures.

“I- Yes. Right away.” The doctor bows and rushes out of the room.

Turning to Minseok, he called out to the great general. “Minseok, I will be needing your aid and element for what I’m about to do.”

Minseok stopped pacing and faced Yixing. He looked completely drained of life, but there was a passion in his eyes as soon as Yixing finished his sentence. “What do I have to do?”

“I need you to freeze over Jongdae’s stomach. This will be risky, considering Jongdae’s already low body temperature, but it’ll hopefully slow down the poison from spreading.”

Minseok nodded, already in position to let out his element.

“And freeze over the open wound when I pull out the arrow.”

Collective gasps resounds in the infirmary, shocked at the words that came out of the Royal Healer’s mouth.

“What?” Exclaimed Minseok in disbelief. “Even I know that isn’t the greatest idea.”

This was dangerous, Yixing knew, but he needed to see the wound in all its glory, metal arrow out of the way.

“I know what I’m doing.” Yixing calmly stated, even though he also finds himself in a panic. “The arrow went through deeply, yes, and it will be extremely hard to remove it. However, this is the only possible way I can think of at the moment that is the safest.”

“Safest? ‘Safest’? How the hell is this the safest way?! You could kill Jongdae!” Shouted Minseok angrily. H