"Hyukjae?!" Hangeng's voice boomed as he strode into the Throne Room where Hyukjae currently slouched on the High Dracon's chair. "What is this I hear that you've been kidnapping princes lately?" Hangeng immediately asked him, not even deigning to bow to the High Dracon.

Hyukjae didn't bother correcting his guardian's misunderstanding over his current activities - he wasn't kidnapping them, he was asking them to play. With him.

"From where?" Hangeng had to wonder from which kingdoms Hyukjae would have gotten them.

"Heyng?" Hyukjae asked in confusion.

"Names, Hyukjae, I want names of those Princes and what kingdoms they came from," Hangeng wanted to be sure Hyukjae did not break any diplomacy rules if he had inadvertently kidnapped a prince from their allied kingdoms. Though as far as he knew, none of their allies would have ventured near the Dragon Kingdom, or at least near enough where Hyukjae could get to them.

"What kingdoms?" Hyukjae replied testily. "They all came from over the border with the Aegelous Aerie. And for the record, they were just here to play." Of course he knew the Aerie was fair hunting grounds, what with the long war they've already waged with that kingdom.

The Ruby Dracon was momentarily speechless. "Why are you even snatching Aegelous over the border just to 'play'?" He recalled the times he had to put out the fires on Hyukjae's scandals.

Hyukjae rolled his eyes. "Give me a break Uncle-dear - I've been taught the dragons and the eagles, I know enough not to play with the Aegelous that way." He paused. "They're not entirely spineless as our history has made them out to be - they're actually worthy adversaries." He finally looked Hangeng straight in the eyes.

The High Dracon had been keeping out of the war precisely because Hyukjae wasn't convinced it was worth his while to participate and command the dragon army. Hangeng was slightly pleased that Hyukjae was starting to show dominance where that enemy was concerned. Still. "Names, Hyukjae, I need names."

Hyukjae hesitated, but only just. "They've never really given me their names. So I've taken to calling them by their titles. There's commander, master, lord, earl, marquis, duke, and prince... technically only one of them is a prince, not everyone is."

Maybe if Hyukjae had stopped at duke, those who heard wouldn't have minded. But once he mentioned prince, Hangeng had a dreaded, sinking feeling.

Not when an ashen faced Heechul walked in on them with the most despairing look.

"No, no, no," Heechul was pleading at Hangeng, surprising Hyukjae, and leaving Hangeng standing rigidly. He made no move to take Heechul's outstretched hand, still pleading, almost crying. "Not my brother, please, you promised! You promised to spare Donghae! Not him, too, please!" The last word was shrieked, even as Heechul was now on his knees, clutching the hem of the regent's red robes.

Hyukjae's breath hitched, when it finally clicked for him, recalling one detail out of his studies of the Aegelous Aerie. There is only one Prince of Eagles, heir to the Aegelous.

Heechul's half-brother, Donghae.

#

"Donghae?!" Leeteuk's voice rang as he strode into the study where Donghae was currently bent over a tome. "What is this I hear that you've been kidnapped by a dragon lately?"

Donghae looked up to find his guardian's face deceptively calm, followed in by another poker-face General Kangin, and their Aegilas - the Grand Dame Aquila Elorin, respected elder of the Aegilas, and Captain Braun, second ranked of the Aegilas Reveille. Trailing them, of course, was T'al Hasa.

"I wasn't really kidnapped, Uncle," Donghae attempted to explain, T'al Hasa's presence telling him Leeteuk would have known from her, what with T'al Hasa having to "rescue" him again over the border yesterday Monday.

"You know they have no business being in our territory, Prince. And you, of all people, should have been the first to inform us - not be the one complicit with hiding a breach into our lands, by a dragon no less." Leeteuk, while sounding reasonable, was anything but. And Donghae knew his uncle well enough to tread carefully around him when angry.

"I apologize, Regent," Donghae switched to call Leeteuk by title, following the regent addressing him now as Prince. "In the interest of preserving the status quo with the war, I did not want a dragonhunt, nor make the Draco Regnum aware that we know a dragon of theirs have been infiltrating the Aerie." He didn't want to paint Hyukjae as a villain. "And besides, Uncle," Donghae switched titles again, hoping to appeal to their personal and blood ties. "The dragon has never harmed me - he'd only taken me over the border to play and keep him company, nothing more."

Leeteuk's eyes turned sharp, and Donghae belatedly realized why after Leeteuk curtly said, "Grown dragons are grown men, Donghae, shapeshifters, or did you conveniently forget that just because you liked to keep him company? What do you mean about grown men playing?"

Donghae cringed but stood his ground. "I just forgot to say he was a dragon the whole time! I wouldn't even recognize him if I came face to face with his human form! Don't twist my words, Regent." He huffed, not really liking having spats with his uncle, of all people. He could sense that even T'al Hasa was uncomfortable with the exchange.

"What color?" the question straight out of left-field confused Donghae.

"Red," it was General Kangin who answered this time, apparently getting it from T'al Hasa through his bond with Braun.

"Please, Uncle, don't launch a dragonhunt..."

"There would be no need to." Leeteuk cut him off, turning to General Kangin instead. "Increase his personal security. Make sure he's never out of sight of a guard, knight or Aegila. And both of you," Leeteuk turned back to address both Donghae and T'al Hasa this time. "You will participate in the Battle of Aerie. The Ruby Dracons are upper echelon - either of you will make sure that once you see that red dragon, you kill him." With that curt command, Leeteuk strode out of the library, general and Aegilas in tow.

T'al Hasa only stayed long enough to apologize to Donghae. "I only feared for your safety, Donghae. You know we are at war with them - letting that dragon take you once is already one too many. You're not seriously considering that one a friend, are you?" she asked, and thinking she'd be getting no answer as he refused to speak to her, also turned around to take her leave.

It was a long while after T'al Hasa left that Donghae dared to release his mental grip on something he didn't want T'al Hasa, and ultimately the rest, to find out.

He's not just a Ruby Dracon, Donghae thought as he looked down the tome, the image of a silver dragon with rainbow undertones beneath the silver scales. They start out being different hued in certain periods, those that become the High Dracon.

Hyukjae is the High Dracon.

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