A fairy council

Magnolia Boy

Chapter 10 : A fairy council

.

The sky that day was white, and the trees were losing more and more leaves everywhere around, which formed pillows and blankets on the ground, hiding the grass from view. Still, it seemed that for every step he took, the earth would wake under his toes. It would whisper in relief for it hadn't been forgotten. In the shadows cast upon that clouded morning, light followed him around, blessing the trees as he walked past them.

Lord Baekhyun suddenly stopped on his merry way, and turned around. He went back on his steps, turning around a tree, trotted between bushes and disappeared behind a curtain of leaves. He went along a cave for a minute, before ending up in a vaste clearing. There was no doubt that he knew exactly where he was and where to find what he was looking for. And he had no more time to waste, for he was about to join an important meeting. That's what he told the river which tried to play with his feet, wanting a little bit more of his light. He excused himself to the water and finally kneeled in front of a thick shrub.

"May I have some of your leaves, please?" He asked the plant.

The shrub shivered under his fingers and the nymph picked some part of it cautiously, with as much gentleness as he was able to. He then thanked it longly and let his light bless its roots.

Once his small business was done with, Baekhyun was back on his feet and went away, resuming his previous quick pace to Hazelbarrow. Autumn had a tendency to make him feel melancholic and lonely, as he couldn't hear so many animals anymore. Thus, he usually spend those months, along with winter, sheltered in his home. But that day, a very special council was supposed to take place in a tiny house, on the heights of the fairy village.

Baekhyun stopped his walk for a second, his eyes closing and his fingers coming by reflex to his temples. He stayed like that a moment, before resuming his walking. That's when he suddenly realized that the meeting couldn't possibly be held in Junmyeon's home, as he had first foreseen it, that very morning. It suddenly occurred to him that he wouldn't be able to enter said house. It had seemed a very nice idea at first, seeing the four fairies sitting in the living room, with Junmyeon's fireplace crackling. But with the nymph added to the party, that would be impossible.

"Silly me!" Baekhyun exclaimed. "Where could we possibly go, then?"

He spun around and closed his eyes again. They were moving fast under his eyelids as he tried to find a specific memory back. Finally, he smiled.

"Take me to Hazelbarrow, will you? I'm a bit tired of all this walking...," he said to the wind.

He waited only a couple of seconds, before a tree disappeared on his right, giving space for a path filled with fairy mist.

"Thank you very much."

Baekhyun headed to the village with a satisfied smile. It had been so long since he had come to Hazelbarrow for the last time, that he barely recognized it. There were so many new houses, and scents in the air. The incessant chirpings of the tiny inhabitants stopped as soon as the first fairy took sight of him. The little lady gasped and a heavy silence followed. But Baekhyun didn't really pay attention to the commotion he was making. He was so used to it by now that he didn't notice it anymore. And he was still deeply focused on the task in his hands. Maybe the meeting had already begun and he was running late.

He approached as much as he could and held his arm over three different houses before he could reach Junmyeon's door with his index. And he knocked on it slowly.

When it finally opened, a bright smile bloomed on Baekhyun's face at the sight of Junmyeon's frown. The fairy jumped when he recognized the nymph Lord and his face reddened.

"Lord Baekhyun?! What-... Why is-... What can I do for you?" Junmyeon stuttered as he bowed.

"Well, my dear, I have come for the meeting, of course."

"The meeting?" Junmyeon repeated in a shriek.

He looked at the nymph with horror, trying to find back which meeting he exactly forgot and how he could have done such a terrible mistake.

"Yes, yes... That meeting of yours. With Kyungsoo, Jinki, and that little hum... Jongdae, is that it? Has it begun already?"

Junmyeon stared at him, his bottom lip shivering with confusion.

"How did you-...?" He stopped himself when he noticed the knowing smirk that curled up on Baekhyun's mouth.

"You are discussing over Kibum and Jongin. Of course I want to join. However, it occurred to me on my way here that I cannot enter your home, sadly. So would the four of you mind following me to another place? We'll have tea."

Junmyeon stayed silent for a few seconds; he seemed to have trouble processing the fact that Baekhyun had suddenly appeared and wanted to take part to an impromptu small talk between his friends and him. But he was no fairy to decline a request from Lord Baekhyun, and thus, he swallowed hard before he bowed to him once more.

"Yes. Yes, my Lord. I will go get the others, we hadn't even started yet..."

He disappeared back into his home in a hurry and Baekhyun only smiled lightly, joining his hands behind his back as he teetered on his tiptoes. He was still oblivious to the hundred of little heads poking everywhere around to look at him, his eyes focused on the round and red door. When it opened again, the nymph blinked away and turned around.

"This way, my friends," he said with a slight move of his fingers to the fairies.

Junmyeon was incredibly pale, Jinki was still chewing on his sunflower seeds, Jongdae was unusually quiet and Kyungsoo was the only one looking perfectly fine. They all flew away, following the quick and big steps of the spirit before them.

"Where are we going exactly?" Jinki asked, looking at Junmyeon, who shrugged at him.

"A house," Baekhyun answered. "I know for a fact that it is empty, but quite cosy. We will be at ease there."

He summoned a path with a large move of his hand. The five of them went through it at once, arriving at the top of a small hill. They could hear the very soft sound of a river nearby, but none of them could pinpoint where exactly it was. Jongdae was flying close to Junmyeon, looking around with pleated eyes because he had never been to that part of the forest and it made him nervous. The light was low around here, making the trees look bigger than they really were.

"Where are we?" Jinki insisted, as he finally finished eating and span on himself, glancing everywhere.

"In the middle of Nowhere," Baekhyun answered with a cheerful voice, "please follow me."

He turned right, stepped on a rock, and trotted down the hill eagerly. There stood a house. Junmyeon turned to Kyungsoo, and looked at him, puzzled. But the other fairy seemed just as lost as he was, which wasn't truly comforting. Kyungsoo was the oldest of them all, and one of very few creatures who could actually say that they knew Baekhyun well. But it seemed that even him had never flew around that place.

Baekhyun waltzed around the path leading to the door. The way was almost entirely covered by weed and wild flowers. The house itself was intriguing. It looked like a tree, but wasn't exactly one. The walls seemed to have been made of roots and the roof, of something between straw and leaves. It was different from the elven homes, carved directly into trunks.

The door opened with a creaking sound as Baekhyun arrived in front of it, and the nymph immediately dived in. Kyungsoo followed, and after him, Junmyeon. Jongdae was still glued to the older one, for once in his life, and Jinki twirled inside at last.

As soon as all of them entered, the door closed on itself, and a fire exploded in the chimney in tiny fireworks, making the four fairies nearly jump out of their skin.

"Friscuit! What is happening?" Junmyeon yelled.

He gave a grim look to Jinki who chuckled at his sudden curse, but Baekhyun didn't seem to mind it that much. He simply smiled to the fairy.

"Don't you worry, the house is awakening after a very long sleep. It's a bit rusty, it will squeak for a few minutes before settling down. Please, have a seat."

Under four pair of wary eyes, Baekhyun moved forward further into the house. The room was oval, with an arched high ceiling. Beams were sprouting here and there from the ground, supporting the house. The furnitures were quite odd, of all heights and colors, filled to the brim with objects and vials. It seemed everything had a place of its own, but none of it made sense to a common creature. Books were ordered next to a sink and an immense bed sat in front of the fireplace. It was a very nice and cosy chaos, full of clutter and bright colors. Baekhyun sat in an armchair, next to a window.

"I would love a jasmine tea," he simply said with an expecting tone.

Under the dumbfounded gaze of the four fairies, a cup appeared in front of the nymph, and he immediately leaned over the table to take it, drinking a sip.

"My Lord," Kyungsoo finally whispered. "Where are we exactly? What is this place? Who lives here?"

Baekhyun blinked a few times. He seemed genuinely surprised to be asked such questions, but still gave his friend a warm smile.

"I told you already. We're in the exact middle of Nowhere. This charming house belongs to a very dear friend of mine, a wizard. He unfortunately left a long time ago, but his home still sparkles with magic. Isn't it convenient?"

Kyungsoo scratched his head slightly before sighing. He approached the nymph and sat on the sofa next to him, soon joined by the three other fairies. They seemed even tinier than usual, all waiting next to each other on the plushy beige couch.

Baekhyun ordered them some tea by asking out loud to the void, and four little cups popped up.

"By the way, Kyungsoo, you will have to tell Jongin about this house. He will need it."

The fairy chocked on his tea, frowning at the nymph.

"What do you mean?"

"I saw him here, once or twice. He needs to know about it to be able to find it, so please take him here soon. I don't always know when what I see will actually have to happen, it's so very troublesome."

Kyungsoo grumbled in his non-existent beard, already wondering if he would be able to find his way back.

Jongdae slowly turned his head to Junmyeon, pinching his arm with wide eyes.

"Myeon'... he sees the future?" He asked in a soft whisper.

But the quieter murmur a fairy could make was always loud enough for a nymph to hear, and Baekhyun smiled brightly. He left his seat to come nearer, approaching his face so close to the four fairies that Jinki fell backwards on a pillow.

"Oh!" Baekhyun exclaimed. "Are you Jongdae?"

The fairy stayed motionless for a second, his face as pale as the moon and his eyes almost rolling out of his head. He remembered so well what Jongin told him about the nymph Lord, how powerful and incredible he was. Now, his mouth seemed to be filled with ash and he had no idea what to say in front of such an important person.

"You're probably the cutest fairy that I have ever seen!"

Jongdae turned as red as a mature strawberry.

"O-oh?" He stammered weakly.

"I saw you already, somewhere in my mind. But I didn't get with such accuracy how adorable you truly were. What a lovely tiny mouth."

"Th-thank you, my Lord," Jongdae spluttered, a small smirk blooming at the corner of his lips.

Baekhyun stayed immobile a few more seconds. He wasn't even blinking as he stared at Jongdae with sparkling eyes. Then, he suddenly withdrew himself, sitting back in his armchair, drinking some more tea.

"Charming little creatures you are, fairies... Always capturing hearts despite being so small."

There was a silence after his comment. None of them dared -or wanted- to pursue the subject. Not even Jinki, who usually always had a terrible joke to make.

"To answer your question," Baekhyun abruptly said, as if nothing had happened. "I do see the future, in some way. I see things that happened, things that happen, thing that will become true. I just don't always know exactly when they take place. It might be unsettling, to say the least. Today, I saw you all talking about my nymphs. It took me a moment to replace it, so I could understand that it hadn't happened yet and I was still able to join. And here we are."

"Why do you all want to talk about Jongin and Kibummie, though? What is there to say about them?"

All heads turned to Jinki, who now sat on top of a pillow, his legs crossed and his hands joined. He was rarely that serious, and his tone sounded more protective than curious.

Baekhyun only nodded at that comment, before he turned his eyes to Junmyeon, waiting for him to explain the reason he even called for that meeting in the first place. The fairy coughed a bit, to give himself some consistence, before he started.

"Well, hum-... Things happened lately that got me concerned for the two of them. They both met elves. Kibum started to talk with my friend, Minho. Minho knows everything about the forest, and he's a very good elf and I am sure he won't do anything disrespectful but-... but-..."

Junmyeon stammered, stealing a quick glance at Kyungsoo next to him. The older one took it from here.

"Jongin told me that he met Prince Lee Taemin. He willingly let himself be seen and he's planning on finding him again. I'm not sure what to do, considering that the prince is a foreigner... I don't know how much he knows about spirits, I don't know if he's aware of the rules, I don't know his intentions."

Jongdae choked on his tea and Junmyeon tapped his back softly to help him find his breath back.

"What?" the youngest fairy croaked. "Did he really-...?"

"Yes."

"I still don't get why we're talking about that," Jinki huffed, raising an annoyed eyebrow at his friends. "Why is it a concern to us if Jongin wants to go play with the pointy ears folks? He can do as he likes."

Kyungsoo bit his lips to hold back any unpleasant little comment, and only looked grimly at the other one.

"Of course Jongin can do as he pleases. The real problem here, is that we do not know what the prince might do and I need to protect Jongin."

"What do you mean?" Jongdae chirped, "You think the prince would hurt him?"

"Willingly or not, yes," Junmyeon answered in that solemn tone of his. "Prince Taemin isn't used to spirits at all, he could talk about him to other elves and expose Jongin without even knowing that what he is doing is wrong. I think we should talk to him, and maybe also to Minho, just to make sure they won't do anything stupid."

Jinki threw his arms up; his wings twitched with irritation, making him rise a bit in the air.

"Son of a raccoon, that Taemin isn't such an imbecile! Stop being so overprotective of your precious nymphs children. They're gonna be just fine! They don't need us constantly going through their business like that. There's literally nothing to talk about in all of this. Let them all be."

Kyungsoo's eyes squinted on him as his cheeks grew red with anger.

"It is our duty to watch over them. You may not care for them but I do, and I know Jongin. I don't want to see him scared and curled up, hidden in his roots, just because the prince needed to brag about meeting a nymph. For all I know he could have already talked about him, maybe some elves are already searching for Jongin..."

Jinki flew to him, shaking his index to Kyungsoo's round face.

"Don't go around saying I don't care for them, because I do," he grumbled. "You're just so paranoid. You're always saying that I'm disrespectful for not adding titles and pompous adjectives when talking about those pointy ears fopdoodles, but at least, I'm not the one always assuming they're out to hurt us. All elves in the castle already know about nymphs, and they don't assemble to go on hunts to find them, for Light's sake!"

"It is not only about the prince eventually talking about Jongin," Junmyeon interrupted, trying to get Kyungsoo's back. "He doesn't know any boundary-..."

Jinki opened his mouth, about to groan a little more and get some privacy to his friends nymphs, but Baekhyun, who had been silently watching the exchange, spoke.

"Enough," he murmured.

The three fairies had almost forgotten about the nymph Lord sitting next to them and went immediately quiet. Jinki seemed a little bit uncomfortable, as he flew back to his place, angrily taking his cup of tea. Jongdae, who had stayed muted for a while, still didn't dare to move an inch, his eyes glued to the nymph, waiting for his judgment. He wasn't sure why Junmyeon even called him in here. He didn't know why his opinion would matter. He was too young and knew nothing, and he saw no harm in imagining Jongin happily talking to that prince. Jongdae himself never really talked to Taemin, besides that one time, at the ball. But now that he lived in the castle with Junmyeon, he had seen the prince quite a lot, and Taemin was always smiling to others. He always looked so charming and nice. And Jongdae couldn't picture him being mean to Jongin. Maybe he was too naive.

"I agree with Jinki," Baekhyun said, very calmly.

Said fairy blinked rapidly, apparently not expecting such support coming from Baekhyun, out of all creatures and spirits. Kyungsoo's shoulders dropped, and he looked almost hurt by those four words.

"You do?" Junmyeon asked, unsure.

Baekhyun closed his eyes, rubbing his eyelids softly before he started speaking again.

"Yes, I do. I think a lot of things are confusing, those decades. We lost sight of what was important, and focused on details. While I do realize that Junmyeon and Kyungsoo mean well and worked really hard the last century to protect the forest's most precious treasures, I do believe that there are things that should not have been forgotten."

Jongdae was completely lost by now, not seeing the link between whatever obscure words Baekhyun was letting out and the matter on hands. The three other fairies, who were a bit more used to the nymph Lord's way of speaking, simply waited.

"There was a time, before elves got mistrusted, where spirits could be seen easily everywhere in the forest. It was so long ago... It all happened for such a silly reason. And nymphs started to hide. Then the wars happened and every spirit grew even more scared of elves. It is a pity, really."

"What happened?" Jongdae asked, now captivated. "What silly reason made the nymphs hide?"

Baekhyun smiled gently at him, mischief sparkling in his eyes.

"Jealousy. An elf choose a fairy over a nymph. The rejected nymph fell into despair and his friends slowly became leery of those too charming elves with stone hearts. Until one day, they even forgot why they were so wary around them. All because of one broken heart."

The nymph Lord let out a long sigh, before his eyes fell into Kyungsoo's ones. The fairy shuddered, for it felt like Baekhyun was gazing right through his soul.

"I know why you're so protective of Jongin, Kyungsoo. I know this boy needs all the care you give him, but he bloomed just at the memory of speaking to the prince, don't you think it's a good enough reason to not interfere?"

There was a slightly awkward silence, before Junmyeon confided.

"We don't really mean to interfere, per se..."

"You care too much, Junmyeon. You care too much and it's always hurting you. You cannot take responsibilities for everything that happens in the forest. Fairies aren't meant to do politics, study about every species ten hours a day and overthink tiny details to insure nymphs' safety."

Jongdae wiggled closer to the edge of the couch at the exact moment Baekhyun spoke his last sentence. This was becoming very interesting to him.

"You all got caught up in matters far too big for you. You should let it go now, you should rest, play pranks, go on adventures. Elves don't want to harm us anymore. And I won't let anyone, foreigner or not, hurt the nymphs our forest gave birth to. There are bigger things awaiting all of you, than taking bets over Prince Taemin's actions. Trust the forest. Trust me. It will all go well."

Baekhyun leaned forward, holding a hand towards the curled up form of Junmyeon. He took the fairy in his palm and hold him on his lap, his other hand coming to his hair.

"You did well, Junmyeon. There is still a lot of work for you to do, and everything you do with Minho to reinforce the relationship between elves and fairies is inspiring. But you need to stop putting so much pressure on yourself and people around you. There's more to life than constantly being anxious. You have to remember that the forest never asked all that of you. You have to remember that fairies were the ones deciding of all those rules to protect the spirits, but we ultimately don't need them that much."

The fairy joined his hands together with a heavy sigh.

"I will do my best."

"I know you will. And your best will be more than enough."

Junmyeon turned his head up, looking hopefully to the dark eyes of the nymph Lord, before he managed to gave him a small smile.

A slight cough made everyone look back to Jongdae.

"Does this mean I don't have to study anymore?"

Jinki exploded in a laughter, and rolled on his back when he noticed the puffed cheeks of Junmyeon.

"You damned-..."

But before Junmyeon could say anything more, Baekhyun answered.

"Do as you please, my most adorable little firework."

Jongdae's lips curved into the sneakiest smile the three others had ever seen, before he cackled.

"I'm going back to Hazelbarrow today! I have so much to do! I'm gonna tell Jongin and we're gonna play all day every day. I'm never gonna speak elvish ever again!"

"Wait...," Baekhyun murmured with a frown. "You wouldn't-... You should probably not-... I'm confused now. I thought it had happened already. Didn't it happen yet?"

Jongdae blinked a few times, turning to Kyungsoo, then to Junmyeon, trying to decipher if they understood what was going on now.

"How are we supposed to know what you're talking about?" Jinki asked with a smile.

"That's true," Baekhyun answered with a pout. "But I was sure that it had happened. But if it had, he wouldn't go back... would he? No, he wouldn't. My dear, if I may, I think you'd like to stay in the castle just a little bit longer."

Jongdae spent the next twenty minutes trying to make Baekhyun confess what was supposed to happen to him. No amount of scolding from Junmyeon or hits in the head by Kyungsoo made him stop. He tried to flutter his eyelashes to the nymph Lord to persuade him into giving in to how cute he was, but Baekhyun stayed silent. Then Jinki stopped cheering on the youngest, and started complaining about being hungry because they didn't pack with them the delicious tangerines he had brought to Junmyeon's home and now they had talked so much that his stomach was dying in there. Baekhyun suddenly remembered the fresh mint leaves in his coat, that he had gathered that day specifically for his friends. As soon as he laid them all on the tables for the fairies to feast, all worries, tensions, questions, sadness and other troubles left the noisy little home lost in the middle of Nowhere.

 

 

The forest was incredibly calm that morning. Jonghyun exhaled deeply, closing his eyes as his hands tightened around his cup of strong black tea. He could hear the soft rain falling on the gardens beneath the terrace he was sitting in, as well as the muffled noises of the elves in the castle getting ready for the day.

Taemin hadn't joined him yet. It seemed his fiancé wasn't exactly a morning person. Jonghyun was always there first to enjoy some rare minutes of silence in his otherwise busy day before the other prince would arrive, dragging his feet and greeting him with a hoarse voice and puffy eyes.

The weather had gone a lot colder lately and they moved from their usual completely open terrace facing North, to this one, slightly smaller and sheltered from the wind, facing East. Taemin still enjoyed having breakfast outside and Jonghyun had discovered that he didn't want to deny the other any wish he had. Taemin's requests were always quite modest and shy.

Jonghyun took another sip of tea, and a smile bloomed on his face at the familiar noise of the door creaking open. Just as expected, he could hear Taemin's shoes scuffing the floor as the prince came to the only other armchair and plopped on it, rubbing his eyes. His face was still swollen from sleep and it made his mouth even fluffier.

"Good morning," Taemin croaked.

He was frowning at Jonghyun, apparently still confused about the fact that he was now awake.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Jonghyun answered with a smile.

Jonghyun tore his eyes away, allowing Taemin some privacy. The mountain prince blinked at the table they shared and finally moved to get himself something. The maids had given them the tea service Taemin liked the most. It was very fine porcelain, painted with flowers, with exactly twelves mugs. He often took the one with the red dahlia on it, whenever it was there, as it got his birthday's month written inside and it gave him some kind of idiotic satisfaction to drink from this one in particular. As if it was his. But today, his heart was doing some weird jolts when his fingers reached for the one with the magnolia flower. It was the January one. Taemin was an elf of very simple joys.

"Did you sleep well?"

Jonghyun's deep voice took him away from thoughts about magnolias, buttercups and pink hair. Taemin took a few seconds to come back to reality, but Jonghyun didn't seem to mind. They exchanged a few words over their morning pastries, burying themselves deeper into their warm fabrics and lined shoes as the weather was getting slightly colder. The rain was a bit stronger by now. Some orange leaves had flew all the way to them, now resting between their feet.

"What are your plans for today?" Jonghyun asked.

There were no lessons planned; it was Taemin's rest day. He thought that he totally deserved it for all those hours of desperately trying to learn to speak kentaur. He had been very disappointed to realize that it was an awfully difficult language to master. After weeks of training, he could barely mumble a couple of words and his accent was apparently horribly thick.

"Well, actually, I don't have any. I thought that I might ask Minho, or Junmyeon, if they're up for something. Maybe stroll around in the city. Or to the library... I don't really know. What about you?"

Maybe, if the rain calmed down, he would go in the forest. Maybe, he'll see his magnolia spirit again. Maybe the odds would be on his side.

"I'm free too," Jonghyun said with a bright smile, straightening in his armchair. "I wanted to ask you if you'd like to spend the day together."

Taemin widened his eyes a bit, but nodded lightly.

"Oh, alright. Of course I'd like that..."

Jonghyun had been incredibly busy lately. He was always up to some meetings and for a few days, maybe weeks, they hadn't been able to do a lot of things together. It was a nice change, and the prince always took Taemin to incredible places and wonderful dates so he was really eager to see what Jonghyun would show off today.

"The last months have been a bit... rough, in some way," Jonghyun mused, looking away. "But now I should have a lot more free time for you. I'd still like to know you better, if you're up for it."

"I'd like that too," Taemin answered. Considering we're gonna get married sooner or later. "Was it that bad? I mean, since I got there. Did you get more work... because of me?"

Jonghyun turned to him; he had that soft smile that made his face so delicate he looked like a small ball of sunshine.

"Yes and no. It wasn't because of you... It's the marriage our parents forced on us. I always had a lot of responsibilities, but never that much to be honest. I'm not used to going to every single meeting in the court, and even if, there normally aren't as many as lately. It's just that-... It's been known that I would take the crown, one day, in a few centuries when my parents will step back. It was rather abstract and I was busy mostly with training or just going around with my hobbies. But now with the wedding coming up, it all seemed real to everyone. Every clan of every race needed to be reassured, to know that I had their interests at heart... They suddenly wanted to know me better, to make sure you were a good person and all that..."

His eyes looked really tired just talking about it and Taemin laid his cup back on the table, his face crumbling. He had really thought this was the regular amount of responsibilities Jonghyun dealt with since ever. He hadn't stopped to think for a moment how exhausting it might have been for him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, feeling horrible. "Shouldn't I have been there with you then? I just-... I had no idea it was all because of the wedding. I-... I stupidly thought it was always like that."

"That's why I didn't want to bother you. It's okay, I can take it. You already have a lot on your mind and I noticed that this kind of meetings isn't exactly your cup of tea... Was I wrong?"

Taemin cringed.

"Well, no you're not. But still. I should have been there to support you."

"It's okay Taemin," Jonghyun insisted, putting his hand on top of Taemin's, on the table.

There it was; Jonghyun's way of reassuring him. Always.

"I managed with them," Jonghyun continued. "Now we'll have a lot of time in front of us to learn to know each other, for you to get your instruction right, and to know how to deal correctly with politics. Let's just put that aside for now."

Taemin agreed with a sigh. He didn't want to argue more, he didn't want to make it look like he was ungrateful for all that Jonghyun was doing to make it easier for him. The Forest prince gave him another one of his large sunny smile.

"Today, I'd like to take you to the market."

"The market?" Taemin repeated, puzzled.

"It's a great event in the forest actually. All kinds of creatures are there, selling food and all kind of objects. It's really nice to see. It's a bit noisy, but lovely. Would you like that?"

Taemin was already dying with curiosity. He agreed fervently, asking what kind of clothes he should prepare and how and when they would go. Jonghyun chuckled before answering to each and every question.

A sudden knock on the door startled both of them. It was faint. Nobody ever disturbed them during their breakfast and Jonghyun frowned, hoping it wouldn't be a last moment meeting asking for his presence. He really wanted his day with Taemin.

The wooden door opened and Minho appeared, solemnly bowing to both of them.

"Majesties, I am sorry to bother you so early in the morning," he said with a small apologetic smile.

"Please, don't tell me there's a meeting today," Jonghyun immediately winced.

Minho shook his hand in front of him, laughing.

"No, no, don't you worry. I am only looking for Jongdae, and I wondered if you had seen him."

Taemin blinked a few times, before looking over to Jonghyun, who seemed as startled as him.

"Jongdae?" Taemin asked, unsure. "I'm afraid I don't know who that is."

"He's a fairy. A friend of Junmyeon. They both came back to the castle yesterday being a bit... hum... energetic. Jongdae has disappeared on me and I'm concerned. So have you seen a fairy around?"

Jonghyun frowned, getting up from his seat to come closer to his friend.

"Why exactly are you worried? Does he not know his way in here? Do you need help to find him?"

"Ah, he does. He knows the castle well... It's just-... They ate mint last night."

There was a slight silence, before Jonghyun burst out laughing, making Taemin jump on his seat. The mountain prince got the annoying feeling that he had missed something important in there.

"They did? What happened? Why didn't you call me?" Jonghyun blurted out, trying to calm his hilarity.

Minho was smiling at him, one hand gently put over a pocket on his chest.

"Quieter please, Junmyeon is still sleeping. He stayed up all night blabbering about Jongdae being the cutest fairy he ever saw, bouncing on his and making fart noises with his hands. It was terrible."

Jonghyun's laugh grew even stronger and he had to go sit back on his armchair, while Taemin looked at the both of them, pouting.

"What is happening? Why would Junmyeon behave like that? It doesn't sound like him."

"It's mint, really. Never give mint to a fairy. They're crazy about it, Junmyeon is completely addicted to it. But then it make them lightheaded and hysterical. I had both of them in my room, trying to keep them calm, but I lost sight of Jongdae for a second when Junmyeon thought it was a brilliant idea to magically turn himself minty green... Now I have no idea where Jongdae is and in which state."

Jonghyun was wiping away the few tears of cheerfulness at the corner of his eyes, still trying to find his breath back.

"I'm still upset that I missed that. But I'm sure that little Jongdae is alright. Will you be okay searching for him or do you want us to join?"

"It's alright," Minho assured with a bow. "I won't bother you any longer, I'll go check the gardens."

"Please tell us once you find him," Taemin asked softly.

The mountain prince had no idea how serious it was. He couldn't help thinking that if Jonghyun was laughing his off, surely that fairy couldn't be in great danger, but still.

"I promise you that I will," Minho affirmed before leaving, closing the door behind him.

"Don't worry too much," Jonghyun said with a wink. "The most terrible thing that might have happened would be that he embarrassed himself a bit in front of elves."

"If you say so..."

Jonghyun rubbed his hands together with a mischievous smile.

"Should we go prepare now? Let's meet up in the hall, and then I'll take you to Millglen."

.

.

.

Hey there,

I am glad to publish today this new chapter & I hope you had a good time reading it... (๑•́ω•̀๑)

If you have a few spare minutes to leave me a comment, I'd be eternally grateful. You can tell me if you liked that chapter, or what you liked, or what you disliked, or what you're expecting next, or what you want next, or what was your favorite sentence, or you can just say "hi", or how you're feeling lately. Please always feel free to talk to me a bit in there ♥

I'll be back in two weeks with the next chapter. It's titled "The first snow", please look forward to it ! (*/ω\*) In the meantime, take good care of yourself.

Like this story? Give it an Upvote!
Thank you!
Moonyki
15 subscribers away from 100 ...... ... ಥ_ಥ i'm shook. if this story reach 100, i'll probably start crying. thank you a lot everyone for your support ♥♥

Comments

You must be logged in to comment
SHIN33ee
#1
Chapter 48: Now, just seeing the title makes me smile XD
Totyfroty #2
Chapter 48: Thank you so much, really thank u, you did an incredible work moony. I loved this fic so much cause it makes me happy & forget about my world a little. you’re the best author out there. wish you all the best…
yuuram #3
Chapter 48: Hello!!
First of all, thank you so much for this amazing journey , this was my favorite fanfic to read since the very beginning and I have the pleasure of finishing and experience so many emotions while reading it today...
I'm looking forward to continue reading your stories
bye 😬
Fan4manga #4
Chapter 48: Thank you for the great story, I had a great time reading it ! Thanks again :)
Fan4manga #5
Chapter 47: Thank you so much for this chapter, I am a little sad this story is coming to an end but I can't wait for the next chapter ! Thanks again for the lovely story :)
gwiboonivy
#6
Chapter 1: omg, it's only the first chapter and it already sounds so magical,,, cant wait to read further!!!
iluvbubbles_yay #7
Chapter 44: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ every chapter you write, I swear you do it under the influence of fairy dust. gorgeous. And you know the soft jongkey gets me every time, makes me feel so content. Last chapter them finally getting together absolutely ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ so very wholesome. and the colours thing I cry ;-; so lovely and Kibum’s reaction I just ;-;. As for jongdae’s plan, how I hope it can work. My brain vaguely considered something of the sort previously, lol, but got hung up on how general people aren’t really allowed to have contact with nymphs so I lost my train of thought lol. I also love reading about all the occasions jongin has his flowers bloom for. Thank you for every beautiful chapter you write!
DarkaNoir
#8
Chapter 43: I've been floating throughout the whole chapter. I'm still floating. Everything about this story is so precious and the jongkey deeply warms my heart in ways I can't even describe. It's safe to say this update made my day, if not my whole month. Thank you as always for sharing your stories with us! ♡
iluvbubbles_yay #9
Chapter 42: It did make me so very happy, very happy indeed ❤️ I truly adored this chapter from start to finish (not that you’ve ever written a subpar one) and I’m sorry I haven’t commented in way too long ;-;

To finally see Jonghyun understand the extent of his magic (and! realising! he! can! hear!) with Kibum and Minho his most important people, being the ones to communicate It to him? I feel so very soft inside. And also, the small snippets of Minho being reassured that he’s still very important in Jonghyun’s life? Ahhhh it really hit me like a sledgehammer. And also, of course, Kibum’s pure enthusiasm to communicate in Elvish to kick the chapter off, a fantastic and lovely way to begin ;-; Moving through to Kibum’s cheeky ‘A elf can help?’ Gosh, I really loved this first half.

And then! We move onto the Taekai! And this was really lovely, the whole concept and execution of this scene? Great job.

Thanks so much for every update, they’re all excellent, and I love seeing every development ❤️ Take care!