Chapter 14 : The Starry Lake

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Junmyeon's day had been so long, it felt like he hadn't sleep in two weeks.

First, he had been waken up far too early when someone had knocked at their door, asking Minho to come help with whatever idiotic problem had been going on outside. It sometimes bothered Junmyeon, how much everyone in the castle always counted on Minho as if his friend was the only elf to ever be able to help in any circumstance. Then again, how could Junmyeon blame them when Minho was also the first person he would fly to in any case? There was also the fact that Minho was always far too charming and helpful and would never get angry at anyone for waking him up in the middle of the night for a flower emergency in the gardens.

He could have parted rooms. He could actually go to sleep in the little flat in Minho's garden, designed specifically for him, where Jongdae was also staying lately. But Minho's pillow was somehow a lot more comfortable than any other bed. Not to mention the fact that it would make Minho sad, and making Minho sad wasn't something Junmyeon planned to do anytime soon.

After his abrupt awakening, Junmyeon had to deal with a very distracted Jongdae who kept peeping that today was a great day to learn elvish. Junmyeon hadn't even tried to understand why Jongdae was okay with studying all of a sudden, because he had given up a long time ago any hope to ever understand what was going on in that nutty fairy's brain. It seemed that Jongdae had finally found a will to study now that he wasn't forced into it anymore. That would actually seem pretty logic considering the fairy's spirit of contradiction. He would still only study what he deemed worthy enough, and for some reason completely foreign to Junmyeon, it included elvish.

So on top of doing his own daily duties, Junmyeon had to take care of an annoying Jongdae, following him around and asking him tons of questions as he was reading his elvish book, and complaining all the way through it.

"If it's so terrible, why are you still studying?" Junmyeon had mumbled at some point. "You don't have to do all of this anymore, why are you not in Hazelbarrow drinking pumpkin and orange juice? Why are you learning elvish out of all the things you could do that you actually enjoy doing, I swear?"

Jongdae had grumbled something about Lord Baekhyun and the fact that if he had to stay here, then he might as well give the elves some kind of chance and be able to converse in case of emergency.

Junmyeon had rolled his eyes but didn't insist, and spend the next hours absentmindedly answering any question that his friend had.

Then there had been the Council of High Fairies bugging him to set the date for the next meeting because they wanted to make some final choices about the new program of education for young fairies. There had been a troop of pixies who had come to the castle unannounced to talk to him, but ended up disappearing on him in cackles and wasted his precious time. He had to deal with some elves about an incoming event involving centaurs; and even though he had no idea what all of this was about, as it was Minho's job, he had to take care of the multiples questions of those two guards while his best friend was absent. After trying to make them understand for twenty minutes that he had no clue about anything because Minho hadn't kept him updated on this particular subject, he ended up blabbering nonsense at them only to make them go away, because they just wouldn't get it.

Finally, he had received a note from Lord Baekhyun asking him to save a date for him some time soon, but the nymph wasn't exactly sure when he would need to talk to him because he was waiting for something to happen first.

"I'm so damn tired of this gibberish," Junmyeon had sighed in the middle of the afternoon as he read Lord Baekhyun's vague note for the umpteenth time and rolled his eyes.

"You should try to sleep, it usually helps," Jongdae had chirped from his position on the window.

Junmyeon turned a glare to him, but his friend was completely oblivious to his baleful look as he was staring at something abstract in the gardens.

After his very long day, which actually caused him a slight headache, Junmyeon still had to meet with Prince Taemin. He wished he could have gone to bed at nine that day, but the mountain prince was waiting for him and the fairy still hadn't had the courage to tell him that the hour Taemin had chosen was difficult for him to handle. He had kept quiet at first because he didn't want to upset the elf, but he had somehow found himself looking forward to those moments alone with Taemin, after a couple of weeks. At the end of his very long day, even as he was exhausted and only wished for his bed, the time spent teaching Taemin was so relaxing and quiet that it always helped him find a good night of sleep.

Taemin was a very pleasant company. He was curious, smart, and cheerful. He even got used to Junmyeon snickering puns every once in a while, and wasn't rolling his eyes at him anymore, like Jongdae, but actually always gave him at least a smile.

Junmyeon had been scared at first that Taemin would be too eager and then get bored, but he was actually very patient with him and always listened to all his advices carefully. The fairy was amazed every single night by the stubbornness and tenacity that the prince was putting in each effort he made. They were still groping around the whole concept of that difficult learning process, and Junmyeon had wanted to take baby steps. In order for Taemin to become more aware of his surroundings, the fairy was teaching him meditation.

They usually sat on soft pillows on the floor of Taemin's bedroom, facing each other other, talking softly about their days for a few minutes before Junmyeon guided him all the way to a meditative state. It really hadn't been easy at first, but the prince was so dedicated, that the fairy actually thought that he was almost ready for the next step.

It hadn't been that night, though, because Junmyeon really was too drained to keep up with Taemin's usual enthusiasm and obstinacy when it came to new challenges. He would try to take a step further the next day. Probably.

Junmyeon yawned longly as he entered the little house that he shared with Minho. It was quiet, and for a moment, the fairy wondered if his best friend was still out, but he caught a glimpse of the low light coming from beneath the bedroom door and he smiled. Minho was sitting in his bed, under some blanket, reading, and Junmyeon realized that he had probably been waiting for him, as the elf put his reading on his nightstand the moment he saw him.

"I'm home," Junmyeon sighed.

He flew all the way to Minho and landed on his thigh, where he let himself fall head first. He heard Minho laugh, and a big finger came to rub gently at his back.

"Welcome back, are you okay?"

Junmyeon tried to form a coherent sentence, but his voice got muffled by the blanket against his mouth and he didn't have enough courage to turn his head. So instead, he send his thoughts directly to Minho's mind.

"I'd like to sleep for three to four weeks, please," he murmured through their telepathic link.

Minho tilted his head and picked him up gently in his hands. He pressed his thumb a bit more against Junmyeon's spine as he rubbed him there, giving him a slight massage.

"Was today so terrible?"

Junmyeon scrunched his nose and finally looked upon to frown at Minho.

"Yes, it was! Where were you by the way?! You disappeared on me this afternoon and I had to deal with Subin and Eunmi by myself, something about centaurs or whatever, they wouldn't leave me alone!"

Minho laughed loudly at that and Junmyeon puffed as he flew away to his wardrobe, putting his clothes off.

"I'm very sorry that they bothered you. I forgot that I had to talk to them today actually."

"You know, it gets a bit insulting when half of the elves coming to me during the day are just asking me where you are. And the worst part may be that I usually can answer that and I'm very upset when I can't."

Junmyeon blinked as he finished dressing for the night and came back next to his friend.

"So, where were you?" the fairy asked with a small pout.

"With Kibum, actually."

Junmyeon stood still for a few seconds, then nodded and turned away, marching to his appointed pillow.

"Oh, I hope you had a nice afternoon then."

He prayed that he didn't sound as bitter as he was. Because he wasn't sure why exactly he was bitter and he didn't want Minho to notice it, or else he'll want to talk about it and Junmyeon didn't want to talk about something he did without knowing why.

"Yes, it was," Minho answered softly. "Kibum explained me that his pond is about to freeze from the cold, and he will too. So he wanted to meet one last time before he has to stay away for a while. It kind of made me sad to imagine him like that..."

Junmyeon winced and looked back at his best friend with a pout.

"Was he alright? Did you cheer him up? He's always so sad at that time of the year. I forgot about it."

"I did my best. He talked about Jonghyun for hours and then, seemed to feel better."

"That's good. Very good."

"What's wrong, Junmyeon?"

The fairy shrinked as much as possible against his pillow and turned his face away.

"Nothing. I'm tired, that's all."

Minho laid on his side, supporting his head in one of his hand as he blew on the fairy to get him to look back at him.

"Don't lie to me, you tiny evil firefly."

"I'm not lying, I had a very busy day!"

He shook his hand in the air to get Minho to stop breathing so loudly on him and frowned at his best friend.

"Why do you always get home so late those days?" Minho suddenly asked.

"I'm spending time with a friend."

There was a silence and Junmyeon sniffed, his curiosity getting the best of him as he twisted himself to look at Minho. The elf was smirking.

"A friend?"

"Yes," Junmyeon said, raising his nose in the air. "You're not the only one having friends, you know. I can get some too."

"You're staying with someone every day after work until a very late hour of the evening even though you like to get to bed early. And you're telling me that person is “a friend”?"

Junmyeon's eyes widened as he realized what Minho was mischievously implying with that idiotic raise of his eyebrows. The fairy blushed and swatted his friend's hand away.

"Son of a biscuit, what are you, thirty years old? I'm actually spending time with Prince Taemin. I can't believe you."

Minho looked clearly surprised and scooted closer.

"Oh really? Prince Taemin? How come?"

"Well, he's lovely, really, and we happen to discuss about several interesting subjects."

"Like what?"

Junmyeon started to grumble, his fingers coming to massage the slight frown appearing on his forehead from annoyance and tiredness.

"That's none of your business. We talk a lot, that's it."

"I have troubles imagining you and Prince Taemin being buddies to be honest."

"Well, like it or not, we do!" Junmyeon hissed

Minho stayed silent, his eyes widening a little bit from the sudden irritation in the fairy's voice.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," he whispered.

Junmyeon glared at him with an aggravated look, before he deflated and rolled his eyes. How come he could never stay mad at Minho even for one whole minute.

"Don't give me that puppy look. I just-... You're the one spending all your damn time with Kibum. Now you don't even tell me when you're going. I'm-... You can't make me feel guilty for trying to get friends too. I don't have many. I feel lonely when you're not around. And Taemin had questions. And now we're getting along. I like spending some time with him."

"It's appears that Taemin is very hard to dislike," Minho mused with a smirk. "He makes everyone fall for him."

"I'm not 'falling' for him."

Minho leaned closer, rubbing his cheek against the fairy, earning himself some loud whines and complains about how heavy he was.

"I'm sorry for not telling you that I was meeting Kibum today. I don't want you to feel left out."

"Well, I do feel left out," Junmyeon grunted.

"There's really nothing for you to be jealous of."

Junmyeon's ears perked up at that and he shook his head, his eyes wide open, making him look like an owl.

"Jealous? Jealous?! I'm not jealous! Where is this coming from? I'm just saying that you used to spend all your time with me, eventually a bit with Prince Jonghyun, and now you're spending it with him! I mean, I get that meeting a spirit is so great for you elves, but I was here first! That's all I'm saying!"

His voice had gone acute by the end of his tirade and Minho laughed wholeheartedly.

"That's called being jealous, 'Myeon."

The fairy puffed his cheeks and turned around on his pillow, going right, then left, sighing and grumbling as Minho kept laughing his off next to him.

"Well! Fine! Call me jealous if it makes you happy, I don't care. I have new friends now anyway. You can be jealous of Taemin for taking all my evenings."

Minho poked his fingers on the fairy's head with a smile.

"I'm not gonna get jealous of Taemin. I know I'm your favorite."

"You're so full of yourself."

"Still your favorite."

Junmyeon let out a long sigh, but didn't argue more.

"Can we sleep now, please?"

Minho nodded, his infuriating conceiting smile still on his lips as he turned the lights off and laid comfortably in his bed. He soon felt his pillow moving a bit under the small feet of Junmyeon as the fairy came closer and cowered against the top of his head.

"Minho?"

"Yes?"

"Am I still your favorite too?" Junmyeon murmured.

"Of course you are," Minho answered with his softest voice.

Jonghyun had kindly asked Taemin's teacher to let him free on the day of the winter solstice. The old elf hadn't seem that pleased about the idea, because he was into some very interesting subject with the mountain prince lately, as they had been reading and discussing over the arrival of the first tribe of dwarfs into the forest, thousands of years ago. Jonghyun had tried to hide a snicker, doubting the interest of such a conversation, but Taemin had assured him that he indeed found all of that fascinating. It wasn't rare anymore for Taemin to find enthusiasm in the most unusual topics and Jonghyun had only sighed, a cheeky grin on his lips. In any case, the teacher had to deal with their lessons being interrupted for one day, because he couldn't exactly get stubborn with his prince, and had sadly agreed to let go of Taemin.

It wasn't everyday that the old, wrinkled professor found a student so eager to learn and passionate about the tiniest details about the forest's history. Taemin was a gem to his eyes.

Jonghyun had plans for them on that very specific day, things he had prepared for a week already. No matter how many times Taemin tried to get him to tell him what they would be doing, Jonghyun kept silent. He would only wiggle his eyebrows at him, or give him that mysterious smile before he started cackling like a creep.

It was something that had made Taemin incredibly happy. It was soft, and slow, and hard to notice on a daily-basis, but Jonghyun was getting more comfortable with him. The prince had always been charming and nice, but now he was finally letting Taemin see his more natural, dorky side.

"Are you ready?"

Taemin squinted his eyes at Jonghyun, pouting a bit.

"Can I truly be ready if I don't even know what's going to happen to me?"

They had left the castle already, and were walking a path that Taemin had never taken before. Both of them were huddled in lots of warm layers of clothing, standing side to side.

"Do you trust me?" Jonghyun inquired with a wink.

"I do," Taemin immediately answered without even looking at him. "You'd be in a lot of troubles if you tried to get rid of me anyway. Everybody knows that I went away with you."

Jonghyun burst out laughing at that statement, nodding a few times.

Taemin was looking at his feet, careful to not trip over himself as the ground was still covered with leaves and snow. He felt Jonghyun's hand tug at his arm a bit, and finally looked at him at they came to a halt. Jonghyun was facing him, with that gentle smile of his and turned slightly, extending one arm behind himself to let Taemin look at the place where they ended up to.

They were on the shore of a large river, just before a small wooden jetty. Two small boats on each side of the dock were floating, following the water's ups and downs. A smile appeared on Taemin's lips as he turned to his friend.

"Are we sailing together today?"

Jonghyun nodded, taking the youngest's hand in his to lead him to one of the boat.

"I wanted a quiet day. I actually like to wander on water sometimes, and there's a place we can drift to... I think you'll like it," he said, before frowning. "Is that okay? I mean, not everybody likes to be in a boat, if you don't-... I'll understand."

Taemin grinned at that and went past Jonghyun, dragging him behind as he marched towards the boat.

"It's been so long since I was on for a boat trip," he chirped excitedly. "Which one do we take?"

Jonghyun's shoulders relaxed with relief as he pointed to one of the bark, which he had already prepared. There were two small bags inside, along with two paddles. They settled carefully inside, and Taemin looked at the set of oars curiously.

"Do you actually like to paddle?"

"Not really, to be honest. It's a bit of a hassle," Jonghyun answered with a pout. "But some people find it very relaxing... If you don't like it either, I can do it myself though."

Taemin tilted his head at him.

"I find it quite annoying and it hurts my arms. You must have noticed already that I have approximately as much strength as a baby sparrow...," he chuckled with embarrassment, his hand coming to rub his neck, "let's just use some magic."

Jonghyun looked at him with that unreadable expression on his soft features; the one that made Taemin feel like the other prince was reading his soul. It made him a bit uneasy when Jonghyun was staring at him like that, and he wondered if maybe, he said something wrong.

But Jonghyun finally nodded slightly, turning on his seat to face him completely.

"That's a good idea," he simply said, "so that we can chat more easily. Do you-... hum... want to do the spell?"

Taemin nodded vehemently and leaned over the boat, letting his right hand dip into the water. The coldness bit at his fingers as little twinkles of light started to ripple around his palm. He could feel the dense, intense, flowing magic of the large river running in the stream and it was so easy to draw energy from it. Soon, their little boat started to drift forward and Taemin had a satisfied grin on his face as he sat back comfortably, getting his hand out of water and rubbing his fingers to warm himself up.

Taemin looked up to Jonghyun, meaning to comment lightly on the weather but any wish of small talk died on his lips as he saw the other prince seemingly lost in thoughts. Jonghyun was resting against the end of the boat, his eyes drifting absentmindedly on the surface of the river.

Taemin was suddenly aware of the deep calm that surrounded them, that comfortable, cosy silence that he didn't want to break. He started to breathe more deeply, and his own gaze fell on the shore, away from them, the high trees and the snowy ground. It was serene, and Taemin could feel his whole body slowly relaxing.

There was a fish, dancing next to their boat, and for some reason, Jonghyun's eyes couldn't look away. He couldn't see it clearly, wholly, but it seemed huge. It kept turning around, peeping from beneath their raft only to shy away seconds later. It was a curious little waltz that put a smile on the prince's lips. The animal had bright, teal scales. It was mesmerizing.

After a while, it disappeared. Jonghyun stretched his neck a bit, trying to catch sight of it again, in vain. He sighed softly and sat back, turning slowly to Taemin. He blinked a few times, as if he had forgotten where he was for a moment. He couldn't tell how long he had been following that fish's every move. It seemed silly. At least, Taemin didn't seem to mind his silence. The mountain prince was smiling softly, his eyes, unfocused, turned to the trees. Jonghyun wondered what he was thinking about to look so peaceful.

"Are you happy?"

Taemin's eyebrows rose with surprise as he slowly turned to Jonghyun.

"I'm sorry?" he asked, and his voice seemed distant.

"Are you happy?" Jonghyun repeated.

There was a smile in his gentle eyes.

Taemin stayed silent a minute, as if he was musing over the question.

"Yes, I am," he finally answered. "More than I ever thought I would, actually."

Jonghyun seemed relieved by his words.

"And you?"

Jonghyun sighed, a pout blooming at the corner of his lips.

"I am. I think I am. I'm not really sure. I have a lot of concerns."

Taemin joined his hands together on his lap and pressed Jonghyun's calf with his foot.

"I noticed that. Is there anything you could share with me? May I help ease your worries?"

Jonghyun left out a laugh that sounded a bit bitter. He inhaled deeply, one of his hand coming to rub against his closed eyelids, before he answered.

"I'm constantly thinking, you know. I'm wondering about too many things, stressing over possibilities. And I keep going back to our marriage."

Taemin stayed silent. He knew it was unfair, far more to Jonghyun than to him. He thought about it everyday. How much he had gained from this injustice forced on them, how much Jonghyun had lost to it.

"It's coming closer," Jonghyun continued, "and I can't help but ask myself how it is going to be."

"What do you mean?"

Taemin seemed cautious. His voice was low, soft.

"What are our lives going to be in a few months? How is it going to evolve in a few years? What will we look like in centuries? Will we still enjoy each other's presence? Will we grow to love each other, one day? Will we hate each other, eaten by regrets of what our lives could have been? Will we forever long for something else, for true love and then lay in bed, feeling lost and miserable? Will I be able to find a way to give you all that you deserve?"

Taemin looked at him with wide eyes, disarray written all over his face. He had pushed those thoughts away as much as possible for weeks, because denial seemed easier to him, but Jonghyun was musing over those a lot, in the most selfless way possible. His very last thought put an unbearable weight on Taemin's lungs.

"I wish I could fall in love with you," Jonghyun admitted, his eyes falling back on the water. "I tried, you know. It seems that we won't be able to have someone else than each other, and I wish that I had those unconditional feelings towards you. You are exceptionally wonderful, I hope that what I'm saying isn't hurting you. I just-... I can't really explain it."

Taemin's mind was invaded by a million thoughts and it was difficult to make anything coherent from them.

"I thought that you liked me, actually," he breathlessly admitted.

Jonghyun straightened his head, looking curiously at him.

"I'm sorry?"

Taemin felt a blush creep up his cheeks with his unexpected confession. It made him really self-conscious.

"Well... I wondered, you know. Sometimes it felt like you were courting me. I don't know. It's silly, I'm sorry."

"Oh? Really? How so?"

Jonghyun chuckled and the atmosphere seemed to lighten just a bit. Taemin hid his face behind his hands and grumbled.

"You're-... You're always so gentle. Always touching me. Doing those smiles of yours. Sometimes I can't tell if you're flirting or just being unknowingly very charming."

"Did it ever make you uncomfortable?"

"No," Taemin immediately answered. "I got worried, a bit self-conscious maybe... because I really couldn't tell if I was imagining stuff. I was feeling guilty, too. I was afraid of the possibility of only one of us loving the other. It seemed like the saddest possible ending to me. I'd rather marry you knowing we're friends, than marry you knowing I can't answer your feelings and I'm gonna hurt you every day for a long time."

Jonghyun smiled at him, nodding slowly.

"I'm not in love with you. I have very tender feelings for you, though. I wouldn't say like an older brother, but maybe close to that. Like a friend, by all means. I thought about all of this a lot, I tried to find a reason as to exactly why I don't love you, because I respect and care about you so much. I also find you exceptionally pretty, if I may add. It's like you have all it takes to make me fall for you, but I just don't."

Jonghyun fell silent, his eyebrows furrowed and his lips pinched in a pout. Taemin smiled at the sight, and shrugged.

"Do you really need one? A reason, I mean. Love is that puzzling feeling that makes absolutely no sense and is different for everyone. What I feel when I look at you, it's love, in a way. Simply not a romantic one, not one that would make me want to marry you and wake up every morning in your arms. That doesn't make me care less about you."

Jonghyun sighed. Taemin's words were making a lot of sense. Alas, it didn't change how unfair and unpleasant their situation was.

"I want to get that," Jonghyun whispered. "I want to fall deeply in love. But I'm scared of it now. It would hurt so much to find it and be denied of it."

"Maybe we'll find loopholes," Taemin offered. "Maybe we can have compromises, without hurting anyone."

Jonghyun looked at him with hopeful eyes, but didn't say anything.

"I know it's difficult," Taemin continued, "but please don't give up just yet. We managed so well together already. We'll find our ways to happiness."

Jonghyun rolled his eyes but a soft smile was playing at his lips.

"How can I keep complaining when you put it so optimistically," he muttered in a low voice.

Taemin laughed, and with that bright sound resonating, Jonghyun could feel some of the weight on his lungs go away. Being honest with Taemin had brought him some comfort. Knowing that the other prince understood his struggles, but was still confident about their future together, was calming. Maybe they really could manage all of this.

"Can I ask you something?" Jonghyun breathed out.

"Of course, tell me."

"If this wasn't our lives-... If you could choose-...," Jonghyun said, searching for his words. "What would your perfect life look like?"

Taemin scrunched his nose and closed his eyes.

"Are we going to be emotional over this?"

"I'm sorry, you don't have to answer."

Taemin shook his head and his white hair fluttered around.

"I wouldn't be a prince, I think that's quite obvious."

Jonghyun's laugh answered him and Taemin smiled widely.

"Other than that, I'm not sure. I'd like a small house. Something quiet, and cosy where I wouldn't be bothered. I don't want to live in the city, actually. I would be lost somewhere in the woods and you'd have troubles to come visit me all the time. I'd have a big room in there filled with books and I'd learn how to cook. I'd learn how to do a lot of things. I'd try to grow my own vegetables because I think that's fascinating. I'd listen to music all day and I'd learn more dances. Then I would dance all the time. I'd have flowers everywhere, probably. This house would be a real mess, I suppose. I'd just like to spend my time learning new things."

"It sounds dreamy."

"I know, right. And I haven't even started on the dreamy love of my life."

Jonghyun chuckled and Taemin straightened up, lifting his nose.

"Please tell me about him," Jonghyun asked.

"He'd be gorgeous, of course. He'd be cuddly, and he'd dance with me all the time," Taemin puffed his cheeks, a proud smirk on his lips. But his voice softened as his eyes got lost in the water. "It would be lovely, really. He'd be just as curious as me. And we wouldn't even need words to understand each other. And in the end, my home would just be him."

Taemin sighed, and then froze on his seat. A sudden blush took over his cheeks as he blinked away several times.

"I-... I mean-... Hum-... That's my dream relationship...," his voice got tinier as he realized his mind was clouded with memories of Jongin.

His heart was hammering in his chest and he had troubles finding his breath back. He didn't want to face his overwhelming feelings for the magnolia nymph right now, with Jonghyun right in front of him. His own words kept ringing in his ears as it dawned on him just how much it would fit his charming nymph and that blush wouldn't go away. It was growing worse as he started to imagine living with Jongin and seeing that delightful smile of his every morning.

"You don't have to get so embarrassed. It's cute, really."

Taemin put his hands on his cheeks, trying to cool them down and hide himself in the same time. Jonghyun laughed and rubbed his hand on one of Taemin's knee.

"You okay?"

"Sorry."

"Don't be."

Taemin closed his eyes and took a deep breath, chasing away his troubled thoughts about waking up next to Jongin.

"I might say," Jonghyun laughed in a gentle tone, "I'm quite moved to still be a part of your dream life. I would totally come see you often, no matter how difficult it would be to find your house. Would it be in our forest?"

Taemin's eyebrows went a bit higher on his forehead.

"Yes. You know, no matter how complicated our lives have become, I'm incredibly grateful for the fact that I ended up here. I love this forest so much... I can't even describe it. I wouldn't want to leave for anything else. There's no place I'd rather be."

The smile that graced Jonghyun's face was so pure and bright, it could have lighted up the whole sky.

Their boat was still drifting away, slowly, giving them plenty of time to admire the landscape around them. They were silent again, except for the little gasps Taemin would make when his eyes caught something beautiful around them. At some point, Jonghyun opened the bags he had prepared for them, taking fluffy blankets from one to keep them warm, and snacks from the other.

They went past waterfalls and cliffs, small hills and stones sculptures, as the subjects of their conversation went from deep thoughts to jokes and to wishes and hopes. Taemin didn't even realize how much time had flew by, but the sky was already starting to darken. It was the shortest day of the year, but he still didn't expect night to come so fast.

Jonghyun was smiling at him, assuring him that they would soon reach the place he wanted to show him, and that he had actually planned to arrive there in the early evening, as it would be even more beautiful. He then assured him that the way back to the castle would be shorter.

As the sun was going away, the air became colder, and the atmosphere around them turned a bit uncanny. The silence that had been relaxing and comforting was getting a bit heavier as the water was turning dark. Taemin tightened his blanket around himself and blinked a few times, trying to dismiss that uneasy feeling. Jonghyun was turned away from him, looking to where they were heading, smiling brightly.

"We're there, Taemin."

Their boat followed a curve to the right, as the river was rejoining a lake. Taemin's mouth fell open in a silent exclamation as his eyes widened. Far away before them, stood a small chain of mountains, rendered shiny by the sun setting behind them. They were white with snow, sparkling and breathtaking.

"I thought that maybe, you'd like to see some mountains again," Jonghyun said, his voice resonating in the deep silence.

Taemin turned to him, and laughed. It was a happy contagious laugh, that caught on Jonghyun soon enough. The simple view of those majestic peaks were enough to have the prince emotional. He hadn't realize how much he had missed that comforting sight.

They watched together the sun disappearing behind the mountains, leaving them in the middle of the lake. At some point, Taemin realized that he couldn't tell where the water ended and where the sky started.

"It's splendid," Taemin admitted as his eyes got lost in the moon reflected on the water. "I feel like we're sailing directly among the stars."

"I'm glad you like it."

They were still sitting face to face, but both had their heads turned to the spectacle unveiling all around them.

"I've never seen anything so stunning," Taemin softly confessed.

The lake seemed bottomless under them, filled with a thousand stars as they were trapped in the night. They could hear the soft sound of the wind whistling between the trees, far away on the shores, but they couldn't see them anymore.

Taemin had no idea how long they stayed there. Everything was quiet, caught in a mysterious, magical ambience. He felt so small and insignificant, looking at the great wide sky above. He saw Jonghyun looking at the moon, and the magnificent orb was reflecting in his eyes.

Jonghyun started to hum. It was low, and peaceful, like a lullaby. He wasn't quite aware of his doing, and didn't notice that it slowly brought Taemin to sleep. Time didn't matter anymore, as they were lost in their sea of stars. The concept of minutes passing by was so foreign to Jonghyun in that moment. Even the cold of the dark night wasn't quite as uncomfortable as usual.

His eyes caught a bright light below him, somewhere on his right, and Jonghyun turned his head to it, his mouth falling open. It was back. The large, majestic fish which he had seen hours before. Jonghyun's breath got caught up in his lungs. The teal scales of the animal were shimmering so brilliantly, they created a glow all around it, and the elf perceived just how immense the carp was. It was almost as big as himself, turning in circles around the boat.

Jonghyun watched it play around with awe. His heart was beating in his chest wildly, animated by some sort of fear. The silence was suddenly unsettling. The depth of the lake was a bit eerie. He couldn't tell if he was scared or bewitched.

The light faded as the fish swam deeper into the lake and Jonghyun came closer to the edge of the boat, careful not to fall forward into the icy water, but trying to get a last glimpse of it. After a while, he sat back correctly and glanced over at Taemin, soundly sleeping in front of him. It was time to head back and put the prince to bed. Jonghyun smiled at his own thoughts and looked around. Taemin's spell had long died down and their boat was immobile on the still water. Jonghyun closed his eyes as he sighed deeply, his hands closing on the two paddles next to his feet. He reluctantly put them correctly on each side, and started to push and pull. He was glad that he hadn't left them on the shore when Taemin had proposed to use magic, or he would have had to wake the other up and painfully admit that he couldn't make a spell to save his life.

His inability to use magic wasn't something Jonghyun could so easily confess. Even after all those years, he still felt a deep shame upon it. He had done his best all his life to keep it as secret as he could, fending for never needing to use a spell.

Elves couldn't produce magic by themselves the way fairies did. They could only use the magic impregnated in places, objects and people around them, absorbing it, shaping it, releasing it in any physical form. Most of them had affinities to certain types of magic, depending on their own personalities. But Jonghyun had none. No matter how much time he had wasted trying to channel his inner empathy to magic, he never managed to produce anything concrete.

He couldn't count the amount of screams and frustrated tears his unceasing efforts had caused him. It had been so incredibly difficult to grow up next to Minho, who was ridiculously talented at anything that involved magic, due to his origins. It had made him feel unworthy far too many times, and even though Jonghyun had come to accept his nature, one way or the other, he still wasn't ready to share this personal information with Taemin.

Jonghyun had a slight jump and froze when he heard Taemin mumble in his sleep and move around, but the prince didn't seem to wake up. Shaking his head, he resumed his slow paddling. At least, he was strong enough for the muscles of his arms to take his late exercise without any pain.

Jonghyun managed a smooth curve of the boat as he followed the difficult pattern of the river, but as his eyes fortuitously fell to the water, he felt his blood turn to ice in his veins. He gasped with terror, his hands letting go of the paddles as he drew back as much as he could on the boat, his heart bouncing in his chest.

There had been a face in the river. It had disappeared as soon as their wide eyes had met. But there had definitely been someone in there, looking at him in the black water. Jonghyun gave a brief look to Taemin, who was still peacefully sleeping, not aware in the slightest about the commotion around.

"By all that's holy," Jonghyun murmured in a voice rendered acute by sheer fear.

He blinked a few times, swallowed hard and peeked over the boat once more with a wince. He couldn't see anything. The dark night and the complete silence surrounding him suddenly seemed overwhelming and ghostly.

"Calm down," he whispered to himself. "Calm down, buddy. You know it. There's no damn monster in that lake."

Jonghyun forced himself to breathe deeply.

"There's no monster," he repeated. "And what you probably saw-... it was-... oh damn."

He frowned. Realization struck him.

"I saw a spirit," he squealed.

A small nervous laugh left his lungs and he sat back in the boat, feeling stupid. One of his hand came to ruffle his hair and he sighed. He looked back at the black, spiritless water.

"I'm sorry if I frightened you."

He finally noticed his paddles, drifting away, and his mouth fell open. He had let go of them in his panic, and now they were going away. For a second, he thought about swimming to them. But the water was probably as cold as ice. There was also the fact that even while knowing that there was no monster, going swimming in that black water after seeing a face in it wasn't exactly something he was eager to do right about now.

Jonghyun hiccuped as he saw the paddles slowly coming back to him. His eyes widened impossibly and he urged himself into calmness and stillness. The lake seemed to come to life as a watery arm broke out to toss one paddle to his knees. Then the second one landed by his feet.

"Thank you," Jonghyun stammered.

His heart stopped when he noticed the figure back in the dark water. It looked to be waiting deeper into the lake, as if too shy to come closer. But the spirit's face was glowing lightly and Jonghyun could see the shades of green and blue of his hair. Then there were those two eyes, so large, so bright, looking directly at him.

It dawned on him. He had seen those eyes already. In the little pond, by his most favorite place in the forest. He hadn't given it too many thoughts that other night. It had been so short, so fast, a flickering second. He hadn't even been sure that he had seen a real spirit. He had thought the moon had played a trick on him, only to ease his aching loneliness. But those were the exact same enchanting eyes.

Jonghyun wasn't aware of the way his body was slowly leaning over the boat, or how he was coming closer to the surface. It only took a blink of his eyes for the spirit to dissolve, leaving him to stare at his own reflection.

Jonghyun stayed motionless for a few long minutes, desperately trying to order his mind over his chance encounter. A thousands thoughts and feelings were spurting through his head and he tried his best to relax. He mechanically put the paddles back on the boat and resumed his movements. But his mind was distracted. It was drifting away to blue eyes, green hair and teal scales. Even as they finally arrived, even as he woke Taemin up, even as they walked back to the castle and bid each other good night, Jonghyun couldn't think about anything else than that longing look in the spirit's eyes.

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(︶ω︶)

Hello there,

Thank you for reading this chapter. It has been a bit difficult to write, but so soothing at the same time. I hope you liked it ♥
You're always welcome to let me know how it made you feel in the comments down below.

I hope you're all doing okay those days. Please take care of yourselves, and I hope to still see you next chapter...