Chapter 17 : A road paved with good intentions

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Jonghyun took a long inhale, as softly as he could. Everything around him was silent. He couldn't even perceive any wind or quiet murmur. A cloth tied up on his face was preventing him to see, but he hadn't put anything on his sensitive ears. Still, in that moment he felt deaf from the deep silence surrounding them. Minho had inherited the fairies' ability to be silent. Thus, no matter how hard Jonghyun tried, as long as Minho wasn't moving, he couldn't detect any sound coming from his best friend.

Jonghyun's lips broke into a little smile. He carried on with his deep, slow breaths, as his mind followed the very soft and muffled sounds of Minho's clothes shifting as he walked around the training room.

It all unfolded in a heartbeat. Jonghyun took a step to the side and swung his sword to his eyes' level to protect himself. It made an impact with Minho's and the sound of the two weapons crashing against each other seemed like a loud cacophony.

They jumped, drifted, and swifted around each other in a complicated and aggressive waltz; and Minho was smiling at the focused expression on Jonghyun's face. He was always mesmerized by the accuracy with which Jonghyun countered his attacks, when he was the one being blindfolded. Minho bounced and dived, from the floor to the wall, leaping over the prince. Jonghyun didn't turn his head, he kept swinging his sword behind his back, spinning on his feet to follow Minho's movements.

Then he halted. Minho had stepped back and was motionless again, leaving him unable to perceive him. Jonghyun frowned behind his blindfold, and kept his guard up as he desperately tried to feel Minho's aura, or hear any slight sound coming from him.

Something fluttered on his right and he twirled his weapon on instinct, then winced. The second his body had moved, he knew that he had failed and he felt the tip of Minho's sword against his neck.

"Damn it," Jonghyun whined, breaking the deep and intense silence from a moment ago.

"You did well," Minho only said, withdrawing his sword to put it back in its sheath.

Jonghyun took his blindfold off and opened his eyes with a pouty face. Minho was standing still, hands crossed behind his back, looking at him with a smile.

"I wouldn't call that failure something 'well done'."

Minho let out a slight laugh and nudged his arm.

"Nothing is ever good enough for you," he said. "No elf can come close to your level of awareness, and still you're unsatisfied."

"I'm still not as good as you."

Jonghyun's voice was soft and calm, but Minho could hear the disappointment in it. It was no revelation that the prince wanted to outdo him.

"You're the one always reminding me that I'm not an elf," Minho shrugged, without any animosity. "You should be prouder of you for being able to compete with a hybrid. Besides, I could see you."

Jonghyun only made a low uncommitted sound to answer him before he put away his own weapon. Minho went away from the wall he had been leaning against, and Jonghyun followed him, up to the little bench in one corner of the room.

The prince took a sip from the water bottle he had left next to their seat, and he could feel Minho's pointed look at him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I was wondering if you felt better."

"Please, I'm not going to be upset and pout about this all day," Jonghyun laughed.

"I meant in general."

Jonghyun's laughter died down and he rose one eyebrow at Minho with a puzzled frown.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I noticed you looked elsewhere in the last few days. Like you're not really looking at things in front of you, not really listening when people speak to you. Are you alright?"

The surprise on Jonghyun's face turned into bashfulness and he rubbed at his eyes slowly with a low, unamused laugh.

"Sorry. I got something on my mind..."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'm not sure if I can."

Minho frowned at that and subtly came closer. It wasn't really necessary, as they were alone in the room, with no one to eavesdrop.

"Is it something bad? I'm sure I can help."

Jonghyun blinked twice and straightened up with an embarrassed pout.

"Ah, no. It's not like that," he said as he shook his hand. "It's-... well I don't know if it's good or not, but it's not-... how to say it..."

"Just tell me what's going on," Minho sighed heavily.

Jonghyun winced at the seriousness with which his best friend was staring at him, and he deflated.

"I saw a spirit," he confessed in a whisper.

Minho sat up straight in a jump, his round eyes widening.

"What?" he croaked.

"I saw a spirit," Jonghyun repeated, his eyebrows furrowing in doubt. "I know I'm not supposed to talk about it. But it was a few days ago. It happened twice already. And I just-... I can't shake him off of my mind, I can't think straight because my thoughts are always going back to that moment."

Minho struggled between bewilderment and joy as his first thought had immediately been 'please, let it be Kibum.'

"If you need to talk about it, I can keep the secret," Minho carefully said.

But Jonghyun wasn't about to get suspicious about him anyway, he was already far away in thoughts again.

"He was in the lake, you know, when I went on that boat trip with Taemin. I guess he's a water spirit, I don't know. That would make sense. The first time I saw him, he was also in water," Jonghyun whispered in a conspiratorial tone. "It was creepy, actually. He really scared me at first. But his eyes-... He has like-... dark blue eyes. And they're chasing me. It's all I see every time I close mine."

Minho had to pinch his lips to keep himself from smiling like a maniac.

"Blue eyes?" he repeated innocently.

"Yes," Jonghyun sighed with a nod. "Stormy, beautiful blue eyes. The prettiest I've ever seen. And a small, plushy mouth. I can still see him as clearly as if he was right in front of me. His-... cheekbones. And teal hair."

The prince let out a frustrated grunt as he gripped his head.

"I know I'm not supposed to talk about him, I'm not supposed to look for him, I have to be grateful I even saw him twice and find a way to move on. But I want to go back on the lake and stare at the water until he appears again. I'm upset."

Minho kept silent for a few seconds. He was actually quite excited about the news, because it did seem like it was Kibum that Jonghyun had seen. But he had never thought the sight of a nymph could really be that hypnotic to elves. Junmyeon had made hints at that, but Minho truly had thought it couldn't be that bad. He himself had been affected the first time he had seen Kibum, he had wished to see him again, but it was nothing compared to what Jonghyun was talking about. Maybe that was yet another thing different about him.

"Are you regretting seeing him?"

Jonghyun looked at him, surprised.

"No," he admitted. "But there was something in the way he looked at me. It wasn't exactly sadness, more like melancholy. That's what I keep going back to, and it makes me feel powerless."

The prince exhaled with a loud noise of irritation.

"I should talk to Taemin about it, maybe he could help," Jonghyun continued.

"Taemin? Why Taemin? I can help as well," Minho said with a frown.

Jonghyun laughed and patted him on the shoulder.

"No offense, but besides fairies, I don't think you ever saw a real spirit, did you?"

Minho was about to retort that Jonghyun had no idea what he was talking about, but he tried to control himself.

"And Taemin has?" Minho taunted.

"Well, yes he did."

"What?"

Jonghyun tilted his head to the side, a bit taken aback that Minho could forget something like that.

"At the ball, do you remember? He couldn't stop talking about that spirit he saw who turned into a tree. He was pretty shaken about it. I only now understand how he must have felt. But at some point, he stopped talking about it. So I figured I could ask him for some help. Maybe he can tell me how he managed to overcome those thoughts."

At that moment, Minho realized he didn't want Jonghyun to stop thinking about Kibum. It was a bit silly because it had nothing to do with him and it wasn't his business at all. He shouldn't get invested in all of that. But he was well aware of the fact that Jonghyun and Taemin weren't in love with each other, no matter how much he had first thought that his friend had a crush on the mountain prince. He himself was also getting closer to Kibum, and he held a very tender affection for the nymph. He had thought more than once that Kibum would be such a match for Jonghyun, not that he ever told that to the nymph; he was sure the spirit would combust just at the mere mention of it.

All of this was a terrible mess in his head. Some part of him wanted to get involved and try to make things better so that all of his friends could be happy. But on the other hand, he was quite aware that the strings were in the hands of people in far higher ranks than his, and he wasn't sure he was actually able to do anything. If he started on this road and failed, he could only make things worse.

Maybe it was for the better that Jonghyun asked Taemin about how to get over spirits. For now at least, it was probably wiser than to let Jonghyun get crazy over memories, knowing he wouldn't be able to catch a glimpse of Kibum even if he tried.

In the meantime, it wouldn't hurt anyone if Minho asked a few things to Junmyeon and tried to untangle things on his own. He had to find ways to work around that marriage in order for both Jonghyun and Taemin to be happy.

"Now that you mention it, I do remember," Minho quietly said.

Jonghyun gave him a small smile before he reported his attention to his bottle of water with a sigh.

And Minho wondered if he should confess about the fact he did saw a spirit, more than once, and actually befriended him. As long as he didn't actively describe Kibum, he wouldn't be breaking the promise he made to the nymph, of not mentioning him to the prince. And because Jonghyun had just spilled his own secret, it didn't sit well with Minho to lie to his face. He wasn't actually one for lies or even omissions. Maybe it had to do with all the frustration he had, growing up, when Junmyeon couldn't be honest with him and kept hiding things related to fairies and spirits, when he was always so transparent to the little creature.

There was a risk that Jonghyun would grow even more obsessed with Kibum. Maybe he would get envious, or even hurt. Maybe he would get angry.

Minho looked over his friend and had a sad little smile as he spoke, deciding to put his trust in him.

"There is one thing you're wrong about."

"What might that be?" Jonghyun answered with a light laugh.

"I did saw a spirit."

Jonghyun's mouth opened in a gasp and his eyebrows rose high on his forehead.

"What?" He coughed.

"I saw a nymph, a few months ago. And befriended him," Minho confessed up-front.

A silence fell between them as Minho waited for Jonghyun to process the information. The prince seemed lost in thoughts for a moment, and then he pouted.

"Of course you'd be the one a holy spirit would want to be friend with," Jonghyun let out.

His tone was a bit bitter, but not mean, and Minho relaxed. He wished he could tell Jonghyun that Kibum was dreaming days and nights to talk to him.

"I don't know if I'm allowed to ask you about that nymph. I should probably not. Why did you tell me? I'm confused now. You're making me want to see my spirit again and I know I shouldn't."

"I'm sorry, I hate all those rules of silence."

Jonghyun rolled his eyes with a little shake of his head.

"I still can't help you if you wish to move on from that encounter," Minho admitted with a frown, "you were right about that. I didn't react to seeing him the first time the same way you or Taemin did. This might be my faerish side, again. I didn't experience that slight obsession."

"How did you two ended up being friends then?"

"I had perceived him a few times, and one day he saw me too and asked me if I could talk to him."

There was another silence and Jonghyun breathed out a loud frustrated exhale.

"I don't think I'll ever get that lucky," he groaned. "Now I should really talk to Taemin before the hope to see him again drives me crazy."

"Did I make things worse for you? I'm sorry."

"It's alright. I appreciate your honesty, you know I always do. I just can't let myself wish that the nymph I saw might want to talk to me too, otherwise I'll never get over him. I can't deal with that kind of concerns and infatuation, especially now."

Minho nodded, a little frown adorning his face.

"What do you mean by that? By 'especially now'..."

"I have enough to handle with Taemin and our marriage."

Minho pondered how to phrase his thoughts in a way that wouldn't sound too bad.

"Do you still plan on trying to cancel it?"

Jonghyun looked completely taken aback by his question, and a spark of unease flashed in his eyes. He remembered far too well the discussion he had with Minho when he had first heard of that wedding. Back then, his father had only asked of him to try to get along with Taemin, and Jonghyun had held on to the thought that his parents would at least try to cancel everything if he were to really dislike the other prince. Even at that time, there had been no guarantee, only a whispered promise.

Now, Jonghyun didn't know what to think of it anymore.

"I thought about it a lot. I don't know if my parents would even consider it again, when Taemin is being so charming in every way. There has been days when I wished he wasn't so... perfect."

Minho nodded slowly, but still frowned.

"Maybe they would still cancel it."

"Maybe. First I was scared to give us hopes only to see them get destroyed," Jonghyun admitted. "But now-... you know, I talked to Taemin. And he said he was so happy to be here. He said despite everything, he was grateful to have ended up in our forest and that he wouldn't want to be anywhere else. So... I don't know. I don't want to force him to go away."

Minho closed his eyes. His hands came to rub at his temples before he looked at his best friend. Jonghyun had this guilty, sheepish look on his face, the one he always had when he knew he was about to get scolded.

"Jonghyun, for real. This is wrong on so many levels."

"Is it?"

"You always have the best intentions, but you must stop this before you hurt people while trying to take everything on your shoulders."

Jonghyun looked lost for a moment.

"First of all, you have to tell Taemin that the wedding can eventually be called off. I understand that you didn't want to make promises to him that you might not be able to keep, but this concerns him as much as it concerns you, and this isn't something you have a right to hide."

"I know," Jonghyun whined. "But I'm still so scared of causing him pain if it doesn't work out. Or actually if it does work out."

"But still. You also cannot possibly go on with that wedding if it can be prevented, just so Taemin stays here. Maybe you're right and maybe he'd rather stay here married to you than go back to the mountains... but then, you can't sacrifice yourself like that for him. That's not good. I won't stand for it."

Jonghyun cowered a bit, letting his head fall in his hands.

"The marriage was his mother's idea. I can't help thinking that if my parents manage to break it, Taemin will go back there and then be promised to another prince and he'll have to move to yet another land and marry someone who could be a jerk to him for all I know."

Minho put one hand on Jonghyun's shoulder, gently squeezing as he stayed silent for a few seconds. He was glad that he had brought up the subject, because the whole thing was even worse than what he had first thought. Jonghyun was truly burdening himself with too many things.

"I hear what you say and I understand it. But you still have to talk to Taemin, and if you don't, I will. He has to know, and even if you're doing all of this out of kindness, it still isn't right. You have to respect Taemin's decisions too. Talk it out with him, please."

"I know," Jonghyun confessed in a whisper. "That's where my constant introspections led me too... It's simply long and difficult sometimes, to do things right."

"If you need my support at any time, I'll be there."

"Thanks."

Jongdae was sitting on a stone fence, in front of the high gardens of the castle, his book of elfish discarded next to him. He had gone to see Jongin, earlier that day, as he had promised to Kyungsoo, but the nymph was nowhere to be seen. Apparently, he had been off to an adventure with Chanyeol in the fauns' valley, and the fairy didn't have the heart and will to try to find them amongst all the tricksters playing around there. It was a lovely place, the fauns' land, but without Chanyeol as a guide, he would never dare to venture in the valley alone.

Thus, he was back in the castle earlier than his original plans. Junmyeon was as busy as ever and Jongdae had found himself so bored that he had actually picked up on his lessons willingly. For approximately ten minutes, before he whined out loud and put the book aside. Now, he was tapping his tiny gloved hands softly against the rock as he watched the sun slowly set and bath the gardens in a pinkish light.

That's when a delightful smell reached him and made him rise his nose in the air. He inhaled curiously, twice, and turned his head to one side, then the other, searching where that scent came from. Something smelled particularly tasty and his mouth was watering already. His wings started to flap and his body lifted in the air, his round eyes still scanning his surroundings, looking for that appetizing scent.

"Hi there, little one."

The voice came from behind him, and Jongdae swung around. There stood that elf, Minseok, in all in elven height, towering over him. For a second, Jongdae thought about greeting him back, but then the smell hit him again and he blinked, coming closer. The scent definitely emanated from Minseok, and he wondered why. He flew closer, sniffing his coat, and neck.

"What is it?" Jongdae absentmindedly chirped as he assaulted him. "What you have? You smell tasty."

He didn't even care about his incorrect elvish, and he hadn't the mind to feel ashamed about it for now.

Still, when he heard Minseok laugh openly at his behavior, he froze, and suddenly realized he was flying too close to the other, and was being inappropriate.

"Sorry," he murmured as he tried his best to step back.

But that sweet smell was making it so hard. What was Minseok carrying to smell this delicious?

The elf rummaged inside his coat and took out something from an inside pocket that made Jongdae widen his eyes impossibly and open his mouth eagerly.

"Do you happen to like nettles?" Minseok asked with a teasing grin as he waved a handful of leaves in the air.

He laughed as he saw Jongdae following the movement with his whole body, and the fairy nodded energetically.

"Please, give to Jongdae," he squealed, "please. I like nettles very much."

"Here," Minseok said with a fond smile as he reached his open palm to the tiny fairy who dived in it at once.

The elf was concerned for a split second, wondering if nettles stung fairies as much as they did to elves, but Jongdae was shoving his face against one leaf and Minseok thought he should stop worrying.

Jongdae immediately started to chew on one end of the plant and a bright, content smile bloomed on his face.

"Hi Minseok," he finally greeted. "Thank you very much."

"You're welcome."

Jongdae continued to munch and swallow his snack as Minseok moved around, sitting on the fence where the fairy had been resting a few moments ago. He was careful not to settle on the miniature book he saw, and to not wave his hand too much, as the fairy was still happily eating there.

"You like nettles too?" Jongdae asked suddenly, offering him back one of the leaf he was feasting on.

"No, thank you, elves cannot eat that. I brought them for you."

Jongdae tilted his head with curiosity.

"For me?"

Minseok had a shy smile at that.

"Yes. I did some researches after that mint accident. I read that fairies liked nettles and that it doesn't make you guys lose your mind, so-... well, I saw you here a few minutes ago, and I went to take some from the greenhouses."

Jongdae stopped to chew on his leaf and pleated his eyes at him.

"Minseok teases but is very-... hum... very ge-... general?" He tried with an unsure frown.

"General?" Minseok repeated, a bit lost.

"Ah," Jongdae whined. "Minseok is nice and gives food. Very gene-something."

The elf suddenly laughed.

"Generous, maybe?"

"Yes, probably," Jongdae grunted with a shrug.

He went back to eating and Minseok watched him silently. There was something incredibly cute about this slightly rude little fairy.

"Do you wanted to talk to me?" Jongdae asked. "You came with delicious nettles to have a conversation?"

"Not particularly. I really just-... I remembered that thing I read and wanted to make you happy."

Jongdae ripped the last leaf in half and gave Minseok a beaming grin, the brightest he ever made him.

"You are the most kind elf."

Jongdae chomped the remnants of his treat happily before he tapped his stomach. The rapidity with which he had devoured it all was making Minseok a bit nauseous. Even though he knew it was natural for fairies to engulf food a lot larger than them, it was still a bit worrying to witness.

Jongdae his lips and finally turned to him again.

"I have a question for Minseok."

"Yes?"

"Jongdae has seen the Lord of nymphs, and the Lord has tell Jongdae that I must ask my questions. So I will ask. You must answer because the Lord of nymphs said so."

Minseok frowned and pinched his lips, trying to order all those words correctly in his head to get what Jongdae was trying to say. He couldn't help but widen his eyes as the little fairy in his hand mentioned the Lord of nymphs. Minseok, as every elf in Melalhil, remembered far too well the enchanting and charismatic spirit he once saw in the castle, months ago.

"I will do my best to answer your questions, then," Minseok answered, a bit nervous.

Jongdae nodded, visibly satisfied with his cooperation.

"You have a tree in your garden," Jongdae whispered.

It had been bothering him for too long now. And Jongdae didn't like to be bothered by that kind of thoughts.

"I have a lot of trees in my garden," Minseok answered, not seeing the point in Jongdae's short explanation.

"Yes but one is magical. How do you got it there?"

Minseok straightened up with surprise, and then smiled.

"You mean, the magnolia?"

"I don't knows the name. The tree with pink and white flowers. It has a lots of magic. Why you have it?"

"I found it," Minseok answered, matter-of-factly.

Jongdae got up, his hands on his hips as he watched the elf's expression intensely.

"Please explain better."

It seemed to Jongdae that Minseok was pleased to narrate his story. Eager, even.

"It happened a few years ago, during that time of the year, actually. I was walking in the forest, on my way to the Centaur's land, and everything was silent. Most animals are asleep at this period, so it's always a bit strange to walk around. But then I heard someone humming a melody I didn't knew. It was enchanting, to say the least, so I tried to find who was singing... and all I saw was a magnolia tree. It was splendid, really. Even more than the one in my garden. And it was in full blossoms, in the middle of winter, when everything was frozen and dead around. I couldn't believe my eyes."

Jongdae froze on his spot, horror invading his stomach as his face lost all colors.

"Did you hurt it?" Jongdae shrieked.

Minseok jumped at his cry and shook his head with a distressed frown.

"No," he immediately answered, "no, of course not. I wouldn't! I couldn't! I just looked at it, I swear. But then... it disappeared. I blinked and it wasn't there anymore. All that was left was a flower. I picked it up, and maybe I shouldn't have... I'm sorry if I shouldn't have."

Jongdae pleated his eyes at him, suddenly flying to come closer and inspect his face, searching for lies in his earnest expression.

"Then what?" Jongdae snapped.

"I kept the flower with me, and I brought it home. It never faded, and that's how I realized I probably had seen a spirit...," Minseok confessed. "I kept it in my bedroom for months, but then, spring arrived. The first day of spring, I just took the flower again and brought it to my garden, and put it on the ground. I think-... I can't remember it clearly now. I think I dreamed about it. It made some sense, back then, even if it seems ridiculous now. And then, the tree just grew back from that flower, much faster than it should have. It's always in blossoms."

Jongdae came flying in front of his face again, looking at him in silence as if he was deliberating his judgment.

"Okay," he said, cautiously.

"Did I do something bad?" Minseok asked with a pout.

"I don't know. I will ask. But I think Minseok is okay."

Jongdae plopped down on Minseok thigh and crossed his legs.

"I will invetsi-... invezi-... invetsigate. And after, I will tell you. I must ask questions."

Taemin hadn't had his faerish lessons with Junmyeon since the fateful night where the fairy had come to pick him up in Nowhere. Truth to be told, he had barely seen the fairy since then. He eventually caught a glimpse of him around a corner of a corridor in the castle, but nothing more. He had waited every night, at 10pm, when they would usually meet, but there had been no faint knock on his doors for days.

Taemin sighed and his shoulders dropped as he sat on his bed, realizing it was late again and Junmyeon wouldn't come. He had wanted to go knock on the door of the fairy's office, but he couldn't find enough courage within himself to do so. He was still haunted by the look of disappointment on Junmyeon's face, during their walk back home. Everything since that day had been awful.

Taemin had done his best to keep it together and go on with his lessons, his meetings with Jonghyun, the small duties that were still asked of him, but he felt lost. As if he just arrived in the forest all over again, and was out of place. He wanted to go back to the forest and call for Jongin. He wanted to see his nymph again and spend hours talking and laughing with him about sweet nothings where no one could see them. He knew Jongin was probably waiting for him, but Taemin was scared of facing him again. He was scared of not knowing what to say to him. He was scared of getting lost in the nymph's sorrowful eyes and know he caused him pain. He was terrified of what would happen if he were to look more into those feelings that Jongin's sadness had triggered in his heart.

If he were to be honest, a part of him was relieved that Junmyeon didn't come back to him for his lessons. Because he was afraid of facing him too. Still, the little fairy was the only person he could talk to about Jongin, and he needed to clear things up. He needed to do something, anything that would fix things up.

Taemin turned his head to his nightstand and his eyes fell on the delicate magnolia flower resting there. It was still as beautiful as the day he picked it up. The buttercup flower Jongin once made bloom in Taemin's hand had long since faded and the elf had been forced to throw it away. But his precious magnolia was as perfect as ever. As he took it in his palm, two knocks on his door made him turn in surprise.

"Yes?" He called tentatively.

The door creaked open slowly, and Junmyeon appeared in the door-frame. The fairy looked shy, with his back bent and eyes cast on the floor.

"Good evening, your Majesty. May I come in?"

His tone was formal, like it hadn't been in a while with Taemin, and the elf frowned with unease.

"Yes, Junmyeon. Of course, please come."

The fairy nodded and closed the door behind him with a flutter of his wings, before he made his way to Taemin's bed. He landed in front of him, walking a few steps on the comforter, and then sat.

There was an uncomfortable silence and for a moment, Taemin wished the fairy hadn't come.

"How have you been?" He asked quietly.

"Fine, and you?"

"I'm doing my best."

Junmyeon nodded at that, as if he had noticed all of Taemin's efforts. Still he didn't pursue the conversation. He stood there, unable to look at the prince. Maybe he didn't know himself why he had come.

"Please, say something," Taemin begged.

Junmyeon took a long inhale and rose his head to look at him, and Taemin let out a shaky, relieved breath. There was no more discontent in the fairy's eyes, no more anger or frustration, only tiredness and apologies.

"I am sorry that I missed our appointments. But I didn't want to come. I didn't want to see you and have an unpleasant conversation that would hurt us more. I needed a few days to calm down and make the situation better before I could face you."

"You don't have to apology."

"Yes, I do. I had a responsibility towards you that I didn't properly undertake. When I think about it, I should have guided you more. I knew you came here without knowing a lot about spirits. When I learned that you had started to talk with Jongin, I wanted to take action, and I was told not to. So I did nothing at all and it was a mistake. I could have helped you without interfering too much, I guess. I could have found some compromise, but I didn't. I did everything wrong."

"What happened wasn't your fault," Taemin whispered.

Junmyeon shook his hand in the air with a bitter smile.

"I'm not here to define whose fault it is. I think we all have some responsibilities in this. What I want now is to make things better. Is that what you want too?"

"Yes, I do."

Junmyeon seemed extremely relieved by his simple words, and Taemin wondered what exactly he had been expecting of him to be this tensed.

"Do you have any news from him?" Taemin asked. "Is he okay?"

"He's waiting for you."

That was what Taemin had imagined, still, hearing it from Junmyeon was hurting him.

"Why didn't you go to him already?" Junmyeon inquired.

Taemin closed his eyes in defeat, biting his lips. This was exactly the question he dreaded, the one he didn't want to answer too.

"Taemin?" Junmyeon called gently for the elf to look down to him. "I am more aware now about your situation than I was before. I know I might have seemed judgmental in the past, but I am not here to lecture you. I have learned how the prince Jonghyun and you stand with each other; I understood you never meant to disrespect him, or the Royal Family, or anyone. I didn't come today as anything official, I came as a friend. You have every right to stay silent if you wish to be, but if you need to talk, I will listen to you."

Taemin frowned, his eyes still closed, and he pressed his fingers against his eyelids as he breathed deeply through his nose.

"I'm scared," he coughed.

"What are you scared of?"

"Of seeing him hurt because of me. I thought he knew I was about to get married. So every time he looked at me with so much tenderness, I could tell myself he knew, and that it meant nothing much. It gave me an excuse I could hide behind. I could pretend what he said were words he didn't fully understand, the way he hold me was innocent. But now... I'm scared to see him and realize it always meant more. Worst of all, I don't want to admit that I've always wanted it to mean more than what I told myself."

Junmyeon's mouth opened in surprise as Taemin continued to pour out his feelings with a sobbing voice.

"It's all out. All the things I tried to put in a corner of my mind, it all came to shout at me when Jongin looked at me and put his broken heart right before my nose. I can't face him. I can't face him, because when I look at him I see everything I've always wanted. And I told Jonghyun to not lose hope and that we would find a way to both reach happiness. But it was just more lies I told us both to comfort myself. Now I'm lost."

Junmyeon came closer, flying around to hold one of Taemin's finger tightly.

"Taemin, do you love him?"

The prince had a self-deprecating smile as he sniffed.

"I do. I fell in love with him when I saw flowers blooming in his hair. And it's all very stupid because we can't even talk properly and I can count on one hand the few times we were actually together, but Junmyeon... he feels like home in a way I can't describe."

Junmyeon patted his finger some more and gave him a very large, sunny smile. The way his eyes crinkled and his cheeks blew up made Taemin stop hiccuping.

"Then, please don't think that way," Junmyeon gently said. "Being in love is something to be happy about. And the one you hold so dearly in your heart adores you just as much. You did hurt him, but it is nothing you can't fix. And you didn't lie to Prince Jonghyun, I am sure the two of you will come to find a solution. You still have centuries to live, and many things are waiting for you. You surely will find a way to live your love for Jongin properly. Please don't fall into despair for there are many people caring for you."

Taemin swallowed with some difficulties, and calmed down a bit.

"The marriage you so despise right now is the reason that made you come here and find Jongin. It is a proof that happiness can be found in the things you least expect."

"Yes, it is," Taemin admitted reluctantly.

"It all feels overwhelming for now because it's all happening at the same time. But listen to me, who lived more than twice longer than you. It will get better. Things will go quiet soon and you're going to live decades in such peace it will be difficult to even remember how hectic things once were. For now, step out of your denial and embrace all that joy Jongin is giving you. Make him bloom again. The rest will come in time."

Taemin let out a long breath, a bewildered frown adorning his face.

"You really think it will work out?"

"Taemin, my dear, little folks and holy spirits are working on it for you. You can put your trust in me."

With that, the elf prince suddenly laughed. It was broken, a little bit hysterical and faltering with hiccups.

"Thank you, Junmyeon."

"You should rest now, my prince. We'll go on with your faerish lessons tomorrow. I know for a fact that Jongin has been working very hard the past couple of days to learn elvish for you. And we wouldn't want to disappoint him, now, would we?"

That brought a genuine smile back on Taemin's lips. He thanked Junmyeon a dozen of times more, until the fairy started to blush and complain that he hadn't done much yet. Then he went away, to the apartment he shared with Minho, and Taemin went to sleep, feeling at peace for the first time in a week.

That night, he dreamed of a cottage, lost in the woods, where he would learn how to grow vegetables and how to cook, where he would dance all afternoon and wake up in Jongin's arms.

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Hi there,

I hope you liked this chapter. I hope it gave you some happiness this week-end. I'm a bit excited about writing Magnolia Boy lately, because things are moving here and there and all the little secrets are unfolding. Isn't it satisfying? I find it very exciting.

We're arriving to a part of the story I'm so enthusiastic about.

Next chapter is titled « In all honesty », please look forward to it. I look forward to posting it to you.

Take care and surround yourself with softness. ♥