Word Count: 7428

Triple Update. If you have not read chapters 21 and 22, please do so.

The days, weeks, and months following Sehun’s arrival were filled with way too many things to keep up with. Sehun attended a whole slew of lessons in the first few days. They were all trying to shove information into his head that he had a tough time remembering. Politics and finance were not Sehun's favorite subjects. Some lessons were easier to retain than others, such as table manners. He had already in part been introduced to them while under contract on the road. Other lessons Sehun found them so boring that he was unable to focus. Often times he forgot what he had learned as soon as his teachers allowed him to leave.

Some things remained the same, such as the terms of his contract. Luhan enforced it with an iron fist. He would allow Sehun to relax on a bed after his tasks were finished, but Sehun was never allowed to sleep on one. He still had no privacy, meaning anytime he need to go to the bathroom, he had to announce it and ask to be excused.

Eating was another story. In the beginning, there had been resistance to the rule that Sehun ate last. He now ate with the king and some of the nobles. Typical etiquette indicated that the king ate first. Once he was eating, Sehun was supposed to be allowed to, then the nobles would follow. Servants only got to eat once they completed serving the royals. But Sehun ended up having to state every night when servants could eat. More often than not, Sehun’s food was going cold in front of him as the servants had their meal. Only when they had finished was Sehun allowed to eat. It always kept him humble.

Outside of the castle, Sehun knew that Chanyeol had been extremely busy. Sehun’s arrival and announcement as prince had prompted a visit from the crown prince of Eriand. Chanyeol had been both elated and burdened by his arrival. Sehun met Prince Yifan for a second time and caused the stoic prince to raise a brow. The last Prince Yifan had seen of him, he was a waterlogged rat with a shattered arm. Now he was slated to inherit a kingdom. It caused a tentative bond to form between them. Yifan became a friend and he offered guidance in handling high court life if Sehun ever needed it.

The arrival of Prince Yifan wasn't the only reason Chanyeol had been so busy, though. Chanyeol was also helping to take care of the departure and replacement of Zitao. As fate would have it, Zitao was the person Chanyeol and Yifan had been looking for the whole time. Zitao was the missing prince of Eriand. He hadn’t known it himself until he and Chanyeol had their moment at the shrine. Chanyeol's presence had brought forth images of his future. On Chanyeol's part, it was all about getting a good look at Zitao's face. He was startlingly like his mother, and Chanyeol picked up on that immediately.

After that, Chanyeol had disappeared for a long while. When he finally reappeared, there was something different about him. Along with the change, Baekhyun seemed to grow sad and almost inconsolable.

One night, Baekhyun approached Sehun, asking for permission to spend a night with him. Sehun declined for the first time and instead offered company, food, and a chance to talk. It wasn’t what Baekhyun wanted, but he stayed anyway. Sehun had him laughing and eating from a plate of rather expensive cheeses by the end of it anyway. It was an improvement for the both of them.

They became even closer when news spread that Chanyeol was courting Zitao. Luhan and Sehun also kept their personal affairs private while Baekhyun was coping. Sehun spent days distracting Baekhyun from it all and gently encouraging him to move on. But he could not blame Chanyeol for who he chose. Sehun had always been an advocate for choice and it wasn’t as if he had been ignoring or avoiding Baekhyun. He had simply taken his affections to someone else.

“He’s just doing it because every other noble is taken,” Baekhyun commented bitterly. But even he knew that wasn’t the truth. Their initial arguments and banter had all been playful and taken well on both sides. Sehun often wondered, though, if Zitao had made it easier by seeing what would happen in his mind’s eye.

“Baekhyun,” Sehun said, “you’ll find someone.” And with Baekhyun’s sneer, he dropped it. He should have known better, but he still wanted to keep the dying hope in his adopted brother’s heart alive.

Those nights, he confided in Luhan when they were alone about what he could do. Luhan didn’t have a lot of advice except to keep doing what he was doing and be there for Baekhyun. Sehun had made a promise to do what he could to be all the family Baekhyun needed. That meant he needed to do what he could to be there for his elder brother.

Four month after Sehun walked into the palace, there was discussion of his exams. At the moment, it was simple discussion and consideration, but it meant progress. Sehun had learned enough for them to bring up testing him for the position of king at long last. But he was still under contract and the advisors suggested he wait to take the throne until it expired. Sehun happened to agree.

Now, it was a common occurrence to see Sehun strung up by his feet and have his arches whipped with a cane. beatings from his teachers had been tried early on in his lesson and hadn’t been as effective. Sehun continued to blow off his work outside of class. But that changed when Luhan brought back the foot beatings. The pain and then the chores that followed usually kept him in line.

The heavier beatings were usually reserved for days he left the palace when he had work to do. Once or twice, Baekhyun and Yixing rendered him bedridden the next day from the severity. These punishments were always well timed. If he didn’t have to do anything the next day, that was when they were the worst. The problem was, Sehun couldn't complain. It was always in accordance with the infraction he committed.

Today was such a day where he had endured punishment for skipping his lessons. When he returned to the palace, he was confronted by his friends as he lowered his hood. They strung up his feet and beat him before laying him down and feeding him a small dose of a common poison. This was common practice since he had started his training here. Even though it was never enough to kill him, Sehun always felt like he was knocking on death's door. An antidote was provided should anything go wrong, and the royal physician was nearby, but it hurt. He would have to endure. He needed to build a tolerance to these poisons. Most of the kingdom was happy for his arrival, but there were always the few who were never satisfied. He needed to have a natural defense to those few.

Chanyeol arrived and promised to watch over Sehun’s progress on this day. He sat down on the bed where Sehun lay, writhing in pain as the poison worked through his system. If he could tolerate it, this particular poison would last less than twelve hours. Sehun was usually begging for the antidote by seven hours.

The fire mage brushed Sehun’s hair back from his face and he could see the fever in his cheeks.

“How are you holding up?” he questioned, knowing Sehun had to be going through hell. Luhan was outside the door at this very moment, probably pacing with worry. Chanyeol had seen this before with Prince Yifan and he would have to watch again as Zitao went through it as well. Though not first in line, Zitao was the second heir. Should anything ever happen to Yifan, Zitao would be the next in line for the kingdom.

“I feel like I’m dying,” Sehun responded. It was his popular response when anyone asked him that question during these times.

“They gave you a more concentrated dose,” Chanyeol mumbled to him. “You must be doing well.”

“ doing well,” Sehun cursed.

“Don’t make me get the soap,” Chanyeol said in a monotone voice.

“As long as you’re not taking my gift away, I don’t care,” Sehun breathed heavily. He rolled onto his side, trying to cope more easily with the pain. “Can I have the antidote, yet?”

“Not yet,” Chanyeol said to him. There was an hour glass spelled to the time Sehun had to endure at the very least unless something else went wrong. If the dose were incorrect and stronger than anticipated, there were signs to look out for. Bleeding from the mouth or nose was usually a very bad sign. The royal physician was in the room, but she seemed for the moment unconcerned. Though, it was obvious she was being vigilant and paying attention to Sehun’s present state. Unfortunately, Sehun wouldn't be getting out of this easily. None of the warning signs were showing and there was still quite a lot of sand left in the top half of the hourglass. “You’ve still got a way to go.”

Sehun let out a groan of both frustration and pain and closed his eyes to try to will it all to go away. Naturally, his magic started to act up and Chanyeol placed a hand on Sehun’s chest, pressing down firmly. It wasn't enough to add any more pain but enough to keep Sehun under control.

“I do have some good news for you, though,” Chanyeol said. “Zitao has had a few visions. Told me to tell you that you will be getting some visitors in the next few days that you will be ecstatic to see.”

“I don’t want anyone to see me like this,” Sehun gasped, all the air in his lungs leaving him for a moment.

“People have been seeing you like this for months, my Prince,” the physician in the corner of the room drawled. “What’s a few more?”

“If I want to see them,” Sehun snapped irritably, abruptly sitting up, “then I want to do with them! Not lay in a ing bed.”

“I’m getting the soap,” Chanyeol sighed, standing from his seat next to Sehun’s bed. Sehun groaned and laid back on the bed again, out of breath once again. He was not pleased when a bar of orange scented soap was brought and shoved in his mouth. He liked the smell at least, but the taste was nasty. Sehun was pacified for the next five minutes except for the whining.

When Chanyeol removed the soap, Sehun closed his mouth and tried not to cry. He tried so hard to hold everything in, but it all wanted to come out. He threw an arm over his eyes then and tried to speak. “Just for a few minutes, can the two of you leave?” he requested.

“I don’t think that’s a smart idea, Your Highness,” the physician said.

“Three minutes,” Sehun tried again. “You can even do a full checkup on me with needles and everything if you must when it’s over. Just…” His voice broke. “…please.”

They hesitated, but the physician rose from her seat in the corner of the room and ushered Chanyeol out as well. Once the door closed behind them, Sehun let it go. The tears cascaded down his face and he could hear the quiet conversation outside. Luhan sounded worried. He always sounded worried when these sessions happened.

Three minutes was up a lot faster than Sehun wanted it to be. But when the door opened again, Luhan came into the room with him and held his hand. There was quiet conversation made for the next hour. Somewhere in there, Sehun managed to fall into a restless sleep because he was so exhausted. By the time he came to, the poison was beginning to wear off. He didn’t feel well, but he felt better.

“Your Highness,” the physician’s voice called to him. “Can you hear me?”

Sehun squinted at the light of the morning coming in through his window and tried to meet the eyes of the woman.

“Y-yes…” he answered weakly. His throat was dry and his voice was gravelly, but he was pretty convinced he was on the mend once more.

“Your dose is almost expired,” she told him with a sad smile. “You’ve done well. How do you feel?”

“Like ,” he answered honestly, rubbing his face, trying to wake up.

“I’ll let that slide,” she said. “Besides, the Star Child is not awake to hear it.”

It was then that Sehun looked to his side and realized Luhan had held his hand all night. He was asleep with his head laying on the edge of the bed. Sehun rolled onto his side again so he could look at Luhan for a few moments. He should probably wake him. He didn’t want to worry him any further.

Reluctantly, he brushed a tired hand through Luhan’s hair, bringing him back to the realm of the living. “Lu…” he whispered, his tongue feeling heavy in his mouth. “Wake up.”

Luhan stirred and shifted on the bed, gripping Sehun’s hand a little tighter. When he opened his eyes, at first he didn’t seem to comprehend where he was and what he was doing. But when it finally came back to him, he bolted upright and looked down at Sehun, who tiredly smiled back at him.

“You’re awake,” Luhan breathed in relief.

“Unfortunately,” Sehun responded. “I feel like a herd of cattle ran me over.”

Luhan laughed and brushed Sehun’s hair down. “You look like it a little bit, too,” he teased. Then he leaned down so he could touch their foreheads. “You’ve done so well, Sunshine.”

“Again with the Sunshine?” Sehun whined.

“You like it,” Luhan teased. “Zitao likes it, too. He thinks Nightingale is a little too flamboyant for you.”

“My hair is a mess of rainbows,” Sehun said in a completely deadpan voice. “How am I not flamboyant enough?”

Luhan shrugged and kissed him. Then he allowed Sehun to go back to sleep for a few more hours, letting the poison finish running its course. By the time he woke up again, Luhan was gone and Chanyeol had returned. Sehun was able to drag himself into a sitting position this time.

“Feeling better, I see,” Chanyeol commented, placing a hand around Sehun’s back to help him stay seated.

“Not by much,” Sehun commented. His body still ached and he still felt too warm to be comfortable, but he did have more movement back. He also felt less likely to snap at everything anyone said.

“Sounds like you’re doing well over all,” Chanyeol commented. “They wouldn’t have done this to you otherwise.”

“I fell asleep,” Sehun grunted. “They would rather I sit through it. I’m not going to have a doctor with me forever.”

“No,” Chanyeol agreed. “But someday you’ll figure out how to sterilize your blood of the poison.”

“I’m not a fire mage, Chanyeol,” Sehun reminded him.

“You’re not,” Chanyeol agreed. “But you can call on the heat of the sun. You only have to master where that heat goes.”

“Baekhyun hasn’t exactly been of a mindset to teach me,” Sehun pointed out.

Chanyeol hesitated. He bit his lip and looked away. “He’s going to be upset again.”

“Why is that?” Sehun questioned. “I’ve been trying to piece him back together and he’s been doing better.”

“But he’s not over it,” Chanyeol sighed. “And I was hoping he would be by now.”

“He’s in love with you,” Sehun muttered. “Love isn’t so easy to cast aside. I tried.”

“I know,” Chanyeol responded. “I know that. But still, he’s going to be worse again when I tell him.”

“Tell him what?” Sehun asked.

Chanyeol smiled at him, unable to hide his happiness for the news. But there was that underlying sadness for Baekhyun’s feelings. “I’ve asked Zitao to marry me,” he told Sehun. “And he has agreed.”

“You two move fast,” Sehun said, eyes wide. But he leaned forward to give Chanyeol a hug. “Congratulations, Chanyeol. I wish you two all the happiness.”

Chanyeol accepted the hug with a happy smile and hugged Sehun back. But Sehun now understood why Baekhyun would be upset. He didn’t know how he was going to combat this when it reached Baekhyun’s ears. Chanyeol cleared his throat to break the tension that was building between them. He released Sehun from the hug and tried to change the subject.

“When are you going to ask Luhan?” Chanyeol questioned, a mischievous smile on his face.

Sehun flushed and looked away. He had thought about this, too, but he hadn’t decided if now was a good or bad time. He had been leaning towards bad. Timing wasn’t right. He might wait until after his contract was up. He only had a few months left on it and his deadline for the sleeping curse was creeping up in less than two moons. No time to plan a wedding in there. And that was assuming Luhan said yes.

“You nervous?” Chanyeol teased.

“A little,” Sehun answered. “But I’m more concerned about the timing.”

“I’m sure Luhan won’t care,” Chanyeol said with a chuckle. “That boy has been in love with you for as long as I've known him.”

“I know,” Sehun hummed, smiling to himself. Luhan’s feelings were difficult to hide. Sehun often caught him expressing those feelings in small ways. Sometimes he would sleep on the floor with Sehun or downgrade a punishment. Even rarer was when he would take a few documents Sehun needed to look over and give him notes on what they said. “But I think I’ll wait until the contract is up.”

“Don’t be so afraid,” Chanyeol urged.

“I’m not,” Sehun said. “I’m trying to be smart.” Chanyeol snorted. “Will you and Zitao hold your wedding in Eriand?”

“Of course,” Chanyeol hummed. “I spoke with Yifan before asking Zitao and he assured me that it would be a grand affair in the royal ballroom. Zitao is a little nervous about even being a prin