Word Count: 7310

Yixing didn’t leave Sehun's side for the rest of the day. They put travel off for another day, but they couldn't exactly move with Sehun the way he was. They returned to the inn where Jongdae placed Sehun back in his bed. Yixing retrieved the spelled bracelet from Sehun's now disorganized things. He wound it around Sehun's wrist as a precaution.

Kyungsoo and Jongdae kept themselves busy with small tasks while Yixing kept an eye on Sehun. Kyungsoo would check in on Sehun as well every now and then. Jongdae seemed to be busy writing a letter, but it was short and he called a bird to deliver it soon after composing it.

A few hours later, Sehun finally woke. Yixing was already holding his hand when his eyes opened and Sehun felt his pulse quicken. Yixing noticed and placed a gentle hand against Sehun's forehead.

"Shh," he breathed. "Stay calm, Sehun."

Sehun's breath came in short gasps, but he tried to keep himself from getting any worse. He squirmed with discomfort. The wind was so quiet.

"Remove the bracelet," Jongdae said, coming into the room once again. "He'll feel better."

Sehun hadn't even noticed the bracelet himself until now. But when he looked down, there it sat, winking at him. Yixing was quick to do as Jongdae suggested and untie the string holding it on. Sehun took a breath when he could hear the wind again and relaxed back into the bed again.

Jongdae came to his side with a sad expression written on his face. He stared down at Sehun, both stern and understanding. "We are all sorry for your loss, Sehun," he told him, giving Sehun's shoulder a squeeze. "But you can't lose control like that."

Sehun, though unapologetic for his emotions, looked away in shame. He had been doing well when they were on the boat, and he had ruined it.

"A little something came for you," Jongdae said, handing a little folded piece of paper to him. "From the Crown Prince."

Sehun hesitated before sitting up, moving slow, to take the paper from Jongdae. It slipped into his fingers, but he didn't open it, shifting with discomfort. Jongdae stood there for a moment, waiting for Sehun to at least open the note, but Sehun never did.

"Aren't you going to read it?" Jongdae asked.

Sehun bit his lip, not sure how to confess something like this to one of noble status. That was when Kyungsoo returned to the room.

"I'm almost positive he doesn't know how to read," the earth mage said. There was no judgement in the tone he used. It was only a statement of fact. He came and sat down on the edge of Sehun's bed, shooing Jongdae away. "Is that correct?"

Sehun gave him a small, embarrassed nod.

"I'll read it for you," Kyungsoo offered, holding his hand out for the note. Sehun breathed in relief and handed over the note to Kyungsoo. The mage opened up the small scrap of paper. There wasn't much written on it, but he scanned the letters with practiced ease. "You didn't hurt anyone, but please be more careful from now on. Signed, Prince Yifan."

Sehun's hands balled into tight fists in the blankets. He could do better than this. He knew he could, but he needed more experience with control.

On the bedside table, Sehun spied the little moonstone. Somehow, it held the key to finding Taeyeon's brother. He picked it up and brushed his fingers over the cool surface, admiring the smoothness.

Despite the innocence of the small stone, it brought back remnants of his earlier rage. It reminded him of Taeyeon and it brought the terrible images of her burning. It reminded him of her smile and her kindness and how robbed he felt.

Sehun cut off the thoughts as soon as he realized where they were heading. He took a deep breath and put the stone back down. It was within reach, but he didn't need to be touching it.

"Thank you for reading it for me," he said to Kyungsoo, keeping his voice soft and calm. "I'm going to rest a little more."

Kyungsoo nodded and got up from Sehun's bed. "Sleep as much as you need," he encouraged. "Tomorrow, we will leave here. You will need your strength."

Sehun nodded and his three companions left him be. Sehun had a difficult time going back to sleep, but when it came to him, he dreamed. He dreamed of birdsong and a woman dancing in a field of flowers. Her body glowed with warm light, and she shone like the sun.

Nightingales flocked to her songs.

-----

The next morning, their little group finally got out of the city. Sehun still wasn't back to normal, but he was capable of walking today and that was all that they needed from him. Yixing still didn't leave him alone for long periods of time. Kyungsoo and Jongdae didn’t press him to do much more than walk.

Sehun refused to let go of the moonstone the whole day. He even set it in front of him when he managed to eat small bits of food. When he finally put it away, it remained in his pocket, but at least the tears had stopped for now.

The journey to Kyungsoo’s home takes two days of walking along dirt trails. Sehun doesn’t remember ever having walked that distance before. His feet are sore every time they take a break, but he tries not to complain.

The more they get away from the city, the more Sehun grows comfortable. He doesn't have to see people as much and he's learning to trust his companions. Jongdae never asked for repayment for his favors. Sehun was beginning to believe he never would ask

They head into forests that are dense with vegetation and animals. Sehun remembers everything from his childhood memories. He thinks of his father almost every second of the day and wishes he were there with them. He thinks of everything his father taught him. All his hunting and foraging skills were there. His itch to nock an arrow was growing worse with each passing day. His loneliness was becoming unbearable, too. He tries to push the feelings away as they finally come upon Kyungsoo's home.

Kyungsoo's house is rustic, but not rundown. It looks nothing like the abode that Sehun and his father had occupied for his entire life. Moss and flowers of all kinds covered the roof and gardens in front. It looked light and inviting.

The interior was simple, with few pieces of furniture, but it was no less inviting than the exterior. There was a spare bedroom with a low bed, but there was not space for everyone to have a bed. Kyungsoo gives Sehun the guest bed since he was still the one in most need of it. Jongdae had brought with him equipment for roughing it, so he could put out his bedroll for sleeping. He didn't mind.

Yixing maintained that he would only be sleeping on a bed. At first, everyone thought he would be squeeze himself in next to Kyungsoo. It turned out that Yixing had other plans. The first night, he transformed into the rabbit that Sehun had always known and cuddled with the boy. That helped Sehun relax into this new environment.

Days blurred by and Jongdae continued to teach him how to use his gifts to the best of his ability. Wind was becoming easy for Sehun to get control of. Yet, he still remained hesitant to accept the lightning gift in him at the same time.

"Why do you resist it?" Jongdae asked one day after Sehun had given himself a bad shock. It even left a little burn on the side of his leg that they were tending to. "What's so bad about it?"

Sehun wasn't sure of how to answer that. But he took a breath and tried anyway. "It's not mine," he answered, voice soft and hesitant. "I grew up only knowing the wind. It was there the entire time. And then suddenly this..." He didn't want to call it a gift, but he didn't know what else to refer to it as. "This power decides it's going to be a part of me after all this time. I hate it."

"Your gifts aren't like people," Jongdae had to remind him. "It's wonderful that you consider the wind a friend. It's a comfort, and I know you feel alone these days. I understand why you do, but your gifts are not people. They don't show up because they think you need another friend. Magic is strange as much as it is beautiful. Sometimes it's random, and other times there are conditions to meet."

"Like age or some kind of blessing, I know," Sehun said, frustrated. "But this power doesn't feel like mine. I don't know. It feels strange, like something at my core is being forced to change."

"Is change so bad?" Jongdae asked.

"Huh?" Sehun blurted, eyes wide.

"Is change so bad?" the guard repeated with a smile. "Everyone changes. Everyone's physical appearance changes as they grow. Everyone's thoughts change as they mature. Everyone changes their mind. Everyone has a change of heart. What is so wrong with change?"

"I..."

"Think about it," Jongdae suggested. "Is it so bad that you have a second ability? Is it so hard to accept that there's a part of you that you were unaware of until now?"

Even as he thought about it, Sehun got angrier and angrier. The wind shifted, but he somehow managed to remember and hold onto his control at the last moment. He wasn't even sure he was mad at Jongdae. He didn't know what he was so angry about, but Sehun jumped to his feet. He went to go grab his bow and a few arrows before stalking off to the forest to shoot a few practice arrows.

He needed time to himself. All the constant fawning over him since his rescue was suffocating him. He stomped a little ways into the woods where it was safe to shoot. But his body reminded him of his weakness the moment he tried to nock an arrow.

Pulling on the string was not only hard, it was painful. The pressure it put on his left arm to hold the bow steady caused Sehun to cry out. He only managed to pull back halfway before his arm gave out. The arrow went only a short number of paces from him and his bow flung away from his failing grip. There was no way he was going to get any actual hunting done like this. He growled in frustration and went to pick up his bow, wanting to try again.

He was in the middle of nocking his second arrow when someone's hand came down on his hands. They pushing the arrow towards the ground, and Sehun, angry, turned to confront them.

A harsh slap met his face.

Taken by surprise, Sehun's grip loosened on the bow until it slid from his fingers. Though the slap was firm, and his cheek stung, it was somehow nothing like the times prior. Usually, a strike like that fell with hurtful words and promises of more pain. But all Sehun could see when he looked down was disappointment and anger on Kyungsoo's face. Sehun lifted a shocked hand up to his own cheek.

Kyungsoo fixed him with a hard stare before shoving a book into his hands. Sehun looked down at it, a title he couldn't read sitting up top. The picture was of a well, an empty bucket sitting next to it.

"If you want to shoot again," Kyungsoo growled, "heal first."

Sehun looked down at the book again in confusion and looked back up at Kyungsoo. But one short search of Kyungsoo's face told Sehun exactly what he was giving him. He was providing a distraction.

"Were you embarrassed to need my help reading back at the inn?" he asked.

Sehun nodded.

"Then I'll teach you," Kyungsoo offered, completely serious. "Until you can do more with your arm, you need to be doing something else. Next week we can have you do housework. Depending on your progress, we can start you on building up your strength again. Then you can try archery again. But right now, it's too early."

Sehun didn't say anything. He was still too angry to speak. But Kyungsoo was offering him a skill for the future and he didn't want to come across as ungrateful. It was only his emotions and frustration fighting him.

When Sehun gave no verbal response, Kyungsoo grabbed the boy by his good arm and hauled him back to the cottage. Sehun allowed his feet to follow with very little reluctance. The two of them passed Jongdae without a word on their way back into the house. Jongdae didn't seem all too concerned. He had taken up some kind of whittling project on a branch in the few minutes Sehun had been gone.

Kyungsoo sat Sehun down at the table upon getting inside and began their work. He taught Sehun letters first, naming them all and then asking Sehun to name what he remembered. But this in itself was a process. Sehun had seen them all before and knew some of them. He recognized the letters for his own name first.

Kyungsoo made that his first written word. Sehun ended up fascinated with the look of his name on paper. He had only seen it a handful of times on paper. One of those times was when the prison warden signed his release papers.

Over the time left in the day, Sehun learned the letters by name and aside from his name learned the sounds they made. The next few days would test his memory and his patience. It was learning three letter words where Sehun gained a small persistent headache. Bigger words were worse and Sehun didn't know all the larger words. He asked all the time for definitions from Kyungsoo. That somehow didn't feel as embarrassing as admitting he couldn't read at all.

"What kinds of things do you want to read?" Kyungsoo asked one day when Sehun was taking a break.

"What kinds?" Sehun repeated, unsure of what Kyungsoo meant.

"As in do you want to learn something new when you read?" Kyungsoo asked, going to his shelves of books. He pulled out the book he had once promised Sehun; the book on flora. "Or do you want to hear a story?" He pulled out another book, blue binding falling apart at the seams. Kyungsoo placed both books in front of Sehun and sat beside him. "You will make easier progress if you pick something you want to read rather than something I pick for you."

Sehun looked between the two books and back up at Kyungsoo. "What is the story about?"

"An ordinary boy discovers his extraordinary gifts," Kyungsoo answered. "Only, he's very special and it sends him on a journey to find others like him. But there are others after his powers that wish to kill him."

"Does he live?" Sehun asked.

Kyungsoo smiled to himself and pushed the book towards Sehun's hands. "I guess you will have to find out."

Sehun took the book and opened it. He blinked at all the words on the first page and felt overwhelmed from the start. But Kyungsoo didn't leave his side as he struggled through the first page. He addressed any words Sehun couldn't wrap his head around and he defined words Sehun didn't know. It was a slow process, but when they made it to the bottom of the page, Sehun's smile was brighter than it had been in years.

Kyungsoo ruffled Sehun's hair and told him to take another break. By this point, they had been working on teaching Sehun to read for about a week and a half. Jongdae didn't pester him as much about practice these days, but he wasn't finished with Sehun yet.

Sehun began spending a good deal of time cleaning after a week of reading. He would alternated between the two in a day. Things still hurt and Yixing still tended to aches and pains. It was because of the way his bones broke that it was taking so long. In most places, Yixing and Kyungsoo were able to speed up healing. But some places they had to use magic to slow it down to be sure everything was all right. Cleaning became a thing that Sehun near obsessed over. It gave him his strength back with every bucket of water he lifted.

Jongdae still didn't pester him, but Sehun noticed the looks he would give him when it was time to practice. Sehun would come to him with great reluctance and make full strides with the winds. But his lightning stayed the same, untamed force that he hated. Jongdae wouldn't teach him to use it until he was ready.

Despite the fact that he knew he needed all this activity around him, Sehun grew tired. He couldn't take the constant hum forever. Something was either not right or missing and he didn't know what it was.

One night when he couldn't stand the little house anymore, Sehun ventured out into the forest. He wasn't angry at anyone, he only wanted some peace and quiet for a little