CHAPTER 

Baekhyun's eyelids fluttered open as soon as the cold blade was pressed against his bare neck. His breath hitched and his eyes traveled over the dark shadow clad in all black. The man was tall, and even in the darkness of the room, Baekhyun could tell he was well-built, a man meant to fight, a man meant to kill him. His face was partially hidden by a cape and Baekhyun was only able to see the outline of his sharp jaw and lips pressed into a thin line. He stood there, hovering over Baekhyun, unmoving.

Baekhyun had expected this to happen. Over the years he had spent in the King's possession, there had been many attempts on his life. None of them successful, obviously. But as he said, he had expected this. It was inevitable. He knew that sooner or later, they would find a way and Baekhyun had promised to himself, that when the day comes, he will not struggle. He will embrace his fate with open arms, just as it should be.

And that is what he did, without a bat of an eyelash.

Tiling his head backwards, he bared his neck and closed his eyes, counting down last seconds of his life. This was it, this was the moment that would end everything. He could only imagine in how much rage is the King going to be after finding out that his precious weapon is no longer by his side. The prince almost smiled, the vivid imagination bringing warmth to his body. 

It was a strange moment. He had heard stories of those who were at the brink of death, talking about how their whole life had played out before their eyes, about the turmoil of emotions that had coursed through their bodies. Yet, here he was, feeling nothing. Baekhyun was empty, empty and fragile as a shell. He felt nothing, except for... maybe... relief. Relief that his journey was finally going to end, a happy end. 

 However, just as suddenly the dagger appeared on his neck, it disappeared, and Baekhyun's eyes shot open and what he saw made his heart stop. 

There was a pair of bony arms wrapped around the taller man's neck, pulling him backwards and Baekhyun could recognize that mop of blonde hair anywhere.

Luhan.

Luhan who had continuously proved himself to be braver than anyone who he had ever met before. Luhan who did not selfishly think of death as a blessing like Baekhyun did. Luhan who risked his life to save his master.

And then something inside of his head finally snapped into the correct place and Baekhyun was on his feet in a heartbeat.

He couldn't die. No, not yet. Luhan was still here and he had made a promise to himself that he will protect the slave boy at all cost. Without him, Luhan would be either thrown out of the palace to wither on the streets or publicly executed for his incapability to protect his master. Baekhyun couldn't allow that. He wasn't heartless.

He used the stranger's momentary distraction to his advantage as he withdrew a small knife from under his pillow. There was no time to think things through. Just as he turned around, the man already shook poor Luhan off and prepared to finish him off. Right in the moment, Baekhyun jumped forward and pressed the tip of the blade against the man's ribs. The stranger stilled, straightening his back as he raised his hands high in surrender. Baekhyun's own hands were shaking with adrenaline. His breaths were ragged and he felt almost dizzy. 

"If you move, I'll start screaming." Baekhyun warned him in a hushed voice. He was afraid that the guards might have heard them and he half expected them to burst through the door at any moment now. Baekhyun did not want that. He could, after all, get some use of this situation.

"I guess we'll have to go with that." An unexpectedly deep voice echoed through the large room, pulling him out of his thoughts and for a split second Baekhyun's face scrunched up in confusion. 

The tall man spun on his heels, taking Baekhyun by surprise and successfully knocked him off his feet, the knife slipped between his fingers and fell on the tiled floor with a loud clunk. The prince stumbled back, flailing his arms around in desperate attempt to keep his balance, but before his body could hit the ground as well, a strong arm wrapped around his waist and the stranger pressed him flush against his body. Baekhyun's breath hitched as he caught a glimpse of the stranger's round orbs. 

The man's eyes twinkled with mirth as he pulled Baekhyun up, whirling him around so he could cross his arms over his chest and hold them in place with one of his hands. Baekhyun struggled in the strong grip, but he could do nothing as the man lifted him up and threw him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. 

He managed to free his hands since the stranger was now having a firm hold on his legs, securing his arm under Baekhyun's knees and leisurely walking towards the balcony as if he wasn't carrying a grown up man on his back. Baekhyun used all of his strength to punch every spot on the man's muscular body he could possibly reach, but the stranger didn't even budge. It was as if he wasn't even aware of Baekhyun desperate tries to inflict him an irreversible injury. 

Just as they reached the balcony, the man gripped tightly at his hips and lowered him down with ease, as if the prince didn't weight more than a few pounds. 

"What do you think you're doing?" Baekhyun hissed, gripping the man's forearms for support as his body was pushed against the railing, the ledge painfully digging into his lower back.

"Throwing you off the balcony." The man smiled at him and Baekhyun was momentarily starstruck by those ridiculous words. However, before he could comprehend the meaning, his body was already tumbling over. 

His mouth opened in a soundless scream as he plummeted through the air. He expected to fall on a hard surface, his spine snapping into half under the impact but instead, he landed on something soft... or rather someone. 

Baekhyun heard a painful groan from somewhere under him that was followed by a string of profanities and Baekhyun's ears burned with shame, wishing he would rather not hear those words. Then his body was being pushed away and the prince rolled on the ground. He turned around swiftly, his eyes searching in the dark. 

Few steps away from him was a man, his cape was down, revealing his straight, black hair and sharp eyes. He appeared to be shorter than the man he had just met, maybe even shorter than Baekhyun, but the way he carried himself made him seem to be much taller. 

He shot Baekhyun a venomous stare as if he was ready to pounce on the smaller male but they were both distracted by some rustling above their heads and when they looked up, Baekhyun's mouth dropped in horror as he watched Luhan unsurely climbing over the railing, ready to jump. 

The man who had previously involuntarily cushioned Baekhyun's fall leaped forward and caught Luhan in his arms, this time, he didn't even stumble, his feet steady and his expression unbothered as he let go of Luhan and the boy fell down on his with a painful groan.

Baekhyun crawled towards him and wrapped his arms around Luhan's shoulders, pulling him back away from the stranger. The boy was so startled by the prince's sudden touch that his hands flew up to free himself from his hold. The tips of his fingers brushed against the back of his hand and Baekhyun retracted his arm with a hiss, as if he was burned by the contact.

Then there was a flash of light and he closed his eyelids. He knew what was coming and he desperately tried to force the vision out of his mind. The pain in his head grew tenfold and it felt like his head was going to split in two. A loud groan escaped his lips as he pressed his palms against his temples. 

Fragments, small shards of Luhan's life flashed behind his eyes and Baekhyun did everything in his power to force them out, to keep it as brief as possible and to not connect the dots. He didn't want to know... not Luhan, not his friend. He didn't know what he would do if he saw something... terrible.

He was concentrating so hard on keeping the vision at bay, that his heart almost leaped out of his chest when someone gripped his shoulders and shook him hard. 

Baekhyun blinked his eyes open. 

He was sitting under the balcony, his back pressed against the cold, stone wall. His body was trembling slightly and his forehead was covered in a thin layer of sweat. Right in front of him, was crouching the tall stranger, looking at him with unreadable expression. 

Baekhyun stared back at him, slowly taking in every feature of his face; the straight slope of his nose, the pair of round, hazel eyes and mouth turned into a frown. 

"You're bleeding." The stranger's words tore him out of his thoughts and Baekhyun realized he was right.

Blood was dripping from his nose, down over his lips and chin. He reached out to wipe it with his sleeve, his ears burning with shame. He hated this, he hated he had no control over his body. He hated the he had shown weakness to a complete stranger, his captor, a man who from now on held the reigns of his life. He pushed him away roughly, his hands blindly searching for any kind of support as he tried to stand up again. His knees were wobbly and he almost dropped to the ground again if it wasn't for Luhan, who rushed to his aid.

"I am so sorry, m-master." The slave boy apologized hurriedly, hooking his arm under Baekhyun's elbow to prevent him from falling. 

"It's okay." Baekhyun breathed out weakly, not having enough strength to console the boy. His body was drained out of energy. 

The strangers were watching them with cautious eyes. The shorter man had a steady grip on his dagger and Baekhyun turned his eyes away from him, not wanting to watch that gaze full of detestment. He knew he was a freak, that's what everyone calls him anyway. He was used to it, he didn't need to be reminded of that. 

The tallest out of them seemed to be the first one to snap out of his daze. He walked over to them, pushing Luhan away from Baekhyun and taking a firm hold of his arm. He felt the tip of his knife pressing against the small of his back as the man pushed him forward, forcing Baekhyun to walk ahead of him. 

The prince didn't protest, it was not like he could fight both of them anyway. He only looked around to see Luhan being treated the same way by the other man and then started walking. It was okay, they needed to push through this and eventually, when the right time comes, Baekhyun will figure out how to get Luhan out of this mess, alive.

Because this, no matter how crazy it seemed to be, this was a chance. This was a chance for Luhan to escape. To finally leave the Golden Palace and to never return. To start a new life somewhere where the boy would be treated with respect.

Baekhyun knew that they would never make it out of the palace on their own, at least not with Luhan. The King's eyes were set on him. The man had guards in every single corner of the palace, making sure the prince was hidden away from the curious eyes of commoners. He made sure the guards checked on him every hour even during night, just in case someone tried to lay their filthy hands on his precious toy. He guessed that was also the reason why the two stranger's were in a such a hurry to get them outside the city gates. 

The two men led them through the quiet streets, the only sound was the shuffling of their feet. Baekhyun noticed they purposefully led them through the darkest parts of the city, avoiding the central area. Because of that it took them almost fifteen minutes to get out of the labyrinth of narrow streets, towards the eastern gate. When they had finally arrived, a loud gong resonated above the town and Baekhyun felt chill running down his spine. 

The shorter one behind him cursed and Baekhyun knew that this was the end of their short-lived journey. There was no time for them to get far enough from the palace without being caught. To his surprise the taller man's grip around his elbow tightened and Baekhyun winced, already feeling a bruise forming under the satin sleeve of his night robe. The stranger paid no heed to his discomfort and continued to push him forward towards the gate. They were less then five meters away when Baekhyun noticed the two guards who were supposed to protect the entrance were knocked out cold on the ground.

Then the gate opened with a screeching sound and in walked a man, a man that Baekhyun had never seen. He was tall, his body lean but his shoulders broad. He had a sharp jaw and pair of piercing black eyes. His skin was almost as white as the striking shade of his hair. He was clad in all black just like the two men behind him but he noticed that his clothes were embroidered with intricate patterns. Baekhyun knew that there were different tribes living in the kingdom and that it was one of their tradition to embroider their clothes with variety of symbols, each of them carrying a special meaning, but these were nothing like Baekhyun had seen before, and the prince liked to think that he was exceptionally good in recognizing different tribes or even neighborhood kingdoms. He had a lot of spare time in the palace and he usually spent it by reading books and educating himself. 

"You're late." The white haired man stated simply, his brows furrowed, and Baekhyun was surprised how melodic his voice was. 

"Horses?" The taller man behind Baekhyun spoke, ignoring the blonde man's remark who moved aside to make space for all four of them to walk through the gate. 

Under the bright light of the full moon, two dark horses stood by the wall, the reins tied to a very unstable looking wooden fence. Baekhyun recognized they belonged to the King, purebreds. One of them was a black, with mane as dark and shiny as the night sky, while the other of purely white color. 

"Two of them?" The shorter one snorted in disbelief.

"They're fast." The blonde man said curtly.

Baekhyun's eyes shot back to the shorter male whose face notably darkened. 

"We're going to meet after the court." He blonde spoke again, his voice ringing in Baekhyun's ears as a pleasant yet distant sound.

"What? What court?" The shorter one barked, digging his fingers into Luhan's forearm and Baekhyun bit his lip hard to prevent himself from saying something after seeing the boy's pained expression. 

The white haired man then opened his mouth to speak again but he suddenly stilled his movements. The strands of his hair were gently ruffled by the night's breeze and his lips parted slightly as his brows furrowed. He closed his mouth, turning around to look up, directly at the moon which was shining down brightly on the small group. 

"I have to hurry." He turned around and to Baekhyun's surprise, he walked back to the gate. Before he disappeared in the dark streets again he stopped one last time. "Do not stop until you reach the swamps."

The man who still had a firm hold on Baekhyun's hand nodded before pushing Baekhyun towards the black mare. The prince took one last look at the white haired stranger but he was already gone. He could hear the Golden palace slowly coming to life as more torches were lit, flames flickering through the arched windows. It was time to leave. It was now or never.

The two strangers realized that as well, hearing the commotion inside the city walls. Baekhyun watched as the shorter man harshly pushed Luhan from the back. The slave boy wasn't expecting that and tripped over his own feet, falling down on his knees.

Baekhyun didn't know what got into him but he wrestled himself out of the stranger's hold and marched towards the shorter man. He shoved him aside and then kneeled down to help Luhan up but before he could do anything, there was a hand around his throat, cutting off his air supply. 

The prince could do nothing but hold onto the taller man's hand as he slowly lifted him up, his back pressing against the wall

"I might have came across as too forgiving so let me clear this up for you. Do it again and that kid is dead." He motioned towards Luhan, the tip of the blade he was holding, pointing right at the slave boy's chest. Luhan's eyes widened comically and Baekhyun wanted to do nothing more but to punch the man straight in the face. 

 But the man showed no intentions of letting go off him. His head got dizzy at the lack of air as his feet dangled few centimeters above the ground. 

"Do you understand?" The man gritted through his teeth, his fingers around his throat tightening and Baekhyun thanked all gods that even to bed, he choose to wear a robe that had a high collar, completely covering the delicate skin of his neck. 

He hardly managed to nod and the man let go of him. Baekhyun collapsed on the ground, coughing and seeping, desperately trying to get some air into his burning lungs. 

"Master, please, are you alright?" Luhan's urgent voice whispered in his ears and he wanted to answer but he was realizing it was too late. The corners of his vision were slowly blackening and he could do nothing but let his body slump against flat surface under him as he drifted somewhere far away. 

---

Burning. 

Baekhyun's skin was burning. He was too hot. His clothes were sticky against his sweaty skin and his lips were dry, chapped, his throat parched. Very reluctantly, Baekhyun opened his eyes and he was almost blinded by the bright light. He shielded his vision with the back of his hand and squinted his eyes against the harsh rays of late afternoon sun. 

"Glad to see you're still alive, my prince." A deep voice spoke from somewhere above him and Baekhyun craned his neck to get a better view. With much distaste the prince realized he was still in the company of the two men and -thankfully- Luhan, the memories of last night flooding his mind. He was seated in a saddle, the swaying moves of the horse making his stomach upset. His back was firmly pressed against the stranger's chest, his strong arms wrapped around his waist as he held the reins in his palms. 

"I highly doubt that." Baekhyun murmured under his breath and he heard a breathy chuckle in return. 

"Let's take a break." He heard a voice from the left and he turned around to see the shorter man, riding the snow white horse with Luhan seated behind him. He gave the slave boy a small smile but Luhan's eyes were full of worry and after a few seconds, the prince gave up.

"Not now." The man behind him spoke, his baritone voice sending shivers down his spine. "If we cease our tempo they'll catch up with us before sunset."

Baekhyun frowned at his words and for the first time he actually paid attention to his surroundings. Nothing but miles, hundreds of miles of warm sand under their feet. Baekhyun's mouth opened slightly, his eyes searching in distance for something, anything, but the horizon was filled with nothing but emptiness, only massive dunes under the scorching sun. He turned his head around, looking over the stranger's shoulder and he spotted the gleaming cupola of the Golden Palace. 

The desert.

The desert that surrounded the capital of their kingdom from three sides. Baekhyun has never traveled over the desert but he knew from the stories he had heard from travelers and merchants that it was a vast and uninhabited place. Over the years the golden sands have swallowed lives of many and people had started avoiding travelling directly over the desert, rather choosing the western road along the coastline. It was longer but much safer from what Baekhyun knew. 

He found himself still staring at the distant outline of the palace, wondering how had they managed to travel so far away without getting caught. The last thing he remembers was him standing in front of the gates, him and Luhan accompanied by the two strangers. He shook his head, turning around to stare ahead of himself. 

Despite the grim stories, he had to admit that the sight was spectacular. He had never seen something like this. So beautiful yet so dangerous. 

"You seemed to be surprised, my prince." The man behind him spoke, a deep chuckle reverberating through his chest. Baekhyun didn't miss the tinge of mockery when he addressed Baekhyun by the title that was given to him by the King.

"I have never left the palace." Baekhyun said sternly, trying to justify his momentary surprise. "It's my first time seeing something like this."

"You'll see much more than this."

Baekhyun didn't answer. He was sure that he would see much more, more than he wanted to. 

"Where are you taking us?" He asked after a brief moment of silence. 

"To Trion." He said simply.

Baekhyun knew that place. It was one of the last cities in the kingdom that was not claimed by the King. There was a massive tapestry hanging in the Great Hall of the Golden palace, depicting a detailed map of the whole kingdom. The spot on the map where Trion laid was now black, burned in a King's fit of rage.

"That's far away." Baekhyun sighed, his mind wandering back to the large tapestry.

"Five days of ride, without any break." The stranger answered.

"Unless you want me to die on the way there, I suggest to take a occasional rest." Baekhyun scoffed. Was this man even human? How were they supposed to get there without any chance to restore their energy?"

"What makes you think I want to keep you alive?" The man asked, his voice lacing a hint of mirth.

"You had your chance." Baekhyun noted simply, turning his head to get a better look. Once again, he felt quite breathless looking into the stranger's wide eyes. Under the blazing sun the color looked like a melted honey. "You tried to kill me last night but changed your mind, didn't you?"

A deep chuckle reverberated through his chest as he nudged Baekhyun's side to turn his head back. "You also wanted to surrender yourself but changed your mind, didn't you?"

"I asked first." Baekhyun argued, flabbergasted at the man's words. 

"Well, some questions might be better left unanswered." The man concluded, his chest once again rumbling with laughter and Baekhyun huffed, refusing to look at him again.

"May I at least know your name?" He asked after a brief moment your silence. "I would like to know who is holding the reins of my life this time."

"Chanyeol, my name is Chanyeol, and my friend over there is Minseok."

Baekhyun turned to look at the duo riding next to them. He couldn't decide which one of them looked more uncomfortable. Luhan, with his hands awkwardly hanging by his sides or the short- Minseok, who kept mumbling to himself, looking like he was ready to kick Luhan off any time. 

"Your friend looks very.. I'm not sure I can find the right word." Baekhyun's brows got almost lost in his hair as he watched the said man grumble again under his breath, his hands around the reins tightening, knuckles turning white. 

Chanyeol laughed again and Baekhyun thought that despite the circumstances, this man surely new how to keep his mood up. "He's a bit... hot-tempered."

"Interesting." Baekhyun, said more to himself but Chanyeol heard that and he pulled on the reins, the horse coming to a halt. 

"I find it very strange that you're at such an ease." The man mused. 

Baekhyun whipped his head back, his collar sliding down, revealing a bit of his tattoos and he noticed how Chanyeol's eyes slid from his face to his neck, slightly widening in surprise. He pulled it up hastily, turning away from him.

"I thi-"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Minseok voice boomed from distance, cutting Baekhyun mid-sentence. "WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR ANY DISCUSSIONS!"

"With that, Chanyeol dug his heels into the horse's sides.

They did not talk again until the sun disappeared behind horizon, but the prince could feel those hazel eyes staring holes into the back of his head.

---

Jongdae watched as Jongin hopped down from his horse, his feet landing on the ground with a dull thud. He didn't even turn around and wait to make sure his men were following him, marching straight towards the double door. Jongdae heaved a sigh, swinging his leg and jumping down from his horse as well. There was no point in trying to stop the man. Not today, not after what happened.

"Move!" He growled at the guard and the man hesitated for a moment before hurriedly moving out of Jongin's way. 

He followed the tan man inside the house, joining the group of men who arrived with them and who walked in after Jongin without a single word.

As expected, Jongin's unplanned arrival in the dining hall caused a commotion. Jongdae saw women gasping at his simple attire and breaking into scandalized whispers as the leader of the Northern tribe walked towards the long table, the muscles on his back flexing and skin glistening under flickering flames of candles.  He was only dressed in leather pants, his arms wrapped with dozens of bracelets,and Jongdae knew that many of them were handmade and gifted to Jongin by Kyungsoo. 

Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo who had left his lover's side to visit his father, the town's head, and failed to return. 

"WHERE IS HE?" Jongin roared, his voice laced with strong accent, as he strode towards Kyungsoo's father without a trace of fear. 

"What a pleasant surprise, Jongin. I almost thought you wouldn't show u-"

The tribe leader grabbed the old man by his collar, pulling him up with one hand and then hurling his body against the wall. The town people who were present  broke into shocked gasps and the hall resonated with desperate calls for the guards. None of them were aware that no guards could put a stop to this. Kyungsoo's father made a grave mistake by choosing to take his son away from the tribe leader. Jongin was not keen on forgiveness, especially when it involved his family. 

"Where is he?!" Jongin repeated, putting emphasis on each word and when the old man didn't respond, he swung his fist, hitting the man straight in the face. Jongdae watched as the man sid down against the wall, spitting out blood. Despite this, he chuckled darkly, his lips pulling into a wicked smile. 

"Kyungsoo is now in the King's hands." He answered proudly. 

Another mistake. 

Jongdae closed his eyes as he heaved a sigh. The tribe leader turned towards him and with one single look Jongdae understood. He motioned towards Jongin's men and a half of them left the hall. Not long after that, they could hear screams coming from outside that were only growing louder with each second. 

He watched as Jongin crouched down to be on eye level with the old man, his dark eyes piercing through the old man. "I am not asking about Kyungsoo, I already know what you did to him, so I'm going to ask one last time. Where is he?" He said in a low voice, his lips as he waited for an answer.

Kyungsoo's father paled, for the first time his strong facade failing him as he unconsciously moved away from the tan man. "He's with Kyungsoo." 

Jongin straightened his posture, resting his palms on his knees. He looked like a wild cat ready to pounce on its prey. "Are you trying to make a fool out of me? He was the reason you lured Kyungsoo here." 

Politics. 

Jongdae sighed again. It had all started a few years ago, Jongin replaced his late father, taking the reins of leading their tribe. Under his firm hand, the tribe started thriving, claiming one territory after another in the Northern mountains and the town people felt threatened. Kyungsoo's father thought he had been smart by offering him his youngest son as a sign of peace when in fact he only wanted to gain power over Jongin to secure his own position in the kingdom by sending his own son to a lion's den.

But as always, life played its funny tricks once again. Jongin and Kyungsoo created a bond stronger than love. The tribe leader lived and breathed for the young carrier. That was how the town's head plan backfired.

The only reason why the old man was still alive to see this day was because Kyungsoo was too kind, begging Jongin to let his father live.

Only if Kyungsoo wasn't so naive and didn't accept the invitation under the excuse of reconciliation with his father. None of this would have happened.

"He's with Kyungsoo. I sent both of them to the King." Kyungsoo father said firmly.

As if on cue, one of Jongin's men entered with a small bundle in his arms. A gentle cry echoed around the room as the man spoke to his leader in his native language. Kyungsoo's father hung his head low, cursing under his breath.

Jongin stood up very slowly before he walked over to the man and took the bundle from him, cradling it in his arms. He then gave clear orders to his men and Jongdae watched as the hall turned into a chaos at the sound of swords swishing through the air. 

"By the time you'll get there, Kyungsoo will be dead." Kyungsoo's father yelled, watching helplessly as his people were slaughtered one by one. 

Jongin didn't answer and instead he gave one last order, to spare no one but the town's head. With that he exited the hall accompanied by a cries of pain and pleads for mercy. The tribe leader was unfazed though. Jongdae followed after him, swiftly catching up with the man.

"Jongin. It is not wise to keep him alive, once he has the chance he will come running to the kin-"

"Let him do so." The man said sternly marching towards his horse. 

"Jongin." He repeated again, gripping his shoulder and this time the man turned around to face him, his arms tightening around the tiny bundle.

His heart ached at the sight. He has known Jongin for many years now and he knew better than anyone else that the man was no saint. Jongin was cruel, almost barbaric one could say. He cared about nothing but his tribe and he had no mercy with anyone who had threatened his people. On one hand it was admirable, in these times you would rarely find a man as devoted as Jongin, on the other hand, Jongdae believed that a man should be able to forgive. Jongin wasn't one to do that, no. Tears and pleas did not melt his heart. Jongdae had seen him slaughter village after village, family after family in a mad desire for revenge.

Sometimes his heart was wrecked with so much anger towards the leader that it was almost unable to bear. But seeing him now, holding the small bundle, his son, tightly in his arms with nothing but sadness in his eyes, looking absolutely devastated made his heart ache. Jongin after all did not have a heart of stone. On the contrary, he was raised to show love and compassion only to his people and his family. 

"It might be too late to get Kyungsoo back." He said softly, finally voicing out loud the truth everybody knew before they had decided to raid the town. 

"I know, but I would rather die trying than to give up."

Of course. 

Jongdae did not expect a different answer.  

"He should stay with me." He motioned towards the baby. A child that came from nothing but pure love between Jongin and Kyungsoo.

"I know." Jongin replied but he pressed the boy harder against his chest, resting his lips against the baby's forehead.

"You know that he'll be safe with me." Jongdae continued. "He can't go with you, Jongin, you know that." 

The journey that awaited Jongin was too dangerous, his son could not be with him for the time being and both of them knew that Jongdae was the only one who could protect him because if there was a chance that Kyungsoo was still alive, it was only a matter of time until the King found out about their child. That would put the boy in immense danger.

"I'll come back for you, my love." He kissed the boy's cheeks and then carefully placed the boy in Jongdae's arms. "Make sure no one walks away from here." He instructed as he mounted his horse. 

“Are you sure about Kyungsoo's father? He can cause trouble if we let him escape.” Jongdae asked, subconsciously rocking the baby in his arms.

“Let him do so. He will die when the time is right.” Jongin said sternly, his eyes softening one last time as he looked longingly at his son. “Protect him with your life.” 

With that, he pulled on the reins and rode away. Leaving Jongdae standing alone in the centre of the town, the screams from the hall slowly quieting down

Finally an update!!!! You have waited for a long time and I apologize for that. I was very busy over the summer and then my computer broke and I lost all of my drafts and notes... (yeah I know... dumb me xD)

I know that right now there is a lot of confusing things, every character for now is wrapped up in secrets that will be slowly unveiled with every chapter, but sooner or later you'll understand everything. If there are readers who follow my other stories, then you know I like to surprise my readers...so... yeah... it's going to be a wild ride!!!

Thank you for all your comments, subscriptions and upvotes.

Love ya^^

P.S. I'm sorry for not answering your comments under the first chap, I totally forgot T___T

You can follow me on twitter for progress updates ^_^ @FLOWBEAT4