Jongin sat in darkest corner of the inn. A pint of beer on the table in front of him was filled to the brim, untouched. He knew that sooner or later he will have to move to a different place. He has been in the village for way too long and he was starting to attract unwanted attention. It wasn’t everyday a stranger wandered into these parts of kingdom. The closer he was to Trion, the last city standing in the kingdom that wasn’t conquered by the King, the more troubles he was getting himself into. People in these parts of kingdom didn’t travel and they were not very fond of strangers. Anyone could be considered a spy of the King and considering that everything about Jongin - from his tall and strong built to his attire - screamed trouble, he had quickly concluded he needed to leave the village as soon as possible. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with the Council. To Jongin, the Councilmen were no better than the King. They all yearned for power and were capable of sacrificing anything to get it. 

They might call Jongin and his people barbaric and they might be right after all, but Jongin never killed for power. He killed to protect his family and his people and if someone dared to lay a finger on them he would make sure they would face his wrath. 

He sighed, inspecting the glass of beer on the table in front of him, the simple sight digging out memories that were buried deep inside him. Kyungsoo used to fill his cup before going to sleep, never with alcohol, Jongin didn’t find any pleasure in that sort of beverage. A warrior needed a clear mind. Every night Kyungsoo presented him with a tea, naming all kinds of herbs he had used to brew it for Jongin and listening intently when Jongin repeated each one of them in his language. He also vividly remembers how on their first night together he had thrown the cup against the wall, the contents spilling. He had expected Kyungsoo to warm his bed not to bring a him a tea. The carrier had a very unimpressed expression on his face and he had marched towards him and smacked the back of his head hard.

That night he had yelled at Jongdae for a good hour, demanding that Kyungsoo’s thumbs needed to be cut off - an old tradition of theirs - for the blatant disrespect he had shown him. Jongdae had laughed at that, telling him he might regret it later. 

 A small smile appeared on his lips at the memory. Indeed, his carrier was better with fingers intact. His smile was short lived though as he caught the eye of the innkeeper. The elderly man was giving him distasteful looks, looking pointedly at the untouched glass. Jongin pulled the hood of his cape down to hid more of his face but took a sip nonetheless, grimacing at the bitter taste.

Today was his third day in the village and he had still no idea where Kyungsoo was. He was hoping to get some information from the village people but on the day of his arrival he had quickly learned that it was not the best idea. Even if they knew something, they would never say anything out of fear of the King’s rage. Additionally, Jongin wasn’t very welcomed. He briefly wondered if he should just shrug off his cape and show his bare torso that was littered with scars from battles. Maybe then, he would be met with more respect.

But for the first time in his life he knew that violence will get him nowhere. Not when the King was included. He needed a careful approach to ensure that Kyungsoo would not be harmed in any way.  So Jongin had settled in the inn and for a third day in a row he relied on eavesdropping, hoping he would hear something that would at least help him to choose where to go next. And it was then, when the sun was hidden behind the horizon and men started to gather in the inn for their well deserved pint of beer, when Jongin finally heard something that made him lean forward in anticipation.

Two tables to his right, three farmers sat with gloomy expressions, lazily sipping on their beers and exchanging the newest rumors. Their clothes were tattered and hands covered in grime.

"I’m telling you he’s gone. The King sent his men after him but it’s been a couple of days already and there are no signs of him." The one who sat with his back to Jongin said in an urgent tone. 

"I don’t believe that. The palace is a fort. The Council has been plotting the prince’s murder for years now yet no one has succeeded so far. How would he even get out?" An elderly man with silver threading through his matted hair said, smacking his palm against the table. A few customers gave them curious looks and the men continued in hushed voices.

"They say the prince left with them." 

"With the Northerners. Rumors say that the King offered thousand coins to anyone who would bring the kid back to him, unharmed." The third man, a short guy in his with burly build, added. The eldest looked at him with a great disbelief in his eyes and opened his mouth to argue but Jongin wasn’t there to hear the last of it. He quietly disappeared, leaving a coin on the table to pay.

The elder might not believe the rumors but Jongin did. For people in the southern part of the Kingdom, an expression ’Northerner’ was nothing but a bunch of rebels. He himself was considered a Northerner and he was aware of the rumors that he had started a rebellion against the King and that he possessed quite extraordinary skills. But here, the word had a whole new meaning. 

Because Jongin knew who they were talking about. 

And if the prince was with them, he’ll be the first to find them. Because if there was anyone who could help him find Kyungsoo, it was the damned prince. It was worth a shot.

After all, the prince was like him...

... very much like him. 

Because Jongin indeed possessed quite extraordinary skills.

---

Chanyeol didn’t know when he started feeling sorry for the prince and he did not like it a bit. From childhood he was trained to fight; to defend himself and to kill those who threatened him or his family’s safety.  He was brought up by his father to be tough and merciless when needed, but kind and forgiving to those who deserve it. Their small community had only few rules but Chanyeol made sure to abide them at all cost. Even if there was no one left to see anymore, except for him and Minseok. 

The problem was he couldn’t quite pinpoint where Baekhyun belonged.  It seemed to be clear. Baekhyun assisted the King, although indirectly, in acquiring power over the whole kingdom. Those who couldn’t defend themselves were enslaved and those who fought were killed thanks to Baekhyun’s gift of seeing the future. Apart from the Golden palace, the whole kingdom was drowning in poverty. Lands were infertile, mountains inhabited by dangerous tribes and forests filled with creatures that no one in their right mind would hope to encounter. 

Times were tough.

So why was so hard for him to just pull out the dagger and slice the prince’s throat? He was one of the reasons why so many people suffered, why so many villages had been burned down to ashes, including Chanyeol and Minseok’s, leaving them the sole survivors and the last two men of their kind. 

It shouldn’t be that hard to get rid of him.

It definitely shouldn’t be...

However, the first night he laid his eyes on the prince, something deep inside him stirred. Something he had yet to understand.

Why was he bringing him to Trion? He himself had no idea. Maybe for the thrill of a new adventure, maybe because he didn't like to be ordered around by the Council and just the thought of bringing Baekhyun through the gates of Trion with his heart still beating in his chest was causing him an immense satisfaction.

"Why are you staring at me?" Baekhyun snapped and Chanyeol realized he was indeed burning holes through Baekhyun’s small form. He was walking a few steps ahead of him with Luhan by his side. They could no longer ride the horses because the ground was unstable and in the morning mist it was almost impossible to see where they were going. 

“I’m staring at you because you are stumbling over your feet like a drunk man.” He retorted and Minseok behind him snorted. 

“I am not stumb-” The prince didn’t get to finish his sentence as he, as if on cue, tripped over his own feet and fell face first on the mossy ground. 

"Mast- Baekhyun." Luhan rushed to his aid, grabbing Baekhyun by his elbow and pulling him up to his feet. The prince was slouched over, his shoulders moving up and down heavily as if he had trouble breathing. One of his hands rested on his stomach while the other wiped a sheen of sweat from his forehead. Luhan was speaking to him in a hushed voice, throwing furtive glances in Chanyeol’s direction.

"He’s a weakling." Minseok snorted, coming to a halt besides Chanyeol, the horses neighing behind their back loudly. Chanyeol’s eyes scanned the prince from head to toe. Minseok was right, Baekhyun was of a very thin and short built, although Chanyeol noticed the prince was steadily getting thinner and he blamed it on how picky the boy was with the food Chanyeol offered him. He couldn’t even remember when was the last time he saw the prince eat.

"What is it? Is he not your type? Are you looking perhaps for someone who’s not afraid of- " 

"Shut up!" Minseok barked, his sharp eyes sending daggers in Chanyeol’s direction. 

"You’re way to easy to tease." Chanyeol chuckled, gently patting the horse side before handling the reins to Minseok and walking over to Baekhyun.  He grasped the prince’s elbow and pushed Luhan aside. 

"Go help Minseok with the horses." He instructed the blonde boy, Luhan gave him a quite defiant look, a one that somehow reminded him of Baekhyun, but after a minute of contemplating he stalked away with a huff. 

"You seem to be very clumsy." He noted, eyeing Baekhyun from head to toe. His tattered robe was dirty and damp at the hems as it was was too long for him. His face was smeared with dirt from his fall and for split second Chanyeol wanted to reach out and wipe his pale cheek.

"I didn’t ask for help." The prince shot back fiercely, but his eyes lacked the usual fiery spark. Overall, Chanyeol noticed, the prince didn’t look well. To be honest, it looked like his health has been steadily deteriorating since the attack in the desert. His skin was even grayer, eyes bleary and lips chapped. 

Chanyeol reached to his belt where a bottle with water was attached to his belt and handed it to him. Baekhyun accepted it with trembling hands, taking careful sips to soothe his parched throat. 

"I already told you," Chanyeol took the bottle back, taking a large gulp as well, "I’ve gone through the hardships to keep you alive and I won’t going to let you of the hook so easily." He grinned.

"Hardships..." Baekhyun snorted but a small smile made its way to his lips nonetheless. It was the first genuine smile Chanyeol had seen on his lips. It made him look even younger than he was. The reaction was short lived though, as in the next moment the prince doubled over, gasping for air as if someone stuck a dagger in his chest. 

Chanyeol tightened his hold on his arms and watched wordlessly, his brows tightly knitted together. When Baekhyun finally straightened his back, his face was sweaty again and he looked even paler than before. 

"I... I guess I’m not used to traveling." He said meekly, avoiding Chanyeol’s eyes. The taller said nothing but there was something in the back of his head telling him that this was not a simple exhaustion or anything of that sort. He felt like he seen this before but he could not exactly pinpoint where.

"Let’s go." He said finally and Baekhyun looked strangely relieved that for once Chanyeol didn’t prod into the matter. 

Still, Baekhyun felt the need to to direct the taller man’s attention from him. "Do you live in Trion?" He asked timidly, not sure if he was in any position to ask questions. 

Chanyeol side eyed him before answering in a snappy voice. "Why should I answer your questions when you are so bent on not answering mine?" 

"Well, I am your prisoner... I think I have the right to refuse you."

Chanyeol snorted at that and pulled the prince aside so he wouldn’t step into another puddle. "Feel free to leave."

"Would you let me?" Baekhyun asked doubtfully.

Would he? Would he let them go? He wasn’t sure anymore. Two days ago his answer would be no. But now? The more he knew about the prince the harder it was for him to ignore the obvious. The obvious fact that he deep inside he didn’t believe this child in front of him was capable of any harm. It just didn’t make any sense. 

He slowly started walking again, pulling Baekhyun along. "I was not born in Trion and neither do i wish to spent my life there. But there are... circumstances that I cannot ignore. Though, your death was supposed to be our last task."

"Task?" Baekhyun asked with confusion written all over his face. 

"We serve the Council in exchange of a roof over our heads." Chanyeol said tersely and Baekhyun didn’t miss how his voice dropped an octave lower when speaking about the Council. He didn’t seem too thrilled to be ordered around. 

"But you said you don’t want to live there?" Baekhyun pointed out. 

"As I said... circumstances." Chanyeol paused and unintentionally glanced over his shoulder at Minseok, who was in the midst of nagging poor Luhan. 

"My turn." He said quickly when he noticed that Baekhyun too, stared at Minseok, curiosity engraved in his features. "How old are you.

Baekhyun laughed heartily. "Out of all things you could ask me, you’re curious about my age? I am eighteen summers old." 

Chanyeol nodded thoughtfully. 

"Where were you born if not in Trion?"

"In northern part of the Kingdom, in a village under the Maur Mountain." He saw a flicker of recognition in Baekhyun’s eyes but out of pure spite, he added. "It was burned down to ashes by the King’s soldiers."

Baekhyun’s smile was now frozen on his face and he looked uncomfortable. 

"Your work, may I guess?" He continued. Their conversation was lighthearted before but Chanyeol couldn’t help it. Whenever he thought of his home he felt a burning rage coursing through his veins.

Baekhyun didn’t look at him for a long time and when spoke, Chanyeol almost missed it because hi words were quiet and laced with regret. "I’m sorry."

"You shouldn’t be. That’s what you choose, right? A life filled with wealth, right? I guess it was not that hard to help out the King here and there when you weren’t warming his bed?" His voice was dripping with mockery but to his surprise, Baekhyun looked... hurt?

"That’s what you think? Is this what people say about me?" His voice faltered and he turned away from him, wriggling his elbow out of Chanyeol’s hold. "I think I’ll rather walk alone."

Chanyeol gritted his teeth, unhappy with the prince’s unexpected reaction but he didn’t make any attempts to stop him. The boy was a few feet ahead of him when he turned around. "You know... my mother sold me to the King. I didn’t choose it." And with that he walked away. 

---

When the night came, they settled by one of the smaller ponds. Minseok started a fire before laying down on his straw mat as Chanyeol took the first shift. His anger subsided long time ago and instead he kept repeating Baekhyun’s words in his head. 

You know... my mother sold me to the King.

I didn’t choose it.

He looked over at the body, chest strangely constricted. Baekhyun sat with his arms hugging his knees, chin resting on top. He was staring into the cackling fire with unreadable expression and only now and then his body tensed for a couple of seconds before he breathed out deeply and relaxed again. 

He felt like he should be a little more understanding. Chanyeol wasn’t one to be quick to judge, yet with Baekhyun it was always easier to pretend he was the monster everyone talked about even if everything seemed to point otherwise.

He stood up and walked over to him.

"Change your clothes." Said Chanyeol as he placed the folded set of clothes by Baekhyun’s feet. He made sure that his own pair of gloves was visible on top of the small pile. He was tired of being cautious about not touching him. Baekhyun didn’t tell him how his visions worked but form the rumors he knew it had quite a lot to do with physical contact.

"I already told you I don-"

"You’ve been wearing that," Chanyeol pointed to Baekhyun’s dirtied night robe with a distasteful click of tongue, "for several days already and you stink." 

The prince face took on a bright shade of pink, his nose scrunching up in disagreement. He did not stink, not at all, on the contrary, whenever he stood too close to Chanyeol he could smell the scent of fresh, blooming flowers.  But he was tired of watching the prince constantly trip over the hems that were too long for someone of such a short height.

"Put it on, it’s much more comfortable." Baekhyun glared at him him. "I’ve already seen your tattoos, if you’re wondering, so just put it on." He added after a moment of contemplating and if before the boy looked embarrassed, then now he looked like he wanted nothing more than dig himself a hole to crawl in. 

"Fine! Are you going to stand there and watch me strip?" He questioned, looking quite defiant as he held his chin high.

"Should I?" Chanyeol retorted, enjoying Baekhyun’s scandalized expression as he plopped himself down on the mossy ground and leaning back to pretend he was taking a better look at Baekhyun’s body. 

"You’re an dishonorable man." The prince commented with a strained voice and marched away, leaving Chanyeol laughing to himself because there was no way the prince could hide from him. Still, he rotated his body, facing away, to give him some privacy. He did glance in his direction from time to time to ensure that the boy didn’t wander too far away, catching a glimpse of the intricate designs on the pale expanse of his back. It was hard not to stare because Chanyeol had never seen tattoos like that. 

It was somewhat fascinating. 

He forced himself to look away and scanned their surroundings instead. He supposed they were not in any danger for now since the soldiers likely took a detour than risking wandering over the swamps but the shadows were still here and Chanyeol grew unsettled that he was able to spot them even during a day, which had never happened to him before.

As he had had said, the shadows weren’t something to be unnecessarily afraid of, but he would rather avoid any type of close encounter. 

He sighed, leaning back on his palms and craning his neck, he stared up at the sky, trying to clear his head and ignore Minseok’s loud snores. He had half the mind to go and smack his forehead but years of friendship taught him that Minseok was not a man suited for jokes. 

It was then, when out of the corner of his eyes he saw movement. He looked back to Baekhyun and he was right back on his feet calling out for the prince when he noticed the boy was standing in the turbid water up that was now reaching up to his knees. Even from afar he could see that the top of Baekhyun’s clothes were still undone as if he was disturbed half-way. 

His heartbeat quickened when he realized that it wasn’t Baekhyun who caught his attention but a shadow slowly rising from the surface, only a a couple of feet from the prince. 

"Baekhyun!" He called out, taking cautious steps in his direction. Minseok behind him stirred in his sleep and he could hear Luhan’s confused calls. The creature looked at him and with an eerie movements glided closer towards Baekhyun, who on the other hand, didn’t move an inch.

"Baekhyun, come here!" Chanyeol tried again but it was as if the boy was in some kind of trans With one hand he reached to his back strap, with slow movements directing his bow at the shadow while he pulled out an arrow and aimed right at what he supposed was the creature’s head. 

He was shortening the distance between them with cautious steps. Luhan was calling out to Baekhyun but he didn’t dare to come closer. 

It was in that split second when Baekhyun dropped the pair of gloves he was holding and extended his hand to touch the shadow. Chanyeol held his breath, ready to send the arrow right through Baekhyun’s palm to stop him when a chilling shriek cut through the silence. 

Now he was close enough to see that Baekhyun’s eyes were burning bright blue, his palm emanating a dimmed light where it touched the shadow. 

And then the creature dissipated into nothingness, gray fumes rising to the cloudy sky and Baekhyun collapsed right into Chanyeol’s outstretched arms. 

He was too shocked to speak or even move so he just held the prince’s small body in his arms as he stared at the place where the shadow just disappeared.

"Did he kill it?" He heard Minseok panting behind him.

Chanyeol stared at the pond a watched as the bleary surface cleared out and grass around turned into the liveliest shade of green. The water was now so clear that he could see at the bottom and for some reason, his heart sank. 

"On the contrary. I think he set it free." 

Update!!!! Judging from the comments you seem to like Kaisoo so I’m going to keep adding a healthy dose of their story into the plot.... There will be one more side pairing.... but more about that in the next chap^^

I think Chanyeol might come across as bipolar... but... let’s be understanding... he was fed with stories about Baekhyun that made him believe he was a monster.... but everything says otherwise.... So what should he do? Should he hand Baekhyun to the Council where he surely meet his end or not?

I still feel like it might not make sense for now but I promise I will slowly unveil everything... I have lot of plot twists in my sleeve (as usual... those who read my other fics are probably crying out loud NOT AGAIN xDDD LoL) 

Thank you for all the comments, subscriptions and upvotes

Love Ya^^

P.S. I was rushing some parts of this chapter so there might be a lot of typos...plase forgive me^^