Kyungsoo was being dragged down the corridor, his knees scraping against the cold floor. He could barely keep his head up and light coming from the torches that lined the walls were  blurry in his eyes. 

The only thing that was keeping him conscious was the vice like grip on his arms as two guards continued to drag him forward. 
 

There was a sound of of door opening and then he was blinded by daylight, blinking his eyes rapidly to get used to the light after spending so many days coped up in the dungeons. He barely processed that he was now being pulled up the stairs, his knees painfully bumping against the carved stone steps.

It’s no like anyone could tell, or even care. Kyungsoo’s body was littered with bruises,a couple more on his knees wouldn’t make any difference. He lost an unhealthy amount of weight, leaving his body only skin and bones. He was cold, he was always cold, unable to warm himself. 

The guards suddenly stopped and let him fall to the ground with a thud. Kyungsoo laid on the floor, his cheeks pressed against the cold marble stone. His breathing was labored and wasn’t sure if he had enough strength to lift his body up. He dazedly recognized the bright hall he was in. Here he had met the prince for the first time. He vividly remembered how he had touched his cheek and how his body went cold. 

“Welcome, Kyungsoo.” A mellow voice welcomed him. Kyungsoo looked up, and although his vision was hazy, he recognized the King right away. He weakly pushed himself up to get a better view at the man.

He was smiling at him kindly, dressed in emerald green robes with heavy golden embroidery. A necklace hung around his neck, playing in all colors and even from his point of view it looked ridiculously heavy. His fingers were adorned with many rings, one bigger than the other. His crown was perched on top of his head and Kyungsoo thought nothing more than that the king looked more like a peacock than a feared warrior.  

Yet, a chill run up his spine. There was nothing soothing about the tone his spoke with, nothing kind about his smile. No, the face of the King looked empty. Except for his eyes, the eyes that seemed to stare right through him.

"I have called you in hopes of getting to know you better." The king said, his tone laced with mockery and Kyungsoo gritted his teeth. 

"I will not tell you anything." He said with determination and then, thinking of what would Jongin do in his place, he spat on the floor.

The King looked more then pleased with his answer. "I expected this kind of answer." He motioned to his guards and the men picked him up laying him down on the table. Kyungsoo didn’t struggle. There was no point.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the King approaching him. The man touched hi necklace briefly and then his palm glowed with a dim light. Seconds after, the palm touched Kyungsoo’s chest.

And Kyungsoo screamed.

---

Baekhyun didn’t realize that Kyungsoo’s screams turned into his. That tears on Kyungsoo’s face were actually his. 
 

His whole body hurt, as if he was the one who had experienced the pain. He was shaking from head to toe, skin glistening with sweat. It took him a few minutes before he was able to control his breathing once again. 

He looked around the room, his eyes frantically searching for something familiar until he finally recognized Luhan. 

The boy was sitting next to his bed, chewing on his bottom lip, his eyes watery. He looked like he had went through tough times. His skin was covered in grime, hair disheveled and sticking in random directions.
 

“W-where am I?” Baekhyun asked shakily. 

He didn’t recognize this room. There was a single bed and a chair to his right, occupied by his friend. A candle was flickering on the nightstand, dimly illuminating the small room. A sound of chattering carried itself through the open window and when Baekhyun glanced out he saw a narrow street, lined by small houses from each side. 

“W-what happened?” Baekhyun asked again, disturbed by Luhan’s silence. 

“You were in a lot of pain, mas-Baekhyun.” Luhan said with a trembling voice. “Do you remember anything?”
 

“I…” Baekhyun hesitated. He searched in his mind for the last memory but it seemed all bundled up and he had a hard time to distinguish which one of his memories was most recent. He tried to concentrate but no matter how hard he tried the only result was a growing headache. 

It must be because of the vision. He thought to himself. 

Baekhyun often experienced visions in his dreams but this one was too real. Almost as the first time he touched Kyungsoo during the feast. There must have been something about the boy that triggered the power deep within him because every vision including that boy felt unbelievably real.

Usually, Baekhyun saw it from his point of view, more like a bystander, a simple witness. But this Kyungsoo and the vision he had experienced in the desert were vastly different.

“You touched the shadow, in the swamps.” Luhan continued quietly, tearing Baekhyun out of his thoughts. 
 

“I did?” He asked in disbelief. Why would he do that? He could now remember the shadows vividly, how they had made him feel, sorrowful yet serene at the same time. 
 

“It disappeared after that… and then you collapsed. He…” Luhan paused and gulped down, “Chanyeol took you and rode with you all the way here. Me and Minseok arrived a day after. You had a terrible fever, Baekhyun and he didn’t let me take care of you. I’m not sure if it had anything to do with your chang-
 

“Does he know? Chanyeol?” Baekhyun interrupted him with wide eyes, resisting the urge to grab Luhan by his shoulders and shake them violently. If Chanyeol figured out what was wrong with him Baekhyun would have to flee. He couldn’t risk it. No, he wouldn’t allow any other man to wield power over his mind and body ever again.
 

“I don’t know, Baekhyun.” He… 

“What should I know?” A deep voice cut through their conversation and Baekhyun’s heart sank. “That you’re a liar, my prince?” Chanyeol gave him a tight smile from where he stood. He was leaning against the doorway, looking unbothered but his eyes were cold as ice and for the first time since he had met him, Baekhyun was genuinely scared. 
 

“Leave us.” He commanded Luhan in a voice that signed there was no room for debate. 
 

Still, Luhan glanced at Baekhyun, silently asking for confirmation and he knew that Luhan would stay if he asked. But Baekhyun shook his head weakly and mouthed ’go’. 

The blonde boy looked reluctant to leave but after a few minutes of awkward silence accompanied by and impatient tap of Chanyeol’s foot he rose from his seat and left the room.

Baekhyun turned his eyes back to Chanyeol. The taller man didn’t look nearly as worn out as Luhan did, on the contrary, he appeared to be freshly washed. His hair was combed upwards and his clothes were spotless, holding no wrinkles.

He waited for the man to speak but all Chanyeol did was to stare at him with discerning eyes, a hint of smile playing on his lips.
 

And at that moment Baekhyun realized that Chanyeol already figured everything out and his worst fears were confirmed when  the man eyed him from head to toe, his gaze resting on Baekhyun’s exposed collarbones.
 

That was the first time he realized he was actually . A thin blanket was covering his body up to his waist but his chest was completely on display. What was worse, Chanyeol didn’t look fascinated or even surprised upon seeing all the markings that were etched into his pale skin.

"Why am I ?" Baekhyun asked nervously, pulling the blanket up to his shoulders and scooted away from the man in front of him.

"I undressed you." Chanyeol said nonchalantly, pulling out a dagger from his arm bracer. His hands were gloved, fingers clad in a leathery material.

"You w-what?" Baekhyun stammered, his eyes open wide as he stared at Chanyeol in disbelief. 
 

"You had a high fever, you were literally drenched in sweat.

"That didn’t gave you the right-"
 

"Right to what? I can actually do whatever I want with you. Because as you said, you're my prisoner and I don’t appreciate you lying to me, my prince." Chanyeol’s voice was cold and sharp as glass and Baekhyun felt his insides twisting. He crossed the room with long steps and before the prince could react, he was pulled to his feet and slammed against the wall with such a force that it knocked breath out of him. 

The blanket slid down his thin body and Baekhyun shivered as the cold air hit him. The tight grip on his shoulders would surely leave bruises and he could do nothing but stand there because there was no way he could fight the man in front of him. 
 

His cheeks burned with shame and humiliation, being instantly reminded of haw the King had visited him every single night and forced him to strip just to make sure that no one was touching Baekhyun. 
 

It was getting hard to breath, the air in the room turned stuffy and his body started trembling. 
 

“Now that you know, are you going to force yourself on me?” Baekhyun asked, his tone defiant. He was determined to keep the last ounce of pride. Tears of anger were streaming down his face but for once, Chanyeol looked genuinely surprised by his reaction.

“Force myself on you?” The taller man asked in bewilderment. “What on earth are talking about? What am I supposed to know?” He loosened his hold on Baekhyun and the prince took it as his chance to push him away. 

Baekhyun quickly put his clothes on and dashed out of the room, Chanyeol following closely behind. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” He grasped his forearm, forcing Baekhyun to turn around and face him.

“Somewhere far away from you!”

“Baekhyun!”

“LEAVE ME ALONE!” Baekhyun screamed, wriggling his hand out of Chanyeol’s hand and the running down the stairs.

---

“Force myself on him?” Chanyeol repeated for the umpteenth time. 

He was still in the standing on top of the stairs, sounds of voices and clanking of glasses resonating on the lower floor. 

There was a strong urge to ran after the prince and finish this for good, either by forcing the answers out of him or slicing his throat. Both seemed equally acceptable in Chanyeol’s eyes.
 

But he was tired. He had had enough.

He had rode for almost two days straight with Baekhyun in his arms and carried him to the nearest inn so he could get the help he needed. The innkeeper, a chubby woman with a warm smile, offered Chanyeol two rooms for a fairly low price and kindly took care of the prince while he waited for Minseok and Luhan to arrive. 

 

He had said he stripped Baekhyun just to get a reaction out of him. 

Well, he certainly got that…

He sighed, leaning his against a wall. Why couldn’t Baekhyun tell him? The prince had built a wall between them that Chanyeol couldn’t cross. Hell, he didn’t even know why he wanted to cross it.

If Baekhyun didn’t want his help then so be it. Chanyeol didn’t care. He will go out and find him, drag him back to the inn and tie him to the bed if needed. 

And tomorrow, they will embark on the road to Trion and after that Chanyeol will be finally set free from all of this. Baekhyun will be rightfully executed by the Council and he and Minseok can finally leave the city.

Yes, he will do exactly that. 

With a newfound determination, he skipped down the steps. The lower floor was filled with people and Chanyeol spotted Minseok sitting at the table. He was just about to wave his hand and him when he noticed his friend wasn’t looking at him but rather at someone to Chanyeol’s right. 

He turned around to see a cloaked figure standing by the bar table. The innkeeper saw Chanyeol a smiled warmly at him. He nodded but his attention was fully on the stranger. Chanyeol recognized the intricate patterns on his cloak and apparently so did Minseok because his friend was already crossing the room with swift steps. 

Both of them got close enough to hear a drunken man talking to the stranger in a slurred speech.

"Don’t you k-know it’s rude to keep your f-face hidden, boy." The man snickered and with one swift movement pulled the cape away from his face, revealing a young man with a pair of deep brown eyes, perfectly straight nose and pinkish lips. His skin was pale and unblemished, his silky hair tied up into a small bun on top of his head. Despite those delicate features, the expression on his face was stern. 

"Yixing," A chuckle slipped past Chanyeol’s lips. "I should have known."

He heard Minseok draw in a sharp breath next to him.
 

"I am s-sorry, sir, I didn’t recognize you." The man who previously had tried to approach the carrier, hastily apologized before scrambling away. Neither of them paid any attention to him.

"Then you know why I’m here." He spoke in a soft voice and pulled the cape back over his head.

“You came here to warn me.” Chanyeol nodded, mostly to himself. 

"What are you doing here?" Minseok asked incredulously.
 

"They know about you and they know he’s alive." Yixing informed them, ignoring Minseok completely. “My father had sent his men after you, they will be here before sunrise. He is not pleased Chanyeol. There are rumors spreading that you and Minseok had joined the King.

"You have no right to be here." Minseok continued to glare at the carrier, taking a step closer. “Have you traveled alone? Are you crazy?”

"Are you, perhaps, speaking to me?" Yixing said nonchalantly, finally facing Minseok.

“Stop it!” Chanyeol said exasperatedly. “If what Yixing is saying is true than we have to find Baekhyun and leave before they arrive. It has to be us who bring Baekhyun to Trion.”

“Find him?” Minseok asked incredulously “He’s not here?”

“We had a small argument and he stormed out.” Chanyeol waved him off and his friend glared at him. “Go get Luhan and me and Yixing will get Baekhyun.”

Yixing looked more than happy to avoid any further confrontations with Minseok and excused himself, saying he will wait outside. 

“You don’t mind that he’s here all by himself?” Minseok pointed at the place where Yixing stood a few seconds ago with a accusing stare. 

“No, he shouldn’t have done that.” Chanyeol agreed, partially to appease his friend. “Certainly not at these times but he’s here now so there’s no point in arguing over that.” He finished sternly and Minseok threw him one last sharp look before marching away, hopefully to find Luhan who was also who knows where.

Yixing was waiting outside as he promised and even though his pretty face was hidden by the cape he still managed to gather quite a lot of attention.

“You’re not exactly inconspicuous.” He pointed out with a chuckle and Yixing grimaced.

“I knew that if I couldn’t find you, then you certainly would find me.” Pointing to his cloak, Chanyeol once again eyed the silver pattern.

“That’s true.” 

“So? What’s the problem?” Yixing asked after a moment of comfortable silence. The street was still lively even after dark. Hopefully, Baekhyun would be somewhere near.

“What problem?”

Yixing halted his steps, looking up at Chanyeol with curious eyes. “You have never failed at any task the Council gave you, so why now? When both of you can be finally free, why make it hard for yourself? Why is the prince still alive?”

He didn’t miss how Yixing avoided saying Minseok’s name but he decided to not comment on that. 

“I don’t know....” He admitted, “Everything was going as it should. Sehun helped us to get inside the palace and when I finally got to his chambers and stood by his bed, I just couldn’t…I couldn’t do it.” 

They started walking again and Yixing looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking again. “I’ve known you for years, Chanyeol. You can be hot headed and stubborn but you have never been unfair. If your heart didn’t let you harm him then you should trust it. It has never failed you.” 

“You don’t even know him.” 

“But I know you.” Yixing gave him a small smile. “I would trust you with my life. You let him live for a reason, I believe."

"But that’s it!" Chanyeol huffed in frustration. "I don’t know why I did it! I have no reason for why he’s still alive. I had plenty of opportunities to end it. I could kill him the night when I found him or the night the King’s men attacked us or during those last two days when he was lying down with high fever and in pain-"

"Wait! What?" Yixing asked, puzzled.

"Just please, maybe if you talk to him, he’ll tell you something."

"No...wait about the fever?."

Chanyeol opened his mouth to answer but at the same time he finally spotted Baekhyun. He sat on a the front steps of a house. His cheeks were blotchy from crying and his hair was disheveled but he appeared to be in one piece and for some strange reason, Chanyeol felt relieved, but that was only until he saw three men approaching the prince.

His eyes narrowed and he marched towards Baekhyun. He gave the men a stern eye and they took a step back. "Leave." He gritted through his teeth and the men scattered away.

"Hello." He heard Yixing greeting Baekhyun. The prince eyed him from head to toe and nodded politely before casting his eyes down, refusing to look in Chanyeol’s way.

"I’ll leave you two alone." He mumbled after a while and Yixing smiled at him thankfully. 

"You must be Baekhyun, if I’m not mistaken?" 

"Yes." Baekhyun said meekly. Yixing walked over and sat on the steps next to him. 

"My name is Yixing." He pulled the cape down and Baekhyun was temporarily stunned because the man in front of him was exceptionally handsome, beautiful almost. There was something sharp yet soft on his face. Baekhyun unconsciously touched his own cheek. He had never paid too much attention to his looks but now he wished he would. After such an adventure he probably looked like a walking corpse. 

"Chanyeol sent you to talk to me?" Baekhyun asked after awhile and the man next to him laughed softly, his eyes twinkling with mirth. 

"I am not someone that is easily order around. He asked me and I accepted." 

"Oh." Baekhyun didn’t know what to say. "You can tell him that he doesn’t have to worry. I’ll go with-

"I am not a messenger either." Yixing pointed out and Baekhyun blushed. "If you have something to say to him, do it."

Baekhyun nodded reluctantly and then they both slipped into silence once again. He didn’t know who he was but something about hsi presence was very calming.

"So what do you want to talk about?" Baekhyun asked, resigned. 

---

"Take him away." 

"What?" Chanyeol snapped out of his trance. 

He was in the stables, half-heartedly patting his horse and patiently waiting for Yixing to return, preferably with Baekhyun by his side because he was no mood to chase him around the village. "Take away what?" He repeated dumbly.

"Don’t let the Council get their hands on him, Chanyeol." Yixing continued and Chanyeol furrowed his brows.

"What do you mean? What am I supposed to then?" He asked perplexed. "Take him back to the palace? ’Accept my deepest appologies, your highness, this whole kidnap attempt was a terrible mistake, take him back’." Snorting, he turned back to his horse, pointedly ignoring his friend. 

"Chanyeol, in my whole life, I haven’t seen someone so pure-”

"So I should spare his life because he’s pure?" He retorted, belatedly realizing that he was half-yelling at his friend. 

"I would appreciate if you didn’t raise your voice at me." Yixing said sharply. "I’m asking you to pack your things and get out of here. Take him far away form the King’s and the Council’s reach, take him to Sehun." 

Chanyeol’s laughter was empty. "Sehun? That kid wouldn’t survive a day with him."

"That’s not the point, Chanyeol. Just take him away from here!" This time, Yixing raised his voice and Chanyeol could hear the frustration in it. Now that he thought about it, he had never seen Yixing so disgruntled. The carrier was always composed and had a impressive way with words.

"Then give me a reason? What did he say to you?" 

"I promised him I won’t tell you." 

Chanyeol slammed his fist against the wall, finally letting out his bottled up frustration. "Incredible."

There sounds echoing from the street were louder and for once Chanyeol wished he was deaf. There was a constant ringing in his ears and he felt like hitting something, or rather someone.

A hand on his shoulder returned him back to reality and he looked down at Yixing who looked at him with an apologetic face. "You’re an intelligent man, Chanyeol. You already know it in your heart."

Chanyeol’s eyes widened slightly but then he shook his head in denial. He knew what Yixing was implying but he refused to believe it. It did cross his mind but it just didn’t make any sense.

"That’s impossible." He argued weakly. 

"He had fever for several days, he was in pain. Just look at him, Chanyeol. I now perfectly understand why you couldn’t and can’t kill him. 

"He’s a carrier." Chanyeol whispered, letting his head fall into his hands with an exasperated sigh. The chatter from outside grew louder and Chanyeol felt like his head would split in two. 

Everything Yixing was implying was that Baekhyun just went through his change, which was well known for happening every three month to every carrier out there. It was a simple way how to cleanse body from all impurities, hence the fever and excessive pain. It was usually easily treated with nothing but warm bed and a lot of water and food but Baekhyun had been exhausted and that’s why his body voluntarily shut down multiple times. What was hardly believable was that carriers were by nature unable to harm any living human being. They were meant to carry and give life, they were kind and forgiving. His father used to say that a carrier was the purest form of love in any living creature. For his people, carrier was a sacred thing, since they were not capable of any harm then they shall not be harmed in return. They were to be protected and cared for. Chanyeol knew very well that there was not many people like Yixing in the kingdom and it was dangerous for them to travel unaccompanied. Any man would pay ridiculous amount of coins for a night with a carrier. They were hunted down and sold to brothels or worse... to the King who had took an excessive liking on them. 

Suddenly Chanyeol remembered how Baekhyun reacted back in the room. 

Are you going to force yourself on me?

"That fool was scared that I would force him to sleep with me..." Chanyeol trailed off. For a minute, he couldn’t believe how dumb Baekhyun was. He would never let anything or anyone near him if he had knew that, including himself. His father would probably raise from the ashes and challenged him to a fight on life and death if he ever get to know that his only son, the pride of his life, failed to protect a carrier.

"I know you wouldn’t hurt him, but you can’t blame him for being irrational. He is still so young." Yixing said and Chanyeol nodded. He was right, Chanyeol didn’t exactly gave Baehyun reasons why to trust him. It was natural for the prince to assume the worst. Now everything made sense. Baekhyun was more afraid of being caged again than of his own death, that’s why he was so dead set on staying with Chanyeol.

"If that’s true, and he really is a carrier, it means he’s innocent."

"Yes." Yixing said softly, placing a palm on Chanyeol’s cheek. "You’re going to help him, right?

"Of course I-" Chanyeol paused mid-sentence. Now the voices outside didn’t seem to be in friendly conversation. No, there was screaming and crying and both Chanyeol and Yixing were out of the stables in a speed of lightning only to collide with Minseok and Luhan. 

Both of them looked like they’ve been to hell and back They clothes were . All around them people were running in all directions, screaming at each other. In the distance Chanyeol could see the burning light of a fire. 

The inn!

It was on fire!

UPDAATEEEE!!

Okay... so let’s make thing’s clear...

Baekhyun is due to who he is unable to harm anyone... so that means he wasn’t helping the King at all... on the contrary... but more about that in upcoming chapters....

What do you think? Was Baekhyun inside the inn or not? 

Yixing’s character is our newest addition... and at this point... only Sehun and Jongdae are left to properly introduce... but not now xD

Thank you for all your comments and upvotes and subscriptions ... Love Ya ^_^