Jongdae trudges through corn covered fields, the tiniest droplets of sweat gleaming against the rough elven skin. His cursed short legs don't get him very far very fast but he has the stamina and mediocre magic to make up for it, even if others don't believe it amounts to much. He's got a damn estate to reclaim and if risking his damn life and rescuing a so-called princess helps him in doing so, then so be it. 

 

Sure, the small plot of land isn't much, but for Jongdae, it's the only place he's ever been able to call home. 

 

It's not easy—pushing through the endless rows of starch and carbs. Each laboring sound of a crunch underfoot, each step is draining but Jongdae persevere's nonetheless. Not only does the white noise of shoe against vegetable irk his oversensitive senses, but the obnoxious grey donkey named Baekhyun makes sure to fill in any silence that envelops the pair of delinquents. 

 

Jongdae wouldn't say he hated the company of the other...creature, but he definitely didn't enjoy it. Countless times Jongdae had lost his nerve and snapped, stopping to scold the other than curse under his breath and blow off some steam by stalking forward at a faster pace. Nonetheless, Baekhyun stayed, waited for the other to calm down and repeated the process again. 

 

Jongdae had to give it to him—most who'd met him, either cowered in fear from first sight or laughed at the mere sight of a tiny little elf roaming the forests without a colony. Baekhyun seemed overly ecstatic to have met Jongdae though, thanking him in his own strange way by his hooves and trotting around in circles. Jongdae wasn't sure if it was due to him being a talking donkey or just because of the fact that Baekhyun obviously wasn't right in some places. 

 

He'd shrugged off the fact that this trip wouldn't be a quiet one and much to his chagrin, Baekhyun caught up to him, his voice gradually growing louder as the distance closed between them. Baekhyun found it harder than Jongdae as he only had hooves to create any form of a berth through the field which is why he kept falling behind and the elf was minorly relieved because of this. 

 

"You—know—" Baekhyun spoke between small pants, "—when we get—back to the—forest." He halted to stomp on the next stalk, "we can room together—right?"

 

"No," came the blunt reply. Jongdae hadn't even hesitated.

 

"But—we're such a good team!" Baekhyun proclaimed in protest, hooves trampling over the vegetation.

 

Jongdae rolls his eyes. The mere thought of living with Baekhyun gave him more than a headache that he was already sporting. He didn't even want to entertain the idea. "Baekhyun. We met this morning because you were being locked up by little Lord Luhan's merry good-doers. This," he gestured to the both of them, one hand waving between the space between them. "this is a business thing. Once we're done with this, we go our separate ways and done deal done."

 

"Well you're such a kill sport," Baekhyun muttered, pouting. 

 

"I'm the estranged elf of the eastern colonies," Jongdae told him as-a-matter-of-factly. "Don't expect anything else."

 

 

 

 

-

 

-

 

 

 

 

When the castle finally came into view a feeling of relief flooded through Jongdae. Despite the fact that it was placed in the middle jagged mountains with dangerously sharp steeples and boiling lava acting as some sort of dug around barrier, Jongdae couldn't wait to get in, take the princess (if she was even there) and return to his forest. 

 

Even Baekhyun, who seemed to have the energy of a sprite fairy seemed to have deflated over the journey which had lasted two very long and painful days. He hadn't even been looking up when their destination came into sight and Jongdae had to throw a pebble at his ear to gain his attention. 

 

"Argh! Baek's awake! I'm here! What's happening?" The creature screamed, looking up with a bizarre look in his eyes. He blinks. 

 

Jongdae decided not to question it and only pointed to the ancient structure of the castle, which looked suspended above the mountains. It almost looked like some fortress. Baekhyun's eyes lit up for a fraction of a second before his mouth finally got to work again. 

 

"I—Dae, is it really? Are we finally there?" Baekhyun didn't actually give him time to answer though as he pranced around in his silly circles again, the bottoms of his hooves. Jongdae grimaced at the sight and regret started creeping in when the donkey didn't shut up. 

 

"I'm so happy! Ugh, I thought my toes were gonna fall off from all that walking! I don't know how people can go on long journeys like that! I was almost regretting coming with you...." 

 

I wish you didn't, Jongdae thinks as he kicks at nearby pebble absently mindedly. Baekhyun babbles on and the words go right over the other's head. The once vegetation underfoot crunch had evolved as they'd passed through the outskirts of the Kahoran lands and entered into the wilderness that stretched between Kahoran and Yelund, a neighboring city, home to the eastern mountain range even though the range was a great distance from the city. They'd passed through dry desert land, lush green forest, slick wet swamp—there was a variety of environments and Jongdae was sure they'd explored it from top to bottom of the list.

 

It didn't take them too long to actually reach the castle but once they'd actually gotten close to really see what they were up against, Jongdae wasn't going to lie—he may have been a little intimidated. However, he'd seen a lot worse. A colony of angry elves was much worse than a creeky bridge suspended over a river of spurting lava. He could handle this. 

 

With a casual walk in his step, Jongdae started on his way. He didn't even realize how quiet the donkey had grown until halfway across the bridge and he took a quick glance over his shoulder to check on the other. Baekhyun was absolutely terrified—horrified—and it was writted all over his face. He kept stealing looks below him and his big, bucky teeth bulged over his bottom...lip, anxious and afraid. 

 

"What are you looking at? You stinkin' elf!" Baekhyun turned his nose up at the other. 

 

Jongdae had the slightest grin plastered on his face, chuckles just waiting to roll from his tongue. In a sing-song voice, he replied, "You scared, Baekkie?"

 

"Shutup! It's an animal thing, okay?" The donkey's voice quivered on the last note and Jongdae gripped the ropes running parallel along the bridge, acting as handles, harder. He grinned, turning around to fully face the other and jerked his hip to one side. The bridge swung with a wild force that sent Baekhyun absolutely bonkers and he began to trot forward, squealing and cursing Jongdae's name. 

 

"You—you—you despicable elf! Stop— ah! stop! It's not. It's not— funny!" 

 

 

Jongdae laughed heartily, stepping back with each advanced step the donkey took, swaying the bridge as he went. Baekhyun screamed and screamed, even when they'd reached solid ground and it took the donkey a few seconds to register the fact. His breathing slowed for a second and his cheeks blew out in a hollow, exasperated breath. 

 

Then, his mouth got back to work. 

 

"Jongdae! You—You could've killed me! Are you crazy!? Do you know how dangerous that was?" Baekhyun screeched and Jongdae reached down to ruffle the fur between his ears, chuckling. Baekhyun snorted in response, shaking his head. 

 

"It was funny! Come on, have a little fun!' Jongdae told him, a ghosting smirk playing over his lips. It was fun to see Baekhyun so flustered and worked up.

 

"That was not—ugh! That wasn't funny, Jongdae! What's funny about walking across a rickety bridge over a boiling lake of lava!"

 

"Eh, suit yourself then."

 

The elf continues forward and Baekhyun has no choice but to follow after him. 

 

"Suit yourself, I will damn well suit myself when I throw you in on the way out..." The donkey mumbles to himself. 

 

Because of the bickering and the goofing around, neither of the two were actually focusing on the castle interior and Jongdae can't say he's exactly excited. 

 

They're greeted by crumbling brick, possibly centuries old, two large pillars upon the entry way. Inside, in what seems to be a lobby, there is scattered debris and skeletons, old and rusted armour to accompany their fallen soldiers. Jongdae crouches down by one of them, removing the helmet and shining it with the back of his sleeve. 

 

Blowing the dust off of the surface, he whispers in a low voice. "I guess we're not the first to come here."

 

"No kidding." Baekhyun approaches another skeleton and pokes at it's side. It rolls over, helmet falling open and the donkey screams upon seeing the hollow skull of the dead man. He returns to Jongdae's side in a blink and tells him, "Let's just get the princess and get out of here."

 

"I wonder what killed them..." Jongdae thinks aloud, ignoring the other's remarks. 

 

"For both our lives' sakes, I hope we never find out," Baekhyun replies. 

 

"But seriously, this place! It's magnificent!" Jongdae points up ahead, "Look at that staircase! It's huge!"

 

"I thought the elves were wealthy. Ain't you guys got like, I don't know, bigger castles than this?" Baekhyun's voice echoes through the cracked walls, bouncing off in waves. 

 

"Yeah, but I don't live with them anymore, remember?"

 

"Yeah, yeah. Enstrangled elf or whatever," Baekhyun mumbles uninterested. "Oh, wait! Didn't Lord Luhan say that she'd be in the highest tower? Shouldn't we take the stairs then?"

 

Jongdae nods, "Yeah. Good thinking Baekhyun. Never thought you'd ever use that brain of yours," he adds.

 

"I heard that you idiot."

 

"Hm," Jongdae responds as he begins to climb the stairs—or what's left of it. Some blocks are missing and as a result, it becomes more of a leap the frog activity and at one point, Baekhyun almost falls into the abyss of the large and swirling case. Luckily, Jongdae still inherits his elven strength and manages to pull the other to safety. Their illusion of safety is short-lived, however, because as soon as they get back to making their way up the impossible staircase the roar and rumble of an unimaginable beast shakes the ground beneath them and Jongdae struggles to hold himself steady. 

 

Baekhyun's shrill screams pierce the air and Jongdae looks out for the Donkey, gripping hard onto the front leg of the other. Baekhyun appears downright useless, squirming for security in this unreal, earthquake-like situation. 

 

The rumbling doesn't stop and even when it does, it happens in short intervals, only to start up once again. It becomes stronger and stronger by the minute and the volume only sky rockets as do the shakes. That's when Jongdae realizes that they should probably get out of there. Heaving, Jongdae mutters a silent apology before launching off of the staircase and onto the next level of rooms below them. 

 

They land with a thud and Baekhyun lets out sharp rugged breaths. Jongdae has no time to help him calm down though and he struggles to lift the donkey up onto his shoulders. Baekhyun helps though as he seems to catch on, allowing himself to mold around the curve of Jongdae's neck and shoulders. Jongdae makes a run a for it, crossing another large room that resembles a dining hall. 

 

Once he's past there and safely out of sight of whatever it was chasing them, Jongdae sets the other down onto the floor and Baekhyun gasps eyes widening as he peers over the other's shoulder. 

 

"What is that?!" 

 

Jongdae frowns and turns just in time to see the scaling of a burgundy reptile, trying to fit through the opening underneath the staircase and the flooring gap. The sheer size is captivating and as fascinating as it is, Jongdae doesn't spare anytime. He deems Baekhyun good enough to run now that they're on stable ground and grabs a sword from the floor and makes a run for it. Relief flushes through him when he hears the sound of frantic clomps behind him and he makes for another set of stairs that he can see peeking out from the corner of the next turn. 

 

 

Baekhyun follows without hesitation and even though wonky on his hooves, he manages to keep up with the other. They make it to the top of the stairs which leads to another room presumably on the floor above and Jongdae cheers internally when he spots the main flight of stairs towards the end of the hallway. 

 

However, the dragon is smart and just before he steps foot upon the main flight, hot, dry heat spreads up his pant leg, skin burning but not quite. He curses and jerks back. 

 

"You crazy dragon!" Baekhyun yells. 

 

The animal growls back at him and Baekhyun squeals in fear, running to Jongdae's side. "Short elf man! Get us out of here I ain't putting up with any of this fire blowing stuff. I thought we was saving a princess!" 

 

"Well me bloody too! So if you would stop holding my leg," Jongdae pushed Baekhyun away from him, "I could take care of the problem. Now..." He looked around, trying to spot something that could be of any help. Suddenly, he had an idea. 

 

Looking down at the donkey, Jongdae told him, "Stay put and don't move unless I say so, got it?"

 

"Got it," Baekhyun chirps. 

 

Jongdae proceeds to slide down the remainder of thee railing to the bottom floor once again, haphazardly avoiding the blowing fire of the dragon, hot flames at his heels. He winces when the heat come close to his clothes, almost setting them ablaze and Baekhyun shrieks from the second floor every time Jongdae comes close to being burnt to crisp. 

 

Cursing under his breath, Jongdae runs, leaping onto the large tail of the dragon. He pounds upon it with such force, the wind knocks out of him and the beast whimpers in obvious pain, stiffening. Jongdae would grin if not for the fact that in the next few seconds, he finds himself suspended in air being thrown out of the cracked opening of the ceiling. 

 

The wind rips through the folds of his thin tunic and pants and once again, the wind is knocked out of him and he lands upon a dusty wooden floor, the planks beneath him howling in protest. He winces, curling into himself. However, he doesn't dwell upon the pain for long because a voice interrupts his thoughts. 

 

"Ser knight?" 

 

Jongdae looks up and sees a maiden—the princess—standing over him, eyebrows pulled into a deep frown. She wears a long, well-fitted green dress, gold patterns lacing the outline and the hemming and her long brown hair is plaited in a braid that falls down her neck and stopping at her s. His helmet muffles his wheezed response. 

 

"Princess?"

 

"Y-Yes," she clears . "I mean, yes, it is I. Princess Ebony." Even in the oddity of the situation, Jongdae still finds it in himself to feel amused at the irony of it all. Princess Ebony, the princess with the palest, most porcelain looking skin he'd ever come to lay eyes upon. 

 

The princess, continued. " And you are Ser...?"

 

"Jongdae," He manages. "Call me Jongdae."

 

She nods and Jongdae stands, trying his best not to wince in pain. The princess looks at him for a moment, like she wants to say something but Jongdae's really not up for it at the moment and grabs her wrist. He still has Baekhyun to rescue. 

 

The princess shrieks when Jongdae pulls her towards the door and tries to pull away in protest. "Argh! Where are you taking me?"

 

"Uh, home?" Jongdae tells her, trying to get the door open. "Ugh, stupid lock." Pulling the metal contraption clean off, Jongdae kicks the door down, the slam of the object creating a loud bang which echoes through the room. 

 

"B-But this isn't how it is supposed to be! You're supposed to lead me down a rope and take me away on your valiant steed!" 

 

"Well sorry princess, I don't do the routine!" Jongdae yells back, leading her down a set of spiralling stairs. They take a turn into another hall but it is far too narrow to be the main hall. Jongdae goes down another flight of stairs before finding the main hallway—this time it is not by size or familiarity but because of the littered skeletons and the sillouhettes burnt into the ston walls of the castle. 

 

"Well that's what all the other knights did," The princess argues. 

 

 

Jongdae scoffs, "Yeah. And look how well that turned out." He purposely kicks a passing skeleton for effectiveness and grins at his own slightly disturbing humor. Oh well. 

 

The princess groans in frustration and Jongdae resists the urge to roll his eyes. Luckily, they don't have to dwell in awkward silence for too long, but unfortunately the growl of the dragon nearby is what fills the gap in the atmosphere. 

 

"You didn't slay the dragon?!" The princess cries and Jongdae winces. 

 

"That's uh, still on my to do list." He says, leading her to the dining hall.

 

"Why are we coming to the centre? Why don't we just run?" She suggests, eyebrows pinned in anger. 

 

Jongdae approaches the edge of the ledge of the third floor—he knows because he spotted the second floor railing that overlooked the dining hall—and before he even lays eyes upon the dragon, he knows that Baekhyun is still alive and breathing. Not like the Donkey could ever go down without much of a fight anyway. 

 

"You know, uh, I don't think I'm emotionally prepared for a relationship with so much....uh, physical contact..."

 

 

 

 

Jongdae teeters closer to the ledge and the princess whispers panicked. "Jongdae! What are you doing?"

 

Grabbing a chain that connect to the chandelier and onto a lever-pulley mechanism from the side of the wall, chains clinking, Jongdae says, "I've got to save my ."

 

"What kind of knight are you?" The princess asks in disbelief. 

 

Jongdae turns around. Propping himself up onto the ledge, he takes hold of the chain with a firm grip and winks, before dropping into the abyss of the large dining hall. "One of kind."

 

The princess runs to the edge to find him landing dangerously on the cobble floor. Baekhyun's shrill scream of joy and relief fills the air when he sees the elf as well as the hiss of the dragon. The tail—now wrapped around the donkey—tightens, as if a protective cage and it makes Jongdae wonder...was he wooing the dragon? 

 

He shakes his head. He can't think of that right now. 

 

"Jongdae, finally! I never thought she'd leave me alone!" 

 

"Shutup Baekhyun and come here!" Jongdae tells him. 

 

The dragon growls once again, the loud sound of the beast thrumming through his veins and Jongdae immediately ducks when it ames a ball of flame his way. The hot element is millimetres away from sure death. Jongdae circles round the dragon, in hopes of distracting it, to allow the Donkey to squirm his way out. Thankfully, it doesn't catch on as Jongdae riles it up, provoking it by jumping upon its nape and coming round again to its front, all the while wrapping the chain around its neck. 

 

When Baekhyun is a safe distance from the beast, Jongdae runs to a nearby pillar and begins to secure the chain around it, hoping to the dear gods that he doesn't get his burnt in the process. Once he's done, Jongdae runs, picking up the donkey and trails up the stairs to grab the princess as well. 

 

He has no time to waste and with a harsh tug, pulls the princess with him and together they dash down the crumbling staircase, the angry beast on their tails.

 

"Hey princess," Baekhyun chirps.

 

"He talks?"

 

Jongdae nods, huffing. "Yeah, it's getting him to shutup that's the trick."

 

He runs towards the entryway and relief floods his veins when he eyes the two large pillars that greeted them upon entering. They step over scattered rubble and debris, the loud thump of the ever nearing reptile keeps him energised, adrenaline pumping through him. Despite the burn of his lungs and the pain that courses through his body from the impact of his fall, Jongdae pursues the exit. 

 

"Jongdae, the dragon!" Both the princess and donkey scream. 

 

"I know! Just keep running!" 

 

When they reach the bridge, Jongdae pushes the princess in front of him, urging her to go and does the same with Baekhyun. "Go along, I'll take care of the dragon."

 

In a frantic rush, the princess tugs Baekhyun along, quick to obey Jongdae's action. It might not be the escape she was hoping for but it's all she's able to get at the moment. 

 

Jongdae turns behind him to hear the groaning of chains and the squeal of rusted, corroded metal rubbing together. He winces at the sound. The burgundee reptile whimpers, realizing it is trapped in the mangle of chains and struggles against the hard material keeping it from pursuing its prey. Jongdae takes the round helve of his barely usable sword and charges forward towards the beast, ignoring the dramatic cries from behind him. 

 

Oh Wyrd world, he knows what he's doing—if he didn't he'd already be dead at this point. And a dead elf was a useless one and Jongdae was far from useless, despite what his colony percieved of him.  

 

The pathetic cowering sounds emitting from the reptile do nothing to intimidate nor scare him as he dodges the small fireballs thrown his way and rounds once again to the rear end of the dragon. Following the now tightly pulled chain, he trails about twenty metres down the foyer hallway and grabbing a gaping loop of chain, jabs the blade inside and impales it into the cobble wall. A wailing sound follows soon after and Jongdae runs for it, keeping low and close to the wall. 

 

As expected, the Dragon's labored breathing becomes louder and louder and Jongdae ducks as he braces for the ball of flame hurdling his way. He rolls the rest of the way to the pilar room—roughly five metres— and from there jumps to a straight sprint. He is glad to see Ebony and Baekhyun waiting fervently on the other side of the bridge. 

 

If his legs were sore before—he's in agonising pain now, however, the fact that they're so close to freedom, to escape to regaining claim over his property, keeps him going and somehow, they make it far, far away from the dragon's layer. 

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

Jongdae hadn't realized that Ebony was still ignorant of the fact that he was an enstranged and shameful elf who had little ability to be elven but a great ability with magic. It hadn't crossed his mind that princess might have had an underlying prejudice towards...well elves in general and when she'd asked him to finally remove his helmet and show his face to her, Jongdae froze up, feeling just a little self conscious. 

 

Over the years, he'd learned to get used to the fact that commonfolk couldn't comprehend the fact that he was the unintentional biproduct of a human and an elf and that no, these ears weren't fake and no, you couldn't touch them and no, he was not apart of some ridiculous circus act. Just thinking about prior encounters—faliure or not—gave him a pounding headache. 

 

Maybe Ebony was different, however Jongdae highly doubted that, considering her royal status. Either way, he didn't save her the benefit of the doubt. 

 

"No," he told her flatly. "I don't want to."

 

The princess' hopeful smile falters but she stays persistent, a hint of exasperation in her tone. "But I would like to see the face of my rescuer."

 

"And I said," Jongdae snapped, "I'd like to keep my helmet on."

 

The princess visibly huffs, face going red with annoyance. "Remove the helmet now, or, or—"

 

"—Or what?" Jongdae taunted with a mischevious grin. 

 

"Or I will march right back in there and all your efforts would be ruined!"

 

"Oh but princess," Baekhyun interrupts, whining, "we've only just gotten out!"

 

"Woah, woah!" Jongdae exclaimed. "No one is going back in there! Not after all the crap I've endured just to get your pretty face out of there!"

 

"Then remove the helmet!" The princess practically shrieks and Jongdae takes a step back, eyes widening, her voice echoing within. Even Baekhyun looks taken back. 

 

Ebony breathes heavily, chest moving up and down in a steady motion and Jongdae holds his hands up in surrender. 

 

"Ok, ok, I will!"

 

Slowly, reaching towards the edges of the hat, Jongdae begins to remove the armour from his face. He keeps his gaze on the princess and can already feel the judging eyes squinting into a glare. Just as expected, the princess' eyes zero in on his ears and she gasps, a hand coming to cover . Shocked would be an understatement when describing the look on Ebony's face. 

 

Jongdae looks away, cheeks heating up when Ebony continues to stare, face ridden with shock surprise and obvious disappointment. 

 

"Y-You're—"

 

"—a short elf. Yeah I know, no need to spell it out for me." He replies bitterly, throwing his helmet to the floor, running and hanf through his disheveled and unbrushed hair. 

 

"B-But where's prince charming? My knight on a stallion? Please tell me you are not my prince to be."

 

Jongdae snorts. Of course. The princess was expecting prince charming to come and sweep her off her feet. He shouldn't have expected anything different from her. "Well sorry princess but I'm not the guy. You're prince charming," Jongdae waves in the distance, "is back in the kingdom of Kahoran. He's hired me to come fetch for you."

 

"Lord Luhan!" The donkey tells her.

 

Ebony frowns, a sharp crease forming between both eyebrows. "B-But why didn't he just come out here himself? T-That's not how it's supposed to work!"

 

"Good question! You should ask him when we get there!" Jongdae remarks with annoyance. 

 

"But I have to be rescued by my true love!" The princess declares. "Not by some deformed elf and h-his pet!"

 

"Hey! I'm his friend!" Baekhyun snaps.

 

Jongdae rubs the wrinkle on his forhead, brushing back the loose strands of hair and sighs. "Look princess, you're not making my job any easier—"

 

"—Well I'm sorry, but your job is not my problem." She says indignantly. "And you can tell this Lord Luhan that if he wants to rescue me properly, then I'll be waiting right here." She plonks herself down upon a boulder, one leg crossed over the other. 

 

Jongdae feels the anger and impatience building within him. Wyrd world, why does the universe hate him with a passion? He's already cursed enough as it is. But no, everything just has to go wrong for him starting with his property to this stupid quest and now the princess won't even say thank you? Goodness, she'd lucky he hasn't killed her already. 

 

Pointing a harsh pinger at her, he marches up to her and growls, "Look princess, I'm no one's messanger boy. I'm a delivery boy."

 

She glares at him. "You wouldn't dare."

 

Jongdae grins, teeth bared. In one felt movement, he picks her up by the waist, throwing her over the shoulder. She yelps and Jongdae chuckles inwardly at her pathetic attempt of punching his shoulder blades. 

 

"Ugh—! Put me down!"

 

Ignoring her, he begins down the track, calling out to Baekhyun. 

 

"You coming Baek?"

 

"Right behind ya Dae!"

 

The princess shrieks. "This is not dignified, put me down!"

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

It's about late afternoon when they reach the bottom of the mountain and Jongdae will admit that he is overly exhausted from the journey. His limbs ache at every movement and with the princess hanging lax with boredom over his right shoulder, it doesn't make it any easier. However, he doesn't want to stop—the nearest inn is much too far than Jongdae could make it and the closest place to stop would be...well the eastern elven colonies that reside in Yelund. 

 

Baekhyun voices his concerns in his blunt manner, "Jongdae I'm hungry. Jongdae, I'm tired can we stop?"

 

Every time, he refuses and every time, his breaths become heavier, each laboring step burning up through his shins. After a few more minutes though, Jongdae nearly collapses and he and the princess go tumbling through rock and gravel. Baekhyun yelps, coming to their help and Jongdae is dazed, mind beyond the veil. 

 

The princess leans over him, breathless, brows pulled together. "Jongdae? Jongdae, are you alright?"

 

He nods, eyes squinted. The sun feels so much warmer and hotter on his skin and he can feel the sweat pooling at his chest, his neck and dripping down his face. 

 

Ebony turns to Baekhyun. "Hey, we need to find a place to sleep for the night. We can't keep going on like this."

 

"Don't look at me! I don't even know where we are!"

 

The princess looks toward Jongdae for help and the elf gives in, sitting up with a groan. 

 

"Alright, I know a place."

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

Before arriving at the elven settlement, Jongdae already knew this was a bad idea. After all, when he'd left at the tender age of sixteen, it wasn't for the right reasons. If anything, his colony had banished him for just being himself. It was his fault that his mother coerced with a human man, wasn't his fault for being born that way. 

 

The only elf who seemed to understand that was Yifan—Jongdae's older brother. 

 

Upon entering the village, Jongdae noted that not much had changed from when he'd last seen it ten years ago. Maybe a few extra plots here and there, larger dwellings but other than that, it looked the same. 

 

He ignored the strange looks tossed their way and snark comment muttered under breath by onlookers. His elven name was mentioned a few times and he forced himself to look ahead and to just keep walking. 

 

Ebony stayed close behind him, Baekhyun by her side and together, the three of them strode towards the largest home in the village, located beside the familiar patch of forest that Jongdae had once used as a place refuge. Oh how badly he wished he could run and hide within the foliage like he used to.

 

A rush of nostalgia coursed through him as he watched two eleven kids playing by fountain that stood in the middle of the settlement. Large garden features welcomed them on the way, beautiful greenery making Ebony and Baekhyun hush praises of wonder and admiration. 

 

Two towering guards stood in front of the massive, wooden oak doors that Jongdae had once called home. There was no doubt that both guards recognized him - if they didn't they wouldn't be wearing the grim expressions that they currently were. One of the guards shot the other a look and nodded when he received the same look from the other. 

 

Clearing his throat, the guard looked down upon Jongdae and in the eleven tongue, he said, "What brings you and your...party, back to our colony?"

 

There is no sympathy nor understanding in his voice but Jongdae wasn't expecting anything different. In perfect elven tongue, he replied. "I wish to speak with Sir Yifan concerning a place to stay for my friends." The language feels strange ok his tongue once again but he ignores it.

 

"We'll have to inquire with Sir Vlank first."

 

"And why is that?" Jongdae raises a contending eyebrow. "I've only asked a room for the princess Ebony. He emphasizes the title and the surprise on both of the guards faces is obvious. Their eyes skirt towards Ebony and the princess retreats closer to Jongdae's side.

 

"Jongdae why are they staring at me like that?"

 

Jongdae ignores her and steps forward. "Are you going to refuse at least a proposal? I've only asked to speak to my brother."

 

Tapping his staff twice upon the ground as a sign of submission the second guard steps aside. "You and your party may enter, but only to negotiate with Sir Yifan."

 

With a click of his tongue, Jongdae pounds his right fist upon his left shoulder - an elven sign of respect and thanks. "Your cooperation is much appreciated."

 

He beckons for Baekhyun and Ebony to follow him and he mentally prepared himself for the other side of the oak doors. With a familiar groan of the hinges, the doors open and Baekhyun gasps with the adoration of a child. 

 

"Jongdae it's beautiful!" 

 

They're greeted by the open courtyard where elven servants roam. None of them pay the odd trio any heed - duties await, Jongdae supposes. Another water feature takes the spotlight in the centre of the courtyard, framed by a wooden fence like post structure, a large statue of Nemehia, the elven goddess and divine creator. 

 

Even though he'd left behind the culture of his elven routes, he'd never forgotten to pray and thank the goddess Nemehia. Even when he felt his family and his people abandoned him, he knew Nemehia never had. It was through her mercy and grace that he was even alive - after leaving the colony, it was no easy journey to his estate in the outskirts of Kahoran. Blistering winds, unforgiving swingers and scorching hot fields of deserts that stretched for miles upon miles; Jongdae considered himself blessed.

 

A swell of pride surged within his soul and he gave quick thanks to the statue. 

 

Various plants and vines curled around the wooden pillars that held up the open corridors that lined the outside of the courtyard. 

 

The sight alone sent Jongdae on an overwhelming trip of good and bad memories. A childhood spen resented was a childhood spent alone - those moments alone though, were some of his most enjoyable moments. He'd imagine himself as a real elf. An elf with no abnormal abilities, an elf blessed with king silver hair and tall, long limbs. Just a normal elf.

 

Leading them towards the right hand corridor, Jongdae steals glances

 

 

Ebony agrees and then asks, "Do any of the elves speak the tongue of common folk?"

 

Jongdae nods. "All of us actually. We - They have a knack with learning."

 

Yifan's corner of the house was the