Mr. Jinwoon arrived just before dinner, and when Yunho escorted him upstairs, the doctor’s eyes widened upon seeing the figure of the prince. “Yunho didn’t tell me the patient was Prince Jinyoung!” he exclaimed. 

“It was best this way, the last thing we need is the whole village come here to see the prince at this state.” Yunho explained. Mark had gone to outside to take care of the horses while Yugyeom helped his mother prepare dinner. 

As Mr. Jinwoon examine Jinyoung, the prince was groggy when he awoke and seemed less clear-headed than earlier. His eyes were bright, and his cheeks were stained red. “The wound looks good; you did a fine job of taking care of to it,” Mr. Jinwoon told Yunho. “He seems to be getting the onset of a fever, though.” 

“I was afraid of that.” Yunho sighed. “He and Lord Jaebum, his guard, was out in that storm last night,” he said. 

“The best thing to do is make sure he has plenty of liquids and to keep him warm. I’ll go check on Lord Jaebum and then I’ll be back to check on the two in the morning.” Mr. Jinwoon said. He then went to check to Yugyeom room and checked on Jaebum. 

“How is Prince Jinyoung?” Jaebum asked the doctor

“The wound will heal however he seems to getting the first stage of a fever” Mr. Jinwoon told him and Jaebum eyes widened, “I already told the Yunho what to do so hopefully he will be fine.
Now as for you, my Lord, you seem to be doing okay but try not to strain yourself. I was told you were also in that storm so you could get ill as well.” He advised

“I will try, thank you Doctor” Jaebum said 

~~~~~~~~~~

That night Jinyoung got worse. They did their best to keep him warm, and once again Mark chose to stay the night with the prince will everyone either attended to Jaebum or slept. Mark bathed his face every half hour with a cool towel. The fever was high and he was muttering in a haze, clearly not even sure where he was. Mark dozed off, sitting in the chair next to the bed. In the morning, when Mr. Jinwoon returned, he took one look at Jinyoung, and the look of worry on his face sent a bolt of fear through Mark.

Since there was nothing that Mark could do, so he left Jinyoung in Mr. Jinwoon hands. He went out to check on the fields and then the horses, leaving the heavy work to Yugyeom. Not that he minded, he understood that his older brother was much to exhausted to do the work since he was up at night tending to the prince.

Hours later, Jia called for him, “Mark, your father is calling for you.” Mark ran back to the house and up to his bedroom where he saw Jaebum sitting next to the prince and his father.

“Will he be okay?” Mark asked his father.

“Mr. Jinwoon said that as long as his fever breaks soon, the prince should be alright. He told us to watch him just in case his temperature drops too low so we can bring it up. Since you want to watch him at night, you have to make sure of this.” Yunho said to him and Mark nodded, “You look exhausted go rest in the guest room till dinner” he suggested to his son and Mark happily agreed to that.

Just like his father said, he was awoken at dinner and before eating he washed himself then headed to eat; once he finished he cleaned up and went upstairs to check on the prince. Mark found Jaebum sitting by his side finishing his dinner, “Lord Jaebum I will take over.” He said

Jaebum gave a small smile, “Yes, he’s in good hands with you” he said before leaving. Mark gave a confused look to the lord before turning his attention back to the prince.

When night came, Mark slept on a makeshift mattress on the floor. During the beginning of the night he could hear Jinyoung cough from time to time, but for the most part he managed to sleep and so did Mark. 

However later during the night, Mark woke up again and soon so did the Prince as he was looking at him, “Why am I so cold?” he asked him. 

“Mr. Jinwoon said that this might happen after your fever passed. You will be all right. See, you have lots of thick, warm blankets around you.” Mark said as he tucked Prince Jinyoung under the warm blankets.

“So cold,” Prince Jinyoung shivered, closing his eyes. 

A minute passed, and even with the amount of blankets he had, Prince Jinyoung started shaking even harder. Mark laid a hand on his forehead, and it was like touching ice. He rubbed his hands hard together until they were hot and then placed them on his face, willing the warmth from his skin into his. He murmured slightly. 

Mark then remembered that when he was a child and he had been sick and very cold, his parents had put him in their bed, laying him between them with the blankets over them all. Mark remembered how the heat from their bodies had warmed him when the fire and the blankets had not. He stared down at Jinyoung. He had promised his father that he would keep Jinyoung warm. 

Mark lifted the blankets and lay down on him bed. He tucked the blankets around them both and then wrapped his body around him. He shivered and then turned toward him. He lay still, trying to quiet the pounding of his heart. Mark had never been so close to a man like this. He could feel his breath on his cheek. After a while he could feel warmth returning to his skin, and Mark began to relax and eventually fall asleep. 

The rooster crowed at dawn and it awoke Mark, he inhaled sharply at how close the Prince was from him and the same time he was amazed at his handsomeness. Whoever would be his partner would be luckiest person ever. Mark turned his head at the sound of someone opening the door and he gasped when he saw Lord Jaebum smirking at him.

Realizing the position he was in he immediately jumped off the bed, “Um good morning Lord Jaebum” he blushed

“Morning” Lord Jaebum smiled to smile

“Um uh, how was your night?” Mark asked

“It was okay but I’m sure not as nice as Prince Jinyoung’s” Lord Jaebum smile while wiggling his eyebrows.

Mark eyes widened and he gasped at Lord Jaebum assumptions, “Ah no no no, P-Prince Jinyoung was cold and-and shivering during the night so I-I only tried to warm him up.”

“Oh?”

“No no no” Mark denied, shaking his head repeatedly

Lord Jaebum laughed, “Don’t worry, I’m only teasing. I know exactly what you meant. Once again thank you for caring my friend.”

Mark took a deep breath, “It was my pleasure” he turned at looked at the sleeping prince. Lord Jaebum stared at him before smiling and leaving Mark alone again with Jinyoung. Mark pressed his hand on Prince Jinyoung cheek and was happy to feel that his skin no longer felt cold to the touch.

He left the room and head downstairs where his father and mother was and he could only assume his brother was outside, “Good morning”

“Good morning” his parents greeted, “How’s the Prince doing?” Jia asked

“He stopped shivering a little while ago. He seems to be warm again, and he’s sleeping.” Mark replied.

“Oh that’s good” Mr. Jinwoon said as he entered in the house with Yugyeom. “I’ll go check on the two of them just to make sure everything is okay” he said 

“Can you also bring these bowls to them as well?” Jia asked as she give the bowls to the Mr. Jinwoon. He nodded as he took the bowls and he walked up the stairs.

As Mark was finishing his breakfast with his family, Mr. Jinwoon came downstairs with the bowls in his hands and Lord Jaebum and Prince Jinyoung leaning on his shoulders. Lord Jaebum placed Prince Jinyoung in one of the chairs and sat next to him. 

“Is everything alright?” Yunho asked

“Yes Prince Jinyoung should be ready to travel again in a day or two, however I worry for Lord Jaebum” Mr. Jinwoon sighed

Everyone looked concernedly at Jaebum while he looked uncaring, “What wrong with Jaebum?” Prince Jinyoung asked

“Well I worry that if he continues to stress his body out he might break into a fever that would probably be even worse than His Highness.” Mr. Jinwoon announced

“All I’ve been doing is helping around the farm. It’s the least I could for them till we reach the castle.” Lord Jaebum said.

“Jaebum if the doctor says to rest then you have to rest. I don’t want you to be too sick.” Prince Jinyoung pouted

“Lord Jaebum, I know you’re a strong man but no one if invincible from illness. Please take care of your body, my lord.” Mr. Jinwoon pleaded before leaving.

“You heard the man, Jaebum” Jinyoung said, “Take care of your body”

Lord Jaebum rolled his eyes, “My goodness you nag more than my mother”

“And your mother would want you to take care of yourself” Jinyoung argued

“Fine” Lord Jaebum huffed, letting Prince Jinyoung win this round of the argument.

Mark and his family silently laughed at the scene between the Prince and the lord, “So I’m guessing you are feeling much better, Your Highness?” Mark asked

“Yes. In fact I could use a bit of fresh air. Would you care to accompany me outside?” Jinyoung asked as he slowly stood up on his wobbly legs.

“Of course, Your Highness.” Mark smiled. Jinyoung’s legs were a little stiff, but Jinyoung suspected they would be fine once he was able to stretch them a bit. Outside the house he lifted his face to the warmth of the sun and breathed in deeply of the fresh air. It seemed as though he could actually feel his strength returning to him.

He turned toward the barn, wanting to see for himself that his horse was all right. Mark walked beside him with a sure step. Jinyoung glanced at Mark, admiring the way that he carried himself. There was no self-conscious preening on his part, only the strong, steady stride of someone who had spent his life working outdoors instead of confined to a room doing stitchery or studying politics. It was refreshing, and so different from anything he had ever known as to be novel.

Jinyoung’s horse greeted Jinyoung enthusiastically, and Jinyoung his nose, relieved to see his companion uninjured. “That was a nasty spill we took, girl. I’m just glad you seem to be in better shape than me.” To Mark he said, “Thank you for looking after her.” 

“It was no problem,” he answered, “Besides the one you should thank is Yugyeomie. He’s is the one who’s been taking care of the horse’s. But from what he’s been saying She’s a good horse, and she’ll stand still for anything if there is the promise of an apple.” Mark laughed appreciatively. 

“Hear that, Peaches? He understands you better than most.” Mark flushed at that, and the pink in his tan cheeks made his look all the lovelier. 

“Wait Peaches?” Mark giggled, realizing the name he gave the horse.

Jinyoung sighed, “Yes Peaches, don’t you think she’s cute like a peach?”

Mark laughed, “I suppose so.”

“What it’s not good?” Jinyoung asked

Mark put his hand out and shaked his head, “No no no, it’s the perfect name” he smiled and Jinyoung smiled back. Mark spent the rest of the day showing Jinyoung around the farm. He had to stop and rest often, but each time he would get up with a dogged determination. 

That night Jinyoung and Mark slept soundly, however Jaebum wasn’t as lucky as he coughed multiple times that night. With the new dawn Jinyoung was up as early as he was, eager to walk more as he and Jaebum planned to leave the next morning. They walked slowly out to where he had had his accident and then rested themselves in the shade of a tree growing by the stream.

“Tell me about your travels,” Mark urged, curious to hear of the world beyond his own. 

“There was one castle that was perched high on the top of a mountain. It took four days to climb up to it, and when we arrived, it was like a snowy wonderland. There were flowers that were blooming despite the snow around, and the blossoms were of purple and blue and yellow.” Jinyoung smiled thinking of the memory.

“And was there a princess or prince there?” Mark asked. 

Jinyoung laughed, “It was princess. She was a very delicate person, no taller than this,” he said, standing and indicating a line just below his chest. “And extremely pale, she practically blended in the snow. I actually lost her a couple of times.” he said, laughing. 

Mark laughed too, at the thought of it. “No way!” he exclaimed, trying to picture the girl in his head.

“Wait, there was a prince, in a castle deep in a valley surrounded by rivers. He was so thin, it was as though you could see through him,” he said, eyes sparkling with laughter. 

“What happened?” Mark asked excitedly, sensing there was more to the story. 

“We went for a walk in the gardens, and while we were talking, a rose petal fell and bruised his foot so terribly that the poor thing couldn’t walk for days.”

“A rose petal?” Mark asked, bewildered. “Are you lying to me?” 

“No, I wish I was. Poor guy. I don’t know how he’ll ever survive the carriage ride here.” Mark started laughing. “And what has amused you so?” Jinyoung asked. 

“How would a man like that ever manage to bear you children? He would probably faint at the very thought. If you so much as kissed him, you would probably knock loose all his teeth.” Mark continued laughing so hard that he began to cry. 

A strange look passed over Jinyoung face, and he couldn’t tell if he was going to rebuke him or begin laughing as well. “I can assure you I am not so rough and crude a kisser,” he said at last. 

“I did not mean to imply you were,” Mark said, trying to wipe the tears from his face. “I only meant that the prince is so frail it’s a wonder that his own clothes don’t crush him with their weight; an embrace might crack his bones. And if he was ever kissed by a farm girl, the force would probably kill him.” 

So, farm girls are forceful kissers,” the prince said, amusingly. 

“Yup. They wouldn’t know any other way.” Mark sighed thinking back of his first and last kiss with a girl.

“And what of farm boys?” Jinyoung smirked

“They wouldn’t know any other way, either,” Mark said, smiling and blushing all at once. 

Jinyoung moved like lightning, his left arm wrapping around Mark's waist and his right hand cupping the back of his head. His face moved in toward his, and Mark cried out in alarm. He was afraid, for he could feel the power of him, the roughness. But at the last instant, when Jinyoung lips met his, it was whisper soft. Not hard and fierce as he had imagined. 

Though his lips were barely touching his, Mark could feel the strength of him wrapped around him. He swept him backward, supporting his body with his arm and his head with his hand, and still his kiss was gentle like a spring breeze and playful as a kitten. It overwhelmed Mark. He succumbed to it completely, letting himself go limp in his arms. Jinyoung lips were soft, teasing, with a promise of something more to come. 

And then, slowly, he lifted him up, set him back upon his feet, and pulled away. “What was that for?” Mark asked, his voice and body shaking from the onslaught. 

“That is so that you shall know the difference,” Jinyoung said, his breathing ragged. 

“But what good does that do me?” Mark burst out, bewildered. “I’m as likely to teach a pig to dance as teach a boy from the village to kiss like that.” 

“Then take it as a token, a thank-you for all that you have done for me.” Jinyoung frowned, feeling slightly offended of Mark’s behavior

“I would have done it for a starving beggar, let alone the man whose family owns the land my family works,” Mark said crossing his arms.

Something dark and unreadable shadowed Jinyoung face. “I’m sorry. I’m sure the other night you would have been happier tending to a beggar.” 

With that, Mark slapped him, hard and fast across the face. He gasped, realizing what he had done. Prince Jinyoung gazed at him fiercely, and Mark’s heart thudded, as he expected him to denounce him for his crime.

The slap stung his cheek, he realized that he deserved it. Something about him brought out the devil in him. He wasn’t sure why, but he knew that before he left him and the farm the following morning there was something he needed to hear from him. “That first day, when I woke up, before I asked you your name, you asked, ‘Is it you?’ What did you mean by that?” 

Mark blushed fiercely and turned his face away from him, looking to the grass at their feet. “Nothing,” he answered shortly, he didn’t think Prince Jinyoung actually heard him. “You must have been still delirious.” 

“No, I didn’t yet have the fever, and I remember clearly my conversation with you and your father. I heard what you asked. What did it mean?” Jinyoung pressed. 

Mark turned and started walking toward the house. “I’m hungry. We should go eat lunch.” 

Jinyoung caught Mark by the arm and spun him around to face him, his curiosity raging out of control. “Had we met before? Is that why you asked?” 

“Yes, that was it,” Mark stammered, though he refused to meet his eyes. 

“You are lying to me,” he said, surprised that he would be so daring and even more surprised that it mattered to him. Jinyoung took a deep breath and then, using the very voice he used to command lesser nobles to do his bidding, he ordered, “Tell me what you truly meant.” The wind picked up around them and blew Mark’s hair back from his face so that it stood out nearly straight. Jinyoung felt the wind’s cold fingers plucking at him, but he stood rooted to the ground, waiting for Mark’s answer. 

Finally, he looked up at him, and his great brown eyes met his. “It’s just a game I’ve played for a couple of years now. Whenever my eyes meet those of a man my age, I wonder if he’s going to be the one I’ll marry. It was just habit. I wondered the same about you, before I remembered who you were. I never meant to say anything out loud.” He blushed.

Jinyoung heart began to pound, hard and unsteady. He leaned closer to stare more deeply into his eyes. His mouth had gone dry. All this time he had been searching the world over for his partner, and this boy had been searching this village for his groom. It seemed impossible that they should have met, but they had. Was it destiny? When he spoke, it was no more than a whisper. “Is it me?” Jinyoung asked. Their faces were only inches apart, and the question shimmered in the air between them. He forgot to breathe, waiting for what he might say. 

But Mark just stared up at him with eyes that could consume a man’s soul. His lips parted, and he seemed like he was about to speak when a sudden shout caused them both to jump. A sudden shout caused them both to jump. Mark stepped away from him. Yunho stood waving his hat in the doorway of the house. Jinyoung thought he saw a tear trickle down his cheek, but he realized it was a raindrop when one hit his brow. “Mr. Jinwoon must be here,” Mark said, his voice strained. 

Then he ran toward the house. He followed, watching the sway of his brown hair. What was he about to say? Somehow Jinyoung had the feeling that he would never know. Suddenly Mark stopped. He could tell he was staring off in the distance toward the castle. He followed the line of his vision and saw the storm clouds rapidly spreading from that direction. Another drop of rain fell, heavier than the first, followed by another and then another. 

The storm came, sudden and unexpected. Mark and Jinyoung barely made it inside before the lightning started. Mark stood at the window, shivering as he stared out into the darkening afternoon. The doctor was tending to Jaebum, and apparently he seemed worse than the day before. 

Jinyoung came and stood beside Mark, who was staring out at the rain. “Is it me? Do you care for me?” he asked, his voice low enough that only he could hear. 

Mark was shocked at the question, they only met two days ago it was impossible for them to start caring for each other. However in his heart, he knew the truth. He had cared for the prince. He doesn’t how or when but during the days they spent togethers the prince had wormed his way into his heart. But it would end in heart break, Would it matter?” Mark asked. Jinyoung hesitated, as if looking for the right words. Mark plunged in, fear and bitterness tugging at his hushed voice. “No, it wouldn’t,” he answered for him. “It’s not about you or me; it’s about kingdoms and wars and alliances. You said so yourself.” 

Jinyoung had no answer, for he turned away retreating, probably to Jaebum room. Mark continued to stare out the window. When Mark went to bed that night with Yugyeom, he couldn’t sleep for many hours. Everything seemed to be happening so quickly that he couldn’t make sense of it. He thought of the conversation with Jinyoung, about the prince and princesses he had met, and he felt a sharp pang as he wondered which would be his partner. He thought about the kiss, and his lips burned with the memory of it. There was so much to take in. And then there was the storm, so soon on the heels of the first. Mark drifted off to sleep, pain curling around his heart.