Jongin practically fell into the clearing, dazed and exhausted. He had combed the forest as much as he could, seeking out the prince to no avail. How could he disappear so quickly?  

Time passed differently in the forest so he had no way of telling how long he had been searching.  

Jongin was just about to sit down and catch his breath when he heard hoofbeats coming right at him.  

He leapt aside as two massive Clydesdale horses cantered into the clearing, one white and the other black. Sitting atop them were two men. One of them was strikingly handsome with a sculpted face and golden blonde hair while the other had fair skin and dark curls falling into his eyes.  

"Yifan, wait!" Jongin figured that he must have looked lost because the dark haired man pulled his horse to a stop right beside him, looking at him with his brows creased with concern.  

"Are you lost?" He asked gently, as the other man backed his horse up until they were side by side. Jongin stared up at him openmouthed, before the question sunk in and he shook his head violently.  

"N...no. I'm looking for someone but I can't find him." He stuttered, feeling their eyes practically boring into his skin.  

"Poor thing. Come with us. We're heading to Joonmyun's for a wedding. He won't mind if you come along. You look as if you're dreadfully in need of food." The brunette swung off his horse and smiled warmly as Jongin.  

"Go on." The blonde man regarded him with solemn eyes. 

"I can't ride." Jongin admitted, looking at the massive horse with a small measure of fear.  

"That's alright, all you need to do is hold on. We'll go slow." The brunette smiled encouragingly and Jongin moved forward, gripping the saddle with hesitant hands. He set his foot into the stirrup and with some help from the brunette, managed to get himself into the saddle without too much issue.  

- 

"Mmmph! Mmmph!" Sehun fought them when they tried to tie him down. They had brought him to a quaint little cottage that did not look like it could even host two of the men, much less seven of them. He had been dumped into a chair and they were now tying him up. The rope chafed against his delicate skin as he struggled, snarling furiously. 

"He's feisty." One of them commented, a smirk tugging at his lips. Sehun growled in his throat, straining against the ropes that crisscrossed across his chest, binding him firmly to the chair.  

“Bind him tighter." another responded and Sehun thrashed up a storm when they tightened the ropes, tying him so tightly that he could not move anywhere. A hand gripped his jaw turning his head so that they could get a good look at him. 

"He'd fetch a good price." Someone commented and Sehun started to tremble. Slave traders. Just his luck. He had to run into slave traders.  

"With that spirit? Probably no good as a pleasure slave. Too young for it." The prince's cheeks warmed and he arched against the chair, snarling and spitting behind the gag. The men chuckled.  

"They'll break him good. Always nice to have a fighter."  

Sehun hissed, the snake in his sleeve stirring. 

Wait. Patience, my Prince. 

The reptile tightened its coils, and he could feel the tiny flutter of its wings brushing against his skin. 

The prince exhaled, his muscles slowly relaxing. He was not going insane. The snake had actually spoken to him.