Jongin was having trouble hanging on. His fingers were cramping from gripping the horse’s mane and reins so tightly and his was sore from the constant bouncing in the saddle.  

The brunette had taken up a seat on the blonde man’s horse, his arms wrapped easily around his waist.  

His eyes twinkled like stars as he watched Jongin struggle to keep in the saddle.  

“You’ll get the hang of it!” He cried out over the billowing wind. Jongin muttered something under his breath and the blonde man turned to shoot him a reproachful look.  

The dragon shrank back, fingers tightening in the horse’s mane. He had not expected him to be able to hear him.  

“We’re nearly there anyway. He won’t have to hang on much longer.”  

The brunette laughed, burying his head into his partner’s back at his response.  

True to his words, the trees before them parted to reveal pearly white gates and a castle made of gleaming marble stood behind them. 

“Jongdae gave them quite the upgrade.” Jongin cocked his head at the unfamiliar name.  

The brunette turned to smile at him as he dismounted, leaping to the ground gracefully. 

“I’m sorry I did not introduce myself. I’m Yixing and this is my husband, Yifan.” The blonde man nodded his head as the white gates swung open on their own, leading his horse inside.  

Jongin found himself shoulder to shoulder with the man called Yixing as his horse pulled forward, eager to follow its partner. 

“I’m Jongin.” He mumbled shyly and Yixing dimpled sweetly at him. 

“Come along, Jongin. We’ll get you some food at the banquet.”  

- 

Sehun remained silent when the traders returned, leering at him.  

“It’ll be getting light soon. I say we take him to the portal the moment the sky lightens so he won’t even think of running.”  

The other men mumbled in agreement as they eyed him. 

“Looks like a prince doesn’t he?” Someone commented. 

“Sure. Like the crown prince of Sivaria. Except he’s dead.” There was a roar of laughter and Sehun’s blood ran cold. 

Dead? 

“The dragon killed him no doubt. The one he tried to save. Wild creatures they are. Uncontrollable.” The man who had tied him up commented. 

“I heard the body they found was so destroyed that it was unrecognizable. If that fairy hasn’t confirmed it with his magic, the queen wouldn’t have believed it. She was so torn up, locked herself in her room for the entire day, they said.”  

Body?  

Sehun was getting more and more confused by the minute. He was alive and well, albeit a prisoner of slave traders.  

And what fairy? If he was alive, how could there be a body to find?  

He snorted at the idea of his stepmother being devastated at the news of his death. Locked herself inside her room to grieve, his . More like locked herself inside to cackle with delight that she did not have to do much of the dirty work herself.   

“The prince is dead. The queen will have to remarry and bear a new heir. Enough of this talk. We have better things to do than sit around all day and talk about Sivaria’s business.”  

Their leader rose to his feet, glancing out the window to see the soft rays of the sun slowly filtering into the forest. 

“Come on, boys. Let’s get him off our hands.”  

A/N:

I'm working as fast as I can to get out more chapters but I need the motivation to work! Can we get 5 comments on this chapter before I post the next? I'm always looking for constructive criticism. Thank you for all your support!