As Sehun left the ballroom, he didn't bother searching for Kai or calling for Jungkook, at least his guardsman deserved a free good night. His heart hammered as he rounded a corner, thinking about what Junmyeon had said. He would have to be careful, if Junmyeon actually knew Sehun hadn't slept with Kai he didn't even want to think of what the prince would do. Rubbing his temple, Sehun looked at the walls and ceiling and decided to explore the palace a bit before going to bed, now that almost everyone were at the celebration, he turned and changed directions. He started slow, taking in all the uniqueness of the palace that was very different from the one back home. He got to some lit corridor at the ground floor. Quick steps approached him before he had made it to his destination , Sehun looked over to see Kai, Chanyeol, and Jennie hurrying toward him with a smile on Kai's face. Sehun's shoulders drooped a little. “Sehun! I've been looking all over for you–i had to track you with you scent." “I thought…” Sehun slowed to a stop and allowed Kai to enter his space and looked down at the little man looking up at him .  "I am sorry, I had to leave in the middle of a dance." "It's okay, you shouldn't have to apologise."He tried for a smile and hoped it was convincing. "My uncle– i had to run from his–" "Kim Kai!” An angry voice snapped from down the corridor. They all turned to see a red faced Minseok running after Kai. “Uncle I need to be with my husband! It is of great importance ” Kai defended and pulled Sehun along, trying to escape down a corridor. “You will set a time for tomorrow and you will swear by the goddess to arrive without delay!” Minseok snapped. Kai heaved a sigh and held up a finger at Sehun. “I’ll be quick.” He jogged back over to his uncle to settle the argument, leaving Sehun alone in the corridor. Chanyeol and Jennie had caught up with Kai. Sehun shook his head at Kai's antics and walked over to the wall of the corridor to trace his fingers along the designs set into the stone. There was no room or hallway or structure without art. It seemed every design had a purpose or a story to tell. Sehun wondered at them as he walked along, fingertips trailing lightly along the smooth surface. He was so engrossed in following the story unfolding with little characters near the top of the wall, that he didn’t notice he was no longer in a corridor but a tunnel, the tunnel curving and bringing him further away from Kai. That shouldn’t have been a problem. The tunnel was empty of anyone else except a lone woman. She turned out to be an issue. “You shouldn’t be here,” she said, her voice full of contempt. Sehun's head snapped over to her. She had a look on her face that he recognized, one that said he was useless and unworthy of existence. Sehun ignored her and turned to go back the other direction, but she darted forward, quicker that he would have expected, and placed herself in his path. She had dark hair and a patch over one eye. What skin was showing was covered in scars. The woman looked hardened and angry, and that anger was now Sehun. “What do you want?” Sehun asked, calmly. It was easier to buy time if he could get them talking– he could fight, one of the best but she got magic running in her veins and Sehun's not so sure he could win. Soon the others would notice him missing and intervene. Sehun wasn’t a fan of getting harrassed and he wasn’t as adept in Enchancia politics to know the right thing to say. “I want you and your ways out of my Kingdom,” she sneered. “We do not want or need your type. We will not conform to your elitist ways just so you can have our kingdom under your boot!” “I feel like you’re expecting a lot from a single person.” Sehun resisted rolling his eyes. It wasn’t like he had any ability to make change in his position anyways. "I have no intention to change anything in Enchancia." “Because of you prince Kai is willing to renew trade between our kingdoms that had stop centuries ago and we do not want it, we do not want you here. You are a disease. More will follow. I will not let you corrupt this Kingdom!” It was a common reaction to foreigners in a Kingdom that rarely saw such people and Sehun should have seen that coming. “I don’t believe my presence is up to you.” “You are weak, we want nothing to do with you prince of Ilda.” she spat. Literally spat. Sehun took a step back as it landed on the floor. “You will not survive this land, I will make sure of it.” Sehun narrowed his eyes. “If you are challenging me to a duel—” She laughed at him as she pulled out a dagger and Sehun could see claws rapping around the bottom with a spark of magic on her fingertips, it was then that he noticed canines in – part warlock, part werewolf– just like Kai. “You think the world is so fair?” she mocked. “Poor little Ildian without a weapon.” Sehun backed away, putting distance between them. He could fight, and he could duel well. It wouldn’t be the first time that someone tried to attack him at a disadvantage and away from the eyes of others. He’d learned how to deal with it as best he could. Wasting no more time, the woman ran at him with a dagger. He dodged it easily. She was unprepared for how quick and agile he had learned to be. He kicked, intending to land a blow to the ankle, which was a trick that had always served him well, but she dropped and rolled out of his way. Sehun backed up as she sprang back to her feet and ran at him again. She was prepared for him to dodge that time and slashed in a wide arc. He wasn’t stupid and knew an attack like that was coming. He dropped down and swept his arms up to knock the attacking arm up and darted in. He was confident that he had the advantage right up until her knee connected with his gut, knocking the air from him and used her hand to shoot magic into his stomach. Alarm bells went off in his head and he scrambled back, desperately trying to in air. She pressed forward unrelentingly, so he turned and ran towards safety. If he could catch his breath, he could shout for Kai or Chanyeol or Jennie and he knew they'd save him. If only he had Taehyung's gift with him right now, things would have been easier. He was quick, but the mysterious woman was a force to be reckoned with, and he was compromised already. When she caught up, Sehun dropped and twirled behind her. She spun around with a kick, and he barely dodged it in time. His ears were ringing and his blood was pounding and he was gasping for breath. She hardly looked affected. It seemed unfair. All in all, Sehun knew how to fight with a sword when dirty tricks were rarely used for fear of being killed in the battlefield. Perhaps if he had a dagger or a sword, he would have been able to easily keep her at bay. Perhaps if she didn’t have a dagger, werewolf strength, and magic, he would have stood a better chance. But he noticed the woman used the blade more than the magic on her fingertips. He could work with that. Sehun barely missed the blade that time, and it scratched across his robe. She bared her canines at him as he focused on her limbs, trying to see the next attack in time to dance out of the way. If he could get her arm over extended, then he could possibly jar her wrist and get her to drop it. It would leave him open for attack, but a grappling match was better than her with a weapon and him without. Just as he was trying to form a plan for that, she was suddenly gone. Sehun blinked and refocused on the world around him. The woman was being thrown into a wall, the dagger clattering onto the floor. Loud staccato thumps of fists into flesh rang out before she dropped to the ground. A moment later, Kai had his clawed hands wrapped around . Kai's face was like nothing Sehun had seen on the man. It was feral — his eyes glazed red– even redder than they used to be– with rage. His breathing was harsh and spittle flew from his lips. The woman writhed and struggled against him, but he only removed one hand to pummel her for it. She was landing blows against him, but it was obvious he didn’t register them. He wasn’t fully there, not anymore. The only thing he responded to was when she tried to claw his eyes out. It occurred to Sehun that he was going to kill her. That really wouldn’t work out in his favor. Killing a malcontent only made things worse and would leave Sehun with a terrible reputation from the start. Not to mention, Sehun was highly against murder. He had to stop it. Sehun ran over and took hold of Kai's wrists. He kept his voice loud enough to pierce through the obvious fog of Kai's mind but calm and even so as not to provoke further attack. “Stop.” There was no reaction, just Kai's harsh breathing as the woman’s eyes rolled and her hands struggled to continue fighting. Sehun tried again. “Kai. Stop.” At last, Kai blinked. He took a deep and shuddering breath before blinking many times more, as if trying to focus on what was before him, but not making sense of it. Mentally, he didn’t seem to be in the same room as everyone else, and Sehun couldn’t help but wonder what it was Kai was seeing instead. Sehun ran one hand up Kai arm in a soothing manner and hoped it would help ground Kai to the current reality. “You have to stop.” Kai's fingers loosened and the women took a harsh and rattling breath, blood dripping down her neck from Kai's claws. Sehun guided Kai's hands away as she coughed and scrambled further away from them. Kai stayed silent, his eyes darting around the floor but not settling on anything. “Come on. Let’s go back to the chambers,” Sehun said in the same calm tone. Abruptly, Kai leaned forward and undid the belt around the woman’s waist that contained the sheath for her dagger. He stood up and retrieved the blade as well, placing it in its holder and gripping it tight in one hand. "Take her to the dungeons" he ordered and that was when Sehun noticed a few guards with Kai's insignia on them. They moved to carry out their orders.  With his other hand, he took hold of Sehun's wrist and started walking them away. Sehun felt as if he was being dragged by a child, it was almost funny with how tall he was being led by a man half his height. Chanyeol and Jennie fell into line, doing their best to keep up with Kai's rapid strides and again Sehun wondered how a short man like Kai was able to walk faster than taller men. None of them spoke, and Kai seemed only focused on his breathing and destination. Sehun wasn’t sure if the woman was going to survive afterwards. He tried to tell himself that such things mattered, but he honestly didn’t care for her well being after all of that. Kai didn’t slow down until they reached the chambers. Jennie and Chanyeol took up a post outside. A servant was inside cleaning but one look at Kai's face had him running from the room. Kai stood there quietly, just breathing, backlit by dim lights. “Kai…” Sehun kept his voice soft, but Kai still flinched at the sound. “I’m fine.” The wrist Kai had been gripping was suddenly released. It throbbed as the blood flow returned to normal, but Sehun ignored that. He walked up and placed light and careful fingers on Kai's short arm. “Are you?” Sehun asked, unsure of how to help Kai through whatever it was he was dealing with. “This was my fault,” Kai whispered, the leather of the belt creaking as his hand clenched. “You were weaponless.” “I can hold my own.” Kai turned his head to look at Sehun at last. “I know you're good at combat but she could have killed you.” “I grant you that I am better with a sword, but I’m not helpless,” Sehun insisted. “That’s not the point.” “Then what is the point?” “I was stupid and I almost lost you.” Kai said it with such feeling, as if, somehow, he would have been truly upset if something had happened to Sehun. “I’m not going anywhere,” Sehun promised, pulling Kai to seat. Kai sat, then turned and wrapped Sehun tight in his arms, keeping them pressed close together."I am sure you probably hate me now." Sehun didn’t fight it and allowed Kai the moment he needed. After a time, Kai spoke so quietly it was almost lost through the chamber. “I don’t want to lose anyone else again.” Sehun's chest constricted. He pulled his hands up and wrapped them around Kai in return. Sehun knew that feeling all too well. The least he could do was comfort Kai until the anxiety passed. Perhaps Sehun was a little too prepared for his imminent demise in the dangerous lands of Enchancia, but Kai obviously wasn’t. And even though Sehun tried to tell himself that Kai's reaction did not affect him, it was a lie. It was nice to be cared for. It was nice to see someone afraid for him. It was nice to matter to someone apart from his family. "Go to bed Kai." He said pulling away from the dwarf as he