The crow had lingered only long enough for Sehun to scribble a brief refusal in reply, but they had sent another insistent letter indicating that they would soon be making the journey towards Enchancia in secret, with hopes of reaching during the spring festival. A poison that would make his heart beat stop temporarily was attached to the letter. This third letter had driven Sehun to distraction; he did not know how to make them understand that he didn't need or want to be rescued, but tiny scraps of bark and parchment were hardly sufficient for such a lengthy conversation, and it was too unwise to put down all the myriad reasons why in writing anyway. Sehun place was here, and he saw now that his abdication and marriage had in some ways been a blessing in disguise. Although he was a soldier at heart, and preferred the clean and honest conflict of blade against blade and fist against fist, he would have been king one day, and knew that sometimes the subtle knife of diplomacy was a far more useful weapon. Kai and Jimin respected his opinion, and with Jimin's vast knowledge of Enchancia's history and law, and half the war council on Kai's side, as Kai's consort Sehun could help shape the future of their two kingdoms better than he could have as a warrior, or even as a powerless king of his own country. What use would he be to Ilda even if they succeeded in getting him out of Enchancia? He could never go home to Ilda. He would be a fugitive of both Enchancia and Ilda, forever doomed to hide in the wilderness and no man's land between the two kingdoms, and if the ruse were ever to be discovered or they were caught, he was certain that Yifan and Joo-hyun would be executed along with him for high treason. Besides, too many things were waiting to go wrong in Yifan and Joo-hyun's plan. To the people of ilda, a corpse was just an empty vessel, the warrior's spirit having long moved on to Auriel's glorious fields of the next world. Good lumber was too precious to be used for a funeral pyre, and the ground in the mountains was too hard and rocky for burial, they do bury their people sometimes. But mostly they left their dead on the highest mountain peak, exposed to the sky - a gift to the birds and scavengers, and placed at the mercy of the elements, so that flesh and bone would return to the embrace of Auriel and her circle of life and death. Sehun did not know how Enchancia honoured those who had passed, but it was possible that they burned their dead - in which case, he would be burned alive, and there would only be ashes left for Joo-hyun and Yifan - or he might be buried in the ground to suffocate, both miserable deaths. There was also the possibility that his siblings might not reach him in time, and he would then die from the poison anyway. Perhaps they had assumed that he would have preferred death to his current situation, but that could not be further from the truth. He was not a free man, that was true, but what prince or king was ever truly free? A crown was just a shackle in a different shape. And yet, for once, Sehun could see a vision of the future that did not make him feel hollowed out - one where Enchancia and Ilda were so intertwined by trade that peace suited them both better than war, and where Sehun himself could find a measure of peace in his own life, married to a good man with whom he could find companionship - and dare he hope it - something a little more than friendship. Yes, Kai was as quick tempered as he was quick witted, and although any suggestions he put forth in their discussions were always to the benefit of Enchancia first, and Ilda second, he was not an unreasonable man. At first, Sehun had struggled with his feelings, confused and unsure if what he felt for Kai was simply a mixture of blind lust and a formless gratitude for the kindness Kai had shown him.  But in the weeks they had spent together, even knowing the highs and lows of Kai's sometimes capricious moods and despite the wariness of magic that Sehun could not shake off, the heat of desire in Sehun's veins had not cooled, every night spent lying close to Kai but not daring to even touch him was a torment, and the growing strength of his own feelings had frightened Sehun a little. Maybe after they had secured peace for both their kingdoms, and Sehun had averted the danger his siblings were running headlong into, he would finally allow himself some time to think of how to form the words to tell Kai how he felt They were sat in Kai's room after having dinner and just like that, Sehun found himself sharing details with Kai that he never thought he would share with anyone, let alone someone he was raised to fear since childhood.  They were both on the floor, legs sprawled out in front of them as they sat side by side, lazily reclining against the edge of Kai's bed telling story after story, his hands animatedly telling the stories. He smiled back at Kai whenever he successfully made him laugh, and no matter how big or small it was, Sehun could tell it was a heartfelt laugh. He told him stories about terrorizing the cook with practical jokes, playing games with Joo-hyun and Yifan, and even about his mother. “She used to hum as she tended the flowers in the garden,” Sehun recalled. “She would never let on that she heard me whenever I tried to sneak up on her. She’d act surprised and laugh with me as she set me down in her lap, showing me how to care for the different flowers.” He felt the tears sting his eyes as he recalled the last few days of her illness. “I ripped up every single one of those flowers the night she died,” Sehun weakly admitted, keeping his eyes fixed on the ground. He remembered breathing heavily as he ripped flowers after flowers, his heart beating loudly in his ears as he dug up the dirt.  He was crying so hard he couldn’t sense Joo-hyun come up behind him, until she wrapped him up in her embrace, calming him as he thrashed against her, screaming out that he didn’t want her to touch him. He didn’t want to be calmed by someone else, he wanted his mother, but it’s hard to explain to a nine year old that you’re only trying to help them feel less alone. “I was so mad. At her. At my dad. Even at myself,” Sehun let a few tears fall without attempting to wipe them away “I was mad that those flowers were still alive but that she was dead. That after all the time, the effort that she put into caring for them, and they were going to keep on living. I was mad that I couldn’t be like those flowers and keep from feeling her loss.” Sehun released a small sob when he felt the weight of Kai's arm rest across the span of his shoulders, offering a silent support. “We’ve both lost so much, Kai,” Sehun stated, wiping his tears away with the back of his sleeve. “How do we fix that? How do we fix everyone?” Kai turned his head to look at Sehun. His eyes almost full of something unreadable as he spoke . “We can’t fix it, but we can try to move on. Together.” Sehun released a deep yawn, resting his head against the bed as he started to doze. Smiling, Kai helped Sehun to stand, despite the groaning and complaining coming from the taller man. “It’s late,” Kai replied as led them to the bed.
****
The next morning, Sehun wanted to ask what had happened to the woman that attacked him few weeks ago but Kai didn't give him the chance to do so as he decided to take Sehun around the palace, they started at the kitchen and met Taehyung on the way who happily joined them –in attempt to get to know Sehun– were Sehun met a few of Kai's friends, he came to learn that Taemin was one of Kai's childhood friends just like Jimin. Sehun had seen the man and he knew was close to his guardsman but he never expected him to be close to the prince. "Prince Sehun!" Taemin beamed, then he turned to where Kai stood. "Kai– i mean prince Kai." "Oh drop the formalities Taemin. I am here as a friend not a prince." "Oh right." He smiled again. "How are enjoying Enchancia? Has Kai shown you all the nice place in the kingdom?" Sehun shook his head. "I haven't left the place since–" he trailed off. "You shouldn't keep such pretty man in the high Castle, show him around or are you afraid someone is going to take him form you, dwarf?" He joked and Kai laughed. Sehun snorted, amused by this bubbly, smiling boy with no verbal filter. Shaking his head, Kai said, “Taemin is one of the cooks, obviously. We’ve known each other since we were born.” “Used to run through the castle gardens in our nappies,” Taemin confirmed, and Sehun laughed at the visual of a little Kai being chased amongst the flowerbeds by butlers and handmaidens, laughing and toddling along on wobbly legs. He has no idea what Kai looked like as a child, but he’s certain that he was adorable, and imagined he was a hell-raiser. For a fleeting moment, he could see himself in a couple of years, chasing toddlers with brown hair and bright red eyes around the castle and grounds while Kai watched and laughed, and the scene was so vivid, felt so real that Sehun jerked back violently and bumped into one of the tables hard enough to send it sliding a few inches across the floor with an almighty clatter.  Blushing furiously, Sehun straightened himself up and gripped the table, avoiding Kai’s eyes even though he could feel Kai watching him. He'd never been very good at hiding his emotions lately, was afraid of what might be written across his face, so he stayed hunched over the table under the guise of scooting it slowly back into place until his heart had stopped rabbiting in his chest and his face was no longer burning. "Everything alright, Sehun?” Kai was still watching him, brows furrowed in concern. Sehun just nodded and tucked his hands carefully behind his back, tried desperately to forget his vision. He’d known Kai only a matter of weeks, he shouldn't be thinking of Kai this way– of having Kai's children. By the time Sehun turned back into the conversation, Taemin had disappeared and Kai was gesturing Sehun toward one of the tables. Taemin reappeared a moment later and set a wooden tray on the table, laden with thick, fluffy loaves of bread and a wedge of soft cheese. He clapped Kai on the shoulder and said, “I have to go back to work, but just leave the board there when you’re done, I’ll get it later.” Sehun ate his bread and cheese in silence, listening to Kai and Taehyung chatter aimlessly and ignoring all attempts to draw him into the conversation. At one point, he felt pressure against his knee, looked up to find Kai's eyes intent on him, even while he spoke to his brother. Swallowing thickly around a piece of bread, Sehun dropped his gaze to the table, but pushed back helplessly against Kai's hand that was rested on his knee. There was a smile in Kai's voice when he next spoke. "Now now, who do we have here?"  They all turned around to see Junmyeon strolling into the kitchen with a few guards trailing behind him. "Having a good time with the servants, are we?" The oldest prince said. "Oh, I was just introducing Sehun to my other friends and showing him around the palace." Kai's voice was calm, but Sehun could feel the edge in it. "You've been doing a lot of introduction lately little brother." Junmyeon said, coming to a stop in front of Sehun, he raised a hand and brush his fingers roughly through Sehun's hair, causing Sehun to jerk violently. "What is the meaning of this?" Kai stood from his seat. "he's my consort, need I remind you, you're not supposed to touch him?" He moved to shove his brother not so gently away from Sehun's side, with a strength Sehun had seen Kai used the night he saved him. Junmyeon scoffed. "Oh please, like I've said you don't fool me brother. It appears to me you do not want him." He said voice going low like he was about to tell a secret. "Let me have him and you can have his sister instead. He'll make a good ." He finished his statement, sending a wink Sehun's way. "Junmyeon!" Taehyung said, rising angrily from his seat. "Show some respect, Sehun is Kai's husband, father will not be pleased to hear this." "Father knows when I am right" he cluck his tongue, stretching a hand to touch Sehun again but Kai was fast to hold Junmyeon's, twisting it until Sehun heard the bones cracked and a pained groan escaped Junmyeon's lips. "You bastard–" "The next time you touch Sehun again, i will forget you're my elder brother and disembodied it from your body." He said, voice dangerously low and there was a promise in those words. "He is my husband, my man, not yours to touch. Mine." he growled, and Sehun didn't need to look to know Kai had claws and canines elongated. He released Junmyeon's hand and pulled