The whole castle had been stirred into a state of barely managed chaos by the impending nuptials—at least, Kai hoped this commotion wouldn't last long. He flattened himself to a wall to avoid a housemaid carrying a stack of linens higher than her head. The only place he had been able to find which lay entirely out of the scope of wedding preparations was actually outside of the castle, in the dirt-floored courtyard. He slipped out there now, and in the spirit of exploration (and not a little depression) he ducked into the stables. It was dark and peaceful inside, except where small sunbeams found their way through cracks in the wall, and the air smelled pleasantly of horses. He sat on a hay bale and breathed a sigh of relief. Motes of dust floated in the sunlight. His hand absentmindedly rubbing the spot an Ildian had once shot him. He stared down at his hands, calloused and tough from years of gripping training blades and faintly scarred from uncontrolled eruptions of his magic. Other nobles had soft, tender hands that they kept smooth with layers of cream and ointment, but no matter how much Kai had treated his, they ended up like this anyway. The hands of a soldier on the body of a prince. He sighed. He spent most of the day, sitting in the stables to avoid anyone, especially his uncle, until he started feeling sleepy and it was then that he slipped into his bedchambers.  The souls brave or foolhardy or politically-minded enough to make the journey northeast started arriving the day before the wedding. As a result the guests had arrived more or less en masse, carriages and carts and all manner of riders, and now on the day of Kai's wedding the palace was full to bursting. He could hear their heartbeats like the clattering claws of a pack of hounds pounding against stone as they race through the corridors, loud and riotous. After all, Kai was a prince and was about to marrying another Prince. Kai loathed ceremonies. No, that was an unfair statement. He didn't hate ceremonies as a rule, just when they involve him being forced to do things he absolutely did not wish to do. He was currently standing in his bedchambers, lacing up his breeches while his attendant strode at the foot of his bed. Kai was due in the grand hall in a quarter of an hour, but he wouldn't rush, not even for this besides his betrothed hadn't arrived yet. He stared at his reflection in the reflector, adjusting his royal ring belt that he used for a variety of outfits. Catspaw dagger and stainless steel wolf ring. Kai veered away from the reflector and headed for the door, a sense of foreboding dragging at the pit of his stomach. Every step toward the grand hall felt like a march toward his doom. He weaved through the throngs of milling people and made his way into the hall, Chanyeol– his personal guard– close on his heels. He was not prone to nerves, but this was a special occasion, and he found his hands trembling a bit as he approached his stepmother where she was standing beside the head table, fussing with his niece' hair. Kai's heart grew a good three sizes at sight of his niece as he glanced around the grand hall. Almost everyone in Enchancia had been invited to the feast, nobles and commoners alike. The best food and drink had been laid out for everyone in the grand hall: animals slaughtered and roasted by the dozens, mountains of jewelled pastries and sweet treats, succulent fruits from the castle's own orchards, and the best wine from the cellars. The celebration spilled out from the confines of the castle walls into the streets of the small town where the servants and guards lived with their families, bright streamers and lanterns adorning the shops and houses, and entertainers of all sorts - minstrels, actors, jugglers, fire-breathers, and sword-swallowers - had been paid good coin to thrill and delight everyone. It was the most extravagant celebration in living memory, all the more excessive when one considered the decades of war between Enchancia and Ilda, which had drained the kingdom's coffers and weakened its people with death and deprivation. But King Heechul had spared no expense in the wedding feast he was throwing in honour of the impending nuptials between Prince Kai and the former Crown Prince of Ilda - former, because he had been forced to abdicate the throne, and leave his country and people to become part of the royal family of Enchancia. In a way, it was a justifiable expense. After all, the marriage would end the decades of bloodshed, and buy them the promise of peace - Enchancia and Ilda, one family at last. But all Kai saw was a grand spectacle intended to thoroughly humiliate their glorified prisoner-of-war in front of all the people of Enchancia, masquerading as a magnanimous offer of peace. Even a fool could see that. Ilda had been at the point of total annihilation, the battle lost  decades ago, if not for their stubborn insistence not to surrender. They did not have vast resources of magic the way Enchancia's warriors did, and it had been their downfall. When the king of Ilda had finally swallowed his pride enough to plead for mercy, his father had offered him a boon with a sting in it. Why else had he insisted that he would take no lesser than the heir apparent as a consort for his own child? Why else had he offered the hand of Prince Kai, a dwarf who might never be a full man again?Kai couldn't help pitying his intended But as the second prince, there was little Kai could do to help ease his new consort's situation even if he'd been inclined to do so - which he was not. Politics bored him, and his eldest brother Junmyeon had political aspirations enough for all of them combined. Still, it did not sit well with him to have to watch another person be brought low like this, enemy or not. "Uncle Kai, " Soojung chimed, and Kai snapped out of his thoughts. She was glancing at him from head to toe, he usually wore a lot of fancy style doublets. And even for his wedding attire he chose to wear what he was more comfortable with. He wore a red leather one with yellow patterns on the collar area.  Soojung grinned. "You look cute."  Kai greeted the queen, then his sister and her consort. He moved to take his seat before pulling Soojung into his lap."Thank you sweetheart! You look cute yourself." Kai shuffled things around on the low table in front of him to get rid of the nerves that plagued him. Beside him, his sister leaned in and kissed his cheek. "How are you holding up?" She asked.
He looked to his right where his father sat, and beside him was his brother(Junmyeon) who had a goblet full of wine in his hand. "Everything's better with some wine in the belly" he heard Junmyeon said to the King. Kai took a deep breath and nodded. "As it is expected of me" was all he said.
****  
Traveling for ten days had taken its toll on Sehun, he would be getting married today and would remain in Enchancia while his traveling companions would be going back to Ilda, without taking a moment of rest. It had been decided that his sister, Yifan and the other would be staying only to bare witness to the nuptials. Sehun didn't want them to linger longer than necessary. He did not trust the Enchancians and probably never would.  They reached the bridge that led from the city to the palace itself, and caught their first glimpse of the Enchancians palace. It sprawled before them, surrounded by mountains larger than their castle back home, larger than the any castle Sehun had seen. There must have been a candle in every window of the palace and then some, because everything shimmered like a thousand golden stars floating in the fading light of day. The Enchancians welcoming committee was arrayed along the wide front steps of the palace. As they rode closer, Sehun spotted the only form he recognized among the impressive line of royal guards: Prince Taehyung– whom he had heard stories about through the bards as the most handsome prince across the kingdoms– standing tall, flanked by two women. He did not see King Heechul or his betrothed, thank the Angel; at least they'd have a bit of a reprieve before dealing with them. The prince descended the steps, the women right behind him, and all three bowed or curtsied in unison. "Your highness," Prince Taehyung said. "I am glad to see you made it safely."  Sehun bowed as best as he could on his horse. "Thank you." He nodded politely, dismounting his ride and began to walk towards them. "This is my sister, princess Taeyeon and her consort." Taehyung introduced. "Father asked us to receive you." Sehun bowed, taking the princess' hand to kiss. "Pleasure" he kissed her wife's hand as well. It was then that he noticed the slightly pointed ears, similar to his sister's on princess Taeyeon's consort.  Half fairy. He mentally noted. “My Lady,” Taehyung greeted Joo-hyun somewhere behind Sehun, but he was already walking forward to offer his hand to the man standing at the front of the crowd, who was watching Sehun like every millimetre of him was of potential use. "I am Kim Minseok, the king's brother, also his advisor." He shook Sehun's hand. "Your highness,” Sehun nodded, and smiled serenely as the man bowed over his hand -- obsequious manners– and then straightened, giving Sehun a smile just as fake as his own. “The King requested I bring you and your companions to the grand hall at once, your highness,” Kim Minseok said. "Taeyeon will see that your luggage is taking to your supposed chambers." Sehun's smile curled upward just a little more, calculated, even though his skin was crawling. “Of course,” he sa