"Sehun!" Jungkook called and Sehun lifted his head to see his knight shifting from one foot to the other. It was a habit of Jungkook whenever he seemed nervous. Gently placing Blink back inside the trunk, Sehun stood up and walked to where his friend was. "Jungkook, is everything all right?" He placed a hand on Jungkook's shoulder inquiringly. "I think Jimin is a telepath!" "Jimin?" "Aye, the pretty nobleman with silver hair" "Oh, how did you–" "He communicated with me inside my head, he knows about Blink." "By the Angel!" Sehun covered his mouth, heart racing as he glanced at where Blink was. He remembered Jimin mouthing 'we need to talk' perhaps was that what he wanted to talk about? Sehun had wondered for a moment why the nobleman wanted to talk to him, now it made sense. He wanted to tell Sehun he knew about his dragon and would likely expose him. "We have to take her out of the palace. I cannot afford to lose her, I cannot allow them to get their hands on her." Jungkook shook his head. "No, I do not think Jimin would expose us. If he wanted to do that he could have done it when the prince was around, but he didn't, instead he used magic to cover her scent from the prince." Which was true, Sehun had seen when the nobleman used magic, he wasn't sure what he did but now that Jungkook had mentioned it he understood clearly.  Sehun opened his mouth to speak but stopped when a portal appeared inside the Chambers– Sehun knew what a portal was, he had seen the Enchancians creating it and brought reenforcement during battles– he flinched and glanced around eyes searching frantically for the nearest object he could use as a weapon. He vaguely noticed when Jungkook came to stand in front of him. But it seemed Jungkook wasn't the only one putting the prince safety first before their own because Blink jumped out of the open trunk and took a defensive stance in front of Sehun as well, her wings flapping, tail swashing around violently. She was so tiny but the act made Sehun's heart to grow a few more sizes. She was willing to protect him.  Unfortunately he couldn't find anything to use as  a weapon, so he braced himself and waited for whoever it was to show themselves. When the person appeared, Sehun eyes widened slightly at the sight of same man they've been talking about moments ago. Blink made a threatening sound, warning Jimin to stay away, and when the silver haired didn't, she blew out a breath of fire and Jimin had to jump to prevent the fire from burning his feet. "Tremendous!" Jimin exclaimed. "I could not believe it when I saw her inside Jungkook's head." He smiled eyes fixed on Blink."I am not here to harm prince Sehun." he said, lowering his head as he took careful steps forward. "My mind is open, you can see through it, I am a telepath just like yourself little one." He bent on his knees and Sehun watched as Blink huffed out a smoke before taking wobbly steps towards her trunk. Obviously she'd deemed him not a threat. "She's just a baby" he never wished for his voice to waver but it did, he couldn't allow any harm to come to Blink. Surprisingly, he felt a strong connection to her. "A baby but wise and dangerous." Jimin said, slowly rising to his feet. "Now I understand why I couldn't read your mind, you mind is protected by magic more powerful than mine." Sehun ignored the way his heart pounded, he straightened his posture."Why are you here?" "To make a deal." The man answered, straight and forward. "Deal?" "Aye, I am willing to keep your secret and help keep her hidden with my magic." His eyes darted to where Blink was laying inside the trunk. "In case you haven't heard, I am one of the most powerful warlocks alive nothing passed through my magic, I was the one that put wards in the palace." He talked humbly yet smug at same time. Sehun looked suspiciously at the man before him. "You'd do that?" He asked. "I would but on one condition." Of course there had to be a catch. Sehun knew the warlocks, the wouldn't do something for an enemy out of the goodness of their heart. "What can I possibly offer you?" Jimin grinned and Sehun didn't miss the way his eyes softened when he briefly looked to where Jungkook stood. "I want you to open your heart and give Kai a chance to love you. He's a good man" "What?" Sehun's eyes got very wide and his mouth stayed in a very careful thin line. "I– i cannot" "Why not?" Jimin crossed his arms. "It's the only thing I am asking for a great cause, if the king finds out I am protecting your dragon, I will be tied with treason and beheaded. I am willing to risk my life and I am only asking little from you." "Why are you willing to risk your life for this?" "Because Kai deserves it, he deserve to be a normal man again. And only you could help make it possible." "Why do you want me to open my heart for the prince? How is that going to make him normal?" "The curse will be lifted." "What curse?" "Do you think this is how Kai has been? A dwarf?" Sehun shook his head. "I do know he was cursed, but I do not understand how opening my heart will lift the curse." "The curse could only be lifted when Kai finds love and be loved in return. And now he is tied to you, you're the suitable person to help with that." "I can't force myself to love him." "That I know of, and I was not asking you to do so. All I want is for you to open your heart and give him a chance when he's ready to love again." Sehun wanted to ask what Jimin meant by love again, but it wasn't his concern. What concerned him was what Jimin was asking of him. He wasn't here to fall in love and he wasn't sure if he could. Sehun had never been in love with anyone and he didn't think he could. "Lord Jimin i–" "Please!" Jimin begged, taking ahold of Sehun's hands, he sounded really desperate and it surprised Sehun. "All you have to do is try. Kai is not a bad man, he is good and with time you'll get to see it." Sehun blinked down at the man, not sure what to say. He glanced over to the dragonet that was looking at Sehun and blinking up at him sleepily. "If don't agree what would you do?" Jimin released his hands before taking a few steps backward. "Then I am afraid i will have to inform Kai and the King. And I do not need to remind you what would happen." He said without looking Sehun in the eye. Sehun placed his hand over his head. He shook his head frantically. "I will do it." He found himself saying. "But do not expect miracles to happen, I cannot force the prince to love me and I also I cannot force myself to love him. It would be the matters of the hearts." Jimin grinned once again and nodded. "I Know, i know. Thank you. That is enough for me to know you're willing to open your heart for Kai." He stretched his hand and Sehun took it, giving it a firm shake. "We have a deal."   ****
Kai scowled in the mirror at the face hovering over his shoulder. Jimin was now way taller than him and slightly broader, just enough that he could look imposing when he wanted to. "Do you think shaving would make me look more respectable?" He asked, a bit of sarcasm seeping into his voice. Fortunately, Jimin was used to him. "Much more so." Kai sighed and let Jimin mix up the soap, but he shaved himself. Even with shaving, it was unlikely his face would stay smooth much past midafternoon. It was one of the first things his papa had explained when he'd taught Kai how to use a razor, how the men in their family(Uxtan Royals) grew full beards and grew them quickly. The grief hit him like a physical blow, hard enough that his hand slipped and the razor nicked his neck. Kai cursed and wiped at it, but the wound healed quickly, the only sign it had even been there was a drop of blood mixing with the lather on his skin. He picked up the razor to start shaving again, but his hands shook so badly he couldn't hold it properly. Jimin pulled it from his grip before Kai could cut himself again. "Allow me." Kai wanted to protest—he'd been shaving himself since he was fourteen, damn it, he could do it—but his throat was tight with tears he refused to let fall. He was in no position to argue. He hated this: hated that the grief hit him at unexpected times, hated that it left him shaking and unable to speak without breaking down. He was supposed to be holding it together, supposed to be stoic. But every time he made it a few hours, a few days, something happened to remind him that his father was gone, and it left him feeling as brittle as thin glass. Jimin made quick work of his beard, and then stepped away to let Kai wash the lather from his face and wipe it down. He almost didn't recognize the man staring back at him. "I look a few years younger," Kai muttered, his voice coming out far rougher than normal. Jimin, as usual, completely ignored it, as he did most of Kai's moods. "Then you and prince Sehun may as well be the same age." Kai closed his eyes and stifled a groan. He might look younger, but he would never look innocent. He knew, Sehun was younger than him and that would never change no matter how much he appeared younger after shaving. Jimin was one of a handful of people who could speak to him like that and get away with it. And if he stayed here any longer, Kai would have to continue to put up with it. He made the decision to get the meetings over with and stalked toward the door. For his attendance at the war council, Kai had chosen the most formal outfit he had from a chest of spare clothes he kept in Jimin's guest room He made his way to his rooms in the tower with Jimin, Chanyeol, and a small entourage of personal guards and rapped smartly on the door, the irony of having to knock on the door of his own rooms was not lost on him. The door was opened by Sehun's guardsman, and when Kai saw Sehun coming out of the bedchamber, he stopped so suddenly that Jimin walked into him from behind. Sehun was clean-shaven too, probably courtesy of Taemin, and dressed in a similar fashion to Kai, except that he had done all his many, many buttons up all the way to his throat and pulled his sleeves down to his wrists, and he had tucked the loose ends of his sash in neatly. The colours he had chosen were also much more subdued - his shirt was a rich cobalt blue and his vest was black, with jet-black beads that seemed almost invisible unless he moved and they caught the light. There was a thin edging of silver at his cuffs and collar, and thin threads of silver ran through the black sash at his waist, but otherwise he seemed to have managed to pick out the darkest colours from the wide array of clothing Kai had ordered for him - the kind of colours that would allow him to melt into the shadows.  And yet, Kai had no doubt that every head would turn as Sehun walked past. He was a vision - fashionable, attractive, every inch a noble prince worthy of Enchancia's royal court. The long sleeves, high collar, and ankle-length trousers covered all his rune marks, his long red hair looked perfectly presentable when neatly tied back with a length of ribbon, and without the scruff on his face he looked like an entirely different person.  But Kai decided that he rather missed the scruff and the Ilda clothing Sehun used to wear. Something about Sehun reminded Kai of riding out on the hunt with Namjoon, of running barefoot through the small town outside the castle walls of Uxtan, of the quiet woods and the heady smell of raw earth. Kai had gradually learnt to bear many things, but Sehun was never meant to be confined in silk shirts and beaded vests with too many buttons. Sehun had been fidgeting with his cuffs and glaring down at himself like he dearly wanted to brutally murder his clothes, but when he noticed their presence his head snapped up immediately and he froze.  Kai wished he had Seokjin's gift for soothing. Instead, he stepped a little closer and pulled Sehun's wrists towards himself, adjusting his cuffs for him. When he looked up, Sehun's eyes met his only briefly before they widened in surprise and fear, and Kai hated that he was suddenly made self-conscious of his wolf eyes, their odd reflectiveness and red pupils more obvious up close. He dropped Sehun's wrists abruptly and took a step back. Why had he let Jimin talk go to his head? It was impossible - there was no way that love could grow in the chasm of difference between him and Sehun. Kai disappeared into his bedchamber to steal a few moments to collect himself, and returned with a simple silver ring with a large onyx set in it. He held it out to Sehun, who just stared at it until Kai huffed impatient