Namjoon blinked in the early morning sunshine, stretching his arms up as though to embrace the sky, yawning. He wished he could sleep a little longer, but he had to go hunting for breakfast as they were out of meat. As he walked through the garden, he paused to admire Hoseok's flowers and the dozens of beautiful butterflies fluttering about.

Taehyung strolled by, and in his good mood Namjoon greeted him with a kiss on the cheek. The fae looked at him in amazement. "Um... thank you?"

"You're welcome!"

A little way off, Yoongi was inspecting some trees and Namjoon hurried to see him, bursting to tell him what he learned last night.

"Oh, Joon, there you are," said the dryad. "I was wondering if-"

Yoongi's voice died in his throat in shock as Namjoon kissed his cheek. "Good morning!" the dragon said cheerfully, beaming, not seeming to be bothered that Yoongi looked at him as though he had grown two heads.

"Have you lost your mind?" Yoongi cried, wiping his cheek. "Yuck! Why would you-"

"But it was a greeting!" Namjoon protested, hurt. "You did not know that, did you? Well, I finally know something about humans that you do not!"

"Do tell me," the dryad said drily.

"A kiss is not the first step of mating, like you said it was," Namjoon explained proudly. "It can be a greeting and farewell, too."

"Where did you hear this?"

"Hayun told me! A firefly kissed me last night and she said it was a kiss that meant good night."

Yoongi's eyes widened. "That is not what a kiss means at all! What kind of greeting or farewell is done so intimately?"

"Well..." Namjoon hesitated. "Among friends, I suppose?"

"No, no, no!" Yoongi frowned. "I have never seen that - I have only seen kisses between two people for mating, never anything else."

"Really?"

"Yes. Once I made a branch fall on a young couples' head because they were kissing and were going to mate against my tree!" Yoongi shuddered at the memory.

Namjoon recoiled, horrified. "But I do not want to mate you!"

"As tempting as that sounds, I'm afraid I do not want to either," Yoongi deadpanned. "Kisses are not a greeting or farewell, Joon."

"So she lied to me?" Namjoon asked, confused.

Yoongi pursed his lips. "I.... I suppose so.."

"But why?" The dragon sounded absolutely bewildered. "Why did she say the firefly kissed me and it was a greeting? I even kissed her good night!"

A flash of understanding dawned on the dryad's face. "You kissed her? Hmm... maybe she said that because she wanted you to kiss her..."

"You mean...."

Yoongi nodded gravely. "Yes, Joon, I think she lied to you because she wanted kisses."

"But I do not understand why she would want kisses from me... to the point of lying..."

"Well perhaps she is embarrassed. Or she is dropping a big hint!"

"A hint?"

"Yes, a hint that she wants to mate with you.... It looks like she likes you very much."

Namjoon's jaw fell open in horror. "B-but I do not want to!" he said anxiously. "Yoongi, what am I supposed to do now? I even kissed her! Does that mean I already completed the first step of the human mating ritual?"

"Well... let us just wait and see what will happen," Yoongi said thoughtfully. "For now, do not worry - human mating rituals are not binding like dragon ones are. Nothing will happen to you because of that kiss - you did not do it with that intention so it is alright."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, do not worry," the dryad said reassuringly. "Just be careful and do not kiss her again."

"I do not understand why she would pick me, though.. we have only been friendly for two days or so. Before that, she feared me..."

"Human affections are quick to grow," Yoongi explained. "This is bothersome, though... I did not think we would have to deal with something like this... Oh my, look at that! She just came outside and is looking around, probably for you..."

"I should go," Namjoon said hastily. "Thank you for clearing things up and helping me, Yoongi! I will see you later!"

The dragon nearly stumbled in his haste to disappear, and within seconds shimmering dark scales took the place of skin, and the powerful beat of wings left a small cloud of dust behind.


****

"- so Yoongi told me the truth! And it turns out that human picked me to mate with and I kissed her and now I don't know what to do because I don't want to mate with her but I kissed her!" Namjoon finished breathlessly. He had finished hunting and was relieved not to have bumped into her, and he had hurried to confide in the nymph.

"Hmmm..." said Seokjin thoughtfully. "That sounds quite complicated. But perhaps you should go ahead, you know? This mountain could use another dragon and-"

"SEOKJIN!" Namjoon screamed.

"All right, all right, it was only a suggestion!" the nymph protested. "You are lucky someone wants you to mate with, you know! I do not know why she did not pick me! My offspring would be so much better looking than yours, and less troublesome!"

"Oh, then why don't you woo her?" Namjoon suggested.

"A nymph does not woo anyone," Seokjin replied firmly. "And I am not ready to have children yet."

"And you think I am ready for that?" Namjoon scoffed.

"I do not think you will ever be ready, dragon," the nymph teased. "You yourself are like a child!"

"I am not!" Namjoon whined. "This is all very troublesome..."

"Perhaps you should ignore her," Seokjin suggested. "Perhaps she picked you because you were so kind to her, although we are all kind." The nymh frowned, not able to understand.

"I do not like ignoring anyone," Namjoon pouted. "I will see.... if she brings up kissing again..."

"All right.... just do what you feel is right, even if that is mating." The nymph grinned wickedly.

"SEOKJIN!"

"Now come, let us go for breakfast, it must be ready. And we can see how she behaves and take decisions accordingly."

"You are right.... let us see..."

***

Hayun's face heated up when she saw Namjoon come in the kitchen with Seokjin, but she said hello to both of them and tried not to be awkward. He was a dragon, she reminded herself. And that kiss was perfectly innocent... he did it because of what she had said, that's all. It would be wrong if she became strange over something like that, after she had gotten friendly with him.

To her surprise, he seemed a bit wary and not talkative. Perhaps he was tired... or sad and worried again about the humans he would have to fight.

Wordlessly, Hayun placed another piece of meat on his plate, missing the way Seokjin and Yoongi's eyes widened and the dragon took a sharp breath. "T-thank you..."

"You seem tired," she said. "Did you have a bad night?"

"I... um... yes, I did," Namjoon replied, avoiding her gaze.

"Come with us after, Namjoon!" Hoseok said. "Hayun and I are going to garden! You can help us and we can all have fun!"

"Ah... I... I am busy," the dragon gulped.

"With what?"

"I... I have to sort my treasures! Clean and polish them, you know..."

"We can help you and then garden!" Hoseok beamed.

"Yes, that sounds good!" Hayun agreed, and Namjoon had no choice but to say yes, the nymph and dryad grinning at what seemed to be a secret joke.

Taehyung and Jimin made a noisy entrance, holding hands as usual and giggling like naughty children who had a secret. However, as soon as the smallest fae spotted the dragon his face darkened.

"Namjoon, you and I. Outside. Right now." Jimin glared daggers, and Taehyung tried to hug him and soothe him, but to everyone's shock he was shaken off.

"What is going on?" asked Yoongi.

Jimin pointed a tiny index finger at Namjoon, trembling with rage. "Him! He kissed Taetae!"

Seokjin choked on his soup, and as Yoongi patted his back he frowned. "He meant it as hello, Jimin. And what's the big deal? You and Tae kiss each other anyway. He kissed me too."

Hayun looked at Namjoon - who was pink in embarrassment - with amazement. Did he really go around kissing everyone because of what she had said about the firefly?

"It's a misunderstanding," the poor dragon tried to explain, but Jimin was - shockingly - too angry to let him speak.

"YOU KISSED HIM AND I SAW IT WITH MY OWN EYES! THERE IS NO MISUNDERSTANDING THERE!"

Hayun could bear it no longer - what a mess this was! "I'm so sorry! It's my fault, I told him that kisses can mean hello and goodbye!"

"Well it does not," Yoongi said.

"But it does!" she insisted. "It's like a hug!"

"I have never seen that and I have been around humans for a very long time."

"He is our human expert!" Hoseok put in.

Ah yes - the expert who had told Namjoon to dress and bathe her, and who apparently did not think kisses could possibly mean hello or goodbye. Hayun grit her teeth. "Well, I am human and I'm telling you it can also mean-"

"Whatever," Jimin cut in. "I do not care anymore." He stormed out of the room, Taehyung running after him trying to soothe him.

"They are a little territorial," Seokjin said, seeing Hayun's expression.

"Oh," she said, still taken aback at how angry Jimin was that Namjoon kissed his soulmate's cheek.

"I did not know it would upset Jimin," Namjoon said, sounding distressed. "It was just that I was in a good mood and happy to see Tae!"

"Just be careful next time," said Yoongi. "Kiss them both on the cheek next time, not just one. Perhpas they will be less territorial then, because I think if you kiss Jimin, Taehyung willl get angry too."

"There will be no next time!" Namjoon declared, a bit horrified. "Yuck, I cannot believe I-"

Hoseok burst into loud laughter, the pure joy and happiness radiating off him into everyone. "Eat up! Eat up! Let's go and clean treasure and then garden!"

"Will Jimin and Namjoon be alright soon?" Hayun whispered to Seokjin, who nodded and whispered back, "Don't worry about it, fae tempers are quick to rise but even quicker to die down."

Namjoon still seemed a bit upset despite the flower fae's sunny influence, and Hayun sighed. These fairyfolk and dragon all seemed extremely sensitive and territorial. He seemed to cheer up when they went to his treasure room - a large room filled with rows of books, elaborate tapestries of unicorns and faefolk, and heaps of gold and jewelry. Everything was a disorganized mess, spilling everywhere.

"Dragons and their hoarding!" Hoseok huffed, opening a chest stuffed with treasure and also - to Hayun's amusement - cheap but pretty trinkets. "Joon, we should throw some things out, you have too much and -"

"No!" Namjoon said immediately.

Hoseok sighed. "All right. So, how do we polish treasure?" The fae held up a golden cup and inspected it. "This seems fine to me! It looks shiny and clean!"

"Not everything needs to be polished! Also, do not touch anything without asking me, how many times must I tell you!" The dragon took the cup and put it away, and Hayun held back a laugh - so, the dragon was very territorial about his treasure!

They eventually decided to sort one of the chests into two piles - one pile for things that needed some attention, and one for the things that were fine. They sat cross legged on the floor, the large chest between them. Hayun was very careful in her handling of them, as she saw the way Namjoon watched them both like a hawk.

"There are so many pretty things here," she said admiringly, holding up a beautiful pair of pearl earrings that seemed to glow, as though there was light within them.

"That will look beautiful on you!" Hoseok cried, and held them to her ear. "Look, Namjoon! What do you think?"

"Y-yes.... very nice," Namjoon muttered, and it looked as though he was about to say something but changed his mind. "Put that in the first pile, it does not need polishing..."

Hoseok shrugged, and they carried on with sorting until Namjoon declared, "I will take care of the rest."

Seems like no one really trusts anyone with whatever it is they are territorial over, Hayun reflected. At least Hoseok seemed open to her request of whether she could help out in the garden, but only after she told him she had a lot of experience with growing things since after all, she was a peasant and growing crops was something she had done since she could walk.

"You have a lot of pretty treasures," she said, and Namjoon nervously smiled.

"He trades a lot with the elves and dwarves!" Hoseok said. "They come here sometimes, to trade! Namjoon trades furs for jewels."

"Elves and drarves come to trade?" Hayun exlaimed, excited. "How about unicorns? Do they exist?"

The two magicfolk chuckeled.

"I can see you really do not fear us anymore," said the dragon, smiling but this time a genuine one. "That is good!"

"Of course not!" Hoseok cried. "Why should she? And yes! Unicorns exist! They are very shy and do not show themselves often."

"I always loved stories about unicorns," Hayun explained. "We had a work-horse in the filed, to pull the plough, and when I was a child I would imagine it was a unicorn and invent stories about it."

"Do not say this to a unicorn, ever!" Hoseok said, alarmed. "They would consider this offensive!"

"O-offensive?!"

"It is alright," said Namjoon. "You were just a child and it seems back then you liked magic."

"Well, still, the unicorns will not like to be associated with a work hose," Hoseok fretted.

"Oh. I'm sorry," Hayun said. "I did not realize-"

"Just be careful," Namjoon cut in. "The magicfolk in general are a bit... well, sensitive, I suppose you would say. Especially when it comes to humans."

"Oh." Hayun realized it would make sense - it was not as though humans had exactly respected the magicfolk much, hunting them for the magical properties the creatures' bodies posessed. "I am sorry then, if I have said anything bad to anyone here..."

The corner of the dragon's mouth lifted in a small smile. "I have aleady forgiven you for that."

"Well, you said nothing to me!" Hoseok said cheerfully.

"C-can I ask a question?" Hayun fiddled with a necklace nervously, and Namjoon took it away and stored it safely out of her fiddling reach.

"What is it?" the flower fae asked.

"W-why.... why are you so nice to me?" Hayun looked at Namjoon directly. "You have no reason to be. The humans did not keep their side of the bargain and instead sent you a peasant... I do not understand why you are still so kind..."

"It is true I was expecting a princess," the dragon admitted. "You are like me; neither of us had any choice in the matter and this is not a small thing - it's a question of our lives and deaths. The Dragon Council would surely kill you if I were to tell them you are not a princess, and if I send you back, you would surely be killed - and if you are get rescued, you will be killed as well. I do not think you deserve to die when you have done nothing wrong. I do not like death."

"We were not very sure of what to do," Hoseok put in. "At first we wanted to send you back to the humans and tell the Council what happened, and by the time the Council got here you would have been gone and safe. But Namjoon did not like that! He was worried what would happen to you if we send you back, so we decided to let you stay here and act as though nothing is wrong, and Namjoon will do his best to protect us all, including you now."

Hayun held the dragon's gaze, silently asking for a confirmation.

"They said they would send a princess. You are not one." Namjoon's violent eyes softened, appearing like warm, liquid amethyst. "But I will still care and protect you like I care for my treasure. Your life is also worth protecting, not just princess' have that right."

"Ohh, is she part of your treasure hoard now? Same value as your beloved treasure?" Hoseok asked teasingly, and the dragon's cheeks turned slightly pink and he muttered something unintelligible.

Hayun felt her eyes sting with sudden tears, feeling overwhelmed at the amount of value that was placed on her life by creatures she had once believed were demons - not even her own kind, not even her family, had ever placed so much value on just keeping her alive. Not her father, not her many step-mothers, and definitely not her aunt and uncle or even the Queen.

"Thank you," she whispered, wishing she could express herself properly - to express the very warm feeling of hearing for the first time in her life, that her life - her lowly, unmarried, unlucky female peasant life - was valued. In the human world, every aspect of her existence was lowly and unworthy, but here... here... they said she was worthy. Namjoon said she was worthy.

"Can I help?" she asked. "Fight the humans, I mean. I want to help protect this place, too."

I don't want to leave it all on you. I don't want you to get dragged down with the burden of taking so many lives when it is clear it will put you in agony. Fighting those men, I think, will not affect me as much as it will affect you...

Hoseok's eyebrows rose so high they nearly disappeared in his hairline, and Namjoon blinked.

"A-and, it's also my life I will be defending," she added. "I do not want to simply sit here and do nothing."

"I... I am not sure you should," the dragon said doubtfully.

"Are the fae going to help?"

"No!" said Hoseok. "Not that we don't want to, because we do! But we cannot."

"Part of the fae, drayad and nymphs' magics come from their purity," Namjoon explained. "They will help me be on the lookout, but they definitely should not help in fighting because violence, especially taking a being's life, will taint that purity."

"Then let me help! You should not do it alone. I am very strong, you know," Hayun said, determined that she had to help as it was unfair for him to have to defend everybody alone.

"Do you know how to fight?" Namjoon asked.

"I'm a fast learner."

"So, you do not know how to fight."

"I never had the chance to learn."

"Why?"

Hayun shrugged. "It is not acceptable for a woman to know how to fight. It is not what they consider feminine."

The dragon and fae scoffed at this. "So is what they consider feminine being defenseless?"

"Well, yes," she said, and was amused when they seemed surprised their joke had been the truth. "So, can I learn how to fight to help you?"

"I... I do not really want you to help," said Namjoon.

"Why not?"

"I am supposed to protect you..."

"Well you were supposed to protect a princess, and I am supposed to still be in the fields," Hayun retorted.

"Well... perhaps it would be good for you to learn how to defend yourself properly," the dragon admitted.

"Yes, it would!" Hoseok agreed. "But I do not know fighting... who will teach her?"

"I know swordfighting and archery," Namjoon said slowly. "Perhaps....?"

"Could you teach me?" Hayun asked, getting excited. "I am a fast learner!"

Hoseok laughed happily, and Namjoon smiled. "I am sure you are," the dragon agreed. "We should ask Tae to make a sword for you..."

"But I can use any sword!" she protested. "There is no need to bother him-"

"Swords are better when made especially for you by a fae, with metals traded directly from a dwarf!" Hoseok cried. "It will have a protective charm, and it will be perfect for you to use! Your height and all affect the sword when you use it - so it is better you get one made just for you!"

"Perhaps archery would be better," Namjoon said thoughtfully. "Swordfighting is very dangerous and I do not want you in such close proximity to them."

"Yes, but what if she does get in close proximity or needs to defend herself? Bows and arrows will not be enough in that case!" Hoseok argued.

"Then I suppose she should know both," Namjoon concluded, and Hayun sat up just a bit straighter, and nodded eagerly when he looked at her questioningly.

"That is settled, then!" Hoseok grinned, satisfied. "We will ask Taehyung for a sword, and a bow and a quiver of arrows for Hayun! Shall we go garden now?"

Namjoon looked at Hayun, and for a moment she thought he was going to say something, but he changed his mind and said nothing.

****

The morning went by in a blur of squatting on soil and digging and weeding, Namjoon doubtfully asking Hayun whether a certain plant was a weed or a flower because he did not want to upset Hoseok again. Whatever it was that he was nervous about in the morning seemed to have melted away for good, as they all laughed and sang and greeted the bunnies who came to watch them, noses quivering.

"No, no, these are not for eating yet!" Hoseok scolded a particularly courageous bunny who came a bit too close to the barely bloomed flowers. "Shoo! I told Jungkook to keep an eye on you - where is he, huh? I will tell him you are eating my flowers!"

The bunny's ears drooped and it hopped away sadly, though the others stayed and watched.

"This is because of you, Namjoon!" Hoseok accused, watching them warily to make sure they did not come too close.

"M-me? Why?"

"They want to play with you again, of course! Who else do they play with all the time?" Hoseok laughed.

Namjoon seemed pleased, though he tried very hard not to show it. "Well I do like to play with them," he said. "They are..." He suddenly stiffened. "Yoongi and Jungkook are calling me," he said, getting up and wiping his earth-covered hands on his robes. "I will see you later!" He hurried away, and Hayun saw his brows furrowed and the way he bit his lip.

"What is going on?" she asked.

Hoseok gave her a weak smile. "I am not sure... we do not call him for small things."

There was an ugly feeling in the pit of her stomach. "It is... well, is it the humans? Are they coming?"

"Perhaps. Now, let us finish up here and then see what is going on, and then ask Taehyung to make some things for you."

"If it's humans, will they attack now?" Hayun asked anxiously. "Are they close?"

"No, no - if they are indeed humans, they will just be entering the mountain. The trees and animals are on the lookout, they will tell us as soon as any of those soldiers step foot on this mountain. This mountain is very large, it will take perhaps a day for them to reach the top."

Hayun tensed when she heard footsteps, but relaxed when she saw it was only Jimin.

"Where is Joon?" the healing fae asked breathlessly.

"He went to see Yoongi and Jungkook," Hoseok replied. "Why?"

"Oh, thank goodness! I wanted to call him, too, but you know how too many of us calling his name at the same time gets him confused, so-"

"Jimin, what is going on?" Hoseok asked, and to Hayun's dismay, tears formed in the fae's eyes.

"There is a group of hostile humans that entered the mountain. Oh, Hobi, what will happen now?" The fae burst into tears and Hoseok sprang up to comfort him, distressed at his tears and the news.

Hayun remained rooted at the spot, and something in the pit of her stomach turned ice cold. This was going to happen one day soon, she knew, but she still wished it did not have to happen.