On this very summer day, Chanyeol, a merchant’s son and a flamecaster, roamed the streets of the city in search of the finest fabric gold could buy, or at least as fine as his father’s coins could get him. His mother, a seamstress, required something green or blue for a dress commissioned by the very king’s daughter, and Chanyeol would not settle for anything until he had examined every piece of fabric the city had to offer.

As such, by the time noon rolled around, he had yet to dip into the purse of coins hanging from his belt, but at long last his mind was made up. 

On the way to the stall, however, he came across an elderly beggar, whose pleas for alms went ignored by every passerby. Heart clenching at the woman’s haggard appearance, Chanyeol approached her with a couple of coins, figuring he could do without them.

“Fate reward you, child,” she rasped, practically clinging to him. “Such a kind soul.”

He made it to the stall before he realised the pouch was missing. Distraught, he retraced his steps, and found the beggar gone.

🦎

Miserable, Chanyeol tried to convince himself everything would be fine. He had a plan: 1) Find work to earn coins, 2) earn enough coins to buy the fabric, and 3) get the fabric to his parents, who would be none the wiser.

However, nothing he could find offered enough, at least not until a sympathetic blacksmith guided him to some lesser noble woman’s estate.

“Who are you?” she, upon opening the door, demanded. 

“I was told you are looking for assistance,” Chanyeol said.

The woman, after some scrutiny, allowed him inside. Over a cup of sweet tea, she told him about her son. “That wicked husband of mine locked him away in a tower somewhere far away. Only after his death was my silence broken, yet I am still cursed to never find him on my own.”

And, apparently, no one was interested in rescue missions unless it concerned someone of royal descent. 

“I am short on time,” Chanyeol reminded her kindly. “I have until dusk.” 

“There is a witch,” she said, “at the outskirts of the city. She will help you. For your kindness, I shall reward you with more coins than you need.”

Thus, Chanyeol embarked on a quest to rescue one lonely Oh Sehun.

🦎

The witch requested that Chanyeol do nothing more than tell people about her in return for her services. 

“Here.” She handed him two marbles. “I will create a link between this place and the young lord, which you may then transport between.”

How she would do so, Chanyeol didn’t ask. 

“When you are ready,” she said, “simply squeeze one of the marbles in your hand. The magic will do the rest. I suggest you keep your eyes closed.”

That sounded simple enough. With a firm nod, he thought of a tower, while grasping the marble tightly within his fist. Instantaneously, his stomach plummeted and his eyes squeezed shut on their own accord as everything around him shifted. 

Gone were the sounds of the witch’s shop, replaced with birdsong and the gentle rustling of leaves. Still he dared not peep until he was certain he wouldn’t be sick. 

When he eventually opened his eyes, greenery greeted him. Pocketing the last marble, he surveyed the area and wondered where the witch had sent him.

Not far from him, a young man surveyed him back.

“Who are you?” he asked. 

“I am on a quest to save a young lord in distress,” Chanyeol said. “By any chance, have you come across a tower?”

The man cocked his head. “In distress, you say.” Chanyeol nodded. “I suppose there is a tower nearby.”

“In which direction must I go?”

“Come. I happen to be going the same way.”

🦎

On the way, Chanyeol managed to make an enemy of a squirrel, trip over several roots, and nearly set fire to some undergrowth after the squirrel sprung at his face from behind it, much to the stranger’s amusement. Sans the occasional chestnut being flung from treetops at Chanyeol, they arrived unscathed at the tower not ten minutes later. 

The tower was not what Chanyeol had expected. Shaped like one, certainly, but standing at only thrice his height. 

“This is it, truly?”

“Indeed,” the stranger said. “‘Tis not that formidable up close, is it? The dragon guarding it is even more of a disappointment.”

“The dragon?” Chanyeol had not been warned of a dragon.

The stranger merely raised a hand to point at some rock at the foot of the tower, upon which… a small lizard was basking. 

“Huh,” Chanyeol said.

“Mhm,” the man said. “It is no wonder I escaped the tower within the first hour of being put there.”

Chanyeol blinked. And blinked again. “Wait –”

“Who sent you?” the man – Sehun? – asked. 

“Uh,” Chanyeol said, “your mother?”

“I see,” Sehun said, nodding to himself. “It has been four years.”

“But…” Chanyeol fumbled for words. “You – escaped, yet you did not leave?”

Sehun threw out his arms at their surroundings. “Where to? I haven’t the faintest notion where I am, though let it not be said I haven’t tried.”

“Oh.”

“Four years,” Sehun groused. “I take it my stepfather is dead?”

“I – yes?” Chanyeol said faintly. “Nowadays, people are only interested in saving princesses and princes.”

“Why then, pray tell,” Sehun said, “are you here?”

“I was robbed and needed coins.”

“Sensible,” he muttered. “Well. As much as this place has grown on me, I do wish to return home.”

“When would you like to leave?”

“Now.”

“Then I suggest you take my hand and close your eyes.”

🦎

With Sehun reunited with his mother and Chanyeol several purses of coins richer, he completed his original task of purchasing the finest fabric gold could buy and returned home before sunset. 

And so the merchant’s son and the young noble lived happily until the end of their days, never to meet again.

This round's challenge had three options: Inverted Tropes, Happy Ending, and/or One Room. I picked Inverted Tropes (and, I guess, kinda Happy Ending?), and then nearly withered away looking through TV Tropes to spark ideas that could turn into writing. Did I eventually stumble upon the Fairy Tale Tropes section? Quite possibly. Did I decide to go through the list and pick out as many tropes as I could fit? Maybe definitely. Do I have a list of the tropes I used? Heck yeah.

Hope you liked this silly thing! And apologies to all Chanhun shippers. LOL. Feel free to guess which tropes I tried to include and then invert ;)