Once upon a time, there lived the royal couple of Elyxion who possessed everything they could have ever asked for in life… except a child. One day, the Omega King, Junmyeon, became pregnant, and the Alpha King, Yifan, couldn’t be more ecstatic. In fact, the whole kingdom celebrated for months. Both royals were blond so it was hardly a surprise when their beautiful baby boy was born with a thick mop of stunningly bright, white hair. Due to this distinct feature, King Yifan and King Junmyeon decided to name their son Chanyeol Snow.

 

The young prince grew up kind and intelligent, but was a little mischievous too. The royal family was well-loved by the people and the nearby lands as well. One day, a few days after Chanyeol Snow's sixteenth birthday, the Grand Vizier from the Kingdom of Evanesce came for a visit.

 

“Ah, it is our old friend, Grand Vizier Zitao,” The Alpha King Yifan greeted, shaking the other man’s hand vigorously, as The Omega King Junmyeon amiably nodded at him in acknowledgment. “To what do we owe this pleasure?”

 

Zitao’s lips formed into an ambiguous smile. “Has your memory gone bad due to age, King Yifan? Don’t you remember the promise you made to the late King Leeteuk sixteen years ago?”

 

Junmyeon looked at his husband, perplexed and slightly concerned. Yifan patted Junmyeon’s hand in comfort as he sighed and turned to Zitao. “Of course I haven’t forgotten. It is for the betterment of both our kingdoms.”

 

“It is.” Zitao’s smile grew broader. “King Yifan and King Junmyeon, please allow me to present Prince Luhan of the Kingdom of Evanesce.”

 

And on cue, the dashing ginger-haired prince of the neighboring kingdom walked steadfastly into the grand hall, causing awed gasps and smiles from the members of the royal court. Everyone had turned speechless because of his beauty.

 

“Your Majesties.” Prince Luhan gallantly bowed in front of his elders. “My heart is full of joy to be visiting The Kingdom of Elyxion again.”

 

Junmyeon’s gaze softened from surprised to fond. “I remember you, Prince Luhan. You were such a precocious and well-mannered boy attending our Chanyeol’s christening. How old were you then, 4 or...?”

 

Prince Luhan chuckled gaily. “I was five years old, King Junmyeon. I think I said to your baby... “Why is your hair so white?”

 

King Yifan, King Junmyeon, Grand Vizier Zitao and everyone in the grand hall had to laugh at the memory.

 

“Well, my son was born in winter, so maybe that had something to do with it,” King Yifan mused, suddenly searching the massive hall for a messy mop of that white hair. “Speaking of... Where is Chanyeol?”

 

King Junmyeon then told one of the butlers to go look for Chanyeol immediately. The head butler nodded and discretely rushed to get the castle’s entire team of butlers and handmaidens to locate the whereabouts of the playful prince.

 

The head butler was relieved to find the white-haired royal in the music room, quietly playing the piano in his solitude. Chanyeol looked up confused as the head butler escorted him to the grand hall, where he was told he had a visitor, a certain Prince Luhan.

 

The name did not sound familiar to him. Still, Chanyeol grew excited with each step, since he had just turned sixteen. He wondered if this said visitor had brought him a birthday gift.

 

The royal orchestra started playing the moment Prince Chanyeol stepped into the room. Prince Luhan’s lips broke into a pleased smile as his doe-like eyes set upon the young Elyxian prince’s devastatingly handsome face. “I’ve only heard great things about your beauty, Prince Chanyeol Snow, and I’ve always thought such superlatives were sheer exaggerations,” Luhan gushed once the younger one was in front of his parents and the Grand Vizier. “Now I completely understand where these compliments are coming from.”

 

Chanyeol blushed instantaneously, had never been sweet-talked like this by an exceptionally pretty omega before. He had always been told that he was going to be such a prize alpha someday—and many omegas had expressed interest in him—but Chanyeol felt like he still had some growing up to do and didn’t really think about mating and romance and all that jazz. “Uh... t-thank you, Prince Luhan. You are... quite a beauty yourself.”

 

Prince Luhan smiled even more and took Chanyeol’s hand. “I already know that we will get along very well.”

 

Chanyeol only blinked at him in bewilderment.

 

Grand Vizier Zitao discerned it was time to cut to the chase, especially with every member of the court there. “Prince Luhan is of age now, and in need of an heir. As per the pact sealed between King Yifan and King Leeteuk at the christening of Prince Chanyeol Snow, their sons would be getting married once Prince Chanyeol has reached the age of sixteen. We have traveled to your land to make good of that promise. We wish to hold the wedding in two days.”

 

“TWO DAYS?!” Junmyeon and Chanyeol exclaimed at the same time.

 

Yifan, the calmer one, held up his hands to resume order over the panicked/excited murmurings from the court. “Two days would be too much of a rush to hold a wedding ceremony. We will have to make arrangements for the food, the clothes, the guests, the...”

 

“I’ve thought about all of that,” Zitao replied, clapping his hands and revealed a battalion of his staff, assigning them in catering, in wardrobe, and the ushers. “I even invited Evanesce’s archbishop to officiate it, in case yours isn’t available.”

 

Yifan cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed. “Uh, our archbishop will officiate, since the wedding will be held in Elyxion. Prince Luhan and his entire entourage are welcome to stay in the castle in this duration.”

 

Chanyeol’s almond-shaped eyes grew rounder at what was happening. Junmyeon sighed and patted his son on the back, couldn’t do a thing about it myself.

 

“I look forward to seeing you at dinner time, my prince,” Luhan cooed as he reluctantly bid goodbye when Elyxion’s head butler and his team escorted the Evanesce party to the west wing of the castle.

 

“Father! Mother!” Chanyeol protested, once they were in the privacy of King Yifan’s office. “Marriage?! What’s going on?!”

 

Yifan rubbed his throbbing temples. “I’m sorry, my son. Maybe my memory is getting rusty as this pact has totally slipped my mind over the years.” He sighed, trying to get sympathy from both his husband and his only child. “Our kingdom has become so abundant since you’ve been born, Chanyeol. Merging Elyxion with Evanesce will only make both our lands all the richer.”

 

“But I can’t... not yet!” Chanyeol argued. “I’m... I don’t even know him!”

 

Junmyeon and Yifan looked at each other warily, although Junmyeon was smiling.

 

“I didn’t know your father, either, prior to marrying him,” Junmyeon relayed, putting an arm around his tall, upset son. “But Yifan grew on me, and my affections eventually turned to love.”

 

“The first time I saw your mother,” Yifan fondly shared, “I thought he was the most beautiful thing that ever existed, even though he was much smaller than the average omega. Still, I worked my off to make him fall for me.”

 

“Yifan, language!” Junmyeon reprimanded, swatting his husband on the bicep more on the him being a small omega comment. 

 

Only Chanyeol had to laugh. “It’s okay, Mother. I’m not a child anymore.”

 

“That’s right,” Yifan softly agreed. “You will be experiencing your first rut soon... and when it hits, the urge will take over... You’ll want to...” His voice trailed off, turning to Junmyeon to explain it more delicately.

 

“My son,” Junmyeon resumed gently, “Prince Luhan will be going through his heat cycle in a few days. I can tell, because I’m an omega too. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why they’re rushing the wedding ceremony. It would be better if you were with your mate on your first rut, rather than...”

 

“You mean, I wouldn’t be able to control my instincts?” Chanyeol asked incredulously. “Is being an alpha really an excuse to just bed an omega like that?”

 

Yifan and Junmyeon could only stare at their child in shock, because they had never heard him speak that way before, and wondered when or how Chanyeol found out about the mating process.

 

“I read books,” Chanyeol answered defensively, as the silent question hung heavily in the air. “Why do we have that huge library in the first place if I’m the only one in there all the time?”

 

Junmyeon gave off an awkward laugh. “Of course. Well, I suppose the only thing to do is for you to get to know Prince Luhan better. He seems like a nice enough omega. Quite a catch.”

 

Chanyeol was still pouting when he realized his parents had fallen quiet and was probably disappointed in him. “He is... pretty,” he tried, if only to pacify his mother.

 

“He is,” Junmyeon agreed, hugging Chanyeol, with Yifan appearing greatly relieved. “Why don’t you meet him out in the garden, huh? I’ll have the butlers arrange an afternoon picnic for the both of you.”

 

Chanyeol merely nodded as he respectfully bowed in front of his parents and retired to his room.

 

 

***

 

He purposefully came down to the garden about ten minutes earlier, commanding the butlers to leave him alone as having other people around on this “date” made him extremely uncomfortable. The butlers agreed and wished the young prince the best of luck.

 

Chanyeol knew he would need it.

 

He saw the opulent blanket laid out on the grass, in front of the lagoon, with an enticing spread equipped with flowers and wine and cheese and fruit and donuts...

 

Though he was a bit hungry—he could really use a donut right now, which was by far his absolute and incredible weakness—he forged on unmitigated and ran towards a stone wall, where he had discovered a secret passage out to the grimy forest of Genie. He had been sneaking in and out of the castle since he was seven years old to play with forest animals, but no one noticed that he had been gone because he would return in an hour or so.

 

This time, however, he was planning to never go back.

 

The thought of marrying someone, at 16, was making him hyperventilate. Even if he might never find someone as beautiful or as lovely as Prince Luhan, Chanyeol wasn’t ready to be tied to, or to mate with, him.

 

Whispering a heart-wrenching apology to his parents, he pushed the heavy stone door open and was finally emancipated.

 

Chanyeol kept running and running—for hours, it seemed—until he was well into the deepest, darkest part of the forest.   He regretted not getting any food or drink from the picnic to at least tide him over... the images of those beautiful and perfect chocolate donuts freshly baked now haunted him. As he became more and more shrouded in darkness, he realized that he had never explored this far away from the castle before, unless he had someone to accompany him or he was with his parents.

 

It was supposedly afternoon, but the dense trees and shrubbery blocked any form of sunlight that it felt like it was already midnight or close to it, and the young prince was having trouble seeing what was in front of him.

 

Deafening sounds of crickets aded his ears, that it made Chanyeol turn every which way, sensing if there was any impending danger. He had heard from the gardeners that wild boars and even tigers roamed the forest at the most random times.

 

Suddenly, there was a rustling of wilted leaves, as if someone, or something, was advancing towards his direction that it made Chanyeol’s heart pound dangerously.

 

“Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God!” Chanyeol cried, helplessly rendered paralyzed in fear. His brilliant white hair was probably visible to nocturnal creatures and there was no escape for him.

 

Was this his end?

 

“DON’T EAT ME, PLEASE!” Chanyeol begged, just before a solid entity collided with him and he collapsed to the ground, struck unconscious.

 

***

 

Chanyeol softly groaned, could already feel his joints aching all over. He unconsciously stretched out his legs when he kicked the edge of the bed—which was wood, by the way—and ultimately hurt the sole of his right foot. “OWWW!”

 

He opened one eye, and found six strange, small, faces staring down at him.

 

Chanyeol’s eyes grew round as saucers and sank deeper into the bed. “W-Where am I? W-Who are you?”

 

“Ah, it speaks!” The one with the round face and cat-like eyes that twinkled exclaimed excitedly. “Are you all right, sir?”

 

“I... I don’t know...” Chanyeol replied tentatively, realizing that he still had all of his clothes on... except for the shoes. While his upper torso was laid on the bed comfortably, he couldn’t say the same for his mile-long legs. “What kind of bed is this...? Why is it so small?”

 

He heard someone from a distance scoffing, “The nerve of him complaining. What’s wrong with my bed?”

 

“Who’s... that?” Chanyeol wondered out loud. Just then, he jumped out of his skin when one of the strange men... with pointed hats... sneezed into a tissue.

 

“Sorry, I have allergies,” apologized the red-nosed (witch?) with the yellow pointed hat. He held out his hand. “My name is Jongdae.”

 

Chanyeol awkwardly shook one of Jongdae’s fingers, hoping there was no snot on it. “Uh... h-hi.”

 

The others eagerly took turns to introduce themselves.

 

“I’m Baekhyun!” The happiest of them all, in a red hat, vigorously shook Chanyeol’s hand, which overwhelmed the prince because suddenly, another face appeared.

 

This one with the blue hat, tried to control a huge yawn, showing off two deep dimples on each cheek as he did, before waving at him. “Hello. I’m Yixing.”

 

“He’s always sleepy,” came a whisper behind Yixing.

 

Chanyeol eyed the bashful, blushing face peeking over Yixing’s shoulder.

 

“He’s Jongin. He’s very shy,” the first stranger piped in, the one with the cat eyes and yellow pointed hat. “I’m Minseok. I know it doesn’t look like it but I’m the oldest so I’m considered the leader...” Then he tugged a slightly taller, scrawnier fellow beside him, in another red pointed hat. “This here is Sehun. He’s our youngest.”

 

Sehun nodded, smiling kindly with his crinkly eyes.

 

“He’s mute, though,” Minseok informed, with Sehun nodding again. “Over time, we are able to understand what he is trying to say.”

 

It was Chanyeol’s turn to only nod this time, quite drowning in confusion and he couldn’t decide if any of this unsolicited information was necessary. He did observe that all the men were slightly shorter than normal... Not quite midgets, but... still... they only reached the height of an average pre-adolescent or something...

 

“Oh, and...” Minseok’s voice trailed off as he counted s, and realized that one of them was missing. “Kyungsoo? Kyungsoo?”

 

Someone curtly clucked his tongue. “What now?! I’m cooking!”

 

“Don’t be so rude!” Minseok hissed, while Baekhyun and Yixing and Jongdae all teased Kyungsoo and tried to tickle him on the ribs.

 

Chanyeol sat up and blinked repeatedly at the short, petite young man with a blue hat, with smooth, squishy cheeks and tiny fists attacking his mischievous friends with soft punches.  “Stop, stop it!” The shortest of them all demanded as he was forced to face their unexpected—giant—guest and to welcome him.

 

Chanyeol just kept staring at Kyungsoo, who was standing there, effortlessly pretty... and adorable, with that scrunched up, pissed off face, ebony hair peeking out of his ridiculously big blue hat, and such thick eyebrows over those big, round eyes...

 

He had never seen anyone as captivating to him before, as unassumingly handsome like Kyungsoo was.

 

“Kyungsoo...?” Minseok warned, shaking his head in disapproval.

 

“Well, that’s my name so I don’t have to say it.” The short one scowled, turning his back immediately.

 

“My name is Chanyeol,” The white-haired stranger volunteered suddenly, making Kyungsoo freeze. “I... I’m glad to meet you, Kyungsoo.”

 

Minseok cleared his throat, as did the rest of the others in the room.

 

“Uh... I mean, all of you. All of you, of course!” Chanyeol quickly redeemed, stealing a glance at Kyungsoo once more, but the short one didn’t seem to pay him any heed. Embarrassingly, Chanyeol couldn’t remember all the others’ names, but hopefully he would catch on, because he didn’t know what these small men were going to do with him.

 

He began to get up from the bed, and inadvertently knocked his head hard on the low ceiling in the process.

 

Chanyeol fell unconscious for the second time tonight.

 

 

***

 

He woke up with a splitting headache, naturally, to a dimly lit room and the sound of other men snoring, in various volumes and pitches.

 

Chanyeol grunted, but felt his shoulders being pushed back to the bed by small yet strong hands.

 

“You have quite a large bump with you hitting our central beam. How tall are you, anyway?” Someone grumbled, and the next thing Chanyeol knew, a pack of ice was placed on his noggin. “Hold this yourself. I won’t do it all night for you.”

 

And the tall one nervously placed both his hands on his head, as icy water streamed down his arms.

 

“The floor of our house to the roof is only 5 1/2 feet in height so I suggest you crawl over to the table, and I’ll give you food.”

 

With that, he saw Kyungsoo walking over to the kitchen, sans the blue hat, but already in his pajamas, the bottoms of which were pooling over his tiny feet.

 

How cute, Chanyeol couldn’t help thinking, as he clumsily crawled over to follow him to the kitchen, only a few feet away.

 

Kyungsoo was already busy warming up the food, which Chanyeol’s nostrils could already recognize to be hearty beef stew with some vegetables. “You must be hungry. I could hear your stomach rumbling all the while you’re sleeping.”

 

Chanyeol didn’t even bother to sit on the miniature chair, because he wouldn’t fit anyway, so he sat on the floor, only awaiting provisions.

 

A couple of minutes later, Kyungsoo set the table for him and gave him a generous serving of the hot stew and some rice.

 

Chanyeol mindlessly set the ice pack on the corner of the table and devoured the appetizing food—so much more delectable than the ones he was fed in the palace—and almost coughed when he consumed too much too soon.

 

“Breathe,” Kyungsoo instructed nonchalantly, cleaning off the water melting from the ice pack and setting it aside completely. He gave Chanyeol a pitcher of water and a glass, which the latter gratefully drank.

 

While Chanyeol resumed eating, Kyungsoo went over to check on Chanyeol’s head. “The swelling has gone down.”

 

A delicious shiver ran up Chanyeol’s spine when he felt Kyungsoo touch his scalp.

 

“This other bump—the not-so-serious one—was my fault. Sorry.”

 

“Um... that’s okay,” Chanyeol murmured unintelligibly. He was probably not impressing Kyungsoo by speaking with his mouth full, but this food—if Kyungsoo was indeed the one who cooked the meal—was an extraordinary gastronomic experience. “I didn’t die.”

 

Kyungsoo only scowled, obviously not amused. “I thought you were this albino bear eating the vegetables in my garden, and you were so near our house, that’s why I attacked you with my plow. Blame my terrible eyesight for not recognizing that it was a tall human! What were you doing in Genie forest at that time of day?”

 

“Um...” Chanyeol gulped, didn’t know if he should divulge the real reason. “I... I got lost.”

 

“Well... do you remember where you live? Minseok and the others can try to accompany you on your way back,” Kyungsoo suggested, his harsh tone softening a bit.

 

“N-No,” Chanyeol lied. He didn’t want to return to the castle. He knew he had already broken his parents’ hearts by going against their wishes but he wasn’t ready. “I don’t remember.”

 

“You must have hit your head pretty badly, then.” Kyungsoo looked even sympathetic this time. All of a sudden, he got up and took a piece of pastry from the pantry. He was actually saving it for himself, but he figured this offering would be a form of apology.

 

Kyungsoo took off the lid of the container, which made Chanyeol gasp. “A donut?”

 

It was the most fascinating donut he had ever seen. It was indeed chocolate, but it had a soft green icing on top. “What is it?”

 

“Mint chocolate.”

 

“MINT?!” Chanyeol grimaced, about to refuse the treat. “Like toothpaste?!”

 

“If you don’t want it, I’ll—”

 

But Chanyeol found his large hand reaching for it before Kyungsoo could take it away, and the young prince blindly took the first bite.

 

The intense mint fusing with the rich, divine chocolate instantly made Chanyeol hum. It was pure happiness wrapped in fluffy dough and sweet icing. He didn’t know such two unlikely flavors could work so well together and taste so good!

 

Kyungsoo was assessing him warily, daring him to insult his masterpiece. “That’s a secret recipe, okay? And I always make extra for myself so...”

 

“This is the best donut I’ve ever tasted! And I’ve eaten a lot, believe me. I make requests to our bakers all the time...”

 

“Your bakers...?”

 

Chanyeol wiped the chocolate from the side of his lip and coughed a little. “Uh, what I meant was… the town bakers… would call me to taste test new flavors and I swear... your donut is on another whole level.  What ingredients do you use? If you’re going to make more tomorrow, I would love to help!”

 

When Chanyeol’s sparkly eyes glimmered with hope, Kyungsoo shook his head and regained his petulant expression, asking Chanyeol to hurry up so he could clean the dishes.

 

Chanyeol gobbled up the rest of the donut, the very last morsels lingering in his mouth, and drank the very last drop of water, relieving his parched throat.  "Thank you for the food!" He chimed, ending with a satisfied burp. 

 

It was either Kyungsoo was too preoccupied with clearing out the table or pretending not to hear him. 

 

Just as Chanyeol was crawling back to bed: “Kyungsoo?”

 

The smaller one did finally turn to look at him inquisitively. 

 

“I’ll just sleep on the floor. I’m sorry I had occupied your bed all this time.”

 

“Are you sure?” Kyungsoo sounded uncertain. “The floor can get very cold at night.”

 

“It’s fine,” Chanyeol assured, flashing him a smile to boot. “The cold doesn’t bother me, anyway.”

 

That almost cracked a smile on Kyungsoo’s face, as Kyungsoo noticed how brilliantly white Chanyeol’s hair was... like snow.

 

“Take my blanket, then,” Kyungsoo instructed, stopping the smile before it turned full, just as Chanyeol stretched out on the floor, next to Kyungsoo’s tiny bed. Chanyeol agreed and became more comfortable indeed.

 

 

***

 

 

 

The next morning, Chanyeol woke up to everyone about to head for the door.

 

“Oh, good morning, Chanyeol!” Baekhyun greeted happily. “We’re going to work, so feel free to stay in our house as long as you want.”

 

“Wait!” Chanyeol panicked. “What? Me, stay here? By myself?”

 

“No, Kyungsoo will stay with you, which is a good idea since he’s the only one who can cook. You’ll be well-fed,” Minseok assured, as Yixing yawned non-stop, Jongdae kept sneezing, Kai bashfully waving goodbye at Chanyeol and then hiding behind Sehun, who also waved and smiled with crinkly eyes. “Hope you have a good rest.”

 

“Oh... okay...” Chanyeol said, waving back at them. “Have a good day at work.”

 

And then the door was shut, leaving him all alone.

 

He stared at the small house, which was even smaller than his own private bathroom at the palace. His parents and the entire kingdom must be in chaos right now, trying to locate him. Much as he was conflicted whether he should just go back, his eyes searched for Kyungsoo’s whereabouts.

 

He wandered out to the front yard, where he saw Kyungsoo in the garden, crouched over some plants.

 

“H-Hi,” Chanyeol greeted shyly, going over to Kyungsoo.

 

Kyungsoo frowned at the gigantic shadow now blocking the sunlight for his beloved cacti. “If you step on any of my lettuce and sesame leaves, you will have no dinner.”

 

Chanyeol balked at the smaller one’s threat. Kyungsoo’s height couldn’t possibly be more than 4 feet, 5 inches, and yet Chanyeol was scared of him.

 

In a weirdly... giddy... kind of way.

 

He couldn’t help the amused smile cracking his lips when he carefully crouched down himself next to the smaller one, who was gently watering the six cacti planted in a neat row in the garden. “Aww, they’re cute! Our gardeners said that you should talk to your plants everyday, to make them grow more beautifully, and it’s obvious that you’re paying them a lot of care and attention!” Chanyeol babbled, trying to find something to talk to Kyungsoo about. “Our gardeners even give our plants names!”

“Did you say you have gardeners?” Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes at him. “How big is your garden to warrant more than one?”

 

“Uh... well... n-not that big,” Chanyeol stammered, attempting to taper Kyungsoo’s suspicion. “Also... I think there is some truth to it, talking to plants and naming them.”

 

Kyungsoo only sulked and stood up, which confirmed Chanyeol’s earlier estimation of the smaller one’s height. He was pretty small. Sehun, Chanyeol observed, appeared to be the tallest, probably at 4 feet, 8 inches. Their bodies also looked proportional, so they were definitely not midgets. They also wore pointy hats and carried plows going to work...

 

Kyungsoo headed for the front door, while Chanyeol continued contemplating under the morning sun.

 

Until realization struck him and the white-haired prince’s eyes grew wide. “You’re a dwarf!”

 

Kyungsoo halted and turned around, replying to him sarcastically. “You’ve only figured that out now?”

 

“But... But... you’re...”

 

“I... I... I’m what?” Kyungsoo mimicked in mockery.

 

“You’re... pretty! And you’re nice! All of you are!” Chanyeol stammered, standing up to his full height of 6 feet and 1 inch that Kyungsoo had to strain his neck to look him in the eye. “W-What are you planning to do with me?”

 

The accusation deepened the frown on Kyungsoo’s face. The sheer prejudice dwarves received in this day and age was abhorrent. “Well... I could tie you up and torture you... ” The smaller one—with that pretty—so pretty—and deceptively innocent face—menacingly walked towards him again. “Or chop every part of your body to feed you to the dogs? Isn’t that what we—dwarves—do?”

 

In his panic, Chanyeol’s arms went flailing as he stumbled backwards while still trying to avoid the spindly, aesthetic row of cacti.

 

The young prince groaned deeply as he landed on his back on the dry soil, thankfully with only minimal damage to the lettuce leaves. Maybe Kyungsoo will still feed him a spoonful of food later if he begged.

 

Kyungsoo came running and knelt down by his side, a worried expression now crossing his beautiful face. “Oh my... are you all right? I was only kidding! Dwarves don’t do any of that stuff! It’s the fault of those fairytale books!” He assisted Chanyeol to sit up while dusting the taller one off with his small hands. “I’m sorry. Did I look scary? The others tell me that I do.”

 

The image of the scrunched up eyebrows and that death glare returned to Chanyeol and he shivered inwardly. “Uh... no, no... I was just... I lost my balance, that’s all.”

 

“You and your gangly limbs,” Kyungsoo muttered, helping Chanyeol up to his feet. “Let’s go inside. I’ll get breakfast ready.”

 

And Chanyeol awkwardly followed the blue-hatted dwarf inside the kitchen, making sure to bow down upon entering the small door—that he could fit in horizontally since he was on the skinny, leaner side; vertically was the problem—so as not to add to his injuries.

 

“Also... they do have names,” Kyungsoo said suddenly, putting on his apron to begin cooking.

 

“Sorry?”

 

“The cacti. There are six of them. I named them after my family.”

 

“Oh.” Chanyeol felt sad for some reason, sitting on the floor by the kitchen table. “W-Where are they?”

 

“They just left for work,” Kyungsoo replied, a hint of smile on those lips. “I named my cacti after the other dwarves.”

 

Wait... did those pretty lips just form the shape of a heart?

 

Chanyeol’s own heart picked up speed as a full, sweet heart-shaped smile manifested. “Minseok, Yixing, Baekhyun, Jongdae, Jongin and Sehun aren’t my blood brothers but we treat each other as such, and we grew up together as orphans... because...”

 

Kyungsoo’s voice trailed off, that Chanyeol became curious. “What is it?” The prince whispered.

 

“Nevermind. It’s ancient history.” Kyungsoo tried to brush it off and broke a few eggs to whip into an omelet.

 

“It’s okay. Tell me,” Chanyeol urged, wondering what made Kyungsoo’s light mood turn somber.

 

Kyungsoo sighed, with his back still on Chanyeol, attempting to busy himself with the task. “Our parents were forced to work for the Imperial King in the Lost Land, and I was only four years old and among the dwarf children ripped away from them and thrown into the river to die. Minseok was six years old and carrying three-year-olds Jongin and Sehun on each side while Yixing, Baekhyun and Jongdae were following him as they wandered the wilderness by themselves for days. They heard me yelling for help, because I couldn’t swim. My older brother, unfortunately, got swept away because he wanted me to hold on to a branch and...” Kyungsoo bowed his head as a lone tear escaped his lids. He brushed it away quickly, of course, but Chanyeol noticed the swift movement. “Anyway, that was like twelve years ago. And I have a new family now.”

 

Chanyeol crawled over to where Kyungsoo was, and tentatively patted him on the back. He had read about the harsh reality that dwarves had to face in their daily lives, and how low in the social hierarchy they remained to be. The Imperial King had passed away around three years ago, and it seemed the mining of gold in the mountain still had to continue. The dwarves were now given more decent wages and allowed to go home and then come back to work the next day, leading more dignified lives. Perhaps, the reason why Kyungsoo and these dwarves were living in the middle of the forest was that they still felt unsafe from harassment and degradation by other beings. “So you and Minseok and the others are still working the mines?”

 

“What else could we do?” Kyungsoo shrugged, expertly mincing parsley and onions and garlic in no time that it impressed Chanyeol as to how efficient he was. “Our forefathers had been miners and our descendants would be too.”

 

“Is there anything you want to do in the future, besides mining?” Chanyeol’s eyes followed Kyungsoo’s every movement, from mixing the eggs vigorously, to adding cheese and pepper and salt, swirling the oil into a preheated pan... “Perhaps... be a cook?”

 

Kyungsoo scoffed, a subtle bitter laugh escaping. “Who in their right mind would hire me?”

 

“I would.”

 

Kyungsoo looked up at Chanyeol warily.

 

The young man only blinked at him with those almond-shaped, bright eyes. Why were they so sparkly?

 

“Really. That mint donut from last night alone would be more than enough to make me hire you,” Chanyeol told him sincerely, even crossing his heart. “I’d love for you to cook for me everyday.”

 

To Chanyeol’s surprise, Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “Great, another mouth to feed. Minseok will probably ask you to stay forever, too.”

 

Kyungsoo had to hold his tongue when the taller one appeared wounded. “Would that be so terrible?”

 

The smaller one swallowed, couldn’t articulate an apology. He had already said sorry out in the garden. Two apologies would be overdoing it. “N-No. I don't know why I said that. I only meant...”

 

“Will you teach me how to cook?” Chanyeol asked eagerly, looking forward for something to do.

 

“Well...”