Jinon squeezed Yixing's hand, feeling calmer with that grip. This was getting a bit insane, to be honest. But he said nothing as they left the room, flanked by a couple of guards. It didn't matter why they were there, as long as Yixing was okay.

"I take it that went well?" he murmured when the door closed behind them.  

"Surprisingly," Yixing mused, distracted.

He'd suspected Kyuhyun was there and had been right. He had done well to keep his comments about Kyuhyun to things that could be proven; the fact that he'd been nasty to Jinon and Kan had been witnessed by Tao, who he knew his father would have no qualms about asking if it became necessary. The fact that Kyuhyun had deliberately made it so he'd be left behind after the battle was harder to prove despite what Baekhyun had told him, and thus he had to be careful with that.

"I just have to worry about Kyuhyun now," he added tiredly. "He is very persuasive when he wants to be, and he will push for me to be exiled after this..." If not executed outright. "As for the punishment, I am sorry I didn't think to mention it to you... I didn't think he'd actually want to go through with it, even though you're my bondmate, prince or not."

He turned to Jinon. "And I will share it, no matter what you say. It is as much my fault as yours, and it's the least I could do. It's not your fault your people have been kidnapping us healers for as long as I can remember and forcing us to heal against our wishes. But you didn't force me - I did it willingly because you're my bondmate, even if we didn't know it at the time, and he has to respect that."

Jinon shook his head. "You are in no condition to do anything of..." He bit his lip. They could - would - have this conversation in private. Then he took a deep breath. "What if he doesn't have you exiled? What if you were declared incompetent?" he asked. "Breaking a bond, death of a bondmate, either of those would do it. I've seen it. Those left behind are just half a person, and he could argue that you will never be fit to rule." 

He pursed his lips. "I'm not sure that argument will hold," he said. "But we can try it. What shall we do now?"

Staring at Jinon in horror, Yixing's hand tightened around his bondmate's. "No," he breathed, shaking his head. "He wouldn't dare. He'd have to get rid of me first." This conversation was making him more paranoid than he normally was when it came to Kyuhyun. "If he kills you..." It was a given that Yixing would follow. He would have no reason to stay behind, and as Jinon had pointed out, he would be too out of it to be worth anything if anything happened to him.

Biting at his lip to stop from arguing further, especially in front of the guards he knew nothing about and thus couldn't be sure they wouldn't carry everything they said back to Kyuhyun for him to use against them, Yixing looked at the floor.

"I want to see Kyungsu. Even if he goes crazy on me for being bonded to you, at least I trust him not to do anything stupid."

He hoped. Being on pain medication would mess with Kyungsu's head, so Yixing would still have to be careful. And he was assuming his bodyguard would even be awake; Tao had said he was still unconscious, so...

Jinon squeezed back. "From the way he's acting, I wouldn't put anything past him," he said. "It's something to keep in mind, something to guard against. That's all."  

He hadn't meant to make Yixing worry more, or to scare him, merely point out what could happen. "He won't get to me that easily. We are not easy to kill, and I will not let anything happen to you."  

Jinon nodded. "Yes. Let's check on your bodyguard," he said, and he hoped that seeing that he was okay would help alleviate Yixing's guilt.



Walking to the infirmary in silence and ignoring the guards, Yixing was surprised to see Baekhyun heading in the same direction.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, glancing at Jinon as he noticed Baekhyun's presence. "And before you say anything, Father knows..." He bit his lip, confused; they weren't far from the infirmary now and he could hear a considerable disturbance coming from that direction. What was going on?

"Going to see Kyungsu, silly," Baekhyun grinned, nodding to Jinon. "Nice to see you're awake and in once piece, considering..." He could hear the ruckus as well and after a glance at Yixing, took off at a run.

"Thanks..." Jinon said, and frowned. "I take it that's unusual," he said to Yixing as Baekhyun took off at a run.  

Waking up in an elven infirmary came very close to some of Xiumin's nightmares. Close enough that he shot up from the bed and toward a wall to put his back against before he even registered the pain that spread across his chest and down his side. It made no sense either that they were talking (too fast, to his pain-addled mind) about some faerie gone mad...

Throwing open the door, Baekhyun looked around, his eyes widening as he took in the scene. What was a dragon doing in the infirmary, for one thing? And for the other, the healers didn't seem to have gotten very far with him, his injuries still quite severe. Why was he awake, in that case?

"What the hell is going on here?" he demanded, stepping closer to the dragon (small but cute, his mind thought, making Baekhyun stop and blink in surprise) to get a better look at him and protect the healers if it became necessary. "You're..."

Maybe he should have stayed back, he realised, the sense of everything finally coming together making Baekhyun's breath catch in his bruised throat, his heart pounding. "Oh no..."

"No, it's not usual at all," Yixing murmured and stopped at the door, blinking in confusion. "Baekhyun?" he asked as he saw his friend wavering and looking almost shell-shocked. "Are you ok? What's going on here?"

Someone moving toward him made Xiumin shrink back into the wall. Now he could feel the pain, and could tell he wouldn't be able to defend himself, and he looked at the approaching... um, faerie, with hope that maybe he would convince the people around to let him live.  

Xiumin felt like he'd been clubbed, and he stared back, wide-eyed at the man who stared at him. Wait. What?  

Looking past Yixing, Jinon stared, if only for a moment, before pulling his bondmate into the infirmary with him. "I don't suppose someone would have assumed he's faerie in the rush to pick everyone up and go, do you?" he asked Yixing as he led the way past healers and a frozen Baekhyun. "Xiumin?"

"You... know him?" Yixing asked almost gratefully, aware that Baekhyun still hadn't moved or even replied, looking at him in concern. "He's..." He glanced apologetically at the injured dragon who seemed as out of it as Baekhyun did. "Small. It's not hard to believe he'd be mistaken for a faerie if you didn't know any better..."

"Baekhyunnie...? Are you ok?" he added, growing even more concerned the longer Baekhyun stood staring at the dragon without even seeming to breathe. "Baekhyun!"

Seeing Jinon move past him broke Baekhyun out of whatever had been holding him and he quickly put himself between the injured dragon and everyone else, a fierce look in his eyes.

"Don't hurt him," he hissed, glaring at the healers and the two princes, barely even thinking about what he was doing or why. "He's mine..."

Yixing blinked at his friend, startled by his behaviour. "Baekhyun, what is going on?" he asked, completely baffled. "You're acting really weird..."

Recognising Yixing (finally, Yixing thought), Baekhyun grabbed him and pushed him toward Xiumin. "Heal him, Xingxing," he demanded, his voice breaking. "Please. He's hurting really badly. Heal him..."

, Yixing thought, glancing helplessly at Jinon. It seemed Baekhyun had bonded to this Xiumin friend of Jinon's, something he wouldn't have believed if it weren't for his own bond.

"Jinon... I think they've... bonded..." He bit his lip. "What do I do?"

"A friend," Jinon said, and then stopped short when Baekhyun stepped between him and his friend. He could only watch (and silently agree) when Yixing told him about them being bonded. Do?

"Get him out of the way. You're in no condition to take care of that, and they are," he said quietly. "And do it fast. Min's about to go over."  

The faerie turning away from him broke Xiumin's paralysis, and he shook his head, trying to clear it. And then caught sight of Jinon. "What are you doing here?" he asked, stunned, but then had to stop and just breathe a moment. It had started to really hurt again.

Glancing at Jinon, Yixing sighed. Knowing Baekhyun, it wasn't going to be as easy as that to get him to move, but he'd try. Grabbing Baekhyun's shoulders, Yixing put as much persuasion into his voice as he could.

"Baekhyunnie, you have to let the healers do their job," he murmured softly, not surprised when Baekhyun resisted him. "They can heal him..." He looked over at the healers, giving them a stern glance. "They will heal him, even though he's a dragon..."

"I don't trust them," Baekhyun replied, his expression wary. "I trust you..."

"Look Baekhyun, much as I'd like to, I can't," Yixing replied in exasperation, pulling Baekhyun with him so the healers could reach his friend's bondmate. "I'm still exhausted from yesterday, and my bondmate is just as protective as you are and won't let me..."

"No, let go!" Baekhyun realised he was being taken away from his bondmate and began to struggle harder. "You don't understand. Let me go!" Feeling Xiumin's pain, he was incoherent and completely out of it, adding to the shock of being bonded. "Please, Yixing. He needs me..."

Jinon slipped past the two and caught Xiumin before he could hit the ground. "Do yourself a favor and don't try to tell him your name right now," he murmured, lifting his friend and laying him on the nearest empty bed.  

Xiumin stared at him uncomprehendingly. Nothing made sense right now.

Jinon looked up. "Yixing. Baekhyun. He needs you here. Will you trust them to heal him if Yixing is watching?"

Baekhyun stopped struggling for a moment and blinked at Jinon as he tried to process what he'd said. "I... what?" he began, looking at his friend for help. "I don't know..."

Pushing Baekhyun at the bed where Jinon had laid Xiumin, Yixing fought back a smile.

"I'll be watching very closely," he said quietly, though he made sure the other healers could hear him, looking pointedly at them as they shuffled around looking warily at the two dragons. "They won't hurt him."

If they knew what was good for them; not only would they have to face Baekhyun, but they'd have to face him and Jinon as well, and Yixing knew they didn't want that.

Biting his lip hard enough to draw blood, Baekhyun knelt beside the bed, pushing Jinon out of the way. "Fine," he murmured, his eyes on Xiumin. "But I'll be watching too..."

Jinon had to stifle a laugh when he fell over at Baekhyun's shove. Instead of getting up, he made himself comfortable on the floor next to Yixing. Then he sobered and watched the healers closely, as closely as Yixing and Baekhyun.  

It took a while, but eventually the wound closed, and Xiumin fell asleep almost immediately. Jinon sighed. "Well, that makes things... Interesting."

Yixing grinned. "No more wild parties," he smirked, sitting down beside his bondmate and leaning against him tiredly. "Can't say I'm too bothered though. Not when I have you to entertain me."

Jinon put an arm around Yixing and smiled. "No, just a different kind. Unless this changes Xiumin too," he said quietly. "He's not the quietest person I know."

Chuckling at Baekhyun, Yixing shook his head.

"It just figures that Baekhyun would end up bonded to a dragon as well." He looked over at one of the other beds, his smile dimming. "And that Kyungsu would sleep through it all..."

He nodded at the bed where his bodyguard lay, the young faerie's eyes closed, bandages around his head, and doubtless more around his torso that couldn't be seen under the blankets covering him.

"The healers must be swamped if your friend and Kyungsu are both still unhealed," he said, frowning. "I don't like this..." Yixing couldn't help but feel guiltier; he should be helping them.

Jinon followed Yixing's gaze to the faerie unconscious in the other bed. "It seems so," he said quietly. "Let's get a closer look at him, okay? Maybe that will help you feel better."

Biting his lip, Yixing got to his feet and held out his hand to help his bondmate, then gave one last glance at Baekhyun to make sure he was ok; his friend's bonding had been a lot different from his, he'd noticed, and Baekhyun was acting oddly. Though he had to consider the fact that Xiumin had been badly hurt, and as his bondmate, it would affect Baekhyun too.

Walking slowly over to Kyungsu's bed, he knelt beside his bodyguard and brushed the dark hair from his closed eyes gently, a sad expression on his face.

"You're supposed to be invincible," he murmured, his breath catching. "Not half dead like this because of me..."

Yixing looked up, trying to catch any healers who might still be lingering, but they'd disappeared. "Why wasn't he healed first?" he asked softly. "He's supposed to be high priority, not... last on the list."

He'd been able to feel the warmth that spoke of a low-grade fever, something that worried him.

"Jinon, I have to do something, or he'll die."

Jinon took Yixing's hand and got to his feet, glancing around. Xiumin seemed okay, and he seemed to be in good hands, a quick turn-around for Baekhyun, but then Jinon could understand. He'd done the same thing, really.

He followed Yixing to the other bed, watching closely. He knew the kind of relationship the two had, being in one himself, and Yixing's comment had him narrowing his eyes. "See if you can get him a little more comfortable," he said softly. "I'm going to track down some healers."

He had the feeling that this was one more thing to lay at the feet of his bondmate's cousin. With a quick squeeze of Yixing's shoulder, Jinon went hunting.

Looking up at his bondmate, Yixing nodded, giving him a distracted but grateful smile. Watching him leave, he turned his attention back to Kyungsu, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a sigh. Holding out his hands, Yixing concentrated, letting the healing energy flow from him into Kyungsu's body as he waited for healers to come.

It didn't take him long at all to find a healer (he knew the look), and Jinon grabbed the man's arm.

"So there's this guy in your infirmary," he said, on the way back in. "He's one of yours. What's your king going to think when he finds out a dragon had to kidnap an elf to heal a faerie?"

"Not to mention his own son's bodyguard," Jinon added as he pulled the man to Kyungsu's bedside. "Just ask Baekhyun, there. He knows pretty well how dragons feel about his kind, too."

The healer blinked at Jinon, and after a nod from the guard who'd followed Jinon, sighed and let the dragon pull him back to the infirmary and to Kyungsu's bedside. Going pale when he saw Yixing healing his bodyguard (as well as how dangerously low Yixing's reserves were), he gently touched the young prince's shoulder.

"Enough, Yixing," he murmured, careful not to snap his concentration. "I'll take over now. Go and rest before you end up killing yourself..." He gave Yixing a stern look when he blinked at him, easing away from Kyungsu. "Your reserves are too low. If you heal anyone now it'll kill you..."

Flushing, Yixing shifted. "I had no choice," he replied softly. "You hadn't healed him and he was going to die if I didn't do anything. As it is, he's not out of danger yet, even with my help."

"Still, I don't think he'd appreciate your death in exchange for his life, now go," the healer murmured, giving Yixing a gentle shove. "Before I have to get someone to remove you..."

Jinon pulled Yixing against him and steadied him, but didn't move from the side of the bed when he felt him tense.

"We'll stay here," he said softly. "He'll be well enough until you've made sure Kyungsu isn't going to fade on him." He wasn't going to fight Yixing, knowing how he'd feel if someone just... dismissed him from Kan's bedside. "The faster you do your thing, the sooner I can get him back to his bed and recovering."

Glaring sullenly at the dragon, the healer shrugged and turned to Kyungsu, his hands held over the faerie's body to take care of the worst of his injuries. He knew if anything happened to him, Yixing would have their heads, though it wasn't his fault Kyungsu had been put lower on the list of those to be healed; they hadn't realised just how bad he was, and Kyuhyun had ordered their resources to go to those who needed them most. Not that that would help them in the event of Kyungsu's death. Or even now that the prince had become involved.

Yixing leaned on Jinon, trying his best not to give in to tears of frustration and anger. How could they have done this? They knew who Kyungsu was, how important he was. If he died...

"Make sure he is fully healed before anyone leaves the infirmary," he murmured, his tone hard and uncompromising. "And then I want to know why this was allowed to happen. Get more healers in here if you have to, but I am not leaving until I know he's safe."

Jinon waited until the healer turned away before he smirked, but he sobered soon enough. Something was definitely wrong here. A whole bunch of healers did not just leave people injured this badly without a good reason, and he could think of a couple.

One.

He held Yixing gently, trying to give his support as much as he could, even as he worried, because if the healer had seen how drained he was, then it was truly bad. Jinon chewed the inside of his cheek, thinking about what he was going to do, how he could fix this... And came to the conclusion he might not be able to until they were visiting his father. That meant he needed to speed that up as soon as possible.

It was getting harder and harder for Yixing to stay awake; he'd drained himself too much, but he was stubborn and wanted to see this through. Kyungsu deserved at least that much from him.

Calling for more healers, Yixing sagged against Jinon when they arrived to help the original healer Jinon had dragged in. "Tell me when they're finished?" he asked as he let his eyes close, too exhausted to stay conscious any longer.

Baekhyun looked over from his position at his bondmate's side, his eyes shadowed with pain. "Get him out of here," he murmured softly. "When he wakes up, give him hell for it for me. He shouldn't have done that and Kyungsu is going to have a fit..." He sighed. "And also, when he wakes up and starts giving you , tell him I told you to leave so he can blame me instead..."

Jinon braced himself when Yixing sagged against him, then lifted him easily. "Right," he said. "I will." He looked at the guards. "I have no idea how to get him to his rooms. Baekhyun. Take care of Xiumin, and make sure they actually heal Kyungsu? And if they don't, come get me. I'll make sure it happens."

The guard gestured to him, and he followed without looking at the healers, his teeth clenched on his anger. If they'd just done their job... Finally, Jinon lay Yixing on his bed, carefully covered him up, and then, with a sigh, stretched out next to him and slept as well.