NARRATOR'S POV

I know he has to be here somewhere! Sooyeon squawked, but then immediately quietened down when she noticed a lone guard sleeping soundly beside the entrance to the dungeons. Jimin slowly put her down, already forming a plan to get past the guard and get his keys. Eyes focused on the sleeping man, Jimin lowered himself to Sooyeon's height, took a step back and-

"HOLY EFFIN' -" 

All hell broke loose. Well, as far as hell could go with three - I mean, two people and a swan, at least.

Jimin cursed while apologising - how he pulled that off, no one could ever know - to Sooyeon who craned her long neck to look at her bruised foot - a result of the ever-s0-stealthy Jimin trying to whisper in her ears. The two seemed to have forgotten their whereabouts, leaving the guard lying awake and extremely confused.

"What in the King's name..." the guard spoke lowly, but it was loud enough to draw the swan and the fugitive's attention.

An awkward silence ensued.

"Knock him out," Sooyeon barked. Jimin grinned boyishly and cracked his knuckles just for show.

"Already on it."

----

As the guard lay unconscious, stretched out along the corridor, the two sneaked in trying to avoid drawing attention to themselves. Which was pretty damn tough considering how Jimin had a swan tucked under his arm - but no matter. The cells were all barren and empty, much to their surprise. It seemed that crime rates were not that high there in Mato.

The only crimes going on here are those committed by the Queen, Sooyeon mused to herself. This ends here.

Jimin jogged up to the last cell, panting slightly. "He has to be here, then," he set Sooyeon down, noticing that the door was shut and locked. He peered into the room, noticing a dark figure in the shadows.

"Prince Jonghyun?" 

The figure shot up warily, mumbling a low "yes". From what Jimin could see in the dark, the Prince looked like a wreck. His form was drained, as if he had not eaten for days.

"We're here to save you and your Princess," Jimin announced, his voice strong. He had known of the misdeeds the Queen of this planet had committed, but experiencing it firsthand made him nothing less than angry. His jaw tightened as he thought of the Pied Piper Resistance, Sooyeon, this Prince, and of course, his own sister Sunhwa who almost got killed.

Without further ado, he retrieved the key from his pocket and jiggled it in the lock, sighing as he heard a satisfying click. He had to budge open the door a little. Jonghyun was already at the door, a serious expression adorning his features. Jimin bowed his head in respect for him.

Sooyeon looked at him, slightly in awe at his appearance. So this is Princess Ahyoung's prince.

Jonghyun looked at her and she straightened. She instinctively bowed, only to realise belatedly that she was a swan. She looked at Jimin and he caught her message.

"We don't have time. With all due respect, you'll just have to trust us and stop the wedding between your princess," Jimin glanced at Sooyeon. "and her own prince."

If swans could blush, Sooyeon would be flushing crimson. He has the wrong idea, she huffed to herself. He probably thought he was a prince because he's disguised as the Queen's son. 

Jonghyun thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Thank you. Please, show me the way."

And with that, they exited the dungeon and headed over to the reception hall.

----

Daehyun watched with bated breath as Sooyeon walked down the aisle, her white gown accentuating her curves in all the right places. Everyone in the room looked on at her in awe, whispering among one another as she walked with heavy footsteps.

"She is absolutely stunning."

"I heard she was from a village - she isn't even a princess!"

"The Queen must be quite the good character to let her own son marry a peasant!"

Daehyun took no heed of the comments, his attention solely focused on Sooyeon's sad expression. Nonetheless, he smiled when she approached - yet she could not even conjure one back.

He kept wearing his smile as she stepped up on the podium. She looked down demurely at the floor and waited for the priest to speak.

Meanwhile, Jimin had slinked away to join his housemates, thankfully going unnoticed. He had hesitated, not wanting to leave Sooyeon and Jonghyun alone hidden behind the giant curtains, but he saw in Sooyeon's eyes her gratitude. He sat down next to Namjoon and grinned quietly to himself.

"How was it?" Namjoon whispered quietly. Jimin's grin got even wider.

"Stage one mission accomplished. It will be fine. I can feel it."

Reassured, his leader sat back in his seat, fighting the urge to turn around and find Sooyeon lest someone thought him suspicious. In the meantime, he faced forward and sincerely hoped everything would play out well.

"It is not our role to intervene," Sunhwa said lowly, her eyes uncharacteristically serious. Namjoon blinked at the new change in her and she turned to him discreetly.

"I have a good feeling about this!" Sunhwa grinned and flashed him a thumbs up. Namjoon's worry dissipated and he softened, a small smile gracing his lips. He pat her head and focused on the exchange of vows taking place in front of him.

The time was coming.

----

"I will not allow her to be taken away by another. I do not understand why you have brought me here to witness this torture and not do anything of it! I will not accept this!" Jonghyun hissed, pulling his arm out of Jimin's grasp. Jonghyun was usually more on the quiet side, so he surprised himself at his outburst. Jimin looked at him dead in the eye, Jonghyun's princely title forgotten.

"I know you are upset. But we cannot barge into there unarmed. We are only two people- there are hundreds of guards in there, and no one will believe what you say. You think this is only hard for you? Look at her!" Jimin whispered harshly, pointing to the swan that looked slightly longing from the windows.

"You just have to wait for the right time. Please, I beseech you, Prince Jonghyun," Jimin kneeled, bowing his head.

Jonghyun and Sooyeon were now at the back of the hall, hidden by the big curtains that framed the doorway. They could hear each syllable from the priest's mouth clearly, and it agonized Jonghyun. He had learned that Ahyoung was under the guise of Sooyeon, and it enraged him all the more.

Regardless, he stood still, his fists clenching as the vows got nearer and nearer. If he says "I do"- I am not waiting any longer. I will stop this.

He noticed the swan out of the corner of his eye, her form still regal. Jonghyun could sense a quiet anger in the depths of her eyes. He knew that she would step in as well. They both just had to wait.

----

Ahyoung fidgeted slightly under Daehyun's gaze. It was time for the vows. Secretly, she hoped Daehyun would say no - she desperately wanted to get out of this situation, but what could she do? No one would believe her and the Queen had total control over her entire being. Plus, she said that she would return her prince to her provided she play along with the wedding... right?

The priest looked up at the groom, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Do you, Prince Daehyun, take Miss Sooyeon as your lawfully wedded wife?"

Daehyun's eyes never faltered. His smile never wavered.

"I do."

----

Quiet gasps were released from Sunhwa's group. Namjoon made a move to stand, but Sunhwa put a hand on his. He stiffened and sat rigid, turning to Sunhwa in alarm.

"It's not over yet."

He blinked, and then Daehyun's voice broke his train of thought.

"I... honestly like Jeon Sooyeon a lot. But I know that you aren't her. My real princess... is somewhere out there, and she needs me," his voice was strong with certainty, and his gaze on Ahyoung never wavered. "and I need her. I'm sorry, I know I am not your prince either. I cannot go through with this arrangement."

From behind the curtain, Jonghyun relaxed. He was about to storm into there - but upon hearing Daehyun's words, he stopped. Upon glancing at Sooyeon, his eyes widened considerably. 

"...Sooyeon, you are glowing," he muttered in slight awe. The swan turned to him in shock and craned her neck this way and that, feeling a strange feeling overcome her.

"My real princess... is somewhere out there, and she needs me...

"and I need her."

Sooyeon's heart lurched with an unknown feeling. She gasped as she noticed her feathers start to glow, causing her to stumble from behind the curtains. She cried out, and belatedly noticed that her voice was no longer a shriek but her very own. What was once feathers turned to her fair skin, and her previous webbed feet were no where to be found. She heard gasps from the crowd and she blinked away the spots from her vision, only to meet the eyes of her one and only partner-in-crime: Jung Daehyun.

Her body was adorned with a beautiful white gown- that she noticed looked like a splitting image of a gown she designed back in school- and a tiara sat fittingly on her head. She smiled, truly smiled for the first time in a long while. And then she found herself gravitating closer to a very ecstatic Daehyun.

Strangely, she felt tears in her eyes as the distance between them closed. Daehyun closed the gap as she circled her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder, crowd forgotten. His arms wound naturally around her waist and she willed her tears to go away.

"I didn't know you were here," he breathed, pulling away to look at her. He noticed more things about her now. It was as if his vision was sharpened and no longer hazy. She awkwardly rested her hands on his shoulders before pulling away and doing the customary punch-the-arm greeting, slightly embarrassed.

"I didn't know you were going to say that out loud to hundreds of people," she muttered, seemingly disinterested - but her eyes told a different story.

He chuckled and held her face in his hands, their temples lightly touching. "I'd gladly repeat that for you a millio