The kingdom was brighter; much, much brighter than the banished city, and Taemin had been parted from it long enough to be afraid of all the new sights and sounds. Minho had to take a different, more secluded route to the palace to not overwhelm his new friend too much.

The kingdom had changed so much since Taemin last saw it, it was almost like he was in a different place. The houses were different; bigger and brighter. The market was larger than he last remembered it. Townspeople were happier and seemed to be more united than before. It was so different, but better than he remembered it to be.

They rode the tired horse for a few more minutes before a sight of the palace could be seen behind the woodland trees. Taemin's mouth opened in awe, not quite believing that he was lucky enough to step foot in such a grand place. 

When they reached the palace gate, the royal guards stopped them with their spears, not recognizing the prince that was in peasant clothes. Minho took off his hood to reveal his identity, and ordered the men to let them pass. The royal guards bowed in apology and opened the gates for them, but they were eyeing Taemin suspiciously as if a small and frail boy could be a threat.

The prince led the horse through the gardens, and into the palace walkway that was surrounded by tulips and yellow roses. The queen's assistant started screeching like an alarm as soon as he laid eyes on a familiar form. They had been in the garden, mourning the loss of the prince that they thought dead, and the queen's eyes widened when a familiar head of jet black hair caught her gaze. 

"Oh my god, he's alive! My queen, he's alive!" the assistant cried. All the servants looked up to see if it was true; that their prince had survived the bandit attack. 

Minho let out a strangled cry when he saw his mother, running towards him, the tail of her dress flying behind her.

"My son! Oh my lord, I thought I'd never see you again!" 

The prince unmounted his horse and met her halfway to a bone-crushing hug. His mother was weeping furiously, staining his peasant clothes as she mumbled incoherent things between her sobs. She touched his face, his arms, as if trying to really see if he was there and not just a ghost. 

"They told me everyone was dead and they never found your body. I thought I lost you," she sobbed, before crushing him in her arms again. "I'll never let you out on a quest again, no matter how dire it is! Oh my god, my boy is alive!"

Taemin quietly got off the horse himself, his heart warming at the dramatic reunion. The queen seemed to love Minho very much; Taemin was quite envious of it. Nobody will ever miss him when he'd go missing, but Minho... a whole kingdom was waiting for him.

"Mother, you and father were my last thoughts before I lost consciousness. I never thought I'd see you again, too," Minho said to her, his own tears falling slowly down his cheeks. "But I did, and I'm so glad to see you."

The queen nodded furiously, her make-up getting smudged on her beautiful face. She did not even wipe it off, and they wept and hugged for more minutes. The queen's assistant walked over to give the prince a welcoming pat on the back, tears in his own eyes, as well.

Taemin stayed by the horse, looking and marvelling at his surroundings. Obviously, he couldn't stay here; he wasn't worthy of such a beautiful sight. 

"Ah, but I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for this person. Taemin, come," Minho said.

The boy jumped at the mention of his name, but he obediently trotted over to the prince and his mother. He was about to kneel to her but Minho stopped him, saying to the queen, "This is my savior, mother. He allowed me into his home and treated my wounds and fever. I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for him." The prince smiled proudly.

Taemin felt a pair of arms squeezing his body in the next second. He saw the prince cover his laugh in the corner of his eye as the queen suffocated the him in her embrace. 

"Oh, thank you," she wailed, hugging Taemin impossibly tighter. "I am forever in debt to my son's savior."

"It w-was my obligation, your highness," the young boy said sheepishly, bowing his head to show respect.

The queen paid no heed to his physical appearance and touched his dirty face, holding it with both of her smooth hands. It was just as smooth as the prince's, spared from any form of hard labor. Taemin was suddenly conscious of his own rough ones, having been thickened by working at the small farm.

"You are to be given anything you want, my boy," the queen declared. "Anything, just say the word and I'll make it yours."

Taemin gulped. 

"Mother, you are overwhelming him," Minho chuckled from the side. He pulled at his mother's shoulder to make her let go of the peasant boy. "I shall reward Taemin for his heroic deed. I owe him my life."

"Th-that's not really necessary." Taemin shook his head furiously. "I just wish to stay in the kingdom. I... I don't want anything else."

"He was banished for some shallow reason, mother," Minho supplied. "I wish for him to stay, too. In the palace."

Taemin's eyes widened. "I didn't mean in the palace. With all due respect, I am not worthy to be in this--"

"You saved my life, you deserve to be here," Minho argued. His smile broadened and he gently pulled Taemin closer to him, and the young boy hid his face into the older man's shirt. 

"I wish for him to stay, mother," the prince said. "He shall become my... personal assistant."

"Well, I have no objections. Certainly, the boy can stay." The queen smiled warmly and extended her hand to the peasant. "Taemin, you can stay in the palace, and you will be treated as part of the family. My son has certainly taken a liking to you."

"Mother," Minho warned playfully.

"It is obvious, it is in your eyes," she pointed out, smirking. "If you wish to marry him, too, I have no objections."

Taemin's eyes widened for the third time. Marrying the prince? Preposterous! The fact that he was being allowed to stay in the castle was more than enough.

The prince was apparently embarassed. "Mother, we haven't been together for more than a week. I will not force him to do anything he doesn't want. Right, Taemin?"

He looked down at the younger male and saw a sheepish smile. 

"Of course, of course," the queen spoke. "Well, lets get him inside and we'll give you both a change of clothes. I suppose you haven't eaten well in the past few days. I shall have the chef prepare us a feast."

The royal woman ushered them inside, waving off the guards that blocked the entrance. Taemin's jaw immediately dropped when they entered the grand palace. He'd never seen such a place before; so vast and royal, with walls decorated by amazing paintings and furniture crafted by the best in the lands. Taemin resisted from touching any of the antique jars and vases as they passed the hall. It was carpeted, and his bare feet could feel its softness. 

The queen allowed them to bathe and change as she delivered the great news to her husband, still very ill and bedridden. Minho quickly cleaned himself and changed back into his regular clothes, intimidating Taemin when he saw how well-crafted the prince's clothing were. He looked down at his own clothes; tattered and dirty. 

Did he deserve to be here? Surely, the queen must've made a rash decision that she didn't really mean.

And Minho... he was probably only doing it because he pitied Taemin, and he owed him. When he grew sick of him, the prince would throw him out. Surely, he will, and Taemin would just have to find a new home. At least he was in the kingdom again, and he couldn't be more grateful for that.

"Taemin, you can bathe now. Feel free to use anything in the bathroom."

Taemin nodded softly and padded towards the prince's bathroom. He'd never been in a real bathroom before, and he'd never been in one of those tubs. From what he'd heard, it was delightful experience to be in them.

"I'll meet with my ill father, I'll come get you when you're done," the prince said.

Taemin nodded again, clutching the fluffy towel in his arms. The prince gave him a small smile before leaving the room, making his way to the king and queen's bedroom. 

When the doors were closed, Taemin proceeded to the bathroom to clean himself. He was used to the stream in the forest, but the large marble tub looked promising as well. The young boy took off his dirty clothes and slowly slipped into the warm water, finally seating himself inside the large tub that could fit twenty men. He surveyed the sides of the stone tub and saw many glass bottles and soaps, and he randomly chose one to start scrubbing himself with.

Taemin cleaned himself until no more dirt clung to his fair skin. He drained the tub and wrapped his tiny frame in the towel, stepping out of the bathroom and into the prince's bedroom. 

Simple clothes were laid out on the bed for him, but to Taemin, it was already a treasure. He gladly put on the nice trousers and white, long-sleeved shirt, slipping on the shoes right after. It had been so long since he had shoes. 

Taemin sat on the soft bed and wiggled his toes inside of the footwear. He giggled when he felt the cotton against them. It truly had been a long time since he had had proper clothes.

~

Minho didn't come back for him, and Taemin started to get a little worried. When he was about to go outside to look for the prince, a young maid came and notified him that the king was in dire condition and Minho went to get the doctor. 

"He said that he'll be meeting with you tonight for dinner. He apologizes for making you wait," she said, her head slightly bowed to him.

Taemin nodded and thanked the girl before she scurried off. He closed the door and went back to the prince's bed, his heart feeling heavy for the king's health. If he died, Minho would be devastated. He didn't want the prince to be sad, nor the queen. They were such good people.

Outside the large window, the sun started to set, and Taemin began to feel sleepy. He looked behind him, tempted by the softness of the sheets under him. 

No, he thought. He wasn't given permission to sleep on the prince's bed. Besides, he didn't want to dirty it even though he just took a bath.

Yawning, he shrank to the carpeted floor by the foot of the bed and curled up on it. It was like his bed of hay, but the carpet was much softer and cleaner. Taemin closed his eyes, and in the next minute, he fell asleep, having a very vivid dream about the prince marrying him.