Woohyun's POV

Did that just happen?  Did that really just happen?  Did Princess Han Seungyeon just disappear into thin air thanks to the incantation muttered by some random little brat?

"Uh...  D-Did you guys all just see what I just saw?" Jinwoon stammered out as he rubbed his eyes.  Nicole collapsed onto her knees next to him and she too rubbed her eyes.

"Guys..."

No response.

"GUYS..."

Still no response.

"God damn it, LISTEN TO ME WHEN I SAY SOMETHING."  Noooow, the two eye-rubbers decided to turn around.  "Rubbing your eyes isn't going to change what just happened."

Nicole sighed.  "I hate to say it, but you're right for once..."

Pardon me?  For once?  I'll have you know I'm right pretty much all the damn time, thank you very much!

"What do we do?  We don't have any clues as to where she could be." Jinwoon sat down next to the kneeling Nicole.

"Or do we?  You three should come over here and take a look."

I almost jumped out of my skin at the sudden interjection.  I'd know that voice anywhere...

"Kim Sunggyu, what are YOU doing here?"

---

Nicole's POV

"Kim Sunggyu, what are YOU doing here?" growled the ice prince as he turned around to face the source of the voice.  Oh boy...  Attack-dog prince is back.  Jinwoon and I both followed his gaze only to be met with the smiling face of a young man holding a fancy-looking lute.

"My, my...  You see me for the first time in over two years and no 'I missed you's?" The smiling man, apparently named Sunggyu, stepped out from behind some bushes.  "I missed you too, Prince Nam.  Come, give me a hug~"

Woohyun's face seemed to darken before he took a step back.  "Yah, back back!  Back, I say!"

"I see you still hate skinship, eh?" Sunggyu smirked before he noticed Jinwoon and I staring at him.  "Ah, pardon me for not introducing myself earlier.  I'm Kim Sunggyu, traveling troubadour.  I enjoy singing and playing the guitar and this lute...  Oh, and I'm Prince Nam's childhood friend."

"Ah, I'm Princess Han Nicole..." I stammered as I bowed.  "And this is Jung Jinwoon, freelancer."

Jinwoon bowed at the mention of his name and showed off his eye-smile.  "Pleasure to meet you, Sunggyu-sshi."

Sunggyu returned the greeting with his own eye-smile.  "Pleasure to meet you both."

"Alright, alright..." The prince groaned to the side of our conversation.  "Now that the three of you have introduced yourselves, let's stop wasting time...  We need to find your sister, Nicole."

I smirked.  "Wow, Prince Woohyun...  You're actually starting to sound like you care for her."

Woohyun shook his head hurriedly before pointing at Sunggyu.  "YAH.  KIM SUNGGYU.  CONTINUE WHAT YOU WERE SAYING EARLIER."

"Oh, you mean about giving me a hug?"

"What?!?  No, you fool, about how you saw a clue about Nicole's sister's disappearance!" Woohyun groaned.  "Focus, you three, focus!"

Sunggyu hummed a tune to himself before pouting.  "Well...  I was just in the area...  Strumming my lute...  When I decided to camp behind those bushes over there, for shade.  When I woke up, I saw that bobbed little girl from earlier and Princess Seungyeon disappear."

"WELL that's fine and dandy but that doesn't help with anything at all and-"

Sunggyu interrupted Woohyun's ranting.  "Let me finish, Prince Nam." He cleared his throat.  "As I was saying...  I saw them disappear, but I also watched something fall out of the little girl's pocket."

That's when he held up two items that blew my mind.  "Holy shi- This is a map to the Matsu kingdom and the compass that was given to my sister!" I exclaimed as I took the items from Sunggyu.  "You're saying this fell from the little girl's pocket?!?  What the hell, man?!?"

Sunggyu raised an eyebrow at my outburst while Jinwoon chuckled behind me.  Damn boy laughs at everything I do.

Woohyun also seemed to raise an eyebrow, although probably not at my outburst (he's used to it by now, I think).  "Wait, hold up...  I see writing on that piece of paper..."  He quickly snatched the map from my hands and squinted at it.

"Wow, from the way you're acting I'm REALLY starting to think you like-" I was interrupted when Woohyun started laughing like a maniac.

"WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA~!"

"Uh, Woohyun-sshi?"

"Prince Nam?"

"Yah, Prince Woohyun...  What's so funny?" I scoffed as walked over to him; he was currently rolling around on the ground, laughing so hard tears were starting to form.

"Puha, take a look for yourself!  HAHAHA!" He handed me the map as he struggled to sit up straight.

And that's when I saw it.

---

???'s POV

"SHI- I LOST THE MAP!" I yelled as I dug through my pockets.

"... Little girls shouldn't speak like that."  I turned around as the princess sighed.  "You speak as coarsely as my sister."

I decided to ignore her.  Honestly, this wasn't going exactly to plan at all.  I was supposed to disappear off with Princess Nicole, but nooooo...  That apparently didn't care much for children.  That .

And then I was supposed to have the map with directions to the Matsu kingdom in my pocket, but nooooo...  Apparently, I had left it somewhere...

Which wouldn't be that worrisome if I hadn't circled my current location on the map.

Damn it...

---

Nicole's POV

"Wow, that little girl is brilliant!" Woohyun exclaimed as he held back a laugh.  "She circled a cave on the map and labeled it 'hiding spot'!"

Sunggyu, Jinwoon and I all exchanged glances.  The ice prince's sense of humor was...  Odd, to say the least.

"Well, at least we know where she is now...  So you can rest easy, Prince Nam." Sunggyu winked in Woohyun's direction.  Woohyun stopped snickering and glared at Sunggyu.

"What are you implying?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing~  It's just, she's your fiancee right?"

"Just 'cause she's my fiancee doesn't mean I love her or worry about her or any other like that!" Woohyun shouted as he stomped further in front of us.  Sunggyu simply laughed and walked faster to catch up to him.

Seriously.  Sunggyu and Woohyun?  Watching those two is like watching a cat and a dog fight.  Moving on...

The four of us were currently on our way to the little girl's supposed "hiding spot."  Surprisingly, it was actually rather close to where the disappearing act had happened.  After twenty minutes had passed, we caught a glimpse of a familiar bobbed head and a princess dress.

"UNNIE~!" I shouted as I ran over and embraced her.

"Tch, I was too slow..." mumbled the little girl.  She seemed to murmur something to herself before disappearing - again.

Except, this time, without my sister.

---

???'s POV

I cursed to myself as I teleported out of sight of Princess Nicole's group.  I was now behind them, watching their every move.

"I guess they found my map..." I muttered to myself as I sighed.  "Why didn't I leave the cave earlier?  AISH...  It's all that Princess Seungyeon's fault for holding me up!"

---

Woohyun's POV

I was the last to arrive next to that woman.

Damn Jinwoon and his... Long legs...  Curse Sunggyu and his... Wait a minute.  Why should I care if I'm the last to be next to her?

"Prince Nam?"  I was snapped out of my thoughts by Sunggyu as he smirked at me.  He then turned his attention to her.  "Anyways, excuse me, but I don't think we've met, Princess Seungyeon." Sunggyu bowed as Seungyeon nodded her head in acknowledgement.  "I'm the traveling troubadour, Kim Sunggyu." As if to prove his point, Sunggyu strummed a scale on his lute.

"Ah, it's nice to meet you, Sunggyu-sshi." Seungyeon smiled.  "Thanks for helping my sister and the rest of them find me."

"It was no problem at all," Sunggyu smiled.

Damn.  I just figured it out.  If Sunggyu - that bastard - joined our group then...  Oh man, I'd be traveling with not two now, but three people with eye-smiles!

Almost as if he read my mind, Sunggyu stated, "Actually, I've been a little bored lately...  Do you guys mind if I travel along with you four to the Matsu kingdom?"

"It's no problem at all!" Nicole replied as she shook Sunggyu's hand.  "Anything for the guy who helped me find my unnie!"

Oh...  Kim Sunggyu...  You... Son...  Of... A...

---

Seungyeon's POV

If Woohyun was a cartoon character, there'd be smoke billowing from his ears right about now.  It was funny how riled up he got around Sunggyu; they seemed close.

"Anyways, unnie, that little girl didn't do anything weird, did she?" asked Nicole as she looked at me worriedly.

Jinwoon was behind her, looking at me with a questioning glance.  "I mean, that little girl has magic power so...  Who knows what she could have done to you.  I'd hate to find out that a lady such as yourself was in distress."

I noticed Nicole's eyebrow twitch at Jinwoon's statement.  I wonder if she's falling for him already?

I cleared my throat.  "No, nothing happened...  Really...  All she did was curse and mumble to herself." I shrugged.  Weirdest little girl I've ever met...

Prince Woohyun coughed.  "Well then...  Since you're fine and everything's settled..."  He glared at me before continuing.  Don't think I didn't notice your glares at me, Woohyun... "We should get going.  It's going to be dark soon, and the map says there's a town nearby.  We should head on over to rest."

"That sounds like a good plan," Jinwoon commented with a nod.  "Let's keep on, keeping on~"

Author's Note: Short chapter is short...  But yay, another character's been introduced :D

Comments and criticisms are welcome!