Kyungsoo tiredly falls onto his bed, not even bothering to change out of his stiff and itchy clothes.  He had spent the whole day being ‘trained’ by Tao, just as he had been every day for the past three weeks, and he wants nothing more than to fall asleep.

          The past few weeks have been grueling, and Kyungsoo has experienced so many things he thought he never would.  At this point, he’s pretty much mastered the art of speaking like he’s expected, and now knows all of the minutiae of court life. That is, when he’s not making snide comments that have Tao staring at him disapprovingly.  Kyungsoo has not made as much progress in the areas of physical skills.  He is not capable of staying on a horse for more than thirty seconds, fencing has left him covered in innumerable bruises, not to mention a new found fear of long strips of metal, and his archery is subpar at best.

But despite all of this, and all of the consequent exhaustion, Kyungsoo is grateful to Tao for filling up every waking minute of his days and leaving him too tired to give much thought to his situation.  In the quiet moments, as he’s drifting off to sleep, Kyungsoo cannot help but to think of home; his parents, his friends, his school.  The longing for his world is so deeply ingrained into him at this point that he can feel it in his bones.  Without Tao’s constant distractions, Kyungsoo fears he would quickly lose himself to depression.  Fortunately, the weeks seem to be going by at a rate that feels unrealistically fast.

Before he’s even aware of having fallen asleep, Kyungsoo is being shaken awake by a delicate hand.

“Soo Soo, Tao says it’s time for you to get up.”

“Just five more minutes,” Kyungsoo groans as he rolls over so his back is towards Yixing.

“Soo~” Yixing whines, “Hurry up and wake up! Tao is going to skin you alive. He says today is very important and you need to wear the mustard yellow and chocolate brown suit.”

“But that one is so itchy~” Kyungsoo whines back in response as he at last sits up and rubs the sleep out of his eyes. “Why do I have to be fancy today?”

“Tao says you’re meeting the King this morning.”

“Your dad?” Kyungsoo inquires disinterestedly as he finally gets up and walks over to the closet to pull out the detested suit.

“Yes, my dad. He and duizhang are going to determine whether or not your lessons with Tao need to continue, or if you can at last be introduced to court.  There’s a ball this weekend at Lord Xi’s manor which would provide the perfect opportunity to have your presence become known.”

“Yi Fan is going to be there today?” Kyungsoo inquires as calmly as he can, though his body has tensed up considerably.

Kyungsoo has not seen Yi Fan since he began his training with Tao, though the memory of their last encounter still burns vividly in his mind.

“Yes, of course he will be there. He already knows you, so he will be able to provide better input on your new status than my father will.”

“Oh,” is Kyungsoo’s only response as he turns to the mirror to comb his hair into something presentable. He is upset to realize that not only have the shaved sides of his head begun to grow out, his roots are starting to show too, making for an interesting color contrast between inky black fading into scarlet.

“Are you ready yet?” Yixing inquires, not having noticed the sudden tension around Kyungsoo.

“Yeah, I guess I’m ready,” Kyungsoo responds, squaring his shoulders and giving himself a few words of encouragement before turning away from the mirror and following Yixing out the door.

They meet Tao outside of the door to the King’s throne room, and by this point, Kyungsoo is nothing but a bundle of nervous energy and shaking fingers.

“Kyungsoo, you need to relax. You have nothing to fear from the King,” Tao soothes him, placing a gentle hand on his thin shoulder.

“It’s not the King I’m afraid of,” Kyungsoo responds, running his trembling hands through his hair in an attempt to further smooth it down.

“You have nothing to fear from Yi Fan either,” Tao looks directly into Kyungsoo’s eyes.  “He is a lot of bark, but there is no bite to it.”

Kyungsoo merely nods his head in response before turning to the door which is pushed open to allow them in.  As he and Tao step inside the doors, Kyungsoo notices that Yixing has scampered off somewhere else, leaving them alone.

He doesn’t have much opportunity to consider this however, because next thing he knows, Kyungsoo is walking into the throne room and bowing low, as if on autopilot, everything Tao has taught him finally coming into play.

“Do Kyungsoo,” the booming voice of the King fills the room, the rumbling tone seeming to shake his very bones.

“Yes, your majesty,” Kyungsoo says clearly, proud of not only his retention of Tao’s lessons, but also of his steady voice.

“You have been here for three weeks to the day, how have you been enjoying my Kingdom?”

“Your majesty, it is quite picturesque and entirely too beautiful. I cannot even begin to describe the rapture I have experienced since being here.”

At this, the King lets out a throaty chuckle that is, if possible, even louder than his booming voice.  “I see that you are master of words, Do Kyungsoo, it will serve you well here.”

“All credit must be given to Zitao, your majesty.”

“Yes, yes, wonderful job Tao, you have once again served me well.  Your manners seem to be in order, Do Kyungsoo, I deem you fit for society.  What say you, Yi Fan?”

Kyungsoo peeks up from where he has his head bowed to get a good look at Yi Fan, and is unsurprised to see him towering over his father from his standing position, his expression stern and his features handsome.

“I am sure that you are right in your judgment, father,” Yi Fan agrees with the King, catching and holding Kyungsoo’s eyes with a fierce expression.

“So be it. Zitao, you are to prepare Kyungsoo for Lord Xi’s ball this week, after which I would appreciate if you could return to your regular duties.  I have found myself in need of your services on more than one occasion these last few weeks, and I look forward to you resuming your responsibilities.”

“Yes, your highness,” Tao bends forward into yet another graceful bow before straightening once more.  “Kyungsoo and I will now take our leave.”

The two of them bow low once more before turning on their heels and making their retreat through the same door from which they entered.  As soon as they are once again in the hallway and the door has been firmly shut behind them, Kyungsoo takes a deep breath and allows his posture to relax back into his standard slump.

“Well thank God that’s over,” Kyungsoo returns to his comfortable way of speaking now that he has the opportunity.

“You did well, Kyungsoo. I have confidence that you will continue to do well at Lord Xi’s ball.”

“Thanks Tao, I couldn’t do it without you.”

“That is the truth.”

“Wow, no need to be so modest,” Kyungsoo laughs as they begin walking down the corridor.

“False modesty was never a trait that my mother instilled in me.  Goodbye, Kyungsoo, I am giving you the day off. Take the opportunity to explore some more, though going into town is still off limits. You are to remain within the castle grounds.”

“Yeah yeah yeah, I know the rules. See ya Tao, I’ll catch ya later,” Kyungsoo waves off the brooding man before traipsing down the next hallway, prepared for a day of getting lost in the twists and turns of the castle. Though, to be fair, he has mostly figured out how to get where he needs to without getting totally lost.

An hour and a half later, Kyungsoo finds himself in a totally unfamiliar part of the castle.  He is in what is presumably the attic, though he’s never been in another castle, so he doesn’t really have a standard for comparison.

As he walks down the stuffy hallway, Kyungsoo is disinterestedly pushing open doors along the way and glancing fleetingly inside.  His interest is once again piqued, however, when he pushes open a door and finds a circular room with warm sunlight streaming in, illuminating the dust particles in the air and painting everything gold.

“Woah, I must be in the turret. in’ score!” he exclaims as he enters the room to have a look around.  With the exception of the faded and moth eaten tapestries adorning the walls, the room is totally empty.  The floor is comprised of soft, warm wood that has been worn smooth by decades of bare feet traipsing across it, and Kyungsoo is seized with the desire to remove his shoes so that his own feet can experience the comfort of the aged wood.

With no reason not to, Kyungsoo takes off his shoes before walking over to the window.  When he approaches the window, Kyungsoo’s breath is taken away by the spectacular view afforded him.

The sun is casting a golden glow onto everything before him, and Kyungsoo at last gets a sense of how huge the city he is in is.  The palace grounds with their well-groomed and vibrantly colored gardens are what is closest to him, but beyond that, separated by a stone wall, is the city.  It stretches on for what is probably miles, and though Kyungsoo can’t actually see or hear its inhabitants from his place in the turret, he can’t help but to imagine them going on about their daily lives, and it gives him a sense of how small he truly is.

“Well, I guess if I have to get stuck in a world that doesn’t belong to me, this place is the best I could have asked for. It’s gorgeous,” Kyungsoo mutters to himself as he continues to stare out the window.

Kyungsoo remains in his state of silent contemplation for a little while longer until he is rudely interrupted by the sound of his stomach growling in hunger.  With a long, drawn-out sigh, Kyungsoo removes himself from his position at the window, puts his shoes back onto his feet, and proceeds to make his way back down in to the hustle and bustle of the primary part of the palace.

He has only descended one flight of stairs and is on the floor just below the one with the turret when he sees Yi Fan’s form standing at the end of the hallway, doing lord knows what.  Quickly, before he can be spotted, Kyungsoo turns around and begins quietly walking back the way he came, determined to find a different way down.  Before he can make it more than a few feet, however, his progress is halted by the sound of Yi Fan’s voice.

“Kyungsoo, come here.”

“Kyungsoo, come here please,” he responds before he even thinks about his words.

“I thought that Tao had taught you the proper way of speaking,” Yi Fan reprimands.

“Forgive me, your highness,” Kyungsoo responds, bending naturally into a bow, though the formality makes him grit his teeth.  “You simply caught me off guard.”

“I had wished to speak to you, but you left before I got the chance. I was told that I would likely find you up here.”

Kyungsoo does not respond, simply standing in his spot, patiently waiting for Yi Fan to continue.

“I, uhm, wanted to apologize,” Yi Fan scratches the nape of his neck nervously, and Kyungsoo is taken aback by the whole thing.

“What?” He questions, letting his formalities drop.

“It is just that, Tao informed me that I may have been a little harsh to you the other day.”

“The other day? God damn it Yi Fan, that was nearly a month ago and you only now think it’s a proper time to seek forgiveness? What the man!” Kyungsoo knows he shouldn’t push his luck, but he just can’t help it, it’s within his nature to be a sassy little and for whatever reason, holding his tongue is nearly impossible around the fearsome giant.

“I apologized, is that not enough!?” Yi Fan responds back angrily, quickly getting riled up by Kyungsoo’s tone of voice.

“Jesus , you shouldn’t wait so long to make an apology! Do you know how ty I’ve been feeling because of you!?”

“Did not anyone ever tell you that apologies are not time sensitive?  And why are your feelings my responsibility? I am the Crown Prince of this nation, I do not have time to concern myself with the petty feelings of the likes of you.”

“You know what, go yourself, your highness, I don’t need your .  You want to know why my feelings are your problem? It’s because of your ty that I’m even ing here!  You’re the that dragged me here to this hell hole where I’m clearly a fish out of water.  Oh wait, I almost forgot, you’re also the one that ing tortured me and accused me of witchcraft! You’re such an ignorant er Wu Yi Fan!”

“It is not my fault that you ended up here in my world! You should be grateful to me for taking you in, feeding you, giving you clothes, and educating you.”

“Oh yes, thank you so much for doing the absolute basics of human niceties. Oh wait, you haven’t been nice to me even once. That’s all been Tao and Yixing! It seems as if they’re the only two around here with any sense of humanity!”

“Maybe if you weren’t so rude all the time and didn’t talk back to me as if you were an uneducated seven year old, I would not have to raise my voice with you so often!”

“Oh you poor baby, king of the castle, never have anyone do anything besides what you explicitly told them? Reality check, it’s not healthy to have everyone do everything you say, it gives you an over-inflated sense of self!”

Yi Fan opens his mouth as if to respond, but instead inhales and exhales a deep breath, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Kyungsoo, I am sincerely sorry that you feel this way.  It was never my intention to make you feel unwelcome in this world.  I have been told that I need to be more aware of my anger issues, please forgive me for taking them out on you. I’m sure it must be nothing but difficult to be in the situation that you are in.  I have failed you in my responsibility of host.”

Kyungsoo feels as if he’s had the rug pulled out from under him.  He had been ready to continue the yelling match until Yi Fan was in tears and he was determined the victor, but now he finds that all of his anger has rushed out of him.

“Uh, I guess I apologize for being such a sassy er, but sarcasm runs through my blood.”

“Shall we put the past few weeks behind us and begin again?” Yi Fan inquires, opening his eyes to stare at Kyungsoo.

“Uh, I guess so,” Kyungsoo responds, fidgeting nervously in place as he tries to read Yi Fan’s expression.

“Hello, I am Wu Yi Fan, pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“Um, I’m Do Kyungsoo, it’s nice to meet you,” Kyungsoo mutters out begrudgingly.

Yi Fan reaches out to shake Kyungsoo’s hand, his trash can lid sized mitts completely engulfing his own.

“I hope to get to know you better during your stay with us.”

Kyungsoo is dazzled by a gummy smile as he returns the handshake.

A/N:

Hello all, I've updated again. This week has been hellish, but I carved out time just for you, so I hope you enjoy it. Fair warning, I haven't gotten a chance to edit this chapter yet, I just wanted to post it before I had to skitter off to a meeting. I'll revise it when I get back, but hopefully there aren't too many mistakes or continuity errors.

Okay, I've fixed it. I'm sorry to anybody who tried to read this before I could. I was just so excited to get the chapter up.