A/N: It's been awhile hasn't it? I just graduated from high school so I kind of went on a lazy spree and spent most of my time playing Skyrim instead of writing. Sorry about that. But, I have legendary sneak at level 34, impressive, right? Haha, well I wrote this for you guys when I went to the beach. I got severely burnt for you guys! I swear I was getting welts on one leg....But with the power of Aloe Vera and cold Orange Pokoe tea I'm already on the path of tanned skin (or so I hope)! 

  Thank you to everyone who susbscribed!!! I hope this story meets your expectations!! I tried to edit it, but, well, who knows how that ended up.....

 ‘That was stupid.’ Zuko sighed and unwrapped the bandage that was wrapped around Hyunsu’s leg.

 It was a couple of hours since the caravan had come into town, and had only been a half hour since she was smuggled out of the Lord of the villages house. It had taken a lot of work to get out without the elders, or anyone else noticing, but it was mainly the elders that she was avoiding. The elders were the ones that decided that she could not see Sooki, and would be the ones to react the most violently. It wasn’t surprising that once they got home, blood was soaking through her dress from the injury on her leg. While her father left to meet the caravans and see who the injured people were, Zuko had been the one to stay and care for her wound.

 ‘I know.’ Hyunsu huffed and looked away from her older brother, instead she focused her gaze on the garden that was directly outside of the window. ‘I just, I hate being restricted. Why can’t I just do what I want?’ Being told she couldn't do what she wanted made her feel tense, and as if the world was converging on her, suffocating her. It made her long for the sense of freedom she gained in the forest. She may still have been limited, but there was something freeing about the way she could relax, talk to whoever she wished, and just wait. Sometimes she wondered what she was always waiting for, but there was always something she was anticipating.

 ‘Because it’s dangerous.’ Zuko gently dabbed the damp cloth against her wound. Hyunsu squeezed her eyes shut as pain shot up her leg. The pain melded with the tickling sensation of water rolling down her legs, which only served to make her leg feel itchy. ‘Have you heard about the travellers?’ He changed the topic swiftly, quickly catching on that the previous one would only serve to cause arguments.

 ‘No, they have two wounded though, don’t they?’ She felt her stomach churn as she thought about the Fae look-a-likes. Did they really follow her there?

 ‘Yes, they are our own people as well.’ Zuko’s lips twisted as he spread the poultice on her wound. ‘Jinki is trying to get the caravan to let them into our house.’

 ‘Why wouldn’t they be brought here immediately?’ Hyunsu’s eyebrows furrowed together as she pressed her palms into the table beneath her.

 ‘The caravan are unsure that we can take care of them, they’re upset that they were in the hands of the Fae.’ Zuko jerked his head to the side as he released a heavy sigh of exasperation. ‘They want their own healers to look at them,’ he said. It was irritating that foreigners were constricting their access to the injured, especially when he felt they had no power in their village. They had no authority to restrict them from helping their own people.

 ‘I see,’ Hyunsu said, not saying anything else as Zuko wrapped the bandage around her wound before tying it tightly.

 ‘See! There are a lot of herbs in the garden! That’s a good sign, right?’ Zuko instantly rolled his eyes and smiled as he heard his friend Jinki talking loudly outside the house.

 ‘I suppose he convinced them,’ Hyunsu said as she pushed herself off of the table. Instantly Zuko was supporting her and making sure she wasn’t putting too much weight on her leg.

 ‘I suppose so.’ The door opened as he responded, revealing Jinki who was guiding three people inside. Two of the three were carrying bodies.

 ‘These are the children of the healers, Hyunsu, and Zuko.’ Jinki grinned and swiped his dark bangs out of his eyes.

 ‘Hello, I am Lee Hwijae.’ The man who walked in and was not carrying a body announced. He had thick rimmed black glasses and mid length black hair that was tied up in a ponytail. His side bang had multi-coloured strings tied around it in thick bands. ‘I am the leader of this caravan. I understand that these two people are your villagers?’ As he spoke Jinki guided the two people to lay the bodies down upon the table. Zuko gently removed the blankets before nodding in affirmation.

 ‘They are,’ he answered the man. Hyunsu kept her eyes plastered on the floorboards. She could feel her chest compressing, each breath she took caused pain to blossom in her chest. She had to admit she was scared, she was scared that if she lifted her head she would see Hoya and L. So, she silently left the room and went into her bedroom. She kept the door cracked open just enough that she could hear what was going on.

 ‘They are in your hands.’ Hwijae nodded, mostly to himself. ‘I will leave Myungsoo in your care, to ensure that the one that still lives will be properly taken care of. He has herbs that may be useful to you.’

 ‘Thank you.’ Zuko bowed before walking towards the two bodies. ‘Sooeon is dead,’ he declared after pressing his fingers to the cold corpse that was to the left. Hyunsu frowned and recalled the young teen that was always running around the village looking for the most random of things. He was barely old enough to leave the village, let alone fight. How could they let him go?

 ‘Kangchi is alive, right?’ Jinki asked as he watched Zuko check the next body.

 ‘Yes, the other one still lives,’ Hwijae said, ‘Myungsoo has been caring to him.’

 ‘Sir.’ Myungsoo folded his arms across his chest as he leaned against the wall, watching Zuko check the injuries that the living victim sustained. ‘May Howon stay with me for assistance?’ His dark eyes flicked to the leader as his eyebrow quirked the tiniest of amounts.

 ‘That depends on the healers.’ Hwijae answered with a bland tone. The corner of his lip curled down. He was still not partial to the village he was in.

 ‘That should be fine.’ Zuko nodded absently as he wrote down everything he noticed about the bodies. ‘How long will the caravan stay in the village?’ Almost hesitantly, he looked up at the leader. There was something offsetting about the man, his apathy was hard to ignore.

 ‘We will be staying for the next three nights, then we will leave. We have a schedule to follow if we want to ensure our safety. My informants tell me that the next auspicious day for travel is Tuesday. If we do not leave that day, we will need to wait until the Thursday after next.’ Jinki’s eyebrows shot up as he stared at the man. He looked over at Zuko whose eyebrows furrowed in a silent command to not comment on the man’s fortune based plans.

 ‘So, who are your informants?’ Jinki asked with a crooked grin, looking completely unapologetic for ignoring Zuko’s warning.

 ‘The people I meet.’ Hwijae responded with a miniscule wave of his hand. ‘I must go, Myungsoo, focus on your task. Howon, watch over him.’ With a final nod of his head, Hwijae left the house to attended to matters that were more relevant to his caravan, and it's growing wealth.

 ‘Of course.’ Myungsoo scoffed softly and a smirk curled at his lips (though it very well could have been his attempt at a reassuring smile) as Howon mutely nodded.

 The room fell into silence as Zuko finished looking over Kangchi’s body, quickly determining that it was well looked over by Myungsoo. There were some minor mistakes regarding the tying of the cloth, and some strange plants he had never seen, but everything seemed in order. He walked around the table to look over the corpse, he focused on the task at hand with the utmost of focus. His pale bangs fell over his eyes as he worked. He ignored how the two people from the caravan stared at him.

 ‘Excuse me,’ Myungsoo finally spoke up. His eyes were focused on Zuko's odd colouring that was so unlike the people in the village.

 ‘He’s an albino,’ Jinki said, as if Zuko wasn’t there to explain it himself.

 ‘Albino?’ Myungsoo frowned, his eyebrows furrowed together in confusion.

 ‘Yeah, albino, like, someone who is lacking pigment?’ Jinki had a kind smile on his face, but it was clear that he imagined that everyone knew what an albino was, or even what pigment was.

 ‘I see,’ Myungsoo looked over at Howon who moved his shoulders the tiniest bit, enough to just barely make it resemble a shrug. The two of them had absolutely no clue what it meant, but apparently it was normal.

 ‘Is your sister okay?’ Jinki scratched the back of his head with a nervous smile.The attention from the foreigners went from the bodies, to the clumsy man in an instant. Howon had straightened and instantly looked at the door of the room the girl had disappeared into.

 ‘You can ask her.’ Zuko shot his friend a look before writing down the different cuts and mutilations carved into the corpse. Unlike the previous time there were no words carved into the flesh. Instead, symbols were carved into the chest, they were the same one’s that were cut into Kangchi’s body. It was a strange swirl of lines that came together to make a design that seemed distinctly familiar to him. But he just couldn’t place where he had seen it.

 ‘But.’ Jinki leaned closer to him, blatantly avoiding looking at the desecrated body. ‘I shot her. I can’t just go and ask if she’s okay.’

 ‘Yes, you can,’ Zuko answered. The duo missed the way Myungsoo’s lips twisted in disgust as he stared at the archer. ‘She’s going to hold a grudge if you don’t speak to her.’ He looked between the bodies. The Fae could never give them back anything whole, anything they got back was only a hint of what once was. Kwan had his hair and eyes torn out before he was carved into. The two villagers were carved into as if they were parchment, and even his own sister, though appearing normal, seemed to be disconnected from reality. He worried the change was far deeper than they could see.

 ‘She’ll hold a grudge against me if I do,’ Jinki retorted. His nose wrinkled as he crossed his arms.

 ‘Just go and see her.’ Zuko breathed out heavily as he covered the cadaver, hiding it from view until his father could look at it. ‘You two have interesting accents, where are you from?’ His eyebrows rose as he looked at the two males who had carried in the bodies.

 ‘The south,’ Myungsoo said with a quick look at his friend.

 ‘Oh, are you two from a coastal community?’ Zuko smiled wistfully, he had always wanted to see the ocean. It was something that he had always dreamed of, especially after he had seen the beautiful painting's that coated the walls of the Elders hall.

 ‘Coastal community?’ Howon rubbed his eyebrow before grimacing and nodding. ‘Yes, we are.’

 ‘What is it like, living by the ocean?’ Zuko placed his palms on the table in front of him, leaning towards the foreigners.

 ‘Big,’ Myungsoo answered a touch quickly. His response made Zuko and Jinki frown, it was clipped, and quite frankly, a bit aggressive. ‘I don’t want to talk about it.’

 ‘Okay,’ Zuko said as he frowned at Myungsoo.

  ‘Alright, I’m going.’ Jinki walked to the sibling’s room as soon as the atmosphere seemed suspiciously tense and knocked before walking in.

 ‘Can he do that?’ Howon immediately looked at Zuko with a face mixed between confusion and disbelief. To his knowledge, the people in the village were extremely careful in their social interactions. Single men and women were not allowed alone in a room, and physical touch, even between family, was definitely kept to the bare minimum.

 ‘Of course, he’s a family friend.’ With those words the two males glanced at each other than to the room where they could hear Hyunsu greeting Jinki.

 ‘Can I talk to you?’ Jinki stepped out of view of the three boys as he talked to Hyunsu.

 ‘Yes.’ Hyunsu closed the door and sat down, placing her back against it. It was a small reassurance to her, it made her feel at least a little safe. If anyone wanted to come in they would have to push her.

 ‘You were listening in, right?’ Jinki questioned with a smile as he sat down beside her. Instantly her cheeks warmed and she smiled nervously.

 ‘Perhaps.’ It really was no surprise that she was listening. She had always been the type who couldn’t keep her attention off of the things she was interested in. With the situation she was in, she most definitely would not have kept to herself when she went into the room. How could she when the two guys in the room with her brother might be Fae?

 ‘I’m sorry. For shooting you in the leg. I didn’t realise it was you until I let it…..’ Jinki went silent, closing his eyes as he sighed and slumped against the wall.

 ‘It’s okay.’ Hyunsu looked at her fingers that were clenching her dress.

 ‘It’s not.’ He disagreed.

 ‘You’re right, it’s not. But there’s nothing we can do about it now, right? Your intentions weren't bad. But - why would you attack them if you didn’t think I was there?’

 ‘Why?’ Jinki asked, his lips pursed by the tiniest bit as he thought through it himself. ‘I’m not-’ He sighed and let his head fall against the wall as he focused his eyes on the ceiling. ‘Hyoheon wanted to kill them all. He told us when we were going in that he wanted revenge for Kwan, for you.’

 ‘So you wanted to kill them?’ Hyunsu questioned. The corner of was lowering into a disgusted expression as she imagined a whole group of villagers listening to Hyoheon’s poisoned words. How could they all listen to him?

 ‘No!’ Jinki sighed and grimaced, showing his clenched teeth. He hated it, he hated what he had done, he hated that they had to fight. The only thing he should be aiming at would be animals. Deer, rabbits, birds, bears, anything but the coherent. ‘I wanted to get it over and done with.’

 ‘The killing?’ Hyunsu frowned at him, she thought she knew what he meant, even if he stumbled over himself with his words as much as with his feet.

 ‘No.’ Jinki ran his hand through his scruffy hair. ‘The event.’ He said the word as if it were something that had personally offended him. ‘I always get dragged out because I know how to use a bow, but I don’t want to be involved.’ As much as she wanted to deny it, she knew it was true. Jinki was always the one who got dragged into things, he didn’t even want to be an archer originally. It was only because the other boys in the village had wanted to hunt, Jinki had been planning to work under the Lord as a servant, but then he showed aptitude for the bow when the boys were playing around. Elder Nae had seen Jinki and abruptly decided to train him. Now Jinki worked with some of the other boys, like Zuko, to get food for his family and village. ‘I’m sorry.’

 ‘I forgive you.’ The words escaped Hyunsu’s lips like a spell, a magic incantation that left her at ease as soon as she said them. After hearing him speak, she understood. ‘Now I feel like there is nothing to forgive.’ She looked over at the man she had always considered her older brother. His brown eyes were shimmering with the calm strength of the river she had always been around in the forest. They were clear and readable, they were clean of grime, and seemed to be alive. They told his soul, just as Kwan’s told his, however, their substance was different. Jinki had the life and consistency of a river. She knew she would never fear him running dry, he would always be full of his opinions, and his truths. She knew he would never bend to the will of others, not after what had been happening.

 ‘Nothing,’ Jinki said. He scoffed and the side of his mouth curled. ‘There is a lot to forgive. It’s not just the arrow I’m seeking forgiveness for. I know my sister, I know what she has been doing, I know what Kwan has done, and I know what the elder’s are doing. And you know what? I truly believe they are in the wrong.’

 ‘Do you still hate them?’ Hyunsu asked referring to the Fae, her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at him. She never imagined that she would ever have this conversation with him, she was almost to the point where she believed she would never have the conversation with a human that was fruitful.

 ‘Hate? Hyunsu.’ He scoffed out a laugh. ‘I never hated the Fae. I’ve always believed that our ancestors should keep their problems. The past we have with the Fae, our history is what caused it, they retaliated as only they could. The Fae, they are like children. They were pure and knew only good, when the humans destroyed their innocence, they clung to their anger and retaliated like children. They gave what they got, an eye for an eye.’

 ‘You really think they are like children?’ Hyunsu felt personally affronted by his statement, did he truly believe they were so immature? So puerile? She hardly imagined they were, they seemed more wise than the humans she had grown up with.

 ‘Of course, but that’s not an insult, in many ways, it’s a compliment. They have clear views of right and wrong, they protect what they think is theirs with a passion that rivals even a childs. They believe in themselves, and in their community. It’s funny, as humans we believe that the innocent are childish, that the more cynical you are, the more mature you are. Despite them hunting us, I sometimes feel as if the Fae are more mature than us.’ He paused and went silent. ‘Don’t misunderstand, I would not be like you,’ he said.

 ‘Like me?’

 ‘You’re more than sympathizing with them now, aren’t you?’ The confident look in his eyes solidified her belief that he was different. He had to be, he had to be different if he saw the truth in her own eyes. ‘I would never see them so familiarly.’ Jinki’s eyes closed and he went silent, as if listening to what was happening in the living room. If she were to be honest, Hyunsu heard nothing, but clearly he got what he wanted because moments later his eyes opened. ‘I want you to do something for me,’ Jinki said as he stood up. He offered his hand out to her, when she held hers out as well, his warm hand encased hers before gently pulling her up.

 ‘What?’ Hyunsu asked as she stared at him questioningly.

 ‘Don’t be so angry with your parents.’ He leaned towards her, his frown was etched deeply into his face. ‘They aren’t much different from me, you know.’ Jinki instantly caught the doubtful look on her face, they didn’t seem nearly as understanding to her. ‘Before you judge them, ask them what’s going on, okay? Promise me that.’

 ‘Fine,’ Hyunsu said with a stiff nod. ‘I’ll do that.’

 ‘Good.’ A charming smile replaced his frown as the door to the room opened

 ‘Jinki, are you heading out now?’ Zuko questioned. He was standing in the doorway with a pensive look on his face.

 ‘Me?’ Jinki laughed and nodded. ‘Of course, you’re kicking me out right now anyways, right?’ He clapped Zuko on the shoulder before walking by him and the two merchants, before leaving the hut.

 ‘Okay, Hyunsu, these are the two merchants that are going to help out with Kangchi.’ Zuko first pointed at the man who was sitting in a chair with crossed arms and an annoyed frown curling his lips. ‘That is Howon,’ Hyunsu frowned as her mind instantly connected him to Hoya. ‘And, that is Myungsoo,’ he said as he pointed at L who was standing behind Hoya, looking out the window. Instantly L turned from the window and looked at Hyunsu with one of his word filled looks. She instantly felt scolded, it was almost as bad as if he had lectured her about ignoring them.

 ‘Pleased to meet you.’ She bit her lip and bowed in greeting.

 ‘Yeah, pleased.’ Hyunsu jolted in shock when she heard Hoya’s thickly accented response, he had answered in her own tongue. He was speaking the human language, but, she was sure that he didn’t know it when she had first met them.

 ‘Howon.’ L scowled at him. ‘I am sorry, he is rude.’ The way he spoke sounded unnatural, and most definitely sounded awkward. She could hear it, the faint slur that came from speaking the Fae language his whole life. It was from how he pronounced his words, his mouth seemed to curl around the words like how they did with his native language.

 ‘Don’t worry about it,’ Zuko answered with a shake of his head and an easy smile. ‘Nerves are going to be short for the next few days.’ Hyunsu took the moment to stare at them in a way that she wished was accusingly but she would bet was barely threatening.

 ‘I can’t believe they did that, the Fae must really be dangerous,’ Howon said and Hyunsu could swear he was just speaking to them so that she would be even more confused. She still couldn't figure out how they knew her language. She never even considered that they had gotten a hold of her journal.

 ‘They are.’ Zuko sighed and looked at the corpse and made sure it was firmly wrapped up. ‘You guys would know better then us, travelling through the forest like that. You guys must be used to their actions. It’s disgusting, isn’t it? Mutilating a body like that?’

 ‘What do you mean?’ Hyunsu went to look at the corpse, glaring at her brother when he blocked her off.

 ‘You shouldn’t look, it’s not something I want you seeing.' He stretched out his hand to keep her away from it. Instead of backing down she glared at him, pushed past him and moved the sheet away from Kangchi, who was still unconcious.

 As soon as she saw the symbol etched into his chest, a symbol that would be carved into his body forever, her legs gave way. Instantly Zuko stepped forwards to catch her, instead L was the one who stepped forwards and wrapped his arm around her, keeping her balanced as he pressed her back into his chest.

 What could she say? Hyunsu whimpered, she couldn't scold them, the villagers would find out who they were, what they had done. Could she really send them to their deaths? Her hand covered as her eyes burned, she had forgotten who they were, she had forgotten how twisted they were, the Fae. How could she forget the hunts? Their sadistic glee? How could she forget that they would willingly harm everyone they knew, simply because of their species.

 Howon's lips twisted in disgust, he had always known, he knew she wasn't one of them, and here she was proving it. If she couldn't understand why they were doing what they were, why they had to act out, then she would never change. She would always blame them, be filled with the innate belief that she was not, and would never be one of them. He couldn't understand why they had come to save her, to take her back. He couldn't understand why L had volunteered, or why his brother was clutching the girl, giving her the support that her brother could easily give. Why he was helping a girl whose eyes were full of condemnation and regret. Regret that she had trusted them.

 'You shouldn't have looked,' Zuko said as he covered Kangchi's chest, his own eyes full of remorse. His shoulders were tense and his gaze was avoiding his sister. He didn't know what to do when a stranger was being so physical with his sister, or why she was even letting him. His eyes narrowed and his fingers gripped at the edge of the cloth, before he turned at glared at L. 'I'll have to ask you to let go of my sister. Things may be different where you come from, but here, strangers aren't so ready to touch others.'

 'I know,' L responded smoothly, keeping his arms securely around the shaking girl. He couldn't help the way he responded to her distress, it was part of who he was. He was always quick to help sooth the emotionally distressed, no matter who it was. To his relief, Hyunsu was being soothed by his actions. He could feel her shuddering smooth out, as she clutched at his arms, staring unseeingly at the bodies on the table.

 Hyunsu's imagination was full of vibrantly repulsive ideas of how Sooeon's corpse might look under the sheets. Her mind affirmed the most vivid of ideas, growing more aggressive as she stared at the ratty cloth that was covering him. Her mind screamed at her to get away from L, from the perpetrator of such horrors, but she found solace in his presence. No matter what she said to herself to get away from him, she was reminded of each time he supported her, of how he would always treat her right, even he hated her.

 'Then get your hands off of her.' Zuko's voice rang out in a deep growl. Perhaps he shouldn't have been so aggressive, but he was an older brother, and all he saw was a stranger holding his sister possessively, as if he was the only one who could help her, not her own brother. The fact that he was not ignorant to their customs, and was blatantly ignoring them did not help matters. Zuko was oblivious to his sisters comfort with the man from the caravan, he was not seeing the familiarity she felt with him. Not that it would have eased his raging emotions.

 'No,' L said stubbornly. His eyes drifted down the the head of hair that was tickling at the bottom of his chin. He could see how unresponsive Hyunsu was, she didn't need conflict, she need serenity, she need the room to be lacking of tenseness; he understood that much. Her nerves were always so easily frazzled, it was worrisome for him.

 'Excuse me.' Zuko laughed in disbelief, his lips curling as he stared at the stranger. As he straightened, becoming more aggressive looking, Hoya copied his stance, stepping closer. Whether Hoya liked Hyunsu or not didn't matter, what mattered was that the human was threatening his family, and that was enough to make him scowl at Zuko.

 L didn't repeat his words, he didn't evaluate on anything he had said, he just remained as he was, calming Hyunsu. His fingers rubbed into her dress in soothing circles and he whispered to her, knowing full well that she couldn't hear him, but he got the reaction he wanted. She was relaxing, her breathing was evening out. He couldn't see her eyes, but she was being brought out of her mind, she was becoming more coherent.

 'Get away from my sister!' Zuko flushed as he watched L touch his sister so intimately (though, for the Fae, it was far from intimacy) his jaw clenched along with his fingers. His eyes flashed to Hoya who was glaring at him like he was in the wrong, not the stranger that was fondling his sister. As he again moved to approach them Hoya put his hand at Zuko's chest stopping the older sibling with a threatening scowl. 'You have no right to stop me like this.'

 Hoya resisted from speaking, there was nothing for him to say. He had made it clear what he felt upon the subject, the brother should not be getting involved, even he understood as much. However, instead of desisting, Zuko glared back at the annoyed Nix and clenched his fists harder. In the moment he should have backed off, he chose instead to lunge at L. Within seconds Hoya's arm snapped out and his palm smacked Zuko's chin, sending the man's head up before Hoya kicked his chest, making the healer hit the wall behind him.

 Zuko's head spun as he tried to focus his glare on Hoya who had a sheepish twist to his lips, he truly hadn't meant to respond so physically. Instead of recognising the look on Hoya's face Zuko looked at his sister with growing anxiety. Instead of reacting she stared at him with hollow eyes. She looked so lost, but not one bit of her conflict was surrounding the way he had been treated. He saw no reaction at all to what Hoya had done, not even an ounce of worry. She watched the event as if he were some stranger.

 Maybe she was. Zuko thought as he watched his sister close her eyes and whisper something to L, who nodded before muttering a near silent response. Maybe she was a stranger. His sister had always been adventurous, but she was never the type to blatantly break the rules like she had when she went to see Sooki. She was always sensitive to pain, and complained endlessly from simple cuts, yet she didn't cry out once when their father stitched her wound together. Hyunsu barely uttered a cry of pain whenever she walked on her leg either. She was never the type to seek out physical comfort either, but there she was letting a strange man hug her.

 'Are you okay?' Hoya turned his head to Hyunsu. Her eyes focused on him, the haze started to leave them. She smiled tentatively before giving him a faint nod of affirmation. He refrained from saying anything else, because he knew what she was struggling to keep in. He knew she was fighting to not break out into a torrent of questions. She was trying not to ask why they would etch their own villages symbols into the chest of a man they let live, why they still cut into him and tortured him afterwards, and what they could have possibly done to Sooeon that she didn't have the chance to see.

 Hyunsu was finally starting to understand. Neither side was good. The humans were corrupt, yes, they had done horrible things in the past. But the Fae were bitter, and were unable to move past their previous pains. They were like children, she had to admit that much. Jinki was right. The way they maimed and killed the humans they came across, it was born out of a childish resentment. But that didn't mean that the humans were mature, or acted like adults either. They acted like victims when they were the perpetrators. Then, what side was right? Neither was good but surely that couldn't mean that neither was right.

 'I'll get you some water,' L said as he let go of her. Hyunsu nodded, unable to stop the tense jolt that took over her body when he let go of her. There was still an aching in her soul that needed to be remedied. She knew that physical proximity helped. She wanted to soothe her raging emotions, she didn't want him to let go.

 'It's in the bucket,' Hyunsu said as she lifted her head. Her gaze landed on her brother who was rubbing the bottom of his chin with a scowl. Zuko met her gaze and Hyunsu gulped, the only things she could see in his eyes were negative. They were accusing, confused, betrayed, and ultimately angry. Angry at L for touching her, angry at Hoya for attacking him, angry at her for doing, and feeling nothing.

 L pointed to the wooden bucket that was on the counter that had a pale yellow cloth covering it. Hyunsu nodded in affirmation, and so he sent her a faint smile and lifted the cloth, filling a cup with water before walking over to her and handing it to her.

 'Thank you.' She whispered as she lifted it to her lips and drank some. Hyunsu's lips pressed together as she clutched the cup. The air in the room was tense. Too tense. She wanted to escape.

 ‘Come with me,’ Hoya said as he grabbed her hand that wasn’t holding the cut. He pulled her towards the door, ignoring Zuko’s protests. Guiding her to put down the cup, he opened the door and lightly pushed her out before closing the door behind them. He made sure to not touch her when they were outside so that they would not bring any attention to them.

 ‘Where are we going?’ Hyunsu questioned, following after him. Hoya said nothing, instead he looked over at her with arched eyebrows. Pressing her lips together she looked at the muddy ground below them. After a few seconds she lifted her head and looked around the village as they walked. Some of the villagers looked at them, but seemed to pay them no mind. It was no surprise that she would be around one of the visitors, her family were always talking with them to discover new herbs, and to find new medicine.

 From what she saw, they were heading towards the caravan that was set up by the front of the village. The caravan consisted of a group of carriages, horses, and people. Some of the carriages were dedicated only to carrying supplies, and were by this time half-empty. The other’s served as living carriages in which some of the people would sleep in. The memories Hyunsu had of the living carriages consisted of colourful clothes worn by the sun, and the sweet scent of foreign flowers.

 ‘Hyunsu?’

 ‘Father,’ Hyunsu said with a smile as she looked at Joonho. It was inevitable for her to run into him when they were on their way to the caravans. She supposed that some may be odd that he was spending his time with the caravan when there were injured in his house, but it made sense. He, for one, had to collaborate with the people that found the bodies to find out what they had used on them, and ensured that he knew everything he could about their methods. Also, it was important for him to buy more medical supplies. Before she had left, they were running out of different herbs that hadn’t grown, and no doubt the monsoon had destroyed what was growing outside.

 ‘Who is this?’ Joonho smiled at Hoya, hiding the critical glint in his eyes. He may be social, and nice to the caravan, but when his daughter was nearly engaged, he didn’t want to see her alone with any men.

 ‘This is Ho-Howon, he’s come with the caravan. His friend is helping take care of Kangchi. Howon, this is my father.’ She her lips, feeling oddly chastised. But most of her felt smug, because she knew why he was upset, and it was in her best interests to stop her engagement.

 ‘I see, so you’re Myungsoo’s friend.’ Joonho laughed, looking like he was at ease with Hoya. ‘He’s a little curt, but he seems like a nice boy. Where are you two going?’

 ‘The caravans,’ Hoya said simply, not evaluating. Before Joonho could open his mouth Hoya smiled dismissively. ‘It was nice to see you, we have to hurry though.’ Then he pulled Hyunsu after him, he didn’t look bothered at all that he treated Hyunsu’s father disrespectfully. Though Hyunsu would never expect him to. Hoya? Nice to a human? That was never his kind of thing.

 And so he took her to one of the carriages in the back, he moved back the long cloth drape that was covering the entrance, and offered her a hand. Taking his hand, she let him help her into the carriage. When Hyunsu walked into the carriage she was instantly surrounded by the scent of foreign spices that nobody had the money to buy, and the earthy scent of herbs that were in hanging by the beams above them. The carriage was dark, the only light streamed in from windows that were opened, their drapes tied to the side in faded clumps.

 When Hoya walked in he instantly closed the drapes and lit some of the candles that were set around the room. As the light of the candles filled the room, Hyunsu realised that the room was filled with pillows, cushions, and blankets that were the same style as the ones in the Fae village. He sat down on one then pointed to a cushion opposite him. Hyunsu instantly sat down where he pointed. ‘We need to talk,’ Hoya said in his native language. His eyes were focused on her with their usual dark intensity.

 ‘I know.’ Hyunsu looked at her lap as she chewed on her lips, before looking back at him.

 ‘We were sent here to bring you back. But I refuse to take back someone who doesn’t want to be there.’ Hoya’s jaw clenched, showing his true frustration. He understood their need to bring their own people into their fold, he knew why they wanted to help them. He supported that, but he didn’t believe that they should be forcing others into their lifestyle.

 ‘You’re not taking me back?’ Hyunsu’s eyebrows furrowed as she stared at him. If she spoke to him honestly, she would say she didn’t want to talk with him right then. She was tired and drained.

 ‘I’m saying it’s your choice.’ Hoya’s body stiffened as he spoke, his voice started sounding more forced. ‘L won’t want to leave you behind no matter what. But I know this much, with how you are, you don’t belong with us. You have been sworn in, you have been accepted, but you lack the want to be with us. Without that, you don’t belong, and I will not accept you.’

 ‘I don’t understand,’ Hyunsu said with burning eyes. She felt as if she were going to cry any second. ‘Why did you take me anyways, what did I ever do?’

 ‘Your necklace.’ Hoya pointed to where it should have been, as soon as he realised it wasn’t there he took in a deep breath and glared. ‘Where is it. Where is your necklace.’

 ‘My father took it, as soon as I came back.’ Hyunsu looked away, trying to ease the stiffening in her chest. ‘Why?’

 ‘That’s why we took you.’ Hoya breathed out heavily. ‘He had no right taking it, no human has the right to take your birthright.’

 ‘What are you saying!’ Hyunsu flushed as she snapped at him. ‘I don’t understand,’ she said in a calmer voice. ‘Why does the necklace matter, why is it a birthright? I don’t understand.’

 ‘The necklace you had, it had a design on it. That design only shows when a Nymph or Nix has it within their grasp.’ Hoya closed his eyes as he spoke, trying to control the frustration he was feeling towards the man he had just met. ‘If a human holds it, then it will show nothing but the smooth rock. When we first saw you, we didn’t see it. But Sunggyu noticed the design on the necklace, the design that only shows for us. That means you are a Nymph. You are one of us.’

 ‘What?’ Hyunsu’s mouth opened in shock, she was unable to say a single word. How could she possibly be one of them? How could she not be human?

 ‘You’re a late starter, Yeonjung. When one of our kind is surrounded by humans, their body still contains their essence, but they have the same fragile body as a human. It’s only when they are with their kind that they start to grow into themselves, and their essence starts to flow through them. We didn’t take you, we returned you home.’

 ‘Why do you call me that, why do you call me Yeonjung. My name is Hyunsu.’

 ‘No,’ Hoya said firmly. ‘That’s the name the humans gave you. We gave you a new name, so that you wouldn’t be restrained by your past, by the people that kept you from becoming your true self. By giving you a new name, we were releasing you, we were accepting you as one of our own.’ He didn’t have to say it, but she knew that such a thing was an honour. Just because a group of Fae took in a Nymph, that didn’t mean they had to go to such lengths for them. Yet, his family did, and they hadn’t even known her at that time.

 ‘But, my families human.’ Hyunsu’s eyebrows furrowed as she stared at Hoya with eyes that were blurry from tears. ‘My father gave me the necklace the day I ran into them.’ She didn’t need to say who she meant, Hoya knew instantly she meant Sungyeol, Sunggyu, and Woohyun.They were, after all, the one’s who found her. ‘He told me I had to keep it with me, he said that it would keep me safe. When he took it from me, the designs disappeared. That means that he’s human, doesn’t it? Then why did he have it?’

 Hoya remained silent and stared at her with unreadable eyes. All she could guess was that he was thinking it through himself. But, what could it possibly mean? Was she really not the child of her parents? Neither of them were Fae, she knew that. They were both born and raised in the village, they could trace their lineage back long enough that there could be no Fae related conspiracies. So then, who was she really?