Taemin waited alone in the kitchen back at Kibum’s pub, sitting on a short stool, his head bent to let the hat cover most of his face (just in case someone walked in), while he tapped his feet, smiling softly at how handsome his feet looked. He had never worn shoes before because his mother never got him any, saying he wouldn’t need them since he would always stay in the tower, walking on carpeted floor. There was a lot more he had only known of but had never experienced before ever since he had met Minho. He rode a horse (though he was still scared of the poor creature), he had finally worn clothes he always saw in the books (which he could never successfully imitate with his clumsy stitching skills), he had visited a pub (though he was yet to taste the frothy drink he had seen everyone drink), he had met soldiers (whom didn’t seem as soldiers at all), he saw a map and finally knew where he had stayed all his life...but the most important of all, he had made a friend, Minho.

Whenever he had time to spare, he compared his two-day stay out in the world to every book he had read, to every word his mother had spoken, finding truth in both, and finding more. The world was not like what his mother told him about, it was not like he had read in books, nor was it like what he had assumed it to be. It was a lot different, filled with everything he could expect and could not. He had never felt his time fly at such different speeds, never felt such fear, panic, thrill; never felt himself b with such curiosity, never felt himself looking forward something he did not even know, never felt himself be...so free.

In the end he was glad to have been brave enough to step out. He was gladder to have met Minho and he was gladdest that he would not be returning home empty-handed.

He had caught on when Minho had suggested splitting his earnings- he had wanted to help him buy the present and Taemin knew that he agreed to accept the share he was offered, not only because he wanted to buy his mother a present, but also because he wanted to venture out further, see what this world was made of, more so because it was Minho who would be the one showing it all to him.

“They are like little stars.” Minho’s voice came and Taemin broke from his daze, spotting him standing a step ahead, grabbing at the specks that had begun to leave him while he was lost in his thoughts, making him panic and shoo them away with his palms. “Or...sparks, maybe. No, glittering pearls? So beautiful.”

Taemin remained silent, feeling tongue-tied all of a sudden.

“Are you so happy to be able to get her a present?”

“Yes…” Taemin finally replied, “Also because I can finally see more of this world.”

“Excited?” Minho smiled and Taemin nodded slightly, “Well...it’s not entirely awful like you were taught, but I can’t say it’s wonderful either.”

“Then what is it like?”

Minho thought a while, “That’s a good conversation you are starting.” He chuckled, “Let’s talk on the way.”

When they were finally on the horse, ambling into the forest, Taemin looking around to grasp whatever new he could, his one arm tightly holding onto Minho and the other atop his hat, Minho cleared his throat, making Taemin look away from their surroundings, “What the world is like…” He paused for a long while, “Hmm...to be honest, it depends on how one looks at it.”

“How…” Taemin began, “How does it look to you?”

“I think it is manipulative, but so are humans. Life’s a fight between who manipulates the one more.” He waited for a response and chuckled on finding Taemin silent after his answer, “To put in simpler words, the world is a place full of everything...but you’d define it as what you make of it.” He sighed, “I was bullied and beaten when I came here, but I didn’t run away from this place, I didn’t let the thugs take advantage of me- I struggled, I worked around whatever I had- whatever this forest had and now I live quite well, don’t I?”

Taemin nodded against his shoulder, “It makes sense.”

“What did you think the world was like?”

“Mother told me it was bad place. No matter what, in the end it would misuse me, cheat me and leave me to die. But…” He paused, “The world was so wonderful in the stories...my mother said those stories were written only to pass the time, they were untrue, for children to grow up without an evil mind. I never doubted her words...but it made me curious...why was it that she always ventured out when it was so bad? She told me it was for work, to be able to bring us food, clothes and every other thing that we needed. I did believe her, but I also believed that I could face the world too if she could. So...I finally stepped out...and…”

“And?”

“I am glad I did.” Taemin smiled, “I realized that my mother is not wrong- what she says is what she sees in the world. It truly does depend on how one sees it, like you said, because I see it differently from what my mother says it to be.”

Minho remained silent at his words, his brows constricted as he pondered upon them, before shaking his thoughts off, “We’ll be catching speed. Hold on tight!”

And Taemin’s arm became tighter around his waist, and Minho couldn’t help but smile at the hold, at the warmth, nor could he help making his horse race as fast as his heart raced.

Kibum was wiping his counter, humming a tune when the door to his pub flew open and in walked a short man, blonde hair striking against the leaking sun, blinding him for a moment before he frowned, watching said man walk smugly towards him and jump into a seat.

“Jonghyun.”

“Kibum.” He replied, grabbing an empty jug and playing with it, making Kibum sigh as he filled it with ale. Jonghyun gulped it down, his lips and relaxing, glancing around a while before leaning ahead, his chin resting on his palm, “Know where Elias is?”

“Why are you bothered?” Kibum asked, constricting his brows, not liking the arrogance he spotted in his smile.

“I need to talk to him.”

“Really?” Kibum narrowed his eyes, “You never felt the need before.”

“Stop taking his side, you are my brother!”

Kibum smirked, “So it’s another loot you are competing against him for?”

“Not loot.” Jonghyun glanced around another time, confirming their spot to be out of the rest’s earshot, before removing a folded sheet from his pocket, folding it open and pushing it towards Kibum and lowering his voice, “You must have seen this go around.”

“Two bags of gold.” Kibum said automatically.

“His mother is looking for him. She-” He leaned closer, “She chose me over the rest to find him for her.”

Kibum raised a confused eyebrow, “Well…”

“See, Elias doesn’t know about the mother, right? He might end up taking the boy elsewhere, maybe to soldiers. She’s been so frantic- the boy ran away from home…”

“But...she should’ve gone to the soldiers…since her son’s no criminal, he’s just a runaway.”

“She promised me four bags of gold. A lady like her won’t have such gold without being shady herself. Going to soldiers means suicide. She’s smart too, crooks know every nook and corner of this forest, and the reward just makes us surprisingly loyal and quicker. Also, if she’s shady, her boy’s shady...with that much gold involved and her desperation, he can be pretty dangerous.”

Kibum sighed, “He didn’t say a word. Packed up supplies for a fairly long trip.”

Jonghyun pondered on Kibum’s words a while, “A long trip…” He bid Kibum a hurried goodbye before stepping out the bar, finding her under the shade of a distant tree. He approached her and said, “Elias is leaving the forest. He packed for a long trip...and since we ain’t that far away from Sunhim...he’s for definite headed for Sunhan.”

Her eyes widened, “The Sunhan Kingdom?”

“Bingo.”

She seethed and Jonghyun watched her nervously, “Fine, madam?”

“Get me a horse!” She ordered, shaking in fury, Jonghyun leaving hurriedly to get her one as she raised her arm, glaring at the skin that had begun to lose its suppleness, “You can never step on that land, Taemin. Never!”

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