They had been out riding all day. Baekhyun hadn't even realized how long they had been out enjoying the fresh, autumn air until he glimpsed up at the sky to see beautiful shades of reds and oranges adorning the heavens, a small display of nature's beauty before the sun finally disappeared for the evening. Shadows from the surrounding trees tattooed themselves on the forest floor. Pretty soon it'd be too dark to see anything properly. And getting lost at night wasn't an option. Thankfully the trail that the two boys had been on was nearing its end and a large grassy clearing came into view. Only a few more miles until they'd arrive at the castle. 

   His mare whinnied a bit before nudging Baekhyun's shoulder with her nose. It has been a while since he has taken her on such a long outing like this one and she was bound to be exhausted now. 

   "Alright Beauty." He spoke sweetly, rubbing her nozzle to comfort her while grabbing the reins in another hand. "We're almost home."

    "I think she means to ask you for a break, Baek." Kris said, taking the liberty to tie his reins down on a nearby rock before collapsing on the ground. He sprawled out, releasing a heavy sigh as he stared up at the sky. "We should stop and rest for a bit."

   Baekhyun's forehead creased with worry as he took another look at the sky. It was getting darker as they spoke.

   "I don't really want to be out when it's this dark." He made a motion to fix the saddle on Beauty's back, just to keep his hands busy- to keep his mind busy and to keep anxiety out of his thoughts. 

   "Why? Afraid something will come out of those trees and steal you away?" Kris remarked sarcastically. He shifted his position a little bit to place his arms under his head. 

    "No, I'm not scared." Baekhyun spoke, defensively, taking care to survey the area around him for the third time. "I just...I prefer to feel safe behind castle walls instead of at the edge of a forest trail at this time of night."

      Whinnying again, Beauty nudged Baekhyun again, a bit harder so that he jolted a few steps forward. Understanding her impatient gesture, he took out an apple from his satchel bag and fed it to her, rubbing her black nozzle once more. 

      Tapping the ground next to him, Kris motioned for Baekhyun to take a seat next to him, his eyes closed and relaxed. The small voice in his mind urging Baekhyun to persuade Kris that they should keep going travels farther to the back of his mind. After tying down Beauty, he let himself collapse too, settling his head in the cool grass. It was only now that he felt exhaustion hit him and his body just wanted to sink further and further into the ground. The slack feeling of his limbs told him that he wasn't moving anywhere for a while.

     "Kris I really think-."

    "You know I would protect you right." Kris turned his head towards Baekhyun, smiling. That smile had caught him off guard. His face lit up much differently than the face he recently had adopted. A face constantly etched with stress that came with trying to manage the kingdom, a worry that was well beyond his years. At this moment, Kris geniunely looked happy and at peace. Finally. It made Baekhyun's heart feel light watching Kris be at ease. Maybe staying here for a few moments more, just to see him like this, would be fine. 

     "Yeah!" Baekhyun grinned, shoving Kris's shoulder before shifting to a more comfortable position. "You better." He huffed, pretending to be annoyed. 

   "Because that's what brothers do for each other." Kris stared back at the sky, leaving Baekhyun to think about his words. 

    Of course they were brothers. Their relationship was always a tight one and ever since they were little, Kris had always appreciated Baekhyun being by his side, especially when things were tough. And Baekhyun. Baekhyun always enjoyed the company Kris gave him, especially since his father was always busy as the mayor. Always. 

     "You know, I haven't had a free moment in my schedule for the longest time. It feels  nice to just lay like this. It gives me this rejuventating feeling in my bones that fills me with energy. Who knew all I needed was to breath in some worry-free, outdoor air in order to feel at ease." Kris contemplated happily, playing with the greeen strands of grass under his fingertips. 

     Baekhyun scoffed before sitting up, leaning his weight on his palms positioned behind him. "You sound like an old man, Old Man." 

     "Hopefully not like my old man." Kris's voice quickly turned solemn. "He isn't all bad. But...he just...is too rash. Too hard on Sehun." Putting his hands over his face, Kris groaned. "I'm afraid I'm becoming like that and I don't want to." 

     How hard must it be to step into Kris's shoes? Having the responsibility of a young man next in line while being responsible for family that looks up to you with every fiber of their being. Having to manage the weight of political and family duties and having to find ways to appease both. When was there time for Kris to reflect on himself? 

     "I believe you, you know." Baekhyun started, knowing the right words to say at the moment. "I believe you when you say that you are willing to protect those you love That you want to make life better for those you love and that you try your very best to do so." Placing his hand on Kris's shoulder, he gave it a small squeeze. "Just don't forget about yourself in the process. I know Sehun appreciates your effort to help him, even if he doesn't agree with everything you do."

   Nodding, Kris rubbed his face with the fingerips. "You're right as always Baek." Kris turned to face the latter with a smile. "Thanks."

   And of course, Baehyum returned a reassuring smile back.

    That's what brothers are for.

  ***

   It was absolutely the dumbest, most preposterous, most upsurd, nonsensical thing a person could do! Walk right into a room with two, anxiety-ridden guards that were absolutely keen on keeping themselves, and their secret, safe from any unwanted ears? Sehun felt his face burn from anger as he watched Jongin creep towards the whispering voices in the kitchen like a fool. And so without much thinking, he had reached out to grab a surprised Jongin and pulled him away before he had gotten himself into trouble. 

   The composed outer armor that he had worn to prevent himself from panicking  was now gone.

   "Are you in your right senses?!" Sehun spat out harshly after they traveled far enough down the corridor. "What? Did you think you were just going to waltz in there and just confront them without any consequences?" 

  Jongin in a huge breath, waiting for his breathing to even. His mind was having too much trouble trying to understand what he had just heard. Yuan. Sehun's older brother that he had just met... had drugged Sehun? It didn't make sense. And furthermore, if what he had heard was true, it was messed up. There was no reason for Sehun to have run away. He should have marched right in there and-.

   "You're not even listening to me." Sehun grunted annoyedly.

   "You shouldn't have run." Jongin mumbled, his thoughts still jumbled. 

   "What?" 

   Shaking away all thoughts in his mind, Jongin grabbed Sehun's shoulders, more harshly than he intended, causing the latter stared back at him with widened eyes. "Why are you running in your own home!? You should have barged in and found answers." His mind races back to last night when Sehun had appeared in his room in such a bewildering state, collapsing in front of him like a drunk. Only alcohol hadn't been the problem that had messed up his system. 

  "Is it not insane that you were drugged in your home?! It doesn't bother you even a little bit??" Jongin urged, rattling the other's shoulders as he spoke as if doing so would make Sehun wake up and smell the roses. 

   Yes. Sehun wanted to say yes. Was that even a question? Who would not be utterly dismayed if a beloved relative wanted to stick drugs into his system so that he became unconscious? So that he had no control?  But Kai wouldn't understand that. He wouldn't understand that Yuan had always found ways to torment Sehun's heart and that this family feud has always been a part of his life. Kai wouldn't know what it felt like to be the unwanted, illegitimate one who had learned to stay out of sight,  out of mind, from just about everyone. He had learned to bear Yuan's cruelty. For the most part.

  Sehun's widened gaze suddenly transformed into a hardened glare. Throwing Jongin's hands off of him, Sehun shoved the other a few steps back. He didn't need to be questioned here. 

 "I'm not running away. I'm being sensible."

  Jongin scoffed. "Sensible? Is that what you call it?" Shaking his head he asked, "Do you even know why your brother would do something like this?"

   But as soon as those words left his mouth, he remembered something else. The conversation between Yuan and the guard from the other day. It was done just to keep Sehun quiet. But why? What trouble would Sehun cause while conscious? Would it matter at all if he told Sehun what he had overheard?

   "Why are you so worried about me?" Sehun blurted, dismissing Jongin's question. "You don't need to be."

    And Jongin knew that. Why was he so concerned when even Sehun didn't even seem to care? For all he knew, Sehun was only angry at Jongin for budding into business that wasn't of his own. 

   "I was just trying to help-." 

   "I don't need your help." Sehun remarked, turning his back towards Jongin. He was ready to leave this conversation behind and made a point to do so, taking large strides away from Jongin.

   He would find answers himself from a direct source. 

  Finding himself at Yuan's bedroom, Sehun let his hand hover over the silver-plated door handle. He needed to return to his composed state. He needed to think. Talking to his brother always was a losing battle. Kris always fought these battles. But Kris wouldn't always be there. And Sehun couldn't be mistreated anymore.

  Closi