Chapter Text
Seungcheol watched his reflection bubble away as a leaf fell into the wishing well. He had learned that the wishing well was part of traditional folklore, and that travelers would often throw in a coin in the hopes of a peaceful and safe journey.
Sighing to himself, he pulled out a coin, turning the gold between his fingers as his reflection in the water stilled. Flipping the coin towards the well, he watched as it miraculously fell on the surface of the leaf. He leaned more over the edge of the well.
The coin started to dip, water finally engulfing the leaf around the sides as a magpie fluttered from a crevice in the well towards the coin. In a swift motion, the bird plucked the coin and slipped past Seungcheol and into the sky.
“Hey, careful! You might slip!”
Seungcheol stood back from the well as Chan bounded towards him.
“You actually came,” said Chan, a small smile playing at his lips. Seungcheol scoffed.
“Of course I did. Now come on, we have to hurry.” Seungcheol turned and started walking swiftly towards the forest, curious to see if the kid would tell him to slow down. He needn’t have worried. Chan kept up just fine.
After a while of punctuated silence, it seemed Chan couldn’t control himself anymore. “So, what’s the plan?”
“The plan is to meet up with another friend of mine. Then, if we’re lucky, we should be able to sneak into the palace.”
Chan frowned. “What happens when the fairy queen notices?”
“Don’t worry. She’ll be distracted,” Seungcheol said, with an air of finality that he hoped told Chan to stop asking questions no matter how curious he was.
They were nearing the edge of the forest, Seungcheol barely making out the lit flower bulb lights of the city. After ensuring that they were firmly out of view of potential fairy guards, Seungcheol began to scout, looking for Jun.
“Who are we waiting for?” Chan asked
“My friend Jun. He’s tall, with blond hair…”
He looked around again. It had become perfectly dusk, and the nymph was still nowhere to be found. Not so much as a ruffling of leaves was heard, except for the stray animal who quickly turned away, likely at the dragon scent that Seungcheol tended to hold.
The sun dipped lower, and Seungcheol could feel Chan’s impatience rising. After a few minutes more, Seungcheol decided to give up. If they waited any longer, they would be too far behind Jeonghan and Jisoo, who had left earlier.
“Let’s just go,” Seungcheol muttered, grabbing a scarf to wrap his face out of sight as he tucked his sword underneath his cloak. Chan followed behind him again, glancing nervous looks at him every few seconds. But he didn’t ask.
“Stay close to me,” Seungcheol whispered, tucking Chan close to him as he began to hobble, pretending to use Chan’s shoulder to stand straight. “If anyone asks, we’re going to the palace to ask the queen for alms. Once we get in, you shake the guards off me and I’ll search for my dragon. Once I find him, we’ll have more options.”
Chan gritted his teeth. “That’s your plan? The fairy queen isn’t exactly known for her generosity.”
Seungcheol nodded. “But her son is kinder,” he said. Chan stared at him curiously, as if his words revealed something deeper that Seungcheol himself hadn’t even noticed.
“The son that you’re supposed to have kidnapped?”
“He’s the one distracting the queen. He’ll make sure we’re let in.”
Or at least he hoped. The original plan had been to allow Jun to take a stab at the water wall from the back, and create a small opening if he could, but he prayed Jeonghan would realize that he had to pivot to the backup plan.
“This is really a bare plan,” Chan said, looking Seungcheol up and down as they walked, as if appraising him.
“Do you have something better?”
Chan fell silent.
They continued walking, despite the odd looks they garnered from the city people. Some even pointed and stared, although most looked on in pity. To their eyes, it was a human man and child, hobbling through the street, something to pity.
As they neared the water-wall, Seungcheol found a platoon of soldiers encasing the wall, the soldiers forming their own wall of fairies lined from the ground into the sky.
They’ve changed the wall.
The water-wall which used to have a top in sight stretched impossibly high now, its peak indiscernible amongst the clouds.
“How are we going to get out?” Chan whispered, eyes glazed over in awe. Seungcheol didn’t know. “We’ll figure it out,” he gritted, turning his attention to the soldiers lining the wall. It seemed the queen was looking to make no possible outs, with fairy guards and soldiers lining every inch of the outer and inner grounds of the wall.
A familiar pulse reverberated through him, and he nearly fell over if not for Chan. The magic was strong, and it was so clearly reminiscent of his dragon. Seungcheol could feel his blood thrumming.
“We’ll figure it out,” he said again, hoping the strain in his voice wasn’t audible to Chan.
“Halt!” A fairy guard whisked down towards them. “Where are your papers?”
Seungcheol blinked. “Papers?”
The fairy scoffed. “Yes, papers. Any visitors to the palace must have proper documentation-”
A loud hiss reverberated through the sky. The very air felt as if it were trembling. The fairy guard cursed, turning away from them and joining his ranks amongst the guards' thoughts of two lonesome travelers long gone. Seungcheol grabbed Chan, falling back out of sight of the guards as he looked up at the water-wall again. Was it trembling too?
“Do you feel that?” Chan whispered, grabbing Seungcheol’s arm. “The magic…”
Seungcheol stuttered in his steps, falling backward at a force. Chan was right, and Seungcheol felt it tenfold. The magic pounded out in a storm, pushing against the fairy platoon and Seungcheol, sounding out from the water-wall in waves. Seungcheol jumped in front of Chan, shielding him from the onslaught. The magic was bound to affect him, but he knew it would affect Chan more.
And then silence. It was as if every stray water droplet in the air had come to a pause, suspended in little bubbles around him. Bubbles…
The bubbles popped and the water-wall came crashing down.
•••
Jisoo was overwhelmed. Being in the fairy palace was always overwhelming, as even the fairy queen’s magic on its own was powerful enough to give him a headache when he was young. The dragon prince was similarly overwhelming, but his magical signature still lacked the refined touch that came with experience and age.
But this was too much. Not only was he with the fairy queen, and Jeonghan, who had become much more powerful in their time apart, but he could feel Seungcheol’s dragon slumbering somewhere in the distance. The signature was hard to track, but it was alive and present, pounding against his head unrelentingly. There was also something else hidden away, something not as powerful as the dragon, but overwhelming just the same…
And the water-wall, the pinnacle of fairy magic. It had stood tall when they had been allowed in by the queen, and Jisoo could still feel it humming in the distance.
And he felt when its magic hiccoughed as well.
Jisoo shuffled in his seat, observing as Jeonghan touched his royal pin, returned to his head. The fairy queen was sitting across from them, smiling, but he knew that something more important was going on outside. He didn’t want to leave Jeonghan alone with her and yet…
“If I could be excused,” Jisoo came to his feet, addressing the queen. “I have a slight matter to attend to.”
The fairy queen nodded sternly. “Of course, do whatever you need. How else could I repay the dear that brought my son back to me? Yong-Sook,” she snapped at the guard. “Accompany him wherever he needs to go.”
A guard fluttered towards Jisoo, attaching himself to him as they walked out. Approaching the wide gates at the back of the palace, Jisoo breathed in deeply, before punching the guard square in the face, sending him to the ground. Jisoo winced.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, slipping outside the gates. The water-wall was still intact, but he could feel a presence outside, picking away at it in waves.
He needed to find Jun. Jisoo jumped up ready to follow the slight source of the water magic before something bigger pulsed through him.
The dragon.
Jisoo stopped. The dragon was the entire reason that they were there. The quicker they could acquire the dragon, the quicker they would be able to leave. He really should find Jun, but--
The pulse pushed through him again, nearly knocking him off his feet. He had felt the dragon’s presence before, but that was nothing compared to now. It was remarkably like Seungcheol’s magic, but deeper, stronger, older.
Before he could control himself, Jisoo found himself walking towards a tall enclosure, as the magic pulsed and pulsed again. He realized the dragon was awake now, and Jisoo realized Seungcheol was likely nearby.
Fascinating.
Curiously there was not even a single guard, just simple tall doors which pushed open at Jisoo’s bequest. Inside lay the tall beast, bigger than Jisoo by an outrageous amount, its scaled golden and gleaming despite the lack of sunlight in the enclosure, as the dragon regarded Jisoo carefully with its slitted eyes.
For the first time, Jisoo realized what true fear felt like. This was an unhappy dragon, a dragon that had been kept in captivity and separated from its host for weeks, sustained without nature or light. The creature was deeply suspicious of him, Jisoo could tell even without Jeonghan’s ability to speak to animals, and watched his every step as he padded slowly towards him.
“Autumn,” Jisoo spoke softly. “Seungcheol is here.”
Jisoo wasn’t sure how much spoken language the dragon could understand, but it seemed ‘Seungcheol’ was easily understood. The dragon howled, the sound loud and broken as he thrashed around, trying to stand up. But his body, Jisoo observed, was chained down forcefully, with heavy shackles placed around his wings, rubbing his scales away in flakes. Jisoo’s heart stuttered as he swept closer to the dragon, softly petting it between its eyes.
“It’s okay, Autumn it’s okay. He’ll be here, I promise. You need to be quiet for me, can you do that? If the fairy queen catches me here the plan is ruined.”
The dragon regarded Jisoo again, before coming to a slow calm. Jisoo felt a pulse again, but this time it was not directed towards him. He suspected this one would travel further, to a certain prince still waiting outside the walls.
Jisoo frowned, face contorting in slow despair. “How are we going to get you out of here?” he whispered, surprised at his own emotion. Not a day before he could not have cared less what happened to this creature, but now that he was in its presence something new had come over him entirely. It was like he was connected to this dragon, he needed to be around it, its magic was so compelling--
The air around him hissed and trembled, before shaking Jisoo to his soul. Magic poured into him from every side, and he felt something even stronger churning from outside. Jisoo felt his knees buckle, Autumn staring at his reaction with a curious glint in his eyes. Jisoo wondered if the dragon had felt anything at all. Because this was some of the most powerful magic he had ever felt an onslaught from, direct or not. Then stillness, as small bubbles seemed to form out of the sheer condensation in the air. Then the screaming of thousands of fairy guards.
•••
When the wall came crashing down, Seokmin was in awe. He was no witch, but even he felt the strength of the magic. The water-wall was ancient magic, dating back beyond the second fairy-dragon war. It was powerful and tall, and could only be deactivated at the hand of a chosen fairy royalty.
But Jun had brought it down.
Who is this guy? Why is he so strong?
The water fell in a wave, pushing down past the fairies lined around its curve and falling to the ground. It hissed like acid, as the sound of its fall mixed with the screams of fairies as their wings were destroyed in a flash. The water bounded toward Seokmin as well, only to gently touch and flow past him into the city.
Jun stood next to him, tall as ever despite his ragged breath.
“I did it,” he said, voice shaky. Jun stepped forward, but his face paled, and Seoking caught him before he crashed to the ground.
“Whoa! Are you okay?” Helping Jun stand to his feet, he tried to wrap one of the nymph’s arms around his shoulder for support, only for his hand to be pushed away.
“No,” he said, forcibly tampering down his breathing. “I can do this. You need to run inside to find your brother. I have an appointment with the queen.”
Seokmin hesitated, unwilling to leave Jun behind. There was no way he could be perfectly fine after the feat he pulled off. His hesitation was quickly put aside by Jun himself as another small force of guards charged towards them, only to be swept away by the magical water surrounding Jun’s feet.
“Go! Go before they notice you. Save your brother!”
Seokmin nodded weakly, running into the inner grounds of the palace and ducking underneath a windowsill far away from Jun. He gathered his breath, before berating himself in hid head. Where was he supposed to find Soonyoung-hyung? He didn’t even know how to get back to his village.
“Hey!” He had been spotted. “It’s an intruder--” Seokin yelped out, only for the fairy to fall unconscious, his only sign of life being his small shallow breathing. Seoking clapped a hand to mouth, even more surprised. Putting his thoughts aside, he ran behind the palace and outside, searching for any signs of his brother.
What if he’s inside the palace? Seokmin wasn’t sure he could enter the palace without being immediately caught. He had been lucky to knock out the fairy just now, but what if it didn’t work next time? What if he hurt Soonyoung-hyung unintentionally?
“Hyung!” The voice pierced through his doubts, as Seoking whipped around, eyes widening at finding Chan of all people rushing up to him, a concerned look on the boy’s face. “What are you doing here?”
Seokmin laughed without thinking, unable to control it, before stopping just as fast. Chan looked just as shocked as he was at Seokmin’s voice, stopping suddenly and allowing the man running behind him to collide with him.
“Chan don’t stop!” grunted the man, pulling both of them to their feet. He carefully regarded Seokmin next, hands encased tightly around the helm of the sword.
Seokmin reached for Chan’s hand, tapping the words into his palm as he had always done, cursing himself for the lack of speed of the tapping.
What are YOU doing here? This is too dangerous for--
“I could say the same! You can’t even defend yourself out here--”
“Oh, and you can?” Seokmin said angrily before he could control it.
“Stop!” The man behind Chan raised his hands between the two of them, separating them swiftly. “As touching as this reunion is, we need to start moving, or we’re all dead!”
The yelling behind them had grown stiflingly loud, as guards seemed to appear from nowhere and towards the edge of the grounds where the wall had been. Seokmin nodded along with Chan, grateful that they had been missed in the commotion. But he hoped Jun was okay…
“Let’s go,” gritted out the man, grabbing both of them and running confidently towards the back of the grounds and behind the palace. Every time a fairy guard neared them, they would be gone in a flash at the tip of the man’s sword, wielded swiftly between them and any oncoming attacker. The man seemed to be in a fervor as if possessed by something, yet he never let Chan and Seokmin out of his sight.
Slashing down another guard, they ran up to the gates of the enclosure, one that the man barreled through, the other two hot at his heels.
Seokmin did not know what he expected to find inside. But it certainly was not a dragon.
The man made a choking sound before he rushed towards the dragon and buried himself in its side. The dragon seemed to smile, if a dragon could even do that and pressed its snout deeply against Seungcheol as best as he could under the chains it was bound.
“He really is him,” Chan whispered beside him. “It’s the dragon prince.”
Seokmin glanced again toward the scene before him, unsure of what to say. He needed to find Soonyoung-hyung, yet something within him told him he was equally needed here. He almost stepped forward, freezing in his steps as the dragon roared before him.
The sound was loud, piercing, and full of hurt. It struck Seokmin’s heart to know such a great creature was being tied down so cruelly, in chains bound so tight.
It reminded him of himself.
“Seungcheol,” hissed another man. “We have to break the chains. They disrupt magic. They hurt.”
Seungcheol, as Seokmin now knew, made another strangled noise as the dragon whined along with him. It was striking to see the way the dragon and the man were attuned, even down to the slight mannerisms that could barely be observed at the moment.
Not any man. The dragon prince.
Beside him, Chan fidgeted, before finally running up to Seungcheol.
“Aren’t dragons able to make magical fire? Burn the chains!”
Seungcheol scoffed. “Autumn can’t, it's like Jisoo said. The chains probably prevent him from breathing fire.”
Seokmin could have sworn that the blinks the dragon gave were in agreement.
“No,” Chan said, more urgently. “I meant you.”
•••
She was off. Jeonghan had not exactly expected to be opened back with open arms, but this was just unsettling. She had said nothing, while Jeonghan offered up lame excuses for what had happened.
Blaming Seungcheol for bewitching him had seemed like the best idea at the time. But sitting here, Jeonghan knew she didn't believe her. He was just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“So, where is he now?” His mother's eyes had always pierced into him. They were always accusatory, and the explosion of magic that followed shortly after. The pool of water near the table shook, something vibrating through it.
But his mother had been silent throughout it all, piercing Jeonghan with her gaze. Jeonghan fidgeted, as the guards around them jumped to action, leaving to tend to what he presumed was a mess outside. But she stayed still, until finally sighing.
“I suppose it was my fault to assume any sort of loyalty from you.”
Goosebumps erupted along Jeonghan’s skin, before he instinctually jumped away, just barely missing the pierce of silver puncturing through his chair. Jeonghan let out a fast breath, scrambling away as his mother rose in the air, crown kneading itself into a jagged line.
“How could you betray your own kind?” She continued asking, voice sharp. Jeonghan shuddered trying to turn invisible, only to be met with a vicious snarl. The line shot towards him, wrapping around him before he could attempt to run.
The queen hummed. “I suppose he’s already found the beast. Should I go look?” Jeonghan squirmed, trying to break out of the hold. “Maybe I can kill it in front of him--”
A wave of water shot out of the pool, washing over both Jeonghan and the queen, bringing them to the ground.
Jeonghan turned, finding Jun panting next to him, a determined look on his face. He watched as the queen spluttered, water dripping from her hair and dress, face twisting into a grotesque horror as her gaze found the nymph. The lines around him twisted away, seemingly disappearing away into her body before lashing out toward Jun.
Grabbing Jun, Jeonghan ducked them below the table, flinching at the hard thrashing sound the silver line made against the floor next to him.
“Let go of me!” Jun struggled away from Jeonghan’s grip, blowing quickly on the water nearby, letting it freeze in ringlets around the metal line, stopping it dead in its tracks. With a final shove towards Jeonghan, Jun scrambled out from underneath the table and encased himself in a net of weaving water.
Jeonghan peeked out from under the table, watching as his mother and Jun exchanged blow for blow, the impact of the fighting spraying water, ice, and shards of metal into fragmented pieces around him, sharp enough to bleed him at the slightest touch.
“Jun!” Jeonghan yelled, desperate for the nymph to turn to look at him. It seemed his tone had done something because the nymph’s concentration was broken for a moment enough for the fairy queen to throw him back into the upholstery behind the table. He crashed with a loud thud, groaning as he jumped back on his feet.
Just as quickly as his attention had been swayed, it returned, a wave of water rising from the pool once more to submerge the entire room in a flash, Jeonghan struggling to breathe at the sudden onslaught as the water pushed him out of the area.
The message was received. Jun did not want Jeonghan anywhere near his battleground.
But Jeonghan knew that his mother wouldn’t fight fair. And Jun was going to die if he slipped even once. Before he knew it, his legs were carrying him out of the palace, slipping past the guard rushing in against the remains of the wave. They didn’t even recognize his presence, invisibility unsensed in the chaos, as Jeonghan rushed outside to where the other, fainter magic pulse was calling.
•••
Soonyoung wasn’t dumb. He could see how the fairy guards around him had fidgeted as he pulled at the chains again, harshly. He could smell their fear, the sense always heightened for him no matter the form he was in.
He hadn’t liked this form at first, fairy queen be damned, but he could see why she wanted him to take it so desperately. Even if he was only an imitation, it felt powerful.
But the sudden shift had startled the guards, even more so when screams resounded from outside, guards wavering in their place, likely torn between following orders and seeing what the common was outside.
It was enough for him, he roared, snapping his flimsy chains into pieces in one bite, shaking free of the guards, swinging his tail around to throw them against the walls of his confinement. Even his tail was powerful enough in that form to crumple them in a single blow.
Soonyoung was more attuned to his magic than most. It was a constant pulse, thrumming through him at all given moments, something he relied on to feel his own live spirit, rather than something he called on in times of need. But even so, this form had to be the most tiring he had taken in a while. The sheer size of a dragon was not to be underestimated.
He shook in his form, readying himself to bust straight through the roof when a voice sounded out.
“Whoa…”
Soonyoung flinched, readying his tail to hit the fairy before the voice cried out again.
“Wait, I’m not one of them! I thought you were another dragon I knew.”
Another dragon? Soonyoung wasn’t the best at arithmetic, but even he could count the number of dragons around on one finger.
He looked over his tail, regarding the figure closely, coming to a complete pause once it registered.
Jeonghan?
The fairy straightened out, looking surprised. “You know my name?”
Soonyoung cursed himself. He forgot that fairies could understand him, even in his animal form. But he had not seen this fairy since the moon festival, where he had been flown away in a tirade of soldiers and guards, touting him as the fairy prince. Soonyoung had been the first of the dancers to stop, frozen to his core as Jeonghan was flown away.
Soonyoung had been betrayed at that moment, not having known that a friend he had come to enjoy so much time dancing with had been one of those directly responsible for his family’s ruin. Even more so betrayed when he himself had been captured, as a small part of him had wondered if Jeonghan had given him away.
Hell, he hadn’t even known Jeonghan was a fairy at all.
“Wait!” Jeonghan yelled, grabbing at his claw before Soonyoung could take off. “Can you help with something? Please!”
Soonyoung stuttered in his steps, unsure how to proceed. He had been friends with Jeonghan for some time, but it had turned out he didn’t really know him at all. To trust him again now?
Still, in the time he had known Jeonghan, there had been nothing but smiles and easy laughter.
What do you need?
Jeonghan smiled, relief washing over him in an overwhelming wave. “Do you feel that overwhelming magical presence?”
Of course, he did. It would be hard for Soonyoung to miss, especially with how the fairy queen had him study the details of the dragon she kept captive.
“Help me release him!”
Release a furious dragon on the fairy queen? Maybe helping Jeonghan here would serve him well after all. Soonyoung bent low, beckoning Jeonghan to climb on his back with a tap of his snout before he burst through the ceiling and towards the trace of fire magic.
•••
He couldn’t do it. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t create fire out of nothing. Seungcheol wanted to scream, explaining how his father couldn’t do it either, and even his uncle could only amplify flames that were already created.
How was he supposed to explain that control of dragon fire had long passed by his family, becoming a relic of their ancient power?
Seungcheol could practically smell Chan’s growing frustration next to him.
“You’re not doing it right! The fire isn’t something that you make out of nothing from the outside. It’s inside you!”
“What do you know?” Seungcheol snapped, glowering down at Chan. The boy returned his glare, undeterred.
“I know a lot more than you think!”
Seungcheol let out a single laugh in disbelief, rolling his eyes. But even with the disregard he showed to Chan, he knew he was just frustrated at himself.
Underneath his skin, he could feel something, but it wasn’t strong. If Autumn’s fire was an inferno, inside Seungcheol lay a single ember, ready to be snuffed out at a single stronger breeze. He reached within him, trying to fan the flame into something greater, something he could use, but it didn’t budge. There just wasn’t enough fuel.
“Try to breathe it out, kind like how Autumn-”
“Will you be quiet!”
Chan shut up fast, taking a step back from Seungcheol. He looked down at his hands, where Seungcheol could him trying to hide a slight but visible shake.
“Don’t yell at him just because you’re frustrated!” Jisoo hissed. “And besides, he’s right. Try to think of it naturally. It should be like breathing.”
Seungcheol huffed, taking a deep breath in, focusing on the ember. He breathed out of his mouth, feeling the hot air around his mouth. If he could just make it hotter-
Still, nothing.
Seungcheol opened his eyes, meeting Chan’s eyes. “It’s not going to work.”
Chan frowned, looking away sharply. Somehow, it seemed like Chan was more disappointed than him that Seungcheol couldn’t make a simple flame.
“Go.”
“What?”
“Find what you need to find,” Seungcheol continued, looking away. He wasn’t sure he could meet Chan’s eyes right now. They really did shine too bright for Seungcheol to handle.
“I can’t just leave this situation behind-”
“Didn’t you come here for something? You need to worry about yourself!”
“I can take care of myself just fine!”
Seungcheol turned back to the boy, ready to retort before he felt the rafters above him shake. A trail of dust trickled down, sliding softly onto the ground next to his foot.
Jisoo moved first “Get out of the way!” He ran towards them, pushing them out of the way as the rafters strained and stretched, pushed down by a weight.
Down bounded a dragon, one Seungcheol had never seen before with glistening black scales, glowing gold as the light hit and refracted across the dragon’s back. The creature roared, crashing the ceiling down with a final thud, Seungcheol just barely grabbing Chan and Seokmin out of the path of falling wood. The black dragon looked down, taking its claw and destroying the chains holding Autumn in a flash, nuzzling the other dragon to stand.
“Hyung?” Chan tussled away from Seungcheol running up to the dragon.
“Your brother’s a dragon?” Jisoo spluttered, Seungcheol running to Autumn in the meantime.
“Not exactly!” From atop the dragon’s back slid Jeonghan, falling somewhat ungracefully to the floor. He picked himself up just as fast, turning around to face the black dragon.
Or was it even a dragon? The creature seemed to get smaller and smaller by the minute, melting away into a young man, naked save for the scarf that Chan had grabbed away from Seungcheol and placed upon his body.
“Soonyoung-hyung,” he cried, falling to his feet aside the man, hands hovering nervously above the figure in uncertainty. “What, are you ok--what should I do-”
“I’m okay!” The man managed to force out the words in a surprisingly jovial tone, especially for someone who looked like the effort of sitting up had taken their last breath. Soonyoung’s breathing returned quickly, as the man mussed his hair, uncaring of the way the scarf slipped away from his body. “So,” he continued. “Are you the dragon keeper?”
Seungcheol hesitated, giving a quick nod in the man’s direction. Could he even be called a man? He didn’t even know shapeshifters still existed, being hunted to extinction decades and decades ago. Hunted by his family.
“That’s cool! I hear you’re the one waging war all over the place.”
Seungcheol paused. “What?”
Soonyouhng hummed. “That’s what the guards kept saying. The young dragon prince has gone crazy, kidnapped Jeonghan over here, and declared war between the two states for the first time since the Great War!”
“Soonyoung?” A soft voice cut through the mess, drawing everyone’s attention. “You’re a shapeshifter?”
Soonyoung smiled, although Seungcheol wasn’t sure if it was sincere in the slightest. “Yeah. I meant to tell you at some point, Jeonghan, but maybe I was right not to trust you after all. Being the fairy prince and all.”
Jeonghan winced, looking away. Soonyoung stood, seemingly ignorant--or perhaps in spite--of Jeonghan’s silence.
“Hyung, you’re naked!” Chan scuttled around trying to tie the fallen scarf back around Soonyoung, wary of all the eyes focused on his brother.
“Who cares?” Soonyoung laughed. “But let’s get a move on. That water wall isn’t going to stay down much longer, and I’d like to give the queen a parting gift before we leave forever.”
