Prompt #54: Silver Cherry Blossoms (1/2)

[100xoverfest]

Prompt #: 54
Title: Silver Cherry Blossoms
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: NC-17
Season: Summer
Summary: The first remarkable thing that happens to Junmyeon is Suho hatching for him.
The second is falling for silver haired elves as cherry blossoms shower down from the sky.
A/N: I am aware I did not entirely stick to the prompt because I am obsessed with The Inheritance Cycle and I think it ended up as an ode to my favourite fantasy series (I AM SO SORRY)

 

1. …but spring’s coming

Junmyeon doesn’t know what to expect when he picks up the brilliant sapphire blue egg. He was just cleaning out Sooyoung’s room when the shiny, blue dragon egg on the vanity attracted his attention. Since the egg reminded him of the colour of Saphira’s scales, he became interested. And then, when he picks it up, to get a closer look at the speckled jewelled surface, the shell cracks and he feels pain, white hot and blistering pain burning across his palm. Followed by a blur of colours behind his eyelids, the sound of fire and roaring in his ears, and he stumbles at the sensory overload of it all.

He gasps and the egg drops from his grasp. As soon it hits the wooden floor, more cracks appear on the smooth surface of the egg, and a keen cry draws Junmyeon out. He blinks away the tears, and his eyes widen, when a small, fragile blue dragon peers up at him with swirling aquamarine eyes.

He drops to his knees, his hand cradled to his chest as he stares, dumbfounded, as the fragile creature, still covered in amniotic liquid, tries to get out of the eggshell. The thing cries, as if asking for assistance, and Junmyeon quickly pushes his surprise away to help the tiny dragon. He breaks away the rest of the shell, and the dragon crawls into his lap, the sticky fluid on its’ bony, teal body stains his beige tunic, but Junmyeon doesn’t care. He can’t bring himself to care as his head buzzes, and his heart races, and he can feel every hair on his body rising in excitement and apprehension.

The dragon blinks up at him, making tinny, shrill noises and Junmyeon is so, so amazed. He very cautiously extends his right hand, the one burning with pain, to touch the dragon’s head. The creature closes its eyes, and purrs as it nestles closer to Junmyeon, who smiles, still utterly amazed.

Junmyeon is very sure of three things now.

One, this egg, among the batch of eggs Sooyoung received from Eragon Shadeslayer, hatched for Junmyeon.

Two, the small, fledgling dragon with the glimmering blue-green scales is his dragon.

And three, as gathered from the dragon now nuzzling his stomach and the gedwëy ignasia shining bright on his palm, he is now a Dragon Rider. The very first Dragon Rider from the small, provincial town of Toham.

At fifteen, Junmyeon was a simple farm boy, who got the privilege of working as a servant at the Mayor’s household. Sooyoung, the mayor, is an elegant woman of thirty, who is as kind as she is just. Her personality is the same inside and outside the walls of her manor. She is kind and courteous to everyone, and Junmyeon looked up to her in awe and admiration.

Then, a week after his sixteenth birthday, something terribly exciting happened. Toham is a calm, fishing village by the Vidre Sea, but on that fated day, arrived Eragon Shadeslayer with his dragon Saphira, and Junmyeon remembers his astonishment as he realised that all the tales of the century gone by were true—not that he ever doubted them—and he was witnessing the majesty that was the legacy of the second coming of Dragon Riders and dragons in the world.

Unlike Alagaësia, Slavernaë, never saw dragons and dragon riders, and were detached from the trials and tribulations that occurred over the other land when the evil king, Galbatorix, ruled. So, when Eragon arrived with his dragon and ship filled with dragon eggs a little over a century ago, people were shocked and thrown out of their comfort zone. It got the mysterious elves from the forest of Talvi Maa out of their homes in the mountains; it even brought the dwarves crawling out from their caves in Zapadno Zemya.

Junmyeon had been hearing stories of the great arrival of the Rider, and the tales of how now, there were Riders and dragons in training somewhere up north, around Talvi Maa, ever since he was old enough to understand the spoken word. And gosh, was Junmyeon taken aback when Eragon finally visited his village.

The Rider and his dragon took residence in the Mayor’s house, and Junmyeon found the opportunity to stay in close enough quarters with them both. And Saphira surprised him beyond words. He was, like everyone else, at first afraid of the strange, powerful, beautiful beast, but when she spoke with him through Eragon, he was floored. He took up the work of looking after Saphira’s requirements henceforth. He was sad when they had to leave though.

He remembers Eragon handing Sooyoung a trunk, and the mayor solemnly nodding and sharing a hug with the Rider. He later learnt that the trunk contained dragon eggs, and Eragon left it with Sooyoung, in the hopes that the eggs may hatch for some few lucky ones in this village.

Thus, out of curiosity, drove Junmyeon, a month later, to his master’s chambers. Sooyoung must have taken the egg out of the trunk to put on her vanity, to either admire or clean—he isn’t certain—when the blue egg hatched for Junmyeon.

He vaguely remembers what happened after the butler, Changmin, found him and the dragon in Sooyoung’s chambers. He was gently coerced out of the room, dragon curled up in his chest, to Sooyoung, who was deep in conversation with an elf from Talvi Maa. Both the elf and woman were startled, but happily so, and soon started planning to send Junmyeon away to the Rider training camp.

Two weeks later, Junmyeon stands at the river dock, waiting for the ship that will take up him north on the Mirall River. Suho, his dragon, has grown a few extra inches in the fourteen days, and Junmyeon could now converse with him in his mind, a peculiarity arising from the deep connection he and his dragon share. The elf, Yuri, had told him about the Riders, where she explained briefly the strange yet powerful connections dragons and their Riders shared, and a few basic things about his dragon and his future as a Rider.

Suho is still a fledgling, so his flight skills are below average. Thus, he is nestled against Junmyeon, who is softly patting his bright jewel blue-green scales as he thinks.

Suho says, “Little one, your mind is too busy.”

Junmyeon chuckles, “What do you expect? I will be leaving my home, who knows for how long. I was just a farm boy, a servant then, and now I am a Rider?” Suho calls him “Little one”, but Junmyeon doesn’t mind, ever since Suho told him how long he had waited for his Rider, for Junmyeon (“I am older than you,” Suho told him one night. “I have been waiting in the Vault of Souls for close to a millennium for you, my Rider.”).

Suho yawns, “Tch, did you not know that Eragon Shadeslayer was a simple farm boy too? And look at what he did!”

Junmyeon looks down at Suho, who has his eyes closed, and shakes his head. He learnt about Eragon’s history, and it had amazed him—how a normal, everyday teenager went on to change the fate of an entire nation. A tale of struggle and victory truly legendary.

But Junmyeon isn’t Eragon. He isn’t anyone special, so he doesn’t understand why Suho would hatch for him of all people in Toham.

               II. You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming

Five years pass in the Valley of Drákon, and Junmyeon is now a few months shy of his twenty-first birthday. Suho has grown much bigger and gotten much stronger, and now he could fly great distances with his Rider on his back.

Five years ago, the ship from Toham crawled up the Mirall River, passing great wide plains and evergreen forests, till it reached a small dock, and the first thing Junmyeon saw was the crowd of dwarves, elves and humans running around the dock, grabbing boxes from other ships docked there. He heard a great roar above his head, and when he looked up, he was taken aback to find more than half a dozen dragons flying in the sky. Red, blue, green and iridescent white shone as the sunlight glinted off their scales, and Junmyeon was so mesmerised.

Yuri then escorted him towards a cart pulled by horses, and put his things on it. He packed light, his existence of sixteen years in Toham had very few things to call his own. He made Suho comfortable, and was surprised when Yuri told him that she was not coming with him.

Junmyeon asked, his voice rising in surprise, “What are you talking about?”

Yuri chuckled, “Don’t worry, Kyungsoo and Luhan will go with you to the camp. I have other errands to run dear!”

With that, she skipped away, much to Junmyeon’s chagrin. But then, a dwarf and an elf emerged out of nowhere and Junmyeon nearly yelped in shock. The dwarf was short, but still maybe taller than his fellowmen, which Junmyeon found strange. He had wide round eyes and big lips, and he was coolly regarding Junmyeon and Suho—his dark brown eyes gleaming in interest when he saw Suho.

The elf though, he was beautiful, and Junmyeon knew it was bad manners to stare, yet he was staring. The elf had long hair the colour of sunlight braided, and his eyes were a light lilac colour. He had high cheekbones, pointy ears, a small nose and when he smiled, Junmyeon was flushing. The elf said, his voice too musical to be human, “You can stare at me later. What is your name though? I am Luhan, and this is Kyungsoo.”

Junmyeon bows his head slightly in embarrassment at being called out, and answers, “I am Junmyeon.”

Kyungsoo points at the dragon, “And what’s his name?”

Junmyeon smiles, “Suho.”

“Means guardian in your language, right?” Luhan enquires.

Junmyeon nods. Kyungsoo looks up and points towards the sky, “And that’s my dragon.” Junmyeon follows Kyungsoo’s gaze, and the white dragon he had seen earlier roars at his Rider, who smiles and waves back at it. “Her name is Snieh.”

Junmyeon remembers his astonishment and guileless amazement as the cart rolled through the small village of less than a hundred settlements, till they reach a bungalow of sorts. He smiled as soon as he recognised the blue dragon scratching the underside of her wings in front of the house. He jumped down from the cart, and yelped, “Saphira!”

The older dragon looked up, and recognition was gleaming in her sapphire eyes. She nudged her snout against his head, and to his utter surprise, he heard her in his head, “Hello again dear. It is nice to see a known face after such long time.”

Junmyeon’s jaw had unhinged, but he closes it as he asks, aloud, “You? I can hear you? How?”

Saphira chuckles as her eyes glint in amusement, “You are a Rider now, so of course you can. Now show me your dragon.”

Junmyeon quickly scurries away to grab Suho, who asserts his independence and jumps down from the cart himself and struts towards Saphira. Junmyeon is taken aback at the differences of their sizes—Suho looks like a gnat against the huge expanse of Saphira’s body. It astounds him when he realises that Suho will grow to be as big as Saphira one day.

After that Eragon arrived with an elf named Arya and an herbalist named Angela, and Junmyeon met Solembum, the werecat that accompanied the herbalist. He was quite surprised when the werecat later found him out a week later to say, “Silver blossoms of cherry and you, I see you, caught up all in it.”

And now five years later as Junmyeon watches the cherry trees in the complex on the verge of blooming, he is yet to fathom what the strange werecat meant.

He shrugs his musings away as he finds Luhan rushing up to him. The elf stops and asks, “Do you know why they may have called us?”

Junmyeon shakes his head as he waits outside Arya’s house in the spring morning. He knows something of great importance must have happened since last night he had heard hooves and urgent voices in the settlement. In the morning, upon closer inspection, he found that the camp had visitors from Talvi Maa most probably, even though Luhan said he had never seen the species of horses in his city before. But the elf had to agree that the style of leatherwork on the girdles were definitely elvish in origin.

Luhan again says, “It has to do with those elves who came yesterday, right?”

Junmyeon nods. “Most probably.”

Their musings are cut short when the door to Arya’s house opens and a servant calls them in. They walk inside, and are ushered in the living room. The room was already occupied by Arya, Eragon, Yuri and two faces Junmyeon did not recognise. They were both elves, and from a single glance, Junmyeon notes they are too ethereal to be true, like every elf really.

Kyungsoo enters right after them, panting. He bows and apologises for his tardiness. They all take their seats, and Eragon begins, “You may wonder why I called you, but first, some introductions are required.” He waves his hand towards the two white haired elves. “These are Yifan and Sehun, they are from Jäämetsä.”

Junmyeon, Luhan and Kyungsoo gasp. They know how the elves from Jäämetsä are ever elusive, not even their brethren in Talvi Maa know much about them. They are known to keep to themselves, and are not known to interact much with outsiders.

Junmyeon looks at the tall elves, and realises they look different than Luhan, or the other elves he met so far. They are possibly a head taller than Junmyeon, their skin seems glass-like, the light from the window making it glow like ice. One of them looks younger than the other, and he has a small mouth in a frown, his eyebrows drawn together as he glares holes into the carpet. When Junmyeon turns his attention towards the other elf, he is a little taken aback when he finds the elf staring right back at him. And Junmyeon cannot look away from the intense amber gaze.

This elf is slightly taller than the other and he has his long silver hair in a braid, and his eyes are amber which surprises Junmyeon. He is rather beautiful and he knows he should look away but he cannot. Finally, the elf scowls and looks away. Junmyeon releases the breath he didn’t know he was holding.

The elf with the amber eyes steps forward, “My name is Yifan, and this is my cousin, Sehun. We have travelled a long way for your assistance.”

Yuri smiled, “And you shall receive assistance. That is why we called our most efficient and decorated team.”

It is true, somewhere in the last four years, Kyungsoo, Luhan and Junmyeon rose through the ranks as they resolved one quest after another with efficiency and enviable teamwork. They were now part of the elite group of Riders, ever since a dragon hatched for Luhan a few months after Junmyeon arrived. The three of them smile at the elves and bow at them. The elves return their bow, not their smiles. Icy indeed, Junmyeon thinks.

Eragon speaks, “Do you want me to tell the tale or do you wish to tell them?”

Sehun shakes his head, “We can.” He shares a glance with his cousin before turning to face the three Riders, “Our city is in grave danger, and we don’t entirely understand what is going on.”

Luhan leans forward as he asks, “What do you mean?”

Yifan says, “Something dark and dangerous is hovering over our city and we strongly believe it is ancient, dark magic.”

Kyungsoo frowns, “That is not very specific.”

Yifan nods as he hoods his eyes. “We know. We cannot explain very well without showing you.”

Junmyeon frowns. “All right. How far is Jäämetsä from here?”

Yifan answers, “A little more than two weeks, but we travelled on horses.”

“Then we shall start in two days. We need to carry enough supplies for us and our dragons.”

“Of course. Thank you.”

Luhan and Kyungsoo don’t question Junmyeon, their leader, a position that Junmyeon still doesn’t understand how he achieved. Well, Kyungsoo hated leading and Luhan was too unstable to hold steady during complex situations, which naturally resulted in Junmyeon taking charge of his group. And Angela’s constant teasing about him being a leader with his tiny stature did not make Junmyeon any happier.

Suddenly, Angela rushes into the room with her werecat in tow. She looks like she came here in a hurry, her hair all askew as her eyes land on Eragon. She says, “We need to talk.”

They all understand Eragon and Angela need their privacy, so they file out of the room. Yuri is going to escort the visitors back to their quarters. Yifan and Sehun follow her, and the former looks over his shoulder to send Junmyeon a cold glare.

Luhan sees it; he throws his arms around Junmyeon’s shoulder and whistles, “What that was about?”

Junmyeon shrugs. He has things to do, inventories to make, he cannot waste his time wondering what beautiful elves and their unreadable gazes mean. As Yifan passes under a cherry tree, the sunlight makes patterns on his silver hair, and whispers of the past echoes dimly in Junmyeon’s mind, but he brushes it off.

 

Junmyeon finds himself retracing his steps back to Arya’s quarters in the evening where he finds Eragon and Angela with her ever-present companion, Solembum, sitting by the fireplace, with no fire blazing due to the warm weather. Junmyeon bows in their presence, and the older Rider beckons him closer with a warm smile on his face. He puts a hand on Junmyeon’s shoulder and says, “Angela here wants to go to Jäämetsä with you.”

Junmyeon is confused. The herbalist had never accompanied his team, or any team for that matter, on any quest. His face must have betrayed his thinking because Angela started chuckling, “Fear not young Rider, I won’t be too much of a hassle.” Her bright smile drops, to be a replaced by a frown, “Solembum here, and me too, have a funny feeling about that place.” The werecat simply yawns in response.

Junmyeon wants to ask more, but he knows how Angela is. Ask her one question and she will never answer him directly, instead driving him in circles until he gets a headache, so he let it be. Angela simply smirks at him; Junmyeon bites down the sigh. He simply nods his head, “As you wish.”

Junmyeon walks back to his house that he shares with Luhan and Kyungsoo. Luhan is sprawled on the floor, looking blankly up at the ceiling while Kyungsoo stands on a tool, mixing something in a pot. Luhan used to tease Kyungsoo about standing on a tool to cook, but Kyungsoo one day had enough and he didn’t enter the kitchen for three days, and Luhan realised he has no culinary skills. Junmyeon didn’t even bother to intervene because he knows it is Luhan’s life mission to bother Kyungsoo and Kyungsoo hasn’t killed Luhan so far because it isn’t allowed.

Luhan notices Junmyeon entering and removing his boots. He asks, “Why did Shadeslayer call you?”

Junmyeon puts away his boots, and replies, “Angela is going to accompany us to Jäämetsä.”

Luhan gets up, leaning on his elbows as he frowns, “Angela? Why?”

“She said she has a bad feeling about the place.”

Kyungsoo walks out of the kitchen, frowning as well, “Bad feeling?”

Junmyeon joins Luhan on the floor and scratches the back of his neck. “I didn’t ask. You know how she gets.”

Kyungsoo snorts as Luhan laughs. The dwarf says, “Right. Expecting a right answer from her is more impossible than killing a nïdhwal.”

“Damn right,” Luhan nods. “What’s for dinner Soo?”

“A stew with berries,” Kyungsoo says as he yawns.

Junmyeon smiles up at the dwarf, “You went berry-picking today?”

“Yes,” Kyungsoo joins them on the floor, spreading his legs as he massages his neck, “The cherry tree will bloom soon. I am sad we will miss it.”

“Yeah,” Junmyeon sighs as he, like every other spring, thinks about Solembum’s strange words: “Silver blossoms of cherry and you, I see you, caught up all in it.” He knew the werecat had meant about his future, but he is yet to see how cherry blossoms can become silver and involve himl, and he has been waiting for five years to know the answer.

 

Next morning, Junmyeon is rudely awoken by Luhan who shouts in his face, “Wake up, wake up!”

Junmyeon sits up, rubbing his eyes and trying not to punch his friend in his face. “What.”

“You won’t believe this,” Luhan says as he drags Junmyeon out of his bed. He pulls Junmyeon to the window and points at the two figures walking outside. He spots Kyungsoo and another female dwarf he doesn’t recognise hold hands and walk through the grounds behind their house, big smiles on their faces. Junmyeon squints, sleep caking his eyes. “What? Who is that?”

“Exactly!” Luhan waves his hand in excitement, his eyes twinkling with mischief that Junmyeon knows won’t bode well. “Who is Kyungsoo courting? And why, his friends, don’t know about this? I feel betrayed!” Luhan places a hand on his heart and tugs his lips down, mocking hurt and disbelief.

Junmyeon rolls his eyes; if Kyungsoo has kept his lady love a secret, it is probably for a good reason. He hits Luhan on his arm and says, “Don’t push him. He will tell us when he wants to.”

Luhan’s face becomes blank as he stares at Junmyeon, a hint of incredulity in his eyes. Junmyeon pushes past him, deciding to go wash up and settle the emptiness in his stomach. As he walks into the washroom, Luhan pipes up, “Oh, do you know the cherry trees are in bloom? The kids are all very excited. I don’t think lessons will be taken seriously today!” Luhan leaves his room laughing to himself as Junmyeon stands still, his heart pounding as he clutches the washcloth to his chest.

The fifth year of the bloom. Will today be the day he learns what the elusory werecat meant?

He doesn’t think too much of it as he cleans up and strolls into the kitchen to grab some bread and a cup of tea. He reads the list he and Kyungsoo made last night. He decides to give the stables a visit first, then the armoury, then the storage for food and tents, and finally, pay a visit to the herbalist to see if she had any special requirements.

As he steps out, he cannot help but smile at the pleasant weather. He really loves spring. He loves the gentle sun and the cool winds that blow, carding through his wine-red hair and caressing his skin. Luhan jokes how Junmyeon only thrives during the warmer weathers, and Junmyeon can’t argue, he is a summer child anyway. Winters aren’t his most favourite and his grumpiness is all too familiar to Kyungsoo and Luhan, who keep making jokes at his expense.

He heads towards the stables first, and his horse, Aurora, neighs when he arrives with an apple for her. Aurora chomps on her gift all too happily and Junmyeon cannot help but chuckle. He finds Luhan and Kyungsoo’s horses are all healthy as well, and asks the stable-hand to keep an extra horse on standby to carry supplies. Being part of the elite team has some privileges and he knows no one else will try to stop him or argue with him if he asks for a steed or two.

There is a cherry tree outside the stables, in front of the exit, and Junmyeon decides to take that path to head towards the armoury. Junmyeon is amazed when he leaves the stables, the ground is already carpeted in soft, delicate pink flowers, and there is more showering down from the branches as a breeze picks up. A flower lands on his hand and he is transfixed by its beauty, even though somewhere deep down he is always sad at how fragile this flower is, and how it is always gone too soon.

His pondering is interrupted when he hears footsteps. He looks up to find one of the elves from Jäämetsä, Yifan, walking towards him, but he hasn’t seen Junmyeon yet because his gaze is trained to the ground. Junmyeon clears his throat, “Good morning.”

Yifan gets startles and raises his head. His long silver hair is loosened today, and maybe it is a trick of the light, but Junmyeon thinks his eyes look like molten gold, and Junmyeon can’t help but feel awed at Yifan’s strange, harsh, boreal beauty. He has thick eyebrows, high cheekbones, a straight, small nose and small lips.

Yifan bows at Junmyeon and says, “Good morning.”

Junmyeon didn’t pay any attention to Yifan’s voice yesterday, but today, in the still of the warm springtide zephyr, where there is no other sound except for the horses neighing faintly in the background, Junmyeon is taken aback by the deep, soothing bass of the elf’s voice. A blossom softly falls from its branch and lands on Yifan, brushing against the tip of his nose before reaching its destination, the earth. Yifan’s amber eyes widen slightly, before he bends to pick up the flower. He touches the petals and Junmyeon’s attention is stolen by Yifan’s long, slender fingers.

There is an odd tenderness in the way Yifan caresses the petal. He asks, “I have never seen this tree before.”

Junmyeon tilts his head to the side. “Jäämetsä doesn’t have cherry trees?”

Yifan shakes his head as his fingers curl over the flower. A corner of his lips is tugged up as he says, “We have mostly oaks and pines in our land.”

Junmyeon nods as he smiles. “Oh,” he looks up as he softly gazes at the pale pink blanket over his head. “They are quite beautiful, aren’t they?”

Yifan too looks up, and there is faint smile on his lips as he says, “They are.” He looks down at his fist, and murmurs, “But they seem so delicate.”

Junmyeon steps closer and smiles, “They are. They look so pretty, but are gone too soon.”

“That’s…” Yifan takes a moment, his left eye twitching for a second. “That is sort of sad.”

Junmyeon chuckles, “But they will be back next year again.”

“Makes them easier to appreciate?” Junmyeon misses the arrogant tilt on Yifan’s lips.

Junmyeon doesn’t answer, he keeps his head up as more flowers fall. He thinks about Yifan’s question for a while before he meets the amber gaze of the elf again. He is taken aback when he finds Yifan looking at him closely, his eyes gleaming with a vague sentiment. He finds his cheeks heating up as he says, “I—I think when something is too fleeting, and if you know its nature, it is fondly appreciated in a way that makes you both happy and sad. It is a strange mix of emotions, but it isn’t terrible.”

“It is fond,” Yifan smiles, and Junmyeon is kind of enchanted by how pleasant it is on the elf’s otherwise harsh face. But there is something condescending in that smile, and it amuses him, even though the Rider fails to see the amusement. “Or predisposed, or silly, like everything else humans do?”

Junmyeon laughs bitterly as comprehension slowly dawns on him. He says, “Are you trying to say something?” He feels like someone just splashed some icy, cold water on his face, forcing him awake, harshly dragging him out of Yifan’s magnetic appeal.

“Humans and their emotions,” Yifan says with a smirk, and all feeling of pleasantry vanishes on Junmyeon’s part. So Yifan is like those elves, who think they are too good for humans and think they are superior. Junmyeon had the unpleasant experience of meeting plenty of Yifan’s kind over his short career as a Rider.

Junmyeon crosses his arms and glares, “I see. Now excuse me, I have things to do.” He marches past Yifan, fuming at himself for ever thinking the elf could be a nice person. And feeling his face flush when the wind picks up and Yifan’s hair dances along with it, highlighting his otherworldliness, which makes Junmyeon kind of mad. Too bad Yifan doesn’t have a personality to match his appearance.

 

Junmyeon doesn’t try to engage Yifan again, but he watches the elf from a distance, and is irked every time the elf says something condescending. It is grating on his nerves and he doesn’t know how he will survive the journey if Yifan keeps up with his obnoxious behaviour. Sehun, on the other hand is much nicer and has become quite friendly with Junmyeon, Luhan and Kyungsoo, much to Yifan’s distaste (Junmyeon caught Yifan looking like he swallowed something sour when Kyungsoo cracked a joke and Sehun laughed).

Even Luhan, being an elf himself, couldn’t stand Yifan, and avoided talking with him. Junmyeon could hear Luhan cursing under his breath about “glaciers” and “stupid elves”. Junmyeon wanted to remind Luhan he was an elf too, but by one look at his brows drawn together and the firm set of his mouth had Junmyeon retracting his statement. Kyungsoo didn’t even try engaging after he saw Luhan’s reaction to his own kind. Being a dwarf is hard enough for him, he doesn’t require more people reminding him—though Junmyeon knows Kyungsoo is just exhausted trying to prove his worth to people.

The only person least bothered by Yifan’s attitude is Angela. She is, as the others pack their essentials on to the horses, chatting Yifan’s ear off, and honestly, the three Riders are taking great satisfaction at Yifan’s contorted face.

Kyungsoo mutters, “How much are you willing to bet she is doing it on purpose?”

Luhan chuckles, “Every coin of my savings.”

Junmyeon smirks. He sees Sehun walking towards them, and he quickly hushes his friend. Nice or not, Sehun is still Yifan’s family. Junmyeon wouldn’t want to do anything to offend him, however, Yifan is another story…

Sehun smiles. His long pale yellow hair is tied in a braid, and he is dressed in black from head to toe. Junmyeon watches him with a little envy. Sehun is unfairly beautiful and Junmyeon feels like a pumpkin beside him (and Yifan too). The elf says, “Are you men ready?”

Kyungsoo pats his pony one last time and nods. Sehun nods back and looks around, “And your dragons?”

Junmyeon smiles as he pushes his hair back, “They have been itching to leave ever since daybreak.”

Sehun grins, “The dragons are such wonderful creatures.” There is a certain wistfulness to his voice and Junmyeon cannot help but smile at that. He knows, after spending a few days with Sehun, that the younger elf was endlessly fascinated with dragons. He told them that at Jäämetsä, tales of dragons have reached them, but they have never seen one in flesh. So, when the Riders arrive, it will be quite exciting.

Soon, the party of six get on their steeds and the dragons take flight with loud, joyous roars; their Riders smile from the ground. Junmyeon looks at the spring sky for one last time, his dragon a blue-green dot on clear, blue sky, and the cherry blossoms keep falling. When his gaze lands back on the ground, he finds amber eyes coolly regarding him. A strange breeze picks up, and it sends shivers down Junmyeon’s spine. Junmyeon doesn’t know if it is the breeze or the gaze that makes him shiver though.

An hour later, they have left the Valley behind and are beside the river Mirall, which will end as they go up more north, till they reach the glacier from which the great river originates. The glacier is in the mighty Cloud Range, beyond which lies Jäämetsä. It took the elves longer because they couldn’t find a ship to head down to the Valley, but Luhan had managed to bribe a ship owner named Zitao. Most boats or ships refused to go upriver because of the weather and the dangers of getting robbed. Zitao agreed only after Luhan paid him five times his usual fare. The fact that there would be Riders on his ship kind of eased his anxiety.

They are close to the dock when Sehun says, “I have never been on a boat before!”

Kyungsoo grins, “Really?”

Sehun nods, a huge grin plastered on his face, “I am excited though.”

Yifan scoffs and Junmyeon chooses to ignore that as he says to Sehun, “Are there no water bodies in Jäämetsä?”

Yifan says, a bit arrogantly, “Our land is literally surrounded by mountains.”

Sehun shakes his head. “What my brother means is that we have a few lakes and a stream with waterfalls, but they remain mostly frozen, so we never felt the need of learning how to navigate water. But we have heard of ships and boats.”

Yifan rolls his eyes, as if annoyed by how Sehun is talking about his kind. Junmyeon doesn’t understand why Yifan is like this. No one in the group is condemning the elves for never getting on a ship. Junmyeon clutches the reins tighter in his hand as he wonders what is exactly Yifan’s problem.

Luhan spots Zitao on the dock, which is really an elevated wooden platform near the river’s edge to help people get on and off from ships easier. The elf gets down from his horse and waves at Zitao with a grin on his face. Everybody else follows suit. Zitao walks up to them, his head covered in a hood. He is tall as Yifan and is skin is tanned; Junmyeon notices his feline eyes, which are a shade of green that he cannot determine. He regards them and says, pointing at Junmyeon and Kyungsoo, “These your Rider friends?”

“Yes!” Luhan nods and smiles. “Are we ready to leave?”

Zitao nods and gestures at them to follow him. Luhan grabs Junmyeon as the rest of them walk ahead. Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow, but Luhan waves him off. Kyungsoo shrugs his shoulders and heads up to the ship. Junmyeon asks, “What is it?”

“Zitao, there’s a problem about him,” Luhan says in a low tone. “He is half human.”

“So?”

“And half elf.”

Junmyeon is about to ask why that is an issue, when he realises what Luhan is trying to imply. Junmyeon glances at Yifan over his shoulder. He watches Angela helping Yifan and foreboding crashes down on his gut. He grunts, “Guess Yifan wouldn’t be happy.”

Luhan nods his head. “Yep, that’s why I told Zitao to keep his head covered. He has elfish ears.”

“I noticed his eyes.”

“Couldn’t do anything about them. Though I understood, I mean he has met elves who are disgusted by his identity.” Luhan looks irritated. “I mean what is so wrong about that? Who is he hurting?”

Junmyeon grabs Luhan’s elbow and smiles a little. “It’s okay, as long as Yifan doesn’t realise we are good.”

Luhan shrugs. “Yeah I suppose.” He sends a glare at Yifan’s direction. Junmyeon pats his friend on his shoulders once and throwing his arm around his waist, drags Luhan with him to the ship. Now, with the burden of whatever awaits them, Junmyeon has to ensure no one actually blows their top off due to prejudices.

Life of a Rider, and Eragon said he had worse…Junmyeon hears Suho chortling in his head.

 

Nothing worsened, but nothing changed for the better either. Sehun has a cheerful disposition to travelling on water, and has managed to strike up an easy companionship with Zitao. Yifan on the other hand though…Junmyeon had half a mind to let Yifan ride with Suho before he realised motion sickness is what it is no matter if you are on a ship or a dragon. And the thought of Yifan vomiting from high above did amuse Luhan and Angela, but Junmyeon simply grunted in disgust.

Yifan did not take to ships, or water, or life on a ship. They had been on the river for three days, and in another two, they would reach Cloud Range and from them, they would have to travel on horses for five more days to Jäämetsä. And Junmyeon is amazed he hasn’t pushed Yifan into the water yet.

Honestly, Junmyeon wondered if Yifan was coddled to death from where he came from. He couldn’t sleep on threadbare mattresses; he couldn’t walk on rough wooden floors; he couldn’t deal with the sun beating down on them as they sailed down the river; and the list goes on and on (“His whining could fill a sheet as long as this river I swear!” Luhan cried one night after he was rudely woken by Sehun because the latter’s cousin was fuming about the mattresses again). Junmyeon doesn’t even want to start on the motion sickness Yifan apparently discovered he had. Luhan, Kyungsoo, Angela had taken turns to take care of him. Today, unfortunately, was his turn.

Junmyeon glances at Yifan who is looking a bit green again, and with a sigh he gets a bucket again. He drops it in front of Yifan and strolls towards the railing and places his elbows on it.

It is sometime after sunset, and the sky is a beautiful amethyst with a corner of the sky dark, studded with stars, and anytime else, Junmyeon would have been appreciating this. But oh no, it was his turn to babysit Yifan as Kyungsoo had important things to do. They had docked for the night beside a forested area and Suho is already dozing on the riverbank, poor thing completely tired with all the flying. All the dragons are tired, even though Snieh and Feng, Luhan’s bronze dragon, are busy play fighting. Junmyeon watches them for a while and hears Yifan taking a deep, deep sigh.

Yifan gets to his feet and comes to stand beside Junmyeon. He crosses his arms and frowns, “Thanks.”

Junmyeon scoffs. “What? Did you just thank me?”

Yifan presses his lips, “I still have my manners.”

“Nice to know you have manners then.”

A gentle breeze picks up and ruffles Junmyeon’s hair, which he should have cut before starting this journey, but whatever. He closes his eyes, missing the way Yifan stared and stared at him, completely taken aback as he realises a thing. He quickly looks away when Junmyeon slowly peels his eyes open. The Rider raises an eyebrow, he did catch Yifan looking away, and the elf understood he had been caught. He quickly clears his throat and says, “You should cut your hair or something.”

Junmyeon tugs at his bangs and points at Yifan’s waist-length hair, “Do you guys ever cut your hair?”

Junmyeon was only curious, but obviously Yifan had to take it the wrong way. He frowns, offended, “Hair means status in Jäämetsä.”

Junmyeon narrows his eyes as a piece falls into place. He murmurs, “So, you a noble or something? That would explain things…”

“Explain what?” Yifan has a hard edge to his voice that Junmyeon doesn’t miss, so he smirks as he says, “Why you are such an annoying prick.” And then he sashays away leaving a flushed Yifan in his wake.

Yifan bites his lower lip as he fumes. But his heart hasn’t stopped pounding when he got caught staring at the rider and his rather beautiful face. He admits to himself, that more than the other yellow-haired elf, Junmyeon caught his eye the first time when he met them all. The smooth peach skin and the softness of the wine-red hair was astonishing. And Yifan couldn’t look away; even now he keeps trying to steal glances. Yet, it is too bad, Junmyeon is obnoxious and he isn’t into humans anyway.

 

Two days later, the ship docks at the foot of a mountain, the lesser range before the higher peaks begin. The sunshine is weak and the air here is colder despite being the beginning of spring downriver, and Junmyeon is already snivelling, now covered in Kyungsoo hand-knitted blue scarf that he received from the dwarf three birthdays back. It is a special scarf, Kyungsoo had enchanted it so that he will always remain warm, no matter how cold.

Yifan had seen him covered snuggly and had started guffawing instantly. “If you cannot handle this, how will you survive when we get to my land?”

As the day comes to an end, and their horses start showing signs of fatigue, they set camp in a clearing at the foot of the mountain. Sehun says if weather conditions are favourable, they will be reaching Jäametsä in three days or less. Luhan and Feng soon get a nice blaze going and Junmyeon sighs as sits in front of it. He bitterly agrees with himself (and Yifan) that he might not fare any well at Jäämetsä. Kyungsoo starts tinkering with pots and pans as Sehun volunteers to help. The young elf seemed sad to say goodbye to his new friend, Zitao, but he quickly cheered up when he realised he is closer to his home. The ride of the day had been exhausting, and tomorrow, as they travel by the pass made between the mountains, Sehun promised the winds would get harsher and colder still. Junmyeon is glad he didn’t forget to pack his special scarf and mittens.

Yifan sits down, with his back leaning on the tree trunk, his gaze turned skywards. Junmyeon glances at him and his heart skips a beat at the elf’s beauty again. Then he remembers how much Yifan had annoyed him the last few days, and the thought quickly disintegrates.

Yifan closes his eyes and says, “You know, it is rude to stare.”

Junmyeon frowns, his brows knitting as he sneers, “I am not.”

“Yeah?” Yifan now wears a smirk.

Junmyeon presses his nose deeper into the blue wool, trying to hide his blush. He hates how he always ends up staring and admiring Yifan’s face as his mind forgets the giant lapses in Yifan’s behaviour. He looks up, still glaring as he locks his gaze with Yifan, who is leaning forward, his elbow on his knee and chin cupped by his hand as he smirks at the very visible red sprinkled on the tips of Junmyeon’s ears. Yifan drawls, “I get it, I am the best looking in my family after all.”

Damn elves and their perfect faces… “So, your inflated ego has been growing since your childhood? Damn I need to warn your family before your head blows up so much, and you end up airborne. And we all know how well you deal with motion,” Junmyeon finishes with a grin under the scarf. He knows Yifan cannot see it, but he cannot help himself.

Yifan purses his lips and narrows his eyes. Then he leans against the tree, with his hands behind his head and closes his eyes. Junmyeon raises his eyebrows, guess he rendered Yifan speechless with thoughts of flying. Junmyeon suddenly feels very cheerful at successfully annoying Yifan.

The night passes without any issue. Junmyeon was safe and warm curled under Suho’s massive wings, his dragon sharing his warmth with him—who even needs bonfires? The morning, though, ruins Junmyeon’s cheer. It is grey, even the sun seems like it is too weak to shine properly. Added to that are the sharp, cold winds now buffeting them as they travel through the pass. The granite walls of the mountains rise high on both sides, the rock carefully chiselled by elves and dwarves centuries ago. The sunlight is even bleaker here, and Junmyeon already dreads reaching Jäämetsä. But his duty as a Rider comes first, and damn him if he lets Yifan catch him whining about it!

Throughout the journey, Yifan is strangely quiet as Sehun enthrals Angela, Kyungsoo and Luhan with his stories about his home. Junmyeon listens half-heartedly as he tries to understand Yifan’s stony face and stormy expression. Shouldn’t he be happy returning home? Or is he worried Junmyeon and company are incapable?

“What got you so worried?” Suho asks.

Junmyeon shakes his head. “I don’t know…why is the elf like this?”

“The tall one that you are always staring at?”

Junmyeon is affronted. “What! I don’t do that!”

Suho scoffs. “I saw him catch you staring at him last night. I also see him staring at you, though I don’t understand why…but you…”

Junmyeon blushes underneath his scarf and heavy cloak. “What about me?”

“I am a dragon and I don’t understand human standards of beauty, but if I met a beautiful dragon with silver scales, I suppose I would like her too.”

Junmyeon’s eyes widen and he glares up at the sky. Suho is a speck in the sky, but he knows his dragon knows he is shooting imaginary daggers at him because he hears more chortling in his head. In his mind, he screams, “I do not like him...And what, what are you saying about him staring at me?”

“Oh, probably nothing…” Suho plays coy and Junmyeon knows. He gasps when Suho starts talking about what he can see from high above the clouds. Junmyeon knows Suho intentionally swerved from the topic they were discussing. He presses his lips and tries to not to hear Suho’s smug voice in his head. He even forgets about Yifan’s stoic silence.

 

Three days later, a huge grey wall carved out of grey marble, stretching as far as the eye can see, stands before them. A cold wind blows through, making Junmyeon shiver. Behind him Sehun hops down from his horse and walks up to the smooth wall. He uses his index finger to draw a character, and to everyone’s surprise (except for Yifan), a large portion of the wall caves in, revealing a dark passageway. As Sehun steps inside, torches are alighted and Junmyeon sees a path. Sehun turns around and smiles, “Welcome to Jäämetsä. Brother?”

Yifan nods as he nudges his horse forward, his brows knitted furiously. The rest of them follow, Luhan with his eyes widened as he whispers, “This is simultaneously creepy and impressive.”

Kyungsoo touches a part of the wall and frowns, “This isn’t elvish, this is dwarfish stone craft.”

Sehun smiles, “You are right. The dwarves carved this pathway as a gift to the last king nearly six hundred years ago.”

“Dwarves? But I have never heard of any of my kind living up so far north?” Kyungsoo questions, genuinely confused.

Sehun’s face darkens. He sighs. “A long time ago, some humans came, with magic, and they caused some real damage. The dwarves had to, uh, leave, the king was very upset.”

Luhan leans closer to Junmyeon to whisper, “Is this why Yifan hates humans?”

Junmyeon had been wondering the same. He whispers back, “Could be.”

They were riding in the cavernous passageway lighted by firelight. What he thought were torches actually turned out to be gems filled with magical eternal light. Junmyeon recognises them from all the stories he had heard about the great Varden and their struggle to free Alagaësia from their evil king (he may or may not have eavesdropped when Eragon was talking to Sooyoung back in Toham). The path suddenly stops at a dead end. Kyungsoo’s pony whines while Angela tuts. Then she chuckles, “Go on, show us what’s next. Dwarves are such great engineers!” Junmyeon swears he saw Kyungsoo puffing his chest out in the pale orange light.

Sehun gets down from his horse again and rushes over to draw another character, and this time too, a large slab of stone caves in, except instead of darkness, the stone moves sideways with a loud rumble to light. The sudden brightness hurts Junmyeon’s eyes, but when he gets used to it, the whiteness of it all stuns him.

There is a stone path, lined by trees with white trunks and bare branches. The grass is a lifeless grey, and the sky is here as white as snow, even the sunlight feels cold. Junmyeon watches in awe as another elf comes running down the pathway, wearing steel plates on his arms and calves. He is as tall as Sehun and Yifan (and Junmyeon wonders if everyone in Jäämetsä is over six feet tall). Sehun smiles as he opens his arms, “Youngho!”

The elf laughs, and its rumbling quality is nice on the ears. Yifan has half a smile on his face, and Youngho hugs him briefly as well. The elf now takes to smiling at the newcomers. He is tall and lithe, though his hair is a light brown and shorter than Yifan’s and Sehun’s, chopped till his neck, and his eyes are a beautiful blue. He clasps his hands and beams at Junmyeon, “So you all are Riders?”

Kyungsoo shakes his hand, and Luhan follows suit while Junmyeon calls his dragon to come greet Youngho. As he shakes Youngho’s hands, he smiles, “I hope you aren’t too frightened.”

“Frightened? By what?”

As soon as the words are out of Youngho’s mouth, the three dragons, Suho, Snieh and Feng, land together in a great flurry of wings and heavy feet. As the pale sunlight glints of scales coloured blue, bronze and white, Youngho stares aghast. Junmyeon always enjoys the gobsmacked expressions people wear when they see dragons for the first time.

Suho, being more outgoing than his dragon friends, saunters towards Youngho, who yelps a little and backs away. Junmyeon quickly grabs his elbow and shakes his head with a genial smile. “Don’t worry, they will never hurt you. This is Suho, my dragon, and the white one is Kyungsoo’s, her name is Snieh and the bronze one is called Feng, she’s Luhan’s.”

Youngho gulps, and carefully inches towards Suho, who dips his head and allows Youngho to gingerly touch his snout. Suho closes his eyes and purrs a little. Youngho breaks out into a grin, relieved that Suho did not mean any harm. Soon the other dragons come closer and Youngho gets acquainted with them all.

They hear horse hooves, and they all turn to find another elf approaching them on horseback. Junmyeon raises his eyebrows when the elf gets down from the snow-white horse; this elf is the same height as him. So Jäämetsä does have short elves?

The elf comes closer, and even if it was possible, he is more beautiful than Yifan and Sehun combined. His short stature be damned, Junmyeon sees the way his body is built, all sturdy and feigning immense strength. His hair is ebony dark and short in length as well, tied in a loose ponytail. A few errant strands frame his smooth, round face, and when he smiles, his gums show and Junmyeon is amazed at the way his eyes are a mixture of brown and gold. Beside him, Luhan is even more amazed, and Kyungsoo jabs him in his stomach to stop him from ogling.

The newcomer bows and when he straightens up, his clear voice rings, “Welcome back princes.”

Princes? Luhan, Kyungsoo and Junmyeon get whiplash when they turn to stare at Yifan and Sehun with wide eyes. Sehun looks sheepish and apologetic, while Yifan looks like he got insulted and Angela shouts, “Knew you guys were hiding something!” The younger elf clears his throat and ducks his head as he murmurs, “I will explain later.”

The other elf frowns for a minute before he turns his gaze to look at the dragons regarding him. He bows at them and smiles, “And a warm welcome to the Riders and their magnificent dragons. I am Minseok, palace guard. I am at your service! Now if you would please follow me, I will show you to your residences.”

Minseok gets back on his horse, and waits for everyone to get on theirs. Then he starts on a slow trot. Junmyeon pulls back Angela and whispers, “What did you mean then?”

Angela raises an eyebrow, “What did I mean when what?”

Junmyeon sighs and rolls his eyes. “How did you know that Sehun and Yifan were hiding something?”

Angela giggles, “Why? Did you think so too? You did, didn’t you?” When Junmyeon simply exhaled, the herbalist rolls her eyes. “Fine, fine. Did you not see Yifan’s grumpy face? And I was also pretty sure they are not cousins, but brothers. I mean did you look at their frowns? I have never seen two people having such identical facial expressions, not even cousins.”

Junmyeon doesn’t understand the last sentence, but he doesn’t ask again since he knew Angela wouldn’t give him a straight answer any time soon. He falls in pace beside Kyungsoo, who grumbles, “So, they are royalty. Why lie to us?”

Junmyeon shrugs. “We will know soon enough, I am pretty sure.”

And they get to know soon enough, when the path lined with white trees end in a huge courtyard and a crowd collects, their eyes gleaming with awe at the sight of the dragons and their Riders. As soon as Yifan gets down from the horse, the crowd parts for a female elf with whitish gold hair and grey eyes, who elegantly saunters up to them. She is, as expected beautiful, short like Minseok. She smiles, but it has no warmth, and Junmyeon feels a sense of misgiving crawl down his spine. She curtsies at Luhan, Kyungsoo and Junmyeon. She says, “I am princess Joohyun, I am glad my brothers got you to help us.”

The Riders return her bow, and relinquish their horses when more elves show up, eager to help them. Angela comes forward and bows as well. Joohyun smiles, “Well, I suggest you rest for today, you are invited to the palace for dinner of course. I will be leaving Minseok and Youngho with you. Sehun, you are to come with me.” She smiles warmly at Sehun, but then she coldly nods towards Yifan with a curt, “Yifan” and starts walking away.

Sehun follows his sister, not before throwing a pained look towards Yifan, who simply shakes his head and smiles. Youngho claps his hand. “Well the, Riders and dragons, follow us please?”

They get back on their horses as the dragons unfurl their wings to follow their Riders from the sky, and to Junmyeon’s surprise, Yifan joins them. They ride down another path lined with more white trees. On the journey, Minseok and Youngho introduce themselves properly. They are palace guards and have grown up with the princes, thus they are close and on informal terms with each other. Youngho is apparently younger than Minseok, and Luhan shows great surprise at this, since he thought Minseok was younger. They also learn about the royal siblings. Yifan is the oldest, followed by princess Joohyun, prince Sehun and finally princess Wheein, who they will probably meet during the dinner. Junmyeon chances a glance at Yifan when the guards are talking about his siblings, and to his astonishment, he finds Yifan glowering straight ahead, as if hearing the guards talking about him and his siblings is making him mad. But when Minseok turns to tease him about something, the expression melts into a gummy smile and Junmyeon is taken aback that Yifan, too, is capable of casual, light-hearted banter.

They are riding down a forested area now, and Junmyeon spies palace spires through the trees. They soon come at a fork in the road, and Yifan takes his leave, assuring his presence at dinner to Minseok and Youngho; the visitors only get a small, tight nod.

When Kyungsoo asks where Yifan is going, Minseok dons a sheepish face and says that Yifan doesn’t live on the palace grounds, instead lives in seclusion atop a small cliff. Junmyeon frowns when he learns this. The elf is becoming more of a complex as days go by. Then Luhan and Angela ask about the reason behind calling the Riders here, to which Youngho grimly informs that they will take them there tomorrow. Apparently, it is at a distance from the main city.

They reach their accommodations, which is a nice, rather large wooden cabin. It has two storeys, and Junmyeon thinks he hears running water behind it. Youngho and Minseok ensure their guests are settled before bowing again and leaving. Luhan rolls on his bed, relishing in the softness as Kyungsoo tries to ascertain what was keeping the room warm. The elf, dwarf and human are staying on the first floor, while Angela took over the largest room on the ground floor. Luhan grins, a little silly, as he says to Junmyeon, who is pondering whether taking off his scarf is worth it, “Minseok is quite something isn’t he?”

Junmyeon snorts. “Don’t.” Judging from the extremely silly face, Junmyeon fathoms Luhan is already looking ahead to seeing the elf again.

Kyungsoo comes back to them, with a glowing orange rock in his hand. His already big eyes are wider still, as he says breathlessly, “Look what I found!”

Junmyeon and Luhan move to crowd Kyungsoo, who continues speaking in that quite awed voice, “The house is heated without fire due to these, Żor stones, these are stones dwarves used to mine once upon a time. I had heard stories about this stone, but never thought I would see them…”

Luhan grabs the stone from Kyungsoo’s hand and he emits a little yelp when the stone’s heat seeps into his skin. The heat isn’t too extreme, but Luhan feels warmer just being in contact with it. Junmyeon extends a curious finger towards it as well, and he is, too, surprised by the sudden burst of warmth flaring up his arm. Meanwhile Kyungsoo frowns, “The tales tell of northern dwarves who carved ice and dug for warmth. They say the humans, elves and dwarves had a battle, and the dwarves were never seen again.”

Junmyeon scowls, “How old is this tale?”

“Quite young by standards...only half a millennial or more? I am not too sure.”

Luhan’s brow come together and says, “You think the tale is talking about Jäämetsä?”

Kyungsoo shakes his head. “Every legend has some truth behind it…and the elves here seem shifty about their past.”

“And then they lie about being princes,” Junmyeon scoffs.

“Yeah,” Luhan returns the stone to Kyungsoo, who slips it into his robe. “Why lie about that?”

Junmyeon crosses his arms. “Did you not see how strange Yifan became when we started getting closer to Jäämetsä? And how the princess regarded him”

Kyungsoo nods his head. “He looked annoyed, like he didn’t even want to return.”

“And,” Luhan adds with a yawn. “Why does Yifan, being a prince and all, live away from the castle?”

Junmyeon doesn’t answer. Kyungsoo shrugs and goes away to check on Angela, while Luhan decides to go take a nap. Junmyeon, feeling strangely awake, makes up his mind to go walk around for a bit.

He did hear right the first time, a narrow stream flowed behind the house, hidden by a thicket of shrubs he doesn’t recognise. He bends to dip his hand in the water, and hisses when he finds it to be colder than ice. He straightens up and spots three large boulders he can use to cross the stream, so he does that. When he gets to the other bank, he looks back to see Suho peering at him through the shrubs. He waves at his dragon, “Just going for a walk.”

Suho softly says, “Be careful.” Then he struts away, most probably trying to look for a place to nap.

Junmyeon turns around and finds tall pine trees all around him. The air is thick with the smell of pine and earth. He notices a small furry animal scurrying away at the sight of the human. He walks deeper into the woods, not quite hating the cold air, it is sort of refreshing. Though, there are no signs of spring here, like it is in the rest of Slavernaë. There are no flowers, no colour beside brown and deep green. As he walks, the land dips and he finds another narrow stream that ends in a large lake. On the other end of the lake, a hill rises with cliff that juts out, on which there is a large wooden house. From where Junmyeon stands, he can see the porch, the windows and the main door which bursts open and Sehun steps out, looking disappointed. The door slams shut behind him, Junmyeon doesn’t hear it, but by the way Sehun jumps, he can fathom the elf might have got unceremoniously shown out.

Sehun looks over the lake, and his gaze lands on Junmyeon, who waves. The elf waves back and gestures at Junmyeon to stay where he is. Junmyeon waits and watches Sehun carefully make his way down the hill and get on his horse. They cover the expanse of the lake rapidly, and halt in front of Junmyeon.

Junmyeon asks, as Sehun gets down from his chestnut brown horse. “Who lives there?”

“My brother,” Sehun replies with a dark face.

“Yifan?” Junmyeon widens his eye. Yifan lives here, all alone on that cliff? Curiosity, burns too strong in Junmyeon, as he itches to know why.

Sehun looks over his shoulder, and scowls, “Yeah.”

Junmyeon cannot control it, his need to know growing as the seconds tick by. “Did…did you two have a disagreement?”

Sehun smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “He didn’t want to come to the dinner our father is hosting for you, our guests.”

Junmyeon crosses his arms and smirks. “Why? Is he already done with our company?”

Sehun scoffs. “No, no. He, just, well, Joohyun and he—”

“They don’t get along together?” Junmyeon asks, a bit cautiously.

Sehun opens his mouth, taken aback, but then closes it. “How did you…”

“Yifan’s welcome back wasn’t that great, we all saw it Sehun.”

“Oh,” Sehun softly hums. He kicks at the dirt at his feet and sighs. He says, “Well, we lied to you anyway. Yifan doesn’t like to tell people he is a prince.”

Junmyeon asks, “Why?”

“Well…you would have heard it from someone else,” Sehun scratches his neck, looking distinctly uncomfortable. “Yifan is the king’s oldest, and his bastard child.”

Junmyeon’s eyebrows rise as high as they can, while Sehun continues, “We all thought that, despite Yifan’s legitimacy, he would be king later. Father, though, chose Joohyun as the next queen, and well, Yifan is a bit mad that all the training and lessons are for naught. Even I think it is unfair. And well, Joohyun and Yifan never liked each other very much either. I mean, they kind of tolerate each other, but I don’t think there is any love between them.”

Junmyeon smiles and tries to console Sehun, “He loves you?”

Sehun laughs. “Only me and Wheein. We are a lot younger than him, and well, both of us will never take the throne, so we are least interested in politics.”

Junmyeon looks across the lake, and over to the lone house on the cliff where he thinks he saw a curtain moving, but that could have been his mind tricking him. He murmurs, “Is that why he is grumpy all the time?”

Sehun shakes his head, and his smile is melancholy. “He wasn’t always like this…but he also refuses to meet and engage with new people. I forced him to come with me to Shadeslayer. He has very little interaction with people within Jäämetsä itself, so I know he hasn’t been very courteous towards you all. He isn’t prejudiced, but he does find to hard t meet new people and ends up being defensive and rude instead. It’s like a…way to cope? I don’t know.”

Junmyeon looks down at the dirt at his feet and purses his lips. He has been provided with a good reason for Yifan’s behaviour, yet he doesn’t understand some things. He looks back at Sehun, to find the elf staring at him, pleading with his eyes. Junmyeon nods his head, placating Sehun. He asks, “So, he will be coming to the dinner then?”

Sehun smirks, “I gave him very little reason to not come.”

Junmyeon grins, “Is that why he kicked you out?” Sehun laughs, and Junmyeon joins in. He looks back at the house again, and he is surprised when he sees a face peering back at him. At getting caught, Yifan simply ducks and draws the curtains back again.

 

Luhan, Kyungsoo, Angela and Junmyeon are being escorted to the palace by Youngho and Minseok again. When they reach the fork in the road, they find Sehun waiting for Yifan to show up. Youngho says, “He did say he was coming, right?”

Sehun presses his lips and nods. Minseok sighs, “Sehun, you go ahead, I will wait for Yifan.” When Sehun protests, Minseok firmly shakes his head. The young elf prince says nothing as he joins the others, leaving Minseok to wait for Yifan. Luhan looks very disappointed at the arrangement, but doesn’t express it (though he sends a pout at Junmyeon’s direction, who grins back, thoroughly enjoying Luhan’s misery).

They make their way down the path, that branches away into more paths when they reach a crossroads of sorts. They take the path with the least foliage and soon, Junmyeon can see the white spires of the castle, seemingly sparkling under the pink light of the setting sun. Junmyeon stares, transfixed, and when Youngho glances at his impresses face, the elf guard laughs, “The spires have crystals in them. A lot of the walls of the castle are studded by mirror crystals.”

Luhan, too, looks on impressed. “Pretty.”

 The castle is surrounded by a moat, and the drawbridge falls when they get close enough. The horses trot over the bridge and more mouths fall open as they take in the architecture and design of this castle. Everything is either white or blue or studded with crystals giving off holographic light. On a huge courtyard beyond the entry, stands Joohyun and the other princess with attendants. The dragons were invited too, and they land on the drawbridge as the Riders enter.

The princesses exchange greetings with them and Joohyun introduces the other princess as Wheein, who spots Sehun and asks, “Where’s Yifan?” Wheein too has the same pale yellow hair as Sehun and small amber eyes.

Sehun is about to open his mouth when with the thundering sound of racing hooves, arrives the oldest prince with Minseok in tow. Wheein smiles and skips along to meet her brother, who she engulfs in a hug as soon as he gets down from his ride. Junmyeon cannot help but chuckle when he sees Yifan getting red in the face as Wheein squeezes all the air out of him while talking his ear off. Yifan manages to detangle his youngest sibling, and squashes her face in revenge. Wheein flails her arms and everybody laughs at the scene, except for Joohyun, who has half a smile on her face. Junmyeon remembers what Sehun told him by the lakeside.

They make their way towards the main entrance. Joohyun leads with Sehun; Luhan has managed to fall in step with Minseok; Kyungsoo and Angela walk together, still awed by the castle’s build; Junmyeon is politely chatting with Youngho; while Wheein keeps hanging on to her brother, still talking. Junmyeon looks over his shoulder when he hears laughter. He is surprised to find Yifan laughing, his head thrown back and his gums on display. Junmyeon cannot help but think Yifan looks rather nice like this.

“Well, well,” Suho chuckles.

Junmyeon quickly looks away and grumbles. When Youngho asks if anything is wrong, Junmyeon smiles tightly and waves him off, cursing Suho in his head. The dragon is still amused.

When they reach the entrance, they find a tall man with silver hair to his waist and amber eyes smiling kindly at them. Judging by the crown of white gold and blue gemstones, Junmyeon surmises this is the king. He walks up first, followed by his team and Angela, and they bow at the king. The tall man bows back and his voice is deep and clear when he says, “I am king Jinseok, welcome to my kingdom.”

Junmyeon straightens up. “I am Junmyeon, and these are Luhan, Kyungsoo and Angela. We are here for your assistance.”

The king’s smile falters for a moment before he re-composes himself and says, “No, no, we are glad you could come. Please, come with me.”

Jinseok turns around and gestures at them to follow. More white marble and blue mosaics and crystals dot the interiors, and Junmyeon doesn’t know where he wants to look—at the high arches, the snow-white floor, the blue tiles placed in a geometrically measured chaos or at the holographic crystals studded at strategic places.

“They are vikerkaar crystals,” a deep voice whispers close to Junmyeon’s ear, who gets startled and turns around, only to find Yifan smirking down at him. “Really pretty aren’t they?”

Junmyeon nods and rubs his neck as he feels all the hair on his neck rising due to Yifan’s proximity. He mutters, “Didn’t think you would show up.”

“Why?” Yifan says, his voice laced with anger. “What did Sehun say?”

“Everything about you,” Junmyeon replies. He quickly adds, “I haven’t told anyone.”

“Well, Rider,” Yifan sneers. “I don’t require your pity.”

Junmyeon looks up and finds Yifan glaring down at him. He quickly says, “I don’t pity you, I am just trying to understand you.” His face heats up as the admittance leaves his lips. He didn’t want to say those words, but his mouth betrayed him. He watches Yifan’s glare soften into incredulity, and looks away.

Yifan doesn’t say anything in response, and Junmyeon is glad for the silence. He didn’t know what made him say the things he said. He can feel himself slipping once again into the vortex of attraction and he hates it.

They arrive at an immense dining room with a high ceiling and more glimmering crystals dotting chandeliers above their head. The room is beautiful and the king takes pride at the stunned expression of his guests’ face.

They are ushered to their seats, and to his surprise, Yifan chooses the seat opposite him and Junmyeon promises himself to not stare at Yifan or pay too much attention to how good the elf looks in his light lavender tunic embroidered with shimmering silver threads and opalescent beads. Thankfully Wheein keeps Yifan distracted the few unfortunate moments Junmyeon’s eyes did stray towards the elf.

After some small talk, dinner is served, which is as usual vegetarian. A few dishes they have never seen, made with indigenous herbs and plants attract their attraction. Junmyeon especially likes the dish made from five different kinds of leafy vegetable he has never tried cooked with a root vegetable easily found all over Slavernaë. The berry wine served is wonderful as well, and Junmyeon muses if he can ask for some bottles to bring back home.

As the servants are clearing the table up, Kyungsoo asks, “Sir? Could I ask a question?”

The king nods. “Sure.”

“I found żor stones in the house you are kindly letting us stay at. I was just wondering if the story told in Zapadno Zemya about the ice dwarves is true.”

The king’s genial smile falls from his face as he sadly says, “So your people think it is a story down there?”

Kyungsoo presses his lips and nods. “Yes.”

Jinseok sighs and steeples his fingers as he furrows his brows. He says in a dark tone, “I’d like to tell the truth to you tomorrow. I will accompany you to the old ruins.”

Yifan speaks up, “You wish to join us?”

“Yes son,” Jinseok raises an eyebrow in Yifan’s direction, clearly unimpressed by Yifan’s question. “Do you have a problem with that son?”

Yifan ducks his head and shakes it. “No father. I suppose you can tell the tale better than me.”

Junmyeon wonders why Yifan looks so uncomfortable with the prospect of his father accompanying them. Is it because of his heritage? Something akin to pity rises in his chest, but he squashes it down, because intuitively he knows Yifan is a proud person and pity is the last thing he needs. He takes another small sip of his berry wine and asks, “What exactly did you mean by old ruins?”

Jinseok smiles. “Previously, during my great-great-grandfather’s time, we lived further north with the dwarves. After a particular incident, we had to move south.”

Jinseok didn’t elaborate and Junmyeon didn’t feel like prodding anymore. Then Luhan distracted the king by asking questions about the kingdom and their people. The chatter turns light and filled with laughter, but it is all white noise to Junmyeon. He is stealing glances at Yifan whenever he could. Even though Yifan is smiling and laughing at whatever Wheein is saying, Junmyeon can see the tightness around the smiles and the way Yifan’s eyes would stray towards his father.

Junmyeon, despite all the warnings flashing in his head, cannot help but feel a modicum of pity for the elf.

 

Next morning, Youngho comes to collect them even before the sun has risen. Luhan is grumbling, while Kyungsoo is half-asleep on his pony. Junmyeon keeps an eye on Kyungsoo, half-worried the dwarf will slip down his horse any time. Angela is as always chipper than ever, even though she grabs her small sword and talisman. They meet Sehun, Yifan and their father, and a dozen elf guards at the end of the road (Luhan spots Minseok and all his grumblings ceases instantly). They travel down the road towards Yifan’s house till they come at a crossroads and they take the one running north. To Junmyeon’ utter dismay, it gets colder. He quickly wraps the thick scarf around his face, with his eyes only peeking out through his bangs (he really, really needs that haircut). For some reason, his head turns towards Yifan, who is smirking at him. Junmyeon narrows his eyes and huffs.

From above Suho says, “Stay warm little one. When I land, I will warm you up.”

Junmyeon says, “Thank you Suho. You three okay up there?”

“Yes, we are. Even though we are warm from the inside out, this air is unnaturally cold. Be careful.”

He hears hooves close to him, and he nearly falls off his horse when he realises it is Yifan—with his smirk in place—now riding beside him. Yifan drops a flask in his lap, and Junmyeon’s yelp is muffled by the scarf, but his indignation flashes bright in his dark eyes. Before he can ask, Yifan answers him, “Drink that, it will keep you warm when we head even farther north.”

Junmyeon frees one hand and picks up the flask. He opens the clasp and the strong smell of fermented spices and berries hits him hard. He asks, “What is this?”

“It is a wine made from ogien berries and spices,” Yifan answers. “It keeps us warm.”

Junmyeon blushes as he ducks his head and mutters, “Thank you.”

Yifan shrugs. “A frozen Rider is no use to us now, is he?”

Junmyeon presses his lips and doesn’t retort. Of course, how can an insufferable git like Yifan be considerate and kind without reason? Yet, he keeps the flask of warming alcohol close to him.

The weather keeps worsening as they reach another mountain range, this one more dismal than the Cloud Range. Junmyeon pulls down the scarf, and his teeth instantly start chattering when he does so. He quickly takes a swig from the drink and to his surprise, his teeth stops chattering, and a flash of warmth deluges his veins and blooms in the middle of his chest. The alcohol works its magic and Junmyeon feels less miserable than before. He passes it on to Kyungsoo, whose large lips looked a little blue. The dwarf raises an eyebrow, but takes a sip anyway. As the brandy affects him, the dwarf asks with widened eyes, “What is this?”

“Yifan gave it to me,” Junmyeon replies as Kyungsoo returns the flask to him.

Kyungsoo smirks, “Oh.”

Junmyeon opens his mouth to ask what that “oh” means, but he is halted when Jinseok loudly says, “We are here!”

Junmyeon looks back to his front, and a huge wall of granite looms dark and dangerous in front of them. Suddenly, they feel it—the Riders, dragons and the herbalist. The dragons swoop down and growl at the wall, as if expecting it to attack them anytime.

A dark, malicious energy is behind the granite, and none of the magic users feel safe. They share glances, and get down from their horses to stand beside their dragons; only Angela remains on her horse, clutching her talisman. She says, “You are feeling it, aren’t you?”

The elves look on with confusion at their behaviour. Junmyeon turns around and asks Jinseok, his voice shaking as the magic swells and swirls around him, its darkness suffocating, “What is behind there sir? I haven’t felt anything like this.”

Angela glares. “It is dark and dangerous, whatever you have trapped behind those walls Your Highness.”

Jinseok looks apologetic as he says, “My ancestors trapped a powerful magic user behind these walls. And when he died, I suppose his magic remained.”

“And it has attracted something,” Kyungsoo says. He had walked closer to the wall when no one was looking, and touches the rough, cold surface of the wall. The jolt of power that travelled up his arms was not entirely ancient, there was something else in it. “The magic here has guests.”

Yifan says, his voice rough, “Is that it?”

Luhan rounds up, and points at Jinseok, “What else, you are hiding something.”

Jinseok swallows. He gets down from his horse, and his sons follow suit. Yifan gazes straight ahead as Sehun looks down at his boots. The king says, “The dwarves and elves lived in peace for centuries on this land. Despite the cold, we survived. But then, warlocks arrived on this land, with greed and malice in their hearts. They saw the peace we had, and they wanted to destroy it---”

Kyungsoo gasps, “The story told of friendship lost in blood. These warlocks, they turned the dwarves and elves against each other, didn’t they?”

Jinseok nods. “Yes…a civil war broke out, and when the dwarves lost, they left Jäämetsä. But the warlocks, they put a powerful spell, that pushed us south. My ancestors build this wall to ensure they never touch us again.”

Kyungsoo shakes his head. “That is terrible.”

Angela says, “But those warlocks are long gone. What resides there isn’t very nice…” Junmyeon notices the sharp gleam in her eyes and he wants to ask what she knows. Suddenly she glares at him and says, “Do you remember the robbery at Eragon’s house a few months after you arrived?”

Junmyeon nods. He remembers that incident very well. It had been three months at Drákon when a robber broke into Eragon’s house when the rider wasn’t there and stole something. The others weren’t told what was taken, even though Angela and Arya knew. “What about it?”

“Solembum told me,” Angela replies. “He told me I would find answers here.”

Junmyeon knows Angela is being mysterious again, so he doesn’t push—but at least he got the reason behind her accompanying them. He looks over his shoulder and addresses the king, “So, how do we enter?”

Yifan marches ahead, and like how Sehun opened the gates to Jäämetsä yesterday, Yifan traces a pattern on the wall, and it caves in. It is dark, but unlike yesterday, a sharp stench of decay assaults them. And with that, even the non-magic users feel the omnipotent energy wafting through the dark space.

Luhan wheezes, “What is that?”

“Necromancy,” Angela whispers. Since she is the closest to Junmyeon, the others don’t hear her. Junmyeon, though, whips his head and keeps his voice low as he asks, “What do you mean?” Angela presses a finger against her lips and shakes her head. Junmyeon wants to push, because if she meant what she said, they are up against something terrible. But the silent request in Angela’s eyes stops him.

Kyungsoo lights a torch with Snieh’s help and nods at Yifan to lead the way. The elf takes a deep breath and starts walking, and soon the rest of them join him. The dragons start growling and fidgeting as they walk inside. Junmyeon takes to patting Suho on his flank, he can feel the unease his dragon is feeling. Behind him, Kyungsoo has crawled up on Snieh’s back while Luhan has a steady hand on Feng’s side. Angela has her lips pressed together, and Junmyeon, so used to her cheery disposition, is surprised to see her this serious.

Necromancy is a taboo subject in the world of magic. It is ancient, dark, evil magic that even the most powerful spellcasters shy away from. However, here they are walking towards a person or persons who are using the dark art for unknown purposes. Junmyeon is confident with his magic skills, but right now he is not so sure. He grabs the aquamarine pendant around his neck, his talisman, and asks for strength.

They reach the exit, which is covered by grey mist and the chill is settling in Junmyeon’s bones. The scarf or the ogien berry drink is now ineffective. Suho inches closer to him and blows some hot air through his nostrils to keep his Rider warm. Junmyeon mentally conveys his gratitude and braces himself as they step into the mist. Jinseok says, “When we send guards to investigate, they managed to enter but they grey mist confused them. And when they went again to check, they never returned. That is why we called you. I surmised it was magic, and we are no good against it.”

The smell of decay is strongest here, and soon the stench settles in his lungs. Beside him Kyungsoo drops to the ground and touches the frozen earth. He says, “What is this place?”

Jinseok murmurs as he unsheathes his sword—his sons doing the same as well—and says, “The previous kingdom, now a graveyard.”

Angela gasps. She kneels next to Kyungsoo and asks, “What do you feel?”

Kyungsoo shudders. “Death. But…”

Luhan crouches as well, “But?”

Kyungsoo shakes his head. Junmyeon says it loud, “You feel life as well, don’t you?”

Angela locks her gaze with Junmyeon, before she shakes her head again and says, “Kyungsoo, this magic, it is necromancy.”

Sehun asks, as Luhan and Kyungsoo gasp, “What is that?”

Junmyeon’s face is a mask of calmness as he replies, “It is the vilest kind of magic Sehun. It is calling on the dead for specific purposes.”

“And,” Kyungsoo straightens up, dusting his knees, “This is the perfect place for—”

Before Kyungsoo can finish his sentence, two shadows form in the mist at some distance. They all take their stance and what tears through the mist scares Junmyeon.

Two skeletal figures emerge from the mist, their flesh mummified and grey. Their eye sockets are empty and their mouths are open wide, grunting as they close in on the Riders to attack. Junmyeon picks up his sword and soon, more figures join, some tall as Yifan and some as short as Kyungsoo. Junmyeon understands these are the corpses of dwarves and elves, disturbed from their rest by some maniac.

The Riders make a tight circle and the elves another, and somehow Yifan ends up joining the former circle. Junmyeon finds his back pressed to Yifan’s as they both pick up their swords to commence fighting. Junmyeon reckons there are close to fifty to seventy reanimated corpses surrounding them.

The fight begins when Kyungsoo creates a chasm with his magic. The ground opens and a dozen or so corpses disappear into the seam. Kyungsoo closes it quickly and Snieh roars a long stream fire. Suho and Feng join in too, fending corpses with their claws and fire. The elves are using their spears and swords, while Luhan is using his magic to strike invisible blows on the corpses. Angela is fighting tooth and nail, coupled with Kyungsoo. Everything is frozen here, so Junmyeon cannot use his powers. However, he has his sword, and along with Yifan, they had vanquished quite a few corpses between them.

Then, to their utmost surprise, the damaged corpses rise to their feet again, with their heads or limbs dangling. Angela curses, “Damn it! They are being powered from somewhere else! We need to stop the heart of the spell!”

Junmyeon, steps in, and shouts so the elf guards and the king can hear, “We are dividing up!”

Jinseok shouts back, “I heard the woman! Go find what you need to find! We will stop them for as long as we can!”

Junmyeon nods, and he didn’t expect Yifan to follow them. but he does, not before telling Sehun and his father to retreat if they can no longer fend off the corpses. Visibility in the mist is terrible, but Junmyeon draws in the minimal amount of water in the mist and tries to clear the way. When it clears somewhat, they are greeted by a kingdom of ruins and destruction. Kyungsoo whistles, “The legends are true.”

They find a torn up stoned path, and they follow it. It twists and turns through various broken, desolate houses. The atmosphere is eerie and Junmyeon is on guard, worried about more corpses showing up. And a few stray corpses do, which gets incapacitated by the six—Luhan and Junmyeon left their dragons to help the elves—of them easily enough. They move swiftly before the corpses can regain their strength.

Soon, they stumble upon an open area covered in an emerald haze. Luhan notices the place from where the light is originating and he points towards an old tower, “There!”

Junmyeon looks up to find the broken roof of the tower emitting green light that is curling out of the several holes in the tower like large serpents. Angela follows one with her eyes and says, “That green light is powering those bodies. We need to finish whoever is sitting up there all pretty and trying to kill us.”

Yifan grits his teeth. “Let’s go.” He leads the rest of them, and soon Junmyeon falls into step beside the taller; they share a glance and a nod, a silent understanding passing between them. They need to do this quickly and silently.

As soon as the magic users step inside the tower, the power overwhelms them. But even stronger than that is the scent of death lingering in the air. Yifan steps aside and enters a room; he hurries out of it a few seconds later, with his face pale and eyes wide. Junmyeon gently grabs his elbow, to which Yifan responds, “I found the guards my father sent.”

Luhan’s grip on his sword tightens. “That’s—”

“They probably used the poor guards to start the spell,” Angela mutters more to herself.

A staircase winds up, and it doesn’t look sturdy enough. Kyungsoo suggests, “I will take Snieh and fly up.”

Luhan cracks his knuckles, “And I can deal with some broken stairs.” Luhan then concentrates and as he steps on the first stair, he uses his magic to fill in the gaps in the staircase. He collects the dust laying thick on the ground and hardens them into solid structures to replace wherever the staircase needs a step.

Angela chuckles as she heads first. “You were the best in class when conjuring matter out of everything and nothing!” Luhan beams with pride in response.

When they are halfway up, they hear the heavy swoosh of Snieh’s wing as she takes off. Luhan leads, with Angela in tow, followed by Junmyeon while Yifan takes the rear. As they near the top, they hear chanting, and then a loud thud. Luhan and company burst through just as Kyungsoo stabs someone through his neck.

The circular room with the broken roof and half of its wall missing is filled with half a dozen people in dark robes, hoods covering their faces, who are trying to escape Snieh’s fire and Kyungsoo moves on to attack another heavily cloaked person. When some reach the entrance, they only find it blocked by Luhan, Junmyeon, Angela and Yifan. Angela grabs the first person, and tears the hood off to find a woman, a human, whimpering. The herbalist’s voice is uncharacteristically harsh as she asks, “Who is your boss?”

“He is inside! Let me go, please! I didn’t even want to do this!” the woman cries.

“Well,” Yifan says. “We cannot have you doing that now, can we?” He bangs the hilt of his sword against her temple, and as she sways, he catches her and props her against a wall. He explains as he fashions a rope from a piece of cloth he tore from his tunic, “They are criminals, and they will be tried in the Jäämetsä court.”

“Right,” Luhan agrees, and he emulates what Yifan did to a man. He transforms Yifan’s makeshift bind into real ropes and ties the man as well. Then they enter the fray, where Kyungsoo was fending two people at once. Luhan immediately helps him, while Angela scurries towards a antechamber hidden behind a broken pillar.

Junmyeon soon finds himself trying to fight a woman and a man on his own. Without his realising, he was slowly inching towards the edge of the building. He manages to embed his sword through the man, but the woman uses his momentum to push him to the side, and he twists his ankle. Just then, he realises he is standing on the very edge of the room, and there is nothing but air behind him. His ankle twists and he sway backwards. He closes his eyes and says sorry to Suho in his head.

However, he doesn’t fall. Instead, there is a strong grip on his wrist. Then he is being pulled, and something solid and firm presses against his face. The sound of a heart beating rapidly makes Junmyeon open his eyes, and he recognises the pale blue cloak. The arms around him feel strangely secure, and when he looks up, he finds amber eyes gazing down at him in anger and concern. Junmyeon swallows, and weakly murmurs, “You saved me…”

Yifan smirks as he unwinds his arms (Junmyeon doesn’t need the sensation of disappointment at that), “Yeah, you owe me now.”

Junmyeon pushes Yifan away and tries to look pissed, yet he knows he fails when Yifan laughs. He has a scathing comeback on the tip of his tongue, but gets interrupted when Angela shouts, “Hey! You gotta come here!”

Junmyeon rushes towards the room where Angela is, followed closely by the others. OF the six people, only three are alive and propped against the wall, all tied up. When they step inside, they find Angela brandishing her transparent sword at a small, bald man with a black eye glaring at her. She grins at Junmyeon, “I introduce to you the robber that dared attack our precious establishment five years ago.”

Junmyeon, Luhan and Kyungsoo stare aghast at the man, who looks so ordinary that no one could have ever guessed he was responsible for all the mayhem out there. His talisman, through which he was controlling the corpses—a small glass ball—lay shattered in pieces by Angela’s feet. The herbalist says, still in that cheery voice, “We didn’t tell the others, but this scum right here managed to steal three dragon eggs that day. Now are you going to tell them, or will I, about what you wanted to do with those eggs?” When the man simply glared, she continues, “Okay, his name is Jay, and he tried to become a dragon rider a long time ago. When none of the eggs hatched for him, he tried to attack Shadeslayer and Arya. It didn’t end pretty and was banished. But lo, he returned ten years later and stole three eggs!”

“And I would have made them hatch for me!” Jay shouts.

Junmyeon hisses in disgust as he starts to fathom Jay’s goals, “With what? Your dead army? Is that what you were planning to do? Create reanimated dragon riders?”

Angela claps in glee, “And this is why you were the smartest in class!” Jay gnashes his teeth and doesn’t answer. Meanwhile, Junmyeon finds Yifan moving towards the other end of the room from the corner of his eyes. Angela adds, “And as for you, I am taking you back to Drákon.” With that she pinches the skin on Jay’s neck and the man faints. “Lovely thing, pressure points…” she mutters to herself again. Kyungsoo and Luhan laugh.

Suddenly, a loud yelp is heard from a corner of the room. Junmyeon is the first to realise it is Yifan who yelped. He rushes over to him, and before he can ask the elf what is wrong, he hears a soft gurgling noise—an all too familiar gurgling noise.

A small purple dragon fledgling is on the floor, still covered by bits of the egg he or she hatched from, while Yifan has his right hand pressed to his chest, the gedwëy ignasia burning bright on his palm in the dim of the room.


[Chapter 2]