Le Bel et La Bête - Susimau (2024)

Chapter 1: Once Upon A Time

Chapter Text

Once upon a time, there lived a king in a country far, far hidden in the mountains of the north. He was a benevolent and gracious ruler, beloved by many, for he led no wars, and he ensured his folk were well-fed and warm during the harsh winters.

However, the king was stricken by grief. His queen, the jewel of his soul, had died of an illness and left him with half a heart. While his people prospered under his care, he felt the winters grew colder and longer with each passing year. His grief made him ill and had him bedridden for most of his lifetime. Yet, he didn't give in to death's embrace luring him. For he wasn't alone.

Before her death, his queen had gifted him with a beautiful child. His son, the prince, whose laughter was as clear as a spring's merry splash and whose smile brought rays of light upon the king in the darkest hours, was his most precious person whom he adored so dearly. To give his son a bountiful life, the king prevailed.

Until the son's twelfth birthday, the king upheld a facade of fortitude and courage. However, later on, darkness clouded the skies. The neighbouring county mongered war against the kingdom of our tale and the fragile king could not abound. As his country fell into despair and his lands got plundered of their goods, he grasped the boy at his narrow shoulders and looked deep into his eyes.

"Fear not, my dearest son. I will send you to my friend in the east, many, many weeks of a journey away from here. You will be tired as you arrive, and confused, but you will be safe there. My friend is a rich merchant. He will provide you with everything you need. Go now."

As the boy reached for his father in fear, the guards brought him away. They led him through the hidden passages under the castle and, with the night and the wind; they were gone.

The prince was so fatigued by the long journey that he thankfully didn't hear the news of how his home fell into the hands of the attacking monarch. He fled from those searching for him and after weeks and weeks of travel; they made it to the village just outside the forest line. The name of the prince's new home was Villebête, a place both peaceful and delightfully isolated from the corruption of politics. While the prince was stunned by the modest homes around him and the humble clothes the townsfolk donned as they greeted each other gaily on the street, the guards found the merchant they had been searching for. A young man with a kind smile greeted them, and he understood their predicament. He asked the prince to join him inside and introduced him to his lavish home. The prince was satisfied, for he needed lots of rest after his voyage. While he slumbered in his bed, the guards explained to the merchant how the kingdom had fallen and he had to be the prince's new family. Though the merchant was younger and less experienced than the king, he accepted the dying wish of his old friend. From now on, he would treat the prince as his own flesh and blood.

In the morning at supper, the prince felt rested. He thanked the merchant for the food, for he knew not anyone would have taken him in and shared his home with a stranger.

The merchant asked his name.

"Wooyoung," the prince replied. "My father gave me this name, hoping I would have lots of friends and be beloved by many."

The merchant could already tell that this sweet child would become just that. He smiled at the boy.

"From now on, you are no prince anymore, Wooyoung. We must pretend you are no more but a regular merchant's child to protect you from the evil men. Can you do that?"

After a moment of pondering, Wooyoung nodded.

"Then I shall be just Wooyoung. I shall live as if I were your own and as if I had been born to this place."

Satisfied, the merchant nodded at him. He knew transitioning from a royal life to a more humble one must be hard on the boy, but he lauded the wide understanding of the prince.

"Welcome to my home, just Wooyoung. I hope many people here will be your friends and help you adjust."

"May I ask your name?" Though the merchant should be Wooyoung's new family, he was in no place to call himself his new father. Much rather, he would like to be Wooyoung's uncle, since they weren't that far apart in age.

"You may call me Yeosang."

"Yeosang, will you be my first friend?"

Yeosang smiled so much that his cheek hurt from it.

"Of course, I will be your friend."

And thus, Prince Wooyoung became Wooyoung, the merchant's nephew from Villebête. As he grew up into a handsome and charming boy, the prince forgot most of the memories that he had left at the palace. He knew he had been a prince once, but what prince was a prince of a dead country? He left such identities behind and became who he had sworn to be.

For several years, prosperity blessed the unlikely pair. Yeosang travelled a lot for his business, but Wooyoung never got lonely. He befriended the neighbours, the cats, and the vendors of the street. He helped with minor tasks where he could, and he took care of the household even when there was a servant. Soon, Wooyoung was praised for his gracious nature and his kind heart across the entire village. He made many friends, and he enjoyed helping where he could.

One day, however, Yeosang returned home with haunted eyes and bad news. He had lost a shipment of wares, one of his most expensive investments, to a bunch of pirates that had scouted the waters. All his fortunes got used up in paying for the loss. Grim times loomed over their heads, but Wooyoung assured him they could do this. After the rain, the sun had o rise inevitably and thus; they sold Yeosang's fancy home and his expensive furniture to buy a smaller hut. There was no servant there, no grandeur. It was just them.

But Wooyoung had always been quick to adjust. He did the work at home and soon found he enjoyed it, for it bestowed him with strength and endurance. He learned many skills, like cooking and sewing, and Yeosang occasionally brought him gifts to thank him for his hard work during his absence.

Some of the spoiled town kids made fun of Wooyoung.

"Look how well he is suited for manual labour. Isn't he a peasant's son?"

"His clothes are old and ugly. Should we throw him a rag so he can dress?"

"His face is that of a prince, but his hands are those of a coal miner."

No matter how they laughed and poked fun at him, Wooyoung forgave them. They were simple in their minds, and their riches made up their entire personality. Wooyoung was happy where he was, and he would never fault Yeosang.

Years passed and Yeosang grew more desperate to regain his status, but Wooyoung grew up to be a humble and gentle boy. He adored the generosity of the simple folk over financial and political grandeur, and he became one of them as he was supposed to be.

Every day, Wooyoung went to the market to buy food. On rare days such as this one, he brought more money in his self-made pouch, for Yeosang had written him a letter and told him he would come home soon. After weeks apart, Wooyoung wished to cook him a warm meal and show off one recipe he had studied in Yeosang's absence.

On his way through the picturesque little cottages of Villebête, Wooyoung greeted everyone he saw. The cats, the old ladies, the men working at the harvest in their gardens. As he passed, all of their faces lit up in delight at the sight of their dear Wooyoung. His smile shone the sun's light upon them and his laughter as they told him jokes refreshed their parched throats.

As Wooyoung chatted with the sweet-tempered ladies on the market and arranged the fresh vegetables and fruit in his woven basket, he was approached by another man. Compared to the ones working the skin off their hands, this one strode tall and proud. He was Yunho, the mayor's son, and the person most set on capturing Wooyoung's heart.

"Wooyoung, my shiniest gem in this muddy place. How is your day?"

Wooyoung smiled at him, but while friendly, this smile was less warm than the others. He disliked the way Yunho put his arm around Wooyoung's shoulders as if they were close. The man wore heavy perfumes on his skin and they made Wooyoung's head spin they were so intense.

"The day only just started, Yunho. How could it be?" He asked back with a mirthful smile. Yunho clicked his tongue.

"That is no fitting answer, my beauty. Shouldn't you respond with 'good, now that I saw you?'"

"That would be a lie. Do you wish I lie to you?"

Bothered by Wooyoung's wit, which was sharper than one would expect from a simple village boy, Yunho turned Wooyoung to face him. Distracted from his shopping, though he had to hurry back to have the food finished on time, Wooyoung lingered. Yunho was a handsome man, with his fair skin and hair, and the height that towered over many. However, his heart was ugly with his demands of arrogance.

"I wish you to accept my hand in marriage. When will you accept my proposal? I can release you of the chains Yeosang's failure put on you and douse you in gold and silver."

With a secretive smile, Wooyoung sorted the apples in his basket. The sun shone its sleepy rays on the village, wet from the night, and bathed his dark hair with a pearly shimmer. Blinded by Wooyoung's refinement that seemed so exotic to their village, Yunho had to shield his eyes.

"I don't wish for gold nor silver. I shall only marry the person who I love from the bottom of my heart and no one else." He turned to leave, but Yunho slipped into his way again. His hands on Wooyoung's shoulders were uncomfortably hot. Too polite to worm out of them, Wooyoung gazed at him.

"Then how do I make you love me from the bottom of your heart?" Yunho found Wooyoung made things unnecessarily complicated. Anyone should accept a marriage climbing the ranks. Those who didn't were foolish dreamers with no regard for how the real world worked. While Yunho could be an unpleasant character, he was not unkind.

"My love can't be bought and it can't be forced how you like to force other people around you to heed your will. Return to me once you learned that lesson, then we can talk again." This time when Wooyoung walked off, he did so at a brisk pace. Yunho remained behind, baffled and insulted. When his two goons came over, they spat insults after Wooyoung's retreating back.

"Who does he think he is? Acting like he's better than you when his uncle lost his entire fortune and they live in a hut." The goon spat at the ground. Next to him, Yunho's grim features reflected his displeasure.

"Must be all those books he reads. They make people think thoughts so complicated," the second goon agreed.

Yunho shook his head as he took off in the other direction. Like two loyal dogs, his friends followed him.

"A proper spouse shouldn't have to worry themselves with difficulties such as reading. He could live free of such worthless distractions if only he married me."

The two goons agreed. While they worked hard to get Yunho back into a good mood, Wooyoung arrived home with a peaceful hum. He spread his purchases over the desk and washed his hands before he rolled up his sleeves and got to work. If Yeosang's journey wasn't hindered, he would arrive in the afternoon and they could have dinner together.

Wooyoung baked the apple pie first and let it sit while he prepared the main meal. He had splurged with the money he had made from helping their priest during the service last week. Hopefully, the hearty meal would bring back Yeosang's spirits and soothe him after his long voyage. Wooyoung looked forward to hearing his tales about the countries beyond the ocean and all the interesting personas Yeosang encountered there.

As he wiped his sweat and dirtied his fingers with labour, Wooyoung, despite the many losses in his life and the grim memories, was the happiest he had ever been.

Chapter 2: Sorrow and Regret

Chapter Text

Wooyoung awaited Yeosang's return all noon and all evening. The pie had long since cooled under its protective cover, and the meal on the table was soggy as the sauce drenched the meat. With a frown on his features and a book in his hands, Wooyoung sat at the window. He had long since lost his focus on the whimsical letters as his worry for his uncle gnawed on him.

What if Yeosang had lost his way in the forest? What if he had got shipwrecked or taken by pirates like his precious cargo? Should Wooyoung alert the mayor and set out to search him? Yunho would make demands for such a favour until all eternity, but Yeosang's wellbeing was worth forfeiting Wooyoung's peace.

Before such drastic decisions were demanded of Wooyoung, steps shuffled up to the door. Like a bolt of lightning, Wooyoung sprung to his feet. He left his book on the windowsill as he hurried to open the entrance.

There he stood, with his blond hair in disarray and tumbling from his ponytail. Yeosang's face was marred by tiny scratches where vicious thorns had craved a few drops of ruby blood. Distressed eyes found Wooyoung's and for a moment, Wooyoung thought he looked at a wild animal.

"Where have you been? I fretted for your life," Wooyoung said in a breath of relief. He embraced his uncle and noticed how much their heights had matched in recent years. Wooyoung had grown up to be almost as tall as the older man, and he enjoyed teasing Yeosang with that on days that were less tense than this one.

With an exhausted sigh, Yeosang put his bundle on the floor next to the table. He sat on the bench while Wooyoung closed the door, barely minding the fragrant food in their midst.

When he buried his face in his hands, Wooyoung sat down opposite him in concern. His hands on his knees tried to keep their jitters at bay. If Yeosang didn't even try to mask his distress in front of the younger boy, it was dire.

"Something horrible has happened, Wooyoung. I can't find the words to tell you this. A fate so unjust and cruel befell us."

Wooyoung's heart made a nervous leap in his chest. He reached over the table to cradle Yeosang's hands in his. As he poured all his trust into soothing the other man, his own mind was overcome by fear.

"What is it?"

Yeosang exhaled. His hands clutched Wooyoung's palms as he drew courage from them.

"On my way home, I lost my way in the forest. I wandered aimlessly, hungry and fatigued as I was from my journey. I found a beautiful garden and in it, a castle. It was old and weathered, but the insides were warm, so I took a break. Parts of it seemed lived in, for there was food even without the cooks around, and the dining room was clean of dust. After I looked around for a while, I couldn't resist. I took a few bites of the most delicious food I ever had and then laid to rest. All the while, I thanked the absent owners for their patronage."

"Did you get caught?" Wooyoung asked, anxious with the build of the story. Yeosang shook his head at first, but then the refusal on his face fell into a grimace.

"As I went to leave the castle, I found a door ajar and peeked inside. What I found was most captivating. An hourglass, made of the finest crystals and the smoothest wood. I knew its craftsmanship, for I have traded with it before. That hourglass comes from the fallen kingdom you were born in."

Wooyoung's lips dropped open, but no word escaped them. No reminders of his past had sustained the passing of time. An object such as this would attend to his heritage.

"I couldn't resist. I went to fetch it for I wanted to see you have it, but I unleashed something dreadful. A beast, it could be nothing else. It came from the shadows and seized my neck with icy claws. Those eyes had nothing human in them." Shivering, Yeosang shook his head to himself. His long lashes fluttered when he lowered his eyes.

"You must have been so scared. How did you escape the villain?"

"I didn't. I called for help, kicked and screamed, but nothing deterred it. It had me pinned to a wall, and I thought I would get devoured."

Terrified, Wooyoung squeezed Yeosang's hand. He had to remind himself the man was still alive and home now. The shock in his limbs slowed his mind, but he was the same as Wooyoung had always known.

"I babbled apologies despite not knowing what I apologised for. As I told it I had you to return to its violence halted abruptly. It..." Yeosang had to clutch a hand to his chest as if the agony of saying the words robbed his very breath.

"It demanded you in return for my life. Said it wanted to meet the fair and beautiful person the entire town talks about. In my dread, I complied and ran away. We aren't safe yet, Wooyoung. We need to leave soon before it can find us. I will have a ship in the morning and we will flee beyond the oceans."

Overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught of information, Wooyoung reeled back. He was surprised at being desired by the beast, even when nothing good could come of it. Was a beast interested in the social matters in the town? What for?

"This beast, what is it? Did it emerge from the underworld to punish us?"

With his haunted eyes, Yeosang shook his head.

"It's a tale as old as time, older than your memories of this place. Almost seven years ago, this town was ruled by a king. He wasn't the best, but he also wasn't the worst, so the folk accepted him without complaint. His son, the crown prince, however, dawned despair upon the entire royal family and these lands. One fateful night, everyone in the caste vanished after a ball to his honour. Rumours say they have been taken by enemies, but no army marched in here. They disappeared as if swallowed by the ground. The beast has haunted the castle ever since, but I never believed in the sightings. Now that I visited there, I'm now convinced the monster came from the shadows and devoured everyone in the castle to make it its own."

When Wooyoung sat stunned to silence, Yeosang lowered his agitated voice. The merry bustle of the villagers outside conflicted with the grim mood inside the home. Once safe, their space was now invaded by the looming dread of an unknown evil.

"Back when our king still brought law and order upon this land, Yunho was the young prince's guard and playmate. They grew up with each other and losing the court wore heavily on Yunho's heart. He once was a well-spirited boy, just like you."

Pity for Yunho roused in Wooyoung's chest. Had he been too hard on the man? Perhaps there was an amiable core among all the poison he spewed.

"But that is of no matter right now." Yeosang seized Wooyoung's hands anew. His voice summoned the younger male to focus back on the problem at hand.

"We need to leave. I can do my business from overseas and establish a new life over there, a better one. Perhaps we can send you to school, or we can find some work. I promise I will make it work, you just have to trust me."

Wooyoung trusted Yeosang with all of his heart. The two had been through a lot together and each time their destiny was clouded by misfortune, holding each other's hands had brought them through thick and thin.

But this was different. Yeosang had agreed to the beast's terms, however fleetingly, and Wooyoung wasn't one to take promises lightly.

"What of your vow to send me to the beast?"

Full of confusion, Yeosang stared at him.

"What of it? It was said in terror and it saved my life. I would never sell you out to such a monstrous creature." The memory had Yeosang shiver, but Wooyoung remained persistent.

"You can't break your promises like that! Who knows what the beast is capable of? If it's enraged now, it might become furious because you ran away. No, we can't let this matter rest. I will go there and I will work to repent your intrusion. Perhaps if the beast sees the goodness of our will, it will let me go."

Yeosang rose from the bench so swiftly that a bowl clattered from the table and to the ground. Unyielding, Wooyoung stood as well. Their hands lost their contact when Yeosang seized Wooyoung's shoulders instead. The soothing scent of pie and food made for a macabre dissonance with the man's dread.

"No! If you insist, I will return to keep my oath, but I won't hand you over! You are too precious to me!" Yeosang begged and his big, pleading eyes were more vulnerable than Wooyoung had ever seen before. Staying steadfast when faced with those eyes was a challenge to behold.

"The beast made its demands, and you agreed. Let me visit the place and see how it goes. You said the area looked lived in, so perhaps the creature is more similar to us than we think. If it lives alone, it can need a helping hand. I will be back in no time." Wooyoung put on his most cheerful of smiles, but Yeosang shook his head.

"Please don't do this. I swore to protect you. If I am the one to drive you into the arms of certain death, I will not see the light of day again."

Gently, Wooyoung pushed Yeosang's hands from his shoulders.

"Do not fear for me. I am relieved I can repay everything that you did for me. If the beast asked for me, it might want me alive. Thank you for tending to me so well, Yeosang. I will see you soon once I fulfilled our pact."

While Wooyoung packed his bag with a heart chilled by icy fear, Yeosang wept. He cursed himself for unwisely promising Wooyoung to the beast and he cursed Wooyoung for being such a kind person to keep this pledge.

However, none of the tears spilt could keep Wooyoung from leaving. As he stood by the door, Yeosang looked at him with reddened eyes and cheeks streaked by tears.

"Which street must I take to find the castle?"

Tired, Yeosang rubbed his face with his hands.

"Go west and then follow the overgrown path uphill. The castle lies in the forests and it's overgrown by nature. It will be difficult to spot."

Wooyoung thanked him and seized his walking staff that leaned behind the door. He slipped into his warm coat, for snow had fallen in the forests and the air was cold. Before he left, Yeosang's voice halted him once more.

"Is there truly nothing I can do to stop you?"

"Nothing," Wooyoung replied. The determination in his voice was as intense as his kindness. Yeosang had watched him grow up for too long to question it.

"Then take care on your way. The wolves come out at night. Though death by their maws might be kinder than what the beast plans to do to you."

Wooyoung smiled lightly even when his heart was in a frenzy about all the dangers he would face.

"The pie is in the box and I prepared your favourite meal. Please look after yourself while I am gone. Once I return, I will make you the best dish you ever tasted, much better than the food at the palace that lured you so viciously."

He opened the door and stepped out onto the street. Hopefully, the evening hours meant he could avoid Yunho and his ghastly personality.

As he left, Yeosang stayed behind to wallow in loneliness for what he had lost. If he could turn back time, he would sell himself out and never mention Wooyoung.

Wooyoung wandered the town and people were curious about where their sweet boy was going at such a late hour. He came up with excuses about needing firewood, not mentioning the beast or his fear of meeting it. Soon, the lights of the town disappeared behind him as the dark forest engulfed him in an icy embrace. Wooyoung didn't slow his step as he followed the twisty path toward the castle.

Chapter 3: The Castle in the Woods

Chapter Text

The forest engulfed Wooyoung hauntingly. In the night, no sun doused its rays through the treetops and no birds crooned their merry songs. The only one of their kin that got a word in was a crow, whose ghostly call startled Wooyoung upon first hearing it.

Long shadows stretched between the trees. They were accompanied by misty wetness that clung to the leaves and the forest ground that hadn't seen a single bit of light for the entire day. The animals lurking in the dark rustled in the thicket and made it move like waves of an ocean. None of them showed their faces, so Wooyoung was left to wonder if they were as harmless as a badger, or as terrifying as a wolf.

As Wooyoung wandered the woods alone with his racing heart, whose flutter appealed to the predators nearby, he wondered what would happen to him once he reached the beast's castle. The more thought he spent on it, the worse theories his anxious mind conjured. He could get eaten, as Yeosang had suggested. Or perhaps the beast needed him for some vile task like cleaning the well and then left him to die in there. If the creature had a mindset of a human, it might even lock him up to ask a ransom for him, thus ruining Yeosang's life beyond their promises.

The terrified boy shivered as such horrid imaginations accompanied his way through the dark. A sniffle in a bush to his left sped up his steps. Even the unknown beast sounded like less of a horror to die to than the wolves. Wooyoung convinced himself that there must be some good in a creature able to communicate. It could be taught and educated.

All his lies to ease his terrified mind evaporated when the tall towers of the castle appeared between the trees. It cowered in the frozen landscape and its unfriendly grey stone was as appalling as the dead trees circling it. Poison ivy raked up its sides as if nature tried to lure the building into its lulling embrace and have it disappear into the earth. The weathered stone crumbled under such weight in some places.

Wooyoung reached the cast-iron gates. One door hung from bent hinges and was so entangled with raking plants that Wooyoung almost couldn't tell its swirls from the vegetation. He squeezed through the gap with his breath held in his chest. As he entered the castle's premises, he dreaded to be lunged at. No amount of courage could prepare him for his guts being stripped from his body.

"Hello?" Wooyoung called, for he saw no door leading inside. The chilling call of the crow answered him and a shiver akin to frosty fingers crawled down his spine. His nervous hands fidgeted with the corner of his cloak.

"I'm Wooyoung, I was sent here by the travelling merchant who invaded your home. I wanted to apologise." His brittle voice carried less volume than he would have hoped. Skittish in his step, he walked through the gardens to find an entrance. Compared to the gates, they were tended to in a meagre attempt at order. Large patches were dead and frozen in winter, but some rose bushes stubbornly clung to their grace. Wooyoung was careful not to stray too close to them, for the wounds on Yeosang's face had shown their greed for human warmth.

As he searched the towering facade, he found no window doused in light. Some were shattered and the idling snowflakes ventured inside to rest there, but they were too far up for Wooyoung to reach.

"Hello?" He asked once more. What if no one heard him? What if Yeosang had imagined things in his exhaustion? Surely, Wooyoung couldn't just leave, right? The beast wouldn't have sympathy for his excuses.

After rounding half of the vast premises, Wooyoung found a door. It was a massive gate, double-winged in solid wood that was secured with studded iron ornaments. No strength in Wooyoung's body would be enough to make his knock heard through such a gate, but he tried his very best as he hammered his fist against it. He shook his wrist out afterwards, pained by the impact.

Unsure, he stopped in the night and blinked through the floating snow.

Nothing moved, nothing sounded. Wooyoung stood alone in the dark, shivering in fear and coldness. Had he come here in nought? Would he get attacked by wolves on his way back and never see Yeosang again, as he had sworn?

Wooyoung's patience - or perhaps he was frozen in dread - paid off. After another moment of idling, the massive door in front of him creaked open. Only the left wing opened in agonised slowness, as if the castle was reluctant to allow even enough space for Wooyoung to enter.

He hesitated as he gazed into the darkness awaiting him on the other side. Would he die tonight?

His shivers got him moving into the castle ultimately. He hoped to find some corners of it warm and lit, as Yeosang had told. No animal would willingly approach the fire.

However, no person stood behind that door, and no beast either. As if the wood had come to life on its own violation, it had granted him entry. Once he was in, the door fell shut behind him with a resounding boom that rang in his ears. Shaky in his boots, Wooyoung peered around the main entrance area.

The castle was in a disarray after years of being abandoned. Broken vases and a shattered chandelier took over the left corner. Wooyoung trod carefully across crunching glass as he passed wilted flowers on dusty furniture. The coldness cast the castle in an unfriendly atmosphere, and no fire breached the shadows. Wooyoung had to tap around in the dim light of the moon outside that cast pale patterns through the windows.

Fidgeting, he stayed on the lower level since he didn't trust the stairs. He wandered into a dining room, but no feast sat on the table and no flame danced in the fireplace. The place was hauntingly empty.

Somewhere, the breeze penetrating the open windows made wood creak. The curtains fluttered in a ghostly haze.

"Is anybody here?" Wooyoung asked of the room, but his voice didn't carry in the imposing halls. They seemed loaded with dread that lurked around every corner. Wary of their shadows, Wooyoung lingered in the middle of the area.

"I come because of the merchant who was here earlier... I apologise for his intrusion. If you would like me to work to make up for it, I am your loyal servant." In the barren castle that felt like the stomach of some monster, Wooyoung's brittle voice couldn't convince even himself.

Once more, he gathered his courage, about to make his straightforward offer, and if it wouldn't be taken, he would leave. Whatever invisible force that had led him inside had to show his purpose here, or else his sanity wouldn't bear lingering in this place.

Yet, before a single syllable escaped his lips to cast his white breath into the cold air, a ray of light distracted him. No, no ray. A ball. Its source flicked on near the decorative desk pushed into a corner. Pale blue, it cast its hue over the wilted roses in the vase.

"H-Hello?" Unsure who had lit the light, Wooyoung crept closer. Had the same invisible hands tried to soothe his distress? No, only that one ghostly orb shone on the table. Where was its source? He saw no candle, and no normal fire carried such colour.

The orb surged into the air before Wooyoung reached the table. With a coarse yell, he stumbled backwards. No attack came. The orb floated in the air unmoving, like a soul lost in a foreign world. Its lonesome glow was accompanied by a faint singing. Wooyoung couldn't make out words, but the quiet melody was hauntingly beautiful in the empty room.

Frozen like a rabbit, Wooyoung watched the apparition idle about. It seemed aimless in its drifting, not dangerous.

Wooyoung remembered the tales of ghostly fae lights that led clueless wanderers through the bogs in moments of despair. The outcome of these stories could go either way. Either the wanderer fell down a cliff he oversaw, or the orb guided him to safety or riches.

"Are you a feu follet?"

He didn't expect it to answer. As he stepped in courageously to stretch out his hand and see if it was warm, the flickering orb evaded him. It raced around him as if in a game and halted only when he stopped. Staring at it, he felt it stared right back.

"Do you know where I am? I seek the owner of this castle. I was sent to repay a debt."

The dancing flame of the feu follet hovered on the spot. It gave no reply, and Wooyoung couldn't tell if there was any cognisance in the magic shrouding it.

As he stared cluelessly at the fae light, a second one appeared. This one was bathed in a warm golden glow and it joined its blue brother. The more Wooyoung stared into their light in the dark, the more they looked like two mismatched eyes. Nervously, he chuckled.

"Is this your friend? Can you lead me to the..." He didn't want to use the word beast, but how else could he describe what he searched? "The owner?" The ending was lame enough to reveal his fear and misgiving. He tried a smile, but it wasn't convincing.

The two feux follet came closer. They kept their arrangement of twin eyes as they inched in on Wooyoung. Around them, the dark seemed to be the most obscure. Wooyoung could almost feel it reach for him with shadowy fingers.

With a choked noise, Wooyoung stumbled backwards. Quickened puffs of white breaths filled the air between him and the ghostly flames.

"I didn't want to enrage you! Please believe me that I come in peace!" Wooyoung cried, terrified even when the two flames did nothing but close in on him at that slow, eerie pace. Was this the beast Yeosang had described? The glowing eyes in the dark? The hands made of shadows?

Wooyoung was pushed into a corner when he saw no way around the two flames. Their glow seemed malicious and cold in the creepy castle. Instead of lonely songs, ominous hisses sounded from them, like ancient spells whispered in anger.

Pleading, Wooyoung threw up his hands.

"I meant no bad! Spare my life, I beg you!" His knees gave in and he tumbled backwards. Flailing arms caught onto the desk the first feu follet had appeared on. His leaping heart jumped and yelped as cold sweat covered his nape.

The icy wood was rough under his fingers when his body crashed into the table, frantic to scramble back up and keep his eyes on the flames. As he lost control over his jittery limbs, he knocked off the vase that cradled the dried roses.

Time froze as he watched it fall. All the horrors of what would happen if it shattered crossed his mind. He would be devoured by the shadows and the twin flames, blue and gold. He would lose his sanity first, then his life, and the two would chant maliciously as they finally found a new playmate.

None of that happened.

A hand shot out behind Wooyoung's shoulder; a hand so distinctively black that its form seemed to waver around the edges and blur into black smoke. However, it was solid as it caught the vase.

A chill crept over Wooyoung's nape like a breath. He stood petrified in fear, unable to move as the hand put the vase back into its spot. The presence lingered, human-shaped and yet so freakishly wrong. All hairs on Wooyoung's body stood on edge.

The sound of a clear voice in the harrowing hall should have been a relief, but it had the opposite effect on Wooyoung.

"Thus you arrive," it whispered behind him.

Wooyoung screamed as he whirled around. Two undying flames stared at him, piercingly red under the horned white ballroom mask that gave the shadowy face an outline. They were as offputting as the rest of the creature. A humanoid body made of inky black substance that wavered around its limbs like smoke towered behind Wooyoung.

Wooyoung screamed again at the monstrous sight. Nothing human came with it, though the voice and the general shape reminded him of his kin so.

Without a second to waste, Wooyoung threw his body around. He ran past the two mismatched orbs, leaving the demonic appearance behind. As the twin flames chased after him, Wooyoung's frenzied legs carried him to the main door. But no matter how he yanked and shoved at it, it wouldn't budge.

Tears of fear wet his cheeks as he trained his blurred sight on the dining room. The dancing flames frolicked in his dread as they wafted after him, but behind them and along the long line of the massive table came the white mask that seemed to float in the darkness.

Wooyoung turned around and ran. He jumped up the stairs, taking two at a time, to rush into the unfamiliar corridors. His lungs stabbed at him as he ran and ran. The castle seemed to have no end.

Only when he believed himself to be far away from his followers, he shouldered a door open. He whirled inside and locked it behind him. In an instant, his legs gave out and he sunk to the ground, biting his knuckles to keep silent. Tears streamed over his cheeks as he feared for his life.

No footsteps sounded, but he wasn't even sure if the monster left them.

For long, agitated minutes, Wooyoung sat on the ground of the chamber and waited. Nothing moved in the scary castle. The groaning of the wooden shutters under the wind resonated in the old building. Every creak had Wooyoung flinch and bite his knuckle harder, but no one came for him.

Trapped in the castle with the beast and its malevolent spirits, Wooyoung fell into despair,

Chapter 4: The Tale of the Beast

Chapter Text

Wooyoung didn't get a wink of sleep. All night, he cowered in a corner of the cold room, not daring to light a fire and not daring to lie down on the soft, dreamy bed in the chamber, for he feared falling asleep and waking to a white mask hovering above him.

By the time morning dawned and scarcely lit the castle overgrown by ivy and the nearby forest, Wooyoung was drained. With reddened eyes, he sat in his spot, too wired to sleep and too tired to wake. His mind was empty of thought and he so dearly wished himself back with Yeosang in their cosy home.

The scare of last night sat in his bones and rendered his spirit weakened. He couldn't comprehend what he had seen and thought his mind was tricks on him. Undoubtedly, the voice had belonged to the beast; the demonic appearance with the mask. Yeosang had conversed with it, too, so it must have been real. Had the feux follet also been real? Was this place doused in magic?

Hunger drew Wooyoung from his trance around noon. He had denied the gnawing ache in his cramping stomach for as long as he could bear, but soon, he couldn't resist his weariness anymore. Since he had spent so much time waiting for Yeosang the day prior, he hadn't eaten in a while. Paired with the lack of sleep, that could soon mean his inevitable decline by fainting. If Wooyoung wanted one thing less than anything else in the world currently, it was to pass out in a castle owned by a monster that kept magical sprites as its pets.

Wooyoung stood from the corner between the bed and the vanity dresser. He dusted off his clothing after the long time spent in the guest room that looked as if it hadn't been touched in ten years. The grime settled in his nose and made him sneeze, but he painfully suppressed the noise.

If he was lucky, the beast only came out at night. Perhaps it concealed its hideous appearance from the blessed rays of the sun. If so, Wooyoung could make a quick dash to the kitchens and steal some food.

He had promised to stay here in Yeosang's stead, but now that he was here, everything in him screamed for an escape. The cold and dark castle depressed his fatigued mind. Knowing the beast lurked in the shadows without break added to his terror. Would Wooyoung's purpose here be to be chased by the beast and be its toy to play with? Would every day be as sickening as last night?

Wooyoung did not need to be secretive about his presence since he got locked in last night, but he still tried for absolute soundlessness as he clicked the lock open. With apprehension in his chest, he glanced left and right down the corridor. Dust danced in the air at regular intervals wherever the sun beamed through the windows. The thick red carpet was greyed by it. Wooyoung's steps whirled up the still picture.

He guessed the kitchens were downstairs, beyond the scary dining hall, where he had been ambushed that night. At the thought of crossing it once more, dread almost froze his feet to the ground. What if the beast was bound to that room and no other? What if its white mask would melt from the shadows to chase after Wooyoung in perfect stillness?

With a grand effort, Wooyoung made it to the stairs. He peered through the railing into the entrance area before he started his descent. The stutter of his heart when he spotted another feu follet made it worth the caution.

This one had a different colour than the ones Wooyoung saw before. Instead of a ghostly blue or a treacherous gold, this one glowed in a delicate pink, like the blossoms of cherries in spring. The gentleness of the colour sent yearning through Wooyoung. Yearning to be free, out in his village, and share the merry days of the blossoming flowers with his townsfolk.

Crouched on the stairs, Wooyoung watched the orb idling around. It busied itself with the chandelier that had crashed into the corridor. Labouriously, it carried piece by piece of the splintered glass from the ground to a basket and cleaned up the area. Since it was little, just enough to fit in the cup of Wooyoung's hands, it performed a challenging task.

Contrary to the two last night, this one didn't seem malicious. Its tireless duty seemed joyful in its flow.

Wary, Wooyoung scrutinised it a while longer, but his heart softened like a sponge. He wished to help anyone working hard, especially when he presumed this work only needed to be done because of his and Yeosang's intrusion.

As he crept down the stairs, he waited for a shift in the mood. He waited for the feu follet to screech, to alert its master or to outright attack Wooyoung if it had anything to threaten him with.

However, as he came closer, all he picked up on was a humming voice that originated from the orb. The melody was cheerful and unfitting of the cold and uncomfortable castle. The feu follet seemed to have the time of its life cleaning up.

Wooyoung cleared his throat when he was close enough to face it. Through the polite distance between them, the velvety and soft voice of the magical flame squeaked like a mouse.

"May I help you with this?" Wooyoung pointed at the shards.

The feu follet bounced in the air and its pink flame trailed after it, wavering.

"Oh! You don't need to. This is no work for you, you might cut your hands."

But Wooyoung already crouched and gathered up the shards with nimble fingers.

"I like to help," he muttered, aware of their peculiar situation.

The feu follet hesitated only for a moment before it went back to work. Despite its oddness, its curiosity was clear as day.

Wooyoung sought words. How unusual he was for speaking to a floating flame. Did this place turn people mad?

Before he could embarrass himself, the flame spoke up.

"My apologies for not greeting you last night when you arrived. My name is Seonghwa, I'm the head servant of this place."

Wooyoung thought he had heard wrong.

"Pardon me? The head servant?" How was a magical orb a servant? Did this place have a need for hierarchies? Was the beast that set on owning this castle as its ruler?

Also, it meant that this orb was a different one than the ones Wooyoung had seen last night. That made them three already.

"Yes! Or I was, before the curse."

"The curse," Wooyoung echoed in confusion. He shovelled the last shards into the basket and stood as his stomach grumbled. A faery-like little laugh tinkled from Seonghwa. The pink orb danced in the air.

"You don't know it yet, so I shall teach you. Since you must be hungry, follow me to the kitchens. We can talk while you eat."

The feu follet merrily floated on its way towards the large open area that led into the dining room. Baffled, Wooyoung followed along, if just for the lack of anything better to do. This spirit seemed much kinder than the other two, and in its presence, the room also seemed less dark as they crossed it.

"Almost seven winters went by since this castle got cursed. It feels like an eternity has passed." The orb danced over the tables that were cleared aside from two lonely vases with bare branches instead of flowers in them. They grew into the air like gnarly fingers and reminded Wooyoung of the arched horns that the beast had worn on its mask. Or had they been part of its appearance? He couldn't remember. Only fear marred his memories.

"What happened back then?" Wooyoung knew, but he was circ*mspect of their account. Had the head servant any information that had passed the rumours? Or would the residents lie about their infernal plans at overtaking this human settlement?

"I was human once, just like you," the faery light spoke. It floated through the gap in the door to the kitchens and Wooyoung followed, only opening the entrance as far as he needed it to squeeze through.

In disbelief, Wooyoung perched at the kitchen desk while the orb drifted around. It was joined by a second of its kin, the eerie blue one from last night that had been stirring the ladle sitting in a massive pot. Wooyoung didn't understand how they were physical to the touch, but he supposed he didn't know magic well enough to judge upon that.

"We all were, even the prince."

"The prince?" Wooyoung echoed. Yeosang's tale was fresh in his mind. He remembered that the prince's ignorance had caused the downfall of this castle, but what else had happened back then?

The pink feu follet sighed deeply. As the blue one balanced a plate over to park in front of Wooyoung, the boy stood from his stupor to help with their demanding tasks. He set out dishes and cutlery and helped them season the meal to their wishes. It seemed the blue one was responsible for cooking. Its patience was thinner than the pink flame's.

"Our prince is the most honourable person in these lands. People should bow before him but instead, they shiver in fear and call him a monster," the blue flame cursed. Stunned, Wooyoung sat while the two hovered above the table opposite of him.

"Don't be harsh, Jongho. It's not their fault. The curse made it so he would be hideous to look at and sent the people into despair." Seonghwa bounced his flame against Jongho's until their colours blurred into a delicate violet.

"Please start at the beginning," Wooyoung appealed. Their grief touched his heart, and he wished to help them so dearly, but their riddles led them nowhere.

Seonghwa sighed, then he gathered his words. Seven years of memories resonated with him as he told the tale.

"Seven years ago, our prince, San, the most charming and sought-after prince among these lands, hosted a ball for his twenty-second birthday. His father was in despair, for he sought to hand down the throne soon, but San wasn't married yet despite his age and popularity. Time and time again, he refused marriage proposals, and no one understood why. He claimed he was too young to settle for something as whimsical as love and that he would rather enjoy meeting people and continue his search for one worthy settling for."

Wooyoung tried his stew as he listened with rapt attention. Though humble, it tasted most heavenly. As worthy of a royal cook. Were these truly the souls of the once human castle staff?

"During that ball, a faery approached our prince. Her beauty challenged that of the sun and her grace made every human woman in the room jealous. She was beguiling and everything one might desire."

Awed, Wooyoung tried to imagine such a fairy. In the forgotten splendour of the castle, she must have shone like a star.

"However, she, too, wasn't what San thought. He refused her, unthinking at what her indignation might cause. For she was obsessed with our prince and wanted him at all cost, but refusing a faery was permanent. She got angry with him and cursed him so that he might never be handsome again and would be hated by all until he found the love he so foolishly sought. As we were the friends beside him, we also got cursed to live with his horrific new self so we would regret ever taking his side."

The feu follet looked as downtrodden as one of its kind could look. Pity swelled in Wooyoung's chest and constricted his throat as he let the spoon sink. He found it hard to believe that such a simple refusal had turned the faery's wrath on them. Perhaps the prince had been crueller than they made it sound.

Yet, the outcome was obvious. The staff had turned into faery lights and the magical curse shrouded the forest and appalled all people in the village.

"Now, our prince is trapped here until eternity, unable to find the one he seeks. We never saw that faery again, no matter how we begged for her forgiveness."

"So, the prince is the one they call the beast now?" Wooyoung asked. His voice had quietened as the downtrodden flames at the same table drooped so sadly. Their role was even more wretched than that of the picky prince. He had been the one to enrage the faery, but his friends suffered with him for so long.

"He is. Our precious prince. I wonder if he aged since then? For sure, he is still beautiful under the hideous mask."

Wooyoung doubted it. If he were, he wouldn't have spooked Yeosang and demanded Wooyoung as a sacrifice. He wouldn't have haunted Wooyoung either.

"Finish your food," the blue flame grunted. "We don't expect you to understand."

Wooyoung wished he could understand.

Chapter 5: Feux Follet

Chapter Text

After his meal, Seonghwa had accompanied Wooyoung back up the stairs and to the room he had chosen to stay in. He could gladly take it and get cosy, the feu follet assured. It had been a long time since the castle had last seen a permanent visitor and Seonghwa was all over the place, trying to prepare a comfortable stay for Wooyoung. As he whirled around and cleaned the room to the best of his ability, Wooyoung slowly came to terms that this would be his new home now, for however long.

"What does the prince plan to do with me? Why did he have Yeosang bring me here in exchange?" If he simply wanted someone to taunt, Yeosang might have been a just as suitable victim, no?

Seonghwa huffed and puffed as he fluttered through the veiled curtains around the canopy bed. The dust got into his non-existent lungs and made him choke.

Helpless with the excited spirit, Wooyoung took down the curtains for a wash.

"Tales about your beauty and grace preceded the Villebête's borders and reached even us. Prince San got curious about who you were and why people adored you so. When your friend mentioned you, he seized the opportunity."

A frown made its way to Wooyoung's features, foreign to his merry face.

So San had been greedy for some kindness and grace in his loneliness? A sentiment Wooyoung could understand well, but that he impossibly approved. Such a vile way of getting his will and pleasing his avarice by blackmail didn't suit the image of a charming prince.

"So I am here to be his court jester? To make him laugh and regain the joy of life?"

Seonghwa drifted unsurely. His fretting to pretend the castle wasn't dirty in front of Wooyoung's eyes stilled.

"I can't answer that. He got more brooding with the years and barely talks to us anymore. For now, I suggest you get comfortable and meet the others. Mingi was overcome by joy when he heard someone would visit us."

Did they tell each other how involuntary Wooyoung's presence was? Or would they pretend they hadn't trapped him in a terrifying and cold place? Just because he wasn't locked up in the dungeons, didn't mean he relished his stay.

At least, he soothed himself, he had a proper room and food. He didn't mind manual labour and he would gladly help the clumsy feux follet in cleaning the places they couldn't reach. If his stay could be limited in time or task, he would look forward to his future freedom, and gather strength from there.

Wooyoung got back to helping Seonghwa clean up his room while the floating orb hummed a merry tune. With a human's hands to help, the room cleaned out fast and soon, its original splendour resurfaced under the layers of grime.

Wooyoung now possessed a vanity table with a round mirror and many little drawers for jewellery and trinkets. The heavy wood was decorated with ornate patterns that raked like leaves across its rims. Next to it, his bed was worthy of a king with its fresh sheets and curtains that draped like a dream over the wood. The headboard and roof were decorated with just as much craftsmanship and Wooyoung ran his fingers over the pillars in awe, dipping between raking roses.

He had both a chest and a regular drawer for clothes, though he had brought none. Seonghwa assured him lots were left from the palace's past inhabitants. The feu follet would take care of bringing them to him the next time he visited.

Since this was a noble chamber, Wooyoung even got his own bathroom. The tub shone when polished and Seonghwa lugged a bar of soap over for him while Wooyoung stood back from his scrubbing sweaty but satisfied. He had rolled up his sleeves and his dirt-smeared forearm left a smudge on his forehead when he wiped his sweat. Seonghwa giggled at him, a bell-like sound.

"It's good to see someone so energetic around. Come! Let me show you other places of the castle so you won't get lost while wandering." The flame floated out of the door, illuminating the dark corners with a pink hue in the progress. Awed by the enchanting sight, Wooyoung followed him.

Seonghwa presented him with the way to the entrance area and the kitchens. They met Jongho there as he prepared food and he grunted at Wooyoung in greeting while he very labouriously chopped some cheese. After Wooyoung had helped him out with kind hands, they were on their way again.

The gardens were not accessible to Wooyoung, for he was locked inside, but Seonghwa assured him that once the residents warmed up to him, he could visit them. They traversed ghostly empty stables that were cold as the depths of winter and a wilted indoor garden. Afterwards, Seonghwa glided back up the stairs, matching his pace with Wooyoung's steps.

"The western wing holds the king's and queen's chambers, but we rarely visit there. The memories are most painful. The eastern wing is where San lives." They took a right on the stairs and found somewhat cleaner corridors. Paintings hung from the wall and their golden frames were polished. They showed the royal family as they had been human and happy, though Wooyoung couldn't tell which of them was San since he had been a boy among three back then. Some others showed the landscapes around Villebête, or the far ocean.

Wooyoung rubbed his arms when the chill of this area penetrated his bones even worse than in the stables. His breath showed in the air and he observed the shadows with wary shivers.

"Most of these rooms are blockaded by ice, so there is no use in trying to get inside. Ah, apart from the one. The room you must never enter."

Seonghwa halted in the air before Wooyoung got to wonder about the peculiar presence of the ice. Had San's cold heart frozen everything he touched over?

When the feu follet spoke, his voice was serious, and all playful demeanour had disappeared from it.

"The room at the left of the corridor. You will never enter it under any circ*mstances. If you do, the punishment will be grave."

Startled, Wooyoung nodded.

"I promise not to go there."

What reason would he have to stray around? He simply wanted to go home, not to know this place and his secrets. It was cold in this part of the castle, and the beast lurked somewhere in the shadows. He wasn't keen on sticking around.

Satisfied by his vow, Seonghwa took him into a different room. This one's door was closed, but Wooyoung opened it for him as they stepped inside.

He found himself in awe when they entered a library. Towering shelves were filled with rows upon rows of books. Their bindings reached from expensive leather decorated with golden engravings to bundled pieces of parchment that were rolled up and tied neatly. It was a paradise on earth, and Wooyoung couldn't even grasp the number of stories and wisdom in this room.

To Yunho's greatest chagrin, Wooyoung adored reading. He devoured book after book, reading everything their local mayor, the church, or Yeosang's presents from his travels could offer. It wasn't a common thing to do, for most people in the village couldn't read, but Wooyoung could blame it on his heritage. He adored sinking into a cosy meadow or his bed and drowning in a world that wasn't his own. They were magical and romantic, those worlds, and told of mighty warriors fighting ghastly monsters and getting to kiss their princesses in the moonlight after.

Wooyoung had never been kissed before, but he had an entire dreamy imagination of what his first kiss would be like. It had to be outdoors, and with a person he dearly adored. They would laugh before their gazes would drop to each other's lips and linger there until they met in a kiss so sweet. The books inspired him to believe in true love and in eternal affections.

"If you ever get bored, you'll find everything you desire in here. Oh, unless you can't read? Perhaps Hongjoong could teach you. It gets depressing here without escape."

"I won't teach him anything," a bitter voice replied before Wooyoung got to reassure Seonghwa. When his startled eyes searched the room, Wooyoung spotted the golden feu follet he had met on his first night here. It sat on an open book, immersed in its reading until they had disrupted it. Its colour blended so well with the sun-bathed pages, Wooyoung had overlooked it.

Fretting, Seonghwa bumbled left and right.

"Pardon us for the intrusion, we didn't mean to bother you. I simply wanted to show our guest the library." His voice was squeaky again and Wooyoung found it almost adorable.

When the golden orb sat unmoving, Wooyoung couldn't tell if it continued reading or if it glared at them, ready to see them go.

Thankfully, Seonghwa knew better.

"Ah, Wooyoung, this is Hongjoong, the prince's tutor."

Wooyoung performed a little bow since he felt more formalities were in place compared to Seonghwa. Hongjoong's job ranked high in importance, and though he was only a floating flame right now, he seemed insistent on such ranks.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Wooyoung smiled, even when he remembered vividly how Hongjoong had terrorised him together with Jongho. No matter his warm glow, Wooyoung was glad Seonghwa was the one to introduce him to the castle.

"Whatever. Seonghwa, come help me get this vase fresh water." He rose from the book to float in their direction and Wooyoung politely stepped aside. When he heard Seonghwa's dejected mumble, he was quick to step in.

"I can do that! Anything that is so hard it needs two of you, let me use my hands for it."

"You're a guest," Seonghwa protested at the same moment that Hongjoong snapped a 'keep your grubby fingers out of our matters' at him. They fell into hushed hisses at each other as they took off together and a few metres away, Wooyoung already couldn't hear their little voices anymore. Left behind, he stood and looked after them.

Could he just pick a book and take it to his room? It would marginally improve his mood and the time spent here.

As he lingered, unsure to break another obscure rule, the soft noise of a book shutting above him had him whirl around.

He expected another feu follet, the one named Mingi perhaps, but instead, he was met with an unnatural shadow on the upper gallery. It seemed to suck in all the light around it as blackness wafted from it like smoke whenever it moved. The shape of a man was vaguely recognisable under the eerie outer layer.

Wooyoung knew his touch was cold as ice.

Black fingers put the book back into its spot. The arched horns on the white mask turned in Wooyoung's direction. He shivered when those flaming red eyes met him.

"Can you read?" The beast asked in that inhumane voice. It rumbled like the depths of a mountain and yet slithered like a snake on the ground. It was unpleasant and dissonant to Wooyoung's ears and he took a step back on instinct. The haunting presence walked the gallery and left wisps of smoke behind as he made for the stairs.

"I can," Wooyoung replied as steadfast as possible. His voice trembled but he tilted his chin high to face the monster. Not a prince, not the San the servants had known. Just a grisly shell, a curse of a being.

"How so?" He reached the ground and his feet made no sound when he crossed it. The pale white mask looked ghostly even in the warm light of the library.

The beast didn't come closer. It maintained a polite distance, though its chilling aura froze Wooyoung to the ground even from there.

"I... My uncle taught me," Wooyoung lied. His heritage was an item of the past, nothing to identify himself with. Even less so towards a monster.

A humourless chuckle sounded from the mass of black. His mouth moved in his blurring features when he talked, but the mass seemed void of an expression.

"Why am I here?" Wooyoung asked, seizing the occasion so he wouldn't have to talk to the monster again anytime soon.

The beast tilted his head at Wooyoung, seizing him up. Then he nodded, deciding what he saw was good enough.

"I wish for you to marry me. If you are as lovely as the tales tell, I should be able to break the curse if only we get close enough."

Repulsed, Wooyoung surged backwards. The proposal had been so void of emotion, so ignorant. Even Yunho's constant push for Wooyoung's hand in marriage had more passion, and Yunho was a buffoon.

Displeased, Wooyoung crossed his arms.

"I won't."

"Why not?"

Wooyoung could be glad that slithering and coiling voice displayed no anger. The beast had zero interest in him.

"I will marry the one I truly love and who dearly loves me back. Not some... beast that can't help its greed."

Not to mention the monster was hideous and so, so scary to look at, but Wooyoung was too kind to point that out.

The beast nodded and walked past Wooyoung. Under his feet, a tiny web of ice crystals patterned his step.

"As you wish. In that case, get comfortable and do whatever you want. I have no purpose for you."

He left before Wooyoung could yell at him for keeping him locked up just for fun. As Wooyoung remained alone in the lush library, coldness clung to his limbs the entire day.

Chapter 6: Of Fond Memories

Chapter Text

After the beast had left the library, Wooyoung had picked two books he found intriguing and taken them with him to his room. He hoped to remain unbothered there and to spend his time reading until the beast either figured out what to do with him or lost interest in having him around.

However, he found no peace to delve into his new novel about centaurs, mermaids and such mythical creatures. His worry about Yeosang gnawed on him and had his guts clench. Yeosang's guilt must weigh heavily on his heart, for he likely presumed Wooyoung dead by now. Did he admit his fault to the other village folks? They would probably be angry, hearing the beast had taken their beloved Wooyoung, but would they also be angry at Yeosang for sacrificing him?

Wooyoung read the same page of the book repeatedly, but he couldn't bring his mind to understand its meaning. After a few agitated minutes of trying to free his mind and rolling around in his bed, he gave it up with a sigh. Perhaps the evening would bring solitude.

Wooyoung snatched the basket with curtains and dusty sheets and made his way outside. He felt misplaced, walking the expensive carpets of the luxurious castle. Even when parts of it were demolished, the forsaken air of nobility clung to it. Together with the haunting touch of magic, Wooyoung couldn't fathom where his place was.

Then again, he was a captive, more or less. No more but a wicked ploy of the cunning beast, something for him to taunt and play with.

Unwilling to be miserable, Wooyoung bound down the stairs. He wanted to make the best out of his current situation. If he were to stay for a longer time, he didn't want to sacrifice his joy to the beast's whims.

He found Seonghwa downstairs, where the feu follet precariously balanced a wooden platter filled with cheese and meat and bread over to the dining room. He was aided by another orb, and this one flashed in a vibrant red that matched Jongho's blue.

When Wooyoung found them struggling, he glanced at the beast, who sat at the head of the long dining table and awaited them to bring his food. Wooyoung stepped in and relieved the groaning flames of their weight. As he set down the platter in front of the creature adroitly, the beast tilted his masked head. He didn't comment as Wooyoung also filled his cup with water and tugged the soup within reach.

The beast took the first bite of his juicy meat, eating with his hands. Wooyoung supposed they couldn't get stained, but he was repelled by the brutish lack of manners. San slurped his soup straight from the bowl while Wooyoung picked up his basket from the ground.

"Why don't you join me for dinner?" The red of his eyes was a deeper colour than the one the fourth feu follet shone in. It was regal, almost ruby.

"No, thank you," Wooyoung declined. "I don't fancy the company of those who play with lives easily. Seonghwa, can you show me where I can do the laundry?"

Seonghwa panicked, scooting in a flurry.

"You don't need to do it! I'm here for that!" He dashed over to San as if desperate to prove to him he hadn't forced Wooyoung to work. Uncaring, the beast devoured his food. It looked almost obscene how it all disappeared in the gaping void of his maw.

"I am not one to sit aimlessly. Allow me to help while I am here. The thought of others cleaning up behind me doesn't sit right with me."

Undecided in his fretting, Seonghwa swished around. The peaceful red feu follet sat on the table by San's side and attended the discussion without a word. Perhaps it had fallen asleep.

"He's a peasant. Leave him to his simple joys. Mingi, how about you show him the washing room?"

Wooyoung was about to protest, since he feared Seonghwa would get in trouble if left alone with the grumpy beast, but the red orb distracted him. It surged from its place on the table and circled Wooyoung once at breakneck speed before beelining for the open door. Wooyoung had to hasten after it, and when he glanced over the shoulder to see if Seonghwa would get reprimanded, he was already too far to understand the flame's whispering voice.

Mingi whisked Wooyoung away in a flurry. He was an energetic spirit, and his voice was deep, even for their characteristically squeaky tones.

"I'm Mingi. Seonghwa told me about you. You seem to be a respectable fellow."

Wooyoung smiled as he followed him through the kitchen and towards the area leading outside.

"Seonghwa told me about you, too. It's nice to meet you, Mingi."

"Likewise. Are you as kind-hearted as the townsfolk murmur? Precious hearts rarely get born to these lands."

Prince San was a good example of such.

"Indeed, I come from elsewhere, but I wouldn't claim myself to be any more special than others. I am not what your prince searches for. While I treat everyone with courtesy, I don't love foolishly." Wooyoung was no dog that could be trained to fulfil a doting role. Even less so since he knew that was the prince's goal. He had got cursed for this very reason.

"Which no one can expect from you, really. You're not the type to live lavishly in any situation offered to you, which shows moral character. I would be concerned if you loved being trapped here."

Wooyoung scoffed. Not with how the beast's treatment towards him was going. Despite using such vile methods to get Wooyoung here, he acted disinterested as soon as Wooyoung didn't obey his orders.

"I will enjoy my access to the library and spend my time reading until he gets sick of my presence. There is nothing here for me to do."

Mingi sighed to himself as he led Wooyoung through another door. They reached a chamber with a door leading outside and several soaps and basins for washing. Mingi beckoned Wooyoung to snatch a bucket and accompanied him to the outer courtyard, where he could get water from the well. All the while, Wooyoung shivered in his thin clothing. The skies above them were grey, but no snow fell.

Yeosang seemed so close and yet so far.

Once Wooyoung had gathered his water, he came back inside obediently. He wasn't dishonourable. No matter how he wanted to run; until the oath that tied him to the beast became unbound, he wouldn't dare anger the creature. The first shock lingered in his bones.

Wooyoung sat down in the chamber and began scrubbing away. The grime of seven years clung to the sheets, but he was glad for the idle task of working his muscles. It took him back to his life at home and distracted him from his foreign surroundings and the uncanny companion the feu follet by his side posed.

"So, who were you before the curse changed your appearance?" Wooyoung asked as Mingi idled by his side. The flame was reluctant to leave him alone nearby a viable escape route, but Wooyoung took no offence to it.

"I was Prince San's royal gardener! Before the castle fell to ruins, I tended to the flowers and trees outside and let them shine in a long-forgotten glory. Oh, how I miss those days. I still try to recreate those formidable displays, but it's almost impossible to do without two hands."

Wooyoung looked upon him with pity. He couldn't imagine what it had to be like to be a formless flame, floating around and having no purpose in living the life he lived so far.

"If I am here until spring, I could lend you my hands. They are nowhere as talented, but perhaps they do the job right under proper guidance," he offered. Mingi surged into the air and bounced on the spot excitedly.

"You would do that?! Thank you! The vegetation here grows poorly because of the curse, but perhaps we can fix some of it. It surely would sweeten San's mood. He claims nothing touches his frozen heart anymore, but I just know that the memories would make things easier for him."

Delighted that he could improve Mingi's mood, Wooyoung scrubbed away. He wiped his sweat and felt his earlier concerns bleed out of him as his head shut off for its manual task.

"Was he fond of your craft?"

"So fond. He travelled far south to gather me from the master I learned my craft from. Rumours carried my talent here, and he was so enamoured that he picked me up in person. I couldn't say no to the good pay at the castle, or the charming prince."

The beast was the opposite of what Wooyoung would describe as charming. Though he supposed the curse had turned his ugly inner sides to be exposed.

Hearing Mingi's story made Wooyoung smile, though. He liked to imagine San as a gracious prince, whose presence delighted his staff over sending them into a frenzy.

"He and I are close in age, so we quickly became friends. Whenever he hid from Seonghwa or Hongjoong with their petty little tasks they had him do, he came to hide out in the gardens. I swear some bushes were cut specifically for him to duck behind."

Wooyoung had to giggle at the imagination and Mingi fell in. He did paint a fond picture. One of light-heartedness and playful banter.

"Why was the king eager to marry him off? Was he old and sick?" Wooyoung had heard of the same matter back when he had still been a prince. He had been supposed to court the princess of the neighbouring country, and their bond had been settled by his parents before they ever got to know each other. She was part of the reason he was stubborn to marry whom he loved.

Her father had eradicated their kingdom before such a bond could happen, but Wooyoung wondered sometimes if he would have become happy in life had he stayed and married her.

"No, but San was getting old and his childish affairs with whomever he desired irked the king. San claimed to love every time, but none stuck. He was young and foolish, unable to understand what love even is. His ignorance towards it wasted precious years. Since no match wanted to put up with him, the king grew desperate."

"Yet he left the prince the choice and didn't force him to marry for political gains," Wooyoung pointed out. Mingi was too enraptured in their conversation to question Wooyoung's knowledge on the trivia. No regular peasant boy would wonder about such arrangements.

"He did. Though he set an ultimatum. The ball was supposed to be his last instance of making a choice. Afterwards, his father would pick a suitable match for him. I believe San refused everyone that evening just to test his freedoms. Some of those princesses would have been very suited to his tastes." Mingi sighed and nudged the soap closer to Wooyoung when he felt for it. The cold water made his fingers stiff as he lathered the sheet the last time before he wrung it out. He dropped it back in the basket since it should be hanged in a warmer place than this.

"But then the curse took that choice from him. Oh, the irony. The faery knew exactly that his character is unsuited for love."

Wooyoung imagined Mingi rubbing the bridge of his flaming nose with tiny fingers.

"If he falls in love easily, shouldn't the curse be long since broken?"

"No. The love needs to be both received and given. He needs a person to adore him unconditionally, and it needs to be someone he likes with all of his heart, too. But how can anyone do that when he looks like this? People see him and run away."

"He isn't exactly accommodating to make people fall for him," Wooyoung pointed out. The beast's ghastly behaviour scared him much more than his nightmarish appearance. Though he had to admit, the first thing he had done was to flinch away, too. It was difficult getting loved when one couldn't hide the nasty parts of their self.

"A long time ago, he was. He desperately sought love inside the castle and out, but as years passed and neither his status nor the wealth and glamour he could offer made someone stay, he accepted that the faery's curse was too cruel to make him ever be loved again. Since he gave it up, he succumbed to his loneliness. Even we can barely get through to him anymore."

Depressed by the tale of the cursed prince, Wooyoung gathered up his basket. He so dearly wanted to soothe all the pain in this place and to show the beast that he had no reason to give up, but he couldn't. He could only hope the beast regained its courage before Wooyoung rotted away in this lonesome and unloved place.

Chapter 7: The Forbidden Room

Chapter Text

Wooyoung retreated for the night after a long day of new impressions. On his way up the stairs, he wished Seonghwa and Mingi a good rest. He also met Jongho in the hallway, but the blue orb only grunted in response as he scurried past. Bummed out by not getting along with them as well as he had believed he would, Wooyoung wandered up the stairs. He had hoped the feux follet to be his unlikely allies and to relate to his being trapped in this castle because of the beast. He assumed them to suffer under the curse that had never been meant for them.

However, the opposite turned out to be true. The spirits were fiercely protective of their master and hailed him with praise even when he had done nothing but shoo them around so far.

Wasn't this a peculiar situation? Why did the beast still act like a prince and why did his servants still serve him when no pretence could ever lift the vile jinx? San hadn't been a prince for almost as long as Wooyoung, and yet his friends treated him as if he was deserving of such an honour despite his mistakes.

There had to be more to him than Wooyoung could guess, or the shared misery had turned them all mad. It wasn't Wooyoung's task to help, but he sympathised with the feux follet and their desperate attempts to please San. Perhaps their effort to act as if everything was fine kept him sane.

Wooyoung shook his head to himself. Despite his better judgment and his unwillingness to be forced into empathising with the castle's inhabitants, he already felt his heart soften for their horrid circ*mstances. Their desperate attempts to make the best out of their bleak situation called to his understanding soul like a baby chick that had fallen from its nest and needed help to get up. Wooyoung couldn't help but want to support them, even when he should be mad about having been locked up.

"You are too nice," was what Yeosang always said. He warned Wooyoung that people would abuse his kindness if he gave it away too easily. Even now, when his situation was so wicked and dangerous, his nature forbade him from hating San. How could he ignore the loneliness of the beast? How could he not wish to help?

Wooyoung couldn't lift the curse, but he could listen and understand. And once San got tired of his presence and let him go, he could tell the villagers that the beast truly was just their cursed prince. Perhaps the folk's love was what he needed to return to his prior self. Forgiveness most unattainable for him to achieve, being trapped inside the castle and repelling all who visited.

Wooyoung was about to take a right to retreat into his chamber when a booming noise from the eastern wing froze him in his tracks. It was a crashing sound that resonated through the tall entrance hall and downstairs. Since it sounded most violent, Wooyoung dashed into action right away. Perhaps one of his flame friends had got trapped under a piece of falling furniture, or perhaps a confused animal had found its way inside the castle.

He took no risks as he hurried to investigate, ready to resolve the matter.

The noise carried his feet to the only open door in the corridor. Its chill engulfed Wooyoung to trail shivers down his spine, but he clutched his hands to his arms and peered through the entrance.

In his haste to get here, he forgot entirely that there was a room he wasn't supposed to enter on this floor. Or which room that had been. Since it was unlocked, he thought nothing of it as he ventured inside.

A pillar of ice dominated the middle of the room. The treacherous element spread through the room like a disease and climbed up the walls to hang in pointed icicles from the ceiling. It blockaded the windows in the back of the room, but Wooyoung could see that one of them was shattered and snowflakes tumbled through from the forest outside.

Was this room the reason it was so cold here?

Wooyoung carefully made his way over the ice. He crouched to be ready to catch his body if he fell.

At the window, he investigated the source of frigid air. He had presumed the window got shattered just now, but no such shards were left. The leak in the castle was old as time and it explained how this unnatural ice monument could sustain itself.

Wooyoung turned to fetch a blanket or something to cover it up when his eyes got stuck on a dark shadow in the frozen pillar. Drawn like a moth to light, he dared a step in its direction.

A tall hourglass was encased in the blue crystal. The smooth wood encasing the glass woke faint memories in Wooyoung. A part long buried inside of him remembered the artistry of the polished swirls. Time ran through the glass ceaselessly, only that the sand was made of tiny ice crystals. There weren't many left at the top, so Wooyoung wondered if this hourglass got turned regularly, and how that would work with all the ice. Was this another magical part of this castle?

Wooyoung wanted to step in and touch the pillar to feel its coldness and check how real it was.

A sharp voice that cut through the air like a whip halted him.

"What are you doing in here?"

Wooyoung flinched back, but the damage was already done. A black hand wrapped around his wrist, chilly and frightening like a nightmare. It yanked him away from the pillar and didn't care as he slipped on the ice. In a panic, Wooyoung tried to hold himself up without grasping for the beast. His anger wavered off him in waves, even without an expression to convey it. His grip around Wooyoung was brutal and Wooyoung feared his bones would get frozen or crushed under it.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know I wasn't supposed to be here!" Wooyoung cried when he remembered the promise he had given Seonghwa. The hourglass had lured him in, enticing for a touch.

The beast dragged him outside and roughly shoved him into a wall. Wooyoung's back connected with it painfully and he gasped back a whimper of pain. Around the corner, he could see the pink flame hovering next to the golden one, vibrating with uncertainty. Seonghwa didn't dare come out to face the angry beast, so Wooyoung was by himself.

The door slammed shut behind the beast as he towered over Wooyoung. He had crossed his arms in displeasure and those flaming eyes burnt like the pits of hell in his ghostly mask. His shadows seemed to spread in the hallway, blocking out all light and engulfing Wooyoung in their all-consuming grip.

The poor boy trembled like a lamb. He would have fallen to his knees if the wall behind him didn't hold him up. Since it was a just a room and he hadn't done anything, he didn't see the need to beg for forgiveness. He was furious that the beast kicked him around so but too terrified for a word of displeasure to escape his lips.

"What were you snooping around for? Riches? A way out? Are you a thief?" His unkind voice cut into Wooyoung's heart. All he wanted to do was to help.

"I thought I heard a crash. I'm sorry for invading," Wooyoung begged. Tears of fear and desperation clouded his sight. Now, he would be devoured. Now, the beast would lose its last shred of humanity and get rid of him.

The beast came closer, backing him into the wall. Coldness radiated off him and Wooyoung ducked away as their closeness scared him. Unyielding, the wall in his back was both a blessing and a curse.

"I should lock you in the dungeons for your disobedience. We asked you for one thing. How deaf are you? Or just stupid?"

Wooyoung sobbed when his cruel words made him regret the kindness he wanted to give by coming to this room.

"San," a quiet call came from the corner. Seonghwa gathered up the courage to come in their direction, but Hongjoong stopped him. Alone with the raging beast, Wooyoung hung his head. His tears fell to the floor and disappeared into the blackness of the beast's body.

"I'm sorry," he whimpered again, for the lack of something better to say. He rarely got yelled at, and never by a creature so repulsive. As he felt he had to throw up, Wooyoung desperately held back his hysteria.

Something like a breath brushed over his temple. Once more, his body locked up as the shadowy outline of a male's body was so close to him.

"You will forget everything you saw in there. Don't you dare mention it to the others," San hissed at Wooyoung's ear. Upon his hasty nod, the beast retreated. The shadows gathered back around him and soaked up their pool across the floor and the walls. Finally, the lights above reached Wooyoung again, but their warmth couldn't heat the fright in his bones.

San strode off and Hongjoong floated after him. Wooyoung was left pitifully curled into the wall as he tried to regulate his breathing. He didn't trust his legs to take a single step.

Seonghwa floated over with his usual frenzy.

"Oh dear, my poor boy. Come here, can you stand? Let's get you away from here before he returns."

The orb tried to offer itself as support for Wooyoung's body, but no such thing was possible. With a grimaced smile, Wooyoung stood up. His shoulders remained curled into his body and his limbs shaky.

"Thank you," he whispered. His mind replayed the dreadful moment of the beast's closeness, like his personal purgatory, as he followed Seonghwa down the corridor. It felt unfair that he had got yelled at, but he had broken his promise. Wooyoung felt both bad and insulted.

The boy wiped his tears as they found back to his room. Seonghwa had brought the clothes for him as he had promised, and the well-sewn garments sat on his bed, begging to be tried on.

Wooyoung had no such energy. He dropped by their side and drooped into his pillows without even bothering to lie down properly. The scare had exhausted him, and his racing heart struggled to find its peace.

He wanted to ask Seonghwa about what he had seen in there so badly. Wanted to know why the beast had reacted so sensitively towards it when he had been passive so far. This must have been the hourglass Yeosang had mentioned as well. Back then, the beast had also fallen into a rage.

However, Wooyoung stubbornly refused to break another promise, even when he felt the beast deserved no such loyalty from him. He was terrified of being ripped apart, but he also didn't want to give San the satisfaction of assuming Wooyoung was a fool.

Struggling, Seonghwa lugged the pile of clothes onto the chest at the bottom of Wooyoung's bed. Once he heaved a breath of relief, he returned to float by Wooyoung's side.

"I apologise on his behalf. Even if he didn't want you in there, he shouldn't have reacted so cruelly."

Wooyoung sniffled into his pillows.

"He's a beast, after all. What could I expect?"

"Don't say that," Seonghwa protested, but his small voice made it sound feeble. "There is still a lot of kindness left in him. It just got buried with the years."

"It's not my job to dig it out. And he shouldn't be so brutish to yell at someone who doesn't know better," Wooyoung pouted. He had no reason to help when the beast shoved him around so much. Same as with Yunho, he lost his faith in people with time.

The thought of San having asked to marry him, too, chilled Wooyoung to the bone. What horrible treatment would he be going through had he said yes naively? The beast could shove him around as he wished and Wooyoung had no way out.

"I will reprimand him later. You should get some rest. Here, your book." With a groan, Seonghwa shoved the heavy object from the nightstand to the mattress by Wooyoung's side. The boy couldn't help his smile at the effort. His fingers came up to curl around the elegant cover.

"Thank you, Seonghwa," Wooyoung said once more, and he meant it. If he had been alone in this massive castle with the beast, he would have succumbed to mania already.

Seonghwa bounced around as he did when he was delighted.

"You're welcome," he chirped before he scurried away. At the door, he halted once more.

"Don't think about it too much and sleep well. He is touchy on that topic and would have yelled at us, too. Good night!"

While he took off, Wooyoung grumbled into his pillows.

Hounding his own friends that spoke so highly of him didn't make it any better. Truly, the beast was unable to be kind, as the curse had said.

If that was the case, Wooyoung didn't want to be kind to him either.

Chapter 8: Stubbornness

Chapter Text

Wooyoung didn't come out of his room the next day. He slept in late and then took a bath, not minding the time and Mingi's suggestion to join the beast for breakfast. After he felt clean again, Wooyoung picked out an outfit from the clothes Seonghwa had brought. With a pair of double-breasted pants and a ruffled white shirt, he then got comfortable on his bed once more and tugged his book closer. All sense of time was lost to him as he read. The world he escaped into was warmer than this one, more comforting. Though dramatic battles against the bad guys had to be won, Wooyoung was assured that all would end well. The joys and adventure shared in novels were unlike anything real-life could offer to him.

Seonghwa visited him at lunchtime to ask if he would join the others downstairs. With a satisfied sigh, Wooyoung stretched before he opened the door to talk to the pink orb. A moment later, he was introduced to the idea.

"Will San be there?"

Nervously, Seonghwa drifted to the right as if avoiding Wooyoung's gaze.

"Yes," he confessed when Wooyoung's patience outlived his hemming and hawing.

"Then I'm not interested. You don't need to lug my food up here. Just tell me once the coast is clear, then I shall visit the kitchens."

Wooyoung was about to close the door politely when Seonghwa's screech had him halt. The flame squeezed into the open crack as if he could hold the door if Wooyoung closed it.

"Wait! Can't you reconsider? He has been asking where you were."

"I told him before that I wouldn't eat with a man like him. It shouldn't be surprising that I stand to my word."

Seonghwa winced. He sought the right words and when he spoke, his voice was that of a patient adult who tried to argue with a child. Amused, Wooyoung crossed his arms. His drawn brows conveyed not a shred of mercy.

"He had hoped you would join him anyway. Since you live here, it would be good to get to know each other... In my opinion, he is very lonely. Please give him a chance. He is bad at asking, but he won't make you regret it," Seonghwa pleaded. Wooyoung couldn't possibly tell how old he was as a human or how he looked, but he imagined big, starry eyes looking up at him to get the point across.

"He yelled at me in front of you just yesterday. I have no interest in eating with a man who stoops to such low levels. He is aware of the fear he wakes in me, and that he is a person of respect as the owner of this castle. His rash actions were most unfair."

Seonghwa grumbled under his breath.

"I told him he needed to work on his manners if he wanted to make a good impression," he muttered. Wooyoung chuckled as he pictured Seonghwa like an exasperated mother.

"You were right. If he regains his manners, I will reconsider eating with him. But before I didn't get a proper apology, I will prefer my solitude over company such as his."

With a sigh, Seonghwa sailed towards the stairs.

"I will tell him again. It would be a miracle to see him put effort into anything."

"Thank you for taking care of me, Seonghwa," Wooyoung called after him. Buttered up by his sweetness, Seonghwa disappeared around the corner while Wooyoung went back to his reading.

For a while longer, he got to be not himself, but the protagonist of his book. His worries about Yeosang, the beast, the curse, and everything uncanny about the castle got swept away by fictional challenges.

When he had finished half the story and the recent dramatic arc ended, he set the book aside. He rolled from his bed to arrange the clothes into his dresser and got done right on time when a voice called for him from outside. It was the tiny voice of the feux follet, but Wooyoung was surprised to open the door not to a pink, but a blue orb.

"Oh, hello, Jongho," Wooyoung said, quick to remember names. The blue flame hesitated.

"Seonghwa sent me to fetch you. You needed food?"

"I did." Wooyoung closed the door behind him and followed the flame down the corridor. "What magic did you weave in the kitchens today?"

Affected, Jongho giggled a shy laugh. Wooyoung grinned as he warmed up to the spirit flames.

"I cooked our prince's favourite dish today, to soothe his bad mood from yesterday."

So it still lingered. That room must have been very private to him. Wooyoung pondered if he should be the one apologising, as he felt bad for barging in like that.

"What is his favourite dish?" They crossed the threshold to the dining room and Wooyoung was pleased to see it empty. Eating downstairs would be cosier than in his room, but he didn't want to risk the beast melting from the shadows to nag him more.

"Fresh deer steak with raspberries. We do trades with the forest's hunter. He brings us fresh ingredients, and we pay him in return. He must find it eerie how he sees no one, and yet the exchange works." Jongho giggled to himself, almost mischievous. Wooyoung could almost imagine the hunter's puzzlement.

"That sounds heavenly," he agreed. Since Yeosang had lost his fortune, they lived on a humble diet. Potatoes, stew, bread, occasionally some fish, if they were lucky. Most of their food, Wooyoung got paid in return for his work in the village, but Yeosang occasionally brought spices or ingredients from his trips.

"It's the freshest today, so I hope you enjoy it. It was... Part of the reason why San wanted you to join him. He was happy to hear you would eat from it, still."

"So long as there is food, he doesn't need to fear about me starving himself," Wooyoung reassured. He was angry, not foolish. Though he admitted he wanted to leave this place. However, not in such a permanent way.

"That's good to hear." Jongho squeezed into the kitchen and presented Wooyoung with the wooden tablet. They had spruced the plates and bowls for him to enjoy the full meal. Delighted, he picked up the warm tray.

Hongjoong squeezed into his path before he could leave. The golden orb floated with confidence and cleared his throat before he began a dramatic speech.

"As the representative of our prince's voice, I came to apologise to you for last night. Prince San conveys his regret to have hurt you and wishes you to forgive him and join him for breakfast tomorrow."

Wooyoung blinked at him. By his side, Jongho was as clueless about the odd behaviour.

"He couldn't tell me himself?" Disappointment laced Wooyoung's tone. Still, the beast made no effort to empathise. How could he ever love and be loved if he lacked such a simple skill?

"Perhaps he feared you would get irritable if you saw him," Jongho piped up, quick to defend his prince.

Wooyoung sighed. It was too apparent that the beast had sent Hongjoong out of lack of interest. Perhaps he hadn't even provided the words and just told his teacher to pick suitable ones for Wooyoung.

"This won't work. I need him to apologise in person and to mean it before I pardon him. Excuse me."

He strode off without looking back. Hongjoong grumbled in displeasure, but the two orbs returned to their master dutifully to convey the message.

Back up in his room, Wooyoung ate in peace. As Jongho had said, the meal was delicious, and Wooyoung let it melt on his tongue as he savoured every bite. It was the best dinner he ever had, and perhaps the best he ever would have.

He promised himself to compliment Jongho upon it the next time he dared venture outside of his room.

After a day well spent, Wooyoung readied for the evening. He picked out a comfortable nightgown from his new clothes that smelled wonderfully of roses and curled up in his soft bed with his book. It was a comfort unlike anything he could remember from the life he had lived. He almost felt bad relishing in it, especially since it came at the cost of being ignorant to the one who had invited him. Back at home, Yeosang was alone and scared while Wooyoung got to pretend that his identity back in the village wasn't who he truly was.

Wooyoung lost his train of thought at another knock on the door. In his mind, he was so distracted by his dilemma of homesickness and guilt that he forgot his allies in this house were by far not human-shaped enough to knock on a door. He slipped from his bed and opened it without a second thought, only to reel back when not a glowing orb, but a man made of shadows with a white mask greeted him.

"Beast," Wooyoung breathed in surprise. He steeled himself against another crude encounter.

However, the beast remained calmer than Wooyoung had seen him in the few days he had spent here.

"Your message reached me," he opened as Wooyoung stood dumbfounded.

"My message?"

"You told Hongjoong you do not accept my apology through him."

Wooyoung fidgeted. His arms hugged himself loosely as the coldness radiating off the monster in front of him seeped into the open V of his shirt where he had unbuttoned it partly. His chest shivered at the beast's chilly gaze.

He took a moment to gather his courage to reply. When he lifted his chin, the beast tilted his masked head to observe Wooyoung's reply as if he were an animal in a zoo. From up close, Wooyoung could tell the horns from the pointed ears below them, pierced with two dangling hoops each. The mask was decorated ornately by symmetrical carvings over the horns and the part that snugly cupped the shadowed nose to connect back to the centre piece under the beast's eyes. His mouth - or his version of it - was exposed, as only the upper half of his face was covered.

Wooyoung was curious why San wore it. He never put it down, but perhaps it signalled where his face was in the mass of black?

"That's right. I don't believe in the honesty of an apology given lightly. How would I know you are sincere if Hongjoong is the one to convey it to me?"

A low chuckle sounded from San's chest. It was an unexpected sound, though not unpleasant. It lightened the slithering crawl of his unnatural voice.

Wooyoung stood his ground when the masked shadow put a hand on the door frame by Wooyoung's side to lean in. The red flames of his eyes heated Wooyoung's stomach like a spark jumping over. His nervosity had him wrap his arms around himself tighter.

Compared to the beast's general aura and touch, those eyes were like molten iron, scorching Wooyoung's sensitive soul.

"What does my sincerity matter to you?"

"You wish to be loved," Wooyoung said. He continued before the shadows could spread in displeasure. "For the curse to break, you need someone to love you, and you need to love someone. You can't love without kindness. What you hoped to find in me, my ease to love, it comes from a heart full of adoration for other people. I understand their feelings, and I help them when they are hurt. That makes me so adoring."

The beast stared at Wooyoung as if he were a riddle that needed to be solved.

"You claim I do not have such empathy."

"You don't. If you did, you wouldn't even have thought of sending Hongjoong instead of apologising to me yourself. No matter if you are a prince with important duties to attend to."

Wooyoung dreaded the beast would yell at him and would throw another tantrum, but nothing like that happened. Instead, the beast's intrigue kept him docile.

"So, you decided to test me?"

With a gentle shake of his head, Wooyoung nodded his chin in the general direction of the castle.

"Hongjoong teaches you astronomy and literature, right? Then let me teach you how to understand a person. In the years here, you must have forgotten lots of it, and your servants are too loyal souls to have you learn. If you want to charm anyone outside of these walls, you must relearn how to."

Wooyoung said it with the utmost respect. He was aware of the insult behind his suggestion, but he hoped San's first step would be to acknowledge his shortcomings.

The beast considered him for a moment. Then, to Wooyoung's surprise, he nodded.

"I must admit to my curiosity. If I learn, I can understand what makes you so lovely to others, as well."

A relieved smile broke out over Wooyoung's lips. It lit up his face and, for the first time; he felt he was talking to a sentient person instead of some magical apparition in this castle.

"Very well. Then crank up that charm of yours, and I will guide you through the rest. I can also recommend a few good romance books in your library you can study." Wooyoung blushed at those words. It wasn't his intention to make San a prince worthy of a romance novel, but if he had the chance to, he would seize it. San would pass his curse with flying colours.

The beast laughed again, that pleasant sound. When he reached for Wooyoung's hand, Wooyoung reluctantly let him pull it from his cramped position. The beast's fingers in his were icy cold.

"In that case, I sincerely apologise for scaring you yesterday. I should have been more understanding of your confusion. Please accept my invitation to join me at breakfast in the morning." He tilted his head to press a chilly kiss to the back of Wooyoung's hand.

The boy's heart jumped in his chest when a breezy delight rushed through him. He had felt the touch of lips, smooth and plush, though they were cast in frigid smoke.

When San's mask lifted to look at him, Wooyoung felt he knew exactly what the blush on Wooyoung's cheeks meant and saw how his heart raced in his chest.

Shy, Wooyoung pulled away from him.

"You are forgiven. I will see you at breakfast for your first lesson."

The beast stepped back in satisfaction. As Wooyoung returned to his chamber, he couldn't help but clutch his hand over his tumultuous chest.

Chapter 9: Dining with the Beast

Chapter Text

"You've come."

The beast looked up from his plate when Wooyoung entered the dining area. The red of his eyes looked less apprehensive than usual, and Wooyoung had few qualms about nearing the massive dining table.

Today, breakfast was arranged on both ends of it, half for the prince and half for Wooyoung. Wooyoung's side was untouched, while the beast already ate since he didn't hope for Wooyoung to appear. When the boy showed up, he slowed, dimly remembering it was a polite thing to do. He beckoned at the seat opposite him.

"Sit with me."

Wooyoung sat down awkwardly. Seonghwa, Mingi, and Jongho buzzed through the room to attend to their needs. They insisted on serving Wooyoung, while Wooyoung insisted on fetching the heavier things for them. Their hushed quarrels didn't seem to bother the beast. For the first time, Wooyoung was curious about what type of expression he sported. He kept no portraits of himself as an adult around, so Wooyoung had a hard time imagining him as a handsome prince. Yet, was he amused about Wooyoung's defeat? Or annoyed?

Quizzically, Wooyoung regarded the beast and the demonic aura wavering around him as if he were a creature straight from hell. Wooyoung picked up his cutlery to treat the food served with such grace accordingly. He didn't bring it up to San, but after a few moments of hesitation, the beast wiped his black fingers on a napkin and copied Wooyoung. When he wasn't looking, Seonghwa excitedly bounced his side into Mingi's with a giggle of delight.

"I prepared some books you might enjoy reading in the morning. You can find them in the library later. I wrote the reasons for my recommendations down in a letter, as well."

Surprised that San had spent the early hours so busy for him, Wooyoung tilted his head.

"What books are they?" Perhaps San wished to jab at him with the reading material, or perhaps he attempted to groom Wooyoung in his understanding of specific topics.

San's answer stunned him once more.

"Those are similar to what you picked so far. I've read those books a lot of times, so I can tell which ones match the kind you enjoy reading."

Yunho had never wanted Wooyoung to read. He had ridiculed him for it, called him pretentious, and complained about the difficulties that books posed. San's agreement and support in cultivating Wooyoung's mind came as a pleasant surprise.

"Thank you," Wooyoung replied, baffled. The beast was most nonchalant about his involvement. The mask stayed in place as he ate.

By their side, Seonghwa cleared his throat. All three feux follet vibrated in the air with curiosity and the loyal head servant was the first who couldn't keep his silence any longer.

"Allow me the question, milords. Have you made up? Today, your conversation seems most amiable."

Wooyoung looked at San, waiting for him to answer. The prince smoothly attended to his duty. The colours of his past shone through as he picked just the words the brimming crowd wished to hear.

"Wooyoung offered to teach me where I am lacking. He suggested that once I learn to love and appreciate what is around me, I can either accept my fate easier, or I will be able to be loved. Both things we have yet to achieve."

An awed noise escaped Seonghwa as he hurtled in Wooyoung's direction. He pressed to his shoulder for a moment, a cold flame by his side, in a mimic of a hug.

Jongho nodded along.

"Wise call."

"I'm so happy you agreed to let him help you. Wooyoung knows best in that field! We got ourselves the perfect teacher!" Seonghwa twirled back to the others and bounced around in the air. Endeared by his passion, Wooyoung beamed at them.

"Your master already did wonderfully at his first duty. He apologised to me with all of his honesty and offered to understand my trouble with this place."

Now, Seonghwa hurtled himself at San. He pressed into the clouds of black, wailing like a fond mother. From this distance, Wooyoung almost didn't hear his choked voice anymore.

"I'm so, so proud of you. Please stand to your word. Wooyoung won't take this lightly, so best if you use this chance."

San hummed, not slowing his eating. Wooyoung believed to hear the pride in his tone.

"It's been seven years. No amount of regret and bitterness got us anywhere. It's about time we moved on and tried something new."

Seonghwa jumped up and down in a mimic of a nod.

"I agree! Come, you two, we will leave them to their studying! If you need us, just call!" He ushered out Mingi and Jongho, who followed with mumbled protests. Once they had disappeared into the kitchens, Wooyoung resumed eating with a peaceful smile. He enjoyed being helpful.

For a few moments, they dined in peace. Wooyoung kept glancing at the beast in curiosity. When he wasn't fuming with anger and shoving his servants around, he seemed more princely. Under the veil of black smoke, his shoulders kept straight and regal, and his mask was gorgeous as it dipped to take another bite of food.

Since he rarely met the beast in such a balanced mood, Wooyoung dared ask him a question after his next bite.

"Your mask. If I don't bother you asking, why do you wear it all the time? Is it to identify your features?" At least his eyes always showed where his face was, even if they were shrouded in black veils.

San shook his head, drifting smoke left and right.

"The mask is part of my curse. The day everything began, I met the one responsible for this on a mask ball. This was what I wore when she cursed me. It serves as a constant reminder of who I refused and what weight that decision had."

Ashamed, Wooyoung lowered his eyes to his food.

"My apologies. I didn't wish to sour our meal with my question."

San picked up his chalice and swirled the wine in it. Over his food, he regarded Wooyoung with unreadable, hellish eyes.

"It's fine. You must be curious. Do you wish I tell you of that day?"

Wooyoung's heart skipped a beat as he felt he got closer to the mystery. The beast's willingness to talk was one win. Now Wooyoung just had to evaluate the right and wrong of the situation that had occurred. As far as the servants went, he could tell they didn't deserve to be punished just for their loyalty to the prince.

"Please do. Don't conceal it, either. I can help you best if I know exactly what the misdeed was."

San continued eating while he recalled the memories. A fourth of his lifetime had passed since then, and he almost got used to his life as a shapeless monster that terrified the lonesome wanderers of Villebête.

"It was my twenty-first birthday. Or my twenty-second? I can't recall. I was old for an unmarried man. Most princes are promised to a political partner upon their birth, but my parents were always lenient with me, for I was the youngest of three princes. I never had many responsibilities growing up, not even when my elder brother died in a hunting accident. The crown prince was married and happy, and once he received the throne, our land would flourish under his hands and those of the princess he married."

Wooyoung listened with rapt attention. San twirled his finger over the rim of his cup, and even his formless features exposed how lost in thought he was.

"Everything happened so fast. My brother got abducted by a group of robbers who demanded riches in exchange for him. During the attack on their carriage, his wife got so scared she lost the child in her womb. For weeks, my father exchanged letters with the robbers, trying to strike a safe deal and free him."

When the beast's voice lowered, Wooyoung knew this story had no good end.

"By the time his soldiers got there, my brother - the crown prince - was long dead. The bandits took the ransom and left us only his body to tend to."

"I'm so sorry," Wooyoung whispered. His instinct urged him to drop the topic and soothe San's painful memories, but the prince already waved him off. The dark part was over.

"His wife died of grief for him and their child. Suddenly, only I was left. The most rebellious and spoiled of the brothers, and the one with no relevant marital match. I refused when my father pushed me to wed, claiming he had always left me the choice. Novels made me fall in love with the idea of marrying out of honest adoration for each other. But personally, I liked to play around, to find what I liked and to enjoy youth. It was a dream I had to let go of to become the new crown prince."

Wooyoung was almost pained by how much he related to that. When he had been young, he had been worried about getting married to his princess without ever loving her. Growing up, every potential match had told him to marry cunningly, not emotionally. It seemed like such a forgotten concept in their world.

"My father pushed me; he had to. He worried about the throne and my life, as I was much more reckless than my brothers were, making me easy prey. So, he organised a ball for my birthday and during that ball, I was supposed to pick the one I wished to marry."

Wooyoung held his breath. Now, the real tragedy started. He could imagine it; the petulance, the stubbornness. Losing all the freedoms San had so abruptly must have been jarring.

"I was young. I didn't know how to love and I wished to learn it before I accepted anyone's hand in marriage. Countless beautiful men and women passed my paths and some of them enticed me for a night or two, but as easily as those feelings came, they disappeared. For the ball, my father invited only the most exotic and fascinating people, sure that I would find someone worth my time. One of them just so happened to be a faery." San chuckled into his cup bitterly. While he drank, Wooyoung finished with his meal. He sat with rapt attention, unwilling to let his eyes stray off the beast for even a second.

"Faery folk is fickle. You don't simply refuse them and get away with it unscathed. If I had known who she was, I would have chosen my words more wisely. She poised a trap on me, testing my character by asking outright if I would marry her. I told her no, she wasn't lovable enough to me. Thus I ignited her fury." Sighing, San buried his face in his hands. The hoops on the mask's pointed ears clicked against each other.

Wooyoung smiled in shared pain.

"So she cursed you."

"So she cursed me. She liked what she saw when she looked at me and was furious she couldn't obtain it, for faery folk cannot love as we humans do. In her fury, she reduced me to this shapeless form, so my looks would never entice anyone else, and mocked me by telling me to find love now. You know the rest of the story. Those who lived in the castle either fled from the new monster or succumbed to the madness that reaped their lives. My loyal friends were the only ones who remained by my side."

"I'm glad they are here. Whether or not you break the curse, at least you aren't alone," Wooyoung whispered. His heart was clenched as if by an icy fist as he listened to San's story. It was both expected and unfair. As a human, he hadn't been the wisest or kindest prince, but he also didn't deserve the cruel fate bestowed on him.

"I wish I wouldn't have to submit them to such torture, but this is the only place they can be accepted. If they left for the world, they would wander in lonesomeness until they lost all humanity in some bog. For a long time, I desperately tried to lift the curse just to save them. I long since accepted that this is who I am now, but I couldn't bear seeing them suffer. For myself, I would never kidnap innocent townsfolk or try to force love from them or me. I simply wish to protect those dear to me as they protect me."

Wooyoung smiled when he heard those words. They matched with the flames' fierce protectiveness over the prince.

"I believe you are doing a marvellous job at that. Your relationship with them is much deeper than that of a prince to his servants."

Glad to be coming back to easier topics, the beast leaned back in his chair. He threw another piece of fruit into the void of his mouth and gulped it down.

"Thank you for thinking so. They are what keeps me sane as I keep them sane. It's about time I listened to their begging and worked on my personality. I got rough around the edges in those years," he chuckled to himself.

Wooyoung fell in, glad that beyond the layers of defensiveness and rage, he had found a person. Someone educated and understanding of others.

"I will be glad to help."

The mask shifted for the first time in what could be a smile. Delighted, Wooyoung beamed back as he hoped that this version of the forgotten prince would be the one to prevail.

Chapter 10: The Ballroom

Chapter Text

After breakfast, San retreated to the shadows to ponder on his recent decision to improve his personality. So far, digging up old royal manners and relying on the books he had read worked brilliantly well, but he still had a long way to go to become someone who could love.

As Wooyoung ventured up the stairs by himself to fetch the books the beast had left him, he contemplated new ways to help San. Not that his outer appearance made him unlovable, so long as his personality provided all there needed to be.

Perhaps Wooyoung saw the good in people too often. But he firmly believed it was the best thing that could happen in this situation. San had given up his search to break the curse just because he believed to be unworthy of love since he became a monster. If Wooyoung could help him understand there was more to a person, his endless optimism would triumph once more.

And then, perhaps, once he had helped San become who he needed to be, he could go home. The beast might reward his aid with his freedom. Finally, Wooyoung would get to see Yeosang again and assure him he was fine.

The eastern wing of the castle seemed less chilly than before, kudos to the rare sunny day amidst winter. Wooyoung firmly kept away from the frozen room with the mysterious hourglass and pushed a different door open.

The library was cast in the hazy hue of dawn. The little light that fell through the lazy clouds cast the glimmer of diamonds in the snow and an orange glow on the books inside the building. As if the sun tried to read the open pages with its rays, it felt its way across them.

At first, Wooyoung thought he was alone. He stepped into the round room of the tower and glanced around the cosy seating area at the window for the books San had promised him.

He found them on the research table in the middle of the room instead. With them was a golden orb, the most elusive of the feux follet.

Awkward, Wooyoung turned on his heel to return at a later time. He didn't wish to bother Hongjoong's studies, for it was an unspoken law between them not to disturb each other. Wooyoung felt as if Hongjoong wasn't very fond of him and his presence here.

Before he could run into the door in his hurry to leave, the spirit spoke up. He cleared his throat, not subtle about his ridicule over Wooyoung believing he would get away unnoticed.

Sheepish, Wooyoung glanced over his shoulder.

"Pardon me. I didn't want to bother you."

"You came to pick up the books San left for you, right? They are over there." The flame did a vague nudge at the pile by his side. In a hurry, Wooyoung crossed the room to pick them up. The sooner he was gone, the quicker he could escape Hongjoong's judging eyes. He was intimidating for not even having eyes.

Hongjoong stunned him once more when he spoke up another time.

"He spent a lot of time gathering them for you. You must have left an impression."

Sweating since he couldn't tell what Hongjoong wanted to hear, Wooyoung cradled his books. Their scent of aged pages and the sun basking in the stories tickled his nose most delightfully.

"I didn't tell him to do this. While I suggested he worked on his behaviour to seem more charming for potential matches, I didn't expect such sudden results. He must be trying very hard."

Hongjoong unstuck his glowing body from the pages of his book. He did the equivalent of facing Wooyoung as he floated at eye height in the air in front of him. Wooyoung propped his hip against the table.

"He was very charming once. Many years ago. You didn't cause a change of character, you awakened a buried spirit," Hongjoong said. No annoyance carried in his tinkling voice, so Wooyoung caught the bait.

"What was he like? Back when he was still a prince?"

Nostalgia swamped Hongjoong and his ghostly flame burnt softer when he lost himself in thought.

"He was more popular than his brothers. His easy attitude and his handsome face reeled in many who looked for easy play. San was an entertainer, a charmer. When the faery took that from him, he was lost for a long time. He believed all there was to him was a pretty face and no more. It's how he sees other people."

"But there is also personality. Values, beliefs," Wooyoung protested. Hongjoong chuckled.

"I know, but he didn't know. It's what you are trying to teach him now. It seems you got him back into his playing field and gave him the confidence to be who he was, even when he lacks the appearance to underline it. The faery made sure most would be repelled if someone with his appearance dared a flirt."

Both elated and unsure how that would play out, Wooyoung nodded. He hoped San would learn and develop, but many years had passed. He shouldn't worry too much.

"I'm sure you would have liked him. He attracted people from far and wide."

Wooyoung blushed, for he didn't know what Hongjoong was getting at.

"I'm not easily swayed by one's status or appearance. As I try to see the good in the beast, I also see the bad in beautiful people. I might have found him disgraceful for that very reason." With as much pride as possible, Wooyoung tugged the books closer to his chest.

Nonplussed, Hongjoong's flames flickered away as he considered the boy.

"Then what is it you seek? You, too, are very old to be unmarried. And as rumour has it, your popularity would make you a suitable spouse for a lot of villagers in Villebête."

Wooyoung blushed a furious red. Laughter trickled from Hongjoong as he frolicked about the boy's embarrassment.

"I seek nothing. I like whom I like and those who proposed marriage to me so far were all ghastly people. As San did back then, I don't want to marry light-heartedly and for any gain other than an adoring relationship."

"You two are similar, then. No wonder he knew what books you would like to read," Hongjoong deadpanned.

Wooyoung's mouth opened and closed again.

"That-"

The feu follet turned away from him when he lost his interest. When he dismissed Wooyoung, his voice was already more companionable.

"Thank him if you get the chance to. He hopes you liked his choices."

A teasing tilt carried in his tone, but Wooyoung overlooked it. He muttered a quick thanks before he fled from the room, both embarrassed and glad that he had a somewhat normal conversation with Hongjoong.

On his way back to his room, Wooyoung was giddy about the books. His awe that San wanted to cultivate his reading considerably improved his opinion on the beast. Rather than needless stereotypes, he appreciated those who enjoyed the art of reading as he did.

Back in his room, Wooyoung lifted the cover of the first book to find a letter inside. The royal sigil on its back was foreign to him, but it likely was used by the king of this country before it lost its government. He broke it with careful fingers so as to not damage the wax or the letter and retrieved the note from inside.

In swirling handwriting that was long-practised from the years of solitude, the beast had written to him.

Dear Wooyoung,

I hope you will enjoy this collection. They all are fantasy, some more modern and some ancient classics if you have an interest in studying those. If you like, we can discuss them after you read them. I am interested to hear your thoughts. The one on the top with the green cover is my personal recommendation. You will find the story of adventure and mysteries most enjoyable.

May you have a joyous time reading.

San

Wooyoung skimmed the note twice to check if he had missed anything. The signature was so simple and graceful. Did the beast want Wooyoung to call him San? He rarely used his title, but Wooyoung got used to it by hearing it from the servants.

Carefully, Wooyoung set the note on his nightstand to ponder upon it later. Then he flicked through the first few pages of the topmost book. He was curious what it was about, even when he wouldn't find peace of mind until later before bed.

When he found San had matched his taste perfectly, a wave of shyness surged through Wooyoung. So far, he hadn't given the man's sense credit, thinking him vile and simple as the creature he was. However, San showed his intelligence as an educated prince in his pick. He knew a lot about books, that much was clear.

Wooyoung left the pile by his bedside table and padded back outside of his room. First, he checked the dining area, but he found it void of any beasts or dishes. In the kitchens, he only met Jongho. The blue flame could tell Wooyoung that Mingi was out in the gardens, but he didn't know where the others had gone.

After some meandering through the still castle, Wooyoung found his hands unable to stop their need to clean. Soon, he found himself a rag and wiped down the furniture and dusty handrails as he went, bringing some shine back to the castle. He forgot his initial purpose of thanking San and found himself in the massive ballroom left of the entrance area. While he took down the heavy curtains that were almost alive from dust and let waves of light stream into the paled room, Seonghwa found him. At seeing Wooyoung take care of the luxurious hall, he squealed in delight.

"You found my favourite room!" Seonghwa cheered as he came over to Wooyoung and his pile. The boy wiped his sweat as he gave him a grin.

"It's gorgeous," he agreed. Even through the layers of grime, it was easy to see the former glory hidden in the dust. Golden chandeliers decorated the air to match the painted ceilings. The ground under their feet was polished and smooth, its pattern perfect for sliding dancing feet over.

The curtains Wooyoung had lowered had a charmingly coral colour and matched the otherwise white and golden interior. The entire room offered to frolic, and the golden ornaments trailing down the walls between the arched windows depicted reliefs of dancing individuals as well.

"It hasn't been used in a long time. San hasn't come here since that day. He loathes this place, but I always dreamed of dancing here one day. Don't tell him, but I did it in secret whenever no one else was looking." Seonghwa giggled to himself and Wooyoung fell in.

"That's a shame. I wish I could have seen how it looked in motion." He barely remembered balls back home. His little head had been stuck between heavy dresses and expensively clad legs, confused and bored.

"So vibrant. Everything shimmers in gold and orange, and the light breaks on the chandeliers. It's the prettiest spectacle I ever saw."

Dreamy, Seonghwa floated around the room to bask in its light-doused glory. Wooyoung lost him from sight, for his colour blended in so well. Only when Seonghwa returned, they picked their conversation back up.

"Would you like to dance, Wooyoung?"

Elated, Wooyoung snickered at him.

"I'm as dirty as a pig in a puddle right now," he reminded the feu follet sheepishly. It flickered in delight.

"No mind! Let's dance!"

With a shrug, Wooyoung held his hand out to him. Seonghwa nestled inside snugly, small and cold to the touch. They danced away - or Wooyoung did - while they laughed about themselves and the fun they had.

Wooyoung remembered the steps from his childhood. He pretended Seonghwa to be his partner as he recited them and the flame squealed in delight when he was carried through the air. Happy about the fun he had even outside of his human form, Wooyoung twirled them once more in the middle of the room. The light danced with them depending on where he stepped.

He ended in a dramatic bow, and Seonghwa jumped from his hand to bow back in delight. His brief moment of feeling like a prince bathed them in mutual softness.

Wooyoung looked up when he felt eyes on him. There, in the corner between the door and the first window where the shadows dwelled, a white mask watched them. Since Wooyoung couldn't tell the beast's expression, he froze into a block. All basking vanished.

"Ah, sorry," he said, while Seonghwa whirled around. "I didn't want to bother you, being here. I was cleaning up."

In tense silence, Seonghwa remained by his side. Their excitement simmered low as San swiped his eyes through the room.

"It's fine. This room needs some polishing, and you were having fun."

Wooyoung flushed when he wondered when San had arrived. He must have looked stupid, dancing with a flame in his hands.

Yet no rage poured from San. His melancholy was eased by his amusem*nt.

Wooyoung quickly gathered up the curtains so they could leave. Seonghwa 'held' the door for him to look busy, but then zoomed away first.

Before Wooyoung left, he hesitated at the door.

"And San?"

The beast looked up where his forlorn gaze was still fixed on the middle of the room. Wooyoung shivered under his eyes.

"Thank you for your reading recommendations. They are just my taste."

"You're welcome," San breathed with a smile.

Wooyoung scurried off with a fluttering heart and a smile playing around his lips that persisted all day.

Chapter 11: Waltz of the Beast

Chapter Text

Wooyoung almost missed breakfast because he started reading the minute he woke up. He got so involved in the books San had picked for him, he missed the usual hour when he would leave his room to venture downstairs. Mingi had to fetch him when he was late, and the red orb was worried if Wooyoung had fallen sick.

Embarrassed, Wooyoung had stored his book away and followed the giggling orb downstairs once he had soothed him that he had merely forgotten the time. San was as relieved to see him join for their shared meal.

The air was lighter since their relationship improved. Wooyoung wasn't apprehensive to discuss the books with San and the beast graciously gave nothing away and instead adjusted to the knowledge Wooyoung had gathered so far. Talking to him about the intricate plot and characters was a delight. San's educated mind provided lots of food for thought, and as their breakfast ended, Wooyoung brimmed with excitement to go back to his readings.

"Before you disappear once more into the world of letters, may I ask you a question?"

Wooyoung patiently shoved his hands under his thighs. If the beast asked so kindly, he would listen.

"I wanted to invite you to join me in the ballroom tonight. Since you cleaned it so beautifully, I agree it would be a shame not to use it."

With his mouth open, Wooyoung stared at San. Wasn't he repulsed by that room and the memories it carried? Did he try to let go of such harrowing recollections?

"You want to organise a ball?" A rush of delight sent Wooyoung's heart fluttering in his chest when San nodded. As an adult, he found them far more alluring than he had as a child. This cold and grey castle wasn't where he had expected to find such an event, but he wished for nothing more than to attend it now that San brought it up.

"It will be humble since there aren't a lot of guests, but I had hoped you would be one of them. Seonghwa can help you pick out some clothes and I will ask Jongho and Mingi to prepare a suitable meal."

When Wooyoung sprung to his feet, the beast tilted his head at him. He waited with bated breath for what Wooyoung's answer would be.

"I would love to join! Let me help prepare. I will carry the heavy things and then get dressed and accompany you."

San's grin was invisible and yet clear as day.

"Wear something pretty," he suggested. Wooyoung would. He would dig through this entire castle for a suit that both fit him and accentuated his natural beauty.

When he rushed out of the room to get ready, San looked after his retreating back with a chuckle.

For a few hours, Wooyoung fell into a frenzy about the ball. As he made do on his promise to help the feux follet carry the plates and tables needed for their buffet in the ballroom, he listened to Seonghwa's chattering. The pink flame was over the moon with the suggestion of the ball and he mentioned his disbelief about seeing San so lively and fun at least seven times.

Once the room was prepared and the sweet tunes of Hongjoong jumping over the piano in the corner to practise a melody filled the room, Seonghwa ushered Wooyoung to change. He dug through every wardrobe in the castle while Wooyoung waited in his room and brimmed with curiosity.

When Seonghwa finally returned, his call of delight was muffled by the pile of fabric he balanced on top of his floating shape. The elegant suit he brought was a stunning white. Time hadn't greyed the expensive fabric and the golden embroidery crawling up the linings took Wooyoung's breath away.

As he ran his fingers over the frilly shirt he was about to wear, they trembled.

"I can wear this? It's so beautiful."

"It clothing worthy of a ball," Seonghwa chirped. He nudged Wooyoung to get changed already and walked him through the progress of tying the necktie and smoothing out his lapels. Once dressed, Wooyoung felt as if he had slipped into the skin of a different person. On instinct, his back straightened and his chin tilted up as the royal blood in his veins matched the luxury of his suit. A white cape draped over his left shoulder and matching gloves cast him in a visual worthy of an angel.

Seonghwa swooned.

"Magnificent! I'm so happy it suits you! Now quickly, go dance with your prince before the clock strikes twelve!"

While nervous about seeing San downstairs, Wooyoung giggled along to Seonghwa's cheer. He allowed the orb to drag him along as if he were his ecstatic sister who dearly wished to see Wooyoung dance with the man of his dreams.

San was neither man nor someone Wooyoung would dream about, but he indulged them. When the duo entered the ballroom, Seonghwa zoomed right off to whisper with Mingi and Jongho at the buffet. In the corner, Hongjoong played his sweet tune. It was modest, for his jumping over the keys required time, but he had the pacing and the ear of a musician.

San awaited Wooyoung in the middle of the room. His white mask catered to the occasion for once, and Wooyoung wondered for a moment if he should have worn one to match. Though perhaps that would have thrown San too far into painful memories. Wooyoung wasn't here to appear as a faery ready to curse the poor prince.

When Wooyoung stepped toward him, San's fiery eyes soaked up his sight. Wooyoung actively kept himself from fidgeting with his sleeves.

"You look magnificent," the beast breathed. With a graceful bow, he offered Wooyoung his shadowy palm. "May I seduce you to this dance, beautiful Wooyoung?"

A blush dusted Wooyoung's cheek when he took the hand. Through his gloves, its temperature wasn't too chilling.

San led him to the middle of the ballroom. Wooyoung prayed he wouldn't forget his steps as the effortless proximity to San clouded his mind.

"Seonghwa carried these clothes from somewhere. I don't know where he got them from, but they would charm anyone," Wooyoung said. His fingertips ran over the precious golden embroidery.

"They were mine a long time ago."

Wooyoung came up short. His hand found San's shoulder as the beast cupped his waist with a gentle palm.

"Oh... I'm sorry, I-"

"No need. They suit you well. I am happy seeing them worn with such poise." His first step fell, matching the music, and Wooyoung followed along. They got used to each other's rhythm and the open space around them, slowly adjusting.

"You're good at this," San noted. Humble, Wooyoung followed his step. His body remembered the countless hours of training he had received as a child. Even with a long break since his last dance, he didn't forget them.

"Thank you. Also for this, tonight. I believe we all profit from forgetting our worries for some time." Wooyoung glanced at the feux follet. Mingi and Jongho still idled at the banquet, and every time San and his dance brought them closer to the pair, he heard their animated conversation only for it to fade out right again. Seonghwa had joined Hongjoong at the piano and cheered on him.

"Ever since you arrived, they have been so merry. You gave them back the joy they lost in our bleak situation and for that, I must be the one thanking you."

Wooyoung's cape swished behind him. The shadows shrouding San cradled him as their mismatched forms swept over the dance floor. Their feet never tired of their elegant trance. For once, Wooyoung wasn't scared of the horned mask so close to his face.

"I enjoy their presence. They are lovely fellows under all that racial confusion."

"They enjoy having you here as well. I heard only the sweetest of compliments concerning you. You make them laugh and help around the house. They appreciate it."

Before Wooyoung got to duck his head bashfully, San continued. His mask tilted in a frown when his eyes sought Wooyoung's shoulder instead of his face.

"I was agonised, for I believed we lost our touch. There are... things I couldn't bear telling them and that made me bitter as I kept them to myself. As lonely as I was, I must have made them feel just as lonely."

San lifted his head and looked straight at Wooyoung. Under the soothing light of the chandeliers that bathed the room in a homey glow, Wooyoung's heart skipped a beat. They were so close that Wooyoung felt San's chilly breath fan over his cheek.

"Your presence helped me ease around them and vice versa. Please know I appreciate having you here, even if our initial meeting was rocky."

"I understood your predicament after you explained it to me. When you said you wouldn't kidnap anyone if you weren't desperate, I believed you. You weren't unkind to me or them. The ice just had to break." Wooyoung smiled at him with all the warmth he had accumulated over this place in the past few days. When he had arrived, it had seemed cold and unfriendly, but he recognised the familiarity the servants brought to it now and the sympathy that was buried deep under the wisps of black smoke that surrounded the beast.

"I..." San's fingers tightened around Wooyoung's. He squeezed back, signalling for San to take all the time he needed. Under the mask, a fleeting smile graced the beast's features.

"I must admit, the same goes for me. I kidnapped you for my selfish gains, but I grew to enjoy your presence. Both what you did to us cursed fellows and the palace. I adore seeing it."

Warmth blossomed in Wooyoung's chest. He couldn't help his grin when San spun him around to dip over him in the middle of the dance floor. Soft piano notes doused Wooyoung in a weightless dream as he gazed into those burning red eyes.

"I wish we would become closer. So that I may learn from you, but also so that I get to bask in the warmth you bear. It heats me in this place I thought forever frozen." His firm grip held Wooyoung up, but he led their intertwined hands between their chests. When they pressed to the outline of a human chest in the black void, the thumping of a heartbeat kissed along Wooyoung's knuckles. Shy, he curled his fingers around San's.

"You do not need to reply to me right now. No matter how kind you are to me, I won't mistake it with anything more than your willingness for empathy. Seeing you dance and smile tonight while ever so gorgeous in these clothes, I know my hideous visage can't compare."

Wooyoung let go of his hand and San seemed ready to step back and give him space. Then, however, he allowed Wooyoung to wrap his arms around his nape and crowd their bodies closer than customary. Almost too naturally, San's hands settled on his waist, waiting. They hugged the coat to his side, creating a contrast in the coldness of his touch.

Under his fingertips, Wooyoung found the line of a neck and the feel of hair. San had become nothing but a vaguely humanoid silhouette after the curse, but beneath that hid the one he had once been.

"On the contrary. I wish to give you an answer. For I, too, learned to appreciate who you are. Underneath this appearance that repels you so, I found a person like any other. You proved to me there still lingers an attractive man, no matter the looks. Though I did not choose to be here, I find myself enjoying my time."

Their current position, embracing in the ballroom while piano music wafted through the air, was one of those examples. Everything about this castle was magical, both in its destructiveness and its charm.

San gazed at him from the few centimetres he was taller than Wooyoung. His thumbs rubbed circles into Wooyoung's hip, quite unsure of what San was about to say.

"Perhaps... if you'd like, we might sweeten that time further? I find myself drawn to the lovely creature that you are, and I wish to feel the passion of your love. If there is any way I can turn this teaching of yours into genuine affections, please guide me," San whispered.

Euphoria spread in Wooyoung's stomach like the sweetest of honey. He brushed his fingers through San's hair and those violent red eyes fluttered, their flame dying down as San relished the touch. It must have been ages since he last received a gentle embrace.

"I will do that for you if you do the same for me. Let me feel your affections, and I will let you feel mine. Though let's not chase to break the curse with them. I do not wish to disappoint you, and neither should my feelings be taken lightly."

"I promise," San muttered without missing a beat. The ornaments of his mask touched upon Wooyoung's forehead. The boy's lashes fluttered when their breaths became one. Though San was so odd and misshaped, he didn't mind this closeness.

"Then show me. Show me how you court someone and I will judge if I can love you no matter what you look like."

Wooyoung didn't feel this needed to be a challenge. Yet he liked the way San's grip around him tightened with determination.

The next moment, San tilted his head to kiss Wooyoung. His shadowy pair of lips found Wooyoung's without trouble. Their touch was chilly and made the boy shiver, but he didn't retreat. He kissed back to bring warmth back to San and the melody around them carried them off into a trance where both of them forgot where they were. They drifted away as if engulfed by a spell as they forgot everything that wasn't the beastly prince dawning on the sweet village boy.

San's embrace was cold, but not unpleasant. The touch of his mouth of Wooyoung's was soft, and the feeling of it chased pleasant shudders down Wooyoung's spine. Though San seemed eager and out of practise in his kissing, Wooyoung's heart bloomed with their shared clumsiness. When he smiled against San's lips, San smiled back. They fell into giggles and then kissed again, sweet but lingering.

When Wooyoung shyly lifted his hands to touch his lips once he stepped back, San tucked a strand of his overgrown hair behind his ear. His devotion carried in the simple gesture.

"Thank you for the dance," San smiled. He withdrew politely, careful not to overstep.

Wooyoung's beating heart refused to calm down.

"It's my pleasure, Prince San."

The tingling of his lips agreed that yes, it was.

Chapter 12: Wine and Books

Chapter Text

The ball ended with fantastic success. Everyone left to pretend to be its guests for a while longer before they would get busy with the dismantling. They lingered in the entrance hall, reciting the lines of vapid goodbyes without meaning a word.

San tugged Wooyoung into a corner of the entrance hall to idle with him, unwilling to give up their roles and part just yet. His hand in Wooyoung's was pleasantly cool through his glove.

"Thank you for coming tonight. It was an honour to dance with you," San muttered as he pressed a kiss to Wooyoung's fingers. Blushing, the boy batted his lashes at the shadowy prince.

"I can give that compliment right back at you." Wooyoung gave San's hand a gentle squeeze once they came back down to their sides. Then he hesitated to shroud San back into his bubble of loneliness. Even through the smoke, his delight radiated from him and Wooyoung didn't have the heart to burst that.

When San picked up on it, he smiled a secretive smile while the servants busied their hands with cleaning up the ballroom and the remnants of their dancing. Their hushed whispers and joyous bumping into each other while they sent subtle glances at the two men just outside the door didn't pass Wooyoung. He was as charmed by the magic of the evening as they were, and San's manners had been impeccable all evening. He had become the prince Wooyoung had hoped to see in him.

"Perhaps, if it isn't an outrage to ask, I could invite you to my room tonight? We could discuss our readings over some wine and elongate these hours of bliss."

Wooyoung flushed scarlet at the idea. After kissing San so affectionately on the dance floor, being alone in a room with him sounded like a scandalous thing to do. He could be glad the feux follet weren't in earshot, for their squeals would have turned him too bashful to react to San's proposal.

Before he could give his response, San reconsidered. His head tilted with a hum and the ghostly mask threw macabre shadows under his feet.

"Ah, wait, that is insufficient. My room is in icy disarray. It isn't a suitable place for a romantic rendezvous." His voice was an apologetic wince. Wooyoung couldn't help but chuckle about him. Such a trivial matter couldn't stop them in a place as grand as the castle.

"Perhaps my room is a better choice, then?" Wooyoung hadn't meant to sound as coquettish as it came out, but San smoothly accepted.

"Then let's retreat there and not break the magic of this evening yet." He tugged on Wooyoung's hand to lead him away, and the boy lingered only for a moment. When he looked at the feux follet, he found them ecstatic and ushering him to move. Positive that they would banish him if he ditched San to do the work with them, Wooyoung waved and then followed San. The beast led him through the dusty grandeur of the castle that had regained some of its shine after Wooyoung's tireless work on it during every free minute. Through the layers of grime peeked a shimmering core.

If San was insecure about their arrangements, he didn't show it. He strode the palace confidently, fitting its eerie atmosphere with his appearance. His posture was that of a prince.

Wooyoung marvelled at his back in silence as they made their way to their room. He didn't know how San knew which one was his, given he had never visited there, but it wasn't a surprise.

San entered first, cautious not to disturb Wooyoung's privacy as he led him inside. His hellish eyes cast over the warmth and the clean surrounding Wooyoung had created. While he lit the candles and opened the curtains to offer the sight of the twinkling stars, San gave a noise of appreciation.

"You brought life here, too."

"It's not as if you and your servants were ghosts," Wooyoung reminded him as he sat on his bed. San lingered in the door and his wafting smoke seemed uncertain for the first time. As if too respectful to touch Wooyoung's things that were truly just things San had borrowed him, they coiled around his frame. No spark of clean shine could jump over to touch upon his reluctant shadow.

"We aren't, but to the world of the living, we are. Dead as the rest of the castle, just a demon stayed to haunt this place. Nothing human about that."

"I felt your heartbeat. I know that it's human and very alive." Wooyoung touched his hand to his own chest to convey his relation.

"Wait here while I get the wine," San whispered. He rushed off into the darkness before Wooyoung got to add to it. The boy remained with his heartbeat in a disarray.

The few moments San was gone were tense with giddiness and nervosity. Wooyoung was unsure whether he should change into comfortable lounging wear, but then decided against it. The him that had enchanted San so was the one in the clothes of the former prince.

Wooyoung rearranged the books on his bedside table and ordered them neatly visible so San would know which ones to inquire about. As he sat on his bed in wait, he wondered if the feux follet were fainting in the distance after seeing the development between the two men. After so many years, San got another shot at love, no matter its meaning for the curse. It must relieve them, for they spoke so highly of him.

San returned with a bottle of wine and two glasses tucked into his clawed hands. He closed the door behind him and Wooyoung's heart jumped to his throat at their intimacy. Silent and not so scary with company, the castle concealed their secrets.

"If there is one good thing about this place, it's the wine. The years it spent in the cellars improved its quality." San handed Wooyoung the chalices while he uncorked the bottle. The river of ruby filled their cups and matched San's eyes.

Once San sat by Wooyoung's side on the bed, their cups clinked in a toast. They drank at the same time, and the fruity delight of the wine tickled Wooyoung's throat in a velvety rush. He hummed.

"It's good," he acknowledged. San's earrings clicked when he grinned.

For a while, they sat, shared the wine and talked over the books Wooyoung had read in his time here. San wasn't surprised he was going through them as if they were cookies on his plate and he humoured Wooyoung's excitement about their various plots and twists. His opinions were those of one who had read the same books a million times and knew their every nook and cranny. Through his eyes, those works were full of wonder and hidden secrets that awed Wooyoung even more.

As the minutes passed and the wine warmed their bodies, Wooyoung relaxed in the beast's presence. He forgot that the one he was talking to had no human appearance for their mannerisms and their passions were so similar.

Wooyoung enjoyed his time with San a lot, and he never wished for the evening to end. Each time San quirked in humour, Wooyoung's body bumped into his shadowy shape in laughter. One time it happened, San wrapped an arm around Wooyoung's form to keep him close and Wooyoung's heart did somersaults in his chest.

Things led to each other as smoothly as the change of tides. San's breath brushed Wooyoung's forehead until he bravely lifted his head to look at the beast. Framed by the gorgeous mask, those burning eyes extended an invitation Wooyoung couldn't refuse.

San parted two fingers from his cup to tilt Wooyoung's chin with them. When they kissed, the taste of the wine lingered on their lips and sweetened the caress.

Wooyoung was pleasantly buzzed by the alcohol. He sunk into San as if he lost all form, and his empty chalice settled on the bedside table with a soft thud. San put his aside as well so he could cradle Wooyoung's jaw with his hand and lead him in once more. The click of their lips sounded lovely in the silent room.

Not reluctant to reach for San despite his inexperience, Wooyoung grasped for the man's shoulders. He found them broad and tapering into a narrow waist as San maintained a healthy statue under the curse. Or perhaps the curse had turned him into this, Wooyoung had no way of knowing. Either way, he liked what he found, and he showed San his confidence in touch.

Yet, San's hands on Wooyoung's waist were reluctant. They cradled him in the dazzling outfit of the former prince, but they held him as if ready to let go if he wanted to flee. No firm grip made Wooyoung swoon for him.

"What is it?" Wooyoung asked him between kisses. He parted their lips to lean their heads against each other, careful of the horned mask. It had become part of San to him. Nothing unusual about kissing a man with horns.

"I don't want to repel you. You must find me hideous, with my appearance."

Wooyoung was quick to soothe him with another kiss. When he climbed into San's lap, the beast's hands steadied his waist. A warm body and a cold one exchanged their temperatures with each other.

"You can't repel me. Though you might not be human, I wish to touch you and who you are. Right now, as a human, whenever. It's you I'm kissing, not just your lips, whatever shape or colour they might have."

A rush of delight urged a snicker from San. He trailed his hands over Wooyoung's sides in awe.

"How do you speak so well? You must have picked up on a lot of lines from the books," San said in awe. His fingers skimmed Wooyoung's nape in a frigid touch and he shuddered into it, pleased by the contrast in temperature.

"I told you that becoming a prince out of a novel is the most charming thing one can do. I'm weak to it."

San pressed another kiss to Wooyoung's lips once his laughter died down. Their new position allowed Wooyoung to tower over San and kiss down on him. The drag of that cold mouth on his was heavenly. As San pulled him closer so they could feel each other's touch, Wooyoung readily embraced him, as well.

Since Wooyoung lacked experience, he was sensitive. Even San's firm grip on his waist made him squirmish and paired with the kisses that made Wooyoung's head spin, the village boy believed to ascend to another level of being. His thighs quivered around San's and the beast devoured Wooyoung as a demon would, drinking it all up.

By the time Wooyoung felt he had to go mad if he didn't feel San's touch on his bare skin, the beast slowed. He relished in the touch of Wooyoung's skimming fingers on the back of his head, as he let their kisses slow like the last beats of a sweet melody. They faded out as their evening faded out, accompanied by Hongjoong's music.

When San released him once more, Wooyoung's lips tingled with the leftovers of his touch. San looked ravenous, ready to surge in again, and Wooyoung shuddered when he read that in his eyes alone.

"Let's stop here for the night before the alcohol draws us into something we might regret," San proposed. When Wooyoung giggled at the innuendo, he helped release the heavy cape from Wooyoung's shoulder.

"You laugh, but such things are most regrettable if not remembered," San scolded him without heat. Not as if Wooyoung had many opinions on that.

"Your parents didn't insist on abstinence until marriage?"

A snort came from the beast as Wooyoung slipped from him to sit by his side again. His fingers busily fluffed his pillows while his insides were pleasantly buzzed from San's kisses.

"Oh, they insisted, probably. But it's not as if I cared. Or at least, I didn't until I became this." He looked down at his black hands and clenched them into fists. With his beauty lost, so many aspects of his way of life got ruined.

Wooyoung trailed a hand down his arm. His smile was warm.

"Then perhaps you wish to share my bed with me tonight? I am not ready to sleep with you, but I provide warmth and cuddles." He was almost too shy to ask, but San's gleeful nod reassured him.

"Gladly."

Wooyoung switched into his nightgown in the bathroom while San cleared up their cups and the wine. When they slipped under the blankets together, Wooyoung was shy to reach for the beast who wore his mask even in bed, but San helped him out. He tugged Wooyoung until his head rested on a shadowy chest. Under his ear, San's heartbeat thumped a pleasing memory.

They fell asleep during useless banter when their eyes drooped. At ease in the beast's embrace, Wooyoung listened to the merry song of his ignited heart.

Chapter 13: Cast in Innocence

Chapter Text

For the first time in his life, Wooyoung awoke with his back pressed against another body. The person wasn't quite warm, but neither were they cold, for the human's radiance was stored underneath the blanket and heated its protective cocoon.

A feeling of utter domestic peace washed over Wooyoung. He lolled on the sheets, unwilling to wake until the body behind him shifted. When he turned, too curious to contain himself, he found San already awake. The burning eyes framed by the white mask bore into Wooyoung. Their flame mellowed when he found the boy with pillow lines on his cheeks and sleepy eyes.

"Good morning," San purred. His fingers slid through Wooyoung's hair, but there was no taming it. It fell as if he had slept on it at various angles at once.

"Morning," Wooyoung yawned back before he slapped his hand over his mouth when his brain caught up with the inelegant expression. He winced, but San laughed it off.

"What were you doing, watching me sleep?" Wooyoung didn't find it unusual. San was a man of many concerns to attend to, and Wooyoung couldn't imagine he slept much. It was a miracle he had stayed all night to watch over Wooyoung.

"I was thinking." San trailed his knuckles over Wooyoung's cheek in a delicate caress. Wooyoung's lids fluttered.

"About?" He prompted further as he rolled around. When he sat up, the loose collar of his sleeping gown slid over his left shoulder. The spread of exposed skin carried the tan from summer that had made its cosy home in Wooyoung's skin. As soon as the blanket lifted, the surrounding heat dissipated, but San's touch wasn't unpleasant on his skin. It travelled over his thigh now as if the beast was unable to part their touch for even a second. His eyes flicked between the exposed shoulder and the spread of bare leg until Wooyoung blushed.

"You."

"Me?" Wooyoung giggled as he cosied up to San's side. The masked shadow put his arm around the smaller boy and held him close. As invested with touching San as the other way around, Wooyoung bathed his hand in the wafting darkness.

"I want to send you home."

San said it simply, though with a muffle to his voice as if he was reluctant to let the words escape into the air. Once they were out, they brought the chill of dread he had feared. It stilled Wooyoung's heart for a painful second before it continued its beat slower, warier. He almost pulled back from San's touch but hesitated since he didn't want to jump to conclusions.

"What do you mean, send me home? Have you grown tired of my presence?" Had this been but a game to San? Had his sole purpose been to test what Wooyoung offered and then he lost interest? Though the thought hurt, with San's backstory, it didn't come from nowhere.

The beast shook his horned head.

"This place restricts you, doesn't it? I saw you spacing out during work and gnawing at your fingernails as you fretted for your uncle. Your arrival here was marked by fear in both of you. I would be cruel to keep you. Your happiness weighs more to me than selfishly demanding your presence." His hand came up to cradle Wooyoung's jaw. They looked at each other, in those eyes that were so unlike.

Wooyoung was at a loss for words. Inside of him, his emotions mixed in a colourful swirl until he couldn't tell them apart any longer. He was hurt that San suggested parting when they just got closer, but at the same time, he was overjoyed that San was receptive to his worries and that Wooyoung's comfort meant so much to him. His empathy had improved a lot.

"If you wish to go, I won't keep you. You mean too much for me to find it just how I hold you back. I stole you away from your life and now I want you to choose as you see fit."

Wooyoung gnawed on his lip. A week ago, he would have left without hesitation. Now, leaving San behind sounded as unbearable as not returning home to see Yeosang.

"What about you? Can I return here?"

"I sincerely hope you do. I still wish to spend time with you and learn everything you offer. Though we might not have enough time, to-... No, don't think about that. I shall hope you will be back within three days. Any time later and I will gladly accept that you returned to your old life and found happiness there. Consider me, hopefully, but decide on what your heart tells you to do."

Softened, Wooyoung reached for San. He kisses the beast, full of gratitude and affection, until he felt he would flow over with it. San caught him to accept all of that with a mellow sadness.

"Then I will leave. I will return within three days, so don't worry about your loneliness. Once I know Yeosang is safe and have explained the situation to him, I will be with you."

Relief bled out of San as if it were liquified with his wafting smoke. Even through the lack of a face, Wooyoung could tell his broad grin.

"I shall await your return and miss you every evening as I gaze into the stars."

Wooyoung snuggled back into him, happy to share his elation. As opposed as he had been to San's forceful search for love so far, this version of the prince made Wooyoung much happier by considering his happiness. While the boy's heart skipped in his chest with this delight, he wondered if he could learn anything about the faery and the curse in the village. Perhaps he could return with more information about what had to be done for it to break. The townsfolk were knowledgeable of the magic shrouding these lands.

Despite the distracting vortex of thoughts about what he wanted to do once he returned home, Wooyoung made sure to spend the lasting hours with San dutifully. They relished in their newfound attraction to each other, and Wooyoung rewarded him with kisses for seeing Wooyoung's honest heart.

He still felt San kept himself locked away in his icy cage, but they would get there, eventually. As Wooyoung's heat eased him from his prison, San would also trust him to understand as he understood Wooyoung.

After many minutes of lazy loitering in Wooyoung's bed and sharing kisses, the two dragged their refreshed bones out of bed. Last night's dance ached in Wooyoung's limbs in the best way. He hummed while he got dressed and neatly set San's uniform aside to clean up later. San took off first to inform the feux follet of Wooyoung's departure and prepare food and drink for his journey.

In the days between his arrival and the upcoming departure, Wooyoung's perspective had changed drastically. Gone were the fear and the dread that chained his feet to the frigid castle grounds. Instead, his blooming feelings for San fuelled him with hope and appreciation. What if he would be able to find the faery under the villagers' guidelines? What if she could break the curse now after seeing how much San had improved as a person?

Wooyoung's step was light as a feather when he descended the stairs. He found San in the dining room, discussing provisions with a very concerned Seonghwa. Upon Wooyoung's entry, they fell quiet, and San's eyes burned brighter at his sight.

"Will you eat with me before you begin your journey?" San called across the long table. It was already set with a rich breakfast and Wooyoung couldn't help the grumble of his stomach.

"Gladly."

While he sat down and reached for a sweet roll, his luminous friends flitted around him.

"Is it true that you are leaving us?"

"Will you come back?"

"What about the curse?"

"Are you and San lovers now?"

Wooyoung laughed about all the questions they doused him with. Not even Hongjoong could uphold his rough facade over his curiosity.

"Don't fret. I shall return in less than three days and hopefully, I will bear good news. Outside of these walls, I can keep an eye out for faeries and try to find out where she went. Surely, her grudge won't hold for seven years. She will see how kind San has become and she will release you from your bindings. I hope only the best for him and you fellows."

Seonghwa sniffled. Jongho bashfully pushed the jar of sugar over, knowing Wooyoung liked to shovel an ungodly amount of it into his tea.

San watched him from his seat as Wooyoung happily suffocated his drink in the treat.

"I trust you. Even if you change your mind, we will be happy with your decision," San said to soothe the excitement of his servants.

"Trust me even more and gladly assume my return. Kindness always gets repaid, my prince."

They ate in peace. No one needed to fear Wooyoung's decisions. Their mutual understanding that this wasn't the last they would see of each other flattered the humble boy.

After breakfast, Wooyoung filled the bag he had come with and took provisions with him. San insisted he packed some money from the astounding treasure chamber and gave it to Yeosang as a reparation for stealing Wooyoung's self and his heart. He pitied the merchant who would have a lack of Wooyoung in his life and wanted to apologise for the scare. Endeared by the clumsy attempt, Wooyoung took a porch full of gold with him.

He was set to go in the entrance area. Mingi fluttered around him and asked him a million more times if he had enough food for the rather brief journey down to the village. While Wooyoung was busy soothing him, San descended the stairs behind them with his steps that appeared to be floating. In his inky hands, he carried a white fur coat. It had slits for arms at the sides and the hood was adorned by brilliant ermine. When he beckoned Wooyoung towards it, the surprised boy let him engulf him in the blissfully soft fabric. It warded off the coldness of the unfriendly hall and softly hugged his frame.

San fluffed up the hood around Wooyoung's shoulders. His black touch was like ink on a blank piece of paper and his horned mask matched the wintry beauty of the long cape.

"Here, take this. It has got cold these past few days. I don't want you to fall sick."

Wooyoung cupped San's hands on his shoulders. When he leaned to touch their noses in a sweet kiss, the cold of the mask was smooth under his skin. A chuckle rumbled in San's chest.

"Thank you for your worry. I'll take care."

They parted and Mingi idled about, pretending he had become one with the vase on the drawer. He presumably stared against a wall in mock nonchalance, but who could tell, with a floating flame?

Wooyoung exited through the main gates after San opened them for him. Their gazes lingered on each other as he set foot on the first crunch of snow after a long time. The unmarred white remembered his imprints to lead his way back to the castle once he returned.

The skies were clear today, and the light filtered through the bare branches. It danced in the snow and made it twinkle. Wooyoung's coat blended in as if he were a creature of the skies come to earth. As he wandered away from the looming giant of stone that perched on the hill like a gargoyle, he felt five pairs of watchful eyes attend to his journey.

Soon, the firs of the forest swallowed him up. Wooyoung snacked on dried fruit on his way to keep his body busy and warm. With San's coat, not a brush of coldness touched his skin. The worn and holey one he usually donned was hidden underneath, an ugly inside to a shining facade.

The winding path took him down to the village. From up the mountain, he could see the huts perched in the valley as if they could store warmth if they huddled closer together. Like tiny, tiny insects, the humans there attended to their daily business and hurried across the streets.

Wooyoung's heart surged in joy as he would soon meddle with them again. He couldn't wait to tell Yeosang his story. Perhaps he would come with him to meet San now that the beast had turned out to be such a polite creature? Nothing would delight Wooyoung more than seeing his two most precious people get along with each other.

With a smile on his face and a bounce in his step, Wooyoung returned home.

Chapter 14: Home

Chapter Text

Wooyoung stepped from the tree line into the golden cast of the sun. Villebête stretched out in front of him and the soft crunch of the snow under his feet alerted the inhabitants of the first few huts he passed. Their whispers were uncontained in the frigid winter air.

"Wooyoung? Is that Wooyoung?"

"He's back? I thought he got eaten by boars."

"No, he got stolen away by pirates, didn't he? He looks healthy, though. Did he escape?"

Despite their bold curiosity, the villagers didn't dare approach him with their questions. They smiled and nodded when he met their eyes; as if he had never left, but as soon as he passed, their voices swelled. The beautiful boy in the expensive coat in their midst looked foreign and no horror story the rumours had conjured matched his appearance.

Unsurprisingly, the first one who parted the crowds of onlookers to investigate the tumult was Yunho. His tall frame easily created a path between the grumbling folk and his two goons supplied the additional space he needed. His mood looked to be sour, but that quickly changed when his eyes recognised the person engulfed in the shining white coat. For the first time since Wooyoung had known him, genuine shock made Yunho's perpetual smug expression slip.

"Wooyoung? Is that you?" He broke formation when he stumbled ahead. His hands warmly found Wooyoung's shoulders, but Wooyoung didn't like what was supposed to be a soothing touch. It seemed to penetrate the coat and invaded his skin like a foreign sickness. It seemed too hot, too unbearable. The weight was all wrong.

"It's me," Wooyoung smiled. He was happy to be back, no matter who greeted him first.

Yunho glanced over his shoulder at the idling villagers.

"Get Yeosang, quickly," he barked before he turned to look at Wooyoung. He studied him from head to toe and his fingers tugged on the coat, expecting it to be flimsy. When he found its quality was authentic, more confusion puzzled his handsome features.

"Where have you been? How did you get your fingers on something like this?" His frown accused Wooyoung of a million things he hadn't done. The boy's smile wavered, but he upheld it for the villagers, as much as his own sanity. He didn't return to fight with Yunho.

"It's a long story. I would like to meet with Yeosang first, then I will explain it to everyone soon."

Yunho nodded curtly.

"I will accompany you." He wrapped an arm around Wooyoung's waist to guide him like a child, but Wooyoung sidestepped him. A murmur went through the crowd. They had been so sure the two most popular youths of the village would end up with each other. No amount of 'no's from Wooyoung's side had ever deterred their opinion.

The coat swished around Wooyoung's legs and its lingering scent of roses in the cold winter air reminded him of San.

"No need. I know the way." Wooyoung strode off before Yunho could regather his hurt pride. He disappeared between the people and the crowd swallowed him.

Thankfully, Yunho didn't follow. He was left in matching bewilderment as the rest of the village as Wooyoung walked the path to his home he had taken so often back then. It felt as if years had passed since his last visit.

As the roof of their shared home appeared among the others, a rush of emotions overcame Wooyoung. How had Yeosang been doing while he had been gone? Had he not gone on his travels as planned? Had he worried about Wooyoung lots?

Guilt gnawed an ugly hole into the boy's heart. He didn't hesitate, ready to apologise as soon as he arrived.

The door was open and two woodchoppers from town supported a wobbly person in their midst who had managed only a few steps outside of the house before his trembling legs had caved underneath him. His haunted eyes were wild as they sought the white landscape for someone, and his usually bouncy blond hair hung into his forehead, grimy and unattractive.

When Wooyoung spotted him, he broke out in a run. The whirl of his coat alerted Yeosang, and he lurched forward, his hand outstretched as if grasping for a mirage.

Wooyoung caught him in time when Yeosang broke to his knees. They fell to the ground together and Wooyoung's coat spread around them like a blanket of snow cascading from his shoulders. In his grip, Yeosang seemed so much paler and thinner than usual.

"Is it truly you? You have returned?" Yeosang's eyes were distrustful, as if he couldn't bear another broken heart if this wasn't reality. Tears filled Wooyoung's sight when his sickly uncle had been so worried for him.

"It is I and I have. I'm so sorry, Yeosang. I wished I could have come sooner." Wooyoung's voice cracked, but Yeosang tugged him into an embrace. His fragile frame squeezed Wooyoung as tightly as he could, and Wooyoung did the same back.

"There is no sooner for you came as quickly as you could. I'm so glad to find you alive," Yeosang wept into his shoulder. He didn't comment on the lively blush of Wooyoung's cheeks or the beautiful coat upon his shoulders. No matter how he appeared, Wooyoung was still the same.

Wooyoung lifted a worried hand to Yeosang's forehead. He found it scorching hot to the touch.

"You're ill. Let's get you inside." He gathered Yeosang from the cold ground and brought him into the house. When a few villagers offered their help, he kindly refused. He was more than enough to take care of Yeosang.

"Will you leave again?" Yeosang muttered in his fever as Wooyoung sat him on their shared nest and gathered the furs around him. He grabbed for the warm cloth someone had left by Yeosang's side and wrung it out in cold water. Yeosang refused to lie down, instead watching Wooyoung propped against the wall. His glassy eyes were shifty.

Wooyoung took off the coat and hung it over a chair. When he rolled up his sleeves to prepare a stew, he fell back into his routine as if he never had been gone.

"Not until you're back to your best health. Were you so worried about me you forgot to eat?"

Yeosang stared at the blankets Wooyoung had swaddled him into.

"I wandered the forests night and day, hoping to find you fled from that place. Perhaps I could have freed you, but I lacked the courage like the coward I am. Yesterday, the others brought me here, afraid I would die if I continued. How did you escape?"

The mention of Yeosang dying sent a stab of dread into Wooyoung's heart. He stirred the pot harder, scrubbing at old blemishes if just to distract himself.

"I didn't escape. It's a long story, but I didn't leave that place in terror."

Awed, Yeosang gazed up at him as he dashed around to chop vegetables and pickled meat to add it to the nourishing meal.

"What did you do, befriend the beast?" Yeosang joked. Wooyoung couldn't help his chuckle.

"Something like that, actually. The beast is no wild creature. He is a cursed prince. His name is San."

For a moment, Yeosang sat in disbelief that he had been right. He wanted to call Wooyoung a moron for deceiving him so, but then he remembered an old story from his childhood.

"Prince San? Like the crown prince of these lands? He once lived in that castle."

"He still does. He got cursed the day the castle was abandoned, and he prevailed in this place. His appearance wards off anyone willing to help, but he opened his heart to me."

Yeosang rubbed his temples. He blinked against his exhaustion, but the deep shadows under his eyes persisted.

"I don't understand... He is the one I saw? The masked shadow?"

"Yes," Wooyoung whispered. He gulped as he recounted San's miserable story, careful not to spring too much information on Yeosang just yet. His mind was still frazzled from the fever and Wooyoung's sudden return.

"He got cursed on the ball for his birthday. The king implored him to seek a match for marriage there. A faery came up to him, wishing to trick him into marriage, but he didn't do as she wished. She cursed him and the entire castle to be unloved. As the country fell into despair, they now fear who was once their prince. He still has a good heart, Yeosang. He is lonely, and the curse has yet to break, but he was so generous to send me here so I could see you. I hope to help him with his predicament."

Yeosang took a while to stomach that information. His thoughts were slow, and he grunted under his breath when Wooyoung's story added up with what he knew.

After a long silence that was filled only with the blubbering of Wooyoung's stew, Yeosang nodded his chin at the snowy cloak.

"He gave this to you?"

Wooyoung couldn't help his smile when he remembered San's tender touch as he had put it around Wooyoung's shoulders.

"He did. He hoped I would return to him soon, and I promised I would. If you know anything about the curse or the faery, please help us out. He scared you; I know that all too well. But all is at ease and I am in the best of health." To show how well he was feeling, Wooyoung spread his arms and presented himself. Yeosang's narrow eyes found no ailments, no matter how hard they searched.

After a long silence, he sighed.

"This is a lot to ask. I love you as if you were my own flesh and blood, but I also swore to protect you from any dangers."

"San isn't dangerous," Wooyoung promised. He scooped the stew into two bowls and sat with Yeosang to eat. No bite passed Wooyoung's tongue until he hadn't watched Yeosang's cracked lips slurp up the first bite. Alleviated, he also tried the food.

"Give me time to think about this. You only just returned and I have yet to recognise you as the same lively boy I knew," Yeosang pleaded.

Wooyoung smiled with all the patience in the world.

"Of course. Take your time and I shan't pressure you to take my side."

"Thank you, Wooyoung. The stew is delicious, by the way. No one does it as you do." With his cheeks full, Yeosang grinned at him. Wooyoung beamed back.

"I'm happy to make it again, then!"

They ate and shared each other's presence after missing each other so dearly. As the sun sank over the horizon and Villebête calmed from its turmoil about Wooyoung's return, a cosy comfort settled over them. Wooyoung was truly home, and even if his scratchy furs didn't compare with the soft blankets of the castle and their meals were meagre in comparison, it was everything he could ever ask for.

As he tended to Yeosang, Wooyoung couldn't tell which one his heart needed more. Its place by San's side, or the familiarity of this house and Yeosang. He missed the beast and his faery flame friends, but once he returned to them, he would also miss Yeosang.

Late in the night, once they had settled down and gazed at the ceiling with sleepy eyes, Yeosang spoke up again. His voice was muffled by all the blankets they used to ward off the coldness that crept through the wooden walls and floor.

"Did the beast treat you well?"

"He did. He needed some straightening from his initial behaviour, but he learned to appreciate me," Wooyoung mumbled back. His lids were heavy and his tongue slurred the words as his attention waned.

Yeosang sounded more awake than earlier.

"Do you love him?"

Wooyoung stayed silent for long enough that he might have fallen asleep. Yet his mind surged with thoughts as his heartbeat quickened in his chest. There was no lie to this question.

"Maybe I do," he admitted. He knew Yeosang would understand. Even if his instincts kept him from San and urged him to protect Wooyoung from the castle and the beast. He knew Wooyoung was sure of it.

As an answer, Yeosang just hummed. He fell quiet after that, and Wooyoung lay awake for a long time as sleep evaded him. In his mind, he was back to the night San, and he had danced, had kissed, and had fallen asleep next to each other. The memories so sweet called him back to the castle.

Yes, perhaps he loved San. And by loving him, Wooyoung wished for nothing more than San's happiness. Even if the curse remained fixed in place, Wooyoung wanted the townsfolk to see San for who he was, and not to fear him. He deserved all that.

Tomorrow, Wooyoung promised himself. Tomorrow he would talk to the people and the day after he would return to the castle, hopefully bearing good news.

Chapter 15: Idling

Chapter Text

Wooyoung spent three days in the village. Under his guiding hands, Yeosang regained his strength and soon, he could walk by himself and his head no longer burnt in a fever. Rapidly, his glee to have Wooyoung back became unrestrained by his health. They visited the market together, discussed Wooyoung's stay at San's castle, and sat in a placid silence while Wooyoung read on the windowsill and Yeosang calculated their finances for the month.

The townsfolk were delighted to have their beloved angel back amongst them. Yunho visited their house every day, imploring about Wooyoung's wellbeing and offering to supply anything he might ask for.

None of what Wooyoung wanted, Yunho could give. His desires were hidden beyond the snowy hills and a towering castle wall. Of course, he didn't tell Yunho that. With his pushes for marriage, he wouldn't take too well to the information that Wooyoung was seeing another man. One he actually liked.

For three days, Wooyoung was back to his routine and the familiarity of his home. He shared his joys with Yeosang and the townsfolk, answered their implores while he helped the elders carry their heavy baskets between the market and their homes, and laughed along with their relief to have him back.

All the more painful would be his parting. This time, he had time to think about what he left behind, and he found it saddening that he had to pick one over the other. Especially since the past had once allowed both to coexist, the curse seemed particularly unfair now.

But he had promised. He wouldn't go back on that.

On the afternoon of the third day, the latest time Wooyoung could draw for his departure, he gazed upon Yeosang with sad eyes. The man still coughed occasionally, and the spasms shook his entire body, but his health glowed in his cheeks. It was as if no medicine, but Wooyoung's return had been the remedy he needed.

Wooyoung was almost miserable to even mention the matter at hand.

"I'll have to leave, Yeosang," he muttered. He had been packing his bag all day, readying his coat and brushing his hair, but Yeosang hadn't found it unusual. Wooyoung's nervous fidgeting hadn't penetrated his bubble of joy. Perhaps he hadn't wanted to see the signs.

Now that he brought it up in a voice so small, however, Yeosang perked up and studied Wooyoung's glum expression.

"Where are you going? Did you forget to buy something earlier?"

As soon as the question left his mouth and Wooyoung shook his head, Yeosang knew the matter wasn't so simple. He lowered the notebook he had been scribbling in and focused on the curled-up form of Wooyoung at the cold window. He was wrapped in a blanket because he hadn't wanted to dirty the precious cloak, but it always sat within reach.

"I promised San to return to him within three days. His loneliness agonises me and I can't bear to be apart from him for long."

Yeosang understood, and yet he wanted to be petulant. He only just got Wooyoung back, why would he have to let him go again?

"When will you come back?"

Once more, Wooyoung shook his head.

"I don't know. He allowed me to leave, so I presume he won't mind me doing it again, but by missing me, he might get possessive. I wish to be with him as much as I want to be with you. I can't tell you either a date or time."

A few moments of silence spread between them. Wooyoung could taste Yeosang's bitter displeasure in the air as if it were an unripe berry on his tongue. For once, he didn't know how to soothe and how to make it better. His decision was selfish.

"Please, just stay until tomorrow, then. I want to eat with you once more. If you leave in the morning, you won't have to wander the woods at night. What if this time, the wolves get to you first? San can't leave the castle to protect you."

Though he was right, Wooyoung knew it was baseless begging. Yeosang simply wanted him to stay and to relish in their minutes with each other. Admittedly, Wooyoung hadn't warmed him up to the thought since he had been too much of a coward to bring it up.

The thought of breaking his promise sat like a stone in his stomach. Yet, what was one night? He would be back almost at the same time he had promised. Who knew if San even counted the night to match the day?

Since Yeosang was so dear to him and Wooyoung admitted to his fault, he conceded.

"Fine. One more night. But tomorrow, I will leave as the sun rises."

"Absolutely!" Yeosang shut the book and stood to set the table. When Wooyoung slipped from the windowsill to get to cooking, they smiled at each other.

Wooyoung had always been glad that Yeosang was the one to bring him up. They understood each other like best friends, over being a parent and a child. Their age was close enough to make it work. He could ask for no better person by his side than Yeosang.

He hoped that one day, Yeosang could forgive himself for the mistake that ended up making Wooyoung the happiest he had ever been in his life. Perhaps one day, Yeosang and San could become friends and be Wooyoung's most important people together. Then he wouldn't have to bear the goodbyes and he could see them laugh together.

With a dreamy sigh, Wooyoung went to join Yeosang at dinner. They made every word count, spent every second relishing each other's company. This was not farewell, but since neither knew when they would see each other again, they made the most of the limited hours they had.

At night, Wooyoung could barely sleep because he was nervous about leaving this place and yet looked forward to meeting San again. When he finally dozed off, it was to vivid dreams of a brilliant ballroom and San with him in there.

Wooyoung hoped to sleep through the entire night since he needed energy for his trip in the morning. Yet a constant rustling and murmuring outside kept him up. When it finally quietened, he fell asleep properly and blissfully, only to be awoken a few minutes later by a harsh knock on the door.

Both men roused to blink at the door with addled minds. Wooyoung was first on his feet and stood to walk over. The night engulfed the house in darkness, and no sign of the sun breached the horizon.

When he opened it, the cold air touched his bare feet. With a shiver, he blinked his bleary eyes at the hurried man on the other side of the door.

"What leads you to visit us so late at night? Did something happen?" Wooyoung demanded to know while behind him, Yeosang slowly stood. He swayed as his exhaustion wore on his fatigued limbs, but came over with the same concern as Wooyoung.

The village lay silent and peaceful. The snow tumbling from the skies cast it in another blanket of hazy sleepiness. No lights lit the windows at this hour.

"An emergency! I am sorry to bother you at this hour, but I couldn't keep my silence!"

Instantly alerted, Wooyoung ushered the man inside. He refused to take a seat and instead wrung his hands as he looked over his shoulders as if haunted by the devil himself. On edge, Wooyoung and Yeosang waited for an explanation.

"I'm not supposed to talk about this, but I couldn't shut my eyes to the truth. Misfortune has befallen Villebête and I couldn't overlook how it rotted from the inside! Last night, Yunho gathered people to accompany him to the castle. He got wind that the beast living there kidnapped you, and he is out to avenge you so that you will finally accept his hand in marriage!"

Wooyoung's stomach lurched. He stumbled away from the door as his shock rendered him useless for a moment far too long. Then he rushed to the back of the hut to gather his clothes.

Yeosang stayed at the door like a tense pillar while Wooyoung slung his coat around his shoulders.

"He plans to kill the beast?"

The man nodded desperately.

"To offer Wooyoung its head as a gift, yes. But I believe this is a bad idea. This place is cursed. There are reasons everyone disappeared seven years ago. I'm afraid Yunho won't come back if you don't stop him. He only listens to you!"

"He better," Wooyoung gritted out between his teeth. He made for the door and Yeosang stepped aside to let him through.

"Will you be able to stop him?" He asked while he hurried to follow him. Wooyoung shoved his feet into his boots and rolled his shoulders under the snowy cape. His hateful determination towards Yunho masked the fear in his heart. What if Yunho actually succeeded? What if San's head would roll and the village would rejoice, not knowing who the one they killed was?

"I have to," Wooyoung said. He ignored the babbles of the one who fetched them in favour of leaving the hut. Yeosang came with him, and together, they left the village behind to run for the hills as fast as their legs would carry them.

With a frown on his face and panic in his step, Wooyoung returned home.

-

What the former prince from the village didn't know was how the beast had gone mad with worry for his being late. He had paced the gardens all day, looking for the one his heart craved for.

He hadn't told Wooyoung, or even his servants, but the hourglass suspended in ice in his room had almost run out of time. Once the last grain ran out, he would die, for the time spent without love and being shunned by all would cause the curse to reap his life. The faery had told him so back when she had cursed him, but he didn't have the courage to think about it for many years. In recent weeks, he faced the ugly truth more and more often. Wooyoung had reminded him of it. On accident at first when he had barged into the sanctuary of the forbidden room, and then time and time again as San wishes so desperately they had met sooner, had more time with each other.

Now that his life was coming to an end, he felt it wear on him. His limbs were lethargic and his sight waned as he gazed at the forest from the gardens, wondering what all those moving blurs of light were.

Hongjoong was by his side and nervously watched the spectacle with him. They had been afraid the woods were burning, but that wasn't the case. A lot of people carrying torches and pitchforks were on their way up the hill.

Wooyoung hadn't come back. San feared they had killed him, for he had stained their precious boy, and now they came for revenge.

He couldn't even tell who the one leading them was, for he felt so sleepy. The snow looked like such a wonderful bed to rest upon.

"Should we hide? If we bar the doors and slip into the shadows, they might think the castle is abandoned," Hongjoong suggested. His thin voice, which was so unlike the boisterous and steady man he had been once, trembled with dread.

San shook his head, and the simple movement almost made him nauseous.

"Wooyoung could arrive at any time. I don't want to shut him out."

He was still waiting. Even if Wooyoung hadn't come as he had promised, San foolishly clung to his hope.

Nervous, Hongjoong drifted left and right. The torches came closer, right towards the castle. From the distance, the aggravated voices of the townsfolk carried their vicious intentions.

"Then let's hide, at least. Wooyoung will know how to find us once they are gone. I can't imagine he is with them."

No, Wooyoung couldn't have betrayed them. The shine in his doe eyes when he had kissed San had been real.

The reminder of those lips and the enticing mole that dotted them to beg for a kiss made San smile.

He didn't want Wooyoung to worry about him. While he deserved the fate of loneliness and being slaughtered for what he had become, Wooyoung had taught him to value himself. At least until he came back, San wanted to wait.

"Yes. Let's hide."

San turned to follow Hongjoong back inside, but he didn't make it so far. He collapsed into the snow on the first step. All sense drifted from him as the earth cradled him in its soothing embrace.

On the snowy night, Hongjoong's agitated calls for his prince were too quiet to reach those who needed to hear.

Chapter 16: Raiding the Castle

Chapter Text

Wooyoung ran through the forest as if chased by the forces of evil. Though what spurred him might be far worse than any devil that could have latched onto him. His fear of what might happen to San if he arrived even a second too late was stifling. It robbed him of the panted breath that escaped his lungs in icy clouds and it had his heart constrict in his chest.

Yeosang was with him, the kindest protector and friend Wooyoung ever had. As they chased between the looming tree trunks and the treacherous thicket, Yeosang didn't doubt for a second whose side he took in this matter that didn't directly concern him.

The crowd of people was far ahead of them. In the time it took the two men to stumble their way through the forest, the angry mob had long since arrived and crowded the castle on the hill with their weapons. The foreboding light of their torches illuminated the night. As if unable to bear the gruesome sight about to unfold at the castle, the stars hid away from it.

Wooyoung willed his legs to run faster. Every bit the snow slowed him seemed enormous, and he wanted to cry because he wouldn't be there on time. Inwardly, he cursed at the entire world in a way he had never done before. He cursed at the townsfolk who so foolishly followed Yunho, cursed Yunho for his selfish arrogance, and cursed himself for not being fast enough.

Behind him, Yeosang panted as he kept up despite his illness. The temperatures wouldn't bode well for his health, but Wooyoung didn't have any room left in his mind to be worried about that. He had to run faster, even faster.

By the time they made it to a clearing at the foot of the hill that cradled the castle, Wooyoung picked up on the noise in the distance. The townsfolk had crowded around the castle as they tried to find a way in. Angry fists hammered at doors and windows, challenging the beast to show its face.

Wooyoung didn't understand why San didn't act. He surely could scare them away with a subtle trick, right? Or had he hidden so they would give up their search? If Wooyoung got there soon, he might be able to convince them that the castle was long abandoned and he had got locked in at his own fault.

However, the wood of the backdoor burst open under the men's brutal hands before he could finish such thoughts. Yunho's triumphant cry echoed through the forest.

"Let's go find the monster! I will have its head!" He called and with him, the cheerful villagers crowded inside.

"No!" Wooyoung yelled, out of breath, but nobody heard him. Their blood lust took every shred of humanity away from them as they followed the warmonger into the castle.

Wooyoung threw a hurried gaze over his shoulder. His feet sunk into the thick layer of snow. Behind him, Yeosang struggled, but he kept up.

"Onwards. So far, nothing is lost," he heaved with red cheeks.

More thankful than he had ever been, Wooyoung pushed ahead and scaled the slippery path up the hill. The trees supported him and launched his step as if they, too, were afraid for San.

The villagers raided the castle without regard for what it was. Even outside, the crashing of furniture and vases could be heard as they shattered everything in their blind rage. Wooyoung flinched at every noise, dreading it might be a scream. He hoped the feux follet had hidden well, and that San kept them safe.

After what felt like an eternity, the agitated duo arrived at the open gates. The cast iron was wrung open and thrown aside as not even an open door had stopped Yunho and his evildoers. Even the snow was muddy from the many feet that had crossed it and Wooyoung slipped twice as he hurried to the broken back door.

The kitchen was a mess. Pots that Jongho had stirred in so passionately were dented and strewn over the floor. The doors had been ripped off their cabinets, and San's expensive dishes that had travelled from a far country to be his present lay shattered across the room.

Tears welled in Wooyoung's eyes as he took in the needless cruelty that befell a place holding his precious memories. He gingerly tiptoed over the debris on his way inside. He would help the feux follet clean up once this terror was over.

Yeosang followed silently. Their steps took them through the dining room, which was in a similar state of chaos. The grand table was broken through the middle and the chairs were shattered from being thrown into walls and trampled over. The combined strength of an angry group of people was devastating.

The vase with dried roses Wooyoung had tended to lay in pieces.

In the entrance hall, they caught up with the angry mob. The people had spread out to search the rooms around the lower floor, while Yunho led a few upstairs to search the corridors. The stables, the foyer, and even the ballroom got invaded by the brutal hands of the fools.

Wooyoung came to stand in their midst and roused his voice.

"Stop this, at once!"

A few faces looked up at him, others hesitated. Then, most ignored him to go back to their investigation. Pain ripped Wooyoung's heart further as the painting of San and his family got thrown from the upper gallery and broke on impact with the ground.

"Yunho!" Wooyoung ran up the stairs, for he knew the only one who could stop this turmoil would be him. The call had him halt where the tall man was about to kick in yet another door. His goons took the job for him and filtered inside. All fabrics and books in their way got torn apart, as if the beast they sought was as tiny as a mouse.

This was not about revenge. It was about the brutal nature of man.

"Wooyoung? Who told you- We are here to avenge you. Find the one who did such bad to you and point it out to us. We will punish the monster."

As he lingered, Wooyoung joined his side. Without Yunho's commando, some destruction slowed. Others, Yeosang had to bodily shove aside so they would stop their abuse.

"Nobody did anything to me! You are destroying an empty castle!"

With a coo, Yunho trailed a hand down Wooyoung's cheek. Wooyoung whipped his head aside, unwilling to be touched by him.

"Look how the evil sullied you. You are talking like a madman. Don't worry, Wooyoung. We will banish the villain that haunts you, and then we will speak our prayers to have you cleansed. I will still marry you, even if your mind is in a disarray. Your face is still beautiful."

Despite Wooyoung's dodges, Yunho stepped in to wrap the arm that held his sword around Wooyoung. He pulled him in to leave a kiss on his forehead, even as Wooyoung struggled against him.

When Yunho loosened his grip, Wooyoung shoved him back. His eyes blazed in a fury no villager had seen of him before.

"That's not true! Leave this place at once, or I am the one who you have to fight to get past!"

Yunho looked at him with pitying eyes. Then he turned around.

"Let's go, everyone. There aren't many places left where the vermin can hide."

Cheers of delight answered him as the people blindly followed along. They shouldered past Wooyoung and Yeosang, uncaring of the way they yanked and tugged at them to hold them back.

As the clamouring lot continued their plundering down the eastern corridor, Yeosang caught up with Wooyoung. His clothes were tattered and torn from some brawl, but his eyes remained on alert.

"What now? How can we stop this madness?"

Wooyoung shook his head, helpless. He wanted to cry, but no tears were adequate for his failure.

"I don't know... He can't leave the castle, I can't protect him. I can only hope he hid in the shadows and they will give up soon."

He glanced over Yeosang's shoulder at the irate crowd. When he spotted Yunho nearing the door to the library, he broke out in a run.

"No, not that place!" He shoved through the townsfolk, clawing and elbowing until they staggered aside. He made it in time to slide between Yunho and the room, as he had just pushed open the door. When he glanced between Wooyoung and the abundance of books behind him, his lips pursed.

"Is this what you wasted your time with while we were worried sick about you? Books?"

With his arms stretched out, Wooyoung stood firmly rooted to the ground.

"If you want to destroy it, you will have to kill me first."

Pale and worried, Yeosang's head floated in the tense crowd.

Yunho shook his head at Wooyoung.

"I should burn this place to the ground. You know reading is a waste of time."

When Wooyoung didn't budge, he sighed. Another glance through the library found it empty of any beasts he could imagine. He beckoned the mob to move on.

"I'll leave it because I don't want you to hate me during our entire marriage. I hope you know it's worthless," Yunho said with his haughty arrogance. His sneer carried on to other townspeople that passed Wooyoung.

Relieved, he dropped his defensive pose. At least one thing precious to both him and San he could protect.

His joy quickly turned into horror when he saw Yunho make for the door to San's room. The forbidden room. The one with the hourglass in ice that seemed to be as important to San as his own beating heart.

"No!" Wooyoung's shrill cry startled the crowd. They recoiled while he broke through. The ones who slickly made for the library got withheld by Yeosang, who had picked up a discarded pitchfork and glowered at everyone who came too close to the door.

Wooyoung once more slid between Yunho and a door. This time, Yunho's impatience distorted his features into an ugly snarl.

"What do you think you can achieve by doing this, Wooyoung? Let me have the beast and we are right out of this grimy place that is so important to you."

When Wooyoung replied, he saw his breath in the air.

"You don't even know what you are searching for! You simply destroy everything of worth. Doesn't my opinion matter to you at all? How can you ever make me happy if this is what you do?"

Impatiently, Yunho nudged his shoulder. It was a warning, not yet force, but Wooyoung stood his ground.

"This is your isolation speaking. The beast cast a spell on you and did horrible things. Its death will free you, I promise. You will thank me." He shoved harder. Wooyoung tumbled into the door, but his eyes clenched shut against the pain of the impact.

"I refuse! You are vile and this will make me hate you more than anything! Enter this room and I won't ever marry you. I will hope you choke on your tongue as you sleep."

Yunho halted. His face was uncaring of the grimace on Wooyoung's face as he rubbed his injured shoulder. Instead, austere curiosity painted it.

"So, you're saying that if I leave this cursed place alone and spare the wretched creature, you will marry me? Willingly?"

Wooyoung came up short. He hesitated, his mouth opening and closing. Should he agree just to appease Yunho's rage? He could still run away.

Though San was here. There was no running away from Yunho beyond this place. And he would do the very thing that Yeosang had done. Only that this time, the one to suffer the fate might be less lucky.

"I..."

"I don't expect you to love me, though I hope you can learn that later on. But I will tend to you and make sure you live a fulfilled life. You will have food and warmth wherever you go. I can even take those wretched books for you if that is what you desire. If you promise me your hand right now, we shall leave and prepare for the ceremony instead."

Wooyoung's stomach coiled at the idea. He wanted to throw up, for Yunho cared so little about him and only wished to buy his hand.

However, if such a promise would save San, Wooyoung would do it. He would rather marry Yunho and live their lives apart in yearning than see San get murdered in cold blood.

He lowered his head, shameful. Throughout the years, he had refused Yunho so proudly. The triumphant grin on his lips now shattered Wooyoung's confidence.

"If that's the case, I will do it. I will marry y-"

Icy hands made of black smoke slid through the door and settled over his mouth. Wooyoung didn't scream, for they were so familiar to him, but his heart jumped into his throat.

"He's mine," said an ominous voice, as a white mask on a formless body appeared from the dark of the doorway.

Someone in the crowd screamed, and the sound carried over. As they stumbled back on reflex, the door creaked open to make way for the towering mass of the beast. Its shadows spread to engulf Wooyoung and dragged him towards it.

"Wooyoung!" Yunho called out. He stretched his hand out, but he was too late. The door closed on him as San took him away. When it fell shut and its lock clicked, the agitated crowd remained outside, unable to get to the one they acted to protect and whom they had just lost to the claws of the beast.

Chapter 17: The Last Crystal

Chapter Text

The joy of their reunion was short-lived. As soon as San had retreated with Wooyoung into the room overgrown with even more ice than last time, his trembling hands lost all tension and fell from the boy. Wooyoung turned, delighted to embrace him and know him safe, but San crumbled under his hands. From one moment to the next, and utterly unlike his prior terrifying presence, he collapsed onto the floor.

Wooyoung fearful cry made the mob outside shiver as they searched for something solid to break down the reinforced door. They were almost afraid to open the room and release the beast.

Uncaring of Yunho's and Yeosang's calls for his name and their hammering on the door, Wooyoung fell to the ground with San. He cradled his head, skimmed his body with frenzied fingers, but he found no ailments. Fear restricted his heart, as the faceless shadow provided him with no peace of mind.

"Are you hurt? San, talk to me!" It was impossible to tell if he was injured or how his expression looked under the mask.

San gave a weak groan. He shook his head, but his hands quivered as they clung to Wooyoung.

"My time... Ran out. Just as they arrived. I waited for you," he whispered.

Not understanding, Wooyoung glanced at the hourglass, the only thing in the castle that could tell the time. He was startled to see it was on its last few grains, and they raced through the glass with dreadful speed.

"No! What time; what happened? I'm so sorry for being late, please forgive me! Tell me what I can do to help! Where are the others?" No matter his terror, San stayed lax. His coldness seemed abnormal, even in the frozen room.

Outside, fists banged against the door. Their calls for Wooyoung's name were shrill in horror.

"The curse... It had a deadline all along. If I didn't find a way to break it in the seven years she gave me, I..." San coughed as if his heart was in pain. His hand clutched at his shadowy chest, and Wooyoung reached for the same spot in panic. Hot tears filled his eyes, as he couldn't reassure his lover.

"I would die. Unloved, unwanted, shunned by my people," San finished with a rattling breath. "I sent the others to hide. I couldn't bear having them see this."

"You won't die! I will save you! See, I'm here, your servants are here, too! People adore you! Please, this breaks the curse, no? Isn't it enough?" Weeping, Wooyoung lifted San's hand to his face. He kissed those icy knuckles, but they didn't warm under his touch.

San chuckled, fond though broken.

"I appreciated your love a lot, though it seems it wasn't what the faery wanted of me. Thank you for being with me, Wooyoung. Thank you for teaching me beautiful things and for showing me how bright life could be."

"No, no!" Wooyoung called in a mantra. His desperate hands grasped at San, but they slid through him as if through pure smoke. The beast lost its shape as the curse lifted with its life force.

"No, I won't allow it! I will hold you back! I will find that faery and drag her here to stop it; you just need to hold out!"

San's hands that reached for him were delicate, though they didn't tremble. He was at peace, as he soothed Wooyoung even in his dying moments.

"You are so kind, Wooyoung. My knight in shining armour, isn't it? You would have made a better prince than I. Just and loving to those around him." Another cough shook him up and Wooyoung's tears dripped into the mass of black that he was.

The ice in the room creaked as it took over even the last corner. Faster than a shooting star, the grains of San's life flew away as if glad to end it finally.

"I was a prince once. I wasn't enough for the folk to wait for me and serve me, so they killed my father and threw me out. Ever since then, I grew up with Yeosang. I brought him along; he is outside, waiting to meet you and make up for what happened. There is so much to tell. Please. Please don't go," Wooyoung sobbed. More and more tears fell and turned into ice as San's body didn't offer any resistance.

The shadow in Wooyoung's lap hummed in awe.

"My prettiest Wooyoung was a prince, who would have thought... I knew the castle suited you." He broke off in a heaving breath. Wooyoung lurched over him, cradling what he could with desperate hands.

"Take care. I would have wished to marry you and live my remaining life happily, but I don't get such joy. You were the best thing that ever happened to me. Please tell my friends that I am sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" Wooyoung cried. "What about me? You can't leave me!"

San took another shuddering breath. The last ice crystals passed through the hourglass to tumble with the rest.

"Farewell, Wooyoung."

As the sands of time stilled, San's heartbeat did, too. Unmoving and still as ice, his form lay on the ground. No more shadows wavered, no more red fire burnt in his eyes. The space behind his mask was empty.

A violent sob wrenched from Wooyoung's throat. He threw his body over San's, and his tears wouldn't stop flowing. No words came from him as he cried for his lost love. The ice seemed to have seized his heart as well and encased it in a crushing grip.

Behind him, the door broke open and Yunho tumbled through. For only a moment, the peculiar room stunned him. Then, he found the pair on the floor.

"Get away from Wooyoung, monster!" He lunged forward, sword in hand, to stab at the dead beast. Behind him, four confused orbs spread out through the room, fearful and full of panic for their dying prince.

Before Wooyoung could throw his body over San's and protect his remains with his life, Yunho's blade slid off an invisible force. He lost his balance and slipped on the ice. When he crashed, the sword skittered away from him.

Unsure of what had happened, the other villagers stood at the door and observed the situation.

A female voice, sweet like the trickle of a rivulet and refined like the noise of a bell, sounded in the air.

"What is it that my eyes see? The beast has fallen?"

Wooyoung sniffed and turned his blotchy eyes to the room. In the air, cast in a shimmer of shining purple glitter, a light had appeared. It was similar to the feux follet, only that it wasn't shaped like a flame. As Wooyoung blinked his blurry eyes at it, it stretched out and gained shape.

A woman appeared before them. A woman with luscious brown locks that hugged her frame, as did her filigree garment of purple material. Silver jewellery adorned her clothes and her skin seemed to glitter with the same hues.

Her eyes were like a storm as they found Wooyoung's sunken form. When she neared, her bare feet floated a few centimetres over the chilling ice.

There was no need to ask who she was. Wooyoung's heart was too torn to hate her. Now, everything was too late.

The feux follet shivered in a corner. Their tears were quieter as they wept for San and for their fear of the one who had joined their midst. After all these years, she had come when all hope was lost.

The elegant woman crouched and reached her hand out for San. Her lips turned downward with her frown.

"You found someone who loves you so dearly. I had expected you to die alone, hated by all for the monster you became," she mumbled.

Wooyoung hiccoughed, but he had no words to correct her. Her magical glow robbed him of his voice.

When her eyes lifted to Wooyoung, he felt as if the world stopped and only the two of them still existed. He wanted to do everything for her, wanted to serve her, wanted to follow her into the darkest depths.

How in the world could anyone refuse her every wish?

She understood his trance and smiled. A glorious smile that brightened his bleak world.

"Do you wish him to return to you?"

If Wooyoung loved San any less, he would have refused. He would have professed his love for the faery and asked her to stay by her side forever.

However, since the one he yearned for was here with him, he nodded.

"Nothing more than that," he whispered.

The faery lifted her profound gaze from him. Wooyoung took a shuddering breath as the spell broke.

"You proved yourself worthy, Prince San. I will lift the curse I put on you, for I wish you find happiness with this sweet boy here. May you have learned from your mistakes, and may you not love light-heartedly again."

When her fingertip touched San's mask, the object disappeared. It broke into tiny pieces that then evaporated into the air as if they had never been real.

And with it, evaporated the curse that kept San's demonic appearance. The shadows lifted from him to flee with the retreating ice. They made way for lean limbs, shaped with muscle and smooth to the touch. The body underneath was barefoot, but donned the black pants and white frilly shirt customary to a simple nobleman.

Gasps sounded behind Wooyoung when San's face developed from the shadows. A face so beautiful Wooyoung wanted to cry. Plush lips pouted in death and his chiselled jaw and cheeks were like those of a statue come to life. Long lashes fanned over his cheeks to match his inky black hair.

As the faery rose, the hourglass also disintegrated. The moment it disappeared, San's eyes opened, and he took a shuddering breath.

Wooyoung surged into him like an avalanche. He engulfed San in his arms, hugging him as tightly as possible. This time, his body was warm. This time, his heart beat like that of a human would.

And like all the other times, his fingers instinctively reached to hold Wooyoung, as well.

No sound escaped San's lips as he gazed upon the faery. His wide eyes were marred with his fear of her, as he had not yet understood what he had become.

"Continue your life with this boy by your side and find your happiness," she smiled at him. All malice was gone, as he had learned the lesson she sought to teach.

When she turned to Yunho and the villagers, they surged in fear but calmed as her spell wove them in.

"You are looking at your former Crown Prince San, the new king of this country. Serve him well, for he is the best that could happen to you lot. You four, too."

In stunned silence, they watched as the faery vanished. Yunho stood from his corner in the now empty room, but he didn't pick his sword up. Next to him, four flames had become men again, and they turned their hands with awe, as they couldn't believe they were back to normal.

Wooyoung sobbed into San's neck, but it wasn't out of pain. His heart surged with joy so undulated he felt he would come apart at the seams.

San cradled him tightly in his arms. His grip offered all the reassurance of his liveliness that Wooyoung needed.

"What happened?" The prince mumbled. His voice was muffled by Wooyoung's shoulder.

Wooyoung surged back to cup his gorgeous face with his hands. The tracks of his tears got refreshed time and time again, as he couldn't stop them. He smiled, brighter and happier than ever before.

"She released you from your curse because I love you. Because you love me. She knew you deserved another chance," he wept.

San gazed at him with big, owlish eyes. Their brown was gentle and warm, so unlike the irate flames he had carried so far. After a moment of stunned silence, he cleared his throat.

"Way to ruin my confession..."

Wooyoung tugged him in to kiss him and they were laughing instead of kissing, but then they kissed again and melted into each other.

As the onlookers witnessed the miracle, they couldn't deny the truth they had found. Their prince was the one they mistook for a monster, and he returned to them under the guiding hand of a faery.

With Wooyoung by his side, he was complete, and no ruler was better determined for this country.

Chapter 18: Return of the King

Chapter Text

Wooyoung helped San to his feet and dusted off the remnants of dirt that stuck to the back of his shirt and pants. His eyes wouldn't stop glowing as he drank up the sight of the prince, who was much more handsome than anything could have ever prepared Wooyoung for. He loved San no matter how he looked, but this new charm made Wooyoung's knees weak in an entirely new way.

San had yet to re-accustom to his human appearance. He kept eyeing his hands as if confused about where their black smoke had gone. His touch to Wooyoung's skin felt different now, warmer, less drastic. Both of them had a lot to get used to.

For now, however, San had to deal with the sobbing forms of his four servants, who jumped him as soon as they saw he was safe and back to normal. Their limbs became a tangle when they poured over their prince like a wave. San's delighted giggle drowned in their combined onslaught and Wooyoung's heart surged when he caught a glimpse of dimples and a sunny grin so unlike the shadow San had become for the past years.

"We were so worried," cried a certain pink-haired man who had to be Seonghwa. His features were gentle and mature, though his crying face looked like that of a baby.

San ruffled his hair and held the other big crybaby with the head of red tightly pressed to his body with his free arm. Mingi's voice was deep in this version of himself, much deeper.

Next to them stood a man with nerdy, round golden glasses and crossed arms. His behaviour was standoffish, but his smile bordered on the fondness a father would have over his child he watched grow up. That had to be Hongjoong.

Jongho was the last one to hug San, and his broad frame almost stifled the prince. When San laughed and hugged him back, his shirt pinched around his narrow waist and accentuated his trained body.

"I'm so glad to see you all back. I was almost afraid your curse was permanent, as another jab of fate." San stepped back from them and patted their shoulders. Seonghwa wiped his tears on his hands until Hongjoong stepped in to whip a handkerchief at his chest standoffishly. With a sob of 'thanks', Seonghwa cleared his face of fluids. Hongjoong rolled his eyes.

"You say that as if we didn't have to see you die, rascal. How dare you not mention that your time was running out? Did you have to be so cruel towards us, and Wooyoung?" Jongho scolded him. His gloom was back after the initial relief. He had lost no time getting used to his human limbs. Already he stood like a wall, ready to stay strong against any of San's excuses.

Mingi cursed under his breath when he failed at floating and bumped into Seonghwa. With an apology on his lips, Seonghwa also failed at floating and tripped over a loose rock on the ground.

They would need time. Seven years as a shapeless orb was an eternity.

"I didn't want you to overdo it. If I told you, the wait until then would have been unbearable. I'm sorry, Wooyoung. I didn't want to hurt your heart so." When San reached for him, Wooyoung stepped into his embrace. The proximity to this handsome of a man made him shy. San's voice was sweet like honey, and his grin was ever so charming. Wooyoung couldn't believe that this was the same person he had met cast in smoke and a horned mask.

"You mended it, so I won't complain. I'm grateful the faery gave you another chance. And your friends, too." Wooyoung smiled at them all, and Seonghwa beamed back. Hongjoong almost forgot to look mad.

"I feel the same. My relief to be holding you with these human arms is beyond anything I could have hoped to wish for. If I can make up for my lie in any way, let me know."

"We'll talk about it later," Hongjoong said. His frosty voice had forgotten his anger already. When he beckoned his chin at the assembled people, Wooyoung's attention fell on Yunho. He stood in the same room as them, but he had frozen like an icicle growing from the ground. "First, we should attend to this mess."

San nodded and let go of Wooyoung, but not entirely. Their hands were still intertwined, and Wooyoung relished in the warmth of San's skin in awe. From the side, his profile was even more striking.

"My apologies for the shock you had to live through tonight. Your timing was most unfortunate and I apologise for that. Same as with my friends, there was no way to inform you of my circ*mstances in an adequate manner."

The humble townsfolk stood in a trance as if they had become stone. In their stead, Yunho talked.

The first syllable from his mouth made Wooyoung's hackles rise, and he feared another attack. When Yunho's voice came out broken in disbelief, he was astonished.

"My prince is this.... Is this really you? Are my eyes deceiving me?"

A thin smile played around San's lips, though it was still shadowed by his displeasure at what Yunho had done. Both to the castle and to Wooyoung. He had heard every word spoken between the two while inside the castle, and he was irritated that Yunho attempted to corner the one his heart was promised to.

"I'm afraid they deceived you for seven years, but now, they speak the truth. I was the one you haunted as a monster. The faery's curse rendered me a useless ruler, unloved and unseen for who I was. Wooyoung found me out only because he scarcely knew about me."

Yunho dropped to his knees. His bottom lip trembled as he gazed upon San's regal form with the awe of a worshipper.

"I... What have I done? All those years... And now, even him. The one you adore."

"My infatuation with Wooyoung is quite recent. I'm sure you knew him longer than I did. Your mistakes are grave but not dishonourable. In your protective way, you did what you deemed right. I don't shun you, Yunho. Time wore on you the same as I, but I still see the young knight I grew up with. If you wish to return to me, I will happily receive you."

The grace that radiated off San was almost too much for Wooyoung to bear. He wanted to tackle the man with kisses and get to know his face all anew, but he had to wait. He wasn't the only one scared for his prince. The rest of the town met him again after seven long years.

As he stood by San's side and marvelled in silence about what had become of the man and how smoothly he handled the situation despite the recent events, Wooyoung relished in their togetherness. In San's liveliness. The rest, San would manage by himself. He was more than able to.

Yunho swallowed heavily as San's goodwill shone on him like the rays of warm sun after a long winter.

"In that case, I... If you will have me, I would like to return. This time, I will protect you against magical evils as well, and no matter what happens, I won't doubt you. I will stay by your side." He pressed his forehead to the ground, a sight of utter submission.

Never in his life, Wooyoung would have expected to see tall and prideful Yunho like this. With his vulnerable core laid bare, he became an entirely different man. A man from the past. A better man.

San crouched to put his hand on Yunho's shoulder. He picked the man up as they stood and smiled his brilliant smile that took everyone's breaths away and that was the same one they had missed so much over the years. Though in disbelief, it reminded everyone that their prince had returned.

"Of course, Yunho. It will take us some time to return to normalcy here, but your place by my side waits to be filled. I hope you will use your influence over the people for good from now on," San said. Proud of his forgiving side, Wooyoung also let go of the lingering ire for Yunho. Mistakes were meant to be forgiven. As Yeosang had said, and as Yunho just proved, he was a different man under all that bitterness and arrogance. Now that those flaked off, someone worthy shone through.

Yunho nodded hastily. When he stumbled back from San, his eyes were glued to the prince as if to the brightest star in the sky.

Wooyoung knew that feeling all too well.

San's hand entangled with Wooyoung's once more as he turned to the crowd of people lingering in the door. All of them had lowered their weapons, and some had lifted their hats off their heads to cradle them in reverence. They had become witnesses to the magic that took place here today, and they wouldn't doubt San ever again.

"I would like you to spread the merry news of my return. While I tend to the castle and restore it to a place that can be ruled in, I would like for the news to spread through the lands. Hopefully, we can all gather so that I may speak to the people and explain my prolonged absence."

Someone at the front nodded hastily, and the rest fell in. This country needed a king, even more so one whom they knew to be trustworthy. As their fallen hero resurrected, they didn't ask twice.

"The local priest can crown you. I will have a meeting arranged so you may claim your throne as soon as possible," Hongjoong piped up.

San nodded at him.

"If anyone is willing to consider work here, especially now that so many reparations to the castle are needed, I will gladly receive them. The treasure chamber is full, so you shall be richly rewarded."

More enthusiastic nods crossed the crowd. A few already lifted their hands to offer their strength. San kindly redirected them to Seonghwa, who hastily pushed his hair back to slip back into his role. While he took care of that, most townsfolk filtered away to do their other task of spreading the word. On their way out, they awkwardly picked up vases and picture frames they had knocked over.

Outside in the corridor, Jongho looked between the couple and Mingi, who had begun cleaning up already. His fingers twitched on his broad biceps.

"This seems to me like a feast is in order. It feels as if seven years have passed since I last ate. Or cooked with my hands. I will be so much faster now."

San snickered at him.

"I know the feeling, my loyal friend."

"I want to help," Wooyoung declared with a bounce. He wanted to see everyone eat a delicious meal and introduce Yeosang - who helped Mingi with a few muttered words of getting along - to San. Finally, the time had come to make this castle shine.

Jongho smiled a gummy smile that left no doubt about who was the youngest in the lot. When he turned on his heel, Wooyoung was about to spring after him, but San's finger locked with his to hold him back.

"Not so hasty, eager one. Go ahead, Jongho. He will join you in a minute. Maybe a few."

The cook rolled his eyes at them but dutifully took off. In shy curiosity, Wooyoung remained by San's side.

"What else is there to do?"

San beckoned to the open door behind him, and Wooyoung gladly followed him back inside. When the door clicked shut once they had entered, Wooyoung's attention fell to his handsome lover.

"How can I let you spring off without demanding another kiss? It feels as if I missed you for longer than I have been cursed."

Wooyoung giggled but readily stepped in when San's hands found his waist. Their warmth was still astonishing to both of them and made him squirm unexpectedly more than his cold touch.

"A lot happened within so few hours. I believed I had lost you. For being selfish, too. I'm sorry for not keeping my promise. It almost cost me everything."

With a gentle bump, their foreheads pressed to each other. Wooyoung's hands cradled San's face, explored its structure and shapes now that it wasn't shrouded in darkness anymore.

"I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere," San promised. His warm breath caressed Wooyoung's lips, and he shuddered in anticipation about kissing this version of San. The mask had fallen, the veil lifted. While he had kissed a shell around him before, this one was the man behind it.

"I feel like this is our first kiss all over again," Wooyoung confessed his shyness. San's smirk was much too attractive for him to bear, but it carried a softness he showed for no one but Wooyoung.

"I vow that a kiss at regular temperature is much more pleasant than when one party is cold as a corpse. Much more intense." He breathed the last word against Wooyoung's lips and the boy shuddered in his hold. Determined, he wrapped his arms around San's neck.

"Show me," he whispered back.

"Gladly."

San's lips captured Wooyoung's in a kiss so sweet that Wooyoung felt he could never get enough of it. The warm, human mouth on his sent sparks of electricity through the other boy and made his head spin.

He clung to San, in that dreadful room that had once counted the time to his death. They kissed as if there was no tomorrow and as if San's hunger for him could never be sated.

What was left was only warmth, and a tingling feeling in Wooyoung's entire body that he never wanted to miss again.

Chapter 19: A Fresh Start

Chapter Text

The palace bustled with life as it had never done before. New staff wandered the scenes and tended to the gardens, the rooms, and the broken walls. They were led around in small groups by the original servants, who explained the tasks and intricacies of the job. Scholars had travelled from far lands to discuss the history of the past few years with Hongjoong, and nobles from the surrounding dukedoms came to greet their new king and establish favourable relationships.

San was swept up by his duties as a king at any hour of the day. He exchanged letters with other kingdoms to seek allies and diplomacies, discussed the economics and the military strength that was left to the shattered fragments of his country. Slowly, he pieced them all back together.

Wooyoung watched him from the distance. His pride for the reborn king was immeasurable, and he praised him every evening when San dropped into bed by his side and curled up in gratification. When he needed time to unwind, Wooyoung was there for him, holding and kissing him, and promising that all of San's hard work would be worth it.

The local folks were overjoyed to have their king back. A few days ago, he visited Villebête and held a long speech in the marketplace. He explained his curse and admitted his fault for it, but he also stressed how favourably his loyal friends, including Wooyoung, tended to him, and how he appreciated being able to return. The townsfolk promised their help in getting the castle back to its former prestige, and they apologised for their ignorance over the past years. San forgave them easily. They all had made mistakes, and he wanted to establish a new foundation for helping each other.

All the while, as he greeted the townsfolk and laughed with the elders who still recognised the bratty boy in him, Yunho stood behind him, silent and resilient in his regained guarding function.

With spring came the fresh wind of the castle. San got crowned during the first warm days. Snowdrops and purple tulips accompanied his path as he walked through the town in a procession. The sun kissed his honeyed skin and the brilliance of his uniform, and Wooyoung was utterly in love.

By the time the winds got so warm that the windows of the castle were constantly open to let them in and ward off the lingering shadows, the castle was repaired. Lush rose bushes bloomed in the gardens and climbed up the fixed gates. Wooyoung wandered the clean carpets of the castle with bare feet and enjoyed the breeze in his hair and shirt.

As the official paperwork gradually got resolved, San found more opportunities to slip away from his duties. Today, too, he came from his study to join Wooyoung in the library. He found his lover seated in the cosy reading corner in the window's alcove and cast in light as he flicked through his pages.

The sound of a door diverted Wooyoung's attention. The castle wasn't as quiet as it had been when a shadow and four tiny orbs had lived in it. Yet, he recognised the pattern of San's steps anywhere.

"Ditching your duties, my king?" He asked with a teasing tilt. Once his bookmark was tucked between the pages, he stood to join the man at the door. While inside, San didn't wear his smaller, obligatory crown. He still had to get used to the constant weight on his head.

"Hongjoong kept discussing sea trade with me as if we didn't install Yeosang for that. The man is obsessed with the ocean." San rolled his eyes as he offered Wooyoung his arm. Tucked side by side, they walked down the corridor to their shared chambers so Wooyoung could drop off his book.

"Careful, or he might run away to it."

They snickered. Wooyoung nodded back politely at the servants that bowed their heads at the passing king. San took the greetings with grace.

"Is Yeosang doing well? I barely see him these days." Wooyoung set his book on the drawer next to the door and accompanied San down the stairs. The king made for the back door that had become such a scenic spot in the castle, for the freshly painted, new wood contrasted with the ancient stone walls in a way so amusing.

"He is made for the job and he is happy that his journeys gain the financial support he needed. He asked me just yesterday during dinner whether he could deploy on another expedition soon."

Wooyoung pouted.

"So that was why you were so late. No inviting me? Back in the day, he only told me about his adventures," he sulked. San charmingly led him through the lush alleys of rose bushes. They waved at Mingi in the distance, where the man sat in a tree to string up a lantern to light the path he created of stones.

"It came up during a private matter we discussed. He is the closest to a father you have, so there are things I had to ask him about before I could continue our relationship."

"Such as?"

"Asking for your hand in marriage. This time, with conviction."

Wooyoung blushed to the tips of his ears and hung his head to hide it. It was no secret that their relationship took that course, and most townsfolk readily expected the merry news to be made public soon.

Neither San nor Wooyoung needed to doubt it any longer, either. They hoped to be married by the end of spring.

Though Wooyoung felt anything but ready to take a royal position by San's side, no matter how swept up he got in palace business. His ease to accustom to them was in his blood.

"Did he have any complaints to make?"

"He looked at me with enormous eyes, saying I have to discuss that with you. We laughed about it."

Wooyoung trailed his eyes over the multi-coloured roses that brought life to the garden with their sprouting blossoms. Personally, he liked the orange ones most. San liked them red, as his eyes had been back in his alternative form. Together, they created the charming fire on the horizon during sunrise.

"If you have any doubts about it, you must tell me, too. I will leave any arrangements you wish to make to you."

Wooyoung thought about it for a while. He was happy as he was right now, but marrying San would seal their bond in such an intimate way. No more playing around, no more dodging Yunho's proposals. They belonged only to each other.

"I don't have many demands to make. I only wish for our friends to be there and for it to be a joyous time."

They passed Mingi and stopped for a brief chat. The man animatedly told them about the butterflies in the garden that he hadn't seen in the past seven years. Sharing his excitement, Wooyoung promised to look out for them as they continued their walk. Their lime green and specked brown wings carried them from flower to flower.

"The day I almost died, you told me you were once a prince. I didn't forget about that. As I was preparing to announce you as my fellow ruler, I wondered if you would want to retake the lands that have been stolen from you? Your royal lineage would find many followers there, and we could join our kingdoms and rule together, so you wouldn't be lost all alone. It would be both a political and territorial safety."

After a moment of consideration, Wooyoung shook his head.

"I don't want a war, or people to hunt me for being the last remaining heir. The royal duties I gain through marriage to you are more than enough for me."

They tucked away behind a tree that flashed in the first bright greens. Wooyoung leaned against its trunk and gazed up at San's handsome features with love in his eyes.

"It's stressful; that much comes without a doubt. But even by my side. If you ever need a break, my advisors and I will take the workload off you. I know you are willing to help and socialise, but if you so chose, you could spend all day in my chambers, reading and letting me treat you." Between them, their fingers idly tangled.

Wooyoung bit his lip as his gaze trailed down San's form. His broad shoulders, the small waist, his strong arms and legs. He had many hobbies that trained him. Fencing, horse riding, archery... As a human, San had more talents than Wooyoung had fingers.

"That can't be all. If I lived in your room and let myself be worshipped like a goddess, I would need to repay you differently. What are you imagining, my king?"

San stepped closer to crowd their bodies together. His hair tickled Wooyoung's ear as he spoke against his neck. Soft kisses trailed over his skin between his words.

"None that I can name out in the open. Those would be very private matters that may only stay in the bedroom," he promised. A zap of yearning shot through Wooyoung, for they hadn't been that close so far. The most they had done was some prolonged kissing sessions that ended in San's gentlemanly retreat whenever he felt his body's desire became too apparent. Wooyoung wasn't exactly impatient since he didn't want to push San, but he wished they would move forward into that exciting unfamiliar territory soon.

"You will have to teach me in due time. I wish to reward my hard-working husband as he deserves," Wooyoung lured. He turned his head to nibble at the lobe of San's ear and relished in the soft sigh that came from the man. A soft kiss on his cheek came in response and sent a rush of butterflies from the gardens straight through Wooyoung's stomach.

When San straightened and took his heat away, Wooyoung's pout drew a smile from his lips. Their hands found each other once more.

"On our wedding night," San promised. "I won't lay a hand on you before I can't call you mine as written by law. I learned not to go light-heartedly about my promises."

The vow that was so near and so precise sent a rush of excitement through Wooyoung. How would he be able to concentrate on preparations, knowing that was what San planned for them that night? When he finally got to hold the gorgeous man that San was?

They picked up their walk, and Wooyoung swung their hands between them. From time to time, San glanced down at them with a fond smile.

"So, when will we marry?"

"Impatient, are we?" San laughed, but Wooyoung nudged him, not angry. If anything, it flattered San that Wooyoung was so affectionate and willing to be close to him. Handing himself over to San, who would receive such a kind and beautiful spouse.

"I can have Seonghwa organise everything within a few weeks. My regency is still fresh, so we need not visit the entire country as a newlywed pair. We can send word via letter instead. We can marry here and you can pick whatever you want. Flowers, clothes, food. Perhaps I find the time to steal you away and have a honeymoon. Otherwise, we will take a few days off just for each other. I will properly honour you."

Wooyoung's heart bloomed in his chest like the roses lining their path. He imagined all the pretty things they could do. A ball, a banquet, a celebration with all their dear friends.

"All I wish for is to be yours and for you to be mine," Wooyoung said in the end. He smiled when San halted to embrace him. Uncaring of the curious eyes in and around the castle, they hugged in the dewy glow of the gardens in the evening.

When they parted from their heartfelt hug, San held him closer. Instead of their hands or arms linking, he wrapped his arm around Wooyoung's waist to hold his body possessively. Wooyoung loved the feeling.

"The same goes for me. At the end of the day, as long as you are there and you agree to our vows, I am the happiest man I could ever be," San swore. The new guards at the main door opened it for them when they made their way back inside. The foyer greeted them with its new glory. Its new chandelier on the ceiling had been lit and its glow broke on the windows to cast geometric patterns on the floor. Flowers and wall carpets lined the bleak walls to create a homey atmosphere.

"Though now I must wonder. Should I invite the faery? She was part of this happening, however villainous her role was at the beginning. What if she curses us once more because we didn't invite her?"

Wooyoung had to laugh about the paranoia in San's voice.

"Let's send an invitation her way if we can find her. And if she curses us, at least we will be together this time," he soothed the nervous king.

Affection glowed in San's eyes as he nodded.

"Let's do that. And get married as soon as possible, so I may be yours."

"And I yours."

Chapter 20: The Royal Wedding

Chapter Text

The royal wedding attracted visitors from far and wide. They came to attend the union of the new king of the country and his infamous lover, whose kindness and love had freed him from the clutches of an evil curse. Everyone who had met Wooyoung spoke of him only with the most awe. People came to bask in his kindness and brought him gifts to complement his grace.

The day of the wedding, Wooyoung felt none of such grace. He was a nervous wreck, despite all the preparations he and Seonghwa had taken care of in the weeks leading up to this. So far, everything was somewhat in place, but he feared things would break apart any second. As if a single string connected an immense pile of barrels, as well as his sanity, and it was ready to snap.

For the ceremony, Wooyoung wore a white uniform similar to the one he had worn the evening of the ball he and San had shared their first kiss during. San would wear black and gold, a royal outfit suiting his stance.

Since the palace staff and his lover continuously treated him as the prince Wooyoung had long since forgotten to be, Wooyoung was unprepared for the whispered rumours he heard of the wedding guests outside of his window all day. Their astonishment for a king to marry a commoner - especially one of such questionable origins as Wooyoung - was the most-discussed matter that day. While Seonghwa stood behind him and adjusted Wooyoung's collar and his cape, he hummed at him not to mind the rumours. They would spread no matter who he was.

Yeosang was in the same room since he would walk Wooyoung down the aisle and he couldn't stop breaking out into random fits of crying. He had wiped his eyes an infinite times already, but the tears kept reappearing whenever he remembered that his small Wooyoung was growing up.

Watching him fondly through the mirror, Wooyoung's eyes matched that suspicious wetness.

"Come on, Yeosang. It's not as if I'm leaving. We will see each other all the time, right here. You know I won't shun you or forget what you did for me."

"I know," Yeosang sniffled and blew his nose once more. The skin around it had become red and sensitive by now. "But still. I feel you barely just joined me here and now I am giving you away to another man. Though he is a good man. The best of the kingdom, more or less." He started crying again and Wooyoung gave a helpless chuckle. Behind him, Seonghwa finished and stepped back from him.

"Drink something, you need to make up for your loss of fluids," he advised Yeosang. It was an age-old trick. Giving an upset child something to drink since they couldn't cry and drink at the same time.

Wooyoung snickered into his frilly sleeve.

It worked, and Yeosang recovered. When he breathed deeply and stood, Wooyoung rose with him.

"Are we ready?"

Yeosang was the one who had to give a shaky nod. He offered Wooyoung his arm, and they walked side by side as Seonghwa pushed the doors open for them.

Originally, they had planned to marry in the cosy church of Villebête, but San felt that was an insult to the faery, who had replied to their invitation and promised to join the memorable occasion. Instead, the town priest had scaled the mountains to wed them in the ballroom, where days upon days of preparation had turned the grand hall into a dreamy wedding venue.

Countless roses from all across the country decorated the walls and ceiling. They suited all their favourite colours, and the former feux follet wore ones matching their spiritual appearances. They had organised benches for the guests to sit on, and they bustled with men and women in fancy garments. The places at the front were reserved for Yeosang, the servants, and the faery, who had arrived with an elaborate gown that seemed to be woven of a spider's silk.

San waited for Wooyoung at the altar they had erected under the priest's guidance. More roses and a sweet gateway of it awaited them. By San's side stood only Hongjoong, and he cradled the pillow with their two rings.

In a few days, Wooyoung would also get crowned, and in a copy of this ceremony, Hongjoong would carry a crown for him, but he didn't worry about that yet. Now, only San and the warm glow of his eyes mattered.

Yeosang sniffled discreetly as he led Wooyoung past the smiling guests. He took San's hand to join it with Wooyoung's and stepped aside to take his seat once everything was prepared.

With his heart beating like a horse's gallop, Wooyoung stood by San's side. The priest was a kind old man, who had already been in his position when San had still been a young boy. He had expressed his utter delight at getting to officiate his wedding ceremony.

Wooyoung almost forgot his lines, he was that nervous. He had planned to adorn his words with pretty garments and make them more magical, but his tongue failed him beyond the bare minimum. He stuttered and fumbled. Yet, the warmth of San's eyes encouraged him that no matter the result, his effort came across.

San spoke fluidly like a river and with the grace of a flower. His words set off a rush of emotions in Wooyoung's chest, for their promises to honour each other were so simple, but no one had ever said them with as much adoration as San had. He would love Wooyoung, until death and beyond, and Wooyoung couldn't wait to give the same back to him.

When it was time for the talking to end, San reached for their rings. They were golden, made specifically for them by the best goldsmith of the kingdom. Their clear gems were made of the same material that the frozen crystals of San's hourglass had been. The faery had enchanted them specifically for the two to wear and cherish.

Once the rings were slipped to each other's fingers to symbolise their bond forever, the priest gazed at them with kind eyes.

"You may now kiss your spouse," he allowed, signalling the end of the scary part.

With a sigh of relief, Wooyoung sunk into San's arms. Their lips met in a touch of promise, and they smiled through it as the cheers of the room swallowed their whispered 'I love you's against each other's mouths.

As the formalities were over, it was their time to celebrate and be celebrated. Everyone in the room wanted to congratulate the couple, and the two mingled, though they never let go of each other's hands. Only to eat the cake Jongho praised with countless poems, they parted. And so Wooyoung could hand Yeosang yet another handkerchief.

One by one, they received the well-wishes for prosperity and health from their guests. Wooyoung was exhausted, but glowed with happiness by the time the crowd thinned around them to enjoy the rest of the evening and the food.

The faery was the last one to approach them. No hostility lay in her step as she joined the royal couple.

"I, too, extend my best wishes for your future together. You came a far way until here. I sincerely wish no more misfortune to come your way, for you suffered so."

San was on edge around her, but Wooyoung smiled charmingly. Nothing made this evening more perfect than enjoying it, no matter who they faced.

"Thank you for coming, and for burying this old grudge. If not for you, I would have lost him."

She nodded her head gracefully.

"Thank me not for I made your joining so painful, though it would not have happened if not for my curse. If you ever need my help, seek me out. You proved worthy of goodwill."

Wooyoung thanked her once more, and she floated off. She didn't stay for long, since the humans and especially the priest observed her with wary eyes. Yet, Wooyoung was glad they had brought her along.

It was time for dance after that. San and Wooyoung led the first one, and Wooyoung's impeccable form got him awed murmurs from left and right as he matched San. Their eyes never left each other during the entire first dance, as Wooyoung drank up the beauty of his husband and the other way around. They shared all their affections without a single word spoken, and everyone in the room knew of their infatuation that went way beyond any political marriage could have ever been.

After their dance, more couples joined. They relished in the roundelays and twirls of gorgeous dresses and graceful laughter for hours upon hours.

Wooyoung and San danced and danced, reliving that one night that had brought their hearts to intertwine with each other. When they tired, they took brief breaks, each time talking to someone else before they picked it up again. Wooyoung even found the time to sit aside with Yunho for a moment, while San danced with the queen of the neighbouring country, who had become his strongest ally.

Yunho himself wasn't big on dance, but he enjoyed watching it. Despite his prestige in the village, he had retreated from his usual troublemaking with his gang. Ever since he was part of the palace staff again, his sense of duty kept him stiffly on guard.

When Wooyoung sat down by his side, he followed the guard's eyes that were stuck to San through the room.

"So... It's odd to be here. In my fantasies of escaping marriage with you, I never invited you to the one I would truly seek."

Yunho snickered, but he wasn't mad.

"I understand that. Though I feel if San hadn't happened, it would have been inevitable. Now that we returned, we found places more suited to us. I don't hold a grudge."

"I hope you also find someone who makes you happy, Yunho. Don't marry because of gains. Marry whom your heart seeks. Here, or anywhere else," Wooyoung hummed.

Yunho nodded, though he would take time to heal enough to get there. First, the past seven years needed to catch up with him.

Wooyoung was sure he would do fabulous. Already, he had changed for the better so quickly, for the good man under the layers of bitterness never left. As San had, he simply got buried under the shadows of the past.

"I will take it to heart," he promised.

With a smile, Wooyoung pushed off the table to join San again when he returned to their corner.

"That's all I could ask for."

The dancing commenced, and it was occasionally interrupted by delicious food and laughter. Wooyoung forgot every worry as this was the night dedicated only to them and nothing would break him apart from it.

As the evening cast the gardens in blackness and Mingi lit the lanterns to create a dreamy atmosphere for those idling outside, Wooyoung found his mind wandering more and more often. He was exhausted and wanted to rest his strained shoulders from the long day, but something else would occupy him during the hours of retreat.

When San picked up on it, he caressed Wooyoung's cheek and tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear.

"Are you getting tired, love?"

Wooyoung hummed and leaned against his shoulder, where they slowly swayed to the rhythm of the music. His adoring eyes stuck to their rings, matching each other.

"Tired of being down here. I want to lie down for a bit. And I want to be alone with you."

San hid his snicker in Wooyoung's hair as his eyes skimmed the room. The first people had left already, for they were tired after their long journeys or needed to prepare for a similar voyage home.

"Then let's retreat. I think for tonight, no one else will demand of us to be here," he suggested.

When Wooyoung nodded, their hands slipped into each other. Warmth sprung over like a spark and rummaged in Wooyoung's tense stomach as San led him towards the door. By its side, they found two more of their friends, who immediately picked up on their secret sneaking plans.

"Leaving so early?" Hongjoong asked with a wry smirk painted across his lips. In his hand, he held a platter with a piece of cake that he shared with Seonghwa. The taller servant had spaced out, his doe eyes only focused on the food that stuck to his pink lips.

San tugged Wooyoung closer in an unmistakable gesture.

"There is lots to do. Your night might be ending with this celebration, but ours only just begins."

Embarrassed, Wooyoung buried his head in San's neck. Hongjoong snickered about them.

"I'm sure of it. Don't let me hold you back. I will overlook waking you tomorrow, for I am sure you won't find rest for many hours to come." He swiped his thumb over Seonghwa's lip to get the icing off. Wooyoung's eyes widened when the head servant licked it up without a second thought, but he didn't comment on it. Such matters were perfect for the palace gossip later.

"Thank you for your kind understanding," San said in sarcasm. The roll of his eyes had Hongjoong nod them away with a fond grin.

San grasped Wooyoung's hand bearing the ring to tug him outside of the ballroom. As he led him up the stairs, some idling wedding guests roared at them and wished them an enjoyable night, while others simply toasted in silent understanding.

Wooyoung's heart raced in his chest as he followed San to his chambers. His husband smiled reassuringly at him.

"Don't worry. People are nosy, but in there, it's only me."

Soothed, Wooyoung smiled back.

"I know. I won't ditch you now."

"I'm glad."

San drew Wooyoung inside the room and locked the door behind them for their upcoming business concerned no one but the two of them.

Chapter 21: Wedding Night

Chapter Text

San reached for Wooyoung as soon as the door had shut behind them. His hand seized his waist, engulfing it, as he pulled Wooyoung into the first proper kiss of their wedding day. Wooyoung wrapped his arms around his husband and opened his lips for his passion that poured from San through the connection of their mouths. It made Wooyoung breathless and sent his thoughts spinning because this was his husband now, his one and only. They would spend every day together, as close as possible.

Since Wooyoung's mind had settled to love the beastly version of San, this one still vexed him. His heat, his inky hair, his beautiful face and body. They were all far too much for Wooyoung to bear, and even the grip on his waist had him squirm with sensitivity. Only for San, he was like that. Only for his dark eyes that still burnt like fire, but this time with adoration for Wooyoung.

Wooyoung whined softly into San's mouth to convey his confusion and helplessness. His husband pulled back with a chuckle, but his heat lingered on Wooyoung's lips that matched San's so well.

"Don't worry. I will guide you." San brushed his fingers through Wooyoung's hair. The blushing boy gave a shy nod.

"Where do we start?"

"Where we usually start. Come here, sit with me." San's black cloak cascaded over his shoulders like the night sky. Its hem was embroidered with golden ornaments that rivalled the stars in their twinkle.

Upon San's beckon, Wooyoung joined him on the bed. They sat next to each other at first, but it took San only a moment until he reached for Wooyoung's thigh and led it over his lap. Bashful at the hint, Wooyoung perched on his thighs. Their contrasting outfits doused them in a luxury so alluring. Yet, Wooyoung instinctively sought San's closeness, his skin's touch. Their hands tangled between them and their rings mirrored their feelings.

"Are you nervous?" San kissed Wooyoung's jaw, his cheeks, and the tip of his nose. Like Mingi's beloved butterflies, the kisses fluttered over him to douse him in San's affections.

"A little." Wooyoung was new to this. He was afraid to do something wrong or hurt San by accident. They were married now, but what if he wasn't enough? His usual peace was exchanged for anxiety in the privacy of San's spacious canopy bed.

"I will make it magical for you. Just follow my lead. And tell me if I do something you dislike."

After a moment of hesitation, Wooyoung nodded again. When San kissed him, he relaxed. Kissing, he knew. He could do that. He enjoyed the sensation of San's lips on his and he could never get enough of their taste that was simply San.

This time, however, while San kissed at the same languid pace as usual, things changed. A hot touch to Wooyoung's lips, San's tongue, as it asked him for entrance.

Wooyoung gasped against San's lips, surprised, but San soothed him right away. His muscular arms cradled Wooyoung close as he slipped his tongue into that gap. It skimmed over Wooyoung's teeth and tongue, enticing him. He shifted in San's lap, squirmish with the heat that doused him in waves. The firm arms around his waist kept him grounded.

"San," Wooyoung breathed between the slick noises their tongued created. Their touch felt heavenly, but even more divine was how San wrapped his lips around Wooyoung's tongue to suckle on it, showing him how it was done. When Wooyoung copied him, San thrust his tongue into his mouth in smooth movements, mimicking something else that brought a hot blush to Wooyoung's cheek.

When they parted for a breath, Wooyoung's eyes had glazed over. His lips were reddened and his gaze followed San's mouth as if it had enchanted him.

San tucked Wooyoung's hair behind his ear. His other hand unbuttoned his stifling uniform vest. A moment later, his coat slipped from his shoulders to pool around him.

"Are you at ease?" San's hands seized Wooyoung's thighs and gave them an appreciative squeeze. They clenched around the king on instinct, sensitive to that touch so close.

"I'm fine," Wooyoung muttered, captivated. He didn't notice how San freed him of his cape with a chuckle. The heavy fabric dropped to the ground and left Wooyoung's heated body lighter.

"Let me take care of you," San asked as he brought their lips back together. Wooyoung surged into him impatiently, but San caught him. He cradled his overzealous husband to fall with him into the sheets. Kneeling above him, Wooyoung tried to kiss him as intensely as San always did to him. He hoped to make his head spin and heart flutter in the same way.

San indulged him while he helped Wooyoung out of his suit. Though Wooyoung appreciated the caress of cold air on his neck, he couldn't help but find it unfair that San so simply resisted his attempts. Once it was time to shrug off his jacket, he sat up with a huff. Like a fallen angel, San lay on the sheets beneath him. His raven hair fanned over the pillows and cat-like eyes offered a game Wooyoung could never resist.

The boy's pout made the king chuckle. As Wooyoung discarded his jacket on the ground behind him and throned on San in only his pants and his shirt, he felt San left him to rein whatever he wished.

"What is it? Have I upset you?" San licked his lips when he knew nothing like that was the case. The gaze from his darkened eyes seemed to rush straight south through Wooyoung's blood.

"I want you to feel good, too," Wooyoung complained. A moment later, he shivered when San ran his hands up his legs to deliver a squeeze to Wooyoung's behind. His bulge ground against San's abdomen, desperate for touch.

"I will, later. For now, I only wish not to hurt you. Is that fine by you?" San tugged him in to kiss his worries off of Wooyoung's lips. Like butter in a pan, Wooyoung disintegrated at the attention.

"Fine," he grumbled, though he remained vigilant. He would make sure San's face would twist in pleasure as much as his.

"Don't be distracted by me. Concentrate on the feeling." The king rolled them around so he was the one pressing Wooyoung into the sheets. He lost his jacket and unbuttoned the top of his shirt to let fresh air skim his smooth chest. Wooyoung wanted to kiss that patch of skin, but he couldn't reach it when San dipped to open Wooyoung's shirt. He caressed every new bit of Wooyoung with his lips. His hair tickled Wooyoung's body.

Wooyoung whimpered. Below San's body, his legs clenched shut as they embarrassedly hid away the reaction his body had to his husband.

Once more, Wooyoung's eyes cracked open to look at what San was doing. He mouthed at the line of Wooyoung's hip as his fingers guided the open shirt from his pants and pushed it out of the way.

"San," he whined. He stilled when a hand settled over his eyes.

"Just feel. Does this help?"

Wooyoung gulped when every sensation was magnified. He heard his quickened breath and the blood rushing through his veins. San's breath on him seemed to scorch him.

"Y-yes. For now." He could concentrate since he didn't know what to anticipate. Could school his impatience.

San sat up to help Wooyoung out of his shirt. He gently tied it around Wooyoung's head, loose enough that he could take it off whenever he pleased, but tight enough to obscure his sight. Then, he lowered himself onto Wooyoung's body again. The click of the bedside table had Wooyoung's ears perk in interest.

A warm hand cupped him, eliciting a hiss from Wooyoung's teeth. Those fingers knew just the right amount of pressure as they mapped him out and circled above his tip until the wetness of it could be felt through his pants. His hips bucked on their own violation, seeking more, and San gladly provided. His deft fingers unbuckled Wooyoung's belt and pants. Instinctively, his hips lifted so San could take them off him. The air to his bare body embarrassed Wooyoung, but he didn't press his thighs together for long. Soon, San's familiar fingers and his warm breath eased them back open.

"How gorgeous you are. All mine to worship."

A tiny mutter of San's name got muffled in the shirt across Wooyoung's face. He wound himself to reach for San, and the king gladly took his hand to guide it. Soft hair touched his fingers as he grasped it like an anchor.

"Pull on me if it becomes too much and you forget how to formulate words," San proposed.

Wooyoung scoffed behind his blindfold.

"Aren't you too confident? It's been seven years for you, too."

Wooyoung ate his words when a breath of air hit the twitching tip of his manhood. Quickly, his mouth snapped shut, only to drop right back open in a moan when he felt the divine touch of San's plush lips on his most sensitive part. His head pushed back into the sheets when the tip of a tongue dipped into the small slit and San hummed at his taste.

Wooyoung's whines became an ongoing litany. His body arched and spasmed, but San remained in utter peace and control. He took Wooyoung deeper bit by maddening bit, engulfing him in the heat of his mouth. One of his hands massaged the part he didn't reach and the other hand fondled Wooyoung below, though his fingers kept skimming over the sacred spot further back.

After minutes of torture as Wooyoung felt he would both burn to death and die of a heart attack if the tension in his stomach didn't unwind right now, the wet touch to his behind probed inside.

Wooyoung's moan turned into a gasp of surprise. His fingers clenched into the stuffy shirt over his face, but he didn't tug it away yet. Though foreign, the feeling was not unpleasant, and he was distracted by the way San's throat felt around him.

Another stutter of San's name sounded when the finger inside of him slipped deeper, testing his limits. He felt full from it and unsure whether he liked it.

San allowed him shallow thrusts down his throat that rubbed Wooyoung's underside heavenly against the king's tongue. The hollow of his cheeks added a drag at every movement that turned Wooyoung's mind into mush. He had long since lost all ability to think, for his blood existed only down south. No thought passed through him that wasn't centred around his pleasure.

When a second finger slipped in, Wooyoung's breath turned ragged. San touched something inside of him, a special spot that made his arousal leak and his stomach convulse deliciously. It didn't take Wooyoung long to get used to it, and he willingly pushed his hips in San's direction to feel more of such pleasure.

San's jaw had to ache by the time he had eased a third finger inside and opened Wooyoung properly. Under Wooyoung's grasp, his scalp was hot and sweaty, and his hair stuck to it. Wooyoung was no different, and the sheen of sweat glistening on his body prompted San to flick his tongue out once more to lick its salt.

Wooyoung whined at the loss when San pulled his fingers from him. A moment later, the touch to his aching length also disappeared.

Wooyoung lay on the sheets, panting. He felt the dip of a mattress by his side, and then San freed him of the blindfold. He found Wooyoung with his cheeks flushed and his eyes dazed. Sweat stuck his hair to his temples and his chest shuddered with his ragged breaths.

Charmed by the sight, San smiled at him. His swollen lips turned Wooyoung's head into mush once more.

"How do you feel?"

"Need more," Wooyoung rasped, for he was afraid this was all San would do that night. His yearning still stood proud, and a flickered glance downward told him that San was none the different.

"You will get more. I need you to breathe properly for this, though." San opened the other buttons and exposed his bare torso to Wooyoung for the first time. The boy's mouth watered as he laid eyes upon it.

San's chest was crafted in hours of delicate work. Muscles rippled under his skin and stood out faintly, though veiled by a healthy layer of flesh that made him look broader. His waist was small, and it tapered to this place Wooyoung desired so.

When Wooyoung sat up, San allowed him to perch between his knees. They arranged their legs to frame each other's hips as Wooyoung reached for the waistband of San's pants.

"May I?"

"Please," San rasped, and his voice sounded hoarse for the first time. Wooyoung doing this with him affected him just as much. The thought sent Wooyoung's mind spinning.

Wooyoung freed him from the stifling fabric of his pants and gulped as he wrapped his fist around San. He had never touched another man at this place and he was astonished to find it both so similar and different. San reacted to other touches than he, but his stuttering breath matched Wooyoung's as they helped each other out.

Their lips met in the middle for another kiss similar to a whirlpool. By the time San pulled back, his lidded eyes conveyed the pain of a lifetime.

"Wooyoung... My precious one. May I become one with you? I hope not to hurt you but it might be uncomfortable at first."

Hesitant, Wooyoung glanced down his body. He was unsure what San meant at first, but when he pieced it together, his blush reached to his chest.

Upon his nod, San surged to hug him. He peppered kisses all over Wooyoung's face, making him giggle as he pressed him back down into the sheets. Their lengths rubbed against each other and brought broken moans from both boys. Despite their fervour for each other, they were nearing their limit.

"Thank you, my love. Tell me if you hurt, I beg you."

Stubborn, Wooyoung clung to him as San lined up his tip with his entrance.

"I want to do this with you," he vowed.

San intertwined their hands and kissed Wooyoung's ring.

"I know. But I won't hurt you, ever. Bear with me."

Upon Wooyoung's nod, he canted his hips to breach the boy. Wooyoung struggled to breathe as he was filled more than before, deeper than before. San's fingers didn't compare with the real deal and it was so hot; so hot, as if Wooyoung would truly melt.

The two clung to each other all the way until San's hips stilled. Even then, the stuffy air around them was filled with the electricity of tension.

San's trembling lips kissed Wooyoung's clenched eyes.

"Are you in pain?"

Wooyoung shook his head. No word escaped his lips.

San waited for him, ever so patient even when Wooyoung felt him throb inside, felt him so intimately. His heart surged and danced as his body gradually welcomed his lover.

After a few moments, they calmed. Wooyoung noticed a few tears clinging to his lashes, but he hastily blinked them away before San could take notice of them.

At the first roll of San's hips, both of them threw their heads back with a matching hiss. The slide was wet, but Wooyoung clamped to him like a vice. San's punched-out groan meant only the best as he moved in the tiniest thrusts, not yet over-tasking Wooyoung's body.

On cloud seven, Wooyoung fisted his hands into the sheets next to his head and took everything San had to give him. His whines and moans filled the corners of the room, enticing San, for he adored them so.

With time, they grew more confident. San chased after the noises spilling from Wooyoung's throat and Wooyoung's thighs fell open around San's hips to allow more room for movement. The slap of their bodies was wet and filthy, but neither cared as they professed their love for each other into the humid air.

Sweat-slick bodies threw around in the sheets when San pushed him harder, grabbed at Wooyoung's waist until he arched his back and could take San even deeper. He was losing his mind, babbling, calling for San, but all he knew was the all-consuming pleasure in his abdomen.

"San- San, I can't-" Wooyoung gasped, his throat parched. San kissed at it, his hips snapping like those of an animal, as if he had lost all control. He snuck a hand to Wooyoung's midst, and he provided the last kick the boy needed.

His spill soiled San's sheets and his hand. It stuck to him, disgusting and dirty, but Wooyoung could only sob for euphoria so wonderful crashed into him he lost all sense of being. His fingers dug into San's shoulders, leaving crescent-shaped marks on him.

Wooyoung's whines pushed San over his own edge. His hips stuttered, and he stilled, his head thrown back in his moment of ecstasy. Heat filled Wooyoung, so pure and warm, proof of their love.

San caught himself before he could collapse onto Wooyoung's chest, but Wooyoung pulled him to lie on him. They panted harshly and their skin stuck together. The happiest they had ever been, they soon broke out in matching giggles. Kisses were shared as sleepy eyes could barely stay open.

Still, the king checked on his lover yet again.

"Are you hurt?"

"I'm better than I have ever been," Wooyoung promised him.

At ease, they rested their weary bodies until they inevitably had to rise and clean up. Once they did, San carried Wooyoung to the bathtub and cleansed him from head to toe, tending to the body he had held in his loving embrace. Afterwards, Wooyoung did the same for him. For hours, they sat together in the water and relished in the spring breeze coming through the open window. Kisses and vows of love got shared once more.

Their wedding night ended to match the most perfect day of Wooyoung's life. Later, as he slept in San's arms, Wooyoung cradled all those memories close to his chest, holding them dearly, for he knew nothing could ever drive him and San apart, and these memories were the evidence.

They slept soundly on their first night as the royal couple.

Chapter 22: Happily Ever After

Chapter Text

"Has Yeosang returned yet?" Wooyoung nudged the potatoes he had finished cutting aside and grabbed a new one from the basket. Their dirt clung to his fingers until he rinsed them in the grimy water bowl.

Jongho stirred in his pot with one hand and doused his soup with more ingredients with the other. The aroma of foreign spices filled the air and made Wooyoung's mouth water.

"Hongjoong mentioned his ship was delayed and will arrive in two days," Jongho replied without looking up from his task. He sipped from his soup and hummed in satisfaction at its taste.

Wooyoung grimaced at the cutting board and the knife he was concentrated on.

"I pray it's not pirates again. They ruined a lot for him. Soon, there won't be much more they could take from him aside from his life. I dread such thoughts."

"Don't think them," Jongho scolded him. "San sent some of his best guards along. They will take good care of him."

"I hope so." Wooyoung sighed. He couldn't help his worry whenever Yeosang left for another one of his long voyages. If something happened to him while he was far from where Wooyoung could jump to his aid, he wouldn't feel joy again in his life.

"He will be back in no time," Jongho assured him, but the warmth of his voice got drowned in the clamour of the door opening. Mingi and Seonghwa shouldered their way inside, both hidden behind huge stacks of boxes until only their arms and legs could be seen. Seonghwa's pile wobbled precariously and Mingi giggled at him when he tripped over the threshold and almost sent all the boxes flying.

Wooyoung was quick to jump to their aid. His dirtied hands peeled the topmost boxes from both servants and he dutifully followed them into the pantry to clear them away.

"Thank you," Seonghwa smiled under his mussed-up pink hair. Beaming, Wooyoung brushed it off.

"Are these this week's vegetables?" Wooyoung asked as he handed Mingi box after box to stack them inside the shelf. With a smug grin, the gardener shook his head. He opened one of them to show Wooyoung the contents.

"Strawberries!" Wooyoung exclaimed in delight. San loved them as a treat, and the townspeople had promised him to nourish lots of them in their fields this year.

"They were a present to welcome him back," Seonghwa added to the cheer. He offered Wooyoung a box, and he snatched one fruit. Sweet, it came apart in his mouth.

"I will make a marvellous cake out of these," Jongho grinned from the doorway. He hurried back to his soup before it could turn sour, but his merry hum was a telltale sign of his best recipes in the making.

"The old couple we got them from specifically added to give some to our 'queen', saying her skin would flourish if she ate lots of them. Supposedly, it's also good for... other activities." Mingi's wolfish grin brought a blush to Wooyoung's cheek.

"Sweet, aren't they? They care in their way," Seonghwa marvelled, oblivious to Mingi's raunchy joke.

Hongjoong, who came striding in with a list in his hands, saved Wooyoung from the embarrassment of an answer that suited both statements. He scurried around, checking things on his list, as he was one of the few staff members in the castle who could read, so stocking the pantry properly was his business. When he spotted the three sweet-toothed jesters on the ground, he lifted a brow at them. Today, his blond hair was brushed back into an immaculate sweep.

"What are you three doing down there?"

"Not messing up your numbers?" Mingi tried. He winced when Hongjoong's brows drew together in an upcoming storm.

Before he could vent his anger, Seonghwa jumped to his feet with another strawberry in hand. He held it to Hongjoong's lips with big and pleading eyes.

"Our king allowed us. Try one, too. You need to test their quality, no?"

Reluctant, Hongjoong glanced between the fruit and Seonghwa's face. Wooyoung wasn't bothered by being used as an excuse. Their pranks among each other were purely good-hearted.

"It appears you took that work from me. I won't mess with the numbers any further." Hongjoong turned on his heel to stride away in pride, but Seonghwa caught him. His careful teeth bit off the very tip of the strawberry. The rest, he offered to Hongjoong once more.

"There, it's ruined already. Try it."

Behind his round glasses, Hongjoong's wide eyes looked like those of an owl. Giggling on the ground, Wooyoung and Mingi elbowed each other with knowing grins.

Another beat of tense silence passed, then Hongjoong grabbed the strawberry with a grumble. He shoved it into his mouth, and his delight with it brightened his face against his will.

"They are fine. Just in case someone wanted to know before you poisoned yourselves," he acted for nonchalance. Mingi rolled his eyes, but Seonghwa smiled brightly at Hongjoong. As they strolled off, Wooyoung gathered himself to return to the kitchens. Mingi stayed to finish his stacking work.

Since it was dinner time soon, the kitchen was full of cooks and maids who prepared the royal meal. Wooyoung enjoyed blending with them and helping, though his aid wasn't needed as much as it had been back then. The staff usually indulged him, knowing he hated simply taking and not helping work for it.

When Wooyoung found his way back to his seat, he spotted San, who leaned by Jongho's side and teased him about something. Their playful banter brought a smile to Wooyoung's lips. As if magnetically alerted of it, San's eyes flicked up and found his husband. He drifted over, drawn by Wooyoung's glow.

They exchanged a chaste kiss as a greeting, one that wouldn't bother the bustling folks around them too much. The presence of the royal couple always charmed onlookers left and right, but they weren't too bothersome with their adoration for each other. One look sufficed to bring it across.

"May I steal you away, my love? I wish to show you something in the gardens."

"Of course." Wooyoung hurried to wash his hands off and accompanied his husband through the castle. San's merry mood radiated off him as he took Wooyoung's hand and led him along as they dodged bustling servants. Hongjoong was somewhere among the crowd, ordering people around, but his frame was dwarfed by those around him.

Leaving through the stables came as a breath of fresh air. Compared to their emptiness a few months back, the bays now bustled with life. Mighty horses for the knights nibbled on their carrots here and greeted the newcomers with huffs of acknowledgement. Yunho stood by his beautiful mare and cleaned her hooves. When the two rulers passed, he threw them a grin in greeting. In his dirty work clothes and with a hoof in his hands, he looked nothing like the arrogant prick Wooyoung had grown up with.

A tabby cat slinked around between their feet. She handled the security in the stables, hunting any mice that didn't belong there. San and Wooyoung halted to pet her and with sweet meows, she trailed around their legs to prolong their lingering.

After a reluctant parting from the cat, the two made it outside. The gardens were empty at this time, for the warm sun was about to set and everyone got busy with other preparations. The assortment of flowers and trees in San's gardens was always a charm to look at. Wooyoung could never spend enough time here.

"It's over there," San beckoned him as he tugged Wooyoung along. They wandered without hurry, relishing in the minutes away from their usual duties.

As soon as San's event came into sight, the king beckoned at it.

"There it is. You like to sit at the window while you read, drinking up the sunlight like a plant. I figured perhaps you would also enjoy resting out here."

In the big acorn tree tucked into a more private area of the garden, a swing had been installed. It was big enough to lie down on it and the intricate white metal was cushioned by deep red pillows that matched the surrounding roses. The swing swayed gently with the wind, not one to allow wild movement.

Utterly in love, Wooyoung allowed San to bring him over. They sat on the swing side by side and it carried them in a soft breeze. The sight of the surrounding lands was gorgeous, picked so Wooyoung could look out over the valleys and mountains in the distance while he took breaks from his readings.

"I adore it. I will spend every warm day out here, and when it gets cold, I will bring blankets. You did beautiful work. Thank you so much, San." Wooyoung leaned to settle his head against the king's shoulder, and San leaned his cheek against the crown of Wooyoung's head. Their hands held on to each other in their laps.

"I hope to grow old with you in this place. Let's come here often whenever we need time to slow."

As they had needed once, but it had been inevitable. Now, free from the curse and as rulers over their own fates, slowing time as an hourglass never could was a much-needed luxury.

"It's a promise," Wooyoung hummed. They kissed; a gesture of warmth and affection that only the two of them could understand in its magnitude. When they parted with soft snickers, they sat again and their legs dangled below them to urge the swing into its gentle motion.

For a while, they rested there and forgot the concept of time as they watched the sunset with each other. Its last moments over the hills seemed to be its most intense ones as it promised its return soon. The orange rays broke on the gold of their rings and doused them in a magical glow. San seemed to shine in it like the most beautiful man on earth.

To Wooyoung, he had been that all along. No matter the mask he wore, no matter the smoke shrouding him. San's beauty came from the heart and if Wooyoung learned one thing from him, then it was that such beauty radiated, no matter how many layers of grime covered it.

And thus, the two kings lived side by side. They ruled the country for many years and the folk agreed with their benevolent and kind hearts. Whenever one fell short, the other supported, and their love never ceased.

As they shared every moment of happiness and pain, they became idols to many other young lovers across the country and even in neighbouring kingdoms. Their magical story of overcoming each other's blemishes and learning to love them nonetheless inspired many to treat those around them kindly and without judgment. The two kings never saw war and never had to lose their crowns ever again. Known for their hardships, they never became a target of misfortune.

One might argue the faery who was fond of them had an eye out for them and protected them.

Others were sure the two kings' love was simply so strong not even fate would dare defy it.

Whichever way it was, the kingdom flourished, and that was all that counted. With their friends and family by their sides, the two kings lived long and happy lives. They often sat on their swing together, legs intertwined, to read; either to each other or to themselves. Other times, they spent time in the forests, watching birds and chasing each other over sunny meadows on horseback.

Whenever it rained, no hour was passed in misery. They danced oftentimes alone in the ballroom, accompanied by music only their ears heard. Other times, they played with the servants and guards, tending to an easy-going atmosphere in the palace.

Over the years, many others became their allies or invested in trades through Yeosang's journeys. However, no one ever dared get between them, for the kings had only eyes for each other.

The village of Villebête finally got its spring after seven years of bleak winter. It gazed proudly about the two men it had nourished.

And with each other in the castle on the hill, the two lived happily ever after.