[EXO] Hastiludes [3/6]

[gollumpanties]

Unfortunately for Kyungsoo's plans, Junmyeon outright refused to take him along the next morning. Kyungsoo had his own horse already saddled, and the two of them just stared at Junmyeon for a moment-Kyungsoo in offended disbelief, the horse in hopes of his usual sugar lump.

"You can't even be bothered to get water to wash your own face in the morning," Kyungsoo pointed out. "Have you ever even left Camelot without your posse of guards along with you?"

Junmyeon pointedly ignored that second comment. "Being at home in the palace involves certain comforts that do not exist elsewhere, I am very much aware. When I'm at home, I don't have to fetch my own water, so I don't. I'm perfectly capable of surviving out on my own though."

Kyungsoo scoffed.

"I'll believe that when I see it," he muttered.

“You’re not coming with me,” said Junmyeon from atop his own horse. He looked down at Kyungsoo sternly, then turned to ride away.

“Oh, I’m not coming with you, am I?” said Kyungsoo to his retreating back. Junmyeon didn’t appear to hear. “Sure thing. Of course I’m not coming with you, whatever his royal highness says.”

He rode out after Junmyeon and followed him about twenty feet behind. Junmyeon looked over his shoulder disapprovingly.

“I said I wasn’t taking you,” Junmyeon called back. “Go home.”

“I’m going on an herb-collecting trip,” said Kyungsoo. “Yixing needs more supplies. It’s not my fault we’re going in the same direction.”

“And how far is this herb-collecting trip going to take you?” said Junmyeon, highly suspicious.

“As far as I have to go to find a cure for the king,” Kyungsoo replied stubbornly.

Junmyeon pursed his lips and looked forward again, proceeding to ignore Kyungsoo’s presence for a whole hour, which, to be honest, suited Kyungsoo just fine. He was too busy trying to figure out how on earth they were going to convince anyone to help them to spare any attention for Junmyeon and his pride.

When they finally stopped for the night, the tall towers of Camelot were far out of sight behind them. Junmyeon did not invite Kyungsoo to join him near his campfire, probably expecting him to cave and ask to be allowed into the warm circle of light. If this was the case, he was due for some disappointment, because Kyungsoo simply settled down about a stone's throw away from Junmyeon's campsite and pulled out some of the bread he'd brought with him, freshly baked that morning. Neither of them spoke to each other, but Kyungsoo noticed when Junmyeon eventually fell asleep, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. Kyungsoo had not spent his time idly so he was able to place a small spell of protection over the area. Nothing elaborate, but it would give him a moment to react, should something happen. There was nothing dangerous that Kyungsoo could sense, but he had a job to do, and that was to keep Junmyeon alive no matter what. He tossed a few more branches onto the fire before drawing back to his own spot nestled between the roots of a tree. Even from here, he could see Junmyeon turning uneasily on the rough ground. Kyungsoo sighed. He really was hopeless. He kept his eyes on the fire, watching it flicker long into the night, until sleep finally overtook him.

However late Kyungsoo had stayed awake, he was still up before Junmyeon had even opened his eyes. He was tempted to wake him, since he was eager to get moving again, but Junmyeon had specifically said that they were not traveling together. Instead, Kyungsoo busied himself packing away the several blankets he'd brought with him, which had proved necessary to make up for how far away from the fire he'd been. Then he fed both horses and made sure they were refreshed and ready to go the moment they were needed. By the time he was finishing up his own breakfast, Junmyeon had sat up and rubbed his eyes blearily.

"Kyungsoo," he called out, "where's the water?"

"I thought you said you didn't need me," Kyungsoo replied through a mouthful of bread. He chewed carefully and made a note to eat it fast before it went stale.

Junmyeon was still not awake enough to do more than flex his toes for a long while.

"I just thought you might make yourself useful," he said eventually.

"I've been more than useful already today," said Kyungsoo. "You were too asleep to notice, though."

"I could order you, you know," said Junmyeon. "I'm still the prince."

"You could," Kyungsoo agreed.

He stared calmly at Junmyeon, who appeared to be waging an internal battle between the convenience of having Kyungsoo there to do things for him and persisting in his self-dependence. It took him five whole minutes before he heaved himself up with a groan and went off to refill the water flasks he'd neglected the night before. Kyungsoo waited patiently for him to break camp all by himself, and then followed him onto the road again, the same as the day before.

Junmyeon woke up earlier the next morning, in time to catch Kyungsoo roasting one of the sausages he'd brought over the remaining embers. He argued that if Kyungsoo was going to use his fire, he had to share the food, so Kyungsoo took the two extra sausages he'd pulled out and stuck them on a spare skewer. Junmyeon didn't think to ask why he'd had them ready and waiting, and he didn't see the small smile Kyungsoo took care to hide. By the time they reached the thick forest that marked the end of the road proper, Kyungsoo was no longer lagging behind but was riding alongside Junmyeon.

"This is about as far as I got before," Junmyeon said. "The road doesn't go any further, or at least people don't take it any further."

"There's a path though," Kyungsoo nodded towards a break in the undergrowth. "Someone must come this way."

"Probably no one we want to run into," said Junmyeon darkly. He spurred his horse forward on the path.

Kyungsoo knew that at some point before they reached the other side they would have crossed out of their own territory, but he wasn't sure exactly where the border lay. Certainly he didn't expect to be able to tell from the forest itself, and yet there was something different about this place than any he could remember. With a start, he realized that it was magic. There was something very subtly magic about this place, a sort of low-level energy that he could feel all around them. He looked over at Junmyeon to see if he had noticed anything, but Junmyeon merely looked alert to the unfamiliar area. It appeared that Yixing's idea that Kyungsoo's sense for magic was in some way related to his own powers had some merit to it. Kyungsoo wondered if it was the same for other people like him, if they could somehow feel the presence of magic the way he could. It was strange to think that they were on their way to seek out a powerful magician who might be able to sense their approach simply from the aura Kyungsoo gave off. He couldn't feel his own powers at all, and was inclined to think that they were nothing particularly impressive, but Yixing never lost an opportunity to assure him that he was "a warlock unlike any other," to quote the book currently buried beneath three blankets. If this was true, maybe they would find someone already waiting for them at the end of their journey, who already knew what they searched for, and who could help them. It was an encouraging thought, and Kyungsoo sat a little straighter with it in mind.

It was hard to tell exactly what time of day it was under that vast canopy of leaves, but it was some time after they stopped for lunch that the path widened out and grew more regular, as if it saw more traffic. Kyungsoo wondered if they might have already crossed over the border, into a country where the mention of a magical forest didn't cause people to shun the area. A little way ahead, they spotted a cart that had slipped sideways off the road. Two of its wheels were wedged down into the ditch, and a gray haired woman stood by the head of the mule, speaking soothingly to it in words Kyungsoo could almost, but not quite, understand. It looked like Junmyeon planned to give her a wide berth, which annoyed Kyungsoo for some reason.

"We should help her," he said.

“What is she saying?” Junmyeon said back, just under his breath.

He frowned at the cart, and Kyungsoo was irritated to realize that Junmyeon was reluctant to offer help to someone he thought might be using magic. Kyungsoo instantly stopped his horse and got down.

“Where are you going?” asked Junmyeon, glancing quickly back and forth between Kyungsoo and the woman.

“You don’t have to help if you don’t want to,” said Kyungsoo, “but I’m not going to ride past and ignore someone who needs help.”

Junmyeon looked torn, clearly not wanting to obviously refuse to help, but at the same time wanting to keep as much distance as possible between himself and the strange woman. He settled for leaning over in his saddle to grab the reins of Kyungsoo’s horse and leading it to the side of the path, where he sat watching. Kyungsoo braced his shoulder against the wooden planks, then pushed as hard as he could in the hopes of jostling the cart free. The woman stopped murmuring to the donkey, still stroking its forehead as she peered owlishly over its shoulder at Kyungsoo.

“It’s no use,” she said. “It’s not going to move. I thank you for trying, but I’m afraid I’ll be leaving all this behind me for the woods to keep."

She started to unload several bags onto the road. Kyungsoo knew she couldn't carry everything, and seeing the amount she would have to abandon made him struggle all the harder to move the wagon. No matter how hard he tried or how much he strained, it wouldn't budge an inch. Kyungsoo closed his eyes. He didn't know any specific spell for moving vehicles out of ditches, but he concentrated as hard as he could on simply shifting the thing forward, feeling his eyes flash suddenly behind his eyelids as the cart jumped and rattled back up onto the road. When he opened his eyes again, Junmyeon was looking impressed and the old woman was regarding him thoughtfully. Kyungsoo prayed to any deity that might be listening that she wouldn't say anything. His suspicion that his own power might be detectable now made it clear that the further they went into a land where magic could be used freely, the more likely it was that someone would notice him, and he was anxious to keep anyone from revealing him to Junmyeon. If the woman had noticed anything, however, she did not mention it but instead thanked Kyungsoo.

"I expect the two of you will be on your way to the great tournament," she nodded. "Strong young warriors such as yourselves will be after that prize, I'm sure."

"What tournament?" said Junmyeon, addressing the woman for the first time.

She ignored him, and Kyungsoo could hear Junmyeon grumbling in annoyance in the background. It would normally make Kyungsoo laugh to see Junmyeon's princely airs so thoroughly deflated, but he too was curious about the woman's words.

"Which tournament do you mean, exactly?" he asked.

"The royal tournament, of course," she said. "King Minseok has invited all the finest warriors in the land to compete in the largest contest this country has ever seen. It is the first festival he has held since becoming king, you know, and we all hope this is the beginning of a new era of happiness for the kingdom, especially considering how long the palace has been in mourning. I don't think anyone expected to see him take the throne so soon, but..."

She went on, but Kyungsoo was distracted by Junmyeon whispering in his ear.

"What prize was she talking about?" he asked. "Find out what the prize is, and if it's worth our time."

Kyungsoo made a shushing noise. "I'm sorry," he said to the woman, "but what was the prize again?"

"Oh? The prize?" She frowned slightly. "A favor, of course. It's all anyone can talk about. An opportunity to ask the king for whatever favor you wish... who wouldn't compete for such a prize?"

Kyungsoo and Junmyeon looked at each other, excited.

"Thank you very much," said Kyungsoo, bowing to her. "You're right, that's exactly where we're headed."

"Oh, I should be the one thanking you, young man," she patted his cheek with a warm smile. "Without your help, I would be stuck there still. Good luck in your journey, and may you be rewarded richly for coming to the rescue of an old woman."

She set about harnessing the mule to the cart again, while Kyungsoo and Junmyeon rode on ahead down the road. She never even glanced at Junmyeon the entire time, and Kyungsoo could tell that this bothered him.

“She never said thank you to me,” said Junmyeon suddenly.

Kyungsoo looked sideways at him. “Well, you didn’t actually do anything,” he pointed out.

“I held the horses,” Junmyeon pouted. “I did something.”

“Thank you,” Kyungsoo leaned over and patted Junmyeon’s hand where they rested on the reins.

Junmyeon grumbled, but appeared at least partially mollified.

“It was still dangerous,” he said. “This is a strange place; you can’t just go talking to everyone you meet.”

“You mean there’s magic around here,” said Kyungsoo. “That doesn’t necessarily mean everything is dangerous, does it? You have to have read fairy tales, right? You always help the old woman you meet in the woods. If you ignore the weird old woman then bad stuff happens. And if I hadn’t helped her, we would never have heard about this tournament, would we?”

“It does sound like a better plan than just walking up to the castle gates and hoping they agree to help us,” Junmyeon admitted. “If I win, the king will at least have to seriously consider my request. And maybe there’s some other cure they know about.”

Kyungsoo was fairly sure that curing King Siwon would require magical intervention, but he decided not to say anything. There would be plenty of time to convince Junmyeon of that when the time came.

They had been traveling through the forest for just over a day when they came to a place that was warmer than the surrounding areas. It was just verging into autumn in the rest of the world, the leaves turning brittle and the nights coming with a hint of chill that made Kyungsoo glad to stay near the fire Junmyeon always made, but now they came across trees with buds still on the branches, and Kyungsoo found that his jacket was just a little bit too warm. It was very subtle at first, but by the time they came to a fork in the road Junmyeon was looking at his chainmail forlornly and casting envious glances at Kyungsoo’s cotton shirt. Off to the right, the road continued broad and clear with the trees lined up in orderly ranks on each side. Kyungsoo thought he could see the leaves looking less lush far in the distance, and a cooler breeze blew in that direction. On the other hand, the other path was slightly overgrown by new sprouting trees and thick ivy spilled over the road’s edges. Kyungsoo could hear birdsong winging from tree to tree. It was the most obviously magical sight they had encountered on their entire journey thus far, which is why Kyungsoo was so surprised to see Junmyeon turn in that direction.

“The city’s more likely to be that way,” he pointed to the wide road to the right.

“I know,” Junmyeon said, “but I’d like to see what’s down this way first. We can turn around in a little while.”

Not only the air, but the light itself seemed warmer along this path, as if the very way it slanted between the leaves was somehow more gentle and loving than elsewhere in the wood. The further they went, the more magic Kyungsoo could feel all around them, but it was not suffocating or uncomfortable, the way the magical attacks he’d encountered in Camelot had been. There was a cocoon around them as they traveled, muffling all sounds in the distance and covering Kyungsoo like a blanket. Every inch of him tingled pleasantly. He would have thought that Junmyeon would be suspicious of the place’s effect, but yet when he looked over at the prince he seemed content and was looking with delight at the woods around them. The path curved off to the left, deeper into the forest and away from the main road, but they still followed it. They kept on for what was probably several hours, but time felt strange here too, so Kyungsoo couldn’t be quite sure. All he knew was that by the time they finally reached the end of the path, the sun shone with a golden light, slanting sideways between the tall tree trunks.

The path came to a halt in a small clearing. The hush over the entire place made Kyungsoo look around, but Junmyeon dismounted and pushed past him curiously. The forest floor sloped down gently on all sides and In the center of the clearing a large sunbeam fell directly on a tall ivy-covered spire, which was the only thing Junmyeon seemed to have eyes for. As he cleared away the leaves and vines, Kyungsoo could see the bright gleam of metal underneath, a clear polished silver with no trace of grime or rust. What Junmyeon uncovered there proved to be a wide stone with an anvil growing up out of it like a tree, the iron melting away at the bottom like roots reaching deep into the stone. The metal and rock were fused together seamlessly in such a way that no human hand could have done it. If Kyungsoo expected Junmyeon to recoil at the strangeness of the thing, he was wrong. Junmyeon barely even seemed to notice the strange fusion, because his eyes were fixed on the sword embedded in the anvil. It looked like someone had driven it halfway into the iron in a fit of anger, cleaving the anvil as if it were butter, and simply left it there. Kyungsoo left his horse near Junmyeon’s, where they began to nibble the grass calmly, and came to look more closely at the strange monument. Now that the ivy was cleared away, he could make out writing along the stone, worn but still legible.

“Whosoever pulleth out this sword from this stone and anvil,” read Kyungsoo, “is rightwise king, born of all the land.”

Junmyeon paused with his hand on the hilt. “What did you say?”

“It’s written here,” Kyungsoo pointed. “I think it means that only the rightful king can draw the sword.”

Junmyeon tugged at it.

“It feels pretty solid to me,” he said.

“Well, you’re not king yet, are you?” said Kyungsoo. “It doesn’t say ‘prince,’ it says ‘king.’ I don’t think it takes potential into account.”

“Maybe,” Junmyeon mused. He braced a foot against the anvil and pulled as hard as he could. “Either way, it’s not moving.” He stood up straight, but his hand lingered on the golden hilt. He appeared reluctant to let it go. “I guess there’s only one way to find out, though.”

“What’s that?”

Junmyeon hopped off the edge of the stone, back down to the ground, before heading back towards the horses.

“Come back when I’m king, of course.”

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes and followed him.

By the time they made camp again that night, fireflies were flickering in the bushes on either side of the path. Or rather, Junmyeon thought they were fireflies and so did Kyungsoo, at least at first. Then he began to notice that they moved with rather more purpose than any fireflies he had ever seen, so he began to watch them more closely. A group of them were playing something like tag, weaving in and out of grass stems, and whenever they stood still, even for just a moment, Kyungsoo could see tiny hands brushing aside the gently waving stalks and laughing faces that ducked under leaves. They never sat still for more than a moment, but Kyungsoo could still recognize fairies when he saw them. Junmyeon didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary, which was perhaps good. No matter how he had been drawn to the sword, Kyungsoo still doubted that he would be entirely comfortable with something as alive and obviously magic as the tiny figures that now filled the air. They all seemed to keep their distance from Junmyeon as well, but they brushed past Kyungsoo as if he were part of the landscape. They hid in the folds of his jacket where it lay in front of him across the saddle, and they landed on his shoulder for a second before darting away again, but they never so much as touched Junmyeon. Kyungsoo wondered which of them it said more about.

When it was time to build the fire for the night, Kyungsoo volunteered to go replenish their wood supply. There had been a slight debate as to whether they even needed a fire, but even with the seemingly protective aura that covered the area, they both agreed that they would feel safer to have it. Normally Junmyeon would send him anyway, but this time Kyungsoo was actually eager to leave the campsite, since he could tell that the creatures would stay away as long as there was any chance of Junmyeon actually seeing them for what they really were. As soon as he was out of eyesight though, they clustered around him. They landed on his arms and on his shoulders and on the top of his head, all curiously examining him, probably drawn to whatever magical energy he was giving off that reminded them so much of their homeland. Kyungsoo didn’t think they could talk, or else they would be talking to him right now, but maybe they could still understand him.

“Um, hi,” he waved a hand gently so as not to dislodge the three fairies currently clinging to it, unsure exactly what else he could say to them. It seemed to be enough, though, because they all fluttered excitedly, looking like they were being blown by the wind even though the air was still. "I'm Kyungsoo," he ventured.

They fluttered again in answer. Kyungsoo carefully sat down to watch them as they landed on every available surface. He watched them scamper across his knees as they resumed their game of tag, he blinked as they darted past his face in a flash, he felt them rustle through his hair, hiding in it like in the tall grass. Even though the sun had very nearly set, the light from the gathered fairies was more than enough to see by. The circle of light was brightest right around Kyungsoo, but when he looked up he could see them twinkling in the trees as well, their flickering lights turning the leaves into a canopy of stars. He was so engrossed in watching them that the voice behind him made him jump.

"Kyungsoo, what are you doing?"

The fairies all scattered as Kyungsoo scrambled to his feet, disappearing up into the leaves the moment Junmyeon came into sight.

"I'm..." Kyungsoo searched for an answer. Junmyeon stood with his arms crossed. "I'm catching fireflies?" He held up a hand with one lone fairy still clinging to it, which flew away a moment later.

Junmyeon threw up his hands with a huge sigh. "Of course you were," he said. "They probably saw the size of your eyes and thought you were one of them."

Maybe I am one of them, thought Kyungsoo, but Junmyeon was still talking.

"I don't know why I expected you to be getting firewood when I sent you to get firewood. Completely unrealistic, I know."

"It'll just take me a moment more," Kyungsoo assured him.

Junmyeon rolled his eyes. "I should make you be the one to light the fire in the dark," he said, turning back towards the camp. "Try not to pick up any poisonous snakes or anything while you're groping around for sticks; we don't have time for it."

Kyungsoo waited for him to leave before picking up as many branches as he could by the light of the returning fairies. Now that Junmyeon was gone, they landed on every dry piece of wood in sight, acting like beacons for Kyungsoo. When he had all he could carry, he thanked them, smiling at their answering flutter, and followed the path back to Junmyeon.

Later, after Junmyeon had fallen asleep, Kyungsoo saw the trees above them start to twinkle and come alive with the hidden fairies again. They crept down out of the branches to sit on the two bedrolls, and though most of them still gravitated towards Kyungsoo, more than one of them inched cautiously over to Junmyeon. They peered curiously at his face and one tentatively touched his hand. It jumped back when he stirred, but came back right away as it became clear he was in no danger of waking up. One by one, the fairies came to look at Junmyeon until they were clustered as thick around him as they were around Kyungsoo. They lit up Junmyeon's face with a soft glow and for one moment it looked like they formed a sparkling crown over his head, then the brief image faded. Kyungsoo could feel the question still hanging in the air though, the familiar feeling of a meaning half understood, even if the words themselves eluded him.

"He's not king yet," he said. "Someday he will be."

He watched a ripple of movement go through them at his words. Another question bubbled at the edges of his mind. Kyungsoo sighed.

"I don't know if he'll be the kind of king you need," he whispered. "I don't know if he'll be the one who lets you come back." He felt tears prickling behind his eyes. "I don't know. But I promise you, I'll try to make him see. I'll do everything I can to show him."

The fairies stayed all through the night, and the last thing Kyungsoo saw before he fell asleep was the night sky mirrored in feylight above them and the echoed stars playing in Junmyeon's hair.

The next day they were gone and the air was cooler, as if they had taken some of the warmth with them. Kyungsoo and Junmyeon made it back to the main path and continued their journey without being sidetracked any further. The aura that Kyungsoo had sensed from the moment they entered the forest was still there, but never again as strong as it had been around the sword in the fairies’ territory. They encountered nothing else strange or magical before they reached the forest’s edge and came out on a small ridge, from which they could see another large hill and the high parapets of a city.

People were going in and out in a steady stream, which the two of them joined as the road got closer and closer to the city gates. The entire place had the air of a festival, just as the old woman in the forest had suggested, and the instant they passed through the gates they were surrounded by a whirlwind of sound and color. Everywhere they looked there were blue and silver banners flying and people dressed in eye-grabbing hues brighter than any Kyungsoo had ever seen. There were shops standing in front of shops, each competing to be louder than the one next to it, carts loaded with goods standing far out into the road so that traffic had to split and weave around them. Music drifted out of side streets and the smell of food was everywhere. Junmyeon looked like he was overwhelmed by the sudden explosion of people, but right away the only thing Kyungsoo could notice was that everywhere he looked was something magical. Instruments played themselves, shops were lit with multicolored light, enchanted breezes wafted the smell of cooking fires past the stream of travelers in the hopes of attracting their appetite. Kyungsoo was enthralled. He thought he would almost be content just to sit here on the street and drink in the energy he could feel thrumming in the air around him, but then he happened to glance over at his companion. Now that the initial shock had worn off and he'd had a chance to get a good look at the city around him, Junmyeon was looking askance at every spell and every obvious display of magic. Kyungsoo's heart sank. His promise to the fairies seemed like an impossible task when the sight of magic made Junmyeon recoil like that, but he knew he had to do everything in his power to prove that magic was not the evil Junmyeon had been brought up to believe it was.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

Junmyeon blinked at him. "I suppose so," he said. "We'll have to find lodging before we can unpack anything out of the bags, though, so you'll have to wait a while."

"No need," Kyungsoo shrugged. He slid off his horse to get closer to one of the shops. "Plenty of food right here."

"Wait!" Junmyeon grabbed his wrist, but Kyungsoo shook him off.

"I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."

"Kyungsoo, get back here!" Junmyeon hissed, looking at the stall. "That's magic!"

"It's delicious is what it is," said Kyungsoo, coming back with several skewers of a strangely spiced meat that made his mouth water. "Want one?"

"No, thank you," said Junmyeon stiffly.

Kyungsoo shrugged and kept eating. He remained walking by the horses' side so that he could get a better look at everything, but the glances Junmyeon kept sending the food did not escape him, nor did Junmyeon's stomach rumbling ominously. Kyungsoo made sure to eat every bite as obviously as possible. They learned from people they encountered that the palace gates would open the next morning and housing would be provided for registered contestants, but that still meant that they were on their own for one night. Kyungsoo rather suspected that Junmyeon would like to camp outside the city walls, and it took a great deal of convincing to get Junmyeon not to head back towards the gates. He seemed inclined to eat the stale bread left over from their journey until Kyungsoo gave in and found them dinner from one of the few stalls around that showed no traces of magic.

Junmyeon watched as Kyungsoo wandered from place to place, standing off to the side while Kyungsoo examined every available display of magic he could find. After a long while in which nothing jumped out at Kyungsoo or attacked him or poisoned him in any way, Junmyeon seemed to relax somewhat, even coming close enough to peer at some things.

"I keep forgetting you're from all the way out in the countryside," Junmyeon said.

"Why, because I'm so sophisticated?" said Kyungsoo, looking at him through a perfectly round sphere of colored glass.

"No," said Junmyeon, "because you're more comfortable with... all of this."

Kyungsoo put the glass down and frowned. "Why shouldn't I be?"

"Magic is dangerous," Junmyeon frowned back. He kept his voice down. "I can imagine it's easy to wish for problems to magically solve themselves, but that's how it starts."

"Dangerous, sure," Kyungsoo looked skeptically at a group of children hopping up and down to reach a balloon enchanted to bounce in the air above them. "What about this looks dangerous?"

"In case you've forgotten," said Junmyeon, "someone tried to poison me using magic just the other day."

"All right," Kyungsoo admitted, "magic can be used for evil. But so can any weapon. You could take that sword right there and kill any one of these people and that would be evil, wouldn't it? But you can also use it for good, the way you're planning to use it to win this tournament and save your father. Who's to say magic is any different? Take a look around... everyone here seems to be doing just fine with it."

For a moment it looked like Junmyeon was swayed somewhat by Kyungsoo's words, then he shook his head.

"I've heard about what it was like before my father got rid of magic in Camelot," he said. "I can't just forget about that."

"I'm not saying you have to," said Kyungsoo. "Just look at how magic is being used here before you write it off for good."

Junmyeon sighed. He looked at Kyungsoo.

"Don't get too used to talking like that," he said. "It's a good thing I'm the one here to hear you; say this kind of thing around anyone at home and you'll get yourself accused of being a sorcerer."

"What's stopping you from thinking that way?" Kyungsoo asked.

Junmyeon laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, Kyungsoo, I know you too well now. There's no way anyone as hopeless as you is going to turn out to be a sorcerer."

He kept walking down the street, grinning to himself. Kyungsoo rubbed his shoulder to check for bruises.

"I'm so glad you have such a high opinion of me," he grumbled, but hurried to catch up anyway.

"Don't fuss," Junmyeon elbowed him. "Don't you want to try this... toad and salamander stew?"

"That's disgusting," Kyungsoo wrinkled his nose. "Why are you only looking at food?"

"I can hardly load the bags up with enchanted trinkets to carry home, can I?" Junmyeon pointed out, but he still made his way out of the cluster of food stalls.

No matter how he protested, Junmyeon seemed more at ease after hearing Kyungsoo's arguments. He listened to what one of the swordsmiths had to say on the merits of a magically controlled fire and the superior steel it produced, and even tried several of the swords before thanking the smith and moving on. A relaxed Junmyeon was more pleasant to be around, Kyungsoo thought. He smiled more, and not the official court smile that he wore when facing his father's advisors, the one that didn't quite reach his eyes and which had started to look almost frayed at the edges before they had left Camelot. He was smiling now the way he had when he had laughed at Kyungsoo for getting ash on the ceiling, or, for that matter, whenever he poked fun at Kyungsoo. It made his face scrunch up in ways that Junmyeon usually tried to hide, except that sometimes his amusement was too distracting for him to think about his appearance. He laughed like that around Kyungsoo because Kyungsoo's opinion didn't matter, but now Kyungsoo didn't mind that so much. He had infuriated Junmyeon by joking about his height when they first met, but watching him now Kyungsoo realized that he moved like royalty, like it was in his very nature. He didn't clear a path through the crowd with his size, the way any number of men around them were doing, and yet there was always a space in front of him. Junmyeon just seemed to fit, and as Kyungsoo watched him move through the crowd he wondered how anyone who looked as embarrassing as that could command the respect that he apparently did. He pretended to be paying attention to the horses while he watched Junmyeon get into a conversation with an obviously interested silk merchant.

"If you're looking for something for a certain special woman, this color is very popular," she said, holding up a roll of deep blue fabric.

"Ah, no. Nothing like that," Junmyeon laughed. "What color would you suggest for me, though? I will defer to your expert taste."

"For you?" she tittered. "For you I would choose this, the deepest scarlet I possess. Look at how rich the color is in the light. And, though I would say you hardly need it, this particular thread is woven through with an enchantment that will make the wearer irresistible to the opposite sex."

Junmyeon's hand, which was reaching out to touch the silk, froze in midair.

"Really?" he said, his voice just a little too careless. "I was wondering why I felt so compelled to venture over here. Would it be very rude of me to accuse you of using your own wares to pull in poor, unsuspecting customers such as myself?"

"It would indeed. I would never do such a thing," she laughed, but something about the way her dress shimmered made Kyungsoo suspect that she was lying.

Junmyeon laughed along with her, but he withdrew his hand and took a step back.

"I'm afraid such fine silk is too much for my purse," he said with a bow. "It will have to wait for a more worthy owner."

He walked away quickly, reaching Kyungsoo just in time to see the smile on his face.

"Not a word," he muttered.

"Do you always flirt when you're nervous?" asked Kyungsoo innocently.

"I was not flirting!"

"I don't know what else you'd call that."

Junmyeon shoved him half-heartedly. "Shut up. Who said you could talk to me like that anyway?"

Kyungsoo stepped back behind him and made a deep bow.

"I apologize, your highness," he said soberly. "I spoke out of turn. May I carry anything for you? Fetch you anything? I await your command."

He followed Junmyeon silently and at a respectful distance for a few paces before Junmyeon stopped again.

"Cut that out," he told Kyungsoo. "It's disturbing. I liked it better when you were talking back."

"Whatever you say," Kyungsoo placidly agreed.

Junmyeon groaned and kept walking.

Walking through the markets apparently made Junmyeon hungry again, because he told Kyungsoo to keep his eyes open for the next non-magical street vendor. It took them a little while to find anything at all, and by the time they finally located anything edible, Junmyeon was hungry enough to accept a pastry kept warm over magical coals. He insisted on watching Kyungsoo take the first bite, but Kyungsoo thought it was more for show than anything else since he didn't wait more than a second before following suit. As they ate, Kyungsoo noticed a small commotion on the other side of the street. A crowd had gathered around what appeared to be a popular dairy farmer's cart, and around the edges of this crowd a girl was darting around. She was trying to get close enough to get the farmer's attention, but everywhere she went the people closed in, leaving her no opening. Kyungsoo nudged Junmyeon.

"What?" Junmyeon asked.

"Look over there," Kyungsoo said.

Junmyeon looked where he was pointing and huffed.

"Some people have no decency," he said. He crammed the rest of the pastry into his mouth and stood up, chewing furiously, then caught sight of Kyungsoo making a face at the flakes of crust clinging to his mouth. "What?"

"Nothing," Kyungsoo shook his head. "It's just nice to know that your cover is foolproof. No one looking right now would ever mistake you for the crown prince of Camelot."

Junmyeon rolled his eyes. "Are you coming?"

"What about the horses?" Kyungsoo glanced at the reins they'd slung over a wooden post while they ate.

"Bring 'em," came the reply.

By the time Kyungsoo made his way across the street Junmyeon had already intercepted the young woman, who was strangely refusing to look at him. She was instead trying to get around him, still heading back towards the crowd that had blocked her. Several of the people on the edges were glancing back at her almost anxiously, like they were trying to make sure she wasn't getting any closer without making it obvious that that was what they were doing.

"Don't worry," Junmyeon was saying. "We'll take care of it. Let me get that for you." He took the bucket gently from her and handed it to Kyungsoo. "Here."

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Kyungsoo asked.

"Go get her whatever she needs," said Junmyeon. He looked back at the young woman. "What do you need him to get for you?"

She still acted as though Junmyeon weren't there, but now for some reason Kyungsoo had caught her attention and she stood still, studying him intently. She was probably around the same age as Kyungsoo, but until that moment there had been a vague air to her that made her seem much older. Now something about her eyes made Kyungsoo feel more exposed than he had since entering the city, like she was seeing him more clearly than anyone else around them. She certainly seemed to focus on him more clearly than on anything else. Junmyeon might as well have not even existed, for all the attention she paid him.

"Cream," she said suddenly.

"Huh?"

"I need cream," she repeated. "And cheese if he has it, but only goat's."

"You heard her," nodded Junmyeon. "Off you go."

Kyungsoo frowned, but he hefted the bucket anyway and pushed his way into the crowd. They were slightly less reluctant to let him pass as they had been towards the young woman, but he still had to fend off elbows that threatened him on all sides, and ended up with at least one bruise before he managed to reach the front. The dairy farmer looked at him suspiciously, paying attention to his other customers for as long as he could before finally greeting Kyungsoo when he had no other choice. Whatever he found unsettling about the girl obviously extended to anyone who tried to help her, because he was noticeably less friendly towards Kyungsoo than he had been to everyone else, and Kyungsoo was glad to hear he was out of goat's cheese, if only because he was eager to put distance between himself and the looks he was getting from everyone around him.

When he finally returned with the cream he got no more than a glance since the young woman was wholly engrossed in examining each of her fingers in turn and whispering to herself. Junmyeon was more unsure than Kyungsoo ever remembered seeing him before, glancing up with relief at Kyungsoo's approach.

"Thank goodness, I thought you'd been eaten or something," he said. "She's been like this since you left."

"I got you the cream," Kyungsoo said, holding out the bucket.

No response.

"We can't just leave her here," Junmyeon said, "but I haven't got a clue where she came from."

They were looking around, completely at a loss, when another girl coming around the corner nearly ran into them.

"Soojung!" she exclaimed.

The mumbling young woman-Soojung, apparently-looked up at the sound of her voice.

"Oh, Jinri," she said, suddenly perfectly normal again. "I wondered where you went."

"I didn't go anywhere," said Jinri. "You're the one who wandered off. Thank you for staying with her," she said to Junmyeon and Kyungsoo, who had been watching the exchange with identical bemused expressions.

"My pleasure," said Junmyeon, recovering quickly.

"Here," said Kyungsoo. He held out the bucket to her instead. "This is yours, I guess."

"Oh, did you get that?" Jinri took it from him gratefully. "I might have known they wouldn't let her through. They never do, but she keeps trying anyway. Thank you so much." She glared at the wall of people around the dairy stall. "It's not the first time this has happened," she said, making sure they could hear her, "but they usually don't dare when I'm around."

She made as if to storm over, but Soojung stopped her.

"It's alright," she said, also speaking loudly enough to be heard over the crowd. "They'll be closed tomorrow anyway."

Kyungsoo caught a glimpse of the dairy farmer's face. He looked pale. Kyungsoo smiled and waved at him, and he looked away hastily. In the meantime, Jinri went back to scolding her friend for going off on her own.

"I had to welcome our guests," Soojung explained. "I should have expected them to get lost, seeing as how they're new to the city."

"Guests?" asked Kyungsoo. Junmyeon and Jinri both shrugged.

"I've been expecting you all day," Soojung said to Kyungsoo. "You're late."

"I think you must have mistaken us for someone else," said Kyungsoo. "We're-"

"I know who you are," interrupted Soojung, "and I know why you're here. Why do you think I told you about the tournament in the first place, except to bring you here?"

Kyungsoo could hear Junmyeon inhale sharply beside him, but he was too busy digesting what he had just heard to pay him any mind.

"You were the woman we met in the forest," he realized.

Soojung nodded. "Thank you again for helping with the cart, by the way."

Junmyeon grabbed his elbow.

"We should go," he whispered. "She's a sorceress."

"I'm a witch, actually," Soojung said loudly. Several of the people nearby shifted away at the sound of her voice.

"What's the difference?" Kyungsoo asked curiously, ignoring Junmyeon's insistence that they leave.

"Nothing much," Jinri answered for her with a sigh. "She just thinks 'sorceress' sounds too glamorous."

"It's what people call themselves when they're putting on airs," said Soojung firmly. "Like they're too good to be called a witch." She turned to Junmyeon, addressing him directly for the first time that evening. "Calm down," she said. "I have no quarrel with the Pendragon family, though there's many that do, and not entirely without reason. There are plenty of people who would be happy to see your father gone, but I am not one of them, rest assured. It is not time."

Junmyeon looked around, but no one seemed to have heard her this time.

"How do you know who I am?" he demanded.

"Typical royalty," she said, looking at Kyungsoo with sympathy. "They never really listen, do they? I've Seen you coming for a long time now, though you've strayed from the path several times."

Something about the way she said it made it possible to hear the capital letter on "Seen." Suddenly her vague appearance earlier made a little more sense to Kyungsoo. He didn't see anything particularly magical about Soojung, but he still wasn't sure exactly how that sense worked, so he supposed it was possible that he was looking for entirely the wrong thing.

"You said you were waiting for us?" he asked.

"Yes, I thought someone with your skill would have been a little quicker on the uptake, but at least you're here now."

Kyungsoo laughed nervously. "I don't know what you mean."

"I don't believe a word of it," Soojung said. "But the less said, the better, I suppose."

Kyungsoo shrugged helplessly at Junmyeon and Jinri, who were looking confused and entertained, respectively.

"This is the third time you have helped me," Soojung continued, "and now it is my turn to help you. I can start by making sure you have food and a place to stay, and then after dinner, we can see what else I can tell you."

Junmyeon immediately started to protest.

"No, that's fine," he said. "We actually have somewhere to stay already. We've already eaten too. We should be going."

"If you're planning to camp out again, you're on your own," Kyungsoo said, glad for the change in topic. "I vote for real beds."

"Who said you get a vote?" Junmyeon asked.

He seemed uninclined to go with them. Kyungsoo turned to face Junmyeon and lowered his voice so that the two girls couldn't hear.

"They want to help us," he said. "I know you don't like magic, but if Soojung were really dangerous, don't you think she'd have been, I don't know, turning those people into frogs or something when they got in her way?"

"I think you have a very strange idea of how magic works," said Junmyeon, but he sounded a little less certain.

"If you really can't stand the thought of it, we can leave and spend another night outside on the ground," said Kyungsoo. "If we look hard enough, I'm sure we can find a spot without too many rocks or ants or anything. Probably."

"Now you're overdoing it."

"I just think we should give them a chance. It's just one night."

Junmyeon's mouth twisted for a moment while he thought about it.

"Fine," he said finally. "But if anything happens, I'm blaming you."

"You usually do," Kyungsoo said dryly, but it still had the effect of making Junmyeon smile a little.

"Just one night, alright?" Junmyeon said.

"Just one night," Kyungsoo agreed.

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