Chapter 1: Starlight, Starlost
Chapter Text
Jeongin’s fur was standing on end and sparking when he ran into Hyunjin’s gardens.
Hyunjin had been taking his daily walk through the pebble paths, caressing the newly bloomed flowers and letting the birdsong wash over him. It was dawn, as it usually was when he took his walks. The grass and leafs were still wet with dew, and there were still a few crickets and pond frogs chirping that had yet to be cowed by the awakening birds. His carefully manicured fingers brushed over the flowerbuds still coiled up tightly as he encouraged them to wake up and unfurl. He did not have nearly the same prowess with plants that Jisung did, naturally, but flowers in particular were always fond of him (a fact that Jisung bemoaned constantly, as the dryad was sick and tired of the forest’s flowers chattering Hyunjin’s name all the time.)
Jeongin’s arrival startled him horribly. The fox hybrid leapt over the bushy walls of the garden and landed in a writhing heap on the ground, hissing and yowling like he’d been set on fire. For a terrifying moment Hyunjin did think he’d been set on fire. Once the fox found his footing and stood up, though, he realized that the smoky vapor coming off of him was just the boy’s magic. That presented its own set of issues, though. Big issues.
“Innie? What’s the matter?” Hyunjin asked anxiously. He crouched in front of the fox as Jeongin yipped and growled and gnashed his teeth in response, clearly distressed. The fox’s magic was wafting off of him like steam. There were visible sparking popping out of his fur and his eyes were beady and glowing. In all their centuries of friendship, Hyunjin had never seen Jeongin look so – so feral.
It took a while for Jeongin to calm down enough to explain himself. The fox paced in circles, twitching and growling and sparking all the while. Hyunjin noticed more things that were upsetting – dried blood around his maw and flank, tufts of fur missing from his neck, dirt and muck sticking to his usually immaculate pelt. Every time Hyunjin tried to reach out to touch the other, to soothe him, Jeongin snapped his teeth. It didn’t feel playful like his aggression usually was, either.
Eventually, Jeongin stopped his pacing and shook himself like a dog. There was a heated flash of light, and Hyunjin’s ears popped. When he blinked, there was a livid young man sitting in place of the fox. His ginger hair was still puffed out and staticy, and he was still covered in a not insignificant amount of blood and dirt. With smooth skin in place of thick fur, Hyunjin could now see dozens of scratches and scrapes on his sides and shoulders.
His fox ears and three tails remained. He must have been really, truly unsettled.
“Who the hell did you get into a fight with?” Hyunjin demanded to know. He itched to reach out and grab his dear friend, but he knew he had to hold himself back. Jeongin could barely stand physical touch so soon after shifting forms on a good day, and this clearly hadn’t been a very good day at all.
Jeongin growled, though the effect was severely dampened by his boyish appearance and human vocal cords. “Poachers,” he spat out like a curse. “Witches at that.”
Hyunjin’s eyes widened and then narrowed. “That’s impossible. The forest is protected from ill intent.”
“Clearly not any longer!” Jeongin hissed. “They caught me outside my den, hyung. My den. The only reason I escaped is because of that enchantment Jisung hyung left on my tree that tripped them up in the roots.”
Ice washed through Hyunjin’s veins. Witch poachers? In his forest? Deep enough to reach Innie’s den? It was unthinkable. It was a nightmare.
Hyunjin stood up quickly, his long robes swishing behind him. “Follow me, quickly. We must tell my mother,” he said to Jeongin. Jeongin nodded sharply and scrambled to follow as Hyunjin turned heel and marched out of his garden. There was no denying the stark terror that dogged his steps as they walked. Even the branches and stray vines of the garden shied away from him as he stormed through.
Poachers, poachers, poachers… Witches, too.
There were so many magical creatures protected by his family’s forest. Shifters like Jeongin of all sorts of species, nymphs like Jisung, Changbin, and Chan, elementals, mystic animals… All of them kept safe by the pure magic of the forest and the elves that cared for it. How could the protections possibly have failed without anyone noticing?
As elves, Hyunjin’s family already lived for centuries at a time. And they had spent generation upon generation honing the inherent pure magic of the forest through ritual and spell to form a protective barrier across the whole land. Those with ill and evil intentions were barred from entering no matter how deep they dug or how high they flew. It had been like that for centuries, unchanged and unchallenged.
What on Earth could have gone wrong?
Hyunjin’s mother was equally as disturbed to hear Jeongin’s story as Hyunjin was. She quickly sent for lodging and healing to be prepared for the fox. Hyunjin dearly wanted to stay with his friend and ensure for himself that he was tended to, but his mother firmly demanded that he accompany her to investigate the issue, and his duty as her son had to take precedent.
She brought him to the center of their villa, where the tallest and oldest tree of the forest stood. They climbed the spiral stairs that wrapped around the thick, house-sized trunk of the tree, up and up and up until they breached the canopy of giant and dark leaves. He had never been to the top of the tree before. It stood far, far above the tops of any other tree he’d climbed, leaving him looking down upon a veritable sea of green. The atmosphere was thick with dampness and magic, making him hold back a sneeze.
In any other circumstance, he would be awestruck by the view and magic in the air. As it stood currently, though, he was focused on following his mother.
There was a platform woven out of tree branches that the stairs led up to. Hyunjin could tell just by feel alone that the branches were still living, simply growing into their flat state. In the center of the platform was a stone dais that stood up to about his chest, carved intricately with etchings of constellations. Sitting atop the dais was a bronze basin, shiny as if it had just been molded yesterday, filled with crystal blue water. Hyunjin’s mother walked up next to it and beckoned him over. He did, and he looked into the water.
All he could see was his own reflection against the still-dawn sky. He remained looking into the basin for a moment more, wondering if perhaps he just needed to wait, but nothing happened. The water remained plain. Confused, he looked up to his mother.
“I see nothing,” he said. His mother’s grim expression made his stomach turn. “Mother?”
“This water was gifted to our family by the protector of the forest’s Heart Glade,” his mother said solemnly. “It gives us a direct line to the Heart Glade and allows us to channel the pure magic of the forest into our protective wards. If you see nothing, then that can only mean there is nothing.”
Hyunjin’s heart pounded in his chest. “You mean -?”
His mother closed her eyes and scowled. “The protector of the Glade has fallen,” she said. “We have lost our unicorn.”
The days that followed were tense. The elves were strong but not many; They couldn’t be everywhere at once. Word and warning was quickly spread through bird and wind that the wards were compromised. The whole forest was tense with a fear many of the inhabitants hadn’t felt for generations. The exact source of the wards was a carefully cultivated secret, though, and it was kept that way. There was no reason for the creatures of the forest to know that their unicorn was lost. The reaction would be apocalyptic.
Hyunjin knew, though. He knew that the unicorn was gone. And he was heartbroken.
He’d never seen the creature himself. No one had, save for the very first of Hyunjin’s ancestors to settle in the forest and perhaps a stray fairy or two. Yet still, he’d heard tale of them. The elven settlement was decorated head-to-toe in murals and statues and motifs of the unicorn. The unicorn was as vital to the forest as the stars were to elvenkind itself.
What could’ve possibly happened to it? The Heart Glade lay in the very center of the forest, where the magic sat the purest. It was impossible to find even for those who resided within the ward’s boundaries. There was no possible way for someone to have broken in to harm the unicorn, nor should it have been possible for the unicorn to simply stop existing. It lived for as long as the forest’s magic did. So what happened?
There was no way into the Heart Glade without the unicorn’s express permission, and so no way to investigate. They were at an impasse, and a dangerous one, at that.
Hyunjin’s mother refused to let it cow her, though. She organized patrols along the perimeter of the wards, assigning their most powerful magicians to construct smaller wards at keypoints along the boundary. She worked with the spirits to set up a watch and alarm system so that they would be alerted to any more attacks or poacher sightings. She went out to personally walk between the trees and let the forest’s creatures see her steely-backed figure, to imbue them with confidence and hope.
Hyunjin tried to follow her lead. He kept his head up and his blade sharp, practicing sword forms deep into the dusk. He meditated under the stars to settle his magic and gather his strength. He, too, walked along the forest, trying to emanate an air of confidence and safety… but it was hard. He was terrified, and heartbroken, and – dare he say it – angry. How dare something threaten his forest.
Jeongin remained in the elven settlement, unable to return to his den now that the poaches knew where it was. He was given his own quarters further on the edge of the settlement to help him feel less trapped, but Hyunjin still found himself waking up to a thick bundle of fur and tails every other morning. They never spoke about it, as he knew that Jeongin wouldn’t appreciate his pity, but it still hurt to know his friend was so scared as to sneak into his bed.
And then, one day: news. The nymphs had found the poachers’ camp.
Hyunjin joined the strike force despite his friends’ protests. Jeongin’s ears had poofed out agitatedly when he saw Hyunjin in his battle garments, a low hiss escaping his teeth. The nymphs were equally as unhappy. Chan was especially displeased as the very nymph that had brought news of the discovery. He forced a small vial of healing water upon him (sweet but unecessary), and the other two quickly followed his example: Jisung quickly grew him a vine bracelet imbued with a protective blessing (it was quite ugly) and Changbin gave him a thick stone (absent of any magics, just meant to be a back-up weapon should he get disarmed.)
The strike force was him and six others – three warriors and three magicians. The hope was to catch the poachers by surprise, maybe even take one alive for questioning. Hyunjin’s mother, in a rare show of vulnerability, asked if he wanted more warriors as back-up, but he knew it was a bad idea. Should the attack go poorly, they would need all the elves back home as they could get.
They left in the direction that Chan had tracked the poachers to in early evening. By the time they arrived at the camp it was past nightfall, and the moon was just barely peeking over the canopy of trees. The camp itself was small but clearly well protected. The magicians had to disarm numerous magical traps and defenses as they approached. It made Hyunjin nervous, but he hid it well. This wasn’t the time to falter.
The camp was quiet as the elven retinue surrounded it. A low fire burned in the center, a broken down cooking pot laying on the ground beside the stones. They had three large tents in a triangular formation, each one big enough to fit two or three people – which made sense, as Chan reported that it wasn’t a particularly small group (for poaching witches, anyway. They tended to travel alone or in duos.) There were three people total sitting around camp. Two of them, women, were clearly the ones left on watch for the night. They appeared to be mercenary types more than true witches, with leather armors and cross-bows on their backs. If Hyunjin hadn’t heard Jeongin’s vehemence that the poachers were witches, then he would’ve assumed they were from a Hunters guild of some kind. More likely, they’re just hired muscle.
What caught Hyunjin’s attention, was the third figure awake. The third figure was sitting with their arms wrapped around their legs, dressed in rags, just barely close enough for the fire to illuminate them. The lighting made it difficult to make out their features, but Hyunjin could tell that their hair was abnormally pale. Squinting, he could just hardly see what appeared to be a thick cord running between the figure and a nearby tree.
The two guards didn’t spare the third figure so much as a glance as they chatted quietly and shared bread between each others. The figure, too, did not move an inch.
It was strangely difficult for Hyunjin to tear his eyes away from the shadowed person, but he did so just in time for the other members of his strike force to speak in hands about their next move. It was time for the ambush.
Hyunjin did not enjoy fighting. He like swordplay, sure – weapons were artisinal, and sword forms were like a dance. On their own, anyway. He did not like combat itself. He didn’t like hurting people, he didn’t like being hurt, he didn’t like blood. He was a creator, not a destroyer.
That said, he was good at it. And he was very, very angry at the trespassors of his forest.
The mercenaries went down quickly, taken off-guard as they were. The magicians were quick at enflaming the tents, and those that escaped the flames were struck down easily. One witch – the youngest of those that fled the tents – was knocked unconscious rather than killed. Out of them all, she would likely be the easiest to question; Older witches were always such tricky people to speak with.
The ambush was over quickly, all things considered. There was hardly even a scratch on any of the elves. It had been easy, but still left a poor taste in Hyunjin’s mouth.
His eyes were drawn to the last person left.
Throughout the whole fight, they hadn’t moved an inch. Not when the tents enrupted into flames, not when the witches tried to screech out hexes, and not when the clashing of metal drew the mercenaries’ blood. They stayed right where they sat on the ground, curled up with their chin resting on their knees, watching.
Warily, Hyunjin approached. The bright flames of the tents lit up the surroundings enough for him to finally see the figure – the man – clearly. His hair was not only unnaturally pale, but unnaturally hued as well, almost glittering with faint blues and purples. The slope of his nose was sharp and handsome, his skin smooth and unblemished. A hint of teeth peeked out from his lips, giving him an almost rabbit-like appearance. The fires of the camp made his eyes positively sparkle.
The most important detail Hyunjin picked up was the thick coil of rope wrapped around the man’s neck that trailed behind him, the other end tied to a tree. As if he were a dog to be leashed.
Those same eyes followed Hyunjin like a hawk as he approached. Still, the man did not move. Hyunjin crouched down in front of him, just within arm’s length. He tilted his head as he looked at the other. After a beat, the man copied the motion.
“Hello,” he greeted softly. The man didn’t appear bothered, but Hyunjin had enough experience with the denizens of his forest to know that fear presented itself differently in many creatures. “My name is Hyunjin. What’s your name?”
The man blinked slowly at him and made no sound. Hyunjin tilted his head the other way, and the man copied this movement as well. It was a little cute.
“Are you hurt?” Hyunjin asked. He gestured to his neck. The man blinked once more and slowly dragged a hand up to his neck, fingers brushing against the rope. Still, he said nothing.
“I’m here to help you, I promise. What’s your name? Can you speak?”
Nothing but blinks.
Hyunjin sighed. He could sense a faint magic from the man, but nothing particularly noteworthy. The man was clearly a captive of some sort given the rags and ropes, but he also didn’t appear very poorly off.
He cleared his throat and tried one last time. He pointed to himself and spoke slowly, carefully enunciating each syllable. “I’m here to help you. Help you. Okay?”
The man blinked once, twice, three times. Then, for the first time since Hyunjin laid eyes on him, he began to unfurl. His limbs moved haltingly, clumsy and unsure. Hyunjin held his breath, eyes wide. Slowly, the man reached out his hand. He leaned forward until his hand came to rest on Hyunjin’s chest, palm pressed against where Hyunjin’s heart hammered furiously. His eyes fell to where his hand sat with a strange intensity, a frown growing more and more pronounced as the seconds passed.
The man’s lips moved, but no sound came out. The man outright pouted, and his lips moved again, and it was only then that Hyunjin realized he was trying to speak. The man’s other hand came up to poke at his mouth, pinching and pulling as if that would magically make words happen. He looked so truly, genuinely frustrated and confused at his own inability to speak, and ended up just staring deeply into Hyunjin’s eyes, seemingly trying to telepathically convey his thoughts.
Hyunjin softened. He laid one hand overtop the man’s that was on his chest. “Don’t you worry,” he said. “Everything’s going to be alright.”
The man was strange, Hyunjin decided.
The whole trek back to the settlement the man had latched tightly onto Hyunjin’s arm, stumbling over himself like a newborn fawn on its first legs. It got to the point where Hyunjin decided to just carry the man on his back, but even then, the man had a vice grip on him that tightened whenever one of the other elves got too close. If nothing else, that proved to Hyunjin that the man was frightened despite his aloof exterior.
They returned home and placed their witch captive into the dungeons. Hyunjin’s mother met him with great relief at his lack of injuries and great confusion at his new appendage. Oddly enough, the man did not appear afraid of his mother the way he was afraid of the other elves wandering around. She could not get him to speak either, though he still tried.
They had no name for him, and no idea where he came from. When presented with a map, he simply stared blankly at the paper. When given a quill and parchment, his fingers struggled to hold the feather and ink spilled everywhere. They cycled through as many names as they could think of – or rather, Hyunjin and Jeongin did – and he didn’t respond to any of them. He was a blank slate, through and through.
He was strange, but… ultimately harmless.
Hyunjin’s mother – and many of the other elves – worried when Hyunjin gave the man a room in the villa. They whispered that he may be bespelled by the witches and thus compromise their safety, or perhaps he was a dark spirit the witches had bound and would soon break free. Hyunjin observed him so so closely, though, and simply could not imagine the man hurting a fly.
His eyes were always wide and sparkling with wonder and curiosity. His every movement was clumsy, almost adorably so. When Hyunjin took him to his private gardens (carefully, with a hand on the man’s arm so that he wouldn’t trip and fall into a rosebush) it was like he’d been revealed all the riches in the world. The man had stopped at every single plant, petting each and every flower with the utmost care. Little critters poked their heads out of the bushes and trees – bunnies and birds and squirrels inching far, far closer than they ever had with Hyunjin. These, too, the man treated like small treasures, letting them sniff his hands and rub against his legs.
And he was helpful, in his own way. He didn’t quite seem to understand direct requests, simply blinking and staring anytime someone addressed him. But whenever Hyunjin found him in the libraries, he was always tidying the bookshelves and dusting the nooks. In the halls, if someone passed by carrying something, he always silently offered his arms to take their burden. During mealtimes, it was a daily battle to get him to stop offering bites of his food to whomever was nearest (usually either Hyunjin or Jeongin.)
Much like the animals, the children of the settlement also seemed enchanted by him. Hyunjin liked to take the man on walks throughout the settlement, and without fail, every time, they would become surrounded by elflings tugging at their clothes and begging the man to play tag. The man didn’t understand or reply, of course, and was far too uncoordinated to truly play the game, but he never seemed upset to trip and fall, nor were the children upset to watch him tumble.
Hyunjin was unbearably, embarrassingly fond of the mysterious man. A fact that Jeongin teased him endlessly for.
“Gazing at your sparkly idiot again?” Jeongin remarked as he flopped onto the ground beside where Hyunjin stood, leaning against a tree. Jeongin’s ears and tail were fully hidden, as they had been once he got news that the poachers had been dealt with.
Hyunjin scowled. “Don’t call him that,” he scolded, “He’s not an idiot. He’s just… adjusting.”
“What? To being alive?” Jeongin snorted. Hyunjin did not deign him with a response. Jeongin snickered and leaned against Hyunjin’s legs, taking the exchange as a victory. “Honestly, though. Aren’t you worried he’s going to drown?”
They were all a way’s way deeper into the forest from Hyunjin’s villa. Hyunjin had simply wanted to spend some time out in the forest proper, and naturally, the mysterious man had followed along. He tended to do that, Hyunjin learned. Followed him or his mother (usually him, though) like a lost puppy. No matter what the other elves said, it was endearing.
As they walked, they came across a creek in a clearing. The man appeared to be fascinated by the water, so Hyunjin took a step back to watch him as he splashed around in it. The man’s cheeks were rosy as he smiled in obvious delight, and Hyunjin simply could not look away from him.
“Be nice to him,” Hyunjin said mildly. “He likes you far too much for you to be so mean to him.”
Jeongin winced, and then pouted. “He smells weird. Like a mix of witchcraft and fae magic.” He nudged Hyunjin with his elbow and looked up at him. “I worry he’s some kind of homonculus, and that he’ll end up rotting from the inside, and then you’ll cry because you fell in love with a lump of magic sludge.”
Rude. Hyunjin ruffled the fox’s hair aggressively, making the boy yowl and flail about. Hyunjin’s face felt hot to the touch, and only burned hotter when Jeongin paused his dramatic flailing to point and laugh at him. He scowled fiercely.
“You-!” He pointed a shaking finger, “You, you bratty, disrespectful -!”
Then, music.
He stopped in his tracks as the most beautiful, delightful tinkling sound reached his ears. Jeongin froze too, mischievious smile slowly dropping from his face. The fox’s eyes flashed gold for a brief second, strands of hair poofing up and standing on end. Hyunjin shuddered as he felt the magic in his blood positively sing along with the sound, like he’d just been bathed in the purest of pools under the stars.
The sound stopped as quick as it came. Shaking back into himself, he stood up and frantically looked around. Jeongin scrambled to his feet and did the same. Yet, there was nothing there. No one except…
As one, they turned to the creek. The mysterious man was already staring back at them, eyes curved into bright questions with a wide, toothy grin on his face. He was soaking wet from the knees down and elbows up, his opalescent bangs dripping water down his face. Looking directly at them, he opened his mouth, and laughed.
Music.
There was no other way to describe the melody of his laughter.
Again, the magic in Hyunjin’s blood trilled in response and sent shivers down his spine. He couldn’t tear his eyes away. He was thunderstruck, awestruck, dumbstruck – everything. It was his first time hearing the man make any sound period, and it was so, so beautiful. Everything seemed to brighten around him. Even the water of the creekbed he’d been playing in seemed to be just a little bit clearer.
The music petered off, and then the man was ambling out of the water with his usual clumsy movements. Yet, he did seem to be getting more graceful with his steps every day. Hyunjin could see the hidden elegance of his body. The man approached the two of them, still grinning and rosy-cheeked. He reached forward for both of their hands and took them in his own, and started to pull them in the direction of the creek.
And, well – Hyunjin was helpless to do anything but follow.
Unfortunately, the issue of the forest’s safety was not yet resolved. The poachers had been an immediate threat, yes, but the issue of the protective boundary and the loss of their unicorn was a far more dire threat. Hyunjin sat in on countless meetings with his mother and the settlement’s greatest magicians to think up a solution.
Finding the unicorn was a fool’s errand, but was erecting their own individual wards any better? The forest was massive, and the elves so few. They would never be able to keep it up.
An effort was made to interrogate the witch they kept captive, who they learned was named Yeji. Hwang Yeji, at that, which was simply ironic considering the affront her group had been to the Hwang family of elves. She was young, for a human, and as such she was unfortunately ignorant. An apprentice, is all – the niece of one of the slain witches who’d been brought along for labor and mana and not much else. She hardly appeared broken up by the loss of her group at all; Simply afraid of the elves and their retribution, like any sensible young woman would be.
She had no clue how the other witches had done away with their barrier, if they’d been responsible at all. She didn’t even appear to believe that unicorns existed. What she did know was this: her aunt’s group of poachers were keenly interested in shifter magic. Not their pelts, nor claws or fangs – but their magic. She herself didn’t fully get it, as humans and witches tended to look down upon the actual magic that shifters used.
She knew nothing of the man they recovered, only that she’d been forbidden from speaking to him and that his eyes unnerved her.
All-in-all, it was a very dire situation.
Hyunjin stressed about it incessantly. Sooner or later, more poachers and witches would take notice of their newfound vulnerability. When they did, it would become a nightmare for every creature that called the forest home.
The Man – for Hyunjin had stopped thinking of him as “the mysterious man” and simply as Him – appeared wholly oblivious to the growing unease of the people around him. He continued to follow Hyunjin like a duckling and play with the elfings, continued to observe the plants and animals with intense scrutiny. Only now, his stumbles and mishaps were far rarer, and his silence was often broken by quiet giggles. The sound never failed to make Hyunjin’s spine tingle and his breaths just a little lighter, but it was a temporary balm, at best.
The Man was Hyunjin’s ever-present opal shadow even when Hyunjin asked him to stay at the villa. Like now, when Hyunjin was on his way to speak with his nymph friends. He’d stopped several times along the way to turn and tell The Man to go back and stop following him, but The Man only ever blinked in response and continued along behind him. Hyunjin wasn’t sure if it was a lack of comprehension, sheer stubbornness, or both. The Man had made no improvements in his verbal communication skills, but he also appeared to be growing a subtle stubborn streak with every passing day. It could be either.
Hyunjin sighed and tried not to be frustrated with him. He held tightly to the belief that there was nothing wrong with him and that he was simply good-hearted yet troubled, but some days it was harder to convince himself of that than others.
After a while, they breached the birch grove in which Hyunjin usually met his nymph friends at. Chan, Changbin, and Jisung had yet to meet The Man properly, though they’d certainly heard plenty about him from Hyunjin. Truly, Hyunjin had wanted to introduce them all – believing that more social interactions could only do The Man some good – but lately, most of their conversations revolved around their worries for the forest. Even if The Man seemed incapable of following along with any kind of conversation whatsoever, Hyunjin still didn’t want to subject him to that kind of dreary atmosphere.
Well… he supposed he had no choice, now.
Chan and Changbin were already at the grove when they arrived. They were chatting idly and tossing a stone between each other like it was a ball. Their attention immediately shifted when the two stepped closer, drawn to the appearance of the man behind Hyunjin.
“Woah.” Changbin whistled lowly as Chan tossed the stone back at him. He gave The Man a very obvious once-over. “Is this -?”
“Yeah, it is,” Hyunjin said with an nod. He beckoned The Man closer, raising a hand with the intent of putting it on his shoulder. Instead, their fingers ended up intertwined as The Man reached up to grab his hand in his own. Hyunjin’s cheeks reddened instantly. “Um.”
Changbin cackled. Chan appeared cautiously fond.
Hyunjin tamped down his flustered response and cleared his throat. “Well, yes. This is our, um… guest, I suppose. You can call him anything that isn’t offensive, as he responds to all names equally. That is to say, not at all.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Anything,” Chan said as he stepped forward. He made to offer a handshake, then seemed to think better of it and simply gave a small bow. “My name is Chan, and this other guy over here is Changbin.”
The Man gave Chan his typical slow, uncomprehending blinks. Then, he lowered his eyes, and stared intently at the shallow puddle that had begun to gather around Chan’s feet. Hyunjin could feel his confusion palpably and leaned in to explain.
“Chan hyung is a naiad, one of our nymphs of the river. And Binnie hyung –“ he pointed to Changbin, who waved, “- is an oread, one of our mountain nymphs. You haven’t seen them yet, but there’s the start of a small mountain range to the west. Oh, and there’s a third one – Jisung, a dryad. Not here, though.”
As expected, The Man didn’t seem to understand a single word Hyunjin said. He continued staring at the growing puddle at Chan’s feet, and even reached out with the toe of his boot to nudge the wet dirt. His mouth formed an ‘o’, as if he were truly shocked that the ground was wet. Chan was nothing if not good-spirited, though, and simply laughed.
“I can see why you like him so much. He’s adorable.” Chan said with a slight smirk that made Hyunjin flush.
“Where’s Jisung? All he does all day is play a lyre, how is he always late?” He asked after a cough.
Thankfully, his friends allowed him to change the subject. Though, that may have been less out of sympathy for him and moreso out of irritation for their wayward third. Changbin groaned loudly, making The Man jump in surprise at the sudden loud sound. His rapid blinks were made Hyunjin hold back a coo.
“That little punk has no respect for us! Always running amok, wasting time, and he still won’t show us where his spirit grove is!” Changbin grouched. There was a slightly staticy feel in the air as he grumbled and complained, as per usual with his electric nature as an oread. The Man appeared to be somewhat perturbed by this, going back-and-forth between Hyunjin and Chan to smoothe down their hair as the strands stuck up. Not once did he let go of Hyunjin’s hand while he worked. His lips pursed adorably as he switched between the two, and even Chan appeared to grow quickly amused of his silent ministrations. Still, he took pity on him.
“Bin, you’re stressing our new friend out. Tone it down, yeah?”
Changbin shut his mouth instantly, a sheepish look growing on his face. “Ah, my bad…”
Then, a faint breeze picked up and the leaves began to rustle. Rapid footsteps quickly grew louder and louder until a body was bursting out of the foliage, panting loudly.
“I’m here, I’m here! So sorry I’m late! Don’t kill me!” Jisung exclaimed as he ran towards them, nearly tripping over himself as he skidded to a halt. “Minh – My friend’s lillies were being all sad and droopy and kept making me do encores to cheer them up!”
“I think there’s an acorn stuck in your brain,” Changbin grumbled, but it was playful. Jisung bent over at the waist with his hands on his knees, wheezing as if he’d just ran a marathon. Which, well – he truly might’ve. Hyunjin knew he wandered around all edges of the forest. Especially lately, it seemed like Jisung was never in one place for more than ten minutes. He really might’ve had to sprint a long ways to reach the birch grove.
In truth, Hyunjin worried about him just a little. Nymphs weren’t meant to have as pronounced eyebags as Jisung did. But he only started his frantic running around and lyre playing after the forest wards went down, so Hyunjin assumed it was his way of staving off fear and panic.
Chan guided Jisung to sit down and catch his breath. Jisung took it one step further and flopped onto his back, limbs splayed out like a star. He groan long and heavy, and though he was clearly playing it up for dramatics, Hyunjin could sense a hint of sincerity in how tired he was. “I want a century long nap. And some dwarven liquor. And then another nap.”
“Dwarven liquor would kill you. You can’t even handle the human stuff.”
“Those humans imported that beer from the dwarf hills! I swear it!”
“Oh, yeah? Then why not try some elf wine, huh? You know they’d love to share some with you. Right, Hyunjin?”
Hyunjin’s attention was stolen from his friends by a sharp intake of breath beside him. His hand was released, and he turned to see The Man wearing an utterly shell-shocked expression. His lips were parted, teeth peeking out under his top lip, and his eyes were as wide as saucers. It was different from his usual wide-eyed look of curiosity. There was a beady intensity to his look, and Hyunjin followed his gaze to…
Jisung?
Jisung noticed The Man just moments before The Man began to march up to him, hands raised as if not quite sure what to do with them. Jisung sat up, clearly confused – and perhaps unnerved as well, as Hyunjin hadn’t gotten the chance to introduce them them – and then alarmed as The Man all but fell to his knees beside him. “Wha -?”
The Man grabbed Jisung’s face in both of his hands and leaned forward, pressing their foreheads against each other. Hyunjin watched with baited breath, completely lost at… whatever he was doing. Something slimy crawled its way into his belly, too, seeing how The Man kept shuffling forward on his knees, inching as close to Jisung as he could get. Something he did not dare name.
After a moment, The Man pulled away. There was an expectant look on his face as he stared unblinking into Jisung’s eyes.
To his credit, Jisung did not shove him away and call him a madman. He did, however, grimace like he’d bitten into a lemon. “Uh,” he said inelegantly. “Hi? Can I help you?”
The Man jolted back. His jaw dropped, and he gave Jisung one hard blink. Then, he was back to pressing their foreheads together. When they separated, The Man was frowning sharply. Without turning his head, Jisung met Hyunjin’s eyes. There was a clear question in them, but all Hyunjin could do was shrug.
The Man practically leapt off of Jisung. He scrambled backwards, stumbling slightly, and wrapped his arms tightly around himself. His expression was one of slowly dawning horror, his eyes never leaving Jisung’s still-confused face. His mouth opened and closed, lips moving like he was trying to speak – and for once, silence was not all that came out. Instead, a hoarse croaking sound escaped his throat, quiet and painful-sounding.
Hyunjin broke out of his stupor and rushed to his side, stepping in front of The Man to block Jisung from his view. Clearly, his friend was upsetting him, but he – he just didn’t know why. He grabbed The Man’s arms, quickly noticing how The Man seemed to be clawing at himself and holding onto his wrists to stop him.
“Hey, hey, you’re okay. What’s wrong?” Hyunjin questioned frantically. The Man shook his head aggressively, turning and stretching in an attempt to see behind Hyunjin to look at Jisung again. Hyunjin bit back a growl and tightened his grip. “I want to help you, but you have to show me how. Please, what’s wrong?”
Ice ran down his spine as The Man whined and shook.
Hyunjin turned on his heel and began draggin The Man out of the grove. The Man barely even fought him, practically folding against his chest as he tucked him under his arm. “We’re leaving,” he ground out over his shoulder. Distantly, he felt bad for blowing off his friends, but – but there was something wrong.
“Uh – l, let him know that I’m sorry?” Jisung called out after him, confusion and remorse coloring his tone. Hyunjin didn’t spare him another word, still wrestling with his concern for The Man and that earlier, slimy feeling that he’d had.
The Man kept trembling and whining all throughout the trek back to the villa. Hoarse wheezes and incomprehensible gibberish filled the air as The Man used his voice for the first time in weeks, at the very least. Hyunjin’s heart shattered into smaller and smaller pieces every time The Man’s attempts at speaking were broken up by a harsh cough or whimper. He tried to comfort him with soft words and assurances, but like usual, he really couldn’t tell if the words were understood or not. The Man let Hyunjin hold him, though, so that had to mean something.
It was sheer luck that allowed Hyunjin to bring The Man into his room without anyone seeing them. Hyunjin wasn’t sure if he could’ve handled the questions if they’d been noticed.
He sat The Man down onto his bed and then, as gently as he could, wrapped one of his many quilts around his shoulders. Hyunjin had noticed his preference for soft and heavy materials over the course of his extended stay. He tucked the quilt around him and then got on his knees, kneeling at The Man’s feet with their hands tightly clasped in The Man’s lap.
“You’re okay,” he insisted softly. “I swear to you, you’re safe here. No one will hurt you. I – I will personally see to it that no one lays a single finger on you. Do you understand me? Please understand me.”
The Man’s body was wracked with small tremors, his chest still rising and falling rapidly. His eyes were glued to somewhere just below Hyunjin’s eyes. No sign of comprehension.
Hyunjin squeezed his hands tighter and shuffled impossibly closer. They were practically sharing the same air. “Please,” he begged. “I want to help you. Let me help you.”
He watched The Man’s lips move silently. Then, he whined sharply. He let go of Hyunjin’s hands and buried his face in his own, his iridescent bangs falling to cover his face. Hyunjin sat back on his heels and ran his fingers through his hair, irritation welling up inside him.
“I don’t understand you. I’m trying, I really am – but I just don’t get you,” he stated. The Man didn’t respond, and Hyunjin sighed. “What was it about Jisung that scared you so much? What was it about him that made you so – touchy? Why – why are you like this? I want to help you, don’t you get it? Help. I still don’t know where you came from, or even your name. Why won’t you show me how to help you?”
At that point, Hyunjin was just unloading his frustrations onto the poor guy. But didn’t he get that Hyunjin was trying? Hyunjin was the one that cut the rope from his neck at the poacher’s camp and carried him to the villa. Hyunjin was the one that took him on walks through the garden and let him sit with the rabbits. Hyunjin was the one that showed him how to hold a fork, how to buckle a belt, hell – how to bathe in the bathhouse.
Why was it only when Jisung of all people showed up that The Man actually made an attempt at speaking? Why couldn’t Hyunjin inspire that in him? Why…
(Why couldn’t Hyunjin be strong enough to protect his home? Why -?)
(Why was he so useless -?)
“ -lp.”
Hyunjin sucked in a breath as a sound broke through his rapidly spiraling thoughts. He… he was sure he imagined it, though. Wasn’t he?
Unsure of when he’d closed his eyes, he opened them, and found The Man staring at him with an anguished expression. A beat passed, just long enough that Hyunjin began to convince himself that he really, truly did imagine it. Then, The Man’s mouth moved.
“He – lp,” The Man croaked out, voice weak and unsteady. “H - elp?”
The breath was whisked from Hyunjin’s lungs. He found himself nodding faster than a fool. “Y, yes, I – Yes! I’m here to help you!” He stammered out, once more shuffling back into The Man’s space. His heart hammered wildly in his chest.
The Man’s tongue peeked out and wet his lips. His brow was furrowed in visibly deep concentration, like speaking was the most intricate of puzzles. “H – elp? H… help?”
Hyunjin could’ve cried. “Yes! Help!”
The Man reached forward and pressed his palm against Hyunjin’s chest, in a way much reminiscent of their first meeting. He hummed, over and over again, until Hyunjin realized he was trying to say his name. He knew his face became stupidly red, but he didn’t care. He covered The Man’s hand with his own and began to sound out the syllables of his name.
“My name is Hyunjin. Hyun – jin. J – in. Slowly now, take your time, I know you can say it.”
“H – yun… J – in.” The word really seemed to be giving him trouble. “Hyun…jin. Hyunjin?”
Hyunjin couldn’t help the delighted laughter that burst from his lips. Finally, finally! Progress! Real, actual progress! “Yes!” He cheered. “You did it! You said my name!”
The Man didn’t appear to share even a sliver of his glee. Throughout his attempts at speaking, he’d kept that same solemn, pained expression the whole time. It dampened Hyunjin’s spirits considerably when he noticed, the beaming smile slowly being wiped from his face.
“Hyunjin,” The Man said. Despite the unsteadiness of his voice, the pleading quality was thick enough to choke on. “Help.”
“Hyunjin?”
A by-now familiar voice called out his name. It was still jarring enough despite its soft quality that he loses focus and slips, the elven guard he was sparring with coming frighteningly close to skewering him. They disengage immediately when they notice the lapse in Hyunjin’s concentration, but it was still a near thing. A curse bitten back, Hyunjin turned around to scold The Man, only to startle as just how close The Man was standing to him.
“Y, you -! By the stars, you can’t just walk up like that on two sparring elves!” Hyunjin exclaimed. He waved his sword at his side, the light catching on its metallic surface. “Don’t you see we’re using real blades and not practice ones? You could’ve gotten hurt!”
The Man eyed the sword with a curious purse of his lips. “Hurt?” He repeated softly, a question tilting on his lips. Hyunjin sighed.
“Yes, hurt.” He sheathed his blade and gestured to the guard that he was dismissed. “As much as I pride myself on my awareness while I spar, you move more silent than a mouse.”
“Mouse. Silent… mouse,” The Man muttered. With the sword sheathed, he turned his eyes back to Hyunjin. “Hyunjin.”
“Yes?”
“Hyunjin,” The Man repeated. His lips pressed flat and his eyes narrowed. Hyunjin waited patiently, allowing him to collect his thoughts and form them into words. The Man had been making great strides in his communication skills, but the vast majority of the things he said tended to just be him copying others’ words. Forming his own unique words and sentences was a visibly more difficult task. Hyunjin’s name, however, seemed to be a favorite go-to.
“Hyunjin. Want… see.”
Hyunjin blinked slowly, a smile creeping up his lips. “You wanted to see me?”
The Man shook his head, paused, then gave a quick nod. He shook his head again. “Want see… Hyunjin… m, make?”
That was a little harder to parse. Hyunjin hummed. “You want to see me make something? Make what?”
A tiny huff. “Hyunjin make… color. Color… square? On wall.” He made a vague gesture with his hands. “Flowers. On wall. Hyunjin make?”
Flowers… on the wall… that Hyunjin made…?
“Oh!” Hyunjin gasped. “My paintings? You want to see my paintings?”
“P – aint… t, t-ing…”
“Yes, yes, painting. Those are called paintings.” Hyunjin smiled listening to The Man carefully sound out the word. “Someone told you that I made the paintings in the halls, hm? I can show you my studio. It’s in the gardens.”
The Man nodded, still muttering words under his breath. “Studio, gardens. Paintings. See, yes.”
And so, Hyunjin brought The Man through the gardens. He took a divergence from the usual path through that he walked, following where the stoned path turned to simple dirt, up until they came across a large, luxurious gazebo. It was built before Hyunjin began cultivating his private gardens, in truth. He’d found it to be a great place to paint to begin with, and from that point began planting flower bushes and tall grasses around it as easier access for still life subjects, and from there the garden simply expanded.
The gazebo was low ceilinged but round and wide, made of aged wood and smooth stone. A cushioned bench sat in the center with three wooden easels standing in front of it. Only one had a canvas sitting atop it, a painting of a dove on a berry branch that Hyunjin had started before news of the poachers arrived and his worry for the forest overtook his creative spirit. There were other paintings strewn around, though, leaning against the railings, most covered in clothes and tarps. A small, stout bronze table stood beside the bench, a basket of paints, brushes, and palettes sitting atop it.
A soft sigh escaped Hyunjin as he stepped under the roof and gazed at his paintings. He hadn’t stepped foot here since the day Jeongin was attacked. A thin layer of dust covered the canvases and materials. He dragged a single manicured finger along the surface of the easel and rubbed away the dust that clung to his skin.
The Man took a slow loop around the gazebo, crouching down to look at the details of the paintings and peeking under the tarps covering the hidden ones. He seemed particularly enchanted by the paintings portraying bodies of water; Rivers, streams, ponds, even just puddles. Eventually, he finished his investigation of the finished works and approached the easels in the center, coming to stand beside Hyunjin. Their arms brushed as he leaned in to scrutinize it.
“Bird,” The Man said. He traced the outline of the dove with his fingers, even going so far as to pet its head. “Pretty. Hyunjin… make good.”
Hyunjin’s cheeks reddened. “Ah, thank you. It’s not done yet, though. I wanted to add some leaves in the midground and add a sunset behind it.”
“How Hyunjin make?” The Man asked, poking the bird’s eyes. “Bird… stuck?”
He sounded genuinely concerned, but Hyunjin couldn’t help but laugh. The pout he received was far too cute. “No, no, not at all,” he said through his laughter. He reached to the side and pulled the basket of painting supplies closer. “Here, watch, I’ll show you.”
It took a few minutes for him to reactivate the paints and mix the right colors. The Man watched, utterly enraptured, as Hyunjin dipped a wide brush into the green he’d whipped up and dragged it over an empty space on the canvas. It was a quick stroke, vaguely outlining where he envisioned the leaves would be. It wasn’t entirely the right color, a bit too warm for the cooler tones of the dove, but he’d already given up on the painting a while ago.
The Man gasped in delight. “Leaf!”
Before Hyunjin could stop him, The Man dragged his fingers through the still-wet green paint on the canvas. His jaw dropped and he stared at his own limb in betrayal when the paint left the canvas and transferred onto his fingertips. He turned to Hyunjin with a pout. He looked so much like a sad puppy that Hyunjin simply burst out laughing.
“Pfft – bahaha! Wait, no, no, I’m sorry! Haha!” Laughter kept spilling out from his limbs and The Man huffed and outright rolled his eyes. Hyunjin leaned against the other’s side, clutching onto his arms as his shoulders shook violently with laughter. “I’m sorry, it’s just – your face!”
A narrow-eyed look was all the warning Hyunjin got before paint was wiped on his face. He sputtered and jumped back, staring at The Man in shock. It was The Man’s turn to snicker quietly with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Hyunjin couldn’t even be mad.
“My face isn’t a canvas, fool. If you want to paint, there should be some ready to use beneath the bench.” He wiped the paint off with the back of his hand. He already knew Jeongin was going to tease him endlessly if even a speck of paint remained.
“Me make? P – Paint?” The Man said and pointed to himself, surprised.
Hyunjin nodded. “Of course. Here, let me just…”
He fiddled around for a bit while The Man watched on. A few blank canvases were stored in a box beneath the bench, though they were even dustier than the ones sitting out in the open. He guided The Man to sit on the bench proper and arranged one of the empty easels in front of him, setting the canvas atop it. He grabbed a wooden palette and mixed a few basic colors for him before grabbing his hand and showing him how to hold a brush.
“There,” Hyunjin said with a small flourish. “Now you can paint!”
It should have been utterly unsurprising that The Man discarded the brush immediately and instead just dipped his fingers into the paint directly. Hyunjin sighed, but it was fond. One day, he swore he’d convince The Man of the value of utensils over his bare hands, but he’d admit that he made quite the innocent sight fingerpainting the way he was.
Hyunjin came up behind him and wrapped his arms around The Man’s waist, resting his chin on his shoulders. The Man leaned back slightly, pressing against him, but was otherwise undistracted. He watched, absolutely fascinated by The Man’s process. And there clearly was a process going on, even if Hyunjin could barely parse it as first. He was even delighted to realize that The Man was figuring out how to mix the paints all on his own. His tongue stuck out in concentration as he oh-so carefully mixed the colors on the palette, though he seemed somewhat disappointed each time.
After a while, Hyunjin realized that he really was painting a scene. He’d thought at first that The Man was just putting down colors for the sake of colors, but then it clicked and he realized he was looking at a forest glade. The colors were so bright and vivid, nothing like the more realistic saturations that Hyunjin himself painted with. The shapes were definitely clumsy, but were also so, so meticulously formed.
The image The Man was creating was that of a wide glade full of flowers and tall, tall trees. A pool of water sat in the center of the painting, bright bright blue.
“Oh, wow,” Hyunjin spoke softly. He was genuinely impressed. “You come up with that yourself?”
The Man tilted his head to look back at him. Somehow, he had a smudge of blue paint on his eyebrow. “I sleep, I see,” he said simply.
“You see it when you dream?”
“Dream,” The Man agreed softly. Hyunjin asked if he was it in his dreams often, and he nodded once more.
Hyunjin hummed in thought. If The Man saw this place often in his dreams, then… “Do you think it’s your home, then?”
It would make sense. While they’ve never been able to outright confirm it – mostly, if not entirely, due to The Man’s difficulties communicating – it’s been more-or-less accepted by the settlement at large that The Man had amnesia of some sort. If this glade was a consistent dream of his, then it might be a memory attempting to resurface.
“Home?” The Man’s brow furrowed as he looked between Hyunjin and the painting.
“Yes, your home. Like how my home is the villa you’ve been staying at, maybe this is a place near your home,” Hyunjin explained. The Man’s face scrunched up adorably as he turned the words over in his mind.
Eventually, The Man said, “Hyunjin home.”
Not quite understanding, Hyunjin nodded. “Yes, that’s right. The villa is my home. That’s where you’ve been staying since I found you.” He was lost when The Man shook his head and repeated his words again with more emphasis. “Huh? I don’t…”
The Man pressed a hand to his chest. Slowly, he said, “My home.” Then, he moved his hand to Hyunjin’s chest. He said, “Hyunjin. My home Hyunjin.”
Hyunjin sucked in a gasp when he finally got it. Warmth washed over him, butterflies dancing in his stomach as his face assuredly went tomato-red. He giggled helplessly, unable to control the sheer giddiness and affectionate that ran through him.
“I – Y, you – Ha… hahaha….” He gulped harshly, trying to beat some composure into himself as The Man simply stared him, blissfully unaware of the effect he had on the elf. “You… By the stars…”
What did one even say to that? What was the proper way to react when the man you lo – were infatuated with called you his home? What was Hyunjin to do with such deep and implicit trust? What did he even do to deserve it in the first place?
“You… are welcome to make this place your home, for – for as long as you want,” he eventually settled on. It sounded painfully bland and polite to his own ears, but thankfully, The Man had yet to grasp things like tone. He simply smiled, eyes crinkling, and returned to his fingerpainting.
And Hyunjin’s heart, oh – it ached.
It had been about two and a half months now since the Seventh Moon when the forest’s wards fell and The Man was rescued from the witch poachers. It had been the height of summer then, the plants bright and verdant and the heat just a bit too harsh to be comfortable. The Man hadn’t seemed to mind in the slightest, though Hyunjin found that he ran rather cold, always bundled up in a quilt or sweater of some sort when inside the villa.
The heat has begun to wane now, though, as the Ninth Moon welcomed autumn to the forest. The elven settlement was lively despite the everpresent worry of the wards. Decorative streamers and tapestries began to appear on the streets and houses. The flags dotting the settlement were lowered, and the bright yellow flags celebrating summer were replaced with the warm red flags of autumn. The days began to get shorter, but the settlement was no darker for the lack of sunlight; Candles and lanterns were strewn about the fences and public pathways, lighting the whole town in a warm glow at night.
Despite being spring-born, Hyunjin was quite fond of the autumn. It was in part due to the whole forest’s love of the season – naturally, of course. One of the very few details his family ever gleaned about the unicorn was that it belonged to the autumn court. It was no surprise that the whole forest sang with magic as the air grew cooler.
Someone who didn’t seem to share the joy of autumn, though, was The Man. It was subtle, taking Hyunjin a while to notice it, but The Man seemed quite… uneasy. In the villa, he eyed the elves setting up wood-carved pumpkins and straw decorations with a sharp frown. He glared at the darkening sky with a grave offense when Jeongin fetched him to return inside before he caught a chill. Just so, so unhappy.
Hyunjin found him one day at the very edge of the settlement where the paved paths trailed off into grass. The sounds of the town were barely audible this far out. The Man was crouched on the balls of his feet, poking the ground with a stick. He looked to be sulking, Hyunjin thought as he quietly approached and took a seat next to him. Cute.
“Everything okay?” He asked quietly. The Man grunted, pushing around the leaflitter with his stick. Most of the trees were still green, but more and more were turning red with each day. The forest floor was beginning to become covered with the fallen dead leaves. Hyunjin thought it was a beautiful sight, as always, but The Man was glaring daggers at the leaves by his feet.
“Leaves change,” The Man finally answered after a long, long pause, voice gruff.
“Yeah, they are. It’s Ninth Moon, the start of autumn. The leaves always change in the autumn,” Hyunjin said.
He jumped when The Man whirled on him and practically growled. “No,” he bit out, “Leaves green. Green!”
“Hey, I – I’m sorry?” Hyunjin raised his hands defensively. “We, uh – don’t live north enough for the trees to stay green year-round. The leaves fall, here.”
The Man huffed and turned his attention back to the ground, practically skewering the leaves below with his stick. With ardent fervor. Hyunjin was… baffled, to say the least. He’s seen The Man get annoyed, sure, but never outright angry. What was there to be angry about with autumn? It was a beautiful season! So why…?
The Man continued stabbing his stick into the leaflitter with increasing intensity until he broke out into a snarl and launched the stick overhead. It had been small and light, so it didn’t go very far at all, but The Man was still left panting. He fell back onto his behind and buried his head in his knees, hands pulling at his opal hair.
Hyunjin watched in concern. Apprehensively, he laid a hand on The Man’s shoulder. A broken whine escaped from him.
“Leaves green. Hyunjin, leaves green,” The Man insisted. “Leaves change, sun change, town change. Why?” Unable to take it any longer, Hyunjin scooted closer and pulled him into his side, tucking The Man under his arm. The Man went easily, relaxing against him even as he whined again. Hyunjin tried to gather his thoughts. Did The Man just… not understand what autumn was?
It was moments that this that made Hyunjin wonder just what went on in The Man’s head. He truly seemed to just have… so few concepts of anything in life. When he’d first been rescued, Hyunjin chalked up the fact that he never slept or ate or drank unless instructed to the leftover trauma of being held captive for who-knew how long, but… sometimes – times like these – Hyunjin wondered if, perhaps, The Man simply hadn’t known that he needed to eat, drink, and rest to survive.
That would be absurd, though.
“Well… well, autumn means that the days get shorter and the air gets colder. We elves like to decorate in accordance with the season, so… that’s why the settlement is looking different,” Hyunjin explained slowly, seeking the simplest way for The Man to understand. “We’ll put up blue flags and glass lanterns during the Last Moon when winter starts. By then, it’ll be cold enough to snow, and the leaves will have almost completely lost their leaves. Spring will start up in Third Moon, and then it will be summer once more in Sixth Moon.”
During his explanation, The Man had slowly turned his head to peek up at him, still looking grumpy and anxious. “Why leaves change?” He asked miserably. He seemed particularly caught up on the situation with the leaves, for some reason.
As always, Hyunjin humoured him. “The leaves change color and fall because they die off,” he said. After a moment, he hummed. “Well – the trees don’t die, per se, but… The leaves are still dead.”
The Man blinked slowly. “Dead?”
Hyunjin nodded. “Yeah, see? The leaves on the ground?” He picked up a single bright orange leaf, just on the verge of becoming brittle. “The tree falls asleep, and so the leaves become dead. When the tree wakes up, it’ll grow new ones.”
“What… dead?”
“The – the leaves are,” Hyunjin stammered. That was what he was asking, right? He couldn’t possibly be asking –
“What dead?”
Ah.
The Man looked up at him with big bright eyes, glimmering in displeased confusion. Confused because apparently, he did not know what death was.
Hyunjin floundered severely. Was he genuinely being tasked with explaining death to The Man? Even the littlest of elflings understood death in vague terms, if only from the fables and legends passed on through the generations. It was a good thing The Man was so patient as Hyunjin sat there for a good few minutes, mouth opening and closing soundlessy, utterly flummoxed.
“Death – uh… It… oh!” He sat up a bit straighter. “Do you remember when Jeongin went hunting in his fox form and brought back a rabbit, and I yelled at him a bunch?” The Man nodded. “Well, I was mad because the rabbit was dead, and I didn’t wanna see that.”
“Rabbit sleep.” The Man tilted his head. “Dead, sleep, same?”
Hyunjin’s heart twinged. “Well… no. Dead means… the rabbit wasn’t going to wake up again.”
A small wrinkle in The Man’s brow. “Not wake?”
“No. Things that are dead never wake up again. Dead means they’re gone.”
Hyunjin felt like the scum of the Earth watching the anxiety grow in The Man’s expression upon hearing that. “Not… wake up? Rabbit not wake up?” He asked, hesitant. Hyunjin nodded just as hesitantly, and The Man’s eyes widened. He went quiet, expression stormy as a hand came up to lightly clutch as Hyunjin’s tunic. “Hyunjin… Hyunjin die?”
Hyunjin swallowed thickly. “Well – well. One day, yes.”
It was a common myth amongst humans that elves were immortal. It was hardly their fault, really, since their lifespans were so frighteningly short compared to elfkind. A myth is a myth, though. While elves aged incredibly slowly, they still aged, and they were still fallible to illness and injury. Though it was likely it would be a long, long time before Hyunjin faced his own death, it was still an inevitable fate: One day, Hyunjin would day.
He quickly found himself flat on his back with a heavy weight straddling his hips. Fingers dug into his shoulders as hands pinned him down. The breath was knocked out of him momentarily, leaving him dazedly blinking up at The Man’s pale, panicked face.
“No!” The Man yelled. “No, no! Not die! Hyunjin not die!”
“Woah -! H, hey, it’s okay –“ Hyunjin tried to calm him, but was quickly cut off as The Man violently shook his head.
“Hyunjin not die! Not gone, stay! Always stay!”
The Man appeared on the verge of tears, scowling down at Hyunjin with wide eyes that faintly glistened. His grip on Hyunjin’s shoulders was nearly hard enough to hurt. Hyunjin was more than capable of flipping their position or throwing The Man off of him, but he didn’t want to hurt the other, not when he was clearly so distressed. He shifted around, grimacing at the feeling of twigs digging into his back, and eventually settled on resting his hands on The Man’s waist. Weak tremors ran through The Man’s body.
“I’m not going to die for a long, long time, friend. I swear to you,” Hyunjin said, pouring as much sincerity as he could into the words. He found himself gently caressing The Man’s side, hoping that the touch would comfort him. He didn’t speak his own worries that The Man would almost definitely die before him; He wasn’t an elf, after all, and would reach old age long before Hyunjin began to wrinkle.
The Man collapsed on top of him, limbs wrapping around him in a vice grip. “Not die, Hyunjin stay, Hyunjin stay…” He kept repeating over and over and over again, pleading in an ever-weakening voice. Hyunjin held him tight and tucked his head into the crook of his neck, shuddering at the feeling of The Man’s rapid breath on his bare skin. He shushed him much like a child, running his fingers through his pale hair and muttering assurances.
“Not for a long time. You’ll always have me, I promise.”
After a slight hiccup, The Man said, “Leaves change, sun change. Hyunjin no. No, no, no.”
“I’ll always be here,” Hyunjin could only repeat softly. “You’ll always have me.”
They stayed like that for a while, with The Man desperately holding onto him and Hyunjin’s back slowly growing numb from the cold ground. It wasn’t until the shadows began to grow long that he nudged the other to let him up – only to find that The Man had fallen asleep in his arms, just like that. Hyunjin sighed, heart swelling with fondness yet oh, so heavy.
“I’ll always be here… but will you, or the forest?” He whispered under his breath, careful not to wake The Man up. He brushed The Man’s bangs away from his forehead, smiling softly at the relaxed lines of his slumbering face. “Maybe you truly are the embodiment of a witch’s curse. I don’t think I’ve ever been so bespelled by a single creature in my whole life.”
If Hyunjin’s lips met the crown of The Man’s opalescent head before he picked them both off the ground to carry him home, then there was no one to see but the first stars of the autumn sky.
Chapter Text
Hyunjin had been… hesitant to introduce The Man to his nymph friends a second time. He doubted he could be blamed for it. Well, Jeongin gave him trouble for his hesitancy, but Jeongin gave him trouble for everything. The last time The Man and the nymphs were in the same place, The Man had had some sort of panic episode. It was hardly his fault, of course, but Hyunjin still worried. His friends were worried too, though, and gently asked about him whenever Hyunjin found time to visit without The Man dogging his steps (which was increasingly rare as the days grew shorter, The Man’s anxiety about autumn seemingly a permanent companion.) Jisung especially was almost miserable, blaming himself for what had happened last time.
To everyone’s shock, though, it was actually The Man himself that asked to see them again. Rather, he asked to see Jisung, specifically.
“I talk now,” The Man had said firmly, pointing at his own mouth. “Jisung hear now.”
Hyunjin really didn’t have any concrete reasons to deny The Man one of the very, very few requests he’s ever made. He’d be lying, too, if he said a small part of him hadn’t been unendingly curious about why The Man had reacted the way he did that day… even if that part was joined by that old slimy jealousy that he hated.
And so, it was with a heavy – but fond, always fond – sigh that Hyunjin agreed to call for him. He made sure to bundle The Man up in sweaters and coats, wrapping a scarf around his head to protect his rosy cheeks. It made The Man giggle just a little, but it was short-lived. The day that Jisung agreed to meet, The Man had been oddly… solemn. Serious, rather, in a way that was not entirely unattractive. Hyunjin would take that thought to his grave.
The trek to the birch grove was quiet, but not uncomfortably so. There was no such thing as an uncomfortable quiet with The Man. The leaves crunched underfoot as they walked. The Man walked straight-backed, eyes forward and narrowed. He looked like a man striding towards war. Hyunjin, rather embarrassingly, could not look at him for too long at a time, lest he begin to imagine what The Man would look like dressed in one of the guards’ uniforms. His hair would compliment the outfit all too well, in his opinion. Yet another thought that would follow Hyunjin to his grave.
In a rare show of punctuality, Jisung was already at the grove. Like The Man, he ran cold, and was bundled up from head to toe. He was facing away from them and bouncing on his feet, clearly trying to stay warm.
It was moments like those that made a deep, scabbed over bit of hurt ache in Hyunjin’s chest. Jisung was one of the very few dryads of the forest that remained awake all throughout autumn and winter, along with the dryads of the evergreens whose spirit groves lied at the northern boundaries and near Changbin’s mountains. And yet, not a single one of the evergreen dryads claimed Jisung as being a member of their grove, nor Jisung them. In truth, it was really no one’s business as to where, exactly, Jisung’s spirit grove was, but… They were friends, weren’t they? Close ones, at that. And Hyunjin’s job was to protect him. How was he meant to do so when he didn’t know where Jisung’s spirit lied?
When they were younger, it used to grate on him incessantly that Jisung was so secretive about his spirit grove. They used to fight about it constantly, throwing around sharp words that neither truly meant.
Nowadays, though, Hyunjin understood it wasn’t that Jisung distrusted them, per se. He was just… private, in some aspects. And there was nothing wrong with that.
“Jisung! You look like an early icicle!” Hyunjin called out once they were close enough. Jisung yelped an spun around, pouting severely.
“Not fair! You’re spring born, you should be freezing, too!”
Hyunjin laughed. To be fair to Jisung, he was an abnormally cool-bodied elf of the spring. Jeongin teased him constantly about how much he sweated in the warmer moons. Still, he was easily the least dressed of the three in the grove.
The Man’s chilly hand brushed against Hyunjin’s own, their fingers briefly interlocking if only for a second. He felt more than heard The Man take a deep breath. He quickened his pace towards Jisung, outstriding Hyunjin with a fierce determination lining his steps.
Jisung took a half-step back, easily intimidated and likely apprehensive after how their last meeting went. Still, he smiled and waved. “Ah, it’s… you. The dignified guest of the forest! Haha. Ha.”
The Man came to a stop in front of him. It was just close enough that the sliminess in Hyunjin’s gut urged him to plant himself right beside him and brush knuckles again.
“Jisung,” The Man spoke in his soft, melodious voice. Hyunjin had told his nymph friends long ago that The Man had begun to speak, but Jisung still seemed taken aback - his eyes went big and round in shock. The Man continued, “Never said name. Name… nice. Jisung.”
Hyunjin’s brows furrowed. Did he mean that he had never said Jisung’s name before? Or that no one had said his name to him? Both were false, blatantly. Or just… that he never said that he liked Jisung’s name? Deciphering The Man’s sentences still took quite a bit of work at times. The sliminess in Hyunjin’s belly intensified.
“…Thank you, hyung,” Jisung said, eyes narrow now. His tone was strangely… cautious, now, his head tilted to the side like he was scrutinizing something very closely. “Do you happen to have a name, yet? I feel like Hyunjin would have told me if so, but…”
The Man blinked, that solemness from earlier ever-present. “Jisung know name,” he said.
…What?
“I beg your pardon?” Hyunjin said at the same time that Jisung said, “Excuse me?”
“Jisung know name,” The Man repeated slowly, emphasizing each syllable. He hardly even blinked. He stepped forward, and Jisung took a step back. Frowning, The Man put his hands to his heart. “Jisung,” he pleaded. Then, “Glade brother.”
Jisung hissed through his teeth. His eyes flashed a pale pink – something that made Hyunjin stare. Nymphs’ eyes flashed colors reflecting their magics when unsettled. Chan’s eyes flashed blue, Changbin’s eyes flashed yellow, and every single dryad that Hyunjin had met’s eyes flashed green.
Why on Earth did Jisung’s flash pink?
“What did you just call me?” Jisung asked in a low voice. There was an almost menacing aura about him as he pulled back his shoulders, a word that Hyunjin never thought he’d ever associate with the nymph. “Where did you hear that?”
Suddenly uneasy, Hyunjin inserted himself between the two of them, facing Jisung while putting The Man behind his back. “Jisung, calm yourself, you’re going to frighten him –”
“He should be frightened!” Hyunjin held back a flinch at the tight growl. Then began a short game of keep-away, where Jisung kept trying to step around Hyunjin to get to The Man, and Hyunjin kept The Man tucked safely behind him. “Why did you call me that?! Tell me!”
Hyunjin gritted his teeth. “Jisung, step back –“
A hand on his shoulder. With a gentle grip The Man pushed him aside, facing Jisung head-on. He appeared wholly unbothered by Jisung’s fierce scowl and even fiercer glare. Hyunjin tensed as Jisung grabbed The Man by the scarf and yanked him closer, but still, The Man did not falter. He just laid his hands overtop Jisung’s own.
“Jisung. Glade brother. You sing, flower dance. You know name,” The Man said. His tone was explanatory, but what could he possible be explaining? “Heart song, glade brother.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Jisung shook him. “Stop saying that! Stop calling me -!”
When The Man opened his mouth next, the magic in Hyunjin’s blood felt nearly bursting. Pinpricks of firecrackers ran down his skin, bottle-rockets shooting through his veins. If The Man’s laughter made his magic hum, then the sound of his singing made Hyunjin’s magic ignite. His knees went weak and the very breath was knocked out of him. Jisung was undergoing a similar reaction – tiny baby’s breath blossoms poked out from his hair as he gave a visible shudder. His eyes flashed pink and stayed like that, glued unblinkingly to The Man in front of him.
The Man sang with, admittedly, little finesse. Every note came hesitantly, after a long pause of consideration. It was clear that he had to think long and hard to find the notes he wanted, unskilled as he it at using his voice. And yet – each note that he hit was crytal clear and smooth, not a hint of wavering or cracking. The sounds flowed slowly yet deliciously, like an auditory milk cream. Hyunjin could scarcely breathe, lest the sound of his own lungs distract from it.
After a few repetitions, The Man’s voice trailed off, and he stopped. Hyunjin sucked in a breath like he’d been starved for it, trying not to let his legs buckle. He cleared his throat several times and wiped away a tear that had strangely formed in his eye.
Jisung’s hands fell away from The Man as he sank slowly to his knees. His eyes were still that off-putting shade of pink as he stared up at the other. Unlike Hyunjin, who quickly found his countenance again, Jisung looked absolutely wrecked. Tears streamed down his red cheeks. His mouth was wide open, agape like a fish as he shakily clutched at The Man’s pant legs. He was speechless.
Hyunjin cleared his throat again and shuffled forward, looking between the two with no small amount of worry. “U – m… What was that, exactly? Jisung, are you alright?”
“Heart song,” The Man spoke simply. His brow was creased as he watched Jisung clutch his legs and bury his face in his knees like a child. “Jisung sing.”
“I’ve never heard Jisung play a song like that…” Hyunjin muttered, also looking down at Jisung with a furrowed brow. He hesitantly laid a hand on the other’s head, scratching his scalp the way he’s seen Chan and Changbin often do to make him relax. The baby’s breath was starting to shrivel up, the blooms no longer maintained by whatever magic The Man imbued them with when he sang.
“I’ve –“ Jisung coughed wetly, then sniffled, then pulled away to wipe his face with the sleeve of his coat. There was a wet patch left on The Man’s knees. It was a little gross. Jisung inhaled shakily and did not look up at them. “I’ve only ever played that song for one person. Not another living soul has ever heard it.”
“Then this person must know who my friend is?”
Jisung shook his head roughly. He grunted quietly and sniffled once more as he pulled himself back onto his feet and dusted the dirt from his clothes. He turned to The Man and, in a reversal of what their first meeting had been, placed both hands on either side of his face and pulled him close to press their foreheads together. The Man’s eyes fluttered shut as he leaned into it, but Jisung’s eyes remained open and burning.
“I didn’t recognize you,” Jisung whispered sharply. “I am so, so sorry. Please forgive me.”
“Glade brother,” The Man murmured. Jisung chuckled wetly.
“My brother of the glade, my heart of the forest. My unicorn, my Minho.”
Hyunjin froze. While previously having been struck dumb by the venomous slime of jealousy upon seeing their sudden closeness, it all washed away in an instant. He put an unsteady hand on both men’s shoulders and pushed them apart. The Man pouted at him, and while Hyunjin would normally find it enchanting, he couldn’t find it in him to focus on that. Unable to tear his eyes away, Hyunjin ground out, “Explain yourself, Jisung.”
Jisung sighed, long and hard. In the moment, it grated him severely. “Hyunjin… It’s – I don’t – I -“
“Explain yourself!”
Jisung shrugged the hand off his shoulder and Hyunjin finally turned away from The Man. Jisung looked… resigned, and yet oh, so relieved. He scratched his cheek and sighed again. “This man…” He started, clearly reluctant. “His name is Minho. He’s – Well. He’s your unicorn.”
Hyunjin swallowed roughly. “That’s preposterous. He’s clearly a man.”
“Clearly,” Jisung agreed.
“Unicorns don’t – they can’t shift. There’s no such thing as a unicorn shifter.”
“There isn’t.”
His breathing quickened. He looked to The Man – to Minho. Really, truly looked. Opalescent hair and eyes, flawless skin, elegance in even his clumsiest motion. Playfully mischevious, kind and gentle. Lover of all things lively, ignorant of all things malicious. Hyunjin had been observing him for months, of course. Observing his every quirk and habit. Observing how fingertips traced the details of the unicorns painted on the ceramic dishware, how eyes lingered on banners and mosaics throughout the settlement. Observing time spent in front of the mirror, poking and prodding at one’s one face as if the features were foreign.
The magic in Hyunjin’s blood sang in response to The Man so often.
Suddenly, Hyunjin felt the knowledge settle into his very bones. This was the unicorn.
“By the stars…” He whispered. First, he was awed – to be in the unicorn’s presence at all, to always have been in such close proximity to him, to be such good friends with him. The awe quickly turned to horror, then, as he realized that something must have been very, extremely wrong for the unicorn to be standing in front of him in the body of a man.
He turned to find that same horror reflected in Jisung’s eyes. Together, they silently asked the question: How could this have possibly happened? How can we fix this?
“We need to speak with your mother, immediately,” Jisung said.
Hyunjin’s mother sat upon her chair in the receiving room with a hand rubbing the bridge of her nose. In an unsurprising turn of events, she was incredibly hesitant to believe Jisung’s claim.
“You expect me to believe that this…” She trailed off. Glancing up, she was met with The M – Minho’s usual wide-eyed, slow-blinking expression. She was a typically taciturn woman outside of family quarters, but was just as vulnerable to softening under his gaze as Hyunjin was. “…special guest of ours, is in fact the beloved unicorn of the forest?”
“I know it’s hard to believe, My Lady, but it’s true. I swear it,” Jisung said as he laid a hand over his chest. Hyunjin had to hand it to him – he’s never once seen the nymph able to look his mother in the eye for very long.
Sighing inaudibly, she turned towards Hyunjin. “You understand that why I cannot entertain this claim, yes? I know you hold the word of your friends dear, son, but this is just absurd. And now, of all times?” He grimaced and looked down at his feet, cheeks heating up at the reprimand. He was not often scolded by his mother, not since he was a young elfling trailing mud through the rugs. “Humans are beginning to appear closer and closer to our forest’s borders. They’ve just been normal hunters looking for game or herbs so far, but soon enough word will begin to spread across the villages and cities of men of our vulnerability. We need all of our resources to be focused here, not on wild goose chases based off the whim of a dryad.”
It was true, was the worst part. More and more guards had been rushing through the halls with news of sightings of men inching closer to the border. None have been outwardly aggressive as of yet, thankfully, but it was only a matter of time. What will the neighboring villages do once they learn that the once-forbidden forest is now open to all? The greed of humans knew no bounds – despite Hyunjin’s belief in the goodness of all, even he understood this simple fact. Doubtless they would begin encroaching further and further, first in the name of searching for food and medicinal herb. Pelts would come next, and so would lumber. Men expanded their territory like ants. They populated like ants, too. Would the forest have enough elves to enforce their borders? Or would they be overrun, the forest inhabitants left to fend for their own?
All of that, of course, was without even factoring in the sheer number of poachers and witches that would be drawn to the untapped magic within like moths to a flame. Frankly, it was a miracle no others had shown up yet.
Yet.
Hyunjin was pulled back from his upsetting thoughts by Jisung stepping forward. “My Lady, with all due respect – I am no dryad.”
He saw his mother narrow her eyes, leaning forward slightly in her chair. Minho leaned forward, too, but Hyunjin figured it was moreso to copy Jisung than anything else.
“Forgive me if I’m wrong, Han Jisung, but I do believe the entirety of the forest knows you as a dryad,” Hyunjin’s mother said icily.
There was finally a crack in the mask of Jisung’s confidence as he swallowed, Adam’s apple bobbing in a show of nerves. Still, his back remained straight as he bowed. “Forgive me, My Lady, for I have deceived you and your court.” His shoulders hunched slightly as he looked up at her with a wince. “Not – not out of malice, I assure you! It was a safety measure! I – Really, technically, I wasn’t supposed to meet with any of the forest’s denizens… at all, so I was – I – it was not out of malice, ma’am.”
A deep inhale. Hyunjin could see the indignation in his mother’s eyes, could feel it in the air like crackling before lightning. When she spoke next, it was slow and steely. “You had best explain yourself if you want me to believe that.”
Jisung stood back up straight. He looked to Minho, who offered a smile – Hyunjin wondered if he could feel the tension in the air or if he simply chose to ignore it, as he did with many things – and then looked to Hyunjin. Hyunjin nodded at him, just once, but it seemed to be enough.
“My Lady,” Jisung said as his eyes turned pale pink, “I am an alseid of the Heart Glade.”
Hyunjin’s breath caught. An alseid? Of the Heart Glade? That was impossible. The nymphs of the groves were a rarity, timid and shy in nature and highly reclusive except for the most spectacular of occasion. Unlike dryads, who hailed from specific trees as their anchor to the world and simply referred to the general area as their ‘spirit grove’ as a way of declaring family and community, alseids genuinely were borne of entire groves of trees. In all of his years, Hyunjin is certain he’s only caught glimpse of one of the forest’s (very few) alseids perhaps two times in total.
For Jisung to be an alseid –
From the Heart Glade, no less –
But it made sense, in a way. The secrecy about Jisung’s home. The lack of hibernation. And, of course, his apparent brotherhood with Minho.
Hyunjin’s mother inhaled sharply and shot up from her chair. In just a few quick strides, she reached their trio. She took Jisung face in her hands firmly, pulling his head back to look deeply into his eyes. Her own were unblinking as she stared into them.
Minho made a noise of concern and shuffled forward. Hyunjin gently laid a hand on his arm to pull him back. His mother would not hurt Jisung, he knew. He’s heard her humming his songs under her breath far too often to think so.
After a tense moment of scrutinization, Hyunjin’s mother spoke again. “I was once almost friends with an alseid when I was a girl and the forest was still under my father’s protection,” she muttered. “Her grove sat on the bank of the stream. I would sit reading a book on the other side, and sometimes she would appear, and listen to me read aloud. Everytime a fish would break surface or a bird swoop past, her eyes would flash the most beautiful pink in fright.”
“I speak the truth, My Lady. Please believe me,” Jisung pleaded. “Please.”
Slowly, Hyunjin’s mother pulled away. She ran a hand down her face and sighed deeply. She turned her head to Minho, who met her gaze evenly. Her lips pursed the longer she looked at him.
“You are… certain, that he is our unicorn?”
A nod. “I didn’t recognize him at first, but there’s no doubt in my mind or heart.”
Hyunjin’s mother reached out a hand and cupped Minho’s face. In turn, Minho leaned his head into her palm, almost nuzzling her with his cheek. The sight made Hyunjin’s belly turn into goo. He looked like a giant, irridescent kitten. Adorable.
“We will send a letter,” she said after a pause. Minho blinked slowly at her, looking for all the world like she was his mother as well. “To the Autumn Court. Unicorns are creatures of the fae – if there exists a magic strong enough to confine one to the form of a man, then they will want to investigate as well.”
“Going straight for the fae courts? Mother, will we not try our own spells first?” Hyunjin asked tightly. Like any rational being, he was highly apprehensive of anything involving actual fae from the fae realm.
When Hyunjin’s mother glanced at him, he was unnerved to find that exact same apprehension mirrored in her eyes. “Hyunjin, son, I fear the effects of a mortal body on our unicorn more than any member of the fae court. We will not waste time with our own research. We will send a letter.”
Hyunjin gulped. “So be it.”
The Autumn Court did not send any letter in response to their plea, nor did they send any emisarries. No, rather, exactly one week after their initial letter had been burned to transfer to the fae realm, Hyunjin had walked into his bed chambers following a bath to find two impeccably well-dressed men in his room.
They were both dressed head-to-toe in fine garments; Vests sewn with beetle wings and pearls, cuffs embroidered with geometric designs that seemed to shift every time Hyunjin blinked. Their outfits were warm both in color and cut. The one wearing pale yellow had matching golden hair that ran past his shoulders, braided with flowers whose petals matched his eyes. And yet, those too seemed to change every so often. The other man wore a deep red suit with auburn hair to match, tastefully messy with a circlet of autumnal leaves sitting atop his head. His eyes were round and dark with a glimmer that equally intrigued and unsettled him. They were both freckled, but whereas the blonde man’s freckles appeared wholly natural, the auburn man’s freckles were clearly some sort of makeup or glamor.
Hyunjin screamed.
As one, they turned to look at him. They smiled, and for a split second, Hyunjin could’ve sworn their teeth were as sharp as wolves’.
A commotion followed, naturally, as guards rushed in to see what had made Hyunjin shriek. There was a lot of back-and-forth, quite a bit of brandishing weapons and alarm, but eventually – eventually – it was realized that the two men were simply fae answering from the Autumn Court. Their showing up in Hyunjin’s room had been a bit of mischief, nothing more. Most importantly, though, was that they were not just any fae from the Autumn Court. No, no.
Giggling at the ends of the guards’ swords had been the two princes of the Autumn Court. It was a miracle for the whole forest that they were amused rather than offended by the show of force – though, if they found that entertaining, who knew what else their temperaments held?
The blonde prince, Felix, was honestly a joy to be around. He was quite helpful and kind – though that in itself was stressful for the elves of the settlement, who were fearful of accidentally being rude in accepting said help. The other prince, Seungmin, was much more… mischevious in nature, though Hyunjin found him to be delightful as well. Despite the anxiety surrounding their presence, there was no shortage of laughter when the two were dilly-dallying through the halls.
Still, they were present on business. Within the hour of their appearance, they all found themselves atop the elder tree, where the water of the Heart Glade sat in its basin. All of them being: Hyunjin and his mother, Minho and Jisung, and the two princes.
The princes and Hyunjin’s mother arrived there first, and when the rest of them arrived they were holding a discussion with low voices and solemn expressions. As soon as they crested the final stair, however, the princes’ heads snapped towards them. Specifically, their heads snapped towards Minho.
Minho paused for a moment, head tilting to the side as he blinked quickly at the two. At this point, Hyunjin knew well how shy he could get and stepped a bit in front of him. Jisung stepped behind him as well, though Hyunjin could tell he was trying to put up a less-frightened front for the princes.
“Mother, Your Highnesses,” Hyunjin greeted politely and gave a small bow. He led his procession closer to the basin. He had to fight back a smile when Minho linked their pinky fingers together. “Your Highnesses, I introduce to you our unicorn, Minho, and the alseid of the Heart Glade, Jisung.”
Jisung muttered something that might’ve been a greeting and bowed. Minho copied, saying something that was very clearly just gibberish. Hyunjin’s mother grimaced, but luckily, the two fae took no offense to the…subpar formality.
“So this is the unicorn, hm?” Seungmin hummed thoughtfully. He held his hands behind his back and began to walk in a slow circle around Minho, eyeing him up and down. Minho eyed him just as closely, following his every move. Hyunjin noticed a glimmer enter his eyes as he cocked his head. Then, to his utter horror, he watched as Minho stuck his tongue out directly at the fae prince - it was a move Minho had picked up recently from the elflings that usually delighted Hyunjin to no end. Usually.
He felt Jisung tense up behind him, his mind likely jumping to even worse conclusions than Hyunjin’s own. His head whipped toward the prince –
- Only to find Seungmin sticking his own tongue out at Minho with an almost haughty expression.
Just like every time one of the elfings did that to him, Minho sputtered, and turned to Hyunjin with an indignant look. He pointed rudely at the fae and exclaimed, “Him!”
“Oh, Minho…” Hyunjin muttered. He felt rather pale. Did he look pale?
The growing tension was broken by Felix bursting out into lovely laughter. He clapped his hands as he stepped closer. “Oh, he’s our Minho alright! It didn’t take him any time at all to pick a fight with you, did it?”
Seungmin huffed, but a smile was curling at his lips. “Nice to know being shoved into some human skin didn’t make him any less bratty.”
“Um, hi, excuse me? Your esteemed royal highnesses of the Autumn Court? It’s me, the alseid, Jisung, hi.” Jisung cleared his throat and took a single step out from behind Hyunjin – meaning he was still mostly hiding behind the elf. “So, um, I don’t mean to offend of course, but, uh… why do you two talk like you already know him? Not calling you liars! Haha! Ha! I’ve never seen you in the Heart Glade, though, is the thing?” Quickly, he returned to hiding fully behind Hyunjin. “Sorry. I’m sorry. I won’t talk again. Don’t make my skin inside out.”
Felix laughed again and put a hand on his cheek. “Aw, he’s terrified of us! That’s adorable! And a little sad.” With his other hand, he beckoned Jisung close. “Come, I want to take a closer look at you.”
Jisung gulped audibly but still shuffled forward. Hyunjin wanted to reach out and hold him back, but he, too, was still scared to earn the ire of either fae despite how… laid-back the two had so far appeared to be. He could only watch in anxious trepidation as Felix pinched Jisung’s cheeks in each hand and began stretching them like a mother would an elfing. Meanwhile, Seungmin turned to Hyunjin and his mother.
“To answer the alseid’s question, he is not entirely wrong. We have not stepped foot into the Heart Glade here on the mortal realm’s side,” he explained. He seemed to be in a semi-staring contest with Minho despite addressing the two elves. “However, the Heart Glade acts as a… gateway, of sorts, into the fae realm. The true seat of Minho’s magic – any unicorn’s magic, really – lies on the other side of the gate, nestled in the fae realm. It is there that we’ve met Minho and many other of his kind. Though…” He trailed off and broke his contest with Minho to look at the stone basin, a stormy look overcoming him. “Minho does not seem to consciously recognize either of us, nor able to tap into his fae nature. It is deeply troubling.”
Hyunjin and his mother shared a look. This was dark news, indeed. Just what sort of magics had been used on their unicorn?
“I’ve always known a unicorn’s magic to be the strongest in the mortal realm. Unlike us elves, they are true immortals. It is this magic that has protected our forest for generations of my family,” Hyunjin’s mother spoke solemnly. “How could he have possibly been confined to a human shell? How would such a threat have even breached our borders, when the very inhabitants of the forest have never been able to find the Glade?”
“I’m wondering that myself. Such a magic, wielded by mortals, would pose a threat to all of the fae,” Seungmin agreed gravely. “I would like to hear the alseid’s side of the story, as well as… I believe you still have a witch in your possession?”
As if summoned, Jisung was all but shoved onto Seungmin by Felix. The fae caught him easily despite Jisung’s flailing and gave his fellow prince a raised eyebrow. Jisung appeared… sufficiently ruffled, as if he had been poked and prodded by an overcurious toddler. He hurriedly jumped out of Seungmin’s arms to hide, once more, behind Hyunjin. Minho pointed at his messy hair and giggled, eternally immune to tension of any kind.
“I like this one,” Felix declared with a bright smile. “He’s cute and funny and we have very nearly the same birthday.”
“That’s nice Felix,” Seungmin said in the same tone of voice that Jeongin often gave Hyunjin whenever he went off on his tangents. “We need to be serious, though.” A shiver went down Hyunjin’s spine as Felix’s entire demeanor shifted. The bubbliness was suddenly replaced by a steely blankness as he regarded Seungmin with a single nod. “Thank you.”
Hyunjin twisted his head to look back at Jisung. He figured it would be best for him to take the lead in questioning Jisung directly; The other options were far too intimidating to pry a legible answer out of him. “Jisung, we must ask you something very important. What happened the day the wards went down?”
Jisung hemmed and hawwed for a moment, shuffling in place. His eyes moved between all of them in turn before landing and lingering on Minho. Something like shame flashed over his face, and he lowered his head. “I… I don’t know. I really don’t know.” Minho leaned in with a hand on Jisung’s chin to lift up his head with a curious hum. Jisung smiled, but it was a small, sad thing. “Nothing unusual had been going on. Minho had seemed a little… distracted that day, I guess, but… as nightfall came, we both went to sleep as usual. When I woke up, he just… wasn’t there.”
Hyunjin could feel the weight of Jisung’s guilt settle over him like a heavy blanket. It was clear in every line of the nymph’s body that he felt responsible in some way for Minho’s disappearance and subsequent transformation. They were glade brothers, for stars’ sake. Who else was meant to support Minho in the mortal realm if not for Jisung?
“It’s not your fault, Ji,” Hyunjin whispered over his shoulder. Jisung’s eyes flittered towards his for a split second, and Hyunjin could tell that while the sentiment was appreciated, it was far from being believed.
“There was nothing out of the ordinary in the forest itself?” Hyunjin’s mother questioned. At Jisung’s shake of the head, she frowned. “Then what…?”
Hyunjin straightened his shoulders as the two fae turned all their attention to Minho himself. Felix stalked closer on silent feet. The flowers woven into his hair fluttered in an unfelt breeze. Minho blinked once, twice, and then reached out a hand to caress their petals, absolutely unafraid of the fae prince. Felix’s blank expression softened a tad as he turned his head to allow Minho better access. His deep voice was gentle as he spoke. “Minho, dear, do you remember what you were before you were a man?”
To Hyunjin’s utter shock, Minho nodded. “Bright,” he said simply.
Felix chuckled fondly. “Yes, you were bright, weren’t you?”
“What happened the day you changed? Do you remember that?” Seungmin asked.
Minho heaved a great big sigh. A deep furrow appeared in his brow as he concentrated. Hyunjin could almost see into his mind how he began flipping through his vocabulary, picking and choosing which words he knew and how to arrange them. He worked his jaw and scratched his head, looking far too adorable.
“Girl… heart. Cry… loud,” he began to speak slowly, carefully. “I wake, I hear, I follow. Uh…” He pursed his lips and huffed. “Squeezed.”
Followed… a girl’s crying? Hyunjin’s eyes widened. It couldn’t be…
“Minho, did you… did you leave the forest? In the middle of the night?” He asked apprehensively.
A long pause, and then a nod.
A longer pause, and then Jisung exploded. “You what?! Why would you do that?! Without waking me up?!” He sputtered angrily and gesticulated wildly with his arms. “Hyung, are you crazy!? Why?!”
Minho blinked hard at him, taken aback. “Girl crying. I hear, I follow. I… help?” He tilted his head and frowned. “I… want help. I don’t know…”
“Don’t be too cross with him, Jisung,” Felix said. Though, he and Seungmin both looked easily displeased. “It’s in a unicorn’s nature to be drawn towards the pure and hurting.”
“Though it’s usually only when the mortal in question enters the forest that a unicorn should be able to hear their heart,” Seungmin added. “Then again, whoever was strong enough to trap him in a human body was likely strong enough to amplify someone’s heart to lure him out, too.”
But how could such a person fall into the grasp of people seeking to capture the unicorn? People whose hearts were pure enough to attract a unicorn were not common by any means. How would they even be used as bait in such a way? The knowledge itself that they would be luring a unicorn to danger would be enough to cloud their heart.
Hyunjin thought back to the witch poachers that had originally held Minho in binds. There had been no other prisoners apart from Minho. There was no possible way for a witch to be pure of heart enough to attract a unicorn, could there? Those kinds of magics left their marks on human hearts. Surely it was impossible.
Right?
Hyunjin had been under the impression that Hwang Yeji had been kept under tight lock and key, wasting away in their dungeons like their (few and far between) prisoners usually do. Color him surprised, then, to find her in a grassy clearing not too far from the dungeons and surrounded by a small group of elven elders. By all appearances, she seemed to be… leading them in doing yoga?
“What is going on here?” He said as their procession approached. Then, his eyes caught on a ball of orange fur curled up near Yeji’s feet and chittering, and he became absolutely dumbstruck. “What?”
Upon learning that they still held one of the witch poachers from earlier that year captive, the two princes decided to split up. Seungmin remained back to continue speaking with Hyunjin’s mother about the state of the forest at large – Jisung remained as well, reluctantly, as the only one with any perspective on how the wards worked on the side of the Heart Glade. The left Hyunjin, Minho, and Felix to speak with the lone witch. A guardsman showed them the way and then left with a polite bow before Hyunjin could shake him by the collar and demand to know why said captive was out and about.
Jeongin noticed their arrival first, his ears standing up tall and his little furry face snapping over to their direction. He let out a large yawn, whiskers twitching, and then within the blink of an eye he was back to his human form and lounging on the ground. “Oh no, fun’s over,” he grumbled.
Yeji paused mid-stretch and looked over at them. She was in fresh elven clothes that fit her quite well, in contrast to the ill-fitting and filthy robes she had been wearing when she was captured. Her hair was shorn to just under her chin – a typical elven punishment, though Hyunjin doubted it meant very much to humans. When her eyes trailed over the three of them, she flinched, and quickly lowered her raised limbs. The elves around her began to murmur quietly. With a wave of Hyunjin’s hand, they dispersed, leaving just the five of them.
“What is going on here?” Hyunjin repeated crossly. “Why are you out of your cell? Unsupervised? With vulnerable members of our settlement?” His heart pounded in his chest at the idea of witchcraft running amok and hurting their precious few elders.
Jeongin rose to his feet and brushed the grass and dirt from his clothes. “She’s not unsupervised. I’m here,” he said with a huff.
“You are not a guard! You are a fox! And don’t you hate witches?!”
“This one’s nice.”
Hyunjin sputtered, at a total loss of words. He spun around with a glare as Felix giggled behind him. Naturally, the fae was unphased by him completely. “Oh, you have such charming friends, Hyunjin. I’m quite enjoying my time here,” he said through his giggles. Adding salt to the wound, Minho also began to giggle. As it was simply impossible to be upset when Minho was so happy, Hyunjin deflated with a sigh.
A clearing throat bought his attention. Yeji took a hesitant step forward, her hands clasped in front of her. “I have no wish to harm you or your people, My Lord. Truly.” She bowed at him. “I had asked the guards if I could perhaps do chores or some kind of labor rather than just… rot in a cell, and, well… one thing’s led to another.”
Hyunjin made a mental note to have a long and stern discussion with all the elves that manned the dungeons. All of that without even informing him? That was maddening!
“Hyung, she really does mean well,” Jeongin chimed in. Despite his tail not being out, Hyunjin could imagine it wagging. “She doesn’t smell half as rotten as those other witches that nearly snatched me, and she gives really good scratches.”
He was at a loss for words. Was this truly what Jeongin had been getting up to while Hyunjin was preoccupied with Minho? Getting head scratches from a witch?
“Neither of them are lying,” Felix added helpfully. That, at least, was somewhat relieving. He trusted a fae’s ability to sense lies more than Jeongin’s ability to resist a good scratch.
“Well – fine, then. Fine. By the stars…” Hyunjin clicked his tongue and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Hwang Yeji, we need to ask you some questions. I’m sure you can guess what about.”
Yeji frowned. “I’ve already told you lot everything I know. What more could you need?”
“What happened the night before my friend here –“ he gestured to Minho “- appeared in your poaching party?”
Her face went a little red and her tone defensive. “What happened? I had dinner with my aunt, and then I went to sleep. When I woke up, he was in binds in the center of our camp, and I was forbidden from asking questions.”
“Now you’re lying,” Felix said. The mirth dropped from his expression in an instant as he went unnervingly still. Even his clothes and hair refused to flutter in the breeze. “Speak the truth. What happened?”
“I – I’m not lying!” She stammered. “Nothing happened -!”
“You cry.”
They all froze. They turned to look at Minho, who had a distant look in his eyes. Yeji in particular went pale. “W – what did you say?”
“You cry,” Minho repeated. He tilted his head. “I hear, I follow. I try help.” His lips pulled downward as he slowly blinked. Then, he lowered his head. “I… not help. I’m sorry.”
“…You’re the pure heart that lured him out of the woods,” Hyunjin muttered. He thought back to Yeji’s initial capture. She’d barely put up a fight, hadn’t raised a single hand to defend her party members. During the interrogation, she’d shown no grief for their loss and put up no resistance to their questioning. He had chalked it up to a witch’s typical cold heart, but if her aunt had known she was pure, then perhaps…
“Oh, you poor thing. You were raised to be unicorn bait, weren’t you?” Felix said softly. His body lost some of the icy tension and relaxed into something less unsettling.
Yeji retorted gruffly, “Unicorns aren’t real. They’re a myth.” It sounded more like a child’s desperate denial than anything. Despite himself, Hyunjin felt his own heart waver and ache. How cruel did humans have to be to turn on their own in such a way? To know a girl is pure of heart, and instead of cherish her, to force her into such pain that a unicorn could hear her cries?
Jeongin chittered softly and brushed his shoulder against hers. His eyes were shiny and sad when he looked back at Hyunjin.
“Yeji,” Hyunjin said, not an ounce of malice remaining in his voice. It was simply impossible. “It is vital that you tell us everything you know about your aunt’s work with shifter magic. Please.”
“I was only ever used as a mana source. I was never taught to cast anything more than a candlelight.” Yeji now sounded tired, looking between them all.
“Anything that you’ve overheard or picked up at all would be helpful. Please, we – I -“ Hyunjin worked his jaw and had a quick but fiery internal debate. Ultimately, he decided to take a hefty, hefty gamble. “You may be the only person that can figure out how to change Minho back into a unicorn. Please.”
Jeongin yelped and turned back into a fox.
Before retiring for the night, Hyunjin often liked to keep a journal. It helped to keep his thoughts and feelings organized. In times previous, the entries would be about light-hearted outings with his friends, or perhaps venting about his anxieties about one day taking over the forest. For the past few weeks – months, even – they’ve been completely taken over by entries about Minho.
I taught Minho how to write his name in traditional Elvish cursive today, his pout was so adorable…
The elflings have taken to giving Minho dance lessons, he laughs so much around them…
Minho surprised Mother with breakfast in bed – I’m unsure how he got past the chefs, but she said it was surprisingly good…
You’ll never guess what Minho did…
Minho said this today…
Minho, Minho, Minho…
Sometimes, the entries would be accompanied by sketches. Quick lines of charcoal or ink shaping out the lines of Minho’s face – the sharpness of his nose, the roundness of his lips, the shimmer in his eyes. They were always quick and messy, as focusing for too long on drawing him led to Hyunjin’s cheeks getting red and hot. He had this irrational fear that someone would walk in and flip through the pages, and then his heart would be flayed in full.
Lately, though… he had felt less and less satisfied after his time spent journaling. He would stare down at the still-wet ink and feel this deep ache in his chest. Not enough, his mind would supply. It’s not enough.
What was he meant to do with all these feelings? These… treacherous, treasonous feelings?
Back when Minho was still just The Man, this thing in his heart was an exciting new experience. He’s had plently of short-lived crushes on other elves and some nature spirits as an elfling, but none lasted as long or dug as deep as this feeling he held currently. It was so lovely, so delightful.
But Minho is not just The Man. He is their unicorn. He does not belong to Hyunjin, he belongs to the forest. Those lips that Hyunjin wanted to taste, those hands that he longed to hold, that hair that he wanted to braid jewels and daisies into were all a prison. They were a cruel curse placed upon their forest’s guardian.
Minho and Hyunjin both had a responsibility to the forest and its inhabitants. When Minho returned to his true form… what then? The Man would be gone entirely, replaced by a creature so far from reach. And Hyunjin would have to be glad for it. He needed to be glad for it.
Is this what his mother often told him? Ruling over the forest meant you were no longer your own person. You belonged to the forest at large – their desires were your desires, and all else was trivial privilege.
A trivial privilege…
…was that truly all his love amounted to?
More poachers had been spotted. It was truly the worst news they could’ve gotten at such a time. Guards had been dispatched to deal with them, but it was a larger group than last time – and worst of all, they seemed to expect the elves. They’d been too prepared, too organized. Both sides were injured, neither coming out victorious.
Hyunjin’s mother was furious. She paced the lengths of the halls muttering rage under her breath. Hyunjin felt a similar indignation burning beneath his sternum. They’d known, of course, that the longer the wards stayed down, the more danger they’d be in. Still… how dare they? How dare those humans threaten the peace and tranquility of their forest?
Everyone was on high alert. Chan’s rivers churned anxiously as he kept constant vigil out, and Changbin’s mountains seemed perpetually stormy and windy. After a lot of fretting, Jisung returned to the Heart Glade. Hyunjin had his doubts about what Jisung could do to protect it by himself, but Jisung reassured them that he had tricks up his sleeves.
Hyunjin was torn. On one hand, he wanted to be with the elven guards keeping patrol and protecting the denizens of the forest. On the other hand, though, was Minho. In the end, the choice was taken from his hands. His mother explicitly ordered for him to act as Minho’s personal guard until further notice.
…Who was Hyunjin to complain about the proximity?
The fae princes spent quite a bit of time with Yeji, the three of them working towards some solution to the issue of Minho’s curse. Minho (and by extension, Hyunjin) would sit in on their sessions every so often. Hyunjin didn’t quite like how they poked and prodded at him, but Minho appeared unbothered. Unless it was Seungmin doing the poking, as for some reason, Minho seemed to consider him as some sort of combatant. Where he would lean into Felix’s touches or simply tolerate Yeji’s, Hyunjin often had to scold him for trying to bite Seungmin’s fingers. Thankfully for everyone, Seungmin matched his energy perfectly and seemed just as focused on bothering him as he was on curing him.
They weren’t always with the trio, though. Hyunjin had taken to trying to squeeze as many minutes into Minho’s days as possible. They read books together, painted together, played music together – anything and everything that Hyunjin could think of that could just be their time. On an outting into the forest (but still close to the settlement, Minho’s safety the top priority above all else) he decided to teach Minho how to climb trees. While a bit frustrated at first, Minho quickly grew to delight in hanging onto the branches and pretending to be taller than Hyunjin. But not too tall! They both learned very early on into the venture that Minho was very, very uncomfortable with being too high up. The sun was low enough that from that angle Minho really, truly resembled a star in the night sky.
Reccounting all of this lead to Chan and Changbin both accusing, oh so gently, of treating Minho like he was a dying man. Hyunjin scoffed and waved them off. He couldn’t even really say they were wrong, though. He just… wanted Minho to get as much joy out of his human body as he could before the curse was lifted. Was that so wrong?
On a night, the ink on Hyunjin’s latest journal entry dried, and he closed the little book with a quiet sigh. He sat back in his chair and stared down at the unassuming leather with heavy eyes. The oil lamp on his desk was starting to run low, bathing his room in a dull warm glow. An easily recognized knock at his door broke him out of his stupor. He quickly hid his journal in one of the drawers of his desk and made his way across the room.
Of course, the person on the other side was Minho. He was clothed in a thickly knitted sweater decorated with pictures of rabbits and cats. He swam in it, the sleeves coming down to his finger tips in an adorable fashion. With the turn of the seasons, the villa was more difficult to keep warm at night, and the nip in the air was reflected by the rosiness of Minho’s cheeks and nose.
“Oh! Minho!” He exclaimed in pleasant surprise. “What brings you here? I thought you went to sleep.”
There was a strangely tense atmosphere about Minho. His mouth was set in a flat line, and his brows had the tiniest little furrow in them. “Something’s wrong,” he said and then came inside.
Hyunjin blinked once and then became worried. “Wrong? What’s wrong? Did something happen?” He asked in rapid succession. He sidled up close beside him and grabbed his hand on instinct. Minho squeezed his hand tight.
“My window,” he said, fidgeting with Hyunjin’s fingers. He swallowed audibly. “Someone outside.”
Hyunjin’s heart stopped in his chest. “You said… there was someone outside your window?”
Minho nodded once. He stared down at their joined hands. “Voice… I know voice. Bad woman. Mean to Yeji, mean to me.”
Before Hyunjin could wrap his mind around that, his attention was caught by a shadow moving outside his own window. He just barely had time to push Minho behind him and grab his swort from its stand beside his door before the glass was shattered and a great glob of fire was hurled inside. He cursed and sprinted out the door, dragging Minho along by the wrist.
“Guards! Intruder, we’re under attack!” He screamed as his feet pounded down the halls. Soon, the villa was filled with the clanging and clamor of the elven guard detail springing to life. They turned a corner, and Hyunjin yelped as they came face to face with yet another intruder. He took Minho in his arms and dove to the floor as yet another fireball flew above their heads.
He pushed Minho’s grunt of pain from his head and shot upwards to drive his sword into the intruder. He was breaking open a window in the hall and pushing Minho through before the other got a chance to see the body. There was little Hyunjin could do about the blood on his sword, though.
“H – Hyunjin?” Minho whimpered as Hyunjin got him to his feet, careful to make sure he didn’t step on any glass. Neither of them were even wearing shoes. Minho had thick socks, but the ground was wet with nightly dew that was sure to soak into them.
“Shh, Minho. Follow me,” Hyunjin whispered hurriedly. He pushed Minho forward and away from the villa. Smoke quickly began to fill the air, and their shadows stretched and grew more pronounced as the light of flames licking up the walls grew more and more pronounced.
Minho looked over their shoulders and stumbled, one hand coming up to clutch onto Hyunjin’s arm. “M… Mother? Felix, Seungmin? Yeji?” He tried to slip around Hyunjin, but Hyunjin grabbed him by the waist before he could get past.
“We have to go, Minho,” Hyunjin gritted out. “They’ll be fine, but we have to go.”
Minho’s eyes were wide and frightened, the image of flames swimming in his irises. He gave no more protests and allowed Hyunjin to drag him further and further from the villa and deeper into the forest. Within no time, the light from the fire gave way to a deep, impenetrable darkness that engulfed them whole.
Hyunjin was wound tightly, his head snapped towards every little sound and snap of a twig. Poor Minho’s human body did not have the dark vision of an elf and was left constantly tripping over roots and snagging on vines. Hyunjin tried to keep them pressed close together, but it was just inevitable that he would stumble around.
He didn’t know where he was leading them, to be frank. To a river, maybe, to call for Chan. Or maybe they would go west and look for Changbin. It was just unfortunate that they took the exit that they did, as doing either of those would require circling around entirely to the other side of the villa that they had left from. They had to find a safe place, though. Somewhere to hide Minho, at the very least.
It was plain to see that the newest group of witch poachers had been the attackers. It had always been a fear in the backs of their minds, but for the witches to attack so blazenly like this had been horrifying. Hyunjin’s mind threatened to run rampant and overfill with concerns and fears and they picked their way hurriedly through the forest, but he forced himself ot breathe steadily and focus on one thing at a time. He was Minho’s only companion out here, Minho’s personal guardian. He had to keep Minho safe.
In the middle of running, Minho came to a sudden stop. Hyunjin nearly tipped over and turned to look at him with a grimace. “Minho. Hyung, please, we have to keep moving –“
“This way,” Minho muttered. He turned sharply to the left and began to stride in that direction. His voice had been soft and distant, and when Hyunjin jogged to get back beside him, he found that his expression was similarly far away. Hyunjin tugged at him, reiterating where they needed to go, but – “No, no. This way.”
Minho was insistant. Hyunjin gnawed at his lip and very reluctantly acquiesced. It was still away from the villa – away from the poachers – so it was… technically still safe. They continued onwards in that seemingly random direction for a while. With every passing minute, Minho’s posture grew straighter and his steps became firmer. Eventually, Hyunjin became the one with feet constantly snagging on underbrush and running into loose tree limbs while the forest seemingly cleaved a clear path for Minho to walk through.
It was startling to realize that Hyunjin… no longer recognized the part of the forest they were in. That was – that was strange. He knew this forest from top to bottom. He knew every stone and tree and flowery clearing. But this area was… foreign. It only grew moreso that way the further they walked. Much more startling was when Hyunjin paid a little closer attention to the plants and realized that the trees were green here. There were no longer any crisp leaves on the ground for them to trudge through. There were no more thorny brambles or stickers hidden in the dirt. Instead, soft grass and moss cradled their feet like carpet.
“Minho, where are we?” Hyunjin asked tensely. Minho did not answer. His hair and eyes almost seemed to glow despite the lack of moonlight.
And then, the trees opened up. Hyunjin suddenly did recognize where they were. Not from his own travels, no, but from Minho’s paintings. His mind was thrown back to that first painting Minho had made when he introduced him to the gazebo. The area they had walked into was a splitting image of that painting.
The Heart Glade, Hyunjin thought with a gasp.
He stopped in his tracks, hardly able to breathe past the shock and reverence suddenly overtaking him. Minho did not stop, however. He kept marching forward towards a strange lump lying in the middle of a bed of high-rising flowers. Hyunjin startled a step back as the lump shot up from the ground and revealed itself to be Jisung, who’d apparently been using the flowers as a bed.
“Waugh -! M, Minho?! What are you doing here?” Jisung sputtered with sleep still heavy in his voice. He shook his head roughly and smacked his cheeks. Then, his eyes caught Hyunjin’s, and he shrieked. “Hyunjin?! You’re not – you can’t be here! Why are you here?!”
Hyunjin gulped and took an unsteady step forward. A chill ran down his spine that had nothing to do with the cold and everything to do with the tingle of magic against his bare feet. Except… it wasn’t even cold, was it? The Heart Glade was pleasantly warm, like it was once again summer.
“The… poachers found our settlement. They broke into the villa. We had to escape,” Hyunjin explained quietly. Despite Jisung’s earlier volume, he himself was afraid of breaking the serenity of the Glade.
Jisung’s eyes went wide and pink. “O… Oh, that’s…”
Several things happened, then.
All the sounds of insect chirping and leaves rustling went dead silent. Jisung’s eyes went even wider and pinker. Minho’s mouth opened wide with Hyunjin’s name on his lips. And then a sharp, stabbing pain irradiated out from right below Hyunjin’s left rib. Spots flew all across his vision, so unlike the stars that he loved so much, and then darkness overtook him.
“Hyunjin!”
Hyunjin opened his eyes to an orange sky. It was framed by a canopy of trees that were coloured the deepest and brightest reds and yellows he’d ever seen, like freshly activated paints. A breeze carried with it the scent of damp earth and oak. Somewhere, the tinkling sounds of bells rang in the distance. He breathed it in deeply, shocked to find no pain.
He regained his faculties slowly. There was a buzzing under his skin, almost an itch. It was not dissimilar to the tingle of magic the grass of the Heart Glade held, only it was far, far stronger. Slowly, he got his arms under him and pushed himself up into a seated position.
He found that he was still in the Heart Glade, only it was – different. It was no longer nighttime, nor was it green and lively. It was sunset, and the Glade itself was a perfect painting of autumn. There was something almost electric in the air that made it a little difficult to breathe, if he were being honest. He felt somewhat loopy, a little high.
He was also, he noted, absolutely soaking wet.
Looking down, Hyunjin noticed a tear in his tunic stained in blood. And yet, when he picked at the fabric, he found a clean (yet still sensitive to the touch) scar in place of an open wound.
The next thing he noticed was more bone-chilling. Collapsed in a heap on the lakebed was Minho, equally soaked and slightly smothered in mud. He was unmoving.
Hyunjin’s eyes widened as his entire being went cold. That – that couldn’t be. Minho wasn’t – He couldn’t – No. No, no, no, no –
Something hard pressed against the top of his head. Warmth emanated from the point of contact. A voice echoed within his head as an all-powerful sense of calm washed over him.
‘I am unhurt. You are unhurt. Be at ease.’
A breath caught in his throat. Like a puppet pulled by a string, he turned around, and what he saw struck him dumb.
A glistening opal mane. Shining beady eyes. Four feathery hooves. A long winding tail. A sharp horn of ivory leading up to a point.
Hyunjin knew those eyes, knew that hair. Despite the foreign form that they now made up, he knew them so well.
A unicorn.
Minho.
He let out a watery laugh. “You… Minho? The curse is broken?”
Minho huffed through his nose and stamped the earth once with his front hoof. He once more pressed the tip of his horn to Hyunjin’s head, and the voice returned.
‘Not entirely. It cannot follow me to the fae realm. I am safe from it here, for now.’
“The fae realm…?” Hyunjin blinked slowly and cast his gaze around more carefully. He realized that the flowers and trees around them were truly unrecognizable to him. He squinted at something that was rustling in a bush towards the edge of the glade, and gasped when he saw the flicker of a pixie wing. Suddenly, the bell-sounds in the air made sense, as did the fact that he was wet. “We’re in… the fae realm?”
‘A witch had been following us in secret. They attacked you. Some buried instinct within me said that the water would help, and so I dragged you into it. And now, here we are.’ After saying this, Minho nuzzled Hyunjin’s cheek with his nose. The soft puffs of air as he breathed tickled Hyunjin’s skin.
Cautiously, Hyunjin laid a hand atop Minho’s nose and began to pet him. “Thank you, Minho, truly, but… What about the witch? And – and Jisung?”
Minho’s next snort sounded almost like a laugh. ‘My Glade has cycled through countless alseids since I came to live there. Out of all of them, I worry least about Jisung’s capabilities. And I have sent a pixie to go search for the Princes, so he will not be alone for long.’
“Oh. I see. That… that is good,” Hyunjin said. He continued petting Minho’s nose. The softness of his hair was addicting. He let out a quiet oof as Minho dropped to the ground, lowering himself down to rest his head in Hyunjin’s lap. He sucked in a sharp breath, but eventually relaxed, allowing himself to card his fingers through Minho’s mane. “You’re beautiful,” he breathed out. Minho looked at him from the corner of his eye and said nothing. Hyunjin laughed softly, more of an exhale than anything. “You’re also a lot more well-spoken than I’m used to.”
‘I’m not using words to speak with you. I communicate with concepts and ideas, and then your silly little mortal mind translates that into words for me.’ The voice sounded fond and amused in equal parts.
They remained like that for an amount of time that Hyunjin had no capacity to track. All he could focus on was the warm weight of Minho resting against him and the silkiness of his mane. The bell-tinkling never grew too quiet, but never too close, either, the pixies curious but too shy to directly approach. Occasionally, Hyunjin’s eyes would flicker to the human body left abandoned in the water, and a chill would run down his spine. Every time he did, Minho would huff and rest more of his weight onto Hyunjin, nearly plowing him to the ground entirely.
A sentence was on the tip of his tongue. Three words battled to leave his lips. He held them back forcefully. He could not speak them, not now. He could not risk breaking the tranquility they found themselves in. Holding them back was almost physically painful, worse than the wound he had received.
Minho shifted in his lap, moving his head so that his horn just barely brushed against Hyunjin’s temple. ‘Something heavy weighs down your heart.’
Hyunjin smiled sadly. “Just… worried about you. Worried about what we’ll be coming back to when we return to the mortal world.” It wasn’t a lie, not really.
Minho blinked slowly. Instead of words, a feeling traveled through his horn and into Hyunjin’s mind. It was a tender, warm sensation, like sunbeams on a freshly baked loaf of bread, or rose petals on a still-steaming cup of tea. Hyunjin felt the tension leave his body as if by command. He wrapped himself around Minho’s head and thick neck, almost using the unicorn as a pillow. He was suddenly so, so sleepy.
“I don’t want to say goodbye to you,” he confessed quietly. “I know the human form is a curse, that it’s cruel to you and the whole of the forest to keep you trapped like that. But I don’t want to say goodbye to my companion. I wish there was a way to keep you without hurting everyone.” Unbidden, a few tears escaped past his trembling eyelids. “I like you more than I’ve ever liked anyone. There’s so much about mortal life that I still want to teach you. Minho, I…”
I love you.
The words didn’t escape his lips, but the weight of them was lifted off his shoulders all the same. Was it not well known that unicorns could read people’s hearts? Of course, of course Minho could tell without the words being spoken.
The water in front of them began to ripple. A head of red hair began to emerge, dry as a bone despite its entrance. Perhaps it was only Hyunjin, borne of the mortal realm, that wasn’t immune to the water acting as water. Seungmin rose up from the lake like he was climbing a set of stairs, though his steps and expression were both laced with urgency. A pixie flew out of the water just behind him, and with a bell sound zipped away.
Seungmin zeroed in on the two of them and immediately started speaking. “You -! Oh, by the stars, you two are alright. God, I don’t know what I would’ve done if – No, no, nevermind. You’re fine, and that’s all that matters.”
The tip of Minho’s horn glowed faintly. Seungmin stopped in his tracks and scowled. “Oh, so now you remember who I am? Good to know. Never thought I’d miss getting mocked by a fancy horse.” The horn glowed again as Minho nickered. Seungmin rolled his eyes. “See if I ever worry for you again, dumb pony.”
Hyunjin was a little fascinated by the exchange he could only hear one side of, but his own worries grew more powerful. He cleared his throat. “Ahem… um, Your Highness?”
“We’ve told you to just call us by name, you… Ugh.” Seungmin shook his head, and then his face softened. “Yes, Hyunjin? Are you alright? I was told you were on death’s bed.”
Had it really been that bad of an injury? Logically, he might should know that. The wound had been right beneath his rib and the scarring showed that it went clean through him. There was just such little pain in the current moment that he felt it must have been trivial.
“I am fine, Seungmin. My question is – how is everyone else? At the villa? What’s happened with the witches?”
Seungmin rubbed his face tiredly. Despite the late hour of the attack, he was dressed as impeccably as always. Hyunjin wasn’t actually sure if the fae slept or not. Maybe it was just a glamor?
“There was… structural damage,” Seungmin reccounted slowly. “A few guards lost their lives, I’m afraid. But the witches as a whole are no more. Your naiad friend, Chan, showed up and helped put the fires out before they could spread to the rest of the settlement.” Hyunjin nodded along grimly. He was relieved for their victory, but still heartbroken over the losses. “Felix caught one of them using a potion to transform into a raccoon. They were captured, and Yeji identified them as a member of her previous poaching group. We believe they used a similar strategy to escape capture before.”
Ah. That made sense, then, given that Minho said he’d recognized their voice through his window. It would explain why this group had been so much better prepared for battling and evading the elves than the first one had been. Damnit. They had been careless.
“I see,” he said. He wrestled the guilt and shame squirming in his chest away. He looked back up at the fae prince. “What now?”
Seungmin met his gaze evenly. “For now, I believe your people need you, Hwang Hyunjin.” Hyunjin lowered his head; He had expected as much. He yearned to help his people. “As for Minho…”
A glow of the horn. Seungmin quirked a brow. “Oh? What for?” Minho scratched the earth with his hoof and tossed his head back. “That sounds risky. Are you sure your mind is back into one piece? I think your horn is looking a little dull.” Minho snorted aggressively. Seungmin raised his hands defensively, but a smile was twitching on his lips. “Fine, fine! Be my guest! Your Glade, your rules. Utter insanity…”
Hyunjin looked on, lost, as Seungmin muttered under his breath. “Might I also know what Minho will be doing?” He asked, very politely indeed.
Seungmin looked at him, and then smirked mischieviously. “Just return to your mortal realm, elf. You have work to do.”
Weight settled upon Hyunjin’s shoulders as he sighed and nodded. This truly was goodbye then, wasn’t it? He hoped that Minho could not feel his heart split in two. He wasn’t sure he could bear to live with inflicting that kind of burden onto such a lovely creature.
When Hyunjin returned to the elven settlement, the sun was just beginning to rise above the horizon. Smoke still rose lazily above the villa, certain halls still smoldering and sooty despite Chan’s best efforts. Him and Changbin both were present and helping to clean up. Less than half of the building had been inflamed, but it was still rather unsightly. With the days growing colder and longer, too, it was vital to get the structure stable as soon as possible.
As soon as Hyunjin’s presence was noticed and announced, his mother came marching forward to pull him into a hug. Her hands dug almost painfully into his skin, but he hugged back just as hard. There was a nasty looking burn on her hand from when, he was told, she had grappled with a witch that was mid-spell. Despite how painful it looked, he had to admit it was pretty awesome.
They asked what happened to Minho. Hyunjin could only relay what Seungmin had told him. Minho was safe in the fae realm and requested Yeji to join him. Understandably, this frightened her very much. In the end, though, who was she to deny the request of a unicorn? Hyunjin figured she likely still felt guilty for his curse. She and Felix both were gone into the forest by the end of the day.
They rebuilt.
Halls had to be replaced in the villa. Some parts of the garden had to be replanted. Many pieces of furniture were unsalvageable, and so the local woodworkers were commissioned. Hyunjin caught his mother staring forlornly at the charred remains of a framed painting that he recognized used to be his own.
Hyunjin’s room had been completely destroyed, as had Minho’s old room. He sat in his gazebo with Chan and Changbin on either side of him and Jeongin curled up in his lap in his fox form. His friends stayed with him as he cried over his losses. Minho would soon forever be out of his reach, and now he no longer even had his journal to remember him by. The only time he could recall ever crying harder than he had that day was the day his father died.
And still, they rebuilt.
New rooms were erected, eventually. Hyunjin stayed in what was typically Jeongin’s guest room in the meantime, his friend spending every night in fox form curled up on his chest like a cat. Hyunjin became highly involved in the reconstruction itself. His mother told him to rest, eyeing the spot on his torso that he knew his scar sat, but he waved her off with his own pointed look at her burnt hand. Hyunjin helped lay tile and raise walls, he moved ground and carried limber. The ache in his muscles was pleasantly distracting.
It was on one of those days of reconstruction when a cry rang out across the yard. A guard was running out from the woods, a beaming smile stretching across her face.
“The wards are back up! The wards are back up!”
All around him, elves hollered and cheered. Some threw their hats and rags in the air while others embraced. Hyunjin smiled, truly trying to be happy, but it was strained. If the wards were back up, then that could only mean that Minho’s curse was broken, and he was truly back to his original form.
Minho was truly out of his reach.
One day, Chan and Changbin came to fetch him. Construction on the villa had been finished… for now, at least. It was stable and structurally in-tact. They would wait until the cold months were over before going into the detailed work and making it look pretty. For now, it was serviceable. The work being over meant Hyunjin suddenly had free time once again, and he was truly lost on how to spend it. He couldn’t even waste time walking the forest perimeter anymore with the wards back up.
All that in mind, it took very little to convince him to accompany his nymph friends. He hadn’t seen Jisung since the night he went into the fae realm, which was more upsetting than he wanted to admit. Did he lose Jisung in the same breath that he lost Minho? What was he meant to do with such a loss? He even found himself missing Seungmin and Felix, believe it or not. Yeji too, perhaps, though to a lesser extent. He hadn’t seen any of them since the attack, actually.
At least Chan and Changbin were still present. Jeongin as well, being attached to Hyunjin’s hip for some reason. It touched his heart that they cared, truly, but he really did hate to worry them so much. It truly was a curse sometimes how elves were built to feel so deeply.
Chan and Changbin had seemed oddly… giddy when they came to get him. They kept meeting each other’s eyes and then breaking out into childish snickers that unfortunately suited them very well. Every time Hyunjin asked what their deal was, they would act all innocently and look the other way. Eventually, he gave up. Knowing them, it was probably some sappy surprise meant to cheer him up.
So, he allowed them to drag him through the woods. He recognized that they were headed towards their usual birch grove. He could hear faint voices coming in that direction. He… recognized the voices, actually. His steps quickened slightly without realizing it.
As they broke through the copse, Hyunjin’s eyes fell on the group of people gathered. There was Jisung, who’s visage was definitely a relief, not that Hyunjin would admit it. There was Seungmin and Felix, who’s presence was surprising but welcome all the same. There was Yeji, too, who glowed with a contentment and power that made her nearly look like a whole new woman. And then there was…
There was…
They all went silent as Hyunjin laid his eyed on the final member of the group, mouth agape. He knew this person. And yet… they were different.
“You…Why…How…?” He muttered, unable to finish a single thought. A million things ran through his mind. It was impossible to tear his eyes away.
Everything else faded away as Minho turned around. His opalescent eyes – human eyes – were crinkled with joy. His lips – human lips – parted to let out a soft laugh. And yet, when he tilted his head, sunlight caught on the ivory horn poking out from between his bangs, and leaves crinkled underfoot as a tail flicked against the ground.
“Hyunjin,” Minho greeted happily. And – oh, if the sound of his voice wasn’t music to Hyunjin’s ears.
Hyunjin stumbled forward on unsteady feet, already reaching out for the other. “M… Minho – what are you doing here? How are you…? I – I don’t understand…” Minho met him halfway, reaching out a hand of his own and lacing their fingers together. His hand was so warm and sturdy and real.
“Our resident unicorn, in all his arrogance, demanded we find a way to do the impossible,” Seungmin explained. His tone was sardonic, but his face was genuinely happy. “And wouldn’t you know it, but your little witch friend appears capable of actually pulling off the impossible.”
Yeji flushed and looked away shyly. “It – It wasn’t so difficult with Sir Minho’s cooperation, and the added magic of the fae…”
“Don’t discount yourself, witchling. Something like this would be enough to grant you a seat on the fae council. If you weren’t a mortal that would go insane from the prolonged exposure, of course,” Felix said cheerfully.
Hyunjin looked between all of them, utterly lost but frankly too overjoyed to care. Jisung stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder. “Yeji was able to reconstruct the spell her aunt casted on Minho. Instead of using shifter magic as a curse to bind him, it’s woven into his natural magic and works alongside it. He’s a genuine unicorn shifter now.” Smiling a bit cheekily, he leaned in to whisper in Hyunjin’s ear. “It was all Minho’s idea, you know. He was quite insistant.”
Starstruck, Hyunjin blinked down at Minho. “Is this true…? You’re really…?”
Minho smiled, and it was the most beautiful thing Hyunjin had ever seen. “You said… you want teach me. Many things.” Hyunjin wordlessly gave a tiny nod. Minho’s smile grew. “I also want. Want learn. Want… Hyunjin. Don’t want goodbye.”
A million and one things swelled in Hyunjin’s chest. It was overwhelming to the point that he felt tears prickling his eyes. He swallowed wetly and tried to force out words despite the emotions threatening to smother him. “You – you really meant it? Can I… Can I teach you something right now, then? Please?”
A slow blink and the tilt of a head. Minho nodded once.
Without any more hesitation, Hyunjin leaned forward and kissed him.
Notes:
my finals are done im FREE!!!!!!!!!!! take 13k of hyunho
hyunho_islife on Chapter 1 Sat 04 Oct 2025 03:25PM UTC
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Prince_Enby on Chapter 1 Sun 05 Oct 2025 11:52PM UTC
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