Chapter Text
The Kim kingdom and the Dragon kingdom have lived in relative peace for hundreds of years. Their subjects used to coexist with each other for so long, trade with each other, and lived in such harmony that no one found it strange that there were Dragon shapeshifters among them. That is until several generations ago when the Dragon kingdom suddenly severed all ties with the Kim kingdom. There was no reasoning to this severance, but the repercussions were immediate and extensive. All Dragon kingdom subjects were ordered back to their land and all trading halted between the two kingdoms. The crux of the downfall was when, 100 years ago, the Dragon kingdom attacked the Kim kingdom's castle killing hundreds and injuring thousands. Since then there has been a constant war going on for generations between the two kingdoms, and it seemed as if peace would never be made between the two foes.
Jongdae pulled the strap to his arrow quiver tighter around him before creeping up behind the large pine tree before him.
Pulling an arrow out Jongdae let out a low breath as he pulled the string back, setting his aim right on the heart of the deer before him. Taking one more deep breath Jongdae had just released his bow when a loud crash resounded further into the forest. The deer before him dashed away at the noise and Jongdae watched as his arrow flew through the air and landed far from his target.
“What the hell was that?” Jongdae stepped out of his hiding place and went to pick up his missed arrow.
Jongdae debated if he should head back to the village, but his curiosity won over as he soon turned his feet in the direction of the noise from earlier. He hadn’t gone this deep into the forest before, and the further he walked he noticed a change in the landscape as well. He was soon leaving behind the thick woods he had known to surround his village and the kingdom, and watched as they turned into rolling green hills for as far as he could see.
Jongdae still hasn’t been able to figure out where the loud noise he heard came from, but he was soon coming upon a small river. He stopped when he reached the river, dipping his hands in and bringing the cool water to his lips. As he reached for another mouthful he heard a rustling not far from him. Standing up Jongdae looked around the area when he heard a low groan come from across the river. Dashing across the river Jongdae climbed atop a rocky outcrop and glanced down.
At the foot of the rocks, he noticed what looked like a man on the ground, or more accurately what looked to be some type of crater. Jumping down, Jongdae rushed towards the man.
“Hey! Hey. Are you okay?” Jongdae knelt beside the man and slapped his face lightly. The man gave another groan, but his eyes didn’t open. Jongdae looked over the rest of his body and saw the man had several deep cuts that were steadily leaking blood and he had what looked like a large burn on his side where his clothes had been almost singed completely off.
Jongdae quickly took off his overshirt and began ripping it into pieces and wrapping them around the man’s cuts. He also took his jacket off and wrapped it as gently as possible on the man's large burn.
“Hey. Can you move at all?” The man remained still and Jongdae sighed. He knew he was going to have to carry the man.
Jongdae stood and took a deep breath before lifting the man onto his back. The man let out another groan but still showed no indication of waking up. Jongdae let out his own groan as he began the long trek back towards his village.
~
By the time Jongdae had reached the edge of the forest, he was sweating and panting with every step.
“Sir! Sir, who is that? Are you okay?” Jongdae's friend and servant Sehun came rushing up to him when he saw him break out of the tree line.
“No, this man is too heavy. Help me.” Jongdae started to set the man down and Sehun rushed to grab the man off his back. They soon had him settled between them and started the rest of the walk back to Jongdae's home.
“Where did you find this man? What happened to him? Why is he so injured?” Sehun asked every question he could think of about the situation before him.
“Sehun, I have no energy to answer your questions right now. All I know is I found him beyond the forest, and he was already in this condition. He’s been out since I found him so haven’t been able to learn anything. Let’s just get him back to my place.” Sehun just nodded in silence as they continued their trek.
Jongdae's home wasn’t anything extravagant. Ever since he left the castle, he had decided to live with the simplest of necessities. His home in the village was just big enough for him. He only had two bedrooms for him and Sehun, when the man decided to stay in the village, a room for his study that was full of all the books he loved to read, and a modest kitchen and bathroom.
“Let's put him in my room.” Jongdae commented as they finally broke through his front door.
“No sir, put him in mine. I don’t use it often anyways.” Sehun countered but Jongdae shook his head and led them to his own room. When they entered, the two men set the injured man onto the bed, Sehun gently lifted his feet while Jongdae laid his head down.
“Get me a jug of water and some towels.” Sehun nodded at Jongdae's order before rushing from the room.
Jongdae got to work removing the makeshift bandages he attached in the forest, feeling them peel away the scabs that grew underneath and watched as fresh blood began to flow from them. Removing his jacket from the man’s side, Jongdae was able to see the full extent of the burn, which was now angry red and blistering.
“Here you go sir.” Sehun returned with a jug of water and a few towels and set them on the bed.
“Great. Help me remove his clothes. I don’t know if he has any more injuries than what I saw earlier.” Sehun nodded and got to work unbuttoning and removing the shreds of the man’s shirt that were still intact.
As Sehun continued, Jongdae took one of the towels and dipped it in the water, before beginning to clean the dried blood, sweat, and dirt off the man. After several minutes, the man had been completely cleaned up and Jongdae and Sehun were able to put a clean pair of pants on him from Jongdae's wardrobe.
“His cuts don’t seem as deep as I thought. I'll have to go into the village and get some ointment for that burn though.” Jongdae commented as he cleaned up the bloodied towels and clothes.
“ And I'll go get us some dinner while you do that. Do you think he’ll be okay while we are gone?” Sehun looked to the sleeping man. This was the first time either of them had gotten a good look at him. His face was soft looking and round, framed by a head of soft brown hair. He seemed to be the same height as Jongdae, but his frame was slightly bulkier, like that of a warrior's body.
“I'm sure he’ll be fine. I don’t see him waking up anytime soon. And even if he did, no way he will be able to move with all those injuries.” Jongdae commented, taking another look at the man in his bed before he and Sehun left for their errands.
~
By the time Jongdae returned, Sehun still wasn’t back. Heading to his bedroom Jongdae peeked in and saw the man still asleep so he thought it was best to apply his ointment now, in case it was painful.
Kneeling next to his bed Jongdae unscrewed the lid on the jar the village doctor had just given him. Taking a bit of the mixture onto his fingers he slowly spread the ointment onto the man's side. As soon as his fingers made contact though the man’s body tensed and his face scrunched in pain, but he still didn’t show signs of waking up. Jongdae moved as quickly as possible to cover the man's wound before closing the jar again.
As Jongdae stood, he noticed the man's forehead was covered in sweat, probably from the pain, so Jongdae grabbed a damp towel and put it on his forehead.
After a while the man's face had calmed and Jongdae decided to leave him be. As he was exiting his room, Sehun had walked in the front door carrying their dinner.
“He awake yet?” Sehun asked as he headed towards the kitchen.
“Not yet. Hopefully soon though. He will need to eat something to keep his strength up and heal quicker.” Jongdae followed Sehun, and the two began making some food.
~
A while later Sehun and Jongdae were sitting at the kitchen table eating their dinner when they heard a long groan from the bedroom. Both men quickly arose and walked in to see the man groaning in pain and trying to move.
“Hey. Don’t try to move. You’re too injured.” Jongdae rushed to his side before gently pushing his chest back down onto the bed.
“W-what?” The man tried to sit up again, but Jongdae's hand kept him still.
“You’re too injured, don’t try to move. Can you open your eyes for me?” Jongdae grabbed the towel from his forehead and tried to look into his eyes. After a moment the man finally did, blinking quickly as he adjusted to the dimly lit room. Jongdae felt his breath catch in his throat as he stared back into the beautiful brown eyes below him and the man's cat-like eyes stared right back at him.
“Um. Everything okay?” Sehun commented from the doorway and the two men’s eyes quickly darted away from the other, trying to look anywhere else.
“Where am I?” The man finally spoke after a while, confused by his surroundings and the two strange men before him.
“You’re in the village just outside the Kim castle. I found you beyond the forest, injured and unconscious.” Jongdae replied. “Do you know what happened? Why you were there?”
“Um.” The man looked between the two men for a long moment and Jongdae thought for a minute he forgot how to speak. “Sorry. I don’t remember what happened.” The man raised his hand to his head and felt a slight bump on the back of it.
“That’s okay. Maybe it will come back to you. Do you at least remember your name? So we know what to call you?” Jongdae felt some pity for the man that he couldn’t remember what had happened to him.
“Um.” Paused for a second as if he was thinking hard. “M-Minseok. My name’s Minseok.” He finally answered.
“Well, Minseok. It's nice to meet you. My name is Jongdae, and this is Sehun.” Sehun gave an awkward wave from the doorway. “And I’m sure you're probably hungry or thirsty so why don’t I get you some food?” Minseok gave a nod, and Jongdae disappeared, only to reappear a minute later with a plate of food and a glass of water.
The three men spent the next hour eating slowly while Jongdae fed Minseok bites of food and sips of water. When they had finished their food Minseok had stated he was getting tired again so Jongdae and Sehun left him to sleep.
“Do you want me to stay here tonight? To keep watch?” Sehun offered when they left Minseok.
“No. I’ll be fine. You saw him. He can’t move at all and he’s too tired to anyways. We’ll be fine. You head back to the castle. It's been a long day, for everyone.” Jongdae patted Sehun on the back. “And please don’t tell my brother about our adventure of the day. Don’t need him getting worried over nothing.” Jongdae added.
“You know Jongin is just looking out for you. It hasn’t been easy for him when you said you wanted to live outside of the castle. Without protection I might add.” Sehun gave Jongdae a look that he has seen too often from his family.
“That’s what I have you for.” Jongdae grinned widely.
“I'm not a guard sir, I'm your servant.” Sehun rolled his eyes, but he knew what he meant. The young Prince wasn’t ever in any real danger in the village, but it didn’t make it any easier for the royal family to just let one of their Princes out into the public.
“You’re not my servant, you're my friend. And remember what I said about the ‘sir’ thing. I can’t be a normal villager when you address me so highly.” Jongdae groaned. but he knew it was better than ‘your highness’ which he had just gotten Sehun to drop only a month ago.
“I'll stop by tomorrow to check on things. Get a good night's sleep, sir.” Sehun smirked, dashing out the door before Jongdae could scold him again.
Jongdae let out a sigh and shook his head before walking towards the room Sehun occasionally occupied. As he entered though, he remembered he didn’t have any of his clothes as they were in his bedroom. Instead of going back in and waking Minseok Jongdae decided just to strip to his underwear and crawled into bed, sleep easily overtaking him.