Seonghwa was alive.

Very much so, and he showed no signals of dying anytime soon, either. Despite the thick bandages that wrapped around one of his legs where his pants were rolled up and crossed over his chest as far as Yeosang could tell from the peek he sneaked into the man's collar, he looked good.

And at the same time, he looked like an entirely different person than he had been two weeks ago.

The Seonghwa from back then had been prim and clean, with his dark hair styled to perfection and his uniforms neatly clinging to his body. This Seonghwa might as well be another human. His hair was shorter, and he wore it falling into his forehead rather than pushed back regally. No uniform accentuated his build. In its stead, he bore a comfortable sweater that was a size too big on him and soft trousers that billowed around his legs and had the left pant leg pushed up so he could access his bandages. A walking cane made from a long stick rested next to his chair against the wall.

He appeared all kinds of normal and delicate, and even if Yeosang barely recognised him, his face was just the same. And the devotion and shock in his eyes at Yeosang's sight were, too. Before his lips could part to speak, Yeosang yelled through the room.

"Seonghwa!"

With one dash, Yeosang jumped into the man's arms. Startled by the sudden action, Seonghwa promptly flinched back, but he opened his arms wide anyway. As soon as Yeosang knew he was welcome, he clambered into his brother's lap. With touches as gentle as the petals of a flower, he embraced the man. Hot tears brimmed in his eyes. For once after a while, he felt as if the two halves of his heart were back in the place where they belonged and mended back together.

"I- I don't understand, how are you- What are you doing here, Seonghwa?!"

Seonghwa's arms around Yeosang's back were gentle. They had lost all the stiffness and appropriate distance rules as he hugged Yeosang with no mask over his true emotions. The younger man sobbed against his shoulder wetly. His brother smelled of some herbs and food that Yeosang had never tasted before. He was like exchanged, but deep down in his heart, Yeosang knew that this was the right one. This was the Seonghwa he knew.

"It's a long story. I came here by coincidence. As it seems, fate brought the two of us back together," murmured Seonghwa against his shoulder. His voice was laced with throaty emotions that poured right from his chest into Yeosang's. Sadness, guilt, and undeniable joy. Yeosang squeezed his good arm tighter until Seonghwa weakly chuckled into his shoulder.

"I'm glad. I'm so, so glad."

Their crying fest had the rest of the troop sink into polite silence. Yeosang didn't mind them seeing him this vulnerable. His utmost priority was to cradle the warm body of his brother as close as possible to ingrain the fact that he never left into his mind.

"You know each other?"

It was San's voice. With one last pitiful sniffle in Seonghwa's shoulder, Yeosang meekly rose his head to look at him. He found kindness in San's eyes, and understanding.

When he noticed the newcomer in the room, Yeosang glanced around. Next to San stood a man that could only be his father. Jongho leaned in the door frame that led outside as if he was ready to flee at any given moment. He had crossed his arms over his chest, and his face was void of any expression.

Mingi stood near the guy that sat opposite of Seonghwa at the table. They hissed at each other under their breaths, and the smaller man with the blue hair and nose straighter than Yeosang's life was just as flamboyant as San. They were so unique here, nothing Yeosang had ever seen. How did Seonghwa fit in?

And how, in the name of everything holy on this earth, had he gotten here? Did the royal family know? Why hadn't he told Yeosang he would hide and rehabilitate? Was he still in danger?

"He's my dear brother I told you about. The one I needed to get from the palace." Seonghwa allowed Yeosang to stay seated on him despite his injuries. Yeosang brimmed with curiosity what had happened, but he held his questions back and instead tried to put not all of his weight on his brother. Seonghwa appreciated it with a gentle pat on Yeosang's flank.

"Seems like he took care of that himself." San's father shooed San off to make them all some tea. After all the startles today, Yeosang found he deserved it. As the pink-haired man wandered off inside the house, the mayor closed the door so they wouldn't be bothered. He and Jongho nodded at each other gravely as they exchanged glances.

"Get me from the palace? Why?" Concerned, Yeosang pulled back from Seonghwa. The man gave him a comforting smile, but it bordered a pained grimace. In consideration of his wounds, Yeosang pulled back to plop down on the chair next to Seonghwa. Mingi sat opposite of them by now, and the other two men stood while San still scurried around in the back. A bit eased, Seonghwa picked diplomatic words for his answer.

"Bad things are happening there, Yeosangie. Things I didn't want you to get caught up in."

Confused, Yeosang waited for the conversation to commence. The mayor took it out of their grasps and included all of them once San came back to serve them all their tea. Yeosang lowered his eyes on the table in front of him when he noticed that the man had taken off his jacket. Most parts of his back safe for two thick leather straps that held his top were naked. San's nimble fingers were wrapped in black leather gloves that ended above his wrists as he neatly set down Yeosang's cup in front of him.

Far too soon, Yeosang nipped at his tea to distract himself. He burnt his tongue.

"So you are the second prince. And these two gentlemen?"

Yeosang glanced between Mingi and Jongho. Both of them had greeted Seonghwa with comradely nods by now, so at least they weren't fully unaware of each other. Yeosang never knew that Jongho had met his brother. What had they talked about? Him, maybe?

"Friends from Zey. I wouldn't have been able to get this far without the two of them." When Yeosang met Jongho's eyes, the man smiled faintly at him. Instantly, Yeosang calmed a bit more. He could trust the two.

The mayor nodded. San dropped onto the stairs that led up to the second floor and stretched out his long legs. Yeosang denied how his eyes kept wandering back to them. Sometimes, San noticed and Yeosang quickly looked away. Other times, San allowed him to ogle him while he fixed his eyes on something else. His lips were curled in a grin all the time, though.

"I welcome you once more to Qam, then. You are welcome here for as long as you wish to stay."

Yeosang exchanged an insecure glance with Mingi. The man shrugged. The guy he had called Hongjoong sat next to him tensely and observed them from intelligent eyes.

"What kind of place is Qam?" It was Mingi who asked and relieved them all of their curiosity. Yeosang didn't even know where to begin anymore with how much was going on. Seonghwa's sudden reappearance, the city in the canyon, and the effect San had on him all had him dissolve around the edges like heated butter.

The mayor smiled kindly.

"Qam is the city of those who escaped. People from Zey, people from Asora, and from far away that wanted a peaceful place to live life in. I moved here from Zey during my lifetime. San grew up here." Proud, the father nodded at the son, who promptly grinned into the room brightly. Yeosang shyly smiled back. He liked San's smile.

"We built it not that long ago. Qam only came to life a hundred years after the big earthquake. We are a very young community!"

So Qam centred a peaceful middle ground. A place that harboured all kinds of people and that didn't judge based on status and hierarchy like Asora did. It sounded too good to be true. Yeosang was glad that he had never heard of this place. As much as he wanted to linger here, their peace would be endangered if their information got into wrong hands.

"We accept everyone here as long as we deem them safe. Many people from Zey arrived here, but eastsiders like your brother are also very much appreciated." He continued with his speech while he sipped his tea. His voice remained kind and without judgement of either side. Compared to Asora's king, he carried the wisdom needed to take care of a community. Yeosang admired him for that.

"We are glad that you safely escaped from there. Seonghwa already told us everything about the despair up on the surface. I wouldn't wish that on anybody."

Once more, Yeosang turned to Seonghwa. The question was big in his face, but he wasn't sure if it was fine to word it yet. When Seonghwa nodded at him encouragingly, though, he breathed in to pronounce it.

"What happened, Seonghwa? How did you end up here of all places? They told us you died."

With a sigh, Seonghwa looked at one after the other of the men. As if he had to ponder who of them should hear whatever he had to say next. In the end, he decided it wasn't worth the hair-splitting. He spoke up.

"It wasn't on purpose, as I said. I'm incredibly thankful for the help I received here. For the medical attention." Mindlessly, Seonghwa played with the bandages on his leg. His eyes had lost their focus as he remembered. For the first time, Yeosang's excitement dwindled down enough for him to notice how tired Seonghwa looked. His face was haggard and deep shadows hung underneath his eyes. A permanent frown had settled on his face, probably due to the pain.

"I was pushed."

Yeosang's heart froze over at those words.

Pushed?

What kind of monster would push his dear brother into the canyon?

Yeosang recalled falling just a few metres earlier that day. The shock still stiffened his limbs, and he had been terrified. How would it have to be to fall all the many hundred metres down here? He hated the imagination.

"I would have died if I hit the ground, but as fate bestowed on me, Hongjoong was right there when I needed him. He was just about to enter the canyon on a smaller cruise ship when he saw me fall. It's thanks to his fast reflexes that I am still alive. I sustained minor injuries from the crash on his deck, but that's all."

Mingi murmured praise in Hongjoong's direction. From how close they were, they must be friends. With the reminder to inquire about the two later, Yeosang tensely concentrated on his brother.

"Hongjoong brought me here, to the place he lives, and San's family generously patched me up and understood my story. They became good friends in the past days." Seonghwa respectfully nodded his head at the mayor, and then at San. San beamed at him, while his father copied the gesture politely.

Right now, not even San could distract Yeosang. His mind still reeled with the information he had gathered. It took him another whole minute to formulate a weak question.

"But who- Who would do something like that? Why would they attack you? Political reasons? It must be. Is one of our allies planning for war? Or was it maybe an angry attacker from Zey? Could you see their face?"

Yeosang sent an apologetic glance to Mingi and Jongho. Mingi waved it off easily while Jongho just kept his dark eyes fixated on Seonghwa. The prince now reached out to comfortingly squeeze Yeosang's shoulder.

A second of agonising silence passed as he searched for the right words. Hongjoong shifted opposite of him. He played with his painted nails on the table between them. He didn't even glance at Seonghwa when he spoke.

"You don't have to tell him right now. If you need rest, we can also explain the rest to him. It's all clear."

Despite his kind tries, Seonghwa refused. With a thankful smile in Hongjoong's direction, Seonghwa directed his attention fully at Yeosang. Nervous, the librarian watched his brother and his exhausted eyes. They had seen too much.

"No, Yeosang, you have it all wrong. No enemy was involved, and nobody of Zey ever laid a hand on me. Two Bishops threw me into the canyon. And as you know, the only one who commands them is our father, the king."