(A/N: Decided to get this boring chapter out so that you wouldn't be waiting a few days for the next update just for it to be...uneventful) WC: 2487

The man in crimson observed with a calculative gaze, watching as a brunette and a man shrouded with raven fringe - both wearing traveling cloaks - exited out of the marble palace. The duo made their way quickly across the grand citadel garden, and past the magnificent stone fountain in which the mage didn't miss how the ravenettes gaze lingered on the fountain far longer than necessary.

It might be a bad time to mention, but the crimson ringed eyes that wandered over the slim figure of the mystery ravenette had never laid eyes on the king. Only in passing or long enough to catch a glimpse of his resting bitch face before he was ushered elsewhere. You see, the man didn't live with the other mages, or even with the witches. He was simply living where the wind took him, but that wasn't always the best idea considering his witch friends didn't like him living on their couches for several nights at a time. The point being that they eventually kicked him out and said in the kindest way possible (most of them did anyway) to get his own home base to bounce back to.

He honestly didn't spend much time in his own 'home', so how was he expected to just always keep up with the affairs of humans and their petty hierarchical system. He just wanted to explore, to not be chained to materialistic items, to see beyond realms and live off the land, was it really that sinister?

So, even after indirectly threatening the king, he had no idea what he looked like. Only what that Satan's reincarnation of a woman he called his fiancé looked like, he truly had poor taste if he wanted to marry that thing.

He heard a few birdies whisper in his ear about how the king was to be riding to the Candy Witch's hut, and he had almost doubled over at the thought of those foolish humans thinking they would get anything out of her, but hell, they could try.

Two men were currently standing by their supposed horses, animatedly chatting with each other about the most minuscule of things. He could sense the chaotic stench of the tall one, he was one the domesticated mages that believed in the crown. The mans face screwed in disdain at the thought of being a brainwashed slave to the crown, and this boyish man was perfectly content. Disgusting.

The other, shorter one was clearly some sort of high rank soldier, he wasn't by any means kingly material. Plus, the pair were a tad bit too young? He had heard the king was crowned in his late teens, but that was a few years ago, and these people didn't seem like quite the right fit.

It had to be one of the two figures that were now being bombarded by the previous two, and the man knew it wasn't the tall brunette. If the copper eyes and oddly light hair didn't give him away, then the mere aura surrounding him did. The way he held himself was like he knew some little clandestine you didn't, like he knew your darkest secrets. It was slightly intimidating and unnerving, but for the man behind the treeline it was merely a challenge, one he would happily meet, because he knew he would win. Every. Single. Time.

Which means~

His crimson ringed gaze drifted over to the dark halo of black that contrasted with blurred ivory skin, the shortest of the five, but seemed to hold an air of authority as when he walked by the guard. They stood straighter and their hearty laughs were nowhere to be found as they stood at attention, no where near lax in the short man's presence.

The occults mouth twitched into a smile, twisted like a predator who had just found their prey. The king was in his den, in his little pack of protection, but he failed to even notice the giant trap he was happily playing into. For the political genius he had always heard the town peasants speak of, he was quite...underwhelming.

As the mage watched more closely, leaning forward just the slightest bit and gripping onto the rough bark of a nearby tree he saw the others brow pinch in confusion. His delicate features warping, his voice too quiet to hear even at close range as he questioned nearby guards. The man shared his confusion, what could possibly be wrong?

At the angle the man was at, he could see the gardens, guards, the men he was previously observing, and so on, but what he couldn't see was the inside of the stables. Which was exactly where some frightened guard was pointing when the king had asked him some question.

"Hey, who was the one who prepared my horse?"

Uh oh...

As soon as that guard sold out the young boy he had helped earlier, the mage was shifting through the underbrush as fast, and quietly, as possible. Moving quicker as the king disappeared into the stables and out of his view.

When he finally readjusted and found a new viewpoint, he sucked in his breath at the sight of the king standing before the young boy. The latter was shaking like a leaf in a thunderstorm, gaze glued to the ground as the ravenette spoke to him in hushed tones. A pang of guilt sprung through his chest, and the man suddenly started to feel remorseful. The boy had done nothing wrong, if this was over something that happened to the king's horse, it was his fault and not the boys.

His runes started to shift from their usual natural tones to a dull red, throbbing in his anger towards the ravenette for punishing the boy for absolutely nothing. See, he told himself, this is why they must be punished-

Then the boy was smiling sheepishly, relaxing a bit under the gaze of the many that were gathered at the stables. The runes lost all color, the throbbing beneath his skin dissipated so fast he didn't even comprehend himself saying "Huh?"  into the empty forest that surrounded him.

The boy seemed to be scrambling to explain himself and when the occult leaned a bit over to his right, he caught sight of the softest smile gracing the monarchs feature as he reassured the boy in front of him. The whole exchange seemed heart-warming, but to the Red Mage, he just stared in further bewilderment.

He was too busy trying to sort out the exchange and clean up his muddled mind, that he almost missed the king pushing against his friends that were incessantly jesting him. Pulling at his cheeks and screeching like little overzealous girls.

He only gathered his sense when the king swung his leg over his beast of a horse, stumbling to get himself away from the sunny treeline before he was spotted. As the horse kicked up dirt, darting to the foliage not too far away from where he was currently stationed. Black cloak bellowing behind him as he let out a hearty laugh, glancing behind him with the biggest smile on his face, one that definitely didn't affect the man in anyway shape or form or caused odd heart palpitations at all.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Wind ripped through his raven strands, cloak creating a beautiful beat to match the rhythmic bang of hooves galloping against the worn path traveled by very few. Besides having to duck from a few low hanging branches, Yoongi let a string of laughter fall from his lips as his responsibilities slowly slipped away with his laughter. He leaned back and let go of the reigns as he let the feeling of temporary freedom wash over him.

Wind whipped against his skin like a welcomed friend, the sun no longer beating down on his pale skin and instead, the leaves took the heat. The cantle of the saddle dug into his back as he continued to lean, letting old habits take their hold again as he let control slip from his grasp for what felt like the first the in forever.

Sadly, the peace soon wound down as his horse slowed to a trot. He slowly leaned back up and took the worn coriaceous material between his calloused hands. He kept the soft smile but let his gaze switch back into focus as determination flooded him like a gentle wave. It was a reminder of why he was out of the castle in the first place, not for a joy ride, but for business.

Yoongi could hear the familiar chorus of hooves beating against the solid earth, he surveyed his surroundings as he waited for the others to pull up beside him. Noting the denser canopy and more unruly grass that took over what little path there was in the first place. It was also oddly quieter, the familiar chirping of birds and consentus of the forest were getting increasingly more absent as they trotted further forward.

As the other three strode up along side him, Hoseok shivered and commented offhandedly 'This doesn't feel right' To which all they could do was nod numbly and move onward.

The silence grew to the point it was borderline tinnitus, not even the clomping of hooves seemed to give comfort to the traveling council. All the males seemed too enamored to try and break the spell of quiet, and soon the sudden squawk of a crow startled them.

The beady eyed bird wouldn't shut up as they passed, its gaze unwavering as the group pushed past a thinner brush of greenery. Yoongi never broke eye contact with the animal, even as a shiver racked through his spine and a cold sweat broke out across his skin. The feeling of being watched caused his gaze to flicker through the thick brush, trying to pin point what was causing the feeling of pinpricks and needles to jab his skin.

Hoseok screeched somewhere up ahead and everyone instantly stopped in their tracks, apprehension growing thick as they waited for their friends explanation or confirmation that he was okay. A few beats of silence passed before a voice shouted through the silence.

"Sorry guys! This cat just came out of nowhere!"

A chorus of grunts and exasperated sighs sounded through the group. Yoongi rolled his eyes and trotted up to the front where Hoseok was previously scouting. The king jerked his head, dismissing the other to avoid another unnecessary scare. The hazelnut brunette seemed overly relieved as he let the ravenette trot past him, and indeed there was a cat. A shadowy charcoal coat with the brightest green eyes and a permanent frown that was etched into its features, it swished its tail as it stared at Yoongi, seemingly unbothered by the group of giants and their beastly horses.

Upon seeing the king though, the cat languidly stood and in an almost human fashion, jerked its head to its right. The short male only gawked as the feline disappeared behind the wall of near-blackened trunks, and almost as if in a trace, his horse followed. None of the humans uttered a word as they ducked low, gently gripping the crest of the horse's necks in order to stay low enough to evade the sharpened claws of branches that stretched out towards them and their horses.

Besides the growing trepidation, the feeling of eyes had lifted its weight from the back of the king's head. Yoongi felt like he could breathe again, and not even moments later did the sweet smell of treats fill his nostrils. It was almost sickly sweet, invading his nose and tugging him forward with the promise of warm beverages and homey sensations.

As the humans relaxed, the two mages tensed. They exchanged glances, Taehyung had never met a witch, but he knew that this scent was all wrong. It was almost like the witch had known they were coming, and whisked them up a little something...special. The occults could smell the magic in the air and the near palpable sugary aroma as the sight of a house made of confection came into view.

The fence was made of candy canes intertwined within each other's red and white grasps, the pathway leading up to the house was made of sturdy graham crackers and lined with dollops of white icing. The house itself was comprised of gingerbread, windows lined with gumdrops and varying hard candies. Icing hung from the roof like icicles, and licorice outlined the door and the shutters in bright red. The graham cracker pathway was lined with little bulbs of light that flickered like fireflies, the peppermint clad house only implemented hospitality and suddenly Yoongi felt quite hungry.

Without much thought, Yoongi and Hoseok swung off their horses in eerie synchronization. Landing on the ground with a soft thud, Yoongi went to open the gaze, only to be stopped by a large hand encasing his wrist. From here, he could hear the melodic humming from the witch inside, and he was oddly eager to met her. So, when he couldn't open the gate due to some hand, he turned on his heel with a scowl twisting his features.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Namjoon sighed, shaking his head slightly as he exchanged yet another glance with his fellow mage.

"Don't you get it Yoongs? She already has you in a trance, you need to snap out of it, keep a conscious mind,"

He spoke staring directly into his monarchs' eyes, conviction and concern clear in his copper eyes. After few fleeting moments, Yoongi felt sick surrounded by so much sugar and confectionery, and seeing rock candy dripping off the leaves of the hedges in front of the house seemed too unnatural for his liking. Scrunching his nose, he felt Namjoon let go of his hand, a relieved smile flashing over his face as he gave a quick rundown of what not to do.

"Yoongi, Hoseok, don't eat anything, got it? You too Taehyung, don't think just because you're a mage you can get away with it. This witch is infamous for her rage, she gets offended easily and will destroy you without even a second's hesitation." He turned to open the gate when he added an afterthought, "And Taehyung, whatever you do, do not, I repeat, do not, speak. Got it?"

The other only offered a bewildered expression,opening his mouth as if to question such an order, but was silenced by a finger being pressed against his lips. The elder mage smiled, saying it was just simply 'practice' before opening the candy cane gate and proceeding to the Candy Witch's house of goodies.

(A/N: Buckle up, bc shits about to hit the fan. *insert evil cackling here*)