Night fell by the time the lulling boat reached the outskirts of the Glistening Walnut Grove. The change in the forest was subtle, but Seonghwa's sense for magic picked up on the veil they transgressed. As dryads liked to hide away and become trees to mask their otherworldliness, a magical mist veiled their lands to shroud them from those who roamed foolishly. Humans and such wouldn't be able to detect the shift, wouldn't know what to look for, but Seonghwa did. He spotted the walnut trees among the others, following their glowing boat approach with watchful eyes.

Yeosang was intimidated by the looming trees that obscured the sky from sight. Like him, Seonghwa disliked being cut off from the stars, but it was the price to pay for visiting a foreign surrounding. Their regulations.

"They are so much taller than you," Seonghwa whispered in awe when they passed yet another dryad that guarded the riverside with their branches reaching wide.

With a humbled nod, Yeosang glanced among his people. The dryads were peaceful folk and rarely had a reason to tread beyond their borders. They were a rare sight in any kingdom aside from their own, and though Seonghwa met a few of them in his lifetime, they amazed him time and time again. They were different from Yeosang. Older, mightier, and strong because of their group, even when social structure mattered little to them. The eldest speaking for them had outlived countless wars, and he had been old when Seonghwa's father was still young.

As a child, Seonghwa found him scary, for his voice croaked like ancient wood and his roots ran through the entire grove. Now, he couldn't help his glee to see the ancient dryad. His wisdom and knowledge about life as he watched centuries pass was humbling advice.

"Do you prefer I stick with you for your comfort, or do you need time to look around in peace?" Seonghwa asked, voice quiet in the boat's privacy. Darkness coated them and confused bugs bumped into their lantern.

It was Yeosang's first time to the lands he had been born in and that had given him away to be brought to the Crystal Sphere where Seonghwa's father took in the crying scion without parents. His overwhelmed eyes flickered left and right and though a forest was everything dryads needed to live, this one was enchanted. Its peculiar inhabitants were just as curious about Yeosang.

"I'd prefer if you stayed by my side. Though I am interested in this place, I don't seek to wander and lose my way."

Flattered by his loyalty, Seonghwa vowed to have an eye on him. When he lifted his head, he spotted the fallen mangrove that was their landmark to anchor. He rose to steer the rudder, and the trees buzzed about the graceful elf who shone in the night like a fracture of the moon.

The boat curved gently; the water easing its drag as it felt its need to reach the shore. Overgrown grass brushed by the wood as they left the narrow forest canal and bumped into land with a shudder. Seonghwa was about to tie them in place so the boat wouldn't drift away if some faeries allowed themselves a prank. Yeosang's sudden shift as he pressed to his leg had him pause.

Two dryads flanked the entrance to their lands. Nothing but a small walking path and its silent guardians hinted at the gate to a kingdom. Now that the two visitors had halted, they shrunk from their towering walnut forms with gnarly branches that sheltered the docking area.

Dryads were never small since they always kept part of the tree that made them who they were. These two, however, towered over Yeosang with their dangly branches for arms and the crowns fanning over their heads.

"Your Highness," the left one greeted with the voice of a creaking old chair. She produced a rolled-up piece of paper from her side, bark shifting and changing to make room to grab it. When she handed it over, Seonghwa stepped over the boat to take it from her wooden hand. It was the contract, and the eldest's sigil was already on there.

Surprised, Seonghwa tilted his head.

"His majesty cannot see us?"

"He bids you his greetings. Due to unforeseen climates, the grove cannot be entered at the current moment. Once you sign, I will bring the contract to our king and you may return to your lands," she replied. The male by her side towered over them, but they had no reason to fret.

Seonghwa smoothly played down his surprise. No one could expect the rain when they sent their invitation.

"I understand. In that case, please relay my gratitude to His Majesty. I hope the weather will have mercy on you soon. If His Majesty so wishes to catch up, I will await his letters. Your kin is always welcome in the Crystal Sphere."

Seonghwa handed the contract to Yeosang, and the dryad huddled down to retrieve their ink jar from their bags. As he signed, the other two dryads stared at him without veiling their fascination.

Seonghwa signed and handed one copy of the papers back, never setting foot into their grove. The two dryads nodded stiffly.

"May your journey homebound be smooth," they greeted before they trudged into their kingdom.

Seonghwa and Yeosang remained on their boat, mystified.

"That was fast," Yeosang brought out, pulled from the trance the grove put on him by the surprise.

"I apologise we can't explore. I would have liked to see you at ease here."

Shaking his head, Yeosang took the rudder to steer them back down the river.

"No need. I can always catch up, and maybe it was best to have this brief introduction first before these lands overwhelmed me. I didn't like how they looked at me."

Chuckling when his pouty friend was ever so endearing about his feelings, Seonghwa sat to pick up on their journey. Now that the exchange went so fast and there was no time to spend and business to catch up on, he was astounded to go right back home.

"Your comfort matters most to me. Had we entered, and you disliked it, we would have left. Now, what shall we do? The castle won't expect us back before another night."

Yeosang pondered it for a moment as the smooth river carried them further, away from the grove and the watchful eyes. Seonghwa wasn't one to bend under them, so he kept his back straight and his poise elegant, soothing Yeosang's nervous glances.

"Let's catch up on being just the two of us. We should find an inn to spend the night and have a warm meal. And then let's make our way back slowly to relish in the time you get away from all your husbands to enjoy my presence." Gloating, he lifted his chin but drifted away into the night when Seonghwa's snicker made him blush.

"I would never miss out on my quality Yeosang time. A great idea, so let's do it. Just us two fooling around like the good old days," Seonghwa smiled.

The river brought them away from the veils and the lingering magic shrouding the grove in mysteries. Seonghwa relaxed against the curved side, appreciating the sight of the faeries dancing around the trees and the stars that peeked through the treetops. Soon, no dryad stared at them anymore. Yeosang's tension fell off him and his vines uncurled to have new mushrooms sprouting over his shoulder.

"Do you remember when Yongguk took us to play at the lake in the forest? He always loved that spot and you copied him simply because he is your brother," Yeosang hummed as a robins hopped over his branches. It chirped into the air, delighted to greet Seonghwa, and the elf grazed his fingers through his hair to tuck it behind his circlet. A few minutes later, the bird fluttered off to inform the palace of their premature return.

"He took us there so often, I wouldn't remember which time you mean," Seonghwa chuckled. The three of them had been the closest playmates when they were younger. Though someone often got left out and misfortune struck Yeosang most times since he was younger and different from them, they could look back with fondness over the time spent chasing through the meadows and forests. Yeosang never minded being the incomplete figure in their role plays of warriors and mages. On the contrary. He built his own mind palace and was happy with the character he played.

Yongguk and Seonghwa had been greedier, had higher goals to achieve that went beyond their celestial heritage and royal blood. Yongguk liked to be a dragon, old and wise, and Seonghwa was the moon.

Seonghwa opened his eyes that he had closed in memory of their squealing laughter. He noticed Yeosang had done the same.

"It's been a long time since we played like that. We couldn't fathom when the last time came. We played without abandon," Yeosang hummed.

"It was before all that. Before I was announced the heir to the throne and Yongguk married. Not growing older, but our responsibilities robbed those games from us," Seonghwa recalled with a frown. Usually, Yeosang had a better memory than him, but since such a comforting glow clung to those memories, he often soothed himself with them when he lay awake at night with an agitated heart.

He hadn't needed to cling to them ever since his husbands moved in. Perhaps it had to do with Hongjoong's bewitching presence whenever he lay by Seonghwa's side. Simpler, however, was the feeling they healed his troubles. Seonghwa needed the constant bustle, the lively chaos they created in his home. He was endeared by their personalities and they filled the void of his heart that trained so long to receive them.

Once, that void had been filled by Yongguk and Yeosang. However, as their duties ripped them apart and turned them into people who had to work and had no time to share everything with each other, only Yeosang remained. Sweet Yeosang, with his ever so humble and stable role, who demanded nothing even if Seonghwa would gift him the world.

"We should play like that again. Ask Yongguk if he wants to join," Yeosang snickered. He dangled one of his arms into the water, relishing its cool current bedazzling his leaves.

"I doubt he finds the time," Seonghwa sighed, opening his eyes again. "But the others might. We have someone who can play the seraph, someone as a mage. I even know the perfect match for a golem. We rarely wanted to be those."

"They are so coarse," Yeosang grunted in reply. Then he clasped his wet hand over his lips, eyes wide. Sprinkles of water hit him in the face.

"I didn't mean that. Jongho is a very gentle soul; he even makes sure he never sits down on a snail by accident. He is just a bit..."

"Rough around the edges?" Seonghwa helped. Yeosang scoffed.

"He is a rock, after all."

They snickered while Seonghwa stood to steer them back onto the river that would lead them home. The Crystal Sphere blended smoothly with the forests of the dryad territory and soon, the hunter elves sneaking around the forest at night waved at Seonghwa in greeting as they drifted past.

The nights got colder. As Seonghwa tugged his coat tighter around his frame, Yeosang responded to the breeze by creating more mosses on his thick bark to warm him.

"It's fun to play with them. At first, I thought they would fight all the time and always compete. But now, we had some peaceful and fun moments together while you were gone. It's as if your spell enchanted them and they can't help but love your surroundings the same as you."

When the first elven inn appeared on the outskirts of a nearby village, Seonghwa brought their boat to a halt. They gathered their things and Yeosang gave Seonghwa his hand to help him out of the boat.

Together, the unlikely pair strolled down the street to the inn.

"You must tell me about it," Seonghwa begged. He was curious how they fared and how they acted when he wasn't there to catch their every squabble.

Yeosang opened the door and a rush of warm air and the scent of food hit them. The dryad grinned as he held the door for Seonghwa to grace the gasping room with his presence.

"I will. Consider me your secret spy."

With a smile, Seonghwa ventured inside to get them a place to stay the night that would bring Yeosang much more ease than if they had stayed at the grove.