Hongjoong jostled San awake in the morning when he left to attend to his duties. He apologised to his dragon spouse with a tender touch of his fingertips to San's antlers. While San slept in a moment longer, the palace returned to its familiar bustling. After another hour of sleep that San didn't deserve since Seonghwa would have wakened him by now, he emerged from the pillows with his hair a mess. Bored by his long sleep, he looked around as he got ready.

It seemed Seonghwa either had a day off or attended matters more pressing than watching San today. This meant that San had free rein to play wherever he wanted without getting reprimanded for not practising his calligraphy instead.

San smirked to himself when he crept out of the royal chambers. Yeosang and Yunho weren't here to watch him with their stern glances, so San could sneak away into the gardens unbothered. Perhaps spending the night with Hongjoong wasn't such a bad thing. San was in no pain today, and his heart was soft from the casual intimacy he and the king had during their night in the same bed. If things like this happened more often, San got the best from two worlds.

Though he didn't know about Hongjoong. It was natural that the human projected his sexual desires on his spouse; anything else would be inappropriate. San had to learn how to balance these desires, but otherwise, he felt himself falling deeper for Hongjoong every day the more their bond grew.

San took a stroll through the gardens in the morning. Dew clung to the twigs and stalks of the bushes and cast a golden shine over the plants. Birds hopped around in their pursuit of food and greeted San with respect as the larger creature caused intimidation. From the city, San picked up on the noise of wind chimes singing their haunting songs.

After a walk around the gardens and a brief rest in the pavilion, San made his way to the stables. The servants tending to them recognised him from last time and didn't mind him, as he came to pet every horse one by one. They were delighted to see him again and lost their suspicions from last time over being in the presence of a mighty dragon. They amused each other with their stories once more as San told them what the inside of the palace looked like and how the king - similar to them - spent most of his time seated in one place and watched what happened around him.

Around noon, San grew hungry, but he pushed out his eating duties for the moment Seonghwa inevitably would find him and drag him back to the palace. While the servants went for lunch and left him alone, San chewed on a carrot a kind horse offered him to take.

He still sat there giggling over the story of a soldier group who had steered the horses on a frozen lake hidden under snow by accident and causing the most harrowing slipping incident, when someone appeared on his side and startled him out of his private chuckles. The horses threw their manes back, indignant at the interruption, as they waited for San to resolve the matter.

When San glanced up, he expected to see Seonghwa with his face dark as a thunder sky, but instead, he found a stranger. In the soft woollen clothes in earthy tones that the lower-ranking servants wore, a man stood in front of San. Under his arm, he held a basket filled with apples, and a careful smile laid on his youthful features. His eyes seemed more honest than some others San had seen here.

"Hello," the stranger spoke. "I hadn't expected you to return here, your majesty."

Surprised, San looked at him.

"You know me?"

The stranger nodded and fed his apples to the horses. Thrilled, they crunched away on the treat.

"I've seen you last time. I was the one who fetched the court shaman when I found you in the hay, since I didn't want you to catch a cold. Are you talking to the horses again?"

Embarrassed, San glanced at his hooved friends. They were smug at the comment about his one-sided communication with them. None of them was displeased with the boy's behaviour, so San could assume he was kind.

"They are merry companions," San said with as much dignity as possible, as if that could save him. The boy chuckled, a high-pitched sound that crinkled up his face adorably. Awed, San watched him. Compared to the court officials, this person seemed so light-hearted and genuine that San immediately wanted to befriend him. What a soft and squishy human he was.

"I know. I also enjoy spending my time with them. They can be unexpectedly fun."

San smiled at the agreement. When the boy ended his round to the boxes, he crouched next to San. He gifted the dragon the last apple, a shining red one specifically for him. As San picked it out of the man's hand with both claws since he couldn't hold it otherwise, the human placed the basket on the ground with a smile.

"I'm Wooyoung. May I sit with you?"

San beckoned him to get comfortable without a moment of hesitation. Chuckling, the boy did as he was asked so they could watch the horses together from the ground in the corridor. The human eyed San's tail peeking from his clothes as he positioned his hands to support his upper body.

"Call me San. I'm uncomfortable with titles." Apple juice dripped from San's lips like nectar as he ripped out a piece of the apple. He licked the sweet treat up with a hum.

"San," Wooyoung repeated. "I haven't heard your name in the palace before. Have you accustomed well?"

With a sigh, San prepared for the same litany of boring questions as always. People liked to ask about his status, his worth, the politics with Hongjoong... Heirs, maybe.

"I did. Everyone is friendly to me and the king is no unkind husband."

Wooyoung nodded. He sat cross-legged and played with his feet while San took apart his apple.

"Can't be too nice in there when you flee here to talk to the horses," Wooyoung muttered. When San perked up, the stable boy lifted his hand humbly.

"My apologies; I didn't want to intrude. You just looked lonely. Though I can imagine that befriending animals is as natural to a dragon as befriending humans is for us."

San blushed, caught in the act. There was no frown that came with Wooyoung's statement, just an honest grin.

"It is. Us dragons communicate with animals through senses only animals share, so I can read their thoughts based on their reactions," San muttered into his apple. He fell quiet, knowing the concept wasn't easy to understand, and that Hongjoong hadn't been interested in it.

Wooyoung, however, tilted his head in curiosity. His hair was done up only partly, and some strands had loosened from his hairdo because of his work. Uncaring of the messy look that gave him a wild charm like that of a forest spirit, Wooyoung allowed his curls to fall into his eyes.

"You do? Amazing; so can you hear my thoughts, too? What am I thinking?" He stared intently at San, but the dragon waved him off with a snicker.

"I can't hear you. Humans communicate via words, so that is what I learned specifically to talk to you."

Wooyoung leaned back, mouth open in an impressed o. As San nibbled on his apple again, the boy by his side thrummed with excitement.

"So you learned our language just for us? It must be a lot of work for a dragon who isn't accustomed to our natural inclination for it."

San gulped down his apple hastier than he should have because he wanted to reply. When he coughed, Wooyoung looked around for water, but San assured him with a nod that he was fine.

"I had a lot of time to learn. I will turn 1000 years old this year, after all."

"That is right! Your life is so much longer than we could ever fathom, and you have all those years you can use to learn. You must be much smarter than our scholars, even if you are new to this surrounding." With glinting eyes, Wooyoung regarded San. Shy at his praise and the attention, San played with his tail.

"Do you have a lot of physical skills as well? For example, nobody grooms the horses better than I do. Did you practise on horses?" Wooyoung beckoned to their friends with his endless stream of enthusiasm.

San shook his head and tapped his claws against the apple.

"I can't do tasks with the same detail as you do, for I am lacking my thumbs. And another finger. You have lots of those."

"What happened to your thumbs?" Worried, Wooyoung regarded San's hands. He ran a finger over the shimmering scales, awed by their sharp corners and glistening surface.

"I didn't grow them yet," San chuckled, endeared by Wooyoung's interest in him.

Fascinated, Wooyoung just nodded.

"Though it looks cute how you hold the apple without them. Like a child," he snickered. Threatening, San lifted his brow.

"Watch your words. I am many years older than you," he grumbled without heat. The temporary fear of having overstepped bled out of Wooyoung's features with his laughter. Pleased to have amused him again, San continued his meal.

"That's right! I shiver with respect, oh mighty dragon lord! May woe betide me if I ever taunt you again!" Dramatic, Wooyoung pressed his hand to his chest. San's lips pulled into an involuntary smile.

Wooyoung dropped the act to lean back once more.

"But I speak the truth. I hadn't expected you to be such a joyful person. I thought you would be aloof and cold like the mountains. Or unavailable, as the king is."

San shook his head.

"All I do all day is sit around and get chased through my classes by Seonghwa. I have little duties before the ritual."

"You are always welcome here, then! The horses don't fear you despite your rather fancy getup, and I can make some time to talk to you if you wish."

San hesitated. He had heard the same from Seonghwa and from Yeosang, and yet they never talked with San much. Only about his comfort to their convenience. Wooyoung seemed livelier than them as he silently marvelled at San's antlers and kept his hands tucked under his legs so he wouldn't reach out to touch them.

San gave in.

"I would be elated to talk to you again soon."

Flattered, Wooyoung pretended to fall over from gratitude. San chuckled at his vigorous antics.

"Before I leave for work, may I ask to touch your antlers? They look extraordinary, but I don't want to overstep my boundaries." Wooyoung sat on the balls of his feet and looked between San and his antlers. Excitement thrummed through his body as if he would jump up to the ceiling if San waited any longer with his answer.

"Go for it," San beckoned. He smiled and Wooyoung muttered something under his breath that sounded like 'of course, he has dimples' before he reached out his hand. His fingers were calloused from work, but their touch was smooth as they skimmed the pale horns. San wore no jewellery on them today, so he could feel Wooyoung's touch sliding along the length of the main branch that grew from his head to arch to the skies behind him.

"They will grow and get more sections as I become an adult, so they aren't very impressive now... But I heard of human hunters who sell the horns of dragons for a lot of money," San said, self-conscious of his antlers after seeing many much more magnificent ones among other dragons.

"I think they are gorgeous already and they will be so much prettier. Though the part about hunters is scary. Do they regrow?"

San nodded, the movement pushing into Wooyoung's hand.

"They do. Losing them isn't painful for us, but it means a loss of dignity and a weapon in fights."

Wooyoung retracted his hand. His face was serious.

"Nobody will steal your horns. His majesty and all of his people will protect you."

San grinned at the stubborn statement that came out of kindness rather than realistic predictions.

"Will you protect me as well, Wooyoung?"

Wooyoung ducked his head, bashful at the question.

"If I may, I will put my every might into it, yes," he promised. San chuckled at his seriousness before he nodded at him to go.

"Fly away now to do your work. I will return here and we will chat again soon."

Elated, Wooyoung jumped to his feet and waved at San. As he hurried away, San knew he would come back right the next day.