After Hongjoong's visit, San got two more days of peace. He relished in the clean air and in the rain trickling through the treetops to kiss his skin. He reinvented himself in that time of solitude. As he figured out his anger and promised himself to be less naïve and to stick to his worth, San found peace with his unrest.

Yet, he found no reason to return to the palace. Hangawi was coming up, and he saw it in the way animals stored their food and prepared for the mating period autumn presented for most of them. San yearned to become a proper dragon and to live peacefully in this place with his position secured, but at the same time, he was too stubborn to do a favour to those who had looked down on him. If he let them live through a year of bad weather and lacking resources after the prior dragon's blessing wore off, they would learn to treat San as he deserved.

If he explained the ever so repetitive arrogance of the humans to his elders, they would allow it. Hongjoong's reputation would dwindle for allowing his people to suffer for an entire year, and he would be left with no choice but to ask San for forgiveness. San doubted Hongjoong would sacrifice Seonghwa for the dragon's favour, but that was not what San sought, either. The sweet pain lingering in his broken heart begged him to forgive their misdeeds for how much he enjoyed their presence, even if they didn't deserve it.

From the beginning, he had found the two looked like fox spirits. Now that they had fooled his desires for them, San berated himself for his blindness.

Caught up in his grumbling to himself, San didn't notice a person nearing his nest yet again. The next time he peered at the forest floor by his side, he found Wooyoung blinking up at him with big eyes. Surprise that his senses hadn't alerted him sooner flooded him. When he glanced at the nightjar, it hopped in its spot as if to tell him he was too deep in thought to mind nature telling him about Wooyoung's arrival.

"Wooyoung, what are you doing here?" San swung his legs over the branch and jumped from his tree. His clothes fluttered with him and he landed on the forest ground gracefully as the earth softened his drop.

Wooyoung smiled at him, the birthmark on his lip inviting San in.

"I asked his majesty where to find you. I grew unsettled when I heard you ran away."

Touched, San beckoned Wooyoung to sit with him on the forest floor. They were so close their knees brushed, and San reached for a fallen leaf to fiddle with while Wooyoung worriedly searched his face.

"What happened? There was a massive storm that didn't occur naturally, and then the king and Seonghwa had a discussion about you running off. Did they drive you out of the palace?"

San lowered his head. He didn't want to dump his political concerns on Wooyoung, but the stable boy had come a far way to talk to him.

"It's like you said. I caught Hongjoong and Seonghwa together and exposed their lies that were dismissive at best. They brushed off all guilt and made it clear I was there and got attention only because they needed me for the ritual."

Wooyoung's brows drew together. His hands reached to hold San's claws, ever so tender in their touch. Soothed, San allowed the man's warmth to numb the pain in his heart.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I had hoped the king's interest in you was real. So you decided not to do the ritual?"

With a nod, San looked at their laps again, searching for words. In his claws, Wooyoung's big hands didn't look small, but were more vulnerable with his thin skin and short nails.

"I also want to be egoistic. My elders warned me of becoming a toy for humans to kick around as they pleased. I think if I give in now, it will get worse despite me knowing the truth now. I already feel so unwelcome."

"I welcome your presence," Wooyoung said in a rush. He shuffled closer, the fabrics of their clothes mingling. "And I agree with your decision. You have every right to claim your price the same way Hongjoong does. Your marriage is meant to make you equal. Though I hate to hear you felt you had to run because of it."

Gentle fingers cradled San's face and tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear. The twigs and leaves that had found their way between the white locks had been braided into them by the birds with great care. Wooyoung marvelled at the enchanting way they accentuated the dragon's beauty.

"I feel at ease here. With the other animals, with those who understand me without their many policies. I know I could have come to the stables, but I felt they weren't far enough for me not to feel restricted," San confessed. His lids fluttered shut when the wind caressed his skin. He had asked the summer rain to dodge the spot of his tree while Wooyoung was here, not wanting the other man to get sick and catch a cold.

"You deserve a place you feel welcome in. Our people should be far more accepting of your kin, given how much you do for us."

Pleased by his agreement, San opened his eyes again. His gaze locked with Wooyoung's, finding no lie in his stable opinion.

"I don't want to return to the palace. These few days out here healed my tormented spirit so much. I believe I might go mad if I have to stay there for two lifetimes."

"If you complete the ritual, you don't have to stay at the palace. You could build a home in the woods and live at peace here," Wooyoung suggested. San found no underlying disappointment in his voice, but he knew both of them would miss their hay attic meetings if San left to rein in the mountains.

"Don't you think it would be cruel to make the entire country suffer for the mistake of two fools in love?" Wooyoung's thumb caressed San's cheek with a tenderness San thought lost with the lie of the palace evaporating. Why did he have to find these things outside of the person he was married to? How was it adequate both he and Hongjoong were so displeased with their situation?

"I won't push you to help us. I heard enough about your situation to understand why you hid away here."

With a smile, San lifted his free hand to cover Wooyoung's with it. He nuzzled into the touch, relishing in the comfort Wooyoung spent.

As much as San enjoyed being out here with the animals, he had missed the stable boy's presence and his sunny personality.

"You are so good to me. How did I deserve such delight?"

Wooyoung watched as San's lips brushed his fingers, showing their reverence in a doting kiss. Pure and voluntary compared to San's relationship with the king, the kiss tingled between them as if it were weaving invisible ties that twisted the knots of their fates into each other.

"You deserve it by being you. What Hongjoong and Seonghwa were too blind to see in you, I see in all of its shimmering glory," Wooyoung whispered. "Your comfort matters most, and we only came to this point because you got hurt. If we paid better attention, we wouldn't be here."

San gazed at him, his eyes deep as the ocean as they invited Wooyoung to drown in them and become one with the essence of the dragon's old soul. It was a rare vulnerability not exposed to many, one San hadn't dared to share even with Hongjoong. He feared rejection, but Wooyoung fell into it willingly and handed himself over.

"You did nothing wrong," San assured him. "When I left, my sole remorse was dedicated to you and not seeing you again until I returned."

Wooyoung grinned at him. When he huddled closer, San's claws reached for his hips naturally. The stable boy slid into San's lap as if he belonged there, his hands coming up to brush San's antlers and hair. Up close, San felt the warmth of his firm body from many hours of work. Relishing in the grip he had around the man and in Wooyoung's proximity without pulling back, San stared at his earthy beauty. The simplicity behind his features dotted by cute moles, his unruly hair, and his radiant smile. If Seonghwa was the shine and the glimmer of the palace that deceived and trapped in its beauty, Wooyoung was the soothing embrace of nature in its most authentic form.

"Would you have swallowed your terrific dragon pride to return to me soon if I hadn't come?"

"I wouldn't have resisted your charms for long. Perhaps I would have stolen you from the king as repayment for his deceit."

Wooyoung giggled, the sound sweet like the bird's songs San cherished so much.

"I doubt that is a worthy exchange. I can't be of much use to you compared to your marriage to the king."

Grumbling, San buried his head in Wooyoung's shoulder and hugged him tighter. Wooyoung received him, his cheek leaning against San's antlers as he cradled the dragon.

"I will exchange those two any day."

"You don't have enough hooves for me to clean to keep me busy during the day," Wooyoung reminded him. Their sweet game distracted San once more from palace politics and his obligations towards the king and his people.

"Then don't. We will find a hay store somewhere and live our days in luxury."

Wooyoung's fingers idly braided a strand of San's hair how San had seen him do to the horses when they had to look festive. The boy was careful not to remove San's decorations from his hair as he weaved strings of moss and flexible grasses that never wilted, for they were too proud to be decorating the dragon into his braid.

"Would we kiss there?"

"All the kisses you could ever want," San promised. He pulled back to look at Wooyoung again and Wooyoung's hands dropped from his hair to lie on his shoulders instead. He shone brightly with San's attention, and San enjoyed Wooyoung's throning on his lap. Much more than Hongjoong, he wanted to dedicate his loyalty to this man.

"That makes me want to return just so you may press me into the hay and make do on that promise. Perhaps I need to convince you, after all?"

Chuckling, San wrapped his arms around Wooyoung's back and waist to tip him over. His clawed hand supported Wooyoung's head, but the boy didn't jerk away at the dull touch of his claws.

A moment later, Wooyoung spread out on the forest floor while grasses and leaves tickled around his head. Nature prepared the softest bed for the lover of the dragon and playfully danced around him with its buttercups and woodruff.

To San's eyes, he was the most gorgeous creature to walk the earth. Wooyoung looked at him as if he felt the same.

"What keeps me from kissing you right here? I want to reward you for taking the long way," San purred. His hair cascaded over his shoulders to tickle over Wooyoung's chest.

Willing, the stable boy reached for San. The bat of his lashes was coy as he drew him closer, his body arching to meet San's touch.

Their lips found each other, and the forest cushioned them as nature fondly watched over the two lovers and their peace with each other.

Until late into the evening, they lay together and kissed or embraced each other. Occasionally, their touches skimmed over the exposed collarbone of San's loosely bound hanbok or under the billowing fabric of Wooyoung's tunic. Yet, their time together was pure and undisturbed.

When the skies greyed, the animals reminded San to send Wooyoung home before night fell. They parted with heavy hearts, but Wooyoung promised him to visit again soon.

As he took off with the occasional wave and smile over his shoulder, San sent the animals along with him to make sure he arrived back on the path safely. He guarded Wooyoung's journey back until he entered his hut, and when the nightjar reported back to San, it mentioned Wooyoung whispering thanks to it after it had accompanied him all the way.

Filled with warmth and forgiveness, San fell asleep in his tree.