Archive of Our Own

"Keep up, Hwi!" 

Chanhee dashed through the halls of the palace, his personal knight following behind him as they ran away from the havoc they had caused. The prince laughed as he turned a corner and ducked into a spare room, pulling Hwiyoung in and hiding there until they heard footsteps run by them. 

"May I ask what you two were running from?" The two young men turned around, seeing Youngbin sitting at a desk, writing with a peacock feather quill (courtesy of Jaeyoon.)

The dove and squirrel went pale, trying to think of an excuse. 

"Uhhhh… we were just playing around?" 

"You're both eighteen, you're old enough to not be playing around and to stop making mischief. Hwiyoung, you're a knight, you know better. And Chanhee, what would Dawon say if he saw that?"

Chanhee looked forlornly at the mating band on his ring finger, and Youngbin knew he said the wrong thing. 

"It's not like he'd be here to see it, he's always traveling."

Youngbin got up from his seat, pulling Chanhee into a hug.

Due to Youngbin's animal species, he was the person everyone went to when they needed a hug. Youngbin was a brown bear hybrid, meaning that he was lovable and affectionate, but he would protect those close to him if they ever were in danger. 

Hwiyoung was a squirrel, meaning he was Chanhee's mischief buddy. He was quick and nimble, but brash and not the best at foresight. As a knight, he could strike fast and outlast the enemy on pure endurance.

Chanhee himself was a dove, a symbol of purity and being angelic. He was quiet and shy, but often bottled things up and was never able to let them out when he needed to. 

Chanhee sniffled into Youngbin's chest, the bear gently patting his silver hair. "He's busy as a lord, Chanhee. I know him, and I know that he would give anything to be here with you. But he can't always do that."

"I know." Chanhee sniffled as he separated from the hug, Hwiyoung helping escort him through the halls, which were covered in paintings and tapestries that showed the history of the animal kingdom. 

The kingdom itself was large due to the amount of biomes present in it. The castle rested in a large forest, and most of the workers in it were forest animals. Most of Chanhee's personal knights were forest animals. Only two out of the seven of them weren't. 

The kingdom had been peaceful for years, until the humans found them. A long war started, in which many animals were maimed of what made them animals and reformed as humans, detaching them from the part of them that they had freely expressed before. Eventually, it came to a stop, with only mild tension between the two kingdoms.

Little did the animals know, that the era of peace and mild tension wouldn't last for much longer.

A knock sounded on Chanhee's door as he put down his quill (synthetic, he couldn't dare use a bird feather as a bird himself) and called for the person knocking to come in. 

Taeyang pushed open the door, the wolf sending his signature smile to Chanhee. 

"Dinner's ready, my prince. Also, something arrived for you." Chanhee's eyebrow quirked up in confusion before his eyes widened, seeing Taeyang holding out an envelope with a familiar wax seal on it. 

Chanhee rushed over to the door, taking the letter from the wolf's hands. 

Taeyang was a black wolf, his dark hair when paired with a dark outfit allowed him to sneak quietly in the night and not be noticed. His nature made him very friendly and not very individual, to the point of becoming dependent. 

"Thank you, Taeyang. Tell everyone I'll be right down." The wolf nodded, closing the door, his footsteps getting fainter and fainter.

Chanhee smiled brightly to himself, as he sat back down at his desk and opened the envelope. A small paper pouch fell out, which always contained pictures that Dawon had taken for him to see what was going on in his mate's life. He took out the letter next, which was neatly folded and elegantly written. 

My Chanhee,

It's been a long while since I've last seen you, and I am so sorry, my angel. Every time I try to clear my schedule, something always comes up and I can't put it off. I promise you, after this week, I will come to the castle and I will not leave until it is absolutely necessary. You deserve it. We deserve it. 

I miss you so much, my angel. You have no idea. Hanbin and I went out for a run a few weeks ago and I was so distracted by thinking of you, I ran straight into a tree. Hanbin didn't let me live it down for a week. I have been wearing your feather around my neck, thank you again for the gift. Minki asked about it, and I missed you so much, I ended up talking to him about you for hours. I miss you, and I miss the castle. 

How have the boys been? I heard about you and Rowoon's little adventure, you need to take me with you next time. And those waterfalls are pretty hidden, I'm sure we won't just be playing in them. ;)

I promise you, angel, I will come as soon as I can. I'll get to love you, and hold you, and kiss you, and mate you, and I should probably stop myself before there's not just ink on the paper. I love you so much, and I can't wait to see you.

Yours,

Dawon

Chanhee sniffled and hugged the letter to his chest, his emotions bubbling up until he was sobbing with happiness. He was just overjoyed to hear from Dawon, after being separated from his lover for so long. 

Dawon was a horse hybrid, so he was known for his strength and power. It was part of why Chanhee's knights had allowed their mating, as they knew that if they weren't there to protect Chanhee, Dawon would be. And Dawon, when he was there, was always protective of Chanhee. He made sure his mate was safe and loved. The two already had a close bond, but their love for each other made their bond even stronger. 

Chanhee left the letter on his desk, planning to write back the next morning. 

Jaeyoon was waiting outside the door, grooming his tail feathers when Chanhee came out. 

"Hi Chanhee-ah! Rowoon asked me to escort you down to the dining room." Chanhee nodded at Jaeyoon's words, following behind him as they walked through the halls. 

Jaeyoon was a peacock, a beautiful bird with beautiful feathers that he gave to people when he molted. He was naturally confident and flamboyant, but could also easily become insecure or aloof.

His feathers were down, behind him as they walked. The two birds went down a flight of stairs before arriving in the dining room, the six other knights already seated.

Youngbin sat at the head of the table, the other end open for Chanhee to sit there. Taeyang sat to his right, and Jaeyoon took a seat to his left. Inseong, a fox hybrid, sat next to Jaeyoon, reading from a thick book that was sitting on the table. Across from him was Hwiyoung, and next to him was Juho, a lion hybrid. Finally, across from Juho was Rowoon, a deer hybrid. 

Chanhee sat down at the table, motioning for everyone to start eating. 

Chanhee had been eating with his knights since he was sixteen, as there was no question that he would be protected and he just liked being around his knights. Because Chanhee was a dove, one of the weaker and rarer animals, he had been constantly protected since birth. The circle of  knights had been instated shortly after his fifteenth birthday, and he had been friends with them ever since. 

Youngbin raised a toast to them like he did every night, but their spirits were so high that it meant more that night. 

However, a figure watched them from outside the castle, watching through the windows as the prince raised his glass and cheered.

That night, Chanhee had gone to sleep early, citing his routine of early riding the next day as the reason why. He had slipped Dawon's letter under his pillow and promptly fell asleep, the palace almost seeming to fall quiet with him. Juho was on guard that night, standing outside Chanhee's door and making sure nothing happened to him. 

Moonlight streamed in through the tall castle windows, casting the dark hallways in a blue glow. It was late at night, the moon high in the sky. It was roughly around midnight when Juho first heard something. 

The lion's ears perched on top of his head twitched, and he quickly turned his head to look at where the noise was coming from. 

This however, was a mistake, as he didn't notice the person coming up behind him and knocking him out. 

When he woke up, he was met with Rowoon's concerned face, who was checking Juho over for any other injuries. 

"Are you okay, hyung?" He asked, getting a slow nod from the lion. 

"Yeah…" and then it struck him. 

"Is Chanhee alright? I wasn't able to watch over him."

Rowoon shifted nervously, helping Juho up from the chair he was sitting in. "Well… you'll have to see for yourself."

Juho was concerned, but chose not to ask any questions until he saw what Rowoon was talking about. He helped him to Chanhee's room, which had the door wide open, the other five knights all gathered around it. 

"What happened?" Juho asked, Youngbin turning around to face him. Juho could see the panic and dispair in his eyes and face, Youngbin looked like he had just witnessed a murder. 

"Juho-ah… I want you to know it's not your fault."

"What's not my fault?" Youngbin moved away from the door, letting Juho in to see the room. And what he saw shocked him. 

The blankets and pillows on Chanhee's bed had been torn off of it, a long vertical slash ripped into the blanket. The canopy was also ripped apart, and the room was in a general state of disarray. Items had been knocked off of shelves, clothes were ripped and strewn about, and some pieces of furniture were even toppled over. However, all of that was not what shocked Juho.

It was the sheer amount of feathers scattered across the room. White feathers. 

White feathers stained with blood.

Chanhee's feathers. Stained with Chanhee's blood. 

And Chanhee was nowhere to be found. The window was wide open, so Juho could only infer one thing.

Chanhee had been kidnapped.

The next morning, the entire castle was somber. Chanhee's bedroom had been blocked off, being investigated for anything that could have pointed to a culprit. It was clear that Chanhee had been taken against his will and not left on his own, due to the clear signs of a struggle in the room and the bloodied feathers, showing that Chanhee had at least attempted to fight back. 

The knights all ate breakfast solemnly, the vacant seat at the end of the table putting pressure on them to find the person who once sat there. 

As soon as they knew of Chanhee's kidnapping, they sent a messenger with the news to Dawon, who they knew would come as soon as he could. His mate was in danger, and he wouldn't let any of his duties as a lord get in the way. 

It wasn't until Taeyang spoke up did the silence finally break.

"I think the humans did this."

No one at the table said anything, though they all had the same thought as Taeyang.

"It wouldn't make sense for an animal to kidnap him, and he's a rare breed of hybrid. If the humans knew about him, I see no reason why they wouldn't kidnap him."

"And the damage in the bedroom wasn't done with any sort of claws, it was done with a blade." Jaeyoon added, making everyone at the table nod.

"I'll ask the king and queen to try to solve this diplomatically with the humans then." Youngbin said, not looking up at the knights surrounding him, who were all staring at him.

"Diplomatically? What do you mean diplomatically?! They clearly weren't being diplomatic when they stole Chanhee from us!" 

"Hwi, calm down, it's not tha-"

"No, I'm not calming down!" The knight stood up from his chair, storming over to where Youngbin was seated. "They took our Chanhee! He put up a struggle, he didn't want to get kidnapped, and they still took him! Is that diplomatic? We have shown them nothing but peace and this is how they repay us. By taking our prince against his will. They don't deserve diplomacy."

"So you're saying we just go in, teeth bared and claws out, and get captured immediately? We need to talk this out with them and see if we can get Chanhee back peacefully."

"They didn't take him peacefully! They ripped his feathers out, tore up his bedroom, and took him into the human kingdom, which is a death sentence for any animal. They don't deserve peace."

"I'm not sending us in there to die, Hwiyoung! This isn-"

"Calm down, both of you. You both make good points. Yes, we should formulate a plan before going in and not just go in all of nothing, but we shouldn't be fraternizing with them and giving them any information that they don't have. I agreed with Hwi, after what they've done to us, they don't deserve peace." Rowoon was able to get the situation under control, getting Hwiyoung back to his seat. 

A servant rushed into the room, all of the knights looking at the gecko that just came in. "Lord Dawon has arrived." 

"Bring him in." Juho ordered, the gecko nodding and rushing out of the room. "I'll show Dawon the room, I think he deserves someone to blame for this." 

Jaeyoon rushed over to his side, placing a hand on Juho's shoulder. "Juho-yah, it's not your fault. You were incapacitated, you wouldn't have known that was happening to Chanhee. I'll show him with you, okay? So you don't blame yourself the entire time."

Juho didn't have time to respond, as Dawon came into the dining room, solemnly shaking hands with Youngbin and Rowoon. 

Dawon looked disheveled. His clothes were messy and barely buttoned correctly, as he had probably rushed to leave his home as soon as he received the news. His face bore signs of stress, his eyes puffy, a sign that he had been tearing up all morning. Around his neck was a pearl necklace with a single dove feather hanging from the center, a gift from Chanhee after their mating. 

"Thanks for calling me here." That was all Dawon had to say for now, all of them at a lack of words with the current situation. Youngbin just nodded, before looking at Juho, who nodded in response. 

"Jaeyoon and I will show you his bedroom, nothing's been moved since last night." Juho led Dawon through the castle, the mood somber due to the two of them each wanting to take the blame for his kidnapping.

Jaeyoon pulled the door open, both him and Juho watching Dawon carefully for his reaction. 

Dawon was in shock. The room was a mess, and Chanhee normally kept things very nice and well organized. He had struggled with his kidnapper and that was why his bedroom was so unlike usual. 

But what really struck him were the feathers. Compared to the pristine white one around his neck, which came from Chanhee molting and wasn't ripped out of his wings, but also signified his happiness with Dawon due to the bright color of the feather. 

But the ones scattered around the room were ripped out of Chanhee's wings and stained with the blood from doing so. They had turned off-white, showing the peril Chanhee had been in when they had fallen. 

Dawon was heartbroken. 

"This is all my fault." 

Juho placed his hand on Dawon's shoulder, not getting why Dawon was blaming himself for something that was clearly Juho's fault. 

"No, hyung, it's mine. I was on watch, but I got knocked out and couldn't protect Chanhee."

"It's not your fault you got knocked out, Juho. I don't have an excuse like you do. When Chanhee and I mated, I promised all of you that I would protect him if you were unable to. And I wasn't here to protect him. It's my fault."

"It's no one's fault." Jaeyoon interjected, gazing at the two others in the room with a sincere look. "Yes, we weren't here to protect him. But Juho, you were knocked out, and Dawon, you had duties as a Lord. None of us knew this would happen, and blaming ourselves for it won't fix it. Let's go back down to the others, I think we've seen enough of Chanhee's room."

Juho nodded, following Jaeyoon out of the room while Dawon took one last look at where his mate had been. 

He was going to find Chanhee. No matter what it took.

Chanhee hadn't slept all night. 

Cooped up in a small cell, the cold stone underneath him, completely alone. On top of that, he was covered in marks that would eventually become bruises and his wings were bloodied. He needed to groom his feathers, but his wings were the only thing protecting him right now. 

"Wake up, you dumb bird." The sound of a sword hitting the metal bars of the cell startled Chanhee, making him slowly turn himself to look at the entrance of the cell. A guard stood there, unlocking the door. And while Chanhee would have wanted to lunge at the man and attempt to incapacitate him, he had no energy and would probably be easily overpowered. 

He braced himself as the guard came over, cowering further into the corner. His wrists were grabbed, and a pair of shackles were put on them. 

Being dragged by the shackles, Chanhee was escorted upstairs and out of the dungeon, which he was thankful for. The lack of fresh air and sunlight was going to drive him insane. He was sure that he looked like a total mess, judging by how people seemed to sneer at him as he was dragged by them. (It was probably because he was an animal, but he wanted to think it was because of his more human appearance.)

He was thrown to the floor in a relatively empty bedroom, with nothing but a bed, a vanity with a dresser, and a chair in the corner. His shackles were unlocked, but he didn't have the energy to try to fight the guard.

"Your clothes are in the dresser. Make yourself look presentable, the king went through a great bit of trouble getting you here, so he expects you to put in a bit of work on your appearance." The door slammed and Chanhee started sobbing, his emotions finally catching up with him.

Why was he here? Why did he have to be taken against his will? Who was this king that supposedly went through all of this trouble to kidnap him? Why did it have to be him? 

He wrapped his wings around him like a blanket for comfort, wincing as pressure was put on his injured feathers. He needed to groom his wings. 

Getting up from the floor, he grabbed the chair that was stationed in the corner of the room, dragging it over to sit in front of the vanity. 

Looking at his reflection in the mirror confirmed his suspicions. He looked horrible. His hair was all over the place, his eyes had huge purple bags underneath them, his whole face was puffy and red from the amount of crying he had been doing, and his wings were no longer the pristine white they were before. He gently pressed feathers that weren't badly damaged back into place, running his hands through his wings and getting any loose feathers out. Then came the painful part. He had quite a few bloody feathers in his wings, and for the health of his wings, he needed to pull them out. 

Gently grasping one bloody feather, he gave it a sharp tug, the feather coming free. He bit his lip to stop his exclamation of pain, discarding the feather onto the vanity. Five painful minutes passed of Chanhee just pulling out bloody feathers, and making sure his healthy feathers covered the spots he had pulled from. 

When it was all said and done, a small pile of off-white feathers sat in front of him, and his wings were healthy again. He focused his attention on his clothes next, which were not much, seeing as they were his sleep clothes. He had been kidnapped while he was sleeping. 

Opening the drawers, Chanhee noticed one thing about the clothes in them. Everything was white. White, which was the color of purity. White, which was also the color of his wings. 

Chanhee would have rolled his eyes if he wasn't so horribly sad.

He picked out a shirt and pair of pants, making quick work of changing into them. Rummaging through the drawers, he found a hairbrush, allowing him to do something with the dove's nest on his head. He might be kidnapped, but he was going to make himself look nice. If that was all the dignity he got, so be it. 

As he was finishing up brushing his hair, the door opened, another guard coming in and grabbing Chanhee's arm to put his wrists back in the shackles. He was again dragged through the castle, but not back down to the dungeons. 

Dragged into a lavish throne room, Chanhee was pushed onto the floor, biting his lip to stop himself from exclaiming in pain as his knees hit the ground. 

"My King, I have brought the dove you requested." Another voice spoke from behind Chanhee, but he didn't dare turn to look at them. He kept his gaze on the floor no matter what. 

The king said nothing, just looking Chanhee over. "Show me his face." A hand roughly grabbed Chanhee's jaw, holding his head up to where his eyes had to meet the king. He was lavishly dressed, and clearly cared about himself more than anything. 

"Taewoo, you told me he was beautiful, did you not?" 

"Yes, I did, my King." Chanhee's breath got caught in his throat, what was going to happen to him?

"Well, why didn't you tell me he was this beautiful? A dove and a pretty face, he's perfect. With a beautiful trophy such as him by my side, no one will dare oppose me!" The King laughed maniacally, as Chanhee shuddered in fear. The king got up, walking down to where Chanhee was on his knees. His jaw was free from the guard's grasp but immediately taken by the King's dirty hands. 

"Such a beautiful creature. I would keep you in my collection, but you deserve a bigger cage for a bigger bird such as you." His words made Chanhee sick to his stomach, a cage? This human wasn't going to actually put him in a cage, was he? 

He was picked up by the shackles again, but this time, the King led the way. Travelling deeper into the seemingly infinite castle halls, they stopped at a door that was made out of a light wood, with roses, vines, and birds carved into it.

"I have been looking for a dove like you to add to my collection for years now, but at least your room has been ready for those years. I can't have my bird staying somewhere that isn't his cage, no?" The king ran his hand along Chanhee's cheek, petting it and making the dove shiver in shame.

He took off one of his necklaces, which had a key on it, and it used it to unlock the door. 

The room was painted a pale cream, with light wood accents. Pink flowers and green viney plants decorated the room, and the canopy bed had pink and white blankets. Painted doves were scattered around the walls. But the thing that added the most insult to injury was the window. 

The room had one large window, and it was made with gold rods going down vertically, and one gold rod on both the top and bottom going horizontally. 

Like a bird cage. 

Chanhee rushed over to the window, grabbing the bars and looking out at the lush green gardens beneath him. He longed to be out there instead, to be with his knights, and his mate. Before he could realize it, a sob left his mouth and a tear dropped from his eye.

"What's wrong, dove? Don't you like the room?"

Chanhee just closed his eyes, imagining that he was with his friends, and not trapped in a human castle as a trophy catch for a king.

Eventually, he was left alone, and he fell to the ground sobbing. 

He just wanted his hyungs. He just wanted his mate. 

He just wanted to go home.

Jaeyoon gently tucked his tail underneath him as Youngbin opened up the letter they had received earlier from the king and queen. It explained that they had sent a komodo dragon messenger to the human castle with a letter requesting peace. Komodo dragons were the most outwardly human out of most animals, with the only thing really setting them apart being their split tongue and slit pupils. It was the safest animal to send into human territory by far. 

The six knights and Dawon were currently traveling to the human kingdom, taking Hwiyoung's suggestion to go in claws out. The letter from the king and queen was both to instill a false sense of relief in the humans, and also for Youngbin's suggestion of diplomacy. 

Studying maps from the wars before, Juho found multiple tunnels through a large forest near the castle that were used for stealth warfare. Using these maps, he, along with Dawon and Rowoon, made a plan of attack for getting to the castle. They figured that if anyone could pull off the heist of a prince, it was a royal. 

They were currently deep in the forest, approaching the entrance to a tunnel that would bring them right to the top of the castle hill. The tunnels were built sturdy enough to where they trusted they would still be standing even after decades of not being used or maintained. It went straight to the castle, with no turns, so it would be an easy trip. 

"I see the tunnel entrance. It's right up ahead, Hwi!" Juho called out, the squirrel stopping when he found the rotted covering for the tunnel. Pulling the panel of sticks and leaves away, it exposed a well-dug and well-supported tunnel. 

"Okay, who's going first?"

No one volunteered for a few seconds, before Rowoon sighed, walking to the front of the crowd. "I'll go first." He dropped down into the dark hole, everyone watching as he walked a bit forward. 

"How is it?"

"It's not ba- ow! The ceiling isn't very high. That's the only problem I've found so far."

Youngbin chuckled, sitting with his legs hanging into the hole. "Alright, we're coming down." Youngbin was the next one in, followed by Dawon, then Hwiyoung and Taeyang who were holding hands, then Jaeyoon, then Juho, and finally Inseong. 

The brigade of animals slowly shuffled through the dark tunnel, all holding hands to make sure no one got separated from the group. However, they weren't safe from bumping into each other. 

Rowoon was constantly hitting his head on the low tunnel ceiling, Hwiyoung seemed to trip over every single rock, and Juho would swear that Jaeyoon's feathers were going to end up poking his eye out. 

It was definitely a struggle, but they got through the tunnel in one piece. (Not without a few head bumps and feathers shed, of course.) Rowoon pushed away the rotted cover at the end of the tunnel, sticking his head out to check where they were and if it was safe. They were in a forest in the castle gardens, and no guards were present. It was already sunset, so they would strike under the cover of night and get Chanhee back. They just needed to find if he was being held in the castle, and if he was, where he was being held. 

Youngbin was nominated to be the first one to leave the forest, as his tail was easily hideable and he could press his ears flat against his hair to blend them in. Rowoon had huge antlers so he couldn't, Hwiyoung had a huge tail so he couldn't, Taeyang could but his ears stuck out too much, Dawon also could have gone first, but his tail was hard to hide. Jaeyoon couldn't do it for obvious reasons, Inseong's tail was bushy, and Juho also had a hard-to-hide tail. Leaving Youngbin as the only one who could start investigating first. 

He slowly crept out of the brush, watching his immediate surroundings for signs of any humans that wouldn't want him there. Making sure the coast was clear, he approached the large hedges of the gardens, using them to hide behind if anyone suddenly came into his field of view. The con of being a bear was that he was slow to move. So he couldn't run back into the brush if someone looked his way, he had to be out of sight completely. However, the setting sun made the situation more forgiving. 

Creeping up to the castle wall, he walked alongside it until he noticed something on the ground. Feathers. White feathers. 

Chanhee's feathers. 

Looking up, he noticed a window that was made of just gold bars, mimicking a cage. And hanging out the window was a hand and a bit of feathers. 

If it was a human, this was a horrible decision, but it could be Chanhee. Youngbin made his decision.

"Chanhee!" He quietly called out, seeing the hand tense up, and another hand curl around a bar. 

"Y-Youngbin hyung? Are you really there?" 

Chanhee was in the window. 

Youngbin walked away from the wall, until he caught sight of the window, and the dove trapped behind it. "Chanhee-ah." 

Chanhee teared up, he was being saved. His Youngbin hyung was here to save him. 

"Chanhee, do you know if the bars come off the window? We've come to get you out of there." 

"No, I've tried. They're meant to keep me in. But… but! The king! The king has the key to my room around his neck! His bedroom's right next to this one, and he's already falling asleep! I can tell because he's starting to snore." Chanhee was overjoyed to see his hyung again, and he would tell him all he knows if it meant that he would be freed from human captivity. 

"Alright. Stay awake, okay? We're going to free you and bring you home." Chanhee nodded at Youngbin's words, taking them to heart. He wouldn't have been able to sleep anyway.

Youngbin rushed back to the group, still in the forest, and told them everything about Chanhee and what the dove had told him. 

"I say we send in me, Hwiyoung, and Dawon. It would be hard to have all of us running around in there, and the three of us will be able to get the job done. Hwiyoung is quick, I'll blend in, and Dawon is strong." Taeyang formulated his own little plan, sharing it as the group nodded along. 

"I agree with that. You guys should make sure the way is clear, we'll go in and get Chanhee. I want to free him from that monster as soon as possible." Dawon's fist curled around a branch he had been holding onto, the branch breaking in half due to the sheer power he applied to it. 

"Make it quick, alright? Don't be in there longer than you need to be." Jaeyoon sent them off with words of warning, worrying about his fellow knights he cared about so deeply.

Hwiyoung had already spotted an open window on the first floor, so they climbed in through there and found themselves in an empty bedroom. Slowly and carefully pushing the door open, Taeyang scanned the hall they were in before leaving the room, his ears twitching back and forth at the slightest sound. 

After creeping up a spiral staircase, they found themselves in another hallway of rooms. This one however, was lavishly decorated and twice the size. All the doors were intricately carved and had their own detailing. This was the hallway with the room that Chanhee was in, they just needed to figure out what room it was. Hwiyoung looked over each door, before he came to one with roses and doves carved into it. It would make sense to mark which room you were keeping a dove in with a dove. 

"Chanhee said that the king has the key to the room around his neck, and Chanhee said that the king's room is next to this one."

"It's probably this one." Dawon whispered as he pointed to a crown engraving made of gold on a door next to the one Chanhee was in. 

Hwiyoung tried the knob, and was surprised to find that it was unlocked. Pushing the door open, he saw the king sound asleep in his bed, snoring loudly. Dawon stayed by the door as Taeyang and Hwiyoung crept up to him, both having trouble stopping themselves from killing him right there for taking Chanhee away. 

Hwiyoung peered at the various keys on his neck, not wanting to take off too many, but also not wanting to not take the right one. Looking at the various gold and brass keys, he found one with a pink rose painted on it. With the pink roses painted on the door, this had to be the key for Chanhee's room. He pointed to the key, and Taeyang held his breath, leaning down and cutting the weak string that held it to his neck with his sharp canine. Hwiyoung grinned as he grabbed the key, the two hightailing it out of there and closing the door behind them. 

"We got it. You can unlock it, hyung." Taeyang placed the key in Dawon's palm, who looked like he was about to cry. 

Taking a deep breath, he walked over to the door, knowing that Chanhee was behind it. His Chanhee. His angel. His dove. His prince. 

He pushed the key into the lock, slowly turning it until the knob twisted in his hand. 

Dawon pushed open the door, not knowing what he'd see behind it. 

And then, relief washed over him like a tidal wave. 

Chanhee was safe. 

His angel was safe. 

Chanhee ran straight into Dawon's arms, the two almost falling over due to how fast Chanhee ran.

"Mine." Chanhee whispered, making Dawon tear up.

"Mine."

As sweet as the moment was, they had to get out of there. Hwiyoung and Taeyang gently nudged the couple towards the spiral staircase they had climbed before, and the mates separated to run faster. 

Climbing out of that same window Dawon had climbed in to save him, Chanhee felt truly free. He was in the wild, with his mate and his knights, and he could do what he wanted. 

Chanhee was practically tackled into the brush by his hyungs, who all smothered him in kisses and hugs. They were overjoyed to have their prince back. Chanhee was safe again.

"We have to get back, but when we do, we need to know what happened to you, alright Chanhee?" Youngbin whispered gently, the dove nodding at his words. 

He spent the entire journey back in Dawon's arms, partially by choice and partially because Dawon wouldn't let him go.

After a long night of traveling back to their kingdom, the sun was just starting to peek from beyond the mountain tops. They were all incredibly exhausted and Chanhee was pretty sure he fell asleep for part of the trip back. However, they all pushed through and knew they couldn't let their guard down until they were safe in the castle. But when they were, they basically collapsed into a pile of hugs. 

"We're so happy to have you back, Chanhee. And while I would like to hear about what happened to you, I think we all need to go to bed." Everyone agreed with Youngbin's statement, picking themselves up off the floor and heading to their quarters. Dawon picked Chanhee back up, even though the dove was adamant that he could have walked. 

Chanhee's bedroom still hadn't been fixed back to its normal state, so Dawon had instructed the servants to move Chanhee's things into another room while his own was being cleaned and repaired. The new room had all of Chanhee's belongings in it, but it didn't feel like Chanhee's room. But Chanhee didn't even know what his room would feel like anymore. 

It used to be his sanctuary, somewhere he went to escape others and just be himself. It was a safe space that was promptly taken away from him. Would he really feel safe in an area where he knew he wasn't? The move was also for Chanhee's safety, in case the kidnapper tried to come back. The new room was on the highest floor and faced a part of the gardens that had guards patrolling it all the time. No one would be able to kidnap Chanhee again and get away with it.

Laying his lover down on the bed, Dawon kept a close eye on Chanhee as he grabbed sleep clothes for the younger and for himself. He laid the bundle of clothes on the bed, Chanhee reaching for them, hesitating. 

The clothes were white. The color of purity. The color of his wings. The color he was forced to change into when he was kidnapped. 

"Can… Can you get a different color…?" Dawon didn't understand why Chanhee wanted a different color in sleep clothes, but he obliged, grabbing a navy blue set instead. 

Chanhee made quick work of changing again, even though he didn't have anything to be afraid of this time. He knew Dawon. He had been naked in front of Dawon plenty of times before. But he was still uneasy. And he didn't know why. 

He knew that Dawon wasn't going to hurt him. He knew Dawon was good and would love and protect him. But he couldn't get himself to not tense up. He was… anxious. And he didn't know why.

Dawon slipped into bed next to him, the two mates staring into each other's eyes. "Chanhee, can I hold you?" Dawon asked, making Chanhee startled. Why was he asking? Normally if Dawon wanted to hold Chanhee, he'd just hold him. Why was he now asking for permission?

"...yeah." Dawon immediately pulled Chanhee into his arms, holding the dove against his chest. Chanhee felt protected. He felt safe. He had his lover right here with him, holding him like he was never going to be able to after this. "..why did you ask?" 

"Chanhee, I don't know what happened to you. I don't know if they did something to you. They clearly did, judging by your reaction to the clothes, but I don't know what it is. I want you to be comfortable, so I want to make sure what I do is okay with you first. I love you, my angel." Dawon's sweet words brought tears to Chanhee's eyes, the dove hiding his face in his boyfriend's chest as he wrapped his own arms around Dawon.

Dawon knew that healing Chanhee from this encounter was going to be a long process. But he was willing to go through with it, because he loved Chanhee and he wanted to be there to help him. Chanhee might never be the same way he was before, and Dawon was okay with that. Because as long as he had Chanhee, he was happy. 

"Angel?"

"...yeah?" 

"May I kiss you?" Dawon asked, as Chanhee glanced down at his lips before meeting his gaze again. 

"Yes." 

Dawon immediately leaned down, pulling the younger into a passionate kiss. They were both overwhelmed with euphoria at finally getting to hold and kiss their mate. Six long months of separation, and the crisis of Chanhee getting kidnapped, lead to this one kiss. And it was an incredible kiss. 

Dawon pulled the prince closer, his body almost covering Chanhee's much smaller one. Chanhee couldn't tell you the last time Dawon had kissed him like this, but he was enjoying it so much more now. 

After about ten minutes of a passionate, languid makeout session, Dawon parted from the kiss, both of them out of breath. 

"We need to go to bed." Chanhee nodded in agreement, snuggling back into his much larger lover. Before long, he was dozing quietly, dreaming sweetly about his lover and friends. Dawon ran a hand through Chanhee's hair, smiling at seeing his lover so peaceful after the events of the day prior. Soon, he fell asleep too, dreaming of the days to come. 

Two months passed since the kidnapping, and the castle was back in full swing. Chanhee called off the repairs of his old room, choosing instead to move his things into the room he shared with Dawon. More security was put in place around the prince, even though Dawon was doing a great job at keeping him safe already.

The knights kept close watch on him, someone always in the room with him. While Chanhee wasn't a huge fan of the constant surveillance, he understood why he needed it. He didn't want to be kidnapped again, so he would put up with the sudden protectiveness.

Chanhee wanted his knights to do more than just protect him, so if they ever wanted to do something, he let them. Inseong became keeper of the royal library, due to his love of reading and learning. Rowoon and Jaeyoon worked in the castle infirmary, with Jaeyoon's eagerness to help people and Rowoon's medical experience. Youngbin and his leadership skills earned him a spot as one of the King's advisors, and once Chanhee was crowned, he would become Chanhee's advisor.

And then there was Dawon. He had duties as a lord, but at the same time, he needed to be around Chanhee to protect him. In a hasty decision, he named a successor, then immediately stepped down from his position, relieving him of his lord duties. He needed to be there for Chanhee, and to do that, he needed to abandon what kept him from Chanhee. 

Chanhee however, wasn't comfortable with Dawon giving up everything just for him. So, he went to his parents, proposing that they make Dawon a man of the royal court. And to his surprise, they agreed. As with every naming of a court member, a small ceremony was to be held to officially commemorate the moment. 

Chanhee groomed his wings as Dawon fixed his hair in the mirror, carefully avoiding his ears with the comb. Dawon had to make a royal public appearance after a while, and he wanted to make sure everything would go over well. 

Chanhee got up from the bed, walking over to where Dawon was sitting and leaning onto him, wrapping his arms around his mate's neck.

"Are you alright, hyung?" 

"Yeah, I'm just nervous. The last time I was in a royal ceremony, we got mated. And while this is a different thing entirely, I'm still nervous."

Chanhee kissed him on the cheek, swinging himself around to sit on Dawon's lap. "Don't be. The people love you."

"And you love me too?" 

Chanhee giggled, rubbing his nose against Dawon's. "Of course I do."

"Chanhee, angel, I actually have something to give you. Consider it a late mating present."

"But you already gave me a mating present." Chanhee said in confusion, as Dawon grabbed a small wooden box out of a drawer. 

"I gave you one, yes, but I wanted to give you something that you gave me." Dawon opened the box in front of Chanhee, revealing a bronze necklace with a small metal horseshoe pendant hanging from it. "Ever since you gave me your feather, I wanted to give you something equivalent. So, will you accept this as a mating gift?"

Chanhee gently picked up the necklace, fastening it around his neck. The metal felt heavy, but comforting. "It's beautiful. Thank you so much, hyung." Chanhee fell into Dawon's arms, sharing a kiss with him. "I love it so much." 

"As much as you love me?" Dawon smirked, making Chanhee laugh into his chest. 

"I love you so much more." 

"Just as I love you."