I think I traumatized everyone last chapter. I promise no more "he's alpha" or Omegaverse/ABO jokes from Jeongin 😭😭

Y'all the Yellow Woods is crazzzyyy...

They passed the mouths of the fjords a day or so after the snowstorm caught them off guard. A wide river lrge enough to fit the galleon and fifty Minho's on either side of the ship, bordered by deadened forests dried up underneath the layers of impacted snow hanging from the branches of the effervescent pine trees somehow managing to stand tall despite the gusts daring to knock them over. Far from where he could croon his neck to see, mountains that shrunk them. Towering above their heads like immoveable titans slumbering in piles, covered up by the rocks and hidden by the low hanging cloud covers hiding how tall those peaks truly stood. A constant snowfall had greated them the farther they went upstream, and Jisung had been delighted to do the job of clearing the snow from the decks in the morning and evenings. Rocky mountains, pine forests, and snow. That was their scenery.

The remaining week or so of their trip into the secluded sovereign nation spent forging their way slowly up the downstream rivers attempting to push them back out to sea. Struggling through bends, Chan had spent the majority of his time carefully commanding them to avoid the jagged rocks and Changbin had been sent out ahead to break the ice sheets that settled over certain parts in the river; Jeongin had been grappling somewhere between warming his hands in heated water to avoid frostbite and hauling uselessly on the ropes with Feix to control the sails from being ripped off; Seungmin had climbed up the ratlines to try to close the topsails and had almost, for the first time since he started sailing, fallen off, if it wasn't for Chan's magic buffering his descent at the last minute (Jeongin nearly had a fucking heart attack).

They reached the end of the river on the evening of the fifth day traversing the deep waters of the fjords. A small fishing waited for them in the crescent bay, a village built upon the wooden planks of the swallowed pines now buried beneath layers upon layers of endless snow that capped the roofs of their houses. The galleon was too large to dock in harbor, so they were forced to drop anchor a length away for fishing vessels to safely return, before they had to find their own way to shore. The dinghy for the other crew members, Changbin decided to extend a sheet of ice over the water him and Seungmin walked on, Hyunjin grabbed Jeongin and soared over with him. He did NOT drop him, thank the gods. Though the fishermen certainly didn't think too kindly of the dragonkin at first, but their attitude quickly changed when they realized he wasn't a pureblood dragon there to take their catches.

By the time Chan explained to the villagers why a group of sailors with a massive galleon parked in their waters, why they were at the Yellow Woods, what they were trying to do, where they were trying to go, how they're meant to get there (Walking, apparently. Horses were not an option here this time), a snowstorm had settled over the village. Agreeing that walking in the blizzard, in the dark, without much preparation, probably wasn't the best option, the villagers allowed them to stay for a night. Lodging them wherever an extra bed was available. Meaning they had been scattered randomly, wildly, and he ended up sleeping in the same room as Hyunjin and Minho. The poor guy squished up, shivering against the dragonkin who did his upmost through the night to keep him warm.

If there was anyone Jeongin felt really bad for right now, it definitely wasn't Hyunjin or Changbin and their little bickering matches. It was 100% Minho. The dude was doing his best to keep up with everyone pitching in to keep hypothermia from settling in, but being cold blooded was not working in his favor. Chan, Changbin, and Hyunjin had been overworking themselves and their magic to keep him safe, but the temperature's during the night still plummeted and the charms usually weren't enough by themselves.

When the following morning crested over the mountain peaks to dimmy illuminate the sky once more concealed by the greyed mist of the cloud cover and the storm had eased up ever so slightly, Minho was dead.

Just kidding.

But they seriously thought he was.

Jeongin and Hyunjin panicked hard because they found him laid there, hardly responsive to them trying to wake him back up. Turns out, and Jisung was the one to explain it to them because they were too frazzled about the fact they somehow accidentally killed his husband in his sleep, snakes have a similar process to mammals do when they hibernate!

When snakes do it, it's called brumation, and entering a state of brumation can allow snakes to survive in freezing temperatures for much longer. Apparently nagas have the same survival skill they shut down into even while in their human shift. They fall asleep, slow down their metabolism, reduce their food intake, and shelter underground. Jisung told them, the freezing temperatures for a prolonged time then laying against Hyunjin in the humid, dim house must've tricked the naga's survival instinct into believing he was sheltering and he probably accidentally slipped into brumation despite consciously trying to stay out of it while he was on the galleon. Jisung said he'd be more comfortable sleeping and would wake up when he was warmed again, laughed about it, called Minho 'the cuttest little thing', gave his forehead a kiss, and deemed him okay to keep going.

They finally pressed off to head for the inner mountains. Heading away from the fishing village, deeper into the pine forests along trails barely marked out underneath the snow.

"It's so cold..." Jeongin shivered, wrapping his arms tightly around his own body as he pulled the cloak close to keep the cold away from him. He stayed toward the back of the group as they trudged through the snow, ahead of him, Chan at the front with Felix, Minho was carried on Changbin's back while the warlock worked the keep him heated, Hyunjin stayed nearby them though they kept sending one another glares from over the Naga's sleepy head, Jisung was behind them to keep his eye on Minho, while Seungmin hung out with Jeongin at the tail. His thighs already burning up from exerting an unnecessary amount of energy to walk through the winter hellscape and his carrack's sword kept digging into his hip as he lifted his steps to stomp down, "Why the fuck is this called the Yellow Wood. This should be called the White Woods. The Cocaine Woods. Who the fuck comes up with these naming schemes."

"It's because of the sunlight. When the sunlight in the afternoon hits the snow, the reflection causes the trees to look golden. Yellow," Seungmin explained to him, keeping their voices quiet enough to not disturb the others. The concentration the fae kept on his furrowed eyebrows and narrowed eyes as he navigated the near invisible trails leading them farther into the deep mountains, the silent battle that Changbin and Hyunjin were waging in the midst of keeping the naga from freezing but not warm enough to wake up him from how cozy and peaceful he finally was. Jisung making sure to brush off as much of the snow that fell onto his husbands shoulders and head as possible, giggling underneath his breath about how cute 'his little naga' was.

"SUNLIGHT?! WHAT SUNLIGHT!? IT'S SNOWING!!" Jeongin quietly hissed the words back to him, whisper-shouting to Seungmin his frustration as he could only bundle his hands tighter around his body. Looping his arms over his chest as he shivered softly underneath his layers, grumbling, "My nipples are going to freeze off."

"Your nipples won't freeze off. And if they do, then warm them up," The First Mate allowed a gentle chuckle to slip between his lips.

"Oh? Want to warm my nipples for me?"

"How do you want me to warm your nipples...?"

Jeongin glanced him up and down. Sneaking a peak in front of him to check the others weren't paying attention to what they were doing, before he leaned into Seungmin to utter with a smirk he couldn't hide, "I can think of a few ways."

A silence stretched between them as a frown dusted the other's lips, gaze focusing elsewhere as he seemed to be thinking.

Before his eyes went wide. Realization of what he was trying to say snapping into place. Even with his lower face covered up with wool scarves and the fuzzy hood drawn over his hair, Jeongin could see the faint blush that lit his entire face up with an impressive color. Flushing him deeply as Seungmin could only weakly scoff a lack of a response, the leather hide on his gloved hand hand bundling up as he gently shoved  Jeongin away from him. Though he couldn't hide his own mischievous giggles, no doubt sounding like an imp or a troll from the victory of teasing Seungmin into a blushing mess so easily. He was always easy to tease like this, he always blushed so quickly when it came to sexual jokes and his bashful nature had always endeared Jeongin to no end.

Before he could escape too far, Jeongin grabbed the hand that pushed him away, bundling it up tightly into his own as he tried to interlock their padded fingers. The layers of gloves keeping their fingers warm causing the hand to feel awkward and disjointed, but he really didn't give a flying fuck as he just fell back into trudging steps with his lover, "Well, hey, where are we going anyway? To see another king or queen?"

"Not really. So, the Yellow Woods is a sovereign nation, ruled by an oligarchy. The Yellow Woods is led by groups of mages. Colleges of Magic that study their own specific types and origins, those are run by head mages, called Headmasters. Delegates of the schools who make decisions for the nation are called the Deacons, and they often meet once every season at the central College," The First Mate squeezed their hands together a little tighter, using the connection to pull Jeongin around a bare spot on what is apparently a cobbled trail beneath the snow. But the bare spot had been frozen over with ice, and Seungmin dragged him to avoid slipping, "We're headed to a College that Chan is familiar with, one knowledgeable in the realm of celestial magic and godly influences. They will be our best try at finding information."

Nodding along to his explanation, Jeongin clutched onto Seungmin's arm. So it's kinda like, those mages who did the stuff in Skyrim. Magic in this world was still confusing to him, admittedly. He figures it was one of those things you pick up on as time goes by, but he really didn't understand how or why it worked. Maybe being here in the Yellow Woods would be a better chance to learn more about the magic of this world? Taking care to avoid the jagged bare spots in the snow and the ice patches that coated the rocks below,  Jeongin asked the question that's been burning his mind open, "Okay, so, what's a mage? What's the difference between a mage and a warlock? Or a mage and a cleric? A Cleric was who the Queen of Levanter fell in love with, right?"

"If Changbin is considered a warlock because he can only manipulate existing magic instead of creating his own; Mages have claims to their magic, from their blood or the summoning of magic through patrons like dragons or the fae. Deals are made with patrons, for a portion of your lifespan or your soul, they allow their magic to transfer through you. While clerics recieve magic from the gods they worship.  Same as a patron, but religious. Warlocks bribe magic to be stored inside of them and work for them. Mages have legitimate magic they summon. Clerics convince Gods to give them magic."

"Can anyone have magic?" He wondered.

Seungmin snapped his head toward Jeongin. Seeming to stop for only a moment, before he hummed in thought, "Well... It's... It's complicated. It's usually based on ancestry... And patrons, you have to have existing ancestry of magic to 'control' or 'channel' their magic. Same as clerics. Otherwise that amount of magic forced into you at once can kill you..."

"But Changbin is human."

"Correct. He's pureblood human. There's not even traces of magic in his ancestry."

"Humans have magic."

"No."

"So...?"

"Changbin is a warlock. He doesn't have magic. He uses magic. Magic is stored in him, and the runes on his arms control it's flow and intake."

"So how did he becoー"

Seungmin slammed to a stop and slapped his hand over Jeongin's mouth. Stopping him from asking his question. Before he could even begin to wonder why, Seungmin removed his hand to whisper, "Never ask a warlock how they earned the right to their runes. Runes are gifts from gods or arcane spirits, like leviathans and titans, after moments of great sacrifice or suffering. Changbin has paid a price, and he is undoubtedly deserving of his power."

Jeongin cut the words off inside of his throat with the explanation, forcing his eyes off of Seungmin to see the others. Where they continued to trail on ahead of the couple, oblivious to the conversation happening far behind them. Where Changbin continued to trail on, his head hanging low as he readjusted his grip on the sleepy Minho, bouncing the naga up on his back to keep him from slipping into the snow before continuing on. A quiet conversation between him and Jisung that didn't grace their ears where they stood far away, but allowed them to see the selkies hand that came to stroke circles along Minho's back as they kept up with the fae ahead of them. He kept his gaze trained after the warlock's head. Jogging with Minho secured on his back as he resumed to catch up.

I wonder if that's the bitterness I've felt from him.

They continued on the pathways, having to release their hands from being tangled and running after the crew mates to not be left alone in the gentle snow. Above them the canopy of pine trees disappearing through the mist of falling snowflakes as they ascended higher up the mountain, edging along narrow trails pressed closed to the sides of frozen over river and ponds, rocky plateaus above them they at points walked atop to be unsheltered from the blistering weather of the howling valleys they were wedged inside. Against his hands, the frigid frost coating the rocks he balanced against bit through the layers of his gloves brushing along. Hold on as the pathway turned to inclines, and inclines turned to cobblestone stairwells along the sides of crevasses. Their way only marked with stone brazier that burned their pits of cole with azure flames never extinguished.

Though he kept his eyes down on the snow ahead of him, too absorbed in his own thoughts to mind much about their surroundings outside of when Seungmin told him to watch his head from a rock outcropping that hung above them or to not step on a sheet of ice. The air was freezing. Harsh, unforgiving, it slashed against what little skin was uncovered and snuck deeply within his chest with twinged of an sour blade he couldn't shake off. Could it have been that? Was that why Changbin despised Hyunjin so much? Was that why the warlock's heart felt as impenetrable as the ice coated over the frozen lakes far below them as they climbed the mountainside? Because of... Magic? Was it because Hyunjin was a mimic of a vain, arrogant person when he was as fragile as the snowflakes that broke against his cloak?

Or was it because Hyunjin was arrogant of his magic? Because in the few interactions Jeongin had seen them in normally, Huunjin seemed to treat magic as... As a joke? He seemed to treat magic lightly, was Changbin frustrated with him because of that? Or was he thinking too much into it? Maybe they just didn't get along because Changbin thought Hyunjin was vain and an abomination while Hyunjin thought Changbin was mean to him. Maybe that's all there was to it and eventually they would iron out their differences. Though it didn't seem like either of them were willing to try, continuously glaring and scowling and slipping biting comments to one another to the point Chan had to put a golden barrier between them so they couldn't keep at it.

Jeongin was so buried into his own thoughts, he hardly noticed when Seungmin tapped his chest to bring his attention out of cloud nine to the solid ground. And upon gazing up, realizing why. Suspended halfway off the mountain's side, a cobblestone castle as large as the palace in Miroh was built up amongst the rocky faces; Spired towers that reached beyond as if their tips tried to reach for the tallest pebble on the mountain's peak continued above, built walls fortified with arches decorating the perimeter of the castle's domain, the walkway they stepped onto guarded by stags atop steady pillars and bordered with the same archways, complete with a courtyard the walkway lead them into with a fountain who's water had long frozen over and collected the flakes of snow in it's trenches.

If he didn't feel like a princess before, he certainly felt like a princess now. This place was literally the definition of a Disney castle. Huge, massive courtyard in the middle, big building, spires, lots of stairwells outside leading all over the castle to different sections like according to Chan there was a rose garden (Huh??? How????) to the western side of the College if they went down the stairwell past the fountain, on the other side lead to the dormatories for the mages up the stairwell that disappeared into one of the arched walls, and if they kept going forward, it would take them to the main halls past the large wooden doors.

Which was exactly where they were headed. Chan stepped forward first, pressing his hands into the large doors as they groaned. Protesting to give way to his plea to open before they finally budged far enough for the eight of them to slip inside. As soon as he did, Jeongin was slapped in the face with heat. Just, scalding heat. Though the cold was still nipping at his back until Jisung closed the doors behind them, his skin hurt. His nose immediately started dumping snot as he was overwhelmed with warmth. Oh my gods it was miserable. He wanted to strip from the layers he was in immediately, and was only able to pull his hood down and lower the scarf from his face to relieve his misery. Only for the rush of blood to burn his cheeks too aaHHHHHH WHAT THE FUCK ?????

*Note: There is nothing wrong with him. This is the normal human body reaction to going from ultra cold to pleasantly warmed up room.

The hall was massive too. Vaguely reminding him of the thrown room from the palace of the king in Miroh, but different all the same. A large yellow rug that striped down the middle, desks on either side that were left empty though some were filled with half written scrolls and stacked books, stained glass windows that framed either side of the hall between large stone pillars. Peaked in the center of the roof above them, instead of throwns in the center was simply an alter with a stained glass window making up what should've been a wall; Through the faint light and the falling snow outside, the glass panels were lit up to a depiction of a woman in a red gown, wrapped up in the arms of a man who's head was haloed by the picture of a sun, her gentle hands that cupped his cheeks, and his eyes that settled close.

Something inside of his heart pinched in familiarity as he looked over the woman. Long black hair that moved fluidity as if she was alive and the strands were caught in the snowstorm, as if he could feel the touch of her hands against his own cheeks, as if he could see her smile or hear her faint laughter in the breeze knocking against the hall. But he couldn't quite place why. Kinda weird. Anyway.

At the foot of the mural, two men were talking quietly between one another. They both wore attire of robes, similar to the ones that Chan typically dressed himself within but less dramatic and with some color compared to the fae's usually all-whire and gold getup. With more patterning too on both of their outer robes, dashed with simple earthen colors, saffrons, and ambers, decorated with embroidery of constellations that matched the backgrounds of the window panes. Though both of their faces were shrouded from the lighting as the tinted rays from the glass panels dashed hues across both of their silhouettes.

But upon seeing them standing there, the fae's expression suddenly lit up as he called out to one of them, "Hongjoong!"

Jeongin's eyes went wide.

No way.

As one of the men standing there turned around to them the rich navy of his hair strands glittering with the lights of the lanterns around them, Jeongin was about to combust. It was Hongjoong. HONGJOONG. ITS KIM HONGJOONG! The man himself!!! The leader from the popular K-pop group ATEEZ, born November 7th, 1998, South Korean rapper, singer, producer, dancer, songwriter, from KQ Entertainment, it's him!!! Jeongin listened to all their music constannnnttllllyyyyyyyyyy, he bought almost all of their albums when he started stanning them, he had a whole bunch of photocards he even had one in a case on his backpack, he had a ton of posters in his old room, he wanted to see their concert with their new comeback when it came to Seoul, he was a huge Yunho fan!!!! It was really Hongjoong!! It was him that looked at Chan!

And proceed to shout at him as he stormed towards the fae, "YOU BASTARD!"

But that's not the point!!! Because when he glanced to the other man, it's fucKING SEONGHWA. PARK SEONGHWA IS STANDING IN FRONT OF HIM OH MY GODS. Fully on black hair, decorated with the same strange sparkles that Hongjong has in his own strands, he stood quietly where they were talking with his hands laced over his chest and a firm look to his eyes. But it's Seonghwa!!! Holy shit, how can it be Seonghwa??? The Seonghwa, the Park Seonghwa, zodiac sign aries, birthday April 3, 1998, 178 cm, ENFJ-T, likes cooking and cleaning, Jeongin is about to have a mental breakdown and start fanboying right here and right now.

They got ATEEZ in the world too?!?

"Well, I've gotten worse greetings," Chan simply kept a wide smile as THE KIM HOONGJOONG marched up to him.

"It's so wonderful to see you again, Chan!" Hongjoong returned the fae's cheerful expression with his own toothy grin, charging up to their Captain fearlessly as they greeted one another with a strong embrace. Imagine that. Being hugged by the Kim Hongjoong. If only that was Jeongin, he'd be high off the happiness he'd feel, he'd never be depressed again. Maybe later he can try convincing Hongjoong to hug him too. Just once. He knows they're not actually the same but... Just once... Please... Let it be him. Their little moment of friendship continuing as Hingjoong pressed the fae away from him, his hands stuck on his shoulders as he started pouring to him with a fevered cheer, "What brings you back? It can't only be for visiting, you haven't come to see us since the decisionー If any of the other Deacons find out that you've returned to the Yellow Woodー"

Chan shook his head, his smile still kept up as he simply patted HOONGJOONG'S HAND still clutched tightly to his shoulder, "I'm only here temporarily, only out to be nosy. I heard from the Queen of Levanter there's a disturbance in the oceans and I want to find out what you know of it."

"Believe me when I say it is more than a pleasure to see you again. I'd be more than happy to help you find what you're looking for, but we're in a bad position," Hongjoong's lips finally slipped off of their elated joy. Finally sinking down as his hands released back to his sides and he briefly glanced over to the crewmates waiting scattered behind Chan, his attention turning back to the fae with a sigh, "There was supposed to be a wedding in two weeks. The daughter of a Duke from the Clé Empire and one of our Deacons were supposed to marry, as a sign of good faith. But two nights ago, our Deacon ran off. The bride was supposed to be arriving within the next four days in preparation for the wedding, she's supposed to be meeting him soon."

"Why don't we help?"

"Unless you can track down a missing mage, or... somehow..."

Chan glanced at Jeongin.

He looked back to Hongjoong with a light smile, "May I propose a temporary replacement?"

Jeongin looked between them, stiffening as he caught up to the conversation.

Huh.

"Say, my crew will help find your missing Deacon, and until we are able to find where the groom has ran off to why not have this one as a stand-in instead!" The fae bounded toward him. Harshly clutching onto Jeongin's arm as he ripped him away from his pleasant position beside Seungmin and the others, suddenly tugging him foreware before pushing him toward the puzzled Hongjoong. Presenting him in front of the mage as if he was the next candidate on The Bachelor, extravagant hand waves and dramatic presentation complete, "He's fairly young and ripe for marriage, full of vitality and vigor, a hot suitor, an exciting and intriguing personality, and! He's very fond of magic!"

Panicking, Jeongin nodded and stammered a weak, "Uh, yah, I, really... uh, like, spells and stuff. Studying ancient magic..."

Hongjoong's eyes bored through him.

The silence that stretched in the still air as stiff as the ice sheets that formed on the rivers outside.

"Necromancy..."

No one believed him.

Obviously not.

He awkwardly pumped his fist, "Whoooo....!!"

The mage simply glanced over to Chan, "He doesn't know what he's talking about, does he?"

"Not particularly, but it's the best solution I can offer right now. The rest of us can go find your missing groom, and he can act as a substitute for her until then," Chan offered him up like he was pawning away a bracelet or in this case like he was selling Jeongin off to be sold on a marriage market. The fae's hand suddenly clapped against his back, "Oh, the only problem with this hot young suitors is, he might have to have his handlers with him. He might have a tendency for nasty spells of anger, and his handlers are the only ones who can keep him from bashing heads into walls in the case it happens."

Chan elbowed Jeongin.

He stared at the fae for a second, What was that for?

Chan gave him a serious side eye.

He startled, finally clueing in as he pretended to rage,, "O-Oh, yeah! He's right!! My temper is so BAD! I am so MAD AT EVERYTHING!! I HATE THE WORLD!!!!"

Behind him, he could hear an exasperated sigh he recognized to belong to Seungmin. Not to mention the choked giggles from Jisung and Hyunjin trying to suppress their laughter.

"Fine. Seonghwa, please show them to their rooms," Hongjoong addressed Seonghwa with that simple command.

Before he turned back to point at Jeongin.

"And prepare that one for a wedding."

Wait.

What did I just agree to???

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