A/n: The Park Sunghoon in this fic is not referring to the member of ENHYPEN but you're free to imagine him if you want to!

As October slid into November, the temperature took a dip and chilly winds kissed the cheeks of all those who stepped outside.

The extravagant gardens of The Royal Academy had now been painted in yellows, oranges and reds instead of the usual lush green. The cobblestone pathways that wound magical patterns of crossroads were sprinkled with the fallen leaves too. In the early morning of a Sunday, the dew on the leaves was all too visible and Beomgyu smiled as he quietly watched the way a squirrel scampered out of a hole in a tree and ran up another branch.

Beside him, Taehyun just sighed quietly, watching his breath light up the air in a fading white that was gone before he could even fully appreciate it. The younger prince wrapped his arms around himself and shivered, hands tightening around the coat he had worn. Beomgyu looked at him in concern.

"Are you cold?" He asked, voice barely above a whisper in an attempt to not break the tranquility of the early morning. They were just strolling in the empty gardens that stood in front of their dorms, a choice made after Beomgyu was woken up by Taehyun's alarm for the nth time except he couldn't fall asleep again so he suggested for them to take a walk and talk.

"I'm okay," Taehyun's smile was small but not any less real. "I'm usually running at this time so the sweating and the body heat from the exercise chases away the chill but since we're just taking a scroll today, I didn't realise just how cold it is getting."

"Early mornings are just so cold," Beomgyu nodded, eyes crinkling as he smiled at the scenery around them. "Makes you feel like never leaving the blankets but oh, it's so worth it to come out and see a view like this."

"Yeah," Taehyun smiled, just watching Beomgyu whilst the older prince bent down and helped a squirrel that was stuck in the tangles of the stems of a plant. Once it was freed, Beomgyu straightened up again and cleared his throat. His face fell into a little more serious expression and it wiped the smile from Taehyun's face too. "You said there was something important you wanted to talk about?"

"Yes," Beomgyu admitted, fingers nervously digging purchase in the flaps of his own coat. "You might not know this but Beomsu-hyung and I keep in contact with letters. With text messages being easily readable, I'm sure you know that sending letters by trusted messengers is much safer."

"I see," Taehyun nodded. "I sometimes message my sister too but since it's always something trivial, text messages work fine for us. It's not like any kingdom is going to be interested in my dance classes being more fun these days or my sister's new liking to nail art."

"I will graciously take credit for the dance classes," Beomgyu teased, a bit smug. Taehyun rolled his eyes, his smile giving away that it was indeed thanks to Beomgyu. The latter's smile dropped a little again, as he glanced away shyly this time. "As I was saying, in my last letter, I asked him about the condition back home since we will be going home for vacation soon."

Oh. Taehyun tensed at the mention of the two week break they got for the last two weeks of November. They hadn't talked about it, seamlessly avoiding the topic whenever it was brought up by someone else (re: Kai) and in a way, it was because Taehyun knew he was going to miss Beomgyu. He had gotten used to living with the sunshine that was the younger Choi but fell short on expressing his feelings to the said boy. How does one tell their fiancé that they would miss them? Taehyun was not equipped for such confessions.

Unbeknownst to him, neither was Beomgyu, which was why he usually maintained silence and avoidance on the topic, similar to Taehyun. And yet, he now had brought up the topic himself because what he had to say was more important than any feeling of longing.

"And his reply came yesterday evening," Beomgyu continued. He gently pulled out the letter from the inside of his coat and handed it to Taehyun for the younger to skim over. It was a show of utmost faith, to grant the other access to a private letter between the brothers and Taehyun knew it. He felt touched but there was no time to express it when there were more pressing matters at hand such as the content of the letter given to him. "Since it is about the Ice Kingdom, I think you deserve to hear this too. The villagers from Ice continue to attack and steal from the villages on our borders but there's apparently a certain desperation to their actions.

"Some have infiltrated our Kingdom of Air and attempted to stay here but they were obviously handed over to our soldiers who then attempted to make them talk. They refused to speak at first but then spoke up when bribed with some food. Apparently the Ice Kingdom is in a famine?"

Beomgyu's caution was overrun by his confusion at the last statement. Taehyun frowned at the words written by Beomsu that repeated the same story.

"But, that doesn't make sense," Taehyun mused out loud, voice still low. "If they are facing a famine… Shouldn't the king have sent out requests to their allied nations and tried to secure resources? There have been no attempts for such, as far as I have heard."

"Exactly," Beomgyu frowned too. He took the letter back and tucked it inside his coat again. The two of them silently thought over this for a while. The wind blew, a low howl resounding in the quiet garden before Beomgyu spoke again. "What do you think?"

"Practically speaking, there doesn't seem to be any lies in what the people of Ice have said," Taehyun admitted, resting his chin on his hand as he thought. "They have no reason to lie. Unless, of course, this is some elaborate plan by the Ice Kingdom and they are actually spies sent to feed false information and gather intel on us."

"It seems a little far-fetched but not implausible," Beomgyu grimaced. "However, I'm sure my family back home must have made sure they are not spies before relaying such information to me. Which means if we go by the first idea, then the Ice Kingdom is in a natural disaster and is, for some reason, not asking for help."

"Then again, what do we know about the Ice?" Taehyun slowed down a little. Beomgyu matched the pace until they both came to stop beneath a tree, eyes raking over the empty garden. "Their allies…"

"I can't recall any in particular," Beomgyu admitted. "History wasn't my strongest subject. But I did pay attention in family trees and lineage… If I remember correctly, the king of Ice married a noble woman from their own kingdom. I could be wrong, it's been years since I last saw the list of most recent lineage updates…"

"I suppose," Taehyun bit his lower lip, hesitant to speak. Seeing that, Beomgyu slipped his hand into Taehyun's and squeezed it to encourage him to speak his mind. "If I listen to my brain, I feel like whatever is going on in the Ice Kingdom is beyond us. Like, this is not our business even if our kingdoms are suffering the brunt of unexpected refugees. Somehow, it seems to be something more… sinister within themselves. Logically, I know that if we try to pry into their business, we are not going to come out unscathed."

"And what does your heart say?" Beomgyu's question was simple but it was exactly the question the brown haired prince didn't want to hear. He looked away, squeezing Beomgyu's hand to draw strength.

"My heart…" he paused and dropped Beomgyu's hand. "It says that we should do something. Even if it's something scary, something we shouldn't be poking our noses into, I feel like we need to intervene or else whatever is going on will result in far worse results than what would happen if we intervene. But, you should always listen to your brain over your heart. Emotions should not override logic, for as powerful as they are, they can also ruin you."

"I wouldn't say always," Beomgyu hummed, a small smile drawn on his face. Taehyun just stared at him, feeling a little vulnerable but also hopeful. For something. A sign, perhaps. "It's true, perhaps blindly following your emotions does more harm than good, but that's why, you should follow your instinct."

"My… instinct?" Taehyun questioned, feeling doubtful. "How do I know what it is?"

"Just think about the situation and what seems like the best option to you," Beomgyu said simply. "It doesn't have to be what's right or what's easy or what's expected of you. It just has to be what you feel would be the most beneficial. What you think is right. For us of Air kingdom, instinct is stronger than logic. There are things that your brain can handle. But sometimes, there are things your brain doesn't know but your heart does. Something that the universe does, something that magic does. Your instinct is but a tug of the universe to the right answer for you, it's your destiny calling you. So, what does your instinct say, Kang Taehyun?"

The silence of the garden was pierced by the sweet melodies of rising birds. Somewhere farther behind them, the two princes could hear the sound of water being sprayed by the gardener but the two simply continue to stare at each other in a silent battle.

"It says to follow you," Taehyun's answer was hesitantly spoken but his face spoke of a conviction that surprised the black haired prince. Taehyun's instinct was to follow Beomgyu…?

"Well, then I say to follow your heart this time," Beomgyu smiled, pushing aside the way his heart was hammering at that simple line. "We have to get to the bottom of this. We are no longer little kids who have to wait for their parents to protect them; it's our turn to do something for our kingdoms."

"Yeah, you are right, hyung," Taehyun nodded, letting his resolve strengthen at Beomgyu's words. "It's time that we protect them."

✿

Over the next few days, the two princes struggled to find time to look up helpful information as they got buried under the schoolwork before vacations. Whatever free time they got, they spent it in the library, sometimes accompanied by Kai, who also wanted to help them.

It was on a Thursday evening that Beomgyu let out a shout of triumph that caused everyone around him to glare at him.

"Sorry!" He whispered with a sheepish grin before making his way over to where Taehyun was lying on the table, face hidden by the book in his hands. "Taehyun?"

There was no response. Beomgyu gently prodded the book and it fell backwards, revealing a sleeping Taehyun. There was a little bit of drool escaping the corner of his squished mouth and it was so uncharacteristic of the usually composed and cool prince that Beomgyu had to bite back an endeared laugh. He brushed his fingers against the brown haired boy's cheeks and whispered his name again.

"Mm?" Taehyun shifted on the spot, hand automatically coming up to wipe the drool even before he had fully woken up. Beomgyu giggled lightly at the action, effectively waking up Taehyun immediately, who stared around blearily in confusion. "Huh? We're at– the library? Wait, I fell asleep here?"

"It's okay, you were probably tired, weren't you?" Beomgyu said softly as he took the seat opposite him. He placed the book on the table and flipped it to find the right page as he spoke. "We have been spending all our free time here, looking for something that can help. Well, I found this book just now. It's a book of family trees and lineages of all the kingdoms and gets updated every time new heirs are born."

"Oh," Taehyun rubbed his eyes to draw the sleep away but fell back on the table when he realised he was just as exhausted. "Sorry I fell asleep instead of helping."

"I told you, it's okay," Beomgyu insisted, not looking up from the book. "Look! I found the page on the Ice Kingdom. I was right, the current King did get married to a noble woman from their kingdom. And his parents… apparently his mother was royalty and his father was a commoner. So there are no alliances made by marriage in the past half a century at least. The current King has three children noted here, and looking at their ages… I think two of them should be here at the Royal Academy with us."

"Do you think we should approach them?" Taehyun frowned, resting his head upon his hands as he stared at the back cover of the book.

"It's the fastest and easiest way to find out what is going on," Beomgyu murmured, shutting the book close. "So there is Sunghoon, who should be in our year. That's weird, I don't really remember seeing him much?"

"Sunghoon?" Taehyun's nose crinkled as he remembered the boy. "I remember him. We had done something together back when we were in 4th year. He's not a very social person, usually keeps to himself."

"I see," Beomgyu thought it over. "And then there's his younger sister, Seongyeon? She should be in the second year now."

"I don't know her at all," Taehyun admits, straightening up. "Our best bet is probably Sunghoon, since I have talked with him once in my life. He probably won't remember me but it's better than trying to get the information out of a 12 year old girl."

"You're right," Kai's voice came from behind Beomgyu and the older prince turned around to look at him. Taehyun just raised a hand in acknowledgement that Kai nodded at. "I found out from one of our classmates today that apparently Seongyeon hasn't come to the Academy this year. She did attend it last year but there has been no news of why she hasn't come this year."

"She's missing?" Taehyun's eyebrows furrowed at that. Kai shrugged.

"I don't really get what's going on," Beomgyu sighed, dropping his head onto the hardcover. "There's a famine, but the kingdom isn't saying anything. The people are stealing from other kingdoms and there's rising tensions in other kingdoms because of it. Their youngest child isn't coming to school and–"

"Hey, isn't that Sunghoon?" Kai suddenly said, pointing to a guy who was sliding a book into one of the shelves behind Taehyun. At that, the two princes turned around just in time to make eye contact with the said boy.

"It is," Taehyun breathed out, getting out of his chair. "Hey, Sunghoon-ssi–"

But before he could say anything, the boy dashed out of the library, leaving the other three bewildered. What had just happened?

"Why did he just–?" Beomgyu blinked in disbelief.

"It could have been a trick of the light but, I think he looked a little scared?" Taehyun mused, eyes thoughtfully looking over the door from where Sunghoon had escaped. "Why would he be scared of us?"

"The magic in the school would have thrown us out if we had any bad intentions," Kai frowned, fingers drumming against the table as he thought. "He knows that. There was no reason for him to run away from us."

"I don't really get what's going on," Beomgyu whined lowly. "I think we should all take a break for the night. I need to update Soobin-hyung about our research anyway. I haven't talked to him in days; I can't believe I'm saying this, but I miss the sound of his voice."

Taehyun tensed at that but didn't say anything. If anything, his eyes flickered everywhere but towards Beomgyu.

"We should go back," he said quietly, starting to pack his bag. "So that you can talk peacefully in our room."

"Thanks Taehyun," Beomgyu said brightly, packing his own things up. "I hope I won't be disturbing you?"

"I did have some studying I wanted to get done but I need a break anyway," Taehyun sighed. "Hyung, do you want me to keep that book back?"

"No, I'll do it," Beomgyu reassured him before making his way over to the shelves, leaving the two best friends behind waiting for him.

"When are you going to tell him?" Kai asked, inspecting his nails. Taehyun just sighed.

"Maybe never."

✿

"...and he just ran away!" Beomgyu explained over the phone to Soobin. Taehyun was in the room with him, pretending to be doing something on his phone while he was actually straining to listen to the conversation taking place between the two friends. "So I am just really confused and so overwhelmed these days. I cannot wait to be done with this school year already."

Hearing that, Taehyun's heart jumped to his throat. The ending of the school year was when they would be getting married; had Beomgyu forgotten that? Or was he looking forward to it more than he had let on?

"Sunghoon?" Soobin's voice sounded confused. "That's weird. I know he is shy but he is always nice. I know him quite well, we were close when I was in the Academy since we were roommates during my 5th year. I have even met visited the Ice Kingdom with him."

"Oh," Beomgyu's eyes widened at the revelation. He sat up straighter, excited. "Wait, then that means you could talk to him! You can ask him what's going on. Or, no. Don't do that. This is not your business and I don't want to involve you. It would be messy if we accidentally involved the Water kingdom in this mess. Can you then, perhaps, talk to Sunghoon and convince him to talk to us? Tell him that we just want to help."

"Alright, I can do that," Soobin reassured him. Beomgyu shot a thumbs-up to Taehyun, who had looked up at him at his words, dropping all pretense. "I will text you if I get the okay."

"Thank you so much, hyung," Beomgyu flushed, feeling relieved for the first time in a while. It felt good to have at least one of his problems fixed. He trusted Soobin to do the right thing.

"But, don't think I will just stay out of this," Soobin warned him. "It involves two of my friends. I'm going to do my best to help too. Though, I won't be doing it as the prince of the Water Kingdom but as a friend of you and Sunghoon."

"Well, I can't convince you otherwise, can I?" Beomgyu sighed, smiling fondly. "You are someone who loves to care for his friends. Of course you would try your best to make sure we don't suffer."

"Exactly," Soobin sniffed. Beomgyu couldn't see him but he knew that the other was smiling too. "And, Beomgyu?"

"Yes, hyung?"

"About Taehyun…" At that, Beomgyu's eyes flickered to the boy in question, who seemed to be intensely reading something on his phone. "I know you. I know that your feelings for him have changed. I don't want to push you into doing something you are not ready for, but I just want to remind you that you are fiancés. You are meant to love each other. All I'm saying is, you don't have to hide your feelings or think of them as wrong."

"No, I won't," Beomgyu reassured him, choosing his next words carefully. "I just want to wait until I know that it is… reciprocated."

"Alright," Soobin said quietly.

"And hyung?"

"Yeah?"

"I miss you," Beomgyu said softly. Taehyun froze at those words but quickly mentally chastised himself for getting so tense at words that were just between two friends. There was no point in reading too much into everything and getting jealous.

He didn't hear what Soobin said in response but Beomgyu ended the call with a bye and hung up. The brown haired boy sighed, turning his phone off. He placed it on the bedside table then turned to face Beomgyu.

"Isn't this risky to discuss over the phone?" Taehyun asked curiously, remembering the conversation they had had in the garden a few days ago.

"I sent the major details by letter to Soobin already," Beomgyu explained as he started making his bed. "So what we talked about on the phone today would probably be confusing without context."

"I see," Taehyun nodded thoughtfully.

The two of them only had to wait until Saturday. When Taehyun returned from his usual morning jog, he was welcomed by an excited Beomgyu showing him the text from Soobin that said that Sunghoon was ready to meet them that evening behind the library. The younger prince just gave him a thumbs-up, his other hand hiding the red carnation he had picked up on the way back.

The entire day, Taehyun carried it with him everywhere, wondering when would be the right time to give it. He was still staring at it while waiting for Sunghoon and Beomgyu behind the library.

"Is that a red carnation?" Beomgyu's voice jolted Taehyun out of his reverie. He panicked, not planning to show the flower at that moment but the damage was already done. Beomgyu smiled sweetly at him. "They stand for deep love and admiration, don't they? Oh, and also as a way of saying 'I miss you'! Did I get that right?"

"Kind of," Taehyun laughed, chest feeling warm at the way Beomgyu had studied his language to understand him better. He really made it hard not to love him. "Pale red means deep admiration and longing and dark red means deep love and affection. You mixed them up."

"Well, which red is this then?" Beomgyu bent down to squint at the flower in Taehyun's hand. Taehyun's fingers tightened around the stem.

"The pale one," he blurted out, the lie slipping before he could control himself. Beomgyu's mouth formed into an 'o' and he nodded.

"Did someone give it to you…?" Taehyun didn't notice the shakiness in Beomgyu's question. He just shook his head.

"I just… was reminded of someone when I saw it," he said, smiling tightly. Beomgyu looked curious but didn't pry anymore, getting distracted by Kai joining them. The three of them waited there together for Sunghoon.

The sun was about to set even if it was quite early as winter was approaching. The sky was soaked in an orange and golden glow and the clouds had all disappeared. A few minutes of comfortable silence rested between them until it was broken by the snapping of twigs that announced Sunghoon's arrival. The three smiled warmly at him when they noticed that he was nervous. It was important to express that they didn't mean any harm.

"Um, hi," Sunghoon just gave them a nervous and tentative smile, hand hovering awkwardly in the air like an in-between gesture of a handshake and a wave.

"Hey," Beomgyu smiled sweetly at him. The younger boy dropped his hand, fiddling with his fingers as he spoke.

"Soobin-hyung said that you wanted to talk to me?" He asked, as if that moment in the library had never happened.

"Yes, we wanted to ask you about some things," Beomgyu said carefully, not wanting to scare away the boy again. Sunghoon just nodded. "I'm sure you are aware that our kingdoms share a border. And I don't think you are unaware of the citizens of Ice crossing the border and stealing resources from our kingdoms."

"I- I do know," Sunghoon admitted, hands fisting against the edges of his shirt, eyes cast downward. "But I swear, none of this is purposely done. We are not doing this as a way of hostility, it's just…"

Seeing Sunghoon hesitate, Taehyun prompted him with a, "We are not accusing you. We genuinely want to help. You can tell us what's wrong so we can figure out a solution together."

"There is something going wrong in our Kingdom," Sunghoon said, voice wobbly. "It's unlike anything we have ever faced. And it's not just the subjects who are affected, it's also us. My younger sister, Seongyeon, has fallen sick and hasn't woken up in a few months. I'm… I'm not sure what is happening but to me, it seems like the magic of our land is going haywire."

"The magic is going haywire?" Taehyun's eyebrows furrowed at that. That was never a good sign. If the magic of a land acted out, it was only when something was very, very wrong with the people of that land.

"I don't know," Sunghoon bit his bottom lip. "My older brother, he doesn't believe in magic. But I really have no other explanation for the ice that is covering the entire Kingdom for months now."

"This is more serious than we thought," Taehyun frowned. "If the magic is going haywire, it's a really bad sign."

"I'm not sure if there is a cure to this," Sunghoon admitted.

"I've heard that when it is the magic that is haywire, the cure lies in fixing the root of the problem," Kai piped up for the first time. The other three looked at him in question. "Magic only goes haywire when there is something wrong happening on the land. It is nature's way of protecting itself from the actions done by humans. Which means that something must have occured in the Ice Kingdom that had started all this. We can only find out what it is by going there and finding out things from the people there. If even Sunghoon-ssi is unaware despite being the prince, it is likely that whatever it is, is a well kept secret. Finding it out at earliest will require the input of multiple heads."

"You're suggesting that you will all come to my Kingdom?" Sunghoon asked skeptically. Kai nodded. Beomgyu thought it over before nodding.

"It makes sense to me," he shrugged.

"It's a bit risky though," Taehyun frowned. "What if it's a trap?"

"Yeah, I'm not so gungho about bringing three strangers, that too, princes of other kingdoms to our kingdom just like that," Sunghoon said quietly.

"Taehyun," Beomgyu said, upset by his words. "How can you say that? Isn't it obvious that Sunghoon is speaking the truth?"

"How do you know that?" Taehyun countered. "I'm just looking out for us."

"I know it because that's what my instinct says," Beomgyu said firmly before turning to face Sunghoon again. "Sunghoon-ssi. If you're doubtful of our intentions, we can get Soobin-hyung to accompany us if it will help. He wants to help fix this situation too and I know you two are friends. If his presence will make you feel safer, we can bring him along."

Sunghoon hesitated at that, clearly appeased at the thought of having Soobin along with them.

"And I know I'm not really a part of all this," Kai interjected, "so I understand if you wish for me to not come. But I would like to check on your sister. I am, after all, the prince of the Sky Kingdom. We are known for our medicines and for having the best doctors in the world. I have been trained for years to heal and cure. I don't remember your Kingdom asking for one of our doctors but if your sister has been sick for months, I think it's crucial that we inspect the sickness and its solution."

There was silence for a few minutes while Sunghoon thought over the words carefully. Then he nodded.

"Okay. If Soobin-hyung comes along, I think it will be fine. And Kai-ssi? Thank you."

At this, the brown haired boy brightened.

"Of course, Sunghoon-ssi!"

°•❀•°