The weeks following the conversation between Sunghoon and the three princes were busy. As the days melded into November, the temperature dropped even more and the Royal Academy students could be seen bundled up in thicker, warmer coats and sweaters.

The two week vacation usually took place in the last two weeks of November. Beomgyu had already sent a letter back home detailing the conversation and plan they had had to his brother. The next letter that came back was full of protests but before Beomgyu could respond to it, he had received another letter, this time from his mother who had written that she had convinced his father and brother for the time being.

"...and the only condition I have is that you take care and don't hurt yourself," Beomgyu finished reading out the letter, smoothly ignoring the last para that was his mother asking him about Taehyun. The said boy nodded, looking up from where he was penning his own letter back home.

"Alright, then we have both got permission from our families," he murmured, letting his pen run over the paper again while he spoke. "Kai is talking with his family about the possible illnesses and cures too but the answer they all have reached is that nothing can be said or confirmed without actually looking at her."

"I see," Beomgyu frowned. "I certainly hope that whatever this is… won't end with anyone dead."

Even as he said those words, Beomgyu felt an off feeling in his gut. It made him shiver for a second but he brushed it off when Taehyun asked if he was feeling cold. As long as he protected Taehyun, Soobin and Kai, Beomgyu decided that whatever happened would be fine. To him, their lives were important.

Keeping those thoughts to himself, Beomgyu decided to bury back into the homework they had received before the term ended. At the Royal Academy, exams didn't exist. What they needed was to fill the attendance of classes and finish their homework on time. So in the blink of an eye, they had already reached the end of the term.

They were going to make their way to the Ice kingdom on the first day of the vacation. The plan was to leave from the kingdom of Knowledge together with Sunghoon and to meet Soobin at the airport of the Ice kingdom.

The entire morning, Taehyun had been unusually quiet and stiff and Beomgyu wasn't sure why. He didn't want to press because he was confident Taehyun would tell him when he's ready but it didn't erase the worry he felt for the younger. Silently, he offered hugs and hand squeezes to reassure Taehyun whenever they were close enough. Every time, Taehyun gave him a fake smile and returned the action.

With their bags packed, they waited together in the terminal lobby where the plane going to the Ice kingdom was waiting. Kai and Sunghoon were taking time so the two were playing a game of figuring out which song the other was mouthing. It was a silly game they had come up with when bored, but it was a good excuse to stare at each other's lips and get away with it so they enjoyed it more than they would admit to anyone, even themselves.

"Yes, yes, you want to eat each other's faces out, we get it, but this is not the place," Kai's announcement the moment he was close enough to them interrupted the game. The two flushed at the insinuation and were about to deny it when they noticed Sunghoon lingering behind Kai nervously and kept quiet. They had to pretend to be in love in front of him especially.

"Your crude language makes me wonder how you're a prince sometimes," Taehyun shot him a playful glare as he stood up. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, the boarding will be open in five," Sunghoon said, checking his watch. Beomgyu looked around the empty lobby in confusion.

"Aren't there any Ice kingdom noble children with you?" He asked. Usually, the planes that made their way to and from the kingdom of Knowledge were meant to be used by all the students from one kingdom. Beomgyu being from the kingdom of Air, who had been the ones to invent the aeroplane, knew this because it was the rule they had placed to make sure fuel won't be wasted.

"Oh," Sunghoon just scratched the back of his head, looking down with guilt. "That… I sent them ahead because I didn't want them to know that I'm bringing you with me. I… I don't know if it will go well with them that I'm bringing outside help. Even with the condition as it is, our people have a lot of pride. To the extent that it might even kill them. I don't want that. I would rather get the help and protect all our citizens than keep pretending that we're doing fine. Now that you are coming with me, I am hopeful that this situation will get resolved. After all, many hands make light work, right?"

"That's right," Kai nodded encouragingly. "We'll definitely do everything in our power to fix this!"

Beomgyu nodded, a little miffed about the fuel wastage but agreeing that it was better if they didn't face any resistance at this point. They only had 2 weeks of vacation and he wanted to get this done to be back home for at least a few days. It was too optimistic a plan but he hoped it would become true anyway.

The boarding and plane ride was mostly uneventful after that; Beomgyu spent the whole time listening to and sharing his favourite songs with Taehyun. And if he slipped in some songs that particularly reminded him of Taehyun, then nobody needed to know that…

When the plane finally landed, Sunghoon told them to bundle up better. That confused Beomgyu for a half a second until he looked out the small windows and saw the ground looked like it was a skating rink. For a minute, he felt amazed and grateful that the plane had landed safely.

"Don't worry," Sunghoon said, noticing his stare. "We make sure to heat up and get the ice off the runway but we need to hurry. The ice will come back anytime."

The four hastened to get out, after making sure they had all their bags. Outside, the Ice kingdom guards shouted in respect but seeing them wearing only vests and no sweaters or coats was shocking.

"Wouldn't they get c- cold?" Taehyun's teeth chattered, annoying him. Sunghoon shrugged, not looking particularly bothered by the temperature.

"It's always this cold here, all year round," he said quietly, leading them through the tunnel to the terminus. "Of course, winters are colder, and this time around has been especially so… The state of our kingdom has deteriorated to the point that it's getting hard for our own people to live here. Even with all our measures to survive this cold, nothing is enough to fight the persistent attacks of nature, after all."

The situation must really be bad, Beomgyu mused, if Sunghoon was so openly speaking like this to them. After all, which prince would just go around telling their unallied neighbouring kingdoms that they are in a weakened state, perfect for war? That too, two neighbouring kingdoms!

All thoughts jumped out the window when Beomgyu saw a familiar face waving at them when they reached the waiting lobby. Dropping his bags, Beomgyu jumped excitedly onto Soobin, making the older let out a yelp. The Water kingdom prince caught him in time, letting out a chuckle that resonated in the empty lobby.

"Soobin-hyung!!" Beomgyu's voice was loud and whiny, but it radiated a lot of happiness. The said prince just patted him back then let him go so he could look at the Air kingdom prince. "Oh, you dyed your hair blue again!"

"I did," Soobin replied, grinning down at Beomgyu then turning to the rest of them. "Hello! Sunghoon-ah, how are you?"

"Doing okay," the younger only gave a weak smile then came close enough to give a side hug briefly. "Thanks for coming all the way here even when you didn't have to."

"You give me too much credit," Soobin waved it off easily, dimples appearing to accompany his smile. "I was bored back home doing paperwork all the time and when I heard you needed help, I finally had a good excuse to get out."

The three continued chatting but a small distance away, Taehyun was staring at the new boy with a light glare. He couldn't help the possessive part of him that was jealous and insecure– because for all that he had gotten to know Beomgyu over the past few months, it was laughable when compared to the friendship he had with Soobin for years. Even if there was nothing romantic between them, it didn't stop Taehyun's brain from conjuring up wild possibilities where his fiancé fell in love with his childhood best friend.

"Oh!" Beomgyu said suddenly, then dragged over Soobin to where Taehyun and Kai were standing. With a wide grin, he introduced them, "Hyung, this is Taehyun, and this is Kai!"

"Hello!" Soobin gave them a big smile. The cute dimples and the crinkles in his eyes made him look like a giant soft person rather than the prince of a kingdom. It only served to hurt Taehyun's heart more because he looked so pure– how was he supposed to compete against someone like this for Beomgyu's affections? "I have heard so much about you from Beomgyu! Especially about you, Taehyun-ssi. I might not have met you before this but with the way he goes on and on about you, I might as well have been dating you this whole time too."

That last sentence was enough to let Taehyun know that this was a lie. Soobin knew about the whole marriage scam and was pretending in front of Sunghoon to make it look natural that Beomgyu's best friend had never met his boyfriend and now fiancé.

"Hyung!" Beomgyu blushed furiously, swatting Soobin's shoulder playfully but still hard enough to make the older lose his balance and wobble. Taehyun reached out automatically to steady him, and only realised it when Soobin shot him a look of gratitude. He removed his hands at once, like the touch had burned him.

"Thanks," Soobin flashed him another smile. "Anyway, I'm sure we'll get to know each other well over the next few days. For now, we should go and see Seongyeon first."

"You're right," Kai stepped up, realising that Taehyun was struggling to speak with the older. "Sunghoon-ssi, please take us to her."

The Ice prince nodded and gestured for them to follow.

❀

The walk there was awkward as hell. For one, Taehyun refused to look at either of Beomgyu and Soobin, and whatever attempts Beomgyu made to start a conversation died with his short answers. Meanwhile Kai was staying silent because he was taking in their surroundings to get an idea of external factors that might have affected Seongyeon.

Oh, and not to mention the way everyone was staring at them. 5 princes walking around together wasn't a common sight in any kingdom but the kingdom of Knowledge. Of course, Sunghoon had taken them through more hidden pathways so that they wouldn't come across Ice nobility but the guards who were stationed on those pathways were full on staring. That made Soobin uncomfortable so he didn't try to support Beomgyu's attempts either, instead choosing to remain silent.

When they finally reached large black doors, Sunghoon paused and took a large ring of keys from the guard standing outside it. The guard was young, not looking much older than them and his face was set like he had been to a funeral. Instead of the stares, he just glanced at the princes with a dying flicker of hope in his eyes.

Sunghoon led them inside then closed the door behind them, one hand running through his naturally white hair. Behind him, Soobin looked down at the ground, heart hurting for his friend, while the other three made way to the large bed in the room where the young girl was sleeping peacefully.

"Dokyeom…," Soobin paused, looking at Sunghoon unsurely. The Ice prince's eyes flickered over to the blue haired boy. He nodded.

"He's… trying to not lose hope," Sunghoon's voice cracked, unable to look Soobin in the eyes anymore. Instead, he stared at his sister's still body as he walked over to sit next to her. "As am I. After having watched her grow for all these years…"

Soobin didn't know what else to do so he placed a hand on Sunghoon's shoulder to comfort him. Beside them, Kai was checking Seongyeon's pulse. He checked her eyes and mouth and frowned.

"She's so cold," he whispered, afraid to even say the next words. "Almost like…"

"She's alive!" Sunghoon interrupted him, shaking. Soobin's grip tightened. "She is. You know it, right? You felt her pulse."

"It's slow, but it's there," Kai breathed out, glancing all over the room. The windows were large but covered with dark curtains that cast a gloom over the whole room. In a corner, the fireplace was lit up and the orange glow of it was the only thing casting light in the room. "I'm guessing you're keeping the room warm the best you can?"

"We even have a heater working all the time," Sunghoon nodded.

"No wonder it felt so warm when we stepped inside," Beomgyu tugged at his collar, now starting to feel the sweat coming. Kai picked up her hand and checked her pulse again.

"What exactly happened?" He asked. He made a gesture to Taehyun to give him a paper and pen and started making some notes while Sunghoon answered.

"It's… she was perfectly okay," he whispered quietly. "And then this whole thing happened… and one day, she just dropped unconscious. Her body was cold like ice, she wouldn't respond to anything. We had to set her up on IV, it's like, some sort of–"

"–coma," Kai finished for him, eyes glued to his notes. When he looked up, his eyes were sparkling. "I think there's a way."

"Really?" Sunghoon finally looked at him, eyes wide and unsure.

"I'm not sure if it will definitely work," Kai warned, tapping the pen on his notes. "But looking at this… I think it's a variant of a disease I found in this one book the other day. One of the results of magic going haywire are magical diseases. Rogue magic spreading inside the person is a type of disease. I think that's what is happening to Seongyeon-ssi. There is ice growing inside her, and it needs to be eliminated from inside. We will need to give her a specially concocted potion that contains the Fireflower, a species of flower which is only found in one place."

"The Fire Kingdom?" Soobin guessed. Kai nodded. Sunghoon frowned, staring down at his own lap.

"But, they will never agree," he sighed, feeling foolish for getting his hopes up. For the first time, he let himself be scared, even if it was in front of these strangers. Soobin's hand on his shoulder was a reminder that he had someone he could lean on. "The Fire Kingdom… they're our neighbouring kingdom, so our people who attacked their territory were taken in. And they sent back the heads of those subjects to send a message to us. They will not hesitate to wage a war."

"The Fire Kingdom is known for being cruel and selfish," Beomgyu frowned, remembering his father's recountings of the current King of the Fire Kingdom from back when they used to go to the Academy together. "They are literally quite hot-blooded, easily angered, and quick to return violence back if attacked. I'm not surprised hearing that, but it was still a bit too cruel, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Taehyun whispered, unable to fathom how anyone could sink to that level so easily. He glanced at Soobin when taking a cursory glance and found the blue haired prince staring at Seongyeon with tear-filled eyes. It hurt him, even though he didn't like Soobin much yet. "Kai, isn't there any stored in your kingdom at all?"

"Fireflower is not a usual ingredient for medicines," Kai frowned, racking his brain for possibilities. "We generally tend to use ingredients that are natural to our climate so that we can produce them as and when we like. Fireflower is one of the few plants that are born in only a specific climate and region, making it impossible to recreate without advanced technology. Of course, we have that technology, but we will need to get a sample and sustain it long enough to do a whole study and other things."

Silence fell in the room again, while they all pondered. Briefly, Taehyun wondered if this was it. Even though he didn't know Sunghoon well, it was still horrifying to imagine his sister succumbing to a disease that she most probably did not deserve.

"What if we try to contact the prince of the Fire Kingdom?" Beomgyu's suggestion was a comment in the air, one he himself wasn't sure was a viable option. But the way Kai's face brightened made them all hopeful.

"Of course!" Kai whispered to himself, immediately pulling out his phone. "Choi Yeonjun is our only ticket to getting the Fireflower."

"You know him?" Soobin asked, confused. He had seen the older boy in the Academy back when they both attended lectures but Yeonjun had kept to himself for the most part, owing to his reputation and the rumours floating around. He had really been close to anyone, as far as Soobin could recall but then again, the Water prince never really knew him, so he could be wrong. The most he could remember was thinking in passing that Yeonjun was the most beautiful of all the students at the Academy.

"Not me," Kai shook his head, typing something on his phone. "My older sister, Lea, was in the same year as him. They were… acquaintances, not quite friends but she was the closest person to him at the Academy, according to her. I'm asking her to ask him."

"Will he listen?" Sunghoon asked. "I don't really know him…"

"Based on what my sister has said about him," Kai hummed, looking up, "Yeonjun-ssi sounds like a nice guy. He's not like a typical Fire Kingdom citizen, much more cool headed. But he's also kinda cynical so there's no saying if he will give it away easily. There's also the matter of his father and the Queen of the Fire Kingdom. If they refuse, then…"

"What if he sent it secretly?" Soobin mused out loud.

"Well, if he had already told them, there's nothing we can do but I'll try messaging my sister to say the same?" Kai suggested. His phone pinged just when he went to pick it up again. "Oh, that's her right now. She already asked him and he replied back too!"

"That was fast," Taehyun commented, peeping over Kai's shoulder to look at the texts.

"He says he wants to know the whole situation first-hand," Kai frowned. "Says that he doesn't mind giving one but it has to be for a good cause because Fireflowers are pretty expensive even in their own kingdom. And he would like to visit and ensure how it's going to be used personally."

"So, what?" Sunghoon was confused. "He wants to come here?"

"That's what it seems like," Kai mumbled, replying back to his sister. "Noona says that he has always been like this. He tends to not trust others easily and always wants to verify things for himself. But once he trusts you, he's very loyal and kind. So we just need to show him sincerely the reason for our efforts and he will help for sure."

"I can't believe I'm feeling desperate enough to even bring in a possible spy in our kingdom," Sunghoon buried his face in his hands, feeling guilty and horrible. "But I could be endangering my kingdom…"

"We'll keep an eye on him," Soobin offered. "Kai-ssi, can you put a condition that he has to come alone? That way, it will be only him and five of us. We can keep watch if he does anything suspicious."

"I'll ask," Kai affirmed, immediately relaying the message to his sister. The room was silent for a few minutes and then his phone pinged again, this time with Yeonjun's response. "He said that's fine. And he also said that he can come in 2 hours right away, since it's a medical emergency."

"So, we're really doing this?" Beomgyu asked, looking around. Sunghoon looked up at Soobin, pupils shaking in the orange glow. The blue haired prince carded a hand through his hair in comfort.

"For Seongyeon, it's a risk I'm willing to take."

❀

Choi Yeonjun was really gorgeous. Even Taehyun had to admit it, and he wasn't one to care about looks all that much. There was no denying the charisma and power rolling off him, but he also had features that made him look like a culmination of everyone's wet dreams. With slightly long pink hair, deep brown fox eyes and emerald earrings dangling from his ears, he looked like he fitted more on a fashion runway than the aeroplane runway from where he was coming.

"Stare some more, maybe he will think you're interested," Beomgyu's snarky comment startled Taehyun, who looked at the older in surprise. The black haired boy was pouting and looking away, arms crossed. Was he… was he jealous?

That made Taehyun laugh. He was so silly, worrying about Soobin. The thought that Beomgyu was also getting jealous over him… It was pleasing and Taehyun rolled his eyes, nudged Beomgyu in the side to get his attention and whispered, "Don't worry, there's only space for you in my heart."

He didn't say it loud enough for anyone else to hear and maybe that was his mistake– he couldn't even play it off as a part of their facade. And yet. The way Beomgyu blushed was rewarding enough to make up for the embarrassment.

"Smooth talker," Beomgyu quipped back, not looking at Taehyun now. Instead, he looked at Choi Yeonjun, who had finally stopped in front of them, a small bag behind him.

"Hello, Yeonjun-ssi," Sunghoon came forward and exchanged greetings and names before leading Yeonjun to the palace, the rest of them following behind. Once they were all inside secure walls, he and Kai started explaining the situation to Yeonjun.

"...and we need the Fireflower to make the only medicine that I know has a chance to work," Kai finished in a few minutes, having kept it short. Yeonjun tapped his finger on his chin lightly, narrowed eyes glancing over them briefly.

"Can I see your sister once?" Yeonjun asked after a few minutes of silence. Sunghoon simply nodded, getting up again to take them to Seongyeon's room. There, Taehyun found it an awkward gathering with six men standing and staring at a little girl on a bed. "Is it okay if I touch her to feel the cold you spoke of?"

Sunghoon seemed to hesitate this time but out of desperation, nodded warily. Yeonjun was respectful though, as he carefully placed the back of his hand on her forehead. He pulled his hand back as if burned and nodded immediately.

"Okay, I'll get you the flowers," he stepped back, looking at Kai. "How many will you need?"

"2 or 3, maybe," Kai estimated, "but I'm not sure since I don't know how many doses will be required until she gets better."

"Alright, I'll have 5 sent over right away," Yeonjun took out his phone and called someone.

"Actually, can you send it over to the Sky kingdom?" Kai said suddenly. "I need to go back to make the medicine because the fastest way requires advanced technology that the Ice kingdom doesn't have."

"Alright," Yeonjun nodded.

In a matter of minutes, the whole thing was done and Kai got on a plane to get back to his kingdom. Yeonjun didn't return however, and requested to stick around because he was curious about the situation in the Ice kingdom and wanted to help too.

Sunghoon didn't want to do it initially, but Yeonjun had thus far not given any reason to suspect him and the rest seemed to be friendly enough with him so he agreed.

"I'll get you lodgings for the night," Sunghoon gestured to a guard. "This is Junho. He will show you to your rooms where you can relax for the night. I'll have dinner sent up there too. If you could perhaps share rooms, it would be better to hide your presence…"

"That's fine, Taehyun and I can share one," Beomgyu offered, eyes softening when he glanced at the younger. Sunghoon smiled.

"Yes, I thought you might like that since you're dating, ah no, engaged," the white haired boy corrected himself. "Soobin-hyung, would you be okay sleeping with Yeonjun-ssi?"

"If Yeonjun-ssi doesn't have any problems, it works for me," Soobin smiled pleasantly, his dimples peeking through again. They seemed to distract Yeonjun, who was caught off-guard and just nodded when he realised there was a question in the air. "Then, we will get off your hands now, Sunghoon."

"Thanks for all your help, everyone," Sunghoon gave a slight bow to them. "I really cannot begin to express how much it means to me to have you all go the extra mile for my kingdom."

"We are princes, Sunghoon-ssi," Taehyun said, casting a glance at Beomgyu. "And like somebody once told me… the people are what make a kingdom. Beyond the boundaries of a kingdom however, they are all the same men– and it's our duty to protect them, to lead them and to take care of them."

Beomgyu seemed surprised that Taehyun remembered that thing he had told him on one of the nights when they had stayed up talking. It had been something he had said in a moment of passion but hearing it like this now, it made him embarrassed. And yet, it was pleasing to know that Taehyun paid enough attention to memorize it.

❀

A few hours later when they had finished the dinner and came back to the bedroom, Beomgyu had stared at the single large bed and decided to ignore the fact that he had thought they would be sharing rooms and not beds when he had offered.

"I wonder if Soobin-ssi has to share a bed with Yeonjun-ssi too," Taehyun's offhand comment startled Beomgyu. The idea of his shy best friend having to do that made him laugh.

"Oh em gee, I wish I could see his face right now," he said between his laughter. "Soobin-hyung must be dying inside!"

Taehyun just smiled at the sight of him laughing. He turned around to change into his night clothes, acting as if Beomgyu wasn't right behind him, able to see as he changed. When he was done, he got on the bed beside Beomgyu.

"Hyung, I heard some of the servants talking while I had gone out after dinner for a walk," he said quietly. The Air prince looked at him curiously. "Apparently, word is going around that the new king is really incompetent. From the way they were speaking, it's almost like they resented him."

"I mean, he hasn't really done anything to help them so far," Beomgyu frowned. His hands came up to play with the brown strands of Taehyun's hair automatically, causing the younger to squirm in his spot. "I would resent a king who is letting the citizens die too."

"I don't know, hyung," Taehyun sighed, closing his eyes. "It's like… Remember when you said to trust my intuition?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I have this feeling that something really bad is going on, or has happened here. And this feeling is only intensifying the longer we stay here."

°•❀•°