Lle na all yr haul cyrraedd: Part I (1/2)

[cwtchbuddy]

Prologue

【Part I: Byd Newydd】

“Yixing, we’re going in ten.” The astrophysicist stands up from where he’s been sitting for god knows how long already, stomping his feet on the floor to wake his legs from their slumber before following the head astronaut he’ll be going on the expedition with, Minseok. He enters another room along with three other engineers and scientists. There, Yixing puts on the last parts of his space suit, clicking his helmet in place as the final piece. After finishing his preparations, the scientist leaves the room ahead of the others, stepping foot on the launch pad before anyone else.

The circular area is nothing grandiose, being the same place where they have built most, if not all, of what they will be using for the expedition, from their invention that will be their main means of transportation to the new technology they will be bringing with them. In the center of the room stands what they have aptly named the Gate to the Heavens, the main area of the machine being a massive circular object that is, at first, empty in the middle. However, once it is powered and starts spinning, it transmits rays of light that connect across the diameter. Once they all meet in the middle they mold into one and create a silver surface of light that closely resembles mercury in colour; the passage to the other side.

A ramp is connected to the whole system and at the end of it, The Chariot, a vehicle that was built especially for their expedition, lies in wait. It resembles an armoured car, if only a bit wider and the windshield thicker and spanning the width of the front of the vehicle. Hidden beneath is machinery that will make the wheels fold into and disappear beneath the vehicle to make way for boosters that can be fired up when they need to fly, whether it is to save time or to avoid the rough roads-if there are any. It is definitely not the most aesthetically pleasing but it has everything that the crew needs for the voyage they will be embarking on.

When Yixing looks a little higher, he sees the timer at the other end of the room. With its blinking red light, it says that they still have a little over five minutes left before they leave. Without anyone to hug and kiss goodbye, or even make a promise of quick return to, the scientist enters the vehicle first. From behind the thick tinted glass of his window, he eyes his colleagues as they share warm embraces and tears of both joy and pain with their loved ones. Determined not to get carried away by the sight, a deep sigh escapes his lips as he buckles his seatbelt, eyes moving from the metal joinings of his safety belt towards the silvery light that will serve as their portal to the other side, to another part of the galaxy that they have yet to discover.

Even with the data they received from the rover they sent through a few weeks ago, they still cannot properly tell where the planet they will be going to is located. The information they have acquired do not match with any that they have in their system and they also cannot find the rover’s location, which means that wherever it landed might not be within their solar system. But it doesn't stop them from pursuing with their expedition, only urging them further to explore what awaits them beyond the portal.

No matter how many times Yixing looks at the portal’s shiny surface, to try and see what is on the other side, he finds nothing but the same silver blob that is supposed to connect them to where their rover landed and went missing. He still sees this creation as a beauty, simple yet stunning. The fact that he is part of the team that created it makes his chest swell with pride as he eyes what is possibly the greatest invention of the 21st century.

The scientist snaps out of his reverie when he hears the doors being opened, a pair of raucous voices, probably from Jongdae and Baekhyun, loudly talking about how they made their parents cry by telling them that they won’t be returning, by choice. Childish, Yixing thinks but that’s also what makes the duo fun to work with; a word or two from either of the pair can easily lighten the mood and draw laughter from the ones they share the room with.

“Ready, men?” Minseok, the leader of the expedition and most experienced one of them all, inquires, looking behind him to check that the whole crew is strapped and good to go. When everyone nods to him, he smiles and turns his attention back to the front, the timer slowly ticking and counting down the last ten seconds. The leader and oldest of the group slowly inches their vehicle forward. They are not even sure if a specially-built truck is the best choice for their expedition but since the rover seemed to have landed on level ground when it arrived to the other side, they reckon it should do.

Minseok pushes them forward after a final go signal from the tower. Yixing doesn’t know what to expect, as they are the first humans to enter the portal, so they have no idea what they’ll have to endure as they pass through the silver light in between the cylinder that Yixing experimented on. He closes his eyes and upon Minseok’s advice, pushes the button to activate his helmet, the device quickly closing off and providing him with oxygen.

Yixing closes his eyes due to the blinding light coming from the portal but, out of curiosity, he opens them again a few seconds after, and he can’t close them anymore afterwards. His surroundings blur and when he looks to his left and his right, he finds no one but himself. He panics a little but then the portal starts working on him, stretching and pulling his body, making him dizzy as he’s sucked into another dimension. He sees different flashes of light in zig zagged, straight and curved lines. The scientist feels his previous meal being pushed out of his body but he tries to keep it in, aware that he is wearing a helmet. His ears tingle when he hears other people’s voices, shouting, some in panic, some in thrill and he is slightly comforted by the fact that he is actually not alone. He knows he has to close his eyes to avoid the dizzying feeling but the lights around him, created by the connection between the two worlds, have him transfixed, the scientist in him wants to put everything into memory. Then he feels a certain pull forward, the force so strong he feels like his skin is being peeled off of his body. He surmises that this is the last part of the journey through the hole, so he holds on tight to his seat as the lights seem to come together, intensifying as they do so until there is no other color but white. Immediately after, everything goes black.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Global warming had started to become a more prominent problem than it had been ten years ago, the people of Earth seemingly uncaring that the polar caps had now melted, that summer seemed to be warmer, longer and more humid now. The same went for winter, stretching and taking over what was supposed to be spring. The planet did not seem to be salvageable anymore, no matter how much the world leaders tried to make the people realize the harm that the smallest of their actions have on Earth. Because of this, the top scientists and engineers of the new generation were gathered by NASA to further their studies and technology, in hopes of finding a planet suitable for human life, and one of those chosen was Zhang Yixing.

The buzzing of Yixing’s smartphone in his pants pocket made him jump, the call arriving right before he had to leave the laboratory he worked in at his alma mater, MIT. A man with a very deep Southern accent greeted him, the tones making it hard for the non-native to completely understand what the man was saying. The person on the other end introduced himself as Jake White, saying that he was currently heading NASA’s efforts in furthering space explorations in order to find a viable planet for humans to live on, in case Earth comes to the point where it becomes uninhabitable. After a few repetitions, Yixing finally understood what the call was about.

“We are offering you a position as part of the latest crew that we are putting together,” Jake said, making sure the words were separated well for the Chinese man to understand.

Yixing had nothing to lose and when Mr. White told him about the project, he confirmed his attendance to the orientation that would be held in NASA’s Headquarters in Washington the following month without even consulting any of his supervisors, the excitement that coursed through his veins making him forget the proper procedures for when such offers were given to scientists employed at his alma mater. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and to be sought out like that by a coveted organization made him feel important for once. The young scientist informed his research laboratory’s higher ups about NASA’s recruitment of his genius and wasted no time in packing his belongings. After preparing three suitcases and clearing out his apartment, Yixing was ready to take on the universe, quite literally.

The night before Yixing's flight to D.C., while he was lying on his side with his eyes fixed on the way the lampposts outside created shadows that were dancing on his walls, the soft black slowly creeping to his bed, its finger-like extensions seemingly clawing at his body to devour him into the darkness, he had some sort of epiphany. It was only then that he realized that accepting NASA's offer meant that he had to acclimatize himself once more to his new surroundings, both his living and working environment, to the people he had to share his work with and to the everyday people he had to bump into in the place he would be living in. It would be a new world to him, once more, just like when he first stepped foot into the U.S. The scientist always had problems with meeting new people, ever since he had troubles mingling with other kids before, leading to him resigning himself to always being alone with his books, not daring to make friends. Although moving to America helped a little with this problem, he still couldn't help but feel a little scared that a repeat of his past might happen, that he would once again be the odd one out.

That night, the scientist barely slept, eyes moving frantically beneath his lids as possible scenarios played in his head. But even with the slight fear of rejection, Yixing still woke up when his phone alarm went off, showered, dressed himself, ate his breakfast at the diner just across his flat before coming back to brush his teeth and fetch his belongings, leaving him with enough time to wait for his cab to take him to the airport. He knew he could still do a commendable job even if the people around him decided to push him away and ostracized him. Nothing and no one could stop him from achieving his lifelong dream, to reach for the stars.

Joining a new group meant meeting new people. And that was probably the only thing Yixing dreaded when he stepped foot into the building, forgetting that he also had to get used to the new place, how to get there and which cupboard he could use to stash his snacks. The daunting size of the edifice made the scientist feel small and even more nervous than he initially had, hands gripping tight on the strap of his satchel. He clasped and unclasped his hand around the faux leather as the elevator soared to its destination. With heavy steps, he brought himself to where the receptionist guided him to. He thanked the kind lady and told her that he’ll go in by himself and that he just needed a minute. She was nice enough to give him his space and walked back to her desk after congratulating the scientist. But before Yixing could even open the door to the conference room where he’ll be meeting the rest of the new recruits, a heavy weight welcomed itself on his shoulders.

“‘Sup, man? Yixing, right?” A chirpy voice accompanied by a glowing smile perked up from his right, “Heard you’d be part of the crew.” The man beamed even brighter towards Yixing, “Engineer Baekhyun, at your service!” He offered a hand which was immediately shaken by a different hand that was evidently not Yixing’s.

To the scientist’s left, another smile blinded him, the curl of the corner of his lips half-sinister and half-adorable, “만나서 반갑습니다 변백현씨.” Yixing heard him speak in a language he vaguely recognized as Korean, the man’s tone and accent making it known to everyone that he was a native. “Ah, Mr. Zhang,” the man quickly shifted his attention to Yixing, seeing as Baekhyun didn’t look as welcoming, his tongue curling around the English words, “Engineer Jongdae Kim at your beck and call.” The man, Jongdae, offered his other hand to Yixing which the scientist promptly shook. Baekhyun tried to wriggle his hand free from the other Korean and when he had successfully removed it from the Jongdae’s tight grip, he offered it again for Yixing to shake. The scientist gladly obliged and took the calloused hand in his, firmly grasping and shaking it.

Then they left Yixing waiting by the door, going ahead of him after their little introduction. They looked like they knew each other prior to the orientation, exchanging banter as they walked to their designated seats. Yixing was sure the two would end up breaking something they would work on in the future but NASA had to have a good reason for recruiting them even if they seemed to have such tendencies.

The scientist inhaled deeply as he eyed the people inside the room whose attention were away from him, exchanging names and theories. With a sigh, he stood in line with the door’s frame, all eyes immediately fell to his figure, their stares were unnerving and made him sweat even more despite the cool temperature. He smiled shakily, eyes catching Baekhyun who was grinning at him and giving him a thumbs up. The scientist bowed slightly to the people in attendance, the corner of his lips still curved up for a nervous smile.

“Hello,” his English was a bit shaky, most probably from the nerves. Braving through his anxiety, he continues, “My name is Yixing, pleased to meet you all.” His eyes were wide in astonishment when everyone greeted him warmly, unlike what he had expected, and directed him to his seat.

Yixing visibly relaxed, done with the first step, before he finally walked into the room, into a new world. A new world meant to discover a new universe.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Yixing, Yixing.” The scientist sluggishly opens his eyes, only to close them again when he sees nothing but grey smoke, thinking this might still be a part of the portal. “Yixing, Yixing,” the voice calls out to him again, stressing his name even more as a hand shakes him from his stupor. He groans and slowly opens his eyes once more, only realizing then that he has fallen asleep, maybe even collapsing as a consequence of passing through the wormhole. The fog seems to have cleared out somehow in the few seconds that he closed his eyes and as he tries to acquaint himself with his surroundings, he slowly becomes aware of the pain that he feels in his head. Then, all of a sudden, everything he felt while they were being transported from one location to the other comes back to him and he feels like vomiting again.

“Yixing,” he recognizes Minseok’s voice, the elder’s hand placed on his shoulder to wake him. “We have to get you out of there,” he informs Yixing and that’s when the younger realizes that he is upside down, their vehicle is upturned. “Can you hold on to the handle so you won’t fall while I remove your safety belt?” Yixing nods and even if he feels weak, he reaches for the handle and tries to keep his body in the same position while Minseok makes quick work of the elaborate straps secured around his body for his safety. Thankfully, he is able to keep his posture and with Minseok’s help he is able to securely get to the ground.

“What happened?” The scientist asks the leader of their expedition, eyes slowly focusing on the wreck that is the Chariot. Once he’s out of the vehicle and already standing on flat land, he sees that the other’s have removed their helmets and are salvaging whatever they can of their equipment.

“We landed upside down, as you can see.” Minseok gestures towards their vehicle, the tires blown, the windshield broken, smoke coming up from the bottom of The Chariot where the chassis is, the outer part of the doors scraped to reveal the inner layers of the thick metal door. It is a disaster; and a miracle that they are still alive.

When Yixing tries to walk towards the back of the vehicle to give a hand, he stumbles and if not for Minseok’s quick limbs he would have fallen face first on the foreign ground. “You have to rest before helping out,” the elder instructs him, guiding him to a boulder to sit down. “You can remove your helmet, according to Kyungsoo there is enough oxygen in this planet’s atmosphere. Better to save your air.” Yixing nods and deactivates the oxygen pump before removing his helmet. When Minseok leaves to aid the rest of the crew, he is given the time to look around and observe the planet they’ve landed on.

They seem to be in the middle of a barren gorge, its walls high and rocky, the land dry beneath Yixing’s boots. The ground seems firm, dusty sand layering it, as they have anticipated, based on the data they received before the rover went missing. He can even taste the grains of sand that the wind brings to his mouth. With just the vision of his surroundings, he expected for the temperature to be below what his body is used to but he feels the breeze kiss his cheeks with just the right amount of heat and cold. The perfect temperature makes him hum, closing his eyes for a split second just to be able to revel in it. He opens his eyes once more to scan the gorge, to find nothing but his crew. The scientist decides to look for the planet’s moon, to find out if it has none, one or many, letting the quiet little chatter from his crew envelop him along with the cool breeze.

Then he feels the ground beneath him rumble with the stampede coming towards them accompanied by noises, loud voices that manage to overpower the sound of the collective rushed movements.

“Eindringling!” His ears perk up at the foreign sound. He doesn’t remember having anyone in their crew who speaks something other than English and Korean and that word doesn’t sound anything like the Asian language at all. The word gets repeated over and over and it seems that it is being said by a multitude of people and not by one person only. With his knees still a bit weak, he stands up and walks towards their vehicle, the dust produced by the movements on the dry ground making him cough on his way to his crew.

Then he hears someone shriek, “Minseok!”

“Please, stop!” He sees Jongdae run to the front with Kyungsoo, hands raised in a way to placate whoever they have encountered. Baekhyun sprints to Minseok, hands pressing on the elder’s wound.

“Minseok! Minseok!” Yixing hears Baekhyun’s panic, the younger’s hands wrapping a cloth around the astronaut’s ankle.

The scientist struggles to get to his crew in hopes of helping in whatever way he can because he knows he can’t fight, having buried himself in books and arts, never in sports.

“Kudzipereka! Kudzipereka!” Yixing finds their crew surrounded by anything between thirty to fifty other men, or rather creatures that look like men to Yixing, at least.

Standing before them are other worldly beings, their form close to that of humans, except they seem to be taller than the average human and the tips of their ears are elongated similarly to how elves of lore look like. If one studies them more closely, they will find that these beings’ eyes have two different colors and the pairing is different for each individual. Some of these men have skin as pale as a sheet yet with a certain beauty to it but the ones in the forefront of the barricade have darker skin and are more rambunctious than the ones behind them.

They have their weapons pointed to the throats of Yixing’s crew; some wielding laser swords that the scientist has only seen in science fiction movies, others holding spears that look as if they’re the same length as their owners. The scientist steps forward and tries to stop the commotion but the beings seem to be intent on disposing them off, pointing their weapons to the ground as a sign to make them kneel. Yixing raises his hands in surrender and backs away. All eyes seem to be transfixed to Yixing and the weight of their gaze, not their weapons, makes him kneel on the ground.

One of them steps forward. A man, it seems, as he wears nothing on the top, revealing olive skin stretching over toned abs. He has black hair woven with violet streaks, a pointed nose and thin lips. He starts speaking to them, but they don't understand what he is saying. The crew looks at each other, Yixing’s eyes flitting to where Baekhyun and Minseok are surrounded by five of these beings.

“Symud o fy ffordd,” a deep resounding voice comes from the back of the group and he can see the beings move aside to give way for the man with the husky tone.

“Human.” Surprised at the sudden use of a language that he actually understands, Yixing looks up to meet eyes of gold and sapphire, thick eyebrows framing a handsomely-structured face. The man has silvery white hair that extends to his fingertips, a golden accessory, which the scientist presumes to be a crown, sits atop his head, making his presence even more otherworldly.

"You have intruded our planet." Yixing gulps, the being's voice sending surprisingly pleasant ripples up and down his spine, not really the kind of feeling he should be having in the face of death, "for this you must pay."

"I will do anything, just please forgive us,” Yixing pleads, eyes close to tearing as he hears Minseok gasp in pain. “We didn't mean to come uninvited," Yixing proceeds to explain the whole project to the man, without even being asked. His words are running a marathon with how fast he has to elucidate the innocence of him and his crew, afraid that their heads will be cut off if he doesn’t rush his explanations out. His colleagues nod beside him, still in awe at both the being’s handsome figure and that he can speak and understand their language.

"I see how it is. Yet, you have illicitly intruded our planet. As retribution, you must offer yourself," the being finally tells Yixing, a beat after the scientist finishes his monologue, "that is the only way for you to be forgiven." Yixing’s throat goes dry as the man gestures for him to stand up. He points to himself, knees wobbly as he follows the being’s instruction.

"O-offer?" The scientist doesn’t think the dry surroundings are of any help to the current state of his throat, parched and wanting nothing but a good amount of water, or juice if he manages to find the packs he brought with him for his sweet tooth. Hundreds of thoughts run through Yixing’s mind at the single word that the being chose to use. But the thought that lingers in his mind is the possibility of being used as a sacrifice for these people. He didn't come here, a thousand, maybe even a million, light years away, only to die.

"You must marry me and be my companion," Yixing’s eyes open as wide as saucers while the other beings cheer for the man in front of him, "only then will your men,” the tall man gestures to the crew, “be able to roam free on our planet."

⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Yixing,” Kyungsoo pokes his head into the room that the senior scientist is in. The Chinese’s space suit has been exchanged for clothes that the servants of the man who introduced himself as Prince Teyrndlws gave to him. Yixing motions for the other to come in, hand pulling up the fabric of his clothing that is pooling at his feet, the clothes too long for him seeing as everyone on this planet seems to be taller than humans. He notices that Kyungsoo has also changed his clothes but they are far less gaudy than Yixing’s.

“How is Minseok doing?” Yixing asks first, concern for their leader etched into his face. After they were brought to the palace, the night before, the prince told him and his crew to rest as it was already time for them to do so. The scientist didn’t find it in him to protest, easily falling into deep slumber right after he was led to his room, exhaustion taking over his body. The last thing he knows about their crew’s leader, is that Minseok, while having been brought to the palace together with them, was carried in a separate vehicle, accompanied by someone named Hirsch who Prince Teyrndlws assigned to take care of the astronaut.

“He’s doing well,” Kyungsoo assures him, eyes cast on the sleeping city before them. “They gave him sedatives and said they’ll examine his injury further.”

“Prince Turndus said so?” Yixing inquires curiously, tongue twisting on the being’s name as his eyes follow Kyungsoo’s line of sight.

“I don’t think that’s how you pronounce his name Yixing,” The younger pulls back and looks behind them to make sure no one is overhearing their conversation, “but no, somebody else did. There are others here who can speak our language.” This surprises Yixing even more, a whole civilization of otherworldly beings who can speak their language while also having their own. The scientist still cannot believe it, that here he is, light years away from home, to discover beings who can speak and communicate with them, and even when he sees a landscape far too different from his own it still seems more like a dream than reality.

The astrophysicist remembers the city they were escorted to after being extracted from the gorge where they landed. The whole place is situated in the middle of rocky mountains, some of the buildings constructed to form one solid structure with the sierra while others are built from scratch. From where Yixing is, he can see a huge contrast in the houses that are near the palace and the ones that are situated quite far from it. The residences create crescents, each row of houses having different types of structure. Only the outermost crescent, the one farthest from the palace, has a variety of different settlements. The ones nearby seem like they are carved out of rocks and all of them are roofless, in contrast to the ones surrounding their circle; those buildings are far taller and more modern in appearance, with metal molded into the rocks. Some even resemble the high-rise condominium buildings back on Earth. The palace itself is an obviously older structure compared to the ones ringing the whole city but as far as Yixing can remember, both the outside and the inside of the royal abode have a mix of modern style to them as well. Some parts of the palace are strengthened and decorated by and with metals, to support it and give the place a twist that surprisingly molds well with the marble and limestone base. But even as Yixing is reminded of these differences from his home planet, he still cannot fathom that he is here, in a place that seems suitable for human life but is already inhabited by beings that strongly resemble them in more than just one feature.

“Can you believe this, Kyungsoo?” He looks to his left, the younger scientist more wide-eyed than usual, “Aliens?” The younger smiles and shakes his head, a silent I can’t either passing between them as they watch the moon hanging above the city.

The comfortable silence is broken by the creaking of the door. Yixing and Kyungsoo snap their heads towards the entrance to find someone who looks a lot like Prince Teyrndlws, bowing and walking towards them. They stand up and bow as well, waiting for the other to reach them and open the conversation.

“Please, be at ease.” The new arrival’s eyes are silver and yellow, Yixing notes and unlike Prince Teyrndlws his pronunciation of the English words still need a bit of practice, “I came to meet my brother’s chosen companion.” His eyes instantly land on Yixing, humming as he inspects the scientist. “Brother really has a good taste,” he comments once his eyes have raked Yixing’s figure from head to toe, “I am not sure how introductions are done in your planet but my name is Prince Arian.” The tall being places his right hand over his heart and bows once again, the silver circlet on his head glinting with the light of the moon. Then Yixing realizes that the resemblance between the man standing before him and Prince Teyrndlws is because they are related. The scientist bows as well, doing it once more after forgetting to place his right hand over his heart, before he proceeds to introducing himself, followed by Kyungsoo.

“Are they your followers?” Prince Arian inquires, referring to Kyungsoo and the rest of Yixing’s crew. The scientist explains once more that they are on an expedition, what happened to them before they were attacked and what their plans are.

“I see.” The prince nods, placing his pointer finger on his chin in understanding, but before he can say anything else, they are interrupted again by someone else making their entry. A man as tall as the prince, ears larger than the others’, with skin a few shades darker than Prince Teyrndlws’s and Prince Arian’s, comes in and speaks to the prince in their mother tongue. Yixing isn’t sure if the man can speak their language and just chose not to use it in front of them or if he really isn’t capable of doing so.

“The King and the Queen would like to meet you, Yixing,” Prince Arian informs the scientist, “come with me to the throne room, Prince Teyrndlws will meet us there. You may come along too, Kyungsoo.” The younger scientist nods and walks behind the prince alongside Yixing.

“By the way,” the prince turns his head just as they are leaving the room, “this is Ohren,” he places a hand on the other being’s arm, his biceps sweating from earlier labor, “he is my personal soldier.”

Prince Arian smiles at them before turning his attention back to the front, conversing with the man named Ohren as they walk along hallways after hallways. The use of the word soldier instead of guard puts Yixing on alert, unsure if the prince deliberately chose to use it or simply made a mistake due to his loose grasp of the language. Either way, Yixing and Kyungsoo do not dare to speak, afraid of saying something that might change the prince’s good mood. They settle for marvelling at the simplistic grandiose of the palace, its long-winding staircases and the beautiful colors that run across its halls.

“Yixing,” the scientist hears his name being called again by the same deep voice he has come to be familiar with yet still manages to make his knees go weak. He looks up to see Prince Teyrndlws standing by the big double doors, his clothes changed for something that matches the fabrics wrapped around Yixing’s body. “Stand beside me,” he instructs the scientist, gesturing on the spot beside him and watching as the human walks towards him.

“You are going to meet my parents now.” Yixing already knew that but he still gulps and lets out a shuddering breath as he straightens up in his place. “You don’t need to be nervous,” the prince reassures him but he is going to meet the regents of an unknown planet, beings he will have to call his in-laws in the near future; surely nothing can be more nerve wracking than that.

Prince Teyrndlws, seeing Yixing’s unease, furrows his thick eyebrows and reaches for the back of the scientist’s neck, in order to comfort him with their way of showing support. The gesture makes Yixing stiffen, and he has to use every ounce of control in his body to suppress a moan as the prince’s hand massages the most sensitive part of his body, the featherlight touch of the royal’s long fingers creating goose flesh in their wake. Then the hand is gone from his neck, caressing down along his spine to settle on his lower back. Yixing gulps and if the doors being opened didn’t catch his attention, he would have fallen to the ground because his knees couldn’t take it anymore. He isn’t certain why, maybe it is only because of his fear of meeting the planet’s highest authorities but he knows deep inside, as he feels the heavy weight of the prince’s gaze, that it is far more than that.

In front of them, Prince Teyrndlws’s guards, Efydd and Kupfer, as the royal had introduced them to Yixing, the man with the violet hair and sharp nose from the day before being Efydd, gesture towards the open doors. A man from the inside seems to be announcing their arrival as the prince straightens up, then Yixing inhales deeply.

“Tywysog Teyrndlws!”

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Yixing expected a good amount of scolding, if not that, maybe just a hint of unwelcome. However, the regents of planet Tuhwntmae’rsêr seem to have nothing in particular to say about their landing, as if it is something that they have already anticipated. When the prince informs his parents of his marriage to Yixing, they seem pleased, or perhaps more like they are finally able to breathe. The scientist thought that they would be against his union with the heir to their throne, seeing as he is not of their kind. But the queen is all smiles as she takes Yixing’s hand and welcomes him to their planet, then to their family. The regents are obviously far older than most people on the planet, as is to be expected. They have the same long, silvery hair as Prince Teyrndlws and Prince Arian, the same pale skin and the same tall figure. However, they don’t have the same vigor as the younger royals anymore but their eyes still hold genuine emotions even as their words are clipped and out of breath.

After being formally introduced to the King and Queen, the prince himself shows Yixing around the palace; pointing out important places in the prince’s chambers and introducing him to people who he needs to know. Most of the people Yixing is introduced to are tutors who will guide him and teach him how to be a Llwyth. Things seem to be moving quite fast as the prince leaves him with his language instructor mere minutes after being acquainted with the man. Like the prince and the royals Yixing has come across in the palace, the man has long hair that seems to be greying, lacking the luster the prince’s and his brother’s have. They start with the basics, introducing the scientist to their alphabet and making him practice writing the letters. Being born a genius, Yixing is able to go through his first course easily, only pausing for snacks. The day ends with the scientist having dinner by himself, a laser pen in hand as he perfects the curves of the alphabet he has just learned.

Upon setting his eyes on the prince the next day, Yixing voices out to the royal that he wishes to see his crew. Prince Teyrndlws allows him, calling on Kupfer afterwards. He says something to the guard in their native tongue to which the man nods, stepping aside to give the prince and Yixing some privacy.

“Kupfer will assist you,” the tall male gestures towards the guard, his eyes hazel and emerald, “as I have matters to tend to.”

Yixing understands, being the prince of a whole planet must mean a lot of work for his future husband. So he bows and waves him goodbye, not wanting to delay the prince and keep him from his duties any further.

But before the scientist can turn around, Prince Teyrndlws pulls Yixing towards him by the back of his neck, the shock from the sudden movement overpowering his sensitivity. The royal then places his forehead against the other’s and utters words just above a whisper, as if they are something meant to be heard by Yixing’s ears only, “Peidiwch a mynd yn bell.”

Frozen in shock by the sudden gesture, the scientist’s brain goes haywire, not even bothering to ask what Prince Teyrndlws’ words mean. Yixing patiently waits until the prince releases him, hands clenching the sides of his clothes until the royal does so.

“Go,” the prince gestures towards the hallway behind Yixing and the scientist carefully turns around, testing out whether his gelid knees have already recovered from the royal’s actions. Fortunately he is able to move away from the prince without face planting to the marble floor, quickly following Kupfer to where his crew is.

“Yixing!” A chorus of voices rises from the spacious room, the whole crew welcoming the astrophysicist with open arms. “We were worried about you!” Kupfer closes the door and stays right beside it. Yixing quickly realizes that Prince Arian is also in the room, though if he hadn’t seen Ohren, he wouldn’t have known.

“Prince Arian.” Yixing bows to the royal who is sitting by the window.

“You can call me Sehun now,” the prince says with a boyish smile as he looks at Yixing’s crew. The scientist tilts his head to the side in confusion, “Ah, and Ohren is now named Chanyeol.” Yixing furrows his eyebrows as his crew nods excitedly and giggles behind their hands, Baekhyun and Jongdae laugh outright and give the scientist two thumbs up.

“What?” He breathes out in confusion.

“You have interesting names and your friends here,” Prince Arian, Sehun, Yixing corrects himself, points to Jongdae and Baekhyun, “were kind enough to give us names in their native tongue.”

The prince stands up and ruffles Baekhyun’s and Jongdae’s hair. With his face he looks younger than the engineers and anyone in the room, but due to his height, it isn’t hard to concede his age.

“Ah.” The prince seems to notice the royal guard standing by the door and he taps Kyungsoo’s shoulder, “You should give Kupfer a name as well.” The young scientist points to himself before looking at said guard, who only straightens up by the sound of his name. Baekhyun and Jongdae urge the younger and, even if a little hesitant, Kyungsoo seems to think about it.

“Jongin.” He says finally, looking a bit toward the guard, his skin tanned and glowing under the yellow lights.

“It’s final then,” Sehun says with unabashed enthusiasm, “to make it easier for everyone, from now on you can call me Sehun, call Ohren Chanyeol and Kupfer is now Jongin.”

The prince converses to the guards, the humans only picking up the names they have given the otherworldly beings from the royal’s quick sentences. The two guards don’t seem to complain and bow to Sehun in affirmation.

“Great!” The prince claps his hands together and smiles towards the collection of humans before him. “Ah, maybe I should leave to give you all time to talk.”

The humans don’t protest as they do need some privacy to converse and wait for the prince to leave with the guards. Jongin also leaves the room but informs Yixing through Sehun that he will be waiting for him outside as Prince Teyrndlws instructed for him to keep close guard of the scientist.

Once the doors are closed and only Yixing’s crew is present in the room, he breathes and moves to sit on the chair placed near the window, “Do you know where Minseok is?”

“They have him in a room somewhere in the palace,” Baekhyun answers, “Maybe you should ask Jongin to take you there.”

“He might not understand Yixing though.” Baekhyun clicks his tongue when Kyungsoo reminds him of their language barrier with the other beings.

Chewing his lip after this realization, Yixing sighs and asks next, “How about our equipment?”

“Sehun said they’ll be extracting our stuff and move them here for us to use,” Jongdae answers this time, using the name he has given the prince instead of the royal’s real name, “but when we were hauling them from our now busted Chariot, we realized that some of our things are missing.” This information makes Yixing’s forehead crease, worry etched in every line as each equipment is vital to their expedition. His brain starts working, trying to figure out how it is possible for their things to get lost in transit.

Kyungsoo seems to hear the gears in Yixing’s brain working and starts explaining, “We might have lost them in the middle of the portal. We all, including the equipment we brought with us, are still single entities. Therefore, it is possible for each thing, animate or inanimate, to disappear in transit. We knew beforehand that such a thing may happen,” the younger scientist reminds him. “Isn’t that why we sent one rover with no other attachments to it, everything compact in that small body?” Kyungsoo asks to support his theory. Yixing nods and rests the case because yes, they have signed up to the mission with that knowledge clear to everyone who joined the expedition. “We should just be thankful that we arrived here altogether and no one of us got lost in the middle of the wormhole as we passed through the portal.” The senior scientist hums and nods, quickly moving to another topic.

“How about our communication devices?” He looks at Jongdae and Baekhyun who scratch the back of their heads.

“We built the truck so that our main communication device is connected to it,” Baekhyun starts, “you know, so we have less equipment to bring.” Yixing nods, knowing this fact already as he was there every step of the way as they were planning for the expedition.

“Well, you already know that our truck is not in a good shape.” Jongdae picks up where Baekhyun left off. “We weren’t able to check if it still works because we were busy moving whatever we can out of the vehicle.”

“Did you ask them to bring the truck back here as well?” To this question, Baekhyun and Jongdae nod, a glimmer of hope shimmering in their always cheerful eyes.

“Okay, good.” Then there is silence.

“Yixing,” Baekhyun quickly breaks it, edging from the bed he sitsw on, “about you marrying the prince,” the engineer gulps, “a-are you sure?” It’s rare for the scientist to hear Baekhyun stutter and look very concerned. It’s even rarer for Yixing to see such an emotion conveyed for him. He looks down, fascinated by the patterns on the floor and by his feet that are covered in the most comfortable shoes he’s ever put on in his life.

“You heard what Prince Terndoos said,” he twists his tongue around the foreign sounds, knowing how he pronounced it is still wrong. Thankfully the royal is not around to hear the scientist butcher his name.

His mind reels back to what happened either hours or days ago, he can’t be sure. The prince’s words are still ringing in his ears.

‘Your hand in marriage for the release of your friends.’

“We can still get away from here,” Jongdae says hopefully. Yixing gives him a small smile, defeat already painted on the scientist’s face.

“Do you know where the other end of the portal is?” The three gulp and shake their heads, just as the scientist expected. Yixing doesn’t remember seeing any sign of the silvery portal’s match that will lead them back to the other side of the universe. He would have thought that it would be near where they landed but he didn’t find anything during their time in the emptied gorge.

“As long as we don’t know the location of the portal, if it is even still working, that is,” Yixing’s words feel heavy on his tongue but he has to push them out, reality is harsh but they can’t live just hoping for vague possibilities to happen, “then we have no way out of this planet.”

When the room falls silent once more, Yixing tries to reassure his crew, something he has never done before, “I have nothing to lose anyway.” He smiles at them, his dimple, a rare sight, open for the younger three members of the crew to see, “I’d rather get married to a royal of an unknown planet than have all of us die here.”