Ignis Fatuus (Foolish Fire) (3/3)
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As dusk was falling the next day, Baekhyun wrapped up in the royal blue robes Minseok had loaned him - magician’s robes, embroidered with silver thread - and made his way towards the central plaza, at the base of the famous Ozmion observatory. In the golden hour, the square was crowded with scholars leaving the observatory, students and academics getting off work and heading towards the nearby streets for an evening of unwinding.
Chanyeol was waiting for him under the victory arch, leaning against one of the marble columns, an inconspicuous tan-coloured robe hanging off his long frame. He looked up as Baekhyun approached, as though sensing his arrival. “You came.”
“I asked you to meet, didn’t I? Of course I came.”
Chanyeol looked him up and down. “Nice robes. Very fancy.”
“I borrowed them from Minseok - the guy you saw at the carousel.” Baekhyun smoothed the robes out self-consciously. He’d gotten used to the loose, flowy stage outfits that the players usually wore, but in Ozmion they just made him stick out. “Where should we go for dinner?
They ended up choosing a diner just off the main pavillion, facing a courtyard where the marketplace opened on most mornings. They restaurant had an open-air area seating that was absolutely crowded with guests and brimming with noisy chatter. There was a very slim chance of getting noticed there, and it would be practically impossible to eavesdrop. Chanyeol reiterated that nobody would recognise him in Ozmion (probably), but he kept his hood up just in case, and Baekhyun ordered their food.
Once the waiter left, Chanyeol relaxed visibly, slouching from his previously tense posture.
“He wasn’t looking at you,” Baekhyun said. “Relax.”
“It’s not that easy,” he countered. “I’m not looking for a repeat of Lochhaven right now, you know? Not all of us can go about so easily entrusting our lives to strangers.”
That last part felt like it was directed at him. Baekhyun shrugged. “It worked out for me. With the players, and with you. I’d probably be lying dead in the wood otherwise.”
Chanyeol was silent for a moment. “You really surprised me, that night, calling towards us for help instead of running away like most people would have.”
“I knew I could trust you.”
“Why is that?”
“You were riding horses.”
He laughed. “Are you serious?”
“Horses aren’t evil. They’re always associated with good, even in all our folk stories.”
“Not normal horses. But there are still phookas and kelpies, and the non-magician wouldn’t be able to distinguish them.” Chanyeol realised his slip, and tried to catch himself. “But of course, you’re a magician. You assist a warlock now.”
Baekhyun wasn’t falling for it. “You say ‘non-magician’ like you don’t fall under that category either,” he remarked.
Chanyeol looked away.
“So what’s your talent?”
He picked up one of the roses from the vase on the table, spinning its stalk between his fingers. “Guess.”
“Um, nature kinesis?”
“Wrong.” Chanyeol spread his fingers slowly, and the flower stayed upright, enveloped in a column of flame.
Of course. Fire. The element of the salamander.
A few tables down, their waiter was approaching with trays of food, and Chanyeol swiftly closed his fist, extinguishing the fire.
They were each served a large silver platter, bearing black and green olives, a lean cut of boar, malted bread, and a salad of leeks and artichokes.
Baekhyun was too distracted by his thoughts to properly appraise the food. He picked up a fork, absent-mindedly spearing an olive off his plate. “I was wondering, you said you didn’t like diplomatic meetings. Why did the court send you instead of your parents?”
“They’re both travelling.” Chanyeol said. He didn’t seem too willing to talk about it, his demeanour abruptly closing off. “Aurum isn’t in too strong a place at the moment, and they’re looking for allies.”
Baekhyun sidestepped carefully. “But if you had a choice, you’d rather be travelling with them?”
Chanyeol sighed. “It’s not that I don’t love Aurum, it’s a beautiful kingdom. But there are places I’m dying to explore, places far away from the western continent.”
“I haven’t seen Aurum itself, but if it’s anywhere near as beautiful as Ozmion is, I’m sure it’s amazing.”
“Esmis is much larger than Ozmion, but it’s not as pretty.” He was warming up to the topic, sitting up straighter as he spoke about his home. “The houses are made of sandstone and pink limestone, the colour of our firefalls, and the port and its accompanying souq is the most flourishing part of the western continent.” Baekhyun hung onto every word, visualising the sparkling capital in his mind. “If you ever come to Aurum, I'll make sure to show you around.”
A dangerous twinge of regret. “Thank you,” he said.
“Though I'm not sure if you'll like it, it's very different from Argentum.” Chanyeol had finally started eating, cutting his bread with a fork and knife. “What do you like so much about Ozmion?”
“It's so culturally rich. Knowledge-rich, too, it feels steeped in history. Must be because they've got two contributing species.”
“They've got the advantage of being really ancient, too. The oldest human settlement on record was here in Argentum.”
“In the entire world, or just this continent?”
“We don't have much record of human settlement outside of the western continent. Much of the rest of the world is inhabited solely by the Fae.”
“Is that where you'd like to travel to?” Baekhyun just wanted to keep him talking.
“The Far East,” Chanyeol said. “I want to go on a long sea voyage, to the unexplored islands. There's a place they call the Seahaven. It's a somewhat messy region, filled with pirate triremes from different tribes constantly at war. They say mermaids live in an undersea city not far from there.”
He had been so restrained, almost stoic, before. But as he started talking passionately, his gestures got wider, and his eyes were so innocent, so animated. How could those eyes lead me down a path to darkness, Baekhyun wondered. How could everything about him only make me fall deeper.
“Seahaven,” he said, trying out the word. “I miss the sea. Is the ocean here always like this? Is it just monsoon rain, or something?”
“It's always like this, sadly. Except for at daybreak.”
“What? At daybreak?”
“The ocean here in Ozmion is perfectly calm for a few minutes, every morning, as the sun breaks the horizon.”
Baekhyun’s eyes widened. “Unbelievable. So technically, a ship could sail into the harbour at daybreak?”
“If it managed to cross fifty kilometres in around three minutes, then yeah, I guess it could.”
***
After their meal, they took a stroll through the hilly streets. In the evening, the lantern-lit cobblestones alleys were filling up with people, hanging around outside the bars and congregating in the smaller squares.
They headed slowly uphill and reached a less crowded part of town, where their only company was the wind whistling through the empty streets. Baekhyun looked around, checking for eavesdroppers, and finally decided to broach the subject.
“So why hasn't anyone realised that you're the Salamander they're after?”
Next to him, Chanyeol stiffened. “You picked up on that.”
“I don’t know how nobody else has, honestly.”
Chanyeol stopped in his tracks, rounding on Baekhyun. “I guess it’s because nobody else coincidentally runs into me at the Giant’s Carousel, or sees me getting cornered by thugs.”
Baekhyun raised his chin, meeting his gaze steadily. The silence was so tense it was almost palpable.
Chanyeol’s features were set, but Baekhyun just wanted to know why. “So what's the deal?” He asked finally. “Why would you serve the giants?”
For another few moments, Baekhyun held his breath. The last thing he wanted was to drive him away, after he’d worked so hard at getting him to open up.
Then Chanyeol exhaled in resignation. “I’m not serving the giants.”
“So you’re actually helping…?” Baekhyun probed.
“The Salamander is just a symbolic figure. I’m not the one actually doing most of the work here.”
“So it’s the…” Baekhyun trailed off. The men at the wedding, of course. “You’ve got spies planted here. Many of them.”
“Yes. Kris, my friend who got married, is one of them. Those men who wanted to sell me out were spies, too.” Chanyeol paused, shaking his head. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all this.”
“It's not like I have any reason to spread this around,” Baekhyun pointed out. “I just don’t understand why you have to be involved. Or why you’re working for the giants against the court of Ozmion.”
“I have to be involved because I’m the warlock. I get instructions from spies, and act accordingly. And we’re not working for the giants. Several years back, some of our spies found out that the rulers of Ozmion were covertly planning an attack on Aurum.”
Baekhyun blanched. “Oh.”
“They would succeed in capturing us, too, if it weren’t for their recently diverting all their resources into trying to stop the giants.”
“So you’re a decoy.”
“I guess you could call it that.”
“And you tampered with the Giant’s Carousel.” Baekhyun thought back to the way the carousel had momentarily come back to life, just after Chanyeol had stepped away from the gate. “But why is the seat of power in Aurum so weak? From what I’ve heard, it’s a rich and flourishing kingdom.”
“Aurum is wealthy from trade, and it’s a kingdom rich in people and culture, but its magical core is weak. I am the only magician currently in its sphere of control. Argentum, with all the faeries revolving in its sphere of control, could quite easily seize ours.”
Baekhyun paused, trying to take in all this new information. “And… what happened with those men? The ones from the wedding?”
“What about them?”
“Did you go to meet them?”
Chanyeol looked skeptical. “You didn’t think I was going to let them spread my identity around all of Argentum, did you?”
“So they ran away.”
“Of course not. They’re in prison.”
“Who did you take with you?”
“Nobody. I’m a warlock, I can deal with a few non-fighters.”
Baekhyun’s forehead creased. “So they didn’t even take any precautions?”
“I don’t think those particular men expected me to actually be a warlock like I said I was. A fledgling magician, maybe.”
Baekhyun could picture the scene in his mind’s eye. The forum ruins, backlit by dusk. The three men - or maybe more, since they’d probably have taken their full force to the confrontation - waiting on the rocks, expecting to overpower the prince, extort their prize, and ride off into the sunset. The prince, a solitary figure making his way up the slopes on foot, looking small and insignificant. And then the fire, small trails snaking their way towards the offenders, dancing through the cloud of giant’s magic, and settling into its final form - a giant phoenix extending its wings in flight.
“I hope they got what they deserved,” was all he said.
They kept walking through the streets, heading back downhill towards the more lively part of town. Along the way, they stopped at a faerie-owned tearoom for some drinks, and at Chanyeol’s questioning, Baekhyun kept up a steady stream of stories about his experiences performing on the road, living in Jongdae’s inn, and assisting Minseok with his potions. The past weeks had been so full and exciting and utterly new, Baekhyun found that he hadn’t exhausted his memories even several hours later.
As he talked about learning magic and mastering light, Baekhyun abruptly remembered something. “Oh - and thank you for the sculpture you sent. It’s beautiful.”
Chanyeol smiled slightly. “You’re welcome. Did you like it?”
“Definitely, I loved it. Who made it?”
“I don’t know who specifically, but it’s elf-made. They’re masters of craft, just like dwarves with metalwork.”
“You had it made?”
“Yes, I told them I wanted the fabled Well of Thesor. Is it a close likeness?”
“Incredibly close. But there wasn’t that light in it, when I last saw it.”
Chanyeol shrugged. “This was carved from an elf’s firsthand likeness. Maybe the light only appeared for that particular person.”
They’d reached the clock tower, right in the centre of the city a few blocks from where they’d started in the main pavilion. It was almost twelve midnight when they approached, the pewter hands on the clock face reflecting the street lights.
Chanyeol turned to Baekhyun, looking apologetic. “I’m sorry Baekhyun, I should really head back now. I would accompany you back to the inn, but I don’t want anyone noticing me.”
Baekhyun shook his head reflexively, smiling brightly. “No, it’s fine. Head on back to the palace, your highness, I don’t want to get in your way.”
Baekhyun knew this might be the last time he ever saw the prince, and the thought filled him with strange dread, of encroaching trouble. But the prince looked as calm and pulled-together as usual, showing no sign of regret or reluctance - even though he, too, must have known. The full moon would be here soon enough, and Baekhyun was leaving Ozmion behind him.
As though reading his mind, Chanyeol spoke. “I heard you’re heading back to Aurum tomorrow?”
“Yeah, we are.”
“Goodbye, Baekhyun,” the prince said. “I’ll see you again.”
They’d been talking for hours, but it felt so sudden - and way too soon. There was still so much Baekhyun wanted to say, lingering on the tip of his tongue.
I barely just met you, but somehow I feel like I’ve known you all my life.
I shouldn’t have asked to see you today, yet I couldn’t stop myself.
I’ll never see you again, but I don’t want to let you go.
Chanyeol took hold of his hand, and raised it to his lips, lightly brushing his knuckles. Then he smiled, as wide and genuine as Baekhyun had ever seen him, waved, and walked swiftly away, disappearing around the corner in a few long strides.
Baekhyun stood alone in the square as the clock chimed twelve midnight, each chime overlapping with the last, echoing through the empty streets.
***
As Baekhyun lay in bed, a million thoughts swirled around in his head like whirlpools.
As always, he thought of home. Of his village, in the valley, on the island surrounded by endless sea. He thought of his parents, his brother, and the villagers. How much time had passed, in that realm, since he’d left? What did the villagers think? They’d always disapproved of Baekhyun spending all his time alone by the ocean, dreaming of building a boat strong enough to withstand the waves and leave the island. Would they think he’d been taken by the whitewater men?
He thought of Chanyeol’s words, about the islands at the end of the world. There were other kingdoms, many of them, across the seas. Countless people had gone on voyages to these places, and many had returned. Chanyeol’s father himself was out there somewhere, visiting cities and settlements in the hopes of finding allies.
When he returned home, what would he tell everyone? Would he tell the truth, about visiting this world? How would the villagers take it? Would they believe him, or would they continue to ostracise him and call him delusional?
It was their last night in the stormy city of Ozmion. The next day they would begin their journey back to Aurum, and he would enter the forest of Thesor under the full moon. The thought filled him with a sense of trepidation.
Baekhyun tossed and turned what felt like another eternity. It was probably early morning. The sun would soon be encroaching on the night.
The sea here in Ozmion is perfectly calm for a few minutes every morning, as the sun breaks the horizon.
Baekhyun missed the ocean, yearned for the feeling of liberation it always gave him. This would be his last morning in Ozmion, and his only chance to see the strange phenomenon Chanyeol had told him about over dinner.
Quietly, Baekhyun slipped out of the caravan and into the backyard. The air was colder than usual, misty and wet. He pulled his hood tightly around him and headed out to the road, running in the direction of the coast.
He found the staircase without difficulty. It was built into the side of the cliff, leading straight down from the cliffside city to the rocky beach. The steps were steep and slippery, and Baekhyun clutched tightly to the railing as he went, teeth clenched against the bitterly cold wind, trying not to fall to his death onto the jagged rocks below.
He took his last step from the stairs onto the beach just as the sun was coming up.
The effect was dramatic and instantaneous. The first ray of gold breached the horizon, and instantly the waves, entire storeys high, sank calmly beneath the surface, leaving no evidence of their existence apart from overlapping concentric ripples, propagating across the now-glasslike surface. The roar of wind and water vanished, replaced by absolute tranquility. The cold air, hitting his face like knives, turned into the gentle warmth of morning sunlight.
Baekhyun watched, utterly transfixed, as the water met the sky in a haze of amber. Goosebumps should be rising on his skin, but the warmth of the sun was lighting a steady fire within him, quelling the shock, calming his soaring heart. The image of the sun’s rays, reflected perfectly in the crystal calm water, was single the most beautiful and hopeful thing he’d ever seen.
At that moment, he heard footsteps.
He turned around, already knowing who would be there. Chanyeol was standing in front of him, dressed in that same pale robe, his entire form bathed in the amber glow of the sea and sky.
“I had a feeling you’d be here,” Chanyeol said. He was smiling, and his eyes were warm. “I wanted to ask you something.”
Baekhyun was still stunned, still overwhelmed, but he nodded.
“We’re holding a ball at Esmis when I return,” Chanyeol said. “Eight days from now, it will be the festival of the phoenix. There will be thousands in attendance, all people of Aurum. There’ll be a banquet, there’ll be performances - I believe your friends will be there, too. Non-Aurumites aren’t usually invited, but… I would be honoured if you’d attend.”
Eight days. The night of the full moon.
Chanyeol was so earnest, his face framed in a gold halo, his manner so noble and sincere. “You’re like a completely different person every time I meet you,” Baekhyun complained, struggling to hold back tears. “It’s giving me whiplash.”
Chanyeol kept waiting for an answer.
“I… can’t come.”
In an instant, Chanyeol’s face fell. The sight made Baekhyun’s chest ache. “Because it’s the night of the full moon?” Baekhyun nodded. “I was hoping you’d reconsidered. I thought you might want to stay.” His voice was shaking, heartbroken.
At his words, the sun rose completely above the horizon, and the spell was broken. Suddenly the waves were back, crashing down, as though trying to beat the land into submission. The sky was lighter now, but the cold was back, and every hair on Baekhyun’s arms stood on end.
“I’m sorry,” was all Baekhyun could say. Tears finally overflowed from his eyes, mixing with saltwater on his cheeks.
“Why did you lead me on?” Chanyeol asked, and his face was twisted in hurt. “I bared myself to you.”
A wave erupted mere metres from the shore, transforming his field of vision into a puddle of grey. Baekhyun couldn’t see through his blurry eyes, could barely hear him over the sound of the sea. All he could see was the light tan of his robe moving further and further away as he left Baekhyun alone on the banks.
Baekhyun wanted to call after him, but his voice was stuck in his throat. The waves rose higher and higher, threatening to wash him away. He thought he could see the whitewater men, tortured faces forming in the white foam, desperate men clawing their way out from beneath the surface where they were eternally trapped. For a dangerous moment, Baekhyun was tempted. Tempted to take that last step forward, and let the water take him into its depths, make him submit to its power. But his legs felt weak, and Baekhyun stumbled backwards, landing hard on the rocks.
He remained there, sitting on the rocks, his mind wracked by grief and confusion, body shivering and overwhelmed with exhaustion, long after Chanyeol had left him.
V.
Eight days, seven nights. They stopped only once to perform on their return journey to Aurum - apart from that, it was hour after hour on the seemingly endless road.
Baekhyun withdrew into himself, spending days studying the books he’d gotten from Minseok. He wasn’t sure why he was reading them, or if he would even be able to keep his magic once he left. Where he came from, people didn’t have magic. The other guys seemed to sense an uneasy change in him, and they kept a slight distance, not wanting to push him over the edge. Kyungsoo tried to start conversations with him on a few occasions, but he was naturally reticent, and Baekhyun didn’t initiate any interaction beyond the necessary. He mostly just wanted to be alone with his thoughts.
The caravan was small and crowded. Baekhyun found himself cherishing the time he had alone, out in front with the reins and the horses and the deserted road stretching out before him.
As the eighth day drew to a close, the group stopped on the outskirts of Esmis for dinner. The diner was a small, family-owned place, serving spicy curries and various types of flatbreads. They sat around a round table near the window, eating in tense silence.
When they’d wiped their plates clean, the host served each of them a tall glass bearing a fruity, milky concoction.
Baekhyun was the first to speak. “So… where are you guys going, after?”
Everyone looked up, surprised. “The palace,” Sehun said. “For the Festival of the Phoenix.”
Right. He’d forgotten that as (relatively prominent) citizens of Aurum, all four of them would have been invited to the celebrations that night.
“We’ll be stopping by Thesor at a different spot this time,” Jongin cut in. “We’re taking the outer route, instead of the inland. You might have to find a different way in to the clearing.”
“He’s a magician, he won’t have a problem,” Sehun dismissed.
“Have you got a plan of any sort?” Yixing asked. “A route, or directions to follow?” Baekhyun shook his head.
“Minseok told me not to, the magic in that place can’t be charted,” he said. “I’ll be fine, not to worry. Hope you guys have lots of fun at the festival.”
Kyungsoo nodded curtly and looked away. A few of the others attempted smiles, that came out looking more like grimaces. They were all unhappy, but trying to hide it. Baekhyun could empathise.
***
It was probably around ten by the time their caravan stopped by the wood, not on the same country road as before, but a stop close to the castle. The trees were rustling even on the windless night, but spaced further apart, and the ground here was wet and swampy. Through the window, Baekhyun could see the distorted reflection of full moon in a puddle, broken up by aerial roots and plant debris. The trees on the edge of the forest were leaning inwards, as though forming a doorway, welcoming him in.
Jongin wound down the partition between the driver’s seat and the main carriage. “Here’s your stop.”
“I guess this is bye then.” Baekhyun had been sitting tensely on his bed for the last hour, and now everyone watched in silence as he finally stood, feeling slightly light-headed. He cleared his throat. “Thanks for letting me stay with you guys. I won’t forget your kindness.”
“Good luck,” Yixing said.
Baekhyun picked up the figurine he’d been keeping tucked away in his rucksack, and slipped into his pocket. It was one thing he wanted to let himself keep. He was almost out of the caravan when somebody grasped his hand, and he turned to see Kyungsoo standing in the doorway.
“Thank you, Baekhyun. I hope you’ll be happy.” Kyungsoo gave his palm a comforting squeeze and patted his back, smiling. Baekhyun’s chest constricted painfully at the sight, and he nodded, trying fervently not to think about the fact that he would not see them again.
Then he turned and walked down the steps, into the woods.
***
The wood was much less threatening this time. As Baekhyun walked, he could feel the soul of the forest thrumming underfoot. The last time, it had felt like a hostile place, full of danger ready to consume him. This time, it was as though the place could sense his newfound power, and reared back, taking on a subtler approach as it lured him into its depths.
Way up above, the moon was so round, so bright, so full that it made Baekhyun anxious. Was he missing the critical moment? It couldn’t be, it had been half-ten when he’d stepped through the arch. Still the irrational fear bore down relentlessly. What if time passed differently in the forest? How was he going to know?
As he crossed the marsh, he spotted something in the distance - a flickering light, pale and yellow, almost like a jack-o-lantern hanging from a branch. What did they call those things? Baekhyun tried to think back to the old stories. Will o’ the wisps. The traveller’s light. The light beckoned, and he followed.
The ground was littered with crevices and sinkholes filled with quicksand, but Baekhyun navigated the terrain with an ease that surprised himself. Like Minseok had told him, his magic was helping him - he felt like could sense the ground beneath him, like his magic was mapping out a route for his mind and instincts to follow.
His eyes were fixed on the glimmering light, darting ahead with remarkable agility, slipping into patches of shadow between branches only to emerge again a few feet away. Baekhyun’s body was moving as though of its own accord, light-footed and sure. It was cathartic; as he moved, he felt like his mind was floating away, hanging a few steps ahead of him, following the light with blind faith.
Time blurred into the shadow and mist. It was an out-of-body experience for Baekhyun, but slowly, the light began to fade out, and his steps slowed. He wasn’t in the marsh anymore. He was standing on firm, solid soil, and there was grass. A few more steps forward, through a narrow gap between two poplars, and he was back in the clearing. Where it had all started.
The light flickered out to nothing, and then it reappeared - glowing from within the depths of the well.
The moon must almost be at its peak. Slowly, Baekhyun stepped forward and looked into its depths.
The light was blindingly bright now, its halo pulsing with energy and bouncing off the roof of the well. He had the strongest urge to just reach out and touch it. And he would have, if the startling familiarity of the scene hadn’t made him hesitate. The figurine that Chanyeol had sent him, had depicted this exact scene. What did it mean? Had the traveller’s light led the artist to the well? The last time he’d gone through a well, there hadn’t been a guiding light of any kind. What had the old myths called them?
Better an ignis fatuus - than no illume at all.
That’s what the light was called - an ignis fatuus. Baekhyun could hear his grandfather’s voice vividly in his head, telling stories by the fireplace when he was a child. Ignis Fatuus, or foolish fire. It was a deception - a light that tricked travellers and led them to temptation. Baekhyun just stared, transfixed, as the light kept shifting and growing, urging him to take the plunge.
Not all light is good, Minseok’s voice warned him in his mind. This was a foolish fire. It was trying to deceive him. If he stepped in now, he might drown for real.
But he had to take the chance, didn’t he? He had to return. It was his responsibility. His duty to the community. His loyalty to his family.
Now it was a chorus of voices echoing in his head. The voice of his mother, his father, his brother, the village elders. His teachers, his friends, even. This is your community, Baekhyun. The community is where you belong. You will be loyal to it, from the moment you were born to the moment you die.
His mother’s face - tired, resilient, unconditionally loving. His father’s face - always frustrated by his radical tendencies, but fiercely protective and ultimately always trusting in him.
It had only been two months, sixty days, since he’d been plunged into this world of unimaginable colour. Since he’d been walking through this dream.
The moon was full. Baekhyun could sense it, in the way the magic in the wood seemed to shift slightly, opening its doors, emerging from its veil of secrecy. In the well, the light grew brighter still, searing into the back of his eyes.
Baekhyun took a deep breath. It was now or never.
VI.
At the base of castle hill, the festivities could be heard even before the first glimpse of the palace came into sight. There were people still running up the slopes towards the steps, above which fluted columns were visible, lit from below by flickering orange light.
He walked slowly, making his ascent up the hill to the palace courtyard. On either side of the gates to the courtyard hung giant flags, emblazoned with the crest of the phoenix - the crest of Aurum. Just beyond the entryway, a thick crowd of people dressed in their brightest and finest were dancing and drinking and celebrating, under a canopy of gold and blue lanterns. After the calm of the forest, the festival was a brutal assault on his senses; from the kaleidoscopic lights to the the frenzied music and cacophony of shouting and singing from the crowd, it was a stampede waiting to happen.
With difficulty, Baekhyun fought his way across the courtyard and arrived at the main steps. He followed the red carpet marked out by a pair of flaming torches, up the stairs towards the massive front doors of the palace building.
A uniformed guard holding a scroll stopped him as he was trying to enter. “I’m sorry, sir, this reception is for VIP guests only.”
He didn’t care. He needed to get in. But maybe - “Byun Baekhyun,” he said, with sudden certainty. “I’m on there, aren’t I?”
The guard unrolled his scroll and ran a finger down the list. Baekhyun waited impatiently, craning his neck to try and look into the hall. “Yes, you are. Sincere apologies, sir.”
“It’s alright.” Without waiting for the guard to step aside, Baekhyun slid past him and walked straight through the doorway and into the grand hall.
The interior of the hall was as magnificent as anything he’d seen in Ozmion, but in a completely different way. Minimalistic gold-plated chandeliers hung from the high-vaulted ceilings, casting dim light over the body of the room. The walls were completely covered in gigantic murals of ceramic mosaic art, matching a polished floor of thickly grained white marble. Baekhyun’s eyes roamed the length of the hall, and finally came to rest at the far end.
Chanyeol was standing at the base of the winding staircase, greeting and shaking hands with guests from a long receiving line. The hall was significantly less crowded than the courtyard outside, but there were still hundreds upon hundreds of people filling the stretch of room between him and where Chanyeol stood.
When he turned his head, Baekhyun could see his face - and he saw him as he’d first done, back in the glade in the Seelie Court. Not the intimidating warrior he’d met in the forest at night, not the slightly moody boy in camouflage he’d saved at the wedding. Not the dangerous warlock he’d encountered at the Giant’s Carousel, nor the ethereal creature he’d met at the break of dawn. He saw a prince - distant, beautiful, and good. He wanted to commit the vision, the moment to memory - the slope of his neck, the straight line of his shoulders in the black suit, straps crossing at the front, lined with gleaming silver. The long lines of his legs. The softness of his orange-gold hair, swept back to expose a smooth forehead. The solidness of his palms and fingers, shaking a hand, strumming a guitar. The regality in his eyes and of his manner.
There were at least thirty people in line to greet Chanyeol - the de facto leader of Aurum, since his father was at sea and his mother travelling. Baekhyun made his way across the room, weaving in between the elegantly dressed guests, and joined the back of the queue. He probably looked out of place, wearing the clothes he’d had on when he’d first landed in the forest, still sweaty from running, but he found he didn’t care. He was out of place - as out of place as anyone could be in the grand hall of the court of Aurum. He wasn’t royalty, or anyone important. He wasn’t from Aurum, not even close. He was just Baekhyun, from a small village in the valley in the middle of nowhere.
And yet he was an invited guest to the Phoenix festival - maybe the only non-Aurumite to be invited, with every right to be in the room. Every right to be in the queue to greet the prince, who had invited him personally, and for whom he’d made perhaps the most crucial decision of his life.
The line moved slowly, as Chanyeol tried to give each guest his undivided attention. Finally, the last person stepped away to make way for Baekhyun, and it was his turn. Chanyeol came into focus, standing just a few metres away, and instantaneously, the rest of the room seemed to fade out and disappear.
Baekhyun looked steadily ahead across the void, his eyes focused intensely as though pulled toward a centre of gravity. Chanyeol’s gaze was unwavering as he watched Baekhyun approach, his mouth set in a line, expression unchanging, betraying no kind of emotion.
This could be the single most pivotal moment in his life. He would not mess it up.
Baekhyun took a deep breath, steeling himself. Then in a few strides, he closed the distance between them, and as he arrived, bent to kiss Chanyeol’s hand. “Thank you for inviting me, your highness.” He looked up, meeting his eyes. “The festival is splendid.”
For several beats, Chanyeol just looked at him, not speaking. Baekhyun’s heart began pounding in his chest, rattling so hard he thought it might burst out of his ribcage.
Finally, Chanyeol spoke. “What are you doing here?” His features were still set in their expressionless cast, giving nothing away.
“I decided to take you up on your invitation,” Baekhyun said, with as much blitheness as he could muster. “I heard I’m a VIP guest.”
Chanyeol looked lost for a second, then he cleared his throat. “And are you… are you leaving soon?”
Baekhyun’s voice caught in his throat. He was overcome with the urge to look away, but forced himself to keep looking the prince in the eye as he spoke. He could do this. He had already decided. He would have to choose his next words carefully. “Not if you won’t send me away.”
There was another agonising pause, as Chanyeol looked at him, brows knotted, eyes still confused and still full of hurt. Baekhyun couldn’t understand why. “In a moment, there will be music,” he finally said. “Would you honour me with the first dance?”
His words gave Baekhyun a glimmer of hope.
***
The musicians finished tuning, and the guests were standing on the fringes of the room, waiting for the dance to begin. At the foot of the grand staircase, Chanyeol gave Baekhyun a reassuring glance, then extended a hand for him to take.
Baekhyun’s fingers were cold as he placed his palm in Chanyeol's, and walked forwards into the centre of the room to lead the first dance. He hadn’t cared earlier, but now he was acutely aware of how run-down he must look, in his worn-out soft shirt and pants, blatantly out of place in a room of finery. The hall seemed larger than ever from where they stood, two lone figures in the centre of the massive space, hundreds of eyes watching their every move. Baekhyun was a performer, but there was something much more severe about this kind of scrutiny, and it just made him want to shrivel up and disappear. It must be how Chanyeol felt all the time, Baekhyun realised. It would be impossible not to develop some kind of crippling self-consciousness, living life under such studied, unforgiving attention.
Chanyeol placed a hand on his back, and Baekhyun reached up to hold onto his shoulder. Complete silence fell in the hall, and Baekhyun could almost hear the pounding of his heart bouncing off the hallowed ceilings.
In that moment, Baekhyun was fervently grateful to Kyungsoo, Yixing, and Jongin and Sehun, for teaching him to dance at the many parties they’d attended while hopping from town to village to city. He’d have to look for them immediately after this, to thank them and tell them he’d decided not to leave.
Chanyeol reached out to clasp his other hand with Baekhyun’s, intertwining their fingers.
The musicians started to play - a simple, persistent drumbeat accompanied by an aggressive string motif, the sound expanding as more instruments began to join the ensemble, one by one. The song was rhythmic, almost anthemic - it was probably a song of the festival, Baekhyun thought.
He matched Chanyeol’s steps closely, keeping his gaze fixed at an arbitrary point over his shoulder, watching the room moving around them in a blur of faces. Cold sweat was beading on his forehead, and he tried to focus only on the music and the warm, comforting pressure of Chanyeol’s hands on his body.
This was why he stayed. Of all the surreal memories he’d made here, this was probably among the top.
As the tempo of the song built up, the dance steps began to speed up and climb in intensity. The hall was really spinning now, a hazed-out blur of colourful walls and red - the attire of the people. There was only Chanyeol and him, and the faces and places orbiting them.
And then it was over.
It could have been two minutes, or twenty. Opposite Baekhyun, Chanyeol slowed down and came to a stop, for just a split second.
With a deafening clash of cymbals, the musicians plunged straight into another set, starting with a frantically fast-paced gavotte. All around them, it was as though the hall had suddenly come to a life, in a flurry of colourful skirts and people jumping into dance, forming circles and lines across the space, completely swarming the centre of the room where Baekhyun stood, panting from exertion.
***
“Where are we going?” Baekhyun asked. Chanyeol was grasping his hand tightly, leading him as they threaded through a series of corridors that branched off from the main hall. “Is it really alright for you to just leave like this?”
“They won’t even notice,” Chanyeol said. He was striding so fast Baekhyun struggled to keep up. “We’re going to the store closet.”
“Why, do my clothes not fit the dress code?” Baekhyun asked, mystified. Their dance was over - the dress code seemed like a strange thing to be worried about at that moment.
“They’re fine for the festival, but we still need to get you knighted. For that I’d like you to be in something more… Aurum.”
That something turned out to be a white shirt and suit of black leather, trimmed in silver and hung with glistening white-gold hardware. It was strikingly similar to what Chanyeol himself was wearing, but without the long jacket, and cut to Baekhyun’s exact size.
Baekhyun stood in front of the mirror, watching his reflection with strange detachment. He looked like a completely different person - as fancy as any of the guests in the hall downstairs. He looked like he might actually be royalty, or capable of powerful magic.
They were up in the prince’s chambers - a suite of rooms up in one of the towers- and Baekhyun was still slightly winded from the climb. Chanyeol was seated on a velvet sofa, facing a large gold-framed window that overlooked the cliffside. From where Baekhyun stood before the mirror, he couldn’t see his face.
“Are you going to do it right now? Here?”
“Yes,” Chanyeol said, not turning around.
“Isn’t there some kind of procedure for this?”
“There is an investiture, of course, but I have the authority to do this officially. And I want you to become a citizen of Aurum immediately.” Chanyeol stood and walked over to his display case, pulling out a long, thin sword with a gold handle. “No matter how long you’re staying, I want you to be a man of Aurum.” For some reason, his voice was strained, like he was only just holding himself together.
Baekhyun looked at him carefully, and there were tears glimmering in his deer-like eyes, barely suppressed pain in the slight twist of his mouth.
He’d probably been trained to be strong and collected all his life, Baekhyun realised. To keep up a calm facade no matter what he was feeling. He’d had the mask on every single time Baekhyun had met him. The thought made Baekhyun’s chest ache. His entire being yearned to give him comfort, any kind of comfort - he wanted to reach out and touch those trembling lips, to stroke his hair and tell him it was alright to break down and cry. It was alright to be vulnerable, human.
“I’m not going anywhere, Chanyeol,” he said quietly. “I want to stay with you.”
Chanyeol froze, still standing by his display case with his back facing Baekhyun. There was a long silence as Baekhyun waited for him to say something - anything. Then he turned around and came to sit on the chair facing Baekhyun, knighting sword hanging from a loosely clenched fist.
Chanyeol took a deep breath. “What happened in the wood?”
“I entered the forest, and a light showed me the way to the well of Thesor. And when I got there, it was in the water - exactly like the sculpture you’d given me.”
“And it hadn’t been there the first time?”
“No. And that made me pause, because it made me think about what it - the light - actually was. And why it guided me there.”
“The traveller’s light,” Chanyeol said, in wonder.
Baekhyun nodded. “I decided then. I’d known all along that I wanted to stay, but it took a foolish fire for me to realise that I could choose another path.”
“Which is?”
“Coming back to look for you.”
Chanyeol shook his head, still not getting it. “But why would you do that?”
“Because it’s what I want,” Baekhyun said slowly. Why couldn’t he understand? “I want you, with all my heart, but I’m worried that you might not want me. You didn’t look like you wanted me back.”
Chanyeol looked aghast. “How could you say such a thing?”
Baekhyun recalled Chanyeol’s face, his coldness when he’d first seen him back in the hall. He seemed like he wanted to be with Baekhyun, but he couldn’t shake the thought. “What were you thinking, when I showed up in front of you in the hall?”
“I was thinking that you’d left, or were leaving, and that I’d have to deal with this ache in my heart for the rest of my life.” Chanyeol sat up straight in his seat, looking away. “I was devastated. I’d been devastated ever since you spoke to me on the beach in Ozmion, and told me you wouldn’t come to the festival.”
“I felt so lost,” Baekhyun said, and his eyes began to water. “My heart wanted to stay, but I thought I owed it to my community… and my family. To return. But I don’t think I can do it.”
“The well isn’t going to go away,” Chanyeol said. “If you miss them, you could return. It might work.”
Baekhyun shook his head. He’d been there, he’d stood in front of the well, and he knew its magic wasn’t going to work for him if he returned a third time. “I’m meant to stay.”
“I won’t let you stay against your will. There must be another way back, if you want it, I will help you find it. I will do anything I can to find it.”
He was so stubborn it was almost annoying. “That wasn’t what I meant. I meant that I want to stay, Chanyeol. I found magic in this world, and I found happiness. I’d never had that back in the valley. I wanted to leave, but honestly, someday I’d probably have given up, and ended up living the life everyone planned for me.” The words were coming out quickly now, and Baekhyun couldn’t stop them if he wanted to. “And I want to stay for you. I loved you on first sight. You appeared before me like a star, in that meadow - since then I never wanted to be parted from you.” He’d done it. Bared his heart, multiple times, made his intentions clear. If Chanyeol didn’t want him, he’d have to do it now. Break him and then never see him again.
He didn’t know what he would do if Chanyeol rejected him now.
Chanyeol didn’t answer. He stood up and took hold of Baekhyun’s wrist, pulling him towards the centre of the room where a leather pew was set on the ground.
“Kneel,” he said. “Let’s get this over with.”
Baekhyun knelt, inclining his head. Chanyeol extended the sword, and there was the light press of metal on his right shoulder, and then the left.
“For services rendered to the kingdom, I pronounce you Byun Baekhyun of Aurum.”
The sword was lifted from his shoulder, and Chanyeol took a step back.
“Arise.”
Baekhyun stood, wanting to demand a straight answer. But before he could speak, Chanyeol bent to kneel before him instead, laying his sword on the ground and looking up to meet Baekhyun’s eyes.
“Baekhyun,” he said quietly. “I want you to rule with me.”
Looking him in the eyes - bright even in the lowlight, Baekhyun knew that he’d made the right choice. He would follow no matter what the man asked for.
“We could build the kingdom anew with firelight. Strengthen our seat of power. Achieve peace with Argentum, like you wanted,” he continued. “Will you do it with me?”
Since landing in Aurum, he’d received nothing but blessing. Without all the help he’d received, he would never have emerged from the forest of Thesor that first day at nightfall. To serve the kingdom would be to rise from the ashes. The future he’d envisioned was just within reach.
“I will,” Baekhyun said.
***
The skies cleared up the next morning.
Chanyeol opened the doors to a balcony in his room, and Baekhyun stepped out to get his first look at the city of Esmis.
From his vantage point, Baekhyun could see part of the palace, pale blue sandstone rising from the cliff, a cluster of towers joined by crossings and wall walks, shrouded in cloud. The steep fall to the harbour below, with the gold-hulled merchant ships with the painted sails drifting on the turquoise water, sparkling as waves caught the light.
The courtyard directly below was surrounded by a massive colonnade, crimson vines bearing crimson flowers stark against the periwinkle stone. Staff were running to and from the building, cleaning up the aftermath of the festivities.
To the west, he could see part of the city, with its whitewashed houses and buildings in hues of warm pastel, sand-coloured tents of the marketplace and terracotta stripes of the city’s roads winding in between. Kyungsoo and the rest of the guys would be staying somewhere near the bay, delivering the parcels they’d transported back from Ozmion, finding work to do before commencing their next journey. Baekhyun would have to look them up and tell them he’d decided to stay. He missed them, and he missed their life on the road, no matter how short-lived it had been. They were more than just his saviours - they were brothers, who’d taken him in like family.
He would miss home too, and maybe a part of him would regret not going back. But Baekhyun was made for more, and the valley would never be able to understand that. Leaving the island had always been his goal, and now he’d done it. Sooner than he’d expected, maybe - but things rarely worked out the way one expected them to.
And there was something he hadn’t told Chanyeol, something he’d seen pictured in the rippling water of the well. A vision of what would happen if he’d taken the plunge. An image of himself standing on the black shores of his homeland, waiting as a giant ship sailed into the harbour, bearing the flags of Aurum.
He didn’t know if he could trust the image, or any part of its premise. But it didn’t matter. Baekhyun would not put his fate in the hands of a foolish fire - there was a path of his own that he wanted to choose, for reasons he held close to heart. One of which was standing before him, embodying warmth and strength and beauty.
“I’m ready to rebuild.”
Ready to rebuild the kingdom, rebuild his life and rebuild his legacy.
Baekhyun reached out to take Chanyeol’s hand. It felt like coming home, and a wave of strength shot through his being, like entire forests were growing within him. The union of their clasped hands crackled with the amber of firelight.
Together they would herald a glorious new era for the kingdom of the phoenix.
Epilogue
Even for a ship as large as theirs, getting into the bay wasn’t an easy task. Waves, bigger and more aggressive than the waters of Ozmion, pushed at their vessel from all directions, threatening to overturn them, to pull them under.
Entering the bay felt like heaving a sigh of relief. The waters were much gentler here, and it was safe to drop an anchor. The first of their crew - Chanyeol, Baekhyun, and the most senior of their entourage, took a rowboat to shore. After a solid six months of sailing and stops in countless ports, they’d finally reached the last of the islands at the end of the world, where the sea and sky were one.
Baekhyun was the first one off the boat. As he stepped out onto the shore, the firm soles of his boots sank into the pitch-black sand, and he knew. He’d guessed since that day on the beach in Ozmion, when he’d caught a glimpse of the whitewater men straining beneath the surface. He’d known for sure since weeks ago, as he’d stared up at the shifting night sky and began to see familiar constellations slowly creeping towards them as their ship plowed eastwards through the seas.
He was home at last.
END