Morning comes all too soon as we’re made to start training by sunrise. By midday, we pack up camp and head out to start our journey.

Since I still can’t draw the bowstring back, Pixie makes me work on my arm strength by constantly trying to pull it back. Every so often, I stop and attempt to pull it back. When I think that I’ve made progress, the next draw back reminds me of how weak I actually am. Frustrated, I huff and sling it onto my back, catching up with the others.

“How long will it take to get to the Elfish Kingdom?” I ask.

“Elven Kingdom,” Pixie corrects. “And possibly two or three moons. It’s quite a ways away.”

“Two or three moons?!” I whine. “Come on!”

“Snowfall will be here in six moons!” Dae Sung points out.

Pixie nods, unfazed by our surprise. “Yes. And we can prepare for snowfall while we’re there. The Elven Kingdom is very prosperous and has many markets inside.” She turns to us. “There will also be a lot of new things for you all to see.”

That’s actually really exciting. I’m always ready to see new and cool things. I look at her as the mention of the Elven Kingdom reminds me of our conversation from last night. “Hey Noona? Can you tell us more about the war?” I ask. “We don't really know about it at all.”

She looks at all of us and nods. “Of course. It’s a very important topic.” Pixie takes a deep breath and sighs. “But like I said last night, it started six years ago when the new king came to power.”

“How did that happen? What happened to the old one?” I wonder.

Pixie sighs again. “The Late King was assassinated. Normally when a king dies, his son would take his place in power. However, no one knows who he is or even where he is. So, because of this, the tyrant took his place.”

“How did the war start? What did he do?” I question.

Noona thinks for a moment before speaking. “It started with the village nearest to the palace. He had his troops raid the village, capture all the magickal creatures within it, and then he had them executed in front of a crowd of people. Many tried to escape but failed.” she pauses. “Once word got out what was going on, others were able to flee. But the regular townsfolk also took it upon themselves to degrade and torment the people they once considered friends. This is how the war spread. And it spread quickly. There used to be so many villages with human and magickkind integrated. Now, almost none.”

“What about your village?” Min Su asks.

“There used to be so many fae in my town. Once the war started…” she trails off and pauses. “None now.” She looks at him.

“They were all killed?” the younger wonders.

Slowly and sadly, Pixie nods. “Yes. They were,” she runs a hand through her hair as she replies. “The ones who do manage to escape though, usually seek refuge in the Elven Kingdom. It’s the home for all of Magickkind.”

“How far is the King wanting to go?” Dae Sung jumps in. “What does he want with the magickal creatures?”

“He wants them gone,” Pixie replies coldly. “A mass killing of all Magickkind. He’s even willing to travel to other lands to start war there!” she sighs. “Our only hope is that the Late King’s son will miraculously appear and take his rightful place on the throne.”

“But we don't know anything about this guy,” I interrupt. “What if he’s just as bad or even worse? Has anyone even seen him before?”

Pixie turns to me and smiles. She pulls me into a side hug and rubs my arm. “Those are all good questions. However, I have faith that the Late King raised his son well.”

“He sounds like a coward,” Min Su speaks.

I turn to him. “Why do you say that?” I ask.

“Why?” Min Su sounds almost offended. “Because while all these people are out here dying, he thinks it okay to hide! Running away from his responsibilities as a prince and letting innocent people die! If he actually cared about this land and his people, he’d do something about it. It’s been six years!”

“What if there’s a reason for his hiding though?” I challenge. “Maybe he’s preparing an attack on the palace to take his place as we speak.”

Dae Sung interrupts our conversation. “While that sounds nice and all, it doesn’t change the fact that many homes and villages have been destroyed. We don’t exactly have a home to go back to. Even if a new king were to come into power, what would that do for us? For all the people, humans and magickkind alike, who don't have a place to go back to?”

Pixie stops to look at us. “It would give people hope,” she simply says. “It would give people the ability to rebuild and start anew. Start fresh with the new friends and families that they’ve made.”

“Like us,” I add with a smile. “We’re all family now, don’cha think?” I look at everyone.

All of them stare at me. Noona smiles and nods. Both Dae Sung and Min Su look from each other to Pixie, then back at me as they nod.

“Exactly like us,” Pixie confirms. “Our hope is that the prince is alive and like his father.”

“Maybe we’ll meet him on our journey,” Dae Sung suggests.

“Even if we did, we wouldn’t know it. We don’t even know his name,” Min Su argues.

Pixie joins their conversation. “There’s a rumor going around that only the people in power know his name. All the Kings and Queens of this land, along with possibly their counsels, know about him. I heard that they even know what he looks like.”

“But that’s just a rumor,” Min Su points out.

“Fair point,” Pixie nods. “But it is possible.”

I giggle and smile at their talk. This is all so exciting! There is hope in this world after all! My excitement is too much to contain as I run forward and hop onto a big rock. I then turn to them.

“Let’s go my fellow adventurers! Adventure awaits us! It has been confirmed that there is indeed hope for the future once more!” I announce.

As I look down at the others, I see them all smiling at my announcement. Pixie laughs and waves me back down.

“Alright c’mon. Let’s go, little adventurer,” she says.

I smile and laugh as I hop down. We continue on to our next campsite.

Fourteen days go by with the same routine. Wake up, train, and make our way to the Elven Kingdom. Today is no different. Except for the fact that I am very tired. My body aches from all our training. I just want to take a break for one day.

As we head out for more travel, I lag behind just a little. “Noona?” I start. “Can we just rest tomorrow? I hurt all over and I just feel gross.”

She turns to me and looks as if she’s about to protest, but decides against it. “Yes, we can. Let’s find somewhere to take a rest. I’m sure by this point, we could all use one.”

We all nod in agreement and start our search. Pixie hangs back to walk next to Min Su.

“How are we doing on food right now?” she asks him.

“Last time I checked, we were almost out. We’ll definitely need more here soon. I can check again once we set up for the night,” Hyung answers.

“Okay,” Noona nods and rubs his back. “I’ll go hunting tonight too.”

It seems like Pixie has been trying to find small things for Min Su to do so that he doesn’t get stir-crazy again. From the looks of it, it definitely seems to be working. He hasn’t thrown a fit since that night we decided to start our journey. Hyung even watches us train and Pixie tries to let him participate in some exercises. He just, in general, is a lot happier. It also might be because we’re going to get his arm healed too.

I turn my attention back to the search at hand. We need to find a place where we can set up camp and maybe wash our clothes I hope.

“What are we looking for?” I ask. “Can we wash our clothes too?”

Pixie glances at me. “Let’s find a river and follow it. Once we get close enough to a good campsite, we can stop there,” she replies.

“But we haven’t seen a river in days!” I complain.

Min Su shushes me and kneels down.

“What are you-?” I start.

“Hush,” he interrupts and stays quiet for a moment. “I’m not too sure, but I think I hear running water coming from the left of us. Should we try for it?”

Pixie shrugs. “Might as well. It’s our best bet at this point.”

Min Su gets back up and leads the way. Sure enough, after a bit of walking, we find a river.

“Hell yeah!” I say. “Now we follow it?”

Pixie hits my arm to scold my word choice and nods. The older two agree and head off in the direction of its flow. I rub my arm and follow. Along the way, I spot some fish! That can be our dinner!

“Noona! Look! Can you catch fish for dinner tonight?” I point at the river and smile.

She turns to me and chuckles. “Yes, but not right now. Let’s get camp set up first,” she answers.

I nod excitedly and keep walking. As we walk, the trees around us start to thin out. Seems like we’re getting somewhere. Are we possibly getting close to a town? Once the trees disappear, we come onto a clearing. Instead of finding a town, we find a mountainside. It stands very tall and stretches out far in both directions. Maybe we can find a cave.

Unfortunately, the river that we happen to be following, also gets stopped by the mountainside. So much for that plan.

“Great. Now what?” Dae Sung asks.

Pixie points off in the distance. “Let’s keep going. We’re bound to find somewhere to set up camp. And if nothing else, we can walk back for clean drinking water,” she comforts.

Reluctantly, we continue to trudge on. It’s nothing but mountain and shrub. However, my curiosity gets the best of me and I decide to check out the shrubs and vines. Low and behold, I stumble upon a cave! It was well hidden with all the green covering the entryway.

“Guys! I found a cave!” I quickly wave them over.

They hurry to me and we head inside. I throw my stuff down and plop myself onto the ground. Dae Sung and Min Su go to check out the cave while Pixie chuckles and sits next to me. She pets me and pats my back.

“You’re doing good, Blondy.” She compliments. “Keep it up and you’ll be strong in no time.”

Her compliment makes me smile as I nod. “Thanks,” I reply.

Our little conversation is interrupted by Min Su’s voice. “Whoa! Guys! There’s like a whole bath in here!”

“Seriously?” I question as both Pixie and I head over to him. “Is it deep enough? Throw something in it!” I suggest.

“Don’t do that,” Pixie shoots down my idea.

“I don’t think we’ll need to,” Dae Sung speaks up.

Once we arrive at the water, I immediately understand. It’s very clear. I look into it and can see all the way to the bottom. It’s like the mountain made a little bath, just for us. I almost want to jump in right now.

“Alright. Let’s set up camp and then you boys can bathe. You need it,” Pixie states as she walks back. “While you bathe, I’ll go find us some dinner. I’ll wash up once you boys are done.”

“Are you sure?” Min Su asks.

She turns to him and nods. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be? I’ll get dirty during hunting anyways.”

With that said, we all agree and head back to our things to settle in for the night. Once tents are pitched and wood is gathered for the fire, I sit down to relax.

At the same time, Pixie grabs her bow and quiver and heads out to go hunt. Immediately following, Dae Sung and Min Su throw off their clothes and head to the bath. Shrugging, I get up, undress, and decide to join them. As I walk over to the water, I watch as the older two start to slide into it.

Dae Sung goes first. He gets down and just drops himself in. I can’t help but laugh as he hops around and hoots deeply as if he was a monkey. “Holy Dangu this is cold!”

I hop in after. He was not kidding! My skin tightens from the cold and I find myself jumping around just like Dae Sung did.

A few seconds later, Min Su joins us. As the water hits him, he gasps. He’s not able to stand still either and bounces in place. “Why is it so cold?!” he questions.

I laugh at him and decide to adjust quicker by going under the water fully. Coming back up, I shake my head and sling water at the other two.

“Hey!” Dae Sung laughs and splashes water in my face.

I splash him back and start to make my way over to him. He watches me as I jump at him and wrap my arm around his neck. Grabbing his shoulder, I lift myself up and try to push his head down. The older grabs my arms and pushes me off. He then grabs my head and dunks me under the water instead. Once he lets go, I come back up quickly and start coughing.

“Nice try, Ki!” the older mocks.

“That’s not fair!” I whine.

“Yeah it is. You’re just weak,” Min Su teases.

“And you’re just being mean!” I stick my tongue out at him as I splash him in the face. Min Su’s eyes widen and he chases after me. I squeak and attempt to hide behind Dae Sung.

“Don't hide behind me. You brought this on yourself,” the oldest states as he moves out of the way.

The younger grabs the back of my neck and pulls me over to him. Dae Sung helps in holding me there and Min Su starts attacking my sides. I squeal, wriggle, giggle and try to squirm away but Dae Sung’s grip is tight. When he joins the attack, my squeals get louder and the twitches become more violent.

“Ahh!!! Stop!!” I plead. “We need to wash!” My squeaks and giggles slowly get quieter as they decide to leave my sides alone. “You guys are so mean!” I whine.

Both laugh and pet me. “Oh you’re fine,” Dae Sung says. “Now let’s get clean.”

We stop wasting time and get to washing. Once Dae Sung finishes, he goes over to the younger and helps him wash. I don’t feel like waiting, so once I’m done, I lift myself up out of the water and head over to my tent. Quickly grabbing my clothes, I head inside to get dressed.

When I come back out, Pixie has returned with a whole deer and four fish. She lays the fish down and starts to cut up the deer. I go into my hyungs' tent and grab their clothes. Heading back to the bath, I set their clothes closer to them.

“Noona’s back. So your clothes are here now,” I tell them. They nod their thanks and I hurry back.

“Have a nice bath, Blondy?” Pixie asks.

“Yeah. I did,” I answer. “It’s really cold though.”

“Let’s get this fire started then. Don't want you boys catching a cold now,” she states.

I have never been able to successfully start a fire before. Usually, my hyungs do it for me. This time, Pixie teaches me how to do it and lets me try. It takes some time, but I manage to get a tiny flame started. I proudly smile as Pixie takes over to make it bigger.

Not too long after, Dae Sung and Min Su finally join us. As they sit down, Pixie hands Dae Sung and I two sticks each and a knife.

“Get whittling. We’ll cook the fish tonight and eat some deer tomorrow,” she commands, not looking up from the deer. “While you boys cook it, I’m gonna bathe.” Pixie looks at us and flashes a smile filled with sass. She gets up and takes off her cloak. “Let me know when it’s done cooking.” We nod as she heads towards the bath.

“Who’s gonna tell her when it’s done?” Min Su wonders.

We all look from one to the other and chuckle slightly. “Rock, paper, scissors! Loser has to tell her,” Dae Sung suggests.

“Alright!” I agree. “An nae myeon jin geo kai bai bo!” I shout and throw out scissors as the other two throw out rock. “Oh come on!”

Min Su laughs. “A man always throws out rock!” he declares. I’ll keep that in mind for next time.

Dae Sung chuckles and starts whittling his stick. I huff and do the same. Once the sticks are at a point, we ready the fish on them and set them up to cook. Dae Sung then grabs our canteens and holds two out to Min Su.

“Wanna help me fill these up?” he asks the younger.

Min Su nods and gets up. He then proceeds to attempt to grab the two canteens with one hand but when he can’t, huffs and looks at Dae Sung for help. He chuckles and grabs it. Together, they head out to fill up all four canteens.

Having nothing else to do, I sit and watch the fish. They aren’t done yet, but they're getting there. I’m bored, so I get up and decide to bother Pixie. As I head towards the bath, I stop just far enough to see her. Thankfully, her back is to me. Her hair is parted to show her back as she washes it. Taking a step closer, I catch sight of two huge scars on her upper back. What happened?

“You had better be here to tell me that our food is done cooking,” her tone startles me and I put my hand to my chest. “If you’re here to peep, I’ll castrate you.”

“You’ll what?” I stammer with a squeak.

Pixie turns to me but sinks a bit lower so I don’t see anything. “State your purpose, Blondy!”

“The hyungs left to get water, so I was bored and wanted to talk to you!” I stammer as my voice breaks even more. I put my hand to my throat and continue. “Also, the food is almost ready!”

Pixie watches me for a couple seconds before speaking. “Fine. You’re lucky. If it was one of the other two, I would not have let them go so easily.”

I sigh in relief as she turns back around. “What was that thing you threatened me with? And what is it?” I ask.

She laughs. “Castrate you. To put simply, it means to cut off your manhood.”

I feel my mouth gape open in shock as I instinctively put my hands over my crotch protectively. “Please don't do that. I’d like to keep those.”

Pixie laughs harder at my comment. “I won't actually do that. I promise,” she states as she starts washing her hair. “Sit.”

I obey and watch her curiously. From time to time, I catch glimpses of those scars on her back. They look almost symmetrical, yet very jagged and asymmetrical. “Noona?” I start. “Where did you get those scars from? They’re very… different.”

She stops and turns her head to me. Sighing, she shakes her head. “Go check on the fish. When I come out, I’ll tell you about them,” she replies.

“Okay,” I nod and get up. Before leaving, I watch her and notice just how sad she looks. This is probably a sensitive topic for her. I head for the fire and make sure the fish aren’t burnt. Thankfully, they aren’t. I smile and sit down to feel the warmth of the fire as I wait. Even if it hurts to talk about, I’m glad that she’ll share her story with us. Maybe talking about these kind of things helps?

Interrupting my thoughts, Dae Sung and Min Su come back from their fresh water trip. They sit down next to each other as Min Su passes me my canteen. Not too long later, Pixie joins us and sits next to me.

“I learned a new word today,” I state, looking at the older two. They’ll definitely have a similar reaction.

“And what was that?” Dae Sung asks.

“Castrate. Do you know what that means?” I smirk.

They both look at me and shake their heads. “No. what does it mean?” Dae Sung speaks again.

I can’t help but giggle as I think about it. Pixie rubs my back and I can tell she’s smiling too. “It means,” I look at Pixie for a little help in explaining. She holds up two fingers and makes a cutting motion. “Oh yeah! It means to cut off guy parts!”

Pixie starts laughing. When I see the look on my hyungs’ faces, I do too. Min Su’s mouth is wide open in shock. His eyes are completely round as he stares at the ground. He can’t even speak.

Dae Sung’s eyes go wide as he leans back and then slumps over. He scoffs, just completely at a loss for words. “Oh my god,” is all he can think to say. His eyes seem to search the ground and he shakes his head. Suddenly, he looks at me in confusion with his hands thrown up in defeat. “Why did you learn this? What brought upon this word for you to learn?”

Pixie laughs again as she grabs the fish and passes them out. “He came to me and I thought he was peeping. So I threatened him with castration. He didn’t know what it was, so I taught him,” she answers simply as I nod in agreement.

The shock on their faces slowly fades away as we begin eating. “Also, while I was there, I saw really big scars on Noona’s back. She said she’d talk about them,” I remind her.

“Ah, right,” she nods.

“Scars? Can we see them?” Min Su asks.

Pixie pauses and looks at them. Then, without answering, she turns away from us, lifts her arms behind her head, and pulls her shirt off her back while still keeping her front side covered. Now, the two scars from earlier as well as more all down her lower back are showing. I didn’t see those ones earlier.

“Oh wow,” Dae Sung can’t help but vocalize his surprise.

At that moment, Pixie slides her shirt back on and faces us again. “Not very many people have seen those scars,” she tells us. “Only those I hold dear have. You boys are special to me. So I guess it’s time that I tell you my story.”

We all get quiet and watch her. She takes a deep breath and prepares herself. Shaking her head, she hesitates to start. Without giving it much thought, I reach out and hold her hand to comfort her. She smiles at the gestures and begins.

“When I was a little girl, I lived in a village where half of us were human and the other half were fae. Everyday, my little brother and I would play with the human boys next door. We always had so much fun,” she nods. “Even at a young age, my brother knew what kind of pixie he was. He was always so interested in magick and was constantly playing around with it. He was a water pixie,” she smiles sadly. “He was also incredibly mischievous and pixie-like. Sometimes, when I’d try to fly away, he’d catch me in a water ball to stop me. Which really sucked ‘cause then my wings were wet all day.” Pixie chuckles smally.

“How much younger than you was he?” Min Su asks.

“Six,” she answers. “He’d be 14 if he were alive today.” Pixie looks at all of us then rests her gaze on me. “Just like you. You remind me a lot of him. I think you two would have been friends since you’re both very similar.” She places her hand on my head and ruffles my hair softly. “Maybe that’s why I feel the need to protect you so bad. Because I couldn’t protect him.”

Dae Sung and Min Su nod to show their understanding. I look up at her and take her hand again to hold it. She smiles and then looks at the ground.

“Word got out that the Late King got assassinated and everyone was shocked, to say the least. I had just turned 14 when the war started and my village was, not the first, but the second village to get raided. It wasn’t enough time for the fae to flee. It was however, enough time for our neighbors to torment us. The boys we used to play with started throwing rocks at us and pulling our hair. Once the troops arrived, we were already too tired to try and run.” Pixie pauses and looks at us.

“What was your brother’s name?” I ask cautiously.

“Xiao Yu…” she replies with a sigh. “When the troops came, they didn’t hesitate to kill us on site. They left a few of us alive just to torment. My brother and I were a part of that. They separated the girls and boys and made the men strip naked. To degrade them even more, they made fun of their manhood. The size, how it hung, and whether or not they became erect when they stripped down one of our women.” She stops again and hangs her head to the side and moves her tongue around as if holding back anger. “Then the torture started and I was the lucky lady. Yay,” her tone is filled with sarcasm.

No one looks at her as she talks. We all stare at the ground in silence, waiting for her to continue. Dae Sung sits with his elbows on his knees, hands together and hunched over to listen. Min Su decides to sit on the ground and rest his chin on Dae Sung’s leg. Pixie runs her hand through her hair and sighs.

“They tied me up and stripped me of my clothes. The things they did to me were very,” she pauses, “uncomfortable, especially as young as I was. When the man that I assume was in charge of these troops came over and grabbed me, I spit on him,” she chuckles slightly. “But because of that, he grabbed my face hard and gave me this scar.” She points to the one on her face.

“And then things got worse. He announced to everyone that I would be made an example of. What happens when you fight back instead of letting yourself be killed.” She nods and continues immediately after. “He turned me around and ripped off one of my wings right then. I screamed and cried so loudly but of course he didn’t care. Afterwards, he threw me on the ground and had his men beat me. Then they whipped me with bamboo sticks and pissed in my wounds. Once they were done with that, the man tied me back up on a pole and ripped off my other wing.”

Pixie stops and rubs her face then looks up at the sky. Dae Sung watches her but says nothing.

“They left me up there and began killing everyone else in front of me. Then they got to Xiao Yu and he didn’t resist at all. He looked at me and I’ll never forget what he said. ‘It’s my time to go, but I’ll never forget you. You’ve protected me my whole life. And for that, I thank you.’ And then they killed him…” her voice gets weak as she trails off. Pixie sighs and hangs her head, letting her hair hide her face.

Unsure of what to do, I run my thumb over her knuckles like I remember my hyungs doing to me. I feel her squeeze my hand and hear her sniffle quietly. Looking over at them, I can tell that Dae Sung and Min Su are uncomfortable. Despite that, the older rubs her back.

After a few seconds, Pixie seems to collect herself as she runs her hands through her hair to reveal her face again. I notice that her eyes are a little red and puffy. No one dares to mention it.

“After that, they kept me tied up and threw me in the woods to die. I’m surprised I didn’t bleed to death,” she finishes with a sigh.

I nod and then look at her. “So that’s why you don’t have wings,” I realize.

Pixie can’t help but let out a small chuckle as she nods. “It’s also why I can’t shrink down anymore. If a fae doesn’t have wings, they can’t shrink. Usually, half-fae don’t have wings. They’re just smaller in height and lack at least two characteristics from a normal fae.”

“Like what?” I ask.

Pixie pauses to think and looks over at the older two. “Well, certain fae have characteristics that go along with the type of magick they possess. Like Dryads. They are very dark skinned, have bright yellow eyes, and green hair. A half fae, or halflings, may have the dark skin but not green hair. Others may not even be dark skinned and only have the yellow eyes. Another would be the snow fae. While they are very pale, have bright blue eyes, and snow white hair, halflings may only have one of those traits or just lack one,” she explains.

“Wow! That’s so cool!” I smile at her. “I wanna know more. What’s another cool fact?”

Noona chuckles and pets me. “Well, fae are the only magickal creatures where both male and females can bear children,” she states.

“No way! That’s so cool!” I exclaim.

Looking over at the older two, I don’t think they find that as cool as I do. They seem to be more shocked than anything. Min Su’s eyes are wide as he blinks several times and his mouth hangs open. Dae Sung voices his surprise.

“What?!” The older looks at Pixie. “How is that possible?”

Pixie laughs. “At one point, there was a shortage of female fae. So to survive, the men were able to change their body enough to bear children. Even half fae have this ability. While today there isn’t a shortage of females, we still use this. For example, if two male fae were to marry, they would still be able to reproduce," she states.

Dae Sung scrunches his eyebrows together and nods. “What’s manlier than two men getting married?” he laughs awkwardly and looks at the ground.

"Another example would be if a female pixie and a male faerie were to marry. Because pixies are incredibly stubborn, most of the time, the faeries will end up carrying the child. On rare occasions do pixies ever bear kids if they’re with a faerie,” she continues.

“And what kind of occasion would that be?” Min Su wonders.

Pixie pauses and thinks for a moment. “Maybe if the male faerie is very dominant, more stubborn than the pixie, or of a higher stature.”

“That’s so cool,” I repeat. I just can’t think of anything else to say. She smiles at all of us and rubs my back.

When I look over at Dae Sung, he seems to be thinking about something. He’s biting his lip and staring at the ground with a look of worry, maybe? His arms are resting in his lap and fidgeting with his clothes. I open my mouth to ask him but Pixie speaks before I get the chance to.

“Have you boys washed your clothes yet?” she asks us.

Dae Sung looks up at her. “Uh, no. we don't have any other clothes,” he answers.

Pixie sighs and gets up. “C’mon. Get to your braies and we’ll wash them in the river. They can dry overnight.”

We all obey and get up. The older two are more hesitant to strip down and I laugh. By this point, I’m used to it and strip down with no hesitation at all. Looking up at Pixie, I notice that she’s just waiting for us.

“What about you? Aren’t you gonna wash your clothes too?” I ask.

Her pink eyes stare back at me. “Not today. Normally I’m alone when I wash my clothes,” she states.

“But, you won't be alone anymore,” I tell her. “Why can’t you do it today?” Min Su hits my arm for some reason. “Ow! What was that for?” I smack his chest.

“Think about it, Ki. We’re in our braies. What would Pixie be in?” Min Su says.

I stop to think for a moment and then turn to her. “Oh, it would be awkward to see you in your braies,” I nod.

Pixie rolls her eyes and chuckles. “No, Blondy. Women don't have braies. And I most certainly don’t have a smock. I’ve never needed one before.”

“Huh. Well, maybe we can buy you one?” I suggest.

“Maybe,” she says. “Let’s go wash your clothes.”

We make our way down to the river and start washing our clothes. Since I’ve never washed my own clothes before, Dae Sung shows me how to do it. Min Su is being stubborn again and not wanting our help. Pixie steps in and decides to step on his clothes. I’m not sure if she meant that in a helping way, but it holds his clothes still while he washes them. Min Su doesn’t complain after that.

Once all the clothes are washed, we gather them up, and head back to our camp. I lay my clothes down on the cave floor to dry out and the others do the same. By the time we’ve finished, the sun is already starting to set. I peek out into the clearing to watch it and the older three follow.

It’s so pretty. The sunset stretches all across the scene. “Noona. What’s that line called? The one where the sun disappears under,” I ask her.

“It’s the horizon. The sun sets on the horizon to create this beautiful light show,” Pixie replies with a smile.

It really is beautiful. Red, yellow, orange, blue, and even pink light up the horizon and the sky. As the sun slowly sets, the sky gets darker and slowly little bright dots appear in the sky.

“This reminds me of back at the village. I’d always watch the sun set and then stargaze,” I smile and chuckle some. “Mom only found out when she’d go to tuck us in and only found Dae Sung in his room.” I laugh. “Then, they’d both come out and find me on the ground, just staring up at the sky.”

“You and Dae Sung lived together?” Pixie asks.

“Yes,” Dae Sung speaks up. “When I was six, I became orphaned and Ki’s mom took me in. I don’t think he remembers that though.” He shakes his head and looks at me. “You just remember us growing up together, don’cha?”

I nod and watch him. “You’ve always been there for me. Even if you weren’t born my brother, I still say you are. We were raised by the same mom.” I smile at him.

The older just stares at me. I watch him slide his tongue across his teeth and adjust his jaw. Then, he clenches his teeth and shakes his head. “I don’t wanna talk about her. It pisses me off to think about,” he growls and walks away. Min Su quickly follows him to their tent.

My surprise gets the best of me and I accidentally vocalize it with a scoff. What does he mean by that? I decide to follow them despite Pixie’s protest not to.

“Hyung! What do you mean it pisses you off? Why does thinking about my mom piss you off?!” I demand.

He comes out and sizes me up. His eyes look me up and down as I’ve never seen him so mad before. Min Su comes out behind him and gets in between us.

“What are you hiding from us? What gives you the right to say that?” I press.

Dae Sung moves past Min Su and pushes me against the wall. “Because she was my mom too!” he shouts. “You don’t think it doesn’t piss me off that I couldn’t do anything to protect her?! She raised me too!” He turns around and drops down with his arms covering his head. Quickly, he stands back up and turns to me. “You don’t have any idea the pain I went through to protect you!” He presses his finger into my chest. “That night was just as painful to me as it was you…”

I watch him as he walks to the other side of the cave. Min Su goes over to him and grabs his hand to try and calm him down. Dae Sung tosses his hand aside and leans on the wall. It might be a bad idea, but I think I’ll make him more mad. I walk over to him and get in his face.

“You’re the one that said we couldn’t do anything! What secrets are you keeping?!” I demand.

Dae Sung pushes me away from him hard and I stumble back. “I said we couldn’t do anything because it was true! We were weak! Why do you think I built up my muscles like I did?! I worked hard every day with her on my mind! What if I had been stronger?!” He stares me down and then picks up some rocks and flings them as hard as he can out of the cave. “Damn it, Ki!! Why don’t you understand?!” He paces around the cave and kicks some debris as he does so. I watch him quietly.

“Because you don’t talk to me! You won't even tell me that you’re hiding things from me!!” I shout back at him. "Did you even see what happened?” I continue. “You aren’t the one who has nightmares every night about that night!”

“I don’t talk to you about it because I’m scared!” Dae Sung confesses. “I saw everything happen so clearly… To this day, I still have nightmares…” he speaks chillingly calmly as his eyes stare into me. He shakes his head and sits down. Taking a deep breath, he continues. “Min Su was the only one who knew about them because he sleeps next to me every night. They don’t go away just because I’m with someone else. No matter how hard I try to make them go away, they just won’t…” His voice cracks on the last word as I see tears well up in his eyes. He shakes his head and tries to keep the tears from spilling over.

The younger approaches Dae Sung cautiously and crouches down in front of him. He looks up at Min Su as the younger moves the sunset colored hair out of Dae Sung’s eyes and caresses his face. Closing his eyes, the older takes a deep breath and leans into Min Su’s touch.

“Maybe it would help both of you to talk about this kind of stuff.” Min Su looks between us. “Both of you have nightmares about the same day and the same person. Talk about it.” He says.

“It does help. I know from experience,” Pixie adds. “You should all talk about that day. Even if you aren’t bothered by nightmares, it can still take its toll on you in a different way. You boys went through something that no one your age should ever have to go through. Talk about it.” We all look at her and I nod.

“And as for secrets,” Dae Sung speaks up again but hesitates to continue. He squints at me then looks away and shakes his head. “I’m just scared to talk about it.”

I stay quiet for a while as I think of what to say. “Hyung, I’m sorry,” I finally say.

Dae Sung looks up at me and shakes his head. “No. Don’t be. I shouldn’t have yelled at you or gotten physical with you.” He sighs and hides his head in his arms. Min Su sits down and rubs his leg.

I make my way over to them slowly and shake my head. “So you yelled and pushed me. So what? That doesn’t make you any less my brother.” He looks up at me again. “All I care about is knowing, that, you’ll be okay,” I nod.

He chuckles half-heartedly and shakes his head. “Don’t say that. I should be saying that to you. I should be making sure you’re okay. I’m the oldest here.”

“I don’t care. Just because you’re the oldest doesn’t mean you don’t have problems of your own,” I sit down next to him and lean on him.

Dae Sung puts his arm around me and pulls me close. I turn around and crawl over his lap to give him a hug. He wraps both arms around me and hugs me tightly while patting my back. I grunt when he squeezes me a bit too hard and he lets me go. Then, he stares up at the ceiling of the cave and rubs his face.

“There’s obviously something big that you haven’t talked to me about yet.” I point out.

The older sighs and hides his face in his arms. When he comes back up, he looks at me and takes a deep breath. “I’ve never, uh, looked at girls romantically before. I’ve never wanted a girlfriend.” he confesses.

Looking at him, I tilt my head to the side and scrunch my face up in confusion. “What? What do you mean by that?” I ask.

He pauses to think for a moment. “Girls aren’t attractive to me,” he chuckles awkwardly. “I like men,” he clarifies. Look of worry and embarrassment appear on his face as he curls up with his arms squished between his legs. He rests his face on his knees.

I nod and rub his back. “I mean, that’s cool too. Whatever makes you happy, Hyung,” I smile at him and he flashes one back. Shifting his position to have one leg out in front of him and the other bent with his arm resting on the knee, he looks at Pixie as she sits with us.

“Sweetheart, I’m not going to judge you. I’ve seen many male fae marry each other and it’s nothing to be ashamed of,” she smiles at him as well and plays with his hair. “You do whatever makes you happy.”

Dae Sung’s smile becomes even bigger as he glances between all of us. When his eyes rest on Min Su, they both smile so wide that their eyes disappear and they chuckle. The older hangs his head and runs his hand through his hair, still smiling.

Min Su hits his chest lightly and laughs. The older looks up at him and grabs his arm. Then, he pulls him over and the younger topples on top of him. Both laugh and hug each other tightly. When they sit up, Min Su continues to hug him and rests his head on his chest.

“Since we didn’t get to it tonight, let’s all head to bed and talk another time,” Pixie says. “I still think it’s a good idea to talk about that night some other day though.”

Agreeing with nods, we all get up and head to our tents. The next morning starts with Dae Sung and I arguing over who’s green tunic is who’s. I point out to him that mine is a darker green and that his looks more brown than green before he finally gives in.

I sigh in relief as I get dressed. Smiling, I remember that today is a rest day. Finally.