Seokjin felt his body petrify slowly as his eyes stared blankly at the columns of fire that circled Taehyung and him. He was so frozen with shock that it took him a while to register Taehyung yelling at him. He blinked a couple of times to stabilise his mind and realised in horror that the circle was spreading, outwards.

Seokjin gripped onto Taehyung's arm as the fire roared at his sensitive ears. He could hear the cries of the people who stampeded through the fair, trying to find the easiest way to escape. He could hear children wail in fear, some being separated from their guardians while others clung to their parents for dear life. He could hear the stalls falling apart and the painful moans of the owners who had to incur such a loss.

His mind automatically thought of his sisters, Jungkook and Hoseok. There's a chance that his siblings could get back to safety with their water powers but Jungkook and Hoseok? Their air bending powers were not so strong due to lack of practice. Moreover, one wrong move could add more fuel to the flames.

Then he thought of Taehyung's brothers who were completely defenseless and their faith completely depended on the snowfall.

Seokjin was so emerged in worrying that it took him a while to realise that the fire was not inching towards Taehyung and him. There was a ring around them as if it was a protection circle fending off the merciless fire from them. Seokjin furrowed his eyebrows and walked closer to the edge and it moved away from the prince of Gyeongsong. With heightened curiosity, Seokjin tried to touch the flames. When it came in contact with his fingertips, he felt cold instead of the searing pain. Experimentally, he trusted his arm into the fire and he left the same cool effect. A screaming Taehyung pulled Seokjin back and yelled words that Seokjin could not hear because his attention was solely on his naked, unharmed arm and the burnt material of his shirt that hung loose.

Taehyung detached the burning piece of cloth, leaving Seokjin's arm exposed. He gripped onto the prince's shoulders and jetted them while he exclaimed, "Have you lost your mind?! What were you doing, Seokjin?!"

"Let me go," Seokjin's voice was barely audible.

"We're getting out of here and you're not going anywhere near the fire," Taehyung said firmly before pulling him towards what seemed like an opening in the circle of flames. They could barely venture more than a few meters because the fire seemed to chase them and the smoke was blocking their view and suffocating them.

"Taehyung, let me go," Seokjin repeated.

"No! I'm not letting you wander! Heaven knows where and how my brothers are! I won't allow you to get away from me. . ." Taehyung's voice cracked a little at the end, his fear prominent in his tone. "My Prince. . . we would find a way out together."

Seokjin watched desperation dance in Taehyung's eyes. He did not want to rattle Taehyung up more than he did so he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He pulled his arm away from Taehyung which the latter had been gripping onto in the fear of losing him. Seokjin backed away slowly and kneeled down on the untouched ground. He placed his palms against it, ignoring the quizzical looks from Taehyung, and focused.

Seokjin had been told how elements were controlled; how the controller channeled his will into the element and made it abide by their orders. He had read enough books to know how he had to act but the problem was: he had never practiced it.

The prince of Gyeongsong breathed in and out, trying his best to calm himself without getting choked by the poisonous smoke.

He thought of summer noons in Gyeongsong when the temperature would rise so much that the royal carpets would be drenched with perspiration. He recalled how Hoseok would put off the fire in the fire.

He thought of the time when Jennie accidently set the tips of Lisa's hair on fire and Rose and Jisoo had accidently flooded the throne room trying to save their sister.

He thought of his birthday when Hoseok and Jungkook had sneaked into his room at midnight with a misshapen cake with fourteen crooked candles on it. He felt so satisfied in blowing out all the candles at once.

Seokjin could feel the temperature around him dropping but the smoke was still thick. Suddenly a body dropped next to him, coughing all around the soil while clutching his chest. Seokjin's heart yelled at him to hold Taehyung but he knew he had to concentrate on this first.

Seokjin forced his mind to think of every single scenario where flames died. He thought of an erupting volcano falling into sleep, he thought of villagers putting out their torches for the night, he thought of his mother blowing out the flaming matching after she was lighting up candles in her chamber and he thought of the mighty Knights of Gyeongsong showering the burning streets of their land after an attack from Azadelle.

When Seokjin opened his eyes, everything was quiet. Not a single soul dared to interrupt the dead silence. The smoke was slowly clearing out and Seokjin could see more clearly. But he didn't have enough time to take in everything because black dots danced infront of his pupils and he slumped down next to Taehyung, his hand falling on top of Taehyung's by chance.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Seokjin woke up with a start. He bolted upright on the cushioned mattress and frantically looked around, his heart pounding as if he was still trapped in the fire with Taehyung.

Blindly, Seokjin tried to escape from the mountain of blankets on top of him, only to tangle himself in it and roll off the bed. He fell onto the solid ground with a loud thud.

"Seokjin hyung!"

A pair of muscular arms picked him up bridal style and settled him on the bed. Another set of much slender arms arranged the pillows behind his back and rubbed his shoulders to calm him down.

Seokjin breathed heavily as his blurry vision came into focus and his two loyal attendants and friends stood beside his bed with worried expressions. He saw an ugly red patch of scald on Jungkook's neck and guilt suffocated him. His eyes scanned Hoseok bit he couldn't detect my visible burns. He must be hiding them under his clothes.

He tried to formulate words but it felt like he was a toddler once again, unable to express his thoughts in the form of words. He blabbered, his lips moving with no aim but his finger was pointed at Jungkook's wound.

"Oh." Jungkook tried to hide his scald by pulling his collar but Seokjin had already seen it.

"We are alright, hyung. Everybody is safe now." Hoseok reassured the visibly shaken prince.

"I've checked on the Princesses and each of them have gotten their wounds treated. But don't worry, the wounds are minor." Hoseok added the last part hastily.

"The princes are fine too. Prince Jimin and I were able to escape fast since we were near the exit. We hurried back to the palace and the Prince ordered a million tanks of water to be delivered to the fair. He and I were halfway back to the festival when news came that the fire had died mysteriously! Can you believe it, hyung? I'm sure that the princesses had done their magic," Jungkook said."

"And what about the villagers?" Seokjin asked in worry. He would never forgive himself with the knowledge of him harming all those innocent people.

"The fire stopped before any major danger. Some were able to escape the fair while some got trapped and faced injuries. No deaths." Hoseok provided.

"O-Okay." Seokjin felt relieved to have his voice back. But his mind was not completely at ease as he himself wanted to check up on his sisters and the princes as well as the people who had to suffer from the fire.

Soft knocking echoed throughout the chamber. Jungkook opened the door and Taehyung's head peeked inside.

"Permission to enter?

"Granted." Seokjin said, trying his best to suppress his sudden smile as his worries began to evaporate slowly.

Seokjin signalled Hoseok and Jungkook to leave by his eyes. Hoseok opened the curtains before leaving, allowing the soft morning rays enter the prince's room.

Taehyung waited for a few seconds to confirm that Seokjin's companions had left the floor before crawling onto the bed and gently taking Seokjin into his embrace. Seokjin closed his eyes and let himself indulge in Taehyung's warmth and his rainy scent. He hugged Taehyung tighter when the memory of the prince of Nahae falling beside him flashed across his mind. Seokjin might have saved Taehyung from the fire but if he wasn't quick enough, the smoke could've killed the prince.

He hated to think how he could have been the cause to many possible deaths. He hated to imagine hurting his loved ones. Seokjin assumed that the fire must have started when they were passing by the large decorative fire bowls that adorned the sides of the pavement of the fair. He was so lost in his overwhelming joyous emotions that he had triggered the element to rage.

Seokjin felt bitter. He should be celebrating for finding out his true power. He should be rejoicing with his family because not only did he unleash his magic, he possessed a gift that was considered rare among his people.

The control over fire had always been considered as a dangerous trait. Powerful and rare yet so dangerous when it fell into the wrong hands.

Seokjin wasn't sure if he was capable of walking around with such immense power at his fingertips. Just like the incident at the festival, he had the potential to create more chaos and perhaps something more destructive.

But strangely, when Taehyung kissed Seokjin's forehead and called him ". . .my Prince,", Seokjin's negative thoughts conflicted with the positive, optimistic, reassuring ones.

And it gave him a glimpse of hope.