"Aerovan, we need to stop for a while. The horses are getting tired and I need to tend Lord Yunho's wound again." Mingi said, slowing down his horse and Aerovan nodded his head, stopping as well. They stopped for a while before so Mingi could tend to Yunho's wound and had rode for 3 days straight without stopping.

"How is he, my lord?" Aerovan asked while helping Mingi holding Yunho in his arms while the heir gets off from Lossea. "He's having a high fever, mostly because of the poison and his wound didn't seem to heal much. Can you please help me find some herbs?"

"Of course, my lord. What do you need?"

Mingi took Yunho from Aerovan and put him down near the tree root, the half-elf unconscious. "I need some Athelas and willow bark."

"I'll go and find them. Will you be alright?"

Mingi nodded his head and Aerovan quickly went into the forest to find the herbs. Mingi sighed at the unconscious half-elf. Yunho looked so pale and his breathing labored. Mingi opened his packsack, taking out some clean cloth that he had cut it into smaller pieces to wrap around Yunho's stomach and some salves that he had brought.

Mingi pulled Yunho's tunic up gently and hissed when he could see the blood caked the bandaged he had put around Yunho's wound. He unwrapped the bandage around Yunho's stomach, grimacing while at it because once he took off the bandage, blood kept seeping out of the wound and Yunho whimpered slightly, making Mingi look at the unconscious half-elf.

"My lord?" Mingi whispered, watching him quietly and hoping for the half-elf to wake up. Yunho stirred after a few minutes, opening his eyes slowly and looking around before he saw Mingi was watching him. Yunho then suddenly arched his back as his face scrunched up in pain and he was about to scream when Mingi pressed a hand on his mouth. The heir doesn't want Yunho's pain of cries to be heard, in fear some orcs would hear it.

"Calm down, my lord." Mingi comforted the writhing half-elf and used his magic to ease the pain for a bit. Yunho whimpered but Mingi's magic did help soothe his pain and he finally looked over to Mingi with his eyes half closed. "M-my lord..?" Yunho croaked.

"Yes, my lord. I'm sorry that I couldn't ease your pain more.. I'm afraid that if I do, the poison would stay in your system. I need to make sure that the poison is gone from your body first before I get to heal you."

Yunho nodded his head, licking his lips to wet it a little as he whimpered again as the poison wrecking his body. "Where are we, my lord..?" Yunho whispered as talking also made him exhausted. "We're near the palace already, my lord. We only need 1 and a half days to arrive there."

Yunho looked down on his stomach and grimaced at the blood pooling on his stomach as Mingi wiped the blood gently with a clean cloth. Yunho hissed when Mingi pressed the cloth on the wound, making Mingi apologize softly. "I have to clean the blood so it won't get into the wound again, my lord. I'm sorry.."

Yunho shook his head, letting Mingi tend his wound as he closed his eyes, exhausted and his head seemed to throb more intensely. Mingi then poured a bit of water on the clean cloth and wiped Yunho's stomach, cleaning the blood but he had a frown on his face as it seems that the blood is still not stopping.

"The blood won't stop flowing out of your stomach, my lord.. I think I need to stitch it up but I don't have the equipment here.. We need to wait until we go back to the palace.. The only thing I could do right now is clean the blood off and put some herbs that could help with the inflammation and pain."

"I'm just glad that you didn't get hurt.." Yunho whispered, making Mingi huffed softly, "You shouldn't have done that, my lord.."

"How could I not..? You're important for me and Fronithien.."

"I'm going to marry you then."

Yunho widened his eyes at Mingi's confession and looked at Mingi as the heir only gave him a small fond smile. "W-wha- W-what do you mean, my lord?"

"I'm going to marry you and bring you to Fronithien and live there with us. You already risked your life to make sure that nothing happens to me. How could I not marry you at this point, my lord? I already said that I want you and your self-less doing just intensifies on how much I want you for myself."

Yunho blushed. Not knowing what to say as he knows, deep inside him, he does want Mingi to take him away from Vanithien.

"If I want to marry you, will you have me, my lord?" Mingi suddenly asked, making Yunho splutter in shock before whimpering again because the movements made the wound sting.

"A-ask me properly and I'll give you my answer at the t-time." Yunho stuttered out. Mingi chuckled, nodding his head as he cleaned the blood on Yunho's stomach. "I'll do that."

--

Yunho had fallen asleep after Mingi lulled him to sleep with his magic because Yunho was getting paler by the minute. Mingi brushed Yunho's bang to the side gently, watching the sleeping half-elf fondly.

"My lord. I've brought the herbs." Aerovan emerged from the forest, walking closer towards Mingi and Yunho. "Alright, thank you, Aerovan." Aerovan nodded his head in a polite manner and went to set up the campfire so Mingi could boil some water for the herbs.

"Do you need a lot of hot water, my lord?"

"Ah, no. Only a little for the willow bark. I could just use river water to clean up the blood. I've used all of the water in my water flask so I need more of it."

"The river is near so I'll go get the water, my lord. Stay with lord Yunho please." Aerovan said, already picking up 2 bowls to go to the river and walking to the nearby riverbank.

Mingi waited for Aerovan to go get the water while he crushed the Athelas and willow bark while watching the sleeping half-elf worriedly as Yunho kept on whimpering and moved around in his sleep.

I wish I could tell naneth(mother) that we're coming back to the palace because Yunho is injured so naneth could ready all the stuff in the healing ward.. Mingi thought as he looked around and perked up when he saw a pigeon nearby. He whistled, calling the pigeon while opening his arms open and the pigeon landed on his palms.

"Please go and tell my naneth what happened." Mingi said as he used his magic to the pigeon and his naneth will know what happened to them and prepare the tools for Yunho when they arrive at the palace later. The pigeon flew away once MIngi had finished using his magic and Mingi watched it silently, praying that it would reach Seonghwa fast.

Aerovan came back after 10 minutes and he gave 1 bowl of water for Mingi to clean the blood while he started the fire to boil the other bowl of water for Yunho to drink later on. While waiting for the water to boil, Aerovan went to the horses and gave them some apples that he had found while searching for the herbs and brushes them.

Mingi cleaned the wound on Yunho's stomach again, and he bit his lips, glancing at Yunho at what he was about to do. Should I wake him up first? Mingi thought and after debating with himself for a while, he decided to wake Yunho up first.

"My lord, wake up." Mingi shook Yunho's shoulders gently and Yunho stirred a few minutes later, blearily looked around before he pouted at Mingi. "Why did you wake m'up..?" Yunho mumbled and Mingi gave him an apologetic face. "I'm sorry, my lord. I'm about to put Athelas on your wound and it might sting so I didn't want you to be surprise by it."

"It hurts.. I don't want to feel more pain.." Yunho pouted sleepily making Mingi nearly comply with the half-elf wishes but he knew he had too or Yunho's wound might worsen. "I know my lord.. But I have too.. I don't want your wounds to worsen.. Please..?"

"....Please do it gently, my lord.."

Mingi nodded his head, giving a reassuring smile to Yunho as he took the crushed Athelas and gently smeared it on the wound on Yunho's stomach. Yunho bit his hand, making his scream of pain muffled by it as the Athelas made his wound flared up.

Mingi quickly used his magic to ease the pain and it worked as Yunho stopped screaming and sighed in a relief breath, closing his eyes. Mingi softly apologized and quickly poured the remaining athelas on Yunho's stomach and wrapped it in a clean cloth. "I'm done, my lord. Please stay awake for a little bit more, I want to give you some tea to numb the pain." Yunho nodded weakly as he watched Mingi go to the campfire to brew the willow bark.

Once the tea was brewed, Mingi went back to Yunho and tilted Yunho's head gently, feeding him the tea slowly as Yunho downed it. After finishing it, Mingi laid Yunho down properly and lulled him into sleep with his magic, making Yunho fall asleep instantly.

"We should get going, my lord. The horses are fine now." Aerovan spoke and Mingi nodded before both of them cleared the campfire and started to ride towards the palace once again.

--

"Meleth-nin!(My love!) Mingi just sent me a pigeon! He said that he and Yunho are coming back here as Yunho was severely injured! I need to prepare the tools in the healing ward before they arrive!" Seonghwa rushed towards Hongjoong in the hall.

"What?! Is he okay?"

"I don't know meleth-nin.. I hope so.. Our ion(son) might use his magic to help with the pain and wound but if Yunho was struck by an orc, then he must've been poisoned too and Mingi won't be able to heal him properly until the poison is out of his system."

"Let's go to the healing room to prepare then."

"But.. Kyungho did tell us that King Seojoon forbade Yunho to use the room.."

"I'll talk to him. Don't worry, you go ahead and prepare whatever you might need before they come back here."

Seonghwa nodded, giving a kiss on Hongjoong's cheek before hastily made his way to the healing room while Hongjoong went to the main hall where King Seojoon usually is.