I would smile while watching you twist the knife you stabbed in my back.

Prince Jeon Jungkook mounted the horse, ready to join the other princes on the journey to the Silver Kingdom, but he heard the footsteps of another horse coming towards him.

His cousin, Princess Inhee, waved at him. "If you are all set, we ought to move," she said.

He stared at her in disbelief. "You are not coming," he firmly stated.

"Is that how you congratulate your childhood companion for getting engaged?" she asked.

"Congratulations Inhee, but a newly engaged woman isn't supposed to travel with three men to their enemy's den. You are not coming," he firmly stated.

Jungkook was her dearest cousin. Growing up, they would fight all the time and now, even though they are not children anymore, their competitiveness still followed them.

"One of the three men is my fiancé," she raised her eyebrow," although I'm perfectly eligible to protect myself and protect you too if the situation demands."

He sighed. "Inhee I know you're a good warrior, but it's dangerous-"

Before Jungkook could proceed with convincing her further, Taehyung and Jimin arrived at their black horses.

They greeted them by bowing their heads. "Princess, are you coming along?" Taehyung inquired.

Inhee was lost staring at their fascinating visuals.

Taehyung in a gray shirt and trousers while Jimin in a white shirt and black trousers, the former's black hair and the latter's blonde hair shining in the sunlight.

Jungkook nudged her knee with his. "Yes?" she asked, confused.

"Will you be accompanying us?" Taehyung asked again. She nodded her head with a shy smile, loss of words at the breathtaking view.

"You cannot. I am not doubting your combat skills, but we do not have enough knowledge of our enemies. It is far too dangerous," Prince Jimin's voice held the tone of a command.

Inhee expected him to be the last person on the earth who'd be concerned for her safety.

However, deathly. The danger isn't something she fears away from. "I don't need anyone's approval."

Jimin glared at her.

"She's coming with us," Taehyung declared, being her shield to the other prince's cold eyes.

Inhee ducked her head, giving a victory smile to Jimin, and advanced further on her white horse, Jungkook alongside her.

"Are they aware we are coming?" Jungkook asked.

"We informed them General Park is coming with his two knights," Taehyung answered and then he slipped his engagement ring off, shoving it in his pocket, "Princess Inhee you have to pretend to be Jimin's fiancée since a knight wouldn't bring his betrothed along with him."

Inhee nodded, locking eyes with Taehyung once. A weird familiarity she felt as if she could rely on him for anything and he'd be there for her anytime.

"We must stay close to each other and be on guard all the time," Jimin instructed as the eldest and as their general for the trip.

They gradually passed through the woods. Inhee with Taehyung next to her and Jimin and Jungkook followed behind.

They suddenly halted upon Jimin's gesture. A group of equestrians came in their view, wearing crimson waistbands. The confirmation of their suspicion that the two kingdoms were working together.

"Do we change lanes?" Taehyung questioned.

"I believe we should," Jimin mumbled, in thought, "they won't show us the same friendliness."

"The other way is longer and less safe," Jungkook offered the knowledge, "we will have to spend the night."

"Is there any place where we can stay?" Jimin asked.

"I'd say we stay in the outer forest, it's a lot safer than near the lake."

"I was hoping for a place with a roof," Taehyung sighed, giving Jungkook a lazy look, "this should be fine too."

"Why don't you start building cottages in the forest as a hobby," Jungkook muttered with annoyance, "it should be more fun than slithering open countless throats."

"I might do just that, but only when I start wandering around places like you. I cannot neglect my responsibilities, you see," Taehyung replied with a straight face. The riders were out of their sight now.

"I think it is safe to move." So they did.

The bright sky was shadowed by dusk. A melodious sound of insects rang from the meadows, and chilling air waved the big old trees. The royals deemed an Oak tree as the appropriate spot for their overnight stay.

"I can build fire," Jungkook offered.

"I will," Inhee said, snatching the twigs from his hands. Jimin and Taehyung were gathering their horses under a tree near them.

"I don't wish to be frost neither do I want to be a meal for the wild," Jungkook scoffed, snatching back the twigs from her.

"There's a first time for everything," she argued, "I am confident that I can learn right away."

"Like you learned to how to slice the radish?" he chuckled.

"Now, why would a princess need to slice a radish?" Jimin asked puzzled, dusting the dirt off his hands.

"It's a myth that a royal shouldn't learn how to cook," Jungkook shrugged. He was crouched, gathering dry leaves and twigs. "Brother Seokjin is an excellent cook."

Jimin's brow raised in surprise. "I haven't heard of that before. Do you know how to cook as well?"

"I'm not as good, but yes. He was the one who taught us. Well, only one of us learned," he said, peeking at Inhee.

"That's mainly because I never liked it, or else I would have been better than you," she was quick to defend herself.

The white kingdom's prince was successful at creating the fire.

"You don't seem quite fond of the palace life, is there any specific reason why?" Jimin asked, plopping down on the piece of log next to Taehyung.

"I don't hate it. I understand why and what it is that we do, but I wish to be elsewhere, a place that is never heard of or seen before," he said, still crouched by the fire, the glow of the flames reflecting in his eyes. He picked up a branch and stared at the fire gradually swallowing it.

"Even if there's such a place in this world, nobody has traveled past the four lands," Taehyung said, "I have heard stories of the desert sinking the ones who tried and the rivers swallowing them whole."

"There is a way to cross the border," Jungkook said in a low voice, his gaze fixed on the fire, glimmering at the wordless thoughts and dreams living inside of them. "on a dragon."

Inhee's eyes met with the Black Kingdom's princes for a short silent moment.

"If such a thing existed," Taehyung shook his head, quickly standing up, "I hear the sound of water. I wish to take a stroll across the lake."

"It's not safe," Jimin clutched his wrist, "there could be wild creatures attracted to the water. The king will not forgive me for letting his brother walk into such danger.

"My brother doesn't need me when he has you," he said, freeing his hand, "Princess, would you like to come along?"

She did. Inhee wanted to have a moment with the prince alone to discover what kind of person he was, but a stern glare coming from Jungkook suggested that it wasn't a wise thing to do. She nodded her head as a no and watched the back of the prince walking into the woods.

"He can protect himself," Jungkook said, noticing the concern on Jimin's face, "You two can sleep while I keep the watch."

"No. I will guard." Jimin said, getting up and walking to a piece of log that was at some distance. He sat down, undoing the baldric and freeing his sword.

"That leaves us two." Jungkook sat down next to Inhee.

"How unfortunate,' she sighed. As the prince leaned against the Oak tree, closing his eyes.

"Isn't it?" he chuckled, "I'd rather it was me alone. Just me surrounded by trees, by the fire, and under the stars, how romantic." He gained a light hit on his shoulder accompanied by laughter from Inhee.

"The fire's calling you," she noticed. The flames were bristling and swaying with the wind, as if calling for something or someone, attracted to him by a magnetic force. "They recognize you. Sometimes I envy the power that runs in your blood. I wish I was a royal. A real one."

"You are," he said firmly, "you are a part of us. The next heir to the white throne."

She laughed. "Don't say that in front of your mother. She is still rooting for you to change your mind."

He sighed. "After Dad passed away, she became so determined to control my decisions and my life. I can never become the person she wants me to be. The only reason why I stay in the palace is you and Brother Seokjin."

"I hope you get to run away someday, perhaps riding on the back of a dragon? Your mother should like that. The first person to find a dragon and ride on it," she broke a into fit of giggles.

"Quit making fun of me," he whined then joined her laughter.

The sound of crackling fire grew as only their breathing remained in the hushed night. With her head leaned on his shoulder, she felt him drifting off to dreamland. Despite closing her eyes a couple of times, she couldn't chase her sleep.

Her gaze fell on the man sitting in solitary and involuntarily began reading the delicate touches of his fingers caressing the edge of his sword. He appeared dangerously magnificent with the moonlight dancing on his silhouette and wind gracing his light hair.

He was humming a tune, she could hear, oh so faintly. A delightfully sweet and soft sound floating with the wind. Without a command, the corners of her lips lifted in a smile.

Her focus shifted when the other man, the man she was bound to be tied in vows of neverending love and trust, walked up to the former. His black luscious locks bounced and his eyes lit as he started talking. His folded hands above his waist and his usual smirk emitted a dark allure which she found herself wanting to drink in like a glass of wine.

She admitted to admiring them, like the moon admiring the stars, and their distant chatter was all she could hear before her eyelids fell heavy on her.

_______

"Oh, how I wish it could," the prince of wind mocked.

"You could never be so sure unless you try," Jungkook challenged, attention buried on fixing the straps around his boots.

"And then? Do you suggest I walk to our destination? Seeing that you won't share your horse with me," Taehyung quirked his brow.

"Certainly, will not," Jungkook agreed, giving a tight-lipped smile, "walking is good for legs."

Inhee sighed in amazement over the two princes and their never-ending banter, slightly stunned by how they could argue about the most mundane matters.

"What is it this time?" Jimin questioned her. Sunlight graced the fresh water of the lake sparkling on his face, dripping down his jawline.

"If their horses could survive in the wild or not," she explained the situation, handing him a napkin to dry himself.

"Thank you," he accepted. A quick look of surprise passed his face before he gave her a polite smile and returned the napkin. "So It seems they are only good at riling up each other."

He picked an apple out from the basket, which Taehyung had collected earlier, and started feeding the horses.

"They don't seem to like you," she commented, a blatant lie.

Jimin turned up to face her, one eye scrunched because of the sunlight. "Horses or the princes?" he asked and then his lips quickly formed a smile, "doesn't matter. You are the only one here who doesn't like me."

"I've never been fond of people with sharp tongues," she shrugged, walking closer to the horses but maintaining a distance.

"Even when you have one yourself?" He laughed amusedly, "Here, want to try?"

He offered the apple, noticing her fearful form.

"I saw it bit Jungkook's finger when we were kids. I never tried after that," she said, still maintaining the distance from the horse.

"Remember, first time for everything?" he quoted her words from last night, "I promise he won't bite you."

Before she could gather her courage, he grabbed her hand, pulling her closer. He gave her the apple and guided her hand closer to the horse's mouth. It was somewhere between looking at the horse's flaring nostrils or his chewing teeth that she closed her eyes.

Her other hand clutched her skirt. She squealed a little when she felt Jimin pulled her closer. He laughed, his chest vibrating against her shoulder. "Has he eaten yet?" she asked, opening one eye when she felt the horse's breath fanning on her hand.

"Your fingers or the apple?" he questioned between his laughter.

She quickly pulled her hand away when she felt the apple had gone from her grip, freeing herself of Jimin's hands on top of her shoulder and wrist. "I was not scared. I hope you don't misunderstand."

His eyes flickered in amusement. "Of course, your highness. I won't dare bear such misunderstands."

"We are all set to go," Jungkook chimed, approaching them.

"Yeah, after hours of fixing our hair and placing the weapons," Taehyung quickly added, looking at Jungkook.

Jungkook rolled his eyes. "I was filling up our water flasks," he clarified, mounting his ride.