Do you think we can go back?

When Inhee's mind stopped replaying the scenes from her past, she could barely make sense of her surroundings, the only thing she was certain of was the hand that gripped her waist, securing her from falling. Jimin was protecting her, and she realized this was not the first time.

During their visit to the Silver Kingdom, when confronting Yoongi, and also when they doubted Hoseok, he was always beside her, ready to take on whatever was coming her way.

How did I fail to see his sincerity?

"You are awake?" He softly nudged her shoulder. "It will get dark soon. We will need to spend the night somewhere."

She hummed acknowledging their surroundings. They were passing by a small town. The light was flickering inside a house they were crossing. "We could ask them for a place to stay."

Jimin removed his jacket, draping it over her shoulders before dismounting the horse and knocking on the door. A girl opened and came out followed by her father who quickly shoved the kid behind himself and asked Jimin, "Can I help you with something?" taking a peak at Inhee.

"We are travelers, in need of a place to stay over the night," Jimin explained.

The father hesitated, noticing the dried blood and wounds on Jimin's face. Footsteps echoed as a woman came from inside. "What is it, honey?"  she asked the man, following his gaze to them. Her expression quickly changed into one of sympathy. "Are they in need of a place? Can we let them stay? They look injured."

A fleeting look of grave contemplation crossed the man's face before he gestured for them to come inside. "We don't have much to offer, but a room to sleep safe and sound should do."

Truthfully, that was all Inhee required. Camouflaged by a desire to make everything right, weakness was gradually getting to her.

Jimin helped her dismount the horse. "Thank you. That is all we need."

_______

Jungkook clenched his teeth, driving his sword back from the lifeless body on the ground. Raising his shield in time to stop the enemy's attack. The rattling of the swords against shields, swords against armor, and shields crashing into one another was echoing the battleground.

He watched the Black Kingdom's King in astonishment, as he swung his two swords like a dragon's wings. He looked cruel, merciless, and cold as a king should when he was risking his life for his Kingdom.

The victory seemed to be on their side, fortunately, thanks to King Namjoon's great leadership skills and the White Kingdom's highly trained warriors.

Jungkook's sword crashed with another soldier's, he stumbled back a few feet. He raised his shield but was met with another strong blow that led him to lose his balance completely. He was in shock to see a common soldier possessing such power to duel against a royal.

Getting back up on his feet again, he resorted to using the strength that he was saving because he thought it was unnecessary.

Their swords clashed once again, and this time the soldier fell on his back and Jungkook was on top of him, but what had him frozen in his spot was when the soldier's mask fell off. It was a woman.

Her black hair opened to fall like curtains covering her shoulders. She had her eyes closed in pain from the impact of his attack. Jungkook got off of her and quickly put his sword on her neck. "Stay still," he ordered.

She ceased the movement of her hand which was struggling to reach her fallen sword. "What are you waiting for Your Royal Highness, this is a war. You can't spare so much time on killing someone," she hissed.

He was captivated by the fierce in her voice and the midnight sky of her eyes. He quickly shifted his eyes. Something about the daring of her spirit that was so visible in this bloody mess of a place, a feeling of appreciation, as a current swam in his veins.

Women being skilled in fighting was encouraged in all four lands, but they would hardly participate in wars as they had other responsibilities such as kids, homes, and people who relied on them.

Of course, there were no restrictions against a woman showing up on the battlefield, but he had never heard of such a thing happening before.

"Jungkook! Watch out!" He heard Namjoon's voice, and before he could comprehend what was going on, she pulled him down to the ground along with herself.

A dark shadow flew above them. His hand was clutched tightly by his enemy, who just saved his life.

"What are those?" she asked, letting go of his hand and picking up her sword.

King Namjoon made his way to Jungkook. "Be careful. Those are the dark spirits of the Crimson Kingdom."

"Spirits?" Jungkook stared shocked as those spirits ate up the souls of the soldiers, regardless of whose side they were fighting from.

"I thought those were just bedtime stories." Mumbled their beautiful enemy, dusting off the dirt from her hair.

Namjoon acknowledged her presence and gave Jungkook a confused look. "Do you know how to stop them?" Namjoon inquired her.

She looked between the king and the prince. "I don't know about that, but I do know how to cease this war." She advanced at the king, but to her shock, her sword was met with a powerful blow that left the sword shattered into pieces.

Her eyes widened as King Namjoon walked closer to her, inner cheek clutched between his teeth. He put the sword on her neck. "I know how to do that too. If I hold you captive, your father will admit defeat and beg me to spare your life. Isn't that right, Princess Ira?"

Trying to keep her composure, her feet automatically moved. She brought her neck closer to the sword, pressing a tiny sting at her neck. "My father knows his kingdom is more important than his daughter, and I'm not afraid to lose my life for my people."

"Then you should know that the best thing you could do for your people is to stop this curse. Those spirits are ruthlessly absorbing the lives of your soldiers. Blood is not the only way to peace." The king removed his sword. She stared at the back of him walking away from her and mounting his horse. 

"I think I know how to end this curse," she mumbled in thought, "I need to go back to Crimson Palace." She knew this was the enemy she was talking to, but she also knew what he said was right. Blood isn't the only way to peace.

"Take Prince Jungkook with you. You will require the help." King Namjoon called the nearest soldier and asked for a horse. Jungkook climbed up and offered his hand to Princess Ira.

She fought against saying 'I can go alone' and 'I don't need your help,' but taking extra help would be beneficial especially if she's going to confront the cursed dead.

She let him pull her weight off the ground and help her up the horse. "How did you know I'm the princess? Have you seen me before, Your Majesty?"

"I saw you giving Prince Jungkook a hard time. Only a royal can stand against another royal," Namjoon said, smiling. If it wasn't for the fact that they were in the middle of a war, and her horse had started aiming in the direction of her home, she swore she would've stared a little longer, be mesmerized by the blaze in his eyes for just a little longer.

_______

They were given a small room to sleep in. Small bed with flat mattress, two pillows, and a sheet to cover from the cold. The floor creaked as Inhee made her way to the large window. The little kid had come earlier with a basket of fruits, a flask of water, and clean clothes.

She sat on the window sill, clutching Jimin's jacket closer to herself. The chilly air invited itself into the room that was lit with two candles sitting on the table, fluttering the pages of the book that was placed on the shelf beside the bed.

The sound of happy chatter from the other room peaked out from the thin walls vanishing into the breeze waltzing with the trees. Inhee sat there watching Jimin peel an orange. He had changed into the new clothes so did she, and even after washing off the blood, the wounds were painfully visible on his baby-soft skin.

"You are cold," he said, noticing the way she was hugging his jacket.

"I like it." She did. After everything that happened today, she wanted the feeling of cold to numb her mind the way it was numbing her cheeks. Too many questions, too many conclusions, and too many demons chasing her down the dark alley. "I liked him too."

Jimin perked his head up from the task in his hands. "I refuse to believe he was himself."

Inhee smiled, a sad and soft lift of her lips. That was all she could do. Perhaps, this was the easy way out, to just accept the truth unlike what Jimin was doing. "You are taking the hard path."

He got up from the bed with the bowl of oranges. He sat beside her on the windowsill, offering her the fruit which he had cleanly peeled off for her. "Being hopeful is hard. However, I will not give up on my friend. I know he wasn't under any spell as I felt nothing, but I could tell that he was under the influence of jealousy, greed, and misunderstandings."

"How can you believe the good in him after everything he did?" She didn't want her voice to come out so hurt, but it did, along with a tear gliding off her cheek.

"When you love someone, until the very end, you try to hold onto the single thread of good in them."

"I wouldn't know that." He intently watched her sad smile and the way her eyes were held down. "I've never been in love and the people I love either suffer or make me suffer. Brother Seokjin, Yoongi, and Hoseok were all harmed because of me, and Taehyung, the man I'm engaged to, was behind all of this."

"You are precious to them, Inhee. Your brother and your friends, they all were involved in this because they love you too."

"What about you then?" She met his eyes for the first time that night. "Your kingdom is at war and you are not able to be beside your king, but stuck inside the four walls with the person who almost killed you not a day ago."

Her eyes narrowed instantly when he chuckled, leaning his head back on the wall. She raised her brow in question.

"You did not 'almost' kill me," he said, amusedly, "I was being easy on you."

She chewed her inner cheek. "But I did intend to do that."

"Because you didn't know if you could trust me or not." He shrugged.

"How are you not angry at me? I have been blaming you for everything all this time when you were just trying to help me."

"I know what you were going through. It's not your fault that you were being cautious of everyone. We don't share a good history either."

"We don't. You were the sly blonde prince of the Black kingdom who charmed people with his gorgeous smile."

"And you were the impetuous and immature princess of the White Kingdom who walked her way straight into her enemy's palace with her head held up high."

"That is the reason why we got involved in this," she sighed.

"This is the reason why we met each other."

She didn't know what to make of the soft smile he wore, looking at her with such sincerity. This wasn't the first time. Something felt changed in him ever since they came back from their mission. Their usual intense, electrifying eye contact had melted down to a soft look of comfort.

"I don't dislike you either, Prince Jimin." She didn't know if he still wanted the answer to that question or if he still cared or not.

He stilled, and just like always, what went through his head remained a mystery to her.

She pulled out the Daisy brooch from the pocket of her old gown, handing it to him. "You were always there, by my side, because of Prince Taehyung. You cared for me because he did, but now you don't have to anymore. I don't want you to stand by me and get hurt."

"You said you hoped we could become friends," he said with the voice in a distant thought. Reaching for her hand, he stood up. "What if I tell you that I care for you not only because of him but be-"

She shook her head, biting her lower lip. "Don't just say that to give me a reason to take you with me. And If - if you mean to say that you- If you are honest then-" She gulped, fisting the cloth of her skirt. "Not today."

He nodded his head, slowly losing the warmth of her hand from his. "But I'm still coming with you. If Taehyung is also there then he will need me."

Her sight was set on the floor and her hands clasped together as she took a moment to think. "If I can't stop you then I will protect you."

"We will protect each other." The corners of his lips were lifted. "But promise me that you will let me talk to you tomorrow. If we are walking into danger with no certainty of returning then I must tell you the truth."

"I promise."

This time, it was she who made a promise and it was she who should keep it. Something about that made her feel relieved.

_______

Author: The updates are going to be inconsistent as my other responsibilities are keeping me quite occupied these days. I hope you all are doing well.

To my lovely silent readers, thank you so much for your support. Although I don't know who you are, I can feel your love. ♡