The rain had finally subsided sometime in the afternoon, and they had packed up their horses and headed off again. Chorong felt a lightness settle over her as they headed West, and she knew that it was for the prospect of starting over. She hadn't realized how ready she was for that, how much the strings of her life had tied her down, and now she felt as if those strings had been cut.

 They traveled in companionable silence for several hours until they made camp, Daehyun leading the way and following the map she had drawn. They were headed for the secondary trail, he said, and from what little she knew of traveling, it seemed to her they were headed in the right direction. At least the sun was beginning to set in front of them, just to the right, and that told her that at the very least they were headed West with a slight edge toward South.

When they stopped for the night, she wasn't even tired yet due to their late start, and she found, to her surprise, that she wasn't so sore when she dismounted. Yes, her muscles still hurt, but they didn't make her unable to walk as they had on previous nights. She allowed herself a smile as Daehyun took her horse from her. Maybe she ought to make herself useful, then.

Digging into the panniers of the pack horse, she found the folded tarpaulin and hauled it out, discovering it was much heavier than she had assumed. She laid it on the ground between four likely looking trees and unfolded it, found a corner, and tied that as high as she could reach to one tree. She was quite proud of herself as she worked, but when she stepped back to take in the full effect she felt a flash of embarrassment.

It was short, too much so for Daehyun to stand upright in, and lopsided with part of the front pulled closer to one tree than the others. But when Daehyun stepped up to her side, he didn't berate or make fun of her attempt, instead simply giving her work a smile.

"Let me help," he said quietly, to which she nodded. He directed her to use a stick to push the roof higher as he untied one corner to retie it further up the tree. As such, they made quick work of it, simply readjusting the front of it and leveling it out. Daehyun started their small fire in the center of the shelter then left to go set up the horses shelter; Chorong took that moment to start their rice.

She had it nearly ready by the time he returned, and they were able to sit and enjoy their meal in an easy silence. They went to sleep that night with thoughts of of freedom and hope running through their minds.

It wasn't to last though: Chorong was awoken sometime in the night to the sound of the horses moving restlessly. It wouldn't have bothered her except that there was no rain that night, and the nickers of the animals reached her ears clearly. She sat up in her bedroll and looked across the glowering coals of the fire to meet Daehyun's eyes.

He was already out of his bedroll, buckling the scabbard for his sword onto his back as he looked back at her. He lifted a finger to his lips and motioned for her to stay there, and then he rose and stepped out into the night. Chorong's heart was in as she, too, rose, and moved to the edge of the tent to peer out after him.

Daehyun was silhouetted to her eyes, his back to her as he faced a group of men who held two torches. One torch bearer was on horseback while the other was on the ground, standing next to what seemed to be the leader of the group. The latter stepped forward to speak with Daehyun, his words cutting through the silence of the night to reach Chorong's ears easily.

"Where you heading, traveler?" he greeted, his eyes darting toward the tarpaulin before focusing back on Daehyun. "We don't see many pilgrims up here."

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