Chapter 6 - Finding You

The bride rode the horse in her wedding dress and entered the village, passing all the people who wondered what was going on. They watched with mouth agape as a group of soldiers on horses sped off behind her.

Irene glanced back and noticed that the soldiers kept following her. They must have been ordered to kill her. She had to run away no matter what. Chanyeol's house came into view, but since all the soldiers were just behind her, she couldn't stop. If she went there, she would endanger Chanyeol's mother, Ren. What should I do?

Irene kept passing the houses in the village until she came to an end of the road, which left her no choice but to leave the village behind. Entering the path into the forest, she rode the horse fast before glancing back. Damn. The soldiers were still following her.

She entered a path which led her to a lower area inside the forest where more trees surrounded her. Two different path ways stood before her, and she halted. Which way should I take?

Before she could decide, a voice startled her.

"Hey, over here."

She turned to the source of the voice.

A girl with a long brown hair, about Irene’s age, whispered, "Follow me!"  Her hand signaled that she had a place to hide.

The sound of other horses echoed from afar, which meant that the soldiers were about to get her. Trusting the girl, Irene jumped off from her horse. "Go, Pedro," she told the horse to leave her. It went through one of the path ways and disappeared behind the trees.

The girl grabbed her hand and dragged her down to hide behind a big tree. The soldiers passed by, and one of them commanded the others to check one of the path ways while he and the other men headed to the other path. They left without any clue that the princess was hiding somewhere else.

"Come with me," the girl whispered, and Irene followed her.

They trotted down the ground through the bushes. After a while, a small wooden house came into view, standing behind a giant tree. The girl knocked on the door, and a face of woman appeared.

"You came back." The woman opened the door. "What happened?"

"Mother, I found her in the forest," the girl answered, and when she came in, the woman noticed Irene.

A gasp escaped from the woman's lips, and she rushed to welcome Irene into the house. "Oh, my Lord. Your Highness.” She pulled a chair beside the table for Irene.

Irene traveled her eyes around the wooden house, which was small, not even bigger than her room in the castle. It consisted of one bed, a kitchen, and a well at the back. In the center of the room was a table where she settled at, with a few chairs.

"Your Highness," the woman's voice snapped her back. "Do you want something to drink? You must be tired." Before Irene could answer, she already put a glass of water on the table and flopped herself on the chair beside Irene.

"Thank you." Irene plastered a soft smile.

"I was surprised to find you outside. Why did they come after you? And why did you run away?" the girl asked, worries written on her face. "Something must have happened." Indeed, Irene had been trying to escape the soldiers for dear life.

There was fear in Irene's eyes, and the woman held Irene’s hand.

Irene stared at them and broke in tears. "It was terrible."

"Hush now. It's okay," the woman soothed Irene, who then cried softly on her shoulder. She lifted Irene’s chin and stared into her eyes. "I am Areum, and this is my daughter, Bora. We live here. If there's anything I can help—“

But Irene shook her head, not wanting them to encounter dangers because of her.

"Your Highness, at least you can tell us the problem. Maybe we can help," Bora urged. "Please, you can trust us." Her mother nodded.

Irene stared at them and inhaled a deep breath before telling them the entire story of what had happened.

Later that night, Jun was sitting on his throne with the soldiers standing before him. They had reported that they had just lost the princess.

"How could it be that you, a group of soldiers, lost to a weak young girl!?" he roared, rising from his throne. "And you call yourself soldiers. What a shame." His jaw tightened, and he spat in disgust.

The soldiers stepped backward.

"I want her dead," he stated. "Do not come back until you find her, and kill her." His eyes flashed a menacing look. "Unless you want to be dead. All of you."

Two days later. At a village far from there.

Baekhyun watched the young man lying on the bed. A few days had passed since he found him at the river. He sighed, wondering who the man was. They were about the same age, he guessed. His wife entered the room, bringing foods.

"How is he?" Taeyeon asked.

"Recovering, and a quick one at that," he said. "It was impossible that he nearly escaped death. Now, it's about time he wakes up."

"That's good to hear." A sigh left her lips. "It must be because of you, my Baekhyun, the best doctor ever." She placed the tray of food on the table near the bed and smiled at him before putting her arms around his neck.

"I'm nothing without you," he confessed, making her blush. He earned a light punch from her, since she thought that he was making fun of her. Little did she know that he meant every word he had said.

They heard movements from the bed. The person had opened his eyes.

Sehun stared at the ceiling, trying to regain his consciousness. His head felt dizzy. Some images flashed back in his mind, and he sat up, his heart racing. He traveled his eyes around, only to find the unfamiliar room and unfamiliar faces of Taeyeon and Baekhyun.

"Are you okay? How are you feeling?" Baekhyun stepped closer to the bed, worried as he studied his patient.

"Where am I? How long have I been here?" were the words that left Sehun's mouth instead. He gripped Baekhyun's shoulder for an answer, fear in his eyes.

"Calm down," Baekhyun spoke, wondering why Sehun was acting like that. "You're at my house. I found you at the river two days ago," came the explanation, but the effect was major.

Sehun rose from the bed and tried to walk but collapsed instead, the pain on his body striking back. Taeyeon nearly screamed.

"Don't move. You're still healing," Baekhyun told him, more like commanded. "You'll open the wounds on your body."

Sehun had got almost the entire part of his upper body wrapped in bandage. His left shoulder, chest, and stomach. Except for his arms.

"No. I have to go."

"No, listen to me. You—“ Baekhyun warned as Sehun tried to get up. "Listen to me. I have done my best to save you, and I will not let you go to die!"

Sehun looked him in the eyes, fear building up inside him. "No, you don't understand. I have to go now, or else, she- she—“ The sentence stopped as he imagined all sort of bad things. He couldn’t bear to know what might happen to her, what those evil people would do to her, while he was gone.

"It's Irene, isn't it?" Taeyeon finally spoke, getting Sehun’s attention. "You kept saying her name while you were asleep." Her voice was filled with concern.

Sehun tried to get back to his feet again. "I have to go—“ But just after he forced his body to move, he collapsed again and hit the floor.

"You will, but not now." Baekhyun stated. "It was a miracle itself you could survive. You almost died two days ago. Tell us, and maybe we can help you. Who are you? And where did you come from?"

Sehun groaned in pain, lying on the floor. His hand shot to his chest, and he knew that he must have broken a rib or two. "Sehun, from Silla.”

Flashback

12-years-old Irene dashed outside the castle to the back yard, where her father was training her warrior. Sound of swords clashing with each other filled the air as they battled in an incredible speed.

She watched in awe as Sehun moved his body and sword to escape and block all of her father's attacks. When Sehun attacked back, her father moved backward and blocked all of his attempts. She smiled, thinking that they were just like a mirror: the King and her 15-years-old warrior.

Ye Ryung came into sight, bringing food for the two of them before placing it on the table at the yard. As she realized how the two of them were too lost in the battle, she murmured to herself, "My God, you two can do this for the whole day if I don't interrupt."

Irene laughed a little.

Young Jae spotted Ye Ryung. "Enough for today, Sehun." A smile appeared on his lips. He was proud of the boy.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Sehun obeyed and followed Yong Jae. They approached Ye Ryung, who was preparing the food on the table.

Sehun settled in the seat at the table while Irene tiptoed behind him. She closed his eyes with her hands, earning laughter from Yong Jae and Ye Ryung.

Sehun knew it was her. "Princess."

"Count to 20, Sehun." Irene giggled. Here she was doing her favorite trick. She had asked him to count and would hide somewhere, then he had to find her. Hide and seek?

Sehun sighed in his smile and began to count with his eyes closed. Seeing the two children playing games, Yong Jae and Ye Ryung shook their heads. Irene dashed, trying to find a place to hide. Sehun's voice faded away as she went further.

She turned at a corner and trotted along the side of the castle wall. When she found a tree, she halted. Reaching for the branches, she climbed up and managed to place herself at the top. She waited there, a naughty smile on her lips. Sehun would never find her there. Perfect.

She settled there in silence for a few minutes until she noticed a small bird landing on one of the branches. 'How beautiful.' Her gaze darted on the creature, which had feathers in blue and black. 'Hey, come here.' She tried to reach t