I was panting hard now. The bushes occasionally snagged at my dress and the darkness didn't help me avoid the low-hanging branches that whipped me in the face. My only guide was the boy in front of me and he wouldn't stop pulling me forward in some sort of awkward sprint.

While I made a racket with my dash through the woods, the boy was fast and silent. So this was the expertise of a spy at work. But I didn't have much time to ponder as we approached another hill. He tightened his grip around my hand and tugged me along behind him.

I tried to use my other hand to help but halfway up the hill, I just wanted to give up. Princesses weren't trained to run for miles on end. We were educated in the art of tea parties and curtsying in front of the queen.

"Can we...please stop?" I begged when we made it to the top of the hill.

The boy turned around and I noticed that he was panting as well. Spy or no spy, that hill was a killer. "But going down the hill is the fun part." I followed his finger and found that he was pointing to where the hill rolled down to level ground. "After that, you can take a break."

I agreed and let him pull me to the other side of the hill. We stumbled and slid down the incline before my dress made me trip and crash into the boy. We tumbled down the rest of the way.

When we finally reached the bottom, I didn't even want to sit up.

"Are you okay?" The boy touched my shoulder gingerly.

"Yeah, I'm taking my break." I could've laid there for eternity considering how tired I was.

"Get up," he urged with a gentle voice.

I groaned but obeyed. "You said I could have a break after we made it down the hill. Don't tell me you lied or else I'm going straight back to the castle."

He seemed to ignore me as he turned around and crouched low. "Get on."

"What?"

"Get on my back and take your break."

"But what about you? Don't you need a break?" I asked as I pushed myself up.

He turned his head and smiled at me. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"But I don't even know your name. Isn't it weird that--"

"My name is Kim Jongin. Your name is Princess Han Eun Kyo. Now get on my back."

I nodded hesitantly and accepted the order. I held on tight as he easily lifted me and began walking.

"Where are we going anyway?" I muttered after a few minutes. I was already getting sleepy but it felt rude to just fall asleep on some stranger's back.

"A cave. Somewhere to take shelter until the coast is clear and we can head to the village."

"But aren't there bears in caves? And what if there are bad guys in the village?"

Jongin sighed quietly and I knew he was annoyed with me already. "Just trust me."

"But we've only known each other for a few hours. How can you just expect me to trust you?"

"I haven't lied to you yet, have I?"

"No..." I felt for the piece of paper I had strategically slid through the ribbons of my gown. I gently pulled it out, hoping I wasn't moving too much, and tried to read the messy writing.

In the faint moonlight, I could make out my name and Jongin's. He was supposed to take me somewhere and I was supposed to follow. Typical of my father to leave me with no instructions.

"So you were telling the truth," I murmured as I stared at my father's signature halfway down the page.

"You said yourself that you were going to go straight back to the castle if I lied, right?"

"I said that because I was tired." I rested my cheek on the collar of his jacket. My tired eyes followed the gold t that bordered the hems. Though his black garment wasn't as soft as a blanket, it was warm enough to be comfortable and his steps were starting to lull me to sleep, too. "You'd say crazy things too if you were this tired."

"No, I wouldn't," he reassured me. "My mind was trained to stay sharp at all times and hey, don't fall asleep. I need to climb."

"Climb?" I lifted my head and saw that we were at the bottom of a plateau of rock.

"I'll need my hands to climb so it's your responsibility to hold on tight."

"Okay, Jongin. I know you're tired but you're taking this crazy talk to a new level. Where's the cave we're supposed to find?"

"I'm not joking." He pointed upwards. "The cave's up there and I need to climb."

"And I'm supposed to just cling onto you as you get up this thing with your bare hands?" I looked up and saw that it was nearly a vertical incline.

"Pretty much."

Before I could even respond, Jongin was already at the base and finding grips for his hands and feet. I panicked and wrapped my arms and legs tightly around him. My fear took over and I squeezed my eyes shut as he scaled the rocks.

"Remember, I'll take care of the climb," he instructed as we went up. "But it's your job to hold onto me."

I didn't need him to tell me that. My whole body was solely concentrated on keeping in contact with his and my mind was praying that we wouldn't fall. "Shut up and concentrate on your job," I squeaked.

"Tsk tsk, 'shut up’?" Jongin laughed a little despite the fact his arms were using all their might to pull us to the top. "Such rude words from a princess."

All of a sudden, I heard Jongin swear and the two of us swung out and away from the wall of rock.

"Be careful!" I scolded him as he swung back to find another grip for his hand. The previous one had broken off and we had dangled above the ground with only his right arm holding us in place. I hadn't even dared to make a noise as I buried my face into his back.

Jongin didn't speak for the rest of the ascent and finally, we got up to our destination. I climbed off his back as we touched level ground. I swept some stray strands of hair off of my face and looked around. We were at a tiny platform on the side of the rock tower. There was a black hole that led inside the tower and I assumed that that was the cave. I turned left and right but found no path down. Scaling the wall was the only way to get here.

How was I supposed to get down? Jump?

I looked to the cliff that we had just climbed over and found Jongin still lying there. I rushed to his side, suddenly worried. Was I too heavy? Was he dead? I couldn't ask him questions if he was dead.

"Jongin, what's wrong?" I knelt down and shook his shoulders.

He slowly opened his eyes and I sighed in relief. At least he was alive. "Nothing," he replied in a low voice. "Just taking a break."

 

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everybody had a good holiday break, right? omg i'm so tired. school starts way too early and exams are a week away :( i've already forgotten everything ;-;