Once again we were back in a small tavern and once again, Jongin was devouring the warm meals. I wondered how he had lived out in the woods with so little food available. I watched him as I picked at my corn and beans, not nearly as interested as he. I should really start getting used to food that wasn't gourmet.

"For siblings, you two have very different appetites," Prince Wu remarked with a light chuckle. He had decided to rest with us after the villagers had greeted him so warmly. His stay set Jongin and me a bit off track, though; we hadn't expected him to follow like this. Little did he know that what he was looking for was right in front of him.

Jongin barely looked up from his bowl of soup as he gave a muffled reply. "When a prince treats you to a meal, you accept it gratefully."

My eyes fell on the prince as he laughed. It was a deep and soft laughter, and it greatly contrasted with Jongin's aloof snicker. I thought for a moment about how it'd be like to be courted by the handsome prince and how my life would be so much different from now.

"So you two are heading north?"

I nodded but didn't utter a word. I was too afraid to speak out of turn. Though Yifan had never met me before, my way of talking did not match that of a poor vagabond.

Jongin politely swallowed his food before answering. "There's news of a great healer in the north and we hope to find him to help my sister with her scars." He tapped his spoon against his lips and for a second, my eyes lingered on them. But then I shook my head slightly and looked back down at my food. "We're going to have to travel fast in order to get there before winter hits."

I hadn't even thought of the changing seasons yet. The past years have been pretty warm during the winter months so I hoped the snow would hold back this year as well. If the weather didn't relent, we'd very likely be stuck out there.

The conversation died down until it was just the sound of Jongin's utensils hitting the bowls. From the cover of my hood, I could see Yifan carefully eying the both of us. He didn't show any suspicion but when I met his gaze, he gave a small smile. It was one that warmed my heart, reminding me of the familiarity of home. Of the royal family.

Jongin pushed his chair back with a loud screech and stood up to stretch, making a big show out of it. "Well, now we need to get back on track. Thanks for the food." Jongin pulled me up and began walking to the door. His grip made no promise of letting go anytime soon and I looked back at our table, knowing that it was impolite to leave all of a sudden.

"Wait," the prince caught up with us right as we approached the door. "You have to sell your pelts first, do you not? Could I take the time to show something to your sister?" Though he was taller than Jongin, the look that the dark-haired boy gave was not one of submission.

I turned to Jongin with big eyes, trying to force him to say yes. I understood why he hesitated, though: it would not be safe for me to go off with a stranger.

 

But hadn't I done just that a couple of days ago? And besides, this was a prince.

 

Jongin's eyebrows creased and he scrutinized the regal man before him for a moment. A quiet sigh left his lips. It was barely noticeable if not for the fact that his hold on my hand had loosened. "Fine, keep her safe until I find you again."

"Thank you," Yifan bowed and stretched out an arm towards me.

"If anything happens to her, you're dead." Jongin spun on his heels and marched out the door.

I stood stock still as the prince paid for the food. Was I really going to be able to spend time with the prince? Perhaps he had a way of bringing me back to my old life without risk.

 

He walked coolly back to me, shoulders straight back as if he was walking across a ballroom. "Shall we go?" He held out his elbow and I smoothly slid my arm into the crook of his.

-

"And this here is a flower that only blooms every five years." Yifan pointed to a blue flower that had its petals squeezed shut. We had stepped into the forest and he had begun teaching me about the plants. It was dark under the shade of the trees and I had to search for a moment before scoping out the flower that he had been pointing at. "Unfortunately, it just bloomed last year."

"Oh..." I couldn't help but admit that I was slightly bored by this plant talk. During the past few days, Jongin was in charge of picking the plants we ate and I just carried them for him. But now I could probably pick out dinner for us without his help. My mind wandered back to our meals. He never ate much along the way but whenever we stopped, he would stuff himself silly. It would do well for me to learn his ways but, if I had to be honest with myself, I much preferred Jongin's cooking over a tavern's.

 

It wasn't anything like a chef back at home but Jongin knew what to do with every plant and every animal. I would have to ask him how he came upon his skills.

"Sorry," Yifan's voice made me snap my head upwards, nearly making my hood fall off. He rubbed the back of his neck and gave a shy smile but I was too busy repeating our conversation in my head to notice. I didn't understand why he was saying sorry. "I should show you something that you would want to see. Come here." He led me to a spot where the ground dipped down and a bed of orange flowers laid in a small bed, smiling up at us.

"They're...pretty," I tried putting in an opinion but I wanted to take it back immediately. The words sounded flat.

He bent down to pick one and held it up to me. "This is for you." I gently took it from him and took a sniff, acting as if I knew what I was doing when somebody gives flowers to another. When I looked up, Yifan was smiling down at me. "It's known to heal scars and I'm hoping it'll heal whatever you're hiding."

The gesture made me blush and I wasn't sure if it was out of embarrassment or from his kindness. I was thankful that he bent down to pick up more flowers because my face only got redder. He was trying to help me even though I didn't need it. I didn't deserve it. If only I had been allowed to attend that party in the castle, then I would've met him already and shown him my true self.

"What are they called?" I asked, trying to hide the guilt from my voice.

He stood up to his full height, towering over me again, and handed a bunch to me. "Calendulas." I stared at the flowers and smiled while Yifan looked too the sky. "It's getting dark. We should get back before your brother kills me."

I laughed, knowing that Yifan might truly be fearing for his life, but followed him anyway.

-

"We've looked everywhere, sir. We can't find the boy." The prince's men rushed back, exhausted and with zero good news. When Yifan and I had arrived back, we were told that Jongin was still gone despite the late hour. At first I had thought he was still selling his pelts but then I was told that everybody had already closed shop. When I spoke to the prince about my concern, he had sent all his men out and tried to soothe me.

Not that I needed it. I wasn't acting too frantic, just a bit worried. A bit worried that he might've decided to leave me with the prince, the one who only had other men to defend him. I didn't want to debase Yifan's abilities but there was something safe about knowing that Jongin walked around with an entire arsenal of weapons.

Safe as well as dangerous.

 

The dangerous part made me pace the cold dirt path again. What if he had gotten himself killed or injured? Of course, it was unlikely but it was still possible.

I looked around the vendors' tents desperately, trying to find the elusive Jongin. Where was he?

"It's too dark for us to search any further. He will show up sooner or later." The prince sighed and turned to me. "Do you mind staying at an inn with me?"

I took one last look around, still hoping that Jongin would show up, but let the prince lead me to a modest little building. It was odd. Just this morning, I had hoped we were going to stay at an inn but now that that was actually happening, I was strangely hesitating.

 

Inside, everybody was minding their own business until we stepped in. People kept their eyes on the prince as they stood and bowed. Yifan greeted them and then requested for a room.

I stood there, watching the people's eyes follow the prince everywhere. I asked myself if I missed that kind of attention, having eyes on me at all times and grabbing the attention of every person. I felt a bit freer these past few days. But then again, Jongin had always kept an eye on me and his attention was always on me and my safety.

Until now.

God, where was he?

 

I knew I shouldn't have been as nervous as I was. Last time he had done the same thing and nothing had happened. But it just felt wrong to be out here without him, without my guide. It'd be like setting a commoner in a royal ball with nobody to show them around.

I was ushered to a room of my own and when the door closed, I finally took my cloak off. It was a relief but I felt out of place here as I looked at the uninviting bed. I was used to sleeping with protection all around me. Whether it was the safeguard of the castle walls or the security of Jongin's watchful eyes, I had never felt unsafe as I slept.

But now that I laid on the bed, I had an uneasy feeling in my stomach. I could hear the loud banter of the crowd downstairs and wondered if the prince could even fight off those men if need be. More than likely, he would call on his own soldiers to do his work before getting his hands dirty.

 

I sighed and rolled onto my back, clapping my palms against the bed sheet. I shouldn't be insulting the prince like this. Wasn't I the same just a few days ago?

A gust of wind rattled my window, making my fingers dig into the blanket. I closed my eyes, willing my unnecessary fear to die down. But it didn't work as my mind swam with anxious thoughts.

 

What if something crawled through the window? Would the prince come fast enough to defend me? He didn't spend his life on his toes in combat; he was a prince who was taught how to rule a kingdom. His sword was most likely for show and the only time he drew blood was during fencing practice.

 

Stop being so rude! I willed myself to calm down and fall asleep so I could wake up and everything would be okay.

But the uncomfortable twist in my stomach wouldn't leave. I needed to get a breath of fresh air. Back at home, I would've never been allowed to walk out by myself. Luckily, this wasn't home.

 

The crowd had left and there were only two or three customers trailing behind as I stepped out of the inn and pulled my hood over my face. The night's breeze made the goosebumps rise up on my arms and, as I pulled the cloak tighter around me, I felt the pouch of orange flowers resting snug by my side.

I didn't know where I was walking but I could feel the dirt turn into grass as I entered the forest, where I instinctively knew I would eventually find him. I trailed along the edge, making sure that I didn't go deep enough to get lost.

The forest was filled with strange noises that made me jump from time to time. I nearly stepped on a frog if not for the fact that my skirt had caught onto a branch and I was forced to stop. Owls hooted above me and I tried to keep watch of some of the village lights to make sure I hadn't gone too far.

Within a few minutes, I was already getting worried. I didn't want to sneak glances at the dark forest, afraid that a bear or wolf would show up, but Jongin had to be in the trees somewhere. Once my feet started aching from the uneven ground, I began to realize that I was nearing my starting point in front of the inn. Where the hell was he?

"Where are you going, anyway?" A voice came from right behind me and I jumped in terror. I clutched at my heart before falling to the ground. Jongin jumped down, landing gracefully with barely a sound, and squatted down in front of me. "Why are you walking around here in the middle of the night?"

"I was looking for you!" I picked up some leaves and threw it at his face before standing back up. "We were all looking for you!"

Jongin stood up as well and shrugged casually, not even noticing the leaves. "You didn't have to."

I stalked back to the inn while gripping onto Jongin's arm. This time, I was the one leading. "Where were you this evening?" I tried to keep my voice even and I tried to tell myself that I was only angry because he had frightened me with his surprise greeting.

"Napping."

"Napping?" I asked incredulously, nearing missing a step.

"Yeah. I was up in a tree, digesting my food."

I spun around and stabbed a finger at his chest. "You made us all worry! We even sent out a search party for you!"

Looking towards the inn, Jongin let out a scoff. "That must've been a pathetic search party." He rolled his eyes before his arms crossed over his chest. Arrogance rolled off of him in waves. "That prince didn't seem to mind me gone."

"That prince had to stay the night here just to babysit me!"

"Well, obviously he's doing a bad job of it because you just got out." He looked down at me, challenging my patience.

And it was working because, at this point, I wanted to pull out my hair. "You're the one who just left me in his care."

"You were practically begging me to hand you over to him."

"I—" My mouth snapped shut because I realized he was right. I didn't exactly beg but I did ask really hard for his permission. "You were supposed to come back," I mumbled to the ground. I could literally hear the pout in my voice.

Jongin patted my head and laughed, knowing that he had won. "Aww, did you miss me?"

My head snapped up again and the anger was back. He was treating me like a kid. "What— I— No!" I stomped my foot on the ground, not knowing what to say and a blush slowly crept to my cheeks. I really was acting like a child. I had to remind myself that it was because he was being so careless with his ways. Wasn't he the one who had told me to watch my every step so I wasn't found? He should've been watching his own steps, too.

After he had enough time to laugh unabashedly at my reactions, he leaned against a tree and eyed me carefully. There was a long moment of silence as he let me calm down but I knew he was still amused. Finally, after I had lost most of my rage, he spoke. "So what are you doing here in the forest? Why not stay in the cozy inn?"

I let out a long breath, suddenly tired from all the stress. Who knew looking for one person could take so much energy. "I think I've gotten used to sleeping outdoors."

This got Jongin's attention. "After just a few days?"

"I mean, I would choose the castle over a cave any day but that inn just isn't..." I tried looking for the word without boosting his ego again, "Comfortable."

I noticed Jongin's eyebrows rise up a little before he pushed himself up with a smirk and swung an arm over my shoulder. "Well, I think you should return your calendulas before you come back to me," he said as he led me towards the inn. "You won't be needing them."

"Why not?" I felt for the pouch under my cloak. How had he known I had them with me?

He poked my cheek and looked down at me through the shadow of my hood. "I don't see anything wrong with your face."

I could literally feel all the blood rushing up to my face, could hear the roar of it in my ears. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?" I tried saying it with a scowl, as if I wasn't affected by his words.

Jongin shrugged and gestured to the door of the inn. "Take it however you want it, lil sis."

He let go of my shoulders and I took quick steps to the door. Up the stairs, I thought about what he had said. Did he really think of me only as a little sister? Would that mean I was wrong to find him even remotely attractive?

Or was this just part of his show? There might've been listeners nearby.

But it was the middle of the night. How many people would peep around at this time?

I sighed as I stood outside the prince's room. Laying down the pouch of flowers, I couldn't help but save one for myself. Maybe, if I ever met the prince when I was back to being a princess, I could tell him about the calendulas and he would recognize me as the girl he had spent time with.

Not his sister.

I bid farewell to the innkeeper, who was still cleaning, and stepped out the door where Jongin was waiting. He silently led the way into the forest as I slowly trailed behind, telling myself that it wasn't right to want to shoot daggers at one's back.

 

---

 

guuuuuys i'm really lazy like wow i don't even wanna get myself to the computer anymore. i just wanna lie in bed and read historical romances because those books don't require any thinking since it's 99% fluff and 1% heartbreak ;A;
anyway, i hope everybody had a great weekend because i did no work at all and it feels so gooood