Hansol was unable to sleep that night, feeling Byungjoo shift around about every thirty minutes. He seemed to be in a lot of pain, whimpering and holding his stomach. Hansol grimaced every time the younger man whimpered. Byungjoo was sweating heavily, and Hansol took care of him, wiping his face with a cloth. 

Around midnight, Nakta walked over to Hansol. The young prince looked very tired, with dark circles under his eyes. “Prince, you should go get some sleep. I’ll keep an eye on him. Go…” Nakta looked down at Byungjoo. 

Hansol smiled at him, yawning. He eased Byungjoo’s head out of his lap and into Nakta’s, then stood to his feet. “Thank you, Nakta.” 

Nakta nodded, placing a hand on Byungjoo’s stomach gently. “Get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow. The Crystal Waters are only a day’s ride away, so we all need to get some rest to be alert.”  

Hansol glanced at Byungjoo’s sleeping face before stumbling over and relaxing against a tree. He fell asleep within the next ten minutes. 

The next morning, Byungjoo woke up to find Hansol wiping his face. He had a terrible headache, as if someone was hitting him with a hammer. Hansol smiled at him, his brow furrowed in worry. The prince looked very tired, and Byungjoo smiled back at him. 

“Hey,” he looked confused. “What happened? I feel terrible. Was the cut really that bad? The last thing I remember was crossing the river.”

Hansol laughed. “You were doing okay, but got bit by a bug. That, combined with your injury, weakened you. Everyone’s safe, though. Don’t worry.” 

Byungjoo’s face went blank as he thought about it. His eyes suddenly grew wide. “Where’s the sword? I didn’t lose it, did I?” 

Hansol took advantage of his worried expression, his own face grim. “About that…” He hissed though his teeth. “You made a mistake.” The prince didn’t smile, but kept the same grim expression. “You’re mistake was trusting me,” he laughed out loud. “It’s fine…but you should have seen your face!” He burst out laughing, doubling over. Shaking his head, Hansol trying to regain his composure. “I’m sorry.”

Byungjoo glared at him. “Bratty prince. You scared me. My father would be so mad, and I don’t even want to think about what your father would do. That was not funny.” He grinned at Hansol, surprised that he would joke with him. 

Hansol chuckled, his laugh lines very evident and making him look very bratty. “Well, I don’t think my father would kill you. I would be the one to get in trouble. My father loves you too much,” his smiled faded with the realization.