The sound of the horses hooves pounding into the road was like the beating of drums to signal the coming confrontation. Jaehwan and Krystal allowed their horses to trot twice, letting the animals catch their breath and rest a bit before breaking back into a gallop. Jaehwan felt bad for the beautiful animals, but they were strong and this was that they were bred for: racing over even ground like the road their hooves beat down into. The road wound around and climbed over rocky hills, the track itself being so packed with gravel that it was ideal for their pace. And then, nearly three hours after leaving Joe and Yunho at the burning tower, the two riders crested a hill.

"There!" Krystal shouted, though she hardly needed to. Jaehwan had seen the carriage, less than a half mile ahead of them, as soon as they had reached the even ground. There were six outriders, just as Siwon had said there would be, and Krystal gave a sharp edged grin. "How far can you shoot with that bow?"

Jaehwan grimaced and shook his head. "Not that far, Princess. Maybe a quarter of a mile, but not accurately. I need to be closer."

Krystal nodded, her own smile fading as their horses caught their breath on the hill. Their target would see them any moment, but their horses needed a rest before the final push and they could catch them afterward without doubt. "Go ahead and stop where you feel comfortable and feel like you can get good, accurate shots. I will head in to take care of whoever you can't shoot."

This time is was his turn to nod, though before he could reply, his attention was caught by a commotion on the road. "It seems they've seen us," he told her, motioning at the way the outriders closed tightly around the carriage.

Yet Krystal smiled, her hand touching the hilt of her blade. "Good." She nudged her horse into a trot, and with a shake of his head, Jaehwan followed.

To their credit, Changmin's people did try to outrun their pursuit. But the carriage horses were just as Jaehwan had guessed: heavy, large animals that were at most half as fast as his and Krystal's steeds. They closed quickly, crossing that half mile or so in just moments, and Jaehwan split off from Krystal with a shake of the head. He didn't like leaving her alone to face outriders who now turned to face her, knowing they were caught, but he had no choice. He was not a skilled fighter, but he could do what he was skilled at.

He pulled his horse to a stop, flung himself from the saddle, and bent to string the bow. It was that action that saved him: the heavy crossbow bolt thudded into the top of his saddle, narrowly missing both Jaehwan and his horse. It jutted out of the leather gear like it would have stuck out of his head, and he turned wide-eyed to see the carriage driver struggling to reload the weapon. He was also driving the team of horses forward, so it was taking him even longer than it normally would have with the cumbersome bow, and that was lucky for Jaehwan.

He bent back to his task, stringing his bow smoothly before he straightened with an arrow already in hand. 'For Daniel,' he thought pushing down the sickness that threatened, and loosed the arrow. He knew it was a true shot as soon as it left his fingers: the driver slumped in his seat, Jaehwan's arrow having struck the target perfectly, and so he turned for a new one.

Place, lift and pull, release: it was a smooth rythym, though each arrow had that bit of reluctance as he let it fly on its deadly way. Krystal had closed with all six of the horsemen, though she had dismounted and moved away from her animal before they had arrived. She might be comfortable riding, but her fighting was an art on the ground, not in the saddle. The men she faced did not underestimate her, unfortunately: as she danced through their strikes, there were a few that caught her and opened cuts where they reached her skin. And yet she had felled two of the riders by the time Jaehwan turned his attention away from the now-runaway carriage. His arrows took two more, the second in the throat that sent a spray of blood, making Jaehwan's stomach turn. 'Not now!' he thought to himself furiously, and nocked another arrow, drawing it back to fire.

A blow like a giant's punch struck him in the leg and he fell, letting out a howl of pain as he did so. He dropped the bow in the process, and when he looked down he saw that he had a thick quarrel sticking out of his thigh. Someone must have retrieved the crossbow, he thought, trying to push past the pain. Krystal needed help!

Gritting his teeth, he stuggled to sit up and gathered his bow again. He couldn't stand, not with his leg sending waves of pain through him even just laying there. But if he could get the right angle with his bow...

He tipped the bow to the side, a shot he had seen Jaebum make hundreds of times. He was not his brother, but he had a reason to make this shot count: even as he focused on the man now sitting on the top of the stationary carriage, he saw that he had Krystal in his sights.

Jaehwan drew the bow and loosed his arrow in one smooth motion, knowing he had no time for careful calculations. His arrow did not strike where he had wanted it to, but it at least graze the man in the back of the shoulder, making his arm jerk and the quarrel he shot fly off the mark. It was then that Krystal finished off the two men facing her and ran to get on her horse, and the man on the carriage cursed and threw the crossbow to the ground. He didn't have time to wind another quarrel into the weapon, not with Krystal charging on horseback, and so he dropped off the