This was it. The time had finally come.

Chaeyoung’s stallion followed behind Jungkook’s, charging towards the opposing army with a ferocity that matched the brisk fall winds. From their current location, it looked like they were approaching an endless cloud of enemies, a sight that only grew more daunting the closer they got. However, Chaeyoung’s army would never back down. She firmly held onto the belief that the determination of her soldiers fearlessly following behind her could compensate for what they lacked in numbers.

Jisoo, and Lisa remained at her side, the long strides of their horses equally matching her own as they simultaneously unsheathed their weapons.

She stole a glance to her right where Lisa was riding on her own for the first time. Lisa’s auburn hair whipped through the foggy morning air, one hand gripping her horse’s reins while the other clutched a lustrous silver dagger. During such a crucial time it was a wonder Chaeyoung had the time to feel a flash of pride surge through her upon seeing her bestfriend successfully conquer her fear and develop such strength in only a few short months.

Then, Chaeyoung glanced to her left and felt a completely different yet same degree of pride for Jisoo. She had dedicated her entire youth to serving the royal family and had been Chaeyoung’s protector long before they embarked on this journey. Jisoo had always been strong. But the same ferocity no longer existed in her gaze as she focused on the army ahead – a long sword held securely in her hand. Instead, there was a hint of sadness. Like she was finally thinking about her own desires. Like for once in her life, she was afraid of losing something.

Empathizing with Jisoo, Chaeyoung gulped back the lump of emotion in . Her hand flew to her jade necklace. An image of Taehyung flashed through her mind just as they reached the other side of the battlefield, but she shook it away quickly.

He would survive. He had to.

Battle cries filled the air as swords clashed againt each other, spears punctured skin, daggers sliced flesh, and arrows whipped through the air. Bodies collapsed to the ground one-by-one. Streams of blood s onto the ground, forming intricate pathways through the tiny pebbles scattered along the dry, hard ground. Gusts of heavy wind hoisted the royal blue flag of Chaeyoung’s army and the blood-red flag of Mingyu’s army high in the sky – as if they too were preoccupied in their own silent battle.

For a split second, Chaeyoung caught sight of the very back of the army, relief flooding through her as she noticed a royal blue flag raised high in the air. Jennie, Taeyong, Namjoon and Seokjin had reached them in time. Another blue flag to the west indicated that Yoongi, Jimin, and Taehyung had also enacted their end of the plan. That only left the East side.

After a few minutes of enduring the bloodshed and gruesome deaths surrounding her, Chaeyoung turned back and released an ear-splitting whistle. The signal. Without a moment of hesitation, Jungkook sharply turned his horse to the left, following behind Chaeyoung as they lured hundreds of Mingyu’s men to the east – straight into a trap.

The two of them swerved through the tall canopy of pine trees in Gaegyeong’s eastern region with a stampede of officers chasing after them. Horse hooves pounding through fallen autumn leaves disrupted the peaceful chirping of the birds as they continued to float through the same forest they had taken all of yesterday to explore.

‘Only a few more trees to go’ Chaeyoung silently reassured herself when she noticed the light mark of blue paint on the stump of one especially tall tree. Her eyes met Jungkook’s quickly and he nodded, indicating that they were on the same page. The cries of the battlefield were finally beginning to fade, but behind her, she could clearly hear a handful of Mingyu’s best commanders screaming orders to their soldiers. Orders to speed up. Orders to kill.

A few moments later and Chaeyoung caught glimpses of the indigo armour of her soldiers as they remained perched at the very top of several trees – awaiting her command. She released another high-pitched whistle just as one of Mingyu’s officers swung a sword at her from the left. Immediately, dozens of arrows flew through the air, like a destructive downpour, and pierced their shocked targets with lethal accuracy.

Just like that, half of the officers following them fell to the ground. Wasting no time, Chaeyoung’s soldiers utilized this moment of surprise to emerge from their hiding spots – some hopping down from their perches on trees, others appearing from behind shrubs. In only a few seconds, they had not only taken out half of Mingyu’s men, but also had them surrounded.

Their plan had been successful.

Then, Jungkook and Chaeyoung turned back to face Mingyu’s army – their fear of death overshadowed by the adrenaline coursing through their veins. As Chaeyoung dodged the strike of one of Mingyu’s officers, she recognized two of his main commanders amongst the small group that had followed them. DK and Jeonghan. And they both had their targets set on her.

Jungkook sliced through the crowd in a haze of stealthy, lethal movements – singlehandedly defeating dozens of soldiers in the same amount of time it took others to defeat one. Chaeyoung fought alongside him quietly, dodging blows and swinging her sword in the same effective way Taehyung had taught her.

Blood dripped from her sword endlessly, making it feel heavier and heavier with every inch of flesh it sliced through. She bit back the nausea as the stench of fresh, irony blood filled the air. She endured the burning in her muscles and the evergrowing terror flooding through her at the sight of so much death.

It was becoming impossible to keep count of how many strikes she had dodged and how many wounds she had inflicted. Around her, bodies continued to crumple to the ground – some enshrouded in royal red silk, and others donning her favourite shade of blue.

She had just pierced her sword through one of the few remaining royal officers when she felt a cold breeze of movement on her right side.

“Chaeyoung, get down!” Jungkook yelled just before the tip of DK’s damp, cold sword grazed her neck.

Instantly, she followed Jungkook’s command and lowered her body until it was pressed flush against Midnight’s back. A split second later, Jungkook flung a dagger only a couple inches above her head, its momentum causing her long hair to chaotically fly through the air. When she finally looked up again, her attacker’s body had already fallen off his horse. And the forest was quiet again.

Her officer’s triumphant cheers echoed through the trees a few moments later. When Chaeyoung was certain it was safe to do so, she unsteadily hopped of her horse and slumped to the ground. Leaning her back against a thick tree trunk, she finally took a moment to breath. Her eyes roamed across the now blood-splattered forest, her heart not only aching for the handful of blue-clothed soldiers amongst the fallen, but also for the hundreds of men who had been forced to join Mingyu’s army. At times like this, she wished there was another way to finally reach a state of peace. But she knew that was a futile dream. This was the only way. The sooner she accepted that,