Miyoung was with the company of Juhyun, Sooyoung and Yuri when Bastard Taeyeon passed through them to get to the three horsemen, all tied down by his friends.

Still in silence, Miyoung’s eyes followed the bastard boy, picking up bits of his face. Such an unusual bastard, she thought. Her Lord Father has always told her that bastard men are the lowest class of men. They shall not be trusted, shall not be rewarded and shall not be befriended. One of her Father’s books even had a painting of what a bastard boy could look like. Ugly, with its back hunched outward, full of scars and blind of one eye.

It was nothing like Taeyeon.

Taeyeon was paper-thin yet considerably healthy enough. His long raven hair and subtle features on his face was such a contrast to his birth line that Miyoung had some trouble remembering his origins. Even from his group of friends, whom most had short raspy hair, Taeyeon was a different sight.

How come he could be so different from what she was taught her entire life? How come he could know how to sword fight when he didn’t have a father? What type of bastard boy had a sword like that one? How come that pale-skinned boy with magnificent long hair could be from lower birth?

“We’ve got some money, Cap…” One of his friends spoke up, placing 3 rings of coins inside his bag.

“What you think you’re doing, huh? You think you can rob us?” The leader of the three horsemen tried to intimidate them. But Miyoung thought it was a bit useless. Taeyeon and the others were bastards and they sure had seen more intimidating things in life than a couple of highborns using their reputation as their weapon. Those bastards probably walk around shaking hands with Death all the time. Some rich horsemen wouldn’t intimidate that sort of people.

“Robbing is a small price to pay considering you almost those women.” Taeyeon spoke up. “Be glad I let you live still.”

“You can’t kill me, bastard. I’m the wealthiest man of Yellowstone.”

“Your father is the wealthiest man of Yellowstone.” Taeyeon retorted. “How many children has he had?”

“Three.” The man answered.

“If you keep talking, it will be just two.” Miyoung chuckled for that, making Taeyeon and everyone else look at her. She felt a little awkward and tried to clear , making herself a little unbothered.

“You keep pretending you’re a big thing, ain’t bastard boy?”

Taeyeon seemed uninterested in that argument and turned to look at Heechul who had reached his right side.

“We should leave.” Miyoung heard Heechul said to him. “The more we stay here the more we put ourselves in danger. And now that Lady Hwang and her friends will accompany us, the journey could take a few hours more.”

“We are not going to drag you down or anything.” Miyoung felt the need to defend her and her group of friends.

“We are travelling back all the way back to Stoneguard. You’re already dragging our journey down!” He answered and Miyoung felt offended but didn’t have the courage to say anything to retort.

“C’mon, man…” Taeyeon tried to release the tension. “No need to say those things…”

“You know it is true.”

Taeyeon looked over Miyoung, his face a little uncomfortable for what his best friend just said.

Juhyun instantly put herself in front of Miyoung. “We understand this is a delicate situation and that we shouldn’t waste any more of your time with us. We apologize in advance for any misunderstanding that could occur in this journey, as well as for any danger to your overall well-being.” She took a little bow towards them. “If you believe it is the best time to leave, we will follow you right away.”

“Let’s just go!” Heechul called, putting his bag on his back.

“We will go on foot??” Sooyoung asked, seemingly outrageous for that.

“How do you expect us to go then if not on foot??” Heechul asked, stubborn.

Sooyoung just stretched her arm straight away and pointed towards something behind the boys and then it was when they realized the horses were still there.

“Wait...What? You can’t rob our horses!” They all heard the horsemen complain. But they did not listen to them.

“There’s only three of them.” Heechul spoke up. “And we are eleven people.”

“Each horse can take up to 2 people.” Miyoung intervened. “Besides, those horses could be more useful to us carrying your loads than anything.” She said, “It must be heavy carrying all those bags behind your backs.”

“Even if the horses can take up to 2 people, they aren’t enough for all of us.” Heechul retorted.

“Oiy, Heechul.” The chubbiest boy in the group spoke up. “Stop being an . We can shift turns riding those horses.” Heechul didn’t seem to like his intervention.

Taeyeon turned his head to his group of friends and he seemed to have liked the idea. “That’s not a bad idea...Every two or three miles we can take shifts on those horses.” He nodded. “Let’s do this way. Lady Hwang and her servant can have one horse for them through the whole journey, and the rest of us shall take shifts on the other horses.”

“You can’t do that! You can’t rob our horses!” But the eleven people completely ignored the horsemen.

“We go first.” Sooyoung and Yuri promptly spoke up.

“Why?” The chubby man didn’t like it. “Just because you’re women? That’s not fair. We have fat people in our group!” He called attention to his own weight. “Can’t really walk fast, you know?”

Taeyeon blinked. “You can have the third horse, Shindong.” He spoke up, making the other friends complain while Shindong left a yell of relief.

“Thanks, Cap!”

“Leeteuk will follow you.” He added. “And then, we decide later who will take shifts with you.”

As this seemed to put the problem aside, Heechul and the others started to try putting their bags on the horses. The animals weren’t comfortable with them, however, dropping their bags on the ground. Miyoung noticed Taeyeon pull the horse’s bridles stronger than necessary, making the animal buck away, refusing to accept his actions.

“Stop. You shouldn’t do that.” She came forward, making the group look at her. “You can’t just think the horses will obey you when you’re all strangers.’

“What should we do then?” One taller slim boy asked. Miyoung didn’t know his name.

She felt a little embarrassed to be the center of the attention, but continued. “You need to gain their trust.” And she approached one of the horses, her hand tall in a gesture of invitation. As the horse leaned its head closer, blowing off his nostrils curiously, Miyoung used her other hand to caress the animal’s mane. “Horses are curious but wild-spirited animals. There needs to be a trust between the horse and the rider. And pulling off their halters and bridles before you can even show your intentions towards them is not a good way to develop trust.”

“You seem to understand horses.” The same boy from before spoke up.

“Lady Miyoung loves riding horses.” Juhyun added up. “Back then in Rosegarden, Lady Miyoung used to run free through the fields of our land riding Hayan-Nim, her personal horse.”

“You named your horse Mr. White?” Taeyeon asked her, curiously.

Miyoung felt her cheeks get a little warm. “White Prince.” It sounded a bit ridiculous and she knew it, especially in the company of bastard men. “Hayan Wanjanim.” And then she pinched her fingers together. “Shortened for Hayan-Nim.”

That made Taeyeon chuckle for the name, which Miyoung wasn’t really proud of. Her hands still caressing the caramel horse in front of her, the animal much more at ease with her.

“I guess you’ve found your ride.” Taeyeon backed, gently, noticing the behavior. “Hop it up there, princess.”

Miyoung didn’t like Taeyeon called her a princess. Not only she wasn’t really a princess, but it made her feel like they were distant to one another. She looked away, not wanting to show displeasure by his remark; and after recognizing the horse had truly accepted her, Miyoung climbed on top of it.

Her hands tapped the horse’s long neck as a gesture of gratitude and still trying to maintain her dominance over the animal, she pulled the bristle a little lighter to the left, making the horse move his head accordingly.

“C’mon Juhyun, hop it up.” She called her handmaiden. To which the girl soon bowed to her.

“Yes, Milady.”

As the group moved and argued and fought, they soon got all their rides settled as well as their shifts. Miyoung and Juhyun were together on that horse, Sooyoung and Yuri on the second one and Shindong and Leeteuk on the third. All three horses were carrying the bags on each of their sides, making the walk much easier for the boys on foot.

Miyoung could hear Taeyeon’s friends complain about the horse they were riding and although jokes were made because of Shindong’s weight, Miyoung knew it was because the horse was still not fully comfortable with those young men.

Miyoung rode the horse silently, not avoiding having her eyes look at Bastard Taeyeon here and then. Her mind was such a twirl, she couldn’t tell how sane she still could be after everything that happened in just those couple of days.

In just a matter of four days or so, she essentially got married, witnessed her entire family be murdered at her own wedding, escaped from her husband with the help of Seo Juhyun, was rescued from the Golden Army by a complete stranger and is now on the way to Stoneguard dressed up as a with company of seven bastard boys. How her life had just gone upside down in just a matter of days was a mystery for her.

Ever more a mystery was how that bastard boy was calling her attention so much. Why did she feel so heartbroken when Taeyeon had just abandoned her and left her for good? Why did she feel so relieved upon seeing him again right in front of her eyes? Why does she feel glad that he will stay with her through that journey?

Miyoung didn’t really know the answer to those questions.

~~*~~

The mo