9. DISTORTION

The sky woven with orange and purple dimmed, casting black shadows on the looming forest. Leaves rustled and crickets chirped as a breeze travelled by.

“Move out of the way.” One of the men spoke.

Taemin remained silent, as he stepped forward. His eyes narrowed. Move out of the way? So, they’re aiming for Naeun?

He took another step forward, covering her fully from the men’s view.

They took account of his protective gesture. One man sneered.

“Young man, do you think it’s worth to risk your life for the lady?”

“You can’t fight off three of us.”

He suppressed a raising brow. Young man? They’re aiming for an aristocrat lady, but they don’t recognise the Prince. Interesting.

His mind spun quickly. “How much were you guys paid? I’ll pay double the amount to let us go.”

The assassin who stood at the side, scoffed in a familiar, muddled Korean accent. “Stop trying to fool us. You peasant won’t have enough money to compensate for that.” Another assassin shot him a glare, clearly knowing that he has leaked too many information.

Hearing his accent, an alarm in his brain went off. His pupils darted briefly. He went to war with the enemy for three years. He knows how his enemies sound like.

In a blink of an eye, his mind zoomed past hundreds of possibilities of who these men would be.  Employed by someone wealthy, not recognising the country’s prince, a familiar accent, well-trained and ambushed…

He reached the depths of his pockets into his knife, as a thought buzzed through his mind.

He stared at them, then opened his mouth.

“Ju keni bërë një rrugë të gjatë.” (You have come a long way)

Recognition dawned on their faces and he knew, his speculations were correct. His father always told him: Know thy self, know thy enemy - which was why he mastered the enemy’s language. A chill seeped through his spine, upon realisation that Alzamian assassins are creeping in his country.

The assassins seemed to realise that the man in front of them isn’t just an ordinary peasant, as they drew their swords out quickly.

“You won’t be able to fool us any longer.” Their icy voices echoed across the dimmed forest floor.

“Naeun. Close your eyes.” He turned briefly to her and mumbled softly. He is worried, for the fight may trigger her memory. He knew, if she realised what happened 7 years ago, she might not be able to take it.

However, she shook her head and kept her eyes wide and round. Although she is aware of the Prince being a military prodigy, if anything happens to him, she could call for help or at least, stand by him. Hearing that the attackers were going after her, she needed to know who was the culprit. Besides, a sword fight may trigger her memory back - she needed to solve her own mysteries.

Taemin’s eyes sparked with cold sizzling flames, as he drew his knife.

In a blink of an eye, the assassins struck him.

He dodged a blow and his knife clashed onto another, while a figure charged at him from the side, raising his sword with a glint in his eye. Taemin pried off the sword and darted away from the blow, then, stepped inside his strike and twisted his wrist.

Naeun heard a loud crack as his sword clattered out of his hand. Her brows furrowed and she winced at the violence. Maybe she should’ve really closed her eyes. She thought.

The man yelped, as a spasm of pain contorted his masked face. Before he could yell further, Taemin silenced him with a knock on his skull, using the back of his knife.

The man collapsed with a thud.

The other two assassins kept their swords up, as their eyes widened and stood frozen.

“Death or imprisonment? I’ll allow you both to choose.” Taemin curled his lips coldly, eyes fiery in rage, as he twirled the pocket knife between his fingers.

They charged at him again, this time, he locked his eyes on the man on his right, dodging his blows, aware that a knife cannot deflect slashes. Then, the other man raised his arms, charging at him from behind, but as if knowing in advance, Taemin avoided the blow, instead, he struck the man’s wrist, and his grip on the sword loosened.

The man widened his eyes as his sword twirled in mid-air, landing on Taemin’s grasp.

“Y..You…” The man uttered in disbelief. “My sword!”

Taemin’s smouldering orbs pierced through the darkness, like a predator locking on his prey. “On one thought, one prisoner is enough. I guess there’s no choice for you two then.”

With his right hand on a sword and left with a knife, he slit through the man’s abdomen. Blood splashed on the leafy shrubs as he crumbled onto the floor.

Startled, the last man stepped back, with his sword held out to keep Taemin at bay. Taemin slapped his blade aside and , while the man parried and tried to counter-.

Naeun cringed at the seeping scarlet fluid. She turned her vision back at Taemin, who charged and ed at the man relentlessly. She almost wanted to close her eyes in disgust, until a seep of cold breeze rushed down her spine. A lingering beam of light from the indigo sky casted shadows on the forest floor. Sword clangs and shouts echoed around her, but her vision swayed and her empty eyes landed on the moving shadows.

Pain exploded in her head, raced down her spine.

The shadow crawled out of its shape, swelling into a large hole, as the face of her nightmares stretched its claws towards her.

Her legs wobbled and she shivered.

Her palms were damp, her face lost its colour.

She took a shaky breath.

Focus… She keep herself sane, get outta here safely.

But moving shadows stretched their fangs to her, as her hands trembled and her teeth clattered.

She couldn’t stand it anymore.

Instead, her mind flipped to the safety option. At times like this, the doctor told her to distract herself. Her family told her to get distracted. Distract. Distract.

She repeated to herself, as she closed her eyelids briefly. She tried to think of her paintings, her walks around the street, her family’s words. But when she opened her eyes, more and more shadows rose into shape, her heels slid backward, as her pupils shivered. She lifted her vision upwards, but the looming forest stretched their fangs that tinted with red. Her steps moved backwards, with leaves shuffling quietly, until she leaned against a tree.

Her knees collapsed, as she knelt on the floor. The calls and sword clangs echoed in her ears.

“The girl saw us!”

“Where is the girl?”

“The girl must be killed!”

“The girl!”

“She’s there!”

She raised her shivering arms and covered her ears.

Taemin heard a tiny whimper and his eyes flashed with alarm, “Naeun?”, as he dodged another blow.

She barely heard him over the din inside her skull.

He turned his head briefly, then widened his eyes at the sight.

Darn it. He thought.

He deflected another blow from the last figure as their swords clanged.

Taemin gritted his teeth. He has to finish this man quick, before she gets traumatised. Taemin slashed him again. The man parried desperately and tried to counter, but Taemin pressed without yielding, slicing through his defence without hesitation, until the man slumped with blood all over his chest.

He dropped the sword and slid back his knife, as he bolted back to her, who crumbled on the floor, with her hands firmly clasped against her ears. She muttered, with shivering eyes that casted on the floor. “Don’t come near me… don’t!”

Suddenly, in the midst of the clawed shadows, she heard a voice. “Naeun-ah.”

“Naeun-ah.”

“Naeun-ah, look at me.” The voice was like a beam of light, stretching out to save her in the midst of darkness. Her trembling eyelids peeked open, as she met his warm smile.

His gleaming eyes shot through the distorted shadows and rising darkness.

“Naeun-ah. You’re fine. It’s okay, I’m here.”

He wrapped his own fingers around her trembling, icy-cold hands.

Residues of voices still whispered in her skull, as she stumbled backwards and flinched back another surge of steam and sand in . “W-We… T-They said they will kill me… T-They…” The vision of him fuzzed again, as the shadows engulfed his warm smile. She flung off his hold on her, stumbled back, covered and stifled another scream.

“Naeun-ah.” His voice was soft but unwavering at the same time, as he attempted to pull her back to light.

“You’re alright.” He stepped closer and knelt down to stare into her shivering eyes that slowly came to a halt.

With a tender touch on her cheeks, he lowered the hand on , then lifted her gaze to his. “Naeun-ah,” he said, with the same unswerving voice.

The vision of him unclouded, as voices and shadows slowly came to a halt. She bore her eyes into his. “Y-You’re… the Prince… T-Taemin…”

“That’s right.” He casted the faintest touch on her. His calloused thumb soothed against her temple. Naeun’s whole body quivered.

“You’re my lady, and I’m your Prince.”

Darkness faded away as it vanished into dust. The loud thumping in her heart slowed, as she found her breathing in his gaze.

“L-Lady… prince…” Her voice was hoarse.

“Yes, it’s me. I’m with you.” His gaze bore the light and hope in her. “Come on. I’ll get you out of here.”

He hooked his hands under her arms and hauled her to her feet. Feeling all the strength drained out of her, Naeun slid against him, allowing him to fit her to his body.

Then as soon as he faced her again, with both limbs on ground, her vision of him started to fade, and his warm smile faltered.

She felt relief surge through her, as her lips trembled into a weakened smile. Her eyelids gained heavier, as a faint murmur escaped her lips.

She collapsed into a warm embrace, before sinking into the darkness.

He cried out and caught her as she stumbled forward, easing her onto the forest floor.

“Naeun! Naeun-ah!”

……

The sky dimmed.

Madame Rino furrowed her eyebrows. With most ladies in their carriage, there was only 1 missing.

Outside the carriage, Hayoung bit her lip in worry.

Madame Rino pulled on to the searching guards, but their responses were all shook heads. She pursed her lips then ordered calmly.

“Send the 4 ladies back first. Lady Son’s servants can stay until we find her.”

The carriages left one by one. As the wheels of her carriage turned, a lady raised a smirk.

Outside the moving carriages, a blink of thought passed through Madame Rino, as she pulled the nearest guard. “Lady Son might be near the old woman’s house. Go through this forest, it’ll be quicker.”

The guards nodded, as they seeped through the forest.

…..

Taemin laid her on the floor, with his arms around her shoulders. He felt her wrist and placed a finger below her nose. At least her vitals were fine. He thought, as he hooked an arm around the back of her knees and lifted her in his arms.

He stepped over the three bodies and rushed out of the forest. He cursed to himself inwardly. He should’ve kept his guards close to him. They were probably stationed outside the f