Later that night I hear someone sigh in frustration. The king and a few others decided it was best we ride as long as we could into the night to try and make sure we weren’t being followed, to say some of us were tired, would be correct.

I was tired, but I was not going to give Jay-one of the people who said we should keep riding, the satisfaction of me complaining that I couldn’t do it. I would prove that I could easily take whatever was thrown at me, even if on the inside I knew I would be half dead by sunrise.

One thing was on our side tonight and that was the moon, it was full and partly lighting our way, though the trees did tend to block the light from reaching our path. A few times the others had bumped into one another, Max on the other hand stayed back away from them and stayed steady.

“Can’t we stop yet?” Sunoo asked after I’m guessing he and someone else ran into each other again.

“A bit longer, I just have a bad feeling.” That was Jay speaking from up ahead.

“Maybe you’re just paranoid.” I mumble to myself, or I thought to myself until I heard a chuckle a few paces ahead.

“He definitely is, but it has saved us a few times.” Sunghoon said.

“Well, I think this time it’s only going to cause us trouble. Say we are being followed, we finally stop or keep riding all night, then what? We’re worn out and an easy target.”

“That is a good point,” Sunghoon replied. “Your majesty, I think it’s best we stop and get some rest. Maybe we could take shifts and watch through the rest of the night so we aren’t so tired?” He called out so the others could hear him.

“We probably should,” the king agreed and then told us all to stop and find a place to rest. “We should pair up to watch, no one should do anything alone until morning.”

Once our camp site was set up decently enough a fire gets started for us to eat, which Jay had made us skip since morning. I knew everyone was starving by the way they wolfed down their food as soon as it was done, probably resulting in a few burnt tongues. Then it was off to bed for everyone besides whoever went in first watch. Jay and Jungwon took first shift letting everyone else head for their tents, they said they would wake the next two up when they were tired. I don’t even bother to see who I would be paired with as I had just finished unsaddling Max and headed to my own tent that I had set up without asking if I had to share, I don’t think I would need to seeing as we had lost four guards and two more would be on watch all night.

~

“Wake up.” I would do anything in the world to not have to wake up and see the face I did.

“You of all people had to wake me?” I ask Jay as I sit up and throw my thin blanket off of me.

He didn’t say anything as he stepped back out of tent.

“Always so cheery.” I grumble as I slip my boots on before I head out the tent, the dark haired no where in sight thankfully.

“They woke you up?” I turn and am met with a very rough looking Sunghoon. Hair tousled all over the place while his eyes were halfway open, well one was, the other was shut as he rubbed it like his life depended on it.

“Yes, why?” To me it was quiet clear he was my watch mate for the night, yet he seemed to be confused. We were the only two awake, so why would he ask that?

“I’m just surprised Jay woke you.” He said with a shrug before moving to the dying fire.

“True.” I admit as I follow after him, sitting down as he picked a stick up to stir the fire.

For the longest time we sit in silence, both of us in our own thoughts. It wasn’t stiff or awkward, it was just silent. I didn’t know if I should say anything or leave the night quiet like it was, but I decided to play it safe seeing as I really had no ide