thats the queso

Your heart thrummed quickly as you tried to take everything in. Renjun and you were kidnapped by Sirens, brought to their island, and now you stood before Moira, their Sea Witch. You anticipated to get into some sort of trouble because after all, you were with pirates.

But you never thought it would be this kind of trouble.

“Sea Witch is very taboo amongst my kind,” her voice is as smooth as silk, and for reasons unknown, this disturbs you. “I’m simply a being that resides peacefully in her claimed  territory.”

She moves towards you, her feet gliding on nothing as the distance between you closes. Despite your inner turmoil, you square off your shoulders in an attempt to mask your fear of her. 

“And I’m afraid… you’ve trespassed.” Moira’s smile twists to a menacing one. Dread overwhelms you while Renjun grasps onto your arm, yanking you to stand behind him. “I am one to usually forgive such things-”

“Bullshit,” you spit out. Stepping away from your crewmate, “You cursed Jeno.”

The look of bewilderment Renjun sends you doesn’t go unnoticed, but your heated stare is focused on the sea creature. You’d have to ask for Chenle’s forgiveness later for letting one of the boys finally find out that you knew.

“With justified reason, my dear naive girl.” Moira chides, demeanor unnerved from your cursing at her. “You see, that Captain and his crew had intentions of stealing treasure that is protected on this island. And for that, he was cursed for the selfishness that was portrayed.”

You’re struck speechless. What words could you say to her after that? There was no way of justifying the act of stealing unless intentions were good, but they weren’t in this case.

“I gave him time to redeem himself worthy of living until his aged days, but I knew that from the moment of casting the curse on him, his efforts would prove futile.” She continues on. “What human would possibly care for such a man?”

Moira notices the hardness your eyes take on, and she grins, clearly amused with what she’s seen. “Ah, unless…”

You felt the burning stare of Renjun, whose attention had been fixed on you during the entire exchange. If the fish wasn’t off the hook before, it was surely now. 

“You gave him no time at all.”

“I’m sure he’s had the time to figure out something - it seems to look that way.” She calmly replies, clearly unbothered by how vexed you were. 

Pure rage has taken over you at this point, leaving your mind to be unclear of your body’s actions because you were now taking a step towards the sea creature. Renjun takes hold of you once more, urging you to stop and get behind him. 

“My apologies for being offensive,” Moira hums, tilting her head to the side. “You humans are so easily wounded by mere words. If you are to be hurt… Why, shouldn’t it be by physical injuries?”

Keeping true to her words, Moira lunges forward, grasping the torso area of Renjun’s shirt. With seemingly little effort, she tosses him to the side, the sickening sound of his head colliding against the ground.

“Renjun!” The cry you let out is shrilling. The brief lapse of concentration directed away from her was enough to allow the Sea Witch to continue her attack.

Air escaped you as Moira approached you with unspeakable speed. Her hand was outreached, directed towards her target - your throat. The wave of pain that followed after contact was burning. Tears welled up at the corners of your eyes while you were lifted from the ground, forcefully being brought a foot higher.

Her nimble fingers clenched against your throat, squeezing your jugular. You let out a suffocated cry, trying to gulp in any amount of air for your suffering lungs. You futilely clawed at her hand but quickly realized there was no escape from her deathly grip. 

You look to Renjun’s figure, momentarily forgetting that he wouldn’t be able to help you. The blood that seeped from his head’s wound sent you into a greater frenzy. Your eyes began to glaze over and your vision momentarily darkened, small black dots beginning to make their appearance.

Moira’s grip suddenly loosens, followed closely behind her piercing wail of affliction. You’re able to squirm out of her remaining hold and fall to the floor in a crumpled heap. As you gasp for gulpfuls of air, you tilt your head up to see what’s caused her pain. 

At the entrance, standing in all their savioring glory, was Jeno and his crew. Everyone had their respectful weapons, save for Mark, who you assume was the one to wound Moira.

Jeno gestures for his crew to stay in their spots, a voiceless command of “don’t interfere”. Twirling his cutlass in his hand, he moves towards you both, his eyes focused on your injured figure.

“It seems we have unfinished business that needs to be tended to.” Jeno remarks, as he positions his sword outward, its gleaming steel providing a path to a vulnerable spot.

“Now, there is no need to be so hostile towards me, Captain Jeno. We are acquaintances, after all.” Her tone hit an octave lower, unsettling you.

Your hand unconsciously made its way to your tender throat, gingerly guarding the sore area. You were rooted to your spot, in fear of her attacking you once more despite Jeno’s entrance.

“I’ve no time to associate with the ones who prove useless to me.” Jeno smoothly returns. The tip of his cutlass was directed at her throat, yet she was unfaltered by it. 

“I’m sure I’m a special case, then, seeing as I can take away the one thing that is troubling you these days.” The Sea Witch laughs airily, forefinger gently poking the cold steel of his blade.

Jeno’s resolve seems to waver for a moment. “At what cost?”

“A life, of course. I can’t simply give you back your peace without gaining something in return.” Moira’s smile is twisted, and you felt a familiar sickness settling into your stomach.  Jeno pushes his weapon forward only for it stop centimeters from the area between her eyes. Moira’s finger was the only thing keeping that distance. “Mhm, bad temper indeed.”

You gasped, despite the pain that followed in your throat, as an unseen force brings Jeno to his knees. The Sea Witch bristles with annoyance as she leers at the man. He lets out a painful grunt as his fingers are forced apart, compelling him to drop his cutlass. 

“Maybe I should withdraw my offer and take your life at this very moment.” She maliciously threatens, crouching down to graze his right cheek with the back of her hand. 

The trauma your throat suffered denied you the ability to speak, allowing only whimpers and cries to come out. Your adrenaline found its way back into your system, and the rate of your heartbeats increased. 

Was Jeno going to die in front of you? The thought was terrifying enough but to go as far as witnessing the action, you weren’t sure where that would leave your mentality at. 

“W-wait!” Your eyes enlarged as they fell on who cried out. 

Chenle.

Your feeling of dread only seemed to sink deeper, letting itself pool at the pit of your stomach and making the organ its newfound home as he utters his next words.

“Take mine.”

————————————–

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As your body slipped into the darkened waves, Jeno could only stare helplessly at the spot you had been standing in only seconds ago. All sense of motion seemed to rid itself from him as he numbly looked at the empty space. The raw emotion he was feeling in the area behind his rib-cage was burning through him and it was painful to breathe. 

He tore his gaze away from the spot to look at his crew member and the cursed creature that was latched onto him. He drew out his cutlass, tightening his grip until his knuckles hurt. Killing this Siren seemed like a great therapeutic way of ridding some of his anger. The young Captain willed himself to step forward, stalking towards the duo until he was behind them.

Raising his cutlass, he slashes the creature's back, earning an ear-aching shriek and the satisfying view of it crippling to the floor. Haechan staggered forward, one knee hitting the floor as he steadied himself. He looked back, gazing up at his savior.

"Captain, I..." Haechan's words were lost, similarly to the memories of the previous events. His mind was blank and he couldn't remember what happened after seeing you and Renjun. "Where's Y/N and Renjun? I saw them and then... and then what?"

A bitter taste seeped onto Jeno's tongue at the innocent-like question. His lips pursed together for a brief moment before answering, "Sirens got them." 

Despite the calmness in his voice, Haechan could tell how anxiety-driven his friend was. The subtle clasping and unclasping movements his fingers did as they adjusted their grip on his weapon, paired with the sharpness in his eyes was proof enough.

"Are you alright to get up?" 

Haechan stands, wordlessly giving his answer. "Are we going after them?"

"Of course we are." Jeno's sharp answer makes him flinch back. "We have to gather the others - find Mark first, since he needs to steer the ship into the island."

Haechan's eyes widen at the statement, "We're close to the island already, do we need to go any closer than this? We can use a dingy, no?"

"Too dangerous." Jeno immediately shoots down the idea. "The waves look to be higher than our heads, and we don't know how many of them are surrounding us."

The brunette scowls, wondering why he didn't think of the obvious. He wipes away his wet bangs, casting them to the side to relieve some of his blindness that was caused by the unrelenting downpour. The distraught look Jeno holds doesn't seem to lessen with the passing time and Haechan merely reaches out to him, grasping his shoulder with a light yet firm grip.

He waits until his Captain looks at him before offering a smile, "You can depend on us, Captain. We'll get them back in no time."

=======

You awoke with a start as your upper body sprang forward, resulting in a sudden rush rising to your head. You gingerly grasp it, willing for the pain to go away. It's only until you hear Renjun's voice that you finally take in your surroundings.

"Y/N, are you alright?" his voice is thick with worry, but with the way his voice shook, you could tell he was worrying over more things than just you. He crawls over to you, wincing in pain while doing so. "Here, let me check for injuries."

You raise a drenched hand to gently stop him, muttering that you were fine. "Did you get hurt?" From the way his eyes were squinting, you could tell he had subdued to some sort of injury. 

"Ah, just a scratch on my leg." He responds in a soft tone. "Nothing to fret over, it isn't too deep."

"I'm relieved." You sigh out. You look around the area, finding it to be a cave. Your inner core shook at the memories of being dragged into the murky waters by one of the Sirens. "We need to find a way out."

"I'm with you on that, but it's too dangerous to just wander in here. We don't know what could be lying ahead." Renjun explains before pulling himself up, grunting in the process once putting weight onto his injured leg. He twists towards you, offering his hand to help you rise to your feet. 

"We can't stay here waiting around either, though." You reply back, pointing towards the opening of the cave. "I don't know where that leads but I think it'd be best to go through it. I'm sure Jeno and the others have noticed our absence by now, right?"

There's hesitance in Renjun's voice as he responds, "...You're right. They're probably on the other side, already waiting for our slow asses."

You give him a pursed-lip smile before stalking over to the entrance and ultimately walking through it, now finding yourself in a narrow passageway. You raise your hand towards the damp rock wall, trying to find some guidance during your path.

"Here, let me take lead. If there's something dangerous ahead, I can take the brunt of the attack." He whispers, gently tugging at your ripped blouse to halt your movement. 

You allow him to pass by and take your hand in his as guidance. You both walk for what feels like an eternity down the passageway, always halting whenever there was a noise that sounded too close for comfort. During this time, your own body had been shaken with nerves and you were sensitive to the coldness of the atmosphere, a course of shivers running through you once in a while. 

You finally arrive into another closed-off area, with the only light source coming from its ceiling. Looking up, you found that this seemed to be the only way you'd be able to exit out of this place. The rays of light that shone through the opening cascaded over a small pond that was in the center of the room.

"Ah, have you finally awoken?" The sudden voice is melodic - soothing, even. 

Renjun and you look around, trying to find its owner. He points to the pond, "Look over there."

The area above the water begins to shimmer with light, and its surface begins to ripple as if being stepped upon. You blink, not believing the sight unfolding before you. The glimmers of light began to group together, forming the outline of a person. A bright light followed, and you shut your eyes in response to the sudden brightness. As you slowly opened them again, you were amazed to find a woman standing there. Standing was the wrong term to use, as you were quick to notice that she was actually floating on the water, her toes merely touching the surface. 

"That... That's," Renjun was at a loss for words at the woman's sudden appearance, much like yourself. 

"It's a pleasure to have you here, Renjun and Y/N." You suck in a breath at her words. Who - or more appropriately, what - is she? She was far too beautiful and ethereal to be real, but your gaze that was focused on her proved otherwise. "I am Moira."

You instinctively huddled close to your crew mate, and reach for his arm. "Renjun, do you know who she is?"

It took some time for his words to pry their way out of his constricting throat. His body wracked with nerves whilst answering you, his eyes momentarily clenching tight with the fear that was beginning to overwhelm him.

"It's the Sea Witch."

--------------------------------------

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The chilling howls of the wind mixed with the brisk rocking of the ship brought nothing but tension and unease. Your fingers wrung together as you gingerly paced back and forth. Looking to the side, you noticed the usual tan color of Renjun’s face had been replaced with a ghastly paleness.

He caught your eye, offering a forced smile, “Don’t worry, Y/N. We’re safe down here.”

After Chenle’s breaking news, everything seemed to be set into a fast-paced movement. You recalled Jeno grasping your shoulders and guiding you to the side of his bed. He urged you to hide underneath his bed while simultaneously barking orders to Chenle to fetch Renjun.

The cabin boy looked fearful to do such a task, but as an order from his own Captain, he willed himself to follow through with it. As he rushed out of the room, you could hear the chain of murmurs following behind him.

Jeno pulled your attention back to him as he attempted to guide you under the bed.

“Wait, Jeno,” you stopped his actions and faced him. “I can’t go hide under there, I’ll feel suffocated. Renjun is coming down here, right? I’ll be fine with him.”

You saw brief hesitation pass in his eyes before feeling the cool touch of his lips meeting your forehead. The area burned from the sensation before he leaned your foreheads against each other’s. 

“Just don’t leave the room, okay? I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He said, his breath fanning your lips, tickling them ever so gently. “Please, for my sanity, just stay in this room.”

“Okay.”

“Are you here as protection?” you asked, in hopes of calming the tension in the room. 

He lets out a pitiful chuckle, “The opposite, actually. I need just as much protection. I’m the most skilled with medicine, so for any ship - be it criminal or not - it’s always a top priority to keep your healer away from the danger. It could get messy for the crew if I was hurt and couldn’t provide aid.”

“Will everyone be okay?”

“Of course they will be. Do you even know who runs this ship?” Renjun muses, and you felt as if the heavy atmosphere was finally beginning to lift, even if ever so slightly.

The moment was short-lived, though.

Your frightened scream filled the room, nearly blowing out the poor man’s eardrum out, when the portholes’ windows exploded. Glass shards scattered in the air but they were the least of your worries. You were horrified to witness the gushing of water that was beginning to cascade into the room. 

You’re rooted in your spot, unsure of what to do. It isn’t until Renjun is pulling at your hand and guiding you out of area that you come back to your senses. In your haste, you shut the room’s door in hopes of stopping the water for just a few more seconds. The two of you barrall down the hallway, its pitch-black state quickly coming to your attention.

“Dammit,” you hear Renjun grunt out. The tight hold on your hand starts to become aching, but you felt nothing but thankfulness for his touch. You couldn’t see in front of you and you had full faith Renjun knew the ship like the back of his hand.

You heard the sharp sound of metal scraping and, pairing this off with Renjun’s arm movement, assumed he had taken out his sword - a Dao, if you recalled correctly.

“Stay close, we don’t know if Sirens are the only thing we’re facing tonight.” He orders and you numbly let out an ‘okay’. “We’re going to the Captain’s Quarters, but it’s on the other side of the ship.”

“I thought Jeno’s room is the Captain’s Quarters?” 

“He just couldn’t be a normal Captain. Demanded his room was in the lowest levels for proper sleeping or whatever.”

You’re able to make it to the top of the stairs that led to the upper deck, and you find yourself bumping into Renjun’s slender form as it halts without warning.

“It’s raining.” He notes aloud. “Looks to be a storm. Bad one, at that.”

“I’m assuming that’s a problem?” you ask, knowing full well what the answer would be.

“Yes.” It was as much as you had anticipated. “It’s going to be difficult on our end to fight back.” You squeeze his hand in reaction and he looks over his shoulder to catch your eye, “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you, in Captain’s absence.”

Before you could vocalize your gratitude, Renjun throws the door open and you’re both rushing out into the harsh environment. Thin, icy sheets of water blurred your view and your clothes immediately clung to your soaked skin. You shielded your face from the relentless droplets, and mustered your strength to keep up with Renjun’s pace.

You take in the scenery around you, and the hairs on the nape of your neck bristled. There was battle noises all around you, and you felt the familiar feeling of dread drown you. The worrying you felt only intensified when you couldn’t spot Jeno anywhere.

“Y/N?!” You both halted your movements, turning to see Haechan with a look of disbelief. “Renjun, what are you doing? You know you’re going against-” 

His sentence was abruptly cut short when a figure approached him from behind, wrapping its thin arms around his torso. You felt your insides coil as you gazed at the beautiful creature. It sweetly whispered in your friend’s ear and you could see, despite the distance between, his eyes glazing over with an unfamiliar look.

“Oh shit,” Renjun curses once more, positioning his dao in front of him. The hand that once held yours was now pushing you against barrels as he urged you to hide behind them. The question of asking why he was doing such a thing stayed lodged in your throat when you noticed Haechan doing the same, his sword’s glimmering point directed towards you.

You called out to him, hand limply reaching out, “Haechan-”

“Stand back, Y/N.” Renjun’s firm order pauses your actions. “That’s not Haechan right now. See the thing on his back? It’s controlling him, so whatever you do, just stay back.”

For once, you obey without question. You understood the situation at hand and although you hated the sight of the two friends getting ready to fight, there wasn’t much you could do. Or maybe there was. 

You were quick to uncover one of the barrels, grasping onto whatever contents were inside - apples, you gritted your teeth - and threw them at Haechan’s captor. The creature used him as a shield, forcing him to cut through the fruit with clean slices. 

The creature shrieked in response and in the same moment, Haechan is running at you, sword brandishing high and mighty. You instinctively step backwards until Renjun grabs hold of your arm and runs opposite of your crewmate. 

The two of you are chased until you’re pressed against the railing, and it’s in this moment you wonder where the others are. You blamed the sheet of rain for your near-sightedness. 

“Just stay calm.” Renjun’s soothing words were doing the complete opposite of their goal and you felt bad for him at that moment. You could feel the shivering of his hand against yours and you were more than sure it wasn’t due to the relentless raindrops.

Haechan’s figure finally came into view as he slowly approached you, the Siren stilled firmly on his back, its mouth hovering ever so close to his ear. 

“Where is the Captain?” Haechan asks, the monotonic tone alien-like coming from him. It was the Siren asking, you realized. “Hand him over and you shall leave unscathed… to a point.”

“Fuck off.” You bit out, surprising not only Renjun but yourself, as well. Had it been any other member, maybe your reaction would have been different, but this was Jeno it was asking for and you had no intention of letting him slip away from you again. 

“Very well, then.” Haechan cackles, sword tapping against the wooden boards as he came closer. “Prepare yourself.” The creature smiles slyly, now forcing Haechan to stand in place. You braced yourself for an attack to be made, but none ever came. 

You were beginning to wonder what you were supposed to ‘prepare yourself’ for when you felt something encircle your midriff. You gurgled out a scream as you were pulled back, dragging Renjun with you. You slipped over the railing, and fell into the icy waters.

Amongst the storm’s crashing waves engulfing you, you made out a faint voice screaming your name. “Y/N!”

——————————————————————-

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Your fingers gingerly trace over the scarred flesh of your hand, remnants of past heartbreak crawling their way back into your chest. It had been thirteen days since you escaped, yet again, from your ‘home’. You had grown anxious with thoughts of being betrayed once more, and this resulted in counting the number of days that passed by whilst on this ship. 

During this passing time, you could say there have been quite a few eventful scenes that have unfolded. After coming back, the ship was set to sail to a town nearby as supplies were running low. Apparently, Captain Jeno was a very popular man in the Navy’s book. Needless to say, you were soon back on the ship, dodging stray bullets and flying bayonets. 

There had also been a noticeable stir between the ship’s occupants - their attitudes seemingly changing towards you in a positive aspect. There was one man who’s attention was focused more heavily on you compared to the other crew members, though.

Said man was leaning against your working station, a crooked table (made by Chenle and Jisung out of kindness) with overflowing fabrics and threads on its surface.

“They’ve gotten better,” Jeno notes, watching your movement with careful eyes. “In a few months, I’m sure they’ll be as good as gone.”

Meekly smiling, avoiding his gaze. You pick up the half-finished shirt you’ve been working on and prepare to get back to work when he sighs aloud. You ignore the noise at first, paying little to no thought to it. It’s when he sighs again, much louder this time, that you decide to look up at him.

“What is it?”

“Well, I was thinking of taking a break from duties for an hour or two.” He explains, the corners of his lips curling upwards.

“That sounds like it’ll be relaxing. Have fun.” Your simple response makes his smile falter. He had picked up on your curt responses and the subtle avoiding his invitations. Jeno assumed they were caused by his actions, but in reality, you were confused.

You were quick to notice how his actions became kinder - gentler - towards you, and you weren’t quite sure if they were simply out of guilt or something more. Inside the depths of your heart murmured that maybe, just maybe, he felt more for you than a Captain would for their crew mate. His promising words of staying by your side struck you in a certain way that was hard to shake off. 

“Y/N…” you were surprised to hear the sudden hurt in his voice. Jeno pushes himself off the table and brings himself to stand by your side. “Do you hate me? ...for what I’ve done?”

You’re shocked by the question, and you find yourself thinking for a moment. Did you hate him? What an ironic question to be asked. Of course, you didn’t. It was the complete, painful opposite of such a thing. 

“Have you given me reason to?” you murmur in response.

Jeno’s mouth falls agape, momentarily resembling a fish before he collects himself. “Of course, I have! You said it yourself, I abandoned you and threw you back into the place you had tried to desperately escape from.”

“But you came back for me.”

“For selfish reasons.” He admitted, and you raised your eyebrows at this. What reasons did he have where having you on board would benefit him other than the simple repair of clothing? 

You set the shirt aside on the table, and in a brash decision, reached for one of his hands. Despite his surprised flinching, you still make the move of gently grasping it and welcoming its cool touch. 

“Jeno, you came back. I will admit I was hurt at the time, I still am, but I’m still grateful you came to my aid.” You offer a smile.

Jeno had witnessed your smiles numerous times, but this one was beginning to burn its image into his head, and he was thankful for witnessing such a thing. In his sudden spur of emotion, he pulls his hand from yours only to bring both of his to grasp your face. His palms laid comfortably against your cheeks and you’re startled by the action. 

“Y/N,” your heart stutters at the way he calls your name. “I’ve said it before, but I will promise it now. I won’t leave your side. You have my word, as a Captain and as a man.”

Jeno‘s face, ever so slowly, begins to lean closer to your own. You’re too entranced to move, and with the rapid climbing of heat rising in your chest, you wistfully close your eyes.

You’re startled by the sudden entrance of Chenle, whose face is as pale as the shirt he was wearing. Jeno releases you and reels back, clearly taken aback by his appearance as well. The frightened look in his eyes and the way he holds onto the door with a death-like grip and its frame brings you to your feet.

“Chenle, what’s wrong?” You’re by his side in seconds, delicately placing a hand on his shoulder as not to startle him. “Are you alright?”

The lights flicker in the hall behind him, adding more to the unsettling feeling you were beginning to have. 

“They’re here.” His dreadful whisper barely reached your ears. His knuckles turned white as he twisted the doorknob in his grip. “We… We need to lea-leave.”

“Who’s here?” Jeno asks. 

Your stomach was being to churn. You couldn’t describe the feeling you were going through, but with Chenle’s startling appearance, you were trying to brace yourself for the worse.

Did the pirate crew have an enemy that managed to invade the ship? You didn’t deem it possible. Not with the crew that was on this ship and with the precise and careful way they managed things on their water home. 

Then what was causing Chenle to cower away with such fear? 

“Chenle, is anyone hurt? We can’t hide in here, we need to go see if the others are okay.” His Captain firmly stated, you felt his shoulder stiffen under your touch and you bite your tongue.

“You don’t understand,” he shakes his head, eyes casting downwards as he brings his arms up, landing his hands on either side of his head to cover his ears. “They’ll get inside your head. They’ll beckon you to the sea. What man doesn’t love the sea enough to listen to it?”

You instinctively take a step back, fear finally crawling up your spine to spread itself throughout your entire body. 

You understood now.

It wasn’t enemy pirates on this ship. 

It was sirens. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

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You lost track of how much time was spent travelling. You assumed their hideout was located somewhere deep in the forest as the rustle of trees and the snapping of fallen branches were your only indication of constant sound.

The men rarely spoke with each other - presumably because of your presence. You feared hearing even just a sliver of information about your captors could result in your untimely death. It wasn’t as if you weren’t afraid at the moment, because you most certainly were. 

You were ripped away from the safety of your home and are now in the hands of ruly men whose main goal was unknown. Is this a hostage encounter? Jihyo and yourself were briefed as children on what to do in situations like these. 

Basic rules are to be followed: Remain calm, always comply with the enemy, never provoke your captor, and do not unveil secrets of the Royal Family.

You could proudly say the last one would stay unbroken, but as for the others… well, we can leave it at that.

“Just up ahead now.” One announces, bringing your senses into high alert. You felt your heart rate pick up and you felt the familiar feeling of your anxiety beginning to seep its way back into your chest. 

Your horse comes to an abrupt stop after its owner’s command, causing your body to shift forward. To your horror, this small action was enough to start a moving reaction. In other words, your body was beginning to slide off the saddle and in your blinded and immobile state, there was nothing you could physically do to stop it.

Your legs began to dangle loosely off the animal’s side and your entire being tensed up in the moment, your body unsure of how else to react to the situation. You felt yourself slip further off the horse and with gravity’s help, your body fell.

Your mouth flew open for a shriek yet it stayed lodged in your throat as you felt yourself fall against something that was definitely not the ground. Arms wrapped themselves around your midsection, causing your muscles to run taut and still. No one dared to ever touch you in such a forward way.

You lurched forward, escaping the person’s arms only to bump into the horse - it snorts in response to your brutishness.

“Easy there.” You weren’t sure if the new voice - another male’s, you noted - was talking to the animal or to you. “Hold still for a second.”

Hands were placed gently on your shoulders, guiding you to turn around in your spot. The same pair helps untie your blindfold, allowing you to finally take in your surroundings. Upon the harsh glare of the sun, you turn your face towards the ground, eyes involuntarily closing shut. 

After this quick action, you bring yourself to look up and your gaze is captured by captivating brown eyes. They’re squinted, with eyebrows furrowed to top the look of curiosity off. Their owner looks too kind, too young to be in the position he’s in, and you curse yourself for having the thought ‘cute’ come across. 

“I assume the trip wasn’t to your liking?” he questions, the corners of his lips curling upwards. His voice is surprisingly soothing - the complete opposite of the gruff sound you were imagining it to be. “I apologize for that. The boys get a little rough when they’re excited.”

He motions to his companions, who are finally unmasked and you send hard glares to the duo. The taller of the two grins at you before starting to unload their traveling packs on the horses. 

The other simply shrugs,  “It wasn’t as difficult as you made it out to be, by the way. After figuring out which room was hers, it was smooth sailing from there.”

“I apologize for the easy finding.” You retort. “We will try to the best of our efforts to make it harder for you, next time.”

“There won’t be a need for a next time.” He laughs before heading off into the woods. Your body flushed with heat as you quickly grew angry at his words.

“Don’t pay mind to him. He likes to tease.” You look back to the man in front of you. 

“And who should I pay mind to, then?” 

“Well, that all depends on you, Your Highness.” he teases and you cringe at the title. He softly grasps your hands, and it’s only then that you notice the dagger in his hand. You flinch away, trying to escape his grip. “Ah, don’t move, please. I’m just trying to cut the restraints. I wouldn’t want to nip you, instead.”

He skillfully tears the bounds in one smooth motion and your wrists cry out in relief. Out of reflex, you rub the irritated skin, hoping to ease the sudden numbing sensation.

The man seems to take notice of this. “Renjun is good with aiding us with cuts and the sorts, so if you’d like, we can see if he has anything for that.”

Why would someone who was in the same group as your captors want to help you? You found it hard to believe his intentions came from sole kindness. You are most likely here for ransom, so there was the possibility that would want you with little to no harm done.

“You’ve got the horses, Jeno?” he speaks out to the man that was tending to the animals.

“Yeah, I’ll bring them back to the nearby town first thing tomorrow.” 

“Thanks. We’ll be heading back now, then.” With that, he signals for you to follow him before heading off in the same direction his other companion did moments earlier.

You found yourself fighting against dangling branches and unearthed roots - an environment you were completely new to. You had never stepped off the palace grounds until now. A bastard royal was not allowed to make public appearances unless it were balls held within their own castles. 

“Here,” you look up to see an offering hand paired off with a kind smile from him, “I’m sure you must be having trouble keeping up. You’re not used to the surroundings, after all.”

“I’m fine.” You brush his aid away, refusing to accept anything from this criminal. 

“Whatever you want.” He muses, continuing onward. It’s quiet between you two, before he speaks up once more to your annoyance. “I can’t say I’m sorry for doing this, but I’m sure you understand our reasons behind it.”

“I can’t say that I do, unless you are looking to be paid handsomely for my return.” You spoke under the impression they all still assumed you to be your older sister. Otherwise, they’d get nothing more than a bronze coin for your return.

“What we want has nothing to do with money.” His reply is quick and simple, confusing you.

“If it isn’t money you are aiming for, then what is the need for my capture?”