Kingdom

119. Nightfall (5)

Once the King leaves, Nori takes out the pillow case from her cushion and covers the eyes of the animal. She caresses the bear for a long moment imagining him sound asleep, trying to make sure he will not wake up during the journey in the woods.

The fox is watching her the entire time, sticking to her side like a loyal dog.

"I am sorry..." Nori mumbles, "I should not have asked you to come. But I will make sure you return to your home safely. I should do at least that."

Yoongi returns, dragging a long, narrow cart.

"The guards are having a late lunch in the kitchen." he says, "Everyone feels a bit too safe around here, I should remind them to be more vigilant."

He lets go of the pulling bars of the wooden cart and steps closer. "I wish you could lift the bear with magic..."

Nori stands up. "Lifting objects is possible only for the most powerful wizards... but I can try if you want."

"Absolutely not." Yoongi gives her a stern look. "Don't even think about it. What if you lift the house instead? You should not use magic ever again, for the sake of my sanity. Come, help me, we have to do this ourselves."

They try lifting Blackie a few times but each time the large bear slips from their fingers and falls down on the grass. They try to drag him towards the cart, arguing how it should be done. That attempt fails as well.

"You pull him and I will push." Nori says. "Just be careful."

"Did this stupid bear eat a couple of people on its way here? Why is he so damn heavy?"

"Stop complaining and pull."

They load Blackie on the vehicle with great difficulty, while still arguing which is the best way to place him. Finally, they agree to tie Blakie with the large rope to the frame of the cart. Just to be sure he won't wake up or fall off.

"One thing is missing." Yoongi says, observing the sleeping bear. He snatches his cushion from the ground and puts it under the bear's head. "Now is better."

Nori smiles, her eyes resting on Yoongi's flushed cheeks. "Shall I bring him a blanket, too? So he doesn't feel cold during the journey."

Yoongi gives her a sharp, warning stare not to tease him. Which makes her want to tease him even more.

"Or I can fetch a few more pillows so he feels comfortable."

"It will be hard to go down the stairs." the King says, ignoring her comment. "We should use the other way out."

"Is there another way out?" Nori's eyes widen with curiosity.

He grins. "Of course. Help me get him into the building."

They drag the cart inside the house, hardly managing to lift it over the step of the veranda. Once inside, Yoongi leads Nori back into the bedroom. He removes one of the screens placed by the wall to reveal a hidden door.

"Secret exit? How fascinating." Nori reaches out to open the door. A long black corridor spreads in front of her, leading into the heart of the rock.

"The path is larger than it seems." Yoongi says. "We just have to squeeze the bear through the door."

He lights a lantern and hangs it over the exit. Its light reveals more of what lies ahead. The corridor is indeed larger than it appears. In fact, it's not a corridor at all but a long cave that cuts through the rocks.

"This path will lead us into the forest." Yoongi says. "From there we need to walk a bit further to reach the protected area. It isn't far, but I am not sure how long it will take with that thing on our backs."