✍︎ 𝗿𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲 | H.HJ

chapter VI

Soggy Waters

Hyunjin exited the carriage after me and we stepped out onto the rough ground below us. In front of us stood the seemingly huge village yet it was unsettlingly silent. Wind brushed past our faces causing my cheeks to freeze over. It hadn't been this cold just moments ago.

"Hyunjin, something terrible has happened here, recently."

"I agree." He threw a warm jacket over his white shirt and indicated to our guards to move forward first. "Arim stay in the carriage."

"No I'm coming with, it's my duty too."
He looked over my slimming thin dress which showed off my shoulders and he sighed immediately taking off the jacket he had just put on. "Then wear this, I didn't expect this weather, normally this snowlike substance is warm but today it's harsh and cold." He muttered it quietly but the jacket hung off my shoulders as I gripped tighter to it feeling my heart beat just slightly faster.

"Okay let's move forward." He called and the driver stayed with our carriage as we explored the empty village. All these houses were made of grey brick, the moss had surrounded the walls giving them an old appearance. However, in the air was an iron aroma which I could understand that it was blood. Hyunjin wouldn't let me inside any of the houses and I could imagine why. Seeing a dead body wasn't nice at all. This had changed our plans completely and instead there was murder in the air which sent an unnerving chill down my spine. What if he was still here?

"Hyunjin, do you hear that?" He stopped his guards and they turned to me and remained silent. In the distance cries were wailing, slowly getting louder and it sounded a young voice, perhaps a child's. The wind had picked up even more and it caused me to zip up the jacket that Hyunjin had given me.

"A surviver." He didn't stop for long and picked up his pace into a run and searched the remaining houses near the agonising sound. I stumbled close behind them and he called out loudly once he'd found what he'd been looking for.
"In here."

This house I was allowed in, and instantly the crackling of the fire caught my attention. It was cosy yet ironically something awful had happened here. The scene which lay in front of us was enough to bring water to my eyes when I saw a young girl clutching to her teddy bear, crying her eyes out. Next to her were bodies of her parents and I had to look away. Once I'd breathed a deep breath I turned back walking slowly up to the girl as I saw Hyunjin just standing there.

"Are you hurt? It's okay we aren't here to harm you." The girl cried some more and I wrapped my arms around her into a fragile hug.

"It's okay, this is awful, you're so strong, you must be very young." I whispered and she gripped onto me for life.

"Who was it who killed them all?" Hyunjin asked her in a loud voice which made the girl cry louder.

"She's not fit to answer any questions, not yet, we'll have to take her back to the castle." I confidently declared and the guards didn't question my judgement but Hyunjin had something to say like always.

"What if she is dangerous?"

I thought it over and the girl wouldn't let go of me but her fragile body shook with the fright yet the warm was boiling hot. The smell however made me want to vomit.
"I'm willing to take that risk, she's shaking Hyunjin."

He bent down next to me so he was at her level and he fiddled with his belt momentarily.
"Can you answer just one question for me, then we'll take you somewhere safe."

She let go of me and I heard her spluttering for her voice back after straining it for so long. Her long brown hair was dirty and she moved it away from her eyes looking Hyunjin directly in the eyes.

"What's your question?"

"How are you alive? How come whoever did this didn't kill you too?"

"It's because..." she hesitated and looked down at her shaking hands. "I'm special."

I looked over at Hyunjin and he moved closer just slightly. "In what way?"

"I- I have a gift."

Hyunjin was clearly getting tired of her way of wording things around his question. I could tell by the stressed tone of his voice.

"Listen this is crucial information, in what way are you special?"

"I can turn invisible."

We all remained silent and no one spoke another word. It was tempting to not believe her but the fact she looked no older than 8 told me that she might be telling the truth. I had only heard of gifts like these in the story books I had read as a young child but not somebody who wasn't of royal blood.

"Can you show us?" She nodded and I almost fell back when in front of us only remained the teddy bear in which she had been holding. She had told the truth, this girl could truly turn invisible. I'd never witnessed anything of the sort with my own two eyes only through pictures.

Her body came back into focus and we were all too stunned to speak. She looked between us and then back down at the floor.

"If only my parents had the same gift." Her eyes were bloodshot now and further tears streamed down her face.

"Hyunjin, she's coming with us."

Finally he nodded, agreeing with me and he stood up to stop himself from bending any longer. "What's your name?"

"It's irlae, can you bring my parents back?" Her voice was fragile and it broke my heart to hear it. There was no hope for her parents, she would be coming back to the castle alone.

"We'll get to the bottom of this. I promise you."
She held my hand, seemingly taking a liking to me and we walked back into the white snow following the footsteps we had taken before.

"Wait." She called, pointing to our right. "I saw somebody in the lake just then." We looked and saw nothing but a bottomless pit of icy water and I shook my head wanting nothing more than to get out of this eerie place.

"Let's get out of here." I called, but Hyunjin pointed to the direction of the carriage. "I'll go with the guards to check it out, you take Irlae back with you" but I tightly grabbed his wrist stopping him from going.
"No, you and the guards are coming with me, if you did come face to face with somebody who was responsible for this, you'd be putting yourself, the future king in danger, I can't let you do that for the safety of this kingdom."

He removed my hand from his wrist, and I saw him studying my eyes deeply.

"We'll send out guards for an investigation team tomorrow, come on, let's go back to the castle." He spoke no more words to me and we went back into the unnerving cold atmosphere between us. If we were to ever become king and queen, this was a good first challenge to face together, even if we didn't love one another. We both loved the kingdoms of this world, and we'd both do anything for them. We'd have to find out what happened to this village and how this strange girl we had found could turn invisible.