DragonHeart | Minsung

VI

"Where is my son?!" The King growled. His raspy voice and anger ridden eyes sent a chill up Changbin's spine.

"I don't know, sir. He didn't tell me either." Changbin replied. He himself was worried about Jisung and his whereabouts, but kept his composure.

When he was leaving that room this morning, Changbin had discovered the bag and letter that Jisung left hanging on the doorknob of his room. He appreciated that he thought of him before leaving, but he was also left worried and confused after reading the letter.

Jisung didn't have the survival skills. He just didn't.

Changbin did report his findings to the King after collecting his own thoughts. He worried what the consequences he'd face, considering that he was supposed to keep an eye on the Prince, but he knew that he should tell him.

"Truthfully, he's not ready to be in the wilderness alone...based on his training. He'll likely come back on his own in a day or two."

The King's face didn't soften. "You better hope he does." He said sternly. "Now get out of my sight...and keep your mouth shut. This information stays in the castle walls."

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Jisung sat up, reaching his arms above his head to stretch, but was stopped when his arms hit the roof of his tent. For a moment he had forgotten that he had actually left and the events of the day before wasn't just some vivid dream.

He pulled the flap of the tent aside, squinting when more light was allowed in the tent and into his eyes. It took a few seconds, but once his eyes were adjusted he crawled out on the grass.

Outside he would find Minho, crouched near the fire. He held a stick in his hands, a small animal on the end being cooked over the flames.

Jisung stood up and stretched, which he hadn't been able to do inside of the tent. He made his way towards Minho and the fire once he was done.

"You caught food for us?" He asked, a hint of excitement in his tone.

Minho looked up at him, a bit of a glare in his eyes. "Us? Can't the Prince hunt for himself?"

Jisung's mannerisms quickly became gloomy. "Well, no...I don't know how." He paused. "That's fine, I'll eat what I already brought."

Minho chuckled. "I'm just teasing, we can share this. However, you should learn to hunt for yourself. You should've learned that before leaving Incheon."

The prince sighed.

"You are lucky I caught you leaving. You wouldn't last long out here by yourself, honestly.."

Jisung crossed his arms, turning away from Minho. He sure was scolding him a lot, and he wasn't a big fan of it. "Okay, you can stop now. I get it."

"Don't worry about it, I can teach you some of those things if we have time."

"How much more will I have to pay you for that?" Jisung asked.

Minho didn't respond to the question. He removed the stick from over the fire and examined the meat, which was from a bird. "Now stop pouting and sit down if you want to eat."

Jisung obeyed and sat down, but kept his distance from the other. Minho didn't seem like a threat, but he was still weary of him. They had only just met, and he was a prince after all, so he had to be careful of who he let his guard down around.

Minho slid the meat off of the stick and pulled his small knife out of its sheath to cut it in half. He kept one for himself and reached over to give the other to Jisung.

"Eat. If your mother is in as much danger as you say, we should spend little time sitting around."

Jisung took the food. He knew that he was right. The two young men picked the meat off of the bones of the bird. There wasn't much there, but it would sustain them for a few hours.

It wasn't long before they finished eating and packed up their temporary camp. They secured their bags back to their horse's tack, Jisung put the bridle back on Bbama, and they walked their horses back uphill to the dirt path.

Minho mounted his horse. He watched as Jisung looked through one of his saddlebags, waiting for him to finish so they could leave.

Jisung had packed a map, which had been stolen from his father's desk. He was looking for it in the bag. "Just one second, I need to find my map. I know I put it here somewhere..." He said.

Minho shook his head. "You don't need a map, I know how to get to Gimpo. I'm from the north, not far from there."

Jisung raised an eyebrow at him. He wasn't sure if he wanted to follow the directions of a man that he hardly knew, over a map that he knew would get them there. However, when he remained unable to find the paper, he settled with following Minho's directions. At least for the time being.

He finally placed his foot in the stirrup and pulled himself up onto Bbama's back. "If you say so.."

He grabbed the horse's reins and clicking his tongue for Bbama to move forward. Minho followed, keeping pace beside him.

"So, if you're from the north, why are you here?" Jisung asked as they walked along the trail.

"I left when I was old enough...There wasn't much for me there, and it just didn't feel like where I was supposed to be, ya know?"

Jisung nodded. "Oh okay, I get that." He himself often felt like he wasn't where he should be. He didn't feel like he lived up to the title of prince. So he could understand why someone would choose to leave their home from lacking a sense of belonging.

"What about your mother though?" He asked.

Minho was quiet for a moment. "...she was died when I was a kid...she was sick."

Jisung felt his heart drop. "Oh, I'm sorry...I didn't mean to.."

Minho interrupted his rambling. "It's fine, don't worry about it."

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Decided to publish two chapters for the holiday season.

I hope everyone is doing well!

Thanks for reading 🫶🏽