Stealthily, Your Highness || BTS Fanfiction

Chapter Six

Author's POV

The alley was silent, save for the pantings by the two who were fated by the universe for togetherness. Running a long distance from the northern market to a further north direction towards the city walls... It was justified to at least wait a moment to catch their breath. But neither of them had enough patience for that.

"Caught you." Aayan panted, a small victorious smirk curling up on his face nonetheless, as a sense of accomplishment grew in him at successfully running a marathon and catching his soulmate. But she didn't reply, and instead just stared at him with her siren eyes wide with shock and surprise that had yet to subside, her chest heaving from the large gulps of air she was taking in from behind her niqab. Some stray hair had fallen out of her neat updo and onto her face due to all that running, and Aayan was tempted to just tuck it behind her ears, not let it hinder the sight of his soulmate. But then he faltered... he thought about how his new mate had run such a long distance, away from him, leaving him. So he refrained himself.

"You... We're... soulmates." He managed to utter through his breaths after a moment, remaining mindful of using formal speech. His tone was quite soft, and Yasmin was greatly affected by his gentle voice.

"...yes..." She breathed, after a moment, and let her eyes move down towards the ground and let them rest there.

"Then... Then why? Why didn't you let us complete the bond?" Aayan questioned with a whisper, partly afraid of the possible prospect that she might not want a soulmate, or maybe that she just didn't like him. His tone seemed so fragile, so scared, that Yasmin couldn't help but turn her eyes back towards him, and gaze at his knitted brows and quivering lips. She was quick to realise what was going on in his mind, so she hastily tried to explain.

"No... It's not like what you're thinking, I assure you. I want you. I really do. I've dreamt of this moment my whole life. To meet my soulmate... My other half." She clarified gently, and she could see that her words had an effect, as some of the tenseness left his body and he visibly relaxed.

"I... Just... something happened. I had to leave that place." She added in whisper, yet he heard her perfectly well. From her mannerisms, he understood that she didn't want to talk about it. He wanted to know what it was that made her run away, but he decided to let go of that, albeit a bit unwillingly.

"So... Shall we bond?" He changed the topic and asked with his eyes filled with hope. She felt overjoyed listening to this, her soulmate was eager too. Eager to be bound by that special connection, that was so revered and cherished by all.

She was about to nod, agree to this sweet request of his and be bound to him for eternity, when she halted for a while. Her mind, though yearning for that bond with an aching intensity, distinctly whispered that something was amiss. Her soulmate, her destined partner, was right in front of her, yet her eyes darted around in search of something. But she didn't know what. Her mind filled with confusion and haziness, and then abruptly, she felt a small discomfort in her body. It kept growing and gnawing at her, as she clutched at her chest feeling unsettled. A second later, with her face twisting with agony, the discomfort was now beginning to feel like a burning sensation inside her, intense and extreme. The excruciating pain hit her all over her body with a renewed vigor which left her breathless. There seemed to be no specific point where she was hurting, and yet it was immensely painful, stabbing at her.
What...? This is so similar to that pain last time!

"What's wrong?" His concerned voice seemed like a distant whisper to her, so close yet far away. A ringing echo resonated in her ears as she found herself losing her balance. Her hands reached to her soulmate in a desperate attempt to stabilize herself, and he too wasted no moment to anchor her. Panic contoured his face and he wrapped his arms around her, trying to understand what was causing his precious mate such an agony.