Honor and Glory | ATEEZ

063

"They're waiting for you upstairs" one of the guards outside of our cell announced, bowing his head in my direction before motioning for the others to enter the small space where San and I stood with our back against the wall.

I had to hold back a growl as they put their hands on the ice elemental, leading him out of the cell, though I kept quiet as he sent me a look that told me everything would be fine.

He had healed somewhat but he was still limping; an injury, yes, but not one that would hold him back if the guards tried anything.

"Your handmaidens are awaiting you in your room first," the guard said.

And so, I followed him upstairs, through the crumbling hallways of the dungeons, dragging my exhausted body up the winding stairways and into the warm sunlit halls of the palace, far away from the flickering shadows that hid underneath my home; the place where San and I had locked ourselves away for who knows how long.

I was bathed, my remaining wounds were treated, and had my hair brushed, as the maids fussed about me before dressing me in a beautiful red gown and ushering me out of the room once again.

I barely got the chance to ask them where we were going before they came to a halt in front of a pair of familiar double doors, pushing them open to reveal the lavish dining room.

My heart jumped as I took in the space where Daios had occupied the now-empty chair at the head of the table a couple of weeks ago, remembering his presence, his threats-

But now, the table was occupied by my friends- my family; Hongjoong, Seongwha, Yunho, Yeosang, Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho, turning to me with warm smiled as they motioned for me to sit down.

There was no sign of the villain anywhere.

Any traces he might have left behind had been erased, instead filled with the beauty and goodness that had always been here before.

I was surprised and very confused by how and why I had been sent here in the first place, but the rumbling of my stomach as my gaze drifted to the numerous dishes littering the table was enough to persuade me to follow their example and head toward one of the empty seats.

There were two; the tall chair by the end of the table and the one next to it, the exact two that Daios and I had used.

I hesitated, halting, before Yunho took my hand and led me to the King's seat, nodding his head.

I took a shaky breath and sat down, furrowing my brows as I turned to the chair next to me, about to ask if they had seen San when the doors once again burst open, revealing the ice elemental looking better than he had in a long time.

His hair was no longer messy but instead shiny and clean, his face glowing as he turned to the eight of us, clad in a handsome dress shirt and grey pants the same colour as his right eye, the other one still blazing red as they locked with mine.

I burst up from the chair, hurrying over to make sure that he was okay when he chuckled and put a reassuring hand on my shoulder, a voice cutting me off before I even got the chance to ask-

"He's been taken good care of," my father said as he stepped out from behind San, putting a hand on the ice elemental's shoulder as he turned to the rest of our friends by the table.