Cursed Hearts | ATEEZ

018

I was in and out of sleep for more than a day, only able to tell that time had passed by how the skies on the other side of the wall of windows across from me changed from bright blues to purples, pinks, and yellows, and then to midnight black before brightening again.

The first time I woke up, it was to a room the colour of white, soft hues of blush and blue dotted the edges of my vision, comforting and soothing, curtains fluttering lazily in the breeze as it fluttered through the open windows, sunrays following in its wake. My bed was so soft, so warm.

The second time, it was to a head of copper hair resting on the bed, Taeyong sleeping soundly next to me as his hand clutched mine, holding me so tight, so desperately, that it was almost as if he was afraid I would disappear if he let go.

The third time it was to a blurry mess of sunlight and muffled voices. "We can't send her home, Taeyong. It's not in our powers," a male voice said, agitated, frustrated. I faintly recognized it as the King of Autumn's as my head slowly began to clear, "She almost didn't make it out of the first trial alive- I- we have to," Taeyong began but the king cut him off, repeating his own words with a sigh, "We can't". The copper-haired male seethed, "Can't or won't, Wooyoung?" to which the king growled before responding, "You address me by my title and nothing else, Taeyong," "Listen-"

I groaned, shaking my head slightly at the noise, at the raised voices. The conversation came to an abrupt halt as my eyes fluttered open, both males freezing as they took me in, mixed looks of concern and panic in their gazes. I tried to sit up, furrowing my brows and opening my mouth, about to ask a question when I cried out instead as a wave of pain shot up my leg.

"Nurse!" Taeyong yelled though I made a dismissive gesture as I tried to push away the pain, biting my lip as I pulled off the covers to reveal the injury, gasping slightly at the sight; my right leg was wrapped tightly in bandages around my knee which stretched from the top of my lower leg to the bottom of my thigh, the whole area painfully swollen and bruised.

"What happened?" I croaked, looking up at the King of Autumn whose eyes were filled with such tenderness, such worry, that I was almost taken aback by it. "You sprained your knee," he said, "It'll take some time to heal." I felt my heartbeat pick up, suddenly feeling nervous, scared as I asked, "What does that mean? How much time?"

"2-4 weeks. You're lucky it's only a grade 1 sprain. Your ligament is damaged but not the fall didn't ruin or tear any vital parts. It's- It'll complicate your training a bit since movement will have to be decreased-"

"She's not going to train at all, your highness, she's going home," Taeyong exclaimed, turning to the King of Autumn with smoldering eyes of embers and flames, "She's able to make that decision for herself," I said, both males turning to me as the words slipped past my lips. "Taeyong, you know that was never an option, that there's only one way through this, so if you would just let me-"

"Yuna, listen to me-" "No, you listen to me," I snapped, sitting up a little straighter and having to bite back yet another cry of pain at the sudden movement, Wooyoung making a move forward only to stop as I shot him a glare, "Don't even get me started on you," before pointing an accusatory finger at my best friend, "You left me in there, Taeyong. You left me to die, and I hope you realize that. I would have died in there as well had it not been for the horses, had it not been for sheer luck and timing. I know I told you that I would die for you, and I would, I will, but I thought-"

"Stop," Taeyong growled, cutting me off, "I care about you, Yuna, more than you think," King Wooyoung turned to him at that, though he kept quiet as his gaze flickered between the two of us, uneasiness in this eyes, "You sure haven't acted like it," I snarled, "And you have?"