Once Upon a Tale

Chapter 19: Castles

"I'm headed straight for the castle
They wanna make me their queen
And there's an old man sitting on the throne, That's saying that I probably shouldn't be so mean."
~Halsey~

"Where are we going again?" I asked the man that I named.

"To the princes' castle." Seokjin replied.

"Why so? You're still up for selling me?" I playfully joked.

"Who knows? Maybe." He grinned and I glared at him.

We're now heading opposite to where we came from, which is the Master's Castle. I still don't have an idea who is the master Seokjin was talking about neither did he. We only know that he's called the master and nothing more. We left the place already but I feel like I shouldn't have done that. 

"You should really stop zoning out, señorita. That might lead you to your death one day." The huntsman chuckled.

"I'm just thinking." I muttered.

Seokjin raised a brow. "Thinking of what again?"

"The master." I answered. "I'm just curious of what he looks like and why he wants me. I don't even have a clue that he exists until earlier."

"That's so anticlimactic. I brought you away from him but it feels like you're trying to run back to him." Seokjin mused.

"I just want to know if he could help me go back home. Maybe he knows my way back home." I reasoned causing Seokjin to go silent.

Seokjin chuckled after the moment of silence. "I don't really know how are you feeling as of now. A home is not really that familiar to me just like having a name."

My eyes soften at that. I was lucky enough to have my lover and my family back home but the man that is accompanying me right now doesn't even have one.

"Maybe one day, you'd find someone that'll be always waiting for you to come home, huntsman." I smiled sincerely.

Seokjin let out a puff of breath. "Maybe. Maybe not, but if so, then I can already say, 'I'm going home' one day."

His last statement pinched my heart and I felt piteous towards the handsome huntsman beside me. Here I was full-on complaining about being away from my home for several days when the man walking right beside me is literally alone without anyone to call his friend or lover. I'm lucky enough to have a lover and a few affiliates and I feel like I'm so ungrateful for behaving that way in front of someone that didn't even once experienced being held, being touched, and being loved.

A deafening silence enveloped the both of us after the huntsman's last statement. Him neither do I felt the need to talk again. We just walk silently waiting for the other to start yet another conversation. It was awkward enough that we didn't fought or whatsoever but we were acting like lovers after a quarrel about who's cheating or not.

A more seemingly forced coughing brought my attention back to reality and I gazed questioningly to the huntsman who grinned sheepishly in return. 

"Is that contagious?" I asked, a clear hint of playfulness lacing my tone.

"Maybe, maybe not?" He questioned back, a more evident hint of playfulness could be heard on his voice.

Pursing my lips, I shrugged my shoulders making the huntsman let out a chuckle.

"We're near the castle. See those golden gates that's surrounded with silver vines and flowers? That's where we're headed." The huntsman said, pointing at a large structure that's indeed made of gold and silver.