Kingdom of Twilight ||| Ateez

9

Men scurried around in front of her, tying ropes, cleaning cannons, and hauling barrels or crate.

She tried to call out to them, but she still had the gag in her mouth.

Kita looked around. She figured she must be tied to one of the masts to keep her out of the way.

Then her eyes found Wooyoung. He was still unconscious and tied to a large barrel that had been secured to the side of the ship. He looked pale.

Kita pulled against her ropes, trying to call out to him. The harder she pulled, the tighter the ropes got, but she didn't care.

A few of the crew members realized she was awake and ran into the main cabin on the ship. A couple others came up to her, telling her to stop struggling.

"Leave her be." A strong voice said. Kita turned to look at him and recognized the red-haired man who had attacked the palace. She was on the pirate ship. He sneered when he saw her eyes widen. "Hello, Princess. It's so nice of you to join us."

Kita glared at him, then pulled at her ropes again.

"It's no use. Those are Yunho's knots." He walked closer to her, then gripped her jaw in his hand. "There's no getting out of them."

Kita spoke into her gag, trying to beg for him to let her go. He just patted her cheek and walked away. She screamed, wanting him to turn around.

When the ship returned to what they had been doing before, Kita glanced back at Wooyoung. She had to get to him. Biting down hard on her gag, she threw all her weight against the ropes binding her wrists to the mast. She could feel them cutting off her circulation, but she didn't care.

She screamed in pain and frustration, causing some of the crew to glance in her direction again.

The red-haired man stood in the shadows of the cabin, watching the princess rip her own body apart trying to get to her friend. He snapped his fingers once.

Kita cried out when the ropes were suddenly cut, sending her falling to her hands and knees. She whimpered at the pain around her wrists, but she pushed through it and scrambled to Wooyoung's side.

She placed her hands on the back of his head and closed her eyes, letting her power flow through her.

Several of the crew members gasped when they saw her hands glowing pale blue on the back of the boy's head.

Kita could feel his skin healing under her touch. When it was fixed, she ripped the gag out of her mouth and placed her hands on either side of his face. "Wooyoung? Wooyoung, please wake up."

His eyelids fluttered for a second, then she saw his brown eyes gazing back at her. "Kita? What happened?" He went to reach for her but was stopped by his bonds.

Before anything else could be said, Kita was ripped away from him. "No!" He shouted, squirming to try and break free.

A gun shot sounded, causing them both to stop.

The red-haired pirate had a gun pointing up in the air. His face was a deeper shade of red than his hair as he glared at his captive. "That. Is. Enough. Yunho, tie her up again."

Kita was dragged back and tied to the mast once more, her arms stretched to their limits, angling slightly back. She whimpered when the ropes dug into her bloody wrists. She had been so worried about healing Wooyoung, she hadn't taken the time to heal herself. The tall man also gagged her again. His face was grim as he went to stand next to the captain, dwarfing him a little.

"Now. You two are going to stay silent." The captain said, accenting the 't'. "If you don't, Princess, I will shoot him. You've already given us enough trouble. If you behave, you'll get three meals a day and plenty of water until we drop you off in Cressa."

"What's in Cressa?" Wooyoung dared to ask.

The captain's eyes flashed to his. "None of your business, boy." He spun on his heals and walked into his cabin.

The mint-haired pirate followed after him.

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"Captain, are you sure this is a good idea? How do we know we can trust him?" Yunho asked, sitting in front of the captain's desk.

"We don't, but he has already paid us handsomely, with the promise of more upon delivery. We will need it if we want to get another ship." The captain sighed and sat back in his chair. "Quite the mess we have gotten ourselves into though. At least the adventures of Hongjoong and Yunho are never boring." He let out a short laugh, causing the other to smile too.

"Cressa is still a few days away. Are we leaving them where they are at now?"

"The princess, yes. The boy... Maybe we can put him to work since we are shorthanded. I'll put you in charge of him. Make sure he knows that if he tries anything, we aren't afraid to hurt her."