Kingdom of Twilight ||| Ateez

11

Wooyoung didn't leave Kita's side while she slept. The captain had allowed him to take her into one of the cabins to get her out of the sun. Wooyoung had walked over to the bed and situated himself on it so he sat with this back against the wall while cradling the princess in his arms.

She whimpered in her sleep, but whenever he squeezed her, she seemed to calm down. He didn't like how thin she looked now that he could see her close up, nor did he like how nasty her wrists looked.

Yunho came into the room after a little bit. He looked worried when he glanced at Kita. "Is she ok?"

"I think she will be. It always takes her a little bit to recover, but your leg must have been pretty bad. Although it doesn't help that she's been tied to the mast for several days now." Wooyoung's tone was harsh and he saw the pirate flinch.

"I'm sorry..." he murmured, then came to kneel next to them, holding up a little satchel. "May I?"

Wooyoung nodded once and tightened his grip on Kita as he watched Yunho pull her wrists to him. He pulled out a salve that must have been made from healing plants because he rubbed it gently over her wrists, using small, circular motions. Then he took out a roll of cloth and wrapped it around her, being careful to not pull too hard.

"There, that should help for now. Can she... Can she heal herself?"

Wooyoung nodded, shocked at how kind the pirate had suddenly become. Although, when he thought about it, Yunho had been trying to get him to open up ever since he started helping around the ship.

When the pirate turned to leave, Wooyoung said, "Thank you, Yunho."

The taller turned around, a smile creeping across his face. "I'll be back in a little bit with some food."

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"Why did she do that?" Hongjoong growled at himself as he paced his office. "After everything we've done..." He clenched his teeth. He was thankful she had healed Yunho, he didn't know what he would do with his right-hand man out of commission. But her kindness made him want to not finish his task. But he had to.

Yunho had even asked him to abort. Hongjoong had had to turn him down, saying they had to finish because they had already been paid.

But the guilt started creeping in. Not wanting it to win, he opened a secret compartment in his desk and pulled out a painting, smiling sadly as he let his fingers brush across the surface.

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"Land ho!"

"Bring her in, nice and slow."

"Prepare to drop the anchor!"

Wooyoung could hear the commotion happening on deck and the pit in his stomach grew.

Kita had yet to wake up. He didn't know what to do. If there really was someone waiting for her in this city, there was no way they were going to be able to escape.

The door to their room opened and two pirates holding guns came in. "Let's go."

Wooyoung shifted, standing with Kita still in his arms. The men escorted him onto the deck. He saw Yunho standing off to the side, avoiding looking at anyone. Even the captain seemed to have a guilty look on his face when he saw them approaching.

"Yunho, let's go." The captain said, walking forward with a few of the other crew members following behind them.

The group fanned out a little, so they didn't look like they were traveling together, looking over their shoulders constantly to keep an eye out for any attackers.

Yunho had fallen in step with Wooyoung, his hand resting on the handle of his sword. "I'm sorry. I don't want to do this to you but..."

"You can make it up to us." Wooyoung whispered, causing the other to look at him. "In one of our packs, there is a mirror. It's been bewitched to communicate with one back at her palace. Tell them what happened."

"I'll try." Yunho promised.

The wandered the streets of Cressa for about a half hour, making their way to the other side of the port-city. Yunho's hair seemed to draw some attention, but most of the people wandering the streets looked like they could be thieves or pirates themselves. It made sense though, Cressa was an independent city. It didn't belong to any kingdom, nor was it ruled by anyone. Fewer laws drew all kinds of shady people.

When they finally reached the edge of town, Wooyoung could see a procession of horses making their way down a hillside escorting a single, finely made carriage.

"No." He said as they drew forward. He looked around, starting to panic, but two pirates gripped his arms to keep him in place. "Yunho, please. Please make this stop." He pleaded.

The older turned to look at him with a questioning look.

"Captain, please. Please don't do this." Wooyoung cried, trying to pull away from the hands holding him. He saw the captain's head turn slightly in acknowledgement. "What did he promise you? You're never going to get it. I can tell you that much. You will NEVER get what he promised you. Please, let us go. Sail us back to Twilight, I'm sure they will give you protection. PLEASE."

He got no response.

His heart sank when he saw him step out of the carriage, that awful, evil glint to his eyes and a smirk on his face.