Kingdom of Twilight ||| Ateez

28

When Kita awoke the next day, she realized she had been tucked into the bed. She shot up, taking a moment to calm her panic when she realized she was alone, but relaxed when she remembered she was on the pirate ship.

She crawled out of the bed and made her way onto the deck. Pirates and guards were everywhere, but they all paused to bow to her when they passed, especially the ones she had saved from San.

Then she heard her name being called from behind her and her heart leapt into her throat. She turned around just in time for Wooyoung to run up to her, place his hands on her hips, and lift her up to spin in circles.

They laughed together for a long moment and he pulled her close to him. They both nuzzled into the other's necks, savoring every scent and feeling they could. She had been so happy to see her brother; she never really got her reunion with Wooyoung.

It was worth the wait.

She felt him place soft kisses on her shoulder, causing goosebumps to appear on her arms. He chuckled, then stepped back to look at her. His brown eyes were so bright, and they glistened a little as he tried to fight back the tears.

Their moment was soon interrupted by Jongho, who stepped over and cleared his throat. "I-I'm sorry to interrupt, but we are having a meeting in the captain's cabin..." He said, looking like he felt back for disturbing them.

Kita smiled and walked over to give him a hug. "Thank you, Jongho. Thank you for everything."

He hesitated for a moment, then wrapped his arms around her too. "You're welcome, Princess. Thank you for saving my life."

"Anytime." She stepped back and nudged his shoulder with her fist before reaching out and taking Wooyoung's hand. They followed Jongho to the captain's cabin.

Waiting for them was their band of misfits. Hongjoong stood behind his desk with Yunho on his right. Seonghwa and Yeosang were standing off to the side with Mingi, but the prince immediately strode over to hug Kita. She and Wooyoung went to stand with them, and Kita motioned for Jongho to join them. He smiled at her and took up a place behind her.

"Alright, the winds seem to be on our side so we should reach Twilight in a couple of days." Hongjoong said, leaning over his maps.

"Depending on how hard King San pushes his troops, I'd say we have at least a couple weeks to prepare." Jongho added, shrinking back a little when everyone looked at him.

"You know him best," Kita said, "What do you think he will do?"

Jongho chewed on his lip. "I think we need to prepare for the worst. He's not going to like that we outsmarted him, and he's especially not going to like that you escaped, Princess. He's going to be out for blood..."

He looked worried. Kita stepped back so she could take his hand in her free one. "We aren't going to let him hurt you either. You're one of us now." He looked like he was about to cry, but instead he puffed out his chest a little and held his head high.

"Alright then, Yeosang, what kind of defenses do you think you can create?" Seonghwa said, turning to the wizard.

"It will be tricky, but I might be able to create another barrier if we need it. I think we should look at maybe setting up some traps and other things too."

"I agree," Mingi said. "We can dig some trenches and set up some stone barriers."

"Stone won't stop him." Jongho said. "I've seen his fire get hot enough to melt it."

"It can at least slow him down and protect us for a little bit." Yunho said. The others nodded in agreement.

"Kita, you should wait back in the castle. We can have a safe room set up for you." Seonghwa said, looking over at her.