Honor and Glory | ATEEZ

061

I was already apologizing profusely when a burst of warm laughter made me stop.

I looked up to see that it was Mingi who lay splayed out underneath me, his fiery hair messy as always, his eyes crinkling with a smile.

Both of us quickly got up from the floor, and the air elemental put a reassuring hand on my shoulder as his smile melted away, taking a moment to study my face as if to make sure that I wasn't hurt.

"Well, uhm- good morning," I said, laughing a little as I took the chance to look around the hallway we had stumbled into, "where are the others?"

The smile didn't return to Mingi's face which was a little odd but, considering the circumstances, I didn't press him about it as he furrowed his brows, hesitating a little before answering.

"Well- they're in the throne room with the king, but-"

I was already pushing past him before he got the chance to finish his sentence, wanting to see the others to make sure that everyone was somewhat okay when Yunho suddenly turned a corner and came to a halt when he noticed the two of us.

He looked back and forth between Mingi and me before focusing on the air elemental.

I made my way over, mumbling a small good morning to the brunette as I made my way past, only for him to grab my arm, wincing, as if the movement hurt him, quickly looking at the bandage on his arm before pulling his hand away again.

"What's up with you two?" I asked, furrowing my brows in confusion as I looked back at Mingi.

Yunho shrugged off the question, "You don't have to go in there," he blurted, laughing awkwardly which only made my confusion grow.

Mingi offered me a strained smile as well, and I suddenly felt my heart sink. Something was wrong.

"Why not?" I asked, but none of them seemed willing to answer my question, "Is there something wrong?"

I stared up at Yunho, studying the sadness in his striking blue eyes for a moment, his lingering scent of warm nights and oceans flooding my senses for a moment as I realized that the water elemental really smelled like summer-

He reached out to grab me again, and that was when I booked it, running down the hallway and turning a corner as their yells echoed down the walls behind me.

I tried to block out the protests of my sore body as I made my way towards the throne room, only coming to a halt after I had burst through the doors.

My father was sitting on the throne, once again looking like the king he was, though not as great as usual.

No, the sight in front of me was that of a broken man with two of my best friends, Seongwha and Wooyoung, kneeling by the foot of the dais where he was sitting, Hongjoong, Jongho, and Yeosang standing along the back wall, keeping their gazes lowered.

"But King Myeongdae-" Seongwha tried.

My father's voice boomed throughout the silent room as he cut him off, "I am not letting a single traitor go unpunished after what they did to my kingdom, to my people, my daughter, my wife," he said, his voice cracking at the end.

Yeosang nudged me with his elbow, and I turned to see him shaking his head at me, "You really shouldn't be-"

"But San is not a traitor," Wooyoung said, "You don't understand. y/n wouldn't want-"