"Go with him," Hoseok commanded.
You frowned, watching Taehyung help load the horse saddles with supplies. He turned his head to narrow his eyes at you, holding his glare as he walked to the next horse.
"He'll kill me," you replied.
"From what I remember, you left him to die. Not the other way around."
You folded your arms. "Why aren't you coming?"
"Because the leader and the second-in-command don't lead together. If things go south, there would be no one for my men."
You frowned, curling your lip at Taehyung.
"When you made me part of the Underground, I didn't realize that he would be my leader," you said. "I would have rejected the position, had I known."
Hoseok shrugged. "Do you have other options?"
You glanced back towards the middle of camp, thinking of Yoongi.
He wasn't there to see you off, of course. He didn't approve of you going on the mission in any form, and it took a full night of Hoseok convincing him to allow it.
"All you'll be doing is collecting information on the layout of the prison," Hoseok said. "Watch how the guards move. Take note of any weaknesses in the structures. Pick up any details that might be helpful. Taehyung will be there to guide you. Obey him."
He cocked his head at the side to look at you. You gave a slight nod, but with a dirty look.
The prison was quite a distance from the camp, and you'd have to camp out in the forests for a few days to collect information. Three or four days under Taehyung's command. If you could do that, you could do anything.
"Don't do anything foolish," Hoseok added, turning around to leave. "If I lose you..."
The muscles in his face twitched, as if they couldn't decide on which emotion to pick. He shook his head quickly and looked at you.
"Come back to your master alive," he said. "That's an order."
He walked away before you could respond.
When you turned back, Taehyung was standing right in front of you. You jumped.
"I expect the same amount of obedience that you give Hoseok," Taehyung said. "Don't forget that I'm your superior."
You rolled your eyes. "I'm not calling you master."
His lips puckered. "I don't want that title. Not from you. Just keep quiet and follow orders if you want to stay alive."
He hopped on his horse and trotted towards the forest, motioning for you to follow. Hoseok had lent you his own horse, which was a relief. You were familiar with the horse's abilities and quirks, and it also meant that there wouldn't be any strange men snuggled up behind you as you traveled.
Only Hoseok was allowed to do that.
There were nearly a dozen men that went with you. A medic, some that were good at stealth, and a handful of strong combat fighters. It wasn't meant to be a dangerous mission, but anything could happen when the government was against you.
You didn't speak to anyone as you rode, even though you trained with most of them. Part of it was because silence was helpful in keeping away enemies. The other part was that you didn't want to be friends with any of them.
You weren't staying. Why bother?
But then again... where were you going after this?
You spent hours riding towards the prison, the sun making its way from one end of the sky to the other as you rode.
"Almost there," Taehyung said, stopping his horse at a riverside. "Let the horses drink again."
The men stopped and led their horses to the water, taking some for themselves. You hopped off your horse and led it to the water. It stared at you.
"Come on, Mang," you said. "Drink."
He wagged his head back and forth.
You tugged at his mouthpiece. "Just one drink. Come on."
He didn't budge.
Taehyung approached you, leaning his hand on the horse. "Don't you know the saying about horses and water? If he doesn't want to drink, he won't."
"But he'll get sick if he doesn't,"
"Then use your head to solve the problem. Stop using force for everything."
He opened the saddle bag and fed the horse a treat. After gobbling the treat, Mang stepped forward and dipped his head in the water.
"Our entire existence revolves around strategy," Taehyung commented, watching Mang drink. "There's an angle to everything. You just have to find the right opportunity. And if there isn't one, you make it."
You cocked your head to the side, looking at him. "Why did you join the Rebellion?"
He scratched his nose with a single finger. "Why do you ask?"
"I'm curious."
He sighed. "Hoseok found me, same as you. But the circumstances were a little different. I used to fight him in the Moonlight Duels."
You blinked. "Moonlight Duels?"
"Street fights," he replied. "Illegal gambling. Winner take all. Hoseok was a regular. He was a street fighter when he was a teenager. I met him at least two or three times a month. Then, he disappeared from the fights for a solid two months. Later he randomly showed up and told me he had a job for me if I was willing to take it. So here I am."
"So you've known him a long time."
"I've known him longer than anyone here. And I respect him based on what I know. That's the only reason I don't plan to leave you here, as much as I'd like to."
You frowned at him. "You really think I'm incompetent, don't you?"
He looked you over for a long moment. "No... I think you're too competent and under-experienced. That's even more dangerous."
"Taehyung!" a voice cried out from the other side. "We have company!"
You heard shouting and metal hitting metal before you saw anything. In a flash, the horses had scattered, except for Mang. You grabbed his reins before he could get away, pulling him back despite the clamor.
The dozen men with you were now scattered with their swords drawn, attacking a new group men. They all blurred together. You weren't able to identify them.
Taehyung pulled his sword and stepped in front of you, trapping you between him and the horse.
"There's too many," he growled. "Why so many?"
One of the attackers put a sword through the man between him and Taehyung. The man dropped to the ground to his death, and the attacker charged Taehyung next. Taehyung raised his sword and met him.
You wrapped the horse's reins around a nearby tree limb, determined to keep some mode of transportation for escape. You removed the dagger Hoseok gave you from your belt and raised your heel.
Taehyung stabbed his sword straight through his opponent, then spun to face you.
"Get out of here, Y/N!"
"I'm not leaving -"
"That's a command!" he threw back. "Tell Hoseok --"
A man in armor came up behind Taehyung and raised his sword. You shoved Taehyung out of the way, slamming your dagger into the man's chest. He dropped his sword and screamed, reaching for your throat. You pulled back and pulled the dagger out, then elbowed him across the face.
Taehyung's sword went through his throat, and he dropped to the ground.
Taehyung grabbed your arm and pulled you back to the horse.
"Twelve to two," he said.
"What?"
"Tell Hoseok twelve to two. Now! Go!"
He jerked you forward, his face stern, but his eyes pleading. He turned back to face the enemies in front of him.
You jumped on the horse. You dug your heels into the horse and sped forward, looking over your shoulder.
Your heart stopped. There had to be fifty men there.
Fifty against twelve.
Would they survive it?
The horse was able to gallop for some time, but after awhile, you both needed the rest. You allowed the horse to get water and feed for a few minutes, your heart pounding and your stomach clenching.
You had no one. You were completely and totally alone in the forest, with the sun setting behind you. You wanted to cry, but you couldn't. Everyone behind you... could all be dead.
You dragged yourself back on the horse, but he didn't budge.
"Come on, boy. Don't give up now. I need you."
The horse shook his head, signaling his exhaustion. He had been running all day with very little breaks. There was no way to get a horse to gallop if he didn't want to.
Your brain was starting to fog. What could you do? The horse didn't want to run. You couldn't give him a treat, that wouldn't have the same effect. There was no strategy. There was no chance.
The men were dying. You had no time.
"You leave me no choice," you said.
You pulled him into the forest, tying him to a tree root next to a spring so he could drink. With a few treats, and the promise to return, you took the saddle bag and threw it over your back.
And you ran.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SOUNDTRACK: Enemies by Teflon Sega