Warnings:
Descriptions of blood, graphic violence, and fire
~~
~~
~~
The deadly grip Mingi had on the reins made his knuckles white, and wind bellowed in his ears as he darted passed oak trees that blocked out most of the beaming sun above. He could hear a set of thundering hooves behind him indicating that Jongho and his russet mare managed to keep up with the fleeting pace of his brown stallion.
Good. Mingi had no intentions of slowing down for the soldier behind him. Not when the fate of his beloved crowned prince rested in his hands.
He was furious. Furious at himself for letting his guard down while out with the prince who eagerly invited Mingi to accompany him into town; furious at the perpetrator who leaped out of the shadows of an alley and attacked the crowned prince while Mingi tried to resolve a scene created by two drunkards in the middle of the street.
When Mingi heard the cries of the prince and unsheathed his sword to intervene, the masked attacker scurried away like a rat crawling back into the safety of the sewers.
How could this have happened? How could he, the Captain of the Royal Guard, have allowed a lousy no-named criminal to inflict such fatal damage to Prince Yunho?
Mingi shook the thought out of his head and focused on the dirt path ahead. No, he had to concentrate. He could wallow in shame after he returned to the keep, but right now he and Jongho were on a mission:
Go to the ruins of the Temple of Halah. There you will find the medicinal root called Kettleroot growing out of the cracks of the stone. Bring the root, and I will make a tonic that will cure the prince.
Seonghwa, the Elder Healer had instructed.
It wasn't the wound itself that threatened to take the prince's life. Seonghwa had concluded after examining the prince that the blade used to slice his shoulder open must have been dipped in Ophidian's Bane, a poison made using snake venom as its base. When mixed into one's bloodstream, the poison slowly spreads to the rest of the body, putting its victim through an agonizingly slow death.
Mingi volunteered immediately to search for the Kettleroot after Seonghwa spoke of an antidote to cure Yunho of the Ophidian's Bane, and Jongho offered to accompany him. Mingi was convinced that there was no need for an extra hand, but nevertheless he allowed Jongho to join him on his quest. They had set out immediately, taking their swords, Jongho's bow and quiver of arrows, and an empty satchel.
The duo had been on the road for some time now. They stopped only to allow their steeds to rest and regain their strength before they set off again for the ruins.
All throughout their journey, Mingi's mind was on Yunho. He had never met a kinder man than he, and experiencing first-hand the compassion in his heart made his own heart flutter with butterflies. Everyone knew Yunho would make a glorious king one day.
The sky was orange by the time they spotted in the distance the ruins of the Temple of Halah perched atop a steep hill.
Even with its glass windows shattered and replaced by thick vines of thorns, even with the bronze bell which had rusted over the centuries toppled over destroying the steps embedded up the hill, it's glory still remained. Mingi and Jongho gaped in awe as they beheld the ruined temple in all its majesty.
"It's amazing to see the ruins of the temple with your own eyes."
Jongho glanced at Mingi who kept his eyes on the ruins and acknowledged his statement with a dip of his chin.
