purple cosmos || seongjoong

the wild

Hongjoong's father's fears seemed unfounded, for the first few days at least. The three men and their two prisoners left Yuleria with four strong horses, a new wagon complete with a metal cage, and more than enough food and supplies to get them to the capital comfortably. Mingi and Seonghwa were seated in the small cage, tied to opposite sides of it. Yunho sat at the front at the reins. Hongjoong and his father had their own horses, northern purebreds that appeared well-used to long travels. Kim Hyunwoo kept himself a few paces in front of the wagon, with his son normally at the rear.

The burns inflicted on his hands frustrated Hongjoong. The salve he reapplied every night, and the bandages he replaced dutifully, but the constant use of his hands seemed to keep the wounds from healing at all. Every grip of the reins was followed with waves of pain. At least he had avoided infection, but he was keenly aware of how useless he was at the possibility of any conflicts should they occur. He was relieved when the forests gave way to farmland, and knew that they were getting closer and closer with each passing day.

They passed travellers every now and again. Mostly farmers and merchants, each one giving their prisoners a healthy gawk as they passed by. Their small numbers made them vulnerable, but it also protected them, in a way. Witch hunters always travelled in larger groups of men, so it was less likely that others would perceive them as such. If anything, Seonghwa and Mingi were likely common criminals, being brought in by some bounty hunters. Bounty hunters sometimes carried a bit of money, sure, but not worth the risk once one looked at how they were armed.

Their clothes and gear had received upgrades as well, after all.

It was Hongjoong's turn on the wagon, and he tried not to feel too frustrated about how relieved he was that it was now Yunho pulling up the rear of the party instead of him. They travelled in relative silence, though it wasn't uncommon at this point for Seonghwa and Mingi to murmur softly to one another on occasion.

"No, they do best in rocky soil." Seonghwa said, making Mingi tut.

"That's not what I was taught." Mingi said back. "Why would a plant do better in bad soil?"

"There's a reason they didn't pick you for the farming work." Seonghwa said, a hint of humor dancing on the edge of his tone.

"Well, maybe if they'd given me a chance."

"You wouldn't have liked it."

Hongjoong always listened closely to their words. He could tell Yunho did too, with the way he would inch closer on his saddle whenever the pair spoke. But it was always about things so benign that Hongjoong found it almost hard to believe. Sometimes he swore they had to be speaking in code, with how much the two talked about plants, and flowers, and the best way to season a potato.

The pair had never talked about what happened in the dungeon, or the witch that burned. Hongjoong would have wondered if Mingi even knew about it at all, but something in the way the man watched over the witch at night when they went to sleep made Hongjoong wonder if the screams from the cell had travelled up the dungeons. Mingi barely slept at all the first night, a tight, angry expression playing on his face during Hongjoong's watch.

"Why are you looking at me?" Mingi said, three nights after they left Yuleria. Hongjoong was at the head of the wagon again, and he had to physically resist the temptation to turn his head to the people behind him.

"He feels sorry for you." Seonghwa's soft voice said.

"Get out of my head, witch." Yunho's voice bit back.

The back of Hongjoong's father didn't turn, but Hongjoong knew he had to be listening too. Hongjoong kept his head firmly on the road in front of him.