Journey To Hellspost (TXT X READER)

21

After the rogue was separated from the group, they were led further into the mountain. It was dark, only the golden light of the torches allowing them to see. The halls seemed very busy. It was as if every dwarf lived in the same home. It was heartwarming to see dwarrow with their beloved, their children trailing behind. Each one had a braid plaited into their long hair, finished off by a bead with the same pattern, the pattern made by the father in the forges no doubt. It was a bustling atmosphere, one that did not match that of the entrance. No isolation could be felt here.

Taehyun could help but bite the inside of his cheek in anxiety. His stomach was devouring itself and he felt as if he smelled worse than the kingdoms stables, but there was no doubt that he was nervous. He did not like being separated from the rogue. He had felt this anxiety tenfold in the dungeons of the elves and this time, he could not be sure of the intentions of the king. Perhaps the king saw through them and knew just how much the rogue meant to them. Perhaps he knew it would destroy them if she was subdued at the hands of another king. Perhaps he meant to use her against them.

He could not think with a clear head, else he would have used a spell to communicate with the rogue. That would have been what he would have done if any of the others would have been taken. Sure, they were part of his company, but Taehyun had not the closeness with them that he had with the rogue. It was a closeness acquired in telling of stories and extra days spent together. A closeness acquired after seeing that of the other four. A closeness that addled his mind so he could not think properly.

The room they had been led to was grand, a room for kings. There was a large bed with lavish sheets, royal red and black. A fireplace was lit, warming and lighting the room. A chest sat at the foot of the bed. It was adorned with intricately carved metal. There were no windows, but that didn't mean the room was dark. A large wooden wardrobe was against another wall and a beautifully made rug sat beneath it all.

"The king apologizes but he cannot spare more than one room for the six of you. It is with great shame that he gives one of the less lavish rooms, but at the moment, the mountain is nearly full and we cannot accommodate everyone as well as we wish to." The dwarven guard went on to explain that more of the earth was being chipped away in preparation for more rooms. "I will leave you to rest. You will be retrieved in time for dinner."

"A less lavish room?" Yeonjun asked after the dwarrow left. He could not picture a finer room.

"If this is the accommodation and hospitality of dwarves, then perhaps we should visit more dwarven kingdoms," Beomgyu joked, looking around the room at the various furs and trinkets that littered every surface.

As the others looked around the room, Taehyun continued to bite back his anxiety. He knew that the others were right. He knew that the dwarven king did not offer harm to his rogue, but he was unable to help the doubt that plagued his mind. Perhaps the king offered a rotten trade. Their rogues life for the room of a king. His ears perked up at the sound of a scream. He looked to the others in panic only to see that they seemed unbothered. His paranoia was playing tricks on him. Unless it wasn't...

-

As her ears were examined, the rogue bit down on her cloak to muffle her cries of pain. Her ears itched with discomfort and possible infection and they throbbed as the dwarven healer poked and prodded them to get a better idea of the situation.

"I shall use a paste made with Athelas. That's Kingsfoil," the dwarf told her, digging around in his cupboard of medicinal remedies.

"I know what Athelas is," she muttered behind the cloak shoved between her teeth.

"Well then, you should also know that this will hurt a great deal," the dwarf said before smearing some of the paste on her wounded ears.

Unprepared, the rogue let out a cry of pain and it echoed throughout the halls. She bit down on her cloak until her teeth ached, but the stinging, burning sensation never stopped. It took a while, but the pain lessened and she was able to breathe easily as her wounds were carefully bandaged.