For the Prisoner

19. Little Lewes

After a cold evening of wandering the gorge, they left the dreadful place behind. As the terrain reclined under their feet and the cliff lost its towering intimidation, Seonghwa breathed a sigh of relief. Half an hour later, the group stepped into the spread of the forest again. On instinct, they filtered out, seeking their privacy and space away from the foul aura of their witch. Mingi walked in nonchalance, a subtle grin on his plush lips as his staff fell in accordance with his steps.

Seonghwa trailed by Jongho's side. He had left it to San to test Yunho's loyalty further, but watching his endearing attempts to gather Yunho's approval fail seized Seonghwa's heart with pain. This would be no pleasant exchange if Yunho didn't get a grip.

Since Wooyoung was busy chasing Perie through the trees and Hongjoong kept an eye on Mingi to rip his vile heart out the second he had a reason to, Seonghwa was left with their quiet crusader. Usually, this combination would be one filled with harmony and accord, but not today. The air between them seemed lukewarm. For a while, Seonghwa pondered what the cause of this might be. Since Mingi had joined the group and Hongjoong had returned, he had been all over the place. He barely found the time to check with the others and for a moment, he was worried he had overlooked something.

When he remembered Jongho's betrayal at Seonghwa's decision to bring Hongjoong back before finding the White Lady, the priest audibly winced. Jongho would never ignore him, but he had been frosty ever since. The single purpose he ascribed to himself got disregarded by the priest. He had trampled over Jongho's feelings.

The priest fumbled about. He touched his necklace, muttered a prayer under his breath, glanced at Hongjoong, opened his mouth, closed it again, and pouted to himself in displeasure.

There was no sensible way to address this. He had ignored Jongho's one plea towards him and now he paid the price. Selfishness never bode well in groups.

When minutes passed and hundreds of snowflakes had settled on the surrounding ground to melt into the white blanket ever so modestly, Seonghwa narrowed his spinning thoughts to what needed to be said.

"I'm sorry. About what happened at the clearing."

Surprised, Jongho lifted his round eyes at the priest. They looked so caught in a moment of utter distraction that Seonghwa couldn't help his faint smile.

"I didn't want to leave doubts between us."

He didn't spell it out loud, but Jongho was the one he never fought with, the one he could trust, ultimately. Seonghwa valued his presence, and he wanted Jongho to know that.

The crusader cleared his throat. As usual, when doused in attention, he averted his eyes and fumbled with the grip of his sword, as that was the only thing he was trained to do.

"I'm not angry at you. Rather than frowning at your decisions, I should support you in their outcome, no matter what." In blind loyalty, he ducked his head.

Seonghwa was quick to gesture for his refusal.

"No, no, definitely question me. I am not inerrant. Though I follow the light the Lord shines upon me, I often tap in the dark as well. If I misjudge or ever utterly fail at something, I expect you to warn me. For this one, I felt my stubbornness hurt you."

Relieved by his compassion, which was so unlike the treatment he must have experienced in the military, Jongho dared his gummy smile. As always, it softened Seonghwa's heart and soothed its pain.

"You freed Hongjoong because he is important to you, more so than the curse. I couldn't fathom how you would risk so much for a demon like him, but I understand better now. When you returned from the witch, I had feared we lost you eternally. I knew the look in your eyes all too well. Seeking him was your instinct for survival. If he changed so much for you and I never knew how important he was, I was the one who erred. Ripping you from him would have been a cruel deed."