For Peace

Prologue

O God, the consolation of all such as be sorrowful, and the salvation of them that put their trust in Thee, grant unto us, in this dying life, that peace for which we humbly pray, and hereafter to attain unto everlasting joy in Thy presence; through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

-

With night and the fog came the Red from Morden. He knocked on the door to the shared room of The Tipsy Lutin in the dark, illuminated only by the moonlight cascading through the windows.

The creature who opened the door for him loomed in the passage. His shadow was scary and distorted by his horns and his wings.

"Are you ready to depart?" The Red asked through the barrier of his tusks. Under his hood, the tips of white hair gave away his heritage.

The gargoyle glanced into the room where Seonghwa and the others stood at the ready in their travelling coats and their bags. He nodded at the ominous visitor.

One by one, they left the peaceful inn to duck through the shadows of Briar Glen, the brilliant capital of the kingdom of Alverton. At night, its shine was diluted and invited mystery to fester in the unsupervised corners.

By Seonghwa's side hurried Wooyoung on his little feet. Even in the colourless moonlight, his hat stood out in its telltale red.

They were followed by the gargoyle who kept an eye on the priest with the cursed heart. As his personal bodyguard, he never left the other out of sight. Perhaps, also as the sole person who ever got to taste the priest's lips in a kiss.

Behind Hongjoong dashed Yunho and Mingi, no more than schemes in the shadows for they had mastered the subtle art of blending into them.

Jongho and Yeosang came at their tail. The crusader made sure no curious eyes observed them through the dark and the wolf had tugged his hood over his bright hair so it wouldn't stand out in the night.

Yongguk, the Red, led them to the stables. He had prepared for swift travel so as little time as possible would eat at Seonghwa's heart. The sleek fur of his black horse shimmered in the dark as he waited for the others to mount.

Seonghwa took Wooyoung with him into the saddle and caged the insufficient body of the other with his arms. Hongjoong preferred to soar through the air rather than walk, and the others spread out on their animals, too. Since nobody wanted to ride with the malevolent witch, Yunho rode with San and Yeosang with Jongho instead.

Unseen, unheard, they left the capital behind and dashed out into the landscapes of Alverton.

They commenced onward to their most dangerous mission yet. As their steps carried them east, towards the savage lands of Morden that had sunken into war over a decade ago when the crusades started, dread cast a clammy spell upon their fingers.

Over hills and plains, their way took them across the entirety of Alverton. Over the Wool Mountains, past Lewes and its smaller sister, even past the streets leading south to Eastshallow and consequently Cardend, where Seonghwa's journey had started.

After many days of fast-paced travel and brief rest during shortening nights, the group made it to the last spread of land dividing them from the Morden Mountains. Across the mountain line rose the watchtowers of the royal army, the last bastion of protection between them and the wild lands.

Yongguk slowed from there and left the lead to Seonghwa. On a farm nearby, they could exchange the horses for some money and provisions. They walked the last spread of the path and camped on familiar ground for one last night.

Seonghwa sat at the fire, restless with what the next day would bring. He feared the sights of gore and slaughter that would await them just beyond those hills and he feared not finding a cure for his illness yet again.