Blood Moonlit | Seongjoong

Chapter I : I Dream of Getting Out

Between wars and peacetimes, the Royalty reigns on almost all continents and islands on the map. But seas and oceans were ruled by pirates.

"Seonghwa! Run!" Yeosang screamed, bursting in the Prince's bedroom immediately locking the doors behind him. "Don't look back!"

Seonghwa woke up with a start, suddenly on high alert, and grabbed a little bag hidden under his pillow. He didn't have any time to apprehend what was happening around him, but he knew what he had to do. Yeosang and him already had discussed everything beforehand in case this exact situation happened.

His servant and friend fought to keep the doors closed, pressing his back on the doors to block the guards from entering the bedroom, their shouts and blows intensifying rapidly. Seonghwa looked one last time at Yeosang, giving him a small nod he hoped the other would understand as a thank you, and jumped off his bedroom window, the small bag hanging on his shoulder.

As soon as he landed a foot on the grass underneath, Seonghwa ran through the gardens surrounding the castle. He was grateful his room was only on the first floor, it made it way easier to jump from it without spreading an ankle.

He could hear the guards yelling his name from afar, and the hunting dogs starting to bark. He didn't turn around, he just continued running as fast as he could to hide in the nearest forest. Seonghwa was gasping for air, the freezing breeze burning his throat and lungs. Now, he could only hear his heart beating loud in his ears, feeling every branch lacerating his face, the tinkling of his necklace hitting his chest, every rock he walked on cut his bare feet. In the distance, Seonghwa overviewed the lights of the torches in the darkness of the night, fading away as he kept running.

Once he reached the first trees, the Prince stopped to catch his breath and finally turned around. It was quiet around him, silence only disturbed by the sounds of nature, wind blowing through tree leaves making the branches move, nocturnal birds chasing small animals trying to escape by running and hiding. He could only see thanks to the beams of moonlight, with difficulty, but it was enough to distinguish the trees and the ground.

He took a short moment to realize where he was. He was outside, outside the castle he had been locked up in for so long. He was not a prisoner anymore. It felt so good to be finally out of his room. He was no longer a scared little bird in a gilded cage. He was outside. He finally escaped.

The fresh wind blowing through his hair and inside his silk pajama top, he slowly buried his toes in the wet and cold soil, and closed his eyes. So peaceful and free.

He started to laugh erratically as he felt warm tears fall down his face. He was happy and relieved for the first time in a long time. His plan hadn't started perfectly like he had planned it and Yeosang was now in the hands of the Royal guards, but it wasn't over, the rest of their plan was watertight, so he could enjoy this short moment of freedom and quietness, alone without someone watching his every move, just for a few seconds. He let all his new emotions wash over him, discovering the feeling of joy he had long forgotten about, one he was sure he wouldn't be able to feel again.

Back to reality, Seonghwa opened his eyes and observed his surroundings. The guards were still far enough for now but he shouldn't stay there for too long, he needed to keep moving. He didn't have much time before they progressed and caught him. Everything will be over if he couldn't manage to leave the island. He tried to wipe the tears mixed with blood off his face with the back of his hand, and he started to run again. This time, his goal wasn't to stay in the forest, but to find the hiding place Yeosang found for him in case something like this was to happen. He had to look for a little house near the border of the first village down the hill.