DragonHeart | Minsung

XIII

There was an awkward silence between Minho and Jisung for the next couple of hours that they traveled. They had left the most dense area of the forest, and the ravine was now long behind them.

Jisung rode a couple strides behind Minho. He was stuck in his head, thoughts running wild. He wasn't sure if they should even continue. It might be safer for him to just turn around a go home, because he truly didn't know Minho's intentions.

He was angry with himself for how naive he could be to accept an offer to travel, alone, with a complete stranger. He let his guard down around him, even sleeping in the same bed. Jisung was already vulnerable due to his inexperience, and Minho could have targeted him at any moment.

He could still target him at any moment.

Jisung knew from his father's lessons that dragons would gain your trust, even taking years to build it, and then they'd strike. For all he knew, that had been Minho's plan all along. Maybe he was supposed to befriend a royal and lure them back to Gimpo.

"Jisung...uh...your highness?" Minho broke the long stretch of silence. He wasn't sure how he should address the Prince at that point. He hadn't seemed to mind dropping titles before, but circumstances had changed.

Jisung was finally drawn out of his spiraling thoughts. "What?"

Minho winced at the harsh tone in the other's voice. "Um...should we start looking for a spot to set up camp for the night?"

"...yeah, sure."

Minho just nodded in response. He realised that he wasn't being thought highly of, and it was obvious that Jisung didn't want to speak to him, so he wouldn't pry.

He stopped in an area where the brush wasn't as tall, so it would be easier to clear a place for them to settle for the night. After both men dismounted and tied up their horses, they began to set up their camp.

Minho did most of the work, chopping down shrubs and brush so they had a more comfortable place to lay, and a safe place to build a fire. Jisung mainly focused on collecting wood for the fire, and settling up his own sleeping arrangements.

Because the trail was so secluded, they didn't worry about going far. It would be very unlikely for people to be passing through at a late hour, and to bother them if they did. That being said with the hope that nobody else was on their trail.

Jisung had decided not to set up his tent. He was still paranoid, and the tent would compromise his visibility of his surroundings, and make it easier for someone to catch him off-guard.

Minho lit the fire, and they both sat near it, across from each other. They didn't share any food that night, each keeping to their own stash. Neither spoke for a while either. It would've been silent if it weren't for the crackling of fire and the singing of frogs and crickets.

"You didn't get hurt, did you?" Minho finally spoke.

Jisung shook his head. "Other than what you have, no, I don't think so." He said.

"...does it still hurt?"

"Yeah, a little bit."

Minho's injuries were still painful, especially where his wing had been sliced by the dragon-slayer's sword. Jisung could still feel some of the pain, but it had faded because he wasn't the one who actually had the injuries. Their shared agony was more intense when wounds first occurred.

A few more moments of silence fell over them before Jisung spoke to Minho for the last time that night.

"Okay, I'm going to sleep then.." He said, and began to pack his food back into his bag.

Minho watched as he gathered his things and settled into his sleeping bag for the night. "Good night.." He mumbled, getting no response.

He knew he wouldn't be sleeping much himself. He was too anxious from the events of that day, and for what was to come.

Minho knew that it was unlikely for any more dragon-slayers to be on his trail, but he couldn't help but worry about it. Knowing that there was still a possibility was enough for him to want to keep guard for the night.

He didn't want anything else to happen, for Jisung's sake as well. He's dreamed of the day he'd meet the human that he shared his heart with. He'd always feared that he'd be rejected by them because of the compromised relationship between their kind. He knew he was wrong for starting their relationship off with a lie, and the guilt was gnawing at him.

The thought that Jisung could possibly never see him as anything other than a monster was agonising.