MY KNIGHT

39. COLLIDE

"Do you think we'll be safe here? We are in the middle of nowhere. Just woods and mountains." JiAh complained. They travelled for nearly five hours and it was almost dawn. But they were hardly able to feel the sun. The dense canopy of wild trees almost prevented the light to reach their eyes. "And why did you left the horse outside the forest. He could have been of great help." She called out, stomping off on the damp muddy grass of the forest.

"The horse can't proceed in this thick vegetation. We have to go by foot." Yoongi kept moving ahead. His left hand was wrapped around JiAh's wrist and with the right he made his way through the leaves with his sword. "Don't worry! We're almost there." He gave a quick glance towards her and continued the journey.

After about twenty minutes walk through the dense forest they finally reached a pasture with much thinner woods. JiAh saw the foot of a hill, surrounded by many cedars and junipers. As they went near there was a crack on the rocky mountain. Not much large but enough to allow one person to pass through it at a time.

"Are we going inside that cavity?" She demanded.

Yoongi nodded still marching in that direction.

"You stay here. I'll go inside and check for any wild animal." Yoongi spoke. Before he could move forward, JiAh grabbed his arm. He looked back in confusion.

"Don't go!" she pleaded. "It can be dangerous."

Yoongi smiled at her. He placed a hand on her head, caressing the strands of her hair. "Don't worry, I'll be careful." He assured.

JiAh reluctantly left his hand and he was off towards the mount. He reached the entrance looking back at her one more time before he disappeared into the darkness of the cavity piercing the heart of the dwarf mountain.

Several minutes passed in silence but there was no sign of Yoongi. No sound, no footsteps, nothing. Just aching silence. JiAh paced back and forth. Even the sound of a snapping twig or a falling pebble made her heart leap.

"Come inside! Its safe." She flinched as Yoongi's voice echoed in the valley. She kept cautious steps, careful not to step on any unwelcoming creeping creature lurking in the grass.

JiAh squeezed herself through the hole in the rocks and reached the insides of the mountain. Her jaw dropped looking at the spaciousness of the cavern. It was huge. There were lanterns placed at the four walls of the cave making the inside illuminated. The rocks of the right wall was carved into small shelves. Yoongi placed their things on the rocks. He placed a mat on the ground and kept a pitcher next to it.

"I'll fill this with water later on." Yoongi indicated the pitcher. "Are you hungry?" He looked at JiAh. She nodded in reply.

Yoongi smiled at her. He took out his sword and walked towards the exit. "I'll get us something to eat. You wait here."

JiAh ran towards him, holding his hand in hers. "I'll tag along. I don't want to stay behind alone."

Yoongi squeezed her hand keeping it in a firm grip. "Just stay close okay!"

Both of them went out of the cavern. The grass was tall making it difficult to walk. JiAh dragged herself trying to catch up with Yoongi. He was swift in his movement. The obstacles in his path didn't bother him. "You should have stayed behind." He chuckled.

"You wish." JiAh scoffed.

"How do you know about this place? Its in the middle of nowhere." She asked, finally walking alongside of him.

"I and Jin Hyung discovered it when we were young. We used to come here often. It was like a secret hideout. No one knows about this place."

JiAh didn't say anything but just nodded. She looked up at the sky. It was cloudy. Cold breeze grazed her skin and made her hair dance into tangled knots. It would have been the most romantic situation for them if they haven't been on a run from the court of the kingdom. A wave of sorrow filled her senses. Things really went south for her in these past few days. She never expected any of it to happen. "Are we ever going back home?" She questioned.