Story of my lives||LeeJooyeon||

4

The candlelight flickers and illuminates my room in a soft yellow glow as I pack whatever I might need for the journey ahead of me. Jooyeon's glance reappeared in my mind and the look he gave me, one of love and risk was enough to be brave and go against my parents and Seungmin.

'I'll have his head.'

Seungmin's words played in my head as I halted my movements. I didn't want anyone or anything to harm Jooyeon, but I knew this needed to be done. We had to escape from the kingdom and from the war that had plagued our land for as long as we knew. I finished packing a small bag and made my way through the tunnel I used just the day before when I thought I had to warn my parents of the Twilight Kingdom.

Just the thought left a bitter taste in my mouth. I continued until I reached the end. I slowly pushed the old-wooden door open and checked the area. In the distance, I could see the Twilight army with their swords drawn, and they looked to be practicing their combat skills; the clanking of the metal against each other was evident in the quiet night. When they fought they looked so brutal with their powerful and quick movements. They were deadly; trained to kill and wouldn't give up until either they or their opponent was dead.

I shivered and forced myself to tear my gaze away from the sight and sprinted into the woods where I knew the thick bush and low-hanging branches would give me the best coverage. I made my way through what used to be mud, now it was dry and cracked dirt as I followed the path I knew would lead me to where I had grown accustomed to visiting every day for the past year; our meadow.

I had made it to the treeline, where the flat and colorful field met the crowded and overgrown bush of the woods, and there he was. He had a small duffle bag, one similar to mine hung over his shoulder as he looked out in front of him. He looked so at peace, but as I approached he turned around defensively with his sword pointing at me. He had a stone-cold face, but it eased up when he realized it was me. The frown that was on his face faded and a gentle smile came through to replace it.

His eyes had a darkness swishing in them, but now shined with happiness in them. His whole demeanor which was once dark and defensive, faded away into one of happiness and longing. A smile brighter than the sun made its way to his face. I ran to him throwing myself in his arms, ignoring my mother's voice that rang in my head commenting how I was being unladylike.

"Are you ready Scarlet?" He asked, slightly pulling away from my embrace. He looked hopeful, but there was some doubt swimming in his brown irises.

"What's wrong?" I started to feel worried. Did Jooyeon not want this the way I did? Was he changing his mind? Did he come here to end this? To say it would be better to stay and go be with Seungmin? He can't change my mind. I'm leaving tonight, even if he doesn't decide to follow. The silence engulfed us in its grip, refusing to let go until one of us said something.

"Are you sure you want to do this? If we leave, we can never come back. Is that something you want to risk Scarlet?" His voice came out shaky and slow, almost as if he was thinking of the right words to say. The worry I felt vanished and a feeling of contempt filled me. I nodded and grabbed his hand that was resting on my waist.

I brought the back of it to my lips and kissed it. He smiled at me before we both walked deeper into the meadow and away from the castle. This was it I was finally free of my parents, and my husband who threatened to hurt Jooyeon.

I never felt that my life was lucky or necessarily great. Yes, I was royalty, but that's just a title. Something that would be forgotten as the generations went by. I always wished I had more, something that made my life worthwhile. Everything changed when I met Jooyeon. I still remember the look he gave me when I first tried to strike up a conversation.