••●••
"Why were you even caught?"
Asked the huntsman who was honing his arrow, leaning on the wooden cell of the Witherhall scribe.
Sunoo remained silent, turning his back on Hoon.
"I am asking a question." Hoon persisted, playfully nudging Sunoo's head with the arrow he just filed.
"You should have let that beast kill me." He muttered weakly, taunting the huntsman.
"Well, aren't you a pink-faced turd?" Hoon slammed his hands on the planks, causing the prisoner to flinch. "You would rather have yourself torn apart by a wolf than save your ass from all the bother. Go piss on yourself."
Sunoo glared, figuring not to waste another word for a wild living thing such as him. Even so, Hoon still managed to nudge him. "You'll be a dead man if Jaeyun finds you useless."
"I'd rather not live. Certainly not with a bastard king." He fired back.
"You're definitely thinking about a quick death, aren't you?" Said Hoon. "Best of luck on that. Bold of you to think we aren't going to kill your family, too. Well, before that, Jaeyun will devise a type of death worse than being chewed by a wolf. And he'll make sure I am going to do that special act on you. He might even break you hard before that, force you to drink a concoction that wouldn't kill you fast, but would only prolong your pain."
"I could only care less."
"I bet you care even more about your sick sister. She's all you have, Sunoo. I heard her wounds don't heal properly. What a terrible, terrible, curse that must be. She just keeps bleeding, never heals... I wonder what will happen if our people do something really bad to her. I heard she's near Riverblue."
"Do not touch my sister." This time, Sunoo's eyes darkened, and his voice grew cold and shivering.
"Then do as Jaeyun says." He replied, leaning closer. "I shot that wolf for a reason."
---
The truth about that night was that the Prince and Eru were as young enough as to build a small fort of blankets in their chamber.
A lot was said before that, back at their evening meal with the King of Witherhall. Eru remembered kicking the Prince's feet under the table every now and then, reminding him to pay attention as his father spoke.
"Is there any news about your conception, Eru?" Asked the king in which the princess cleverly answered as though her truth was being announced. "We were trying these past few months, Your Grace. Forgive me." Causing the Prince to almost spill his wine upon drinking. We were barely awake in those nights.
"Riki, you promised to obey." His grace said, gazing intently at his son. "Our region awaits for a child. Keep that in mind."
That's just about enough for tonight. Riki thought to himself, ready to leave the table. "Please excuse us, father. We're glad to have a time with you tonight." He said, almost visibly sardonic as he grabbed Eru by the hand, exiting the room.
That night, their skittish noises were enough to convince the maids that the couple finally had the night just for themselves. They were too naive for that.
As sheepish as they could get, Eru's tales of monsters devouring light persisted, telling the prince that even mornings shall fall once these monsters consume all the light in the land, erasing all the traces of mankind. They laughed.
"My princess," Riki gestured. "Our world is much more cruel already for us to fear such demons."
"Oh, you dare to miscalculate the force of light-devouring monsters." Eru fired back, placing a finger on the Prince's cheek. "That face of yours will soon be none if they come." By then, they both smiled.
"Sleep well, my love." So she said, deciding to put the lantern aside and slumber away. She covered herself with a blanket.
Riki was left awake, staring blankly at the fort of quilts they made, then momentarily glancing at his wife. After a moment, he heard her call. "Riki?"
"Please come here." She said, gesturing him to get inside their blanket. And so he did, hesitantly.
He saw Eru, holding her gaze as she cupped his face, moving a little closer to him. Then a little... that her soft, pale ruby lips met his. They stayed like that as if realizing they were meant to be that close. There was nothing holding them back now.
Riki felt his hands slipping towards her waist. Then slowly letting go, he found himself wanting more.
"Stay with me, Riki."
