Destiny's Children

54. Catastrophe

Sounds of numerous horse-hooves echo the silent pathway and Taehyung knows it immediately...

"Shit!! It's a trap!!" , Taehyung curses, "RUN BACK TO THE HORSES!!!", He screams at Jungkook in fear.

The boy, inexperienced with the lifestyle but smart enough to understand what's happening, follow the command immediately.

The two men runs back hastily. Jungkook jumps up on Princess and watches the king to do so on Cleopatra.. but the obstacles of the path are still there.. trees stacked up, blocking the entire road.

"Can the horses jump up that?", Jungkook enquires.

"Too high... get hurt", is all that Taehyung can manage to blurt out, "May be we can... go back?"

But the question is answered easily as the hooves noises are coming closer, and to their horror, it's coming from the back.. from the way they came in, so there is no way they can turn back...

Taehyung curses, "Let's move into the forest area", Taehyung nods to Jungkook, "All we need to do is stall them until my guards reach us", He turns his horse towards the forest, Jungkook following behind.

Winds flies behind while adrenaline rushes through the veins, sweat drops from the hair line, eyes wary with anticipation; Taehyung looks back at the boy behind, whose life is now in danger... and for whom? From whom?

The first question, Taehyung can easily answer. It's him of course. It's not like whoever they are, are hunting for a nobody Jungkook... no, it's him. But Jungkook too is with him at this moment, making him a very target.

Aa for the second question, that's the mystery he has been trying to solve all along. And now it looks like someone really really doesn't want to see him wear the crown.

An neigh of terror and pain, a loud thud, a shocked groan.

Taehyung dared to look back.. to discover Jungkook lying on the ground, not far from his now dying horse that is bleeding profusely from an arrow wound near its neck.

'Holy lord!! How did they get the shot!!', Taehyung fears, 'That shot can only be taken from the side.. not behind... and that means ....', Taehyung looks forward only to dodge an arrow carefully, 'We are almost surrounded!!', He concludes before going back for the boy, stretching his arm forward to lift the boy on the back of his horse smoothly while running the only way his gut feels safer.

Taehyung has a feeling that they are about to get lost in the forest pretty soon, but he also understands at the same time that it was indeed the motif. The further they gets from the main track, the difficult it gets for the guards to find them. Taehyung stops on the track, not moving any further.

The shaking boy in his arm looks upward, and then the surroundings, "Are we lost?", he whispers, and Taehyung knows that he has understood the point already.

"I don't know", Taehyung decides to reply honestly. There is no good in giving the boy false hope now. They really are in deep shit.

"What are we gonna do?", Jungkook whispers while tightening his hold on Taehyung's shirt.

"We are gonna wait...", Taehyung replies.

"To get caught?", Jungkook asks unsure.

"To be found... hopefully by my guards..", Taehyung explains.

"What if the bad guys find us first?", Jungkook asks still unsure.

"We need to hide then..", Taehyung concludes.

"There is no way we can hide here with a big ass horse!!!!", Jungkook barely controls his voice.

"We need to let Petra go...", Taehyung gives out a shaky sigh.