Sacrifice

Chapter 11 : Walk the Line

The long line of snow-dusted green scenery passes by in a blur. You're unsure if your eyes are beginning to play tricks on you after staring out the window for so long, or if the lush evergreen trees are passing by too quickly for your brain to comprehend their true image. It's hard to fathom that a few hours ago, you and the seven princes said goodbye to the castle you have come to call home for the past few weeks to finally embark on the journey to your new home. It was a bittersweet moment. But there was also something almost therapeutic about seeing the impressive fortress grow farther in the distance until it was merely a speck of dust in the background.

Now, as you take a moment to rest your eyes, you tilt your chin up to blindly meet the sun's warm beams and smile softly as it caresses your face gently with familiarity like a mother's touch. It's a peaceful moment – the perfect opportunity for you to mentally turn the last page of the previous chapter in your life, bookmarking it as a monumental time of development. And alas, a new blank page awaits you to begin your next chapter. The thought alone makes you feel giddy and eager. It almost feels like you'll burst with excitement if you don't arrive at your new home soon. But subconsciously, you push those thoughts down to calm yourself. As you lean back into your seat, you find the nearest source of warmth next to you and lean further into its grounding comfort.

"Are you feeling tired?" Sunoo asks attentively when he feels your weight leaning into him. The prince automatically repositions his shoulder, guiding it under your head. "Use my shoulder to take a rest, petal."

"Thanks, Sunny," you sigh contently, your mind constantly repeating the previous fleeting scenes of nature like a never-ending movie. With the constant hum of the vehicle's engine running in the background and the mind-numbing buzz of the tires rolling against the road, it doesn't take long for sleep to welcome you. Distantly, you register the feeling of a soft fabric being draped across the front of your body. Judging by the faint floral scent, you know Jungwon has just shrugged off his outermost layer and turned it into a makeshift blanket for you to use for the duration of the trip. "Thank you, Wonie," you mumble somewhat coherently. Or at least, you hope it was coherent enough for the younger prince to understand your gratitude. Yet, just as you're about to drift off into the depths of dreamland, a sudden jolt from the vehicle rudely plucks you from the floating state of being in between and you're startled awake. The sudden lurch in the vehicle's momentum causes you to embrace your core to stabilize yourself, but you wince under your breath from the quick exertion of force on your abdominal muscles.

"You scared the princess awake, Jay," Jungwon frowns from where he's sitting on your left, tucking his jacket back under your chin to try to soothe you back to sleep. The prince quickly realizes it's a futile attempt when you send him a crooked smile, eyes blinking wide awake at him.

"I'm sorry. I'm still getting the hang of driving," the second-eldest chimes back apologetically, offering you a sheepish grin through the rearview mirror. "The roads can be quite slippery when there is fresh ice on the ground."

"Perhaps we should have waited to move in the springtime when the roads aren't icy," Sunoo frowns with worry.

"Well, with spring comes the danger of hydroplaning in the rain," Jay adds contemplatively, glancing at Sunoo in the mirror. You know the older prince is simply trying to make a point, but you bite back your snicker when Sunoo scrunches his nose, clearly appalled by the dangers that inevitably come with driving.

"Keep your eyes on the road, Jay," Jungwon scolds, his frown deepening slightly. "You're still a new driver so I would like to mitigate all possibilities of getting into an accident."

"You act like I'm the worst driver in the world. I'm not terrible," the older prince refutes, voice diminishing equally with his pride, but he trains his gaze ahead of him nonetheless.