a tale for love | n. riki

sixteen

Hayoung's eyes opened widely. Another nightmare. Preventing her from rest. She was never able to sleep. All she could see when her eyes closed was the murder and monstrosity of what the Zyrkonians had done to her whole village.

Hayoung's nightmares were frequent. For years straight after she dropped out of school, she would remember when her parents were murdered, the chunks of burning wood falling on her, Heeseung trying to protect her, resulting in him getting severe back and leg injuries. But she wouldn't dare bring it up. It would only burden Heeseung and Caspian.

Her breaths suddenly became shorter and soon she felt as if she couldn't breathe. Hayoung quickly got up and sprinted out of the bunker of the ship. She pushed the door quickly and was greeted by the cold, fresh air of the ocean's breeze.

Hayoung fell to the ground, trying to breathe and catch her breath, her eyes watering. Her breath was still shaking despite trying to calm herself down. She suddenly felt restless and hot. Hayoung's skin was burning and itching as she began to remove her cloak and layers of clothing until the only thing left was a thin linen tank top. Her arms and back were covered in patchy scars from burns when she was a child.

Hayoung opened a barrel of water, pouring the cool salt water down her arms, hoping to ease the pain and heat. Ever since she was young and would have a panic attack, her skin felt as if it were burning again. She wasn't sure why she felt this way but she felt helpless and vulnerable. She hated feeling vulnerable.

Hayoung took a deep breath as she patted her eyes from the tears. She sat at the top of the deck, staring at the sky. Dawn was coming, the sun slowly peeking from the horizon.

Her moment of peace ended quickly as she heard footsteps approaching her. She was alerted and immediately turned her head around. There she saw Prince Ni-ki standing in front of her.

"Fuck." 

**

The prince was sleeping rather peacefully but was soon awake when he heard rapid footsteps. He had always been a light sleeper and anxious in the evening. Ni-ki laid under the covers contemplating whether he was going to leave his room or not.

"Oh for crying out loud I'm a grown ass man," he muttered to himself, pulling the blanket off, "I can't be scared of a little noise on a boat."

Mustering up his courage, he put his boots back on and peeked through the door. He didn't see anyone there, but the door to the deck of the ship was wide open. Ni-ki walked down the hall in caution, slow and quiet in his steps. He peered through the open door, but no one was in sight. Looking around in his surroundings he saw a dark liquid, drying onto the wooden planks of the deck.

"Could that be blood?" He thought to himself as he began walking, "No it's just water."

As he got closer to the front of the ship, he saw Hayoung, with her long hair let out of her bun. Her strange, brown, colored hair flowed in the breeze. His step was a bit loud as the creaking of the wooden planks caught her attention and her head swiftly turned around.

"Y-your highness?" Hayoung panicked as she stood up, "Why are you up?"

Ni-ki observed her, glancing at her up and down. Her arms and shoulder were covered in patches of dark scars. The skin looked a bit irritated as it looked like scratch marks all over.

"Your arms," he began to say.

Hayoung quickly covered her arms with her hands and hair, rushing to get her cloak.

"Stop looking," she gritted through her teeth.

The prince was a little taken aback by the aggressiveness of her tone, but listened to her, his eyes aiming at the wooden floor. This scene somehow felt familiar to him. Once Hayoung put her clothes back on she approached him again.

"Is there something you need, your highness?" she asked him as if he hadn't caught her in a vulnerable state.

Ni-ki paused for a moment, thinking of an excuse to why he left his bed. "I'm hungry... Do you have any of that stew left?"