a tale for love | n. riki

eighteen

Awkward silence took over the atmosphere once again. Hayoung and the prince rarely exchanged words to one another. Hayoung would watch him from a distance while Ni-ki did whatever he pleased. This time, he had a notepad and some pencils. Hayoung couldn't tell what he was doing but it seemed to her that he was sketching as she remembered he had a love for the arts at a young age.

By nightfall, the prince and captain would arrive in Aragon. They had hours left on the ship, let alone many weeks left to spend together before reaching Eloria. Hayoung was concerned about the matters of their relationship. It seemed that the prince was making efforts to get close again, but she was not willing to engage with him.

After their little interaction, Hayoung was left flustered with emotions she hadn't felt before. She could not stop thinking about the prince's attitude towards her. He was so immature yet had a strange charm.

She felt a shiver up her spine. "Why am I thinking about what the prince did to me?" she questioned herself, shaking her head, "This is ridiculous... But why do I feel so strange? It feels suffocating, but as if I'm just waiting for something to occur."

At the front of the ship, Prince Ni-ki sketched in his notepad. He spent hours drawing, trying to get his previous action to Hayoung off his mind. He lightly shaded the intricate designs of his still life drawing of the ship. He shaded the small person he drew at the top of the ship as the sun grew lower. It was only moments til he realized he drew Hayoung not Jungwon. His pencil stopped moving as he looked up and sighed.

Hayoung was facing the opposite direction of Ni-ki, staring into the horizon. She was somehow so enchanting to the prince, but the prince wouldn't admit these feelings to himself. Her hair was in a low ponytail, her long forest green cloak covering her body. Ni-ki felt his face heat up and quickly slapped his cheek.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" he jolted from the pain, "Why can't I stop thinking about her? Maybe it's because I haven't seen her in years and I never apologized to her. Maybe it's because I know things could've ended up differently. Maybe it's because... dammit who am I kidding? It's the Hayoung Marina I'm thinking about. She's done with me for good and this is just a mission."

Time seemed to be moving even more slowly, but before they knew it they were getting closer to the city of Aragon. If you squinted enough, you could see the city faintly.

Through her binoculars, Hayoung could see a familiar sight but it was horrid. Dark titanium ships were coming up close. All of them had a royal purple flag with the Zyrkonian crest.

"Jungwon, brace yourself," she said to him, "I need to get the prince in the bunker."

Hayoung quickly went down the stairs, rushing to the prince who was now spacing out looking at the sparkling ocean.

"Your highness," Hayoung exclaimed with urgency, "You must get in your chambers now. The Zyrkonian military unit is close. They cannot know you are here. Understood?"

Ni-ki looked up with her, feeling his heartbeat a bit faster than before. He suddenly felt anxious and the danger of his mission suddenly became clear to him. He listened to Hayoung's command, hiding in a secret bunker below his chambers. The bunker was below his bed so the coverage of the bed would reduce suspicion if called for an on-board investigation. Ni-ki could hear the scurrying steps from below, feeling quite anxious when it stopped.

Hayoung stayed on the main deck with Jungown. The two were rehearsing their plan for when the Zyrkonian military would stop them. If they were lucky they could pass without getting stopped, but going through unstopped was unlikely.

"By the order of King Helio and the victorious empire of Zyrkon, you are commanded to stop!" a loud voice boomed over the speakers.

Jungwon had already halted the ship as the Zrykonian ocean police connected their ships and boarded. Two ocean police came on to ship both of lower rank, which Hayoung noticed. They were both fairly tall with strong bold facial structures. They seemed indifferent about their job, bored and exhausted.

"Why are you two crossing these waters?" one of them asked in a stern yet monotonous tone. 

"Sir, you see here, my brother and I are merchants," Hayoung began cooly, "It's a family business. We pretty much sell everything you can imagine."

"Where are you coming from?" the other one asked, furthering the interrogation.

"We come from a small city on the outskirts of Alena," Jungwon exclaimed, "My dear sister here has been a great deal of help since my injury." He pointed to himself and his lost limbs.

"And where is your final destination?"

"Well sir, wherever the ocean takes us," Hayoung said as she continued to bluff, acting as a free spirited young woman, "You know how magical these oceans are. There will always be somewhere for us to sell our goods. We get to meet people and see culture and-"

"Officer Rivet and I will inspect the ship," the officer cut her off and began to move on the deck.

Hayoung and Jungwon had no say of their actions. At this point warrants weren't even needed as the Zrykonian military and police were ruthless and coldhearted. They began to look all around the top of the boat. In her heart, Hayoung was praying that they wouldn't go below the deck and find the horses or the prince.

The police were lazy in their inspection. They were just following Zyrkonian protocol and wanted to leave the premises as soon as possible. They were tired of being ruthless and just wanted to eat a solid meal with their families not engaging in such a horrific, brutal war. The war was going on for too long, but King Helio wouldn't stop until the whole world was conquered.

As officer Rivet signaled the other that he was done, the other officer nodded his head and began to head towards the bridge connecting the two ships. The two left without a sound, Hayoung sighing with relief. Stage one of danger had been cleared. Finally they would make it to Aragon.