Saudade

Chapter 3 : First Blood

Thank God that he actually decided to go this time. Taekwoon already hesitant about going to the princess' territory once again or not. She clearly didn't want him to go back, but he wanted it. There's a chance that he could be attacked instead if he came again, but nevertheless finally Taekwoon decided to just go and find her again tonight, taking another chance just like before. Naïve? Maybe. Stupid? Yes, he is. If he got attacked, he could just run away and decided to never come back again. He left it all on fate.

And that's when he saw her on the way there.

Was the God playing a trick on him, on this coincidence that suddenly appeared in front of him. Haneul was as gorgeous as ever, but Taekwoon noticed there was something wrong with her. First, he didn't think the princess would go this far from the place they met, which Taekwoon deduced near her castle. And second, he could see that she barely had the energy. Haneul didn't even notice him, and their distance should be already close enough for her to notice his presence. Normally, even before Taekwoon saw her, Haneul should be already noticed him.

But she didn't.

Then he heard it, the sound of some men running through the wood. Almost no noise for human's ears, but it should be clear enough for Haneul. In the next second Taekwoon grasped the situation briefly. Haneul was chased by some hunters, and she was wounded, he saw the black blood on her left arm. A wound caused by a silver bullet took time to heal, even with vampire's power. And since she barely had energy left, it was even worse that it usually be.

Without thinking, Taekwoon approached her. It wasn't hard to sneak towards her and with gentleness, he grabbed her arms then pulled her into bushes. Just like before, just like how she saved him. Now it's time for him to pay back.

"Don't make any noise."

Taekwoon just glad that she recognized him. He was worried that Haneul might panic and attack him instead, or making her condition worse. But she didn't, she didn't do anything and let Taekwoon hid her inside the bushes. His arms were around her, and Taekwoon realized that this was the first time he's so close to her. Her back was against his chest, and they just sat still for a quite while. Those hunters who chased Haneul didn't go into their way, and Taekwoon could hear they were slowly going away into different direction.

His hand tainted with her blood, and judging from Haneul condition, Taekwoon needed to do something. The male slipped his hands, and carried her on his arms. The sun would rise soon, and he needed to be fast so no one would see them going to his house, and her when she went back.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

"Saving you, Your Highness. Now stay still."

Haneul clearly was not the type that would obey the rules because she kept struggling. But Taekwoon wouldn't yield just like that. She was really weak, because even her struggle didn't mean much this time. And that made Taekwoon wondered, how could a royalty be this weak. Their power should be even stronger than normal vampires, and even when they weakened by silver weapons, it shouldn't be this weak.

Unless, she didn't drink any blood for a long time.

He's not stupid. As a hunter he should know what are the weakness as well as the strengths of vampires. Taekwoon knew that to maintain their superpower, vampires need bloods. They didn't need blood to stay alive, just to keep their power. That's why he hated them, killing people just for the source of their power. But if what he thought was true, then this princess was one in a million.

She stopped struggling when they arrived on his house. Taekwoon put her into the couch and took his medical kit. In hurry, he torn apart her dress sleeve to tend the wound. It wasn't deep, but she kept bleeding lots of black blood, the sign that she's a vampire. Didn't waste any time, Taekwoon proceed to take out the bullet from inside her wound. Haneul didn't even flinched when he do that, either she already felt numb or didn't have any energy to react. A bandage around her wound wouldn't help much, but it was better than nothing. The main thing that needed for her to heal was blood.