Ishihara // ATEEZ ✔

45 |1| Track

Wooyoung's forehead creases subtly, angling his body so that the oldest cannot discern his expression and nag at him for the fact that they're indeed lost in the central forest. Just an hour ago, he had been confident that he could guide them through the central forest but right now, he can't even tell whether the trail on the map was supposed to symbolize a pathway or a river. And which way is supposed to be north or south. He clears his throat a few times as he confidently puts a finger on the map, pointing to what he assumes is the pathway laid out in front of them, then stretches out his arm into the distance.

"If we follow this track we will be arriving at Estar in no time."

"That's what you've been saying for the past hour," Seonghwa grumbles. "And you're holding the map upside down, you idiot."

"I was not- oh." He lets out a forced laugh, silently praying that the older won't abandon him as he loses his patience. "Right, no wonder it looked wrong."

"I shouldn't have trusted you with the directions." Seonghwa snatches the map from him, his eyes scanning the aged paper as he tries to pinpoint their current location. "We're here." He taps on a spot. "If we keep going east, we should be able to arrive in half an hour." He folds the map and thrusts it towards the younger one. "Just move east."

Wooyoung obeys, glad that he has at least Seonghwa accompanying him. He cannot imagine entering a foreign land on his own, trying to track down his unknown parents. He doesn't even have a way of telling whether his parents are alive or not, besides asking around the kingdom. And that is if the people of Estar know them. It's probably like trying to search for a needle in a haystack and he is putting all his luck into finding it. He's unsure of what he will gain out of this, because to him, his parents are nonexistent. But he trusts Mingi, and if he had tried so hard to find out about his parents, he might as well try too. He won't let Mingi's effort go to waste.

They follow the pathway, their pace steady. They have informed the others that they will be gone for a few days, or even more if there's a need so they won't worry. Wooyoung had assured that they know how to protect themselves, with them bringing a weapon each. Their threat will most likely be wild animals - which he is not so worried about considering how Seonghwa can talk to them - or wayfarers who would try to rob them. As they slowly traverse the landscape, he starts to make out the structure of the main entrance of Estar. He spots the lavish arch, and he notes how Estar stays true to their standing.

Estar is the richest kingdom out of the four, and it is rumoured that even their commoners are wealthier than the noblemen in the other kingdoms. Estar is a secluded kingdom that mostly keeps to themselves, being careful on who they allow to enter and stay. They're not harsh on visitors, but they do make sure that the visitors behave while they do so. Their people rarely migrate to other kingdoms, mostly due to the fact that they're content with their status and the ruling back home. Right now, Estar is ruled by a king that has 4 princesses and no prince. Nyla's palace occupants have never met the princesses because it's usually only the king and queen that pay them a visit. The princesses were never brought together with them.

"I think we're going on the right track," Wooyoung excitedly turns back to look at Seonghwa but his joy turns to dismay when he sees the older one falling to the forest floor from his horse, writhing in pain as he tries to stop the bleeding from his torso. An arrow had grazed his body. Wooyoung unmounts his horse to quickly tend to his brother, but he is stopped short when he feels a slash across his neck from behind. Putting a hand over his wound, he whips around to look for the culprit. He sees the image of a robe and a bow, its tip slammed into his body and he is knocked backwards, sprawled on the ground. He looks weakly at the culprit, which seems to only be one person, rummaging through their belongings.