Almost Killing the Prince | Minsung ✓

-XXIII-

It was around the time Jisung would usually sleep.

Lately, he would force himself to sleep without alcohol as Minho told him to cut down on the substance unless he wanted to die. But wasn't that the point?

Even so, Jisung gave in, letting the older hide the jar of liquor he bought with the earnings he stole from traveling merchants.

But it was a night when he truly couldn't sleep and glancing at a sleeping Minho from the other side of the room, he guessed the older wouldn't mind if he got a small sip or two.

So slipping out of the room and out of the hut, he walks around to the back. He knows where the older hid it, after long hours of searching despite Minho ordering him not to.

Though as he tried to search for the jar under the hut, he couldn't find it anywhere. Even when he lit up a torch and ducked under the base.

Did Minho place it somewhere else? Did he catch onto Jisung? Or did the younger just thought he placed it here?

Either way, it made Jisung sigh at the disappearance of his liquor. He'll try to go to sleep. But there were no promises of the fact. If Minho scolds him for being so quiet in the morning, Jisung will be sure to blame it on the weather instead of his lingering alcoholism.

He just couldn't sleep that night.

Maybe it was the wind or maybe he didn't drink enough water- was it the dinner? Or maybe he just felt sick. But that shouldn't excuse him from sleeping. Besides, Minho's trying to encourage him to leave behind the alcohol. It meant that the older cared to some degree, at least.

Distinguishing the torch, Jisung treads back to the front of the house, perking up before he could slide the door open.

He smelled something in the air. It was rich and thick, of a sort that felt inviting. However, the longer Jisung noticed the smell, the more alarmed he got. It turned smoky, and he noticed smoke coming from behind the hut.

He runs toward it, noticing an enormous fire already erupting from near the fire pit, taking a water pail nearby and dashing toward the pond. He comes back mere moments later, noticing that the fire got bigger but tried to douse it with the water.

A trail of fire made its way to the nearby houses, engulfing the wood in flames.

God, how could this happen?

When Jisung returns from his second trip from the pond, Minho was already out of the cabin, woken up by the smoke and the fire that was already engulfing half of his house and so many others that it spread to.

"Jisung!" He calls out, hacking and covering his mouth with the crook of his elbow. "What the hell are you doing come on!" 

The thief runs toward Minho, before halting and turning toward the hut. Minho was already untying their horses and taking a deep breath- he runs back into the burning building.

He tried to cover his mouth from the fumes but even so, he still hacked and coughed, his narrowed eyes burning. He couldn't see anything, and his head pounded from the smoke and overwhelming heat. It was too hot in the small hut, with everything on fire and cracking around him.

Though his eyes widened at his and Minho's sword by the porch door, grabbing them. Before he could rush out, he notices something by the table- Minho's imperial bracelet laying on the ground. He crouched, taking it as well before Minho yanked him out of the collapsing building.

"Are you crazy?!" Minho barks, Jisung holding onto him tightly as the younger hacks and coughs and heaves for his breath. "We need to get out of here- the entire town is on fire!"