The Slytherin King || KTH✔

Thirteen

The clouds are mercilessly and furiously pouring their weight on the ground. The rain has taken over the surroundings like epidemic. Cold breeze begin to sway the water dripping trees from side to side. Voices of the cicadas has reigned over the panorama. It didn't take twilight even few seconds to alter into the night. The murk has blocked every light from illuminating the area.

"King it's not advisable to head back through stairs. They are slippery due to rain. You can take the village route. We have some new ordinary garbs. You may change so that no one will recognise you and thus you can complete your journey peacefully." Patron suggests. Taehyung nods, consenting with the old man.

"But apropos to tradition, doesn't that only include stairs?" The king questions at which the patron sighs deeply and solemnly replies, "Yes, you need to reach here through stairs but on way back you may go as you please."

"Queen, please come with me, I'll give you clothes." The girl proposes. You nod and follow her to the back of the shrine where you come across two chambers, belonging to her and her father. While you step inside hers, shoving aside the curtains, taehyung walks into the another.

From a big trunk placed in the room, she draws out something, hands it to you and assists you to change into it, not forgetting to close the curtains before. It turns out to be hanbok. The slytherins don't wear them which you could guess as you've never seen anyone in hanbok in palace. The patron's daughter might have bought it for herself or maybe received as present and never got the chance to wear it which left it untouched.

After slipping into the hanbok, you exit the chamber with the girl only to find the king standing outside the chamber with the patron beside him. You see, taehyung is also clad in a hanbok which makes him look different and more ethereal from his frequent appearance.

"We'll leave now." Taehyung nonchalantly informs the old patron before turning around and taking it as a hint, you instinctively trail behind him.

The distance between you and him keeps on increasing as he walks briskly while you try to catch it up to him but the rugged path and your long hanbok doesn't accesses you to do so. Moreover, the clouds continue to mercilessly drop their weight on the whole village compelling you to look down iteratively making you don't step into puddles.

You gaze lingers on his back not wanting to get lost for you don't know the way. Nobody is visible. While the villagers are cooped up in their homes which shade them from the intense downpour, it's just two of you out walking on the streets. Your feet begin to hurt but you don't tell him to stop nor does he. Heck he doesn't even bother to look back and check if you are following him or not.

At this point, both of you are fully drenched in rain. Water cascades down your cloth as if from a stream. Your hairs seems like waterfall with wet dripping from each strands. If you continue walking like this, there's no doubt you two will end up catching cold and even worse, fever. The rain doesn't seem to effect him but with the each gust of icy cold wind brushing past your wet skin with the dropelts, you couldn't help but swiftly run your hands up and down your arms.

You notice his steps getting slower. Is he intently doing it? You ask yourself mentally but doesn't get the time to brood over it as the following seconds, you find him clutching his forehead before he stumbles over his own steps and in flash of seconds, he's laying on the ground, unconscious.

"Taehyung." You call out, running towards him, no more caring about if you step into any puddle or trip over the long skirt of your hanbok. Anyone what mattered in that moment was just him, the king, and accept it or not, your husband.

You crouch down and lay his head on your thigh, gently tapping his cheeks as the rain, hits his body vigorously, showing no generosity over your husband. After getting no response from him for what it felt like hours, you throw his arm around your neck, manage to lift him up and drag to the nearest cottage. You couldn't tell is it the rain rolling down your cheeks or you are crying? Whatever it maybe, you couldn't care less.

To make sure that the person on other side heard it, you iteratively knock on the cottage with all your might unless an old lady steps out of it.

"Oh God! What happened to him and why are you all drenched in rain? Come inside." Comes out her first words as she observes two of you from head to toe. You get startled at her words as she straightforwardly offered to help. Maybe she noticed the plead in your eyes or why would any stranger be knocking at her door at night when it's raining cats and dogs.

You nod with a faint smile on your face and after she wraps his spare arm around her neck, she assists you in dragging him inside and lay him down on the cot, not seeming to care about her age.

"What happened to him, child?" She worriedly asks, referring to taehyung.

"He fainted." You reply, not noticing a tear rolling down your cheeks which she wipes away and cupping your cheeks consoles you, "Don't worry, my son is a vedic. He will be fine within no time."

"Jiwon." She calls out and an adult boy who seem to be in early twenties appears behind the curtain leading to a different room after which she tells him to check on taehyung.

"He'll check your husband. I'll let you my clothes. Change into them, you'll get sick if you stay like this." You smile and leave with her to let her son diagnose the King. She hands you one of her cloaks, a towel. After you wipe your whole body, change into her clothes and wrap the towel around your hairs, she hands you a warm blanket with the words, "We only have one as extra, I hope this will be enough."

"Yes, yes, you've already done a lot for us. please tell me how I can repay this debt." You reverently bow before her. Gently holding your arms from the sides, she smiles and mutters, "It's Him who does, I'm just a medium." Pointing at above.

As you return back, you find him in new clothes which must belong to Jiwon who's now wiping his hairs after making him slip into new attire.

"It's nothing to worry about. He fainted because of extreme exhaustion. Try to keep him warm, his body is being cold, I've given him some medications. He'll wake up by the morning." Jiwon informs as you kneel down on the ground beside taehyung on the other side of cot. You thank him for his kindness before he leaves two of you alone in the front chamber and disappears behind the curtains.

Remembering his words, you tuck him into the blanket you have just received and lay yourself down on the cold ground, not paying any heed to your shivering body which jerks up at each penetrating blow of frost breeze against the door and your quivering lips which the chilly night has painted into the hues of blue.