Chapter Text
He checked the sharp edge of his ax. Perfect for hunting animals. Not humans.
ยซ I need you to hunt a little lambโฆ I need you to bring me his heart ยป
The king had said.
He clearly instructed and chose him for the job since he was the fittest man for the task. To begin with, he had to go deep into the Black Forest, the one that everyone believed was cursed. There the land wasn't fertile, the trees had no leaves, and the few that did wore dark, withered leaves that seemed to swallow everything. Endless bushes, with creatures hidden among them. The sky always pale; in the winter it was a more hostile place.ย
Within that place there was a strange energy and force that one would prefer to avoid. Especially someone with such good instincts as Wonwoo. But something as important to him as his freedom was at stake, so he took the job. Though he disliked the idea of killing someone for he wasn't a mercenary. Not anymore.
All that gave him a bad feeling, he did not trust Jeonghan at all. It was a weird set up.
King Jeonghan tasked him with going to the Black Forest to find a fugitive from his castle who had stolen something important to him and killed several of the guards before escaping. Someone like that was a danger to the peoplestown.
โAs if you care about usโฆโ he thought.
And the hunter told him that if he wanted that man to die, he simply had to leave him in the forest by himself and wait for him to die of natural causes, after all, very few people possessed the ability to survive in the wild, including Wonwoo, who knew how to navigate very well, even if it was in the Black Forest and not in the Yabbay Forest where he used to hunt and live. But the king insisted.
ยซ I want his heart. I want a physical proof that he diedยป
Wonwoo knew how cruel and wicked Jeonghan was, but was still surprised at the level of sadism he showed. Asking for a heart, literally?
Again, he didn't like the idea, but his life was at stake and he wasn't thinking to grant his freedom just like that. Besides, the man who he had to kill was a murderer and a thief, more scum of society; and it wasn't that he was the most decent man, but he did abide by a moral code of not picking on children, older adults, or women.ย
But a man like him, capable of staining his hands with the blood of another man... Someone without scruples, he could handle something like that.
โHis heart, uh? A little lambโs heart? Such a curious choice of wordsโ
He had everything ready, but he told the king that he'd rather go hunting first thing in the morning. Unless that man was crazy and dared to mobilize in those conditions, where the night temperature drops drastically (even worse in winter) and the beasts go out for food, then perhaps that would save him the worst part and only limit himself to look for the corpse, take his heart and give it to the king, so he would leave him alone once and for all.
First hour in the morning, with the pale December sun illuminating the dawn, Wonwoo would go in search of his prey. In search of the little lamb.
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As soon as the sky lost its light, Jun stopped moving. He hadn't made much progress anyway, but at some point his leg had stopped bleeding and that was good news, up to a point. He was still in that hostile forest and worst of all was that without fire or shelter, he was at the mercy of whatever lurked there, any nocturnal beast that went hunting.
The owl hadn't abandoned him. If his leg wasn't injured, he could climb the tree and try to take refuge there. Although his biggest problem was that he was freezing to death. He could safely ignore the hunger, but the icy wind blowing through his light clothing was chilling him inside. He was in trouble as he couldn't keep moving because his body didn't cooperate in those moments, apart from the fact that in front of him there was only darkness.
The owl's large eyes gleamed and he hooted.
โHeyโฆ It is time for you to go huntingโ Jun said weakly, his teeth chattering, โyou have to feed yourself, you already took care of me a lot, thank youโ he managed to smile a bit. He addressed the bird that tilted his head ninety degrees.
Junhui, hugging himself, a bit away from the river, but still listening to the harsh current, was sitting with his back leaning against the rough trunk of a tree. The moonlight was the only thing that allowed him to figure the shapes and shadows around him. They were terrifying, inside the forest, they looked like claws, hands ready to grab him and attack him. He was scared. He didn't want to die there, he didn't want to die like this.
He felt the sting of tears and hid his face into his arms to cry after holding on so long, after such a tiring day, where he discovered that the king had decided to kill him, where one of his only friends had been captured by the guards and his whereabouts and fate were now uncertain, where he got a horrible and painful wound on his leg and where he was alone in the Black Forest, in the darkness of the night, with the cruel cold on his bones and a mantle of loneliness covering his miserable current state.
He sobbed silently so as not to alert anything in his surroundings.ย
Why did Jeonghan hate him so much? He'd never done anything to him. On the contrary, he had even behaved docile and resigned when he decided to take away his position as prince, sole heir to the throne, to make him be a simple servant of his.ย
At first he believed that the other king, who loved his father (now he fully doubted it) could work alongside the young man to cope with the loss of Seungcheol side by side, supporting each other.
But not a year had passed and Jeonghan changed drastically.
At first, Junhui believed that he was still in mourning, a poor widower who had no choice but to be the new king, because the prince was still too young to take the position. The little boy at that time felt great empathy and sorrow that Jeonghan had to bear such responsibility in a time of pain for the loss of his loved one. Jun was still deeply hurt by the death of his father, but he couldn't take the throne because of his tender age of thirteen.
He'd been so naive. It'd all been a mask of the grieving widower that had to carry with the weight of ruling an entire kingdom by himself.
As soon as he decided it was time, when being crowned, the new king of Diamant didn't seem very oblivious to how a kingdom was run and led from the beginning with an iron fist. Junhui, still very young, didn't understand what was happening, but he did notice the changes in the environment.ย
New servants arrived at the castle, the former guards and soldiers of his father, who used to wear silver armor, now were replaced by other men Jun didn't know and their armor shone the color of gold. The decorations grew in number, being more ostentatious, more luxurious.
Jeonghan started to dress differently and everything around him seemed to have a heavy aura; vicious. He wasn't a regular person, he had tricks up his sleeve. He was powerful, more than just a man could be, and not about brute force, something different, and he had taken advantage of the whole situation, of his family. He was a trickster. A deceiver.
He took advantage of the death of his mother. Of the death of his father. Of the kingdom. And of his youth.
Junhui, prince and heir of the throne, was awakened by the guards one rainy morning in June, on his fourteenth birthday, when he was sent to that room that looked like a dungeon. When he was reduced to a mere servant, when his existence was tainted with the gloomy oblivion of the memory.
All those years, living in the uncertainty of whether his people remembered him, or if they held a grudge and hatred for him for having abandoned them in the hands of a king as ruthless as Jeonghan. He didn't know which was worse.
He kept crying until he heard the sound of a bush moving very close to him, on his left. He lifted his head from his arms and the wind hit his damp cheeks so he felt the immediate chill, the soft icy touch. He squinted, trying to see something in the dark, but failed at first to figure out what it was that was moving toward him.ย
He was afraid to be in such a vulnerable situation, and when he looked up, he realized the owl was gone. He looked back at the sound moving towards him and could only see a small shadow, because the clouds covered the moonlight at that point.
Until the animal showed itself.
A reddish-furred fox approached him carefully, inspecting the young prince with curiosity. Junhui had never seen a fox in person, only in books where thanks to them he knew the typical fauna and flora of his kingdom. He thought of it as a beautiful creature and he didn't consider them as dangerous. It was a wild animal, but it didn't seem to be about to attack. So he stayed still and just watched the animal.
The fox sniffed him and Junhui followed it with his gaze, when the little mammal went to his side and with its snout, hit the prince's arm. Jun smiled, between his icy tears and the fear from before dissipating. He dared to move his hand and put it in front of the curious animal. Instead of biting him or being aggressive, the fox licked the back of his hand.
โYou are really prettyโฆโ
The vulpine looked at him when he spoke, as if it understood. Its brown eyes focused on him.
โI don't have any foodโฆ Or did you come to tell me something?โ
As if they spoke the same language, the fox jumped over his legs to the other side of the ground and ran a little, but turned to see him.
โHuh? Do you want me to follow you?โ He placed his hands on the sides of his legs and pushed himself up with the strength of his arms. He whined a bit, but leaned against the log to straighten up.
Limping, he began to walk in the direction of the fox, at his slow pace. Instead of running on, the animal waited for him, and when the prince reached its side, it led his way in the dark.
Junhui didn't know where the vulpine was leading him, but he followed him confidently. He didn't understand why animals were so kind to him, but he was internally grateful for their help. Like the owl that led him to the river. And now the fox, who was leading him to another place, among the labyrinth of trees.
He limped on for a while longer, until the orange creature stopped in front of a thick-trunked tree, wider than his shoulders. He squinted to try to see the darkness in front of him, but saw the fox leap into the trunk. Jun was surprised and leaned a little closer, realizing that it was hollow. He smiled at the realization: that was a refuge.
He leaned in and entered one foot first, then cautiously plunged fully into the hollowed-out space of the trunk.
The wind couldn't touch him inside. Everything was dark, but around him, palpating with his hands, he felt only dry leaves, the internal roughness of the tree and the fox next to him. It calmed his cold skin a bit, because it was warmer there.ย
He leaned back and touched the end of the gap. Jun breathed a sigh of relief. He was able to stretch his injured leg a little and the fox settled into his lap, enveloping him in his own warmth.
โIs this your home? Well, thank you so much for your hospitality. It is cozy here.โ
He'd stopped shaking and the extra warmth from the fox helped too. At least he wouldn't freeze to death out there and wasn't so exposed to predators and nocturnal animals.
At last he had the luxury of closing his eyes. In the morning he would continue on his way.
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The pale sky. Wonwoo knew that it would start snowing later. And the extra layers of snow wouldn't help in tracking down the man he had to hunt. Like animals, they all always leave footprints.ย
And he was an expert at it, after all, a good hunter was one who could follow the trail of a deer for miles. Even in the winter, the still snow used to make work easier.
He put the ax on his belt and left his cabin. He checked the knives tucked into his thigh belt and pulled on his leather jacket and boots. He dispensed with his bow and arrows. Humans weren't as fast as animals, and he was faster than the average human anyway.
The Yabbay Forest where he lived was the same as the Black Forest, only it was divided into regions. Three, to be exact. But just as no one wanted to go to Black Forest because of its hostility, much less were there people who ventured to the grounds beyond.ย
No one knew what it was after the thick canopy at the end of the cursed forest, where hardly anything more than trees and rocks could be visualized.
However there were legends in the town, that beyond the intricate trunks and roots was a forest even more beautiful than that of Yabbay, full of mythical creatures and dwarfs.
โDwarfsโฆ Dwarfs donโt even existโ he said with a deep laugh, walking among the trees he knew very well.
He'd never been in the Black Forest. He had no need. Unlike the other villagers, it was not fear that kept him away from that place, but the lack of prey and vegetation that would be of use.
He continued on his way for half an hour, until he felt the change in the land.ย
The difference was becoming more noticeable little by little. From green grass and white snow, to dry leaves and infertile land. The cold grew heavier, and if it weren't for his thick jacket, he would be shivering. The trees also became different. Dry and dead logs became more abundant.ย
He pulled his ax and sharpened his hearing and sight. He was more careful with the ground, the least he wanted was to get an ankle tangled in exposed roots and hurt himself in some way.
He scanned each space he could, looking for any alteration that was a sign that a human had passed by. The hunter was almost certain that he'd find a corpse, but he paid attention to every sound nonetheless. Strangely, everything was quiet in that place. Neither the sound of insects, nor the sound of the wind. As if the whole forest was dead.
He took his ax and walked, making as little noise as possible. He didn't have any trouble, it was his habit to be silent as he was a hunter after all. However, it took him a little longer to explore that wicked and ill-fated forest, until he noticed a first sign. He smirked and hurried over to the snow that stood out from the rest.
Crimson drops, a trail of blood.
โHeโs woundedโฆ Well, he couldn't have gone that far in that case.โ
He dropped to one knee and touched the sleazy snow. He grimaced.
โThe snow must be pure, how many more times will it have to be stained...?โ
The blood was dry. He stood up and noticed the trail of blood that followed ahead. He held his ax firmly and advanced.
First they were drops, blood that had fallen little by little. Until he noticed a more linear stroke.
โYou crawled from this point. Abdomen or leg? Which of them did you hurt?โ
He came to a point, where there were intrinsic branches, and found a more widespread bloodstain. Wonwoo crouched down again and noticed that the snow was deeper in that space, the cape was lighter in the center, and around it, it seemed to have accumulated like a delineated edge forming an irregular figure.
โAnd here you lost consciousness... There should be a corpse here.โ He frowned and stood up, noticing more drops of blood ahead; curiously, the pattern was almost in a zig zag. He jumped on the roots and realized that they were going from tree to tree.ย
He assumed that the man couldn't move easily because he was injured, and he leaned against the trunks so he wouldn't have to crawl through the snow, the black soil, and the dry leaves.
The man had lost a considerable amount of blood, for the trail he left continued half a kilometer, until the first sound that reached the hunter's trained ears was the river. It made sense. The river reached the town. If the man was aware of this, he would follow it so as not to get lost wandering in the forest. So he continued his course to shore and get more clues to the whereabouts of his prey. But that's where the trail ended. No more blood.
He sighed. He knew it wouldn't be that simple, so he had to be more attentive, but the man couldn't be far from the river, so he looked for any clues. More outraged snow, footprints. Something, which would betray the passage of a human there.ย
He followed his way blindy, small shambles in the undergrowth, the snow had been slightly stirred by the night wind, but he smiled when he finally noticed some footprints.
โAn animal?โ He made a confused gesture, โIt doesn't look like it was chasing him and it doesn't seem like a large animal that was a threatโฆโ But the tracks were there and he just had to follow them. He felt that he was close. Very close to his prey.
He wasn't going far from the river, he was still listening to it, but he went a bit into the trees. Sometimes the trail was lost, but he recovered it later. The person hadn't been careful to cover his traces.
โHe doesn't have in mind that someone would follow him... Why not? Did he suppose the king would just let him die here?โ
The whole situation seemed absurd to him. But his job wasn't to complain or ask strange questions, just to do his work, get that man's heart, and deliver it to Jeonghan. And he would be free, completely free. Or at least he hoped the king would keep his word, but he doubted it, had no illusions. It was hopeless to have some faith in their lovely king. But at least it was better than nothing.
Something caught his attention, an orange reflection in the trees ahead from his peripheral vision as he checked some broken branches. He looked up, but the vibrant specter that stood out from the dull landscape disappeared.
He gripped the handle of his ax tightly and stood up. An animal perhaps. A fox? Heโd seen them before, but he wasn't expecting to find one in that dead forest.
โSmall footprintsโฆ I see.โ
He moved faster to where he caught sight of it.
Not far from there, the animal ran towards a tree with a hollow trunk where a little lamb, ignorant of his destiny, rested peacefully. Ignorant of his persecutor, in the dream world, asleep in the arms of nature. Junhui felt something wet on his cheek and slowly opened his eyes, first seeing darkness, then a bright light, from the cloudy sky typical of winter color.
He looked at the fox at his side and smiled, but the animal seemed restless, as he jumped from his lap and walked in circles outside of the trunk, as if on guard over something. Jun immediately felt his anxiety. Animals, with better instincts than humans, couldn't be wrong. Not quite knowing what was going on, the prince struggled out of the trunk and looked around cautiously. The fox sensed a threat and he wasn't going to find out.
He came out and the small mammal didn't hesitate to bite part of the pants of his good leg to pull, it wanted him to get going.
He was hardly going to ask himself the mental question of why the fox was so restless, until he heard somewhere and near him the sound of leaves flustering, almost so imperceptible that he would have ignored it if it weren't for the animal having put him on alert. As if someone walked on them. The heavily camouflaged crunching of snow. Someone was approaching very silently.
The fox started running and Junhui followed him as best he could with his injured leg. The adrenaline in his body beginning to flow into his muscles. He ran into the trees and looked back, in time to see a dark silhouette of a tall, broad-shouldered man appear near the hollow tree.
He looked forward and kept trying to run as long as his injured leg would allow it.
Wonwoo reached where the trail pointed, near a wide hollowed-out tree.
โHe spent the night hereโฆโ
Some sounds caught his attention, but when he moved his dark eyes he saw nothing. He was just listening to something ahead. He sprang into action and followed the noise.
Jun gained a bit of advantage, seeing the fox in front of him, the orange fur hard to be missed. It'd lead him somewhere, he was sure that if he followed it, he could hide or lose his pursuer. But his gait was unsteady, he was barely running, holding his injured leg as he limped.
To his bad luck and from the adrenaline and blood flowing in his ears, he didn't notice a branch under his feet that grabbed his calf.ย He stifled a cry of pain to keep from giving himself away and having not fallen, he helped himself with his hands to free his leg out of the tangle of branches that caught him.ย
He began to bleed again because the wound was exposed and the branches tore it more, but in the unnatural silence of the forest, he heard his pursuer advancing on him. And he did it fast.
He got up as best he could and had to put all his effort into clenching his jaw and holding the pain to run as he could. He hoped he wouldn't collapse, but the fox was guiding him, not in a linear manner, but in a zigzagged pattern.
Wonwoo jumped over the exposed roots without a problem, moving nimbly through the trees. He couldn't see, but he listened. How many times had he not followed such a prey? It was a matter of time. And Jun was in a panic, he was a wounded and lost lamb, leaving a new trail of blood behind him.
The hunter reached the binweed area and saw something sticking out. A piece of clothโฆ No. A bloody handkerchief. He took it and examined it for a few moments, barely giving it more than a glance, for he saw fresh blood on the snow. He smirked and tucked the cloth into his belt.
โYouโre mine.โ
He jumped the roots and ran in the direction of the new blood. That meant his prey knew about him, he was very close. Wonwoo would end all of that at once. At least he would bring the wounded man out of his misery.
Junhui was panting, his heart in his throat, his legs shaking, and his vision blurry, but he forced himself to continue. Why were they following him? He knew it couldn't be any good. The only thing he could think of was that Jeonghan sent someone to kill him. It had to be that. He wasn't going to leave him alone, it was more than clear that he wanted him dead.
Jun felt the tears in his eyes, but shook his head. No, he wouldn't indulge him. He frowned and although his speed was decreasing, he kept moving. He had the idea of reaching the river and jumping into it. The current would be a lot for him, but it was faster. It would drag him away from that person behind who was keeping up with him and would reach him soon.
And then Wonwoo caught up with him, saw the back of the man, with the fox ahead, who stopped abruptly and howled. Jun was surprised at the animal's reaction and then heard footsteps in the snow behind him. He wanted to keep running out of sheer fear, but he stumbled at the worst moment.
He fell forward with a cry over the white cloak. The hunter came to him and raised the ax above his head, ready to drop it at any moment on his prey.
The prince sensed the man's shadow looming over him and turned to see. His hands on the ground to back away, sitting in the snow. He looked up at the hunter. Wonwoo's tall, dark figure, with his ax raised to the pale sky.
And the hunter looked down, with a gesture that went from threat to astonishment.
He was not a man, he was just a scared boy.
But that wasnโt all.
Full moon eyes. Rose petal lips. Constellations scattered on the skin. Hair painted with the night, winter skin, like snow. Candid gesture, the poor scared little lamb.
Ah, the pure, innocent snow that has never been stained. That was what he was seeing. Beneath him, he didn't recognize the murderer and thief Jeonghan mentioned to him, no. It couldn't be like that.
No, what Wonwoo saw was the white snow.
And he had been about to stain it.