➼ You're on your own ➼

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- Nineteen arrows -

Jeongguk's POV

I awoke to the sun shining in through the small window, my horse neighing loudly outside. By the looks of things, the sun had just rose above the horizon, meaning it was early in the morning. Constantine continued to make noise, which made me snap my eyes open and hurry out of bed.

"Constantine hardly makes noise," I whispered, pulling my cloak on, preparing to go outside. Looking out of the small window, my eyes widen when they landed on an unfamiliar male figure, dressed in all black, a dagger in his hand. Cursing under my breath, I grabbed the mask I used to help disguise myself and quickly put it on. If he dare lays a finger on Constantine, I'll kill him.

Running through the house, I grabbed my bow and arrows, slinging the arrows over my shoulder and holding the bow in my hand. He better not hurt my horse. Darting outside, I carefully make my way towards a tree as I hide behind it, the unknown male still oblivious to the fact that I'm watching him.

He twirled the dagger in his hands, seeming to be playing with it while he strode closer to Constantine, who was continuing to neigh loudly. Watching him, I could easily tell that this man was skilled in hunting, better yet combat. "He might actually be a challenge," I whispered, looking up. Maybe I could climb the tree? The branches can hold my weight.

Giving in, I slung the bow over my shoulder and grabbed onto a branch, lifting myself up. Carefully climbing the tree, I reached a spot where I could stand and aim my bow without falling off. Positioning my foot to where I could balance my weight, I grabbed my bow along with an arrow.

Squinting through the mask, I realized that there was something red on the male. "Is that his hair?" I asked, beginning to draw my bow back, aiming it down on him. Should I kill him? All it took was one shot through the chest or head. Maybe injure him? My mind raced with questions while I tried to focus on the arrow and my aim. Clear your mind, Jeongguk.

"He's too close to Constantine," I whispered, staring down at him from my position in the tree. I can't let him get closer to my horse. "Come on Jeongguk, fire the arrow," I muttered, drawing my bow back more, getting ready to shoot the arrow.

"Shush boy, I'm not going to hurt you," The unknown male said, his voice a little deep while he smiled. My anger began to grow a bit, annoyed, and frustrated at the fact that he was near my house and horse. Finally releasing the arrow, I watched it shoot down and plant itself right into his foot, his body falling while he let out a cry of pain.

"Fucking shit." I heard him say, my hand grabbing the branch above me while I watched him try to pull the arrow out. "Who's there?" He yelled, digging his dagger into the ground while he winced in pain. I smiled to myself, happy to see him falling to the ground after one arrow.

He looked around, trying to spot me while I watched him from the tree. "I guess climbing up here wasn't a bad idea after all," I whispered, hearing him yell out again. "Show yourself!" I grabbed my bow again, along with an arrow, as I drew it back and whistled. Luckily he heard the whistle, his head snapping around in my direction, still looking for me.

Finally seeing his eyes land on my figure, I smiled beneath the mask. His eyes widened a bit but then returned to their normal size as he spoke. "So you're the one that shot me, huh?" He asked, a smile on his face as he stood up slowly, wincing again at the pain. "I suppose so."

"Well, congratulations," He said, his smile growing but then turning to a frown when he moved his foot slightly. "Congratulations?" I questioned, my eyes narrowing a bit as he chuckled, his hand reaching behind him to grab his neck.

"You're the only one who has been able to do some damage to me, and that says a lot coming from an assassin," He shouted, my eyes widening a bit when the realization hit me. So an assassin, huh? "Thanks, I guess," I responded, not entirely used to human contact since I was out on my own.

"I won't hurt you, if that's what you're worried about," He says calmly, sitting down on the ground after complaining about the pain. I shrugged, climbing down the tree with my bow still in my hand. "So, you're an assassin?" I asked, my arms crossing over my chest as I stood at the bottom of the tree. "Indeed I am! And I assume you're an archer?" He asked, resulting in a chuckle to rumble through my chest.

"What made it obvious?" I teased, seeing him smirk a bit. "What were you doing by my horse?" I asked, my voice turning cold as I gripped my bow. He laughed again, shaking his head a bit. "So this beauty is yours, hm?" I nodded, waiting for him to give me an answer to my question.

"I was hunting, and I stumbled upon your horse. He ran from me, and I ended up following him, hoping I could actually capture him. He stopped here and then, well, I found you." He shrugged, swearing when he saw the blood continue to flow through the wound on his foot. Sighing, I walked closer to him, picking up the dagger then checking on Constantine.

"You're lucky you didn't touch my horse, otherwise I wouldn't have been so careful on where I shot my arrow," I barked, seeing his eyes widen. "So, you're saying that you were purposely aiming to injure my foot?" He asked, shock evident in his voice. I nodded, still holding on to his dagger.

"Damn. You're a good shot," He laughed. I nodded. "I like you," I smirked underneath the mask, playing with his dagger while he spoke again. "Name's Hoseok." He stated, watching me play around with his weapon.

"Jungkook," I replied, never taking my eyes off of the dagger. It was nice, to say the least, I can see why he likes it. "I have to say, you have a nice weapon." I heard him laugh, continuing to watch my every move. "Glad you like it. Your bow is pretty sick too, must've cost you a fortune for that," He replied, groaning again.

"Guess I better bandage that foot of yours," I muttered, seeing him look at me with a confused face. I walked inside, grabbing a cloth to use as a bandage, and then proceeded to walk back towards him. "You're gonna help me?" He asked, seeming baffled by actions.

"On one condition," I replied, seeing him tilt his head a bit while he cocked an eyebrow. "And that is?" I dropped my bow and arrows to the ground, alongside his dagger as I stared at him. "You won't hurt me or my horse. In return, I won't hurt you again and I'll bandage you up. Deal?"

"Hell yeah. I said I liked you, didn't I? Anyone I like doesn't get hurt by me. Consider it a truce, or friends, I guess." I cocked an eyebrow, which he couldn't see due to the mask on my face, but nodded anyway. Friends? I haven't had those before, but would having an assassin as an ally be a bad idea?

"Friends, eh? Fine by me. Maybe you can show me how to use that pretty dagger of yours," I replied, taking off his shoe and looking at the wound. He laughed again, watching me clean up his injury. "I do give you credit for doing some damage to me. You actually made it look easy," He said cockily as I shook my head.

"Maybe because it was."

"Don't push it," He barked, making me laugh. "I shot the arrow to where it would just injure you but not do enough damage to make it permanent." He nodded, wincing when I began to bandage it up. "So, you were hunting, right?"

"Yes, I was. What makes you ask?" I backed away, picking up my bow and arrows while I handed him his dagger. "Just curious. Did you kill anything?" I questioned, seeing him shake his head as a response.

"Sadly, no. I don't hunt often, but I was running low on food so I decided to go out today." I nodded, processing his words. "Would you like some help? I most likely know these woods better than you do anyways." His eyes lit up when I asked the question. "Sure! Why not?"

"Do you have a disguise?" I asked, helping him stand up and walk around. "I do, just didn't think I'd need it out in these woods." I laughed, nodding because I understood what he meant. "There's a bunch of deer near the boundaries for the Acedus kingdom. I assume you've heard the rumor of the Prince going missing? They're still searching for the poor kid to this day," I started, continuing to help him walk.

"Because of that, they're on edge about random people they find out in the woods. In case we run into them it's good to have a disguise." I shrugged while he nodded. "You're right about that one."

"I'll let you rest up a bit, in the meantime, we can get to learn about one another. We'll leave before sundown." He nodded, falling to the ground with a small thud. I watched him, looking at the way he sprawled out on the grass and released a dramatic sigh.

Maybe having him as a friend wouldn't be so bad. It could come in handy, right? Plus he has combat experience. He began talking to me, making me snap out of my thoughts. Soon enough we were laughing and getting to know one another, but I couldn't help but think about our hunting session that'll soon take place.

I just hope we don't run into the guards.

*

"Yo, Hoseok," I said, hearing him groan a bit as he opened an eye. "The sun will set in about an hour," I announced, seeing him sit up from the ground, yawning a bit. "I have to say, I haven't had a day off in so long. This felt nice, even if I acquired an injury in the process." I laughed, grabbing my neck as I sighed.

"You don't have many days off?" I questioned, seeing him nod sleepily. "We'll talk about it later, alright? Let's just hunt so we actually have food." I nodded, extending my hand so he could get up from the ground. He thanked me while he grabbed his weapon and we began to head out towards the boundaries of Acedus. Why do I keep getting dragged back here?

"I wonder if Acedus will ever find the Prince," He said randomly, making me sigh a bit. I sure hope they don't, but of course, I couldn't say that. "Yeah. I wonder if he's even alive," I played along, trying to not make things suspicious between us. "I feel like he is, somehow. How long has it been now?" He asked while he walked through the woods.

"Hasn't it been like, three years?" I asked, continuing. I knew how long it had been. It's hard to forget those types of things. "Probably, honestly," I heard him mutter, his eyes turning cold. "Honestly, I could care less if that kingdom finds the Prince or not," He spat making me laugh.

"I assume you have something against Acedus?" I asked, hearing him scoff and nod. "I'm from their enemy Kingdom, Arewen, and well, we have our reasons I guess." I nodded, not really feeling like asking more questions on the matter. At least I knew where he was from. Although, that might screw me over one day.

"Anyways, what are you-" I put my hand up to his chest, stopping him and shushing him. There was movement off into the distance and I didn't want him scaring off the animal. Standing still, I looked off into the woods, seeing a deer roaming around.

I pointed off into the direction of the deer, seeing him smirk while he grabbed his dagger, twirling it around again. As cool as that was, we had other things to worry about. 'Don't move', I mouthed to him, seeing him nod as he squats down to the floor. Quietly making my way to the tree next to me, I climbed up and balanced myself, watching the deer closely.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Hoseok staring at me while I focused on the deer. We were just passed the boundaries for Acedus and because of that, I was nervous. Grabbing an arrow, I began to draw my bow back, feeling Hoseok's stare on me. I smirked a bit under the mask, knowing he was enthralled by what I was doing.

Letting my mind clear and my breathing become steady, I aimed the arrow at the heart of the deer, drawing the bow back more as I prepared the fire. Just as I let the arrow go, time went in slow motion. The deer darted off and the sound of people talking was heard in the woods. My mind raced, seeing the arrow shoot down into the ground.

"Hoseok put your disguise on!" I said from my position on the tree, seeing him pull something over his face. Fucking shit, the guards. I scanned over the area, hoping they didn't hear or even see the arrow. Soon enough I could see the color of their uniform, the silver armor, and their swords. My breath hitched, seeing all the guards near the border.

Hoseok seemed to have noticed them too because his eyes narrowed, a look of hatred on his face. Quickly grabbing another arrow, I drew it back, watching them guards carefully make their way towards us. Stay calm, Jeongguk.

"Jackson!" I heard a guard yell, making me snap my eyes onto him. My breath hitched when I realized that he had discovered the arrow in the ground. Fuck. I have to stop him! I can't let them find out! Thinking on impulse, I let the arrow go, seeing it fly through the air and plant itself through his head.

Hoseok looked up at me, his eyes glinting with excitement, which somehow made me feel more relaxed. At least he wasn't panicking. Grabbing another arrow, I drew my bow back, preparing myself in case someone else walked by the dead man and the other arrow. He had wandered far off into the woods, straying away from the group. Maybe he didn't hear him?

From below me, I could see Hoseok squatting behind the bushes, his dagger twirling in his hands again. Why was he always doing that? Suddenly we both heard another voice, fairly close to us, which made my breath hitch again. I was praying that they wouldn't spot either of us.

The guard stopped at the border, staring off passed it. Was he going to cross? After a while of him just standing there, he walked passed the boundaries and my eyes widened. No way. Someone actually went passed the borders. Once realization hit me, I realized that this was bad.

If he walked out far enough he'd run into my house, better yet my horse who I left to roam freely. Fuck what if he spots Constantine? The royal horse who went missing with the Prince? I can't have that! Once again acting on impulse, I aimed the arrow to where it would shoot at his leg. Letting it go, I watched it fly and plant itself in his leg, the head of the arrow sticking out on the other side.

He fell to the floor with a scream. I jumped down, feeling Hoseok's eyes on me as I ran behind the trees, getting closer to the guard. He screamed again making me grit my teeth, fucking shut up! If he doesn't be quiet then they'll spot us. Running over the man, I drew my bow back again, aiming it right at his head as he stared up at me. "If you don't shut up I'll plant this in your head," I barked, my voice going deeper.

He whimpered in pain but he didn't say anything. My mind was racing, trying to figure out what to do next. Kill him? Spare him? What do I do? I couldn't risk him going to the Kingdom and telling people that there was an archer in the woods. I also couldn't afford to keep someone else alive. My mind was telling me to kill him, but my hands didn't let the arrow go.

After battling with my mind, I snapped my eyes down to look at the guard. His eyes widened as if realization hit him. Why was he looking at me like that? "Are you- Are you the pr-"

I shot the arrow.

It went right through his head, blood pouring from the wound. I killed him. I killed him without a second thought. Fear struck my mind when I heard him speak. He was so close. So close to figuring it out. What gave it away? I looked at my hands, which were shaking, while I shook my head. He's dead. That's all that matters.

"Jungkook!" Hoseok whispered, making me snap my head onto him, seeing the guards begin to get closer. Fuck, we had to get out of here. "Get the other guard over there while I grab this one. There's a river near my house, we'll drop the bodies there. Hurry, we're running out of time!" I said, grabbing the guard on the ground and lifting him up. We had to get out of here.

Seeing Hoseok carry the other body, we began to run deeper into the woods, hoping that they wouldn't spot us. Once we arrived back at my house, we took whatever was valuable from the guards then dropped their bodies into the river. They wouldn't be able to find them now. Sighing, I grabbed Hoseok and we began to head out to find something to eat.

Eventually, we found food, and we both hauled it back to the fire pit. "That was intense today. I still love your aim," Hoseok commented, his mouth stuffed with venison. I laughed, taking a bite as well. "Can I crash here? I'll leave tomorrow morning," He asked while I nodded.

"Feels great to finally find someone who's good at something," He said, making my eyes furrow in confusion. "I'm the only assassin from my Kingdom. The royals know about me, hence why I can get away with it." My body slightly stiffened when he mentioned royals, but I shrugged it off.

"That must be nice. Do you live in the castle?" I asked, genuinely curious. "Me? No. Dear Lord, no. I do live in a small cottage though, that was paid by the King. I'm his assassin after all." I nodded again, taking another bite of the venison. "I appreciate your company. Thanks for shooting my foot but also bandaging it up," He laughed, making me let out a chuckle.

"But also, thank you for the adventure. It was fun today, risky, but fun." I smiled a bit, seeing his smile get bigger. It's hard to believe that a guy with this much energy could be an assassin. "Oh, and, don't worry about the King finding out about you. I assume you dislike the kingdoms since you're out here." I gulped, slowly nodding while I looked at him.

"Yeah, I figured. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me! We're friends, after all, right?" I smiled again, nodding. There was something about this guy that made him feel trustworthy.

He yawned, falling to the ground as he began to drift off into sleep. I let out a laugh, pulling the hood of my cloak down. Letting the fire burn a bit longer, I walked into my house and set my bow down. Taking off my mask, I began to count my arrows. I tried to grab them all, so that way I wouldn't run out. I mean, I could make more but I didn't typically prefer doing so.

I picked up the arrows, seeing a bit of blood on two of them. I sighed when I remembered the events from today. Now that was way too close. My eyes furrowed when I counted only nineteen. That's weird, I had twenty earlier. I recounted, thinking I just counted wrong, but again I was met with only nineteen arrows.

"What happened to the other arrow?" I whispered, trying to think where I could have left it. We took the arrows out of the bodies, so that wasn't it. What arrow was missing?

My eyes widened as I dropped all of the arrows into the ground, my breath hitching. Please don't tell me I- No. I couldn't have. Making sure once more, I counted again and was met with nineteen arrows. Fuck.

"Fuck! This isn't good!" I whispered, pacing around. Fuck! I left it! I can't believe I left it!

I left the arrow in the ground!

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Do you think the guards will find the arrow in the ground, or will it still be there?

I purple you 💜

~Pisanthrophobia.