The assassins tried to break through the ice wall but it was impenetrable, so they delayed in their position restlessly, till the ice wall slowly dissipated into thin air, clearing their path.
The assassins proceeded to move as they yanked the reins of their horses but Master Zhang lifted his hand with a balled fist up, making them halt in their movements.
"Master Zhang." One of the assassins called.
"We're returning to Silla." Master Zhang ordered and their faces twisted with a grim expression, obviously displeased with the order.
"We haven't caught Hwarang yet. He needs to be punished for treason." One of the assassins stated with a low growl.
"He will. We'll go after him when he's less prepared and has his guard down, for now we'll go back to Silla and proceed with his first punishment." Master Zhang said firmly as his grip around the reins tightened, while he stared out into space.
"We should go after him now, he's wounded and the girl's dragging him behind, so he won't be able to do much." One of the assassins implied and the others whispered indistinctly in accordance.
"Wounded..." Master Zhang murmured beneath his breath as a sarcastic smirk appeared on his lips.
"A little arrow won't weaken him in the slightest and it's obvious he wields greater powers than you all. Use your foresight, he might be one man, but he possesses the resilience of a god, like you all, but grander." Master Zhang remarked as he averted his gaze from the empty space to the assassins.
"We're going back to Silla." Master Zhang declared firmly, as the sarcastic smirk dropped from his face to be replaced with a stern expression and the assassins affirmed in unison.
They dispersed from the vicinity as their horses galloped from sight as they proceeded toward the Silla kingdom.
--------
It was a hassle running with the blind fae princess, she slowed him down, tugging her hanbok gown up to run faster, with one hand clutched around his arm for support as her feet sunk into the snow coated ground.
He halted abruptly, making her bump into him and a faint hiss escaped her lips.
"What's wrong?" She asked in a whisper with a slightly rushed tone. Panic, fear and hysteria etched on every corner of her face as she spoke and her hands clutched tighter on his arm.
"Nothing. They're gone." He said as he scrutinized her trembling body from the cold, that her hanbok gown didn't do much to dissuade.
"Really?" She queried between slightly clattering teeth from the cold as puffs of white misty smoke emitted from her lips.
"Not for long." He muttered with a grimace.
He silently supported her movement as he wrapped her arm around his neck and crouched down slightly.
"Get on." He said and she froze for a second before regaining her composure.
"I'm fine, I can walk." She said with a low voice.
"I'm well aware of that and you're slowing me down." Hwarang said with a firm tone.
"You didn't have to do it. Why did you do it? Why did you help me?" She blurted out as she loosened her hand from his neck and Hwarang stood straight as he turned to face her.
"You can ask your questions after we're safe. It's cold and we're out in the open for attack." Hwarang said, but she stayed unmoving in her position.
"Just tell me why? Why did you go through all that to save me? Why would you leave everything behind and commit treason for me? Why?!" Her high pitched voice echoed in the forest as she spoke, demanding for an answer.
It had been six years since their last encounter and all of a sudden he was committing treason for her. His actions left her in a deteriorated state as she tried to discern his motives, but he would gain nothing by committing treason, rather he'd lose everything, his honor, title and status and presumably, his life if things went awry.
"It doesn't matter why. I already did it and there's no going back from my actions." Hwarang remarked firmly as he pulled her abruptly to proceed, but she glued her feet on the ground, refusing to move.
Her actions made Hwarang sigh in exasperation, but oddly he wasn't irked by her behaviours, even though she was acting like an over pampered princess who wasn't getting her way.
"It doesn't make any sense. Are you forgetting you and the assassins raided the palace? My father is probably dead and you killed my maid, then almost killed me, yet you're refusing to give me an explanation. You owe me that much Hwarang." Nari pointed out with a shaky voice as her forest green eyes welled up with tears at the brim of her eyes, threatening to spill.
The snow drizzled heavier than the last day as it settled around them. Her black hair was already coated with snowflakes and her skin turned paler from the frostiness as she trembled, from both the cold and the suppressed emotions that were already breaking out from within.
The sun peeking from beneath the clouds enacted its intensifying rays on them, but they barely derived warmth from the heat as the heavy snow overpowered it.
"I don't know." Hwarang said with a flat tone, as he couldn't explain the alien emotion surging within him, it was complicated to exemplify and put in words what he felt. Telling her he loved her when he couldn't discern the meaning of love was rather irrational to him.
He didn't understand what love felt like or what it even meant, so how could he tell her that.
"You committed treason for an unknown reason? Are you in love with me?" She blurted out, green eyes staring into space as he stared into it.
"I don't even know what it means. I just don't what you to get hurt, call it pity if you want." Hwarang stated with a hard tone.
"Pity? But the Hwarang assassins don't feel that. You've killed countless people, both the innocent and guilty, you didn't feel pity then, why would you feel it now?" Nari implied as she clutched her hand tightly into a balled fist.
"You're right, maybe I should have killed you then." Hwarang said in a cold tone, making the temperature drop lower and her lips quivered, not from the cold or fear, but from an indiscernible feeling.
"You're right. Why not just kill me now like you were supposed to. You'll still be accepted and everything will go back to normal." Nari said with an unwavering voice.
He looked at her for a moment in silence before dragging her along with forced movements.
"Unfortunately, even if I killed you I can't go back. I already killed three assassins for you." He pointed out as he enunciated on every word rolling off his lips.
"Well, you should have chosen redemption while you still had the chance, I never asked for you to save me or endanger your life and commit treason." Nari said with a pained voice and he halted in his movements.
"it's either you're being ungrateful or you're just feeling guilty." Hwarang remarked.
"I am grateful, but when you have no plausible reason why you chose this path, I can't help but feel guilty if something bad transpires, like your death." She said in a slightly confused tone mixed with worry.
"I won't die." He said nonchalantly and she pressed her lips in a thin line.
"Get on." Hwarang stated firmly as he supported her hand to wrap around his neck while he crouched down for her. The cold was getting to her, so she didn't refuse and immediately did as he demanded.
She buried her face in his neck, subconsciously inhaling his mint scent as he moved. She had no choice but to accept her new fate which had been twisted to an unknown mystery, with the haze of obscurity haunting their paths.