Once outside, Jimin excitedly leads me, Taehyung and Hoseok to one quiet extremity of the training ground where we get to have a good sight of the sky without being put at risk, and I almost start to laugh when I notice some of the annoying knights running around helplessly with the discarded swords and training dummies in their arms.

There's something extremely satisfying about not being part of them for once. They can finally see that there's nothing amusing about the messes they create and seeing them clean up behind themselves?

Tragic.

I would enjoy myself even more if they were to somehow look over here to find me relaxing with a smile on my face.

Hoseok's lips curl into a light smirk as he observes me from the side because he can see in my eyes that I'm liking my current position a lot. To not have to take part in their little problems might very well be a first for me so he's just glad that it's something they can offer me at the moment.

Wanting to see how far he can go with me in public, his curiosity highly in need of this knowledge right now, Hoseok waits for a good opportunity to take action, and when one of the knights comes close enough that he can hear us to pick up some equipment from the floor, when his eyes do fall on us, the dragon knight immediately pulls me in by the waist to replace some baby hair that weren't bothering me with an eternal smile on his face.

"You should stay close, sweet thing, the wind will be very strong when Yoongi begins the landing and I wouldn't want you to get sand in your eyes, it can be uncomfortable otherwise" he says all sweetly as his thumb trails over my cheek, as if we were the only ones out here.

I nod my head softly with a blush tinting my skin, my heart stuttering in my chest because... where is this coming from so suddenly? But when I hear the knight gasp and run - probably to recount what he just heard to the others - it all makes sense.

"Shouldn't... don't we need to be careful so they don't find out about me being your mate, Sir Hoseok?" I ask him in a hushed whisper, and to that, Jimin and Taehyung laugh in amusement while Hoseok simply keeps his lovely smile on.

"They are not smart enough to come up with that answer on their own, sweet Aithne, don't you worry. Ah, here comes that mate of ours, he sure took his time. Look up".

Right as he says those words, the wind shifts in the air as a loud roar echoes in the sky to warn us of the dragon's arrival and my blood tingles with both nerves and excitement at the sheer strength of it, I can't believe I'm about to see such a rare sight in person!

The sound of the powerful wings moving air is almost overwhelming as a shadow casts over the entirety of the ground due to the sun getting blocked by a large mass, and when I look up with fascinated eyes, it is to find a magnificent beast lowering itself to the ground very gently as its eyes meet my own, the breeze that sways our way pushing me backwards before Hoseok and Taehyung hold me still with a grin.

My breath hitches in my throat as my brain tries to process the impressive image in front of me, this dragon has got to be the most beautiful creature I have ever been allowed to see in all of my short life. The matte scales are not even reflecting any light from how dark they are, is this what the colour of the night looks like?

It appeases me for some reason, the same way the starry sky does.

The landing appears to go smoothly for most of the process until the descent abruptly stops, and when the dragon turns its head around when a sudden movement catches its attention, I realize instantly that something is terribly wrong when I follow its gaze.

Right beneath the black mass of sharp edges, I find one of the young kids working here as a page trying to crouch away from the dangerously windy area that keeps him trapped in, the swords in his arms slipping out one after the other because of the strong wind that threatens to unearth even the biggest tree if this keeps going any longer.

My heart stops beating for a few seconds before resuming with a newfound rage that spreads throughout my whole body like fire, this cannot be real.

"Those worthless bugs, I can't believe they sent a kid to finish their job now of all times" I spit out with an anger that is ready to kill, and before any of the three men by my side can react to what I just said, I'm running ahead into the treacherous winds in the hopes of reaching the young boy before a blade unmistakably finds his head.

It's like stepping into a tornado when I first make it within the strangely visible dome, my arms both raised to protect my face when sand ultimately gets in my eyes, and moving in here is much, much harder to do than I first believed as a screech constantly attacks my ears, but seeing the kid in danger makes me push forward anyway because I will never forgive myself if I let something happen to him without doing anything.

The steady motions of the long wings above our heads is the only thing Yoongi can do to stay still and keep us safe at the same time as he waits for us to make it out from under him, and he absolutely hates everything about this situation.

If he tries to fly back in the sky, the wind will most likely get us wounded one way or another and he can't have that happen, never, but he'll be damned if he's not heard screaming bloody murder when this is over and the two of us are safe.

He glares at his younger mates to get them out of their stupor when he finds them still frozen, and the roar that accompanies it resonates from my ears all the way down to my toes as I try to fight against the wind.

I make it maybe halfway to the kid on my own before someone finally covers my back to help me push forward, and together we manage to grab the terrified boy by the collar before getting out of the danger zone as quickly as possible.

As soon as we're safe and away from the landing area, I collapse on the ground, gasping to catch my breath while the young boy's cries are finally heard, and the burn in my eyes is absolutely unbearable when a pair of hands forcefully pull me around to have a look at my face at my sound of pain, but adrenaline continues to run high and so I mindlessly push an angered Taehyung aside to kneel by the sobbing boy who's still holding onto the few swords he managed to save at the risk of his own life.

"Who told you to gather those swords?" I ask him immediately, and I need to shake him by the shoulders roughly to get my answer, but when he finally points a shaky finger at a face that I know well, when said knight looks away with a huff, I fully lose what little sanity I had left.

The noisy landing of the dragon covers most of what Taehyung says as he tries to keep me still, but I do hear myself tell him to let me go, that now's not the time before I'm storming towards the one who will have to relearn how to walk when I'm done with him.

Everyone around him has exactly four seconds to back off before I'm sending my fist across his face with all of my strength, and his scream as he pitifully falls to the ground is far from enough when I crouch over him to grab him by the scarf, bloody nose already pissing blood as I glower at him.

"What kind of sick bastard are you to put a kid in danger like that? You sent a kid to pick up stupid swords just as a dragon was about to land, you fucking arse! What part of being a knight do you not understand? Should I break your skull open myself to refresh your shitty memory?".

I am absolutely out of my mind, my soul boiling like there's a living hell flaring within me as I lash out my anger on this piece of trash, tears incessantly spilling out of my eyes because of the burning sensation as I try to force some sense inside his useless brain, do the knights here have no common sense at all?

Would they all send a kid to their death because it's easier than risking meeting their own?

That's a thought that makes me land one last heavy blow on his broken jaw before an arm around my stomach suddenly pulls me off the unconscious body, and I instantly lose all will to fight when my back bumps against a burning chest, the strong arms that close around my waist holding me up when my legs give way under my weight, empty eyes staring at the bloodied mess that I've made out of the knight while he gets pulled out of here by his panicked friends.

There's a very powerful aura to the person currently holding me as he gently lowers us to the ground until we're sitting on our knees, and when my body begins to shake as I process all that happened in such a short amount of time, a husky voice hushes softly against my ear with a comforting squeeze of the arms that makes me feel safer than ever.

"It's okay, sweetheart, it's over now. Calm, breathe, feel" the deep, slow voice whispers, and when his hands begin to rub uneven shapes on my sides, lips gentle as they caress my neck, I finally let my body melt and fall with shut eyes, a silent exhale that purges my body of the overpowering emotions that had taken over me.

"There you go, just like that. I'm so proud of you, sweetheart, you showed him exactly what piece I had on my mind and none of us would have done it as beautifully as you did. The kid is safe thanks to you, and it also won't ever happen again thanks to you. This is how you force common sense into imbeciles here so don't worry about that twit, he'll survive".

It is easy to tell that every knights and servants have left the training ground because of how silent it has gotten and that helps in my calming down as I listen to his voice, being alone here is much better than having everyone's eyes on me.

"Are you trying to encourage her to do it again, Yoongi? Though I have to admit that you really did a number on him, dear, he's going to need weeks to recover from that one" Jimin chides before sighing as he reaches our duo on the ground.

"You have so much sand on your face... let me clean you up a little before you get more in your eyes, it must hurt a lot. Are your hands painful too?" Jimin asks sweetly, and I make a tiny noise as he begins to dust my face carefully.

"The hands are fine, Jimin, just throbbing a bit. Is Taehyung still mad at me? I pushed him away earlier when I was seeing red, I didn't mean to do that" I ask them my own question when I remember the way he'd tried to stop me, but the man answers himself when he joins us with Hoseok.

"I'm not mad at you, little one, just worried. You caused us such a fright when you ran off earlier, you know? I had no idea you would suddenly put yourself under a dragon so close to the ground like you did, it was very dangerous. You should've let us handle the situation ourselves, bravery will not keep you from dying".

I huff softly at Taehyung's comment, not an ounce of desire in my body to exit the warmth currently holding me, this must be Yoongi.

What a first meeting, once more. They keep getting worse than the last.

"Maybe not bravery, but being furious helps. I wasn't going to die before I could get one on that asshole. Still... I'm sorry, Taehyung, my feet were moving on their own and before I knew it, it was too late to turn around. Thank you for helping me to save the young boy, I really had a hard time moving because of the wind".

Taehyung sighs and Hoseok pats his back softly, a soundless request to drop it for now.

"Just... don't do it again, please. I would hate for one of us to have to live with the guilt of having hurt you, you can't imagine how painful it would be for us. Yoongi did a very hard thing earlier, it's not easy to remain stable like he did when we're so close to the ground".

Unable to open my eyes because of Jimin who tries to get the sand off of my lids and lashes, I instead open and raise my okay-ish hand palm upwards as my way to comfort him. I guess I really did something reckless, again.

The dragon knight carefully accepts my hand, knuckles caressed by his thumbs as he stares at the blood, is it mine or that other soldier's? He should've done more to stop me when he still could.

He can scarcely believe what happened as a result of his lacking, even Yoongi was shocked into silence when he saw me aggressively throwing punches on the knight, him who was ready to raise hell because he could've killed his new mate and he would've been powerless about it.

"Yoongi, I'm sorry for putting you in such a scary position earlier, I didn't realize that you would've been the one living with the repercussions of my decision had anything happened" I apologize to the man holding me next and he hums, chin resting on my shoulder before he inhales deeply.

"As long as you don't try to be a hero every time someone throws themselves underneath a dragon, I'll let this one go, but do it again and I'm not going to play nice. I was seriously going to scold you very harshly when I finally landed and shifted".

I purse my lips lightly at that knowledge, I'm glad he went for a hug instead. Hugs can be nice. Being scolded by an angry dragon? Not so much.

"I won't test my limits on this one. Thank you for helping me to calm down instead of getting mad, I probably would've cried if you did".

"You were already crying when he reached your side, young Aithne".

"Thank you for not making me cry more then, geez".

"Are you giving us attitude now?".

"I-"

"Maybe we should bring her to the infirmary to have a look at her hands and eyes for now, you can continue this banter once she's cleaned off all the dirt, I doubt this must be comfortable for her".

"Hoseok's right, as usual... can you stand, sweetheart? Let's go slowly".

---

If there is one thing that Taehyung seems to have registered about me up to now, it is that I like reading in the library, so I should not be surprised when I am forbidden of everything except for that one thing.

No, what I am instead surprised about is how the four dragons have decided to stay with me to do the very same thing in the silence of the large empty room, as if they were here only to take a vacation.

I know that they all joined Taehyung here because of me, they did not have any tasks to accomplish in Orton, else they wouldn't be so taken by the stories of their choosing, but it still makes me feel awkward.

I could avoid a harsh punishment from Commander Rayner because everything was done for the sake of saving a defenseless young page under our care, but I was denied dinner for the sake of avoiding an uproar since I did go a bit too far on the man who will need to keep his mouth shut until his jaw heals.

Not that it's a bad thing, he did deserve it.

I look up from my book after a moment to stare at a focused Yoongi who took a seat in front of me while the others went for the table right next to ours, and I clear my throat to get his attention.

"Sir Yoongi-"

The dragon knight instantly hisses like a wild cat before I can even ask my question and I freeze like a statue under his narrowed eyes, what was that for?!

"Are you really going to go back to calling us Sir after earlier, Y/N? Am I a stranger? Do we not have the same mark on our skin? Call me Sir one last time and I'll make sure you regret it. It makes my skin crawl to have a mate call me that".

Unsettled by the sudden outburst, I purse my lips before glancing at the three other men who seem to share his opinion when they quickly nod their head to confirm the statement. They weren't a big fan of the Sir either.

"But what if someone hears me address you by name only? Your rank is much higher than mine" I ask sheepishly, and his black eyes fall on me a second time with a bored look on his face.

"What if they hear you, Y/N? What will they do, hm? Are they going to scream at you? Are they going to attack you? Can you not defend yourself if that happens?".

Intimidated by his sarcastic tone, the strong energy that emanates from him somehow making him scarier in this particular occasion, I make myself smaller in my seat as I meet his gaze with a pout.

"I can defend myself, that's not the issue" I utter in a murmur and to that, he hums in satisfaction before lowering his gaze to his book again.

"Then we don't care about what others have to say, that's what happens. If we're fine with you calling us only by name, that is our business, not theirs, but if they say anything to you..." he huffs after contemplating for a moment, "just show them your teeth and they'll back off".

Jimin makes a giggling noise while Taehyung and Hoseok smile and I exhale deeply before staring at the book in front of me.

I should show them my teeth? What am I, a dog?

"No one will say anything on this matter, young Aithne, Yoongi is only playing with you. They've seen how close we are so they will not dare do something that might anger us" Taehyung assures me with a gentle tone and I give him a grateful glance, that's a language I understand better.

"I have my doubts, but I'll stop using your title then since you gave me permission. Now... Yoongi, I wanted to know before you so graciously cut me off if you could be so kind as to release my foot from your trampling. Despite what you seem to believe, it is not the table's leg and my toes are getting numb".

Jimin falls into a bigger giggling fit as the dark-haired man blushes at the unexpected question, his intimidating nature completely gone as he lifts his foot sheepishly with a scratch to his neck.

"Sorry... you should've said something sooner if it was getting that bad" he mumbles quietly but at my quirked eyebrow, he grumbles again, "but you already tried before I cut you off. Sorry, I'll be more careful".

Jimin is still giggling from his table besides ours, the sight that we make apparently highly entertaining to the point of tilting his chair back, and I get to see live as he loses his balance before falling down with the chair, the loud crash noise accompanied by a grunt before he resumes laughing on his own.

"Don't mind him, sweet Aithne, it happens all the time" Hoseok says when he finds me looking unsure about the situation, but I still decide to go help him when he struggles to free himself from between the chair and the table, his tears meeting the floor as he twists in laughter.

What a mighty dragon.

---

When the next morning states its arrival with the first rays of sunshine that rain down from the sky through the thick clouds dotted here and there, I am already awake and in the training ground, sword in hand as I practice against a wooden dummie to make up for yesterday's wasted time.

I couldn't bear to remain in bed when I felt so restless and anxious, but even after hours of training with the stars as my sole witnesses, I still can't tell if it has made me feel better or not.

There's this feeling in my chest that keeps making me feel as if danger is near, as if I need to run away from something I do not know to reach a place that I cannot describe and it's been bothering me so much.

What am I supposed to run away from exactly? What would change if I did? I hate when this happens.

When I run out of breath, my heart pounding away but my guts still twisting uncomfortably, I decide to drop the training to head to the stable instead, hoping to find there some mercy, and as soon as my eyes fall on Eclipse, I release a soft sigh of relief, a smile pulling on my lips as I make my way to her awaiting giddiness.

"Hey there sweet girl" I murmur as I reach her door, hands finding her neck while she blows air through her nose against my face, and as she always does when she feels me unwell like this, she then rests her chin on my back to pull me into a hug, one like only a horse can give.

She makes a soft sound to encourage me and my arms also close around her to accept this soothing that she willingly gives whenever I need it.

"Things are moving so fast, Eclipse, it feels like I don't have control over anything now" I murmur into her neck, the hug still held strong because she knows I need more, she always seems to know when I've had my fill and when I need all the love in the world.

"I keep feeling like I need to run away to some kind of magical place and no matter how hard I try to make it stop, it won't work. It's been going on for hours now and it's starting to make me feel nauseous, how do I make it stop? I really don't know what to do anymore, Eclipse" I continue while holding onto her tightly, because just talking about this with her helps in making me feel less alone.

She makes a concerned noise before nudging the side of my head and I smile a little. I'm so glad to have her by my side, I don't know how I could survive for so long here otherwise, this place is bad for my mental health.

The sudden sound of rolling rocks and dried mud cracking under the weight of a foot serves to make a presence known in the silence and I startle, my body jumping high enough that Eclipse needs to push more weight on my shoulder to avoid breaking the hug just yet.

I would be more on my guards normally, but her lack of surprise tells me enough - she knew someone was here from the beginning and it apparently isn't anyone I should be wary of, which can only mean it's one of the dragons.

"Do you often feel that way, Y/N?" a gentle, low voice that I recognize well asks me after a moment and when I turn around to find Hoseok tilting his head at me from where he's leaning against a pillar by the entrance, I purse my lips before nodding my head.

"Hoseok... I didn't hear you come, good morning. It happens every once in a while? It'll sometimes wake me up in the middle of the night, like a feeling of fear crawling up my spine, and then I feel that urge to do something to keep myself busy because if I don't, it gets worse. I tried to pretend like it was nothing once but I only got sick in the end so now I always do some training to make it stop. It works less often than I want to admit though".

The red-haired man pushes himself from the sturdy pillar to join my side by Eclipse's stall, and I observe as he shows her his hand before petting her cheek with a soft hum, his warmth comforting as it reaches my cold skin - nights are always freezing in Orton since we're so close to the desert.

"Have you noticed if it usually happens when something new occurs around you? Taehyung, Jimin, Yoongi and I arrived into your life without warning, not to forget our three missing mates who will get here at random times, it's a lot to handle for one person. Does the uncertain and unplanned side of it all make you anxious?" he asks next with an obvious knowledge on the matter, his clear eyes falling on my form to better see my reaction as I answer him.

I take some time to think about it, mind trying to remember all the other times when I woke up in a nervous sweat, was there always something to trigger this sensation of danger? Could their sudden appearance in my life have a say in why I feel that way this morning?

"I... I'm not sure, Hoseok. I don't think that's quite it? It might have more to do with the fact that I can't keep up with life sometimes, like days are simply going... too fast for me. I've been like that ever since I got here for the first time, it felt as if... I didn't have any stability beneath my feet anymore, as if everything could crumble any time. I guess I just have yet to find a stable ground to stand on" I explain somberly before laughing awkwardly, where did that come from?

"It's not really anything to do with you and the others, Hoseok, I'm just a bit dramatic so please ignore what I just said. It'll pass soon, it always does" I assure him as I bring my attention back to Eclipse, heart a little distressed by what I said, have I always felt like this and I just didn't know?

The dragon stares at me for a bit longer before inhaling deeply, his crossed arms on the door as he stares at the wooden ceiling.

"I once felt exactly the same way, did you know? That was back when I was a lot younger, around your age actually. Back then, I used to be a wanderer, I didn't care much about being a dragon knight like the other dragons I grew up with and would prefer being on my own, soaring in the sky for days before finding a quiet place to rest so I could do it all over again. You could describe that way of living as being lazy, but I was content living that life, it made me feel happy".

Taken aback by what I'm hearing, I glance at Hoseok to find him already smiling at me, like he can now understand that reaction.

"One day, while I was resting on the ground in some cold, snowy mountains, I met Seokjin, our eldest mate. The burn on my skin as the mark woke up for the first time... he literally had to fly after me to avoid losing me forever, I'd never shifted and fled as fast as I did that day, I was freaked out of my mind" he reveals with a laugh while my eyes widen, he did what?

"You fled? But I thought every dragons wanted to meet and be with their mates" I ask him, shocked, and he makes an amused sound before nodding his head.

"Trust me, I wanted my mates, sweet Aithne, whoever they were, but a knight?" he huffs. "My way of living couldn't accept that reality. I was a free spirit, carefree, I couldn't be with someone who was bound to the law and its rules, that was a prison and I wanted nothing to do with being locked inside".

Who would've known... he was the total opposite of me then, we grew up with completely different beliefs.

"When Seokjin finally caught up to me and made me spill everything, we agreed to a middle ground that I could live with. He owned a house in a calm village at the time so his idea went as such - I would settle there alone first, and after warming up to him through plenty of dates, I could join him in the capital where we would be together like we were always meant to be. It seemed simple enough so I agreed even though I wasn't very confident that it would work".

He smiles bitterly as he remembers the past, it makes me worry about him despite knowing that things are going well between them today.

"As I had expected to happen, it didn't take long before I started feeling just like you described - like the ground I was walking on was suddenly gone. I missed the sky, I missed the freedom, the silence, days were flying by yet I couldn't remember a single one of them. So one day, in the middle of the night, I left. I thought it would be best for the both of us, I left a note behind and then disappeared.

It felt good at first, like I had gotten back my joy of living, my stable ground. The sky was my only known territory, that was where I found the most peace, where I could strive the most, that was home to me. That's what I thought anyway. When thoughts of Seokjin started coming back to mind... that peace also started to change. I began to miss him deeply, and the sky soon became a prison".

I look down at his words, how did he feel at that moment? When the only place he could call home started to feel like a cage, the very thing he was trying to avoid? I can somehow imagine what it must have felt like.

"When I finally understood why I was feeling that way, I felt very conflicted about what to do. On one hand, there was this place that made me feel lost, trapped, that was where I could see my mate, but on the other hand, going back meant giving up on all that I knew. I couldn't abandon him twice so I had to make up my mind. In the end, the hardest decision to make also ended up being the easiest.

I found myself back to that village before I knew it and indeed, there he was waiting for me with tears in his eyes. He didn't even get mad when I shamefully walked up to him, he simply cried before hugging me and thanking me for coming back to him. He said that he believed in the memories we shared together, he had faith that they would bring me back one day. That's when I realized something important".

He turns on his heels to face me, hands getting a hold of my own while Eclipse stands tall between us, her satisfied gaze on the dragon who decided to open up about something private in the hopes of helping me cope with my emotions.

"I used to feel safe in the sky because it was all I had known at the time, so when I met Seokjin, he ended up broadening my world with new things that I wasn't ready to experience. He forced my limits to find a new ground on which to settle and because I wasn't open to that change, I gave up before I could find that new safety.

When I went back to the sky... it didn't feel the same anymore because I hadn't allowed those limits to find a new home in what I had built with him. I couldn't allow myself to see what had happened as an occasion to learn and that in turn made me lose my footing - I was so focused on the past that I lost sight of the present, of the future".

I frown, not quite understanding what it is that he's trying to say with this and he chuckles, thumbs soft as they slide over my knuckles in a comforting manner.

"You never accepted Orton as your home, did you? You kept looking back towards the things that you lost, you kept remembering the life you had in Goldwyn and the people that you left there, so you never allowed your expended world to settle down into the now.

You were so busy dreaming of getting that life back, that you completely lost sight of the present, just like I did. Seeking a home that you cannot have without claiming another one, no matter how brief it remains one, is enough to get homesick, Y/N".

I meet his gaze in silence as I try to fully process the implications of his words, his touch against my skin helping to ground me into the present time, something I've failed to do for much too long now.

From the moment I set foot here all those years ago, from the moment I met the people living here, both in the town and in the fortress, I immediately knew that I could never see Orton as a place to call home, and though I longed to, I couldn't call Goldwyn home either because it wasn't anymore.

I left family behind in my goal to offer my mother a mean to live a long and healthy life, to help my father in supporting our growing family, but the cost of such a goal was that I had to throw myself into unknown and unwelcoming lands that made me afraid of the tomorrow every single night.

Is that when I began to look behind me instead of forward? To avoid facing this loneliness that followed me everywhere I went, losing myself in daydreams seemed like the obvious choice to make, but was it the right one?

I was too proud to treat this place like it meant something to me, so instead I left my soul to float in an abyss of confusion. I have forced myself to live fourteen years of my life as if being here was only temporary, when until now, it was all but temporary.

I felt like I couldn't keep up with life, like everything went too fast for me, but it was only because I was closing my eyes.

"I inflicted upon myself homesickness like a fool" I finally murmur as it all sinks in, the ugly truth being that I did this to myself, and Hoseok smiles lightly before sighing, my hands brought to his chest where I can feel even more heat emanating from his fire core.

"You were not a fool. It is hard to find a home in a place that does not make you feel like you belong, know that as the truth. You were left on your own at such a young age, in a town that does not treat women well, there was not much you could do in such circumstances.

I truly believe that you did your best with what you had at your disposal, sweetie, no matter how lacking that was. You should be proud that you held on for so long, I'm sure your family is incredibly proud of you, but you deserve to do something good for yourself now. You've done enough".

Have I?

I bite on the inner side of my lips, gaze cast down to hide the emotions taking place in my eyes.

I know that my family is proud of me, they let me know all the time in the letters they send me, I can taste it in the food my mother sends from time to time, but have I done enough for them? She is still sick because I cannot afford better healthcare, I don't even know if they get to eat three meals a day, heck, I can't even afford school for Maite.

"Y/N, look at me".

I blink a few tears away before doing as told, and the weight of his hazelnut eyes on me ultimately causes more to roll down my cheeks. It is too early to hear words that are spoken from the heart, how am I supposed to resist the tears when they are all I have at the moment?

"Listen to me, sweetie. You have done enough. You have put yourself through such a hard time to take care of the people you love, you accepted to live such a lonely life for their sake and you never asked for more. You have done enough, do you hear me? You have done enough, Y/N Aithne Shields" he repeats the words I cannot believe over and over again, as if knowing that I need to hear them until I break, and the lump in my throat along with my wobbling chin are all he needs to see to know that his words reached me, if only a little.

He brings my fingers to his lips to pepper my skin softly, something so sweet and simple, yet it makes my heart burst with so much love and peace that I need to shut my eyes tightly just to avoid the torrent of tears that threatens to come out anytime now, especially when I feel Eclipse nudge my cheek with a blow of the nose.

"You are not alone anymore, my sweet mate, say the word and we will help you to offer them a good life. Whatever you need for them, we will make it happen, okay? You need to begin living this life for yourself, you have given enough of your happiness for the sake of others, do you understand me? You have done more than enough so let us be good to you from now on. Hm?" he utters the end so sweetly that I can only smile with a wet chuckle.

"Would that really be okay? To ask for your help? Can I really live selfishly now?" I ask tearfully, and he makes a gentle noise before wiping my cheeks with his thumbs.

"I told you, sweetie, just say the word and we will move entire mountains for you".

A small sniffle.

"Then... the word, please".

Hoseok's face lightens up with laughter at my literal take of his words and he softly nudges my nose with his own, something he needs to bend low to reach, it makes my heart melt like warm butter as my cheeks turn red.

"You are so adorable, sweet Aithne, absolutely delightful. Your horse is just like you as well, warmhearted and kind, it felt like magic to see her try to comfort you, you make a very unique pair. Now, how about we go join the others for breakfast, hm? We can talk more about this after you get some food in your stomach, what do you think?".

My eyes fall on a dancing Eclipse and I giggle before nodding my head, body melting into Hoseok's side when he pulls me closer with a content smile on his face.

"Let us go, then, before they begin to shout our names for all to hear-"

"HOSEOK! Y/N! WHERE! ARE! YOU! FOOD IS READY".

"Just as I thought. Let's run, hurry hurry!".

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So! How is the story so far??? Do you guys like it as much as I do?