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The horse refused to ride any longer, forcibly requesting a break. He guided the animal to the nearby stream they had been following and sat on a rock, watching as his loyal stallion quenched his thirst.
As he looked around, enjoying the breeze and hearing the sounds of birds in the distance, Yoongi realized he had never ventured so deep into these parts of the woods before. Or had he? He didn’t recognise any of the trees or rocks that surrounded them and the thought sparked a certain uneasiness in him. He only had a couple hours of light left before the sun started to set.
“Enough, boy, we need to get going,” he told his companion, getting up from the rock. He mounted the horse again, continuing their ride back home.
‘ Should have never left that damn trail ’, Yoongi thought to himself, taking notice of a big tree that had three red mushrooms growing from its trunk.
Yoongi was always a ‘better safe than sorry’ kind of guy and very rarely left the trail, and on the rare occasions he did, he always stuck close enough to still be able to see it. Today, however, he didn’t hesitate to stray far away from it. It was as if the woods, or something in it, had called to him, challenging him to brave its depths.
After riding non-stop for what felt like an hour, Yoongi spotted the same three mushrooms on that same big tree. What had been just uneasiness so far, slowly morphed into something bigger, a slight sense of fear.
He tried to keep his composure and guided the horse in a new direction. When the darkness started growing around him, he caught sight of a tiny cabin, with some smoke coming out of the chimney.
Even though he hesitated (what type of person could live in a place like this? and why?), he needed help. He had to come to terms with the fact that he wouldn’t be able to find his way out of these woods by himself, not without the guidance from someone that knew the region.
He tied the brown horse’s leads around a tree trunk and headed to knock on the door.
For a few seconds, Yoongi didn’t hear any response to his knock. Then suddenly, the door opened to reveal a beautiful woman, dressed in simple but pristine garments. He half expected her to sport a confused, or perhaps scared, expression at his unexpected visit, but found no trace of either on the woman’s features. Instead, she looked almost as if she had expected him to show up.
“Sorry to bother you,” Yoongi started, “but I strayed away from the path and can’t seem to find my way back. Would you mind pointing me in the right direction?”
“You’re very far away from it,” she looked almost apologetic, “unless you plan on riding the whole night, I’d advise you to wait here until morning. There are many things that live in these woods that come out at night. Wouldn’t want to find traces of you”, she turned to the horse, “or your friend scattered around in the morning.”
The woman’s straightforwardness made Yoongi swallow nervously. What should he do?
“There is a stable out back, feel free to tie your horse there. I’ll grab him some apples,” she concluded, retreating back into the house. The smell of delicious food wafted past her and Yoongi’s stomach grumbled. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was up until now.
Not seeing any other alternative, Yoongi accepted her invitation. After feeding the horse and making sure he would have enough water and food to get him through the night, Yoongi joined the woman. The cabin looked a lot bigger from the inside than it did on the outside.
“So, what brought you into the woods in the first place?” the mysterious woman asked, back turned to him as she kept on stirring a big pot on the stove. It looked like she was making some sort of soup.
“I was looking for something,” Yoongi answered vaguely.
“And did you find it?”
“No,” he tried not to let his disappointment show.
“Well, maybe I could help you look for it in the morning,” she offered.
“Nah, as soon as the sun is up, all I want to do is get the hell out of here,” Yoongi answered and the woman snickered at his honesty.
“Understandable. It can be too much when you don’t know your way around.”
“Do you live here by yourself?”
The woman nodded. Yoongi couldn’t help but think that, even though he was grateful for her help, the woman’s behavior seemed odd. She had been quick to welcome a strange man into her home and even kept her back turned to him. Either she was very naive or she was a lot more resourceful than her delicate figure gave away.
“Does it not get boring? Or lonely?” Yoongi couldn’t help but be a little intrigued.
“I like the peace and quiet,” she answered matter of factly.
She blew out the flames on the stove and served two bowls of soup. She then picked up a loaf of bread and cut it in many pieces, placing it inside a third bowl. After setting it all on the table, she retreated to the pantry, coming back with a jar.
“Wine?” she offered.
“Why not,” Yoongi accepted, pushing his glass towards her.
They started eating in silence and Yoongi marveled at the amazing food. It tasted even better than his meals at the palace and he seriously considered offering the woman a position in the royal kitchen.
“Thank you for the meal, it was delicious,” he complimented after they had both finished eating. She smiled at him and refilled both of their cups to the brim with wine.
“Tell me more about your quest,” she said nonchalantly, leaning her head sideways on a hand, elbow resting on top of the table.
Yoongi hesitated. Even though she had fed him and offered him shelter, he wasn’t sure he could trust her fully.
“It must be something important for a member of the royal family to venture alone in these woods.”
Yoongi couldn’t hide his shock and she giggled at his expression.
“The brooch on your cape,” she pointed towards the item, which Yoongi had hanged close to the door, and the man facepalmed. How could he have been so dumb as to not conceal his identity?
“I’m looking for something that belonged to my mother. I've been told I would be able to find it here. I’m starting to think it might have been a ruse all along,” Yoongi confided in her, not seeing any point in trying to hide his motives any longer. The woman was clearly too clever and observant to be deceived.
“Oh,” her eyes lit up with interest. “What type of thing is it?”
“I’m not entirely sure,” Yoongi admitted, “I’m not even sure if it's a thing, per se.”
“That complicates things a bit.”
“So now you understand the sort of predicament I find myself in.”
“I may have something to help you on your quest,” the woman got up from the table and wandered into a room at the back of the house. She came back a few minutes later and placed a pendant down on the table. Yoongi looked at it and then back at her, waiting for an explanation.
“If you place it around your neck and really focus on something you want, it lights up to show how close you are to it. The closer you are, the more intense the glow. Take it.”
Yoongi grabbed the pendant with cautious fingers and examined the jewelry. It was a light purple, carefully shaped into a smooth circle. To him, it looked like an ordinary rock, but he decided to take her word for it and placed it inside his pouch.
“Think well before you place it around your neck, it can only be used once,” she advised.
“Thank you.”
Instead of sitting back down at the table, the woman moved towards the couch in front of the lit fireplace, sitting down and covering her legs with a blanket. Yoongi took that as an invitation and followed behind her, sitting down at the opposite side of the couch.
“Now that I’ve shared a bit about myself, it’s about time you do the same, right?” Yoongi asked, the wine loosening his tongue a little.
“What do you wish to know?” she asked calmly, staring into the fire.
“Why is a woman such as yourself living in these woods alone? Isn’t it dangerous?”
She smirked and turned to face him.
“The creatures of the night don’t scare me. As long as you respect them, they’ll respect you back. You do well to remember that, traveler.”
“Yoongi,” he replied, finally realizing that he had yet to introduce himself. If this was a few years back, his lack of manners would have certainly earned him a punishment from his father.
“Yoongi,” she repeated, as if feeling the weight of his name on her tongue before offering him her own.
“Were you close to your mother?” she asked suddenly, focusing the topic of conversation back on him.
“I never actually met her. She died giving birth to me,” Yoongi replied with a stern, emotionless face, an expression carefully curated after many years of pain and anger.
“I’m sorry,” she offered and, even though the pity of others usually disgusted Yoongi, her words felt genuine.
There was a silence between them, the cracking of the fireplace the only sound that could be heard. Yoongi had lost count of how many glasses of wine he had drunk. He didn’t feel tipsy, but a growing warmth started spreading through his body.
The fire started to dim and the woman moved to add another log, but Yoongi motioned for her to sit back down.
“Allow me,” he picked up a couple logs and tossed them into the fire, before using the iron poker to tease the flames.
“It does feel nice to have a little bit of company.”
The comment made Yoongi smile and he turned to see her with eyes closed and head thrown over the back of the couch, a satisfied smile playing on her lips.
“How long has it been?” the man asked, sitting back down, this time a bit closer.
“Way too long.”
“I don’t think I’d be able to live secluded like you do. I’d probably go crazy within a year, maybe even less.”
“Are you the social type?” the woman’s eyes were open again and fixed on him.
“Far from it. But I do have a small circle of trusted people. You should try it out sometime.”
“Perhaps. If I find people worth trusting.”
“For what it’s worth,” Yoongi’s gaze met hers, “I trust you. At least I think I do.” There was a moment of tension before Yoongi continued, “It helps that you haven’t tried to poison me,” he gave a lopsided grin.
“Don’t speak too soon,” she mirrored his grin.
“Why did you decide to help me?” Yoongi was still struggling with the fact that this woman had made herself incredibly vulnerable. In the back of his mind, he feared that one day she might end up putting herself in danger.
“You were lost, with no resources, you wouldn’t have lasted the night out there,” she replied matter of factly, but Yoongi’s instincts told him there might be more to it.
“Weren’t you afraid that I might be ill-intended? I could have been faking the whole time.”
“I can always tell when people lie to me,” she replied with a serious face and a shiver ran down his back.
As they stared at each other, Yoongi noticed the specs of purple in the woman’s irises. They made her eyes look like tiny galaxies. The more he stared at them, the more he wanted to, starting to get sucked into them.
“You have beautiful eyes,” the compliment slipped out of his mouth, “don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like it.”
She smiled and Yoongi noticed just how little distance there was between the two of them. When had they gotten so close to one another?
Everything that followed passed like a blur. He could smell her perfume, so sweet and delicate, hints of floral, and then her lips were on his. He lost himself in her kiss, nothing else existed outside of this little hut in the woods. Her taste, her gaze, her touch, everything about her hypnotized him and made him sink deeper into this drunken stupor.
They tore each other’s clothes off and she straddled him, sinking herself onto Yoongi’s cock, and the feeling of her wet, tight cunt wrapped around him felt maddening. None of his previous experiences could compare to this. All of his senses felt heightened and, for a brief moment, Yoongi did wonder whether she had slipped something into his wine. But that thought was soon gone as another wave of indescribable pleasure washed over him. He came inside her, more than he had in a long time, and the intensity of it was almost enough to make him pass out.
She dragged him off the couch and into her bedroom and there she allowed him to taste her, his turn to drive her as wild as she had driven him. By the time he had brought her over the edge of her own pleasure, his cock was fully hard once more, and he made love to her again and again and again, until both of their bodies succumbed to exhaustion.
Upon waking up, Yoongi had no idea how much time had passed. He expected his body to be sore from all the exertion, but was pleasantly surprised to find that not a single one of his muscles ached.
The delicious smell of breakfast guided him out of the room and he found her looking as pretty as ever, flipping pancakes while wearing a rose colored apron.
“Morning, sleepyhead,” she greeted him before he said anything.
“Morning,” he sat by the table as she placed food on it.
“Sleep well?” she asked, ruffling his already messy hair in a loving gesture.
“Too well,” he replied, before taking a bite of the pancakes and moaning in delight. How could everything she cooked taste so good?
“I’m glad,” she smiled, starting to eat from her own plate.
Once they were done, reality hit and Yoongi remembered his duties and the people back at the palace that were probably worried sick about him.
“I have to get back,” he told her and for just a millisecond her happy expression seemed to falter.
“Of course you do,” she got up from the table and grabbed a medium sized backpack, “I prepared a few things for your trip.”
She pulled out a map and opened it on top of the now empty table. She had drawn on it a detailed explanation of how to get back to the trail, even going further and drawing his path all the way back to the castle.
“There’s also a compass, two bottles of water, and enough food to last you two days. Maybe three if you ration it well. Once you reach the path don’t even think about straying from it again. I guarantee that if that were to happen, you wouldn’t be as lucky a second time.”
Yoongi gathered all of his things and she helped him wear his cape over his shoulders.
“I’ll keep this map and come visit you again as soon as I can, I promise,” he turned to her, giving her lips a gentle kiss. As he pulled back, he noticed the sadness in her eyes.
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible, my love,” she tucked a strand of hair behind his ear and cupped his cheek.
“Why not? Did you not enjoy our time together? You don’t have to be lonely anymore.”
“I know you're a smart man. You surely have noticed that there’s something unusual about this place, the food… about me.” She paused for just a second before continuing. “I’m a sorcerer, Yoongi. And this house,” she motioned around with her arms, “does not obey the human laws of time and space.”
“I don’t understand…” Yoongi frowned. Sure, he had an inkling that something was different about her, but surely this wouldn’t be the last time they saw each other.
“Once you step foot outside of this house, you’ll never be able to return. When you walk far enough, turn away and you’ll see that it won’t be in view any longer.”
“Come with me then! I’ll arrange a place for you in court and-”
She shushed him with a peck to the lips and, when she pulled back, a single tear ran down her cheek.
“I cannot leave this forest. My whole existence is tied to it. If I were to leave, both I and these woods would perish.”
Yoongi felt utterly desperate about the prospect of never seeing his lover again and the thought of it made him want to break down in tears. She hugged him one last time and guided his grief stricken form towards the door.
After one final kiss, this time a passionate one, she took his hands.
“You have very powerful blood, Yoongi, more than you know. I haven’t been entirely honest with you. Ever since you stepped foot in my house, I could sense the blood of many generations of dark elves running through your veins, from your mother’s side I assume.”
Yoongi gaped at her revelation. Nobody else in the kingdom, except for his father, knew (or was supposed to know) about his mother’s true origin.
“This could be your greatest strength or your worst weakness. If you learn to control it well, it could give you more power than you’ve ever dreamed of, but if not, it could be the very thing that destroys both yourself and the kingdom.”
The amount of information being dumped on him all of a sudden, made Yoongi’s head spin. He wanted her to laugh and say this was all a prank and that she would be waiting for him to return and take her in his arms again. But he knew better than to believe his own fantasies.
“When the time is right, use the pendant I gave you and find out more about your mother’s people and their history. Your history. It’s imperative that you learn as much as possible about the dark elves and their magic.”
She couldn’t contain herself and kissed him again, a heavy feeling in both of their hearts as Yoongi mounted his horse and started trotting away. She watched from the door frame as he became smaller and smaller, until he finally vanished from her sight. With nothing but sorrow, she retreated back to her room, finally allowing the tears to fall like waterfalls into her pillowcase.
Yoongi turned back one last time, and just like she had told him it would happen, the house was nowhere in sight. So he stuck to her directions, making his way back home. When he had left the castle a few days ago, his sole purpose had been to find out about his mother, a woman that he loved dearly despite never having met her. Now, he had a second purpose.
To find a way to be reunited with the one who owned his heart.