The worst part about their journey— besides having to be with Prince Seokjin— was the fact that they had to walk the entire path.

  They left early the next morning after having a nice, big dinner. Jungkook packed his own food for the way, along with the guards as well. To hell with whatever Seokjin chose to bring or not to bring.

  "We're almost there."

  Seokjin had the map in his hands.

  He had studied the map the night before, but Jungkook still occasionally placed his hand onto it just to make sure they were headed to the right starting point.

  Sure enough, they were brought to two long cliff-like walls— just as the map showed. It looked like one huge mountain that had been split into a straight path. Like Mother Nature herself had done so.

  "It's so pretty," Jungkook muttered as they came up to the opening. Of course, he was in awe. They'd never explored these areas.

  The area was right between the Fire and Ice Kingdoms, so neither kingdom had ever dared to cross the line— they never even went miles north or south to each other. They either go behind their kingdom or to the side. Never near the other.

  Not until recently.

  "We start here."

  Jungkook and Seokjin's guards followed closely behind, both separated just as the princes were.

  But as they got closer to the entrance of the path of cliff walls, something felt odd. Jungkook started to feel a bit grounded. Like he was getting slower and it was getting harder to walk.

  "Uh." He glanced over at Seokjin, who seemed to be feeling it for himself as well.

  "You feel that too—?"

  The ground suddenly started shaking.

  They both immediately turned to look at the guards, who were all abruptly being trampled away with a heavy wind. The wind was so strong that they were pushed back, worry and fear building up in Jungkook's heavy chest.

  "W-What's going on?"

  The guards were helpless as they were pushed away, fierce as some of them landed on their backs and lost their helmets, even.

  But Seokjin and Jungkook weren't having that problem. They were just stuck where they were.

  When the guards were far enough away, the shaking of the ground was turned into a loud crack. The sound of the tall grass breaking apart, roots being jerked, and the ground splitting in half right before them.

  The earth had split just enough to warn the guards to not come any further. Jungkook understood instantly.

  "They can't come with us."

  Seokjin scoffed. "Like hell, I'll be left alone with you. I don't care. Guards, just walk around the—"

  The wind picked up again, this time both Seokjin and Jungkook getting hit with it.

  The suddenness of it had both of them falling back, grunting as they fell, and the guards were also being pushed even further away. Mother Nature didn't like Seokjin's tone.

  "We have to go alone!" Jungkook yelled over the ceasing of air. He slowly stood back up and started wiping dirt off of him, as did Seokjin. "This is meant for us alone. We have to let them go."

  The head guard was the one who spoke this time, "Your Highness, we simply cannot do that."

  Jungkook raised an eyebrow at him. "You will. Find safety here and we'll be back in less than a week, I hope. If a week and a half passes by and I haven't arrived, then you can come forth. For now, stay."

  He turned to Seokjin, who was eyeing him already. Jungkook kept his eyebrow raised to him as well, so Seokjin sighed.

  "Stay here," he spoke loud and clear to his guards. He didn't even look at them before turning and continuing on the path. Jungkook followed.

  "Do you know how long it is until we get to the border?" Seokjin ignored his words. Kept walking. "Hello? Earth to Prince Kim Seokjin. Did the wind cause you to hit your head or—"

  "Can you stop talking?"

  They were hardly twenty steps in.

  "Well then answer me," Jungkook talked back, ignoring his words. "I asked you a question. Have some decency."

  "Oh, I have decency." Seokjin narrowed his eyes at the map instead of at Jungkook. "But I can kill you right now, Ice Boy. Don't test me."

  "Then do it."

  He rolled up the map, so Jungkook stepped further away, worried he'd eat his own words, but Seokjin simply pointed ahead.

  "Look for yourself," he told the younger.

  Jungkook looked ahead, only seeing an endless path. "All I see is rock walls and grass."

  "Exactly. Stop wasting your energy on talking. Stop wasting my energy."

  "I don't care about your energy."

  Seokjin grumbled to himself as he put the rolled-up map back into the tube— it was wrapped around his chest with the strap it came with. "Are you aware that you are talking to a prince this way?"

  Jungkook furrowed his eyebrows at him. "A prince? Are you aware that I'm a prince as well?"

  "I might've already killed you if you weren't. So yes, I am aware."

  "Wow," he muttered. "You would kill me, but you were the one who tried to betray me just last night. What if I offed you instead?"

  "Stop talking to me."

  Jungkook left it at that— not because he had been told to. Because he didn't want to waste his breath on the bitter prince anymore.

——

  It took what seemed like hours of walking before something in the distance caught his eye. It was huge. Taller than the cliffs they still walked between.

  "Is that the mountain?"

  Seokjin nodded, already eying it. He hadn't even mentioned it to Jungkook. "The border should be here somewhere, so look out for what nature has toyed with this time."

  Jungkook rushed forward, though. He was eager to be getting progress.

  But as he was running closer and closer to see the view of the mountain, he ran face-first into an invisible wall, grunting as he bounced off of the wall and fell onto the ground.

  "I told you to watch out."

  He glared up at Seokjin. "This is the border? How do we get by it?"

  Seokjin raised his hand to the border, flat on the invisible wall. He turned to Jungkook, who was still on the ground. He sighed and took his hand off, then went to Jungkook.

  "Get up." Without asking, he reached for Jungkook's wrist and started tugging on it. Jungkook looked at him like he was crazy for ever touching him. Still, he let Seokjin help him up and pull him to the barrier. "Hand on the wall."

  He chewed at his inner cheek as he was ordered, but he obeyed. They both put their hand on the border, a bit of a glow forming on the invisible wall. It was tall and long to block them out, he could now see.

But the wall didn't disappear.

  "Huh? What else could we do?"

  Seokjin dug his nails into the glowing wall. "Damn you, nature."

  He took his hand away from the wall. Jungkook did as well, his head tilting in confusion as the older approached him again. And again, Seokjin reached for Jungkook's wrist.

Jungkook simply watched as Seokjin forced his hand onto the wall again, and he simply watched in awe as Seokjin placed his hand over his, the glow slowly becoming brighter and brighter.

  "Woah."

  Seokjin pushed his hand harder against Jungkook's, the pressure being a reminder of what they were doing. He wasn't too fond of the idea, yet Seokjin's hot hand over his cold one created a mixture— warm. They were warm together.

  When the glow disappeared, so did the invisible wall.

  Seokjin took his hand away— the warmth fading— and he began walking again.

  "We should find shelter somewhere before anything else," the older called out to Jungkook. "The sun will set soon."

  Right. Shelter.

  Just fantastic. Jungkook was going to have to find somewhere to rest with Seokjin right by his side as well.

  Great.

~

their journey begins :)

~