The two had been walking for several hours but were still unable to find a way out of the forest. Kim Dokja's legs were exhausted. Panting from exertion, he stopped and bent over, bracing his hands on his knees. "Wait!" he heaved out, "Can we rest for today? We've been walking nonstop and the sun is about to set" He looked at the prince pleadingly.
"Kim Dokja, we need to find the way back as soon as we can. Our disappearance won't go unnoticed, the palace is probably in an uproar right now" Joonghyuk stated, giving him an unimpressed look.
"Resting for now won't hurt, I'm sure we're almost back," Dokja complained, sitting on a nearby rock.
"What happens if we don't get back soon?"
"Have some hope for once, Joonghyuk~ah," He grinned.
The prince's eye twitched before he gave a sigh, "Fine," before scowling, "I'll get some food, don't take even a step away."
Dokja playfully saluted at him as he trudged off. Taking this opportunity to rest, he chucked off his shoes and laid his back on the rock, closing his eyes to take a nap.
------
"Kim Dokja," his eyes opened slowly, spotting Joonghyuk hauling a particularly large fish behind him.
"Joonghyuk," he muttered groggily as he got up and stretched out his back. Sleeping on a rock probably wasn't the best idea, he could feel a couple new kinks in his muscles as Joonghyuk approached him. "I'm glad you didn't choose to abandon me here."
Joonghyuk rolled his eyes at him, "I'm not that cold-hearted." giving him an exasperated look.
"Sure..."
Kim Dokja was told to shut up by the man as he turned his head away and began to gather wood for a campfire. As the afternoon rolled over to nighttime, the two men spent the rest of the evening in comfortable silence. They quickly got through their meal, Dokja not leaving anything but the bare bones of the fish. After they finished, Joonghyuk got up and motioned for him to follow. With a slight tilt of his head, Dokja wordlessly went along, curious what the prince wanted to show him. After a short walk, he heard running water.
Eagerly pushing aside the forest foliage, Dokja was welcomed by a huge lake in front of them, a small waterfall off to the side. The water softly rippled, shimmering ethereally from the light of the stars bouncing off its surface. The clearing was quiet, aside from the running waterfall and the soft breeze rustling the nearby trees.
Beside him Joonghyuk walked to the edge of the lake, taking off his clothes. "Eh? Don't you think it's a little late to be going out for a swim, Your Highness?"
Joonghyuk didn't bother looking back at him as he stepped into the lake. "We've been walking all day through the forest; we're covered in dirt and sweat. I'm not going to sleep dirty, and I doubt you want to either," the prince gave him a pointed look. Dokja hunched his shoulders, becoming self-conscious as he noticed how sticky his skin was.
"Fiiiine," he drawled out, giving in as he began stripping down his clothes, his back turned. The entire time he could feel the prince's eyes on him. The bastard was probably judging him for how scrawny he was.
Dokja waded into the lake, a little far from the shoreline. The lake came up to the middle of his chest, his feet able to touch the lake floor. The two were at a respectable distance from each other as they washed down their bodies, the air around them filled only by their muted splashes. Joonghyuk and Dokja both took quick glances at each other's bodies, and even when their eyes would sometimes meet and they caught each other in the act, neither said a thing about it.
Just as fast as they'd arrived at the lake, they finished bathing and dried off before going back to their temporary camp and drifting off, blissfully unaware of the state of havoc that had befallen the royal palace.
----
Unfortunately for them, for the next few days they were just as unsuccessful in locating anyone to aid them or any path back to the palace. They are both exhausted and drenched in perspiration from the sun. All they could see were trees and more trees, making them feel as though they were endlessly looping around the forest.
But just as the two were beginning to lose faith, luck began to turn in their favor. They were once again trekking through the forest when they heard the rustling of leaves, wild and uncontrolled clomps approaching them. They pulled out their swords as a large boar burst from the bushes, darting toward them.
Joonghyuk swiftly charged forward and stabbed the boar cleanly through the nape, giving it a quick death. "The pig went over there!" someone cried out. The two heard even more footsteps approaching them, making them defensive. When the strangers stumbled upon them, they immediately lowered their weapons. "Oh, looks like some kind passersby got him for us!" One of them exclaimed jovially, before their gaze landed on the two men's dirtied clothes and exhausted bodies, "Oh my, would you two happen to be lost out here?" another one of them asked worriedly.
Dokja stepped forward with his best innocent smile, "Yes, we've been wandering out here for quite a while, would any of you kindly accommodate us as we figure out where to go from here?" he asked. The villagers quickly agreed and quickly ushered the two of them to follow them back to their village, fretting over them all the while.
"You know, it's not a good idea to wander in the forest when it's crawling with royal guards right now" one of them remarked as they walked back. They both exchanged glances before Joonghyuk enquired, "What do you mean by that?"
"Shoot, you must've been gone for a while if you hadn't heard the news yet. Apparently, the young master of the Underworld duchy and His Highness, the Crown Prince have gone missing. Reports have been circulating across the empire."
Another villager chimed in, "Yeah! Supposedly the Underworld's firstborn murdered His Highness and has now gone into hiding"
The notion of that made Dokja perplexed, they'd been feuding for years on end by now with no end in sight, did people really believe that it'd end so suddenly?. " What makes them say that," Dokja questioned nervously.
"Well, you see, apparently some royal guards saw Sir Dokja shoving His Highness off a cliff. An official warrant letter has already been issued for him."
Dokja could feel the blood leaving his face as he gaped at the villagers. Only a few days had passed by and he'd become a known criminal across the empire… how could this be?! Why the hell would royal guards say that…unless… the assassination attempt was ordered by someone within the palace…
He quickly snapped back to reality when someone spoke, "Excuse me, are you okay?" Adjusting his posture, he faced them.
"A-ah, I'm sorry, I was just a bit shaken. To think that both of us were wandering the forest when a maniac like that was on the loose" Dokja muttered out, his voice shaking with fear.
The villagers looked at him sympathetically, patting him reassuringly, "Don't worry about a thing, young man. We'll be able to reach the village before night falls."
Dokja nodded at them, and they all continued on.