Ever After| k.th ✔

FOURTEEN| Fear

You were absolutely exhausted. To be honest, you had the right to be. It had been a few chapters since you had had a night of sleep and Cinderella had taken a lot out of you due to all the cleaning, emotional strain, and lack of food. 

When you opened your eyes to see that you were in a field, all of this strain and hardship suddenly came crashing down on you. Moonlight and stars glowing in the sky illuminated your hand still in Taehyung's that you stared at for a moment before tightening your grip; vision blurring slightly in exhaustion as your eye lids felt heavy. 

Taehyung was smiling at you before your palm suddenly clutched onto his tighter and you staggered forward a bit; he blinking in surprise when you lightly bumped into him.

"(Y/N)?" He asked in worry, stabilizing you as you fell into him after the chapter switched, "Are you OK?"

You forced your eyes to open and pushed yourself away from Taehyung slightly; peering at him through half lidded eyes before allowing them to close once more. You were so tired and hungry that you couldn't think straight. 

A large yawn escaped your lips and you barely even noticed Taehyung stabilizing you once more as you started leaning forward upon almost falling asleep right there. You moaned as your empty stomach rumbled after Taehyung securely wrapped an arm around you. 

"I think you need food," He noted, "And sleep."

"Really?" You mumbled sarcastically; voice strained as you wondered where your sudden exhaustion had come from. Taehyung felt guilty that he had been blessed with all the food and sleep he had wanted in the previous chapter as a prince and bit his lower lip slightly before looking at you in determination.

"Don't worry, (Y/N). I'll get you shelter, trust me."

What a horrible idea. But for then, you didn't quite have any other options. And so, although your surroundings were blurry, you allowed Taehyung to lead you through the field; you feeling the rough weeds brush past your ankles and vaguely making out Taehyung's form in the dim lighting next to and supporting you before he decided to pick you up.

You had been stumbling in exasperation and tripping over your own feet before your male companion suddenly stopped walking and placed an arm in front of you to stop you from walking as well. You looked at him in confusion; too tired to do anything but allow him to halt your advance. 

"Get on my back," He instructed, "I'll carry you."

You scowled and shook your head, but he ignored your protests and took advantage of your weak form to force you to comply. 

You were so tired that you simply wrapped your arms around his neck and leaned forward to close your eyes; allowing him to hook his arms around your legs and support your weight. 

"Your leg..." You murmured, causing Taehyung to stop as he detected a bit of worry in your voice.

"What about it?"

"Didn't the wolf bite it?"

Taehyung was giddy as he tightened his grip on you and kept walking, your strained and tired voice hitting his ear in pleasant fashions.

"Don't worry," He whispered back with a smile, "It doesn't hurt. Maybe injuries self heal between chapters?"

You only hummed lightly next to his ear and allowed your eyes to close; not giving his response much thought in your current state. You felt weak and useless, but at that moment you didn't care. Taehyung was carrying you in a surprisingly sturdy fashion and... you trusted him.

You really did. You didn't know why, but somewhere in the pit of your stomach, despite everything else, you felt safe. 

Taehyung saw the twinkling of house lights and suspected it was some sort of village. He was so determined that he ignored his own aching and exhaustion in order to safely find you food and a place to sleep. He bit his lower lip and stopped his arms from trembling as he trudged on; all his thoughts aimed towards his recent achievements.