Road to Ruisea

❆ ❆ LXI. JAE ❆ ❆

Jae's beginning to wish he'd died by Korol's sword, after all.

"It's freezing gamgi out here!" Jae mutters through the folds of the scarf Alexei had given him, which is being whipped around by the force of the wind and the movement of the horse he's riding.

"Is it?" Alexei hums, and if Jae didn't know any better he'd say the prince was teasing him. "It feels fine to me."

"Yeah it is," Jae spits as best as he can, voice and sound of saliva both muffled. "Fine for you, who's lived here all his life! I've lived in the hottest kingdom in all four—"

"Five."

"...In all five kingdoms, since I was five."

"I really did try to bundle you up as best as I could!"

"Your layers aren't good enough! How is that thing you're wearing keeping you warm even?"

"It isn't really," Alexei says, looking down at his coat. "It keeps the wind from striking me too hard, that's all. And it looks nice."

"So you're not cold at all?"

"No. I've taken baths in these conditions all my life. so I'm quite confident I'd be fine outdoors, even if I were fully unclothed."

"Please, spare me the visual."

Jae wishes he was able to see the flustered expression that must've crossed Alexei's face as he whined, "That's not what I meant!"

It's hard to see in general, though. The sky is white and the ground is white and more white is pouring down from the sky heavily, loads and loads of snow.

"Barely two days ago this weather was some kind of miracle," Jae complains. "And I'm already sick of it."

"Welcome to my life," Alexei sighs. "I feel like the only moment I ever enjoyed snow was with Kumari."

"Amen to that," Jae sighs. "I hope she's okay."

"I hope we find her soon... We've been riding for hours."

"You sure you know where we're going?"

"Oh yes," Alexei nods. "I've studied plenty of maps in the library, and I'd like to think my memory is quite good..."

"Cool, but uh, let me rephrase. You sure you know where we're going, considering it's very very hard to see where anything is in all this white?"

"Oh," Alexei pauses. "I think so."

"You don't sound very convincing."

"You put me on the spot, that's all."

They ride in silence, after that. There'd be no point in talking, anyways — it's hard to hear each other over the sound of clopping hooves and howling winds. So Jae decides to busy himself by distracting his anxious thoughts about where Kumari and Chiro are and whether they're okay by cursing everything out instead — cursing out Korol, and the weather, and his horse... He's never ridden a horse before and frankly, it's making him kind of nervous, even if the poor creature is doing a remarkable job.

"Mountains," he hears Alexei call suddenly, and is snapped out of his train of thought.

Jae looks up to see what Alexei's talking about, and indeed, he can finally make out the horizon because there are large dark shapes jutting out in the distance. And they're steadily growing closer...

"Shouldn't have to get too close to the mountains," he hears Alexei explaining. He must be shouting really loud for Jae to be able to hear him so well. "Just somewhere around the base there should be— WOAH GIRL!"