♡ Chapter 13 ♡

                                    

                                          
Chapter Thirteen: Roses and Feathers 
The moon had climbed high by the time Y/N awoke, its pale light filtering through the narrow windows of her chamber. Night had fallen, thick and quiet, like a veil of silence over the fortress of Melantha. The flickering candlelight had been replaced by the silvery glow of moonbeams, casting long shadows on the cold stone walls. Her leg, though bandaged, still ached, but it was a distant pain compared to the heaviness that pressed against her chest, the weight of unanswered questions.
She had dreamed of him again. The prince with shadows in his eyes. Only this time, he wasn't just a figure in the dark recesses of her mind, he was real, here, in this very fortress. The man she had painted, whose face had invaded her dreams, had saved her. And yet, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this story, that they were connected in ways she didn't yet understand.
As she sat up, wincing slightly at the discomfort in her leg, the door creaked open. Jungkook stood in the doorway, bathed in moonlight, his presence as silent and commanding as ever. His dark eyes met hers, and for a moment, neither of them spoke. The air between them crackled with the tension of unspoken words, the pull of something deeper, something neither could name.
"You're awake," he said softly, stepping into the room.
Y/N nodded, her voice caught in her throat. She wasn't sure what to say to him. Thank you felt inadequate, and yet, her mind swirled with too many questions to choose just one. The silence between them grew heavy, like the weight of a thousand thoughts neither knew how to voice.
Jungkook moved closer, his gaze steady, unreadable. "How's your leg?"
"It's... better," Y/N murmured, glancing down at the bandages. "The pain isn't as bad now."
He nodded, the faintest flicker of relief passing over his features. But still, he didn't look away. His eyes seemed to search hers, as though trying to find something hidden deep within. After a long pause, he spoke again, his voice low, almost hesitant. "Should we talk?"
Y/N blinked, a flicker of confusion passing over her before the weight of their unspoken connection settled in. She nodded slowly and shifted in the bed, making space beside her. Jungkook hesitated, his shadow still lingering in the moonlight, but then he moved, sitting down beside her.
He inhaled deeply before speaking, his voice a low murmur in the still night. "Last night, when I found you, I wasn't just out there by accident. I was thinking about someone I wasn't sure was real. I was trying to clear my head, lost in the woods when I heard you. And when I saw you... I didn't know what to think."
Y/N listened, her eyes steady on him, encouraging him to continue.
Jungkook glanced at her, his expression a mix of uncertainty and determination. "I love to paint," he confessed, his voice soft but full of conviction. "It's always been my escape. One night, I painted someone, a woman, wrapped in roses. The most beautiful figure I'd ever created. But in her eyes, I could feel loneliness, a sadness that mirrored mine. I couldn't stop thinking about her."
Y/N's breath caught in her throat, her heart pounding. This was too familiar, too close to her own story.
"When I saw you, I realized it wasn't just a painting. She was real, you were real." His gaze bore into hers, filled with an intensity that sent shivers down her spine.
Tears welled in Y/N's eyes, her heart aching at the revelation. She had thought she was losing her mind, that her connection to the figure in her paintings was nothing more than a dream. But now, she knew, it had always been real.
Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around Jungkook, pulling him into a tight embrace. He tensed for a moment, surprised, but then his arms encircled her, holding her close. His heart thundered against hers, and for a moment, they were two broken pieces finding solace in each other's warmth.