It was in the dark stillness only moments later that Emmi heard a noise that froze her blood, the distant whines and barks of dogs from somewhere far behind her. She stopped, her heart beginning a fluttered beating within her breast, she turned on the spot and peered with anticipation down the path. For a long moment her gaze saw nothing but the trees cast in a sickly glow from the full moon, but then a hint of orange light flickered. They'd come for her, come to take her back to that abominable place and her instincts kicked in, urging her to flee, to go far from here to safety where she could decide what her next move would be. Whether she wanted to return or not, she wanted the decision to be her own. She allowed her gaze to dart to the thick covering of the forest around her and her mind was set.

Her feet carried her forward and she blindly stumbled into the enclosure of the trees and undergrowth. The long silk skirts of her hanbok snagged on branches and twigs, slowing her movements and making her begin to huff breaths with a mixture of annoyance and desperation. The noises behind her were still far enough away to stop her panic becoming too heightened, but once again the uncertainty of what she was doing and where she would go tugged uncomfortably at her insides and she did all she could to ignore their constant gnawing, trying her best to focus on the task before her. But Emmi knew her chances were thinning, her choices narrowed, it was only a matter of time before the men searching for her found her... would she be punished? Would it be harsh, violent? Would her Father look at her in disappointment?

These thoughts she could not push away no matter how hard she willed it to be so. Perhaps it would be better if she just stopped where she now was and waited, allowing them to find her, allowing it all to be over. Once again her pride stabbed at her, not allowing her to entertain this self pitying thought for too long and she barrelled onwards, the effort of the overgrown foliage seeming to be intent in foiling her escape.

The silence about her only served to pique her hearing to the noise of her own laborious breathing. She turned her head at the sound of a loud bark, much closer now... they were gaining. Panic fluttered like a frightened bird against her chest, her eyes still searching for any sign of movement in the darkness behind her. Suddenly her body's flight came to an abrupt and brutal stop as it collided with an object in her path. The impact made her reel backwards and her balance was lost before she connected harshly with the ground with a dull thud, the wind knocked from her lungs. Emmi let out a small cry and then a spluttered cough as her eyes darted quickly to the source of her fall, a shadowed figure stood before her, its posture stating that it too had reeled from their meeting. She studied this person with great haste, instantly noticing that there were no signs of the uniform of a guard and becoming aware that it was a young male, his face held an almost comical expression of shock and surprise.

Another large bark broke the stagnant silence between them and both their attentions turned to the sound with small gasps of distress. The young man looked down at her, his manner hesitant before he offered a hand to her in a silent gesture of aiding her to her feet. Emmi gladly took the offering and pulled herself to her full height with his help. Another bark resounded and both jumped, startled, Emmi's eyes again sought behind them, the orange glow was now in the forest. She turned her attention back to the man, her thoughts quickly mulling over the idea of running before he could decide to hold her and turn her over to the guards.

"Are you running from them?" The sudden noise made her start and returned her to the present situation.

She stared up at him dumbfounded. Her mind raced with words that she could respond with but none would reach her lips.

The man made an annoyed clicking sound with his tongue and seeming to decide for her he again spoke."Come" he said, and before she could give any kind of reply his hand had wrapped around her wrist and she was being pulled, urged forward once again. The man seemed to know his way well enough and easily made a path around the more grasping undergrowth that would only have hindered them. Emmi tried her hardest to keep pace, but the long hours she had been out here made her movements clumsy and slow, she found she was having to concentrate hard to even try and not begin to lag behind.

The noises of pursuit behind them seemed to have intensified two fold. Emmi wasn't sure if it was their desperate flight that caused her to hear it so much more clearly or had the dogs picked up their scent... she tried not to dwell upon either option.

Their path was soon blocked by a wide but slow moving river. Emmi's gaze glanced along the bank, searching for a bridge or crossing point but there appeared to be none at all. She glanced up at the man who still held her wrist in a vice like grip as his eyes too darted from one feature of the landscape to another. Finally he gave her a firm tug and began to slide and stumble down the muddy bank towards the water. As the realisation of what he was doing washed over her, Emmi struggled against him, trying to break his grip but he held fast. Seeming to grow annoyed by her sudden heated protest he turned to her, his long hair dancing about his shoulders from the quick movement.

"We have to go into the water" he said, a little slowly and loudly as if she was hard of hearing.

Emmi continued to stare at him with wide fearful eyes, not trusting this strange man's judgement. Finally she shook her head, the water looked cold and she had no desire to sample it. Why couldn't they just move further down the bank, find a crossing?

"The dogs" the man said again, in that same slow voice. His eyes travelled across her face as if trying to discern if she had understood him. He rolled his eyes before repeating "Dogs", and stuck his tongue out, panting like an animal and letting out a small bad imitation of a bark. He then sniffed the air over dramatically and placed a finger to his nose and then pointed at her. "Dogs" he again said, with a firm nod.

Emmi gave a reluctant nod of understanding and allowed him to lead her into the water. She gave out a startled gasp as the freezing water touched the skin of her legs and she waded into its depths. Her skirt ballooned around her, making all movement hard. Her fingers dug into the wrist of the young man, suddenly feeling afraid that he would abandon her as he became aware that aiding her would be a hardship. He turned back to her at the contact and paused his steps, his face serious.

"I will not let go." He shook his head to reaffirm his words and his own grip tightened. Emmi gave a breathless nod of thanks. "Come on" he said, giving her a gentle tug, "keep trying." His voice was a soft mumble and she doubted he had intended her to hear him clearly.

The journey across the river was slow, but with each step the bank on the other side grew nearer giving hope that all may yet be well. The sounds were still present somewhere behind them in the forest, but they had yet to come upon the river. Emmi could feel her silken slippers slipping upon the mud and rocks that lay upon the river bed. She gave a small shallow cry as she lost her footing and one of her shoes came off completely, lost to the slow moving water which was now lapping at her shoulders. The young man's grip tightened further for a moment as he felt her stumble and seeing she was not in danger they continued. The bank was but arms length away when the sounds on the other side signalled the guards had reached the river.

Without warning the man turned, his eyes once again searching, thinking, before he looked at her and took in a deep breath, indicating for her to do the same. Emmi did as she was bidden and took in a lungful of air, holding it before his hand was upon her head pushing her beneath the water. She had a sudden urge to gasp again as the chill of her surroundings engulfed her entire body, but she suppressed it by placing a hand over her mouth. She was aware that he was beside her, his hand still wrapped about her wrist, the contact reassuring and much needed in this moment. He pulled her through the water to a cluster of high and brushy reeds and once there he pulled on her arm, indicating that they could now surface.

Emmi took in a deep breath of fresh air, her lungs ached from the effort of being underwater and she gasped softly as she grew accustomed to breathing once again. She glanced at the bedraggled man beside her, who was as wet and cold looking as she herself felt. He was not paying attention to her but was busy peering out of the reeds before he let out a deep sigh of relief and fell back a little against the nearby bank.

"They're gone" he whispered, almost as if it had been a prayer of thanks. After a few minutes had passed in silence he seemed to realise they were still more than chest deep in freezing cold water and pulled himself fully onto dry land before helping her to do the same. He then led them into more forest and down a path that bore little sign of recent use.

They walked in silence for what felt like hours to Emmi, she wanted to stop, to make him turn so she could thank him for helping her ,but something within her stilled her from speaking, from asking where he now took her. It was strange, but despite the fact they had barely met, in this moment Emmi felt she could trust him. He had no reason to help her, she supposed she had little choice but to rely on him and hope that he was the kind and helping type.

Just as her muscles were beginning to cramp and with the coldness of the river water stiffening her movements she spied a small, dilapidated wooden shack ahead of them. It was the sight of this building that seemed to call to her mind the fact that she was a woman of noble blood, alone in the woods, unchaperoned, with a man who was little more than a stranger, far from anyone she knew. She glanced up at him, he had kept his word and not let go of her, his hand still around her wrist, and Emmi began to wonder if this was indeed a good thing or a bad thing. She would have to twist violently to remove his grip and she felt sure she could not outrun him in her current state... She inwardly shook her head, forcing her mind to still it's constant worry, if he had meant her ill he would have made his intentions known to her by now, they had been alone for a quite some time.

When they reached the shack he allowed his hand to slip away from her as he began to gather up small chunks of wood that were stacked neatly against the wall. He opened the door and it let out a creak of protest before he walked into the building and the darkness within swallowed him from her sight. She could hear him moving but hesitated to follow, wondering if she should indeed walk away and find her own path through the forest, but her shivering body wanted the warmth a house offered and so she waited.

Her worry further eased as he came outside and laid the wood upon the ground before bringing a small fire into being, giving the night surrounding them a warm glow to see by. He dusted his hands across his thighs, dispelling the dirt of wood and soot, before he turned his gaze upon her and gestured with his hand for her to sit.

Emmi needed no second invitation and quickly took a place by the fire, stretching her hands out to the warmth it offered. She knew it would take a while for her clothes and hair to dry but this did not concern her, she had no intention of stripping in front of a stranger and the cold would ease and become somewhat bearable if she had some form of drying herself, even only a little. She inspected her hair with careful fingers, it was still in a long braid down her back but she guessed it no longer looked pristine and her looks were probably not favourable, she decided this was perhaps not unwholly a bad thing.

She turned her eyes to the young man, realising that she had been avoiding focusing her attention upon him, it seemed he held little interest in her in that moment as he had pulled a rather large packet out of his shirt and was studying it with a gleeful glint, making self satisfied noises and hisses through his teeth.

Emmi opened her mouth and forced the words out. "Thank you, for helping me."

His gaze jerked to her own, his eyes holding surprise, and it seemed he studied her for a long time. "I didn't think you could understand me" he finally replied.

"I can understand you" Emmi said, a little indignantly.

The man cocked his head to one side as if thinking. "You didn't talk at all."

"I was afraid."

His eyes narrowed, his look suddenly becoming suspicious. "Why were they after you? You aren't Korean... what are you?"

She suddenly felt affronted by his question. Here she was seen as the oddity, but if he came to her country the roles would surely be reversed and the self righteous knowledge that she should not be the one suffering these kinds of questions and curiosity, irked her.

"I'm from England" she said proudly, but the man gave no flicker of response to her words. "It's a very powerful place!" she added, feeling as if he should at least acknowledge her homeland.

"I know of it" he said with a loud sniff, as if dismissing her. "It's far, far away." He made a half mocking gesture in the air, playing the fool for his own amusement. "I saw it on a map once."

"What are you doing here so far from your home, England?" He grinned and suddenly Emmi didn't like this stranger much, she felt he was taunting her.

"That is not your concern!" she spat, and he stared at her with a bemused expression.

"Suit yourself, but I did save your life, you now owe me a gift in return." He grinned.

"What do you mean?" Emmi said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"It's custom here, you're life is forfeit until you repay me." He winked softly and Emmi once again got the distinct feeling he was teasing her.

"What kind of reward? Do I look like I have anything to give you?"

The man rubbed his chin in mock deep thought. "You can tell me what I want to know, since I rescued you I should know what kind of person I helped, don't you agree?"

Emmi glanced to where he sat beyond the firelight. "You didn't give me much of a choice whether to accept rescue or not" she huffed. But her insides tugged slightly, he was right, she owed him that much and at least he wasn't demanding money or other fine gifts in exchange. "Alright" she relented.

"Why were you running from the guards? What had you done?" he said, wasting no time with his questioning.

"Nothing..." she tried, but his expression was plain, he knew she was lying. No woman would be chased through the forest by guards for no reason. "I ran away." She finally let out the words, feeling relief upon speaking them, of having someone to listen.

"Ran away from?" he pried.

"A life in a cage" she said sadly. "I just..." she began, but words failed her and her hands fell leadenly into her lap.

"Hmm?" he urged.

"I had to get away from there, I hate it here! I just want to go home."

The man nodded. "Well, it seems I have already helped you this far. If I can help you further I'll try." His face had taken on a serious expression.

"Why?" Emmi suddenly felt the need to understand his motives.

"Because many people live in cages in this city, they just can't see the bars." He gave a weak smile and she half heartedly returned it.

"I'm Yong." He held out his hand towards her in greeting.

"Emmi." She gladly accepted the offer of his name with her own.