Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The hall is silent. Some of the highborn murmured amongst themselves earlier, but all of them have quieted down by now. They’re all watching him now, eagle-eyed. Maybe they’re looking forward to the spectacle.

Yoongi sighs and then gestures towards the guards stationed at the end of the hall, next to the doors.

“Bring in the prisoners,” he orders and watches them scramble to obey.

The eyes of the highborn on the side move away from him, and towards the two people in chains that are being led inside the hall. The guards tug them along until they stop in front of Yoongi’s raised throne.

Yoongi looks down on them with an impassive expression. The woman on the left has a nasty cut on her face, so she probably resisted arrest. The man on the right looks half starved – he likely hid from the soldiers looking for him for a while.

“Han Seungjoo,” Yoongi addresses the woman first, “do you know why you have been brought here today?”

She glares up at him, then spits on the floor in front of the throne. Yoongi barely raises an eyebrow.

“As if there’s any reason you’d need! You arrest people on a whim! It’s fun to you!”

Yoongi nods towards the guard behind the prisoner, who knocks her down to her knees with his spear.

“Do I look like I’m having fun right now?” Yoongi drawls. The woman glares even more, but doesn’t respond.

“You have been brought here today, Han Seungjoo, because you are accused of high treason against the king, and with that the Empire of Godae. How do you answer to those charges?”

“I didn’t commit treason against Godae,” the prisoner hisses, trying to stand up again, but the guard keeps her down. “What is treason is supporting you! You’re the one betraying the country!” Her voice gets more and more high-pitched in her anger, and Yoongi frowns. The sound is grating. “Yes, I conspired against you! And I would do it again and again!”

“So you admit to high treason,” Yoongi cuts her off monotonously. “As you know, treason warrants the highest penalty. I hereby sentence you to death by beheading.”

He gestures towards the executioner positioned at the bottom of the steps, next to his throne, who pulls out his sword and walks towards the woman. She starts screaming, throwing all sorts of profanities in Yoongi’s direction, while the guard behind her grabs her to hold her still, and the executioner swings his sword.

Yoongi watches, unmoved as the blood splatters and her head falls to the ground with a soft thump.

Once the body stops spasming and the guards have stepped back into their positions, Yoongi turns towards the second prisoner.

“Kim Geoneun,” he calls out, “do you know why you have been brought here today?”

The man, who had been absolutely silent so far, immediately starts whimpering, sinking to his knees of his own volution.

“Please, your majesty,” he cries, “please spare me, please.”

“You, too, are accused of high treason against the king and the Empire of Godae,” Yoongi speaks up over the annoying whines. “How do you answer to those charges?”

“Please spare me, your majesty, I’m sorry, please don’t kill me,” the prisoner keeps brabbling.

“Are you saying you didn’t commit treason? Speak up, Kim Geoneun, you’re not a child!” Out of the corner of his eyes, Yoongi sees some of the highborn grinning amongst themselves. Yoongi understands the sentiment – the display in front of them is pathetic, after all.

“I’m not, I didn’t do anything- please, your majesty, I will never cross you, please spare my life,” the prisoner keeps crying.

Yoongi barely supresses rolling his eyes. “Then why did you hide so long from the soldiers that tried to find you? You went undercover for almost two weeks.”

“I’m sorry about that, I was scared, I’ve made a mistake, I’m sorry your majesty, please spare me!”

“Kim Geoneun, you hid from my soldiers because you committed treason. A law-abiding citizen wouldn’t have any reason to be scared or to hide from justice,” Yoongi declares. The prisoner keeps shaking his head and weeping, and Yoongi can’t stand that noise anymore. “Treason warrants the highest penalty. I hereby sentence you to death by beheading.”

The prisoner wails even louder and tries to push the guard that’s grabbing him off. Internally, Yoongi scoffs. As if a half-starved traitor like him had any chance against his soldiers.

The sword swings through the air, and then Kim Geoneun’s head falls to the ground, next to that of the other traitor, their blood painting the floor of the throne hall red.

Afterwards, as the highborn file out and the servants come in and Yoongi orders them to clean up the mess, he can feel a headache building up once again.

He leans back against the headrest of his throne and rubs his temple, the tips of his fingers touching the gold of his crown. The sun hasn’t even reached its highest point of the day yet and there are already multiple people plotting to assassinate him again.

“You look tired, hyung,” a deep voice pulls him out of his thoughts and Yoongi opens his eyes and meets Taehyung’s, looking down on him softly.

“Not more tired than usual,” Yoongi replies with a raspy voice.

“Still,” Taehyung hums, “maybe we could take a nap later. But first, the ministers are waiting for you for the debriefing. I had them go to the hall of everblooming flowers because I figured you’d like to escape the stench of blood.”

Yoongi glances around Taehyung’s body, at the servants arriving with buckets of water that will soon turn red.

“That stench follows me everywhere I go nowadays, I think,” he says then. Taehyung smiles, and cards his fingers through Yoongi’s hair, who closes his eyes once more at the blissful feeling. Taehyung’s proximity alone is helping his headache already.

He is pulled out of the moment when the sound of bodies being dragged across the floor arises, as the guards start heaving the traitors’ corpses outside.

Taehyung looks at Yoongi with a question in his eyes. Should I?, he asks, the intention as clear as if he had said it out loud, and Yoongi nods. Taehyung smiles once more, fleetingly, then he snaps his fingers to get the guards’ attention.

“Don’t forget to give the bodies a proper burial with the necessary rites,” he calls out, his voice hard. “They messed up in this life, but they need a chance to do better in the next one.”

The guards nod and bow and hurry to comply, but Taehyung calls them to attention once more. “And once that’s done, notify their families of what occurred and question them! Since those two were traitors, their families might be too.”

“Yes, General,” one of the guards calls out and then they get back to work at a move of Taehyung’s hand.

When Taehyung turns back towards Yoongi, his eyes are soft again, as is his voice when he asks, “Shall we go, hyung?”

Yoongi groans quietly, but then holds out both his hands for Taehyung to grab and lets himself be pulled off his throne.

“Sure, Tae-yah, let’s go.”

Yoongi follows Taehyung out of the throne hall – or, going by its fancy name, the hall of blinding sunbeams – ignoring every servant and soldier that drops into a deep bow at the sight of them.

“The weather is nice today,” Yoongi notices when he glances outside the windows lining the corridors, squinting in the face of the blue sky and bright sunlight.

“Yeah,” Taehyung confirms, “and it’s not too hot, either. Someone will definitely throw a party.”

Yoongi hums and then slows down his steps as they approach the double door leading into the hall of everblooming flowers.

Ahn Hyejin, the youngest daughter of a highborn with a lineage spanning back almost as long as Yoongi’s own – who couldn’t care less about that fact – is waiting for him in front of the closed door. As always, she is wearing a headpiece so extravagant, Yoongi is impressed she can keep her balance.

“Your majesty,” she says with a bow once Yoongi stops in front of her, then she bows towards Taehyung as well. “General Kim, good morning.”

“Hyejin-ssi,” Taehyung acknowledges curtly with a stiff nod and Yoongi can’t help the small smirk creeping on his face. It’s always funny watching Taehyung interact with other people, being all authoritative, even after so many years.

Hyejin knows by now not to expect any more words, so she turns around and opens the doors wide for Yoongi to step through.

“His majesty, King Min Yoongi, and General Kim have arrived,” she announces loudly to the hall, and Yoongi walks inside, Taehyung right behind him.  

He eyes the ministers that have lined up on both sides of this hall’s throne as he walks towards it, noticing which ones aren’t bowing as low as the others. Apparently, he’ll need to keep an eye on Kim Uigyo, the minister of finance.

Once he has sat down on his throne, Taehyung taking his place on Yoongi’s right side, the ministers straighten up again.

“Your majesty,” Jo Manhyung, minister of law, speaks up immediately, “I must ask again why you have turned those weekly briefings into bi-weekly briefings? Shouldn’t it be impervious that the king and the cabinet keep in close contact?”

Yoongi raises a finger to cut the minister off and looks towards Hyejin, who is still standing by the open door. “Where is General Jung?” he asks. Right in that moment, Jung Hoseok walks in with brisk steps, throwing a charming smile in Yoongi’s direction.

“I’m sorry, your majesty, I didn’t mean to keep you waiting. Here I am.”

Yoongi nods and waits until Hoseok has taken his spot on the throne’s left side, then he inclines his head towards Hyejin. “You can leave now,” he says. Hyejin bows again, then steps out of the hall and closes the doors behind her.

Finally, Yoongi now looks at Jo Manhyung. “Minister Jo,” he drawls, “as I’ve said before, meeting every two weeks is more than enough for me to keep in contact with the cabinet. It is not like the quality of government has lessened in any way since I decided to stretch out the period of time between briefings. And you also know that if there is an urgent matter that can’t wait until the next briefing, you can always contact General Kim.”

“But your majesty, why should we as ministers speak to a war general when we have an inquiry? His domain is war, ours are matters of the country,” Jo Manhyung argues, and Yoongi can feel his left eye twitch. That man is an annoyance.

“As far as I know, this country is at war,” Yoongi points out coolly. “So matters of war are matters of the country, and therefore matters of the war generals. And Minister Jo, may I remind you that General Kim has been in this position for over ten years? How long have you been minister again?”

Jo Manhyung doesn’t answer, but he doesn’t have to. Everyone knows it hasn’t even been five years since he’s been appointed minister of law. No one should be able to contest Taehyung’s position in any way – he has held his rank since Yoongi inherited the crown, eleven years ago. He’s the only one in this citadel who has been with him from the beginning.

“Any other questions?”

Yoongi watches as the ministers exchange looks, before Han Sooyeon speaks up. She’s the least annoying to Yoongi, but then again, as minister of trade, she still holds more power over her domain than any of the other ministers do and therefore has less to complain about.

“Your majesty,” she asks, in that well-practiced, careful tone of hers, “what happened to Minister Ma?”

“Ah, that.” Yoongi chuckles as he eyes the woman who stands in the place where Ma Jongja, the former minister of education, should have stood. “He has been relieved of his duties.”

More precisely, Yoongi had relieved almost the entire ministry of education of their duties the month prior. In the process, he has relieved them of their freedom, too. But Yoongi hadn’t really had another choice – traitorous rebellion propaganda had been sent out from the ministry and then some even managed to escape from his captivity. After that, Yoongi decided to relieve the minister and his employees of their lives, as well.

He can see that Jo Manhyung and Kim Uigyo seem to be prepared to start complaining again, so Yoongi cuts them off before they get a chance to. “As you can see, I have appointed Park Sookui to take over his position. I’m sure you all agree that Minister Park will do a great job.”

Park Sookui bows in thanks, and none of the other ministers dare to disagree with Yoongi, so they stay blessedly quiet.

“Now,” Yoongi claps his hands once and leans back on his throne, “shall we finally begin?”

He spends the next twenty minutes or so – even though it feels more like twenty hours – listening to the ministers gloating about what they have done in the last two weeks, while at the same time complaining about not getting to do enough.

Kim Uigyo’s ministry of finance is unhappy that they can’t even decide independently on small sums of money to spend, that everything has to be approved by the king. Yoongi reminds him that they’re at war, and that he can’t have the minister spending precious resources on things that aren’t a priority right now. He decides to ignore Kim Uigyo’s grumbling about how “the country has been at war for fifteen years!” – for now.

Jo Manhyung’s ministry of law is unhappy that the king has the power to appoint new laws without their approval, as well as independently decide on penalties for criminals without consulting them first. Again, Yoongi points out that this is how the law works when the country is under war status, and it will continue to work that way until the status has been rebuked. At least Jo Manhyung is smart enough not to grumble about it.

Han Sooyeon’s ministry of trade is unhappy that it’s not possible to trade with countries they’re at war with, but the minister keeps the complaining to a minimum. After all, there are still enough countries they can trade with, and the money is flowing in steadily. Yoongi is grateful that there’s at least one branch of his government he doesn’t have to worry about.

Park Sookui’s brand new ministry of education isn’t unhappy yet. Or, more accurately, they probably don’t dare to show their unhappiness yet. The minister mentions that the rate of students in their higher education courses is going down steadily, but Yoongi knows that’s because most of those people enlist for longer than the mandatory service, which is a good thing. He doesn’t need intelligent subjects, he needs loyal soldiers.

And finally, Kim Yoonsung’s ministry of arts is deeply unhappy as always about the lack of funding the arts get, but Yoongi doesn’t even need to remind her anymore that culture simply isn’t a priority when the country is at war. He also doesn’t need to remind her that it’s necessary to keep a tight control on every sort of art in this country, considering the traitors love using it as a medium to spread their lies and propaganda.

Once the ministers are done reporting, Yoongi turns his head towards Taehyung. As the two war generals and therefore the holders of the highest positions next to the king himself, it’s his and Hoseok’s turn to speak last.

Taehyung meets Yoongi’s eyes with a miniscule smile, then he addresses the hall at large. “The situation at the Inan border remains stable. There have been minor attempts of the enemy to infiltrate Gajang, but all of them failed. The entire border to Ina remains in our control.”

“There have been minor skirmishes with traitors up in the northern regions when they tried to set fire to some rice fields,” Hoseok continues the report, “but Officer Kang and his soldiers quickly took control over the situation, killing most of the traitors and apprehending the rest. They’re on a prisoner transport to the capital now to await trial.”

“Let’s hold the trial as soon as they arrive,” Yoongi decides. Hoseok nods in agreement.

“Very well,” Yoongi says then, “are there any other concerns anyone wants to bring up now?” No one speaks and Yoongi smiles, pleased. It seems like the ministers are finally learning to stop annoying him – only took them years and years. “Good, then you’re dismissed. Leave.”

With another deep bow, his ministers file out, until only Taehyung and Hoseok remain in the room with him. Their expressions are grave, and Yoongi sighs.

“Okay, let me hear it, what are the full updates?” he asks, as he always does after the ministers have left the briefing. He doesn’t want them to hear the full truth about the military situation – he doesn’t trust any of them. At least one more of them is surely in cahoots with those traitors.

“The traitors really didn’t manage to set the rice field in the north on fire, but it seems like they were less interested in that and more in achieving something else,” Hoseok tells him and Yoongi clenches his fists.

“And what’s that something else?”

“We don’t know.” Hoseok drops into a quick bow. “I’m very sorry your majesty, I have sent some talented investigators up there, I’m hoping that they’ll find a lead. Once the prisoners arrive here, we can question them on the goal of their mission.”

Yoongi nods, gritting his teeth. Those fucking traitors. “How many of them escaped? I suppose not all were of those that weren’t apprehended?”

Hoseok inclines his head in agreement, a regretful expression on his face. “That’s right, your majesty. The group consisted of ten traitors, three of which were captured and four of which were killed. That means three escaped. But Officer Kang has orders to not cease the search for them.”

“Good.” Yoongi closes his eyes for a few seconds, trying to keep the fury blazing away in his chest at bay. When he opens them again, he looks at Taehyung. “Please tell me that you have good news, at least.”

Taehyung grins. “Things at the border really are under control. The Inans tried one attack a week ago and were immediately shot down. Our fortifications hold strong.”

Yoongi lets out a breath, his shoulders relaxing slightly. “At least that’s something.” Then, he fixates Hoseok again. “I want you to send out even more patrols, especially in the capital. The traitors haven’t found their foot here yet, they’re not strong enough, so they will definitely try and infiltrate Haneul soon. I want all of them captured, before the seed of treason can grow roots in the citizens.”

“Yes, your majesty,” Hoseok replies and bows again. Yoongi waves his hand to show he’s dismissed, and watches as Hoseok turns around and leaves the hall with energetic steps.

“He’s really always on the jump, that guy,” Taehyung remarks with an amused tilt to his voice once the doors have closed behind Hoseok.

“Yeah, he definitely has more energy than that last woman,” Yoongi agrees, a smile playing at his lips that he can show freely now that he’s alone with Taehyung. “Or the three guys before her.”

“He also lasted longer than any of them,” Taehyung points out and walks up the few steps to Yoongi’s throne, plopping down on the armrest and placing a warm hand on Yoongi’s shoulder like a comforting weight. “It’s been two years now.”

“You’re right.” Yoongi is actually quite surprised to hear that. Time flies. And that’s the longest anyone has held the position since –

“Ahn Hyejin!” Yoongi calls out loudly, to interrupt that thought before it can even form.

Taehyung, whose body had turned stiff next to Yoongi as if he could hear his thoughts, quickly stands up and puts on his blank face again as Hyejin walks in.

“Yes, your majesty?” she greets Yoongi with a deep bow, “how can I help you?”

“What’s on the agenda for the rest of the day?” Yoongi asks, because that’s what he keeps her around for. No one in the palace is better informed as to what events are taking place at any time, and which of those should best be attended by the king.

“Well, there are multiple merchants that have expressed interest in getting an audience with you. Two of them have made the long journey from the Sinnan Kingdom, so they might be worth your time. Also, the governess of Hudo has sent two letters, one addressed to you specifically and one addressed to you and the war generals. Considering they share a border with Ina as well as with us, it could be of interest for you to find out what her intentions are. And for this evening, the Son family has organised a party to be held in the garden of the thousand-year-oak. It’s not supposed to be a lavish affair, but Lord and Lady Son have specifically wished for your presence, your majesty.”

Yoongi nods, taking in the information. When he first started asking Hyejin about the day’s agenda, she used to tell him everything he had been requested for. But over the course of the last year, she really learned to only inform him of the few things that actually could be of interest to him.

“Tell the two merchants from the Sinnan Kingdom that I’ll meet them for tea in the afternoon. Let one other merchant join as well so no one complains I’m favouring the Sinnans. Bring the governess’ letters to my study, I’ll look at them now. And as for the party …,” Yoongi looks at Taehyung, who has been listening to the conversation with an impassive face, “Taehyung-ah, will you come?”

Taehyung meets Yoongi’s eyes and breaks out into a grin, even with Hyejin’s presence in the room. Then, he shakes his head. “No hyung, I have no interest in a party thrown by the Son family. But you should go. We’ll see each other at night, after all.”

Yoongi nods and turns his head back towards Hyejin, who had been smart enough to avert her eyes from their conversation. “Tell Lord and Lady Son that I’ll be there, and that the wine they have prepared better be good.”

“And don’t forget to have multiple testers on hand, and do not let his majesty drink from a glass that hasn’t been specifically cleaned beforehand and guarded throughout,” Taehyung adds sternly.

Hyejin bows, first towards Taehyung, then towards Yoongi. “Of course, general, your majesty,” she says, “I’ll take care of everything.”

“Good,” Yoongi replies. “You’re dismissed.”

Immediately, Hyejin bows again deeply, then turns around and leaves the hall.

Taehyung doesn’t hesitate to walk right back up to the throne and perch himself on the armrest again.

“She’s truly a clever woman,” he remarks once he sits, and Yoongi snorts.

“You say that almost every day,” he points out.

“Well, she gives me reason to think it every day!” At Taehyung’s exaggeratedly innocent face, Yoongi can’t stop a laugh from escaping.

“Be careful, or I’ll have no choice but to think you have caught an interest in her,” Yoongi teases. Immediately, Taehyung’s hand comes up to caress the side of Yoongi’s face, lightly squeezing his cheek.

“Don’t worry, hyung,” Taehyung murmurs, “you know my heart can only belong to one person.”

The joke falls slightly flat and for a second Yoongi and Taehyung just look at each other silently, before Taehyung clears his throat and stands up.

“I’ll need to get going now, your majesty,” Taehyung quips, “important war general stuff to do and all that. We’ll see each other tonight, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Yoongi repeats, watching Taehyung with hawk eyes as he slowly struts towards the exit.

“Don’t drink too much,” is the last thing Taehyung says before he opens one of the doors and walks out. Yoongi can hear him barking out an order at one of the guards stationed outside the hall, before the heavy door clinks shut again.

For a few moments, everything is quiet. So quiet, that Yoongi can almost hear the bustling of the city outside of the windows – the hall of everblooming flowers is located in one of the lower parts of the citadel, not too far from the capital’s upper markets.

The noise is so faint, though, that it’s even overshadowed by Yoongi’s own heartbeat. He listens to that for a few seconds before he pulls himself out of it. His own heartbeat is of no comfort to him. Instead he sighs loudly, once, and then pushes himself off his throne.

There’s a country full of traitors that he needs to keep afloat.

Yoongi spends the rest of the day without another quiet moment.

He reads the letters of the governess of Hudo – Hyejin was right, after all, it would be practical to get Hudo on their side. They’ve stayed neutral in the war for way too long and even though Ina is as good as defeated, an alliance between Godae and Hudo would make sure their enemy remained harmless. He orders Hoseok to write a reply, since the second war general is much friendlier than Yoongi is. It’ll be enough if he just adds a few lines at the end. An alliance with Hudo would be helpful – he’s not interested in an actual friendship.

His meeting with the merchants is boring, just as he expected. But the Sinnan Kingdom had been their only ally for a long time, and their best trading partner, so Yoongi knows it’s important to take care of those relationships. He refers the two merchants to his minister of trade for the next meetings though. It’s good to keep them appeased, but they shouldn’t think that Yoongi will always make time for them. He’s the king of this continent’s largest and oldest empire, after all.

 And then, in only a heartbeat, it’s already time for the party.

Yoongi is already dressed well – gone are the days of his early reign, where he would scoff at the thought of walking around all bedazzled; everyone who mattered knew he was the king, after all – but he decides to put on some more rings, a flashier necklace, a second pair of earrings. He knows all of the jewellery fades in the face of the one accessory that’s truly important, his crown, but it can never hurt to show he’s on the top of this hierarchy of self-obsessed, traitorous highborn.

He arrives at the garden of the thousand-year-oak fashionably late, with Hyejin at his side. Lord and Lady Son come up to him immediately, bowing deeply.

“Your majesty, we are so honoured you could find the time to join our celebration,” Lord Son says while holding his bow, which Yoongi likes. The Son family is an old one as well, but at least the lord is able to keep up a pretence of being humble when in the face of his king. 

“What exactly are you celebrating?” Yoongi asks, looking around the garden filled with highborns, many of them already drunk. There’s a stage built up right beneath the name-giver of the garden, and it looks like there’s a dance group preparing to perform. But it’s not a holiday, today, and no decorations that would point towards any sort of special occasion.

“Life, your majesty,” Lady Son answers. “Life and love. Speaking of –.” She pauses to wave someone over, and Yoongi sighs internally. He already knows what is coming. “Have you ever met our beloved daughter, Son Chaeyoung?”

Yoongi musters the woman that steps in between her parents, sinking into a deep curtesy before Yoongi and not meeting his eyes. She’s pretty, but also looks so very young.

“Our dear Chaeyoung has graduated as one of the top students from one of Haneul’s most renowned professors,” Lady Son tells Yoongi. She can’t be that young, then. “The highborn Yong Seokmin, do you know him?” 

“I do,” Yoongi confirms, without adding anything else. Lord and Lady Son exchange a glance over the head of their daughter – she’s tiny – and Yoongi can tell they’re unsure how to proceed. And he certainly won’t make it easier for them.

Before any of them can say something else, Hyejin steps in to save the situation – whether for the Sons, or for Yoongi, Yoongi isn’t sure. “Lord and Lady Son, Chaeyoung-ssi, it’s quite unbecoming to keep his majesty standing here in the doorway. Surely you have prepared a seating area for him?”

“Oh, yes, of course,” Lord Son hurries to follow Hyejin’s lead. “It has the best view towards the stage, of course. We have hired Haneul’s best dancers for tonight, we hope you will enjoy their performance. Chaeyoung, darling, how about you show his majesty to his seat?”

“That won’t be necessary,” Heyjin cuts in with a smile that dares them to object. “We can see the seats you mean easily enough. His majesty is able to walk the few metres without guidance.”

“I am indeed,” Yoongi agrees, and then steps past the Son family with Hyejin. “I am also able to talk for myself, Hyejin-ssi,” Yoongi points out quietly as they walk and watches as Hyejin quickly bows in apology.

“Of course, your majesty, I never wanted to imply otherwise,” she says, “I just wanted to spare you from unnecessary words, I know you dislike those. But I’m deeply sorry, I’ll stay in my place next time.”

Yoongi nods, accepting her apology, and then sits down on the chaise that has obviously been prepared for him. On a slightly lower seat to his left, a middle-aged man Yoongi recognises as one of his tasters, is seated with a locked chest on his lap.

Hyejin pulls a key out of some fold of her dress and unlocks the chest, handing the cup inside to Yoongi.

“No one has had access to this cup since I oversaw how it was washed,” she tells him and Yoongi slightly inclines his head to convey his thanks.

“Good. Then get me some wine, so that this party will become bearable, at least,” he orders, and looks around once more as Hyejin waves for a server. The highborn and few high-class that have been invited are all split up in little groups, but Yoongi can tell that in the minutes since he has arrived, they have already started to mingle closer towards him.

He bets they’re all itching for a chance to just stand next to him for a while, so they’ll have something to gloat about for the next week. Or so that they’ll have the chance to slip something into his drink, to pierce his skin with a poison needle, to perform any other sort of macabre assassination and rid themselves of him.

Well, but Yoongi won’t give them the chance. Won’t let any of them get close enough to poison his drink, to even touch him.

They have no right to do it, anyways. They’re all so far beneath him, it makes him sick to even look at them.

“Your majesty. Your drink.” Hyejin’s voice pulls him out of his thoughts, and when he looks up, he sees her holding out his filled cup towards him. A glance to his left confirms that the taster has already tried the wine, and hasn’t dropped dead, so Yoongi accepts the drink and then gestures for Hyejin to sit down on his right. She’s the only one he’d allow to sit there, since … well, he doesn’t trust her, per se, but she also hasn’t given him a reason to mistrust her, yet.

“Your majesty, you’re aware what the cause of this party is, right?” Hyejin’s tone is conversational – a smart decision, because it’ll make the leeches around them less curious to listen in on their conversation, doesn’t give them the feeling they’re missing out on possible gossip.

“Of course,” Yoongi answers. Instinctively, he looks towards Son Chaeyoung, who is sitting by a chair formation close to him with some other young women. It’s clear as day, what this celebration of the Son family is for – another chance for Yoongi to catch interest in their daughter, to take her as his concubine. Just like every other family with a daughter of an appropriate age is attempting.

Because apparently, that’s the hottest topic at the citadel’s court, nowadays. They all can’t wait for him to finally produce an heir.

Yoongi only barely manages to hold back a scoff at the thought. As if he doesn’t know why they all want it so badly – it’s so that they’ll have leverage. Once there’s a possible heir to the throne, even the highborn who aren’t in cahoots with the traitors outside the capital might decide to get rid of him at any time, if they decide he’s too difficult to deal with. It’s much easier to shape a child into the exact form of ruler you like.

Yoongi won’t give them the pleasure of being expendable that easily.

“Your majesty, Lord Son has expressed an interest in announcing his nomination of his daughter as your concubine in front of the assembled court next week,” Hyejin pulls him out of his thoughts, again. “What is your opinion on that?”

“My opinion is that unless he wants to be humiliated in front of said assembled court, he should reconsider,” Yoongi replies drily. “I won’t accept, especially not if he thinks that asking it in front of the other highborn would pressure me into saying yes.”

“Of course, your majesty.” Hyejin sounds amused, and Yoongi is pretty sure she hadn’t expected anything else anyways. “I will carefully let him now.”

“If you want to do it un-carefully, I don’t care either,” Yoongi drawls. Then, his attention is captured by something else when he notices the dancers finally walking up to the stage, ready to perform.

They’re a group of nine, but Yoongi only really notices the man in the middle, small with round cheeks and his fringe falling into his eyes. His face looks so soft, but his body is lithe and obviously well trained, and Yoongi can’t help but think of –

“Drink!” He calls out, holding out his cup for a refill of the wine. It’s a good one, luckily, but Yoongi thinks that even if it was shit, he’d chug it right now.

The music begins and the dancers start moving, Yoongi’s eyes staying fixed on the man in the centre. It’s a fighting style dance, because of course it is. This country has been at war for fifteen years now, it seeps into every crevice of life, even art.

Yoongi still remembers the first time he saw someone perform a fighting style dance, over ten years ago, when –

“Drink!”

The small dancer moves beautifully through the forms. There’s a certain power behind every step, one that turns simple moves into art. It looks magical, and when Yoongi blinks he doesn’t see this dancer in front of him but instead –

“Drink!”

Yoongi loses count of how many times his cup is refilled. He loses count of how long the dancers perform as well. He only knows that every time the actual scene before him is replaced by something, no, someone else, he needs to drink. He can’t think of it.

At one point, he notices his taster walking away and someone else taking his spot, and when he turns to ask Hyejin about it, she looks a little blurry.

“Don’t worry, your majesty, you can trust this taster as well. The other one felt a little affected by the alcohol, is all.”

Yoongi wants to scoff at the fact that his tasters are such lightweights, apparently, that’s an embarrassment, but when he moves to speak, his own tongue feels quite heavy in his mouth.

He looks over towards the stage, where two dancers perform a duet right now. The small one isn’t a part of it.

“Do you want another glass of wine, your majesty?” Hyejin asks, and Yoongi shakes his head.

“I think I’ve been at this party for long enough now, actually,” he decides and stands up. Slowly, because he will not give any of the people present the pleasure of seeing him wobble.

He’s the king of this fucking empire, he can handle his alcohol!

So he walks away with steady steps, Hyejin by his side once more, nods towards Lord and Lady Son, and then disappears into the citadel.

Once they’re out of view from everyone, he turns to Hyejin. “Listen, about the short dancer that centred most of the performances,” he begins, waiting to make sure that Hyejin carefully listens to him – which she does, as always.

“Yes, what about him, your majesty?”

“Make sure that he’ll never perform in this citadel ever again.”

If Hyejin’s surprised by the command, she doesn’t show it. Instead, she just nods. “I’ll let his company know.”

Yoongi nods too, relieved. Then he says, “you can leave now. I’m very much able to find the way to my chambers on my own.”

Hyejin doesn’t disagree. Of course she doesn’t, she values her life and her position after all. She simply bows, wishes him a good night, and then leaves without turning around another time.

Finally, Yoongi can let out the breath he’s been holding and sack into the wall. Fuck. He really drank more than he normally would have – or should have.

He takes another deep breath and then stumbles his way to his chambers, cursing his past self for having moved to the very top of this fucking citadel.

When he has finally made it all the way up the stairs and into his rooms, he finds Taehyung sitting in the nook by the window, his eyes turned downwards at a book. And for a second, Yoongi blinks and there’s a flash again, because Taehyung didn’t like to read when he was younger. He just liked having company by the window, the one who always read was –

“Tae,” Yoongi growls out to banish those thoughts, and smirks in satisfaction when Taehyung looks up and at him, his eyes widening as he takes in Yoongi’s get up. “Do you like what you see?”

“I always do,” Taehyung replies without hesitation. “But you know how much I love everything that glitters, and you glitter … a lot right now.”

Yoongi laughs, a wheezy thing that gets half stuck in his throat, and he moves closer to Taehyung, stepping in between his spread legs and looking down on him. “I bet you’d like it even more if you could take the glitter off me though, right?”

“Some of it, maybe,” Taehyung whispers, his hand coming up to tug at the bejewelled harness Yoongi is wearing, “the stuff that makes access hard. You’re free to keep wearing your crown, though, hyung.”

Yoongi laughs again and strokes Taehyung’s cheek softly for a second, before he moves his hand to the back of Taehyung’s head and grabs his hair. “’Nough talking,” he mumbles, and then pulls Taehyung up to finally crash their mouths together.

They stumble over towards Yoongi’s giant bed together, Taehyung getting rid of his shirt in the process. When they get there, Yoongi sits down at the edge while Taehyung keeps standing, their positions the reverse of the minute before.

“Are you drunk?” Taehyung asks quietly while caressing Yoongi’s face, who shakes his head.

“Not too drunk for this.”

Taehyung chuckles. “You’re never too drunk for this, hyung,” he points out, “this is more about whether you’ll have a headache in the morning or not. How about you get rid of all those pretty jewels and meanwhile I’ll get you some water, okay?”

Yoongi frowns, annoyed at how caring Taehyung is being right now when he just wants to shut off his mind, but he nods in compliance anyways. If he argued, Taehyung would ask why, and then he’d have to tell him. Yoongi is not in the mood for talking tonight.

So he waits until Taehyung turns around to walk to the end of the room where some jugs with fresh water are always placed, and then starts to remove his rings and chains and clothes, dropping all of it in a pile on the floor unceremoniously.

Once he’s naked, he does put his crown back on, though. Taehyung’s idea wasn’t so bad – and Yoongi loves the way the younger gets when he keeps the crown on in bed.

He’s confirmed in that opinion once more when Taehyung comes back carrying a glass of water that he almost drops when his eyes take in Yoongi’s figure, leaning against the headrest in almost nothing but his crown and a lazy smirk on his face.

“H-hyung,” Taehyung rasps out, his voice shaky. “I was … kind of joking, earlier.”

“Well, I’m not,” Yoongi replies and raises an eyebrow. “You wanna tell your king to take off his crown?”

Hastily, Taehyung shakes his head. “No, of course not!” He holds out the glass in his hand towards Yoongi, even going so far as bowing a little bit. “Here’s your water, … your majesty.”

Yoongi smirks again when taking the glass. “Thank you, Taehyung-ah. Now get rid of those dumb pants and then lie down while I drink it, understood?”

Taehyung nods, and to keep up the show Yoongi turns his back to gulp down the water, listening to Taehyung moving behind him.

When he turns back around, his breath catches in his throat at the sight of Taehyung, in all his naked glory, sitting on the bed and staring at Yoongi with impossibly wide eyes.

“I thought I told you to lie down,” is the only thing Yoongi says, keeping his voice unaffected.

“S-sorry, your majesty.” Taehyung gulps, and Yoongi’s eyes are fixed on the way his adam apple bops. He wants to bite that neck. So he does, and rejoices in Taehyung’s answering whimper.

“Fine,” Yoongi groans against Taehyung’s throat, “if you refuse to lie down, then I’ll make myself comfortable and watch you do all the work.” He detaches himself from Taehyung and leans back against his pillows, raising an eyebrow at Taehyung, who’s still sitting still.

“What are you waiting for? Go on. Open yourself up for me.”

The direct order seems to snap Taehyung out of it, and Yoongi quietly chuckles as he watches Taehyung almost trip over his own long limbs in his haste to grab the oil that Yoongi placed on the nightstand while he was drinking his glass of water.

Once he has poured it over his fingers, he hesitates again, his eyes searching Yoongi’s.

Yoongi sighs. “What is it this time?”

“Do you … do you want me to stay like this or to turn my back to you, your majesty?” Taehyung asks, his voice all quiet, and it’s one of the hardest things Yoongi ever had to do to not coo out loud. Taehyung is downright adorable when he gets like this.

“You can stay like this, baby, but good thought,” Yoongi decides, and then watches with great satisfaction as Taehyung reaches down, past his dick, and starts to stretch himself open.  His other hand rests on Yoongi’s thigh, clenched into a fist, and Yoongi knows how much he must be tempted right now to palm himself, to get the slightest form of relief. But Taehyung knows the rules – when they play like this, when Yoongi wears the crown, he can only do what he’s told.

Yoongi, meanwhile, starts leisurely stroking himself. He is allowed to do anything he wants, after all. Pros of being a king.

A few minutes pass like this, silent except for the small whines and whimpers Taehyung lets out. Yoongi’s head is spinning, and he doesn’t know whether it’s from the alcohol, the pleasure, or the sheer power he holds right now.

“Your majesty,” Taehyung pants after some more moments, “I’m ready.”

“Took you long enough,” Yoongi growls, just to see Taehyung duck his head and whisper an apology. “Come here, baby,” he says then, softer. “Let me finally feel you.”

Taehyung complies immediately, crawling into Yoongi’s lap and replacing his hand on his dick with Taehyung’s own, still wet from the oil. He positions it right at his entrance, and then looks at Yoongi with beautiful, large eyes. “May I?” he asks, pleads, and on another day Yoongi might have been meaner, but right now he’s drunk and still frustrated from earlier and just wants to finally feel the other, so he nods, and then chokes on the next breath as Taehyung starts to lower himself down.

“Taehyung-ah,” Yoongi whispers once Taehyung is fully seated in his lap, wrapping his arms around Taehyung’s waist to pull him as close as possible.

“H-hyung,” Taehyung stutters, then moans loudly as Yoongi thrusts up, once. “Your majesty,” he corrects himself, and it sounds like pure sin dripping off Taehyung’s lips, it drives Yoongi a little crazy.

So he buries one hand in the hair on Taehyung’s nape again, crashes their lips together, and starts thrusting up into Taehyung in rapid succession.

The noises that slip out of Taehyung’s mouth and right into Yoongi’s are delicious.

At one point, the limited movement Yoongi is able to do with Taehyung on top of him stops being enough, so he grabs Taehyung by the waist once more and flips their position, immediately slipping back into Taehyung once he’s lying on his back.

His crown stays fixed on his head, despite the movement, and in the back of his mind Yoongi thinks he should one day thank the goldsmith for forging such a well-fitting piece.

The larger part of his consciousness is taken up by how gorgeous Taehyung looks beneath him, glistening with sweat, his black hair spread out like a halo around his head. There are tears leaking out of the corners of his eyes as his whines get more and more high-pitched. The sight drives Yoongi wild.

He kisses his way down Taehyung’s neck and collarbones, biting every piece of skin he can grab, and speeds up his thrusts as much as he can. Taehyung’s fingernails are scratching down his back and the little bit of pain mixed with the overwhelming pleasure is almost too much for Yoongi.

But he wants Taehyung to come untouched before he lets himself break, so he hitches up Taehyung’s hips to go even deeper inside him, then places both his hands on Taehyung’s throat and leans down to whisper into his ear, every word accompanied by a deep thrust, “come, baby. Your king orders you to come.”

Taehyung’s next whine gets stuck in his throat and Yoongi hisses as he feels Taehyung clench impossibly tight around him while the orgasm rocks through his body.

The second Taehyung’s tight grip on his dick lessens, Yoongi thrusts a couple of final times, and then all but collapses on top of Taehyung as he comes inside him.

The lay in silence for a few moments, both panting. “Was I good?” Taehyung asks then, voice slurred, and Yoongi immediately turns his head to the side to start kissing the side of Taehyung’s face.

“The best, baby,” he promises.

Slowly, he pulls out of Taehyung and rolls off him, one hand grabbing his crown to put it on the nightstand, while he strokes up and down Taehyung’s body with the other.

“What do you need, baby?” he asks once he’s rid of the crown, “do you want me to clean you up? Get you some water?”

Taehyung shakes his head with his eyes closed, a content smile on his face. “Just hold me close, hyungie,” he whispers, and Yoongi happily complies, wrapping his entire body around Taehyung, who curls himself up as if he was still smaller than Yoongi, like he was back when they first met, so many years ago.

Like this, huddled so close together that Yoongi can feel their heartbeats melt into one, Yoongi falls asleep only moments after he hears Taehyung’s breaths even out.

Yoongi opens his eyes to sunlight pouring into his room. He yawns, squeezes his eyes shut tightly against the light and stretches his arms and legs away from his body.

But then he frowns. He didn’t hit a body during the stretch. He opens his eyes, looks to the left and right, and finds the bed empty on both sides. Huh. It’s unusual for Taehyung to wake up before him.

“Did you finally wake up, sleepyhead-hyung?” A voice comes from the door to his private washroom then, and when Yoongi sits up, he finds Taehyung standing there, in the process of tying a bow around his neck and smiling brightly.

For a second, Yoongi is stumped. Taehyung looks so, so beautiful. And happy. His black hair is soft and short, falling over his forehead, and his jaw isn’t as refined as Yoongi remembers it to be. In general, his entire body looks more long and gangly than lithe and muscular. And there’s a bright light in his eyes that speaks of him simply being … happy.

“Hyungie, are you still sleeping?” It’s Taehyung’s unrestrained, laughing voice that finally pushes Yoongi to realise – it’s not that Taehyung is suddenly happy and that’s the difference. It’s that Taehyung is young. So very young.

Yoongi didn’t actually wake up, he’s still dreaming.

“Come on hyung, we have to go!” Taehyung’s voice has taken on a whiny tone, and he walks closer towards the bed. Suddenly, Yoongi feels his own voice rumble in his chest, but he can’t hear what it is he’s saying. He can hear Taehyung’s reply, however.

“He’s been waiting for us for ages! We shouldn’t keep him waiting any longer, you know how he gets once he starts pouting! He’s planned a day by the meadow for us, remember? The war can wait for a while, hyung.”

Ah, Yoongi realises. This isn’t just a dream. It’s a memory of simpler times.

“Come, hyung,” Taehyung says softly, holding out a hand. It’s less calloused, less worn by over a decade of wielding swords and other weapons. “Let’s go meet him.”

Yoongi opens his eyes and wonders how he didn’t realise immediately that he was dreaming before. There’s no sunlight pouring into his room – these chambers don’t face east; they don’t get sun in the mornings.

When he looks to the side, he finds Taehyung’s sleeping form curled up next to him, hugging a pillow. He smiles weakly and sits up slightly so he can lean on his elbows and look over Taehyung’s body at his face.

He’s still beautiful, of course he is, but there’s no trace left of the kid he used to be. There’s a determined set to his eyebrows, even while he’s sleeping.

And once Taehyung opens his eyes, Yoongi won’t find a happy spark in them. Neither of them have been particularly happy in a long time.

Yoongi sighs, slumping back down onto the pillows.

Most of all, he knows, that he isn’t waiting for them to go anywhere, and that he never will again.

After all, he’s been dead and gone for nine years now, and the simpler times are never coming back.

▪▫▪▫

The entire forest is filled with sounds. It comes from wind rustling the leaves, from birds and other wildlife amongst the trees, from droplets of water flowing across the forest’s floor, from the general noise of a place being alive.

It’s idyllic and beautiful, but right now Jungkook wishes all the birds could just shut up for a moment. Because they’re making it really hard to hear whether they’re being followed. And that’s kind of important to know.

“Do you hear anything, oppa?” Sihyeon hisses from behind him, and Jungkook shakes his head.

“I don’t think so,” he answers, then looks upwards, where Jiwon has climbed onto a tree. “Jiwon-ah, do you see anybody?”

“Negative,” comes the answer from above, and Jungkook breathes a sigh of relief.

“Looks like we’re safe,” he calls out to the other two members of their crew, Seokmin and Eunji, then watches carefully as Jiwon makes her way down the tree again, and then the five of them continue their journey through the forest.

Jungkook forms the tail of the group, keeping an eye on their surroundings, and watches with a grin as Jiwon and Sihyeon skip along the path side by side, their interlaced hands swinging between them. In front of them, Eunji seems to point out various things to Seokmin, who keeps throwing his head back in laughter.

Overall, the mood is pretty good and Jungkook thinks it’s only right this way. After all, they did a good job on their mission, they have some intel, and they’re all excited to go home again.

Jungkook for one definitely is. He likes travelling around the country, getting to see every region of this huge empire, getting to know so many people. But he’s also always relieved once they successfully finish a mission and can make their way home.

And this time, he especially can’t wait to finally arrive, since the journey has been much longer than usual, considering they had to make their way down from all the way up in the north. It took them a week by horse to even get to the Sumi River, then they were stuck on rafts for another week until they finally reached Gangnong, and now they’ve been walking through the forest for two more days to get to their destination. If they were going in a straight line, that last part of the journey could’ve been faster, but they’ve been trying to throw anyone possibly following them off their trail.

But if they keep up the tempo they have going on now and if they don’t need to stop again to hide from a patrol of soldiers – they shouldn’t need to, soldiers usually never get into this part of the deep forest, considering there’s no official towns here – then they should manage to reach home by midday.

“Hey, oppa, do you think Jin-oppa will have our favourite foods waiting for us?” Eunji pulls Jungkook out of his thoughts.

“That would require him knowing we’re arriving today, and also him having the time to cook. Both of which sound very unlikely,” Jungkook points out with a grin and a flick to Eunji’s forehead, who squeals in protest.

“You’re such a downer,” she complains and this time Jungkook laughs loudly.

“It’s called being a realist, Eunji! You should try it sometimes!”

“I didn’t join the movement to be a realist,” she retorts, which … well. Good point.

Eunji cackles when she realises he has nothing to say to that and skips past Jiwon, Sihyeon and even Seokmin to the front of the group, running along the path.

“Come on guys, we’re almost there!” she shouts, excitedly, and Jungkook happily joins in on the laughter arising from the others. Eunji is the youngest of their group by not even a year, but she fulfils the role very well.

But she’s also not wrong – they are almost there, the landscape around them as familiar to Jungkook as the little garden on the farm he grew up on.

“Last one in is a lame-ass,” Eunji calls out and starts sprinting. Which is incredibly unfair, considering she was already ahead of the others. Jiwon looks like she wants to point out just that, but then she gets pulled along when Sihyeon starts running. Seokmin speeds up as well and Jungkook sighs once before starting to sprint, too.

He’s not a lame-ass, after all!

At the end of the race, Seokmin is the lameass. Though, Jungkook has to admit – only to himself though! He won’t say it out loud! – that he was at quite the disadvantage, carrying the most of their luggage, after all.

Seokmin doesn’t seem to take the loss too hard either way and all thoughts of competition are forgotten when the five of them finally arrive at the place Jungkook has called home for three years now:

Before them lies, inconspicuous to every lost traveller or guard patrol that will ever come by this part of the woods, the entrance to the Banhang Mine, headquarter of the organised rebellion against the mad king.

Yoorim is standing watch when they walk up to the tunnel that leads underground into the mine, together with someone Jungkook doesn’t know yet, which makes him smile. Their numbers truly are growing by the day. He’s already excited for the people from up north, that he managed to convince of their cause, to arrive.

Eunji falls back to talk to Yoorim – it reminds Jungkook that the two of them joined the rebellion together, a couple of months ago – while the rest of them head inside.

Jungkook still has a flush on his face from the run and a smile playing at his lips that only grows when the tunnel makes one last turn and then he’s greeted with the full sight of Banhang Mine. The empire used to mine for gold, here, but the resources had been depleted and the mine left to be forgotten – until the rebellion found it and made it their base, building huts all over the giant cave system. It’s in the perfect spot, hidden deep inside the forest, but close enough to the Sumi River to assure a good connection to the rest of the country – and it’s not too far from the capital, either.

He makes his way down from the ledge the tunnel led them to, walking between the outer huts, that are mostly used for storage, towards the main plaza, since he saw a bunch of people gathered there when he looked down on the cave.

The smile that’s still on his face slowly dies once he reaches the plaza. Instead of the relaxed gathering of friends he expected, or hoped for, the atmosphere feels mostly grim.

Seokjin is standing in the middle of the plaza, by the well, with a roll of paper in his hands.

“This is the list of confirmed deaths,” is what he’s announcing when Jungkook gets close enough to hear, “Ahn Dongil, Han Seungjoo, Kook Hyesung, Jo Younghye, Yang Taeyang, So Yihun, Kim Geoneun and Yeom Sehee.” Seokjin lowers the roll. “We’re trying to find out if there are more casualties, but those are certain. If any of you have information on those people’s families, please let us know so we can get in contact with them and help them in any way we can. That’s all for now.”

There’s murmurs going through the crowd as it slowly disperses, and Jungkook looks at the person next to him. “Minho-hyung,” Jungkook mumbles, “what’s up with everyone’s worry? It’s only eight names, and that’s tragic of course, but it’s not too bad?”

Minho looks at him with a sad smile. “Seokjin read the previous list only last week,” he explains, and Jungkook’s stomach fills with dread. That means …

“The mad king killed eight people in a week?”

Minho nods sadly, then softly claps him on the shoulder twice. “But it’s good to have you back unharmed, Jungkook-ah. I hope you bring along some good news?”

“Maybe.” In the face of eight deaths – and that’s only in this week, Jungkook had been gone for two months, how many of his friends and allies have died in that time? – his mission doesn’t seem all that successful anymore.

“Then I’m sure Seokjin would love to hear them,” Minho says with another pat to his shoulder, then he leaves to go talk to some other rebels.

Jungkook decides to go to his hut first, to finally put down his bags, before he’ll look for Seokjin for a debriefing.

On his way there he is greeted by a bunch of people, most of them familiar, some of them not. He also misses some faces he thought he would see, and fervently hopes that they’re just somewhere else in the mine, or out on a mission, and not captured or worse.

Stepping into his hut is a relief. It’s small, only two beds and two chests and a small shelf with personal items, but it’s where he’s lived for three years whenever he wasn’t out on a mission. It’s the one place Jungkook can call his. Well, his and Seokmin’s, technically, but Seokmin has been spending most of his time at the mine with his boyfriend and girlfriend, so Jungkook figures the hut is more his than theirs.

He drops his bags down by his bed, determined to unpack them later – and really unpack them, not just stare at them for two weeks but never doing it until it’s time to leave again – and then buries his face in his hands for a few moments.

Fuck. Eight dead people in a week. This time, Jungkook was lucky to only have known three of them personally, and only superficial at that. But the mad king is getting ruthless and the danger of one of his close friends being next is getting bigger and bigger by the day.

Jungkook allows himself to feel the despair rush through his entire body for a few more moments, then he drops his hands and breathes out slowly.

It’s going to be fine. He’s going to do everything  in his power to never allow anything bad happening to his friends, his crew.

With that determination, he turns around and heads out of his hut again, ready to find the person he knows is even more determined to protect each and every one of them.

He finds Seokjin in the strategy hut, because of course he does. Every time Seokjin has to announce the most recent deaths, he comes here afterwards.

“Hyung,” Jungkook says quietly at the entrance to make his presence known because Seokjin seems pretty deep in concentration, looking over the map of Godae that is always spread out on the table in the centre of the hut.

The sight of Seokjin startling violently brings a light smile to Jungkook’s face, one that brightens when Seokjin looks up and his eyes fill with warmth looking at Jungkook.

“Jungkook-ah, you’re home! I only expected you in two days or so! Did your last letter come late, or were you quicker than expected?”

“We were pretty quick to reach Gangnong,” Jungkook answers, finally stepping inside and joining Seokjin at the table. Out of the corner of his eyes, he notices how Seokjin deliberately relaxes his shoulders and immediately feels the atmosphere in the room lighten considerably. In response, Jungkook’s own shoulders relax as well – he hadn’t even noticed how he tensed them.

Seokjin glances at him, soundlessly mouthing sorry, but Jungkook shrugs and smiles to show he isn’t bothered. It’s not like Seokjin did it on purpose, this time.

“Are you here for your debriefing?” Seokjin asks then and Jungkook nods.

“Yep,” he says, popping the p. “I mean, what else?”

“Yah, that’s rude,” Seokjin exclaims, exaggeratedly opening his eyes widely. “Maybe you just wanted to come see your favourite hyung after a long time? The guy who basically raised you?”

“Hyung, we met when I was twenty years old,” Jungkook deadpans, like he always does. And like he always does, Seokjin waves the comment away like a bothersome fly, before turning serious again in the blink of an eye. Typical Seokjin fashion.

“Okay, then let’s hear it. Did the meet up with the farmers work as planned?”

“Yeah,” Jungkook confirms, pointing to a spot on the map, far up in the north. “We intercepted their group here and got the intel before they continued on in a different direction. But hyung, they were less people than we were told they would be.”

“Yeah, multiple of them got captured. Some probably killed as well,” Seokjin explains grimly. “I haven’t announced the names yet because we don’t have confirmations on who’s dead and who’s captured. I’m working on that.”

“Fuck,” Jungkook mumbles before pulling a small, folded up piece of paper from his pocket and handing it to Seokjin. “Here’s the intel.”

“Thanks.” Seokjin unfolds it, overlooking it quickly before putting it on the table and placing a weight on top of it. “This is hopefully going to make it a lot easier to get the resources we need.”

“Yeah.”

“What else do you have to report? That was your first time so far up north, right?” Seokjin waits until Jungkook nods to continue. “So, how was it? What was your impression?”

Jungkook sighs, waiting for a few moments to think of how to voice his thoughts. “It was … rough, hyung,” he begins. “The farmlands are okay, the farmers that live in the villages there don’t have it too bad, since they live from their own harvests. But we met so many people that originally come from even further up north, from the mountain areas, and they had to flee and look for refuge further south because they’ve been completely forgotten by the mad king. All the harvests and animals are sent straight down south, not up north. And the villages in like … the southern part of the north, those that aren’t directly sustained by farming also aren’t looking good.  It looks like everything is sent straight down to Haneul or Seopo, to be traded away for money for the war while the people starve.”

“That’s disgusting,” Seokjin scoffs. “How did the people in those villages react to your presence? Were they hostile or interested? And how present were the soldiers?”

“The smaller the village, the fewer the soldiers,” Jungkook replies. “But hyung, a lot of those villages were basically devoid of young adults. It was just a bunch of children and their grandparents. We’ve been told that almost everyone living up there enlists for longer after their service, and those that remain are those too old, and they were all weary to stand against the crown. Many say that they still remember the devastation that rained when the Inans started the war and that it’s been much safer for them since the mad king took the throne.”

“But we’ve been safe from the Inans inside our borders for almost ten years now. The only danger now lies with the mad king. Did you try and tell them about that?”

“Of course I did, hyung,” Jungkook says with a smile. “It’s what I’ve been telling people for three years now. And even though many were weary, they still accepted our songs and the messages within them. They asked us to teach them to some of the local musicians, so even if we can’t expect outright support from these villages, I don’t think they will resist when the day of the uprising comes. They just want to be safe. They’ll realise quickly that true safety comes once the mad king is gone.”

Seokjin smiles, a proud glimmer in his eyes that makes Jungkook’s chest swell up. “Good work, Jungkook-ah. Your last letter also said that you did manage to recruit some people to join our fight, right?”

“Yeah,” Jungkook confirms, nodding eagerly. “There were some civilians that came back from enlistment that wanted to support us. And we also convinced a few of the refugees to join the cause. We gave them the information on how to contact us in various cities. Maybe the first of them will already arrive shortly. We should have like ten, fifteen new recruits soon.”

“That’s amazing,” Seokjin states. “Again, good work.”

“Thank you.” Jungkook won’t admit it to anyone, not even to Seokjin even though he clearly can see it, but he’s starting to blush from the praise. It’s not that Seokjin is particularly strict or anything, but he also doesn’t give out compliments freely, so getting them from him feels special. “What has been happening here since I left? I saw quite a few new faces walking around, so it seems like other recruiters were successful as well?”

“Yes, our numbers have been growing,” Seokjin confirms, “but it’s not just good news – most of the people that have joined us recently have done so because someone they were close to has been killed or captured for betraying the kingdom. We’re practically losing as many people as we’re gaining.”

“Oh,” Jungkook says, and nothing else. After all, there isn’t really anything to say.

“Have you heard what happened in the citadel? I told your contact to pass on the news,” Seokjin asks then and Jungkook nods, remembering the pure dread that filled him when he read the first letter, and then the small relief he got from the second one.

“Yes. I … I’ve been wanting to ask and scared to ask at the same time. Is he …?”

“He’s okay,” Seokjin answers Jungkook’s unfinished question with a smile. “Or at least, he’s going to be okay. He’s been healing well. I got him out myself, you know?”

“Wow.” Jungkook didn’t know, the second letter only spoke of the rescue, but now he thinks he could have figured. Seokjin hardly leaves the mine for missions with such a high danger of being captured, since he knows very well how much he is needed here. But of course he’d risk it all for Namjoon.

“You should go see him later. He’s been going a little stir crazy with the bedrest I ordered him on, he could use the company,” Seokjin continues, the love in his tone and his eyes so evident that it can’t help but bring a smile to Jungkook’s face.

“Of course! It’ll be great, getting to spend more time with hyung.”

“Good. But before you go, there’s one more thing I need to talk to you about.” Suddenly, Seokjin is back to business mode. “I have a new mission for you.”

“Already?” Jungkook asks, surprised, and Seokjin nods with a grim expression.

“Yes, already. The mad king is picking up speed with eliminating us, so we need to pick up speed with gaining ground. We’ve been stagnant for a while now, we need to move forward. Namely, we need to find foot in the capital.”

“And your safest bet is to do that through us,” Jungkook concludes and Seokjin inclines his head.

“Exactly. You should manage to gain entry as a troop of musicians. We need you to infiltrate the capital and figure out how it’s looking for the normal population. How is their wellbeing, how do they feel about the high folk in the citadel, how receptive are they for our ideals? Namjoonie knows – or, well, knew – everything about the citadel, but what we need is support from the people there. We know they have it better than the entire rest of the country, so if we manage to turn them against the king, then this war is basically won.” 

“Yeah, that makes sense.” Jungkook frowns, already planning out various strategies in his head. “Do you have any specific orders?”

“Apart from doing recon, you should try to make as many city guards, soldiers, and every other military personnel as possible like you. If you have their sympathies, that will help greatly. I’m still working out the logistics for you, but you’ll definitely have some time before you’ll leave again. Once I have the specifics on your story, I’ll call you in again, okay?”

“Sounds good, hyung.”

“Good.” Seokjin smiles at him gratefully for a moment, then he nods towards the door. “Now shoo, go and find Namjoonie and tell him that if I find him outside of his bed when I get home tonight, he’s gonna be in serious trouble, got it?”

Jungkook cackles, walking over towards the exit. “You got it, captain!” he calls out with a salute and a grin, then quickly hushes out of the door before Seokjin can throw something at him.

He doesn’t have a long way to go to reach his next destination – Seokjin’s hut is located closely to the strategy hut, because of course it is. Though, Jungkook recons, he shouldn’t call it Seokjin‘s hut anymore. It’s fully Namjoon’s now, too.

He knocks on the door twice, hoping to find Namjoon lying in bed as he’s supposed to be, because despite Seokjin’s orders, Jungkook could never chastise Namjoon. Not when he’s the guy Jungkook has looked up to since joining the movement!

Jungkook waits until he hears said guy call him in and breathes a sigh of relief when he steps inside and finds Namjoon propped up in the double bed in the centre of the room – the one luxury Seokjin has indulged in – with a book in his hand.

“Jungkook-ah,” Namjoon calls out with a surprised, but pleased expression on his face. “You’re back! Ah, that’s such a relief, are you well?”

“I’m good, hyung,” Jungkook mumbles, feeling his cheeks turn red under Namjoon’s excited attention directed at him. “I think I should be the one to ask you that.”

“Ah, I’m fine,” Namjoon waves off, beckoning Jungkook closer, who carefully sits down at the edge of the bed. “I’m healing well, Jin-hyung is blowing things way out of proportion.”

“Hyung, he had to break you out of the citadel’s dungeon,” Jungkook emphasises, “I agree with you that he normally does, but in this case Seokjin-hyung definitely didn’t blow things out of proportion. I’m so glad to see you like this, I was so worried.”

“That’s very kind, Jungkook-ah,” Namjoon smiles, then spreads his arms a little as if to say look at me. So Jungkook does. Namjoon really doesn’t seem too hurt, he’s not the broken and battered form Jungkook was afraid of seeing. Instead he’s simply a bit pale – make sense, considering he can’t go out in the sun at the moment – and there are some almost-healed cuts on his face and Jungkook is pretty sure there are bandages around his torso peeking out beneath his shirt, but otherwise he looks … fine. He looks like he’s healing and healing well at that.

Jungkook reciprocates Namjoon’s smile and sits a little more comfortably on the bed. “Hyung, obviously you don’t have to talk about it if it like … brings up traumatic memories or something, but what even happened?” Jungkook asks carefully. “The updates we got obviously were all very limited, so I hardly know anything!”

“Well, to be honest, I can’t even really tell you,” Namjoon replies, grimacing. “All I know is that I was just doing my thing in the ministry of education, as usual, and one day what feels like the entire army is rushing in, arresting all of us! They even arrested Minister Ma, who’s a highborn, after all!”

“Were you ratted out?” Jungkook gasps.

“Seems like it,” Namjoon confirms. “I don’t know who snitched, though. I want to doubt that it was someone inside the ministry, because even if most of them weren’t in on the clues we sent out, we were still a tight-knit group. But someone somewhere must’ve figured out our clues, and then all of us had to pay the price.”

“Hyung, how … how are the citadel’s cells? Are the stories we hear about them true?”

Namjoon smiles, but it’s a bleak, almost scary expression. “Ah, Jungkook-ah,” he says, “is it okay if I tell you about that some other day? It … wasn’t good. I’m just glad Jin-hyung got me out as quickly as he did, even though it’s terrible that he only managed to get me and one more. Did you hear what happened to the rest of the ministry?”

Jungkook nods, and places a hand on top of Namjoon’s, hoping to comfort him at least a little through the touch. Even though they and Namjoon had technically been on different sides, he had been with them for years, they worked and lived side by side.

Jungkook can only imagine how hard it must be, knowing all of them are dead, because of something Namjoon had worked for.

“They’ll be avenged, hyung,” Jungkook mumbles. “Them, and all the other victims too. The mad king will pay for what he’s done and then nothing like this will ever happen again.”

Namjoon nods, slowly, and then visibly forces himself to smile. “You’re right, Jungkook-ah. In the end, it will have been worth it. It’s yet another reason to work even harder towards our goal.”

“Exactly,” Jungkook agrees. Then, seeing how tense Namjoon still looks, he decides to change the topic. Seokjin would not be happy if he found out Namjoon got agitated during Jungkook’s visit, because it probably isn’t good for the healing process, or something. “So, hyung, which books have you been reading while you were on bedrest?”

As always, getting Namjoon to talk about books is a sure way to have him think about nothing else and it shows in the way Namjoon’s face immediately lights up.

They spend the next hour or so talking about books, Jungkook listening intently to all of Namjoon’s opinions, like he’s always loved to do. He could get lost in Namjoon’s explanations about a certain piece of literature for hours, he realises. He never got the chance to, before, considering all their interactions were usually very limited in time, since Namjoon could never stay away from the capital for too long, lest he attract attention.

Their conversation only comes to an end when Jungkook’s stomach starts to grumble loudly, causing Namjoon to interrupt his sentence to laugh.

“Oh no, I kept you here for way too long, didn’t I? You sound like you’re starving,” he notes with a sheepish smile and Jungkook hurries to shake his head.

“You didn’t keep me, hyung, I wanted to be here! I’m sorry that I bothered you for so long! And I didn’t even realise I was this hungry, really.”

“You didn’t bother me either, Jungkook-ah,” Namjoon says. “But maybe we should come back to our conversation another time, so that you can go and eat before your stomach will claw its way out of you. I suppose Jin-hyung is going to come by with my food soon, too.”

“Okay, I’ll get going,” Jungkook replies while scrambling off the bed, “but you have to promise to me that we really will continue this conversation! And that you lend me some of the books you talked about.” Jungkook hesitates. “Even though, I don’t really know when I’ll ever have time to read them? Seokjin-hyung said he’s sending us out on a new mission soon and I can’t really bring books on missions, they take up too much space.”

“It’s fine, Jungkook-ah,” Namjoon assures him, “you can borrow whichever books you want and just read them whenever you’re here and have time. Books don’t expire or run away, that’s their beauty. You can always come back to them.”

“That’s true, I guess.” Jungkook stands in the door, wanting to say something else, when his stomach grumbles again, effectively cutting off every other thought he had.

“I’ll see you again soon, hyung, bye!” He calls out, smiling at Namjoon when he calls out a goodbye, and then skips out of the door to take hurried steps towards the food hut.

He finds Eunji and Jiwon in the food hut and grins. Of course he’d find them here. Yoorim, Eunji’s friend, is with them and the three of them wave him over once they spot him. Jungkook sees that they have enough dishes piled up on the table for a fourth person to join them and walks over without hesitating.

“We figured you’d come by soon,” Jiwon tells him as he sits down next to her, “Chanmi-unnie said you hadn’t been here yet, so you’re probably starving by now, aren’t you?”

“I really am,” Jungkook confirms with a laugh and starts putting food on his plate. It looks like there’s recently been a successful food run because there’s more variety of meals than there had been before Jungkook left for the last mission.

“How did the debrief with Seokjin-oppa go?” Eunji asks, her mouth full.

“It went well. He praised us for a job well done. And he has a new mission for us.”

“Already?” Jiwon’s surprise is justified – usually, there’s at least a couple of weeks of lowkey assignments around the Banhang Mine before they get sent out for the next big thing in a group.

“Yeah, hyung said that since the mad king is getting worse with killing our allies, we need to work quicker. We’ll go to Haneul, soon. There aren’t more specific details yet, since they still need to be worked out, but the general assignment is there.”

“Haneul? Wow.” Eunji’s eyes are wide, and Jiwon’s expression mirrors her.

“Isn’t that really dangerous?” Yoorim sounds worried, and Jungkook smiles kindly at her.

“All of our missions are dangerous,” he says, “and yeah, this one might be riskier than others, but it’s also more important. And Jin-hyung won’t send us out before he doesn’t have a good cover story in place for us. And we’ll take care of Eunji, I promise.”

“I’m not worried about that,” Yoorim splutters, but there’s an obvious blush creeping onto her cheeks. Eunji, who looks like she was just about to complain, visibly melts at that.

Jungkook smiles at the sight. He already helped Jiwon and Sihyeon get their heads out of their asses. Maybe Yoorim and Eunji will be his next success story.

“I can’t believe we’re going to Haneul, that’s amazing,” Jiwon says, starry-eyed. “That’ll be such a vital mission! Oppa, we’ll go down in the history books for this one!”

Jungkook laughs. “Only if you dutifully practice your songs, Jiwon-ah,” he teases her, “the people in the capital probably have a lot more access to culture than the crowds we usually play to, so we have to be especially good to find listeners for our messages.”

“That’s what we have you for, oppa,” Eunji teases back. “The golden boy of the revolution!”

Jungkook scrunches his nose at her. That nickname has been around for a while now, and it still doesn’t get easier to bear. He blushes every time he hears it. And sure enough –

“Aww, look, he’s turning red!” Jiwon points out and the table erupts into laughter.

In response, Jungkook just shuffles more food into his mouth, trying to empty his plate as quickly as possible. He hates his friends. He loves them, but he also really hates them.

From that point on, their table only becomes more raucous as the evening and night goes on. Seokmin and Sihyeon join them after a while, as well as multiple other people. Jungkook loses track of who comes by to hear the report of their latest mission.

He notices Seokjin entering the food hut at some point and waves him over, but Seokjin smiles apologetically and shakes his head. Jungkook understands. He probably wants to get back to Namjoon – and he also hasn’t been in the mood for social nights for a while, too preoccupied with the duties of leading the movement.

Jungkook decides that on the next night, he’ll stay at Seokjin and Namjoon’s place and cheer the two of them up a little.

When he stumbles back to his hut much, much later, he’s dead tired and falls asleep before his head even hits the pillow, only having managed to take off his shoes beforehand.

The next day, after spending the morning catching up with some more people, he gets called in by Seokjin for another briefing. This time, the rest of his crew is assembled as well, all of them looking as tired as he feels from the long night.

“You’ll be a rookie musician group from Cheosu,” Seokjin explains to them. “We’re still working on faking registration plaques for you. We also have some forms ready for you, to apply as practicing artists in Haneul. If all goes well, you should be able to get an artist’s travel pass, that’ll make it easier for you to get in and out of the city. Since the capital is heavily guarded, it’ll be very hard to confer with letters, which is why I want you to come back here every few weeks to report. There’s a guesthouse in the lower part of the city you can stay in. The owner isn’t officially a part of our movement yet, but she’s also not against us. I hope that after your stay there, she’ll be actively for us. Any more questions?”

Jungkook shakes his head, as do the others. Seokjin’s words were, as always, precise and to the point.

Seokjin nods, looking pleased. “Good. I reckon your plaques will be ready in three days at the latest. Until then, rest.” He looks at all of them with raised eyebrows. “No more insanely late nights, okay? Yesterday was understandable, since you were all happy to be back, but I need you at your full abilities. So rest, and practice your songs, and don’t do anything else, okay?”

“Okay, hyungnim,” Jungkook drones and then chuckles when Seokjin whacks him in the shoulder.

“Great, then you’re dismissed. Shoo, I need to do proper grown-up stuff.”

His crew shuffles out of the hut, but Jungkook lingers behind, watching Seokjin look over some letters, his entire body screaming tired.

“Hyung,” Jungkook says softly to get Seokjin’s attention and waits until he looks up to keep talking. “I’m gonna drop by to eat dinner with you and Joon-hyung tonight, okay? Actually, that’s not a question. That’s a statement.”

Seokjin chuckles. “Yeah, okay, Jungkook-ah. Namjoonie will like it, you talking to him really lifted his spirits yesterday.”

“That’s because he needs to go out,” Jungkook points out gently. “He’s a social person, you always said he was. He must be going absolutely insane stuck in that hut all day. You know that hardly anyone probably dares to visit him, since it’s your hut. You know everyone respects you two too much to just drop by.”

“Everyone except you,” Seokjin shoots back. “There’s never any respect coming from you!”

“I respect you in the areas I need to,” Jungkook quips, grinning. “But still, the point stands. Allow Namjoon to leave. He’s itching to, but he won’t do it as long as you don’t give your okay because he knows how worried you are. But he looks fine, he won’t die if he moves a little, gets some fresh air.”

“Jungkook, you say he looks fine, but you didn’t see him when I got to him, in those cells.” Seokjin’s words are quiet and Jungkook thinks that if the other wasn’t so in control of his emotions, always, his voice would be quivering right now. “I think they figured out that he knew the most, so they tortured him the most. He was almost dead, Jungkook. I almost lost him.”

Jungkook steps closer, carefully, and places a hand on Seokjin’s shoulder. Lightly, so Seokjin could shake him off at any moment. He doesn’t. “I understand, hyung, but you didn’t lose him. He’s alive, and he’s already healed well in the past month. But you need to let his mind heal, too, and that will work best if he gets to go out under the trees and the sun. You know that.”

Seokjin looks up into Jungkook’s eyes and Jungkook can see the extent of Seokjin’s pain and fear in it.

“Fine,” Seokjin says after a moment. “Come by for dinner tonight, and if Namjoon can move around the entire evening without too much pain, you can take him outside tomorrow, okay?”

Jungkook grins and nods eagerly. He understands why Seokjin is telling him to join Namjoon outside – he knows that Jungkook wouldn’t hesitate to protect Namjoon with his life. “It’s a deal.”

“Good.” Seokjin musters Jungkook face for a few more moments, then he turns back to the table and the letters on it. “But now seriously, leave. I have a huge load of work I need to do. I’ll see you tonight at dinnertime.”

“See you tonight,” Jungkook repeats and then walks out of the hut, satisfied at the way things worked out.

And so he spends that evening with Seokjin and Namjoon, having a great time until he gets kicked out way too early by Seokjin with orders to rest, and I mean it, Jungkook-ah, go the fuck to sleep.

To be fair, he does have a great night’s sleep after that.

For the next two days, he takes Namjoon out of the mine and into the forest, wandering between various sunny spots and listening to Namjoon identify every sort of bird and tree he sees.

When they go back inside in the evening, Jungkook practices his songs with his crew, perfectioning the old ones and writing some new.

And then, on the third day, Seokjin finds the five of them in the food hut during breakfast, tells them that their identification plaques are ready and that they should leave as soon as they can.

Jungkook takes one look around the table, sees the determination in everyone’s eyes, and nods at Seokjin. “We can leave immediately once we’ve packed,” he says, feeling the anticipation thrumming beneath his skin. He’s been behind every one of their missions with his full heart and soul so far, but this one. This one is it. It’s the most important one.

“Good, then go pack,” Seokjin says, smiling at all of them. “And don’t forget to say goodbye to your friends. I’ll see you back here in three weeks, understood? If you’re not back by then, I’ll assume you’re missing and take some drastic measures, so don’t let it come to that.”

“We won’t, hyung,” Jungkook assures with a grin at the idea – secretly, he’d kind of love to see Seokjin’s drastic measures. “We’ll be back in three weeks.”

“The elves will watch over us,” Seokmin adds on out of nowhere. The others agree with silent murmurs, but Jungkook stays quiet and sneaks a look at Seokjin to gauge his reaction, but his face remains absolutely blank. His poker face is incredible, Jungkook thinks.

Seokjin nods, then turns around without another word. Jungkook glances at his crew again.

“Well then,” he says, “let’s get it!”

They finish their food, then all of them get up and leave into the different directions of their huts. Jungkook is quick to pack his things once he reaches his – despite his determination, he did in fact not unpack his bag after last time. At least that makes it easier now. He’s out of his hut in no time and makes his way to Namjoon’s, to bid his friend goodbye.

“Force Seokjin-hyung to go outside with you sometime,” he mumbles into Namjoon’s neck as they hug, “or ask someone else to go. A sunny tan suits you so much better than this pale face you’ve got going on.”

“Take care, Jungkook-ah and come back safe,” is Namjoon’s reply, and Jungkook promises he will.

He reunites with his crew at the mine’s exit and together they make their way through the tunnel and out into the forest, just like they made their way inside not even a week ago.

Once they’re outside, they quickly assume their normal formation – Seokmin and Eunji in the front, Seohyun and Jiwon in the middle and Jungkook in the back.

“Let’s go to Haneul,” Eunji calls out loudly, a bounce in her steps, and the others let out a quiet cheer.

Jungkook smiles at their antics, then he hitches his bag higher and takes a deep breath.

Haneul. He’s very curious what’ll await him there.