Commander Park: the best fighter in New Theon

┊ ˚➶ ｡˚ 𝓦𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓜𝓲𝓼𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓽𝓾𝓷𝓮 𝓗𝓪𝓭 𝓐𝓫𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓸𝓷𝓮𝓭 𝓤𝓼 ˚｡➶˚┊

She didn't die.

It had been two weeks since Commander Park arrived, asking for a spot in the rebellion. Despite how it seemed, Commander Park hadn't turned them in. For safety, the rebellion members relocated the tent and told Park they were sticking to the house. It was a lie, but a necessary one. No one trusted him. Y/n the least.

She was in their new tent now. Y/n banged her head against the table for the hundredth time. Commander Park was in the house, meaning the man who massacred so many wasn't far. It made her sick to her stomach, not to mention the way he believed so fiercely he did nothing wrong.

Although, he brought up good points: the rebellion had murdered countless. As much as he was a psychopath, did that make her much better? She planned some of those bombings. She tortured guards even when they cried about having families at home. At the time, she saw them as obstacles blocking her from her goal: freedom. But what did freedom mean? What was left of freedom if she took away the lives of others? Did she still deserve it?

"Self-blaming won't get you anywhere," said a male voice from behind her.

Taehyung halted by her side, handing her a hot chocolate. She noticed it was only half-full. "Really?"

Tae wiped the chocolate residue off his upper lip. "It's cold out."

She sighed but didn't press any further. The table was full of maps. Hand-drawn maps showing the Emperor's Castle. They had been planning several major attacks, which was one of the main reasons why they hadn't attacked in months. These plans took ages. Their next one took over a year to put together, hence why Park wasn't in the room to see it. Yet they had to include him in the plan somehow. As much as it made Y/n want to stab herself in the heart, she had to admit that Park was right: he was a valuable asset. With his knowledge and fighting experience, their plans got much easier.

"Want to tell me what's on your mind, or do I have to guess?" Tae asked, leaning against the table. 

He pushed the maps away, forcing Y/n's eyes to meet his. He smelled of hot chocolate mixed with dirt from the farming he did earlier. His dark, curly locks fell in his face, the top of his hair frizzy. Despite the smell he had, his clothes were clean. He wore a loose long-sleeved shirt that had a V-neck cut and sleeves that hung off his wrists, shaping his large hands that had one too many veins for Y/n's liking.

"I don't know what to do about Park. We're about to break into one of the most secure places the Emperor owns, but he isn't involved in the plan yet. Shouldn't we tell him?"

"Then tell him," Tae said as she took a sip from the hot chocolate. "You don't lose anything by talking to him."

"Maybe my life."

"Y/n." She stopped, motioning for him to continue. "You and I both know Park isn't what's bothering you. Well, he is, but not like this." He rubbed her shoulder, lowering his tone to a mutter. "What's going on?"

She slumped her posture. "I don't know what my favorite color is." Taehyung stayed silent, Y/n staring at Jungkook. He was with Hoseok and Jin, carrying crates of supplies to the corner of the tent. They were far out of earshot. Y/n wondered if it mattered. "I've been fighting this war for so long I don't know what my favorite color is."

"Does it matter?"

"I want it to," she whispered, placing her hand over the map Tae pushed away.

"We're fighting to make it matter, aren't we?"

"What are you fighting for?"

"Jin," Tae replied without hesitation. "The only thing I can do to repay him is give him freedom." Debt was a funny thing. Taehyung didn't have a debt to Jin, but he felt he did. Back when Tae was a boy, Jin saved him despite not being much older. The only thing Jin ever wanted was freedom. Taehyung vowed to give it to him.

"If you asked me that question, 'what are you fighting for,' I don't know if I'd have a good answer. The only thing I can reply with is myself. No family, my only friends are you guys, no lover, no pets, no distant cousins living in the Rocklands or some bullshit like that. All I have is myself."

"Is that not enough?" he asked, knitting his brows.

Y/n tapped her fingers on the map. There was a scar on her pinky and calluses scratching at her skin. "Not to me." She paused to clear her throat, stepping back. "You're right. I should go talk to Park. Look over the maps again, make sure we're still on course."

Before Tae could reply, Y/n left. She made sure to do two loops around town before going to the house. She didn't trust that Park wasn't watching her. When she entered, there were two people inside. Rosita and Emil, two lower ranks in the rebellion. Rosita had her thick, dark locks pulled into a ponytail to show off her scarred face with skin light enough it seemed like she had never seen the sun. Emil was the opposite. He had burn marks on his face from the torture he endured at the hands of Commander Park and his friends. She pondered what would happen if they found out he was living in a room mere feet away.

"Good to see you," she said to them as she passed, going to Park's room and entering without knocking. He was sitting on the floor, his shoulder pressed up against the wall. There was a hole there, a small square about the size of his face. It was a makeshift window. She could smell the rain beginning to pour. She could hear it, too. It was the only sound in the area.

She kicked the door shut. Park didn't so much as flinch as she went and stood in the middle of the room. Her waist pressed against his mattress, her arms crossing over her chest. It stayed quiet, the rain filling the void between them.

"Your tent is on the southern side of town, hidden near that one big tree with the Mimos nest and the Fersin garden on the other side," he said without so much as glancing at her. She stiffened, her mouth opening to speak, but no words formed on her tongue. "For a rebellion, you kind of suck at hiding. I'm surprised you've lasted this long. At least you're smart enough to keep it guarded 24/7. Stopped me from going in and snooping."

"Is there a reason you're telling me this?"

"I don't like you," he said, turning to meet her gaze. "And I'll be honest, I don't really want to like you, but if this is gonna work, we need to trust each other at least a little bit."

"So?"

"Come closer, I don't bite."

"You choked me and left a mark that lasted over a week. It just faded three days ago."

He grinned. "I bet it hurt."

She rolled her eyes and approached, sitting across from him and mimicking his position. She could barely see out the window he made for himself. The light from outside was the only light in the room, the dim glow illuminating his face. From this close, he seemed softer. Younger, maybe. She could see the pores on his skin, but there were no bags under his eyes. If anything, he seemed more alluring from this angle. More human.

"How can I trust you?" she asked.

He kept his eyes on the outside. "Ask me something. Something that will help."

"What's your first name?"

He winced. "Ask me something else."

"How'd you lose your finger?" More silence followed. His head dipped, and she shuffled in her spot. There they were. Bags were under his eyes, just more hidden than hers. "I may act like a dick, but I don't think I'm the world's biggest asshole."

"I like to think that's my title," he whispered, and they both cracked a smile at that.

"My point is, if you don't want to talk about your past, we don't have to. Just keep being honest about your intentions, and I'll trust you enough to go on a mission with you. Don't think this means I like you."

"Don't worry, princess, I won't." At her glare, he chuckled and licked his lower lip. "I know you have no reason to believe me, but I'm no liar. I'm a lot of things, but dishonest isn't one of them. I'm surprised you aren't yelling at me or trying to kill me."

"Well, maybe I don't want to get choked again," she said, sighing after. "I want to yell at you."

"You'd have every right to."

"I'm glad you have enough sense to agree. Taehyung told me to talk to you, so I'm honoring that. No guarantee for the future, though. Especially if you're being an asshole."

"I wouldn't expect anything less, sweetheart." She gave up on glaring. Instead, she scooted a bit closer to get a better look out his window. He must've noticed her stare seeing as he snickered. "The castle is boring. You'd never get a view like this."

The view consisted of rain covering the dirty pathways that had spilled goods everywhere. There were marketplaces with their flags torn down and their shelves empty or worse: rotten. No people were around, only the remains of what had been a prospering town. Back before she was born, the town was beautiful. Before the Emperor took over.

"Y/n," he said, and she snapped her attention back to him at that. "I don't know if I struck the blow that killed your parents or not, but even if I did, I didn't kill them. The Emperor did. He killed everything." Park stalled for a beat. "He killed my parents too."

Her lips twitched up. It was almost a smile. Almost. "Maybe you're not so hopeless after all."

"Don't give me too much credit, I'd still love to cut your heart out."

"Such a romantic."

"I pride myself on it," he replied with a half-dimpled grin that crinkled his eyes. "Not that I ever had friendships, let alone relationships."

"You're an asshole. Assholes don't have friends." He shrugged but couldn't disagree, so he went back to peering at the broken town that seemed to fascinate him. She observed every crack on his face. His skin had remnants of sweat on it from how hot the room was, his dark eyes focusing on what was around him. "But if you did, what would you want to talk to them about?"

Park glanced at her, tapping his stub of a ring finger against his knee. "Colors," he muttered, almost like he was ashamed of it. "The castle feels so black and white, but here, there's Mimos and Fersins and Basais. There's so much color."

Basai tree, image by 染谷 真衣

She stood, dusting herself off. Not that it mattered; grime was sewn into the fabric she wore anyway. "What's your favorite color?"

He rolled the answer around his tongue before he shifted his body toward her. "Blue. Like the sea."

She nodded, heading to the door. "Good to know. I have to get back to the others. Now that I know I can somewhat trust you, we can add you to the plan. I'll tell you about it another time-"

"What's yours?" he asked, interrupting her.

Y/n held the wooden door in her hands. The exit called to her, telling her to leave. Still, she lingered. She saw his irises, the light peeking in and saying hello to the two of them. His eyes were a shade of chestnut mixed with dark hickory. Almost like a brunette's hair. That had her smiling as she stepped out.

"Brown."

┊ ˚➶ ｡˚ 𝓦𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓜𝓲𝓼𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓽𝓾𝓷𝓮 𝓗𝓪𝓭 𝓐𝓫𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓸𝓷𝓮𝓭 𝓤𝓼 ˚｡➶˚┊

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~ Raven