Yoongi focus

"Officer Park," Yoongi called out for Jimin. The soldier was having a happy chat with his brother and cousins before they would all part ways again, so all the heads turned at him in a single motion. It was slightly intimidating to be looked at by all Park sons at once. Not only because they looked dangerous in their armor but because they all were stunningly handsome.

"The Jimin one," he clarified startled and some of the heads turned away again while the man he needed walked towards him.

"How can I help general Min?" the small bulky man asked with a polite smile.

Yoongi lifted the jar with the Baekje general's ashes and handed it over to the soldier. They had held the ceremony yesterday in order to be able to send off the ashes today. "Prince Namjoon wants you to deliver those secretly to the officers of the Hwon troops, so that it can be brought back to his family. You're the only one dispensable at this moment," he explained.

With a serious expression, officer Park looked at the jar and sighed. "I am honored," he said and bowed his head. "May I return to the palace once this task is finished? I suppose the assassin has not given up yet and my sister will be there. I have not seen her in a long time."

Yoongi could read this man like an open book, but he kept the knowing smile to himself and nodded curtly. "The crown prince is expecting you to come back," he lied. After all, Jimin deserved a happy reunion as well. Officer Seojoon would return to his wife and twins in Sangju, officer Bogum had been allowed to visit his wife and son in the capital once he had lead his troops back south, and officer Hyungsik and Jihyun most likely had fiancées to return to as well.

"Thank you. I shall leave then. Advisor Min," the soldier bid his goodbye with another bow and turned to say his farewell to his family and find his horse.

From the corner of his eye, Yoongi saw another person he needed to talk to. "General!" he called after the old man who turned his head at him with a raised eyebrow. "A word, if you please."

The gray-haired man came over to him and they took the path to the back of the temple.

"What does gener-"

"I'm not a general anymore," Yoongi interrupted the man. "That's just the prince being unnecessarily generous. It's advisor Min." On the battlefield the Park family had not cared about the title that had been used to call him and it had felt nice, but he needed to return to his formal title before he would head back to the capital.

General Park smiled his crooked yellow-teethed smile. "You raised in ranks then," the old man said.

Yoongi frowned. "I raised my pay but not my rank," he corrected sourly. He would choose a ship over the tower at any time. But that was only dreaming. "However," he brushed off the small talk. "I wanted to ask general Park whether he has chosen a successor to his title already." He looked up at the old man expectantly.

The general's eyebrows furrowed. "Why does advisor Min ask?" he wanted to know.

Always cautious, Yoongi thought. "Because I have a suggestion and a... warning of kinds," he revealed.

The gray eyebrows curled even stronger. "Please speak."

"As general Park might have noticed, the crown prince is not like his father. He prefers choosing by ability rather than by kinship." Yoongi could see the comprehension in the old tiger's eyes, but when the man stayed silent, he decided to continue. "His majesty will choose whomever general Park suggest to him. The crown prince will make his own decision."

They exchanged a knowing look. "He will prefer officer Bogum," Yoongi concluded. "And I believe that general Park also knows that his nephew is the better choice." Expectantly he raised an eyebrow at the gray-haired.

The old man looked conflicted. But to Yoongi's surprise he began to nod. "I know. Jimin is a good soldier, a good fighter, but he lacks the finesse of a general. He is too... upright." A sour expression washed over general Park's face at his own words.

Yoongi sighed. "Jimin is honest and loyal. He has great discipline and even greater skill," he said considerately. "But a general must also be opportunistic and devious. We have to use our enemy's weakness ruthlessly and lie to our own men. This is not a task for your son." He wanted to slap himself for including himself in the statement, but this was just his old rank crawling back into his head because of all the people calling him by his old title.

"I know," general Park finally sighed. "I will consider advisor Min's words."

"Thank you, general," Yoongi replied and bowed before he left the old man in the temple garden.

"General Min!" the crown prince's voice called out for him when he crossed the hallway of the temple. Yoongi rolled his eyes.

"His highness has to stop calling me that," he growled when he entered the room which had been arranged back into its original state. "I prefer to keep my head."

The crown prince gave him an apologetic look. "Advisor Min," he corrected himself. "I would like you to stay at my side during the ride back home. I need your advice regarding some thoughts." The prince seemed troubled since yesterday and Yoongi had already come up with several theories as to why. Now it appeared that he would soon find out about the specifics.

"Sure, your highness," he answered, containing his curiosity for later. "Officer Park Jimin has been sent off and the rest of the officers should be about to leave with their troops. I will summon the Daegu forces, and then we can leave. The general is in the gardens," he informed the crown prince and stepped outside again without waiting for a reply. The prince knew how to handle himself.

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The Daegu delegation had settled near the lake again for the night. Since the breakdown of the camps and the reorganization of the troops had taken the whole morning, they had only come so far. Yoongi could hear the rumble and loud voices through the trees while he waded the shore of said lake.

The crown prince had told him about his concerns in regard to letting Hwon live. The death of the Baekje general had caused the prince to doubt the decision he had made back then. Hwon was short-tempered and unpredictable in his actions, which could cause them more trouble if the Baekje court would not bind the young king's hands properly. Yoongi had told Namjoon to let him think about it and find him later.

Apparently, now was later. A tall figure in expensive robes was walking towards him, the golden embroidery of his clothes shining like fire in the light of the setting sun. A strange melancholy tugged at Yoongi's heart at the sight of their future ruler glowing like a celestial being.

"Advisor Min," the young man greeted him, hands entwined behind his back. "I am here to receive my answer." Expectantly he looked at Yoongi who was knees-deep in the lake, robes messily knotted over his shoulders and sleeves bound back to search for clams he could cook for dinner. It seemed ridiculous that someone looking like prince Namjoon was consulting someone looking like Yoongi for advice.

But here they were, caught in a moment that seemed to come from a cheap novel. Yoongi slapped his cheek to snap out of those awfully sappy thoughts, causing the prince to look at him in shock.

"Mosquito," he lied to cover for his stupidity.

The crown prince regained his composure and smiled softly. "Now, if you please," he asked of Yoongi.

The advisor slowly waded out of the water, rearranged his clothes, and gestured the prince to follow him for a stroll along the lake. "For all I know, the Daejeon court has a tight grip on the new king," he began. "I am also not aware of any dangerous spies in our palace."

The crown prince's eyebrows shot up. "So, there are spies in my palace?" he asked astounded. "Why do I not know about this?"

"The palace, your highness, the. Don't appear too eager to succeed the throne or some people might start throwing stones and sticks between your legs," Yoongi reprimanded the young heir.

"That is not my concern right now!" Namjoon retorted outraged. "There are spies in the palace and you will not hang them?"

Yoongi sighed. "Because we know of them, we can use them to our advantage. Does his highness know how hard it is to find a spy compared to monitoring one?" he asked annoyed. "We can feed the known spies all kinds of wrong information and our enemies don't need to replace them with new ones all the time. It saves lives and trouble," he concluded.

Prince Namjoon snorted, but then a smile formed on his serious face and he side-glanced at his advisor. "You truly are a treasure for the palace, Min Yoongi."

"Yeah, I should be paid my weight in gold every year," Yoongi joked dryly and elicited a small laugh from the prince. Pleased with himself, he smiled as well.

"What I wanted to say, your highness," he continued their original conversation, "is that Hwon currently has no easy way to become a threat to us. You did not only spare his head but also spared us the trouble of marching to Daejeon and Gwangju to take over the kingdom."

Namjoon nodded slowly. "That is what I thought. I am relieved that advisor Min came to the same conclusion."

"Then why doesn't his highness look relieved? It's time to cheer up and think of our loved ones at home," he tried to brighten up the prince's mood but only caused the handsome face to become even darker. And Yoongi had thought he was the only one unhappy going back to his lonely tower.

"Advisor Min," the prince started hesitantly. "May I ask you a... a question that could be perceived as improper?"

Yoongi looked at the other man for a moment and considered whether he truly wanted to be asked the question he knew he would be asked next. Defeated, he gave in when he saw how much it weighed down on the prince's shoulders. "I doubt his highness can shock me, so speak and I will do my best to advise."

The crown prince's chuckle was unsteady but grateful. "I am sure that since advisor Min has his eyes and ears everywhere, he is aware of the rumors regarding the reason for my childless marriage," the young man began to word his troubles.

"Which one?" Yoongi blurted without much thought and regretted it when the taller looked at him astounded.

"There are several?" the man asked concerned. "I was not aware."

"One wilder than the other, some very close to the truth, others straight out ridiculous," Yoongi admitted. It was out already, so why try to sugarcoat it?

Prince Namjoon let out a heavy breath. "I see."

"But I suppose his highness is talking about the rumor of him being impotent," Yoongi concluded. It was the rumor that most people tended to believe. It was more acceptable than the truth.

"Yes," the other pressed out embarrassed.

"Well, is it true?" Yoongi pretended to be oblivious.

"No," the prince was quick to answer. "No. It is only that I cannot... perform when it comes to my wife." He looked pained. "Does advisor Min understand what I am trying to say?"

"I think I do," Yoongi confirmed. The number of visits to the bathhouse were innumerable compared to those to his wife's bedroom. Only ignorant people would think nothing of it; but only daring people would draw the right conclusion.

Yoongi's words seemed to lighten the weight on the crown prince's shoulders a bit because he looked less defeated. "What good am I as a king if I cannot fulfil the bodily part of my birthright?" he wanted to know now. "How can I rule a kingdom if I cannot even rule my own heart and body?"

Yoongi could not see how one was related to the other, but he knew that prince Namjoon tended to think too much and hence decided to go along with it. "His highness can rule wisely and protect your folk like no one else can because he has the spirit of his father and the heart of his mother," he began resolutely. "You're strong in mind and body, your eye is sharp, and your tongue is golden. You're a born ruler. Whether you can produce an heir or not is a different question, but the nation needs a king like you whom it can trust and follow."

"Please stop the sweettalking, advisor Min," Namjoon said with distaste distorting his features. "I do not need you to spoil me; I need a solution to my problem."

Yoongi breathed out disgruntled. He was trying his best here. "Since it's like this, I hope his highness forgives me for speaking rudely," he growled and stopped his walk to fully look at the prince. The man naturally followed his example and looked at him questioningly. "Your sexual likings have nothing to do with your ability to rule a kingdom. There are pills that can make a man stand for a whole night against his own will, so if producing an heir is your only concern, just ask me to get you some," he deadpanned, being done with all the formal talk and nice words.

"As for your brother, no one cares what the king is doing behind closed doors. As long as this is not reaching ears outside, everything can continue the way it has before. The bathhouse is a good place to hide, so stop concerning yourself with such small matters," he demanded. Yoongi almost felt sorry for washing the crown prince's head like this, but it needed to be said.

As expected, frightful eyes looked at him. "You know," Namjoon breathed out. "How do you know? Who else is aware?" he wanted to know.

"I made an assumption based on what I know and what you told me," he calmed down the prince. "Thus, we can conclude that as long as you deny it, no one will be able to find out."

Still, a part of the fear remained in the dark eyes. "I should visit him less," the prince concluded.

Yoongi did not comment. What the prince wanted to do regarding his love-life was his decision and Yoongi would not interfere. One thing he wanted to know though. "Is it requited?" Curious he looked at the crown prince for an answer.

But the man shook his head. "I have no reason to believe so. "He looked over the lake that was slowly sinking into darkness. "And it is better this way. I do not know if I could stop myself if it was." Deep melancholy resonated in the quiet voice, and Yoongi felt exceedingly awkward.

"Good. If there's nothing else I'll go cook my clam soup," he announced and turned to go back towards the camp.

After a quiet chuckle, slow steps followed him.

"Does advisor Min have someone he likes?" the prince's voice asked from behind him. Back to titles, it appeared.

"Sailor's bride is the sea," Yoongi replied lightly. He never had had the time to fall in love, being the general of a whole fleet, and now he was a bird in a golden cage, or rather a strange man in a tower married to his work.

"Then advisor Min should be allowed two free weeks as well to visit the coast," the prince said and caught up with him.

Yoongi's heart tightened with hope at those words, but his mind knew that he would not have the time for that. Especially now with Hwon's threat following them back home he needed to be attentive and cautious. "That's very generous of his highness, but I'll have to deny," he opposed the prince.

"But did advisor Min not tell me that my palace is safe?" the crown prince asked, apparently satisfied with himself if his aloof smile was anything to go by.

"The palace, your highness. And yes, it is safe, but that doesn't mean I've got nothing to do," Yoongi growled and turned their steps towards the forest and away from the lake.

"I will order you to go to Busan for official business then," prince Namjoon insisted.

Yoongi sighed and gave up. There was no success in arguing. This prince was too set on doing others good.

"But first, we must arrange for the case of a second attack of Baekje. It is time to reopen the recruitment bureaus," the taller said determined and sped up as if to leave Yoongi behind.

"Your highness, it's not sufficient only to gather soldiers. We also need the men to lead them," he intervened and hurried to keep up with the prince's pace.

"Does the Park family not have some more sons?" the other asked lightly.

"Uhm, your highness, older sister Park is a scholar. Her sons are versed in poetry and calligraphy, but unlikely in the art of war," Yoongi replied startled.

Prince Namjoon stopped and turned to look at him with an amused half-smile. "I know, advisor Min. I know."

Yoongi was flabbergasted. Had the crown prince just been joking with him, or was Yoongi imagining things?

"Your highness?" he asked confused, but the other had already left him behind.

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