Namjoon focus

Taehyung had been right. Concubine Oh's bathhouse was the most unwinding place in the whole palace, especially after a night filled with pondering. The heavy herbal scent of the warm milky water was soothing his mind and body, clearing up his spinning thoughts and bringing relief to his aching head.

It had only been a matter of time for one assassination to be successful. Just no one had expected him to be the victim. Since neither of his two brothers had ambitions to claim the throne, there was no rivalry between them, hence the intrigues within the palace were limited to their father.

The only motivation one could have for killing him would be the destabilization of the entire Silla empire which only left the Kingdom of the West, Baekje, as a possible attempter because the northern Goguryeo was bound to them by marriage of his older sister Jinhwee. And he himself was in close contact not only with his sister but also her husband, king Bang Inkyu, for matters that exceeded the concerns of the minister of revenue or his father, so he considered them to be friendly with each other.

But Baekje and its crown prince, who had taken over the court from his bedbound father, only had a feeble and petty reason to cause a war between their nations. Moreover, their kingdoms were buzzing with merchants crossing the borders back and forth; even the Silla palace was buying the western kingdom's Jeju tea. It was nonsensical for their neighbors to strike in such an obvious way considering their current situation. So, who would benefit from his death?

"Your highness?" a slightly shaky male voice called out for him accompanied by quick steps of naked feet and the swish of clothes. Namjoon's heart clenched in sweet agony. "Your highness," the same voice said relieved when a tall figure sunk down on his knees next to where Namjoon's head was resting on the basin's edge. The sweet scent of sandalwood and tea embraced him.

"Brother Jin. How often do I have to remind you to call me by my name?" Namjoon greeted the figure back and opened his eyes to the most beautiful sight in the world: the plump peach-blossom lips, long shiny hair, and bright earthy eyes of his half-brother, concubine Oh's son Kim Seokjin. His heart sang while his mind mourned.

When Namjoon had been thirteen, his father had moved concubine Oh and her son into the palace. From that moment on, his heart had been growing heavier and heavier with every year he had secretly yearned for his brother. At times like these when he was exposed to the older man's concern for him, desire was almost suffocating him.

"They told me about the assassination," Jin said, simply ignoring his request for informal speech. He gently lifted Namjoon's head from the hard edge of the basin to cushion it between his legs instead, calves sinking into the milky water to straddle the younger's torso. Without Namjoon's word, he began to comb his fingers through the crown prince's hair, fanning it out over his lap. It was the easiest way to comfort Namjoon after a tough day in court or a sleepless night, and the younger felt more than grateful for the familiar treatment.

"I am alive thanks to Taehyung," he explained quietly and closed his eyes to enjoy the ministration. "He dreamed of me being in danger, so he ran over to confirm."

"How fortunate we are that our little brother is such a perceptive soul. After all, if we cannot afford to lose someone, it is our crown prince," the older replied gravely, and Namjoon's chest felt like someone had torn it open to crush his heart with their bare hands.

Even after so many years of pent-up longing on his side, to his brother he was just his highness the crown prince; someone higher in rank who would take over the court and the kingdom, someone who needed to be protected at all costs. Someone whom Jin only treated this caringly to lighten their burden temporarily.

And it must be this way, Namjoon told himself. Even for the unlikely case of his feelings being returned, the first prince and he were still from the same blood and any kind of relationship that surpassed the brotherly care would raise disgust and disapproval from the people around him, most likely from the common folk as well. It would endanger everything he had achieved in court and on the battlefield to become the successor he thought this kingdom needed.

"Do not frown," Jin's soft voice scolded him and a finger smoothed out the wrinkle between his brows. "Just rest."

So Namjoon did. He forced his mind onto the calming stroke through his hair and the press of legs against his sides and slowly drifted off.

><

"Your highness!" advisor Min's voice cut into his floating state and Namjoon woke with a jump.

"This is a place for resting and rejuvenating," he heard Jin's angered voice behind him. The elder's hand was still tangled in his hair. "Lower your voice, master Min."

"Your highness prince Seokjin, I apologize, but we've got an unexpected guest. Or rather an expected guest who arrived too early. Officer Park Jimin is waiting in his highness' study and he looks like he brings bad news," the shorthaired man explained breathlessly. Apparently, he had run here to deliver the message.

Namjoon rose from the water, mind going back into waltzing theories. It was impossible that his letter to the officer had already been delivered, so the man must have come on his own accord or by general Park's order. "My clothes," he asked of his older brother who stood up to prepare his undergarments. Five minutes later, he was ready to follow advisor Min back to his quarters.

"Your highness," officer Park greeted him curtly with the military grit Namjoon had learned to appreciate over his years at the front. Park Jimin looked like he had forced his horse and himself to complete exhaustion to deliver whatever message he had in tow. His hair was hanging over his face in tangled strands, only messily fastened with a cloth in his neck, and his red robes looked like they had not been washed for a week, not to speak of his hands and boots.

"Officer Park, please sit and explain yourself," Namjoon rushed the young man and sat down behind his table.

The small bulky man kneeled next to pillow that had been offered to him, apparently aware of his current physical state. "I may speak bluntly. Forgive my rudeness." Namjoon gestured him to continue. "My father sends me with an urgent message. Emperor Hwon has passed away and his son is mobilizing the army. They prepare for a march to Daegu. We are not aware of the excuse he used to persuade the court, but the destination is confirmed. My father is gathering his troops at Gimcheon and awaits his highness' command."

Namjoon let out the breath he had been holding for the duration of the man's talk and forced himself to think of a reaction to the threat rather than to think about the motivation. General Park only had enough men to guard the border from normal assaults and because the northern border was handled by Bang's army, he only had a few thousand men to guard the mountain passes in the west. If prince Hwon decided to lead Baekje's whole army into the battle, Namjoon could only answer them by mobilizing Silla's army as well.

The only advantage they had was that Daegu was closer to the border than Daejeon, and if they managed to receive the provocation within their own bounds, they had the advantage of well-known grounds. Even if closeness to homeland should weaken their army, the emotions were on their side. To defend your home against an unreasonable onslaught was much more of an inner force than whatever Hwon had come up with to justify this war in times of prosperity and peace.

"Your highness, if I may speak my mind," advisor Min asked, voice filled with the heaviness of his thoughts.

"You may," Namjoon replied absentmindedly.

"Our army is slightly weaker, so if we choose an open confrontation this can only lead into a useless massacre. We should make use of our land's natural properties to defeat them with wit rather than force," the shorthaired said calmly.

"You are speaking my thoughts, general Min. I will write to emperor Bang's forces for their support and then we will go to study the maps and make a plan," Namjoon mused, mind already trying to conjure up the landmarks he had studied since he was a young boy. "If we cannot defeat them, at least we should be able to hold them back until the reinforcement of my brother-in-law can secure the situation."

"A good decision," the small man replied before he turned towards the still sitting soldier. "May I ask if officer Park has already greeted the king?"

"I did not. For his highness is in charge of the army, I thought it better to consult him first to initialize an immediate reaction. Forgive my rudeness, ...general," the bulky man said with a strange emphasis on the last word.

It was this emphasis that made Namjoon realize the mistake he had made. Cautious, he looked at advisor Min and then at officer Park. Both faces held traces of curiosity, although they were quite different in nature.

"You may leave, officer Park," Namjoon dismissed the soldier. "After you took a bath, I am sure my brother would be pleased to receive your greetings. I will take care of informing the king about your message and your apology. Take a good rest. I will call for you tomorrow."

"Thank you, your highness," the soldier bid his goodbye but was stopped by advisor Min.

"In fact," the shorthaired man said, "I would like to trouble officer Park with guarding his highness' quarters tonight. We received an assassination last night and had intended to call for young master's help, so since the officer is here now..." The last words were kept unspoken, but the message was unambiguous.

"I do not need protection," Namjoon disagreed. "Most important now is for officer Park to rest in order to be able to lead out troops into battle. Just tighten the royal guard's security and I will be fine," he ordered. He had almost forgotten about that incident because of the foreshadowing of something so much bigger that was coming for them.

"It does not trouble me, your highness," the soldier insisted. "I will sleep now to stay guard at night."

Namjoon sighed. Poor Taehyung. His lover was finally back after months of separation and Namjoon's safety was ruining their reunion. But there was nothing he could say to justify his denial of a service that was offered so willingly. "Thank you, officer Park. I appreciate your help."

"It is my duty. Your highness. General." With two curt bows, the young man marched out of Namjoon's study and left behind silence.

"General?" advisor Min asked with a lifted eyebrow. "Your highness should tame his tongue. I appreciate the gesture, but not many will like hearing this title to be bestowed upon me again."

Namjoon just nodded. "I will speak with more caution." He looked at the shorthaired man with the black cat eyes. Dragon of the Eastern Sea, Tamer of the Tides, Royal Abyss. General fallen from grace.

Min Yoongi's story was a sad but wondrous one. He had been the youngest general of the royal fleet, freeing Busan's waters from pirates and winning the water war against an ambitious Yamato prince. His flag had been feared and received with relief all over the Eastern and Southern Sea.

But in one disastrous night, everything had changed. When the captain had been out on one of the lifeboats to catch some fish and watch the stars, he had fallen asleep. And when he had woken up, he had been greeted by the picture of his ship in flames and his crew fighting a forlorn battle against an indomitable enemy. The unexpected had happened; three pirate ships had united to end the Dragon of the Eastern Sea.

The guest rope that had tied his boat to his sinking ship had been cut off and the paddle of the lifeboat had been destroyed by the attackers, leaving the captain without means of rowing back and dying with his men; he only had been able to watch his brother and his comrades become food to the flames, he himself drifting further and further away left to die of thirst, the most gruesome death of all.

But fate was cruel and instead of pushing him out into the open waters, the currents had washed him back ashore where he had been found by some fishermen. And before he had even been nursed back to health, the court had declared him guilty of treason for saving his own skin instead of facing death with his crew like a captain should. His topknot had been cut off and he had been thrown into the darkest cell their prison had to offer, left to rot away for the rest of his youth and prime days.

Namjoon had begged his father back then to reconsider his decision, but the emperor's hands had been bound by the court. Still, the crown prince had forced his will upon the palace eventually; after two years of secretly consulting the young general and allowing the people to forget about his case, he had bribed the guards to spread the rumor of a prisoner being a talented interpreter of the stars, a fortuneteller of sorts. Word had spread through the ranks until it had reached his father who -no matter if he had seen behind his plan or not- had declared that the palace was in need of such a talent and had granted the young man a position as royal astronomer.

Advisor Min was born.

This man had gone through torturous days, but his loyalty to the Kim family never had wavered. Still, he refused to wear his hair long and to follow the etiquette of the palace. His father called it quirks of an agile mind, Namjoon called it grieving. Some wounds were unable to heal.

"Please notify my father that he needs to summon the court," Namjoon asked of the small man and rose from his seat.

If leading an army was a piece of hard work, running the court was like taming demons with one hand bound behind the back. This would become a hard day for both of them.

><

"Why can't they just give me the army and discuss the unnecessary later?" Namjoon asked angrily, storming into his own quarters followed by advisor Min. "I only need the minister of revenue to discuss the supply, the minister of war to give me the men count and stationing of our forces, and the strategists that reside in the capital. Why do I need to convince the whole court that there is a threat coming at us that requires immediate reaction?"

"Calm down, your highness," the small man said, but his tone was betraying him. Advisor Min was just as annoyed as Namjoon was. "You received the royal edict and the summoning of the troops has begun."

"But it took a whole day! A whole day of polite nothingness thrown back and forth! We could have planned our route or made up strategies, but instead we had to dance around, trying to be blunt with flowery words," he vented his distaste for the court. "And why can minister Park not be a little more like his older brother?"

"Aren't they from different mothers?"

A knock on the door brought their conversation to a sudden halt and they looked up in surprise.

"Is his highness expecting someone?" advisor Min asked with the hint of a frown between his eyebrows. Namjoon shook his head.

"Your highness?" a well-known voice asked from outside and Namjoon could almost smell the sandalwood and tea just from that tune.

He waved at the shorthaired man next to him who followed his gesture and opened the door. The first prince entered with a smile. "His highness must be hungry. The servants told me that you spent all day at the court, so I assume you did not have lunch. I ordered the kitchens to bring something to the bathhouse."

Namjoon felt the tension leaving his shoulders and a small smile forming on his lips. "You are very considerate, brother. I will accept your invitation in a moment, just allow me to write down some important thoughts."

The first prince sighed and stepped closer to the table Namjoon had knelt behind in a rush to fill the empty paper with words that only would make sense to himself. A warm hand on the back of his own made him freeze and look up at the older. "His highness needs to eat," his brother said sternly and with a hint of disapproval and Namjoon found himself challenged with grasping his fleeing thoughts at the sight of earthy eyes brimming with concern.

Maybe Jin was right. Maybe he should be more considerate of his health rather than exhausting himself over plans for an army that was yet to be summoned. "As you wish," he replied and put down the brush, allowing his brother to take full grasp of his hand to guide him to his favorite place in the world.

>><<