Namjoon focus

Namjoon was sitting at the table in his study and was working his way through the stack of letters of the ministers. Since this year he had taken over almost the whole court affairs while he only asked his father for advice occasionally. The king's heart was troubled more than ever during the heat of summer, so Namjoon had decided that he could as well get used to the amount of work a king had to do.

A knock on his open door made him look up. Park Jimin was standing in the entrance of his study.

"Master Park, come in," Namjoon allowed the younger to enter and gestured at the cushion across from him. "What brings you here?" It was not yet time for the monthly report about any happenings involving Jungkook, so Namjoon could only wonder why officer Park would come for him.

"I learned something today that might be of interest to his highness," the royal guard said and kneeled on the seat across from the crown prince.

"Speak," Namjoon asked of the other and put away the letter he had been studying to grand the soldier his full attention.

"Jungkook's master has come to the capital," the other told him, and Namjoon remembered what Jimin had told him about the assassin being an orphan and having been raised by a man he referred to as master. "The man has a martial arts school in Jungseon, but there is something that bothers me."

Namjoon nodded to show his interest.

"Jungkook explained that he was born in Daejeon and only raised in Jungseon, so master Heo must have lived in the Baekje capital at the time of his birth," officer Park elaborated.

Namjoon understood why that had raised the guard's suspicion. "Thank you for informing me, master Park," he said and reached out for the letter he had put down.

"There is one more thing," the soldier noted and Namjoon looked up again. "Taehyung invited the master to the practice yard for tomorrow. He needs your approval."

Now that was interesting news. Taehyung inviting strangers into the palace was nothing new, but to invite the master of an assassin was another thing. Sometimes Namjoon wondered whether he should explain some things to his brother or keep ignoring his foolish innocence.

"I will not allow this," he answered sternly. Taehyung had to stop inviting people onto these grounds. The palace garden was not the marketplace.

"May I say something?" officer Park did not let him off and Namjoon knew he would regret letting the man speak but he gestured him to talk, nonetheless. "If we let him fight with some of our guards, we might be able to evaluate whether he is a threat or not. And if he is a threat, his highness can take countermeasures."

Namjoon looked the soldier in the eye and sighed. "You two do trust master Jeon, do you not?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Taehyung does," the other said. "And Jungkook has given me no reason to doubt him."

"He tried to kill me," Namjoon noted with a frown. "And brother Jin."

"I know, but he knows loyalty, and that must say something about master Heo. I do not quite understand what made Jungkook an assassin, but it does not seem to be his master's fault," Park elaborated his thoughts.

Namjoon considered it. At the practice yard would be enough guards to keep their special guest in check and he could place some additional archers, so nothing could cause imminent danger. And if he was honest, he was interested in getting to know the man who had raised the assassin that had been good enough to make it to his room in the inner palace.

"Fine," he gave in. "I want you to send someone to inform me once he arrives."

Officer Park nodded and stood up. "Your highness," he bit his goodbye with a bow.

"Master Park," Namjoon let him off.

Once the red robes had swished out of his yard, he looked up again. "Did you hear that?" he asked into the seemingly empty room.

"I did. Should I send someone?" advisor Min asked while he came walking over from the room Namjoon used as private library.

"Yes. I know the chance that he is one of Hwon's men is low, but we cannot be lax," he replied gravely.

"How do you plan on treating the matter until my man is back?" the shorthaired asked, placing the books he had in his hands on the table.

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer," was all Namjoon said before he indulged in his work again.

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Just like the day before, Namjoon was sorting to the never-ending stream of paper on his table when a voice demanded his attention.

"Your highness," the guard in front of his open doors called out. "General Shin sent me to tell his highness that the guest has arrived."

Namjoon nodded and stood up to follow the man to the practice grounds.

He could already hear the clank of metal from afar and his body tensed in anticipation. Since yesterday some questions had reoccurred in his head regarding this master of Jungkook. Why did the man move from Daejeon to a small village in the mountains of southern Goguryeo when his martial arts school would have had many more disciples in the Baekje capital? Which master would leave behind the school he had built up and led for many years in order to search for one disciple? And what kind of man would give up his own life and happiness with a wife and own children to raise the son of another man?

It was all rather peculiar and had many blind spots that would hopefully be filled in by advisor Min's man. So for now, Namjoon had to rely on his knowledge of people to evaluate the situation.

He stepped through the west entrance of the yard, in which Taehyung and Jungkook were currently fighting, and was instantly spotted by royal guard leader Shin who now came over to greet him.

"What does general Shin think of our guest?" Namjoon asked the man after they had exchanged greetings. Yesterday he had informed the general that they would greet a guest with a background in martial arts and had asked of him to evaluate the skill and danger that person proposed.

"So far he has only observed and corrected, so I cannot be sure," the guard told him. "May I ask who this man is?"

"He is Jungkook's master," Namjoon explained while taking a good look at the gray-haired man.

To call master Heo old would have felt wrong. Although his hair and beard had begun to turn gray and his face was wrinkled and bony, he had the air of a general in his full bloom. His hands were linked behind his straight back, the sword dangling heavily from his sash, and his eyes followed the fight of his disciple and the prince without missing the slightest mistake.

"Don't leave your side unprotected when you attack. Stop being careless just because his highness specializes in defensive techniques," the man reprimanded his disciple in a firm unempathetic tone.

"I will introduce myself," Namjoon said and left the general behind.

Slowly, he surrounded the sparring ground, eyes wandering between the two fighting figures and the teacher. Something made him feel uncomfortable about the air around master Heo. Namjoon was nervous, he realized.

"Master Heo," he spoke up when he came to stand next to the man. They were of equal height but for some reason Namjoon felt smaller.

A pair of attentive black eyes turned to look at him. "Prince," the man said and turned his body towards Namjoon in order to bow properly.

"How does master Heo know?" Namjoon asked astounded. He did not wear the royal blue of the family today, so how did this master guess his status? Had Jungkook spoken about him?

For a moment, the gray-haired looked at him silently and Namjoon felt his stomach clench. Then the elder explained, "Neither did his highness bow to the general nor to me when he gave his greetings. Which servant or guard would dare to show such rudeness towards the leader of the royal guard and a guest of the palace?"

Namjoon could only be impressed by such a quick mind. If this man was as quick with his sword as he was with his observation, Namjoon did not need to wonder why no royal guard could beat Jungkook in a one-on-one confrontation. As if to underline his thoughts, a clang of a falling sword could be heard and Jungkook laughed triumphantly.

"I was told about master Heo's skill with the sword but not about the sharpness of his mind," Namjoon said after a much too long silence.

The teacher's face did not show any sign of flattery which was unfamiliar to Namjoon. He was used to words of gratefulness when he dared to praise someone, and in advisor Min's case to cynic retorts, but this master looked like he had not heard him at all.

"A quick blade is useless without a sharp mind. The best example is that disciple," the man said calmly and tilted his head towards the two fighters in the middle of the yard. "He knows how to wield his weapon but not when. This master failed to educate him properly."

Was this an apology? Was master Heo apologizing for his disciple who had tried to assassinate two princes? What a joke. If he wanted to apologize, he should kneel and beg Namjoon for forgiveness and not stand in front of him with his chin raised proudly and eyes daring to meet the crown prince's.

This was what had put Namjoon off. This air of royalty that was not meant to be carried by a teacher. No matter how refined this man's skill was or which kingdom he came from, no one dared to look a king into the eye, no one but... the image of short hair and catlike eyes crossed Namjoon's mind and made his thoughts halt. There were people who dared to do so. Extraordinary people who saw the world beyond riches and titles. People who dared to value by deeds instead of dimes.

A little disappointed in himself for expecting to be treated superficially, he put away his irritation and smiled. "Master Heo's disciple is doing his best to make up for the pain he has caused the royal family of Silla," he said.

"I'm pleased to hear this, but it does not make me less guilty," the gray-haired man replied and turned back toward the fight.

Namjoon sighed. He did not know how to continue this conversation, because master Heo was right. Officer Park's reports of the early years had painted a clear picture of Jungkook. He was not evil by nature, he only failed to understand certain unwritten rules of society, which Taehyung had then mastered to explain to him. This was hinting that his upbringing had lacked such education, and now that Namjoon met the man behind Jungkook's youth, he began to understand why.

Master Heo might be a good martial artist, but he was lacking warmth. Unlike Namjoon who had not only been taught the theory of killing but also how to love and embrace life, Jungkook had only learned the former.

"How long does master Heo intent on staying in the capital?" he asked the man next to him after they had watched the fight of Taehyung and Jimin against Jungkook for a while. Even with two skilled opponents, the assassin stood his ground.

"Since I am now aware of the whereabouts of my disciple, I shall leave in a few days," the man answered. And like an afterthought he added, "I will take him back with me, so that his highness does not need to worry anymore."

Once again, Namjoon was speechless. This man came to Silla only to call his foster son home? After three years of serving as Taehyung's personal guard, this man intended to tear Jungkook and his brother apart, to destroy the friendship that had bloomed between the two and obviously did good for the assassin?

"I ask of master Heo to leave Jungkook with us," he said before he could think about a more eloquent way of phrasing his thoughts.

The bony face turned at him and the pair of black eyes drilled into Namjoon's. "Why would his highness want to keep an assassin in the palace?" he asked, making it sound as if Namjoon had hidden intentions.

"Jungkook no longer is an assassin," he defended the younger. "Since he has begun to work for the palace, he has not given me a single reason to distrust him."

"What makes his highness so sure that this is not his plan to get closer to the royal family to end it eventually?" the teacher kept on pressing the matter, and Namjoon was shocked how this man could speak about his own fosterling like this.

"Why is master Heo doubting the child he has raised with his own hands?" he demanded to know.

A hint of melancholy seemed to settle in the wrinkles of the stern face. And he said quietly and in a tone that made Namjoon's heart feel heavy, "If all my teachings made him become like this, how can I be sure of the nature of his heart?"

For the blink of an eye, Namjoon could see the parent that stood in front of him and understood that even though this master was unable to show his love, he cared deeply for Jungkook. But the moment ended quickly, when the old teacher pushed against his chest to shove him backwards. Officer Park came flying by in the spot where Namjoon had been standing only a breath ago.

"Jungkook!" the master raised his voice. "Control yourself."

The assassin was quick to bow to Namjoon in apology and help Jimin up who groaned and held his stomach.

"You dunghead!" the royal guard cursed and hit Jungkook's head before collapsing on the stairs surrounding the practice grounds. Jungkook only laughed and left the man behind to continue his fight with Taehyung.

"Thank you, master Heo," Namjoon said and stood back next to their guest. "Allow me to answer that question of yours."

The gray-haired looked at him quietly.

"My younger brother has a talent," he began with a smile. "He brings out the good in all the people around him. I do not know how he does it, but he can expose the true nature of a person almost effortlessly."

The master's face was as flat as before, so Namjoon did not know whether his words had been enough to convince the man.

"And he sees good in Jungkook?" the teacher asked after a while.

"Four years ago, my brother came to me to plead for your disciple's life," Namjoon revealed. "Jungkook was about to be beheaded for attempting to kill me and my older brother."

Now the jaw muscles of the old master worked in ways that told Namjoon the man was not at all happy about what he was hearing.

"But Taehyung begged me to spare that doomed life," he continued. "He knelt in front of my chambers the whole day."

Master Heo's head had turned to look at the third prince who was dancing around the yard to flee from Jungkook's sword. But he only watched and did not speak one word.

So, Namjoon did. "I am willing to believe in my brother's abilities, so please allow Jungkook to stay here," he asked again.

Slowly the man nodded.

"Another thing," Namjoon added after achieving the stay of his brother's friend. "I cannot agree with your theory that a quick blade is useless without a sharp mind."

"Why would his highness think so?" master Heo wanted to know, for the first time looking interested.

"I think the problem is having power but lacking wisdom," he said with a small smile. "A general's sword and mind must be quick and sharp, but is that enough to call him a good man?"

The teacher narrowed his black eyes at him. "It seems like his highness is more knowledgeable than his young face makes him seem."

At that Namjoon needed to smile. The mistake many people made was to assume that wisdom was bound to age. But there were old fools and young Buddhas; wisdom was a matter of opening the head to the heart and the heart to the head.

"If master Heo was amenable, I would like to invite him to be a guest at the palace," Namjoon charged forward boldly. He felt much more comfortable around master Heo after exchanging some words. "The master must want to spend some time with his disciple, and I would like to learn from the man who has brought up such an excellent fighter."

Master Heo turned towards the sparring men again that now consisted of several royal guards attacking Jungkook. "It would be rude to decline an invitation of the palace, and I'd also like to spend some time with his highness," he agreed.

Namjoon smiled satisfied. It should be no problem to keep the master here until advisor Min's man would return. Then they would know more. But his instincts already told him that this pair of master and disciple had nothing to do with Hwon's threat from five years ago.

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