Oak Prince

"Jungkook, stop yellingggg you'll wake up your staff members!!!" Taehyung pulled Jungkook out of his nightmare. The ravenette sat up with a jolt, gasping for air. The blonde was immediately at his side, holding onto his shoulder and shaking him a bit. 

"Shit Kook, was the dream that horrible?"

Jungkook's mouth was dry from the lingering feeling of the nightmare, his insides a bit shaken up from falling to his demise in the dream. Luckily the tears from mourning Jimin didn't transfer into reality, but the awful feeling of it did. His legs were slightly shaking from the adrenaline and a drip of sweat fell down his cheek and onto his lap. 

"I...Jimin was in m-my dream and so was Ji-Jihoon..." Jungkook grabbed his cheeks in frustration, "He just...I couldn't save him and I couldn't save myself either..."

Taehyung's face contorted into a pained grimace. He grabbed the Oak Prince's hand from off of his face and lightly blew at the ravenette's red cheeks. The breeze felt nice against Jungkook's sweaty forehead and he closed his eyes. The image of Jimin falling kept repeating itself in his mind, the calm look in Jimin's eyes making him feel even more disturbed. It sent shivers up his spine, and the blonde noticed.

"I'm sorry, Jungkook. Nightmares suck to have..." Taehyung trailed off, "But...uh, oh! That's right, Jimin left early this morning because he needed to be out on the battlefield..."

Jungkook chewed the inside of his mouth, reaching down to check the time on his pocket watch, "At 6:00? Why is he out so early? And..." the ravenette squeezed Taehyung's hand, "Why are you up so early?"

The Laurel Prince frowned, eyes falling on the other's wrinkled up shirt, "Well, you kept tossing and turning...and yelling-"

"Ohhh," Jungkook let his head drop, "Sorry to wake you up early again Tae, but I guess this might be nice for you to get to work early...y'know, check up on the mask production?"

"Yyeeeeaaahhhh go ahead and boss me around again Kook. You know I can't say no to you anyway," Taehyung smiled teasingly at the younger, shaking their hands around up and down as if he was confirming the deal. 

Jungkook laughed, adjusting his position so that he was pretzel-legged, sitting on top of the covers. The blonde mimicked him so that their knees were touching. The younger sighed before speaking. 

"I...I can't believe this is the last day before Jihoon comes..."

Taehyung turned his head to face the wall, tracing the lines of the wood with his eyes. He was quiet for a while before saying something back. 

"We'll win though, Jeon. We have all of us, the masks, the soldiers, and the element of surprise..word probably still has it that you are unconscious or unwell, and there's no doubt that Jihoon means to take advantage of that..."

"Yeah, that's true," the sweat on Jungkook's brow was pretty dry by then. He leaned closer to Taehyung, who stared back with vivacity. The Laurel Prince seemed more confident about the whole situation than Jungkook, but the Oak Prince tried not to let the other see that. 

After all, this was his castle. He needed to keep up a confident shell if his men were to stick by him and fight well. 

Or else they all would perish. One wrong move. One small mistake in the mask production. One wrong command by Commander Park. One wrong communication from him. 

"I think we'll do just fine tomorrow. Prince Park manning the soldiers, you with the masks, me at the head with communications across the battlefield...we can do it," Jungkook spoke, trying to convince himself of it as well. 

Taehyung nodded along, shifting closer to the younger, "I agree...but hey, before I go check on the masks...can I, um...get a good luck kiss? Just a small-"

Jungkook was all too eager to get off of the topic of the battle and to kiss the other male. He closed the gap between them, latching onto Taehyung's lips with a passion he didn't expect out of himself that early in the morning. Taehyung sat up straighter, clearly taken aback by the younger's show of affection. After a few seconds, however, the blonde kissed him back hard. Intertwining their hands in each other's hair, the Oak Prince slipped his tongue into the blonde's mouth. 

"I wish I could just kiss you all day," Taehyung whispered as they broke for air. The ravenette dove back in for more, the unsettled feeling from his dream disappearing when his lips were on the other male's. 

Taehyung's hand crawled across the bed while their lips were dancing on each other's, trying to find something. When the Laurel Prince's hand found its destination, Jungkook let out a small yelp and broke from the kiss. His cheeks were flushed. 

"Damn it, Park was right. It is really firm," Taehyung snickered, hand resting on the other's behind and lightly squeezing it, "Wow. I could grab your ass all day too-"

"That's enough Taehyung, you have to go check on the masks now," the younger pried Taehyung's hand off of his butt and leaning in for one last kiss. Their lips fluttered together briefly before the blonde sighed, pulling away. 

"Alright Kook. I'll do it just for you, yeah?" Taehyung giggled, referencing to the first time Jungkook asked the blonde to stitch up his hand. The two had come so far since then. A smile touched Jungkook's lips and he nodded, swatting Taehyung's hand lightly to encourage the other to get ready. Taehyung obliged, his nose scrunched up in mock disapproval as he walked towards the bathroom. 

The Oak Prince got out of bed as well, shuffling over to the window. He pulled the curtains back and crinkled his eyebrows when he saw the heavy storm clouds rolling in. 

Why did it have to rain this early? Right when Jimin was training the Oak Soldiers.

The drops came down slow at first, then in heavy sheets as the clouds rolled closer to the Oak Castle. Jungkook watched as the platoons of men in the distance continued their training as if nothing was wrong, the Stone Prince pointing and yelling all the while. Although he couldn't hear what Commander Park was saying, he assumed it was something about how real soldiers don't back down in the rain. 

Thunder boomed in the distance, and a flash of lighting caught his attention. He hoped that no one on the field would get electrocuted today...that would be just their luck.

Dying the day before the real battle was just too ironic. His eyes flocked to the Stone Prince again, drenching wet and hussling around different parts of the battlefield with a powerful look about him. 

Seeing Jimin hurt the Oak Prince's heart, remembering how the gray-haired male acted in his dream. Jungkook reached up and placed one hand on the window pane as it was pelted with relentless raindrops. A breath of air escaped his lips, which he chewed on lightly. 

Please...please be alright Jimin. 

Laurel Prince

After he had washed up and eaten a little something, Taehyung rushed out of the door without saying goodbye to his boyfriend. He knew he should have, but he was really curious about how the mask production was going. Striding down the hallway towards the staircase, Taehyung jumped when a servant called out for him. 

"Laurel Prince!" the servant seemed worried, "I-is the Oak Prince alright in your room? Is he-"

Taehyung knew he couldn't lie about the younger's consciousness; if someone heard the Oak Prince screaming this morning they could testify and the blonde could be easily disproven. 

"He's conscious...but very very unwell. He's, uh, actually sleeping right now. I'm taking great care of him though; don't worry," Taehyung nodded once before speeding away. 

"Wait! Will he be alright for the battle tomorrow?" the servant struggled to catch up, almost tripping over his own feet. 

Prince Kim stayed facing forward as he answered, not bothering to stop, "I'm not sure...it's highly unlikely. Commander Park and I will man the troops and lead the battle tomorrow." 

The servant stopped in his tracks. Taehyung kept going, but he knew that if he looked behind him he would see a fearful look on the man's face. 

"S-sir..." the servant's outcry hardly reached Taehyung's ears as he descended the oak staircase, "Luck be on your side, sir."

Taehyung could only hope. 

When he reached the bottom of the staircase, he headed for the servants quarters as he had the day previous. Rushing in, he looked around frantically for any of the three men that were a part of the mask-making process. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of one of them scribbling something down on a piece of paper. The servant appeared sleep-deprived and quite jittery. Taehyung coughed loudly and the servant glanced up at him, mouth opening slightly. The fidgety man jogged over to him, carrying the paper. 

"Sir! We have produced 2000 masks so far...we've been up all night adding the extra parts to the masks that were imported from Cladeland overseas...I'm getting more attachments from the forge in town today and-"

"Marvelous!" Taehyung spoke a bit too loudly and many servants turned towards him. Piping down a bit he added, "May you show me where they are being stored? I'd wish to inspect them."

"Yes, Prince Kim. Right this way," the servant practically sashayed away, clearly joyous that he was pleasing the Laurel Prince. 

But Taehyung knew it was probably because if the Laurel Prince was pleased, so was the Stone Prince. And the servants were afraid of the Stone Prince. 

Anyhow, the blonde followed the servant through a wide set of doors that led out into the side of the castle. A medium-sized shed was wedged between some trees; the building's purpose was seemingly inconspicuous. The flowers planted by the door screamed gardening supplies and the path leading up made it look as if it were part of a vacation area. No one would think that this establishment held the answer to their problems. 

This was great. 

The only problem was, it was pouring rain. And thundering loudly. Taehyung frowned. 

"Guess we'll have to make a run for it!" he yelled over the drumming of the rain on the path. The servant nodded and jogged with him over to the shed, quickly unlocking the doors and ushering Taehyung in. When the blonde was inside, he let out a gasp of joy. 

Stacked in rows upon rows were gas masks with the added attachment that Prince Jeon had specified. The attachments would supposedly keep the gas away from the soldier's lungs when they were fighting and the masks themselves were relatively light. The shape and size of the masks made fighting with them easy; visibility wasn't going to be a problem. The Laurel Prince clapped his hands together and turned towards the servant.

"This is great! Production is going well, then? We only need about fifteen hundred more for the rest of the soldiers and castle members and then we'll be okay!" the blonde turned his head back towards the stacks of masks and rejoiced internally. 

Jihoon would be shocked at how fast the Oak Castle had developed these; there were so many...and they were all extremely advanced in nature. Prince Jeon thought of every small detail when he brainstormed the model. Taehyung felt a surge of pride. 

"Yes, sir. We should have all made before this evening, ready for the battle tomorrow...If I don't see you then, I wish you luck tomorrow. Jihoon stands no chance against the Oak Soldiers if they are equipped with these, sir."

Taehyung nodded confidently, opening the doors of the shed back up. The rain hadn't let up at all. After running through the rain back to the side entrance of the Oak Castle, Taehyung turned around to watch the servant carefully lock the shed doors back up. He waved once at the servant who bowed back to him with an understanding look plastered on his face. 

The Oak Castle was going to do this. 

Jihoon stood no chance. 

Taehyung walked back into the castle with a pep in his step and a shadow of the taste of victory in his mouth. 

Stone Prince

"Florian, by me!" Jimin called out to one of his favorite Oak Soldiers. 

The boy yielded, running to Commander Park's side with the hint of a grin on his face. It was as if he knew that the gray-haired male liked him the most out of everyone there. Although Jimin wouldn't admit it outright, it was true. 

Florian was the person who had spoken up the first time he had trained the Oak Soldiers. And this was the Stone Prince's last day with these soldiers. Some of them would die the very next day, defending the liberty of Noirwood. Defending the Oak Castle and all of its inhabitants. 

"Yes Commander Park! At your service," Florian stood at attention, his sword crossing his chest. Jimin was proud of how far the boy had come in only three days. All of the Oak Soldiers had learned lots, practiced hard, and gained trust in each other. Jimin trusted them as well. 

Jimin motioned for the other soldiers to continue on with their exercise. He only wanted this to be between him and Florian. The boy looked up at him expectantly, shifting his weight around. The gray-haired male moved closer, smiling down at him. He glanced around the battlefield to make sure no one was watching him and leaned close to the boy's ear. 

"Florian, I want you to know that I'm very proud of how far you've come in such a short amount of time. I couldn't forget the bravery you showed on the first day of training...fighting alongside me in that exercise...I-" Jimin took a deep breath and cleared his throat before continuing, "Listen, I...I trust you lots, and I see how you are a natural leader to the other soldiers out here. They all respect you for what you've done..."

Florian bowed, a large smile on his face. But Jimin wasn't done. 

"So for that, if you make it out alive tomorrow--which I know you will," Jimin tried to give the boy his best encouraging smile, "I'll have Prince Jeon make you lead commander of the Oak Army after I return to the north. I'll talk to him tonight about it."

Eyes as wide as saucers and mouth wide open, Florian hardly appeared to be a fearsome and brave soldier of the Oak Castle. To Jimin, he looked like a young boy- but in reality, he was only a few years younger than Jungkook. Florian tried hard to comprehend the words that Jimin had just said, but it was clear that he was very confused. 

"Um, Commander Park, did I hear you correctly, or-"

"Yes, Florian," Jimin patted the boy's shoulder, "You are a born leader. If I could I'd bring you back with me to my castle as my second-hand man, but..." Jimin sighed, "Well...I don't have a castle..."

Florian frowned, looking down at his feet. Suddenly, he looked up at Jimin with a soft smile on his face and a glimmer of hope in his eyes, "Yet, sir. You don't have a Stone Castle yet."

The Stone Prince smiled at the optimistic mindset of Florian, squeezing the boy's shoulder a bit, "I guess you're right. Until then...when my castle is built, you're welcome to visit. Actually, well, you're welcome to join my staff. I don't have many people in my court at the moment." 

Other Oak Soldiers noticed the happy expression on Florian's face and smiled along, grateful that their second leader on the field wasn't being reprimanded. Jimin raised his chin at them and pointed to the exercise area. The Oak Soldiers got the message, scurrying away from the vicinity to get to their posts. Jimin feigned a bit of strict anger, when in reality, it made him glad to see the other soldiers giving so much of their respect to Florian. 

"Now," Jimin scratched at the back of his head, "You may go and lead the exercise over there. If anyone asks, don't tell them what I told you...please wait until the battle tomorrow is over."

Florian bit his lips, probably suppressing a shriek of joy, Jimin supposed. The young Oak Soldier was practically shining, buzzing with excited energy. However, the boy was trying to be professional in front of him and hold it in, so he simply nodded. 

"Thank you so much Commander Park, you don't know how much this means--" suddenly, Florian stopped talking, squinting his eyes at something on the ground behind Jimin, "S-sir is um...is that your-"

Jimin turned around, scouring the ground for whatever Florian was upset by. Perhaps he had dropped one of his rings or-

No. No. NO.

A large clump of Jimin's hair was stuck between some blades of grass on the field. The Stone Prince quickly moved to cover it up with a boot. He turned back to Florian, who had a worried look painted across his features. 

"Sir, are you sure you're alright? T-the other day with the b-blood..."

Did Florian really notice all of that too? Well, he was the one closest to Jimin when it first happened...

"I'm, uh..." he looked around, making sure nobody else was there. He clearly couldn't lie; the boy knew something was wrong with Jimin. Florian wasn't an idiot. He could put two and two together.

"Florian...you can't tell anybody about this...not a living soul, a-alright? Y-you just can't."

Jimin's voice was a bit shaky as he spoke to the boy. Florian glanced down at Jimin's boot, obviously upset. Florian looked behind him at all of the Oak Soldiers and then at the Oak Castle standing tall against the rain. 

"Okay...Commander Park, you can trust me...but what's-"

Jimin reached down quickly to retrieve his hair from under his boot, "It's...I'm just a little ill. A-and I can't let others know or-"

"They'll take advantage of any weakness they can find. The enemy's ignorance is always the preferred situation for any battle," Florian spoke back to him confidently. Jimin nodded. 

The Stone Prince had taught him well. 

"Exactly," Jimin shoved the clump of hair into his boot and stood up straight. He wiped his hands off on his pants and sighed, "Thank you for keeping this a secret Florian...I hope to see you kill dozens of those northerners tomorrow. I'll be fighting alongside you of course."

Florian only bowed, saying nothing. He gave Jimin one last forlorn look before he walked off into the distance, back to his fellow Oak Soldiers. The Stone Prince shivered at the boy's final look. 

It was a look of complete understanding. It was as if Florian could see right through him. 

And it made the gray-haired male squirm under his skin. Florian was the only person in Noirwood who knew him for what he was. 

A sickened warrior who was putting on the mask to serve the role. 

When tomorrow came...

Jimin hoped that the mask didn't break. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hello everybody. 

I like this chapter a lot, and I hope you did too. 

Thinking about how much more I have to go makes me happy and sad at the same time. 

I hope you are enjoying the storyline...sometimes I have my doubts about where I could've gone and where I'm going...

But done is done, right? There's no going back now. 

No regrets everyone. Don't regret anything. 

Thanks so much for reading! :)