Stone Prince

"So...I took care of the guy and paid a night watch to take the corpse away. The other man ran off to heaven knows where...and I was left alone with an unconscious masked man laying on the ground." Jimin finally finished, closing his dry mouth. He stared at the table. "You."

Jimin glanced up from the cold tea on the table between his comrades, sighing. His intense gray eyes made contact with each of the two princes. Both were looking at him with a knowing look in their eyes, mouths agape and leaning forward. They sure seem close already, look at how Prince Kim's hand is touching Prince Jeon's!

Taehyung was the first to break the silence. "You--you just killed that man? Didn't even hesitate?"

Jungkook was next, blinking incredulous at Jimin's gray hair. "What happened after that?"

Jimin felt the intense atmosphere in the room, both males pressing him for every detail of the night as if it would unlock them from some chest of confusion that they were in. They are really desperate for info, huh...

Jimin continued. "Then I went to the building that we were both heading towards. I paid for a guide to take you to the Oak Castle because that man mentioned something about Oak when he was trying to kill you, so I just figured, why not send him there? The Oak Castle can deal with him..." He trailed off for a moment. "Then I got my own guide and went straight back to the Stone Castle. I never got a look at your unmasked face, and even if I did, I wouldn't recognize you as the Oak Prince anyway. I recognize you now because of your eyes...and messy black hair." Jimin nodded at Jungkook's head, a small smile on his lips. 

Taehyung began to put the pieces together. "So...this means...those men that wanted to kill Prince Jeon..."

"Were sent from my uncle." Jungkook finished the statement. 

"To get back at you for something?" Jimin asked, catching onto the theme by then.

Jungkook threw his head into his hands and groaned. "My uncle thinks that I killed the man that was sent to kill me! Even if the messenger told him the truth, that some gray-haired guy killed the assassin, Jihoon might have twisted his words just to make it look like I killed the guy. That asshole! He just wants to make war with me...this is not good. Not good at all. Why did you have to kill him, Prince Park?!"

Jimin banged his fist on the table. "Fuck! What's so wrong with self-defense! That man was an asshole--he deserved to die! And what was I supposed to do? Let you die? If it comes to war, then it does. Obviously your uncle was trying to get you to commit a crime, no matter the cost."

Taehyung wiggled uncomfortably on the couch, burying his own blond locks in his hands. "No, this isn't Park's fault...if I hadn't given you that wine-"

Jungkook cut him off. "Don't, Taehyung. You didn't know what would happen...even though I don't feel comfortable with the idea that drugs were in my system, I don't think you did it out of malevolence."

"No, no--I would neve-" 

"Drugs in wine? What are you talking about?" Jimin interjected with a puzzled look on his face. 

Taehyung glanced at Jungkook with a defeated look. After a nod from the younger, the blonde began to tell the story of the party again. To save time, Taehyung cut out a lot of 'unnecessary parts' as he called them. I wonder what parts he's omitting...hmm. 

After Taehyung had finished and everybody in the room was informed about the events of June 24th, it was 2 A.M.

Jimin yawned and rubbed at his eyes. The two sitting on the couch opposite him waited for his shocked or angry reaction, but Jimin was too worn to give either of them what they were looking for. All he replied with was a simple "oh."

Oak Prince 

Jungkook wasn't surprised at the lack of a reaction from the Stone Prince. He knew that Prince Park was one to mull over things, so perhaps they could discuss the events of that night in more depth at a later time. Jungkook cleared his raspy throat before speaking to the other two princes seated around him "It's getting late...I'll have my servants prepare two rooms for you and your courts immediately."

"Actually..." Jimin butt in, seemingly eager to get this out of the way. "I think it would be a good idea if we stayed the week to discuss a better defense plan for the kingdom, don't you think?"

Jungkook glanced at Taehyung, who was already nodding his blonde locks in agreement with the statement. "That's a great idea, Jimin." Jungkook gave a tired nod to the man who had only a couple hours ago barged into him and Kim Taehyung meeting up in secret. 

Before Jungkook could stand up to make the sleeping arrangements, a thick silence fell over the three princes as they took in everything that they had heard. Jungkook wasn't sure why he wasn't freaking out on the inside, or why he wasn't extremely nervous about his uncle's plan to take his kingdom away from him. An odd calm came over him. For once he was with people of his kind--the other princes of Noirwood.

Jungkook looked at his two guests with a strange fondness. These people both saw him, the Oak Prince, at his absolute worst...and still accepted him. Jungkook could not be mad at either Jimin or Taehyung for impacting him that night, even if all three of their actions got the kingdom in the warring state it was soon to be in. We all broke the pact together.

After minutes of hearing nothing but the pocket watch attached at Prince Jeon's waist tick tick tick away, Jimin clapped his hands together. 

"Don't know about you two, but I'm about to pass out." Jimin lazily brushed the gray hair off of his forehead. 

Jungkook took this as a signal to get up and leave the other two princes seated across from each other. He left the room to notify the servants outside to prepare the castle for a week of royal guests.  Several minutes later, almost his entire collection of servants was milling about the castle, preparing bedding, arranging clothes, and making plans to buy more supplies to stock up for the following week. Jungkook slowly walked back to his study and yawned. He opened the door slowly.

"Okay you two." Jungkook glided over to the couches across the room. "I made the plans, you guys can be off to your individual roo-"

"Yes, yes, thank you." Jimin shot up out of his seat and rushed out of the room in a flash. 

Jungkook was left frozen in his spot. He wondered why Jimin was so irritable, but he figured that the older prince had little practice with talking to others, as he never got out of the castle. Jungkook sighed as he approached Taehyung, who sat on the couch, unmoving, facing away from him. 

"Hey, Prince Kim." Jungkook said quietly. "Did you hear me? Your room is ready..."

As Jungkook rounded the couch to face the Laurel Prince, he was met with soft snores and closed eyes. The Laurel Prince's head was lolled a bit off to the side, his arms casually thrown off to either side of him on the couch. The unbuttoned portion of his shirt was dangerously low, and Jungkook had to avert his eyes from the long scar that ran along Taehyung's toned body. The prince's golden boots were crossed in a fashion that made Jungkook smile; it was as if the prince still worried about what pose to be in even in his slumber. 

The Laurel Prince's crown still sat sparkling on the table, and Jungkook couldn't help but feel a strong urge to place the ornate object on Taehyung's sleeping head. He reached out and took the beautiful crown in his own hands, admiring the handiwork of whoever make the fitting object for such a handsome man. Jungkook's own crown was much less flashy and more traditional. This is so beautiful...I just want to see this one more time on his head...just one more time...

Before he knew what he was doing, Jungkook slowly turned towards a sleeping Taehyung and carefully leaned forward. He bit his lip in concentration as he brought the object above Taehyung's blonde locks. The crown was slowly lowering into Taehyung's golden locks when the elder's eyes suddenly shot open. Shit!

Jungkook let out a small yelp in surprise and immediately retreated his hands which still bore the elder male's crown. Jungkook waited for Taehyung to yell at him, to ask him what he was doing, to be disgusted with him.

But Taehyung did no such thing. 

"You said my room was ready?" Taehyung asked as he rose up from the couch and smiled at Jungkook. The smile was warm, curious. His dark eyes regarded Jungkook with an emotion that Jungkook could not place.

"Uh, yes. I can show you t-to your room if that's uh, okay?" Jungkook replied as he carefully set the crown back down on the table. He was trying so hard not to make eye contact with Taehyung, whom he could feel was looking at him strangely. He probably thinks I'm a weirdo. 

"I'd like that." Taehyung said as he lovingly picked up his crown off of the table and placed it back on his head.

Jungkook, already feeling embarrassed, sped out of the study with Taehyung following closely at his heels. After what felt like an eternity of walking up staircases and past handfuls of servants rushing to and fro, the two princes arrived outside of a large oak door. 

Finally, Jungkook worked up the courage to turn to face Taehyung, who looked at him without any obvious judgement. It was as if the incident had not even happened, and Jungkook felt a wave of relief course through him. 

"Here is your room. "Jungkook started. "Jimin's room is directly above yours and mine is directly above his. If you need anything, just motion for my servants, and they'll help you." Jungkook paused. 

"However, here my servants won't be willing to do as much as yours are, so there may be some limitations to your requests. I sincerely apologize for that...also, the room may not be as elaborate as you are used to, so please make do with what I have available. Good night, Laurel Prince."

After he finished his mini speech to an attentive Taehyung, he turned to leave. The Laurel Prince quickly wrapped a hand around his wrist, stopping him.

Jungkook was tugged back a bit so that he was standing a bit too close to Taehyung. They were the same height, their eyes level in height. Jungkook watched Taehyung's long eyelashes bat against his cheeks every time he blinked. 

After ten long seconds of the two princes doing nothing but stare at each other, Taehyung smiled and simply said 'good night, Jungkook' before retiring into his room. 

Jungkook watched the prince disappear behind the door and felt a pang of something in his stomach.

Excitement? No.

Jungkook shook his head violently, trying to rid himself of the feelings he was experiencing after everything the two had been through. But why did he feel like...

Like...

That wasn't the first time he was that close to Taehyung?

Jungkook glanced at his pocket watch. It read 2:30 A.M. He sighed as he walked toward the stairwell which would lead him up two floors to his own bedroom. He pondered whether he should check on Jimin one last time before bed, just to make sure everything was okay with the gray-haired prince, but decided that Jimin probably didn't want his company any longer. 

Every stair he climbed threw him back to the night with Prince Kim. Jungkook could tell that Taehyung was holding something back in the story he told, but he didn't know why. 

Maybe something to do with those drugs? Fuck, I don't know.

Jungkook was too tired to care anymore. In the dim hallway light, he barely found his doorknob. Tossing open the door, he decided to put his worries on hold. Everything would be explained to him sooner or later.

Jungkook climbed into his bed and snuggled into the sheets, not bothering to change out of his clothes. He was out like a light once his head hit the pillow. 

That night, he dreamt of an army. Hundreds of people standing in a line and screaming that they would kill kill kill. Jungkook gazed around to find himself alone in an empty field without any telling characteristics. Intently, he stood listening from afar as the loud chants of the army approached his spot.

"KILL JEON JUNGKOOK! KILL JEON JUNGKOOK! KILL JEON JUNGKOOK!"

Jungkook watched as the gargantuan men of the north approached him, lumbering at a fast speed towards his unprotected figure. Jungkook braced himself for hard impact, but felt nothing as the sound crashed right upon him. 

"W-what?"

When Jungkook opened his eyes, the warriors of the north were running right through him, as if he were invisible. 

Like a ghost...like I'm already dead. 

He turned 180 degrees to face the object of the army's attention. There stood man in the distance, wearing the banner of Oak, his banner of Oak, seated atop a tall, gray stallion. Jungkook squinted his eyes to make out the person who was standing in his place, but the army was in his way. Jungkook raced forward with the hundreds of soldiers, like he was traveling in some kind of violent river, before he found an opening that allowed him a good view of the impostor. Who could they be charging towards? They keep saying my name, but that's not me...that's-

Jungkook fell to his knees at the sight of the man.

There, atop a gray stallion, bearing his family's trademark Oak and pointing a long sword out to the war gods in the sky,

Was none other than Park Jimin. 

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

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hello there, my lovely readers--how are you today? I hope you're well, and I hope that you take time out for yourself. Treat yourself! You deserve it.

Also, I'm really excited for where this story is going...I hope you are too.

:) izzy :)