Oak Prince

While Jimin was off on a mission to transform into his female character "Minnie" for the plan to save Taehyung, Jungkook was left to find his own disguise. However, his disguise didn't involve dressing as a  girl...partly because no one would buy that the ravenette in a gown was female, and also because-

The ravenette really wanted to see Jimin in a dress. 

So instead, Jungkook would need one of Jihoon's men's uniforms in order to infiltrate the compound without being suspected. It might be risky going without Jimin to find a uniform, but they were tight on time and Jungkook was confident that he could take out one of Jihoon's men if he needed to. He could always fall back on his brain to get out of tough situations. 

Jungkook clipped his sword onto his belt and ran a hand through his hair before glancing at the empty inn room. If everything went okay, this wouldn't be the last time he saw this bed. He could only hope. 

He crossed his fingers as he stepped outside of the room. After the door clicked shut, he stood there with his hand splayed on the cool wood of the wall in the hallway. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. 

Taehyung, we'll get you back. 

After a few flights of stairs and a walk through an empty reception room, Jungkook squinted as the light from outside hit his cheeks. He strode through the front door and blinked a few times as his brown eyes adjusted to the morning light. Instead of making his way towards the stables for his horse, he walked down the cobble path to the downtown area, head kept low. 

He needed to be as inconspicuous as possible. Riding on a horse would make him a perfect target. Blending in as a townsperson was much easier done on foot. 

Every now and then, he would lift his head to see where he was going. His goal was the chain of taverns in the center of the town. 

If he wanted to get one of the soldiers' uniforms, might as well take advantage of them while they were intoxicated. 

But for now, he just focused on taking the path step by step, eyeing the activity of the strange town he was in. 

In the small town just outside of the vicinity of the Laurel Castle, people milled sullenly to their work. Bystanders in the streets tapped their feet impatiently, angry at the coming army that was likely to take their town at anytime. The worst part was, everyone already knew they had no hope at thwarting Jihoon's men, because it was common news that the Laurel Army was completely wiped out. Jungkook couldn't help but feel a little pity for them. However, he didn't have time to feel sorry about the situation.

He was the one who had to make it better. 

Ahead of him, a pair of people were strolling towards him on the path. As they were passing him by, he reached up to scratch his nose, attempting to obscure his princely features. 

"Yeah, Oak Prince-"

Jungkook felt his heart drop. Just hearing the title made him feel as if he had been caught red-handed. If people recognized him this early into the plan-

"-I think he's preparing something in the south..." the man talking walked passed him casually, nodding along to his counterpart. 

"We can only hope," the other man said and shrugged. 

Jungkook let out a grateful sigh and shook his head a few times. He picked up his pace and became increasingly wary with every person he strolled past along the path. Every few seconds, he whipped his head around to glance behind him. He wouldn't call it paranoia, but...

Okay, maybe he was paranoid. But he had a perfectly acceptable reason to feel a bit on edge. His face was the most well-known one in the entire kingdom. If he was spotted by an enemy, his life and the future of the kingdom was on the line. Some odd wave of luck had made him get this far, and he wasn't stopping. 

The taverns in the distance were cleaning up after a long night of drinking. People likely went there after hearing about the Laurel Castle, figuring that a few kegs of cheap beer would numb the fear they felt for their families. Jungkook guessed that a few straggling triumphant northern soldiers might've dropped in as well, demanding drinks at the tips of their bloody swords. He was hoping a few wasted ones might still be around...that would make getting a disguise a lot easier. 

Luckily, the tavern doors were still open, depositing the last of the drunkards out into the bright sunlight of the streets. Jungkook pinched his nose at their awful smell, avoiding those that looked as if they were going to hurl on him. Weaving past a few more faces, the ravenette dipped into the dark interior of one of the taverns, keeping his wits about him. He slinked along the edge of the interior, sticking close to the tables on the outside of the large room. He eyed the remaining drinkers. 

Then, he caught a glimpse of a sword, buckled tightly to the pants of a younger northern soldier who was gulping down a large pitcher of beer. Three empty pitchers lined the bar that he was seated at, and Jungkook noted how the other men in the bar gave him lots of personal space. It was as if he was contaminated. 

Jungkook knew he had found his man. 

He knew that Jihoon's men would recognize him in a heartbeat, so he had to be innovative. He picked up a cloth napkin wedged behind one of the booth seats of a nearby table and lifted it up to his face. He tried to mute the gags that were brought to his lips by the rancid smell of the thing. 

Do this for Taehyung. 

Jungkook cringed as he wrapped the cloth around his face like a mask, similar to the way he was disguised the first time he had met Taehyung at the Laurel Castle. He ran a hand through his hair and slowly crept up behind the man. Most people would still recognize the masked Oak Prince if they took the time to study him closely, but he hoped the man was too intoxicated to think straight. Jungkook would need to take that risk in order for everything to go smoothly later on. 

He bit his lips under the filthy cloth covering his face and pushed forward. 

As if sensing his presence, the greasy man turned around and belched, making eye contact with the ravenette. He held out one of his arms out to the side. 

"Hey buddy," the man said in a husky voice, "Come take a seat, I won't bite."

Jungkook internally sighed in relief as the man briefly glanced at him and turned his head back to his drink. The man didn't scrutinize him too closely, and for that he was very thankful. Jungkook took a few steps toward the bar and sat down, one stool separating the two men. The man turned towards him, holding up his glass.

"Want some? I don't think the bartender is serving any more this early in the morning," Jungkook could hear the slight slur in the man's voice, "You look like you need a drink."

Jungkook shook his head and tried at a smile that came out more of a grimace. He decided to be a bit bold, "So...you were just at... the Laurel Castle, is that right?"

The man frowned, turning towards Jungkook slowly and slamming his fist on the counter. Jungkook jumped a little, but kept his cool.

"I didn't think a local would come in here to criticize me doing my job," the man growled.

Jungkook held up his hands in a peaceful gesture, "Hey, hey, chill out. I didn't say anything.  I already know how Jihoon treats his men. He doesn't leave you any other choice," Jungkook adjusted the mask on his face as the man's eyes bore into him, "I just wanted to hear what it was like...y'know, battle? Because..." Jungkook fumbled for words, trying to steer the man towards something he could deal with, "...be-because I really want to join Jihoon's army someday. Even though the pay is poor, I have a deep hatred for, the um, Oak Prince because uh...that guy is really...um, bad. Yeah, bad. Horrible."

The man gave Jungkook a suspicious look but nodded all the same, "Yeah...I was just like you too..." he paused to sip at the beer in front of him, "I really just wanted to shed blood...y'know, just for the fun of it I guess."

Jungkook shifted uncomfortably in his bar stool, waiting for the man to continue. 

"And yeah, I was at the Laurel Castle yesterday...it was a shit show for them..." the man tilted his head, thinking about something, "I hate to say it but I feel kinda back for those guys. They all just crumpled in front of us...because of, um, a new tactic we tested out..." the man looked off to the side.

Jungkook knew the man was referring to the gas. 

"Slaughtering them felt too easy. I know we won and all but...I want to actually fucking fight against someone before I kill them, y'know?" he took a long drawl of his beer before speaking again, "So...what do you do buddy? What's with that mask?"

Jungkook brought his hand up to his mask as a reflex. He had to think quick, had to think of something to tell this man...

Then it came to him. 

"I'm... a tailor from out of town. I'm actually, um, suffering from a bit of a lung condition, so I don't want to cough on everything..." Jungkook straightened up, feeling a bit more confident at his sudden idea, "Actually...I- would you like me to patch up your uniform for free? I see you have a few, um, holes in the fabric in the back there...you don't want your uniform tearing in the next battle!"

The man gazed over his shoulder and craned his neck to get a peek at his back, "Where...holes? I don't see-"

"Oh, you can't see them very well from your vantage point, but as a tailor I can tell a weak area when I see one," Jungkook's heart sped up, hoping that the man was buying his act, "If you want, I could take that uniform off of your hands and return it within a few hours? Free of charge."

The man eyed Jungkook with his eyebrows raised, "Wow. You seem a bit...eager to help me...for someone who is about to fall under the rule of Jihoon very shortly," he drank the rest of his beer and slammed the container down, almost cracking it. Jungkook jumped, "But...god, what the hell? We aren't heading for the Oak Castle for another couple of days...sure thing bud, you fix it right up."

Jungkook heaved a sigh a relief as the man stood up from his chair. He wobbled a bit in his thick battle boots and leaned in to Jungkook, "Listen buddy, I'm going to go change in the washroom. You, uh, stay here and I'll be back."

The man swaggered away, drawing confused glances from the few drunkards who were sipping at stale glasses of beer. The man disappeared behind a creaky wooden door and Jungkook finally slumped his shoulders in relief. He rested his head in his hands and whispered to himself.

"Great job Jungkookie. Soon you'll be back at the inn with your uniform, and you'll get to see Jimin...Ah, how pretty Jimin will look in a dre-"

"Pardon?" the bartender was standing right in front of him, leaning over him with an unimpressed look on his face, "Do you need help getting home, sir? I can ask-"

"Oh no no no! I'm not drunk..." Jungkook sat up straight and clenched his jaw, "I'm just uh, waiting for someone..."

The bartender nodded, a small smirk playing across his lips, "You mentioned a 'Jimin,' could that be the person you are waiting for?"

Jungkook blushed, "No...w-well yes, but-"

"I'm back," the soldier from before had his balled up uniform in his hands, only wearing his black underclothes. When he made it to Jungkook, he handed it to the ravenette and lifted his chin in approval, "Thanks for doing this. I'll be at the inn next door in a few hours- catch me there," the soldier began to walk away, but turned around fast and stomped his foot on the ground.

"And if you aren't finished by 10, I'll see to it that you are just as dead as any Laurel soldier the next time I lay my eyes on you," the man smiled with his rancid yellow teeth, "Good day!"

And with that, he left the tavern. By that point, all eyes were on the masked ravenette, wondering why he was holding the uniform of a northern solider. The bartender cleared his throat. 

"Well mister, you best be getting back to 'Jimin' about now..." he rotated his head around the interior of the musty tavern, "Seems like everyone in here has a bone to pick with you."

Jungkook noticed all of the attention he was drawing with a dropping feeling in his gut. He immediately tore off the makeshift napkin-mask that was plastered against his mouth and wiped his face off on his sleeve. He threw the cloth on a nearby table and hurried out of the tavern, clutching tightly to the uniform he had just received. 

He had done it. The first part of his plan was complete. With a smile, he turned into the closest store and rushed into the bathroom to change. If he returned to the inn dressed as a northern soldier, nobody would bother him. 

In fact, they would avoid him. 

He smiled at the thought, prepping himself for the next chapter of his plan. As he pulled the man's dirty war gear on, Jimin popped into his mind. 

He couldn't wait to see the gray-haired male as a female...

Stone Prince

"Kim Eonjin," the blonde haired girl introduced herself with a mini bow and shook Jimin's hand hard. 

Jimin mouth-dropped open at the name.

Kim? Kim Eonjin?

It all made sense. The way she had a familiarness about her, the blond hair, curious eyes, and her way of saying "yeah?" after a statement all screamed Taehyung.

Eonjin raised one of her eyebrows as she noticed the confusion on Jimin's face, "What...what's wrong Jimin?"

Jimin still held tightly to the girl's hand, squeezing a bit too hard now, "D-did you just say 'Kim'? As in like-"

"The Laurel Prince Kim?" Eonjin finished. When Jimin nodded vigorously, she continued, "I get that a lot actually...the truth is...well, my mother claims that our family has absolutely nothing to do with the Kim line," she pulled herself out of Jimin's grasp and tightened her ponytail, licking her lips before she spoke again. 

"But...can I tell you something? Like, just between us? I know I shouldn't be spilling stuff to strangers but..." she looked into Jimin's unblinking gray eyes, "For some reason I feel like I can trust you..."

Jimin gave her a soft smile, "Eonjin, I have something to tell you as well. But first, you share what you want to say to me."

Eonjin walked over to the bed and sat down. She glanced down at her nails before speaking. 

"Well, you see, I've never actually known who my father was...I still don't know," she paused, scratching at her neck, "Actually when I was really little I remember a few older father figures in my life that could all possibly be my dad...and they visited me a lot. One guy had silverish-hair like you- okay, he probably wasn't my dad, but-" Eonjin laughed nervously.

Jimin was fully enraptured with the story, motioning for her to go on. 

"And that gray-haired guy told me many things. He told me that my last name was merely a mistake on my birth certificate- my mother agreed with him wholeheartedly...my mother was really close with that guy...don't know who he was or why he came to our inn so often...

But as I grew up and began to realize that my true father never visited. I pleaded with my mother for a full explanation of him and why he was never around. My mother told me that one day she would tell me the full story about my background and how our family business came to be. However...

My mother passed when I was twelve. She never got the chance to tell me who my real father was...And as the years pass, I've been thinking...thinking about my name a lot. Thinking about 'Kim.'"

Jimin raised his hand to interrupt her, "Do you mean to say you think you may be one of the Kim offspring?"

Eonjin glanced at Jimin with an unreadable expression and slowly nodded. She brought her hands up to cup her cheeks and sighed, "I mean...wouldn't that make sense? If I was like second-cousin or something to the Laurel Prince...? People have told me that I look a lot like him..." she trailed off. 

Jimin smiled at the girl in front of him, putting the pieces together. He knew that Taehyung had been abused by his father, and this girl was definitely younger than Taehyung by a few years. That means that she was saved from the monstrosity known as Taehyung's father before he could get his hands on her. Whoever helped her thwart that man's grasp knew about the abuse occurring within that castle. 

"Well," Jimin started, "I think this would be a perfect time for me to tell you what I wanted to."

Jimin took a deep breath before dropping the bombshell, hands gripping tightly at the white fabric of his frilly dress. 

"Kim Eonjin, I have perfect reason to believe you are the younger sister of Kim Taehyung, the Laurel Prince himself..." Jimin clucked his tongue, "Well, actually...half-sister."

Eonjin gasped, eyes growing wide at the words, "W-what? What do you-"

"Allow me to explain," Jimin cut her off, "You see, I actually...know the Laurel Prince on a personal level..."

"WHAT?!" Eonjin was slightly bouncing on the small bed, taken back by what she was hearing. 

"And he's told me before that he was an only child. However...you and him are so completely and utterly similar in all of your habits...are you sure you don't remember anything else mentioned in your childhood about an older brother or royalty before?"

Eonjin's hands anxiously picked at the covers underneath her, "Now that I think about it, that silver-haired man from the north visited me once before mom died and..." she paused and chewed her cheek to think, "He said something about helping another person escape from a castle...he never told me who it was. I remember him telling me to prepare a room at the inn for a teenage boy who was going to come live with us..."

"And?" Jimin's face was lit up, expecting her answer with keen interest. 

"Well, I waited and waited, but the blond boy never showed up. I never saw the silver-haired man after that either..." Eonjin frowned at herself in the mirror across the room. 

Jimin turned to meet her face in the mirror and his eye caught the clock on the wall. It was 8:15. He was fifteen minutes late. 

"Damn it!" Jimin jolted from his standing spot in the room and rushed over to Eonjin. His soft hands grabbed ahold of her tan ones, "Listen Eonjin, I'm late for a mission. I will definitely return to you to continue this conversation! You are just like Taehyung...when he finds out he has a half-sister, he is going to freak out." 

With that, Jimin let go of her hands and turned to the door. 

"WAIT!" Eonjin hopped off of the bed and rushed over to him, "If you see Taehyung, if that's the Laurel Prince's name...possibly my half-brother..." she lifted her head up to meet Jimin's gray eyes, "Tell him I love his style, yeah? It would mean the world to me..."

Jimin gave her a huge smile. The way the two siblings were so alike was a bit scary, "Of course, Eonjin. Thank you so much for the makeover...Now I really have to get going."

Eonjin waved to him and called out as he ran off, "You look beautiful Jimin! Go make all the men drool!" 

Jimin could hear her giddy laughter as he raced out of the girl's bedroom and up to his inn room. His lips pulled into a small smile at her last comment. 

He hoped Jungkook wouldn't be too angry with his lateness. 

But it was worth it. He, Park Jimin, had just uncovered one of the mysteries of the Kim Castle. He licked his red tinted lips in satisfaction...Taehyung would be so happy to know he had another sibling this entire time!

As he climbed up the stairs to the pair's shared room, one thing that Eonjin said in her story resurfaced in his mind. She mentioned a silver-haired male from the north that was going to save Taehyung from the castle...

But why did that male fail to save Taehyung? Did Taehyung know this man? Who was he?

Jimin pondered these questions while he walked down the hallway toward the man he really wanted to see then. He almost forgot that he was dressed as a girl as he rapped on the wooden door. Jimin quickly posed with his hip jutted out, lips pursed in a sassy pout before the door opened. 

Jungkook was already dressed in a soldier's uniform and he appeared unharmed.

That means his part of the plan worked. 

A low whistle sounded down the long hallway coming from Jungkook's lips. The ravenette was glued to the spot staring hungrily at Jimin's body, mouth open and eyes wide. 

"Oh-J-Jimin y-you," Jungkook stuttered, too amazed at the sight to get anything coherent out. 

Jimin rolled his eyes and pushed the younger's chest as he entered his room, "Would you stop the drooling? It's still me under this costume...goodness."

Jungkook approached Jimin from behind and wrapped his arms around the older, "I know Jimin, but you are just so goddamn beautiful that I can't take my eyes off of you! This is perfect. No man or woman will be able to take their eyes off of you. You'll be a great distraction for the plan."

Jimin sighed and flipped around so that he was inches away from Jungkook's face. 

"The only thing I'll be a distraction to is you, Kookie," Jimin winked seductively and licked his lips.

"You better fucking chill out Jim- Minnie or else I'll rip that dress right off of you," Jungkook nuzzled Jimin's neck with his chin. He kissed Jimin's earlobe softly, making the older giggle.

Then, Jimin remembered what he had just learned about the 'receptionist' a few moments ago. 

The receptionist Kim Eonjin. The girl who was most likely Taehyung's half-sister.

"Jungkook," Jimin mewled as the younger softly bit at the skin under his jaw, "Did you know that...that Taehyung has a sister?"

Jungkook stopped his little bitings and moved away from Jimin's flushed cheeks. 

"A...a sist-

A WHAT?!"

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

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hehehe

Actually, did you know-

In real life Taehyung's little sister's name is Kim Eonjin. 

And also...

I really want to see Jimin in a dress 😭😭

Thank you so much for reading,

Stay tuned for Part 3~ :P