Laurel Prince

Taehyung scratched at the bandage wrapped around the cut on his face. When the fabric of the white strip started to peel, he sighed. He glanced around the infirmary at the late afternoon medics doing their work, attending to people with a variety of problems. One man was severely ill; another was horribly burned. Taehyung figured that it might have been from one of the fires set by Jihoon's men. He pushed the blond hair out of his eyes and watched as a few medics were called out of the room to attend to something. 

Taehyung fidgeted with his fingers as another medic brought him a glass of water, setting it on the stand next to the his bed. Nodding his head in appreciation, he took the glass in his hands and looked into the water, lost in thought. 

It was only normal for Taehyung to be a bit antsy; he had been doing nothing all day, resting in his infirmary bed and letting his mind drift off. He found that he couldn't even nap, as his thoughts were racing around too quickly. 

Jimin was training Oak Soldiers in the field and Jungkook was trying to produce gas masks for his army. Taehyung felt useless sitting there on the bed, doing little. He wanted to help with the effort somehow. 

But in his mind he could already hear the Oak Prince and Stone Prince yelling at him to rest. 

"You've been through enough Tae! Please just rest!" Jungkook would say to him. 

"If you don't rest now, Taehyung, you'll regret it later," Jimin might assure him. 

The blonde shut his eyes tightly, thinking about the others. He felt a sort of pride in them, felt the strong love they held for him in his heart. It was as if they were all meant to be together- as if it was some fate that linked them to the night of June 24th. Made them break the pact...made them team up to fight the asshole of the north known as Jihoon. 

Smiling softly at this thought, Taehyung felt reassured about the state of the Oak Castle. Jungkook's brain would help them avoid the horrible effects of the poisonous gas and Jimin's fighting skill would strengthen the few soldiers that the Oak Castle had. 

Although they were going to be slightly outnumbered, Taehyung felt a confidence in his heart that the Oak Banner would fly high and stay there after all was said and done. 

It would have to. 

Because if it didn't-

He didn't want to think about it. He loved the other two princes too much to even consider failure. Failure would surely mean death. Taehyung was mulling this over as voices suddenly sparked in the air. 

"MAKE ROOM! MAKE ROOM!"

"OUT OF THE WAY!"

"HURRY!"

Panicked shouts fanned through the walls of the hallway and into Taehyung's ears. He could hear running footsteps heading toward the infirmary. Someone must've gotten hurt around the Oak Castle. He sighed, setting the water glass down and waiting. At least it would give Taehyung something to watch while he sat there. 

The door slammed open, admitting four Oak staff members holding tightly to the corners of a stretcher. They were extra panicked for some reason...

As if the person on the stretcher was...

Royalty. 

Taehyung sat up, leaning forward to try and get a look at the person being rushed to the corner bed on the opposite side of the room. As a chain of servants rushed past with pale faces, Taehyung caught a glimpse of hair he knew all too well.

Raven black hair. 

On impulse, Taehyung shot out of bed, wincing when sharp pains ran through the cuts covering his body. A medic nearby pushed his hand out to warn the blonde to stop moving, but Taehyung ignored him. With a sore body and lots of effort, the Laurel Prince shoved his way past the servants crowding around Jungkook in bed. When he saw the state of the younger male, Taehyung just about collapsed onto the floor. 

"W-WHAT'S H-HAPPENING TO HIM?! WHO DID THIS!?" Taehyung's deep voice boomed out in the infirmary, frightening the witnesses to the mess that was the Oak Prince. 

Jungkook's nose was pouring blood, red rivers flowing down his chin and into the crook of his neck. The white shirt that Jungkook decided to wear on that day to change things up was soiled with streaks of his own blood. The ravenette's chest was pulsing upwards randomly as he struggled to breath. He was gasping with his eyes opened wide, revealing the true and utter panic he felt. 

Why can't he breathe??

Some of the blood from his nose leaked into his mouth, covering his white teeth in drips of maroon. Jungkook's hands were reaching slightly out in front of him, as if trying to grasp for something. His fists clenched and unclenched every few seconds. 

Taehyung rushed to the side of the bed and took one of the ravenette's fists in his own. Jungkook's alarmed eyes were zig-zagging across the ceiling; the younger male did not see Taehyung next to him as his lungs were failing. Taehyung's eyes started tearing up as he saw Jungkook in such pain, his heart squeezing with fear. 

C'mon Jungkook...just breathe.

The medics scrambled around the bed, getting out different instruments to try and help the younger male. As they worked, they spoke in loud voices, communicating what they knew about the situation to each other. Taehyung heard all of it. 

"...something he ingested..."

"...unknown person...poison?"

"...collapsed after a few seconds..."

"...middle of his work..."

"...needs to calm down..."

Taehyung's hand shook as he squeezed the younger's hand tightly, the loud gasping sounds continuing to plague the ravenette. Suddenly, Jungkook's chest heaved as a good amount of blood from his nose spilled into his throat, causing him to choke. Blood sprayed through Jungkook's lips and onto his white shirt as he coughed hard. 

"Shit, Jungkook! I-" Taehyung was too flustered and panicked to get much out, "I'm here for you I-I'm here it'll be alright-"

Taehyung was nudged to the side as a medic rushed to plug Jungkook's nose up with tissues. When the medic moved away to grab something across the room, Jungkook's breathing became more urgent, more sharp, oxygen rushing in and out of his mouth in rapid gasps. Taehyung looked around at the faces of the medics who were all concentrated on mixing something into a syringe. 

"JUNGKOOK?!" A loud shout came from behind Taehyung. The blonde whipped his head around to see Jimin sprinting up to the bed, eyes widening as he saw Jungkook struggling to breathe, "W-WHAT HAPPE-"

"He w-was p-poisoned," Taehyung cried through trembling lips, "J-Jihoon must have-"

"Out of the way Laurel Prince," A calm medic lightly pushed Taehyung out of the way, syringe in hand, "We need to sedate him. He is panicking too much for his own good-which is making it harder for him to breathe."

Without further words, the medic reached forward and plunged the syringe into one of the veins popping out of Jungkook's neck. The ravenette tensed against bed as the other medics held him down while the sedative was transferred into his bloodstream. When the needle pulled out of Jungkook's neck, the effects on the ravenette could be seen immediately. 

Jimin put his hand on Taehyung's lower back as the two watched the youngest prince calm down from his panicked state. The frequency of Jungkook's gasping tapered down to quick breathing which eventually turned into short steady breaths every second. The blonde wouldn't call the breathing pattern normal, but it was definitely better than a second ago. 

The medics moved to the side to allow the two princes access to the Oak Prince once they saw that he was stabilizing. Taehyung grabbed Jungkook's hand again and leaned in close. 

"It's okay Kook, just rest. Rest, and I'll try to to care of your unfinished gas mask plans...I'll do my best with what you started," Taehyung looked at Jungkook's flushed face, which was still pointed up towards the ceiling. The ravenette's eyes were still in a daze. It was probably the lack of oxygen. Taehyung wasn't even sure if Jungkook could hear him or not. 

Jimin turned his head to face the blonde, frowning, "Taehyung, I don't think you're well enough to-"

"Helping out doesn't involve moving too much," Taehyung protested, "I just want to oversee his Oak Court work out the minor details and make sure the process is going smoothly...I'm not saying I'm smart enough to invent something on my own..."

Jimin sighed, shaking his head, "Taehyung, don't put yourself down like that. I'm sure you could do it...but...I'm still a bit wary with your condition and all-"

"Let him do it."

Jungkook was staring at the pair, eyes glassed over from whatever he had ingested earlier. The sedative made his eyelids droopy, and Taehyung wasn't sure if the ravenette was looking at him or past him. 

"Jungkook!" Jimin leaned forward, grabbing lightly onto Jungkook's cheeks and staring into his eyes, "Who did this to you? Did you see anyone suspicious-"

"I- I..." Jungkook mumbled lightly, eyes slowly blinking to focus on Jimin's close face, "I c-ca-can't cana cannnott remembbbe mbmer-" Jungkook's head lolled a little to the side. Taehyung saw that Jungkook was trying so hard to fight against the poison and the sedative attacking him from the inside. Taehyung placed a hand on Jimin's shoulder. 

"Jimin, I don't think now's the right time to ask."

Jungkook's eyes followed the husky voice that had spoken, mouth bending into a curve that Taehyung guessed was supposed to be a smile. Jungkook's teeth and chin were still painted red. Taehyung tried a grin back, but he could feel the sadness in his features. He was sure it came off more of a grimace. 

"Gooodgggdd luh, l-luccc..." Jungkook's mouth struggled to make the right sounds, but Taehyung got the message. 

"Thank you Kook. Now sleep please," Taehyung brought his hand up to the Oak Prince's forehead and lightly pressed his head back into the pillow. Jungkook's eyes drooped shut, the smile slowly fading from his face as the sedative took over. A few seconds later, Jungkook was out. 

Stone Prince

Jimin watched as Jungkook passed out on the bed in front of him because of a poisoning incident. 

How did one of Jihoon's men manage to get into the Oak Castle?

Didn't they increase security since the message interception incident?

Or...

Perhaps it was too far gone- too widespread of an issue...How many of Jungkook's men were truly loyal to him?

Jimin didn't want to think about it. He walked away from Jungkook's patient bed with his head low, stopping when Taehyung hobbled over and grabbed his hand. 

"Where are you going? Jimin-" the blonde stopped as he noticed something, "Hey, what's with that blood on your sleeve? Did...did something go wrong on the training field?"

Jimin pulled away quickly, obscuring his sleeve with his other hand, "Oh...this is nothing, just..." he scrambled for an logical bluff, "One of the cadets just nicked another guy's finger. That thing wouldn't stop bleeding," he laughed nervously, "And every time he swung his sword blood went everywhere..." Jimin stared into Taehyung's eyes, willing the blonde to believe his lie. 

And it worked.

"Alright...as long as you're okay," Taehyung mumbled, wincing as pain flooded back into his senses. The Stone Prince knew that only adrenaline of the situation allowed the Laurel Prince to stand next to Jungkook's bed with his body in the condition that it was. Now that the event was over though...

"Aghhh, my legs hurt," Taehyung whined, sitting on the nearest bed and gazing solemnly over at Jungkook, "Are you really going back out to the training field, Park?"

"Yeah," Jimin closed his eyes and tilted his head to the side, still a bit unsettled by what he had just witnessed, "...I have to continue preparing the soldiers...I think Jungkook is in good hands now. But please," his silver eyes bore into the younger's, "if anyone offers you anything or if something seems suspicious-"

"I'll be careful Jimin. I promise," Taehyung's voice was laced with pain, "But you have to promise me something."

Jimin waited, hip jutted out to the side. 

"Don't hurt yourself or push yourself too hard. I mean, I don't want another head episode to happen because you are ignoring your symptoms or-"

"Okay," Jimin cut the younger off, not wanting to discuss his health at the moment. He kneeled down next to Taehyung and gave the blonde a wide smile, "And you do your best working with the Oak Court on the masks. That'll take lots of patience and hardwork. I know you can do it, Kim."

Taehyung smiled back, his tan cheeks rising beautifully. He blinked a few times, his long lashes batting against his skin. The Laurle Prince brushed a strand of blond hair out of his face and tucked it behind his ear. Jimin found this bashful version of Taehyung really endearing.

"Thanks Park."

"Anytime," Jimin winked.

"Oh, and Jimin?" the blonde did a quick scan of the room before staring hard at the gray-haired male.

"Yes?"

"Give me a goodbye hug, yeah?"

Jimin laughed, being extra careful as he wrapped his arms around Taehyung's infirmary gown. Taehyung's messy hair fell against the skin of the elder's neck. Jimin's hand rubbed up the Laurel Prince's back where there were no bandages. Taehyung hummed contently as the older curled his head into the crook of the blonde's neck and gently grazed his lips across the skin of Taehyung's exposed neck. 

Taehyung made small noises under him. Luckily, the medics were too focused on Jungkook to notice anything awry with the remaining princes. Taehyung pulled Jimin in closer despite the public place that both of them were in. Jimin complied for a short while, trailing kisses down the younger's neck and prominent tan collar bone. 

"Jimin," Taehyung breathed airily, "You sh-should probably go now...I don't want to start anything we c-can't finish..."

Jimin pulled away and giggled, "Kim, you can hardly walk...what makes you think you can-"

Taehyung coughed dramatically then, cheeks turning a healthy shade of red, "Goodbye Jimin."

Jimin waved at the flushed younger male as he stood up and made his way to the infirmary door. He blinked the recurring image of Jungkook struggling to breathe out of his mind. Dwelling on other's pain wouldn't help him get rid of his own. 

Back to the training field it was. 

As he strode out of the Oak Castle gates towards the grassy patch where he had sprinted from earlier, a small tickling feeling itched in his throat. He unconsciously brought his sleeve up to his mouth as he shuffled across the grass of the field, coughing a little. 

The Stone Prince took a few steps before he stopped himself. He realized what he had just done. 

Again. 

A glance down at his sleeve confirmed it. Another spray of blood. Jimin frowned, his heart rate picking up a bit. An unpleasant twinge of pain shot through the back of his skull. Jimin gritted his teeth and kept walking, trying to ignore the fire in his brain.

Why was this happening to him?

Before his feet carried him to the next platoon of awaiting Oak Soldiers, Jimin removed his outer gray coat, leaving him in a short-sleeved gray shirt. He tossed the bloody piece of clothing to the side of the field, wanting to forget about it. He didn't want this new batch of soldiers to see blood on their commander's uniform. 

He didn't want them to see that Park Jimin had weakness pooling inside of him. 

A weakness that he didn't know how to stop or put an end to.

Or...

Did he?

Jimin had a pretty good idea of how to stop the sickness growing within him.

But he didn't want to do it. 

No, he refused to do it. 

Even if it meant he would suffer every day. 

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

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Stone. Stone. Stone.

Not anymore. Wellllllll

Sorry Jungkook. Jihoon has more connections in your castle than you are aware of. 

How is everyone?

Announcement: I will be on vacation (seeing Shawn Mendes) for the next couple of days, so there may not be updates every day. Sorry! 

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. 

Thanks for reading!! :)