Jihoon

Blood spurted from the neck of the man that Jihoon had just stabbed. 

Maroon liquid distastefully leaked onto his new riding boots, which immensely displeased him. He kicked the dying servant away with a retributive boot. With building euphoria in his eye, Jihoon watched as his men ravaged the rest of the Stone Castle. 

On his left, a band of his men let out animalistic hoots while raping the gray-haired female cooking staff.

On his right, one of his men was strangling a rather large gray-haired guardsman. 

Why so many goddamn gray heads up north?

In front of him, a pleading brown-haired Sungwoo. 

Finally. A hair color that didn't disgust Jihoon. He stormed up to the man bound with ropes sent up north to stop him. Angrily, Jihoon kicked him once in the gut, digging the toe of his boot into the man's ribs. Laughter shrieked from his throat as Sungwoo keeled over in pain and spit out blood on the castle floor. 

Jihoon circled the defeated man, smiling triumphantly to himself as his gory boots clicked on the gray stones. Squatting down next to the man, he saw irritation and fear in the man's pressed expression. Sungwoo was now defeated...and all because of his army's failure to show.

The army that didn't receive the order to defend...because Jihoon intercepted the order from the Oak Castle. My spies are everywhere. They'll never escape me.

"So, Sungwoo. Tell me one thing." Jihoon lightly brushed the hair out of Sungwoo's eyes, which made the captured man bare his teeth in hostility. "Why isn't the Stone Prince up here in your place? Was he too scared to show his precious face? Too afraid to meet me?" 

At the words, Sungwoo lunged forward, biting down on Jihoon's arm. Jihoon screamed and punched at Sungwoo's face with his free hand. After teeth left his aching flesh, Jihoon stood up and took a step back from the crazy man. He decided to try a different method to get information out of Sungwoo. Clearly taunting didn't work.

"Bring me one of the kitchen women!" He demanded the soldier on his left. In a matter of seconds, a naked woman was brought before him and thrown at his feet. She couldn't be over 20 years old, and it must've been her first time, Jihoon noted, as blood was dripping down her bare thighs. 

"Bring me my sword." Jihoon snapped. 

Sungwoo looked at the woman with fear in his eyes. "P-please...don't hurt her. You don't need to do this."

Jihoon tilted his head at the man who had just bitten him seconds ago. He smiled sweetly and clapped his hands together. 

"Yes, I do need to do this. You haven't been compliant. There are consequences for that...and she'll die because of your insolence..." Jihoon retrieved a blood-smeared sword from one of his men. He pointed it ruthlessly between the breasts of the naked woman, tip digging into her pale skin. "Unless you give me all of the information on the three princes staying at the Oak Castle."

Sungwoo pulled against his restraints. The sword cut deeper into the woman's chest. Sungwoo winced. "I--I...promise I d-don't know much about the three princes-"

The sword dug deeper, eliciting a scream out of the silver-haired girl.

"Okay, okay! I--well, I was told Prince Park could not command an army because of a health condition..."

"Health condition?" Jihoon rubbed his chin in giddy thought. "What do you mean by that?"

Sungwoo spit out a glob of thick blood. Drips of perspiration fell down his shaking head. "I, really...I don't know. I never saw any of t-the princes, they just-"

"LIAR!"

The sword came down into the woman's chest hard, the blade piercing her heart. The young girl screamed once and then stilled, open eyes gazing up at Sungwoo as she took her last breath. 

"NO!" Sungwoo screamed, the veins in his neck bulging from struggling against the restraints. "YOU MONSTER! YOU STAND NO CHANCE AGAINST THE OTHER PRIN-"

But Sungwoo couldn't finish his statement. Jihoon ripped the sword from the woman's chest and with a swift slice, decapitated the terrified man that was a poor stand-in for Prince Park. 

Sungwoo's head bounced once on the stones of the floor and rolled to a stop at Jihoon's boots.  The toe of his boot rested proudly on Sungwoo's lifeless head. Jihoon triumphantly shouted out an order to the rest of his men who watched him adoringly. 

"Have Sungwoo's head transported to the Laurel Castle at once!" He paused, gazing around at each one of his soldiers with a sinister look. "And make sure to include plenty of roses from Prince Park's garden...I want him to be crushed when he finds out."

Oak Prince

Jungkook ran to the open door. The Stone Castle had been destroyed, and he overheard nothing after that. His worry for Jimin blockaded his ears from hearing the rest. 

In only a second he was at Jimin's side, mouth-open in disbelief. Jimin's entire body tensed up next to him, and the gray-haired male was too shocked to speak. Jungkook spoke for him.

"DESTROYED? HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE? HOW!?!"

The servant looked at Jungkook's arrival from the bedroom with confusion. He gulped as the Oak Prince's fists clenched at his sides. "Sirs, I'll...I'll explain the entire thing. Please wait until the end of the story before you interject."

Jimin remained still, expressionless. Jungkook peeked over at him in a panic. It was difficult to refrain from grabbing Jimin's hand for comfort in the servant's presence. 

The ravenette nodded for the servant to continue the story. "Okay. Please continue."

"Well...just an hour ago, Sungwoo arrived at the Laurel Castle. Well...his uh, head did." Jungkook cringed. Anxious teeth bit down on his lip. "The Laurel Guards received a box from an anonymous source, and inside was Sungwoo's head...with a bunch of roses. The troops at the Laurel Castle were not aware of the order to move north and were dumbfounded to receive the um, box...unfortunately, that means Sungwoo arrived alone and the castle was...unprotected when Jihoon's army showed up." The servant turned towards Jimin. "A few of your knights broke away from the castle and made their way south, but-"

Jimin spoke suddenly then. "My...castle?"

The servant looked at him, eyes downcast. "I'm sorry sir. After...getting rid of your court...well, Jihoon set the castle on fire. Of course, since it's stone-"

"Stone doesn't burn." Jimin's eyes were dead. Any sign of the Jimin that kissed Jungkook sweetly before was gone. 

"Right, the outside is still intact." The servant seemed anxious to leave. "But everything inside is gone. They pillaged the place, killed everyone, and took some of your court as slaves...now the army is marching south, toward the Laurel Castle."

Jimin's hands formed into tight fists. Jungkook noticed this and said one last thing before urging the servant to leave. 

"Sir, I want you to raise the flags and notify the court instantly of what I'm going to order next. Listen carefully, I'm not repeating myself." Jungkook paused, watching as the servant nodded with wide eyes. 

"I'm officially declaring war against Jihoon and his northern army." 

The fear was obvious in the servant's eyes, but he bowed at once. "Yes, your highness."

Then the man was gone. The oak door slammed shut.

Jungkook turned to Jimin on his left. Jimin's body faced the closed door. He stood there numbly, as stiff as a post. 

"Jimin?" Jungkook grabbed onto Jimin's fist and turned the gray-haired male towards him. Jimin's eyes began to pool, a few tears spilling down his pale face. Jungkook immediately pulled him in for a hug. 

Jimin at first didn't bring his arms up, still in a daze from the information about his prized castle. Jungkook's arms squeezed Jimin into him lightly, the tears of the elder dripping into the crevice of his neck.

"It's okay, Jimin...it's alright, let it out." Heavy sobs wracked Jimin's chest. He brought his arms up around Jungkook's waist, gripping the shirt in fistfuls. "Just hold onto me. I have you, Jimin."

Jimin squeezed Jungkook back, shaking uncontrollably with the horrible shock of the news. Jungkook felt Jimin leaning more and more of his weight onto him, until the Oak Prince was practically holding the other up. 

"Jimin, it's okay. We'll kill Jihoon together, destroy his army. A-and...and we'll rebuild the Stone Castle. I swear upon my life that I will see him dead if it's the last thing I do." 

Jungkook tried to hold back his own tears. Seeing Jimin so grieved over his castle rubbed painfully onto Prince Jeon. Jungkook's trembling lips bled by the time Jimin collapsed onto him after his legs gave out. 

Carefully, he carried the elder prince to the bed and laid him down, stroking his hair. Jimin curled his body in Jungkook's lap, clinging onto the ravenette as more tears flowed from his gray eyes. Jungkook rocked back and forth, willing himself not to cry. 

Minutes passed before a sniffling Jimin tried to speak. "I-I'll, k-kill that asshole." Jimin choked out, pain bleeding out of his words. Jimin sounded so distraught that Jungkook felt like his own castle had been destroyed. 

Jungkook tilted Jimin's face up towards his own and softly wiped the tears away. "Yes, you will. We'll kill him. Now calm down a bit...shhhhh." He gazed into Jimin's teary eyes and leaned down to kiss his head. 

Jimin shed a few more tears and sniffled a bit while grabbing at Jungkook's shirt with ringed hands. Jungkook continued to rock back and forth while biting his lip in deep thought. Then, to Jungkook's surprise, Jimin began to sit up, their faces only inches apart. 

"O-kkkayy, I t-think I'm better n-now...Kook." Jimin tried at a smile but failed. He then leaned in to kiss a blushing Jungkook on the lips but paused halfway there, wincing. Jungkook's eyes closed, expecting a kiss, but opened when a hiss of pain sounded between Jimin's teeth. 

"Aghh my...my...head."

Jimin grabbed at his head with both hands, pain washing through every one of his features. His clenched teeth bit down on the air, nose curled up in agony. Poor Jimin...I feel so bad for him.

Jimin's castle was just destroyed. His entire court was murdered. And he was in immense physical pain. 

Jimin clenched every muscle in his body as his head barraged him, which alarmed Jungkook. He didn't know what to do to help Jimin. So he sat there, supporting him the best he could. Holding him close until the wave of pain was over. 

How can such a strong fighter be bested by his own body?

When the pain finally subsided and Jimin fell asleep in his arms, Jungkook felt a wave of relief. He also felt a heavy wave of defeat and guilt. 

Although it wasn't his fault that someone had intercepted the letter and stopped the progress of the Kim army, he still felt awful. In the morning, he would have to triple secure the castle, weeding out any possible spies in his own Oak Castle. Perhaps one of Taehyung's court is disloyal?

Jungkook didn't know. 

All he knew was that Noirwood had just officially declared war on Uncle Jeon.

And it was time to get revenge. 

Laurel Prince

Kim Taehyung was in the library, getting help from one of his court members to write an order out to his castle. He wanted to make sure his courtyard was tended to, that his workers were receiving ample care without him there to deliver orders in person.

"PRINCE KIM!"

A wild messenger burst through the large doors of the library. The servant's eyes were wide and his body language was skittish. 

Taehyung glanced up from the letter he was reviewing. He held up his bandaged hands in a questioning posture, a curious shrug. Taehyung assumed that the servant was going to tell him the great news, that Sungwoo had warded off Jihoon and protected the Stone Castle. 

The servant sprinted across the room towards him, huffing and puffing. Taehyung was unnerved by the quickness in which the man was moving, but maybe...maybe Jeon's servants move a little faster?

"I have a dire message for the Laurel Prince!" He glanced up at Taehyung with his lips drawn in worry. "Your highness, may we step outside so I can deliver the news." The last thing that came out of the servant's mouth was more of a statement than a question, but Taehyung wasn't mad. 

He was just mildly terrified of what the nervous servant had to tell him. This can't be good...

They left the library and stood outside of the oak doors. Taehyung swayed on his feet, eager to listen to the news that was for him. The servant leaned in and began speaking in hushed tones.

With each word that hit Taehyung's ears about the destruction of the Stone Castle and the death that accompanied it, the Laurel Prince fell deeper and deeper into troubled thoughts. After the message had been fully explained, the servant ended his speech with- "Prince Jeon has officially declared war on Jihoon. Noirwood is at war."

Taehyung, who leaned on the wall for support after receiving the shocking news, slowly turned his head to face the servant. In his eyes was a hatred so pure that the servant took a step back unwillingly. Taehyung pushed himself off of the wall and brought his bandages up to his face. If the white medical wrap wasn't around them, his palms would be bleeding because of how hard his fists clenched. 

Jihoon had taken everything away from Jimin...killed Sungwoo...and was coming for the Laurel Castle to do the same. Shit. I have to do something.

Taehyung had to act fast.

"Prepare a carriage for me at once. I need to return to my castle before the morning--before Jihoon gets there." Taehyung shot at the servant. The poor man turned away shakily to follow the blonde's command.

"Wait!" Taehyung took a step towards the jumpy messenger. "Make sure no one knows of my departure. I want no more unwanted interceptions of information outside of this castle, you got it?! Don't even notify the Oak or Laurel courts of my leaving. If anyone asks where I am, tell them I've caught a terrible fever and that I'm stuck in my room on doctor's orders. Nothing more, nothing less."

The servant nodded intensely and sprinted off, happy to get away from the crazy prince who was basically foaming at the mouth with rage. 

Taehyung slid down the wall he was leaning on in defeat, bandaged hands sitting limply in his lap. He hung his head, thinking about all of the innocent people that had died because of the lack of his army up north. He sighed. 

Jimin was probably hurting deeply at the loss. 

Jungkook was probably feeling forlorn that it had come to war.

Taehyung just felt angry. 

Immensely angry at the bastard that was currently heading toward his castle as he sat there, helpless with his bound hands. Taehyung needed to be there when that fucker arrived so he could command his army to murder those northern barbarians. So he could kill Jihoon with his bare hands, murder the man that had ruined everything.

Taehyung looked down at his bandaged hands.

Fuck. 

Taehyung stood up slowly and walked to the main hall where he would leave out of the front doors. He thought about consulting the other princes before he acted but...Taehyung did what he wanted, and no words from the other two would stop him. They'll try to stop me. So I won't tell them.

However, he did want to see them one last time before he left. He took a small detour towards Jimin's room, which was the closest to his, and arrived there after a minute of frantic speed-walking. Like Jimin, the Laurel Prince didn't bother knocking. He turned the knob and pushed the door open, entering quietly.

He walked into both princes asleep, Jimin passed out in Jungkook's arms. Both princes looked dejected, their hair messed up and their daytime clothes all wrinkled. Neither prince woke up when he entered, which Taehyung was grateful for. The Laurel Prince was afraid that if he met Jimin's gray eyes in that moment he might break down. 

Taehyung glanced at the two cuddling with fondness in his eyes. He tiptoed over to the bed as quietly as he could manage. Soft snores left Jungkook's bloody lips, and Jimin's face was tear-streaked and slightly red. The sight broke Taehyung's heart. 

When he got close enough to them, he leaned down, placing a kiss on top of both of their heads. Neither prince so much as stirred. He looked at the two sadly once again, and then turned to leave to through the open door. 

 He was going to kill the asshole that had caused this mess. 

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

AUTHOR'S NOTE

hello~

I think I really hate Jihoon. Anyone else? YUCK.

And I feel so bad for the Stone Prince and his poor destroyed castle. If anyone destroyed my home while I was gone from it I would be heartbroken too. :(

On a happier note, I hope you have a beautiful day that isn't punctuated by the destruction of your home. Stay safe! 

Izzy.