PART EIGHT
COURAGE

Jimin had never felt more boredom than he had sitting in his father's council room, listening to a bunch of men fight about a wedding.

One of the young lords, a man named Alvin, addressed Jimin. "If it's going to be a public wedding, we should invite the people of Krull to come watch. After all, it's a ceremony to bring the two parts of the country together again."

Jimin agreed wholeheartedly. He wanted nothing more than to show the people of Krull that he was willing to compromise with them. That he wanted to change the land he would rule for better, so that everyone would have a bed to sleep in and food to eat. Unfortunately, Jimin knew his father wouldn't be fond of the idea. His father had always told him that it was good to keep Krull from the benefits Eden reaped. It told them who was in charge. Although, Jimin didn't agree with this philosophy, he didn't dare argue with his father.

The king had stated many times that a public wedding would only be held if the guests were of high ranking.

So, Jimin spoke against the lord reluctantly, "I don't know if I like the idea."

"Right," another lord spoke up. "Krull is full of nothing but thieves and murderers."

"I suppose you're not calling your future queen a thief and a murderer?" Alvin shot back.

Jimin pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't think anyone is insinuating that my fiancé is a thief or a murderer."

-

Enya locked herself in her bedroom.

She was given one day to herself before the wedding preparations officially started, and she chose to spend it in Krull. Enya was desperate to see Hoseok after so long, but even more desperate to get some rum from the inn. Three bottles should be enough to get the prince drunk.

He was emotional, and from experience of working in an inn, Enya knew that most emotional people were easiest to get information from. They would spill their darkest secrets to anyone who would listen.

Enya only needed a hint. Better yet, he could slip her the key to the King's personal office. Then all she would have to do is transfer the key to her employer and her job would be over.

Finally, she would play the innocent victim: the sad fiancée and daughter-in-law when the king and prince were found dead.

Happy with her plan, Enya got dressed and walked outside, where Jeongguk was waiting to take her back to Krull for the day.

-

"We'll pick you up before nightfall," Jeongguk stated with a clear nod to Enya. "Be safe."

"I will, thank you." Enya waved until the carriage was out of her sight, and then she ran into the inn. "Hobi, I'm home!"

Before she could run behind the bar and look for her friend (who seemed nowhere to be found), Enya was grabbed by the waist and pulled backward.

A gruff voice spoke in Enya's ear, causing her to cringe as drops of wet saliva fell onto her cheek. "Have you got what we need?"

"Not quite," she answered, a forced smile upon her face. "My plan of action will go out tonight, if all goes as planned, so you'll have the key to the king's office in no time. From there, your assassins can deal with him."

"And the prince? How will we get him alone?"

"Leave that to me," she said. "I'll make sure the prince is in the king's study when your men come in. Just say the word."

"Good," he grumbled. "Krull isn't getting any better, and your customers are angry that you've been chosen. Requests are backed up for days and you need to be back here as soon as you can."

"I'm doing this so I don't have to steal for people anymore." Enya pushed him away from her. "I'm doing this so Krull will be a better place. I'm doing this so children won't sleep on the streets because their parents died of starvation. This is bigger than stealing, and I know that."

"Good." The man nodded in satisfaction. "Once Lord Chanyeol
becomes our prince, we'll get the treatment we deserve. I'm glad you've recognized the greater good."

"I have," she said.

It was bigger than just paying off Hoseok's debt and living a care free life. This was for those in Krull who needed help. This was for schools and homes and farms to come back from the dead. This was for a working land to become prosperous again.

"Ya-Ya!" Hoseok's voice broke out into a cheer as he descended down the steps of the inn. "Why are you back so soon?"

"Wedding preparations start tomorrow," Enya informed him, slipping into her usual seat behind the counter. "Jimin let me come home for a day."

"Oh? First-name basis already?" Hoseok asked, smirking while Enya only protested.

"Shut up. I'm actually here on business. Have you got any rum left? I need at least three bottles."

"Three?" Hoseok scoffed. "Are you planning to kill the prince yourself?"

"Okay, two." Enya rolled her eyes. "Whatever will get him drunk enough to divulge in a few secrets."

"Two bottles of rum, coming right up." Hoseok grabbed the bottles from behind the counter before turning around with a solemn expression. "How are you holding up? Mentally, I mean. This job is sure to take a toll on you."

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "Truthfully, each time I meet the king it gets easier to help kill him. But Jimin is still a bit different."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know if he's going to follow in his father's footsteps. He's nothing like that horrible man, and I'm wondering if we've got it all wrong."

"He could be an excellent liar," Hoseok said.

"Yes," she agreed. "Although, he could just be misunderstood."

-

Enya spent the rest of the day working at the inn and visiting her usual customers like the old days.

Even though it had only been a few weeks, she felt as if she hadn't seen Krull in ages. If anything, being brought back to the horrible conditions, knowing the king had enough money to save it, raised a few questions in her mind.

What was the kings ultimate motive? Why was the raffle a thing, if the queen was never allowed to bring peace back to her community?

Enya sipped the water Hoseok had given her as she thought about it. The innkeeper had already turned in for the night, tired from the lack of sleep he had been getting. He was also stressed because he hadn't earned enough money to pay his rent. He was afraid of getting his inn taken away, so Enya comforted him before sending him off to bed.

Now it was just Enya and her thoughts.

"I knew I'd find you here," Jimin's voice made her turn around.

"Shouldn't you be at the castle? Where's Jeongguk?" Enya inquired, peeking behind Jimin.

"Jeongguk's in the carriage," Jimin said, although his eyes were downcast.

Enya grabbed her bag, careful not to let the bottles clank together, and followed Jimin outside, into the carriage. "Thanks for letting me spend the day here."

"No problem," Jimin said, opening the carriage door for her to step through.

He paused and looked across the street, where three children were lying on the ground to sleep. They stared at the carriage with fearful eyes, opposite of the amazement Jimin thought they would have for the carriage.

His heart felt cold and sick at the knowledge that they would spend the night outside. He wanted nothing more than to bring them with him, but he knew he would be reprimanded by his father so he held back.

Enya rescued him, however, for she stopped when she noticed what he had been looking at. "What're you three doing our here? Hoseok always has a room open for you guys, don't you know that?"

"You're not there to protect us," one of the children said, his bottom lip quivering. "The drunk man might kick us out again."

"There's no drunk men in the inn," Enya assured them softly. "If you want, I can go in and make sure you are all tucked in safely, with the door locked so no one can get in."

The children perked up at this and ran across the street, hugging her waist with their thin, little arms.

"Do you mind?" she asked the prince formally.

"Of course not," Jimin answered, feeling relief flood his insides. "Take your time."

Jeongguk tapped his foot on the ground. "Your Highness, your father wants you home in thirty minutes. We need to leave now or you'll be punished."

Jimin watched as Enya pulled the shivering children into the warmth of the inn. He couldn't believe he had lived his entire life blinded when it came to Krull and their problems. How many children had died of starvation because of his ignorance? "Maybe this time, Jeongguk, I truly deserve it."

-

King Park paced back and forth in Jimin's bedroom. He was waiting for his son, who had promised to return before nightfall so they could practice sword fighting again.

"Where could he be?" He asked, an angry twitch appearing on his left eyelid.

"They went to the Jung Inn, Your Majesty," The king's personal knight bowed. "Enya seems to have family there."

The king furrowed his eyebrows. "The Jung Inn... Hey, isn't that the inn we were going to repossess? It's still there?"

"I suppose so, Sir," the knight replied.

At this, the king stomped over to Jimin's desk and proceeded to leaf  through the many papers scattered across the surface. "He filled out all the repossession forms a few weeks ago. The Jung Inn is ours, is it not?"

"Yes, Sir." The guard bowed. "I handed the forms to Prince Jimin myself."

The king nodded and sighed in frustration. He opened the desk drawers and looked through them as well. "Aha!"

He held up a piece of paper, effectively labeled for the repossession of the Jung Inn. He addressed his guard, "As soon as he steps foot back in this kingdom, bring Jimin to me."

-

Jimin was beginning to appreciate the times he got to spend alone with his future bride.

Enya had many stories about when she and Hoseok were younger to tell him. He listened diligently, a smile on his face as he watched her eyes light up. "—and so Hoseok tried to sell his homemade beer to our regulars, without telling them."

Jimin chuckled. "No one noticed that there wasn't any alcohol in it?"

"You mean no one noticed that his beer was actually just seltzer water and ginger root? They were too drunk to care."

"Wow," said Jimin. "And you guys made profit this way?"

Enya nodded. "Everyone in Krull is like that. You become poor and you have to compromise."

"You said you were sixteen," he recalled. "Why didn't your parents take care of you?"

Enya grew silent, and Jimin knew he must've struck a chord. "I-I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she interrupted him with a smile. "For once, the Capitol had nothing to do with it. Winter is bad in Krull, and it lessens our population every year."

Jimin frowned. "What about blankets, heaters, and coats?"

Enya chuckled humorlessly. "Oh, Jimin... You really are the prince, aren't you?"

"What does that mean?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"It's not an insult," she assured him. "Really, it's amazing that you were able to grow up with such luxuries. A prince is allowed to be ignorant to the world around him, I suppose."

"No, he's not," Jimin argued. "Princes are there to help others. They must put the people's needs before their own. If the people don't eat than the prince doesn't eat, right?"

Enya stared at him in shock. He didn't sound like he was joking. In fact, he sounded dead serious. Was it possible, perhaps, that the prince was not a part of the problem?

"I'm glad you think so," was all she could say.

"Of course I do." Jimin's gaze was set. "I'm trying to get my father to change a few things, it's just hard."

Enya rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I understand."

Jimin was silent. He wished for Enya not to be angry with his father. The king was trying his hardest to rule both the Capital and Krull equally, Jimin knew it. That had to be it.

It was just... things had gotten harder for the king since his wife died.

Jimin was afraid to bring any major changes up to the king. However, he had an entire list of things he had been writing down through the past few months. Things he would bring up to his father if he only had the courage.

One day, he told himself.

-

When the carriage arrived at the castle, Enya watched as a guard came and whispered something in Jeongguk's ear. The younger guard sighed audibly before turning to her and the prince. "Your Highness, the king would like to speak with you before his voyage."

"Voyage?" Enya's interest was peaked. "What voyage?"

As Jimin walked off, running a hand through his hair stressfully, Jeongguk turned to Enya. "The king is going on a week-long voyage to visit some merchants on neighboring islands."

"Oh!" Enya said excitedly, then she calmed her tone when Jeongguk looked at her strangely. "Do you think the prince and I could eat dinner together tonight? In my room?"

Jeongguk shrugged. "I suppose now is a good time, isn't it? I'll let him know."

"Thanks," Enya said. Then, "I need to go set everything up."

Jeongguk watched her go, laughing as the large carpet bag on her shoulder bounced against her back with every upbeat stride.

"Cute."

-

Enya looked at the low table in her bedroom. The rum bottles seemed out of place against the silk tablecloths and fine china. Even she felt out of place, dressed in simple riding pants and a dress shirt.

Minah was on her way back from the kitchen, where she had promised to bring up all the prince's favorite foods.

Enya couldn't contain her excitement. Tonight, if she could just get him drunk enough to divulge in his father's secrets, her work would be done and she could go home.

That had been the plan, however.

-

Jimin hissed in pain as Jeongguk poured alcohol on his wounds. "That hurts... Man, who thought Father would bring out a whip?"

Although his tone was light, the pain was still heavy upon his back, and Jimin felt that he would have to rest for weeks before he could properly move again.

"Your Highness, I could ask Enya to postpone the dinner."

"No," Jimin said surely. Jeongguk handed him a clean rag to bite on while he disinfected the deeper slashes. "I want to eat with—Ow! Ow!"

"I'm sorry!" Jeongguk said. "Minah usually cleans you up. I'm not used to it."

"'T's okay, Kookie," Jimin said. "You're doing well."

"Why did he do it, anyway?" Jeongguk asked, a bit of a disapproval in his voice.

"Well, I was supposed to fill out repossession forms the other day. Enya's friend's inn happened to be one of the buildings we were supposed to repossess, so I hid the form."

"That was stupid," Jeongguk said.

But Jimin thought of the easy smile Enya wore when she was at the inn. "Maybe not."

Jeongguk wrapped the bandages around Jimin's torso, stopping to pin it at the front of his chest. He looked at the prince. "Be careful. I don't know how much more your body can take."

Jimin nodded. "I know, Kook. I will."

-

Jimin sat across from Enya, his mouth nearly watering at the sight Minah set before the two of you.

"Do you want some?" Enya asked Minah before she left, seeing how she was eyeing some of the seasoned chicken.

"No," Minah assured her, a smile on her face. "I'll be going. Call me when you need me to clean up."

"That won't be necessary," she replied. "I'll clean everything myself. Take the night off."

"Princess..."

"Spend it with Jeongguk," Jimin blurted, his eyes meeting Enya's.

"Yeah," Enya agreed. "He probably wants to see you."

"Do you think?" Minah tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Go eat together." Jimin said. "That's an order, Minah."

"Oh." Cheeks pink, the maid bowed in thanks before leaving the room. "Goodbye, then."

Enya giggled as she watched Minah go. "I wonder when they'll stop bickering and just get together."

"I know," Jimin said in exasperation. "Jeongguk talks about her all the time."

"Same with Minah," Enya answered.

The two of them began to eat, with easy banter going. Enya noticed that Jimin wouldn't eat anything on the far side of the table, but perhaps he wasn't in the mood for seafood.

Meanwhile, Jimin eyed the bottles of rum. His back was throbbing in pain, and he could barely keep himself upright when stripes of white hot pain shot through him.

If he could just get tipsy enough to forget the pain, he could be better company for Enya. "Do you mind?" He gestured towards the bottles.

"Not at all," Enya answered, struggling to hide a triumphant smile. "They're here to drink."

Jimin uncapped the bottle and tipped his head back, downing a third of the bottle in a few gulps. He set the bottle down and looked at her sheepishly. "Sorry."

"You're okay," Enya said. "Have more if you want."

Jimin cleared his throat and shook his head. "So, tell me about the future."

"Huh?" she stared at him in mid-chew.

Jimin rested his elbow on the table and leaned his cheek against his palm. "What are some things you want changed when you're a princess?"

"Oh," Enya said. She placed her utensils on the table. "Well, I want equality for Krull. Less taxing and exports; more jobs and imports. And a school. A real school for the kids. Maybe a proper orphanage, so no child has to sleep on the streets."

Jimin hummed and looked at her thoughtfully. "I have a list. I don't know if you want to read it, but it's the stuff I want to talk to my father about, since he'll be stepping off the throne soon."

"I wanna see," Enya said eagerly. She reached her hand over the table impatiently.

Jimin chuckled and handed it to her, wincing slightly.

"What's wrong?" Enya noticed the pain in his features. "Are you hurt?"

"No," Jimin answered. "My father and I were doing some last minute sword fighting and my arm is still a bit sore."

"Oh. Y'know, Jeongguk said you weren't good at sword fighting."

"I'm not," Jimin agreed. "I'm getting better, though."

"That's good," she said.

While Jimin took another swing of rum, Enya read over the list.

- Kim's bakery in Krull
- Academic school in Krull
- Training school in the Capitol open to Krull citizens.
- No more raffle
- Fire Jeongguk
- Fire Minah
- Proper pay for castle employees
- Better servants quarters

"Jimin, this is a great start. Are you going to talk to your father about it?"

Jimin set down the now-empty bottle of rum. "I don't know." There was a slight slur in his words. "He might not like it."

He grabbed the second bottle and opened it. Enya furrowed her eyebrows as he drank. The alcohol was beginning to take affect already, proving that he was just as much of a lightweight as she was. Still, he kept drinking.

"Can't you do it anyway? Whether your father likes it or not?"

Jimin suddenly frowned and placed the bottle down. His lips turned down into a pout, "He might hurt me."

Enya rose her eyebrows. "Why would he hurt you?"

"He always does if I do something he doesn't like." Jimin answered with a nonchalant shrug, his words surprisingly coherent for someone so intoxicated.

He had downed two bottles in thirty minutes, and yet he just looked... sad.

He sat more slouched, his eyes closed as he waited for her to speak again.

"Jimin, are you safe here?" Enya felt the need to ask, because the obvious evidence told her that Jimin was in danger.

"As safe as ever," Jimin said humorlessly. "You know, my dad got mad at me today."

"Why?" Enya whispered.

"We were late getting back. And," he stopped to hiccup, "I hid repossession forms from him. The Jung Inn's repossession forms."

"Jimin..." Enya sighed. "Why did you hide it?"

"It makes you happy," he whispered, unwilling to look her in the eye. "It's your home."

"Did you really go sword fighting with your father today?"

"No," he replied in defeat. "I got punished. It's okay, though. He's gone for a whole week so these wounds can heal before he gets angry again."

Enya felt sick. If anything, the prince looked so utterly truthful that she couldn't comprehend why he didn't seem angry. He didn't sound mad at his father. In fact, he sounded rather disappointed in himself, as if all of this was his fault.

"Jimin, let me see." Enya said. "I need to know how serious this is."

Jimin nodded, his eyes half-closed as he began to tug off his shirt.

Enya saw the bandages wrapped around his lean torso. "Can I take them off?"

"Yeah."

She walked to the other side of the table and sat down beside Jimin, her hands reaching out to unwrap the bandages. He kept his head down, cheeks flushed from alcohol and embarrassment.

Once she unwrapped the bandage, Enya was rather relieved to see his bare stomach, unharmed save for a few old scars here and there. "There's nothing here, Jimin."

"Check the back," he said.

Enya did as he said and moved around him. Angry red slashes covered his back, the skin raised and puffy. Some of the stripes had broken skin, and dried blood was harbored there. "Jimin..."

"It's bad, I know." He said.

There was silence as she rewrapped his wounds. In the absence of noise, she could hear when Jimin began to cry. Quiet whimpers escaped his lips as tears steadily flowed down his cheeks.
"I want it to stop, Enya. I hate it so much. I'm so tired of being afraid."

Enya pulled him against her instantly, one hand against the back of his head. He froze at the contact before he slowly wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face into her shoulder. "I'm so sorry you have to deal with this," he whispered. "I should be more like Chanyeol. I should be strong and courageous. I should be able to stand up to my father."

"Stop," Enya said, wanting to cry herself but choosing to stay strong because of him. "Don't blame yourself for any of this, Jimin. It's not your fault. And don't compare yourself to others. You don't have to be like your cousin to be a great ruler, okay? You can be a good ruler just by being you."

Jimin pulled her closer in a hug, his body pressed tightly against her own just to try and obtain some of the comfort Enya was giving to him. "Can I stay with you, tonight? Please?"

Enya's heart cracked at his voice, utterly broken and tired of fighting. Still, he kept fighting. Sober, he showed almost no signs of the pain he felt inside.

He was drunk, Enya remembered, and he might not remember this night when he wakes up tomorrow morning.

"Of course, Jimin. Let's go to sleep, okay? You'll feel better in the morning." Enya helped him stand up and led him onto her bed.

He lay on his side, not willing to sleep on his wounded back yet. His eyes caught hers as she faced him, on her side as well.

He placed his hand in between the two of them, palm up. Enya slid her own hand into his and held on tightly.

He closed his eyes then, and breathed out a sigh of comfort. "I don't know what I would do without you, Enya."

Enya bit her lip as he fell asleep. Tears were falling out of her own eyes, but for a different reason now.

He was nothing like his father, and yet she had been so keen to help him be killed. Enya hadn't even considered the fact that the prince could have a heart, and be capable of changing the kingdom for the better.

Enya had been so close to killing Jimin, but now her plan was ruined. Now she was lost at what to do. How would she convince her boss that the prince is the complete opposite of his father?

In his sleep, Jimin pulled her into his chest, letting his chin fall against the crown of her head. With her face against his clothed chest, Enya held him back, not knowing what else to do.

a/n:

4.1k words ayy
sorry for any mistakes