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Chapter nine: Farewell

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If only you knew
the way i look
at you

When you have your
back to me

I smile wider than
the sky

because i love you
endlessly.

-J.A

_________________________

Taehyung

Luna made a sound like a dying animal, the noise debilitating Taehyung long enough for her to rip his bow from his hand before he'd realized it.

She made it across the camp, no doubt intending to massacre Seokjin by herself, when he caught her from behind and drove her into the dirt.

Never mind that she hadn't fully learned to shoot yet; she writhed and wailed for him to let her go. The sound splintered through Taehyung.

She wasn't thinking straight. Going on a killing rampage would serve no purpose except to get her head chopped off.

"Stop!" he yelled, clasping the sides of her face. "Listen to me!"

She wrestled against him.

"Look at me," he said. "Shhh. All I need you to do is look at me. That's all. Just look."

After a few moments, she gave up and focused on him.

"Good girl," he said, arriving at a few conclusions.

The king had commandeered her sister, but he hadn't hurt the girl yet. Though he would if Taehyung didn't show himself at the palace tomorrow. The threat on her sister was insurance, a tool to ensure Luna did as instructed.

Taehyung assured her of this in as soothing a voice as he could. When she stopped gasping and her skin tone returned to its normal shade, he took her sister's bracelet and wound it gently around her wrist. Then he helped her up and led her to the fire pit. She stared ahead at a lichen-covered tree, using the corded rope decorating the waist of her gown to tie endless knots, a maddened expression on her face.

Behind her shock, Taehyung saw underlying determination, the look of someone about to commit a disturbing amount of violence.

It made him wince. Luna—Lady Luna—needed to learn to contain that fire of hers. That fire that so often turned his brain into mashed potatoes and sent his knees dropping into his ankles.

The rest of the group joined them to conceive a plan, and Taehyung schooled himself to focus.

His Majesty was hell bent on catching the kingdom's notorious adversary.

They would have to make it look that way. "We'll give Seokjin what he wants," Taehyung said. "Then we'll take it from him again."

Jungkook nodded. "So who gets caught and who serves as backup?"

"Just me."

"What?" Jungkook and Jimin said at the same time.

Jieun speared the ground with her ax. "If you think we're going to let you risk your pale neck—"

"We need only one sitting duck," Taehyung said. "Seokjin wants me. Ultimately, I'm the person that counts. End of discussion."

"We have to make it appear as though I've done what the king asked," Lady Luna said, abandoning the knot she'd made of her corded belt and returning to herself.

"That way, Seokjin will have no reason to blame Busan. I'll make it look like I'm on the king's side."

"Yes. Think you can manage that?" Jieun mocked.

Lady Luna slapped the ax from Jien's hand so hard it bounced a few feet away. They both stood, coming nose-to-nose with each other before Jungkook and Hoseok urged them apart.

"Sit down. Now. And listen," Taehyung snapped, his patience waning. When they did, he continued. "This is what we're going to do: Once Lady Luna leads me into the palace and the guards apprehend me, I'll escape. I'll need Jungkook and Hoseok to help take out the men."

"I can get uniforms for all of you," Jisoo offered. "I know where the laundresses work. And I can lead you out of the prison. I know the route from when they gave her ladyship and me a tour. I can hide there and wait for you. No one will see me."

Taehyung accepted her offer, then dictated the rest of the details. Jisoo would return to the palace and gather the disguises. In the morning, she'd leave them in a designated spot outside the gate, then wait for the boys in the palace dungeon. Jieun and Jimin would stand post by the stables, once they'd dispersed of the unsuspecting groomsmen. Hoseok, who'd managed to steal himself a decent collection of ingredients for tinctures and balms and chemical concoctions, would fuse together a more complex and scientific weapon. Just in case they needed to make a grander exit.

The plan offered no guarantees. This wasn't a mere forest raid on a member of the peerage. This was a fortress with few ways to get out and a lot more soldiers than their group could handle if surrounded.

But they had the element of surprise on their side, and his gang had always been going at disappearing acts. The smaller their group, the better.

A gust of wind caused Lady Luna's skirt to beat against her legs. She caught Taehyung watching the material flutter. He glared and looked away.

Her actions had been a sham. No matter that he understood why she'd gone along with Seokjin's plan. He would have done the same thing for his friends.

She had a conscience, and his gang had grown on her to the point where she took a risk in telling them. He would grant her that.

But she'd also fabricated her feelings, spun a very alluring and very tight web around him.

Against his better judgment, he'd allowed yet another girl to prove he was a bona fide imbecile.

If she thought her admission of love had been enough to woo him into submission, she had another thing coming.

He'd suffered enough buffoonery to last a lifetime. He needed to water down his reaction to her plight, pump up his emotional reserves, and keep his eyes off her goddamn hips.

They needed to get tomorrow over with so he would be free of her. And never have to see her again.

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In the middle of the night, she tried to sneak away. Taehyung had woken up to the sound of a tent flapping, and somehow he just knew.

Ripping off the blanket, he charged out of his compartment in time to see her disappear into the trees. Groaning and swearing and fuming, he grabbed his bow and went after her.

She snaked through the underbrush, her hair bouncing. Something on her hip flashed under the moonlight—Hoseok's knife. From a distance, she looked like an armed runaway fairy.

She stopped, maybe trying to figure out which way to go, seeing as she didn't know the way to the palace from here.

Taehyung shot an arrow that whizzed through the hollow over her shoulder and hit a tree trunk.

It was an unnecessary and cocky move—he could have just seized her arm—but he couldn't resist.

Lady Luna whipped around.

"Sleep walking?" he asked.

Embarrassment and animosity flitted across her features. She tried to run, but he grabbed her, pulled so hard she bounced against his chest.

"What are you doing?" he hissed. "We have a plan. We made a plan, Lun—Lady Luna... Is it at all possible for you to stick to it?"

"Let me go, Taehyung," she snarled.

"I can't."

She tried to rip her arm from his grasp, but he held fast, permitting her time to get the pent-up anger out of her system until, defeated, she stopped.

And then she gave him a look of unparalleled despair. With a sigh, Taehyung did the one thing he knew he shouldn't.

He gathered her to him and enclosed his arms around her. She hugged him back, releasing shaky breaths against his neck.

"I'm scared," she admitted, her voice muffled, like that was the only way she could admit a weakness. "I want to hunt him down myself and destroy him. I don't want any of you involved."

"I told you, Seokjin is not going to hurt her. And you wouldn't breach the stronghold on your own. You could put your sister in more danger. Don't worry about the rest of us."

"It's my fault."

"Oh, be quiet."

She tipped her head to look at him, far too sweetly for his taste. This was the moment to let go.

Taehyung wasn't fast enough. Her fingers stole up and ran across his lips, and he stilled, and then his lids shuttered closed. Unbidden, the recollection of those same fingers digging into his sweaty back invaded his memory. If he let so much as a single flash of their passionate night together cement in his mind, he would do something stupid like forgive her.

Nevertheless, she trapped him, planting kisses along his jaw while his breaths grew shallow. As always, his body responded to her the way it wasn't supposed to. Swift and wild. He clamped his mouth shut lest his desire make itself known, yet a groan escaped the back of his throat when her lips latched onto his earlobe, drawing it into the wet heat of her mouth.

The instant she moved in to kiss him fully, Taehyung reared back. "Don't."

"I can't help it," she whispered. "And neither can you."

That much was undeniable. One thing she couldn't have feigned last night was the arch of her back as he claimed her. When it came to physical hunger, their bodies couldn't be more compatible. The problem was she'd convinced him their bond stretched beyond that.

"This is real," she said. "I didn't plan for it to happen."

"You must know I can't believe that."

"Look at what I gambled in order to tell you the truth."

"That was your conscience talking. Not love."

She flinched. "Was my conscience talking when you had me treed? I had nothing left to lose."

True, but that had been a moment when she was at the mercy of their assistance. Her confession must have been a last-ditch effort to make sure he helped her. She'd grown desperate and tapped into his tender side. His very weak spot.

"You wanted to be set free, didn't you?" he countered.

She reeled away from him. "How dare you tell me how I feel."

"How dare you tell me what I should feel."

"You're so afraid of being hurt that you're using this as an excuse to pull away."

That made Taehyung furious—before her, he rarely got so mad. Why was it that whenever he sought to make sense of their connection, no answer seemed right or wrong? Even now, he doubted himself. For he couldn't explain why she insisted upon keeping up an emotional farce. It only confounded him more.

He wiped his palms over his face and muttered, "We're talking in circles."

"Because you're not listening to me—"

"No, I'm not afraid of being hurt because it's already happened! You've already done it, Luna!"

His voice boomed into the space between them. She stepped further back, looking flustered and, yes, guilty.

"You had no choice with your family and your home. You did what you had to, I know that," he said. "But you did have a choice in how you got close to me. You knew what you were doing. You knew where this was going. And you knew where it would leave me. You could have earned my trust in other ways. You didn't have to go after my heart! You could have spared me that!"

"I'm not her," she insisted.

Taehyung's blood turned to ice. Did he hear her correctly?

"Jimin told you...about Jennie. You knew all this time," he concluded, then laughed, although none of this was funny. Bitterness dulled his laughter. "Well, that makes what you did even worse."

He listened to her feet shuffle over the leaves on the forest bed. "That night when I sang for you and your friends. I didn't do it because Hoseok asked me to. I didn't because I wanted you to hear me. Only you."

He didn't know what she meant by that, or how to respond.

"You're right," she said. "I shouldn't have touched you."

Taehyung swiped Hoseok's blade from her hip and thrust it into his boot, no longer concerned that she would make an impromptu dash for the palace. He removed the Busan bracelet hanging off the waist of his pants, then took her hand and watched her eyes widen as he dropped the leather token into her palm. And then walked away.

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The stone walls of the castle loomed above Taehyung and Lady Luna, their gray spires stabbing the heavens and blending in with the overcast sky.

At the front gate, the scents of horse dung and overripe fruits inundated his senses. An elderly man pushed past them, coughing and swatting away flies that seemed to be everywhere.

Guards stood post outside, stopping carts to check their contents before bidding them entrance. Somewhere nearby, a mule brayed.

Dressed in the royal garb Jisoo had managed to acquire for them, his gang flanked Taehyung and Lady Luna, pretending to detain them.

They glided across the drawbridge and through the gatehouse with no problem. According to Jisoo, Seokjin expected Lady Luna to lead Taehyung through the main thoroughfare, then across the market in the courtyard, and head toward the keep. Once there, he could expect a quick seizure.

Taehyung kept his head down, his features concealed by the hood. Hoseok was the largest of them all, so he concealed the legendary bow beneath his disguise.

They'd barely passed a falconer's post and already Taehyung itched for his weapon. He felt lighter without it, and not in a good way. But if he were to get caught armed, it might rouse suspicion that he'd anticipated an ambush.

Inside the bailey, Jimin and Jieun headed for the stables, while Jungkook and Hoseok disappeared into the crowd, supplied with Lady Luna's directions to the dungeon.

She and Taehyung threaded through the courtyard mass. The clang of metal coming from the blacksmith's station made her jump. She was more terrified than she let on.

He leaned toward her. "It will be over soon."

She whispered, "When you get out of here, you'll have to move your camp. Seokjin will expect me to lead him to you."

"I know."

"Please make it out of there. And…" Her voice wobbled. "I won't have another chance. So thank you for the hunting lesson."

He grinned to himself because he never knew what to expect from her—including her choice of parting words. Although she'd sounded like she wanted to say more.

They would not see one another after this. The knowledge sliced him up.

People bustled around, unaware, hungry, tired. At the keep's threshold, Taehyung and Lady Luna began their performance. They glanced around cautiously to seem as though she'd secretly brought him here, intending to steal riches that didn't exist.

Ever-so-subtly, Lady Luna lifted her head, offering the guards a clear view of her face beneath her cloak. The men tensed. They'd been instructed to look out for her.

She and Taehyung continued, moving on as though to sneak toward the back entrance. He kept his face straight and schooled himself not to let his instincts take over. Then he felt a pair of burly hands grab him.

"You!" the man roared, swinging Taehyung around like a ragdoll. Good. The bigger he was, the more realistic the arrest, because there was no way he could beat this man. Jungkook would have to take him later.

Lady Luna played the flustered maiden, scampering backward and pointing. "This is him! Taehyung Kim! Don't let him go!"

Chaos ensued without Taehyung having to do much but pretend-struggle and scowl. A larger crowd gathered, yelping and shoving at each other to get a glimpse of the notorious legend.

Many of the faces he recognized, because he'd fed and stole for them. They gazed at the scene in wonder and pity and sorrow. Their voices, along with his name, flared throughout the bailey like a brushfire.

"My, my. Taehyung Kim," the burly guard snarled, then let his voice carry through the air. "Look what we have, ladies and gentleman. Right under our noses."

Taehyung spoke through clenched teeth. "Value that nose now, because it won't be in one piece when I—"

The guard whacked Taehyung on the backs of his legs with a club. He wailed and fell to his knees. His head hung forward for a second before the guard yanked him to his feet again, fisted his hair, and pointed a knife at his throat.

He heard Lady Luna shriek. Wait... Did she?

"No!" she cried.

She did.

Then she altered her voice to sound cold. "N-no. No, you blockheads. Not here. The king orders. He's to be locked up first. Now, go on!"

The burly guard announced loud and clear. "His majesty will have him on the rack for all to see come morning. He's fixing to have himself a nice, proper show."

Before they lugged Taehyung away, he managed one final glance at Luna and knew it was a mistake. Her eyes blinked with remorse and determination and Farewell.

The guard and his partner lugged Taehyung across the courtyard to the east end of the bailey and into a building loaded with tunnels and corridors. They winded down a stairwell lit by torches and tainted with the stench of blood. Someone's howl echoed. Taehyung's own legs seared with pain.

As of now, Lady Luna should be feigning distress and weariness over her captivity, letting herself be escorted to her chamber. The guards seemed to be enjoying their moment of triumph as they opened his cell, which groaned on its rusty hinges like a ghost and led to a wall covered in chains.

"In you go," the burly one said. Before Jungkook attacked him from behind, swiping the man's club and knocking him out with it.

Hoseok battled with the second guard, the two of them grunting and catapulting to the floor where they rolled around. The man landed on top of Hoseok, ready to slash open his neck when Taehyung wrapped his arms around the guard's middle, hoisted him up, and flung him across the space.

As the man lumbered to his feet, Taehyung spun and backhanded him across the face, boxing him down again. Out cold.

"Damn you, I had him," Hoseok grunted as Taehyung helped him up. "Why don't you ever just stick to your bow tricks?"

A faint gasp sent them pivoting. Jisoo peeked her head from around the corner. "Hi."

Taehyung smiled. Impressively quiet, this one.

Hoseok and Jungkook tossed the unconscious and bleeding guards into the cell, stole their keys, and locked the door. Hoseok tossed Taehyung his bow and arrow.

Jungkook wiped his hands. "You would think they'd have a large entourage to surround Taehyung Kim."

"If Seokjin used more men to lead one figure away, it would have made his army look weak," Taehyung pointed out.

He spoke too soon. A throng of shouts rolled down the tunnel. More guards.

Jisoo whirled and pointed down an ominous corridor. "That way. It will take you up to the servants' kitchen and then the mess hall. There's a back door that leads outside and down to the stables. You can get out through the east gate. It'll take you over the moat and then you're not far from the woods."

Taehyung tousled her hair. "You're brave."

"She loves you."

He frowned. The battle cries grew louder. "Why would you say that?"

"Why would you doubt it?" she asked, then shrugged. "This morning, she told me she sang for you. Luna never sings for people. She hasn't since her mother left."

He let this information sink in and then told Jisoo to hide. She smirked, as if to tell him not to worry about her.

The boys took off. Jungkook and Hoseok's royal guard uniforms prevented them from being noticed through the mess hall. It was when they barreled through the back door that things got more complicated.

A throng of warriors surged toward them, brandishing swords. Taehyung halted at the top of the stairs, whipped out a handful of arrows, and slid sideways down the banister while shooting in rapid succession, pelting soldiers one by one until he landed at the bottom. Three horses plowed toward them, commanded by Jimin and Jieun.

Jungkook hopped behind Jieun and kissed her cheek. Jimin pulled Taehyung up onto his horse. Hoseok took the third steed, ripped a tightly packed ball from his pocket, and threw it at the guards. It exploded and sent a massive cloud of thick dust into the air.

Blinded, their attackers staggered around before, breathing in the alchemical mixture, they passed out.

Galloping across the bailey, Taehyung aimed up and fired, striking a pair of guards grappling to lower the portcullis, enabling his gang to clear the east gate. As they raced over the hillside and dodged arrows swarming them from the turrets, Taehyung thought of that long, dark hair.

He wished he could have touched it one more time. Then he let that desire go, along with his last arrow.

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(a/n)
Dont worry its not over, not even a little bit... Stay tuned.