Throne || BTS

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"I'm going to be the betht king, mother! Watch me!"

An enthusiastic seven years old Prince chimes, holding up a sword toy in the sky as he grins, showing his set of teeth which misses two (the cause of his lisp).

"Of course, darling," His mother smiles, "Promise me you will be good and treat people kindly."

"I will, no need to worry," He hops towards the queen, raising his arms towards her as she picks him up and settles him on her lap.

"Onthe father thtops being king, I will be king and I will have a queen," He goes on, "We will have a lot of printhes and printhethes and we will build a pillow fortreth for them to play in!"

The mother chuckles, pulling her son closer, "Of course, that's a great idea. But, sweetheart, you will not be king right after your father, you have to wait for your brother to be king first, then you."

Little Seokjin's smile falls, his small hands wrapping around themselves as he looks up at his mother, his shiny wide eyes on her.

"But what if I want to be the firtht, mum?," He asks carefully, "What if there's no Namjoon before me, will I be first?"

The queen's smile falls, too.

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For the first time in Jungkook's life, he attends an execution. And for the first time in his life, too, he is not shivering at the sight of blood, at the sight of a head being swiped off its body by a long sword. His gaze is stern and unwavering, and his posture is straight and confident as he watches a murderer being beheaded.

Not long after the funeral, the only evidenceㅡa piece of purple cloth clucthed in the late Princess' handㅡgave away the culprit; Marchioness Lee Joowoo, and the very next morning, she is being punished for her actions.

Jungkook keeps his head high, his dull eyes scanning the now lifeless headless body before him. Ever so slowly, and almost unappearantly, the edge of his lip twitches, forming a small smile that does not reach his eyes.

The King's gaze averts to his brother, surprised to not find him scared, disgusted or seeming out of place, but rather calm and... pleased?

But he knows, he knows how much of significance Sohye had in Jungkook's life.

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"Was it you who told her to do it?"

Taehyung turns around at the question, his eyes widening a little as they fall on his brother. That sharp deep voice with a hint of annoyance in it came out of Jungkook's mouth?

Jungkook, who never dared to make eye contact or speak a word with Taehyung, is now staring him dead in the eye, his voice loud and clear.

"Pardon?" The words leave Taehyung's mouth before he can comprehend it.

"Wasn't my voice loud enough?" Jungkook tilts his head. "Weren't my words clear?"

Taehyung raises his eyebrows in impressment at the confidence of the Prince, and a smile makes its way to his face before it falls again.

"Ah, you mean that." He nods once. "I'm very sorry, Jungkook, for your loss. I know how hard it must be for you right now. I must sayㅡ"

"Did you or did you not," Jungkook cuts him off, "tell your wife to do it?"

Taehyung looks down at his feet, slowly shaking his head. "I definitely did not. Sohye was innocent, and far too young to do anything. I had no intentions to hurt her. Oh, my stupid wife. What a loss."

"I know, Jungkook," He adds quickly, looking up with a small smile on his face, "I know how much it hurts you, and how much you want to end this pain. The Palace is cruel and corrupt, correct me if I'm wrong."

He walks closer towards Jungkook. "And no one but you can make it right. We all know, dear brother, who is the only one with pure intentions here, and it's none but you, right?"

He turns around him, dusting something non-existent off Jungkook's shoulder. "This Palaceㅡnoㅡthis whole kingdom will stay this corrupt and this monstrous until a great king rules it. A king who will have nothing on mind but to make everything better. A king with a good heart, good morals, good knowledge, and just... just pure intentions."

"Correct me if I'm wrong," He adds, grinning, and walks around Jungkook once again, "We all did mistakes, we're all greedy and foolish. I admit that I want the throne, who doesn't?." He pauses. "Actually, only one doesn't, and it is you. Even Seokjin wanted it, but let me tell you something. Just like I, he is corrupt, too. He killed Haewon and that horsekeeper, remember? And I, as everyone assumes, killed Namjoon, right? What about you, Jungkook? Who did you kill? No one."

Taehyung lets out a sigh, shaking his head slowly. "And I know that if you rule the kingdom, you will be the best king Korea will have ever had. You will be fair and righteous, and will think of your people before you think of yourself. Instead of this inhumanity going on inside The Palace right now, you will make it peaceful and serene."

"There is only two people ahead of you until you reach the throne." Taehyung shrugs. "The current king, and me. I have a deal to make with you, Jungkook."

He finally comes face to face with him. "Help me get rid of Seokjin, and the throne shall be yours."

Jungkook lifts his gaze, making eye contact with Taehyung.

"And what makes you think I will help you? What makes you think I trust you?" He asks with a low voice.

Taehyung grins widely, letting out a breathy chuckle. "It is true, I want the throne, and I want to be king, but not as much as I want to kill Seokjin."

Jungkook furrows his eyebrows. "And why is that?"

"Do you want to hear a secret, Jungkook?" Taehyung leans closer, whispering in his brother's ear.

"Seokjin killed Namjoon."

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A/N: this is exactly 1000 words I was struggling to reach the word count jdkshs

So... did you see that coming? Do you think Taehyung is lying to get into Jungkook's head or is he saying the truth? Thoughts on the chapter?

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