Scar (Min Yoongi)

One

It had been over a week now.
Nine days since Min Yoongi sentenced himself to death by yanking a medallion off the neck of Min Seojun, the emperor. Yoongi's estranged brother.

Nine days since Min Yoongi died.

Ari could hardly even leave the house. The thugs of Dae Jung Geung seemed to relish Yoongi's death, and within 24 hours they already were trying to make their way into her path. Or skirt, so they could get their fix.

But Yoongi must have had some sort of plan, as any time they got close enough, Jungkook appeared out of nowhere. Each time.

"Thank you, Jungkook." Ari mumbled for the tenth time that day. The boy merely shook his hand, as if to shake off the pain of the collision with Ren's face. Or maybe just to rid himself of the dirt.
He sighed upon first glance of Ari, who was visibly distressed.
The usually fair skinned girl was paler than usual, with dark circles under her eyes. It was obvious at this point she had been in mourning since the night the final execution was announced.

But since then, the emperor refused to show himself to the village. Ari wondered if it was because of the scene Yoongi caused or because he was finally feeling some shame.
His visits used to be spontaneous, every other day, but now it was silent.

Ari bowed to Jungkook and picked up the bag of vegetables she had dropped during Ren's umpteenth attempt, then she started to head home. Deep in the village market stood a little hut, built of clay and fraying dead hay and sloppily nailed in wood as an attempt for insulation and roofing. Actually, it was hardly standing at all.
And with the amount of money Ari was still paying for the house, it wasn't even worth it.

Ari was paying the house off by simple chores around the village such as cleaning stables, caring for pets and even playing housewife for a day while the father of five children would go out to hunt.

Ari was used to this, as her father used the little money he got as a farmer on alcohol. Ari was all the hope left for the house she grew up in. Ari had been alone since her mother died while she was at the age of 13. When she had first met Min Yoongi and his six friends.
Tears struck her eyes at the memory, but Ari only clambered inside and locked the door. This was her new routine. Go to the market, buy food, run home and lock the door. Then pray no one followed before she could turn to deadbolt the door with the desperate attempt of a 'do it yourself' lock made from rusty bed springs and forged silverware from a blacksmith she'd hired within a couple nights after Yoongi's death. As a breath of relief passed the girl's lips, it was interrupted by a sharp knock.

A familiar knock.

Three knocks with a pause, six more knocks.
This was the knock Ari and Yoongi had agreed on as teens, when they realized the town was becoming dangerous. She was not so little anymore, instead she was a woman, 26 years of age. But still, her heart fluttered at the sound of those knocks.

Yoongi?! Ari threw open the door, only to scream in surprise. Not Yoongi. In fact, it was two of the emperor's guards.
But it wasn't just his guards, it was Kim Taehyung and Kim Namjoon. Her eyes narrowed. Since when was Taehyung a royal guard?

"Good evening, Lee Ari-ssi. Sorry we startled you." Taehyung said with a nervous smile. Namjoon chuckled as Ari was finally able to process the two men on her doorstep. "Yeah... we saw you run in but we couldn't catch up before you slammed the door."

"Why are you here?" Ari breathed, a hand over her chest, her fingertips brushing against the dirty lace of the front of her pastel blue dress, which was quite frayed at the bottom, but it was thin enough to work in.
Taehyung looked at her with confusion. "We're here to pick you up, of course."

"For what?" Ari asked with a tilt of her head. Her raven hair was messy, in small birds nest knots. But it still fell to one side as her head lolled.
Namjoon raised a brow.
"You were hired as the emperor's servant, to pay off your house, do you not remember this?"

Ari's blood went cold, but within seconds of hearing Namjoon's statement, she knew her father had all but sold her to that wretched man. The emperor, who killed anyone who went against him, and raped his servants for all she knew.
He could, and he would get away with it, too.

That's what terrified her.

"There's no way- I can't be his servant I have to take care of my father and the house and-"

"Ari." Namjoon's eyes darkened. "Come with us, just trust me, if not anyone else, trust me."
Ari took a deep breath. "Fine. As long as you guys are there, right?"
Taehyung smiled. "Of course, Lee Ari-ssi. Go and gather your things, then."

Ari gave him a small nod. But confusion still lingered in the back of her mind.

I'm Emperor Seojun's servant?