broken kingdom // jjk

~ chapter 2 ~

Noa's room is scattered with papers from this morning and afternoon. Since you're busy with Queen stuff, you entrusted the notebook with her and let her figure out what your brother was doing.

Both of your steps are careful, as you don't wanna mess up the odd paper system your sister seems to have. Everyhing seemed organized in its place and it had its own corner.

Noa stares at the paper's and sighs, "I still need to organize them a bit but that isn't what I wanted to show you."

The two of you end up at her bed, where on it lies your brother's journal and many crumpled up papers.

You both sit on her bed and you watch closely as your younger sister quickly flips through the pages.

"I've been studying this thing like crazy and Hobi never seemed to make any sense when he wrote."

"Almost as if he was daydreaming while writing." You comment, remembering how your older brother would just stare at the sky and forget all his surroundings. On some nights, he'd stargaze with you but he'd always be in his own little world.

"Right." Noa nods in agreement until she stops at a certain page, "But the diagrams he drew seemed to be very accurate in the sense that he knew the kingdom from a visual standpoint."

You nod, "As a ruler, you have to get a feel and a visual view of your kingdom to see what else can be done with or taken away."

"So that means in his research as King, Hobi could find anything about the kingdom. Even this."

She points to a far part of the Ruby Kingdom's village, a medium sized wall across from a fountain. You try to figure out what you're looking at but you don't understand. Sensing that, Noa sighs and starts to explain.

"You see how he drawed everything with dark lines and labels." Noa gestures to the entire drawing and you nod slowly, "But do you see that wall? And the fountain? And the wall behind the art gallery? And the path near this bakery?"

You stare at where she's pointing, "They're done in a different colour than the rest of the drawing."

"Exactly. As if he wanted us to find these locations." Noa then flips to another page, the map of the back roads of the kingdoms, "This map is done in the same colour as those odd places in the village. So that means that things located in the village could be our way out of the kingdom."

"And into one of the other two remaining kingdoms."

Noa nods happily, closing the book, "And who knows, maybe Hobi is still alive somewhere there."

You sigh, not wanting to doubt her statement but nods unsuringly to her little sister. She lightly ruffles her hair and Noa swats the hand away.

Noa stares at you with a hopeful and wishfu eyes and you couldn't help but feel her pain. The pain of wishing for their brother to return home and be reunited once more.

"Even if he's-" You feel your heart physical hurt at the mere thought of your next few words, "Even if he is........dead. We have to carry out his plan no matter what, for the greater good of the nation. Not even for ourselves or for Hobi. He loved the Ruby Kingdom and every other kingdom just as much as us. He'd want this for the people more than anyone else."

She nods, "He would of made a great king."

The quiet, eery silence follows her words but you try to keep both your spirits up. You had to do this. For Hoseok.

"Noa, let's set this plan in action. We only have one shot to do this. Let's do it now." You suggest, staring off into the garden where the flowers your brother loved were planted and thriving, "If we don't do it now, father is just going to grow more suspicious of us. We can't keep hiding the rebellion Hobi planned forever."

"Besides," You sigh softly, "What do we have to lose? Hobi's gone-"

Noa huffs, "He is not gone. I know deep in my bones that he's alive. Just like mom had when she would tell you that he would be the rightful king."

You nods, tears in your eyes remembering your mother, who died giving birth to Noa. The death that caused the royal family to spiral downward and your father to go insane. You both stare at all the papers, knowing deep down your mother never wanted this for her daughters, for her only son. Yet your father was convinced otherwise.

Noa finally speaks, nodding to herself as she looks over the notes, "Let's do it then. Follow what Hobi left for us and flee to the village."

She points to the drawing of the wall across from the fountain again,, "There. Right there is our chance at escape. Hobi said that the paths behind that wall have never been in use. No carriages or people go that way, it's been completely abandoned ever since the war. He said that the warriors from the Quartz Kingdom's army forged it themselves using their weapons. Pretty cool, huh?"

You nod at her statement, remembering from one of your lessons that at the time, the Quartz had the biggest arsenal of advanced weapons. When they fell, the Ruby king took it all and used it to strengthen his army.

"Which will soon be your army." You remember your tutor saying as you stared down at the soldiers and knights that were training with their fellow knights and soldiers.

Noa snaps her finger, taking you out of your sudden memory and she stares at you with a pointed gaze, "Did you hear anything I said?"

"O-Oh I-I-" You blush embarrassingly at the realization that you were staring off into space for so long, "Sorry sis, I got distracted thinking about-"

"Jungkook, right?"

You glare at her, wondering why she would bring the gardener up all of a sudden when you barely know him, "No. I was thinking about the weapons the Quartz army used to use, that's all."

Noa giggles and pokes your cheeks, "I'm just kidding anyways, wanted to get a reaction out of you."

"So what where you saying?" You swat her hand away as you try to peek at the piece of paper in her hand.

"The paths. There's several along these backroads." She shows you the map your brother had left for you both and scan it to see just how many paths there were, which were plenty, "But if anything, we should take this green path to the Emerald kingdom. If.....If Hobi is still alive, he would of hidden there."

You nod in agreement, "He was always close with the Kim brothers. They would of given him shelter and protection there."

Your younger sister brightens up at the thought of reuniting with Hobi, to see him again and hug him so tightly just as you know she's dreamed of. You don't have the heart to tell her that there's still a chance he's dead. But you keep your mouth shut and let her slip into a state of happiness at those thoughts.

She turns to you with a bright smile, "_____, we're finally gonna see our brother again."