~ו×~
"You what?!"
"I didn't know she'd protect him Hoseok!" Yoongi defends himself.
"You knew she was nearby. Your majesty, you should've been more careful," Hoseok, his brother argues.
"You know I wouldn't purposely hurt her," Yoongi paces.
"Why were you there anyway?" Jin, his cousin ask. "If anyone else, Hosoek should've went since he's identity is unknown beyond our walls."
"Some of my men gave me a tip that the king of the south have bought them off," Yoongi answers as he sits down on his couch.
"Look, I know you want to get her back so badly but could you please think a little? Is killing the king the only way to save her?" Jin asks him.
Hoseok watches Yoongi fidget. He knew what's up.
"Is she alright though?" Jin continues to ask when he realized that Yoongi won't answer his earlier question.
"I don't want to be king," Yoongi speaks again.
Hoseok stands. "There you go again with that same old bullshit. We won't be able to get anything back if you don't sit on this damn throne," he bursts.
"Calm down Hoseok," Jin pats his shoulder.
Yoongi compares himself to Taehyung so bad. He saw how capable he is. How he runs their kingdom, he envies it. How his lands are rich and how he has you beside him. He badly wants to snatch you away from Jungkook and he also saw how smitten the other southern royals were to you at the courtyard.
He remembers your words. You were right, the one time Yoongi has to see you, you got hurt because of him again. The pain and anger in your eyes. Yoongi hates it. You hate him.
"Y/n, she hates me," Yoongi distracts.
"Us Yoongi, US. Don't deny it no more. I know by the look on your face and the way you fidget, she rejected you," Hoseok speaks with sadness.
Jin looks at the brothers with a sullen look. The devastation that they have been going through these past year has been showing a lot more.
Yoongi bows his head in attempt to hide his tears but Hoseok knew better. He sits down beside him and offers his shoulder to cry on. Yoongi accepted and wept silently.
Hoseok, you and Yoongi grew together. You were younger than Yoongi and Hoseok. They'd always look after you whenever you go visit the palace. To you they were your only playmates since Sunoo was still a newborn. Hoseok and Yoongi loved you so much that it didn't matter who you choose between them.
They both believed that one of them is betrothed to you. So to them, loving you was the best thing they could do. You chose Yoongi and believed that he's the one you're betrothed to since he's the crowned prince but the day his father said you were betrothed to him instead. Everything went downhill.
"I should've just....." Yoongi paused as he sobs quietly.
Hoseok rubs his back in comfort. He understands the brokenness his brother is feeling. They all thought Yoongi being crowned would fix things but it didn't. The Northern Kingdom was everyone's enemy. Not only did Yoongi and Hoseok's father killed people from the other lands, he also stole a lot of things from them during his long terror of reign.
Now that the king is dead, some kingdoms have been taking revenge on the North and it's becoming really dangerous for the people of the North. Hoseok has shared this burden with Yoongi and Jin.
He doesn't want to leave Yoongi alone in this mess their damned father has left them in. Worse part is the last thing Yoongi and Hoseok wanted was you and your household being executed. But even them, they couldn't do anything.
Yoongi was there as you watch your household being hanged right infront of you. Even him couldn't do anything about his father's tyrany. He watched you hate him.
He doesn't even know who to hate at this point. His father? Himself? Or the damn lands?
"Calm down your majesty," Jin soothes.
He would help Yoongi run the kingdom from behind since he is originally from the West Kingdom. He isn't a royal there but here, he is. He swore to his cousins that he'll be there to guide them. Their parents did a shitty job at that obviously. Problems after problems were what the three of them has been facing since Yoongi has been crowned.
"You have a feist to attend before the ambush," Jin reminds.
"You know I still don't like the idea of ambush," Hoseok speaks.
"Well it's not an ambush per se. We'll just see who their merchant is and after that, we have a deal of our own. This merchant is only giving favors to the South. We better set a deal too before the medicine runs out," Jin reminds.
Yoongi calms and nods to them both. He fixes himself and exits his office. "I need to rest," he says.
Hoseok only nods and so does Jin.
"We'll meet you tomorrow your majesty," Jin says.
Hoseok makes his own leave and thinks of a way to go see you. He's too worried knowing that the poison that entered your body only has the antidotes grown in the Northern lands. A good excuse to see the woman he has ever loved so pure.
•••
Unedited