Yohan opened the door to reveal Namjoon standing outside. It was late at night so he was a little surprised. That evening, Namjoon departed from their house due to an urgent call from palace. Nevertheless, Seojin felt that he did not come bearing good news.
"Can I please talk to you for a minute?" he asked.
"Of course. Come on in", he said, opening the door wider and stepping aside.
Soon they were sitting on a table, a hot piping cup of tea placed infront of them. Yohan did not say anything, just waited patiently for the knight to speak. "The rebels are getting out of hand at the northeast border. We have been comanded to reach there at the fastest. I leave tomorrow at midnight. How long I will be gone? I don't know that. It depends on how fast the issue is resolved. I've talked to my parents. We will have to postpone the marriage ceremony".
"Is there no way you could decline it?" Seojin asked. "I could, but I believe there will be a huge possibility that I will have to go there sometime or the other. Plus this is just a conflict yet. It can very well transform into a war. And if that happens, there is not guarantee of when I will return or return at all. It is better for me to go now and do my best to get the situation under control with my colleagues. The situation is very delicate and a single wrong move can trigger a war. I hope you understand" he said.
"Very well Namjoon. We'll postpone it. I understand that it is your duty as a knight, but come back safe for Seokjin's sake" Yohan agreed.
"Thank you" Namjoon muttered gratefully, bowing to both of them. "One more thing, talk to Seokjin before you leave". "Yes sure.. Is it possible for me to do that now? I doubt I'll get time to talk to him tomorrow". "He went to be sometime ago but he's probably still awake, so you can check", saying so the couple stepped out of the room, making way their own.
Namjoon walked towards Seokjin's room. It was quiet so he assumed that the other two brothers were already asleep. Without knocking, he turned the knob to find that it hadn't been locked. He stepped inside the otherwise dark room, a little amount of light emitting from the small lamp at the bedside table. Windows were closed and the curtains were drawn.
The body under the covers moved a little, fidgeting around before going still again. He closed the door and locked it, then he made his way to the bed. He took off his coat slid under the covers, hand tracing the hip before pulling it towards his body. Placing a kiss on the neck, he whispered into his ear, "Seokjin?"
When there was no answer, he bit the earlobe prompting a sound from his lover. "Go away, I'm sleeping" he whined, refusing to look at him.
Namjoon chuckled softly, his hand slid under Seokjin's face, turning it upwards so that he was looking at him. The omega pushed him away with a pout, refusing to meet his face. With a sigh he tried again, "Love look at me".
Finally the said omega turned on his side so that he was looking at Namjoon. The alpha frowned as he saw tears in his eyes, hands coming up to wipe them, "What's wrong?" he asked. "I heard you".
"What did you hear?" he asked again. "That you're going to leave me and go away" came the answer.
Namjoon pulled him into his arms, Seokjin burying his face in his chest. "I'm not leaving you Jin. It's my duty and I'm going to finish it and come back to you okay? I'm sure it won't take a lot of time, it will be over before you know it".
"When will you come back?" The omega asked him. "I don't know" came the answer. Seokjin's grip tightened around him, "Promise me that you'll stay safe and not get hurt". "I will try" the alpha replied.
"That means you're going to risk your life at every chance you get doesn't it?". Namjoon sighed, pressing a kiss on his crown he said, "You know it's not like that. If the circumstances require me to do something risky then I must do it. It's for the safety of this kingdom and royal family-"
"Why care so much about the royal family?" Seokjin muttered angrily. "You very well know how the hire of the family is like. He's a good-for-nothing brat! Why must you fight for them?". "Because common people believe in them as their rulers and have faith in them. I took an oath when I joined the army that no matter what, the wellbeing of the rulers and people of this kingdom is my priority, no matter at what cost it comes. Even when I say I am fighting for the royal family, I am fighting for their faith and safety too and you know that" he said tilting Seokjin's face up so that he was looking at you.
"And just as protecting them, protecting you from harm is also my duty as your alpha. Don't worry, I will come back" he whispered. He pulled him closer to himself, hands caressing Seokjin's face as he spoke.
"I love you" , pressing his lips onto the omega's. Seokjin immediately responded, lips matching the pace, desperate to keep him close.
When he pulled away, Seokjin held up his pinkie. "Promise me you'll come back". Namjoon intertwined their pinkies with a smile, "I promise". Seokjin managed a small smile, snuggling into his fiancé's arms as the other stroked his arm to calm him down.
"Stay till I fall asleep. I don't want to see you go" the omega mumbled. "I'll be here, get some sleep" Namjoon replied with a smile, pulling the covers tighter around them.
At the crack of dawn, he gently pried off his lover's arms and left after placing a kiss on his forehead. Though the sun hadn't risen yet, it was bright enough for the area to be visible. It had snowed last night, the first snow of the season and unknowingly, he and Seokjin had spent it together cuddled up in bed.
That thought made him smile sadly. Shaking the feeling off, he made his way home to prepare for a long and difficult journey up ahead.
XXX
Hanuel screamed angrily as he pushed all the books and srolls of the table, the bottle of ink falling with it, splashing all over the newly written scroll, ruining it. "You seem troubled your majesty" his teacher said, picking up the fallen books and asking for a servant to clean the ink up.
The royal did not answer, merely stared at his teacher. Calmly speaking as if nothing happened he continued, " Look at that! There's ink all over you stockings young prince you should change it quickly".
"I'm having a mental breakdown here and all you care about is my stockings?" he asked bewildered. "Of course not my prince. That's why I called for Noble Cho already. He'll be here any minute, you can talk to him about it then".
Just then the door opened to reveal Noble Cho, a petite, fat old man who was around his sixties. He wore a white hanbok, tied together with a red cloth belt. With age, his features might have degraded but not the spark in his eyes. It was the same one he had been carrying for years now.
"His highness called for me?" he asked with a bow.
"Cho! You must help me. I'm devastated. My love for someone has not been reciprocated. He is stated to marry someone else, whom he loves. How do I get over it?". Cho raised an eyebrow at that, "Some omega in this kingdom denied the prince's hand in marriage?".
"Yes. He said he loved someone else, and not just someone else..." the prince said. "It's Kim Namjoon" he snarled.
Cho's ears immediately perked up. "Kim Namjoon?" he asked again. "Yes...". "Then your highness you must do anything at hand to get the omega". "What do you mean?", the royal questioned.
"Don't you see your highness? That man is a threat to you. Finish him. Send him to the northeast and send a man you trust to complete the task. Once he's gone, the omega will be yours".
The prince frowned at that, "I don't want to kill him. I've sent him away when I was young, I doubt he would try to take my position again". "Even if he's not doing that your highness, he still gets the omega you love. How can you allow that?" Cho reasoned.
But the prince just shook his head, "We were friends before. Even if I hate him now, I must honor the bond we had as kids. I cannot kill him". "So you are just going to let him walk all over you? He will think you are weak your highness, and you must prove it to him that he's wrong" he provoked the prince.
When he still seemed unsure, Noble Cho proposed another way. "You can try just this time. Send him to northeast at the rebellion epicenter and also send a man after him. The rebels are getting violent day by day and it's going to be difficult for someone to get them under control. And think about it. Kim Namjoon is also one of the most respected knights of his batch. If anything were to happen to him, the soldiers will unleash an offence which would crush the rebels completely. Let's say, in between an attack, he gets injured critically by one of his soldiers who mistook his as one of the enemies and accidently stabbed him. He's too nice to hold the soldier accountable, if he's alive. If he manages to survive all of it, you can give up. But if not, you are one who is going to benefit from it".
"But if my father...". "He doesn't have to know about it your highness. Secrets can be kept. And it's not like it's your first time doing it.
I assure you that aside from me and Lord Ahn, no one will come to know about it so please proceed without worrying about anything. We will handle it if anything goes wrong".
Minho walked briskly through the palace corridors, making his way to the prince's bedroom. He was alert, eyes perked up to sense any sort of noise around him. Though it was night, to avoid attention, he carried no torch, guiding himself with the torches placed at turns in the palace only. Cautiously he moved to towards the bedroom and silently slid in. He faced the prince and bowed.
"What are my orders your highness?"
XXX
A day later...
Namjoon walked through the group along with Suho, making final checks. As ordered, a group of thirty men was prepared and on the brink for departure. Extra weapons had been loaded in a wagon and two more wagons filled with food supplies. Medicines were carried in separate bags which were attached to the saddles of horses which the warriors would soon be riding.
It had snowed again today, so travelling through the forest would be extra grueling. All the soldiers were draped in warm layers, insulating them from the cold to some extent but there wasn't exactly a positive atmosphere around them.
Apart from the harsh conditions, they wouldn't be able to rest often and if it snows excessively, they might even have to take a longer route. They had strict orders to follow the same route, only to take the other one incase the situation is too serious. Who knows? They might walk right into the enemy's trap.
There was no estimate with the amount of rebels present in the area so the threat was already high. There could be as small as fifty or as many as even a couple hundreds. The threat of wild animals like wolves would always be looming on the top of their heads and even though the animals would be intimidated by thirty men, any soldier who happened to be separated from the group could be attacked.
On top of all this, even if they do reach the camp with all body parts intact, there was no guarantee that they would return alive. Guessing from the amount of medicines and ammunition they were carrying, the general had very much equipped them for war.
Most of them wanted to travel along with the two hundred soldiers that would be leaving the next day. But the prince was insistent on a small group first so they had no choice. The leaders called them together, a last prep talk to boost their courage before starting.
"This is probably going to be one of the toughest journey of your life that we will be making in these three days. Given the change in weather, we will be reaching a little late than usual. It is estimated that we will arrive at the camp at evening on the third day. It is going to be difficult to navigate our path and it is important for us to look out for our fellow soldiers ", Suho said.
"The situation at the camp is extremely serious so we will be resting only when it is needed. And additional bag of fodder is loaded onto the weapons wagon incase there isn't much vegetation available for our horses to feed on. There are three rules that we're going to follow. One, always be on high alert, we never know who or what will attack from which direction. Two, always look out for each other; no soldier will venture away from the group on his own. Three, sleep will come in shifts, as keeping a lookout at night is also important. I will not lie to you. There are very high chances of us getting ambushed as we draw closer to the camp. So, NEVER let your guard down. Any suspicious movement among the trees, report it immediately. Am I clear?" Namjoon asked.
"Yes!" the group chorused together. "Good. Now one final check and we leave". The soldiers got busy in their arrangement. Meanwhile, Taehyung and Hoseok came running towards him from the gates.
The three did a tight group hug, the other two patting Namjoon on the back. "I'll meet you soon" Hoseok said as he was scheduled to travel to the camp a day later then Namjoon. Taehyung being a Hwarang, was not required to go to the border.
"Take care hyung" Taehyung said, pulling him into an embrace again. The elder brother patted his hair and grinned, "I will you. Your hyung will be back in no time". Taehyung nodded with a small time.
"And Tae.... while I'm gone. Look out for Seokjin please. Or tell Jimin to divert his attention from time to time. I don't want him worrying too much" he said. "I'll look after him hyung. You can go ahead and don't dwell on it too much" Taehyung assured with a smile.
"Alright everyone. Let's get going!" Suho announced. Giving the two a quick hug, Namjoon ran to his horse and mounted it. Hoseok and Taehyung followed them along with the palace guards to the city wall.
The last image that they had of Namjoon was him giving them a wink before turning into a tiny spec of yellow light from the torches as the band marched on.
Thank you so much for reading guys! Let me know what you think and don't forget to vote and share.
See you in the next chapter :)