Ch.13
Being babied by Jungkook was not your intention. Then again, it's not like you went to Florian's farm purposefully searching for Yoongi. You were aware that there was a creature causing harm, though you didn't realize it would be a vampire. Florian and his family are incredibly lucky that Yoongi hasn't bothered to break into their home to attack them. He very much could with how powerful he was. As soon as you got back to your home, you looked into your books to see if you had anything about vampires written down. You needed to know about them as much as you could.
Jungkook gave you a long lecture to be careful and why you should avoid interacting with any dark creatures. He had his points, but it was hard listening to him when Florian approached you. Florian had no clue that an angel was talking right into your ear. It was difficult paying attention to the both of them when they were saying two entirely different things. Florian discussing methods to feed the animals and Jungkook telling you to figure out how to get out of this job. He really didn't want you coming into contact with Yoongi again.
He made it very clear to you that a dark creature would manipulate you the second they become aware of your magic. Jungkook was paranoid and protective for this reason. You understood where he was coming from which made you feel awful when telling him that you couldn't quit on your first day. Jungkook may worry about you, but you promised to protect yourself. Plus, why would Yoongi return to the farm if he knew that Jungkook would come back just to protect you? He barely escaped this time.
That wasn't enough to calm down all his concerns. You thought he would be fine the next morning, but you were sorely mistaken. When you arrived to the castle, it was the first thing you heard. Youngjo and you were happy to bring all of the guys new food only to enter a quiet room. All the men turned their heads to you with judgement in their eyes. What exactly did Jungkook say to them? You lowered the basket in your hands, doing your best to smile. Jungkook stood with his arms crossed while the rest were seated, either sighing in frustration or giving you a worried gaze.
"Hello—" You started.
"What makes you think that you can handle a vampire? You barely turned Seokjin human." Namjoon didn't even give you a chance to speak. "I forbid you from working at the farm any longer."
"Forbid?" Taehyung was stunned.
"Vampire? What about a vampire?" Youngjo faced you as you let out a soft whine.
"Jungkook told us that a vampire almost attacked you at your work yesterday." Seokjin frowned. "Is that true?"
"I doubt Jungkook would lie," Hoseok said, noticing how your expression was also giving away the answer. "(F/n)?"
"I mean..." You fidgeted with the basket in your hands. Youngjo jumped off your shoulder to sit on the table and judge you with the rest. "It's kind of true..."
"Kind of?" Jimin raised a brow. Both him and Taehyung were small on the table. Thanks to his size, Jimin flew over to you. "Sounds like a complete yes to me."
"I don't know much about vampires, but I don't think you should be around that area much longer." Seokjin scratched the back of his ear. "I would tell you the same if you got near a siren, (F/n)."
"We're all just worried about your safety." Hoseok nodded.
"What if Jungkook hadn't come in time?" Taehyung questioned.
"I...I would have used my magic—"
"No, you wouldn't have. Jungkook said you were completely frozen and in the end, you let the vampire go." Namjoon slapped his hand on the table. He stood up from how irritated he was. They were all speaking out for your safety, but Namjoon was noticeably angry with your actions. He didn't care if Youngjo cawed at him and he didn't seem to notice how meek you got from his behavior.
"Namjoon, don't scare the girl." Jungkook caught it. His eyes were glued to the prince who took a deep breath. Jimin and Taehyung went over to him, grabbing his sleeve in hopes of tugging him back down into his seat. Soon Jungkook looked back over at you. "I'm sorry. I thought they all needed to know what happened."
Nothing left your lips. You weren't sure if there was anything you could say. It's not like any of them were wrong for worrying about you. Even Namjoon's outburst. He could have gone about explaining his feelings better, but still. There was a lot you were risking by continuing with your job on the farm. At the same time, you risked it constantly by leaving your house and entering the forest. Your entire presence smelled of magic to creatures. Anyone could tell. You're already so used to being stuck in your cottage and now you were finally beginning to take control of your life. And despite feeling passionate about this, you said nothing of it to the men in the room.
"You protected that vampire yesterday. He witnessed your magic in action if he couldn't tell already. I could have scared him off myself, but now he knows for certain what you are capable of. What if he tries to find you at your cottage or in the woods? What if he has told others just like him?" Jungkook's words were causing your head to sink lower. "I don't want you to feel like we're all attacking you for no reason. It's truly out of worry for your own safety, (F/n). We don't blame you for wanting to help out your friend. But since we found out a vampire lurks in that area, we strongly advise that you no longer go there."
"(F/n)...you should have told me. You freeze when you get frightened. If Jungkook hadn't been there then you would have gotten hurt or worse." Youngjo stared at you.
"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Namjoon tilted his head. His glare on you never vanished even with the fairy and pixie trying to soothe him. The prince heard nothing from you as you continued to keep your head down and remain silent. You reminded him of the servants who would constantly make mistakes and needed harsh reprimanding. Yet you weren't his servant. He needed you to be responsible for yourself. "I forbid you." Namjoon stood up from the table once more. He lightly waved off Taehyung and Jimin from his sleeves, so he could walk away. He had had enough.
"You can't do that...or can he?" Seokjin looked around the table. No one spoke even after Namjoon left the room. The heavy doors closed as everyone exchanged glances. Jungkook sighed, leaving with a flash of light.
"I brought food..." You set the basket down on the table. The mood wasn't as bright though.
No one was feeling hungry after that conversation. Awkward smiles were passed around, but you didn't have the energy to stay around any longer. The boys were wanting to comfort and telling you to not take Namjoon's words too personally. At the same time, they wanted you to listen to him and were saying similar things. You weren't sure where you stood. All you wanted was to step out of the castle to think to yourself. It wouldn't be right to make any impulsive moves, but if you stayed inside with them any longer then you had a feeling a knot would form in your throat. One thing would lead to another and you would be crying.
Avoiding the possibility of that was for the best. You stepped away from the table after quietly excusing yourself. Taehyung and Jimin tried convincing you to come back. They didn't want you to leave or be alone. Youngjo flew off the table, keeping up with your walking on the floor. The rest of the creatures looked at one another with soft sighs. None of them stopped you from getting a breath of fresh air which was relieving. You let out a heavy breath when you went down a few stone steps. Youngjo hopped down but didn't say anything. He knew you heard it all by now.
He came out just to make sure you wouldn't be alone. If anything, Youngjo knew the best thing he could do for you was to be there for comfort. Some tough love wasn't going to knock you down forever. It just felt embarrassing in the moment and you needed a couple minutes to figure out what to do next. You couldn't suddenly quit after barely starting. Maybe you could, but you weren't sure if it'd appear strange or suspicious. The village overthought everything and you didn't want to sacrifice the one normal connection you had. It was the one thing that didn't make it obvious that you had secrets to hide.
"Mind if I join you?" You turned around in shock. It only increased when you saw it was Seokjin doing his best to push open the door and walk out. He was struggling, so you quickly opened the door for him. "Thank you. Heh, I'm still trying to figure out how to work with the doors instead of fighting them to get through."
"The old doors here are pretty heavy." You shrugged. There was nothing for him to be embarrassed about, but you doubted that's how Seokjin felt. He still had a smile on his face as he made it towards the front of the stairs. The merman happily waved to Youngjo who was a few steps down.
"Hello," Youngjo spoke, stunning Seokjin.
"Youngjo sounded just like you." Seokjin pointed at your bird.
"Yeah, he can do that." You stared down at your precious raven. Now Youngjo was shaking his tail feather and hopping around to entertain the both of you. He could be really adorable when he wanted to be. "Is there any reason you came out? I know walking for you still isn't easy."
"I'm getting the hang of it. Besides, it's better I get practice any chance I get. I'm slowly starting to gain control over my leg muscles and improving my balance." Seokjin smiled at you before gesturing towards the stairs. "However, stairs are my enemy. I keep falling." He sighed with a small pout. It was funny hearing that from him when you'd expect that more from a child. Seokjin stood tall with broad shoulders and he was a very handsome man. Only the fins by his ears gave away that he was a creature, but you thought it made him look beautiful. He was otherworldly. "You alright?"
"Me? Oh, I think I am. I'm not hurt." You looked over your arms.
"That's not quite what I meant." Seokjin shook his head lightly. "I know it felt like we were all being tough on you. It's not like you were trying to bump into a vampire."
"I really wasn't trying to cause trouble. Only help a friend and give a dear friend from the village nothing to worry about," You stated. Seokjin nodded, watching the way you picked at your nails without realizing it.
"This dear friend is the one who acts like your mother, correct?" Seokjin asked to receive a nod.
"Miss Arla. She's really the only person in the village who takes care of me...these days, I'm starting to become friends with the farmer I'm helping," You admitted. "I guess it just feels like if I quit, I'll lose my chance of getting closer with him. Maybe he'll get upset with me and then Miss Arla will be very persistent on figuring out why I quit a job I barely started. I don't want to worry you guys, but I also can't ignore the people in the village. The way life works over there...it's far different from how it is in the castle."
"I can't even imagine." Seokjin pursed his lips. He wasn't always serious and sometimes he struggled to fully grasp a situation. There wasn't much Seokjin knew of the world. While you were stuck on this entire island, all he knew was the lake up in the mountains. His world was smaller until a few weeks ago. "You're living two lives."
"I feel like I always have been."
"I'm sure that's not easy. But you know why we're all worried for you," Seokjin said. "At the same time, there's stuff that they can't understand about your human life. I say, do what you have to do and try not to get hurt by this vampire. Worst case scenario, you get saved by Jungkook and scolded by him again."
"You're encouraging the exact opposite of what they want." You giggled as Seokjin scrunched his nose slightly, almost as if he was in denial of that fact.
"I'm trying to be helpful." Seokjin put a hand on his chest. "Follow your heart and—woah!" Seokjin nearly fell backwards. He hadn't watched his balance, but you instantly wrapped your arms around him so he wouldn't fall. Seokjin was surprised that you managed to stop him in time. "Thanks, heh."
"No problem." You slowly began to release him. You were practically hugging Seokjin and being that close to a handsome guy was not good for your heart. "You know...I think learning how to fall will help you."
"Learning how to fall?" Seokjin raised a brow. It sounded outrageous to him since that was the exact opposite of what he wanted to do. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you were falling back with your legs together like this. Normally, if I were to fall back then I'd try to catch myself with my leg like this." You lifted up the skirt of your dress slightly to show him. Seokjin watched, his eyes twinkling as if he just had an epiphany. "Staying still is good and all, but the ground isn't always flat. I think learning how to fall will help you."
"I'll try that." Seokjin was grinning from ear to ear now as he stared down at his knees. He bent them slightly, eager to try out what he had just witnessed. He still had his leg braces on and he couldn't wait for the day Hoseok says he can walk without them.
"I guess...I'll go do what you told me." You smiled back at him. With that said, Seokjin looked back up at you and winked. He had no clue just how much he was flustering you with that. Did Jimin teach him that? If so, Jimin needed to stop teaching Seokjin those things. You might just pass out. "I'll see later then, Seokjin."
"Farewell." Seokjin waved. He stayed at the top of the stairs as you hurried off to get on Malakai. Youngjo flew off the stone steps to join you outside of the castle gates.
The conversation with Seokjin actually did make you feel better. He may be saying things the others wouldn't approve of, but you appreciated it. There was a lot you needed to take care of and figure out. Others in the village don't know the secret responsibility Jungkook placed on you, but you also needed to take it seriously. Finding a balance sounded impossible. Somehow you'll reach it, though you knew there was going to be bumps along the way.
"You're going back to the farm with the vampire?" Youngjo questioned as Malakai jumped over a log.
"I'm not going there to find the vampire. I'm going there to talk to Florian and tell him I can't help daily." You thought that was the best solution. It was the most casual answer you had at the moment and it was completely reasonable too.
"Are you going to flirt with this human male?"
"Goodbye, Youngjo." You weren't going to bother having this conversation with him. Youngjo could caw and call after you all he wanted. Malakai was already running faster to head out of the forest and towards the village.
The last thing you heard from Youngjo was that if this human wanted to be with you then he would have to go through him first. Fighting a raven wasn't something you wanted your future lover to do. Of course, you understood he saw you as his mate and yet...it wasn't going to happen. Poor baby. You're positive Youngjo will be fine though. In the meantime, you hoped he wouldn't overthink any of your relationships with guys and hopefully you wouldn't do the same. But this also wasn't your main concern after this morning.
Jungkook was able to rescue you if you were in danger thanks to the necklace he gave you. In case the vampire appears again then you'll do your best to protect yourself and try not to have Jungkook called. How the necklace worked was beyond you, but you knew the basics of what it did. You also knew your typical reaction to life and death situations. In order to not freeze up, you were mentally preparing yourself for anything on the ride. Stay calm and breathe. You were already thinking up spells to use if the vampire decides to appear again. Seeing as how Jungkook almost killed him last time, you doubted the vampire would show up.
Malakai made his way to the back of the farm where Florian would be. You looked around with perhaps a little too much eagerness. He had to be around here somewhere. Leading Malakai down the dirt path further into the field, you kept a look out for Florian's dogs. They never came out to notify him that someone was here. The only thing you heard were the sounds of other animals. The horses that were in their stalls, the cows grazing on the field, and the sheep bleating. Eventually your eyes landed on the goat pen. So many of the goats were gone, but one adult. Except now you were seeing two small baby goats playing with each other.
"Oh my gosh, they're so cute." You leaned over Malakai slightly, hoping he would walk closer to the goat pen. Instead of that, your horse wasn't moving from his spot. You furrowed your brows when realizing the uncomfortable behavior Malakai was displaying. He was refusing to look at the goat pen as he let out a whiny. "Hey, hey. It's okay. Malakai!" You held onto his reins tightly as he started to walk back. He didn't want to be here and made that clear when he began to kick his legs. "Malakai!" You shouted out of panic.
If you stayed on him any longer then you might fall on your back but getting off him safely was practically impossible. You were gripping onto the horn of the saddle more than the reins at this point. Removing one foot from the stirrup, you automatically regretted it. Now you felt even less control over your body and Malakai was struggling to comprehend what was scaring him. He turned around just as you took your other foot out and fell off of him. At least you landed on your two feet, but your body still collapsed onto the ground.
"Oh, Malakai..." You winced, holding your head up to watch the black horse go towards the front of the farm.
There would be some minor bruising on you. On the bright side, nothing was broken and you would be able to walk this off. You pushed yourself up from the dirt to stand on your two legs again. At least the wind wasn't knocked out of you. Sighing, you began dusting off the dirt that had gotten onto your clothes and removing the few pieces of dried grass that decided to attach themselves to your dress. Today was not your day. Another sigh left you before you looked back over at the two small goats. They weren't playing anymore to your surprise. The animals had gone quiet until one baby goat yelled at the intruder that finally decided to show himself.
"Greetings." Black smoke revealed the pale face you met yesterday. He smiled at you, his fangs not easing your worries.
"Stay away from the babies." You balled your hands into fists. Already you were trying to act tough, but Yoongi wasn't intimidated. He continued to smile and chuckle at your demand.
"I wasn't planning on hurting them. I'm not a monster." Yoongi shook his head as he started walking closer to you. He tilted his head when watching you take a step back from him. One strand of his black hair fell forward onto his forehead when you raised your hand up. With the blink of an eye, Yoongi was right in front of you and holding your arm tightly.
"Hey! L-Let go!" You grunted. He was much stronger than you, causing your heart to pound faster in your chest. This was going way worse than you had hoped.
"You think I'm going to allow you to hurt me?" Yoongi narrowed his eyes. "I sensed something different in you, but to discover it was magic...I struck gold."
"...da lucem!" You shouted as a ball of light quickly grew in your hand. Yoongi tensed up, not expecting you to cast a spell. Light was much quicker than him as it touched his back and exploded in a flash. Immediately, Yoongi released you and dropped to the floor to hiss in pain. There was no point in trying to fight a vampire when your magic was mediocre. Rather than sticking around, you made a run for it.
"How dare you!?" Yoongi shouted through gritted teeth. Smoke was leaving his back as he felt his skin boiling hot. It felt uncomfortable as his clothes stuck onto his weakened skin. The fact that he got light burns from a human enraged him. His pupils thinned, knowing he would hunt you down.
You also had a bad feeling that Yoongi wouldn't let you get away that easily. Jungkook wasn't around to defeat him so he could take you down a lot faster that way. Or do whatever he wanted with you which was exactly what you wanted to prevent. What did a vampire need you for to begin with? You muttered a flash spell so you wouldn't be wasting all your energy running to escape. In seconds, Malakai appeared in front of you with your legs moving on their own but it didn't last long. He was trying to leave the farm and suddenly having someone behind him out of nowhere did not calm his nerves. Though thankfully, it was you approaching him and not anyone else. You stroked his neck and spoke to him softly despite needing to get away from here.
"To the castle, Malakai," You whispered as he picked up his running speed. You'll tell Florian something came up today and you couldn't make it. Hopefully, him and his family are doing alright.
It was hard to properly think with your mind scrambling. Now was the worst time for it to be acting like that, yet very typical of you at the same time. Malakai was rushing back into the village, but this time you had him avoiding the crowded areas. If people see you speeding through on your horse again, then it would definitely reach Miss Arla. You were dealing with enough as is! Malakai's speed had your cloak twisting wildly in the wind behind you. The cold air of winter was the least of your concerns. Your fingers felt stiff with how tight they were around the reins. You wouldn't let go for your life as you mentally pleaded to arrive to the castle before the vampire could pull something.
The high roof tops were beginning to poke out from above the trees. Relief didn't set in you just yet. Even having it in sight at a distance, you didn't want to start cheering for fear it was too good to be true. You could hardly feel your hands as Malakai neared the gate. The cold air was making your eyes tear up, but you weren't actually crying. No, you were in shock and terribly frightened that the fight wasn't over. You weren't even sure if you were breathing. Once Malakai passed the gates, you reminded yourself to breathe and blinked the pesky sting in your eyes to go away.
"(F/n)? Thou art here again?" Namjoon questioned. You nearly jumped on the saddle until you realized it was his voice. The prince was approaching you with a helmet over his head. Blinking in confusion, you climbed off Malakai and glanced a couple times towards the gates. "What? What is it?"
"It's...nothing." You shook your head. "Um, why are you wearing that?" You pointed to the metal helmet that completely covered his face. Namjoon was wearing completely different attire in fact. Rather than his formal uniform, he had on old slacks and a hauberk tunic. Your eyes widened when you saw a sword attached to his belt. "Namjoon—"
"Are you evading my question?" Namjoon lifted up the small metal piece that allowed you to see his eyes. Naturally, he was glaring at you. When was he not? "You came here on your steed with much haste. I have every right to ask what is happening. Are you alright?"
"...I'm alright—"
"You hesitated." Namjoon huffed. Why wouldn't he just let this slide? You whined, glancing back out to the gate. "See, that! What does that mean? What is out there? Are you being chased?"
"Namjoon, can we continue this conversation inside?" You clasped your hands together. Your pleading was sounding more like a whine. It was frustrating when he was always ready to have an argument than a conversation. As you stood closer to Namjoon, you felt as if time was running out. His eyes were softening on you though to your disbelief.
"Were you crying?" Namjoon brought his hands up to your face. His brows furrowed in worry, examining you. "You have dirt on your face and a small scrape."
"I'm okay, Namjoon, I promise. I wasn't crying—" You shook your head as you grabbed his hands. Removing them from your face, you did your best to tug him towards the castle. He can practice sword fighting or whatever he was doing another time.
"Prithee, (F/n), don't act strong." Namjoon's caring attitude had poor timing. Why now!? You were close to pushing him except you knew that would end with him yelling at you and trying to do that out here.
Namjoon was human too and there was no way you were leaving him out here with a vampire on the loose. It didn't matter if Namjoon had his helmet that made him look like a knight. Another whine left you when the two of you felt a strong gust of wind. It would have knocked you down if it weren't for Namjoon holding onto you. His eyes returned to being covered with only small slits allowing him to see the creature that was in front of the both of you. Seeing Yoongi outside of the castle made you feel lightheaded. Think. Think quick.
"Behind me, (F/n)! I'll protect you!" Namjoon moved you to stand behind him.
What in the world does he think he's doing? No, no! Bad idea!
"What's this? Another boyfriend here of yours to save you?" Yoongi scoffed. You were losing your mind with the entire situation. However, Namjoon remained confident in front of you with his armor and weapon. He unsheathed his sword as he got into fighting position. "I'm not scared. Your special lady can actually do some damage. She was rude enough to leave me feeling like I was burning from the inside out."
"She what...?"
"He's a vampire. That's Yoongi," You whispered. This was not going to be good for the both of you. The moment Namjoon heard that, he tensed up. Now he was second guessing his actions. Did he really want to be fighting a vampire?
"...stand back! Don't you dare come any closer, foul creature!" Namjoon shouted. His words didn't affect Yoongi in the slightest. He continued to walk closer, irritating the prince. "Step any closer and you will see how Hell shows no mercy."
"Oh? Threatening me with Hell?" Yoongi approached Namjoon. "Wouldn't I be more acquainted with it than you?" Namjoon gripped his sword tighter as he took a step towards Yoongi. He ignored your quiet pleads to stop. What was Namjoon's plan? Whatever it was, it didn't look promising when Yoongi scowled. The vampire's pupils thinned as his eyes turned red. "Tell me, Human," Yoongi growled.
"Thou shalt not lay a hand on—" Namjoon's words, caused Yoongi's brows to raise.
"I haven't heard people talk like that in a long time..." Yoongi stretched his right hand out. Namjoon didn't see it, but it caught your eye right away. He was only distracting Namjoon by talking.
You tried to run forward only for Yoongi to move. The vampire launched himself at Namjoon, shoving him back in order to make him lose his weapon and temporarily leave Namjoon incapable of fighting. You didn't even have time to gasp. Looking over your shoulder, it hurt to see Namjoon laying down on the courtyard. His helmet was more than a couple feet away from him while his body was already so far from you and Yoongi. Yet again, Yoongi displayed his overwhelming strength.
"Now that that's out of the way—" Yoongi shook his hand out.
"Lux trabem!" You threw your hand in his direction. A quick beam of light cut at Yoongi's cheek, making him grit his teeth. "You don't hurt my friends."
"Really? Right now isn't the time to act all sweet." Yoongi hissed. There was slight smoke coming off his cut, but it was slowly healing itself. Your legs were shaking as you stood in front of him, but you refused to let him be successful in harming you or Namjoon any further. The light spells you knew were limited and they were no where near as powerful as Jungkook's light. Still, you would give it your all.
"Da lucem!" You formed a ball of light as Yoongi ran towards you.
"Enough with the light!" Yoongi dodged the light that you threw at him. He went behind you, twisting your arm and shoving you to the ground.
It happened so fast that you felt dizzy on impact. He brought his cold hands to your neck, frightening you on what would happen next. What other spells did you have? Your breathing was quickening to feel his grip on your neck begin to tighten. Yoongi was grinning when suddenly the ball of light exploded with a flash. He hadn't been prepared for that in the slightest. The attack was delayed and it felt like glass shards stabbing into his skin at a rapid speed. It was enough to push a majority of his weight off of you. The second you were free, you sat up to form another ball of light in your hands.
"I can keep making more of these!" You threatened as Yoongi was stumbling from the pulsing pain. He wrapped his arms around himself, working on tolerating the burning torture of your magic. "You won't win or accomplish whatever it is you desire."
"You're so certain of it?" Yoongi let out a heavy breath.
"She won't allow it and neither will I," Namjoon spoke. Your eyes darted to the tall male who held his sword up to Yoongi's neck. The blade was poking at the vampire's Adam apple, ready to pierce through. This just made Yoongi smile even if his skin stung. Carefully, he turned his head to face Namjoon who had gotten up. The dark glare he was receiving from the prince didn't make him shiver. Another reason caused a shiver to run down Yoongi's spine. Goosebumps appeared on his skin and his throat went dry.
"I-It's you..." Yoongi was stunned. You looked between the both of them in bewilderment, but Namjoon appeared just as lost. He narrowed his eyes on Yoongi, not wanting to fall for any tricks as he held the sword. "I thought you were dead. Everyone saw it at your birthday! You had collapsed and flames consumed you."
"My...? How do you know such a thing?" Namjoon's eyes widened. His grip on the sword weakened to hear his painful past be spoken from another. Especially as if they had been there. That was when Yoongi dropped onto one knee to bow out of respect.
"It's been a while, your Majesty."