Taehyung stepped out of the room.
Jungkook needed only those 120 seconds of Taehyung's absence to search the room. It was a fool's errand, really, to believe Taehyung would leave the crown, the very reason Jungkook had partnered with him, lying out in the open. Still, he ransacked every drawer and cupboard.
"Ahem," Taehyung's voice boomed, loud and clear. Jungkook whirled around to see him leaning against the doorway, a smirk playing on his lips. "Not that stupid"
"I wasn't—" Jungkook sputtered.
"Save it," Taehyung interrupted, swinging a satchel on his shoulder. "I've got the essentials. Now, if you're so desperate for the crown, lead me to your precious friend, and the sooner the better."
"Fine," Jungkook grumbled, accepting defeat.
Together, they made their way towards the window. Stepping onto the sill, Jungkook glanced at Taehyung.
"You want us to jump out? Don't you have a door? You know, like a normal house?""
"Of course I do," Taehyung retorted, lowering a rope.
"Great, let's use it then" Jungkook huffed.
"It's sealed shut," Taehyung muttered, his gaze flitting nervously towards the shadows.
Jungkook frowned. Why sealed? Had Taehyung done it, or someone else? The questions snagged in his throat, choking off his retort.
The crown. He needs the crown. He cannot afford to ask these questions.
He sighed, clambering down the rope after Taehyung. As they crossed the moonlit fields, Jungkook filled the silence with chatter, trying to ease the unsettling tension that simmered in the air. But Taehyung barely acknowledged him, his eyes darting from tree to bush, like a creature unused to open daylight.
"There's no need to worry," Jungkook finally blurted.
"What?" Taehyung snapped, eyes wide.
"You keep looking around as if someone's following us. There's nobody here."
"No. That's not it," Taehyung shook his head, his eyes darting everywhere. "Do you even know where your friend might be?"
"I have a good guess. Let us check there first," Jungkook replied. However, he couldn't shake off a sense of unease about Taehyung's behavior.
A rustle in the bushes sent them both lunging back.
"What was that?!" Taehyung hissed, his voice raw with fear.
"don't worry, could be just an animal" Jungkook muttered, through his own nerves.
"Check" Taehyung urged, a tremor in his voice.
Before Jungkook could argue, something burst from the undergrowth, sending them sprawling.
"THAT THING!" Taehyung shrieked, shoving Jungkook aside.
"It's a bunny," Jungkook said, bewildered, watching the fluffy creature hop to halt in front of them. He turned to Taehyung, whose face was contorted in a mixture of awe and confusion. "A rabbit?" he added.
Taehyung blinked, taking a closer look. "Wait... now that I see it properly, it is rather adorable. But also... strange."
Jungkook focused on Taehyung, finding something oddly amusing in his reaction. For a moment, he forgot their situation, captivated by this boy who seemed surprised by the world around him. Then, reality snapped back, pulling his gaze back to the tree ahead. A paper pinned on the trunk. Jungkook rushed forward, tearing it down.
"Oh-oh," he muttered, his smile fading.
"What?" Taehyung's voice held a note of apprehension.
"Well, remember how I said there's nothing to worry about?" Jungkook's voice strained.
"Yeah, like, two minutes ago," Taehyung deadpanned.
"I might have spoken too soon," Jungkook admitted, handing Taehyung the paper. It was a wanted poster, featuring their faces, masked but unmistakable, and a reward promised for their capture.
Taehyung studied it, his brow furrowed. "No one can tell it's you. Both of your faces are covered by masks; I can only see your eyes," he remarked.
"It's dashing, isn't it?" Jungkook smirked.
Taehyung rolled his eyes, focusing on the rabbit who seemed strangely fixated on them.
"The problem isn't the poster itself," Jungkook continued, his voice laced with urgency. "It's the fact that it's here. The knights must have been around. They could still be nearby. I mean, I'm still wearing last night's shirt. They'll recognize me."
Jungkook sensed Taehyung's distraction. "Can you just listen!? You act like you've never seen a rabbit before."
"I have not."
Jungkook scoffed, "It's impossible. I see at least one every day. There's a lot around. The only way you wouldn't have seen one is if you had never left your damn tower—" He halted the joke mid-sentence as a thought dawned upon him.
"Wait, you had never left the tower?"
"I have."
"You have? With all the looking around and the bunny, it seems like you haven't."
"I didn't get to leave the tower a lot. When I did, it was always night."
"That's unbelievable."
"Is it a crime now to not leave my house?"
"You are crazy!" Jungkook yelled.
"Just give me the Star of Eden. That's all you have to do," Taehyung yelled back.
Jungkook scoffed as he continued walking, "Stealing the Star of Eden was much easier than talking to you."
"Oh, was it now?" Jungkook heard a reply, but no— it was not from Taehyung. He turned to his side to see two knights from yesterday.
"You were the one from yesterday, aren't you?" one of the knights asked.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Jungkook chuckled awkwardly, taking a step back closer to Taehyung.
"And you," the other knight pointed at Taehyung and his silver hair, "you were not the one who fled from me yesterday. But I believe you are somehow involved in this."
"What's your name, kid?" the knight directed his question at Jungkook.
"I'll tell mine if you tell yours," Jungkook smiled cheekily.
Both the knight and Taehyung rolled their eyes. Was flirting his only survival skill?
When this knight didn't answer, the other one did, "Well, his name is Yoongi, and mine is Hoseok. How about you both tell us your names, and you can lead us to your friend so that we can all sit down and have a talk about what really happened? If we find out that it wasn't you who stole the star, we will let you go. Sounds good?"
"As if," Jungkook mumbled. "In the count of 3, run," he whispered to Taehyung. "1... 2..." Before he could say 3, Taehyung took off running, catching Jungkook off guard. The knights quickly ran after them.
"Stop!"
The chase continued through a dense forest and came to a sudden stop at the riverbank. With shared glances and desperation, Jungkook and Taehyung leaped into the water. Yoongi lunged but only caught empty air, falling to his knees as he watched the thieves carried away by the water.
"Search the banks," he commanded, his voice tight with grim purpose. "Leave no stone unturned."
Jungkook and Taehyung weren't simply struggling against the rapids. They were drawn towards a hidden crevice beneath the water, an entrance to a long-forgotten cave system carved into the riverbank's heart. As the water surged into the cavern, it carried them in like whispers, depositing them on a rocky ledge shrouded in darkness.
They lay there, gasping for breath, the river's roar echoing in their ears. Taehyung coughed, spitting out water, and glared at Jungkook. "Nice going, Idiot," he snarled. "We could have drowned!"
"Hey, it was your idea to jump!" Jungkook retorted, pushing himself up and brushing at his soaked clothes. "Besides, I thought knights couldn't swim."
"Knights can swim just fine," Taehyung grumbled, trying to stay afloat. "It's the being trapped underwater with an incompetent thief that's the problem."
Jungkook tried pushing the rocks at the top and the side to find the weakest one; the water was rising. "Don't just stay there. Do something. See if you can break these rocks. We need to escape."
Taehyung breathed heavily, seemingly contemplating his options.
"Do something," Jungkook grunted as he almost pushed out a rock. It moved, but it wasn't enough.
"Close your eyes."
"As flattering as it is, this is really not the right time to kiss."
"Just close your eyes."
Jungkook closed his eyes, reopening them almost immediately. Why would he close his eyes in this situation? He observed Taehyung's closed eyes, his silver hair glowing, illuminating the small cave.
His hair was glowing?
Taehyung's hand reached up to touch the huge rock by his side; his palms glowed. The rock crumbled down and burst into pieces, the water pushed out with force, leading them to land.
Jungkook coughed out the water in his mouth and turned to Taehyung, who had laid down on the ground with his hand on his chest, breathing heavily.
"What in the world was that?"