It took no more than a single moment for a doctor, as well as the king to come rushing into the dungeon. Jimin still felt resentment towards their previous encounter, but seeing his father run so hard despite his sickness, did make him feel guilty for his stated urgency of the matter.
"What is the matter my lord?" The doctor asked as he swiftly took hold of the prince's forearm. "Are you injured?"
Jimin cleared his throat. Their worry of him was most certainly exaggerated. However it was easing to know how quick they could be if he ever encountered a more immediate emergency.
"No, please." He carefully shook the doctor's hand away from his own, smiling slightly to the two men, not knowing how well it came across in the deep darkness of the room.
"I am fine." He reassured them. "I called you because one of the prisoners is sick. He has a high fever father and if he does not get treated soon...."
"Why son?" His father interrupted angrily.
"Why must you care so much for someone who is a mere prisoner? A thief nonetheless." His father's tone of tight fury made it abundantly clear that this was not a topic he was willing to discuss at the moment. It was highly unfortunate for him that the crown prince was more than prepared to challenge his authority on this matter. He cared for his father, however the man had been maddeningly stubborn lately and though he would often give in to the overwhelming stubbornness of the king, he could not do that today. This was not an exchange he could afford to lose. There was a life at stake. A life he deemed to be worth much more than time it would take to vouch for it. Despite being a future king, Jimin didn't accept sacrificial offerings to be made in his regard. Even if it was that of a mere prisoner.
"He is a good man, father. Something you would know if you had ever given yourself the chance to get acquainted with all the people you send to their death or suffering in this dungeon."
His father scoffed, an angry frown on his face. "I do not have the time to care for those who commit crime when I have a whole kingdom of constitutional citizens who need me." He stated, voice clearly getting angrier as the conversation dragged out.
"He did commit a crime, father, but he is kind. Even you have not deemed his crimes worthy of a death penalty. Are you really going to let him die despite it?" The prince wanted this interaction to conclude quickly in his favor. Namjoon was not well enough for them to have their long, customary disagreements. Their hourless bickering was not an infrequent occurrence in the castle. Yet the situation occurring, was not one which had the time for this scenario to unfold.
"Had he been in his own home now and not here, he would still be just as exposed to passing to this sickness as he is now. We do not have an abundance of tools and resources. There is not enough for us to care for all prisoners whom happen to get sick while imprisoned."
"I am not asking for all prisoners...." Jimin started, his own voice reflected the same finality as his father's. He wasn't losing Namjoon's life to this fight. "Just one." He understood the unfairness in his words, but the desperation was loud in his head and very willing to be unjust to get its way.
"I do not care about the quantity son. One prisoner is still one too many."
The prince was fuming. How dare he! How dare his father sacrifice a life when he had the chance to save it.
"He is one of your land's citizens. Is his life not of more significance to you?" He asked his father, eyes going as dark as the dim dungeon surrounding them.
"No." The coldness of the word that left the king's lips was so intense it felt like a cold gust of wind consumed their frames.
"Humans die everyday for reasons I cannot control. I do not interfere with the decision made by fate and neither should you."
"You don't mean that." The son's voice was low, but he knew his father had heard. He saw the tightening of his fist through the darkness. He knew that if he could, his father would cure himself of the sickness he was slowly wasting away to. If he could, he would interfere with the death angel's plan and let himself live on. He couldn't. Because he couldn't, that was the sole reason why he had grown to be such a bitter man.
"I do." The king answered coldly. "I will only repeat it once more: A mere prisoner is not worthy of our resources."
The prince stared at his father's towering form. It was not one he was normally threatened by, but accompanied by the resentful words he was spewing, the man somehow seemed like he owned much more than the riches of a kingdom.
The man was clearly stating that there would be no further arguing on the matter. When he had turned his back and was about to leave, an idea suddenly struck the young prince. "Well, he is no longer a prisoner." He announced. His father turned back around again, obvious confusion on his face as well as a clear disapprovement of whatever the young prince would say next.
"What do you mean?" He asked impatiently. Sighing. He was already showing signs of the illness's toll on him. It was concerning. They didn't know how much longer he would be able to withstand the sickness's tightening clutches, but it did not look like he would have much more time. He was breathing harder, his blinking was slow, as if it took all his energy to keep his eyes open. The king very clearly needed to sit down and rest, though he had only been standing for a short time. Jimin swallowed worriedly, but let his thoughts of the matter give away to the current event. If his next words served him right then, the prince was soon to end their discussion and his father could rest.
"I, Prince Jimin the third, promote Namjoon to be my servant. This makes him a part of the royal staff which will give him immediate mandatory rights. One of which is the right of medical help when sick or injured." His father glared at him.
"You dare waste your authority on a criminal?" The king questioned. He could disagree as much as he wanted. Jimin had been granted this authority and not even the king could have it momentarily revoked.
"Please doctor. Start the treatment of this newly employed servant." He was not yet king. As a prince there were many decisions he did not yet have the authority to make. There were certainly many that were obliged for him to be able to perform his necessary duties. These, of course, were unspoken within his regime. Nonetheless there were many perks he would not receive until he was officially crowned king. Fortunately he had on his 16th birthday been gifted more responsibilities and authority. One of these responsibilities was the possibility to promote and demote staff members. It was not something he had felt the need to use yet, frankly he had nearly forgotten about it altogether. Luckily he had remembered when it was most needed.
He tried not to look smug as he watched the king. The man looked beyond displeased at the unfolded scenario, yet these were perks he himself had gifted the prince. They were not ones he was planning on revoking unless absolutely needed.
The king sighed. "Do as you please, but I hope you are also willing to face the consequences when this criminal proves himself to be nothing more than a lousy thief and liar." The king rubbed his temples, clearly feeling unwell. "His first workday will be tomorrow, whether he is in good health or not does not concern me." With those words, the king dismissed himself. Slowly exiting the dark dungeons.
Jimin exhaled deeply, content that this had somehow ended in his favor. "How is he?" He asked the doctor. The man looked up from his work.
"He has a very high fever, my lord. I do not believe he will make it under the conditions he has been placed in. He needs a place to rest as well as plenty of water and nutrients. Jimin nodded. That made sense. He thought for a moment more, not sure if the servant's quarters would do him any justice. One thing he was certain of was that he by no means could let the man die. The sacrifices he made might be unfair to all the other prisoners, although he felt a slight guilt for that, he still couldn't help but feel he had made the right choice. As he looked over at the newly promoted servant once again he only received further confirmation of this. He wasn't able to explain why, he really liked this man.
That aside, the situation at hand was fairly concerning. Namjoon was clearly not doing well, shaking viciously on the cold floor of the cell while the doctor carefully did tests on him.
"It does not seem as though he has any underlying health conditions, which most certainly is positive. I believe this too is nothing he will not be cured from with some time and proper care. I can bring him some medicine soon, but I need to get it from my quarters first. If possible it would be very beneficial to bring him to a bed in better conditions than this." Jimin nodded in agreement. That though brought up the question of how exactly they were supposed to get him to a bed. He was not in shape for much walking. The servants' quarters were all the way on the opposite side of the castle and would be an unnecessarily long trip. The prince also wasn't sure how much justice the few beds in the room would do him.
Jimin exhaled dejectedly. This really couldn't be easy for them could it? He looked over at the servant again. His eyes were closed, but he weakly responded to the doctor's questions. This showed that he at least was conscious. In the end Jimin concluded that the wisest, as well as easiest option, would be to bring him to a spare guest room. These were also a short distance away, but certainly closer than the servants' quarters. This way, there also was no worry for the other staff to be contaminated by the sickness.
"Is he well enough to walk?" Jimin asked both the doctor and the servant. "There is not much more choice." The doctor replied.
"Yes... I-I am fine. Don't worry about me." Namjoon said, something which was a very blatant lie.
"We can only just try." The prince said. Crouching down in front of the two others. He softly grabbed Namjoon's hand with a small smile on his face to try to hide the worry which underplayed it. The other man's hand was bigger than his. The hand was cold to the touch as the rest of his body stealing the heat from it. He held a tight grip around the big and slightly rough hand. The servant's hand was slightly limp in his own, there was an attempt of a weak squeeze, it wasn't much, but it was good enough for him.
"Are you sure you'll manage?" He asked quietly.
"I have to manage. Doctor's orders." It was relieving that he was able to speak so in such a light manner despite the situation, this was something which absolutely helped in easing the tension in the room.
"Tell me if you need a break along the way." He told him. The other nodded weakly, slowly trying to get up from the floor, using their still intertwined hands as assistance.
When he got up, the prince was instantly by his side, holding his body which wobbled pathetically as he stood up.
"I am sorry, my lord." He said, trying to push himself away from the prince. Jimin held him even tighter. He could see that he needed the support.
"Don't worry. Lean on me, you need support." He said. Their eyes met for a brief moment as Namjoon moved to lean his head on the royal's shoulder.
"You are very kind, Your Majesty." He whispered, closing his eyes and letting himself be guided along, up the stairs and down a hall.
The tall man was heavy as he leaned on him, his head burning on his shoulder. Jimin didn't mind that. He was happy to help the man and was very much content to get a compliment as his gratitude.
A short while later, they arrived at the guest bedroom. He had purposely chosen the one that was only a few doors away from his own quarters.
"I need you to stand on your own for a moment." He told the servant and the head on his shoulder nodded weakly. "Of course my lord." Namjoon said, voice low and airy. He moved to stand up, but the second he carried his whole weight, he fell forward and leaned his body against the wall. As he did Jimin grabbed the door handle to open the guest room and led him inside.
"You can stay here until you recover. I will personally see to it that you get medicine, food and sufficient care." The prince carefully helped the other lay down in the large bed as he spoke.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Namjoon said, his eyes were closed now and his breathing labored. "I owe you my life." He said, voice overtaken by a heavy tiredness. The prince carefully let go of him, looking at the man on the bed.
"You shouldn't gamble with something as precious as your life." He said and swallowed hard, clearing his throat. "I will let the staff know to bring you food and water."
"I hope you heal well." With those words the prince silently left the room, taking one last glance at the other before he let the door close behind him.