The two of them hid behind a thick oak just on the outer fringe of the forest. Beyond the trees and a few feet away was the beginning of the Moon village's markets, the streets much calmer than what the Prince was used to seeing on his secret visits to the village. The gloomy atmosphere of the market just served as another reminder of what had transpired at the castle two days ago – Jungkook's interrupted wedding, Hoseok, the attack, the King's death and escaping with Kim Namjoon.
In wolf form, it would have generally taken Seokjin and Namjoon just around a few hours to reach the village but since they had to avoid shifting as well as using any pathways near the forest roads, the trip had taken them a whole two days' worth of walking.
Technically, they haven't been walking constantly throughout the two days – they had numerous small breaks in between and took turns sleeping at night while the other kept watch. Honestly, though, Seokjin felt that Namjoon made them take so many breaks just because he thought of the prince as just another frail noble omega – or in Seokjin's case royal. Nights did not fare much better too, with the prince being unable to get even a wink of sleep in the presence of an almost complete stranger. Said stranger being an aggressive, annoying alpha and them currently being on the run from murderous faeries did not alleviate the situation either.
All in all, Seokjin was tired, hungry and sleepy and his feet ached too. The prince was familiar with this forest and the surrounding areas of the Moon village but although he could navigate the streets without any problem, his wolf was the one who traversed the forest grounds. A shifter's true wolf form possessed heightened senses of smell, sound and sight that made the complex terrains of the forest seem like a mere child's playroom. Walking through the forest in human form, however, had proved itself to be not so easy - especially if you are a prince adorned in a ten kilogram embroidered dress robe and useless party shoes which were clearly not designed for treks through the forest and were already starting to fall apart.
The prince leaned heavily against the trunk of the tree they were hiding behind, sighing slightly as he looked over towards the market trying to see if there were any villagers he recognized from past visits.
"You need to stay here and wait while I go buy us some clothes, your highness." Namjoon spoke, scanning the prince once from head to toe with an expression of mild distaste. Seokjin couldn't really blame the other for it. The robes really were too flashy. "We will require something less conspicuous if we are to travel without drawing much attention to ourselves."
After mulling over all the pros and cons , Seokjin finally decided that it was best to stay back for now. It wouldn't do him any good to reveal all his cards to someone he did not trust.
The Prince nodded once before pulling out his money pouch to hand over a few gold coins to the alpha. Namjoon looked at the coins for a moment before taking out his own leather pouch and dangling it in front of the prince's face. "I have enough with me." He said, pointing towards the market with his finger and then proceeding to move past the final thicket of trees.
Seokjin watched for a while as Namjoon trudged through the market, occasionally stopping by to exchange a few words with a couple of vendors – probably asking for directions. When the alpha disappeared behind a corner on one of the streets, the prince turned around and walked a few steps back into the forest where he settled himself down, back against a thick trunk.
He drew up his legs so that his knees were pulled against his chest, the bottom part of his inner palms digging almost too harshly into his closed eyes in his attempt to prevent the tears from falling.
The Prince hadn't been able to grieve for his father yet – not with Namjoon around. For years Seokjin had kept everything inside - not allowing anyone to see any of his weaknesses, pretending, ignoring the rude remarks, acting as if he were truly useless; acting like the submissive omega the court's advisors wanted him to be. He only ever cried when he was alone, only the four walls of his bedchambers being privy to his weak side.
For two days and two nights he had bitten his lower lip raw, trying hard to not let his quiet sobs escape. But now, as the alpha was out of sight and the Prince was finally alone, the tears could no longer be held back.
***
Seokjin had finally calmed down just a few minutes before Namjoon came back, hastily rubbing at his cheeks with the sleeves of his inner shirt to remove the tear tracks.
He took a deep breath before getting up and heading over to the edge of the clearing just in time to see the alpha approach. Namjoon's brows furrowed a little but he made no comment regarding the prince's swollen face and red eyes, and it made Seokjin somewhat glad that the alpha chose to ignore it. He was reminded of the fact that Namjoon had lost his own father very recently and just for that brief moment Seokjin felt better, knowing that the two of them had at least something in common, even though that something was obviously not a good or happy thing.
"Here, this is yours." Namjoon said, sliding the newly obtained leather bag off his shoulder and pulling out a few garments from inside it. Seokjin took the clothes and examined them – two pairs of simple cotton shirts and pants in a shade of light blue, an outer robe of a much deeper shade and a dark brown cloak made of some kind of rough material. "You can put your things in this." The alpha handed him a small cloth bag. "Let me go get changed. For now, you can just get rid of that robe and tie the new one to hide your inner clothes. You can get changed once we get rooms at a lodge."
"Why? I can just get changed here too. We shifters change outside all the time anyway."
"Uh...I just - well, since you've never been outside the palace before, I just assumed you wouldn't have had that many chances to shift and that you would... maybe be embarrassed about changing outside." Namjoon scratched the back of his head lightly. Heck. Seokjin wanted to hit himself. He almost slipped up, almost implied that he had been outside the palace grounds before when according to records he had never been permitted to leave. Focus, Jin, Focus.
"Ah, well...there's always a first time for anything." He tried to sound nonchalant. Namjoon's eyebrows went up slightly, as if surprised, but he nodded and walked into the thicket of trees on one side of the path, his clothes in hand. Seokjin stood there for a few seconds, scolding himself some more, before going in the opposite direction. He walked deeper into the forest, to the spot where he knew his clothes that he used on his visits to the village were hidden. Seokjin made quick work of changing his clothes and then proceeded to fold up the soft, expensive garments and the elaborately decorated robe, hiding them away inside the usual hollow trunk. He folded the extra pair Namjoon had gotten him too and stuffed it into the cloth bag before slowly trudging back.
Namjoon was already waiting by the time Seokjin got back, standing with his back against one of the trees. Namjoon's clothes were some of the cheapest kind available in the markets while Seokjin's were fairly expensive – by the Moon village's standards – and even had a little embroidery at the sleeves. The clothes were clearly displaying the difference in social status between them. Seokjin took in the alphas attire and had to forcefully stop himself from rolling his eyes because - what was wrong with this alpha?
One moment the shifter is aggressively rude, making fun of the Prince and his sub gender, spitting out tirades about how omegas were useless beings who wouldn't ever amount to anything. And then, over the past two days, there have been these brief moments like right now where the alpha is so over considerate of the prince – even if it was completely unnecessary - that Seokjin was beginning to wonder if Namjoon saw him as some kind of a brittle glass figurine, maybe like the ones they had on display in the palace.
Seokjin's stomach chose that exact moment to growl embarrassingly loud, startling the both of them. The prince scrunched up his nose in annoyance when he noticed the alpha trying hard to stifle his laughter.
"Let's go get you something to eat, Your Highness." He said with a smirk. Seokjin was really beginning to want to hit the alpha on the head and he would too if the alpha ever made a joke about him and food ever again. The prince slung the bag he was carrying over his shoulder and without any sort of reply to the alpha, he walked out of the forest, trudging over to the nearest stall while looking around. He had three objectives for today – eat, sleep and possibly find a chance to speak to one of his acquaintances from the village.
***
After a brief survey of the market and the nearby streets – confirming the absence of faerie knights – the two of them rented a room at one of the lodges Seokjin had previously stayed in, the prince thanking the heavens that the lodge's owner did not recognize him. In order to save the money they had, Seokjin insisted that they get just one room and after a few minutes of convincing Namjoon finally got them a single room with two beds.
The alpha was currently in the wash area, preparing for a bath, while Jin sat on the edge of one of the beds and contemplated his next task.
He glanced once towards the door to the baths before getting his cloak and slipping outside into the corridor, the door closing behind him with a soft click. Seokjin made his way down to the waiting area of the lodge and then outside onto the street.
The absence of the usual heavy laughter and chatter, the shouts of the vendors as they tried to pitch their wares to passersby and the streets clear of running children cast a sort of depressing ambience over the village.
Seokjin walked briskly with his cloak on but the hood pulled down, rounding corners and slipping through familiar narrow alleys. His destination was quite far from the lodge and it took him around fifteen minutes of darting from one street to another before the small shop finally came into view. The shop's owner was an omega a few years older than the prince himself and he could see her clearly from where he stood at the beginning of the street, her upper body slumped over the wooden counter and jet black hair covering one side of her face as she rested her head on her folded arms.
He looked back once into the alley that he had just emerged from, hoping he had enough time to speak with the woman before Namjoon would eventually come looking for him. With no suppressant tea over the last two days the effects of the herbs were starting to wean and his scent had been getting stronger, meaning that if the alpha decided to follow him then it would prove to be an easy task - all he had to do was follow Seokjin's scent.
He strolled over to the shop and tapped on the counter lightly, immediately drawing the woman's attention as she perked up at the sight of him.
"Hello there!" she sing-songed in a teasing voice. "The mystery man has finally decided to make an appearance. It has been over two months since the last time you showed your face, Jin."
"Hello, Eva." The prince greeted her with a smile. "It is good to see you too."
"Where have you been all this time? You missed the festival too. You've never missed a festival before."
The Midnight Festival was one of the most important festivals in the kingdom, celebrated every sixth full moon. The villagers prayed to the Luna for good luck, fortune and longevity at the Luna's temple located in the village's central square and celebrated until morning with food and wine. It was at one such Midnight Festival that Seokjin met Eva and they have been friends ever since.
"I was visiting a trader pack at the border of the Yellow Kingdom," Seokjin lied. "and by the time I was done with my work it was already too late. I wouldn't have made it in time."
It was not a complete lie though. The prince had been trying to map out a safe route to the Yellow Kingdom, venturing further and further away from the palace with each one of his outings. For the past few months he had been timing his expeditions with his days off of tutoring so that no one would question his absence, but each trip had been hard on the prince, tiring him out so much that he all but collapsed upon reaching his rooms back at the palace. His stamina was good when compared to most omegas but still, he was no alpha and his wolf was always over exerted at the end of the long, arduous journeys.
All of it was worth it, though, and with each trip the prince gained new information and insight into the life of people of the Luna Kim Clan's kingdom. His ventures to the outside world had taught him what the palace's library could not.
"You chose a bad time to return, Jin." Eva's childish tone was replaced with a more serious one as she shook her head. "Although I am very happy to see you, you must leave. Leave while they still don't know you are here."
"What happened here, Eva?" Seokjin enquired, a hundred different scenarios running through his head already, with most of them involving the Royals.
The woman pulled her hair back into a ponytail, securing it with a black band. "The King is dead." Seokjin's hands unconsciously clenched into fists as he tried to maintain his composure, to not let the mask slip. He had already made peace with his father's death earlier in the day. The attack had come as a complete surprise and he wouldn't have been capable of saving his father anyway. The most important thing right now was what he was supposed to do moving forward.
The prince's face displayed an expression of faux surprise as he tried to question further.
"Oh Luna! How did that happen?"
"We didn't know anything until today morning too, Jin." Her voice was barely audible, sadness seeping through.
Seokjin felt a little bit of pride at the knowledge that the people mourned the loss of their king, his father. It meant that the kingdom's subjects admired the king, unlike some of the other rulers he's read about in history books – past monarchs whose names all but vanished from the people's minds as soon as their rule was over, swept away along with the dust and sand.
Seokjin prompted his friend to elaborate and Eva continued.
"Two faerie knights came a little after dawn." The prince was glad that he and Namjoon had not run into them. "They were Royals. They informed us of the King's passing two days prior and said that the Luna's land was now under the control of the Faerie King." The prince bristled at the thought of their land being in the hands of the Royal's King. But...
"Wait, How could they reach here so fast? If it was two days ago then it's impossible for faeries to reach here already." He and Namjoon themselves reached here just a few hours before so it shouldn't be possible for the faerie knights to arrive before them – unless they were sure of their victory prior to the attack and set off for the village beforehand. "They aren't wolves, so they can't exactly shift and run all the way here."
"Teleportation magic." She replied as the prince moved aside a little to make room at the counter for a customer who approached Eva's shop.
"Isn't that incredibly rare, though?" he whispered as the customer relayed the list of items he needed. Eva gave him a small nod.
"Yes, it's rare. But I suppose they made the best use of their powers , don't you think so? Makes message delivery so much faster." She replied after the young beta patron had left upon receiving the wares and paying.
Yes, faster and so much more problematic.
"What about the princes? Does anyone know what happened to them?"
Eva shook her head from side to side. "I think they escaped because there was talk of a reward for anyone who provides information about them. I don't know why they even bothered with it – it's not like any of us commoners ever even saw either of the princes. We don't even know how they look."
Oh, Eva. You don't know just how wrong you are about that.
This little bit of news was good though because it meant that Jungkook had successfully escaped. He hoped that those three were safe and together, wherever they are. For the time being, Seokjin was satisfied with the knowledge that they were most certainly alive.
"They are going to take people away, Jin."
"What?" The prince clamped a hand over his mouth after his outburst; he looked around to check if it had drawn anyone's attention. Thankfully, the few villagers who were around spared him no more than a second before going back to their own tasks.
"We were told that a convoy would come tomorrow and that some of us will have to go with them."
"Go where?"
Eva shook her head, not knowing the answer.
The prince turned away from the counter and faced the street. Even on this one narrow path he could recognize at least five faces. Seokjin probably knew half the village by now; after all, he had been making visits to the Moon village for over three years. Many were just acquaintances with who he had exchanged just a few words in passing, but there were some that he considered good friends too; shifters who had welcomed him with open arms despite not knowing much about him, not even his full name. The prince had been lying to them all along but all he received in return was their friendship and hospitality – his days at the village during the Midnight Festivals were some of his happiest memories.
And tomorrow these people who gave him happiness were going to be taken away into the unknown. They could be killed, they could be turned into slaves or subjected to torture and once again Seokjin would be powerless; would be unable to stop it from happening.
"You can run away! Leave now and there would be no one for the convoy to take away tomorrow."
"We can't do that," she stated, "they have the village's records and will come after us if someone's missing."
"But you will have a chance!" the prince eyes were pleading, urging his friend to listen to him. "If you get taken away, you don't even know if they will keep you alive but if you escape, at least you will have a chance to survive."
"Jin." The prince locked eyes with the omega at the sound of his name being uttered in a tone of voice he had never heard her use before – steely, sad and final. "They killed people. At the square today, four alphas were murdered right in front of our eyes for trying to oppose the faeries. There would be no mercy if we do not follow their orders and going with the convoy is our best bet. That way, at least some of us may manage to stay alive. But if we escape now, then we will be dead the moment they find us. "
Seokjin's lips were pressed into a thin line as he stood there and took in his friend's defeated expression. There was no joy or hope in her eyes – only a quiet resignation.
The prince leaned over the counter and took Eva's hands into his. Both of them were omegas but Jin was taller, stockier and broad shouldered and Eva's hands looked tiny in his own. His friend was startled a little, seeing as Seokjin was never the one to initiate any physical contact, but did not protest.
"You have to promise me that you will stay alive, Eva." The woman squeezed his hands lightly, smiling in reassurance. "If by any chance you get taken away, you have to stay alive. I will find a way to help you. And everyone else,"
The black haired omega withdrew her hands from the prince's and looped them around his neck, pulling Seokjin in for an awkward hug given that the counter was in between them.
"I'm not sure what you can do to help at this point, Jinnie." She whispered, her breath stirring the prince's hair. "But it's good to know that there will be someone thinking of me." She pulled back from the hug and hastily wiped at a stray tear that escaped her eye.
"Now!" she beamed at the prince. "Let me close shop and then we can go get some food. It's almost noon."
"Ah...about that, maybe tomorrow?" he said, and then added, "If everything goes well. I'm here with an acquaintance of mine, actually so I ought to get back soon."
"Ohhhhhhh!" she dragged on the syllable, a teasing lilt to her voice and a smirk on her face. Seokjin rolled his eyes, already knowing where this was about to go due to past experiences.
"An alpha?"
"Yes..."
"A potential mate?" she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
"Heaven forbid, No." the Prince scoffed. "More like a friend of a friend." This was true since he actually considered Jimin to be a friend of sorts, despite having met the other only twice. "We were going in the same direction and decided to travel together."
Eva pouted at his answer, disappointed that there would be lack of juicy gossip.
"Okay, then...do you need anything else? Stuff from the shop?"
"Actually, yes." Seokjin sighed, glancing down at his footwear which was falling apart, the small precious stones stuck to the fabric winking at him disgustingly as they glittered in the afternoon sun. "I think I'm in dire need of new shoes."
***
The prince estimated that it had been about half an hour since he left their room at the lodge and by now, the alpha was surely out of the baths and probably looking for him. Seokjin knew that he ought to head back but he needed to make just one more stop.
His feet felt better in his new, comfortable shoes and he hummed a tune under his breath as he weaved through the narrow streets, heading for the nearest apothecary.
As he approached the run-down shack he saw the herbalist hand two satchels of herbs to her customer. One was given openly above the counter, while the other was hurriedly sneaked into the customer's hand. Selling faerie herbs was illegal and so was buying them, but it was also what the prince needed right now.
"Hello." He greeted the beta shifter who smiled at him upon recognition.
"Hello, Jin. What tea would you like today? I got some new varieties imported from the human continent recently."
"No tea for me today, Chae." The prince replied, returning the smile. "I was looking for some herbs."
"Oh, okay then. What kind?"
Seokjin listed off the more common herbs that he needed and the beta weighed each kind and packed them into separate morsels before putting them into a satchel and giving them to the prince. Seokjin bit his lip, contemplating if he really needed to this. Getting the herbs would involve him spending a notable amount of money but not buying them would mean the effects of his suppressor teas would wear off completely by tomorrow. According to Hoseok, his friend's father schemed with the faeries and aided the attack on the castle, so there was no telling just how many of the king's people were cooperating with the enemies. It is possible that they could resort to using scout wolves to sniff out either him or Jungkook by their scent. The prince decided that the extra protection the suppressors offered was worth the money.
"Do you perhaps have Fishtail?"
The beta narrowed her eyes slightly, but nodded. Seokjin was glad that he knew the woman as it spared him the questions that would usually accompany the purchase of such illegal commodities. Chae moved slowly, glancing out at the street behind them as she packed the amount of Fishtail herb that Seokjin specified.
"Anything else?"
"Nymph's Tears."
It was a rare plant that, according to his knowledge, grew deep within the Whispering Woods – on the banks of lakes and ponds. There was nothing particularly special about the plant's appearance but the leaves secreted a kind of sticky substance that made the morning dew that dripped down from them seem like falling tears suspended in mid-air.
The herbalist looked him hard in the eyes, studying him before sighing and bending down to retrieve something from below the counter.
"No wonder your scent was always so muted." Seokjin just smiled weakly. "It was actually why I didn't recognize you just now, until I saw your face. You usually smell like citrus but now I can also detect roses and dew. It's a nice combination – fresh and comforting."
"Thank you." He knew he smelled citrusy but no one ever mentioned roses to him before and it was difficult to recognize one's own scent. Chae's long experience running an apothecary must have made her nose extra sensitive to the different scents as she seemed to be the only one to smell the roses and dew.
The omega prince paid for his purchases and bid the herbalist goodbye before heading in the direction of the lodge.
***
He had been walking rather slowly when he first caught a whiff of the scent, smiling at a few people who recognized him and called him over for a chat.
Namjoon's salted seaweed smell was not exactly bad but it did not sit right with Seokjin's inner omega, the prince's nose scrunching up unconsciously when the alpha's scent invaded his nose. He ignored his omega's warning to stay away from the scent and started walking towards the direction from which the scent was coming. He slipped down another street, his eyes darting around to see if he could spot the alpha.
He saw him then, just as the alpha turned a corner and ended up at the far end of the path. Namjoon had not spotted him yet, as he was not looking forward but instead turning his head from side to side, scanning the people in his immediate vicinity.
Seokjin cleared his throat, about to call out to the man.
A hand came up from behind him, clamping over his mouth harshly and muffling the sound of Namjoon's name as an arm circled about his torso, pulling him back, back, back and away from the street.
The prince struggled to break the person's hold, thrashing around in the other's arms but it was futile as he ended up being dragged into a dark, narrow gap between two houses and behind a tall stack of wooden crates.
"You better stop moving around, Your Highness." Came a voice right by his ear and Seokjin froze because this person knew who he was.
***