“Jeon Jungkook!” Sir Jeon’s voice sent chills down Jimin’s spine as he marched over to the two. His large hands pulling Jimin away from his son and quickly wiping the hand, as if he touched scum. “I have warned you countless times to keep your distance. Any one could waltz in here and spread lies throughout the palace! We do not need this.”

“Do not need what? Our allies to think that the Prince is inadequate because he is friends with his servant?!”

Sir Jeon’s eyes darted towards Jimin who’s eyes filled with dread with what was coming. “You are forbidden to serve the Prince until further notice. If you fail to oblige, I will see to it that you are banished from this country.”

“He is mine!”

“You will find another!” His tone softened. “You will be a married man soon, you have no time for this nonsense.”

Jimin glanced at Jungkook one last time in vain before scampering out of the ballroom, he couldn’t let either see the tremble that was taking hold of his whole body. How foolish was he to imagine himself with the Prince? He was illiterate and impotent, how could he had ever imagined himself among the rich and powerful?

 

Jungkook wanted to run after Jimin and apologize for how powerless he was against his own father. “It was my idea to dance father.”

“There is no worth in attempting a compromise, I will not take any risks in the engagement.”

“He would not be doing any damage. You cannot simply remove him from my life.”

“Whether you see it or not, there is more in the gaze you send in his direction. Show your father respect as I am still keeping him in the palace.”

“You just do not want to see me happy since you did not get the life you wanted.” He stormed out before he could be condemned any further. Not even the familiar sound of weeping could stop his feet.

---

“Where is Jimin?” Hoseok voiced out the question that was hovering over all their heads. They were met with the light clink of Jungkook’s teacup.

“He has errands to run.”

Seokjin and Taehyung looked at each other with worry etched in their faces; the eldest cleared his throat. “He never has errands during suppertime. Tell us the truth Jungkook.”

Ignoring the eldest’s lack of honourifics, he harshly set his cup down. “What that pawn does, is no longer my concern. I am done playing with him and he is where he should be.”

“Your highness.” Namjoon interrupted as he signalled towards the door. Jimin walked in with an indecipherable expression and served the dessert without directly looking at anyone. Seokjin watched in frustration as Jungkook wiped his mouth, not even acknowledging what was happening around him.

“Jimin, why are you serving us? Come and sit, we haven’t seen each other in a while.”

“I apologize but I cannot stay today.” Jimin’s voice was raspy, as if he had lost his voice. “Enjoy your dessert.”

Once he left, Jungkook let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. In front of his was a slice of triple chocolate cake; Jimin’s favourite.

Taehyung kicked him under the table. “What have you done?”

“I will be a married man soon. I cannot deal with some servant.”

“He is more than a mere servant. I will take my leave now, and I am taking this cake with me.” Hoseok followed Taehyung out after quickly bowing. The atmosphere was ruined and Jungkook was waiting on Seokjin’s oncoming reaction.

 

“Jimin!” Taehyung caught the servant in the hall with his trolley. “Here, eat up.”

Jimin looked longingly at the chocolatey dessert but shifted his gaze elsewhere. “I shouldn’t”

“And why is that? Are you afraid of getting caught?”

“The consequences are more dreadful than one may imagine. It is not worth the risk.”

For the first time that evening, Hoseok spoke up. His voice pulling Jimin’s attention back up. “One bite, chocolate is your favourite right?”

“Yes sir.”

“I thought ‘hyung’ was my name. Come on now, take a bite.”

Taehyung smiled in disbelief at the sight of Jimin taking the plate in front of him.

“Thank you. It tastes delicious.” They stood for a few minutes as Jimin listened to the two discussing about who made the better cake, Seokjin or Namjoon’s mother.

“Park!”

Jimin quickly returned the plate and wiped his mouth. “I need to excuse myself. Thank you for letting me indulge in something so decadent. I’ll see you soon.”

Taehyung was about to grab Jimin’s wrist but his fiancé stopped him. “We’ve done enough for today.” He had a point, any more lingering around would cause raised eyebrows,

 

Contrary to what Jungkook thought, it was Yoongi who spoke up first.

“You maybe the Prince but you are still a spoiled child in my eyes. What happened today?” He waited for an answer but only raised his voice when he was given silence. “Jeon Jungkook. Why are you pushing Jimin away?”

“I am the Prince! I do not need to explain myself to anybody!”

“Don’t you dare use your crown to avoid this subject! What has he ever done to deserve this treatment?”

“His presence is enough!”

Seokjin and Namjoon could only watch as the two bicker loudly. The eldest gave Namjoon a look and the knight placed his hand on Yoongi’s shoulder.

“Thank you for dinner,” Seokjin gestured towards the door. “hopefully it will be a full table next time”

Jungkook huffed in his seat as he watched everyone leave from the dining room. The events that occurred in the span of the last twenty-four hours replayed in his mind. His head was in his hands as he heard the servants working away in the adjacent room. Jungkook only wondered about Jimin’s whereabouts but it only added more to the annoyance that was brewing inside of him.

“I’ve gone mad.” He threw his napkin on the table and took off out of the dining room.

---

 

Darling was happily eating her hay when Jimin’s head poked through the stable doors. He poured water into the large bucket for the horse to drink but she seemed to have other plans in mind. She only stared at the bucket before neighing in displeasure.

“I would have thought to receive at least a tiny ounce of sympathy from you.”

Darling neighed louder and pointed his nose to the door.

“You and I both know better. I am not allowed to bring you out.”

The look on the horse sent the look that Hoseok had previously given to him. You know you want to.

Jimin sighed and looked around to check if there as anyone lurking around. “One time. No buts.”

He didn’t bother to prepare the saddle, taking the brindle and reins instead. They went out into the grassy fields and walked at a pleasant pace. The moon was full and made Jimin feel like he was being embraced by the warm light; Jimin took a seat on a rock as he watched Darling stroll around.

“You know, your owner is very mean at times.” There was a sniff from Darling. “But despite that, I still worry about him.”

As if she understood, Darling let out a loud neigh.

 

Jungkook was surprised to find the stables empty. He looked around until he heard the familiar sound of Darling. What was she doing outside? His feet froze at the sight of Jimin’s back facing him, shaking from laughter. Darling was walking in circles as if she was trying to get Jimin to cheer up.

He thought back to what Yoongi had said. What did Jimin do to deserve this? Nothing. Jimin was born as his slave and deserved more than to be bossed around his whole life. The ring on his finger suddenly felt heavier and all he wanted to do was to throw the golden band into the grassy fields. Looking back towards Jimin’s thin figure, Jungkook ran back to the castle before he did something he would regret.

---

 

Every man and woman that was assigned to be the new servant was dismissed by Jungkook by the end of the day. Their responses to his jokes and stories were too practiced, too fearful and Jungkook hated to teach a his whole life’s worth of habits and rituals to an emotionless follower the day prior. His schedule was becoming more hectic and the only time that he could catch a glimpse of Jimin was at midnight where he was sitting on the rock with Darling sniffing around and eating the grass.

Jungkook was informed by his servant (#28) that the King had planned to banish Jimin on the day of his wedding, a way to twist the knife that already found home in himself. Of course Jungkook knew better than to believe in a rumour carried by the lesser grades of the palace but it still shook him up enough to take a visit to Seokjin’s estate.

 

“Are you back to your old self? Or is the new and improved Prince still here for a visit?” Yoongi was still bitter about his treatment towards Jimin, after all it was Yoongi who catered to the cuts and scrapes that the servant had when they were all younger.

“I am fearing that he will follow his family’s footsteps on the day of the wedding.”

Seokjin’s cheerful energy was quickly converted into an ominous spirit. His eyes narrowed. “What are you planning to do to stop your father?”

“I cannot disobey the King-”

Yoongi lifted Jungkook up by the collar. “You will become a weak and powerless ruler of the country if you repeat what your father had done in the past.”

 

After his visit, Jungkook went straight to his father’s quarters with a new resolve in mind. Sir Jeon was reading a book and let his eyebrows quirk in response to his son’s sudden appearance.

“Father.”

“My dear son, what brings you here today?”

“I have a request, but you must listen until I finish speaking.” After receiving a curt nod, Jungkook took a deep breath and looked directly in his father’s eyes. “I am requesting you to let my coronation be before the wedding. If you insist on me marrying Lady Lee, I would like to be a King before I take her hand.”

“What are you up to Jungkook?”

“Trying to live in this palace the way I want to. Do you not support me father? Do you really hate me that much to let history repeat itself?”

“I do not hate you. I want to protect you from what I had learned when I was your age.”

Jungkook wanted to laugh at the irony. How could someone who claimed to love him, try to take away his love? “Times have changed father, I will do anything to pull the coronation to an earlier date.”

“Anything you say?” Jungkook watched as his father set his book aside to give his full attention. “Let me do the honours of banishing Park Jimin from this country and you will become the next King.”

“Go ahead your Majesty, I do not care.” Because Jungkook thought back to what he told Yoongi earlier that day “-but I can do something that no one has ever done in the history of mankind.”

---

 

It had become a fixation in Jimin’s day to take Darling out to the top of the hill. He loved to watch on his spot on the rock as Darling flaunted her new tricks. But there was something about the rock that caught this attention tonight, something gold. He found an envelope on the rock and was grateful that the moon provided enough light to read the letter inside with much ease.

 

My Dearest Jimin,

As the days to the wedding are counting down, so are the days until I become the next King of our sacred country. My father has declared that the last wish he has for this country, is to have you banished.

Despite the ways I have treated you in the past few weeks, I truly hope you still find faith in me. To trust my words and let me guide you to safety. I will never let my father hurt you ever again. Not when I rule this country.

Darling is as much as mine as she is yours. I want you to take her, and leave our palace for a while. Go into hiding, go so no one knows where you are. If it is destiny for you to be mine, then I will find you no matter what obstacles there may be to separate the two of us. Do not send me letters , nor do you send me your location. I will not have your safety in the hands of a common delivery boy that can be bribed with mere bread and butter.

I have placed a sufficient amount of money and a compass in the right side of Darling’s saddle; the left contains herbs and medicines that you may need. Though I hope you rarely need to touch the latter.

You deserve to live freely Park Jimin. Even if I do not succeed in finding you, you deserve more than to be running around the palace in the plain clothes with chores that never seem to end. Know that if I end up marrying Lady Lee, I would have failed you and all the love I feel towards you. Let us pray that it will not come down to that.

In all my sincerest and humble apologies, I love you Park Jimin. I wish we were born under different circumstances. Where we would not need to hide our feelings. Maybe our lives would have been more simple.

Your Prince and Love,

Jeon Jungkook.

 

Jimin swallowed the lump that was in his throat before letting the tears fall freely onto his lap. He wanted to run inside the castle and find Jungkook but he knew it was futile. Something grave was approaching and there was no other way for Jimin to run than to do as he was told. He held the letter close to his heart and brushed Darling’s mane. “Tomorrow night, I’ll take you further than this hill.”

---

 

Posters of Jimin’s face were plastered all over the villages and towns, there would be a reward if he was brought (dead or alive) to the Palace. Jungkook was relieved to find the stables and hill empty when he checked the night before the posters were put up. The coronation date was settled in a week’s time and the Prince kept himself busy with training and tea time with Taehyung.

“How will you manage Lady Lee?”

Jungkook smirked and drank his tea gleefully. “She certainly has her eyes on the Crown Prince of the neighbouring kingdom. I made  it very clear to her the night before that I was absolutely uninterested in women, especially ones like herself.”

“I am taking it she took it well that she is helping you with your plan?”

“I promised her to introduce her to any man she desires after I become King.”

They chatted about nothing as Jimin came into their minds.

“Did he left anything behind?”

Jungkook handed over a silver locket. “His mother gave him this, and I trust that he is safe with Darling.”

“I will help you find him afterwards, so will Hoseok and the rest of us.”

“People will be writing books about us in the future if we do succeed.”

Taehyung let his thumb run over the smooth surface of the locket. “And we will.”

---

Prince Jeon’s coronation was grand. There were scholars and lords from across the country to witness the great event. There was a new weight on Jungkook’s shoulders but none of them came from his father anymore. He was trained for years by the best to be able to lead the country into great things and Jungkook’s plan had just begun. Prince Oh from the northern country had come by to congratulate Jungkook when someone caught his eye.

“Are you interested in Lady Lee?”

Prince Oh looked startled as he brought his gaze back to the biscuits on his plate. “Of course not, she is yours am I wrong?”

“Not yet, and I do not plan to make her mine.” Jungkook played with the ring on his finger.

“Are you in love with someone else?” His voice went low although there were no one other then them in the room. “Was she a commoner?”

“He was my servant.”

 

Prince Oh came by to visit more often and let himself indulge in games of chess with Lady Lee. He had gotten a better relationship with Jungkook and so, he let Prince Oh disguise himself as the King while he went out to the forests to look for Jimin. Weeks of searching had come with empty hands and the wedding was in a few days time. Everyone in the country was preparing for the celebrations and feasts until Jungkook announced that Lady Lee would be marrying Prince Oh in stead of himself. He was waiting for the rage that would come from his father but when the two of them were truly alone, he saw the melancholy that was on his smile.

“I would have imagined you to be furious, father.”

“I am but as much as I am relieved.” He looked out the window, Lady Lee winning her sixth game of chess against her new fiancée. “I have failed you as a father.”

“Let us not dwell on the past, we have done it too much in our lives.” Jungkook took his father’s hand in his. “I am decreeing the end of Jimin’s banishment.”

---

 

Jimin had found an abandoned home deep in the forest. It was more of a shed than it was a house but he was grateful that he did not need to build shelter on his own. Darling kept him company on most days but he let the horse roam free, she always came back before dawn. Food was mainly vegetables that grew in the wild and fish that Jimin was able to catch with a sharpened stick. The golden letter was always on him, taking it out when the nights became too cold or too lonely.

Whenever he sneaked into the nearby village, he would try to catch a few glimpses of the community board. It seemed like Lady Lee married Prince Oh, Jimin remembered the Prince to be tall with a dimple in his left cheek. An honourable man.

“Our poor King, his fiancée running away with another man.” One merchant tsk-ed.

“Will he ever find another loving wife?”

The scholar of the village came over with his fan over his face. “You better watch your mouth, it would be a shame to let his Majesty overhear what you all think when he comes in a few days.”

Jimin’s heart skipped multiple beats as he followed the scholar to a bookstore. “Excuse me, you said the King was visiting?”

“Yes, and who may you be? Can you not read the bulletin?” The look on Jimin’s face told him ‘no’. “You look familiar, what is your name?”

Jimin wondered why the scholar would know him. “Jimin.”

The scholar’s eyes widened and pulled him closer to his chest. “Park Jimin?”

Jimin nodded.

“Go back to where you are hiding, you are wanted by the royal guards. The King is coming in three days time, who knows what he will do if he catches you.”

Jimin nodded but smiled with the newfound hope to see Jungkook.

---

Jungkook was visiting every single town and village in search for Jimin; and there was something odd about the way the last one he was going to. The name it self sent an odd vibe and it was surrounded by an abundance of trees; it was the last place to check before heading back into the palace. If he couldn’t find Jimin today, Jungkook didn’t know when he would ever get the chance to seek him out.

He was walking around the village while giving some coins to small shops when he tripped over a small ledge that lead one into the stores. Jungkook swore he heard a soft chuckle. The ledge had gotten his white pants dirty and Jungkook kept hitting at it to get the mud off. The chuckle became a muffled chortle and the sound stopped Jungkook from all movement. He looked around and saw people look away and mind their own business but the fading sound of giggles made the King’s heart beat fast. Jimin was here, somewhere.

“Have you seen the wanted poster?”

The man at the shoe booth nodded.

“Have you seen Park Jimin anywhere?”

This time the man shook his head and Jungkook left with an unsatisfied huff. He knew everything there was to Park Jimin and he was absolutely sure that he heard his laugh. His guards were waiting to go back to the palace but Jungkook needed more time.

“Go on without me. I will find my own way back to the castle.”

The captain looked in worry. “It is not kingly to stroll around without protection your majesty.”

“It was an order rather than a suggestion.”

The captain looked conflicted but after Jungkook’s soft nudge, he let out a sigh. “Just this once. Your father would have me beheaded if he knew.”

 

Jimin ran back to the scholar’s home, he had become friends with the young boy. He let Jimin tie Darling at his house when he sneaked into the village. Jungkook’s face in his mind as he placed the saddle on the horse. He had matured better than he could have imagined; shoulders becoming more broad and his height was even taller than Jimin. He needed to get back into the village with Darling, he was finally found again.

 

Jungkook went around to every home and shop until he was back at the village entrance. He swore he heard Jimin but whether or not he was hallucinating or the terrifying thought that he was hiding from him, Jungkook had not liked the idea of either. The sun had began to set as he made his way back to the palace, his only companion his shadow.

Your Majesty!

He cleaned his ear out with his finger. This was ridiculous.

Please, don’t go!

The sound of galloping seemed too real for it to be his imagination and as he turned back, the wind picked up.

“Jimin?”

“Your Majesty! Why are you walking?” Jimin swiftly jumped back onto the ground and bowed in front of his King.

“Stand straight!” Jungkook was trying to keep the quiver in his voice stable but his eyes wouldn’t listen as tears threatened to fall. “Is this how you treat me after months of recluse? Is a hug not appropriate?”

Jimin smiled softly. “Do you want me to hug you?”

“It is an order.”

“Than I have to oblige my King, do I not?” He pulled Jungkook down to his chest and snuggled his nose in his neck to take a deep breath. Jungkook’s scent making him feel lighter. “I have missed you, your Majesty.”

“And I to you.”

 

 

 

(๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و an epilogue.

 

“Your Majesty, I really do think we should be leaving. The others will be arriving soon.”

Jungkook’s head turned to him as he pulled the two of them back onto bed, skillfully pining Jimin’s arms beside his head. “What is my name?”

“Jungkook.” He blushed as he spoke the name. “Your name is Jungkook, your Majesty.”

“Only Jungkook my love. The only one that is majestic is you.” He bent down to kiss Jimin’s cheek before whispering in his ear. “So it would be a lie to call me your majesty, would it not?”

“Indeed it would be, Jungkook.” Jimin let his face be peppered with kisses before pulling Jungkook’s head in for a quick peck. “As much as I love to be showered with your love, Seokjin hyung promised to bring the his chocolate cake for us today.”

Jungkook reached for his jacket. “How come you call Seokjin ‘hyung’ so easily?”

“If you bake me a cake, I may grant you another title.”

“That was the secret all along?”

Jimin turned to leave. “Although, I would do anything to please you. Your majesty.”

Jungkook followed Jimin out the door. “You do enough by just breathing next to me, Park Jimin.”