“This is ridiculous!” Chaeyoung exclaimed, tearing the poster out of Seokjin’s hands to inspect it closer, “he’s framing me for our father’s murder?”

“Gosh, I knew Mingyu was diabolical, but this is beyond even him,” Jisoo shook her head, her face lined with concern.

Chaeyoung’s brows furrowed in frustration, and it was probably one of the only times Taehyung had seen her so genuinely angry, “are the people seriously going to believe this nonsense?”

Taehyung leaned back in his seat as he watched the disbelief and shock colour her features. She seemed to be rereading the words over and over, as if the letters would eventually rearrange themselves to form a more believable sentence if she stared hard enough.

Meanwhile, he could hear the citizens’ whispers travelling across the entire span of the room, picking up in intensity and fervor. A few of the men had even risen from their seats. They had recognized her. It was only a matter of time before they were bombarded. Automatically, his hand reached for the steel hilt of his sword.

If it was a battle they wanted, he was ready.

“You’d be surprised what people would be willing to believe,” Yoongi retorted with a bitter scoff, “especially when there is a powerful figure reinforcing the belief. When the difference between following the status quo and possessing your own opinions is death, the choice is obvious.”

As soon as he finished this thought, one of the men standing at the bar behind their table turned briskly. He lunged forward with a yell loud enough to qualify as a battle cry, unsheathing his sword and raising it high in the air with two hands. He had his target set and was running straight towards it – Chaeyoung’s back.

In an instant, Taehyung and Seokjin sprung to their feet. Without another second of hesitation, Taehyung slid across the firm surface of the table on his knees, knocking over and shattering several glasses in the process. With his sword grasped firmly in both hands, and an alarming speed, he was headed straight towards a shocked Chaeyoung. Jisoo hastily grabbed a handful of Chaeyoung’s black clothing and forcefully pulled her away just in time for the attacker’s sword to miss its target. Instead, he was met with Taehyung’s sword directly through his chest.

Blood began pouring out of the attacker like a volcano, soaking the floor, and splattering its surroundings mercilessly. For a second, the entire inn grew silent. Collectively, they watched the body slump to the ground with a sickening thud.

“Lesson number two,” Taehyung glanced down at Chaeyoung before yanking the sword out of the man’s chest, “if you’re going to attack someone, at least do it stealthily. Unless you are actually in a battle, a battle cry is never necessary.”

And then, the battle really started.

More attackers pounced towards them from all angles, some holding legitimate weapons, and others using any resource available; such as, a broken glass, or a wooden chair, to attack. Each of them were of different builds and appearances, but the one thing they all shared was the look of pure bloodlust in their eyes. Everyone wanted that reward, and they were willing to do anything to acquire it.

At this point everyone in the inn was standing. Naturally, Seokjin, Yoongi, Jisoo, Lisa, and Taehyung had formed a protective circle around Chaeyoung – slicing away any intruders instantly.

Bodies crumpled to the wooden ground one-by-one, surrounding them in a pool of liquid scarlet that was so familiar to Taehyung. But despite the amount of times his sword pierced another chest, the amount of arrows Yoongi shot, the number of daggers Jisoo threw, and how many men Seokjin sliced through, their opponents continued to increase. It was an endless ambush. And truthfully, Taehyung didn’t know how much longer they could outlast them.

Just as Seokjin’s sword sliced one attacker’s torso, their waiter, Jackson, appeared in front of them.

“Come with me!” he yelled above all the commotion, “I know a safe way out!”

And then he threw a match to the ground, where he had apparently poured alcohol without anyone noticing. Immediately, a line of fire blazed in front of the attackers, causing them to scream and stop in their tracks.

Without another thought, Taehyung gripped Chaeyoung’s wrist and dashed towards Jackson, the rest of the group immediately following suit. He didn’t know whether he could trust this stranger, but right now, he was their best bet.

Before they reached him, however, the gobbler ran towards Chaeyoung and gripped her wrist, causing her to come to a sudden holt, which caused Taehyung’s body to jerk back as well.

“My lady,” he cried, concern lining his aged face, “what about your shoe?”

“I am so sorry for the inconvenience,” she replied hastily, her hands digging in her coin satchel, “please keep the money, but I’m afraid I won’t have time to wait for the shoe.”

She quickly placed a few silver coins (far too many for one shoe, Taehyung noticed), before they began running towards Jackson again.

He tried to lead them out through the back door but turned sharply when several men poured through it with weapons in their hands. Instead, he led them through the large kitchen, locking the door immediately after the entire group had made their way through. The sound of fists pounding against the wooden door, and then bodies slamming against it filled their ears as they ran all the way through the kitchen until they reached the very back corner.

There, on the floor, was a small trap door that Taehyung presumed was the entrance to the inn’s wine cellar. Jackson went through first and then offered a hand to help Lisa down, who then assisted Chaeyoung, followed by Jisoo, Seokjin, and then Yoongi. Taehyung was the last one.

As soon as he stepped foot on the iron ladder, the door of the kitchen toppled down, and a handful of soldiers burst through it. Their eyes met Taehyung’s and they ran towards him with a vengeance, their heavy boots pounding across the floor and shaking it with each step.

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