What came after the explosion was utter chaos. Word had quickly spread that Taeyong had initiated the attack, causing Chaeyoung’s army to drown in guilt and Mingyu’s army to retaliate with a vengeance. As vicious as their attacks had become, however, the damage had already been done. They had lost the majority of their remaining commanders and thousands of officers. They were in a desperate state of frenzy, using every and any ounce of resources remaining to resist defeat.

The battlefield was a bloody mess, but it was clear that Chaeyoung’s newly reinforced army was beginning to dominate. And for the first time since this war started, Chaeyoung could realistically see the end of it.

While the majority of her own officers remained preoccupied fighting Mingyu in the south, Jaehyun, Jungkook, and Chaeyoung used this opportunity to travel north with the majority of Jaehyun’s warriors to confront the other enemy. The Khitans. Although the rainstorm had temporarily disarmed their canons, the storm had subsided that morning, meaning it would not be long until the cannons fired again. They needed to act fast in a manner that would be beneficial to everyone. They needed a truce.

And who better to negotiate a valid agreement than the soon-to-be queen herself and her newly betrothed fiancé. The army behind them was a show of strength and intimidation. And Jungkook? Well, Jungkook was merely there for moral support. Also, because he could not stand another minute of babysitting Jisoo.

“Well, I must say I am offended,” Jungkook stated rather dramatically as they rode quickly towards the northern border of Goryeo, where the Khitans were stationed.

Chaeyoung threw him a wary glance before refocusing several feet ahead where Jaehyun led his army forward. Everytime she looked at him, images of Taehyung flashed before her. The hurt in his eyes when he had merely overheard the two of them discuss marriage at the masquerade ball. She could only imagine how much deeper that pain would be when he discovered that his worst fear had come true. That Chaeyoung had finally caved in and accepted Jaehyun’s proposal. That she had traded her engagement with Taehyung for another like a simple transaction at the food market. Yet again, she had chosen matters of state over her heart. Once more, Taehyung would get hurt at her expense.

“What are you offended about?” Chaeyoung asked distractedly, her mind swivelling with guilt and pain.

Jungkook scoffed in irritation and turned to look at her with an expression that was a cross between a pout and a scowl, “I am offended that you are engaged to him. I was under the assumption that if your relationship with Taehyung ever ended, I would be second in line for your heart.”

That was enough to successfully snap Chaeyoung out of her cluttered thoughts.

She turned her head to gape at him, “why would you think that?”

“Just a feeling, I guess,” he replied with a shrug, “or maybe because although I have only known you for a few weeks, I feel more connected to you than any of my 3 wives combined.”

Chaeyoung smiled. An action that had become rare for her during the past few days of stress. She had despised Jungkook when they had initially met, especially when he had forced Taehyung into a battle that had almost cost him his life, but as they fought alongside each other this past week, he had slowly redeemed himself. And there was no denying their connection. It was like they shared an unspoken understanding. One that Chaeyoung could not quite describe, only feel. It was not the same deep love and bond she shared with Taehyung, but it was true that she did feel connected to him in some strange, inexplicable way.

“Well, I am sorry to disappoint you,” Chaeyoung replied, turning around again to face the front as the northern border came into clearer view, “but this was not what I wanted.”

“Should I kill him?” he whispered just loud enough for her to hear, causing her to chuckle, “I have a really good view of his back from here, it would only take a few seconds.”

“Thanks, but this is not what he wanted either. We are both only puppets in our families’ schemes.”

Jungkook sighed dramatically, “fine, I guess I am third in line for your heart now.”

“You are not even in the line.”

“Ouch!” Jungkook exclaimed, “my pride is hurt, Princess. You wound me with your lies.”

Chaeyoung laughed despite herself, “the line consists of Taehyung and all his 12 other personalities.”

Jungkook’s jaw clenched ever-so-slightly as he looked away. He remained quiet for a few brief seconds before responding.

“Have you heard from him?” his tone had become uncharacteristically soft, like he could sense her pain.

She exhaled a shaky breath, “no… but I am confident he is still alive. As strange as it sounds, I think I would be able to sense if anything were to happen to him. Like my heart would rip apart instantly or my soul would slowly disintegrate into the air and leave me feeling completely empty. I just feel like I would know.”

“That does not sound strange,” he stated quietly, “it sounds like love.”

Chaeyoung flashed him a sad smile, glad that he understood but heartbroken over the reality of her current situation and what she was giving up.

With a tiny shake of her dark head, she blinked rapidly to clear her teary eyes. Now was not the time to allow her emotions to get the better of her. They had a task to complete and a country to govern. Her tears could wait.

She turned towards the front again and squared her shoulders, tapping the side of Midnight’s back to propel the horse forward at a quicker pace. The border became more and more distinct as Chaeyoung practically flew through the wet forest, the wind pushing against her already freezing body in strong gusts. Almost like it was trying to warn her to turn back. Like it was trying to prevent another tragedy.

But it was too late. In the next few moments, they had reached the border and came face-to-face with thousands of massive, Mongolian warriors. And they were all ready to attack.

~{❀}~

“This is the most unsatisfying outcome ever,” Seokjin pouted, his horse’s gallops matching Irene’s horse perfectly as they raced to reach the Southern battlefield, “how am I supposed to tell the Princess that the enemy she quite possibly despised the most got a peaceful, self-inflicted death?”

Irene gave him a long sideglance, “it would take a lot for a woman of concubine Kim’s stature and power to make such a fatal decision, so I can assure you that it was not a happy death. She had spent her whole life fighting for the crown, and the fact that she stopped fighting means she truly gave up. Sometimes, a forfeit is more devastating than a clear loss.”

“I do not understand how you can always be so rational,” Seokjin shook his head at her, knowing that Irene was right. And although he found her wisdom rather endearing, he was still unsure about how to feel about the entire situation. “All I can think about is how I would have liked to punish the witch for all her crimes and here you are finding the silver lining and constructing motivational quotes out of thin air.”

Irene only responded with a short, surprised chuckle before turning and riding faster away from him and towards the entrance of Chaeyoung’s Southern base. Seokjin stayed frozen in place for a few seconds, trying to engrave her laugh into his mind, while her flock of female warriors and the remainder of his men rode past him quickly.

She had a beautiful laugh. And as he followed the rest of the group onto the battlefield, he made it a personal goal to ignite her laughter more often.

But all thoughts of laughter and happiness faded from Seokjin’s mind when they entered the battlefield. Because what surrounded them was utter chaos. Bodies upon bodies lay sprawled over almost every inch of the field, some wearing red, others wearing blue. Smears of blood, dirt, and murky rainwater coloured the ground. The heavy autumn wind carried the remnants of the explosion through the air, causing ashes, pieces of burnt clothing, leaves, and twigs to stick to Seokjin’s skin. If he looked closely, he could still see the small flickers of the fire flashing through the enemy base.

And among all this death and filth, soldiers continued to fight.

Before Seokjin could join in, however, they were approached by Daesung and Namjoon.

“I see our reinforcements are finally here!” Daesung exclaimed with a small smile, “is your task finished, then?”

“Yes,” Seokjin answered confidently, “we have secured the capital and have come to assist on the battlefield.”

Namjoon patted his back gently, “good, we could use your help. We have just lost two of our own, so the morale is very low. I fear that Yoongi, Jimin, and Taehyung are not in their right minds, maybe your energy could help.”

“Who have we lost?” Seokjin was almost afraid to ask.

“Jennie and Taeyong led the explosion. They unfortunately sacrificed their lives so that all of us could keep ours.”

“Understood, we will do whatever we can,” Seokjin inhaled deeply. He never would have imagined in his wildest dreams that Jennie and Taeyong, the two most questionable warriors on their team, would turn out to be the bravest. The most loyal. The ones who would finally bring an end to the war. Heroes.

With that, the group dispersed. Each of them becoming engaged in combat with the first red-clad soldier they spotted. Hot, vengeful blo