Taehyung had his knees to his chest, his arms wrapping around himself as he sat in the corner of the room, the mutters and whispers of the people around him fading away with every passing second. He stared ahead, his eyes lacking the typical light, his pale face swollen with tears, his lips parting with a heavy sigh.

“Taehyung, t-talk to me!”, the voice stung his ears as two arms violently shook him.

The silent prince pushed off the other, standing up on his feet; without a thought, he walked forward towards the bed at the centre of the room, pushing through the royal doctors and kneeling down by the mattress.

He grabbed hold of the lying figure’s cold hand. “Jungkook, my fervent fire… It is past noon, and I shall not have lunch without your presence. Rise, will you?”

“Taehyung, please…”

The aforementioned turned around and saw his brother beside his father, both wearing a dull expression on their faces.

“Son, would you please step away? The doctors need to treat his wound and see to his injury…”, the king spoke in a hushed tone, his voice strained.

Taehyung shook his head, letting out an inaudible sigh. “He fell in front of my poor eyes… We heard a sound and we prepared to leave as soon as we called for the guards, but a-an arrow pierced through his chest… The guards killed the criminal though, for which we must be relieved! Let us rejoice, for the wandering offender and his team has been captured!”

“Rejoice?”, the Jeon King asked with furious eyes.

“Of course! Let us continue celebrating our unification! Jungkook will wake up in no time, and he shall join the feast! He is strong, and this wound is of no harm to him! Do not worry, Your Majesty!” Taehyung forced a smile at the king before turning to the prince yet again.

“My lover, won’t you stir awake now?” He kissed the knuckles of the other’s hand as the doctors continued to check the lying prince’s breathing and treat his wound.

Audible gasps and whispers echoed within the room as a result of Taehyung’s affectionate reference and the romantic act; before either of the kings of the three kingdoms could speak, Taehyung let out a muffled cry at the doctor’s words.

“Your Majesties, Your Highnesses… Forgive me, but His Highness’s breathing has stopped…”

Taehyung fell back, his hand slipping from Jungkook’s, as a fresh stream of tears rolled down his cheeks. He let out a shallow breath as he crawled towards Jungkook again, wiping away his tears immediately.

“No!”, he cried. “Jungkook, don’t leave me! My fervent fire, won’t you wake up? Please!”

He struggled to break free of Namjoon’s hold as he was dragged back, the distance between him and the lifeless prince increasing with every second. “Jungkook!”

The journey back to the kingdom was awfully quiet, the only audible sound being Taehyung’s uneven breaths amid the deafening silence. Upon requesting a private funeral for the Jeon Prince, the other kingdoms had no choice but to leave.

Taehyung shut himself in his chamber at the moment of arrival, refusing to have lunch or dinner without his beloved prince. As he dismissed his servant and sat by his desk, he stared out the window, his eyes stopping at the royal gardens. “Jungkook…”

Feeling the need to subside the scorching pain in his wounded heart, he spent the silent night with his mother’s pages of poetry, not a single word leaving his lips as he embraced the aching agony.

“Your Highness… I was asked to give you this letter…”, his servant stated the following morning as she approached him by his desk, a single letter in her hand. “The royal messenger had picked it up from the Jeon Kingdom upon an urgent request. I-It is an unfinished, undelivered letter from the J-Jeon Prince…”, her voice quietened out.

Taehyung whipped his head around, eyes widening as he took the letter out of the other’s hand impatiently. Unfolding the letter, he let out a breath he didn’t realise he held in.

My wise wind,

I am writing my first letter to you, and my fingers shake with anticipation as I await a response. It has been two days since my departure, and I could not hold in the urge to reach out to you. A friend, you have defined us to be as of now, but a lover you will always remain in my heart.

My father had requested me to visit the Lee Kingdom with numerous gifts as a