Chapter Text
The bandits were becoming a problem.
They had, at first, only been a minor nuisance to the Kingdom of Zeodora, but over the last six months the raids had been getting more deadly as the ragtag groups of outlaws grew bold. Word had come of a rather large group of these people had set up operations near their largest land trade route along the southern border of the kingdom. The king’s advisors had called an audience with his majesty, stating that the people were becoming fearful of these unprovoked attacks and that it would be wise to deal with them before things escalated beyond control.
The Kim Family had withstood decades of war, espionage, and disease yet had maintained a strong presence despite all odds. They were beloved by the people they served and the thought of anything happening to anyone belonging to said family was a devastating thought to the populace. Unfortunately for them, though, all good things must eventually come to an end as actions had to be taken against the rapidly increasing number of them, with the potential for something more…
The current treaties with the neighboring country were starting to show cracks as they too became disgruntled by the growing issues regarding bandits, meaning that a prompt response was needed to help keep the peace, lest another kingdom begin looking for opportunity to strike and talks of war spread from the merchants traveling as they'd been forced to reroute as certain areas of the mountains became too dangerous to justify any longer.
Seokjin knew that it was now too much for the King to handle alone.
“I must go, Seokjin, I must show the people that the King will stand and defend them against these unprovoked, baseless actions that are meant to strike fear,” King Seokjang shouted. He stormed into his chambers, barking orders at the servants who had followed him to grab his weapons. A flurry of activity erupted as he nearly tore off his magnificent robes in his haste to donne the less ornate ones to wear beneath his armor.
“Father, please, you must stay here where it is safe, this attack happened just inside our borders, they’ve never been this brazen and I fear what they will do if they find out the king himself will respond to such an attack,” Crown Prince Seokjin stated, anxiety bleeding into his voice as he attempted to dissuade his father’s actions.
“And what will the people say if their King does not respond? What will they say if I were to sit back and do nothing?!” The anger in his father’s voice being directed at himself reminded Seokjin of his youth, when such a tone would have made him cower and attempt to calm the atmosphere by giving in to his father’s demands… but he was no longer that young boy.
“I am not saying to do nothing! I am saying let me go, I will take General Kim with me, and we will deal with the bandits…” His words were cut off suddenly by King Seokjang.
“Absolutely not! You are the Crown Prince and my heir, you cannot go off to play war with bandits,” the king’s face had turned a shade of red that Seokjin was quite familiar with, but he stood his ground.
“I will not ‘play war’ with the bandits, Father, I will crush and destroy those who seek to harm our citizens, it is as much my duty as it is yours!” Seokjin knew he was treading on delicate ground, but he knew he was right. He was only eighteen years of age, but he had years of training in the art of war and had tasted his first blood at the mere age of sixteen when assassins attempted to take his life in the dead of night. He had slain all three of them without a scratch to show for it. The king had made sure that his Heir had all the training required to one day take the throne, therefore he had no excuse to keep the young man from performing his royal duties.
“Besides…” Seokjin knew the next words out of his mouth were a bit of a low blow, but necessary if he wanted to have his way. “Mother made you promise to be the one to greet her and my little brother when they returned from our grandfather’s kingdom, and they are due to arrive within the next day or so according to the letter she sent ahead to us…”
He knew his words had done exactly what he wanted them to, the look of longing mixed with betrayal at his son’s words were clear as day on his father’s face. Because the attack had happened just inside their kingdoms borders that would mean at least a day away from the castle, more than two if they decided to chase then down and wipe them out, and the King had never once broken a promise to his Queen, a telltale sign of his love for the Seokjin's mother.
Talks of war began spreading from the merchants traveling the trade routes between countries, starting as whispers that were soon followed by groups of bandits and the harrowing destruction that was a constant presence wherever they went. Trade routes had been forced to reroute as certain areas of the mountains became too dangerous to justify any longer, and Seokjin knew that it was now too much for the King to handle alone.
“I see you’ve decided to use my weakness to your advantage,” King Seokjang spoke after a lingering silence at his eldest son’s words. “Very well,” he said, waving the servants who had just arrived with his armor away. “You will take thirty of the Shadowguard with you along with Commander Kim and deal with these bandits who dare to cross into our borders, show no mercy, take no prisoners.”
The Shadowguard were not just any soldiers, they were the King’s elite guard, sworn to protect and die for any member of the royal family. All hand picked and trained by the most skilled warriors the land had to offer, and fiercely loyal to the Royal family of Zeodora, they had been founded by King Seokjang’s great-great-grandfather after an assassination attempt on the royal family by their own personal guard that had been paid off by a former enemy of their country. The crown prince had taken the blade for his king and lost his own life in the process, prompting his Highness to seek out those willing to give their all for the kingdom. Not only were the skilled, but it had also been rumored that they had been blessed with favor from the gods for their sacrifice, and granted certain capabilities that allowed them speed, strength, and agility above that of a normal man.
Thus, the Shadowguard were a force to be reckoned with.
Seokjin bowed to his king as the latter redonned his ornate robes fit for royalty and moved towards the door to do his father’s bidding.
“Wait,” Seokjin halted his step, turning once again to his father to see him holding out his sword to him. “Take this with you.”
Seokjin stared at the magnificent weapon; it was one of the most beautiful swords he had ever seen and had been his father’s choice weapon since before he was born. It was a gift given to his father after the successful negotiations of their most profitable sea trade routes, a token of goodwill from across the sea. Its handcrafted sheath had been first made out of steel before being fit with an ornate wooden covering carved from a single piece of wood so as to have no seams, gold accents hinted at the owner’s wealth and superior title, having been commissioned specifically to serve a king.
The pommel of the blade itself was gold as well and with jewels inset just above the high-quality leather which had molded over nearly two decades to perfectly fit the king’s broad hand. The blade itself was a sight to behold; long and curved it was light and perfectly balanced, able to move swiftly as an extension of its owner with speed that nearly defied the laws of nature, so sharp it cut through flesh and bone like hot steel through snow, rendering parts of an enemy’s armor useless against its fury. The length of the blade had been decorated with markings and ruins, telling a story of the mythology of its maker’s culture, the steel to perfect one could use it to see his own reflection as if using a looking glass.
Seokjin’s hands came up of their own accord to gently take the weapon from his father, staring in awe.
“But Father, I can’t take this, I’m not worthy of it…” his father shushed him with the wave of a hand, golden rings glittering in the noonday sun casting its rays into the room.
“You can, and you will, a crown prince deserves a weapon designed for kings” he spoke with authority and finality. “You are the Crown Prince, and you must look the part as you perform as such, this weapon has seen me through many battles and skirmishes since I was first crowned king, and it shall continue to do so for my son, it will keep you safe if you wield it with an air of duty, if you are to fulfill your role as you so desire, then it is time for you to become its new master.”
Seokjin firmly grasped, placing his free hand over the one holding the sword and bowed to the king before standing tall once again and tying it to the left side of his body. “I will not let you down, Father.”
“I choose to have faith in you, Seokjin, you are right, more is required than what I have to offer, go and be safe, my son.”
Seokjin nodded once more and left his father’s chambers, turning to heading to the stables he grabbed a page and sent him ahead to inform Commander Kim of the King’s orders.
It did not long to assemble them Shadowguard and within the hour the party of men were riding out of the castle gates at a slow gallop, down the drawbridge, and through the main road leading to the edge of the city. The citizens moved quickly out of reach of the horses’ hooves, cheering as their beloved Crown Prince rode to defend them from the terror that had been slowly overtaking them.
Once they were long out of sight of the city, he pulled the reigns of his silver steed slowing it to a low trot, the rest of his men following suit, and settling in for the long ride to the edges of the kingdom. General Kim kicked his horse until he was level with Seokjin and loosening the ties slightly to the cloak around his neck.
“So how much persuading did you have to do before your father finally budged?” the Commander asked with a smirk playing on his lips.
“Bold of you to assume I have to persuade him to do anything,” Seokjin laughed. “More like blackmail, it’s not like I haven’t done it before, Commander.”
“You know you don’t have to address me as such when we’re alone, Seokjin, you can call me by my name, we’ve known each other long enough to skip the formalities when not at court.”
“Just being prim and proper, General… apologies… Namjoon, Irene says I should maintain formalities no matter the occasion, as it’s befitting of a prince to do so.”
“And do you always listen to your sister’s words? I would have thought the great Kim Seokjin answered to no one but the king- ow!” Namjoon’s teasing was sharply cut off by Seokjin swiping his sword sheath at the other man’s head, clipping his ear slightly.
“Be careful with your words, Namjoon, I am a prince after all,” Seokjin chuckled at the look on Namjoon’s face as if he were a puppy who had been kicked.
They rode for most of the day before reaching a small town at the base of a mountain and stopping to water the horses at a small stream nearby. Jin, Namjoon, and two guards went into the town to seek information on the precise location the bandits had been rumored to frequent. Unfortunately, it seems as if the town’s inhabitants were more wary of strangers than Jin had anticipated, or they’d been threatened to not give up the location of the bandit camp, because three hours of offering gold and kind words did not loosen any tongues, instead tightening lips even further when they saw the King’s crest emblazoned on their armor.
“Does, no one have any information at all?” Jin exclaimed in exasperation. “I have gold to pay for it, I just need to know where they have made camp.”
“King’s guard or not we don’t rat out anyone, there’s always a price for it an’ I am not interested in paying it,” the tavern owner spat, gesturing rudely for Jin and Namjoon to leave. “An’ I highly doubt there be any’ne else willin’ to do so neither… cannot be too careful these days if you want to live undisturbed.”
JIn huffed in frustration as he and Namjoon left the building. “I thought people loved my father… guess I’m more naive than I thought.”
“Not naïve, my Prince, outlying towns often have to fend for themselves due to the distance from the capital, and they probably get a lot of transients between countries, not all friendly mind you, so it makes sense that they’d be suspicious of strangers, even those bearing the Royal Crest,” Namjoon spoke eloquently, his knowledge of how people thought and acted still left Jin in awe of the older man. He has joined the ranks of the King’s Shadowguard not ten years previously and it had been impressive how quickly he rose through the ranks, owing it to his impressive strategies and knowledge of the world and beyond, quickly gaining him favor with Seokjin’s father who had appointed him Commander of the elite soldiers after and intense battle had claimed the life of the previous one as he defended his king.
“In any case, I feel we will not be welcome to stay for very long near the town’s edge, let’s get ready to depart-“ Namjoon was cut off by a man stepping out in front of them with his hands raised, the sounds of swords being drawn was deafening as the two Shadowguard forced themselves alongside Jin’s mount to defend against potential hostility.
“Hol’ up there, I means you no harm..” the man said, eyes wide as he realizes the mistake he made to appear suddenly before the four armed men.
“What is it you want, Sir?” Namjoon demanded. The other man stuttered for a moment when Namjoon rode up until his horse pushed them man back to avoid the beast’s swinging head.
“I heards you was lookin’ for where th’ bandits made camp?”
“Is that a question or a statement?” The commander demanded as his patience began to wear thin.
“I can tell yous where its located, I heard yous was offerin’ gold for it?”
Jin kicked his horse forward to level with Namjoon, ignoring the protests of his guards. He pulled a bag of coins, jangling them subtly to catch the man’s attention.
“If you indeed do know the location, then this purse is yours, but how do we know we can trust you?” Jin spoke with an air of authority that made the man shrink back slightly, not having expected the tone from a face as handsome as the man before him.
“I speak the truth I do, I swear it,” the man said, eyes fixed on the bag Jin held. The latter continued to look at the man for a few more moments before tossing him the purse.
“Alright then, tell me what you know, and if I find your information was false then you shall see me soon to take back the gold.”
“No need for that, Sir, I’ll tell yous where they’re at,” the man hurriedly stuffing the purse into his tunic as if Jin would change his mind and take it back.
“About three hours journey aroun’ the mountain the road turns into th’ forest, I am a trapper by trade ye see, me and my boy know these hills like the bac’ of my hand, we was out trappin’ and heard voices raised which show’d us a group of men we would nev’r seen before. They are a scraggly bunch they are, unkempt and not from aroun’ here, that’s for sur’. Anyways, they was talkin’ about someone wealthy comin’ through, and how the was plannin’ on killin them all an’ takin everything of value, says someone of high standin ‘ll be passin through, that was day before yesterday” the man rambled.
“If what he says is true then we haven’t much time before they probably find these travelers,” Namjoon murmured and Jin could only nod in agreement.
“Thank you for the information, sir, we’ll be on our way,” Jin said, nodding to the man.
“Anythin’ to help the King’s guard out, those bandits been making trappin hard lately, scarin away the animals ‘n such.”
The man stepped aside and they rode away. Jin ‘s mind raced as he pondered the trapper’s words. Someone of high standing? He thought, wonder who that could be…
They readied the men swiftly when the returned to where they had made them wait and within five minutes they were once again on their way, following the road they’d been told to take. Three hours later they came upon the bend where the road led into the forest, like the trapper had said. Jin knew of this forest, though this was his first time ever seeing it; it stretched along their borders between two massive mountains, forming a shaded valley that was many miles deep, the perfect place for bandits to call their home.
They had been riding for only an hour since entering the forest when Namjoon pulled his horse to a stop, hand raised to halt the rest of the group.
“Namjoon, what is it?” Jin asked in a hushed voice only for Namjoon to wave an arm to silence him.
They sat in silence for a few moments before Jin heard it too, the distant sound of metal on metal and the cries of war.
“Seems like the bandit’s found someone to raid,” Jin said as he kicked his horse into a gallop, Namjoon and the Shadowguard joining suit, falling into formation behind him, but not drawing weapons yet as sound traveled easily so they might have a distance still before coming upon the battle.
It did not take long before Jin felt they were there when suddenly there was silence. He glanced at Namjoon and could see the same look of knowing on his face, another twenty minutes passed before they arrived where the fight had taken place, the sound of their approaching hoofbeats soon chasing away any lingering silence as the small squadron of soldiers came upon the ghastly sight that would be sure to haunt their dreams for eternity.
When just minutes before there had been the sound of steel on steel and the screams of dying men had echoed out in a macabre symphony, overpowering the once calm natural sound of the wind gently caressing the leaves of the branches high above, the forest was now silent.
Jin went pale at the sight before him.
The skirmish they had heard was a bloodbath, and the middle of the forest had become a battlefield. The bodies of soldiers and bandits were strewn across the path, with the slain corpses of horses mingling with those of their masters. Discarded swords and arrows peppered the ground and surrounding trees, left where they had fallen. But what had caught his attention was not that of the bodies before him, it was the colors of the banner lying in a puddle of mud and blood… purple and silver… his family colors.
“Namjoon…” Jin whispered in horror, looking around frantically for anything to prove his fears unjust and unfounded.
Then he saw him…
Seokjin was the first to dismount, his steed still moving when his feet touched the ground and running towards a figure lying surrounded by dead men and a pool of his own blood.
It couldn’t be… gods please don’t let this be what he thought it was…
“Check for other survivors!” He barked at Namjoon, the other nodding and redirecting the men to follow suit. Jin returned his attention to the man in front of him, heart sinking when he saw the crest of the royal Family of Zeodora stained red due to the gaping hole in his chest, it was a miracle he was still alive, but one step closer to confirming his fears. The man before him was Kim Woobin, elite Shadowguard and personally assigned by the King for a very important purpose that he’d been serving for twenty years. He was the Queen’s Shadow, never straying far from her side, so it was an ominous sight to see him amongst those who were dead.
“Kim Woobin, Woobin, can you hear me?! What happened? Where is my mother? Where is the Queen?!” Jin cried out, ripping his cloak from his shoulders and pressing down hard in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding.
“Y-your h-high-ness,” Woobin coughed, blood streaming out the side of his mouth. “I-I’m s-sorry…” another cough followed by more blood, this time spattering across Jin’s face. There were too many emotions for Jin to handle at once, and this answer added another layer to the already uncontrollable feelings welling in his chest, listening to the thunder of his own heartbeat in his ears, when another thought crossed his mind. “Jungkook, what about Jungkook?!” Jin demanded, “Where is he?!”
“S- he… m’srry…, told them to r-run, t-tried to sto-op… coul-n’t… gone…” Woobin’s eyes fluttered closed and his chest heave once… twice… and stilled. The world stopped save for Jin’s breathing and the rustling of the Shadowguard checking for anyone who might still be alive.
“Gone, what do you mean gone?! Where are they?” Jin shouted, shaking Woobin’s body, but his eyes continued to stare lifelessly above him.
“Your Highness!” Jin quickly looked up to see who called for him. It was one of the younger Shadowguard, Taecyeon, if his memory served him right. “Your Highness! We found something, come quickly!” Taecyeon said, his voice dark.
Jin stood quickly and followed him. He was led to a small clearing where the boughs above were fewer, allowing the rays of sunlight to illuminate the scene before him. Namjoon was knelt beside the body of a woman, white as a ghost as he checked for signs of life, knowing that he would not find any.
“Mom?” Jin whispered, his eyes refusing to believe the sight before him.
His mother, her beauty so radiant that people would come from far and wide for an audience with the king just to attempt to catch a glimpse of her, lay motionless before him, hazel eyes stared sightlessly at the sky, pain, and fear forever frozen onto her face. Jin felt the tears beginning to well, he fell next to her, pulling her into his arms as they sat beneath the silent trees, sobbing into the blood-covered black hair of his mother. A bloody dagger was clutched in her right hand, the blood on the blade eerily matching the wound on her chest.
The Shadowguard did not move or speak as their prince whispered and pleaded with his mother to wake up, to come back to him. They could see him shattering, weakening before their very eyes. They dared not interrupt, their own hearts breaking at the sight of their beloved Queen. They stood in a protective circle around him, faces blank and minds numb. It seemed like an eternity before anyone spoke again, but Jin’s sorrow was interrupted by Namjoon’s hand on his shoulder.
“Seokjin…” the other man trailed off, looking at a space towards the end of the clearing, and pointed. “Look…”
The sun shining between the branches above glared off an object that made Jin’s blood go cold, feelings of dread and horror rising uncontrollably until he was blind to everything save for that lone object.
His limbs moved as if they were not attached to his body, gently placing his mother’s body back onto the forest floor and rising. Namjoon’s voice calling out to him nothing but background noise, leading him over to the object, falling to his knees he grabbed hold of it and tears began welling up.
“No… no… nononononononono!” Seokjin cried out. It was a small toy sword that he knew well, a toy that had been made for him as a child so he could reenact his father’s stories of war and conquest. Now he was holding it in the middle of a forest, far from their home, and it was speckled with blood. When his youngest brother was born Jin had presented his favorite toy to his mother, to welcome the new member of the Royal family. He was thirteen years of age and had long outgrown it in favor of the real thing when he’d started his training. That had been five years previous, meaning that a child of merely five years was lost and/or hiding to escape the bloodshed.
Jin stood abruptly, looking frantically into the trees surrounding them.
“Jungkook! We have to find him!” Namjoon’s lips formed a thin line and he nodded gravely. “Taecyeon, ride back to the palace, let the king know of what has happened, take Seungwha with you, stop for no one.”
The Shadowguard nodded, running back to his horse he gave its rear a slap to force it into a gallop and grabbing hold of the reigns and mane, using the momentum to hurl himself onto the beast’s back in one swift move, the other guard mirrored his actions and, within seconds, the two had disappeared back down the way they had come.
“Jungkook… we have to find Jungkook…” Jin repeated again and again. Namjoon removed his gauntlet and slapped the prince hard in the face with his bare hand. “Seokjin, you need to snap out of it, the Queen is dead and Jungkook is missing, we need you to focus!”
If it had been anyone else and under different circumstances Jin could have rightly had them flogged for daring to raise a hand to him, but these were not normal circumstances. He nodded and took several deep breaths to calm his heart, wiping away his tears as his resolve grew.
“Commander Kim, take some of the men and search the surrounding area, maybe he hid to avoid the danger, the rest of you are to follow me and see if we can catch up to the remaining bandits,” Jin barked.
“Yes, your Highness,” Namjoon said, falling back into the role of Commander of the King’s Shadowguard.
“We ride now, they can’t have gotten far,” Jin ‘s voice betraying his feelings as the words came out. His mother’s body was still warm, she had not been dead long, and it was an instant death by the looks of the wound. They all mounted up save for two guards left to watch over the fallen queen, as per Namjoon’s instructions.
Jin and fourteen of his guards followed the main road through the trees, he knew they were close to the borderlands, but was hoping he could catch whoever remained of his mother’s killers before they left the bounds of the kingdom. The group rode fast spreading out into the trees as well to make sure no one had prepared an ambush, horses leaping over fallen trees and over ditches without breaking a sweat. It wasn’t long before the heard the sound of men shouting and horses neighing in the distance and Seokjin smiled in a way that didn’t reach his eyes.
He was going to make them pay dearly for what they’d done.
It took mere moments before a ragtag group of men appeared before him, and he spurred his horse into a near bolt, his men following their prince without hesitation, and slowly closing the distance between predator and prey. He saw one of them turn along with the shock and horror flitting across his face as he realized they were being hunted.
Jin drew the blade his father gave him, prompting the others to do the same, the sun’s rays reflecting off the steel that would soon taste blood.
Then it happened.
The bandits slowed their horses to a near halt as they turned to face their enemies head on, knowing that there was no choice but to fight. Jin ground his teeth harshly, mentally preparing himself for battle and locked eyes with the bandit sitting slightly ahead of the rest.
“Kill them before they can escape, leave no survivors,” Jin shouted, no acknowledgment of his order was made but he knew they had heard and accepted it.
The bandit leader raised his sword before dropping it harshly, and Jin felt his heart leap into his throat.
“Archers! They have archers!” He cried out moments before the man to his right suddenly fell from his horse an arrow sticking out from his throat and preventing him from crying out in pain. Jin had only a moment to look before his horse was rammed into by the guard to his left’s own steed, forcing him out of the way of a bolt intended for his own throat as well.
“Keep down, my Prince, they have crossbows!” the guard shouted. Jin had no time to respond before they descended upon the outlaws in a flurry of neighs and crashing steel, his sword moving without thought.
Who he assumed to be the leader of this ragtag group came straight for him, Jin raising his sword to block the man’s dented blade and just like that they were enthralled in a duel to the death. Jin’s blade whistling through the air for each swipe and parry, a song of death.
The man snarled at Jin, relentless in his onslaught, his weapon raining a barrage down upon the other that had Jin pulling back to maintain his defense. He parried a swipe aimed for his throat before a swift movement caught his eye and he realized his mistake… twisting quickly to escape the dagger that cut through his tunic, grazing the skin beneath, and causing him to fall from his horse. He landed hard, his lungs forcing the air from them harshly, but there was no time to regain his bearings as he was forced to roll to avoid the hooves of the bandit’s horse as the beast reared and kicked before stamping at the ground where Jin had lay just moments before.
Using the momentum he’d garnered, Jin managed to regain his footing and dodge another swipe from the still mounted outlaw, running until he stood behind the animal, and swinging his blade out to slice clean through the tendons of the horse’s hind legs. The horse let out a blood curdling noise in response to the agony it now felt, attempting to rear once more, but instead falling backwards to crash onto its rider, crushing the man’s legs beneath and leaving him helpless to the thrashing of his mount as it tried vainly to gain its feet once more.
“My Prince! Watch out!” Jin barely had time to acknowledge the warning before another blade came at him from the left. He lifted his arm quickly to parry and rammed the other man with his own body to throw him off balance and slice cleanly through his neck, head landing with a dull thud on the ground followed by the crash of the headless corpse. Movement to the side caught his eye and Jin saw a man break away from the fight, kicking his horse into a gallop to escape the skirmish, and start running after him.
Jin saw one of the Shadowguard ride towards him with an outstretched arm and grabbed hold, kicking off the ground to swing onto the animal and landing just behind the guard, the two men turning to give chase to the lone rider. Jin knew his men could handle what was left of the bandits, but he needed answers, and he was going to get them one way or another.
It took longer than he would have liked to gain ground due to the amount of weight their horse had to carry, but they still managed to reach the bandit, who had noticed he was being followed and tried to kick his horse to greater speeds. Jin grabbed hold of the guard and leaned out, the guard leaning in the opposing direction to balance two men, sword drawn and waiting for the opportunity to strike. It came quickly as they pulled nearly alongside the other rider and Jin swing his sword, catching his enemy’s arm and leaving it all but useless as it went limp.
The man shouted in pain and drew his weapon, attempting to swing at Jin from across his body in a swipe that Jin easily redirected into the outstretch neck of the man’s horse, the animal screaming out and falling as the mortal wound sucked any strength it had remaining. The bandit flew over his now dying steed’s head and crashed hard onto the ground, injured arm flopping about uselessly as he tried to catch himself.
Jin and his Shadowguard slid to a stop next to him and Jin threw himself to the ground, running to where the man lay, the bandit swung his blade at Jin’s legs, but the weapon was kicked free of his grasp and a solid fist landed onto the right side of his face.
“Where is he, you bastard?!” Jin shouted. “Where is the boy?! WHERE IS JUNGKOOK?!” He shook the man mercilessly as he demanded to know where his brother was. His left hand around the other’s throat while the right raining down the sorrow and fury slowly building once more in Jin’s chest.
“My Prince-, “ The guard began, but was interrupted by two more Shadowguard riding up, uniforms bloodstained and faces grim.
The older of the two dismounted and hurried over to JIn’s side, grabbing hold of him, and pulling him off the now unconscious bandit.
“Your Highness, stop, you’ll kill him-,” He began but Jin shook himself out of his grasp.
“He and his men killed my mother, Bogum, murdered your Queen and possibly killed my brother!” Jin screamed at the man, his pale face sharply contrasting with the blood spattered across it. “I must make him tell me where Jungkook is!”
“And we will, Prince Seokjin! But we need him alive to do so!” Jin halted his tirade, breathing heavily, knowing that he was right. Clenching his fists tightly he spat on the unconscious man before turning away towards the remainder of his guards and mounting his horse that one had managed to catch.
Jin left Bogum and the others to secure the prisoner and headed back to where the massacre occurred. The Shadowguard had piled the corpses of the bandits into a heap, clearing away any vegetation that might catch alight, as they prepared to burn them, a warning to everyone what will happen to those who dare to raise their weapons upon the citizens of Zeodora.
He nodded to the guards before stooping to grab the head of the man he’d killed previous, tossing it onto the growing pile.
“My Prince, we can take care of this, you should rest,” one of them said, Joohyuk, if Jin’s memory served him correctly.
“I’ll rest when we find Prince Jungkook,” he said, brushing past Joohyuk and towards where the first guard had fallen to the crossbow’s bolt.
His name had been Yeonjae, and he was only a few years older than the Crown Prince, but in death looked much to young for the horrors of war. His long black hair lay about him as strands of fine silk, eyes staring into the sky unseeing, face peaceful. Jin knew he had been dead before touching the ground, the shock not having any time to set in to leave his face twisted in pain. Seokjin was glad the poor man didn’t suffer, he had died in service to his prince and met an honorable end, though he couldn’t help but feel sad.
He reached down to touch where the bolt had impaled Yeonjae, noting the warmth of his body now fleeting beneath his fingertips as the chill of death took hold. Jin carefully pulled the bolt from his throat, gently wiping away the blood that briefly flowed out of the wound with his tunic and closing the deceased man’s eyes, saying a brief prayer for the gods to watch over his spirit as he journeyed to the afterlife.