"Life, if well-lived, is long enough."

                      -Seneca

Seconds.

Minutes.

Hours

Time is a funny thing...

It surrounds us, constantly moving, constantly changing everything around us...but we never notice it...not until it's too late.

We complain about having too little or too much of it. We squander it, waste it on unimportant things...whether it be gossiping about childish drama or fighting with one of our dearest friends over a small misunderstand.

However, there are rare occasions where we all stop for a few moments and truly realize the value of the time we are given...sometimes it's when we lay alone at night...wishing we had loved the daylight fonder...other times it's when we stand beside the hospital bed of our loved ones...

Time.

We never seem to have enough of it.

As it passes over us, we only ever realize it changing the things around us...we never stop to realize that we have also changed, physically and mentally.

What we all fail to realize is that time is our friend...Time is working in our favor...

As time passes, we forget the horrible fights with friends...our physical scars heal as well as our emotional ones....As time passes...we get better...we get stronger.

Time.

The silent friend that strokes our hair as we sleep, the small angel that pushes our saddest moments to the back of our mind, the loving hand that wipes our tears.

Time does so much good for us.

So why do we constantly take it for granted?

________________________________________________________________________________

Jimin hummed a quiet tune to himself as he kicked the sides of his horse lightly, urging him to go faster as he trotted through the thick forest.

His hands held the leather reigns tightly as he guided his trusted animal through the lush forest, accurately dodging numerous bushes and trees that blocked his path.

Growing up in the area, Jimin had become extremely familiar with the twists and turns of Hunters Forest. Confusing paths and trails that often perplexed others seemed like child's play to him. He knew this place like the back of his hand.

Which is why he was to only guard in the palace responsible for setting traps and hunting in the crowded woods.

Sure, Jimin enjoyed coming into the forest and he even enjoyed hunting, but he was a member of the Emperor's personal guard, hunting was the job of a servant or a kitchen boy. The other soldiers often mocked him for having to carry out such a trivial task when his ranking was so high, which of course, upset him.

He was a trained killer...but here he was...checking traps and hunting deer.

The young man ran a hand through his red hair as a sigh escaped his plump lips, his eyes scanning over one of his traps.

His eyebrows furrowed as he took in the condition of one of his many traps that he had set the day before.

To anyone else, the sight of a trap being successful would be a normal occurrence and if it were any other trap he would have thought the same thing... but this wasn't any regular trap...

It was a spy trap.

This particular trap was created for any spies that may be sneaking through the Hunter's forest. Everyone that lived in the Capitol knew never to venture this far into the woods, or else they could very easily get lost...but spies from other countries did not know that and they would often tries to find shelter in the thick brush of the forest.

The red head dismounted his horse, his bright red robes flowing behind him as he drew his long, thin sword, hands holding the hilt tightly as he silently prepared himself for anything.

He stepped closer to the trap, dark-brown eyes scanning to the ground below him, taking extra caution as to not step on anything that would cause too much sound, if there was someone in the trap, they most certainly would not be happy.

He continued walking until he stood directly underneath the large net that hung from the large branches of the trees above him.

Something had definitely caused the trap to go off.

"Hey!"

His body jumped back at the loud feminine voice that rang out from the net above him, hands gripping his sword tighter and choosing not to speak.

His brown eyes watched as the person in the net began to wiggle, trying to adjust their body into a more comfortable position and trying to get a look at however was beneath them.

"I know you're down there! Get me down! I've been here all night long!"

His breath hitched in his throat as your face came into view.

Your h/l, h/c hair was disheveled and covered a small part of your face, your body was adorned in odd-looking clothes made of white, sheath material that was completely foreign to his eyes. Your hands gripped the rope of the nets desperately and your body jerked around in discomfort.

But none of that is what caught his attention.

What caught his attention was the shining blue of your eyes that pierced through the dark green of the forest that surrounded the two of you.

The way your eyes stared down at him reminded him of a caged animal. Wildness and fear swam in the multiple hues of blue in your iris', your gaze was somehow terrified and calm at the same time...Your physical being was young....but your eyes were old....they were oceans filled with wisdom and unspoken secrets that could persuade any man to dive in and drown in them.

It was the glowing blue color that drew him in.

It was the color that made him realize what you were.

"Jimin."

Brown eyes widened as his name slipped past your lips in a breathy tone of recognition.

He had never seen you before this moment, not even in the city....and yet you knew his name...it could only confirm whatever suspicion he had.

"You know me?" His voice was firm and demanding as he spoke to you, causing your eyebrows to crash together.

You were still getting used to this whole "different personality" thing....hearing Jimin's voice be so harsh, especially when it was directed at you just made you highly uncomfortable.

You instantly realized your mistake, shaking your head in response.

"What are you talking about? I didn't say anything to you."

A deep frown presented itself on the soldier's face at your denial. He had clearly heard you say his name.

Without another word, he swung his sword out, cutting the main rope of the trap, causing the net you were encased in to come crashing onto the ground, your body falling with it.

He tried not to smirk in amusement as your pained groan filled his ears.

You silently cursed to yourself as you laid on the ground limply, head pounding from the harsh contact with the forest floor and your body aching as a result of your hard landing.

You slowly raised your hand to meet your head, rubbing lightly as you tried to ease the headache that you could already feel coming on. Your eyes fluttered open slowly, taking in the unfamiliar woods that surrounded you.

"Did you really have to be so harsh?" You spat to the red-head. "You couldn't have just lowered me down?"

Jimin shrugged his shoulders, sheathing his sword and walking back over to his horse.

"I thought about it, but then you lied to me."

You rolled your eyes, slowly moving your body to stand, wiping the dust off of the long, flowing skirt that covered your legs.

You missed the way that Jimin's curious, brown eyes raked over every inch of your bare skin. Your body was clad in a white material that had been soiled by the dust of the ground. Your shoulders and arms were bare, which shocked the young soldier.

Women who dressed like that while they were outside the comfort of their own home were often beaten or scolded for showing so much skin. He had only seen women wear large, bulky robes that were made of silk, never showing off the shape of their body for fear of being immodest.

Do not be fooled

He had seen plenty of women bare of their robes before...after all, being in the Emperor's personal guard did have perks...but he had never seen a woman so bold about it. Wearing something like that alone was a gamble, but wearing it in the middle of the forest? Simply stupid...especially when he was the only one around for miles.

He watched as you brushed off your odd clothing, huffing out in annoyance at the dirty that sullied the white material.

"I didn't lie to you." You argued, eyes meeting his again.

Jimin rolled his eyes.

"You must take me for a fool." He stated bluntly. "But I am no fool....I know exactly what you are."

You raised your eyebrows, arms crossing over your chest defensively as you tried hiding the inner panic that you were beginning to feel.

"R-Really?" You cursed yourself for stuttering. "What am I?"

Jimin mounted his horse again, his eyes raking over you for a brief moment before locking his gaze with yours.

"Get on." He ordered, ignoring your question and motioning his head towards the horse he sat upon.

Your eyebrows shot up at his demand, head shaking.

"No way. I'm not getting on that horse with you. I don't even know you."

The soldier rolled his eyes, once again jumping off of his horse, his hand reaching inside his leather saddle bag and pulling out a large rope before his feet began to walk over to you.

Your eyes widened as you moved to jerk out of his reach, realizing his intentions.

But you were too slow.

Jimin's hands shot out and gripped your wrists with one hand before you could even move away from him.

You tried your best to pull away from his firm grip as he untangled the rope with his free hand, but your efforts didn't seem to affect him, not even in the slightest.

"Let go of me!" You shouted as you desperately tried to pull away from the red head, eyes watching as he began to wrap the rope around your wrists, binding them together so tightly that you were sure the circulation was cut off.

He tied your wrists together, leaving a little bit of rope left over, which he used to pull you forcefully to his horse, eyes never meeting yours.

"Stop!" You demanded as you tried to pull one of your hands from the tight knot.

It shocked you how calm he was being in all of this...it was clear that he had done this many times before....and that thought sent shivers down your spine.

A loud gasp moved past your lips as your body was hoisted into the air and thrown over the back of his horse, your body hanging limply over the animals hind-end.

You grunted out in protest, trying to kick your legs just enough to get yourself off of the animal.

Jimin mounted the horse again, his hands gripping the reigns and his feet, kicking the animal's side to get it moving.

"You better let me go! This isn't funny!"

Oh, but Jimin disagreed, he found it very amusing to watch you struggle to free yourself from the bonds he had trapped you in.

"Struggle all you want," He started. "Those ropes can withhold the strongest men in the Emperor's army, you will never escape, and even if you do...this forest is almost impossible to navigate...you would die of starvation. Consider yourself lucky, had I not seen the color of your eyes, I would have killed you....You should be grateful that the Emperor has been searching for you so fervently, or else I would have left you there to die."

You groaned in frustration, anger shooting through you as you watched the ground move beneath the horse you were on. 

"What are you talking about!?" You barked. "The Emperor isn't looking for me!"

A chuckle moved passed Jimin's lips.

"Oh that's where you're wrong. He has sent out numerous search parties to find you. He has been expecting your arrival for sometime, after all, the prophecies said that you would return to us and bring victory and riches. throughout the Jeon Dynasty. There is no use pretending any more. It's useless, you gave yourself away when you said my name...and the color of your eyes is all the confirmation I need."

You frowned deeply, still not understanding what the heck he was trying to say.

"You're insane." You stated bluntly.

The red-head shrugged.

"Maybe." He smirked. "But just imagine how happy the Emperor will be with me when he hears that I was the one to find you...My name will be on the lips of everyone in the palace as they celebrate my victory..Park Jimin; the man who saved the Jeon Dynasty

The man who finally found the oracle."

A/N,

I bet you guys thought I was done updating today....WELL YOU WERE WRONG!!! I gotta keep feeding my babies!❤❤❤😘💕💖💖

First chapter and I'm already in love with the plot of this book.

Although I miss "Pyramids", I can't wait to watch everything unfold.

I really hope you enjoyed this chapter...I know things may seem boring and normal now...but you guys just gotta get in the spirit of the book!

I love you.

I adore you.

I purple you.

I'm out.

-Max