Meeting Room

The Park's Castle

Kingdom of Dasnain

Kim Taehyung entered the meeting room following after his brothers Namjoon and Seokjin. The elder's council consisted of four elders: Elder Choi, Elder Min, Elder Song, Elder Jung.

They were all dressed in their finest suits and Taehyung found it funny because they no longer wore their robes. The people who once criticized him for adapting the changes of the modern world was now more advanced. If Elder Choi wore one of the latest NYC summer collections from Milan Fashion Week, Taehyung pretended to not notice.

The elders greeted the Kim brothers with faux smiles and busied themselves with the smart phones as the Kim brothers took seat. Taehyung knew they literally had nothing to do except watching cat videos on Instagram. But this was rather fun to watch as they pretended to be busy.

Initially, they were just a branch of advisors to the king because of the years they had ahead of them. They were walking the earth for so long, so they were consulted before taking any important decision for the wellness of the kingdom.

However, when their Heir Apparent went berserk, their King Park Jaehyun faced with a tough situation where he had to contain his son before everything went to hell. Taehyung knew the decision to send him into hibernation was reached after hours long meeting with the elder council and the other leaders of their friendly covens. He was there after all.

Over the years, he witnessed how this bunch of old bats took advantage of the king to run the things the way they wanted. Taehyung with the help of his brothers and a few trusted sub-ordinates secretly moved Jimin's coffin from its original resting place to the place of ancients that was abandoned centuries ago.

There were nation-wide search to look for the prince's coffin but then after years of hitting dead ends the elder council wrote it off as a tomb robbery. How easy it was to drive them into the wrong direction. However, one look from the King Park Jaehyun told Taehyung that their ruler knew Jimin's disappearance wasn't a result of a tomb robbery.

"I hope you know what you're doing," he had told him later and Taehyung feigned innocence, pretending he didn't understand what the king insinuated. They never talked about that again.

"Gentlemen, thanks for coming here in such short notice," Elder Choi began. "His Majesty's mental health is deteriorating. Earlier this evening, he expressed his desire to go into hibernation. So, it's time to choose out next king."

Taehyung leaned on his elbows, tilting his head with a knowing smirk. He briefly glanced at his brothers. Namjoon was the royal advisor to the king. No decision should be taken in his absence and the king always issued his edicts through Namjoon. None would be taken without consulting him personally. After their parent's death, the position naturally fell onto his second brother's shoulder.

"That's right. I'm extremely concerned for his mental well-being," Elder Song said.

"And why wasn't I informed of this meeting, Elder Choi," Namjoon intervened.

"Oh, we tried to contact you but it was an emergency and you were away." He smiled tightly.

"You're here now, Namjoon-ssi," Elder Song said. "But this is urgent."

They all looked not a day older than their early forties. As an ancient, they could decide how they wanted to look and allow themselves to age by slowing down their regeneration process. With practice, it became their second nature as breathing. Some of the ancient vampires preferred to do it while the others maintained their young looks.

"We should ask His Highness Park Ji-Shin to ascend the throne at the earliest," Elder Jung interjected. "We have wasted enough time already and we don't know when the witches will make their next move."

"I agree. We need to do something before the witches launch another attack. We are weak without a leader."

Namjoon scrunched his nose, clasping his hands over the desk. "Elder Jung, I believe you're forgetting something important here. Our Heir Apparent is His Highness Park Jimin. He is the next successor to the throne."

"His Highness Park Jimin is unfit to rule!" Elder Jung barked, all sense of calm slipping from his face and Taehyung noticed the first crack in his otherwise impassive expression.

"He went berserk and hence had to be forced into hibernation," Elder Song continued.

"This is a matter of seriousness, Namjoon-ssi. What you're saying is preposterous," Elder Min piped in.

Taehyung crossed his legs watching them wordlessly. Amusement danced in his features. He knew this would happen and he was never wrong.

"Reminding who the real successor is isn't preposterous but disregarding his presence to choose someone who hasn't even fought a single witch all his life is," Seokjin snapped.

Oops.

Taehyung suppressed the urge to laugh.

"Seokjin-ssi, you're speaking out of context. A king doesn't have to fight," Elder Choi said.

"Doesn't he? Are you even listening to yourself?" Taehyung growled. "We need someone who can only not lead us but is also capable of protecting us from the evil witches. No offense but Prince Ji-Shin's magical abilities hasn't even reached its full potential yet."

Elder Choi laughed out loud. "So what you're suggesting is that we have to wake him up. Do you even hear yourself?"

Elder Min slammed his fist on the table, rattling it. "We cannot allow this to happen. He was uncontrollable and unreasonable. He is dangerous."

Taehyung sat unfazed. "Come again."

"Taehyung-ah..." Namjoon called in a warning tone.

He ignored his brother and cocked his head to the side. "I won't allow anyone to disregard His Highness. Have you forgotten the history, Elder Jung?"

Their faces reddened with anger and Taehyung sensed the sudden shift in the atmosphere. His brothers tensed and shifted slightly toward his direction, ready to intervene if someone pounced.

"We have walked this earth longer than you, young one." He pointed a finger at him. "Are you, the youngest, of us all, reminding us about history? Don't forget the only reason you were given this position by the Crown Prince was because of your parent's sacrifice."

Taehyung rolled his eyes. His parents were doing their duty, protecting the crown. He was chosen because Jimin had sensed how sharp his mind was.

"Then I shouldn't be the one who should be reminding you how succession works. His Majesty had four hundred years to change his successor. That is including the time he expressed his interest to retire and hand over the throne to His Highness Park Jimin. His Highness postponed the coronation because of the political condition and the two battles he had fought since then," he reminded them. "Even after he went to hibernate His Majesty never once said he wanted to change his successor. He never included Prince Ji-Shin or any other royal siblings in any of the diplomatic meetings unless it's a family affair." He reclined in his seat, watching their features harden with a satisfied smile. "So should I assume that you're questioning His Majesty's edict?"

"His majesty isn't in a position to make a decision now. A lot have changed and that's why he has a council of elders to decide on his behalf. Besides, the situation wasn't demanding before so he never discussed about succession," Elder Choi reasoned, ignoring majority of what Taehyung said.

"Alright, let's say we want to wake him, where is his coffin now?" Elder Song questioned with a smug look on his face. "His coffin was stolen by tomb robbers and we don't even know what his condition is. We don't know what the robbers did to his body," he continued. "Let's say we found him, do you know how many months it'd take to build his strength? He'd be weak and of no use."

"It's upon us now to think what's best for our kingdom's future and that of our people," Elder Jung added.

"Besides, the Heir Apparent isn't here and I don't see how we are going against His Majesty," Elder Song mused. His smile grew sly. "Even if he was here, we all know our Heir Apparent was unfit to rule."

"Am I?"

Everyone jumped to their feet at the booming sound of the voice that seemed to echo off the walls. Their eyes widened and jaws went slack. Taehyung almost laughed when he saw Elder Jung's hands tremble.

Elder Choi's eyes almost bugged out. "Your Highness? Y-You were in hibernation. You...you went missing."

Their eyes snapped to the grand door where the Heir Apparent stood, tall and regal as they once remembered. The sapphire ring on his index finger—the family heirloom that was passed onto him four centuries ago—glinted in light as he traced his chin with his sharp eyes trained on the elders. His suit was fancy—one of the expensive brands Taehyung bought so lovingly. As he expected, it fit the Prince so perfectly.

Jimin pushed his hands into his pockets and walked into the room.

His commanding presence alone filled the room with the air of authority. Taehyung felt goosebumps rise over his skin. If Jimin was powerful before he went into hibernation, he was even stronger than before. He could feel it and was sure the others could sense it too.

All those years he spent, tending to the crown prince, feeding him with his blood even in his hibernated state had served him well. Jimin wasn't weak like they expected him to be. Taehyung made sure of that. He looked as if he was in his early twenties while in reality he was born thousand years ago.

"As you can see I'm not hibernating anymore and I'm here. Can we move this conversation along?"

Several voices of 'Yes, Your Highness' rang in unison as Taehyung smiled to himself.

"It's 'Your Majesty' now," he corrected as Taehyung's smirk widened.

"Elder Choi, as you may realize, only ancient vampires could assist someone powerful as His Majesty into hibernation. When you were busy making plans to hand over the throne to His Highness Ji-Shan, the Heir Apparent ascended the throne in our presence. He then assisted His Majesty into hibernation," Namjoon informed.

Taehyung just stood back watching the ashen faces of the old geezers with glee.

"His mortal body would remain right here in the castle for his safety and we would provide him frequent blood transfusions," Seokjin added. "Until the witch clans are subdued and the threat is eradicated, we will protect him here."

The elders swallowed with a curt nod, making way as Jimin strode to the head side chair. Taehyung grinned in satisfaction, chest relaxing with relief. The heaviness he carried for centuries had lifted off his shoulders and he fulfilled his promise to his Prince. This time they'd remember what it was like to have a real king.

***

Unspecified location

Witches of the East

Glenda hurried down the spiral stairs that led her deep into the belly of the ancient fortress. The abandoned fortress after the Second World War now served as their den.

A dim light lit her path, thanks to the human inventions. They didn't have to rely on fire torches anymore. Collecting firewood for winter alone was a huge hustle. She often insisted they moved into one of those human owned buildings but the head witch refused.

She threw the door to their study open, where she knew the head witch and the others would be now. As expected, they were rationing the herbs and other items to brew a potion.

"Two high demons have come to earth," she announced. "The Western Coven sent news."

"What?" Morgan dropped the items she was holding as she jumped to her feet. "Are you sure?"

"High demons?" Elphaba's eyes were wide as she looked at the others.

"One hasn't been to earth in almost four centuries," Tolina, the youngest of them all, mused.

The head witch's eyes were black and beady. There was no expression on her face that was still a hard mask. Hardly she would so any emotion. Glenda was used to it.

"Did they say where they sensed their energy the last time?"

"Yes. They're in the South of Dasnain."

They were closer than any other covens.

The head witch stood with a determined look in her eyes. "Find them immediately. Once they blended with the humans it's hard to find them unless they use their powers. Send news to Mamon. We need them alive."

"Yes, Grand High Witch." Glenda bowed.

The head witch smiled for the first time in the two centuries she had known her. "Finally, the luck is on our side. We shall win this war for once and for all." Her features hardened again. "Any update on the Umbra Noctis? Did you find his resting place?"

"No," Hecate replied. "We have searched far and wide. Not even their elders know where they have hidden him."

Three-hundred years ago, the body of the crown prince of Dasnain went missing. No one knew where he was. The king had claimed it was tomb robbers but they knew differently. Someone had hidden his coffin. So far, no one was able to find him.

"How long do you need?" The head witch hissed. "We don't have time. He's at his weakest when he's hibernating." She paced the floor. "With the queen dead, it won't be long before they wake him from his slumber."

"It has been a month. The Elders plan to crown the second prince as the next king," Elphaba informed.

"What? But...would the Kims allow that though?" Nimue who was silent all this time asked.

"The Kim brothers don't hold much power against the council without the crown prince," the head witch said. "They will rule them out."

"Kim brothers..." Blair trailed of. "Grand High Witch, do you think they would know where he is?"

"The youngest of the Kims is a party animal. Should we take him?" Elphaba asked.

"Do whatever you want. Kim are closer to the crown prince than anyone else. Someone have moved him from his original resting place. If there is anyone capable of such thing it's definitely them. With the king out of the picture, this is our chance."

Elphaba smirked. "Alright. I'll have our men bring the youngest Kim in. He will be so easy to break."

"He's quite a looker. It's gonna be fun." Tolina clapped in glee.

"Tolina!"

She hung her head immediately, shrinking under the head witch's glare. "This is an important mission. He almost wiped our coven the last time. We need to find and end his life before he wakes up."

"Yes, Grand Witch." Elphaba bowed.

"We won't stop until we find him," Tolina vowed.

Glenda exhaled as she watched them leave. Things were getting intense and foreboding churned in her belly. She hoped they were able to get the youngest Kim on time so they could reach the Umbra Noctis before he woke up. Their last encounter still sent a chill down her spine.

With a shake of her head, she shoved the thoughts aside and bowed. "I'll get going then."

The head witch nodded. "Talk to them more and keep us posted."

"Iwill."