Do you want me to?

It seemed as though his mind couldn't think of anything else at the moment, did he want the Crown Prince to go further? Did he wish to indulge in the desire pooling in the bottom of his chest?

The equation should've been solved with one side nulling, yet here they are both alive and in each other's way. Jimin hadn't had these thoughts in forever; with no record of a past relationship and no particular taste for reckless affairs, whereas he is sure Prince Jungkook had women and men on the call to gratify him as wished.

He wondered if that's what he made of him then, that if he couldn't have his heart he would try to have his body. What an insulting motive. 

Walking towards the palace gates, something caught his eye and attention. He slowly dragged himself to the garden and crouched down to pick up the withering white flower in the middle of the pink summer Soapwort. He didn't need more than a second for recognition to light up his eyes. This was the Guide's flower. 

"Beautiful thing, isn't it?" a deep voice said from behind him, making him stand back up and face the tall man. 

"It is a pleasure seeing you sir Kim" he greeted with a light bow.

"You too sir Park, I see you've also noticed this rarity" the royal doctor spoke, looking at the weak flower between Jimin's fingers.

"Indeed, I've never seen it in the palace before" he replied with a narrowed gaze in the same direction. 

"Is that so? I've started noticing it around a month ago, it was sprouting randomly in the palace but I've come to know that the gardeners were plucking it out consistently" he informed. 

"Maybe that's why I haven't come across it" Jimin said with a polite smile. 

"Maybe... Tell me sir Park, are you familiar with this flower?" Namjoon asked as he settled his arms behind his back.

"What makes you ask?" the topic of this conversation was a bit concerning. This wasn't any plant, and the man's keen interest in it was rendering him anxious. Why was he asking, did he know what the Prince is? Maybe someone overheard their conversations in the office...

"Well, you are in fact one of the best pharmacists in the state and maybe in the country. I assumed you'd have extensive knowledge about flora, including this" the doctor shrugged.

"That is quite flattering thank you, but I'm afraid I will have to disappoint in this one" Jimin chuckled while scratching the side of his neck, faking embarrassment.

"Please you could never, it is a very rare flower in your defense" Namjoon reassured. 

"Are you familiar with it sir Kim?" he reversed the roles.

"I did a bit of research after my first encounter with it, and I found something peculiar" he stated, pointing a playful yet challenging gaze towards Jimin, who fails to understand why.

"Do you mind sharing it with me?" he asked, too curious to turn away.

"These flowers have a very particular smell when they bloom" he replied and the shorter instantly tried bringing it to his nose. 

"I'm assuming the fresher it is, the stronger the smell" Jimin claimed, "This one is almost dead, so I'm getting nothing from it" he pursed his lips.

"Indeed"

"Could you describe it for me?" Jimin asked.

"Oh you'll know what I'm talking about if you find it yourself... It was a smell I couldn't quite put a finger on until now-"

Suddenly a huge blast of fire could be seen from the training grounds, rising higher than the roofs and sending a whipping wave of hot wind over the radius. 

"What in the world" Jimin muttered, knowing exactly who those flames belonged to, he felt them up-close and personal and wouldn't mistake them for anybody else's than the Crown Prince himself.

"That is probably Prince Jungkook, he's apparently having unforeseen problems with his element" Namjoon explained, "I wonder what happened for him to have this outburst" he pondered while Jimin simply hummed in response.

"If you'll excuse me sir Park, I have to go but I will leave you with the name of this flower, in case you'd like to know more"

"Sure"

"Gema, I'm sure your late father has something that mentions it" the royal doctor last said, confirming Jimin's suspicions. This man knew about the Black Star and all related to it. Did his father share with him that knowledge when mentoring him to be the next royal doctor? That must be it.

More importantly, setting the talk about the fragrance aside, the flower was proof that the Guide was in fact chosen. As opposed to what Prince Jungkook thought, he has already put a face on that title, he just doesn't know it yet. 

"Who could it be" he wondered, walking into his house. There were very few people close enough to the Prince to fulfil that role, his siblings, his father, or his mentors. 

Assuming all of them were believers of the star, Jungkook would be luckiest if his father was his guide. He was influential enough to turn all gazes away from the Allura and powerful enough to protect him from the non-believers. 

Amongst his siblings, he was only that close to Prince Kyungsoo. They seemed to trust each other plenty and he's witnessed just how dependable and resourceful Kyungsoo can be when it comes to helping his brother. 

"Jimin, are you here?" Mina asked from outside his room.

"Yes"

"Good, I'll be making dinner for two tonight" she excitedly replied. 

"Actually I'll make dinner, you just go rest" he said after opening his door and seeing his sister's smile. 

Picking up his train of thoughts, he tried to remember who else lived in the palace and helped Jungkook at some point in his life. Kim Seokjin? Another perfect candidate for the role, he was quite knowledgeable and would undoubtedly be on Jungkook's side if needed. 

Jung Hoseok would on the other hand be the worst pick. Jimin knew of his righteous nature, his loyalty to the Crown was unwavering but his loyalty to the King himself was stronger because of his lineage, the Jung family was known as the Shield of the King  for a reason. If somehow the King was to declare the Allura as enemy, he would immediately turn on Jungkook regardless of his role as Guide.

"What are you thinking about?" his sister asked while she handed him the next ingredient.

"Do I seem like the kind of person to make fun of someone's feelings?" he asked, thinking about what the Prince said earlier that day.

"You're the kindest man I know, who told you that?" she asked, the wrinkle between her eyebrows indicating her displeasure at the remark.

"Someone. He said I must have made a joke of his confession behind his back" he elaborated as he stirred the broth. 

"Nonsense, you wouldn't do that even if it was you-know-who. Is it the mask boy? I knew he wasn't right for you." she huffed while he just nodded his head, mentally scoffing at the irony. 

"I'm assuming you didn't accept his confession?" she asked as she put a hand on his back.

"I didn't"

"You seemed to like him though" she mentioned.

"I did..." he breathed out, turning the fire off and leaning on his extended arms against the counter. 

"Then why not be with him?" she was confused.

"It's complicated and I realize I don't make much sense, but... I can't be with him" 

"I don't believe that, I've known you since always Jimin and most of the time, the only thing holding you back is yourself" she replied, it's not the first time Jimin walked away from something like this. 

He never indulged in any romantic relationship because he was too busy drowning himself in work and becoming the best at what he does. Making his father proud was the only thing he strived for so he put his personal life on hold.

"You don't understand. He's-"

"In another continent?"

"...No"

"Is he dead?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Then you can be with him, you just don't want to" Mina concluded, pushing him aside and starting to serve the meal in the bowls. Jimin stood staring at his sister, baffled by how quickly she moved on.

"Hey I'm supposed to be wallowing in self pity, don't just cast me aside like that" he complained with both hands on his sides.

"You always do that when this topic is brought up, you can continue after dinner" she rolled her eyes playfully, tasting the food quickly and humming in delight.

"You Theras are brutally honest, it's too hard for me to deal with you" he sighed, sitting at the table and eating with her.

"I'm just kidding you can carry on during dinner too" she added with a goofy smile.

"Park Mina, you're really testing me" he warned, having a spoonful of his rice.

"Come on. Tell me how you can't be with him because of dad's passing, or how you're too focused on hating General Jungkook at the moment" she urged, listing the things she's heard before. 

"You guessed it..." he muttered.

"Jimin... I'm just repeating myself at this point. Dad wanted you to have everything, he wanted you to live your life, but lately it feels like you died with him on that battlefield" she shook her head.

"Mina I've done terrible things, I'm not the person you think I am anymore" he sighed, putting his spoon back down. 

"You've been in 10 different kinds of pain since it happened, pain makes people do unfathomable things but it's time for you to let it go. I'm sure father doesn't need whatever revenge you have planned, he is in a better place right now. You should give yourself that chance too" she tried once more. 

"I feel like I'm letting him down, I feel like I owe it to him"

"What you owe him is your happiness. Please don't ever talk about dad like he was the one who taught you to be so petty" she flat out replied.

She was tired of Jimin always defending his vendetta as though their father would've wanted the same thing if he were there. He was a kind and honest man, mostly, he was forgiving. Never would he hurt someone for a mere mistake or accident in battle.  

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to soil father's memory or offend you"

"Just focus on these feelings you have for this man, take this new opportunity your were given and bring my brother back to life" she smiled, taking his hand and squeezing it softly.

"I said such mean words, done contemptible things. He told me he won't forgive me" Jimin muttered.

"From what I gather, he cares for you, and people who feel like that don't just throw it away for good. Try to reach again from your side" she reassured.

"I don't know how I can face him at all... Things between us have gotten even more awkward. I need some time" Jimin concluded.

And time he got. He barely went to the palace after that day, only stopping by when certain tasks couldn't be done otherwise, and avoiding the Crown Prince to the best of his abilities. The other seemed to go through the same thought process since he repeatedly turned his face away, or disappeared behind a corner when they were about to cross paths. 

There is no fixing this, Jimin thought before acting like he didn't see Jungkook hide his face with an open book. Does he not want me to see him or the other way around?  he wondered, walking towards the plant shed. 

It's been exactly 23 days since the incident in the Crown Prince's office. Jimin has been keeping busy in his store, making medicine and new products in his comfort zone, while Jungkook was checking in with the King and master Jung everyday. 

"Release" his former mentor breathed out again. 

One of the exercises of his training routine was to suppress and let out fire at his signal. A routine Jungkook believes is a waste of his time, but one Hoseok argues to be essential in balancing his temper with the type of life he leads. 

"Contain"

"You do realize that this brings zero amount of challenge for me" Jungkook indifferently said, watching his friend take a deep breath in.

"If I wanted to challenge you, I would have duelled you" the other replied, not breaking his pace. "Release" a cloud of fire coated his balled hands ahead of him.

"I've humored this idea long enough. I could be doing something much more relevant right now" Jungkook sighed, ruining his posture by slouching with his legs crossed on the floor. 

"You should know that I won't let you disobey the King's orders and skip mandatory training"

"I already know that"

"Well then, less talking and more containing" Hoseok clicked his tongue and absorbed the fire back at a consistent rate.

"Instead of spending your mornings teaching me things I already know, why don't we do some real technique training and improve our army's skills" Jungkook suggested, giving up on the exercise and leaning back on his extended arms. 

"You know enough technique, what you don't know is how to show restraint. Exerting your body with those--quite frequent--outbursts is going to tear you down" Hoseok informed, "Release".

"That's nothing to worry about, I have it under control most of the time" Jungkook shrugged, playing with a flame from one hand to the other. 

"You can try to fool whomever you want with that false confidence, but I know a hazardous fire when I see one. You are not master of your elemental side currently" 

"Why does it matter, as far as I'm concerned it would be quite handy in battle" Jungkook huffed, why was everything about control. He had to control his troops, his fire, his heart, his desires, he just wanted to be able to let go.

"You could end up hurting your own men Jungkook, our element is the most dangerous one for a reason" the older replied, "You are Army General so please don't let me think I passed down my title to a reckless fool". He was familiar with Jungkook's audacious personality, but it sometimes fell into irresponsibility. 

"I have never once harmed my soldiers Hoseok. I might be at my worst but I will never compromise my mission or my forces... Father seems to be having the idea that I'm throwing tantrums like a child, but out there on the field nobody is more collected than I" Jungkook furrowed his eyebrows, offended.

"And that is why you continue to be General. However with time, your body won't be able to withstand its own fire, that's what happens when you put it through such torrid and abrupt efforts" master Jung explained, standing up and dusting his hands.

"I'm very careful"

"When was the last time you used directors?" he asked challengingly.

"I don't know...Recently?" the younger replied.

"No Jungkook, that implies you've used your swords in the past 2 months. If objects could talk those blades would be busy coughing off the dust they took in the back of you room" the man shook his head in disapproval.

"I've met someone who has impressive expertise of their element, yet don't use any object at all" Jungkook announced, thinking back at when he met Jimin on that hill the night of the Dragon Festival.

"Well then why don't you ask them for technical training. My job is to help you overcome your temper Crown Prince, and without that, no technique will be of any good to you"

"Whatever you say... I assume this concludes our session today"

"Indeed. I'll be seeing you tomorrow then" Hoseok added with a raised eyebrow.

"Can't say no to father after all" Jungkook sighed, agreeing despite his wishes to drop this nonsense.

"That's right my friend" the other chuckled before Jungkook turned his back to him and left the area. 

He couldn't wait to take off his training attire. The tough leather's fire-resistance was perfect for Pyres when wielding their element, but it was also very heavy and suffocating on a summer day. There was a reason Goryeo always went to battle in colder seasons, the soldiers could keep themselves warm in the rain or snow but they were at a disadvantage under the scorching summer sun.

"Crown Prince, I knew I could count on you to ruin this beautiful summer day." a nasally voice made its way to his ears.

The palace was doing better without her, Jungkook thought before a deep sigh left his lungs. He slowed his pace and stopped ahead of the Queen, bowing as shallowly as possible. 

"For someone who was grounded for--how long was it again?" he said, clearly showing his disinterest.

"2 months exactly" she replied, with her eyebrows raised and arms crossed against her chest.

"Right, you'd think someone learns a lesson or two from that. But here you are again acting petty with me" Jungkook shook his head in disappointment.

"Are you calling your Queen petty? How insolent." she replied with a displeased scowl on her face.

"I told someone that if they don't consider me their Prince, they might as well drop the my. I think it applies to all titles" he stated, leaving the Liquis in the back of his mind.

"The only thing I hear is that someone dared give you the impression that you're not their Prince, where may I find them? They would make great company" the woman scoffed, impressed by the nameless character. 

"They have the same feeling about you don't worry" Jungkook corrected quickly, "Now if you're simply here to waste my time, rest assured, I have done plenty of that with master Jung" he added, curtly nodding to the court ladies and preparing to slip past them.

"Well, much to your disappointment, I did want to discuss something with you." she stopped him, walking closer and settling a hand on his shoulder.

"I will ask you politely, please remove your hand" he warned, looking at the glove-covered fingers.

"I am making efforts here Jungkook. I've been thinking during my time back home and I've come to the conclusion that we are a family, yet we really haven't been acting like such" she stated, "I think it's time to make amends." her doe eyes peered at him trying hard to convey something close to honesty, and he couldn't help but chuckle. 

He laughed actually. This must be a joke, he thought.

"Did your uncles run out of plans to take me out? Now they're using you?" he asked with a mocking tone, careful to keep the conversation private.

"My uncles don't need a silly game like this, I'm sure you've experienced that first-hand" she responded, with just as much malice in her eyes.

"I experienced their incompetence mostly. How can one fail four times?"

"It also took as many times to win the battle of Altar. What does that say about your failure, General?" she deflected, attacking Jungkook's abilities in war has always been her favorite.

"Well I led our kingdom to victory eventually, didn't I?" he defended. 

"At what cost though? Now with a step back, don't you think a fifth try was in order?" she asked, drawing a narrowed-eye look on Jungkook's face.

"Whatever do you mean" he asked.

"Maybe if you'd accepted the deal, you wouldn't be the cause of two thirds of your men's deaths" she pursed her lips after acting like she told him a secret.

"How do you know about that." he said through gritted teeth, looking around to see if anyone caught onto them.

"It doesn't matter that I know about it, imagine what happens when your loyal protégé pharmacist finds out you had the opportunity to save his father's life, and you chose not to." she smirked triumphantly upon witnessing the angered expression on her nemesis's face.

"I talked to sir Park about it and we've cleared the air around his father's passing." Jungkook tried to dissuade her from thinking this was leverage against him, but his temper was betraying him in every way.

"Well either he didn't care much for the man, or you lied to him" she clicked her tongue, "Now excuse me for thinking the second possibility fits you like a glove. Speaking of gloves, I was on my way to pick up some new ones tailor-made for my dainty hands." she dusted the Prince's shoulder with a fake smile and started walking past him, until he subtly grabbed her by the arm.

"You want to receive little soaps that bad? Why are you so interested in my pharmacist." he whispered. 

"One day, not all Goryeo's Army will be Jeon's Army, and miraculous medicine is truly worth its weigh in gold during rough times." she responded loud enough for her court ladies to hear, triggering a wrinkle to form between Jungkook's eyebrows.

"You are openly voicing out treason against the Crown. Nothing stops me from reporting to the King and having you and your uncles arrested" he huffed, not understanding her lousiness at keeping such a motive secret.

"You could do that, but then nothing would stop me from divulging our little secret to lovely sir Park..."

"The stakes are not equal Queen Sunmi, are you out of your mind?" he countered, perplexed to say the least.

"They pretty much are, big picture considered" she disagreed, "You should think fast, you won't have a choice for so long. Many things can happen on a dark street downtown" she smirked.

"I don't have to think about it, I would love nothing more than seeing you behind bars" Jungkook easily spoke.

"Be careful Crown Prince. My apprehension might slow our plans down, but finding out the truth... I can't think of an outcome other than losing Jimin forever. Who knows, maybe he will just antagonize you, or maybe he'll even join our side. But one thing is sure, he will never ever accept you in his life as a suitor" she emphasized.

How did she... he didn't have time to think before she added other snarky remarks. 

"Having loyal court ladies comes in handy when I'm not in the palace. I was told all about your adorable courting gifts and heartfelt confessions. I would've never guessed sir Park to be the unlucky man, but to each their own" she chuckled. 

"This isn't even a fair deal, I lose either way. If I get you arrested you'll tell him the truth, and if I don't, you will still hurt him somehow" Jungkook recapitulated. 

"Indeed, life wasn't meant to be fair" she sighed, "Choose your poison, I guess." she finished, walking past him and disappearing behind a corner.

Another impossible decision he will have to make. 

---

Hello everyone! Sorry I'm late this week...

What do you think about the choice the Queen gave Jungkook?

What are your theories on what really happened with Jimin's father? 

-Aida-