There is a small hill near Taehyung's house and his favorite leisurely activity is to lay down on the grass fields on top of it and watch the world below.

He absolutely loves the colors of nature, especially at the sunrise and sunset. He drew inspiration from watching people work in the fields, children playing and various animals in their natural habitat. It felt so fascinating for Taehyung to watch people go about their daily lives.

That's exactly what he was doing, when he saw a group of people blocking the path of two horsemen. Taehyung didn't think about anything at all, as he quickly got up from the ground and ran down the hill.

He didn't actually have a plan about what he would do when he reached the group. But when he saw the same nobleman that had been making frequent appearances in his mind in the last few days, he knew he had to do something.

"What's going on here?!"

The group, mostly consisting of Taehyung's neighbors, looked troubled at his appearance. One person hissed at him.

"This doesn't concern you, Kim. Mind your own business!"

Taehyung scoffed at that. "You're robbing innocent people. And asking me to turn a blind eye?! Shame on you all!"

"Listen you pompous ass-"

"Please!" Jungkook's voice was soft, but at the same time, radiating a power befitting to his status. "There's no need for a fight. Hyung?"

Jimin cursed under his breath as he fished out his own wallet and threw it to their sorry excuse of attackers. A man at the front caught it and after exchanging glances between themselves, the group retreated the way they came.

Only Taehyung stayed back. Part of him was ashamed of his village peoples' doing but the other part of him understood the reason for it. These are troubled times and some of them are more impacted than others.

Taehyung looked at the nobleman who already had his gaze locked on Taehyung.

"Pardon me, but you shouldn't be encouraging these kinds of acts, you know. A one time aid like this is not gonna fix their problems. It will only drive them to do the same again. And the next time, they might be rewarded with a strike by a sword, rather than a pouch full of money or a job at the palace."

Jungkook stiffed a bit at that and Jimin took a cautious step toward the commoner. There shouldn't be anyone who can know the identity of the prince. Jimin was sure they took all the precautions and security measures.

"D-do you know me?" Jungkook asked in a soft voice, already dreading the answer.

But Taehyung shook his head and answered respectfully. "No, I only saw how you helped a little boy at the marketplace a few days ago."

"Oh."

"Anyways-" Taehyung took a few steps and was at the side of the road. "You should carry on with your journey."

He bowed politely and turned to go back, when Jungkook's voice stopped him.

"Wait!"

Taehyung turned back to the man on the horse, who looked a little nervous. "Can I see you again?"

Jungkook fidgeted under Taehyung's questioning gaze but he did give up.

"I'm trying to explore this part of the countryside a bit and my companion is not that knowledgeable in the area. Would you mind showing me around a bit?"

Taehyung has heard about how some young men from noble families try to get to know the world once they reach a certain age. This must be a case like that.

"Uhh... sure, I guess. But there isn't much to see here."

"It's okay. I just want to walk around and do some sightseeing. Is tomorrow convenient for you?"

Jimin cleared his throat loudly, making both men turn towards him. "You can't come tomorrow, Kookie. You have.. uhh... relatives visiting.. uhh.. from overseas."

Jungkook blinked a few times before he remembered that he indeed had plans for the next two days. A king from the neighboring country is due to visit tomorrow and Jungkook's father will ground him for weeks, if he missed the welcoming.

"Oh, yes. My apologies. How about three days from now?"

Taehyung nodded his head in agreement. "Sure, it's the market day again. We can meet there."

"Perfect." Jungkook's voice was soft, as if he was talking to himself.

"My name is Kim Taehyung."

"Oh I kn-"

"-We should go now!" Jimin quickly cut off the prince's words, before he could blurt about knowing the man's identity.

Jungkook looked mortified and quickly muttered a 'yes'.

Jimin mounted his horse and they were almost on their way when Taehyung spoke up.

"Wait, you didn't tell me your name!"

Jungkook looked uncertain for a second before giving a soft smile. Taehyung could see it even with the piece of cloth covering the other's face.

"You can call me Kookie.”