A large ferry ship glided smoothly on the oily sea, looming in from the sunlit horizon. The harbor was preparing for its docking procedures and the passengers lined up, waiting to board. Among them lingered Jimin and Seokjin, wearing their oxygen masks, holding their horses from their leashes and shivering from the cutting morning frost.

The two brothers hadn't spoken to each other for weeks. Jimin refrained from making any nasty remarks to his older brother and would limit himself to observing the gradual deterioration of Seokjin's mental and physical state.

He had lost more weight, and when he didn't have a bottle in hand, he would become irritable and cantankerous. At the moment he was simply standing there, slouching, wobbling from exhaustion and drowsiness, slowly withering away.

Their journey had proven to be the most difficult thing Jimin had ever done. He even had the faint impression that they were being followed for more than two weeks, but he assumed that it was just the fear of being caught that triggered paranoia in him.

Sometimes he wished he could just apologize to Seokjin and explain how he felt. Perhaps if there wasn't strife between them, they would collaborate to lessen the load. But his raging pride and pain would clog the words in his throat.

The ship docked with sluggish movements. The atmosphere was filled with steam blowing out of its funnel and the smell of seawater and rusty metal. The giant engine purred as the hull at the bottom brushed against the concrete harbor. A little bridge extended from the little door on its side, and crew members dressed in sailor uniforms, rushed out to collect the tickets of the passengers and carry their luggage inside.

Jimin handed their tickets to a sailor.

The man read through the papers.

"Mr. Park and Mr. Kim, destination North island of Kartas, yes?" He asked.

"That's right," Jimin answered for both.

The sailor stamped on the tickets and ripped the top side paper.

"You are in cabin 170. Please deposit your horses in the ship's stables," he requested politely and added two paper stickers on their horses, "Please proceed."

They did as they were instructed and proceeded to board the ferry. They walked alongside dozens of passengers through the narrow corridors, counting the numbers on the cabin doors. By the time Jimin unlocked the door, Seokjin barged in and instantly fell asleep on one of the beds.

"Bloody hell..." Jimin cursed under his breath.

He dropped their belongings on the floor and left the cabin, locking the door behind him. He wasn't weary enough to want to sleep, so he decided to take a walk around the ship to kill time.

The voyage to the Kartas Islands lasted eight hours. They were lucky that the sea was merciful, with little to no waves dancing gently around the hull of the ship. Jimin thought that perhaps they were finally blessed with a little fortune, so he spend his time in the restaurant area, playing cards with a group of affable men. The same men that invited him to stay at a cross road's inn they knew to be welcoming to travelers*.

(*BONUS CHAPTER ✑ Captured - PART I)

When the ship docked, Jimin rushed to wake Seokjin. He dragged him out of bed with threats and belittles, and with a staggering effort he raised him on his feet.

"We've arrived already?" Grunted Seokjin.

"Yes, now get up. I've picked up some friends along the road, they're going to lead us to an inn where we can take refuge until we decide what to do next," Jimin replied.

They disembarked, grabbed their horses and headed to the Crossroads inn.

Dusk lowered in the horizon. Black clouds mounted the dark sky and before they knew it the streets of the city where flooded with rain.

They stayed at the warm inn, playing cards and eating the freshly prepared stew by the inn's cook, while the clashes of thunder drummed in the background...

...Seokjin ran outside to vomit the excess alcohol fermenting in his stomach...

*...A dazzling flash of lightning illuminated the two newcomers. Dressed in clean black suits and top hats. The young man furrowed confused as his eyes fell on the temporarily lit face of the man in front of him. The golden budge of the Royal Secret Services glinted blue.

"Hello, your highness," said the now dark figure.

A metallic hard blow at the back of the prince's head banged. Blackness fell like curtens and his senseless body splashed on the wet mud.

Inside the warm inn, Jimin bickered with his companions.

"I didn't cheat, alright?" he insisted.

"You sore loser, you are, Blake!" snickered the wrinkled man with the wheezing laughter of a heavy smoker.

They all guffawed.

"Drinks on me, lads!" said Jimin snapping his fingers at the innkeep, which he replied with a nod, "I'll be right with you, just let me check up on my friend."

He opened the door and picked outside.

"Seokjin! Seokjin! Are you done yet?" he called out in the rain.

He stepped on the muddy ground and searched around the premises.

Nothing.

His heart started beating in his chest.

"Jin!" shouted more loudly.

He turned around the corner, now getting himself drenched as well. He panted heavily, panic overtaking him. And that's when the worse of his thoughts were confirmed.

Down at his toes, plunged in water and mud, laid Seokjin's golden spherical necklace. Jimin's eyes bulged, his heart kicked his ribcage, as he picked it up and held it in his hand.

No...

(*BONUS CHAPTER ✑ Captured - PART I)

~

Jimin started shaking. He couldn't feel the air coming out of his lungs. A thorny grasp clenched his gut.

"No..." He wheezed, his eyes bulging out of their sockets, staring at Seokjin's necklace laying in his palm.

He swung his neck to look around him.

"SEOKJIN!" he billowed, cupping his palms around his mouth.

With the loud roars of the storm and the heavy whipping of the rain, his calls were totally ineffective.

He started running around the perimeter of the inn, panting heavily.

Nothing...

"SEOKJIN!" he shouted again. In vein.

He kept jogging around the area, looking under trees, inside horse stables, knocking on doors. Shouting, again and again, and yelling his brother's name.

His trajectory lead him back to the door of the inn. One of the men of his small group of companions lingered outside the door, lighting a cigarette. When he saw a ghost-like pale Jimin approaching him, he was petrified.

"What is it, son?" He asked worriedly.

Jimin fell on the wall and let himself slide down. The man knelt next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Young Mr. Park! What's wrong? You're drenched, you'll catch a cold, go inside!" He urged him.

"I...I..." He struggled to breathe out the words, unable to inhale air, "He...he's..."

Another of the companions exited the door. He exchanged a muffled conversation with his friend, that Jimin was unable to listen, being choked and deaf by shock and terror.

"Where's your friend, Mr. Park?" One the two asked loudly, over the increasing downpour of rain.

The boy shifted his tear-riddled eyes at the man.

"He's gone..." Jimin sobbed.

He sat up with shaky movements. He gently pushed the men aside and walked towards the stables.

"Mr. Park!"

He mounted his horse.

"Where are you going?"

Without replying to any of their questions, he ushered his horse and galloped away, in full speed, under the terrible torrent of rain and into the gloom of a long night.