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Jimin

For the first time, Jimin liked life.

Living in Kayira meant he had tolerated life. No, tolerating was too strong a word—he had survived it. That was the baseline for life in Kayira: not dying. Even for royals, riches were far from accessible, and no one had smiles and laughs. Their few social gatherings consisted of cursing Nionna's name. Jimin had once participated in those rituals, but ever since discovering how Kayira had blamed Nionna for its misdoings, Jimin stopped.

However, that was far from the point. As he frolicked his way through the Kayira streets, he thought of his princess, and the night they had shared. He had containers of waters he had received from her in his grasp, and he passed them out to the commoners under the guise that he had stolen it after studying Nionna on a secret quest for ages. They didn't care about his reasons; the water took priority.

That was step one for peace: show his people what they could have if they found peace with Nionna. What Jimin could have was an open relationship with the princess. For him, that was what mattered most. His people getting the resources they needed was a bonus, but his princess was the main event.

The wasteland surrounding his kingdom called to him as he rushed beyond the border and let the dust kick up. Dali was far prettier, as was her tree, but he appreciated the different landscape, too. If he lived in a happier time, he'd dance in the dirt. Dance appealed to him, for some reason. It was freedom to him. A way to express emotions he never understood, not that he wanted to. Some things were better left unknown. Like if he would ever get over his fear of tight spaces. The goal was to never enter one again, so hopefully he never found out.

He didn't care about the grime he'd get on his himation; he sat right in front of the area the cracked surface faded into blades of withered grass. No trees were there, not that there was any flora between that space and Nionna, but seeing the black strings and yellow-green colors in the distance had his mind's rampant thoughts coming to a halt.

His people tilted their heads at him when he had frolicked through his streets, asking how everyone's day had been. In his defense, a mere eight hours ago, he had, to put it bluntly, had sex with the most beautiful woman in the kingdoms. Of course, he remembered not to leave anything inside her so there would be children outside wedlock, but that wouldn't matter much longer, if all went according to plan and they convinced their families to allow a marriage. Though, they couldn't be too eager. If they suspected them of meeting in private... well, at least Jimin would get decapitated, and he was sure Kayira would do anything to hunt down his princess and slay her for "corrupting" their commander.

None of that mattered, though. He kept his gaze on the distant Nionna. The golden kingdom shined in the sunlight, and he smiled at the thought of his princess. But his thoughts were interrupted mere minutes later when a local—Yuna—approached with her dirty face and messy, dark hair.

"Commander, your father wishes to speak with you in the castle."

Of course.

"Thank you, Yuna."

Yuna hesitated at that, seeing as Kayira citizens didn't use much in the way of manners. He ignored it and instead rose to trot his way back to the castle and back through his kingdom. A smile remained on his face, and he dipped his head to everyone he passed. They all knitted their brows when he strolled by, not that he cared what they thought of him. Just because they were miserable didn't mean he had to be. There was more to life than that, as Jimin had discovered. Yes, he had the privilege of being a royal and therefore didn't have the same hardships, though happiness found its way to him anyway, and he would hold onto it until his last breath.

Father waited at the lip of the gate, right before the interior of the castle. Jimin stood in front of him, and thanks to the slant of the wooden gate, he was a few inches lower than the king.

"I wish to speak to you about your behavior these past couple weeks."

Ah, great. What could go wrong?

"Of course, sir," Jimin said with a slight bow. "Anything you wish to discuss, I am all ears. Please, speak."

"Manners," Father mumbled with a grunt before raising his tone. "I received reports that you seemed... panicked on the battlefield not too long ago. I let it slide because you got the job done without bowing out early, but that and today's behavior are making me concerned."

Concerned? Yeah, right. No, Father hadn't let it slide since he got the job done, he let it slide because Jimin was his best soldier by far, and while that didn't spare Jimin from pain and the risk of execution, that at least gave him leniency in some regards.

"Today? What happened today, sir?"

"Do not pretend. You are different, my son. Everyone, myself included, has seen you frolicking around like some toddler. What do you think you're doing? Do you want to bring a soft image to our family?"

Oh, so that was what he was pissed about, huh? The family image. Boo-hoo.

"No, sir," Jimin said with another head bow. "My apologies, I just thought I would try something new. This war drags on more and more by the day, sir, so I wanted to try and bring more light to our citizens in hopes it would boost morale and give us energy to fight. Now I see that was misguided, and I should have spoken to you about that idea first. You have my sincerest apologies."

No, you don't.

"I... see. What a foolish plan." Father clicked his tongue and slapped Jimin for it. The sting didn't bother him anymore. "That does not explain your behavior on the battlefield. Why were you so panicked?"

Kayira taught Jimin to lie within seconds, and he utilized his training in that moment.

"I thought I was dead, sir. I thought the enemy struck me and I was bleeding out, but I was wrong. I apologize for my actions."

Father narrowed his gaze more than normal, but he didn't speak. If those words were worth replying to, that was. The excuse wasn't the best, but it made sense in his head. Father wouldn't accept weakness even in death, but it was a human reaction, was it not?

"Fine. And what did you say to the princess after the funeral?"

That lie was easier than before.

"To prepare to bury more, what I always say to her at funerals. You've heard me say it to her before, sir. I'm far from subtle about it," Jimin said with a snort, and Father didn't press further.

"If you insist. You're dismissed, unless you have something else to say."

Yes, he did. It was risky, but it was the necessary move.

"Well, while on the subject of the princess, I have a proposal. One that could get us power in Nionna."

Father leaned back on his boot's heels. "I'm listening."

"Marriage between the princess and me. I know how that sounds, but listen: there are no known brothers in the L/n family. If we marry our way in, we can execute the king and make me the new ruler. It will prevent more bloodshed on our side but still secure the thrown. The only one at risk would be me."

Father stroked his masked chin before nodding. "Not a bad plan, but let us discuss it more later. I appreciate you coming up with new ideas as much as you can, my son. Continue with the good work."

Seven times in his life had he received praised from the king. That day made eight, and Jimin couldn't stop the smile that crinkled his eyes. He wiped it away before the king could question him.

"Yes, sir. Thank you."

Jimin walked away to end the conversation. It wasn't done out of disrespect; after all, the king had dismissed him seconds prior. It was done to prevent Father from asking further questions. More questions would lead to the truth: Jimin loved Y/n. More than anything. And no one could discover that.

No matter what.

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