Bathtubs are wooden tubs held together by iron rings.

Jimin focus

Taking a bath after the straining ride felt like being reborn. Jimin had never been more grateful for a tub with hot water and concubine Oh's special herbal selection. The crown prince must have informed her to deliver some of her medicine to the guest rooms of the bathhouse to lift this soldier's spirits. And right he had been in doing so. Jimin felt like he had won a battle.

Maybe one could call it that. After all, he had successfully fought several bandit groups who had lurked around the border, robbing inattentive and unprotected merchants. But that was childish bickering compared to his time at the northern border where he had fought along his father and the crown prince to save Goguryeo from the Rouran invasion. And what were a few scars from crossing swords with a bandit king compared to the threat of the Baekje army attacking the capital?

A heavy sigh slipped from his lips and the warm water only seemed half as refreshing as before. Who would have thought that he would face two wars before the age of twenty-five?

"Pst." A whisper made him turn around to the closed window. "Pst," it hissed again.

Cautious and as quiet as possible, he slipped out of the water, unsheathed his sword, and stepped closer to the wooden blind to lift its edge and look outside. Nothing could be seen.

"Pst," he heard again from down below. More curious than cautious now, he pushed the blinds further and tried to spot who was crouching underneath the window.

"Taehyung?" he asked startled when he spotted the blue robes and bright chestnut eyes that were looking up at him.

"Jimin!" the third prince whispered excited, and a second later he had slipped in through the window and they stood face to face drinking in each other's appearance.

His lover was still the same. Lips curled into a mischievous smile and eyes sparkling with curiosity. But his contours had an edge to them that was new. He looked more defined, more like a man. It seemed that nine months had been too long of a separation. Apparently, Taehyung thought the same because in the next moment Jimin was pressed against expensive robes and hungry lips captured his for a kiss that spoke of all the retained want of the last months.

Propriety was discarded together with Jimin's sword, and he just indulged into the kiss, burying his hands in his lover's hair to press them closer. The fabric of Taehyung's clothes felt exciting against his sensitive parts and his mind was sucked into a maelstrom of desire that threatened to drown his conscious before his lover broke off the kiss.

"I missed you so much," Taehyung sobbed, breathless and desperate, and apparently close to tears. So, still the softhearted guy Jimin had held dear all his life. A sweetness only this man could invoke in him slowly calmed the growing fire under his skin.

With a smile he slung his arms around the prince's chest and settled his head on the broad shoulder. "I am back now," he whispered reassuringly and caressed the muscular back.

"For how long?" his lover asked weakly and tightened his embrace.

Jimin sighed. Their time together was always limited, much too short to build a shared routine. Where the king pointed, Jimin was going, the kingdom always more important than his love. But that was how it was. And even if he sometimes dared to wish himself back into their childhood days of simple adventures and stolen kisses, he knew that this wish was futile and coward. His destiny had always been the battlefield, the restlessness of a soldier. For someone to demand the change of the fated path was asking for suffering.

"A few days," he answered defeated.

Taehyung breathed in shakily. "Fine. We will take what they give us."

><

"Father allowed me to plant some fruits and vegetables in the gardens," Taehyung explained happily while they walked through the neatly arranged patches of radish, cabbage, and strawberries. "I asked brother Jin to help me take care of it."

Jimin hummed along. His lover's likings sometimes were foreign to him, who had grown up doing nothing but cultivating the sword and strengthening his body. But he loved how Taehyung's curiosity made him try new things on a whim.

"And for mother I planted a peach tree next to the tea pavilion because she loves the blossom," the prince rambled on, making Jimin smile softly.

Taehyung had shared some time practicing the sword with him. Unless the prince's competitive streak was awoken, he would rather choose to bury his opponent under a shower of flowers than a volley of blows. He treasured life like no one else Jimin had ever met. Any bug and bird he treated with utmost care, but his most beloved person was his mother, noble consort Kang Youngsoon.

The second wife of the king had a benevolent nature that was easy to love. Everyone had been joking that after queen Jang had passed away, the king had been relieved to have a wife less strongminded and sharp to tend to him.

But a calm man like the king and a timid woman like consort Kang could only produce a son who was gentle by nature, unable to harm in the name of the kingdom or the people. Even practicing at the Park's mansion had changed nothing about his lover's disposition. Whenever he saw a butterfly passing, his sword or bow would end up on the dusty ground, forgotten for the rest of the day.

"What are you thinking about?" Taehyung's deep voice asked from his side and Jimin shook the memories of long-gone times out of his head.

He looked into the curious brown eyes next to him. "You look different from when I saw you the last time," he said and traced the lines of his lover's face once again.

Taehyung chuckled. "I have been practicing with the palace guards. Brother told me that -if nothing else- I need to learn how to defend myself." He gave Jimin a probing side-glance that seemed to ask for approval. "I found it to be helpful with... quenching my fire, so I have been practicing regularly."

Jimin laughed whole heartedly. What a nice way to say it was a substitute for thriving in lust. It was amusing how Taehyung only found this method now when Jimin had used it all the time in order not to ravish the third prince during his days of pining over him.

"How dare you laugh at me?" Taehyung cried dumbfoundedly.

"I apologize, I only remembered something," Jimin pressed out and forced his laughter to subside.

"Your highness. Officer Park," a soft female voice interrupted them. One of the palace's maidservants was standing behind them in a polite bow. "My lady has seen you walking the gardens and sent me to ask if you would grant her the pleasure of your company. She is waiting at the tea pavilion."

The bow never left the petite girl's shoulders and Jimin could not help himself but feel sorry for the palace servants. They would all become hunched figures with age.

Taehyung did not seem to notice and smiled as brightly as ever. "Tell my mother that we will follow her wish in a moment."

"Yes, your highness," the girl excused herself and left.

Taehyung turned towards him and grabbed his hands with his big ones. "Mother has not seen you in over a decade. She will be delighted to know that you're healthy and living well."

Jimin smiled back at his overjoyed lover. "Then let's not make her wait. I remember her choice of tea to be excellent and her concern for me to be warm like a mother's."

Taehyung laughed and pulled him after him. "You are like a son to her!" he claimed.

And Jimin knew he was speaking the truth. Since consort Kang had heard of Jimin and his siblings being without a mother, she had been sending individual boxes with sweets and small goodies to the Park children when Taehyung had resided at their mansion in Busan. Once, she even had asked his older sister if she liked Taehyung, obviously aiming to arrange a marriage, but Jiyeon, being much more mature than her brother and his friends, had declined politely. It was for the best, Jimin had thought back then. As much as he had loved Taehyung, the palace was the last place he had wanted his sister to go, repelled by the tales his father had told him about that place.

"Jimin, my dear boy!" a joyful female voice welcomed him when the little tea pavilion on top of the palace garden's hill came into sight.

Taehyung's mother looked as regal as ever. Her hair was arranged in a beautiful updo adorned with golden pins and bright jade flowers, and her pale complexion stood out against the vibrant green of her robes.

"Noble consort Kang," Jimin greeted her on one knee, head lowered in respect.

"Mother," Taehyung said next to him with a soft bow.

"Oh, rise my son. No need for formalities," the woman told Jimin, ignoring her own son in order to get up and guide Jimin back into his standing position. "How fine you look. So strong and mature," she said with gleaming eyes. "I remember when you would run away from Taehyung because you stole his candy. You did not even reach to my shoulder back then. But look at you now." She reached up to the top of his head that was towering slightly above her own.

Jimin did not know what to make of this display of motherly love, so he glanced at Taehyung and the maids who giggled behind their hands, obviously amused at his display of helplessness. A strong man with a sword looking lost because of encountering affection. He must be the shame of his father's forces right now.

"Mother, let us all sit down and treat Jimin to some tea. He just had a long journey and needs to rest," his best friend helped him to overcome the embarrassment and guided his mother back to her seat.

Jimin had almost forgotten that he was supposed to sleep right now in order to stand guard at night. But he could not be rude to consort Kang nor to her son, so he sat down with them and allowed himself to enjoy the moment.

"Try this," the woman said and handed him a small cup of tea she had poured. "It is the Sejak harvest of this year. I used to send some of it to the Park mansion back then. Your father praised it in several of his letters to his majesty."

Jimin smiled. "He indeed likes noble consort's tea very much. At the border camps we would only drink the cheap crops of last year's summer, so he would never stop praising a good tea when he had the chance to enjoy it at home," he told her.

"It was the least I could do to thank him for the care he bestowed upon my son. Taehyung would never stop talking about the weeks he spent in Busan. I felt like a bad mother for calling him back to the capital every autumn," the woman chattered happily. Once again Jimin was amazed that such a gentle being was the most important woman in the kingdom.

"Not only for me, mother," Taehyung joined the light conversation. "General Park also received sister Dahee for a summer."

The queen's eyebrows lifted when she remembered. "Oh, I almost forgot. My daughter told me that the girls spent a joyous time together."

That was a lie, Jimin thought. Jiyeon had told him that she could not stand Taehyung's sister. Because compared to her brother, the princess was superficial and spoiled, not at all like Jimin's sister who liked to stroll through the streets and joke with vendors and jugglers. But Jimin would rather bite off his tongue than to tell this to the lovely woman, so he only smiled.

"Where is Jiyeon right now? Is she still in Busan?" consort Kang asked and filled Jimin's small plate with fruits and sweet pastries.

"Yes, your highness," he replied proudly. "She is taking care of the mansion in our time of absence."

"Absence?" the consort asked, looking confused for a moment. When her eyes focused back on them, they were filled with concern. "You and your brother followed your father to guard the border, so is she all alone?"

Jimin's jaw clenched. This made them sound like they were treating her badly. "Aunt Solmi is looking after her whenever she is in need of something," he clarified. His aunt had married a Busan scholar and had stayed in the Park family's hometown, so Jiyeon was not alone.

"Oh, what a relief. But how old is your sister?" Taehyung's mother continued her interrogation. "Should she not be married by now, have a husband who takes care of her?"

A sour taste filled Jimin's mouth at that question. Yes, his sister should have been married by now, but she was just as stubborn as their mother had been and had refused all the men their father had brough home. And how could he force his beloved daughter into a marriage that would make her unhappy?

"Older sister is a stubborn girl who does not know what is good for her," he pressed out, eyes fixed on his teacup.

"Oh son, do not be upset," the consort tried to comfort him, placing a hand on his wrist. "When I was at her age, I dared to dream of true love, too." Jimin looked up at her with wide eyes. It was rare for a lady of the palace to speak so openly, and he felt the need to seal her lips in order not to cause her trouble. But consort Kang seemed unperturbed and continued in a serious manner, "Since the day your father cut ties with his brother, your family has no relations to the court or the noble families of the capital, so let her enjoy that freedom a little longer."

The mentioning of his uncle, the minister of war, was another sour topic, but it was outshone by the rest of the sentence. "Noble consort Kang, you are too generous to my generation," Jimin said honestly. Any other women of her age had told his sister to get settled, and fast. Once she would surpass her thirtieth birthday, no one would be interested in her anymore. Thus, it was a welcome change to hear someone appreciating his sister's will.

"I should invite her to the capital. We have many fine men. Maybe she will find someone to her liking. And if not, she had a joyful time," the woman replied determinedly.

Jimin's gratitude for Taehyung's mother grew with every minute he spent with her. Had it been true that he had not wanted his sister to be tainted by the capital back when they were young, he now feared that she would end up alone because of the missing hand of a caring mother who could guide her. If consort Kang was willing to receive his sister, he would be truly grateful.

Taehyung chuckled next to him, amused at his starstruck face. "I think what Jimin wants to say is that he would like that very much and is thankful for your offer, mother," he translated Jimin's silence.

The woman smiled happily. "Then it is settled. I will write to her this afternoon."

"Thank you so much, noble consort Kang," Jimin mumbled and stood up again to get on his knees.

"Rise, my boy, no need to thank me so stiffly," the woman scolded him immediately. "It is not your gratitude I am searching for but company for my lonely days. A young maiden such as your sister will sure bring life into the palace." She could not have looked happier, Jimin thought and rose to his feet with a feeling of newfound inner peace.

"I hope she can hold her temper at least a little," he mumbled quietly and made Taehyung and his mother laugh.

"I will make sure to guide her," consort Kang assured him.

><

It was a cloudless night like the ones before, and Jimin was crouching on the edge of the roof of the crown prince's residence, admiring the night sky. Whoever wanted to slip into the bedchamber of his highness had to pass the guards at the stairs that led to the study's entrance or slip in through the window underneath him.

Said window could only be reached by climbing the walls of the hallway around the yard and crossing the free space to the residence. And since climbing the walls required a magnificent ability in jumping and strength, Jimin was rather curious what kind of man this assassin was.

But until now nothing had moved over the rooftops of the palace, and all that had happened was that Jimin's proviant was eaten and his stomach demanded more. But hunger sharpened your senses was what his father had taught him, so he endured it.

He could hear the guards speaking down below in hushed voices and rolled his eyes. If you want to catch a snake you must not behave like prey. Palace dogs...

A door opened and closed below, and another royal guard entered the yard. At least this one tried to be as quiet as possible Jimin noticed satisfied. Even his steps were placed with caution and inaudible to the human ear. Now that made Jimin's back prickle. Something was wrong.

Containing his breath, he leaned over the edge of the roof to follow this guard's movement and watched him jump onto the pedestal on which the residence was built with an ease Jimin had rarely had the pleasure to observe in any of his soldiers. This was their snake.

With a soft thump, the officer landed on the ground beneath the pedestal and flung his sword at the assassin's legs. But this one was fast. With a swift jump, he evaded the blade and flew over Jimin's head and towards the door he had come in through.

"ASSASSIN IN THE PALACE! CUT HIM OFF!" Jimin shouted while he ran after the man into the hallway.

The intruder was unbelievably fast, Jimin realized. And unbelievably strong, he had to add when he saw how the figure jumped up the wall and flung itself out of one of the windows that were built along the top. Jimin grabbed the edge of the broken window and pulled himself up far enough to lean outside.

Several guards were running after a fleeing shadow, arrows piercing the air, but they were already unable to make out the figure in the dark. They had been too slow.

"Offer Park," the voice of the crown prince called behind him.

Jimin jumped down and turned towards the man with a bow. "Your highness. I was unable to catch him."

The princes' breath was slightly labored when he stared at the soldier. Or rather stared through him like he was seeing something completely different. With the tousled hair and the loose outer robes, it made him appear like a mad man.

"Your highness?" Jimin asked cautiously. The last thing he needed was the crown prince dying from nerves.

The ebony eyes focused on him. "If even officer Park is troubled catching the assassin, I am concerned that no one will be able to do so," he said firmly, brushing off Jimin's concerns for his mental health. "We should inform father."

"Your highness?" Jimin stopped the taller from leaving. A thought had crossed his mind.

"What is it, officer Park? You can speak freely," the prince replied and looked at him attentively.

"The intruder wore the robes of the royal guard," he reported.

The crown prince huffed out a breath and nodded softly. "Well, well. It appears that advisor Min was right. We have a traitor in the palace."

"I would beg to differ," Jimin continued his thoughts, receiving an astounded gaze from the prince but also an encouraging gesture to speak. "I saw how he moved and in all of my life I barely met two men able to move like this. A talent like his would have been wasted in the royal guard." Namjoon nodded understandingly. "To steal a uniform can be easily done when the servants bring it for washing, thus the assassin most likely is none of our men."

"What officer Park is saying makes sense," the crown prince agreed. "But then we still have a traitor in the rows of our servants which needs to be investigated."

Now Jimin had to agree. "His highness shall do so once I finish elaborating my plan."

"Speak."

"If his highness agrees, I would like to switch our quarters. I shall wait inside his highness' chambers to receive the enemy when he is striking again, and his highness should rest peacefully in the guest quarters. It will be inconvenient for one or two nights, but I think that I have a chance in defeating the opponent in close combat."

The crown prince looked slightly taken aback at the suggestion before he thought it through and nodded. "I find no flaw in officer Park's plan. After some arrangements it should be possible to shift my duties to the guest quarters. We shall do as officer Park says."

"One last thing," Jimin added as an afterthought. "For the possibility of word getting spread I suggest to limit the amount of people who should be aware of this change."

"I will take care of it," the prince said with a knowing look and turned to leave.

A royal guard came running around the corner. "Your highness!" he called out. "Your highness, his majesty is expecting you in his office."

It appeared, that word of the second assassination had already spread through the palace.

"I expect officer Park for today's strategy meeting," the crown prince said before he left Jimin behind with quick strides.

"Sure, your highness," Jimin murmured and bowed at the shrinking back. Always five steps ahead, he thought, just as expected of the crown prince.

>><<

Don't worry. You'll get used to the many names and relations.