Can I call you mine now that we both have nothing left to claim?

Min Yoongi? She abandoned the horse and ran to the said man. "Yoongi!" she took him in a tight embrace, "what are you doing here-"

She was cut off when a hand harshly pulled her away from Yoongi. It was the blonde prince, who seemed rather furious as his grip tightened on her wrist. Yoongi stepped forward and pushed Jimin's shoulder, sending him stumbling back a little, and his hand slipped off hers.

"I have no respect to spare you just because you are a Prince. Don't ever touch Inhee again!" Yoongi said through gritted teeth.

Jimin's piercing eyes locked on Yoongi, he was ready to attack before Jungkook came in between the two. "He is our friend!" He rested his hand upon Jimin's shoulder backing him away from Yoongi.

Taehyung came closer to Inhee and asked if she was alright. "Can you take us out of here? There must be guards at the gates" he asked Yoongi.

"There's an underground tunnel from inside the palace. I know the way," Yoongi replied.

"Why must we trust you? We don't even know why you are here," Jimin asked.

"I can explain but that will take a long time. The guards are coming after you. I must take you all out of here safely," he said and instructed them to follow him, "you have to trust me for we have no time."

They were led back inside the palace then through a secret passage they reached a tunnel underground. "Now we have more time than required, tell me why are you here?" Jimin stopped and stared at Yoongi.

"This will be hard for you to believe Inhee, but you have to listen to me carefully," Yoongi began, "you are not just an orphan who was given mercy by the King and was adopted into the royal family."

"What do you mean?" Inhee didn't know why her voice stuttered and why she could feel chills running down her spine.

"That is not what I asked you," Jimin interjected.

Yoongi fixed him a glare, "Can princes not shut up for once?"

Jimin threw his head in frustration and began walking, gesturing to them to follow. "No- wait! I want to know what this is about," Inhee said with desperation in her voice, which even she couldn't recognize.

"You are not an ordinary girl who lived off of the King's generosity, Inhee," Yoongi said, "You are the princess of the Crimson Kingdom. Before the war, your mother left you on the stairs of their enemy's Palace and when they passed away your uncle was crowned as the new ruler."

Jungkook tensed while Taehyung stood there in silence. "How would you know that?" Jimin asked.

"I tend to know a lot of things people don't want me to," Yoongi replied, "and Inhee you had a brother who was also slaughtered during the war."

Inhee's didn't know what to feel, a distant sadness creeping up to her

How can she lose everything that belonged to her even before knowing about them?

Taehyung was by her side, his hand patting her back. At least she had somebody who truly belonged to her, but now she might lose him too if they didn't get out of there.

Jimin chewed the inside of his left cheek, "I'm asking you again, why are you here?"

"Why am I here?" Yoongi took a few steps back, a heart-dropping smirk forming on his lips, "because I had to finish my job."

The sound of heavy footsteps surrounded them. A team of royal knights appeared from behind Yoongi and they closed the metal gates. Inhee realized they were trapped between the four walls. "I promised the king that I would help him put you all behind bars, so there we go," Yoongi chuckled.

This was all being too much on Inhee, her knees started giving out, and Taehyung held her by her shoulders and helped her sit on the ground. She wasn't able to voice her disbelief, but Jungkook was on it. "Min Yoongi!! Get us out of here! How could you do this!"

Yoongi bowed to Princess Inhee, "This will be our last time seeing each other princess. I would have asked for your last wish before you leave this world, but as you see I am in a hurry. You can ask the angels above to grant you a last wish."

Inhee's grip tightened on Taehyung's shoulder as she watched him leave with that same darn smirk on his face.

"Jungkook, give me a hand. We have to get out of here," Jimin tried kicking the bars while Jungkook tried to open the lock.

Jimin and Jungkook grunted while using their full force but the gates didn't budge at all. "Useless!"

"I'm sorry. This all happened because of me," Inhee apologized quietly to Taehyung, who caressed her hair.

"You can't blame yourself for what you didn't know. I know how it feels to be betrayed by the one you thought of as family."

After a few minutes of trying, the two princes sat down panting as they miserably failed to open or break the gate.

They heard some jostling upstairs and the sound of a chain rattling. Jungkook got up on his feet. "Stay behind me, Inhee," he instructed, standing tall against her.

"Inhee! Jungkook!"

Jungkook and Inhee stared at each other in shock as Hoseok came towards them, panting hard.

"Are you both okay?" His face broke in concern. He used the keys in his hands to open the gates, and before he could approach Inhee and take her in his embrace Jimin pushed him against the wall.

"We have been played enough for a day, Hoseok. We don't plan on getting betrayed again," Jimin was now in his dark element, which Inhee probably heard about from others, but the thorns and fangs were still missing.

Hoseok stared at him wide-eyed, "Prince Jimin let me go! I'm here to help Inhee. I can never harm her- or Jungkook. Inhee, you have to trust me."

"She has had enough of that," Taehyung spoke.

"Let her decide that for herself," Jungkook said, glaring at Taehyung.

Before Hoseok could convince Inhee, some kind of commotion could be heard coming from upstairs.

"How about I pledge my innocence on the ride back home?" He gave Jimin an urgent look as a request. They let him go and followed him out of the cell to the end of the tunnel.

They ran as their horses were out of reach, but due to the effect of the substance which was mixed in their food Jungkook, Inhee, and Taehyung struggled to catch up.

Hoseok took Inhee on his back and Jimin gave Taehyung his shoulder to keep himself upright. Jungkook was managing okay on his own.

They reached a lake after they crossed the woods. "We will take a boat," Hoseok instructed. After getting on the boat, Jimin helped Inhee off Hoseok's back and now she lay limp on the wooden surface.

"The substance is taking over her mind probably because her senses have weakened. Are you both feeling foggy as well?" Hoseok asked.

"I can hold out for the time we get back home," Jungkook said and Taehyung resorted to silence. Jimin patted Taehyung's arm to check up on him and gave a reassuring squeeze to his hand.

The boat reached the land, Black Kingdom, and Jungkook said to Jimin, "I must take Inhee home. She will feel better after resting. Your royal highness, please fill in for our absence at the great hall."

Taehyung grabbed Jungkook's hand when he was about to lift Inhee in his arms. "I shall take my fiancee home. I want to make sure she's doing okay."

"Her home is the White Kingdom," Jungkook dangerously glared at Taehyung.

"And who are you to take her with you?" Taehyung raised his eyebrow.

"Her friend, and in every way the only person here who knows what is right for her," Jungkook said, jerking his hand free.

Jimin's face broke in confusion. "Jungkook, is that a problem for you if he takes her? They're bound to be married soon."

"They're not married yet. I apologize, Prince Jimin, but I'd like you to stay out of it," he took Inhee in his arms and left with Hoseok.

"I refuse to watch you drown in your misery now that your wife-to-be is not here," Jimin teased his friend.

"I know how to swim in my misery quite fine, thank you," he muttered.

"Tell me you do understand why the prince did what he did?"

"Because he doesn't like me?" Taehyung questioned.

"I was thinking, perhaps, he cares about her a lot," Jimin shrugged, "not that he has any reasons to like us given the history we share.

"Well, that didn't stop him from liking you," Taehyung raised his brow.

"I'm not the one marrying his beloved cousin," he broke in a smile, "besides, no one is immune to my charms."

"Except for Princess Inhee."

Jimin rolled his eyes. "She will come around soon. In the meantime, I'm glad you are okay. I was dreading the thought of handing you my handkerchief in case you'd cry."

The brown-haired prince laughed. "I wouldn't do such a silly thing."

"People do silly things in love," Jimin teased.

"It's not love!" Taehyung exclaimed.

Jimin laughed at his defensive behavior. "If you say so."

_______

Prince Jimin spent a long time with his king, letting him in on every single detail of their journey to the Silver Kingdom, except for Inhee's secret.

"First of all, Jimin, we'll visit the White Kingdom as a courtesy to check on their princess's well-being. Second, I want to discuss these matters with King Seokjin. Tell Taehyung to join us.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Jimin bowed and left the room.

Right now, he had to drag his friend to join them, which would be easy but what was not easy was waiting for him to pick out the 'right clothes.' He'd make Jimin wait until he'd find something that suited his mood and this wasn't the time for that.

"Taehyung?" Jimin peeked inside his chamber to find no one.

Upon walking inside, he found his friend in the corner, sitting in a pool of clothes. "what are you doing?" He asked.

"Packing," he replied, nonchalantly.

"Are you going somewhere?" Jimin asked in confusion.

"Yes, to live with my fiancee."

Jimin gasped. "Is that even allowed?"

"She needs me, Jimin. She needs somebody to protect her and somebody to elevate her mood, and I'm the only man in the world who's both handsome for the sore eyes and strong for her protection."

Jimin chuckled, amusedly. "You are not being silly, and you are definitely not in love."

Taehyung's lips turned up in a full-box smile. "Don't you dare judge me!"

Jimin took sat down on the bed, watching his pick out rings and chains to pack along with clothes. "About Min Yoongi, did you notice something?" he asked.

Taehyung looked up from where was sitting on the ground. "He felt no remorse?"

"That is, I believe I saw the same darkness in his eyes as the King's, did you not?" Jimin asked, "It was quite faint, hard to tell."

"No, I did not. You must be mistaken," Taehyung shrugged gaining a doubtful hum from Jimin.

_______

Author: Uploaded early for my dear reader LetJungCookIan and ZookieKookie_4ever