A/N: Hi. I hope none of the readers are mad with me. I'm just trying to make my own place in the world with this story. 

:)

If anyone wants to recommend me good indie music too, please do. 

Thanks for reading.

~izzy~

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Gulfing down exorbitant amounts of his favorite pasta dish, the Oak Prince tried to focus on Florian's voice from across the table. What distraction he couldn't derive from eating noodles, he got from Florian's slightly intoxicated banter.

Of course, Jungkook was offered alcohol. He was offered, and normally he would happily accept the graciousness of his host. Drinking might even put a damp on his wild thought processes about the situation. But he couldn't let himself get too buzzed; he didn't want to battle a hangover the entire time he was in the crypt.

"I just...I can't wait to see what her dress looks like. And you--well of course you have seen it! Taehyung's the designer she chose of course. Give me a hint! A taste? No wait, the groom shouldn't be spoiled the-"

"I've never seen his plans for the wedding dress, Florian. He kind of keeps his fashion projects under wraps from me."

Florian took a sip from his wine glass, amusement lighting up his eyes. The Oak Prince resumed devouring his pasta dish, pausing now and then to wipe stray drops of sauce off of his face.

"I don't believe it! Don't you two know everything about each other?"

A pang of guilt struck the ravenette. The Stone Prince didn't realize the irony of what he'd said.

"Well, Taehyung doesn't know I'm heading into the crypt with you tomorrow." Jungkook set his utensils down on the table, finding himself not hungry anymore. "I don't think he would want to know, either. Everyone has their secrets, Flor."

Florian eyed him wistfully. Whether it was the alcohol in his gaze or his unspoken thoughts, Jungkook didn't know. After a bout of silence, Florian downed his glass and got up from the table.

"Yes, yes...everyone has their secrets. Well, I hope you enjoyed the dinner the cooks prepared for you...Don't think too much about Taehyung...I'm sure everything will be fine tomorrow." Florian dusted himself off and gave a small smile to the ravenette. Something about the lilt in his tone set Jungkook on edge. "It will be fine. I'll plan the details and brief you on them in the morning--you deserve to rest, Jungkook. I don't know what's on your mind..but I don't think your father is the only cause of your distress."

"D-distress? Wha-"

"It's all over your face, Kook. I won't pry. Just please," Florian brushed his brown hair out of his face, "Please rest...oh! If you want to, I recently had a new hot spring-type room installed on the lower floor. It's really nice-"

"Thanks, Florian. I'll have to try that before retiring for the night..." He forced the most genuine smile onto his face. "And really Florian, thank you for the food. It was delicious."

The Stone Prince bowed slightly, pleased by the elder's words. He showed no signs of intoxication as he walked away steadily, humming a tune that seemed familiar to the ravenette. 

The Oak Prince took one last mouthful of the platter in before standing up himself. He pushed his chair a bit too hard into the table unintentionally, resulting in a mess on the table from his water glass.

"Agh, shit..." Jungkook mumbled as he rushed to clean up the spill. In seconds, he was splashing water on his over coat, spreading the mess even further across the table.

"I'll handle that sir." 

Jungkook's head snapped up to the door of the room. How long had Charles been standing there? 

"You can leave it to me."

Charles was at his side before the startled ravenette could even utter a thanks. The Oak Prince stood there dumbly as Charles mopped the table up with a stray rag. The Oak Prince bowed awkwardly and left the room after Charles gave him a "what are you still doing here?" look.

It didn't take him long to find the place Florian spoke about. The sweet smell of oils and something musky caught his nose, leading him down several sets of stone stairs to a dimly lit hallway. One of the doors was ajar, emitting a gentle steam cloud into the sparsely decorated space. Although Jungkook didn't believe that soaking in hot water would distract him much, he found himself drawn to the lovely stream curling around the door frame.

He took hesitant steps towards the door before pushing it open. Steam billowed into his face; the heat pressing into his cold cheeks felt nice. Jungkook waved the air around until he could make out a grand hot spring at the far end of the room. Florian's description of his new castley addition didn't give the expansive relaxation center much credit. Statues of Plato, Socrates, and Hippocrates lined the walls, as if guests using the space would find inspiration in their watchful glances as they soaked in the warm water. At least Jimin's statue wasn't in there...the Oak Prince felt a bit of relief at that.

Upon further observation, the ravenette realized he wasn't alone. Seated under ripples of steamy waves sat a middle-aged man, eyes open, watching Jungkook with a sort of wariness the prince would link with paranoia.

"Hello, sorry to intrude on your..." Jungkook waved a hand around the room, "Well, whatever this is."

The man lifted an arm, beckoning Jungkook closer to the edge of the spring. "You aren't interrupting anything! This spring is open to anyone in the Stone Castle, not just myself." The man rubbed at the stubble dotting his chin, deep in thought.

"Okay great, because that water looks really nice-"

"Do I know you from somewhere?" The man squinted at the Oak Prince. His salt and pepper hair dripped slightly down his cheeks. "Ah! I can't tell without my glasses on. Well, let it out then--who are you? Have we met before?"

The ravenette laughed. He was used to the question; quite a lot of people in Noirwood had seen his face painted on murals or in portraits, or knew him from his travels and speeches. The words that came from his mouth next were like second nature--he didn't have to think about them at all.

"You may have seen me before," Jungkook squatted down so that he was closer to eye level with the man in the water, "For I am the Oak Prince, sworn protector of the southernmost sector of Noirwood...and Florian's best friend." The ravenette smiled kindly at the man who was now half-standing out of the water, showcasing his tanned bare chest.

"My apologies, sir--I didn't mean to be so rash before-"

"No, sit back down! I've seen enough bows in my life, you can spare me from seeing another." Jungkook chuckled as the man's shocked face relaxed into that of a boy who gets a chocolate for behaving well.

However, the Oak Prince didn't miss the pinkish scars running along the man's bare chest before he sunk back under the foggy water.

Scars from combat. Scars that reminded him of Taehyung's scar. This man was either a Stone Soldier--or a lieutenant, given his age--or he was really clumsy with knives. Jungkook didn't think it was the latter.

"So," he began while peeling off his shoes, "Are you one of Florian's soldiers?"

The man tensed a bit before shifting in the water. "Yes...I mean no--well, I was." The man looked as if he was reliving some terrible event in his mind. Jungkook knew the signs of post-traumatic stress...he was used to Taehyung breaking out into sudden panicked episodes, crying endlessly that his father was going to come and hurt him, or that he could feel his father's hands on his body. The Oak Prince was always patient with the blonde during these times, although the breakdowns came less and less as Rose grew up.

"Was it...was it the war?" Jungkook disliked speaking about the event that had altered his life so significantly, but hiding from the past wasn't an option. "Did you...lose someone?"

The man blinked a few times and sighed deeply. "No, it wasn't the war but...I did lose a lot people. We were fighting up against a terrible enemy unmatched-"

His brain working at putting pieces together, the Oak Prince found a sudden chill pass through him in the warm room. He took a seat on a rock perch and slid his bare feet into the water. "Were you the only survivor?"

"I--y-yes, but how would you-"

"You're the survivor of the crypt incident, aren't you?" the Oak Prince's hand gripped the edges of the rock, knuckles turning white. His teeth got to work on his lower lip. "Florian told me about the...the attack. Actually, that's why I traveled up here...we're going to go-"

The Oak Prince cursed himself internally. He had almost revealed the plan to this man--the exhibition down to the crypt and anything related was supposed to be kept secret.

However, the man seemed to understand the Oak Prince's intentions, regardless of him not speaking them aloud. His tan face drained into a sickly pallor, hands rising out of the water to worriedly cup his face. "P-prince Jeon, I don't mean to sound rude, but you cannot go down there...you'll die."

Jungkook swallowed and eased his legs farther into the sweet-smelling water. He watched as bubbles curled around his bare calves, popping gently against the skin. He remained silent for some seconds as he digested the man's words and thought of a plan. The man must've mistaken Prince Jeon's silence for doubt, as he moved to sit closer to the ravenette, a determined look in his eyes.

"You really should rethink your decision, Prince Jeon. My men and I were completely prepped, trained, and briefed on the mission before we went. But nothing, no number of years spent training on the battlefield could have prepared us for that."

"That? Do you mean the people living down there?"

The man looked into the moving waters, now seated much closer to Jungkook. "Yes and no. There were...traps laid down for anyone stupid enough to venture--" His eyes flicked up to the ravenette's, aware that he might've offended a member of royalty. "Oh, I mean, you aren't stupid, Prince Jeon, I didn't mean to put it that way-"

"You should come with us into the crypts. We could use a guide."

Jungkook's words came out strong and startled the man. His head was shaking so aggressively, the Oak Prince thought that it would come off right into the water. "No. NO! I wouldn't in a million years go back down there." He grimaced as if tasting a sour apple. The ravenette nodded at his reaction, not in the least surprised that the only survivor of a mission gone wrong wouldn't want to return to the place of his fallen brothers. The Oak Prince tried a different approach.

"Did you...did you see your men die in front of you? I know what that's like, losing someone you care about right in front of your eyes..." the Oak Prince paused. He didn't want to go down the Jimin path any further than he needed to--because wasn't Jimin still alive? "And it can be really tough. But it's what you do after, it's what you do in honor of the fallen that truly matters."

The man give him a strange look but said nothing. The ravenette continued with his train of thought. "What's your--I never caught your name?" Jungkook's question came out soft, caring--in the voice of somebody who could be trusted. This man seemed as if he needed that in his life.

In a small voice, "Wren."

"Wren, okay Wren. How close are you with Florian? I'm guessing you two go back since he was named Stone Prince?"

The man watched his open palms glide underwater before answering. Steam rose off of his muscled shoulders. "Yes. I've known Florian for quite a while now, and he trusted me to head a major unit of his army when it was rebuilt. In fact, I have been a Stone Soldier for three decades. I knew Park Jimin's father, then Jimin, and now Florian."

The Oak Prince's mouth fell open. He was not expecting this. "You...have you ever fought with any Park family member before?" Anticipation surged through the ravenette's veins.

"Of course! Florian trusted me off the bat because I was a knight for Prince Park and managed to escape Jihoon's band of savages. Fuck that guy by the way. Pardon the language sir, but-"

"Yes, fuck Jihoon. He stole Jimin away from me right in front of my eyes. I can still see his dying face before I fall asleep sometimes..."

Shit.

Why had he just-

"I understand you, sir. I see my men--they cling to me in my nightmares, faces upturned in agony-"

"Enough, Wren. Let's not torture ourselves with the past. There's a huge responsibility on our hands, to protect the citizens of Noirwood and find ways to ensure their safety. We cannot leave the crypt unattended to--some place deep in your heart you must acknowledge this." The ravenette slid out of the hot spring and pulled his pants off. Underwear still on, he shivered as the cold water pooling around the edge of the spring stuck to his thighs. "Without you, Florian and I will go down there blindly--attempting to navigate and map out the interior of the underground maze while the soldiers stave off whatever dangers come our way."

"Prince Jeon...you don't understand-"

Jungkook pulled his shirt off over his head and threw the sweaty black cloth into the pile of damp clothes near him. With quick movements he moved to enter the hot spring, sighing as the water enveloped his pulsing body. "Help me to understand Wren. I have all night."

Wren looked at him in pained disbelief across the misty waters. Clearly he didn't expect to soak in a hot spring with a prince, nor speak about such terrifying topics.

"Alright...I'll...I'll go with you!" The exertion of saying so wiped the poor man out, Jungkook noticed, his eyelids drooping a bit with fatigue. "I'll help you out!"

"Why all of a sudden? You were just so against it...what changed your mind?"

Wren gave him a bittersweet look. "Because, Prince Jeon, I just realized that if you and the Stone Prince go down there and perish, it'll be my fault. Remembering what you said about honoring those whom I've lost...I'll go with them held close to my heart and take revenge--I swear it!" Wren was panting by the time he was finished.

Jungkook felt a part of his heart expand at the sudden ally in the situation. He held out a dripping wet hand to Wren. "Well, Wren--I'm glad you're coming with-"

"Under one condition!" Wren butt in, clasping Jungkook's hand tight in his own, "If I don't come back alive, I'll get my own statue next to Prince Park's. It doesn't have to be grand or anything, I just need reassurance that I won't be forgotten. That's my biggest fear."

This guy...this tough soldier's biggest fear wasn't dying by a sword but...being forgotten?

The Oak Prince stared deeply into Wren's eyes to affirm what he had just heard. The other man's gaze was unwavering. Wren was as serious as ever. Jungkook gave him a tiny smile.

"Call it a deal."

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