"The years have not been kind to you, little brother. I did not expect that you would have become so heartless."

Taehyung could discern the way Yeonjun followed him like an obsequious shadow, louring with a ferocity in his eyes that the warrior never thought his brother capable of. Perhaps it was familiar because he had seen the same crazed look in his own eyes at times.

"You call me heartless when you know nothing of being a warrior."

"I know enough that you were not always this way, Tae."

Taehyung glanced downwards, shoulders tense at the tone his brother used when he said his name. If only Yeonjun knew of the things he had seen, how every time he looked at these callous and rough hands of his that he was reminded of the heinous things he had done. He was just a product of violence created by their Father and Yeonjun dared to stand there and tell him of how heartless he had become?

"If you had been shown no love from that brute of a man, you would understand."

"Do you crave Fathers approval so much that you have allowed yourself to become the barbarian that savage girl claims you to be?"

"I do not care about his approval."

"Then you should not let one man's faults turn you into a monster." Yeonjun sighed, "You are loved by many others."

Taehyung turned at the imperativeness in his brother's voice and stared into those dark eyes, searching for something, anything that could discern the truth behind those words, but he knew no matter how much he tried, he couldn't deny it.

He knew nothing of love other than the memory of his Mother's embrace when he was no more than a boy.

Since then, he had learned to forget what love felt like because it was the one thing he had been denied, and it hurt him - hurt him because he knew she still waited for him to return, that he could be loved again, but he could not succumb to such weakness.

How could he expect anyone to love him when he didn't even love himself?

Maybe if Yeonjun knew how he truly felt, he could fathom the vocabulary to actually express this, but instead, he turned to stare into the clearing of the forest, eyebrows furrowed as a multitude of warriors gathered the other captives and set up the whipping post. This is who he was now, a man incapable of anything other than his own hatred.

"I am a warrior, Yeonjun. I know nothing of love nor can I be loved."

"You might think that." The russet haired male frowned, trying to remain placid despite his brother's temperament. "But I know you are only keeping that savage girl in the hope that she will learn to love you."

"It has nothing to do with her."

"Why do you deny it, Tae? I see the way you look at her."

"She is a savage, I have no feelings for people like her."

"You look at her like a man consumed in passion, I have never seen you look at anyone like that."

"I know what you are doing, Yeonjun." The warrior spat, a clear indication of his resentment before he turned to scrutinize the older male. No matter how much his brother tried to convince him otherwise, he knew you would never see him for anything other than a barbarian. "But she will never see me the way I want her to see me."

"Then why do you torment yourself like this?"

Footsteps thrashed against a chiliad of leafs as Taehyung made his way through the forest, eyes focused on the river where you were perched on the rocks, an array of flowers in your hand as you weaved them into hairpieces. You were smiling, beauty captured by the sunlight that danced through the branches as the brunette sat next to you, eyes focused on how effortlessly your fingers moved.

"I heard Eun talking to the elders today." The brunette mentioned, "He wants to ask for your hand."

He noticed the way you glanced up, eyebrows furrowed and a frown on your face. "That brute? I would never say yes to him, not ever. If he asks me, I will simply tell him my heart is already taken."

"The love he asks of you is not the same as the one you have for me, Y/N. He wants more than that." Yuna reached her hand up to caress your cheek, pouting when you pulled away and placed the hairpiece you were working on onto the ground.

"Then I will still tell him no."

"If I were a man, would you take my hand instead?"

Taehyung crouched now, a jealousy raging inside him as you nodded, the smile returning to your face. "You know I would, Yuna. I do not need a man's hand to be happy, having your friendship is enough for me."

The memory was only a few days before now, the last of them before he decided that he would make you his, but it had also not been the first time he had seen you.

The very first time he had been making his way to the river to wash the blood from his hands after invading a village no more than a mile away - but he had been distracted by the sound of your voice, so pretty and delicate as you sang to yourself. Keeping his distance, he had crouched behind a tree and watched you.

The warrior had never seen a savage quite as pretty as you, so naive of his presence as you harmonized with the sound of nature and the way you danced, feet bare of coverings, touching the trees like you could speak to them.

"She was different from the others." Taehyung smiled now, reminiscing the way his heart fluttered at your smile.

He had watched you for hours that day and when he returned that night, he told a curious Subaru about you. It had been innocent at first, just a simple fascination, but soon enough, that fascination turned into an obsession.

Over those next five moons, he got up before the sun had even begun to rise, all so he could pick those pink flowers you liked, the ones you would spend hours weaving into hairpieces. He knew how long it took you to gather enough to make just one, so he would do it for you and leave them in a pile by the rock you liked to sit on.

And yet, you never noticed.

It was like you didn't even know he existed.

"You can deny your feelings, but it does not change them, Tae." Yeonjun spoke quietly, noting the way his brother's smile had faltered into a frown. "You care for her, that much is obvious."

Taehyung averted his gaze, "My men will think me weak if I do not punish her."

"Then punish her by whipping the one she loves in her place."