During the first breakfast Taehyung and Miyu shared since being apprehended, news of his father's death was announced. And as conflicted as she was, it was a pain she also knew. It wasn't one she thought anyone should have to go through, no matter how cruel she believed them to be. At the news, she and Taehyung both ate in silence, and even though Taehyung held his stoic composure on the outside, she knew better. The seers' words played on her mind. Since learning of the truth surrounding Taehyung's mother's passing, she wondered if that would be enough to change the way she felt when she laid eyes on him. Yet she couldn't bring herself to do it, and so she avoided getting caught in that hypnotic gaze of his at all costs.
"Our wedding is two weeks from now. You have a dress fitting today after breakfast. I've already arranged it with the dressmaker. Make sure you aren't late." Taehyung's deep voice seemed to echo against the silence in the spacious dining hall, and the princess didn't object. She gave a curt nod, eyes still fixed on the empty plate before getting up and following her guard off to meet with the dressmaker.
The fitting took most of the day, but during it, the guards that usually followed her incessantly were not permitted inside. Which was the opportunity her handmaids had been waiting for. It wasn't until two of her closest and trusted slipped her a message that she'd realized any plans of resistance existing. They revealed almost nothing in fear of being caught. However, what they told the princess was that an escape for her before the wedding was being planned. They said that when the time came, they would let her know more.
In that moment, Miyu felt worried, but she also felt the small ray of hope she'd been praying for was shining. Until now, she'd felt like it was hopeless, like she'd never get out, and she'd even entertained the thought of having to accept this dreaded marriage. But, with this information, her faith was restored that perhaps she wouldn't have to follow through with it. And that she could leave this place that only held sadness and pain. She missed Jimin so much, and after she'd crawled back into bed after speaking with the seer, she'd dreamt of him. Of the night they'd kissed, and it'd all felt so real that when she'd woken, her lips tingled and her cheeks were damp.
But right now, she had to focus. She couldn't let herself get distracted. Before anything else, she had to get out of this castle and away from Taehyung. And now that her handmaids were making plans of their own, she just had to trust them until the time came.
During the ambush, they had knocked Jungkook and Jimin unconscious and by the time they'd awoken, Miyu was long gone. Jimin was distraught that he'd let the princess slip out of his grasp. Once again, he couldn't protect her and in his state of anger, he tried to chase after her. But Jungkook was able to talk some sense into Jimin, and instead, the two of them returned home to check on Jin.
Once they arrived back at the cabin, the place was in disarray, with furniture tipped over and glass shattered on the floor. It appeared like it'd been ransacked, but Jin was there and safe, and that was the most important thing to Jungkook. The three of them cleaned up the house, and it wasn't until the early hours of the morning that it was close enough to its original state. Jin told the other two how guards had suddenly stormed in and held him at knifepoint. When he'd refused to give them any information on the princesses' whereabouts, they smashed everything in sight.
The three then pieced together that after the confrontation at the cabin, those same guards must've found them in the spring and the rest was history. Jimin instantly questioned just how the guards had found them in the first place, but figured if they were scouring the woods nearby, they would've inevitably been discovered, regardless.
The new day dawned with heavy anxiety for Jimin, but he wasn't going to give up and just let Taehyung take Miyu away. He did not know what Taehyung had planned for the princess, but he didn't want to waste another second thinking about it. He was merely moments away from walking out that door, despite Jin and Jungkook trying to rationalize with him. Jimin just couldn't see past his anger. It was at that moment that there was a knock on the cabin door and the three exchanged apprehensive glances. Jimin and Jungkook readied themselves to attack whoever it was. However, as Jin cautiously opened the door, they were surprised to see a young man concealing himself under the guise of an oversized cloak.
"Who're you?" Jin questioned, but the young man swiftly moved into the cabin and forced the door shut behind him before lowering his hood. "My name is Hoseok, I work in the castle-" But Jimin's eyes widened as he recognised him. "Hob-ah, what are you doing here?" Jimin asked incredulously.
"Jiminie, god it's good to see you. I escaped the castle and," Hoseok spoke in a hurried voice as he moved over to the window and drew the curtains closed. "Jiminie, they're coming for the princess. I overheard rumors she'd escaped and was hiding here- wait, where is-"
"They came for her last night. They ambushed us and took her." Jungkook spoke up, his expression turning somber. A silence followed, and they could feel an unspoken dread about the situation. But, as Jimin's mind ticked over, a thought came to him.
"Hoba, how did you escape? Do you think there's any way we could sneak in and rescue the princess?" At Jimin's question, Hoseok furrowed his brows in contemplation. It was possible. It might take some time to plan, and they would need the help of a few of those who remained on the inside, but Hoseok already knew there was a small group of servants that would be willing and able to aid in the princesses' escape.
"I think we can do it. But we need to make a plan." Hoseok finally told the three that were waiting in anticipation. At this an air of relief followed, and after some introductions the four of them discussed and arranged how they planned to rescue the princess.
It'd been a long day for Miyu. The news of Taehyung's father succumbing to his illness, and the discovery of secret plans to escape also came to light. But also the sheer amount of effort that she'd spent changing in and out of garments for the fitting was unexpectedly exhausting, too. So when she finally prepared to lie in her bed and rest for the night, she let out a long, exasperated sigh.
As Miyu lay there, in the distance she heard the faintest rumbling, and a slight panic churned in her stomach. She thought it sounded a lot like a thunderstorm was slowly approaching and there was nothing that scared her more than storms. She pulled the blanket higher to her chin and tried her best to distract herself, but the crackle of thunder only edged nearer. It was slow, almost agonizingly so. When Miyu saw the first flash of stark white through the thick cloudy sky her anxiety grew from a bud to overwhelming at an alarming rate. Her body shook, and she had no control. Before she knew it, she had buried herself into her pillow in a desperate attempt to try to get it to go away. She hated thunderstorms. It was loud and frightening and she always believed wholeheartedly that if someone was to have bad enough luck to be struck by lightning, it would be her.
Miyu was so overcome with her fear that she hadn't noticed Taehyung enter until he'd sat right at the edge of her bed, and as she glanced up at him she burst into tears at her relief at seeing him. "I came to check on you, I know how much storms scare you.." Taehyung murmured, and it was as though Miyu had forgotten all the terrible things he'd done because as he opened his arms she quickly retreated into the safety of his hold. "Taehyung," she whimpered. And like so many times growing up, there in the safety of his arms, she hid away from the thunder and lightning. "It's okay," Taehyung ran his enormous hands up and down her back soothingly as she huddled against his chest. It'd been a long time since he last remembered when he'd done this for her, but as soon as he'd heard that storm in the distance, he knew she needed him.
After her tears had dried and she'd regained control of the shaking, Taehyung gently lay her back down into bed with him, and just like he'd done when they were kids, he held her tightly and hummed a soft lullaby into her ear. The feeling of her back pressed to his chest, and the way their bodies melded together was the perfect fit, as it always had been.
The patter of rain on the roof finally subsided and Taehyung soon heard light snoring coming from Miyu. He was so comfortable that he didn't want to move, but he knew eventually he would have to. Even so, it's not like he wanted to take advantage of her small moment of weakness, but he hadn't been this close to her in so long, and she was just so warm huddled there in his arms. He knew if she woke up with him still there, she'd probably revert to the distant way she'd been treating him, so he lay there for a while more before carefully maneuvering out of their embrace.
Taehyung pulled the blanket over her and leaning down to place a soft kiss on her forehead. His thoughts drifted back to his father, just like they had all day, as he stared at Miyu sleeping peacefully. She was the last person he had left in his life, her and Jimin. Taehyung didn't want to lose them. More than anything he wanted the three of them to be able to live happily like they had before. They both had been there for him, even when he was carrying the plans of his father's revenge on his shoulders. But now that was all over, he'd finally done it. So why did he not feel like that burden had been lifted? Why did he still feel like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders?
The next morning when Miyu awoke, the memories of last night phased back into her mind. She felt the ghost of warmth from behind her where Taehyung had been. This inner conflict she'd been battling was slowly but surely wearing her down. She didn't know if she hated him or if she missed him, and it felt like her mind never stopped spinning around and around. She needed a distraction. Anything would do. She just needed to get the thought of Taehyung out of her mind, or she was sure to drive herself insane.
So Miyu ventured out, guards in tow, until she arrived at the castle library. She rarely came here, seeing as she barely had the free time to sit and read for hours with all the royal duties she used to have scheduled. But these days she had much more time for herself, so she wandered in and roamed the shelves. Maybe a fascinating book was what she needed to keep her mind occupied.
The shelves were tall and packed with books, new and old. A light layer of dust covered some sections that seemed to be less used. But all in all, it was quite grand, and whoever had been maintaining it had been doing quite a good job.
"Is there something in particular you're searching for, Princess?" A deep voice spoke from behind her, causing her to whirl around in surprise on her heels. The man was tall, spectacles perched on the bridge of his nose and hair pushed back in a way that oddly reminded her of Jimin.
"Hello. Sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone to be in here."
"Oh no, that's probably my fault. I should've probably cleared my throat or something first to let you know I was here."
The princess giggled, and the two kind of just looked at each other for a moment before the man realised the princess was waiting for him to introduce himself. "I'm Namjoon, by the way, sorry, I've just never seen a princess in real life before.. This is a little.." he scratched at the back of his head and smiled awkwardly.
"It's nice to meet you, Namjoon. I hate to say it but.. I kinda don't think I'm really a princess anymore so.. you don't have to give me any kind of special treatment.. you can just call me Miyu."
Miyu noticed Namjoon's hesitation for a moment. "Please.. truly.. It's alright. I'd prefer it.."
Namjoon gave a small nod, and he watched as Miyu smiled and looked around at all the shelves that were packed with books.
"So.. Back to what you were looking for," Namjoon questioned, following her gaze with his own. "Well, the thing is, I don't really know what I'm looking for.."
"That's alright, I can always give you some general recommendations and we can figure it out as we go." Namjoon broke into a smile, and at her agreeable nod, he led her over to different shelves and explained a few unique books to her.
Once Namjoon had found Miyu a good book to read, they bid each other farewell, but not without Miyu promising to return soon to let Namjoon know how she was finding it. She could tell how much he seemed to like books by the way his eyes lit up and the smile that spread across his face each time he'd picked one up and given her a brief explanation. So, with a vow to return to visit her new friend again soon, she made her way to the gardens to begin her new story.
Notes:
Not too far from the ending now.. How's everyone feelings?
Any predictions? hehehe