The Last Ones

2 ~ The Plan ~

The commander's assistant walked into the crown prince's room, a smug expression on their face.

The prince groaned from where he sat on the floor. "Don't they teach you how to knock? I could've been doing something."

The assistant rolled their eyes and playfully punched the prince's arm. "Please, the only thing you'd be doing is playing that dumb game on your computer. You know, you're the crown prince; you should always be beside your father to learn how to run and operate this place. Don't want the kingdom falling apart when you become king, do you?"

"And did you know I could report you for simply touching me? Don't overstep your boundaries with me. I know you're joking, but I do not take words revolving around my future kingship lightly." The prince cleared his throat and then continued with a smile. "Anyways, what is it that you needed?"

The assistant looked down at their shoes, their cheeks heating up. "Your father requests your presence in the throne room immediately. He has to tell you and your brothers something important."

The prince nodded. "Very well. I shall make my way over as soon as possible. You are excused."

With a final bow, the assistant walked out of the room, locking the door to ensure that the prince had his privacy.

The prince sighed and threw himself on the bed before changing into his formal outfit. His father wouldn't call on all three of his sons unless it were something big, so he had to make sure he looked the part—just another expectation he had to meet daily. 

Once he put on his outfit, he stepped out of his room and walked down the long hallways of the castle. He greeted a few castle servants on his way to the throne room.

Sat on the highest throne was his father. In front of him stood his brothers. The crown prince was last to arrive for the third time that month. The last time he had been late to find out that his cousin's family had been assassinated by a group of commoners while out on a trade.

"Pardon me for my late arrival."

The king waved him off. "You are excused. Now come up here and join us for this discussion. Everyone else, clear the room."

The guards and servants that were scattered around the large room swiftly took their leave, too afraid to disobey their king.

"Now that we're the only ones here... I have some good and bad news to tell you."

The second oldest prince, Namjoon, raised his hand. "May you start with the bad news? Get the horrible thing out the way."

"Of course. Unfortunately, there are no more non-related royals."

Tiny gasps were heard from the three princes. They couldn't believe it. Well, the oldest could. He was informed about the attacks on the royal families of the west.

Yoongi spoke up. "This happened because of the deaths of the Choi and Lee families, right? The rebels killed them all out of cold blood. They knew how valuable those families were to the rest of the kingdoms, so they eliminated them. We'll make them pay, won't we, father?"

The king nodded. "Absolutely. Those rebels will wish they never did that. Especially for the deaths of my brother and his son a few weeks ago."

"That's horrible! Surely I could go back in time and prevent their deaths from happening? I'll go get geared up right now!" Jungkook, the youngest prince, exclaimed, already turning on the heel of his foot.

The king stood up and grabbed Jungkook's arm. "No. That is a dangerous thing to do. Altering the past could bring great consequences to the present realm. I will not lose you to those rebels too. Losing your mother was enough. I don't believe I can handle another pain of loss."

The prince paused in his place, saddened at the mention of their deceased mother. After the queen's passing, the king wouldn't allow his sons to leave the palace without a handful of guards. They also weren't allowed out during the night.

"That's not the point. The good news is that we have a solution to this problem." He leaned closer to his sons, "Have you ever heard of half-bloods?" The king questioned.

The crown prince raised his hand. "I have. They're the ones who led the rebellion against us. They're the ones who killed mom." Though in the back of his mind, something was banging against a solid barrier to get out. He shook his head to get rid of the feeling, turning his focus back to his father. 

The king smiled sadly. "That's right, Yoongi. However, the last we heard of them was the night of your mother's assassination, the same night we got rid of the rebellion's leader. We don't know if the rebellion still consists of half-bloods. The rebels who got rid of the families in the west were commoners, not a trace of elemental power from them."

"What do half-bloods have to do with this situation?"

"Don't you guys get it? They still have royal blood in them. Whether it be tainted or not. We need them to keep the bloodline pure. We need their blood and DNA, but the universe's pedestal doesn't accept that alone. This is why I'm going to find those disgraces and bring them back here, where they'll be forced to compete for your hand in marriage, Yoongi."

Yoongi's jaw dropped. "What?! No way! Those are the people who killed mother! There is no way I'll ever get with one of them, let alone love them! You're out of your mind, old man!"

Namjoon smacked Yoongi on the head. "Do not raise your voice at the king."

"I'm the fucking crown prince! I can do whatever the fuck I want!" Yoongi exclaimed.

"Language!"

Yoongi turned to look at their father. "Surely you don't mean this."

"I do. You're the crown prince. You must do what's best for our kingdom."

"I shouldn't even be the crown prince! I should be living my life as a normal young adult! I have all this extra weight of expectations on my shoulders, and for what?! I just had to be born into this damn family!" Yoongi shouted. He slammed his fist on the throne, immediately bringing it up to hold it close to his chest.

The king sighed and placed his hand on Yoongi's shoulder. "That hurt, didn't it?"

Yoongi shrugged his hand off. "I'm fine."

Namjoon and Jungkook stood to the side, observing everything.

"I miss her," Yoongi whispered, glancing up at his father.

The king pulled Yoongi into a hug and motioned for his other two sons to join them. "I know you do. All of us here do. But think of it like this, you're doing this for your mother. You know how proud she was when you were announced crown prince. Don't let her down by not doing this. Everything is on the line here, Yoongi. It seems like a lot because it is, but you'll get through it. Please do this for us, for your kingdom, for her."

He contemplated his options for a second. Follow through with the plan and make his kingdom proud, or back out and run away, letting his kingdom down. "Fine. I'll do it. But this doesn't mean that I like it."

"Thank you." The king said earnestly as he pulled away from the hug. "We'll be collecting the half-bloods in a few hours. All three of you, prepare yourselves. I'll call you once they're here." He walked passed his sons and out of the throne room, leaving the princes alone.

Jungkook pulled Yoongi into another hug, Namjoon joining them a split second later. "You're so cool, Yoongi. You got this. How hard could it possibly be? You just have to find the right suitor, and bam! It'll be like none of this ever happened. Who knows? Maybe Namjoon and I could steal two of your candidates." The youngest prince laughed.

Yoongi chuckled. "Yeah, right. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need a few moments to myself. If you need me, I'll be in the garden." He mockingly bowed down to his brothers and took his leave.

The next few weeks were going to be eventful. 

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Published: 2/25/21

Edited: 11/3/22