The Princess and Her Seven Knights (BTS Fanfic)

C H A P T E R 9

"Wait, what?"

Y/n took an involuntary step back from Hoseok, that boy was so loud when he was happy or excited, it almost scared Y/n when she told the boys that they were going to the outskirts of the Kingdom and Hoseok was the first one to, well, express his excitement.

"You heard it right, Hoseok," Jin sighed, "we're really going to visit the Valley of Alchemy to visit the Elders."

"No seriously, you're not joking right, Y/n?" Namjoon asked.

"I'm gonna repeat this one last time," Y/n pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling exhausted already. "We're going to visit the Elders to gain some guidance for our mission and this journey will involve a little bit of sightseeing around the Kingdom of Aurora."

"Finally!" Jimin jumped and punched the air with his fist. "No training for an entire day, yes!"

Y/n couldn’t stop the chuckle that left her mouth. It was hilarious to see the boys so excited, they were these little balls of energy that carried happiness and hope wherever they went. No matter how scared or exhausted she felt, the boys always managed to elevate her mood with one bright smile that always reassured her that she was not alone.

She accepted this with a smile. This time, she was not alone at all. She had people she could call her friends.

Jungkook was the only one that was silent throughout the conversation while the others rejoiced. He was well aware that Y/n was hiding something from them and the idea of this sudden visit was not hers. It was of the strange man that visited her yesterday. It irked him that Y/n had someone to guide her and share her burdens who was not him. Even though he trusted her and he was sure of her feelings for him, he was insecure too.

They all went back to their rooms to pack for their journey. Y/n had warned them to take enough water and food because even though the journey was short, it was dangerous and they cannot afford to be tired at least till they don’t reach their destination.

"I wanted to ask you earlier," Taehyung's voice brought Jungkook back to reality, "Are you okay?"

He trusted all the boys but with Taehyung, the bond went deeper because they grew up together. Taehyung knew his deepest and darkest secrets, things that he didn’t want to admit himself. Taehyung was the only one who knew his identity and his mission.

"I think so," Jungkook forced a smile on his face.

The older male definitely didn’t believe his words and sat next to him on the bed.

"What's bothering you?" Taehyung asked him again and Jungkook attempted to speak but was cut off by Taehyung lifting his hand to stop him. "Don’t try to lie to me, I know you all too well."

Jungkook sighed and told him everything, including his feelings and the strange interaction between Y/n and the unknown man last night. Taehyung listened carefully, he didn’t speak until Jungkook felt lighter after pouring out all his emotions.

"All this while, I knew there was something more to Y/n than she showed us." Taehyung said, choosing his words carefully. "I think we ought to be careful around her."

Jungkook could only nod at his hyung's advice.

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It had been about three hours since they had started their journey. The boys were animatedly talking among themselves while Y/n, Jungkook and Taehyung were the only ones who were quiet. All three of them had different thoughts in their minds, thoughts they couldn’t share with other yet.

"Okay boys," Y/n's horse came to a stop and she faced them, "from here, we need to be careful. There are Seth's guards that monitor the entire route to the Valley. I know a secret way but its more dangerous and we will have to walk from here."

"What about the horses?" Yoongi asked.

"Some of my people are on the way here, they'd take our horses back to a safe place. For now, let's just tie them to a tree there."

They followed her obediently, the horses neighed when they climbed off of them. Without wasting any more time, they resumed their journey on foot. The weather was clear and the wind blew gently so they didn’t feel hot. Jungkook marked how this entire area was different from the inside of the Kingdom, it was like Seth's power was limited only to the city boundaries. From here onwards, the plains stretched till the end of the earth, the green grass lush and soft under their feet. Jungkook felt lighter for some reason as he walked, the chirping of the birds and the sweet scent of the flowers calmed the storm in his mind.

They weaved through a narrow valley, scrambling over boulders and jumped over gaps. Y/n was right, this path was definitely dangerous. There were burrows in the earth with animals no one wanted to meet. The faster they could make out of the place, the safer it was for them. It was not like they were the only humans walking through this path, they saw Seth's men lurking around a few corners though they managed to dodge them quietly.

Suddenly, Jimin stumbled and slipped through the gap between two large boulders, letting out a small cry as he managed to barely hold on to a vine from an old tree. Before anyone could react, Y/n ran to his help and pulled him up with the help of Jungkook. They were too late though, just as they managed to hide themselves in the shadows, some of Seth's men loomed over from the top of a nearby cliff to catch them.

They held their breaths and hoped that no one could see them. After what seemed like forever, someone yelled, "there's no one here!" The valley went silent again and the group let out a sigh of relief.

Finally, the Valley of Alchemy was in their sight. The name was so fitting that the moment they stepped foot inside the small village, their tiredness was elevated. It was like magic resided in every element of the place for they felt like they had entered a completely new realm.

As the boys followed behind Y/n, they saw the neatly arranged houses with people going about their daily lives happily, as if they were completely aloof from the real world. Children ran around and played games, their laughter mixing with the chattering around the place, adding on to the liveliness of the place. They continued walking on the stone steps until Y/n came to a stop in front of a rather old house. She knocked twice on the wooden door and after a minute or two, the door opened and a man with a short beard appeared, giving them a suspicious look.

"Who are you?" He asked.

Before they could answer, someone spoke up from the crowd that Jungkook could've sworn was not there a minute ago.

"They have swords, Master!"

They did not have the time to react and the villagers had surrounded them with their farming tools threatening to separate their necks from their bodies.

"Speak," the man who the villagers addressed as Master spoke in a threatening tone, "are you Seth's men?"

"No, we are not." Y/n replied calmly, "we're here to visit the Great Master."

"Who do you think you are to visit the Great Master?" He sneered, pushing his weapon closer to Y/n's neck. Jungkook's blood boiled and he would've stepped ahead for a fight if the sharp weapon didn’t press closer to his own neck.

"These are the seven heroes chosen for the mission." Y/n said and murmurs erupted in the crowd. "Prince Ali must have informed you of our visit."

Jungkook looked at Y/n in shock. How did she know Prince Ali? As far as he knew, no one knew Prince Ali's whereabouts.

What more are you hiding, Y/n?

The man signaled for the villagers to lower their weapons and they obeyed. Taehyung noted that his expression changed suddenly, it was no longer hostile. It was what seemed like respect? He looked at Jungkook who seemed to be mirroring his own apprehensions.

"The Great Master is waiting for you, please follow me." The man said and they followed him.