Fallen Kingdom || •MYG + KSJ• ✔️

Lessons From The King

Something about this visit felt off. Yoongi hadn't known Jin for very long, but he knew enough to notice the twitches in the prince's eyes, the way his lips were threatening to pull themselves down into a frown. What was the worst of it all was the food wasn't what Yoongi expected. It didn't have the fancy leaves in it, or a different color broth, or an elegant meat Jin had to describe. It was merely rabbit stew with less rabbit than before.

Yoongi didn't care if the food was the best he ever had or the worst. He only wanted to know why Jin was bringing more extravagant meals every day only for him to revert to the first day he brought food. Actually, it was less than the first day's portion. Yesterday, Jin brought fresh vegetables for Yoongi to feast on along with another warm stew. So what changed in the course of a day? What demon was circulating around Jin's finicking eyes.

The spoon made a small 'clink' sound as Yoongi placed it in the empty wooden bowl, pushing it toward the dying fire that Jin aimlessly made out of two thin logs. The flames swirling around Jin's irises displayed the terror residing inside, and that was what had Yoongi leaning forward from his spot on the ground.

Today, the cave was cooler and darker than usual. It had more shadows creeping on the sides, prying inside the vulnerable spots Yoongi still had in his mind. He forced them away and stood, feeling awkward that he was sitting while Jin was leaning against the mouth of the cave. The stone was digging against his shirt, the fabric tearing ever so slightly. Yoongi wasn't sure if it was his place to express concern or not, but he tried for the first time in a year to make something right. He stood and went over, halting when he was perpendicular to Jin. He leaned against the other side and stared out at the land, admiring the way the sun kissed the scenery.

"You know, my father would take me to the balcony of our kingdom every morning and watch the sunrise with me," Jin said, his eyes never once glancing at Yoongi. "Every day ever since I was a kid, he made it his priority to bring me up there. We never missed a day. He held my hand, and we sat in silence each time. For a while, I wondered why he'd do that. Why the sunrise mattered so much that we had to see it every day." Jin shook his head, tears pooling into his eyes. "Now I realize he did it to spend more time with me. In silence. Just a father and son, appreciating each other's company. I wish I appreciated it more."

"What would you do if you had one last sunrise with him?"

Jin pondered the question for a beat longer than Yoongi expected. That was when the man finally brought his gaze over to Yoongi, the smile tugging on his lips hiding the sorrow in his eyes as best he could. "I'd watch the sunrise with my dad. The king of my kingdom, and the king I need now."

"Your people have a very valuable king. The one standing next to me is-"

"A failure." Jin flicked the wall before pushing away from it, facing Yoongi with his wide shoulders making his figure appear more intimidating than it ever had before. Yoongi found himself rubbing the fabric of his cloak covering his arms. "The prince of this kingdom is a failure who would be shunned by his own father for such cowardice acts. Every time he's in a situation where his friends need him, he fails to perform under pressure. He doesn't fight. He flees. Actually, he doesn't move at all. He only lets the monsters take him away. Without complaint. Without a whisper of protest. Into the night he goes, no fight in him. Tell me, King Min. What type of man does that make me?"

Yoongi came closer and placed his hand on Jin's shoulder, rubbing the side of it with his thumb for a beat. Jin slumped his posture and gave into Yoongi's advances. It was the first time in a while that Yoongi was successful in calming someone. At least enough for them to let their guards down around him. Yoongi thought he was vulnerable, and he was, but maybe it was that vulnerability that allowed him to craft this friendship with another vulnerable man. Their cracks combined, forming an endless abyss of glass. Mirrors showing their darkest hours. Their darkest thoughts.