The Last Ones

6 ~ The Man ~

The doors behind the king were pulled open by the two guards stationed in front of them. They quickly bowed before allowing the person standing on the other side to enter. Almost immediately, the atmosphere in the room changed. Every half-blood that had been ignoring what was happening turned to look at the man who stepped into the room.

It was him. Crown prince Min Yoongi, the prince that had been kept in the shadows for many years, hidden away from the public eye, was finally being introduced. He bowed down to his father before turning his attention to the half-bloods.

"Welcome to the palace of Aziz. This was thrown onto me just as quickly as it was for all of you. However, I, Min Yoongi, hope to find a suitor who will rule beside me and help lead this nation of kingdoms to an even greater future." He took a step back and allowed the king to retake the spotlight, not wanting to have to say more than he needed to.

Hoseok was at a loss for words. This was something he and Seokjin weren't aware of. Prince Namjoon and Jungkook had been in the public eye since the day they were born, but he, the crown prince, was something new. Yes, the prince looked nice, and maybe he had messed up his plans, but there was just something in the back of his mind that he was struggling to grasp. Why was he so familiar? The same feeling he had in the courtyard returned, making him feel nauseous. Taehyung, who had been standing beside Hoseok, shook his shoulder to get his attention.

"You okay?" He whispered, handing Hoseok the glass of water he had acquired from a servant.

Hoseok nodded and was about to respond but was interrupted by the king clapping his hands together to get the attention of everyone in the room. He would have to let Beomgyu know about this, hoping that Seokjin would have an answer to his predicament.

The king waited for the whispers to silence before speaking once more. "I would say it's an honor to house you in my home, but alas, I would be lying. You are here to compete for the hand of my eldest son. The challenges you will face will not be easy, for only the best will proceed to the next challenge. This nation needs an equally powerful ruler to sit beside my son as he leads, someone who is intelligent, strong, and capable of overcoming any obstacles."

Whispers erupted throughout the room, different candidates expressing their opinions to those who stood next to them. The king ignored them and carried on.

"With that being said, you will be put through five scenarios where many of you will be tested and pushed to your limits. Shall you fail, you will be eliminated and escorted to the dungeons until the competition is over and my son has been crowned king. The details of each challenge will be explained when the time comes. Other than that, there are a few rules you must follow. There is a strict curfew. All half-bloods must be in their rooms no later than 10 pm; you are also not allowed to be in each other's rooms, nor can you wander the halls without a guard. If you are found breaking any of these rules, you will be punished. More rules can be added if I deem it necessary. The main set of rules that must be followed will be posted around the palace. You will now be led to the dining hall, where you will be served a meal then the introductions with the crown prince shall begin."

Before anyone could complain, the king called for the guards to escort the competitors to the dining hall, leaving no time to argue with the king. Yoongi took the lead and began walking out of the throne room toward the dining hall, where he would meet the suitors one-on-one.

Hoseok stuck close to Taehyung and finally spotted Jimin when they arrived at the dining hall. He ran over to his friend and pulled him into a hug.

"I was so worried about you, Jimin-ah." He said as he pulled back to look at his friend. It had been a while since they had last seen each other. Though their reunion wasn't under the best circumstances, Hoseok was glad to have a familiar face around.