Kingdom Of Mad Min

Kingdom of Shame

"What in God's name were you thinking? Wh-do you know what it is that you have done!" The king  paces, his head hung low in worry.

"Hyung-" Hoseok hastens to reply, but his state is much too panicked for him to speak.

"HOSEOK you cannot do such things! This- O this will make a mockery of us if the words get to the ear of communers." The King stops and looks at him with an eye that can only be described as anxious; as fear.

"The rules still apply do they not? They are identical twins. What is the difference." Hoseok smirks shyly, hoping to keep his father and brother from loosing their head. "I am not required to marry Yoongi now that I have succeeded to find my mate"

His brother stops and looks at him in the eyes.

"My darling, it does not work that way. You must marry the crown prince." His smile, now dim, pleads with him. "You must marry crown prince Yoongi."

"Your Majesty I was simply doing what I thought was right. I cannot stand by and watch as a man towers over me and seeks to rob me off of my mate!"

Jungheon ceases his pacing and stands before the Prince, his words striking fear in his very heart.

"Hoseok you do not know that of which you speak." He warned.

"But I do, hyung! I do not trust Yoongi to be as allocating or assisting as he claims he will be!"

"Hobi baby, we need all assistance we may come across. If we do not gwangjuon will fall!!" Wooseok's bellowing voice echoes through the deserted quarter, leaving his words to settle in the Prince's mind.

What could his father possible indicate with such a statement? How could gwangjuon fall? As these such thoughts bound through his mind, he looks at his father with caution. Surly evidence of a collapse would have caught his eye. Or would it have?

"Father, how could that be?"

With a heaved deep breath, the former emperor takes a seat at the council's table. His posture slouched and his soul heavy. "Everything is not as it once was, and now gwangjuon will see the consequences of it." The Prince sits opposite of his father, silent, hoping he will speak aloud the thoughts that trample his mind.

"After the war we became fragile.... weak. Our defenses had fallen for many months, you do recall such winter?" Hoseok nods in confirmation, his thoughts running wild as a steed, not knowing where to stop or find its calm. "The busanil Empire took advantage. Robbed us blind!"

"How!? Surely they would have been too broken to create another uprising."

"I wish it were so, but alas it is not. Rather it is not an uprising and more so a rebellious lash of outrage given the peace treaty that was written and signed between the three realms, under yours and crown prince Yoongi's name." Jungheon, exhausted, looks to his younger brother, so bright and righteous. Quite the opposite to how he feels. "They placed a specter within our walls. Hidden among us, thankfully Yoongi is holding them down but I'm afraid. They are able to breech our Kingdom with his assistance, and looted all the schillings and gold we had from the vault. We have nothing left."

It is in his final statement fear strikes Hoseok's heart. He is to be married to a man, in hopes of restoring their lands and people. "If you does not agree..gwangjuon will crumble into nothing. Thousands of lives will be lost, homes vacant or destroyed, war after war with no defense. Woman and children starving, their bodies feeding off of their very bone..."

Hoseok slunch his shoulder in defeat. He can't do that to his kingdom.

"Hoseok, HOSEOK!" Wooseok calls after him, but he simply cannot hear. The sound of his heart pounding is too deafening to listen. His legs continue to run, and yet he knows not where to. Anyplace but there...