Ikigai | J.JK Fanfiction

04

He grunts, landing safely on the ground once again. The woods looked like they were covered in a cloak of pitch-black velvet. The mist was blocking sun-rays from lighting up the forest. Correcting the belt around his waist and tying his hair back up tightly he was prepared to move when he noticed several blobs of flame in the darkness. As it came closer, he realized they were people and it wasn't much difficult for him to identify the way that they had dressed in. They were members of the royal counsel who were responsible for conducting these rituals.

His heart beats thumped hard as he traced the silhouette of one person who shouldn't see him like this here. His head was throbbing, fear engulfing his senses. The entire place was suddenly bright as they arranged themselves around the tower. As Jungkook's eyes met mother Gaia's the dread sent chills down his spine. This was what he feared. If there was a punishment then it was you who would be subjected to it and not him and just the thought of it was burning him inside.

His jaw ticked as he wore on an inscrutable mask on his face as he stood in front of the staunchly locked gate of the tower with his arms spread while he watched soldiers and other officials follow the initial group of people into the clearing. "This is my mistake," he spoke, his voice loud and clear. "Whatever punishment you may decide, give it to me. Leave my wife and child alone. They don't deserve any kind of punishment." Though his speech was worded in a way that it sounded like he was accepting submission, his voice was the opposite. Even when he was in commoner's clothes and spoke like he was desperate, the royalty in him never died.

The silence that he received from mother Gaia and the rest of the group was unnerving but he wasn't going to give up until they tell what he wanted to hear. The numbness over his chest intensified when some of the soldiers stepped towards the gate. "Don't!" His words echoed through the clearing. His eyes revert back to mother Gaia's. The impartiality in her chartreuse eyes made him shiver. Any confidence that he had when he got down was seeping out of him, the familiar ache in his chest returned. He was unable to think.

It finally struck him. He had broke the rules and tainted the sovereignty. Punishment was inevitable but the thought of them hurting you was making him weak. He couldn't think of anything other than that. Feeling his eyes stinging and becoming tearful with every passing second, he took a deep breathe and got on his knees, hanging his head low. "Don't hurt them. Please. I broke the laws, I—"

He stopped speaking, confusion clear in his gaze as he watched each one of the people got on their knees like they did during his coronation and other special occasions. The ministers and even the high priest looked proud. He gulped looking at his godmother and she had put on one of the most beautiful smile she could ever present to people. Her hands were pressed together, her eyes full with tears. He stood up, his chest heaving under the pressure. "Please, stand up." He motions them to stand up.

Mother Gaia sways her hands and the soldiers bow before getting up and retreating into the thickness of the forest which now glowed orange and purple, the powerful rays of the morning sun penetrating through the canopy.

"You've fulfilled all vows to your marriage and the future of our kingdom, your majesty." The old gruff voice of high priest makes him dart his eyes towards him. He had never seen the priest smile but now he was. Genuinely. "And, you're one of the very few people to do that. In history." His restless eyes shifted to each and everyone forth him. Confusion was making his thoughts heavy. 

The priest looked at mother Gaia. The people who were holding her palanquin, gently put it down and followed the soldiers' path into the forest. Only the most important people were left behind. "This was all that the ritual was about and you completed it." She nodded her head and signaled him to come closer, making him sit beside her on the makeshift platform.