CRYSTAL EMPIRE | JINKOOK

TWENTY FIVE

JungKook rode his horse at a fast gallop along the rocky path that led to Argos, behind him followed by a group of soldiers led by NamJoon. The wind was cold, but his only wish was that the path would be as short as he could make it. It was little more than two hours since they had left the nearest port and still Sparta seemed far away.Despair gnawed at his being and bent his spirit to anxiety.

"Don't take it from me...by all the gods, don't take it from me" JungKook whispered as he galloped hard.

The dim lights of the city of Argos greeted him as a breath of relief, soon, in less than four hours, he would be in the lands of Sparta and closer to saving Jin. His men stopped to rest, ate and let the horses drink water, but JungKook was simply standing in front of the gate of the big house that simulated a small restaurant. His gaze was fixed on the horizon, that horizon that followed the path to his beloved, the one that seemed farther away than it really was. His crazy heart couldn't wait any longer, he had to get there in time before his foolish Jin was hurt.

"Let's go,"

NamJoon heard the sound of a horse's hooves advancing down the road, he didn't need much to know it was JungKook doing something stupid guided by impulse. The General sighed in exhaustion. Just as he saw the Emperor leaving, he also saw his chance to rest leave without a second thought, after all a soldier of the Emperor will always take care of his Lord to the end. He ordered his men to mount and they immediately followed JungKook.

With silent steps Jin walked along the corridor of the dwelling, reached a brown door and silently opened it, looked inside and after noticing that no one was there he entered. The place was plunged in total darkness, as soon as his eyes got used to the darkness he began to take clumsy steps that he begged not to cause any commotion so that he would be discovered. Yoongi's house was a fortress surrounded by the best archers of Sparta, but Jin's advantage was to know that place first hand, not for nothing he served in that place for so many years. Managing to sneak through a passageway he entered the house and went in search of his son.ç

When he arrived at Sparta he met an old friend who was also a servant there, the woman was able to tell him that his son was in a small room in the east side of the building, and that it would be the only one that at that time of night would have a light on because a wet nurse was taking care of him.

He found the room guided by a lullaby that the nurse was singing softly. Jin reproached himself for that should be his job, not that of another woman or maid. He went inside, stopping the woman's singing short.

"Who are you?"

"The daddy of the child you are singing to,"

"You are the traitor!" she gasped on the verge of a deafening scream.

"I didn't come here to hurt anyone, I only intend to get my son back,"

Jin's body trembled with fear that that woman would start screaming alerting everyone in the house, he also thought she might harm his baby to drive him away, and a million different scenarios where his plan went flat out wrong.

"Yoongi won't allow it,"

"He will kill my baby," the Jin's voice trembled unintentionally at the statement.

"I can't let you do it,"

"I beg you,"

"It's your life or mine,"

The next Jin heard were the woman's screams for help from the guards, from her mouth coming out the words intruder, or screaming for help. The boy, in a desperate act, ran to the cradle where his son was lying, took him in his arms and ran away. He heard in the distance the heavy footsteps of several men, Yoongi's guards, all following him as if he were a wild rabbit.