sɴᴏᴡᴛᴀᴇ│ᴛᴋ [reposting]

.xxɪ.

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

The Queen sighed, frowning.

Why are you glitching again?

One some days, she would see the prince in its reflection, and on others, he would be gone. At first she believed he had finally been killed by those who were after the reward for the capture or death of the Rogue Prince. However, that assumption was overturned when no one showed up to claim the prize and none of her loyal spies ever reported to that effect.

She thus figured the boy was still alive yet somehow hidden from the Mirror's sight. Her jealous heart couldn't bear the uncertainty any longer. She had to have answers.

Mirror, mirror on the wall,

Show me where Prince Taehyung is...

When nothing happened, she remembered what a sensitive looking glass it was. If one did not use the right words, it would simply ignore the request. She came up with another formulation. One that was a little less obvious and that would hopefully not offend it.

Mirror, mirror on the wall,

Your keen eye sees through it all,

All but one place out of your sight.

Show me this place your might can't reach

So I may fix you and your glitch.

And there it was. The Forsaken Mountain.

The Queen let out a mischievous laugh. Finally, the boy was at her mercy.

🍎

《 Then let me kiss you.》

Jungkook was trying hard to figure out what Taehyung's blank expression had meant as he had said those words. Had he not been interrupted by the Sheriff, coming to collect him for yet another offence, he would probably have interpreted the boy's silence as consent.

He tossed and turned on his bunk. Outside, the sun was rising, forcing the shadows of his cell into hiding. Had Taehyung slept at all? Jungkook was worried he had relapsed and the thought made him groan in frustration. He had vowed to protect him and there he was, back to square one, locked up in this stupid cage.

"You, young dwarf, were supposed to be home last night!"

"Hyung!" Jungkook leapt out of bed to face a rather enraged Jin. "I found Tae!"

"Now really, couldn't you come up with a better excuse as to why the Sheriff increased your sentence?"

Jin's statement barely registered. "That's not important! We need to get Taehyung back! He's been held captive by bounty hunters."

If Jin was known for his cooking skills, his ability to detect nonsense ranked close second. It took one glimpse into Jungkook's fierce gaze to make up his mind. "Joon!" he called, stumbling against the wall for support, "smelling salts please! Now!"

"Calm down, hyung! I've figured it out. All we need to do is buy him back! Give them a little more than what the reward is worth."

The panicked look on Jin's face turned apologetic. This did not bode well at all. "Oh Kookie dear, you must know I would not have hesitated one second to get him back! I just wished you had told me earlier."

Jungkook seemed as confused as ever. "What is the problem? Why can't we buy him back?"

"You may not be aware that this is the Caravan's final voyage."