When Royalties Clash | JJk ff

54

Author's pov:

The restless man twists and turns but doesn't find a better and comfortable position to sleep in. He could hear his heart hammer against his chest, feeling its throb throughout his body. His unstable state of mind causes the fight or flight hormones to release which makes even the slightest sound audible, freaking him out further.

Everything was fine. Everything seemed to be in place but why did it feel so wrong? It felt like the quiet before a storm that wipes out everything in existence up to its last speck. The thought caused his chest to tighten. Why was he afraid? What was he afraid of? He was the storm yet he felt like it was destroying him as well.

He wasn't liking anything. Even the smallest thing was making him feel unsettled. The way the mattress creaked every time he turned, the way the cold wind blew causing him piloerection, the pitter patter of the now calmed rain, even the smell of wet sand that he used to love so much. Used to. The memories of the past made him wince a little. Before they could take over his mind, he harshly tossed the blanket aside and got up with a tsk leaving his lips.

Putting on the furry robe on his otherwise naked torso, he emerges out of the tent. The tiny droplets of the rain drizzling down soothingly on his cheek but they didn't quieten the raged fire inside him.

Today was his first step towards victory yet not even a single fibre in his body was celebrating. He had the upper hand, he was the one playing the pieces of the game yet he felt vulnerable like a failure.
Like he did something terribly wrong.

Just as he takes a few steps away from his tent to clear his mind, a voice calls out to him.
"Its dangerous near the lake at this time of the night, Majesty." Taehyung's right eye twitches in annoyance.

Twisting just his neck in the direction of his elder brother, he speaks. "Do you ever sleep?"

"Sleep won't be gracing me with its presence any time soon." Namjoon answers with a heavy voice and goes back to do whatever he was doing with the wooden twigs. If it was some time back, a very curious Taehyung would have made his way towards him, then sit next to him and ask all sorts of questions regarding the thing he was putting together.

What alarmed him was his feet almost led him to do it and it violently tugged at a cord of his heart to realise it felt so much different now, like he wasn't the same boy who should have gone up to him. The shocking realisation caused his feet to slip a little as he fled from the spot.

Namjoon looks up to stare at his shrinking figure. A sigh leaves his throat as he shuts his eyes close.

Taehyung makes his way towards the lake he found deep in the woods of the tribal land. He regularly visited the place whenever his mind was a mess which was becoming very frequent and a new normal for him.

It was past midnight when he reached the place. The full moon lit up the surface of the lake making it look like a silver jewel, its reflection clear in its water. A small waterfall at the further end of the lake brought fresh water from atop a hill which overflowed a few hours ago because of the storm.

Many suggested to block the lake, fearing the worst. If the water level rose greater than a certain threshold, it could have been dangerous to everyone in close lands. But Taehyung didn't allow that. He didn't allow the lake to be dried out, he didnt want it.

There was a very distant memory of the past that made this place very dear to him. Even though he tricked his mind into believing it was because it was a beautiful spot to clear his mind, deep down he knew the truth.

"Taehyung! Don't go close." The concerned voice of his mother called out to him but the little prince was too joyous to care.

He stopped at the edge, the motion causing ripples to form and move away from the surface. He smiled wide when his reflection stared back at him.