The Crown and the Sword

Dignity

 Queen shouted, "Jeon Jungkook, that's enough!" Jungkook turned his head slowly, his eyes narrowing. "I don't care, Your Majesty," he said calmly. "Arrest me if you want." The Queen sighed, looking pained. "You should care," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Arrest him." Jungkook put his hands forward, palms upward, as two guards approached him. "I don't understand," he said, his voice steady. "Didn't you hear what I just said? Didn't you see what he was trying to doing with me?" 

"He should be punished for talking to us like that!" he spat. "He should be executed!" The Queen, caught between her son's anger and her own regret, winced. "No," she said softly. "He is a loyal commander. Just beat him and let it be enough." Sehun's smirk returned. "That's okay with me."

As the guards moved closer to Jeon Jungkook, the tension in the room grew palpable. The commander remained still, his face impassive, as the first blow landed. "Why should I care?" he shouted, the pain momentarily forgotten as the guards continued to strike him. "Did you care when your son was trying to exploit my dignity? You only care about your son's happiness." The Queen's face flushed red with shame, but she said nothing.

The Queen gestured for the guards to continue. With brutal efficiency, they struck Jeon Jungkook again and again, their blows raining down on the commander's back and shoulders until he lay on the cold stone floor, blood trickling from his mouth and nose. Sehun watched with a mixture of satisfaction and hatred, his face twisted into an expression of spite.

He felt his strength waning, his breath growing ragged, but still he fought against the guards. "You should have known better!" he gasped, spitting out a mouthful of blood. "You should have protected me!" His words echoed through the throne room, ringing with truth and pain, as the final blows were struck.

As the guards raised the hunter high above their heads, ready to bring it down on Jungkook's bowed form, a sudden commotion erupted from the sidelines. A figure charged forward, wielding the hunter with such fury that it was impossible to tell if it was a man or a beast. "Taehyung!" the Queen gasped, her eyes wide with shock and fear. "What are you doing?" 

With a roar that echoed off the walls, he snatched the weapon from their grasp. The guards stumbled backward, their eyes wide with shock and fear.

The figure stopped in front of Jungkook, his face contorted in anger. "No one touches my Queen," he growled, his voice deep and commanding. "Any one who raises his hand at him will be executed right now." He thrust the hunter at the guards, forcing them to lower their weapons. "You will not harm him," Taehyung said, his voice trembling with barely contained rage. 

Jungkook, meanwhile, remained on his knees, his head bowed. As the weight of the hunter pressed against his shoulder blades, he turned his head slowly, meeting Taehyung's gaze. A small, grateful smile curved his lips. "I knew you would come," he whispered

The Queen looked on in surprise, her eyes widening as she registered the change in Taehyung's demeanor. She struggled to find words. 

The Queen, caught between her son's anger and her own conflicted emotions, struggled to maintain control of the situation. Her gaze flickered between Taehyung and Jungkook, her expression a mix of gratitude and confusion. She knew that Taehyung's act of defiance had just bought them some time, but she also knew that it had only made matters worse.

Prince Sehun, on the other hand, seemed unperturbed by Taehyung's intervention. His smirk grew wider as he studied the young man before him. "Very well," he drawled, "let's see how loyal you really are, shall we?"

 Jungkook winced as he placed his weight on his injured back, the wounds still fresh and raw. His eyes met Taehyung's, filled with a mix of pain and determination. The young man was visibly shaken, tears streaming down his cheeks. "This shouldn't have happened," he muttered, reaching out to touch Jungkook's bloodied shirt. The same taehyung who couldn't see a scratch on jungkook was seeing big wounds on him ,his heart was hurting.

Taehyung's hand trembled as it grazed the fabric, his fingertips tracing the outline of a jagged tear. "I-I don't understand how this could've happened," he stammered.

Jungkook smiled weakly, reaching up to wipe the tears from Taehyung's face. "It's okay, baby," he said softly. "I'm gonna be fine. I promise." His words were meant to reassure, but the tremor in his voice betrayed his own fear. 

"Can anyone tell me what happened here?" demanded the King, his voice echoing through the chamber. No one dared speak, afraid of incurring the wrath of the enraged prince. 

Finally, one of the courtiers summoned the courage to step forward. "Your Majesty," he stammered, "Prince Sehun wanted to have a one-night stand with Commander Jungkook-" Before he could even complete it, Taehyung's eyes narrowed, and he lunged toward his brother, Sehun, punching him again and again. Sehun still smirked, seemingly unphazed by the blows raining down upon him. "Taehyung," the Queen cried, "you're going to kill your own brother!"

But Taehyung was beyond reason. "I don't care!" he roared, his voice bouncing off the vaulted ceiling. "I want to wipe that stupid smirk off his face!"

"Jungkook," the queen tried again, her voice desperate. "Please, make him stop." But the commander only shook his head, his expression unreadable. Jungkook, standing nearby, merely smiled as he watched the scene unfold. He looked down at the ground, idly picking at a loose thread on his sleeve. "I told you," he said quietly, almost to himself. "I told you he wouldn't listen."

The throne room was silent as the guards dragged Taehyung away, leaving a trail of blood on the polished marble floor. The other courtiers shifted uncomfortably, unable to meet the eyes of the battered Prince Sehun, whose face was now streaked with crimson. Queen stood before him, her usually regal bearing shaken by the violence that had just unfolded.

Sehun's face, already splotchy from the heat, grew even redder as his own blood began to drip down his chin. He wiped it off with the back of his hand, then sneered at Taehyung, who was still trying to break free from the guards' grip. "You'll pay for that, you little bastard!" he spat.

The Queen, her face pale with fear and anger, struggled to maintain control over the situation. "You will pay for this, Taehyung," she warned, her voice trembling with fury. "You have disgraced this court and your family today. The consequences will be severe."

But Taehyung, still enraged, seemed not to hear her. His chest heaved as he struggled against the guards, his muscles taut with the effort to break free.