THE RAVEN KING, yoonkook

prologue: the boy king

The night is late when the ringing bells draw those in the castle from their slumber. The lords and ladies shiver and huddle in groups in the throne room, clothes pulled tight against them in order to protect from the biting cold that hangs in the air and seeps into their bones. Wings are pressed against backs, wrapped around bodies. There's a quiet hush in the air as everyone waits, trying to guess what might have caused this impromptu gathering. Some guesses are correct or at least close, although none of them wish they were.

The young prince, Jeon Jungkook, is brought into the room, accompanied by a Council representative, his uncle, nanny and guards. The boy is dressed in formal attire, which contrasts against everyone else's night robes; although it's clear that he was dressed in a hurry, as his own pyjamas are visible beneath the formal robes. He looks tired, but his head remains set high and a blank expression rests on his face. As this group make it up to the front, the crowd grows quiet. They await an explanation, which comes from the representative.

He clears his throat, his expression filled with grim. This unconsciously confirms everyone's worst fears, which is then verbally confirmed by the representative, "The King and Queen are dead," He announces. A cry is heard from the back of the room ― a devastated wail. The king and queen were quite loved; devastation was to be expected from their people. Someone talks quietly to the source of this noise, trying to console and calm them, as the male continues, "They passed away an hour ago ― peacefully, the doctors say, in their sleep ― from the fever they both had been suffering from."

This continual talk of his parents' deaths, the constant reminder that they are no longer here, causes Jungkook's lip to start quivering. Having been advised to keep his composure ― at least in public, during the ceremony, where the people can see ― Jungkook has been trying to hold in the tears. But now, he fears it may be too much; the ache in his chest is starting to grow into full blown pain, like how he thinks the knife that was stabbed into his grandfather's chest might have felt. The black haired boy sucks in his bottom lip, biting down hard. He then feels a firm hand on his shoulder and glances at its owner: it's his uncle, clearly trying to provide the boy with some sort of support in this moment. The older male gives the prince a nod of the head which is returned with a slow blink of the eyes, before Jungkook returns his gaze to the crowd. The Council representative is still talking, updating the crowd.

"As the next in line, the crown falls to their son Jeon Jungkook." This seems to cause some controversy as whispers of shock rise up amongst the crowd. Similar sentiments are shared amongst the crowd ― he's too young, they all seem to be thinking, he's only twelve. He hasn't even lost his pin feathers yet! The Council seem to feel the same as the male says, "But, as the Prince is only twelve, he will not be able to possess complete control of the throne until he is of age. Until then, he will be aided by his uncle and a collection of Council representatives."

The hand is back on his shoulder, giving him a soft squeeze and attempting to send the message of 'we're in this together'. Jungkook doesn't respond and simply stares blankly ahead over the audience. He is detached ― it's the only way he's able to cope with his parents' sudden death without causing a scene. Everything is dull, distant. The boy loses himself in his thoughts, almost afraid to face the reality that stands before him.

There's a hand on his back now, leading him forwards. He allows himself to be lead, following mindlessly. The boy is taken up to the throne, where another member of Council stands. The old man holds the king's crown ― the same one that once rested on his father's head, and his father before him ― and begins talking as soon as the boy is positioned in front of him. Jungkook misses all of it, only knows what to say because his uncle is whispering in his ear and prompting him. Words slip past his lips with little thought. Tiredness is creeping into the twelve year old's body ― when he was woken it was just past one, which is much too early for the boy's liking.

Before he even realises, the boy prince suddenly becomes the boy king and the crown is placed atop his head. It weighs down on him heavily and is much too big on him ― wearing it feels unnatural and wrong. Jungkook is then brought to the throne, which is also much too big for the tiny boy. It engulfs him, makes his small frame seem even smaller. Jungkook wants to cry: there's a painful lump in his throat and his eyes are burning but, still, he blinks it back.

One by one, each lord and lady swears their fealty to their new king. They bend the knee, bow the head, and then offer their condolences. It doesn't feel right to Jungkook, who can hardly understand what is happening. With every passing minute, his eyes grow more and more heavy, until it feels as though he might fall asleep on the throne. It wouldn't be the first time that that had happened, except normally he doesn't have an audience.

Right when he's unsure he'll be able to hold on much longer, a pair of secure arms wrap around him and lift him up. He's held against a familiar chest, which he instantly curls into, fluffy wings wrapping around his body. His nanny ― Namjoon ― carries him away from the dispersing crowd, who are also returning to their bedrooms.

"You did good today, little prince." Namjoon says softly to the boy in his arms, his voice more comforting than the raven's uncle's hand could ever be.

"I'm a king now." Jungkook mumbles, the words feeling foreign on his tongue.

"You'll always be my little prince." The boy suddenly wants to cry again. The soft words trigger something inside of the boy and a sob slips past his lips as he's unable to hold it back. Without meaning to, the tears he fought hard to suppress are falling easily from his eyes. Namjoon hurriedly gets him into the privacy of his bedroom, where he place the boy down on the bed and lies beside him. Jungkook continues to bawl his eyes out, each sob that racks his body causing more pain.

"I–I want Mum and– and Da-ad." Jungkook wails into his nanny's chest, tears and snot dirtying his shirt. "I-I don't want to be king ― I can't be king."

"I know, I know," Namjoon says softly, hand pushing the boy's black hair off his forehead. A light kiss is placed on the exposed skin, as the older male does everything he can to try and make the boy feel better. He believes it may be an impossible feat, doubts anything could heal this sort of hurt. Still, he must try ― at the very least, he can try to reduce it, "It might seem like a big job now but, trust me, I think you'll be the best king this kingdom ever had."

The boy sniffs, arm running along the bottom of his running nose. Namjoon decides to ignore the fact Jungkook just wiped his snot across the official, formal clothing ― there are higher priorities at the moment.

"You'll be the greatest, and everyone will love you. You'll make your parents proud, okay?" Jungkook nods slowly, eyes still welling up with tears. Namjoon carefully wipes away the ones that fell, another kiss placed on a wet, chubby cheek. The owl's kisses might not be exactly like Jungkook's parents, but they're a close substitute and carry almost the same level of love and protection.  "You'll make us all proud."

Slowly, Jungkook's tears begin to stop flowing and all he's left with is a shaky breath and tired eyes. He stops crying, lying silently as Namjoon continues to run his fingers through his hair and says comforting, adoring whispers. At some point, as the boy drifts off to sleep, he feels a dip in the bed behind him and knows Hoseok has also joined him. If he doesn't focus too hard, he can almost pretend he's lying with his parents: this, he believes, is what keeps the bad dreams at bay that night.