Your Majesty {NamJin}

twenty three

Second Lord of the North, Kim Taehyung

Thank you so much for helping Miss Eunri escape while I fought off the Silcho. I'm glad I got out alive, I don't know what I was thinking. I wish I didn't have to kill Choyoung...but my anger bested me. No one has the right to make fun of a little girl like that -- and such an innocent one too. Rinji meant so much to me, her death crushed me...and that fool paid her no respect. It was an unforgivable disservice that I refuse to tolerate. I will protect Rinji, even if I'm protecting her honor or her grave.

I love you with all my heart. I could never forsake you. Know that if it came down to it, I would've lost my life with the Silcho so that I could save you, Seonbi, and Eunri. I will always love and cherish you and our special bond, no matter what.

Thank you.

Kim Seokjin

Sura signed Seokjin's name on the letter, smiling at the forged calligraphy. Under the guise of a last will and testimony, she handed over the piece of parchment, asking the guard to give it to "His Divine Grace" -- although she almost had to clench her teeth to say so -- with a satisfied look on her face. Chomin would've been able to tell that she hadn't written any will for anyone if he could've seen the smug expression. However, he had been moved to an isolated cell "for safety purposes".

The date of Sura's execution had been set for the very next day, she learned, from overhearing talk from the guards. Namjoon would have to read the letter sometime between today and tomorrow, she figured, unable to hold back a smirk as she imagined a crying king breaking Seokjin's heart with a single word. Then, she thought, he will feel how I feel, he will burn how I burn, he will writhe in the flames of jealousy.

He will know my pain.

Seokjin led a procession of silent, solemn people down to the lake in the clearing near the palace, where even the soft wind passing by held its tongue. Taehyung and Hoseok trailed closely behind Seonbi and Yoongi, who asked to come just to ensure everyone's safety.

"Who's safety are you ensuring, with that wound in your stomach?" Hoseok had asked, but Yoongi scoffed, dismissing him.

"I'm being serious. Don't move too much, you're lucky I even let you be here," Hoseok scolded, trying his best to tame him.

"I would've found a way regardless," Yoongi said, looking out at the lake. "There's something important that I have to do here too."

"Okay, but no jumping in front of swords for anyone," Hoseok sighed. "We have General Park here for that."

Jimin placed his small hand on Yoongi's shoulder. His skin was warm and covered in goosebumps, almost drawing Jimin's other hand up on his back as well. "How are you withstanding this cold? You're wearing one robe," Jimin whispered, watching the steam of his breath wisp along with the wind.

"My heart is beating. That is enough," Yoongi said, stopping when he realized that he was standing right on the edge of the lake.

Seokjin knelt on the bank of the lake, placing a hand on the soft mud next to him. Upon instinct, his eyes converged, sinking him into darkness as he searched for Rinji's presence on the lake. He could almost feel her; his shoulder felt heavy with an invisible hand resting on it, the hand of a kindhearted ash-haired girl.

Seonbi knelt off to his left side, resting on her fiance's chest. Jimin paced around, keeping an eye on everything. Hoseok stood to the right, keeping an eye on the injured man, creeping up carefully next to Seokjin.

"I don't mean to interrupt you," he began, looking down at his reflection in the clear water. "But...if you don't mind, I'd like to talk to you for a minute."

Seokjin held his silence, but he reopened his eyes and gave Yoongi a single nod.

Small traces of a smile grazed the guard's face before he began.

"I had a daughter once. She wasn't really mine; I found her on my doorstep one day, asking for something to eat. She didn't seem to have parents, and the girl was on her own. So, naturally, I helped her out. She was but six years old, and she was poor. She would come to my house every day and ask for something to eat. 'It doesn't have to be a lot,' she would say. I would give her fruit, some bread, maybe leftovers every once in a while. One day, I decided to take her in as my own."

Seokjin's full attention was on Yoongi as he spoke with a melancholic voice, totally bereft of cheer.

"I asked her if she had a name. She said she didn't have one, so I decided to call her Hyejin. She was so happy with it," Yoongi blushed, smiling sadly. "We lived together for one year. She did so well. She could read and write. She made friends. She loved to help me with everything. She...she loved me."

"Then...the Silcho attacked..."

Everyone's eyes were on Yoongi, listening as his story took its turn for the worse.

"Hyejin was playing outside. I had went out to call her in for dinner when I saw someone out there with her. It all happened so quickly...all I remember is running out to find her on the ground with a deep gash in her side. Hyejin was crying, and I knew it was her last. I was holding her, trying to comfort her, ease her pain at least a little. I knew...and I think she knew too. My little angel smiled at me, and said, 'Papa, I love you.' And I told her I loved her more than anything in the world. Those were my last words to her...before she stopped breathing..."

Not a single eye was dry. Taehyung clutched Seonbi at his chest while Jimin and Hoseok looked away, unable to keep the floodgates closed.

"I watched my baby die in my arms, just like you did," Yoongi croaked, sniffling. "And I just came to tell you...you aren't alone."

Seokjin wrapped an arm around Yoongi's back, embracing him as they cried together.

"I know for a fact that they're up there, playing and having fun in heaven. They are smiling down on us. They want us to smile too. They're here with us. They never left us."

Seokjin's lips turned up in a smile, mirroring Yoongi's bittersweet countenance.

"Thank you. That means a lot to me," Seokjin grinned, wiping his tears.

"Anytime, brother," Yoongi said, nodding and looking out on the lake with Seokjin, where they could almost see Rinji and Hyejin looking for the fish that gathered peacefully in the water.