Kingdoms [A Jimina Story]

Chapter 7

"No"

Tzuyu smirks and says, "Well, if you change your mind. Lia is in a secluded area being tortured every single day. After this meeting, we'll inform her of your death which will break her into tears. Maybe, you'll change your mind before she commits suicide."

Jihyo flinches at the thought of her daughter suffering but flicks it off and says, "Or you can hand over Lia without any resistance." Tzuyu scoffs and says, "And why would we do that?" Jihyo looks at Jimin then at Mina and says, "Because we found him." Tzuyu questions her, "Who?" However, Mina reacts much differently. She straightens up and tenses her muscles. Chaeyoung and Suga look at her worried and Jihyo says, "Mina, we found the traitors." Mina stands and pulls out her blade.

The tip of her katana touches Jihyo's neck softly and Jihyo says, "Kill me. This is the only evidence you found in 20 years. Let this opportunity slip, I dare you." Jihyo stands up and walks closer to Mina's blade but she backs up. Daniel releases a sigh of relief and Jihyo smirks again. Mina backs away slowly with tears forming in her eyes as she whispers, "Liar."

Jihyo sits back down and says, "Give Lia back." Chaeyoung tells Mina, "She's bluffing. There has been zero signs of existence from the traitor's family." Jihyo then smiles and says, "The reason why we never found any traces of them is because someone was hiding them."

Mina looks at Jinyo and she continues, "Someone from the Chou family." Mina glances at Tzuyu who is completely confused at this moment. Jihyo walks towards Mina and says, "What was his name again, Jiy-" Suddenly a shuriken grazes Jihyo's cheek and Mina falls to the ground on her knees.

After inhaling and exhaling loudly, Mina stands back up and says, "Let's go." Tzuyu grabs a hold of her wrist and says, "What? You can't just leave." Mina throws Tzuyu's hand away and grabs a hold of her neck. Jungkook and Bambam stand up to help her but Chaeyoung and Suga stop them. Mina says with a tear dripping down her cheek, "You're not the only one with the pressure of a nation on your back. You think just because you lost your mother, you have the right to declare war. That's not how the world works. You aren't some reckless pirate exploring the seas, you're a queen. Remember that."

She throws Tzuyu away as she gestures one her soldiers to release Lia. Daniel quickly embraces his daughter in a hug and Jihyo wipes the blood dripping from her cheek. Mina glances at her then back at Tzuyu, who's on the ground. She says, "We're pulling out of this war. Are you coming?"

She quickly looks at Jimin and he questions her, "Me?" Mina wipes the tears from her eyes and says, "Come live with us in safety." Jihyo smiles at the interaction. Jimin says, "But my mother..." She says, "We can bring her and any of your family." Jimin looks around and thinks about it.

Logically, going with her is the safest answer but he can't just abandon his crew. This is his fight. He says, "Sorry, but I can't leave my people." Jihyo breaks into laughter and Mina says, "What a shame. I really liked you."

She turns and all of her troops follow. And like that, the Myoui Dynasty pulls out of the war. Leaving Chou Nation, to fend for themselves. Jihyo sits back down as Daniel and Lia sits behind her. She says, "Now that problem is taken care of, we would like to invite you to the Kingdom of Park for peace negotiations."

Tzuyu catches her breath still recovering from Mina's hold and says, "We'll continue to fight." Jihyo giggles and says, "Tzuyu, think about what Mina just said. That isn't the right decision and you know it's wrong, so why are you so persistent on fighting a losing battle? You're going to spend countless of lives and resources on a battle you know you can't win. Believe me, I was quite scared when I heard the Myoui Dynasty was on your side but you lost them. They're gone, you stand no chance against our generals and armies. This is the wisest decision and if you let it slip out of your hands today, we will come at you with a force of thousands tomorrow."

Tzuyu turns around and Jungkook says, "Tzuyu, it's the only choice. We can't beat them." She sighs and agrees to the meeting. As Jihyo tells her the details of the meeting, Tzuyu asks, "Who did you find?" Jihyo raises an eyebrow and says, "Your mother never told you?" She shakes her head and Jihyo says, "It's confidential, only a select number of people know. But I will tell you, this secret tells us Mina's story and her rise to power."

Jihyo leaves the room peacefully with her daughter and Daniel. Tzuyu groans as Jungkook approaches her and asks, "Are you ok?" Tzuyu nods as Lisa hands her an ice pack for her neck. Tzuyu says, "Prepare for a trip. We are meeting in a few days."

A few days later

The meeting went by quickly and smoothly. Momo Tribe and Chou Nation lost some land due to their inability to keep peace. They both paid each other reparation but Tzuyu was worried on Momo's silence throughout the meeting. Momo approaches her after the meeting and looks around quickly. She then says, "Meet me in my boat later. Bring Jungkook."

Tzuyu nods and she brings Jungkook to her ship later that night. Momo is alone with Hoseok in the main quarters. Hoseok locks the door as Momo says, "We didn't kill your mother and your people didn't kill mine."

Tzuyu says shocked, "WHAT?" Momo says, "I interviewed hundreds of my men personally and they have never heard or met the people that attacked your ship. A ship of ours was stolen a day before the attack. I also investigated the cite of my mom's death. The poison was exclusively found in a flower that exclusively grows within Park Walls."

Tzuyu says, "So you're saying..." Jungkook finishes her sentence, "The Kingdom of Park murdered your mothers."