Tale of the Dark Hills | Jeongmin/ BangTwice Fantasy

Confidants of the Princess

Blue Forest

The princess pulls the rein and charges her horse, towards her homeland. Prince Jimin stares at the disappearing horse, with Jeongyeon on it's back. The sword is dangling from her waistband. Jimin smirks, what he thought a well planned case of illegal trespassing and theft, had turned out to be a reckless misadventure of a teenage girl. Yes, he returned her sword, as a sign of gratitude for saving his life.
But there are many questions, that keep popping up in his mind...

Why the monster wanted to take her?
Where would he take her?

"Prince", General Hoseok calls him.

"Yes, hyung", Jimin replies instantly, "did you send the messenger pigeon to Father?"

Hoseok nods his head, then asks, "Are you sure, what you saw was real?"

Jimin scoffs, "I know it's hard to swallow but believe me hyung, I have encountered that beast twice in my life, already"

"Twice?", the general asks with disbelief.

"He killed my elder brother, Prince Park Ji Young", Hoseok's jaw dropped out of shock,

"What??"

The general takes a moment to fully consume the new piece of information. After a pause, he speaks up

"I always thought it was an accident. You two lost in the eastern border jungle while hunting birds and...."

"....and then my brother's dead body was recovered from a ditch", the prince complete the sentence.

Hoseok bit his lip, this topic is almost forbidden to bring up, though Jimin continues,

"Till date many people think, it was I who pushed him, killed him....but in reality it was that monster who was flying away with him. The kid trapped in his big claws, unfortunately slipped and fell to die", Jimin starts tearing up while narrating.

"Nobody believed me then, no one !!! Some thought I was imagining things out of shock, some thought I was making up weird stories to save myself", the rage in his voice shakes the general.

Startled Hoseok pleads, "please my lord, control yourself"

But the prince is now riding on emotional roller coaster, running through the forest of his darkest memories.

"You know what father told me that time?", Jimin looks at Hoseok with teary eyes,

"He told me the more I tell this absurd and unrealistic story, the more people would believe that I pushed him... so I stopped...stopped telling the truth", Jimin gulps down the clot of pain, stuck in his throat.

"I am sorry my lord, I am also one of those who did not trust that story then but I trust you my prince, with my soul and body", General Hoseok assures his prince, with a hand on his heart.

"Thank you", the prince smiles faintly.

A particular thought suddenly strikes the general, he twitched his eyes and looks at the prince,

"May I ask you something, my lord?"

"Sure"

"The incident with your brother occurred in the eastern border, near dark hills, does it mean that.....", the general stops as the prince completes the trail of his sentence,

"...that monster is from the Dark Hills, hyung I think we should return to our land, it's in danger", the prince says in haste but the general stops him.