A Warrior's Heart

Chapter 56; Really gone

"What do you mean he's gone?" Yoongi asked, furrowing his eyebrows. Taehyun blinked.  "Exactly how I say it, Hyung."  He said. The warrior turned to the male besides him and told him he was done for today, waiting until he had walked off before continuing.

"Are you sure he's gone? Like, gone gone? Not just in some other room or at the stables or-"

"I checked!!" The brunette cut him off, raising his voice a little.  "I've checked every room, from his own to the kitchen and at the girl's chambers and even at the stables when I got back outside!" He said, voice wavering. Was this really how it was gonna go? How his visit would turn out? Tears started to build behind his eyes, and even if he didn't want to look weak in front of the warrior, right now he couldn't care less. Beomgyu was gone, and it hurt.

Yoongi's eyes widened, and without another word he ran off, leaving his sword to drop onto the sand. Taehyun set off running too, following the older all the way to the emperor's room. Yoongi turned the doorknob and flung the door open, startling a girl who was cleaning up the room a little.  "Where is he?!"  He barked at her, eyes cold and brows furrowed.  She froze on her spot and shook her head quickly.  "I-I don't k-know-"  She stuttered, feeling small under the male's intimidating gaze. Taehyun sighed and pulled the warrior back.  "Hyung I told you, he isn't here!"

The man sighed and turned on his heels, storming out of the room. Taehyun ran a bit to catch up with him and tried to keep up with the large strides.  "You're a warrior too, Tae. Round up all the other's, tell them to meet me on the fields. It's urgent and I won't take an 'I'm busy now' as a reply, got it?"

The brunette nodded quickly, letting the warrior be and running the other way. He knew it was urgent. Knew it was serious. But the reality of it all still had to hit him. And he knew when it did, it would hit him hard. His heart was already hurting because he couldn't see the boy like he has wished. But he'd give up the sight of him if it meant he was safe. The doubt he had for that now was terrifying. He wanted to make sure with his own two eyes, wanting to see the boy being safe. He hated the thought of what could've possibly happen, and he tried not to think about it to keep his mind and decisions clear. But he couldn't stop the images of the blonde crying and scared and lonely flash before his eyes.

He ran over the palace grounds once more, ignoring the slight burn it was starting to creating in his legs. He told the warriors to go to the training grounds, doing what Yoongi had asked of him. They all listened to him, the respect for him and for the black haired male sky high, but he had to lash out at a fairly young man. He didn't recognize him so he assumed he was newly recruited. He made sure to make a mental note of that. While being mean to people wasn't really his favourite thing to do, this was a situation which called for it. After he had yelled at the man he continued running, and eventually he found himself standing next to Yoongi once again at the training grounds.

"Silence!" The warrior barked out, the group of men before them immediately shutting up and listening to him. He took a deep breath before continuing.  "I have an announcement to make, and none of you are going to like it. I'm going to need you guys to be calm when I tell you, alright?" He said, stopping to let them answer. They all nodded and agreed to him. Yoongi sighed. "The emperor, is gone. I don't know when he was lastly seen, but he isn't here anymore."

Gasps were heard from the group of men, soft murmers filling the air and Taehyun looked down, taking a deep breath and willing his tears to go down. He could cry later, he told himself. For now he had to be strong so the warriors in front of him knew they had to be as well. He swallowed thickly and casted his gaze to the sky.

"Alright alright, settle down! Listen, I don't want everyone to panic, so no one is allowed to speak of this! If the people got word of this it will spread much faster, and if we would be so unlucky to have a spy around here, neighboring kingdoms will take advantage of the emperor's absence. I'm not counting on a spy, but you never know." Yoongi spoke, keeping his voice leveled, making sure everyone heard him clearly and no one would have questions later.

The warriors were on edge, you could easily tell. But Taehyun found himself admiring the older once again. How he was able to calm them down, have them listen and pay attention, and how he was able to keep his cool too. Taehyun was trying to keep his cool as well, but he was anxiously nibbling on his lower lip telling himself over and over again not to cry in front of them.

"I came up with a plan."  The black haired male said then.  "I expect everyone to follow it!"  He added sternly. Some hushed and quick yes sir's came from the group of men, and he got to explaining.

"A small group which I'll select will come with me and Taehyun. The rest of you will stay here and keep things under control. Since we don't know who got him, we have to be cautious at all times. I'll put one of you in charge to run this place while we're gone. The group that goes with us is expected to bring their A-game. I know you have it in you, I've seen you fight. I don't know what we'll encounter, but we'll bring him back. If you want out, say so now, or fight with me till the end." The warrior spoke, eyes set and fist clenched at his sides. As he spoke the last sentence, he put his hand over his heart, and Taehyun felt safe next to him. He once again knew from that moment on, he'd follow this man into the flames of hell of he had to. He just had an effect on people.

"If all of you understood, you are dismissed. I'll point out the group I want with me, the rest will continue their days as they were. I want all of you paying more attention and be on your feet if something happens. Don't make me regret recruiting you for this." Yoongi ended his speech, nodding at the men in front of him and voicing out some names. The rest of them all walked off, unlike before their hands now resting on the swords on their hips and eyes sharp.

Taehyun sighed and walked off as well, not needing to hear who was joining them. He walked towards the nearest tree and sat down against it, pulling his knees up and leaning his head back. A heavy sigh left his lips. When he had told Namjoon over this place, he had felt happy. When they were going through the books, he felt... well not happy but not like this either. When they had found something he was estatic and while they were looking at the finished basket he felt like they had succeeded. But now..

He felt like he had failed. the rational part of his mind knew that wasn't true, but he couldn't help but think about it. If he had stayed, he would've been at the boy's side. He could've had protected him from whatever had happened to him. He sighed and closed his eyes, hearing someone approach him. He knew who it was, so he didn't bother opening his eyes.

"It'll be alright, Tae." He heard Yoongi say. "Trust me I know how you feel right now, I feel it too. It's horrible. But we brought him back home before, and that was just the two of us. This time we have a team backing us up."  The older told him, placing a hand on his shoulder.  "Whoever it is won't stand a fighting chance."

Taehyun opened his eyes and sadly chuckled. "I know.. But it still sucks. I just wish I was here for him.." He said, looking up at the clouds floating slowly in the sky. Yoongi's hand on his shoulder tightened, and he heard him inhale sharply.  "By no means it was your fault, Tae. If anything, it was mine. I was training some of the guys when I saw him walk towards the wizard's place. It was pretty late and I didn't know what he needed from him at that hour. I wanted to follow him, but I couldn't leave the guys. So please, don't beat yourself up over this, it's not your fault. I should've done more."

The brunette didn't know how to answer that. He knew the warrior couldn't leave the guys during training time, and he for sure didn't blame him for letting that happen to him. He knew the man would give his life if it meant saving the boy. But now he was curious as to why he was going there as well. At least he knew what he'd do next. He nodded and stood up. He needed to have a talk with the wizard.