The King's Arrangement (BTS X Reader)

Chapter 5

Jungkook:

I sat in on the meeting with Prince Taehyung, Prince Soobin, and the Duke. We had several new recruits coming in for the royal guard and Soobin had decided he wanted to revamp the training program. I had run the program for the last three years after the original had retired. I was the youngest head guard and had worked hard to achieve that position.

Although I was younger than all of my subordinates, I had earned their respect. I never asked them to do something I wasn't willing to do myself. I put myself in harm's way as often as I asked them to.

My current task was to guard Soobin and the princess. There had been several threats made upon both of their lives and it was something to be taken seriously. There had even been a foiled kidnapping plan. A neighboring kingdom had threatened to kidnap the princess to put a halt to the wedding. Since I was the most skilled, the king had removed me from his personal detail and placed me with Prince Soobin and the princess.

As the Duke explained his ideas for the program, I took notes on things I had questions on or things that I knew from experience simply wouldn't be feasible with new recruits. The new batch of recruits was some of the youngest we had ever had. Most people apply for the royal guard at the age of 26, but this group was much younger. The youngest was only 18. He was a young man by the name of Jackson and clearly idolized the princess. She had greeted him when he first arrived and he was infatuated. When he saw her several days later, she had remembered his name. The kindness the princess had shown him had solidified his loyalty to her. I had made the decision to add the young man to the princess's personal security detail when he was finished with the program.

I forced my mind back to the meeting and brought up the questions and concerns I had. The most important one was the punishment of the new recruits. This was not something we had ever done before and I didn't see the use of adding it in now. "I disagree your Grace," I said politely. "If we were to punish the new recruits, their loyalty might be compromised. It would be better to praise the hard work they have been doing. They respond to that much better."

The Duke raised an eyebrow at me. "They're not children that need guidance. They are men that should be fit to serve the king," he said.

"With all due respect, your Grace, I don't agree," I began. "Loyalty is based on mutual respect and understanding."

The Duke shook his head. "I think you are forgetting your place," he said.

I bowed quickly. "I apologize," I said quietly.

Taehyung spoke up, a smile directed at me. "You have nothing to apologize for Jungkook," he said. "I absolutely agree with you."

"You do?" I asked.

Taehyung smiled again. "I do."

Taehyung:

After the exchange with the Duke, Jungkook fell into silence. I highly valued the young man and his impeccable skill. I had seen the respect he had earned from the new recruits and the seasoned soldiers in the royal guard. He was strict, yet kind. Disciplined, yet fair. He didn't hesitate to put a solider in their place if they stepped out of line, but he did it with a gentleness that made the soldiers, young and old, respect him.

"Duke," I began, "I do appreciate your input into the new program, but remember that Jungkook is head of the royal guard for good reason. He has more than proved himself worthy of the position, despite his young years. My father trusted him with this position and we will do the same."

The Duke bowed his head. "My apologies, your highness. I meant no disrespect to the king's choice of guard," he said quietly.

I nodded my head at him, then turned and gave Jungkook a sly wink. Jungkook looked down at his notes to prevent his small smile from being noticed. I did not trust the Duke or his intolerable daughter. I had met the woman several times and disliked her immensely. She was rude, conceited, and behaved way above her station in life. She disrespected the princess this morning and insulted our highly skilled palace chef. If I knew the princess, she would have immediately gone to the kitchen to compliment Jin.