I Dreamed a Dream || BTS

Prologue

The room was lit only by a dim candle, just bright enough to illuminate the sheen of perspiration on his forehead, the trickles of blood cascading from the wound on his heaving chest. He coughed hoarsely, and Baram flung herself across the room to kneel beside his bed. "Jeonha," she pleaded, clutching his warm hand in hers. "Yoongi."

What a sight she must have been – singed hair, inflamed welts scattered across her ash-covered skin. The fire had not affected him so, not her beloved. Lightning flashed and briefly illuminated his blonde hair, splayed upon the pillow like silk ribbons. A thunderclap rumbled the earth and forced another weak cough from his lips.

"Get him water," Baram demanded, whirling on the motionless crowd gathered around his bed.

"He has wa–"

"I said, get him water!"

"He has water, my queen. There." With tremulous hands, she lifted the bowl from the bedside table to Yoongi's lips and coaxed him to drink. His eyes lingered on her, the intensity of his sienna gaze never failing to make butterflies skitter through her stomach. This time, however, the butterflies were set aflame by a fear that worsened when she withdrew the bowl and an imprint of blood tarnished the edge.

Words failed her, the stifling thickness of terror in her chest rendering her mute. She reclaimed his hand and nuzzled her nose against his palm, hoping to distract him from his pain.

"My queen." His voice was weakened, his throat hoarse from the smoke, but the faint memory of his low, raspy rumble remained. "Have I not always told you that mourning is fruitless?"

"I apologize, Jeonha," Baram sniffled.

"You must embrace reality, my love. Nothing can save me now." She buried her face in his robes to muffle her sobs, and the fabric squelched, soaked through with blood. "It is truly poetic, is it not? My affiliation, my court, my power... my destruction."

"It must have been the wound that led to your condition." Through the glaze of tears stinging her eyes, she could only see a blurry outline of his fond smile. "It could not have been the fire. You are Fire. I do not understand. Why did you not stop it? Why did you not save yourself?"

He tilted his head. "Are you angry?"

"No." She lowered her tone and clutched his hand, begging the heavens not to plant disfavor in Yoongi's heart, never to transform his love for her into hatred. "I do not want you to leave me, Jeonha." Her voice was barely a whisper, cracking when he sighed and nestled his head deeper into the pillows.

"That is inevitable," he said after a moment of thought, and her shoulders shook with the force of the strangled sobs that tore from her throat. "But I have always loved you – from the moment we met, to the moment we share now. My love will follow you beyond my death. You must understand this."

"I do. I do, Jeonha. You love me as much as I love you."

"But a woman cannot rule Joseon on her own."

She nodded and met her brother's tear-filled eyes. He blinked, and a tear slipped down his cheek, but he was quick to wipe it away with his sleeve. "My brother will rule the kingdom in your stead."

"Seokjin cannot be king any more than you can reign alone as queen. I am sure he will help you, however, in–" His voice broke with a cough, and blood dribbled down his lips. Baram wiped the blood with her sleeve, her tears staining his chin in its stead. Yoongi spent several moments in silence, his eyelids fluttering weakly, and when he spoke again, his voice was faint. "I wish for you to select a husband to succeed me, one who will rule Joseon fairly and mercifully, one who will make you happy."

"I can never be happy again. You know this, Jeonha. If you leave me, so will the ability to love be purged from my heart."

He gazed upon her with something reminiscent of a smile. "I love you, Baram." His emotionless façade finally faltered, giving way to tears. But he refused to close his eyes and abate the stinging, determined to make her the last thing he saw. "So much." Baram could only watch with horror as he blinked once, and then no more. His hand tightened on her scalp and then loosened, falling limply to the bed.

"No." She clutched his hand and pressed it against her lips. "No, please, come back. Come back! Please!" She tumbled onto the bed beside him, cradling his head in her bloodstained hands. No matter how many times she convinced herself that his hand would lift, caress her, console her, it never did. The sienna hue of his eyes had faded to a lifeless brown, staring blankly at the ceiling. "Jeonha... Jeonha! Yoongi!" She fell forward, burying her face in the crook of his neck and pressing her forehead against Yoongi's cold cheek.

"The king is dead." Seokjin sounded emotionless. "Pay your respects."

"Yes, lord." A hesitation. "My Queen..."

"Leave me," she screamed, sobbing her throat hoarse. "Leave me alone!"

"I..." Jimin hesitated again, but another pair of hands gripped her waist and attempted to tear her from her beloved.

"Stop! You will not take me from him!" But tightening her grip around Yoongi's neck was futile. The man's strength exceeded hers, and he dragged her out of the room, screaming and thrashing. With the king dead, no one would ensure her wellbeing, and the man unceremoniously tossed her onto the floor of an adjoining room. Pain shot through her bruised body, but she scrambled across the floor and clutched onto the man's leg. She screamed bloody murder, begging him to let her leave, to let her die. His boot slammed into her cheek, and she fell back, instinctually curling into a ball to protect herself. But no more blows came. He slammed the door shut and locked it, leaving her alone to wallow in her grief.

The world was filled with the symphony of a raging thunderstorm, a heavy deluge, and Baram's hoarse sobs and cracked whimpers.

COMING SOON ON JULY 3, 2021.