Chapter Text
Two more full moons came and went before the edict from the crown finally arrived, halting the recruitment of alphas and able beta children for the finished war. Sheriff Son’s face soured as the envoy read the missive out loud in the town’s square and furthermore when the people cheered and celebrated. One by one, the faces the town had missed the most integrated themselves back into the everyday life routine as if they had never left. Young Jihyun the leather smith’s son was once again helping his father to tan the hides. An energetic Eunha resumed her daily treks on her donkey-pulled cart to distribute refreshing juice to the fieldhands hard at work. In the Jeon state, Jungkook assisted his father to the table and regaled him with the most innocent of his adventures while out on the caves. Baron Jeon smiled through it all, not even complaining of the bitter taste of his medicine. Yoongi and Jimin walked proudly as Jungkook trailed after them eager to learn and help out with the tasks of the estate. The young alpha’s days were full with helping Jimin again with the orchard and the beehives, and assisting Yoongi in the maintenance of the house and some other infrastructure around town.
The Sheriff regarded the youthful faces with scorn but held his tongue for fear of angering the Jeon knight. He was certain there was something afoot, but the warrior and his two packmates, also war veterans if the tales roaming the town were to be believed, had planted the seed of fear in him, constantly meddling with his usual rounds to put the people in their place. He’d have to air his thoughts to his superiors in the capital but his writing was deplorable, so he’d have to wait until he could ditch his post for the winter and leave the shit-hole of a town to starve as he took all their produce to the crown’s cellars. His old Captain, now General of the new King’s Royal Guard, had been right when he’d drilled into him and others that were sent to other counties, the need to ensure the common folk remained fearful and docile. Happy and healthy commoners were dangerous to a ruler, as they tended to think too highly of themselves, with ideals of justice and other such nonsense. The Jeon warrior surviving the war had most certainly not been in the plans. He’d been assured the man would die in Lotus land and he’d be able to claim his pretty omega prize without the old Baron being able to do absolutely nothing about it. Yet the alpha walked the streets with the omega that should have been his, being all chivalrous and helpful so that everyone loved and respected him! It made his blood boil with jealousy and rage. Soon, he’d be sipping warm mead and eating steak in the Capital’s inns, sitting warm by the fire and telling his revered General everything he’d observed in Busan.
By the time harvest arrived, the town was buzzing with activity and hopefulness. The fields were bursting and all hands were needed. As Yoongi and Jimin worked on their allotted space picking their share, baskets strapped to their backs, the alpha realized he’d never felt more at peace. The town’s people seemed to like him and his friends a lot, offering greetings and produce in exchange for help with a variety of things. When the children returned from the caves, the already candid exchanges became warmer and fond. Jimin said it was probably due to the kids sharing with their parents how well Yoongi, Hoseok, and Namjoon had looked after them for the last few months. He blushed when a beta matron approached him one day with tears in her eyes and a watery smile to hug the breath out of him. She introduced herself as Sunho’s mother, a kid who had been some moons past and for whom he’d gone with his packmates to forage the dangerous mountains to the east for a couple of days looking for an herb that was needed to cure him. After that, the people greeted him with reverence in their tone and a measure of respect he couldn’t remember ever holding to his person. He talked about it with Jimin when he started feeling like an impostor and the omega tenderly but firmly reassured him it was well earned. They spoke of a lot of things in the long hours spent with each other. Fears, hopes, dreams, and silly thoughts were exchanged with the fluidity of a free stream to the point Yoongi couldn’t fathom there being a day where he didn’t hear the omega’s soft voice and giggles.
His relationship with Jimin was progressing beautifully, and the dark-haired man felt ready to advance into a new stage, if the blond omega felt the same, of course. Jimin’s birthday was a week away, by fate or coincidence, on the same day as the Harvest Full Moon festival. He’d been diligently preparing his gift for the occasion, dedicating long hours to make it as flawless as possible as only perfection would suit his intended. Now, working side by side, Yoongi was sure there was no other place for him as he glanced up. Jimin had paused from his task and the alpha felt his breath being ripped from his chest as the afternoon sun framed the hardworking and slightly sweaty omega with a golden halo. The beast inside him howled proudly and only one thought ran through his mind. ‘Mate’
Everything had gone without a hitch. The harvesting was finally done and the produce had been divided and sent off to the crown, leaving a meager portion behind for the town. Sheriff Son had looked smug with a mean smirk in place as his cronies loaded the wagons with the products of the people’s hard work and had set off to spend the winter in the coziness of the capital’s inns as usual, foregoing the bitter iciness of the south. The townsfolk had watched him and his men go that morning with serious faces up until the last wagon disappeared into the forest in the distance, only to turn around and laugh quietly amongst them.
The days were spent bussilly dividing the hidden produce amongst the families and making sure everyone had more than enough to make it through the upcoming winter. The days were noticeably shorter, the nights were getting quite chilly and the alphas, having foreseen it, presented the town with plenty of pelts that would ensure no one would be left unprotected that year.
The night of the fall festival, the whole town was decked with yellow and red, making it look warm and inviting despite the cold wind. Taehyung’s ceremony was beautiful and with Hoseok as his new assistant, it went smoothly and efficiently. The pair went around the seven fires lit for the ceremony pouring his special mixture and making the yellow flames spark and writhe as they turned a deep red color to the delight of the pups. After thanks were given to the moon goddess for bestowing her continued grace upon them, Jimin knelt by the altar placing a small vial of rich red honey and a bouquet of flowers from his own garden as offerings. Once settled he closed his eyes in prayer, feeling peaceful and hopeful for the future once he was done. Standing up, he turned to find Yoongi just opening his eyes himself. “Should we head to the celebration too?” he asked, noting everyone else seemed to have already left, likely eager to let the fun begin.
“I was hoping I could have a minute of your night for myself,” said the alpha, smiling shyly at him.
Jimin’s heart redoubled its speed in expectation and he found himself already nodding before his brain could fully process the request. His cheeks already felt warm with the blush he was sure was creeping there and his hands fiddled with the decorative ribbon tied around his waist.
Yoongi smiled, endeared at the younger’s cute habit and took his hands in his, a practiced move by now but no less exhilarating for both as it had been the first time. “Kight Jeon saved me from finding myself adrift after my life’s only goal was completed, by giving me a task” he began. “It gave me an objective, a goal to achieve, so to speak.”
He lifted Jimin’s hand and kissed the back of it. “But even as that new goal was accomplished too, and a new one was set on the horizon by Baron Jeon, it was you who helped me find my life’s true purpose.”
Jimin’s eyes widened at the elder’s words. He thought back of the last few months and indeed he could tell the alpha’s general disposition seemed happier and more settled into himself. “What purpose did you find, Yoongi?”
The alpha smiled brightly at him. “To live while doing my best,” he said with a happy shrug. “To help others do the same, and,” he knelt before the omega. “To love you beyond anyone has ever loved. To be beside you for the rest of my life, to help you, support you, and take care of you, if you will have me as your mate.”
Jimin’s eyes were wide and glassy but his smile was radiant and his scent bloomed happily around them as he jumped into a startled Yoongi’s arms and the both of them ended up sprawled on the ground with the alpha on his back with a squirming and giggling omega on his front. “YES! Yes! There is nothing I want more than to call you my mate too!”
Yoongi laughed freely and euphoric, nuzzling the omega’s neck while Jimin relished on the man’s scent seeping into his own skin. They sat together before the moon altar, talking, scenting and smiling quietly at each other until the night grew too cold and Jimin started shivering. Yoongi sat up at once and helped the blond boy to his feet before scurrying away to the back of Taehyung’s cabin and coming back with a bundle in his arms that he offered with a shy smile.
“Happy birthday, darling.”
Jimin felt himself tear up as Yoongi presented him with a soft and fluffy butterscotch colored fur cloak. “But- isn’t this? Ivern bears are so dangerous my lord!”
Yoongi smiled at him and gently nuzzled his small nose with his own. “They live further into the forest and are a bit harder to track, but no effort is too much if it means it’s for you,” he said, carefully drying the omega’s teary eyes. Jimin looked adorable in his new cloak and from that night on, was often seen nuzzling into the lining, which still held Yoongi’s scent given how much careful work the alpha had put into it. Occasionally, Jungkook would cuddle close to the omega too and sigh contentedly as the scents of two of his favorite people washed over him.
When they finally made it to the celebration in town that night, their entwined hands and beaming faces were noticed at once by Taehyung and Jin who wasted no time jumping on the couple with congratulations and hugs. Hoseok and Namjoon clapped Yoongi vigorously on the back while offering smiling congratulations of their own. Soon enough, the whole town heard the news and the celebration became more rowdy as they turned the festival into a pre-mating party. Jungkook danced around the couple with the other children chanting terribly hilarious rhymes about kissing and finding babies in the fields that had everyone in stitches.
Baron Jeon, who had been sitting bundled up on a chair brought to the square specially for him, clapped along joyously as the music played and the people cheered for the new couple. Jimin and Yoongi hurried over and crouched next to him to officially share the news personally. The Baron felt his heart fill with contentment and warmth as the pair sat at his feet radiating happiness to the point he could almost taste in his tongue. He patted Jimin’s covered hair lovingly, just as he used to do when the omega was still a pup. “I had always prayed for a joyful future full of love, protection, and companionship for you, my lovely Jimin. I am delighted that I get to witness how the Lady Moon has brought to you a mate that will fulfill all of that and more,” he said, squeezing Yoongi’s hand as he turned to him next. “And you, my boy, brought one of the worst news of my long life. But in doing so, you heralded peace and joy not just for me and my house, but also for the whole town. I am forever in your debt.”
Yoongi patted the elder’s hand gently. “There is no debt between us, Sire. You opened your home to me and gifted me with a chance to be helpful. Furthermore, it was that opportunity that brought me closer to our Jiminie, and for that, it is I who will be forever in your debt.”
As the couple returned to their dancing and merrymaking, the old alpha sat placidly sipping on his hot cider pondering the events of the day. It had taken the Baron a while but the messenger he’d sent to Daegu County had finally returned that evening with a small package and heavy envelope attached. Jeon Hyungsoo, contrary to what most believed, had not yet fully lost his sight. He could perceive shadows and some bright enough colors. With the right light and a heavy glass slab he kept in his rooms he could still make out his own black letters, albeit notably blurred. Tomorrow, he hoped, he would fulfill his promise to Yoongi and shed some light on his origins. If he was correct on his suspicions, the black-haired Alpha did have a family, one that loved him to the point of sending him away to save his life.
The night of celebrations left a sweet taste on everyone’s mouth for a few days. As Yoongi and Jimin continued to run errands in town everyone could see the closeness that had been brewing between the two had now brimmed over and the pair could not seem to be able to separate from each other as soon as Jimin’s boots met the ground when Yoongi pulled him down from his mare. Just as close were Jin and Namjoon, who worked seamlessly in tandem around the inn as if they had a lifetime of practice. On the other side of town, Hoseok and Taehyung experimented to their hearts’ content with new things that the young omega had always wanted to try but lacked the enabling partner. Now that Hoseok was there, equally adventurous and ready for anything in order to make the priest smile, the pair played together and took care of each other when things didn’t go exactly as planned. Even if they were barely entering the early stages of winter, the entire town was looking forward to the first blooms of spring to celebrate their matings during the equinox festivities.
A week later, a dark morning had led to the first sleet shower. Jimin and Yoongi had been more than halfway home and were able to make it to the stables just as the cold downpour turned to hail. They tended to their horses and hung up their sturdy riding cloaks, noticing a regal brown stallion and a smaller tawny mare placidly grazing in one of the usually empty stalls.
“Visitors?” proposed Yoongi with a confused frown.
Jimin shrugged, “maybe? Father Jeon receives people from time to time but no one ever comes around this time of year. The roads are horrible in winter.”
“I hope it’s not bad news,” Yoongi murmured.
“I don’t think so, otherwise someone would have gone to find us,” reassured Jimin nuzzling into the elder’s neck, getting a trusting nod from the besotted Alpha and a light kiss on his forehead.
As they entered hand in hand, their easy chatter fell away as they took in Baron Jeon’s visitor. Yoongi’s blood ran cold as he recognized the elderly beta that had spoken to him in the capital. The man’s clothes were less regal and made of sturdier materials. While the good quality of his attire was unmistakable, the understatedness of it would allow him to pass for a well-to-do trader instead of nobility. He sat placidly in a chair next to the Baron drinking tea and watching him with curious eyes.
“Ah, my boys!” said Baron Jeon jovially ushering them closer with his hands. “Come and greet my dear ol’ friend Bang Sihyuk, the Earl of Seoul.”
Jimin glanced covertly up at Yoongi in worry at his sudden tenseness, the alpha had gone pale and stiff at the sight of the man. Yoongi seemed unable to react so Jimin took over quickly and pulled him along to the elders’ side, dropping into a curtsy and urging the alpha to bow in greeting. Yoongi swallowed hard, feeling his throat suddenly dry like sand. “Welcome to Busan, My Lord. I hope you had a pleasant trip,” he said, hoping his voice didn’t betray his nervousness.
“Indeed! I’ve heard there is terrible fog on the main road these days, although the yellowing trees must look lovely all around,” said the omega enthusiastically trying to divert the old beta’s attention away from Yoongi.
The earl smiled warmly at him, eyes glittery and nostalgic. “You are just as beautiful as your mother, young Jimin,” he said softly, making the omega and his alpha both gasp in surprise.
Jimin blinked, perplexed. “You knew my mother, sire?”
The earl nodded heavily, smile turning sad. “Indeed, very well I’d dare say,” he confirmed. “Her own mother, my maternal aunt passed away in childbirth and your dear mother came to live with my family that very same evening. From that day forward she became my darling little sister,” he explained. “I watched her become the wonderful and vibrant woman that you no doubt remember and saw her fall in love with her dashing husband, Lord Park. It still pains me to this day that we lost her, and your father, so early.”
Something clicked in Jimin and he gasped. “You are the uncle that signed the marriage contract that allowed me to come live here,” he deduced. When the old beta nodded in confirmation, Jimin curtsied again. “I never got to thank you, Sire. I grew up loved and healthy instead of being sent to adversity to the Western lands.”
“But of course, child,” said Lord Bang with a sad smile. “I would have loved to raise you myself, but I feared for your safety living so close to court, especially with how tense things were back then with the issue of succession. The emperor was very displeased with the sudden death of the Dowager Queen’s brother, Duke Min and his family, and even five years after the incident we were all still a bit paranoid at the palace.”
“Min? Is that not a common family name?” asked Yoongi, thankful his voice sounded steady instead of the shivering mess he could feel on his stomach.
“Duke Min always joked that one of his ancestors had fled the family home and hid himself in a small fishing settlement, spreading the name Min around the bay area,” said Lord Bang with a chuckle. “However at the Capital and Daegu, the name Min was royal and is spoken with reverence and respect, even to this day.”
Jimin could feel Yoongi's hand grow cold and clammy as it was still grasping his own. He longed to soothe him, but he didn’t want to bring more attention to the obviously uncomfortable alpha, instead he opted to draw the focus of the conversation on himself. “I remember those were uncertain times. My parents often talked about Duke and Duchess Min with admiration and fondness.”
“They would have, yes. They had been close friends, the Parks and the Mins,” said Baron Jeon with a wistful smile on his lips, “just as they were close friends to me as well.”
Jimin’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “You knew Duke Min too, Father Jeon?”
The old alpha nodded and sighed, his milky gaze settling on the window. “We all did our schooling together in the capital,” he said, “I was the oldest by far because it took me several years to recover from scarlet fever and resume my lessons, but unlike our classmates who looked down on me for my weaker constitution, both Min and Park treated me with true respect and cordiality right from the start. They truly were the best men I’ve ever met.” Jimin hadn’t known that, but it made warmth bloom on his chest, knowing his father had been a good man and friend to his adoptive father figure.
“Losing Duke Min was a terrible blow for the realm,” continued Earl Bang with a sorrowful tone, “he was the people’s choice to take the Crown, did you know?” he asked, eye twinkling with mischief.
Both Jimin and Yoongi were startled at the news. “How come? If I’m doing the math right, the Queen’s reign was solid and her children were nearly grown into adulthood by the time Duke Min and his Duchess passed,” said Yoongi with confusion.
“Indeed,” confirmed Baron Jeon, a smirk growing on his lips. “But it was common knowledge at court that during an official visit, the Emperor openly reprimanded the Queen’s teenage sons after they were overheard being crass and verbally abusive to one of the Empress’ handmaidens.”
“Everyone knows Her Majesty the Empress dotes on her attendants and she took great offense to the issue,” explained the Earl. “ The Emperor then decided to spend the rest of their tour of Ivern in Daegu, Duke Min’s county instead of at Court. As they were leaving he was overheard saying he doubted the two princes were fit to rule and wanted to reinstitute Duke Min, the Queen’s younger brother as heir to the throne.”
“Furthermore, the Empress and the Duchess were cousins and close confidants as pups,” added Baron Jeon. “When the connection between them became known, rumors started circulating about how charmed both of Their Majesties had been with the Mins’ child, an toddler of unknown gender who had yet to be announced or presented at the general Court. Not even the Dowager Queen had known of the kid until then and she was furious with her brother for keeping her in the dark.”
“And then, only a week after the Emperor left Ivern, Duke Min, his wife, their small child, and their servants, all perished in an inexplicable house fire,” said Earl Bang, hands clenched into fists over his knees. “The crown made a show of investigating nothing and soon the case was closed as accidental. The Empress was as devastated as the Emperor was furious, and since then he’s never shown favor to this realm. Twenty two years have passed, and all that remains in memory of the noble house of Min are the beautiful black feathered arrows and quiver that the Duke graciously gave me for my birthday two days before his death.”
Yoongi’s breath left him in a whoosh and Jimin’s jaw had dropped open. “Are you saying….?”
Earl Bang just shook his head sadly. “I have no proof, child. And if my words were to carry to the wrong ears I’ll be hanged by tomorrow.”
“Black feathered arrows?” murmured Yoongi. Jimin turned to him, alarmed at the shakiness in his alpha’s voice.
“Yes,” said Lord Bang watching Yoongi intently. “Magnificent things, crafted by Duke Min himself out of no-”
“Nox wood and raegan goose feathers,” said Yoongi as if in a trance. “The tip was not ordinary either, forged with white steel and engraved with the M of Min…”
Jimin noticed Baron Jeon nodding to himself as if in confirmation while Earl Bang looked like he was making a great effort not to cry.
“They took forever to make…” murmured Yoongi, eyes unfocused and lost in a distant memory.
“That’s why he only made them for himself and very few close friends, Yoongi, only a handful of people could boast of having ever held a Min arrow, just like very few could say they could call the Duke a friend.”
As concerned as he was with the way Yoongi was acting, it took Jimin a moment to realize Yoongi’s name had not been spoken by father Jeon, but by Earl Bang. A cold shiver ran down his spine. The man knew. He quickly glanced at the Baron, but the old Alpha seemed unsurprised, if anything, he seemed content even. Beside him, he felt Yoongi startle out of his trance as he too realized the situation.
“You knew who I was that day in the piers,” he said, partly in question and partly accusatory.
Lord Bang denied with his head, a small sad smile in place. “I didn’t know for sure, but the slant of your eyes is so very like your father’s and I hoped…”
“Hoped for what? I’m an orphan, I have no family,” said the alpha, seemingly trying to convince himself. Jimin rubbed his arm in a soothing manner, hating how at loss he felt seeing Yoongi so out of sorts.
“Perhaps not quite,” said Baron Jeon, leaning forward and gesturing for a letter that sat loosely folded atop a closed parcel. “This letter is from Mr. Son Seokhun,” he said smiling as he heard Yoong’s sharp inhale. “He kindly responded to my letter inquiring about a boy that arrived twenty two years ago at the orphanage he worked at in Bay Town.”
Jimin squeezed Yoongi’s hand softly in inquiry, making the Alpha look at him. “Mr. Son was the one who found me and took me to the orphanage,” he said softly in response to his omega’s unspoken question.
“Perhaps, you would like to take a moment to go and read this in private, son,” said Baron Jeon offering the letter in Yoongi’s direction. “You can come back later and ask as many questions as you wish. Lord Bang and I will be here to answer as best we can.”
The younger alpha took the letter reverently and stared at it for a few moments. Jimin squeezed the hand he still held to get him to look up. “Go,” he encouraged with a smile.
“Come with me, please?” said the elder, an edge of vulnerability that Jimin had not yet heard in the older’s voice as he pleaded with his eyes.
Jimin smiled reassuringly, gently running his free hand up and down Yoongi’s arm again. “Of course.”
They went to the seldom visited covered balcony on the second floor, where they sat on the floor against the stone railing to shelter them from the wind. Jimin cuddled up to his alpha’s side both to offer comfort and to seek warmth. Yoongi dropped a kiss to his covered head and feeling bolstered by his soon to be mate’s lovely scent he opened the letter and began to read out loud for both of them.
Mr. J,
I appreciate your discretion and forethought. I have spent many years wondering if this day would ever come, half in hopes that it would, and half in apprehension. Indeed, the boy was not fished out of the water as everyone believes he was. A week earlier, on a cursed night with a blood moon, his mother managed to squeeze him out of the third story window tied with a sheet as an inferno raged behind her. I was below him with other faithfuls waiting for him but the smoke and fire snuffed her and the boy fell onto the second story awning and then rolled off to us. His head was injured but other than staunching the bleeding we couldn't do more. We fled into the night and the devil’s hounds went after us. They didn’t know we had the boy, but we knew too much and thus we were hunted. Only a handful of us made it out, scouting ahead and moving in the dark towards the place we knew we could make him blend in until it was time. I took a position here just a few days before I “found” him. His wound was mostly healed but his memory was lost. A small blessing, I suppose, for no child should remember what he’d gone through.
We integrated into this little town’s life flow and watched over him the best we could. When they took him with the other youngsters to war we thought it would all be lost. As the years went by we had foregone all hope. But then, a miracle. The raging snake fell and the treacherous one rose, but in the middle of it all, one of us who’d returned to the capital to keep an ear to the ground about the goings of the war, spotted him carrying the jewel that should have been his by right. We watched him as he headed south right after but we were uncertain where and with no resources to follow. So we hoped and waited. My faith has been rewarded. May the Lady Moon bless you for sheltering our cub.
Ps. The treacherous snake has eyes everywhere, he’s suspicious but not yet sure. The uniformed puppet they placed in your lands has been running his mouth at the Inn complaining to the higher ups about a bothersome noble in the south. It won’t be long before they connect the dots. I hope you are prepared for the storm that’s coming and if not, start now.
Yours truly,
Mr. S.
Yoongi sat for a long while until the cold of night made Jimin shiver. At once, the alpha stood with the omega in his arms. “Come darling, I’ve kept you out here too long.”
Jimin tutted softly, “I don’t mind, my lord and you know it.”
“Oh but I do,” responded the alpha, depositing a kiss to the younger’s cold cheek. “My most important job is to look after you.”
“Yoongi,” sighed Jimin, effectively making the older stop just by the door. “If this is all true, and I think it might be, all things considered, then there are much more important things for you to take care of.”
Yoongi shook his head, face serious and honest. “Nothing would ever be as important to me as you. I could be a homeless beggar or a king sitting on a throne and either way, you would still be my greatest treasure, Jimin. I need you to know that.”
Jimin stood stunned at the alpha’s words. There was no deceit, nor doubt, either in his scent or his eyes. The man meant every word. Warmth spread through his chest and up to his previously cold cheeks as the alpha leaned slowly forward and captured his lips in a sweet and tender kiss. “No path is worth walking if it is not beside you.”
Jimin shivered at the low baritone of the alpha’s voice. Unable to contain an embarrassed smile, he hid his flaming face in the elder’s chest. “Then let’s walk together, my lord.”
After a few moments, they walked back inside hand in hand, ready to face whatever came next. The two older men remained sitting where they’d left them, smiling placidly as the alpha dragged two chairs to sit close to them.
“Is there any way to confirm I am who everyone thinks?,” asked Yoongi, serving Jimin a cup of tea.
Baron Jeon nodded gravely, “The broken arrow you were found with, do you still have it?”
“I do,” answered the younger alpha. “It’s with my things upstairs.”
“Please go get it, son. It’s time to settle all doubts once and for all,” said the Baron with an encouraging little smile. Yoongi departed and quickly returned with the weathered and broken tail-end of a black arrow. Jimin had seen it dangling from the alpha’s quiver like a charm from a twine cord that the older man took care to change every once in a while to avoid losing it during huntings or battles. The break had been irregular, leaving jagged points on the front end while white and black-stripped feathers ringed the tail. The wood was strong and smooth, with a luster to it despite the many years the alpha had carried the item with him through thick and thin of war.
Baron Jeon gestured toward the parcel on the table. “Inside that parcel are the clothes and items on young Lord Min’s person when they smuggled him out of Daegu,” he explained. “Things that were kept apart from him to ensure his safety from those who were on the hunt for his family.”
After getting an encouraging nod from Jimin, Yoongi took a deep breath and pulled the parcel to his lap to open it. A tiny set of soft blue pants and a matching sleep shirt were carefully folded inside. The shirt had big rust-colored stains around the shoulders and collar area. Blood. An elegant M was embroidered on the cuffs, where the material was ripped in several places. The sight of the letter in all its bold glory had flashes of light and sharp stabs of pain going off in his mind.
“Yoongi?”
“I’m fine, darling,” he said, registering the phantom scent of acrid chemical smoke on the clothes and trying to stave off the nausea and residual fear it evoked in him. He shook his head lightly and turned his eyes to the other items in the package. A small silver pendant in the shape of an oval hung from a thin and short silver chain. A child’s jewelry. The face of the pendant had the same M engraved delicately on it, and on the other side an ornate sigil accompanied his name, Min Yoongi, styled in the same way as the M on the other side. He ran his thumb gently over the imprint, eyes going misty. “She gave this to me on my birthday, Aunty Tasha…” he murmured.
Jimin watched him with concern, limiting himself to gently running his hand down the alpha’s back to ground him. “She said she’d give me a gold one when I turned sixteen…” continued Yoongi, a far away look in his eyes that cleared after a few moments as he turned questioningly to Earl Bang. “Who?”
The Earl’s eyes were wet as he chuckled. “Empress Seo Mirae, formerly named Natasha Reid in her home realm before she married the Emperor. Duchess Min never missed a chance to call her by her birth name to vex her dear cousin.”
— Flashback—
“Aish, Yoongi-ah! It’s Auntie Miri, not Tasha! Jessica, this is your fault!” said a beautiful woman dressed in decadent purple and gold trying but failing to seem stern as another lovely woman dressed in black and silver giggled behind him.
“Now, now, Natasha. Yoongi has known you always as Aunty Tasha, don’t go confusing the boy now,” she retorted with a wide grin. She turned Yoongi, who was snuggled in her lap to sit sideways so she could lovingly boop his nose with a delicate finger. “Isn’t that right darling? What is your godmother’s name?”
“Aunty Tasha!” he declared with a loud giggle that had both women laughing loudly making their numerous jewels and hair decorations twinkle and chime in the afternoon sun filtering through the trees in the garden.
— End Flashback—
“-gi! My Lord, please!”
Yoongi shook his head again to re-center himself. His breathing was ragged as the images banished. Jimin was kneeling at his feet, both of his hands in his. “I remember her. My mother,” he said with an edge of uncertainty in his voice. “She was fair skinned and very petite. She had gray eyes, like molten silver, and a deep but very kind voice. Her hair was very long, sleek and black. She wore black and silver, my father’s colors. Her name was Jessica…”
“Yoongi,” called Jimin softly, gently massaging his hands to keep him tethered.
The alpha pulled him up and into his lap. Jimin colored in mild embarrassment at the intimate embrace in front of his adoptive father and the Earl, but recognized the need his alpha had for closeness. Earl Bang waved away his apologies before he had even opened his mouth.
“He needs you, Jiminie,” he said softly and turned to Yoongi with a reassuring smile. “Indeed, Jessica was Duchess Min’s name before she married into this realm’s nobility. Much like the Empress, only very few knew of it as she was presented with her new name at Court as Duchess Min Yunjin.”
Yoongi held Jimin with one arm around his waist while the other still held the small chain and pendant. “She laughed a lot, she was very warm and happy,” he murmured.
“I recall Hyungso looking besotted and entirely gone for Yunjin whenever she smiled in the few times we were able to get together before the tragedy,” commented Baron Jeon. “They were very much in love and happy, I’d dare say.”
Yoongi closed his eyes and smiled. The memories were bittersweet as they continued to assault him one after the other unbridled and without any logical order. By the time dinner was served, none of them had any doubts of his identity.
“What comes next?” he asked. Dinner was finished and the chill of the night was settling in their bones despite the raging fire in the hearth.
“The Emperor must be told, son,” Baron Jeon answered heavily. The Earl nodded gravely from his seat. “What the Ivern Crown did is nothing short of Imperial treason, as the Duchess was family to the Empress.”
“Do you think the Queen Dowager was in on it?” asked Jimin with a frown. He’d heard of the Queen being a very rigid ruler. Many called her ruthless and while she wasn’t downright abusive of her subjects compared to her sons, she was not loved by the people either.
“I can’t be sure,” said Earl Bang leaning back on his chair and looking pensive. “I was at the palace the night of the attack on the Mins and she seemed genuinely shocked and scar-”
“LORD BANG!!!” “Father!!!” a young beta esquire Yoongi had never seen ran in from the kitchens flanked by Jungkook, both looking alarmed. Everyone sat up at once at the urgent tone in the boys’ voices.
“What is it my boy?!” called Baron Jeon motioning for Jungkook to come closer.
“One of our black riders arrived in bad shape just a minute ago,” said the beta boy in a rushed tone handing a bloodstained envelope to the Earl. “He was on his way here to deliver an urgent message but he was ambushed on the way.”
“Cook is boiling water and Mrs. Son has sent for Taehyung, she says she needs you Jimin,” said Jungkook looking pale and scared.
Jimin jumped out of his seat and ran to the kitchen followed closely by Yoongi. The man was in bad shape, indeed. Several arrows were lodged on his back and numerous more cuts were bleeding freely on his arms and torso. He was laying on his side just past the kitchen’s back door, breath labored and reedy. Yoongi managed to lift him with the help of the old gardener and the beta boy to place him in the now cleared kitchen table. Jimin had just managed to settle him when Taehyung and Hoseok arrived with baskets filled to the brim with jars and pouches.
The tall brunette omega swooped in and without preamble tore the remains of the man’s shirt to reveal the damage. “I need boiling water on a clean copper basin, now please,” he commanded. Yoongi watched as Jimin wordlessly followed the other omega’s commands with military precision.
“Hoseok, Yoogi, hold him tight because this will hurt like a motherf-” “Tae!”
Taehyung smirked. “Sorry, Chims! Hold him, now!” Yoongi and Hoseok had seen enough blood in their lives in the military to no longer be squeamish about wounds, but they were truly impressed with the way Taehyung and Jimin didn’t even flinch as the red essence gushed out of the holes left by the arrows when they took them out one by one.
They worked well into the night, cleaning, stitching and dressing the man’s wounds. By the time they finished, the kitchen smelled like a hospital and both omegas were exhausted. Yoongi sat with Jimin between his legs in a corner of the kitchen as he gently massaged the younger’s stiff shoulders from being bent over the table for so long. In another corner Hoseok and Taehyung sat in a similar position.
“Whoever did this to him truly wanted him dead,” commented the beta boy from where he sat on top of a barrel looking slightly green around the face. Jungkook had an arm around him in apparent support.
“I went to check a few minutes ago, Jin and Namjoon managed to save his horse too,” commented the young alpha, surprising both Jimin and Yoongi. “They were just cleaning up and said they’d come in once they finished.”
“Jin and Joon are here?” asked the blond omega turning to Taehyung. The other omega nodded tiredly.
“Yeah. They were with us when we got Mrs. Son’s summons. They offered to come help but were waylaid when we arrived and your stable master told us about the injured horse. You know Jin is very skilled with animals and with Joon’s strength he would be able to take care of it with just his help I hope.”
Jimin sighed. “Well that’s a relief, the poor horse must have been terrified.” Yoongi nuzzled him to help soothe him.
“Sorry, but I can’t seem to remember you. What’s your name, kid?” asked Taehyung, watching with undisguised curiosity the beta boy who immediately stood up straight and bowed.
“Apologies! My name is Bang Chan, Lord Bang’s assistant,” he said with a big smile.
“You’re his son?” asked Jimin with excitement.
Chan blushed and smiled but denied with his head. “My father was a distant relative of his. He took me under his wing four years ago when my father, his former right hand, passed away.”
“Oh, then we might be distant cousins too!” said Jimin, clapping happily. They spoke a while about family lines and connections until Jin and Namjoon entered looking tired but satisfied.
“Hey there! whoa, looks like yours was a tougher case,” said Jin as he leaned down and nuzzled both Jimin and Taehyung. Namjoon bumped fists with Yoongi before he too took a seat. Jin automatically went to him and dropped into the tall alpha’s lap, who didn’t even bat an eye, seemingly more than used to it.
“He’s a tough one though, he’ll be right as rain before spring fully sets in,” said Taehyung proudly. Hoseok smirked.
“Of course, little moon, your healing skills are legendary. You can snatch people right out of death’s hands.”
Taehyung smiled and giggled at his alpha’s praise. “Not out of death’s hands, no. But close enough, I suppose.”
“So, what’s going on here?” asked Namjoon, already having figured out that something big had changed recently with his friend and the surprise visitor at Jeon Manor.
Yoongi sighed heavily, alerting his two packmates of the seriousness of the situation. “Is he completely out?” he asked Taehyung, motioning towards the beta laid on the table.
The brunet omega nodded seriously. “My potion will keep him fever free but he will not be waking up until tomorrow night at the earliest.”
Yoongi nodded and after quickly going back to the parlor to obtain permission from both Baron Jeon and Earl Bang, he returned to his friends and Chan. Jimin had made sure there were no more staff members around and the area was as private as could be.
“This is going to sound absolutely insane, but please just hear me out,” pleaded the alpha. They all sobered immediately. “I already know there is no need to request silence, as I know none of you will repeat elsewhere what you hear here.”
All of them nodded and settled in a circle on the floor near the hearth. Yoongi told them of what they had found out about his origins and the circumstances around his family’s demise. Namjoon and Hoseok were livid, while Seokjin and Teahyung were horrified. Jungkook was teary-eyed and upset in Jimin’s arms.
Chan looked serious for a moment and then got up on his knees and bowed low to Yoongi, who tried to stop him. Chan shook his head and smiled sadly. “You don’t understand, my lord. Uncle Bang, and a lot of older court officials, never gave up hope when they weren’t able to identify the body of the Min heir,” he said. “I sometimes found him silently admiring a quiver full of black arrows that he has encased in crystal in his personal chambers. I didn’t know what they meant or why there was this pained expression on his face every time. I think I understand now.”
“Yoongi, this changes everything,” said Namjoon, settling a hand on the elder’s shoulder and gently shaking him. “This realm has been through hell for the past twenty-something years. Things were messed up already even before the war and it all started to really fall apart when the former king took over from his mother.”
Hoseok nodded vehemently beside them. “Yeah, I was still a pup but I remember things going from bad to worse as the taxes started rising for no reason at all when the Queen gave the crown to her first-born. He changed the rules of the game so that only a handful of people loyal to them could retain wealth while the rest of us were left to starve. There was no more medical help for the poor, and when floods and droughts hit, the crown would turn a blind eye to the people’s pleas.”
“Counties like Busan were far enough for us to maintain some form of independence, so our downfall was slower,” said Jin with a frown. “Until the war took our alphas and able-bodied betas and the town was left defenseless.”
“If things don’t change soon, even with our little tricks and preparations, we’ll all fall,” said Taehyung somberly.
“But things will change,” said Lord Bang as he entered the kitchens, startling them all. “Come to the hall youngsters, a new puzzle piece has fallen into place.
When they were all gathered around the table, the Earl lifted a bloodied piece of paper that Yoongi recognized as the letter that Chan had carried into the hall when he brought the news of the injured messenger.
“The Dowager Queen is dead.”