➼ Have you forgotten ➼

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- Murder -

Third Person's POV

Taehyung sighed, leading the children back to the orphanage while they laughed and told jokes. Taehyung tried to push aside what he saw an hour ago, but his mind kept questioning it. What was his friend doing in the woods? Why was he there? Better yet, why was he injured?

He shook his head, feeling someone tug on his hand. He looked down, meeting the adorable face of the little girl he saved a few hours ago. "Yes, sweetie?" He questioned, squatting down to talk to her face to face. "Is prince okay?" She asked, pouting a bit.

"Prince?" He questioned, tilting his head to the side as he looked her in the eyes. "Yes! You're a prince!" She exclaimed, taking the older by surprise. The brunette's eyes widened, realizing that she thought he was a Prince for the kingdom. "I'm not a Prince, sweetie," He laughed, seeing her scrunch up her face cutely.

"Guards said your highness! You are a prince!" She proceeded to say, making the brunette laugh more. "Prince, you say, huh?" She nodded, a smile on her face while the rest of the children watched the pair. "If you think I'm a Prince, then I'm a Prince," He smiled at her, watching her face grow more excited.

"TaeTae is a beautiful Prince!" The children agreed with her, making Taehyung's heart beat faster. These kids were sure to be the death of him. "If I'm the Prince, then what are you?" He asked, taking the little girl's hand in his own. "Friend!" His mouth hung agape at her answer, eyes watering a bit. He nodded, standing up and lifting her up with him.

"Yes, you're my friend. And so are all of you," He replied, seeing the children exclaim in happiness as they began to run in the direction of the orphanage once again. He smiled so brightly, watching the children head back to their home. He would stay with them all day if he could, but unfortunately, he had to get back to the castle.

Stumbling upon the orphanage, he softly knocked on the door, waiting for either Rose or Jennie to open it. Surprisingly, none of them were there to receive himself and the children at the door. He tried again, receiving the same answer. "That's odd," He whispered, slowly turning the knob on the door. The door opened up, revealing the now cleaned up house.

"Kids stay behind me," He warned them, seeing them nod while he put down the little girl. Carefully stepping inside, the children followed close to him, scared that there would be someone unwanted in the house. He walked through the living room, seeing no sign of Jennie or Rose. The kitchen was the same. He turned the corner, towards the bedrooms for the children.

Peeking his head into every bedroom, there was no sign of them. Where did they wander off to? Not feeling entirely safe, he turned around to look at the kids. "Children, go to your rooms and play for a bit, Jennie and Rose probably went out to go get food." The kids nodded, running into the rooms. Something wasn't right.

The brunette continued to check out the orphanage, not feeling entirely safe here. Whatever he did, he had to protect the children. The children's lives mattered more than his own. Hearing a bang on the wall, the brunette quickly turned around, heart racing and palms sweaty. What was that?

He walked down the hall, headed back towards the kitchen. The noise was over here, he thought to himself. Making his way through the kitchen and to the other side of the orphanage, he felt himself grow scared. He knew something had happened and he was already expecting the worse. He faced the dark hallway, where there were no windows, stopping himself from walking any further. His heart was racing, his hands were shaking. He couldn't do it.

Stepping back, he walked towards the front door, having an idea set in his mind. Opening the door, he looked outside, searching for a guard. Instead, his eyes landed on his friend who was talking to a merchant. "Hobi!" He screamed, making the red-haired male turn around and face Taehyung. Seeing the panicked look on the brunette's face, he ran over to his friend, wincing a bit due to his foot.

"What's wrong, Taehyung?" He asked, standing outside the door. Taehyung wasted no time, he pulled his friend inside and guided him in the direction of the children's rooms. He checked every bedroom, making sure each of the kids was safe. He explained that he needed to check the house, locking the kids in their rooms to make sure they'd stay safe. Finally turning over to his friend, he began to explain.

"I-I took the kids out-t today and when I came back, Jennie and Rose didn't answer the door. They didn't say anything about leaving the house. Once I stepped inside, I had this eerie feeling and it won't go away. I checked the kid's rooms, they're fine, but the hallway on the other side of the house seems too creepy. Please, go check it out. I have a bad feeling, Hobi," He explained, shaking due to the fear. The red-haired male shushed him, nodding his head as he grabbed his dagger.

They walked into the kitchen, stopping at the beginning of the hallway. The hallway stood dark once again, the eerie feeling never fading. The red-haired male walked slowly, his dagger in his hand, clutching it firmly. Taehyung followed behind him, keeping his distance just in case there was someone. The male pushed the first bedroom door open, hearing the creak come from it, which didn't make things any better.

Scanning the room, his eyes landed on a small puddle of a dark liquid. He sighed, realizing it was probably what he thought it was but clutched the dagger again. Looking back at his friend, who was shaking and following him, he held his hand and told him to stay in the kitchen. The brunette nodded quickly, racing towards the kitchen and watching the male from afar.

The red-haired assassin continued through the hallway, pushing open the next door. His eyes again landed on another puddle of a dark liquid but skipped passed it. He would return to check it out, but his focus right now was the safety of himself, his best friend, and the children. Pushing open another door at the end of the hallway, he felt a presence. There was definitely someone here.

He pushed open the door on the other side, scanning the room and seeing nothing. Walking into the room where he felt the presence, he held his dagger, ready to strike at any moment. His eyes landed on a shadowy figure in the corner of the room, seeing something shine in their hands. He smirked, realizing he found the intruder. "I see you."

He stalked forward, seeing the shadowy figure move as well. Suddenly, the figure charged at the male, making the red-haired assassin think fast and dodge the attack. The knife in the stranger's hand sliced through the air, not coming in contact with anyone or anything. Taking this as an opportunity to strike, Hoseok quickly turned around and dug the dagger into the man's arm, hearing a groan.

Pulling it out and repeating the process, he dug the dagger into his arm again, making the stranger pull away and scream out in pain. He had to be fast, he didn't want to this mysterious man to touch him. Pulling out the dagger once more, he plunged it straight through the man's throat, watching him fall to the ground, blood gushing from the wound. His breathing was out of control while he backed away, looking for a source of light.

Taehyung came running, hearing the scream and checking to see if his dear friend was okay. "Hobi?" He questioned, his voice trembling and filled with worry. "Shush sweetheart, I'm okay," He reassured, pulling the younger into a tight hug, trying to calm him down. "I knew something was wrong. I knew there was someone here," He rushed out, while the red-haired male continued to hold onto him.

"It's okay, he's dead. There's no need to worry now. Calm down I'm here." The brunette nodded, taking deep breaths. They walked out of the room, trying to get some light in the hallway and in the rooms. Hoseok continued to walk first, making sure there was absolutely no threat. His job was to protect Taehyung and the children. He had to protect them.

Walking into the first room, he spotted the puddle again and turned on a light, seeing the dark red color. He sighed, kneeling down to investigate the puddle. It was blood, it had to be. Walking on the other side of the bed, his breath hitched, seeing a girl with brown hair drenched in blood and lying lifeless. He sighed again, realizing that he would have to inform Taehyung of the bad news. Walking out of the room, he went across the hall into the other bedroom, seeing the other puddle.

He looked on the ground, finding another dead body. This girl had blond hair, a dress on, and blood all over her. He ran a hand through his hair, retreating from the room and checking out the other two. The last two rooms didn't have anything in them, except for the dead body of the intruder that he just killed. Walking back to the kitchen, Hoseok put his dagger away and cleaned off the on from the intruder.

"They're dead, aren't they?" Taehyung asked, taking the older by surprise. Nonetheless, he nodded, facing his friend while doing so. "Yeah, they're dead." Taehyung shook his head, a few tears falling from his eyes. "I'm sorry Tae," The male said, grabbing his hand in reassurance. "It's not your fault, Hobi."

The red-haired assassin walked outside, calling a few guards into the orphanage to pick up the dead bodies. He explained what happened, the guards believing him instantly. "Thank you, Jhope, you managed to kill someone on the wanted list for the Kingdom of Etiathiel, Arewen, and Acedus." He nodded, walking back to his friend who was unlocking the children's doors.

"What are you going to do with the kids, Tae? You can't leave them here." Hoseok stated, seeing his friend nod in response. "I'm taking them with me, back to the castle. I can't let them be on their own, and I don't know anyone I can leave them with. There are too many kids to leave with just one person anyway." Hoseok's eyes widened at the mention of the castle, his jaw-dropping.

"What about the King and Queen? Will they allow it?" Taehyung sighed, calling all of the kids out of their rooms. "They're going to have to, Hobi. They're my responsibility from now own, I have to take care of them. For Rose and Jennie." Hoseok nodded, walking back to the kitchen while he heard Taehyung talking to the kids.

"Listen, you aren't safe here anymore. You'll have to come with me to the castle and live there, okay?" He told the kids, seeing them nod their heads obediently. They ran to their rooms, grabbing as much of their belongings as they could. Taehyung walked in the bedrooms where the incident occurred, grabbing a few things that belonged to his friends. He was taking them for remembrance.

Once the kids got their things, they walked out of the orphanage, Hoseok following behind them and carrying a few on the kid's things. They walked down the streets, standing next to one another while the children ran around for a bit. The sun was soon to set, the sky turning an orange color. "Are you okay?" Hoseok asked, making Taehyung shake his head.

"Not really," He answered, holding one of the kid's hands. "I know this must be tough, but you'll be okay." Taehyung laughed a bit, staring straight ahead. "That's not it, actually," He replied, glancing at his friend. "What do you mean, Tae?" The assassin asked, looking at the brunette.

"You're not exactly off the hook either," The brunette stated coldly, looking at one of the kids. "Why is that?" The male asked cautiously, watching his friend as he lifted up a little boy. "What were you doing in the woods, Hoseok?" He asked sternly, seeing his friend freeze a bit by the mention of his name.

"It was nothing, Tae, don't worry," He assured, relaxing a bit as Taehyung scoffed. "Do you really expect me to believe that?" Hoseok stared back, his face holding confusion. "Why wouldn't you believe me?" He asked, taken aback from his friend's words.

"I'm not stupid, Hoseok. I know something happened in the woods. Why won't you tell me?" Hoseok sighed, running his hand through his hair again. "You're not stupid, Tae. Nothing happened, so don't worry about it." Taehyung laughed again, the laugh being completely humorless.

"Right," He replied, growing angry by the fact that his friend wasn't telling him what he wanted to know. "Why do you think something happened, Tae?" The brunette shook his head in disbelief, stopping in the middle of the street while the children looked at him.

"Why do I think something happened? How stupid do you think I am?" He spat, taking the older by surprise. "What's wrong with you? I said nothing happened so why are you getting angry with me?"

Taehyung shook his head, clenching his fist as he walked towards his friend. "I know something happened in those woods, Hoseok. You never go into the woods, and if you do, you return completely fine," He stated lowly, seeing his friend's eyes widen.

"You're keeping something from me, and I'm going to find out what it is." Hoseok's jaw dropped at the behavior of his best friend. "Why do you assume I'm keeping something from you?" The brunette scoffed a bit, laughing again.

"If you're Jhope the assassin, the one who is completely untouchable, then why is your foot injured?" Hoseok froze, gulping a bit while backing away. "I just fell, it's fine," He replied quickly. Taehyung shook his head, turning away from him.

"Keep believing I'm stupid, Hobi, but mark my words I'll find out what happened in those woods."

"Just wait."

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Yikes. Do you think Taehyung will start searching those woods? Or do you believe Hoseok will reveal the truth?

I purple you 💜

~Pisanthrophobia.