➼ You're alone ➼

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- Too close -

Third Person's POV

Three years later

"Any sign of him?" The blond King asked, his eyes filled with worry, as they always did at this time. He sat upon his throne, awaiting an answer from his guards. The head guard silently kneeled down before his King, head hung low. "I'm sorry your majesty, there is absolutely no sign of the Prince." The king gritted his teeth in anger, upset with everything.

"Where have you searched? The East? The West?" He questioned, furious at the fact that the Prince just seemed to vanish off the face of the earth. The guard sighed, refusing to meet the King's furious gaze. "Your majesty, we have searched everywhere. We have even informed the surrounding kingdoms, they are searching as well. We simply cannot find the Prince."

Resting his face in his hands, the blond sighed, desperately trying to hold back the tears that threatened to escape. "Thank you, Jackson. We shall continue the search tomorrow." The guard simply nodded, his heart hurt at the sight of his King in pain. Without a word, the guard stood up and exited the throne room, his fellow-men following him.

"Where are you, Jeongguk?" Namjoon questioned to himself, his worry only growing as the days passed on. "It's been three years son. When will you return?" The sound of the throne room door being opened made the King look up, only to see his best friend walk in. "Any sign of him, Namjoon?" King Yoongi asked, his heartbreaking when he saw him shake his head.

"Don't give up hope, Joon. He's out there somewhere. The kid was very stealthy, he's sure to be alive," Yoongi assured while he walked toward his best friend. He had been visiting his friend for quite some time, doing his best to help him find his lost son. The bright side of all of the visits was that he was able to see his fiancé more often.

Yes, King Yoongi and Prince Jimin still have not married. Their initial plans were to marry when Namjoon planned to hand down the kingdom to Jeongguk, but with him going missing they've been postponing their wedding. The blond King nodded, desperately trying to convince himself that those words were true. Deep down the King knew something was terribly wrong. Why did Jeongguk run away? What reason did he have for hating the Royal life and the kingdom?

"I'm fine, Yoongi, just a little down. I've managed three years without my son, I'll be okay. Go meet up with Prince Jimin, I'm sure he's waiting for you," The King stated, giving his friend a small, defeated smile. Yoongi only nodded, not truly convinced that his best friend was okay. Either way, the two kings split, one looking for his fiancé while the other held his face in his hands.

"Please come home soon, Jeongguk," The blond pleaded, losing hope in finding his lost son. Where could he possibly be? The surrounding kingdoms were aware of the lost Prince. They haven't been able to locate him, and the guards have searched the woods. Where could he possibly be hiding?

Shaking his head, the King readjusted his golden crown while he stood up from his throne. Walking down the hallways, the cape he wore with his royal attire dragging behind him, he searched for his husband. Finding himself heading towards the kitchen, he heard his husband's voice talking to the other cooks, laughing, and joking.

Clearing his throat to catch their attention, his husband smiled warmly as he made his way towards Namjoon, arms opened and ready to embrace his love. "Namjoon! How are you doing, my King?" The beautiful raven-haired male asked, his smile never fading. His smile seemed to take away all the pain and worry in the world, so the blond King smiled in return. "Can we talk in private, Jin?"

The beautiful raven-haired King's smile dropped, knowing that his husband didn't wish to talk about pleasant things. Nonetheless, he nodded, waving goodbye to his fellow cooks as he intertwined his hand with his husband's and walked away. Once they left, Namjoon guided them to their suite, visibly tensing when they passed by their son's room.

"What is wrong, Namjoon?" The beauty asked, worry evident in his voice and face, while he carefully studied his husband's expression. The King sighed, taking off his crown once they arrived at their suite. "Jeongguk is still missing, Jinnie. He's been missing for three years," He let out, tears subconsciously falling down his face as he stared down at the kingdom below him.

"Joonie," The King began, his heart hurting, "he's alive out there. Have faith in our son." Namjoon clenched his fists, frustrated with those words. "How do you know that, Jin?" He spat, anger in his voice. "How do you know he's alive? For all we know the Prince could be dead! He could have been dead for three years and we're still searching for him!"

The King trembled, from anger and sadness, as he stared his husband in the eye awaiting a response. Jin sighed, tears forming in his eyes as his gaze fell to the ground. "Namjoon, I know what you're going through, he's my son too. I know your pain, but I also know my son- our son is alive out there. I just know it, Joon."

Namjoon shook his head, trying his best to believe everything his friends and family were telling him. He wanted to believe that his son, Prince Jeongguk, was alive. He wanted to believe that he would return home, but his mind said otherwise. He knew his son, whether alive or dead, would not return to the kingdom. Namjoon knew his hatred for this very kingdom, it was obvious, so why would his son return to the place he hated most?

Jin threw his arms around his husband, hugging him as if his life depended on it, trying his best to reassure him that everything would actually be okay. "We'll find him, Joonie."

"He'll come home, I promise." Namjoon just cried into his shoulder, heartbroken and depressed. He wanted his son to return home, just as much as his husband did, but something kept telling him that it wasn't going to happen. It's been three years and the boy still hasn't, so why would he randomly just show up?

The King knew he wasn't returning home, that's why his heart hurt as much as it did. He knew the Prince was gone for good. He was tired of the false hope, he just wanted to give up. It's been three years yet his son was still missing, and the guards haven't been able to find a single trace of the boy.

The blond King knew he had lost his son for good.

*

"I'm not letting you get away that easily," He muttered, hair stuck to his forehead due to his sweat as he ran through the forest chasing after the deer. Bow slung over his shoulder, arrows accompanying it, the boy ran, dodging the trees. Slowing down, he looked at the deer, who stopped and seemed to be frozen in his spot.

"Got you right where I want you," He whispered, grabbing his bow along with an arrow and aimed it right at the deer. "Steady," He reminded himself, holding his breath as he aimed right for the heart of the deer. Knowing when the right time to shoot was, the boy let go of the arrow and shot it straight at his target. The sound of the deer falling to the ground made him smile, "Gotcha."

"Quickly check these woods, me. The sun is soon to set!" He heard someone yell, followed by several other responses. The boy's breath hitched as he hid behind a tree, contemplating what to do next. He hoped they wouldn't spot the deer that lie on the ground with an arrow through its heart. Better yet, they hoped they wouldn't spot him.

"Any sign of him?" A guard asked, coming closer to the tree that the boy hid behind. Sneaking a quick glance, the boy noticed they were guards from the Kingdom of Acedus. Scowling at the sight of them, the boy held his bow, arrow ready as well, waiting to see if they would get closer. "No sir, no signs of the Prince," Another guard announced over to his left, making his breath hitch again.

Those words repeated themselves over and over throughout the boy's mind. They were looking for the Prince. The long lost Prince, Prince Jeongguk.

They were looking for him.

Pulling the hood of his cloak onto his head, the boy held his bow close, praying that they wouldn't step a foot closer to the tree he was hiding behind. Hearing footsteps approach, he prepared himself to draw the bow back and fire. Just as the boy began to draw back his bow, the sound of the guard's voice made him stop. "Alright, men. Let's head back to the castle. We'll continue our search tomorrow."

Hearing the footsteps become more distant, he sighed, resting his head against the bark of the tree. "I shouldn't have chased after that deer," He whispered, scolding himself. He stepped within the boundaries of the Kingdom of Acedus, his home kingdom. Pushing himself off of the tree, the boy slung the bow back over his shoulder as he tied a rope around the deer, getting ready for the haul back to his house.

Pulling the arrow out of the deer's heart and wiping the blood off with a cloth, the brunette began to pull on the rope. The sun was setting off in the distance, meaning he was soon to be fully disguised. His cloak, which so happened to be pitch black, camouflaged him with the darkness of night, making him almost impossible to see. Smiling to himself, he pulled the deer back home.

Soon arriving at the shack he found years ago, which has now been fixed up, the boy dropped the rope and took out his knife, beginning to gut the deer. Everything he found in these woods was useful to him in some way. He never passed up things he found, unless he was in a situation where he had to. "Too close," He whispered, thinking about what just happened.

"Almost got caught because of this stupid thing," He muttered, slightly angry as he dug his knife into the dead deer. "They could have found me." Continuing to cut up the deer, leaving behind the bones, the boy walked over to his firepit that he somehow managed to make. The brunette learned a lot about survival when he first ran away. He's gone through practically everything.

He's been stuck at his shack with a cold for days, in pain and on the verge of death. He's been attacked by animals out in the woods, leaving behind wounds and scars. He's had to do his own stitches once, using material he found or stole. He's endured it all, so now, years later, he knows what he's doing. He knows how to survive.

Yet, for some reason, fear struck his heart when he heard those voices. He wandered off too far and was too close to the kingdom. "That's the closest I've been to that place in a year," He whispered, angry and scared. He was so close to being caught, being taken back to the kingdom, and celebrating the return of the Prince. The mere thought made him scowl. He didn't want to return to that place, he hated it.

For three years, Jeongguk had been surviving out in the woods, miles, and miles away from the kingdom. He knew the guards, simply because he watched them as a kid, monitoring what they did and where they went. He knew the guards wouldn't go past the boundaries of the kingdom, even if the King ordered it. The head guard wouldn't allow it.

As a kid, Jeongguk didn't know that. He didn't know that the guards wouldn't push past the boundaries, he just assumed they wouldn't. Yet, a year ago, when Jeongguk was hunting, he saw the guards at the border. He climbed up a tree and watched as they walked up to it, never once stepping over. Eventually, they left, making their way back to the castle where they could be safe.

From that day on he realized how cowardice those guards were, and he knew for a fact that the King wasn't aware. Scoffing as he placed the fresh meat over the fire, the boy shook away his thoughts, not wanting to think about them any longer. He was happy out here, surviving and experiencing new things. He was able to do what he wanted to do, not what others wanted him to do. He could spend all day hunting or shooting arrows, and no one could stop him.

He enjoyed that. He enjoyed having this freedom and having no one control him. He enjoyed being here, alone, to do whatever he pleased instead of worrying about keeping a kingdom alive. Instead, the only one he had to worry about was himself.

Well, him and his horse, Constantine.

"Where is that damn horse anyways?" He questioned to himself, standing up and walking to a pond just a few steps east of the fire. Sticking his hands into the pond, washing off the blood from the deer, he spoke again. "Where did he run off to?" Pulling his hands out of the water, the brunette let them dry as he walked around, shouting out the name of his horse.

He was too far out for anyone to hear him anyway, and he knew no one would be roaming these woods unless they had a death wish. Not seeing his horse anywhere, the boy walked further into the woods. "Constantine? Where are you?" He shouted, his bow still slung over his shoulder and his cloak still covering his body.

Hearing the footsteps of the horse come running, the boy let himself smile, for he loved his horse. "Hey boy, I missed you," He whispered, his hand reaching up to pet his friend. Constantine has been his only friend while he's been out here. In fact, Constantine has been his only friend since childhood. He never considered his brother a friend, just a simple family member of which he despised, but Constantine was different.

Despite being a horse, he felt as if he was always there for Jeongguk. From an early age, in fact, as soon as he got Constantine, he's felt that way. Sighing once he found his beloved horse, he began to walk back towards the fire, his horse following right behind him. Seeing the light up ahead, the boy smiled upon sitting down. "Don't run off like that boy."

The horse didn't respond, obviously, he couldn't, but Jeongguk would like to think that he said 'fine'. With the bow still slung over his shoulder and cloak still on, the brunette watched the fire cook up the venison. The sun had set a good thirty minutes ago, leaving the night sky to shine down on them. Jeongguk gazed up at the stars, finding the night sky very relaxing.

Soon, time passed and the fresh venison was now cooked, giving Jeongguk another meal. He gave Constantine some food as well before heading inside, not bothering to tie the horse to a tree or a post, since he knew by now that he wouldn't runoff. Sighing as he took off his cloak and shoes, the boy raised his shirt to inspect the bandages on his side. "At least it's healing."

Yawning due to exhaustion, the boy undressed and hopped into bed. He no longer slept on the old mattress that he found when he stumbled upon the shack, instead he replaced it when he invaded a nearby kingdom. In all honesty, the boy ended up stealing a new mattress, but being years later it didn't really matter. As to how he stole the mattress and got away with it, well that's a mystery.

Letting his eyes flutter shut as the sleepiness started to take over him, the brunette smiled once more. This was the life he loved living, not the life he lived as a Prince. On the day that he ran away, he swore he'd never return to that kingdom or any kingdom of that matter, and each day he lived up to that.

Prince or not he wasn't returning to that kingdom. He promised himself that he wouldn't return to the life he once lived.

And Jeongguk was not about to break that promise.

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He's going to meet up with someone soon, can you guess who? And no, it's not Taehyung. (:

I purple you 💜

~Pisanthrophobia.