Chapter Text
Epilogue
Three years later
He sighs at the sounds of horses.
“Why do I even live in a forest at this point?” Jimin mumbles, shaking his head fondly.
He stops what he is doing, turning to cups of hot water that are being brought over to him to make tea. At least he’s always prepared so he’s never truly caught off guard by the multiple sudden appearances he receives. Hopefully there will be snacks to go with this tea—he may tease a little less if there are.
By the time the clopping of hooves are in his yard, the cups are set around the table with steaming tea ready and waiting for their guests.
His door is pushed open with a bold familiarity.
“I’m quite sure you were taught better manners than that—hyung must be so disappointed in you,” Jimin says with a roll of his eyes.
Yoongi returns it with a dismissive wave of his hand, walking through the house as if he owned it.
“And I’m sure he taught you how to not act like you hate everyone’s presence and just say hello,” he counters.
Jimin repeats his words in a mocking mumble, huffing under his breath at the accuracy of the words; Jin has repeatedly gone over with him how he’s supposed to greet people.
“Maybe I would if you would, I don’t know, tell me that you’re coming over? I didn’t realize that living in a forest conveyed the message of ‘I love unplanned social interaction’,” Jimin chooses to reply.
“I don’t recall you making that complaint when our two youngest spontaneously planned a three night sleepover at your house,” Yoongi challenges.
Though Jimin would never admit it, Yoongi does have a point there. He was rather excited to see the two at his door declaring a weekend sleepover—his first ever official one, as staying at the palace for work does not count.
“They were here for very important business. You’re just mad that you weren’t invited because you’re boring,” Jimin says, turning his nose up at him.
Yoongi makes a face in return, raising a fist in silent threat at the smug embodiment.
Jin shakes his head fondly at the two, walking in between the two as he goes over to the table.
“The day you two don’t act like you dislike each other will truly be monumental. I may have to question if I’m dying,” he says, putting the basket on his arm down. He doesn’t miss the way Jimin’s eyes light up at the sight, the younger always happy to have something sweet. “And I am sure that the sleepover was very important, be nice Yoongi and let them have it.”
“It’s not my fault your kid doesn’t know how to not be a brat,” Yoongi says.
“Excuse you, I am his angel child, thank you very much. Look, I even made his favorite tea and I already did all of my deliveries,” Jimin argues.
Namjoon and Hoseok chuckle knowing very well that Jimin would die to maintain the status as Jin’s best child. The quickest way to offend the embodiment into a Jin-level dramatics is to insinuate that he is not the best behaved one.
“Yes you are,” Jin says, gently pinching Jimin’s cheek. “I’m very proud of you for getting through your deliveries. All went well, I assume?”
As always, Jimin flourishes in Jin’s care. He can feel his own spirits essentially purring at a human always being so kind to a child of theirs. If only the elder knew how often his spirits go on about how they wish all people could be so nice to their children. Jin may not be an embodiment but Jimin’s pretty sure that he was adopted by the spirits.
They all take a seat around the table, tea waiting for them and Jin’s treats ready to be paired with it.
“Yes, there were no issues and everyone was very grateful. I even received some fresh ingredients from one person,” Jimin replies, bringing over a set of plates with the help of his shadows. He’s particularly happy about the ingredients because it means if they’re here long enough, he may be able to convince the older to make dinner for them (and he can assist because he was not banned from the kitchen despite him lacking the skill the elder has). “Everything went rather pleasantly so I am glad.”
“That woman didn’t ask for me this time, right?” Hoseok asks, popping into the conversation.
Jimin chuckles at the very understandable aversion to one of his regular clients. The woman took great interest in the knight when he went on a delivery run with Jimin one time and since then has tried to woo the knight whether or not he’s actually present. Jimin has had his fair share of unwanted attention so of course he feels for Hoseok, but that doesn’t mean he won’t tease him about it a little.
“Well of course she did, but she didn’t send anything back with me this time. Truly I’ve never seen someone attempt courting so chaotically,” he says.
He wouldn’t be surprised if she found a way to send Hoseok something at the palace. She’s rather persistent and rather infatuated. Passionate to say the least.
“Not including the declaration of war because Yoongi said no?” Jungkook says, pointing back to the elder.
“That had outside influences and we all know it. I am not going down as the one who had the craziest courting attempt in this group,” Yoongi argues before anyone could agree.
“Didn’t she just recently hint at a marriage alliance?” Taehyung brings up, hand already in the basket.
Jimin turns to the elder prince with an amused raised eyebrow in question. While he detests the princess even to this day, he does take great amusement in hearing anything involving her.
As he expected it would, a lot went downhill for her after everything was said and done. Her parents had to bargain for her release along with a petition of peace. They were willing to give almost anything to end the war as they well knew they didn’t have the power to go through with it even if they did want to protect their daughter’s dignity after declaring it. They paid a very hefty price for her return and peace between the two kingdoms. The humiliation of having to be a prisoner even temporarily and for her own war to end by essentially begging was only the beginning of her troubles.
When it was revealed that she lost the blessing of the spirits, she was met with shock and disgust from her parents—and from what he heard, the rest of the kingdom as well. She became a disgrace for everything the kingdom stood for. Her right to the throne was even taken away. The king and queen decided that if she could not bear an heir (within a reasonable time) to take the throne then they would choose a family member instead. The throne couldn’t be held by a person who even the spirits left—who knows what types of misfortune that would bring upon the kingdom. While he doesn’t know if they condemn her actions—as he doesn’t know what they were doing exactly when she was actively working with dark spirits and doing forbidden curses—he can commend them for at least thinking about the repercussions of supporting someone who clearly lost favor. It could just be self preservation rather than a moral standing but it’s something at least.
Of course, ever since that whole situation, that kingdom has been taking extra precaution to remain in the somewhat good standing they are in. It’s rare that the princess is even brought over here, even for diplomatic situations. She’s far from being wanted but after the fall from power and grace she’s experienced, they don’t stress it too much when she does show her face her.
“The glare her parents gave her certainly suggests that she was implying that,” Jin says, a small amused smirk hidden behind the rim of his cup.
“She wants a chance at any throne she can get and a rise back to glory. She’s been searching for any kingdom willing to marry her; I don’t take anything she says seriously. She doesn’t count,” Yoongi says.
Though it’s not public knowledge the details of all that happened, it is known that she tried to, basically, step out of her realm of power over what appeared to be a simple rejection. Many still do not care about embodiments as a whole, let alone to learn the intricacies of the real reason for war and how far she fell. That being said, to the majority, she just looks very childish declaring war for a rejection and she looks very arrogant for personally invading the kingdom. Not many—if anyone—wants to have a wife that is a spoiled princess who can’t take no and messed up so bad that her own parents said she’s not fit for the throne. So needless to say, she’s having a very hard time trying to find someone to marry her so she can still get the chance to taste the throne.
“I say she does count, but then again, I just like to insult the both of you so it’s only fitting that she’s your craziest,” Jimin says with a smirk.
“How is he your best? He’s literally a devil,” Yoongi says to Jin and Namjoon.
“I didn’t know hyung gave me back my parental rights,” Namjoon responds, looking over to the older.
“I didn’t. You let them go midnight riding through the forest without supervision or torches,” Jin says with a side eye.
The three youngest look at each other from the corner of their eyes, sipping their tea in avoidance as they pretend that this is not about them. Did they know Jin would not be ecstatic about the idea? Yes. Is that why they went to Namjoon instead? They won’t say no.
“Jimin is a literal walking torch on top of being able to see in the dark. Maybe they should have had some supervision but they seemed to have done really well. Also, what do you expect when they literally woke me up to ask?” Namjoon defends.
“Well, you were asleep in the library again, I think they were rather strategic if you ask me,” Hoseok says.
If he has to give them credit for anything, it’s that they at least think out how to carry out their bad ideas. Maybe a little too well but still, rather commendable.
“All I’m seeing is proof that he should, indeed, not be considered your best behaved,” Yoongi says.
“Try to take that away from me again and I will curse you to have your hair change colors every time you sneeze,” Jimin threatens with narrowed eyes.
Taehyung pops up, an idea sparking in his eyes. A calming hand on his arm from his advisor immediately knocks it away though, Namjoon shaking his head no, already knowing what was about to be asked.
“Just because he does not behave for you does not mean he doesn’t behave for me,” Jin says, gesturing to the embodiment—Jimin turning and smiling like an angel within a blink of an eye as if he never made a threat a day in his life. “He listens very well and, unlike someone here, he follows my lessons about how not to anger people in public settings. I do much less damage control for him than I do you.”
It goes unmentioned—purposely—that it is well known that Yoongi and Jimin team up sometimes to lay into someone. It’s a rather brutal but beautiful scene to watch, Jimin with his sniping sarcasm and Yoongi with his cold bluntness. The people on the receiving end of it are often deserving of such a verbal beatdown—only a handful receiving it out of sheer pettiness on the end of the two—so neither Jin nor Namjoon try hard to stop them other than to hold up the pretense of status roles. It goes unmentioned because it is probably the only time the two outwardly act like they’re close friends so it gets a pass on both their behalves. It doesn’t get put towards the times of needing damage control.
Over the years, Jimin has found himself more and more in the palace for many different reasons—some just for casual hang outs and other for actual jobs. While the king and queen aren't exactly the most in favor for embodiments as a whole, they have come to understand and agree that Jimin at the very least is more of an ally than an enemy. Their sons and their sons’ advisors having such good things to say about him—and, obviously, him saving their kingdom from a crazy princess—helped push them more in favor of him. That, unexpectedly, led to him being invited to more events held at the palace, even being introduced as an associate (or a close friend if it’s one of the princes speaking) of the royal family—hence him and Yoongi tag-teaming people. It was a little awkward at first for Jimin—the events, not the tag-teaming—but gradually he became more used to it.
“So what you’re saying is I keep you employed? Sounds like you should be very grateful to me,” Yoongi says with a smooth smile.
Jin meets the look with a deadpan expression. Some days he seriously considers…
“This is why him and Jimin are best friends in denial,” Hoseok says, jerking a teasing thumb at Yoongi.
“I take great offense to that,” Jimin says. “In my own house too, while you’re uninvited. I knew you palace people—minus Jin hyung of course—didn’t have any class.”
“It’s the way he would throw me under the carriage for hyung’s favor without hesitation,” Namjoon says, gesturing to how he was not included in that exception.
Jin and Jimin raise their heads with an air of status in perfect sync—Jin very proud of how he taught the younger.
“It’s almost as if he birthed him,” Taehyung pretend whispers loudly.
The others nod in agreement. Those two are scarily in sync sometimes. Not to mention Jimin is the only one who laughs at Jin’s terrible jokes so maybe there is some relation there.
“You know you could have just whispered it regularly and I still would have heard it, right?” Jimin says, not denying the relation in the slightest. His spirits said he need human guidance as well so he and they are more than happy to give that role to the elder advisor who enjoys parenting him.
“Yes, but I wanted hyung to hear it as well. I think if he could introduce you as his child at events, he would,” Taehyung responds.
“He did actually,” Namjoon interjects. Jin pops up at the mention, his cheeks flushing a slight pink as he sips his tea calmly as he looks away slightly. Namjoon continues, “One of the visiting nobles said something unsavory about there 'being a witch among the civilized high class’ and he, with more class and status than even the queen could give, told him that if he ever insults his son again he will make him see the arms of poverty so fast that he wouldn’t even be able to apologize in time.”
Yoongi gives a low whistle. He wonders where he was for that, he would have loved to see the reaction after a threat like that. The truly scary part is that Jin could make it happen, all on his own. The older could at times be scarily vindictive and very skilled.
“Well he should have thought twice before voicing such a wrong and ignorant opinion at an event where all night the embodiment in question has been introduced as a close friend to the royal family. I was just sparing him the misfortune of saying that around anyone else,” Jin says.
“I think any punishment we could give him would still be more merciful than you,” Taehyung says with a slight wince.
Again, they nod in agreement—even Jimin, though his is more a nod of pride—all of them well knowing what Jin is capable of, especially for one of them. Truly, Jin was the worst one there that that noble could have said that around.
“Sounds fitting to me,” Jimin says, giving Jin a sweet smile. “I’m going to start introducing myself as the child of an advisor and see how confused and panicked they become.”
“Truly a menace,” Yoongi says, shaking his head.
“Says the person who would help me push the story,” Jimin shoots back, raising a single eyebrow.
A fraction of a smirk peeks through Yoongi’s composure, the older well hiding a mischievous gleam from his eyes. He simply raises his cup towards the embodiment, Jimin nodding in return with a knowing look. The two of them are about to spread the most elaborate rumor.
“I’ll willingly ignore the math if it gets me back my parental rights,” Namjoon says.
“I’ll think about it. I want to see what story they come up with first,” Jin replies.
Jimin can’t help the smile that comes to his face as he sees Namjoon sulk at Jin. Who would have thought he’d ever come to a point in his life where his friends would genuinely view themselves as pseudo parents towards him?
Who would have ever thought he’d have friends?
He sits there in his chair watching them interact. There’s a clear feeling of care and closeness that he feels every time they get together. He truly never thought this could ever happen to him, let alone with a bunch of palace people—ROYALS at that. He knew life was able to throw many unexpected things at him, but this one was truly not even in his wildest imagination. When they knocked on his door three years ago, he thought it was going to be another challenge being given to him—something he’d have to endure. Now he sees that it was a blessing meant for him, he just had to open up and accept it.
He bites into the treat, happiness and contentment settling warmly in his bones.
Maybe he is glad that Yoongi was a major royal fool who decided to him for his help. It turned out pretty well, he has to say.
‘You deserve this, little one.’
‘Happiness is wonderful on you, our child.’
He thinks so too.