serpents and sons | taekook

Interlude: Jimin (The Prince)

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They take the ship from a Navy admiral, commandeering it under their own flag. Their crew is born from the dredges of port towns, the unwanted and cast aside. Taehyung welcomes all if they have a hand to spare, finding work for those who are willing to take it. Working on the sea is grueling, not fit for the faint of heart, but Taehyung's crew finds itself easily jumping to the task.

His ship becomes well known through the port towns they pass through, the ouroboros on her sails and flying high on her flag pulling many curious eyes.

He names her Jormungandr, a word unfamiliar to most of his crew's tongues- a mockery of the history the Midgardians have made up for him.

The snake that was thrown into the ocean by the hand of his so-called father. Left to sink and be forgotten, only to grow until it swallowed the world. A fantastical story built to make Taehyung look undesirable to his peers, more lies to paint him to be nothing more than a scoundrel.

However, now the beast is a symbol of more than just the coming of the end. It is a symbol of rebirth, renewal. A symbol of his new life and his ever changing days. And where the beast had once intended to represent his desire to swallow the realms - to bring it to chaos - he no longer wishes for such destruction.

Yet, he will gladly swallow up the greed, and the cruelty, of humanity. And he'll take their gold while he's at it.

So they live their lives on the seas- although it takes Yoongi several years before he is able to get over his ever-present sea sickness. A man of the sand, Taehyung jokes as he brushes Yoongi's hair from his sweat slick forehead, Hoseok laughing as he rubs his back.

When they are on land, however, Yoongi takes his self-proclaimed space at Taehyung's side, blade at his hip as they wander through the various towns and markets. Namjoon, as well, thrives in the port towns while Hoseok finds his place as a social chameleon, culture rich in the air. He spends his nights dancing and drinking as Namjoon spends his days in local libraries, buying out bookshops to his heart's delight.

It is only when they are sailing the high seas that they truly make good on their name as the water's scourge. Where before they gained notoriety through good deeds, becoming a voice and protector of the less fortunate, they now terrorize navy captains and their fleet. They now find enjoyment in the act of plundering their elaborate ships. Of course, Taehyung has no desire for riches, but the jewels are quite pretty.

But the greatest jewel of them all, one that falls into their lap during a siege of a high security vessel, takes the shape of a young prince with a name he refuses to use. It's clear he is not like the others of his status, fitting in more among Taehyung and his crew than the pasty men and women of France and her cities. Though he is dressed in their fine silks and leathers, wig and overcoat lost to the raging waters around them. His waistcoat is soaked, the fine gold detailing the brightest thing on the main deck, drawing all leering gazes.

'Call me Jimin,' he simpers in his heavy accent, chin held high. 'It is the name my mother gave me,' he says, 'and the only I respect.'

They don't care much for names, however, and they tell him so. Jormungandr's captain grins as he crouches down before the captive prince, noting how the boy meets his gaze without a single flinch.

We are holding you for ransom,' Taehyung tells him, hoping even despite his obviously mixed bloodline he will fetch them a fair price. But the prince is obstinate, giving a laugh so dry it threatens to drain the sea below them.

'Just sell my belongings,' he says primly, 'and keep me for work. Sell the junk. They will not take me back.'

Taehyung notes that while Namjoon and Hoseok seem sympathetic to his plight, it is Yoongi who seems particularly interested in the prince's words as Jimin rolls his neck and leans back against the mast he is tied to.

'I am the bastard son of a French king and a Korean princess, a woman who is even on her own a bastard child,' he explains. Taehyung watches as he sags, the fight leaving him as he seems to shrink in his silken clothes. His wet lashes brush across his bruised cheeks, body battered from the hands of the serpent's crew.

'I am but a pawn,' he whispers as the sea air whips at their faces.

The gods and their men stare at him silently, letting his words sink in.

There is something in Taehyung's chest that... tugs at him, beckons him, and it is what makes him look over his shoulder, meeting the eyes of those he considers more than family.

Hoseok only smiles and shrugs, reaching up to tug at the bandana around his forehead. Namjoon's brow is furrowed as he stares at the discarded prince, but he gives a nod and a smile of his own.

And it is Yoongi who takes a step forward, and then another. He reaches a hand out and a dagger slips into his palm, cutting cleanly through the rope twisted around Jimin's middle. The prince's eyes go wide, lips parting, and the gladiator crouches down as well. His knees hit the deck and he extends his other hand, palm free and waiting.

'Then, how about we whisk you away from your tower?' He asks, and Taehyung sees something warm in his eyes. Something he has not seen in years- not since the man had learned he was truly free. Something expectant, and excited.

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