The Prisoner of Oryn

38. The Sun of Oryn

Even though none except Taehyung and Jimin knew what fast forwarding meant, every thing felt that way to them. 

Never in their wildest dreams did they think a day would come when they would stand around Namjoon's chariot with his body in it. 

The other delegates never returned. None of them knew what happened. None of them knew why they were looking at Namjoon's bloody body. All they knew was that the information about In Guk Du had cost them Namjoon's life. 

Seokjin couldn't stop screaming at his brother's body. Jeongguk, Yoongi and Hoseok tried their best to hold him back as the guards rushed around to arrange the funeral, but their energy wasn't enough to hold back the adrenaline and guilt filled Kim. 

"Taehyung....Taehyung, please do something...Taehyung..." Seokjin kept begging. Taehyung closed his teary eyes and took a sharp breath to tune Seokjin's voice out. 

It hurt. It really hurt to see the way Seokjin thrashed around due to his guilt. It hurt to know that he couldn't do anything to help him. Even if there was a little bit of life left in Namjoon, Taehyung could have done something, but all of them knew that it was impossible to bring a dead man back to life. 

All of them figured out what went down between the brothers. After receiving the information about In Guk Du and after seeing the way Seokjin kept repeating that it wasn't Namjoon, they put two and two together. And damn, did they feel bad for him. 

All of them knew how much Seokjin and Namjoon loved each other. 'Attached at the hip' wasn't a metaphor when it came to the Kim brothers. 

But to know that all of that went down just because of a small misunderstanding really hurt. To see Seokjin sob for his brother to come back to him really hurt. Everything hurt. 

If only they could get to see him again. If only they could get to see those dimples again. If only Seokjin could tell him one last time that he didn't hate him. That he loved him. That he was proud to have such a brother. 

'Someone whose back looks like mine, apparently. That person is after the Royal Bloodline. I will tell you the details once I return, but just in case I don't make it back to Oryn in time, remember to look out for someone whose back looks like mine.'

Seokjin sobbed harder. His brother had died trying to save his child even when he had been such an asshole to him in the past few months and he couldn't just calm down with all the guilt that was eating him up alive. 

A certain someone who unfortunately shares my blood would love it here.

Those were the last words of his brother. Last words that were remotely addressed towards him. He tried to calm down, knowing that he couldn't risk falling ill when the task of sending his brother to a better place rested on his shoulders.

He watched as the guards lay tents across the arena and ran around to arrange for everything. The Second Prince, the General of the Kingdom, had to be sent with due honour and respect, after all. 

He looked around himself and saw how tears ran down everyone's faces. Namjoon had always been someone special to everyone. The cool headed general of the Kingdom, who was nothing but a brat in the inside. A brat that Seokjin had always adored and loved. 

"NOOOOOOOO" a scream tore through the air, making them whip their heads towards Namjoon's mansion. 

Chaeyoung ran towards the chariot as fast as she could. A few more tears ran down his face as he watched her climb the chariot and fall onto her knees next to her husband's face. 

"This cannot happen!!!!" she sobbed. "This cannot happen....not when...not when.....oh goddddd" she cried, taking his cold hand into hers and placing it on her stomach. She bent down and rested her trembling head on his bloody chest. "Please....." she pleaded. 

Everyone who had their eyes on Chaeyoung and Namjoon gasped loudly, realizing what the gesture meant. 

"No. No, this cant be happening. Namjoon, you can't die before knowing that you were going to be a father. Wake up, you bastard, you can't die without knowing it!!" Yoongi yelled as he climbed onto the chariot and rattled Namjoon's body. 

A huge sob tore out of Seokjin's throat. Was it supposed to hurt this bad? Was it supposed to squeeze his lungs this bad? It felt as if Namjoon thrust a fist into his chest and left him with a gaping hole in it. Why did he feel so empty? Why was he feeling as if no amount of sobs could ever make the pain in him go away?

"Hy-ung...i-it's time to dress him up" Jeongguk's weak voice sounded behind him, making him turn around and crash into his youngest brother's arms. 

"He was....he didn't know he was going to be a father, Jeongguk-ah" he cried out aloud, making Jeongguk burst into loud tears. "I know!!!" he cried loudly and buried his face into his hyung's neck. 

Hoseok wrapped his arms around the two of them to provide them a bit of comfort, but who was he kidding? He himself was sobbing out loud for his friend. 

Yoongi composed himself after sobbing for a while with his hands tight around Namjoon's collars. He got off the chariot and looked for his wife. "Take her in" he said and walked towards the elder Kim. 

"Hyung, you have to dress him up" he said in a voice that sounded really very composed. Only people who knew him really well would know that he wasn't the least bit composed. 

Seokjin nodded and wiped his unending tears before walking towards the chariot. A few guards stepped forward to help him with the body, but stepped back down when he threw them a glare. 

"Don't touch him" he said and got onto the chariot. He picked his brother up in his arms and walked towards his mansion. "Hyung!" Yoongi, Hoseok and Jeongguk exclaimed together, but he silenced them with another glare. Only Namjoon's charioteer followed him into his mansion.

The others sighed loudly and tried to compose themselves in the mean time. They had to send him with a smile on their faces. He had to go to a better place. They couldn't burden him with their cries. They had to send him happily......

......who were they kidding? 

How could they send him happily? How could they ever smile without thinking of the dimples on his face? How could they ever eat again without thinking about the empty seat among them? How could they keep living without thinking about the gaping hole in their hearts? 

It took an hour for the guards to bring the casket that Jeongguk had ordered them to bring. 

A golden one for a golden man. 

He asked the guards to follow him and walked towards Seokjin's mansion along with Yoongi, Hoseok, Taehyung and Jimin. 

"Hyung..." he called out. Seokjin looked up at him with teary eyes. "It's time" he whispered. Seokjin looked down at Namjoon's covered body. He had dressed him up in royal clothes and had wrapped his body in a golden shroud. After all, his brother deserved nothing less.

"Let him rest, hyung. Don't hold onto him anymore. He is tired. He needs rest" Jeongguk whispered. He just couldn't get his voice out. 

"You are right," Seokjin's voice broke, "my baby brother is tired" he whispered and cupped Namjoon's covered face with his hands. He bent down and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, letting a lone tear fall onto the shroud. 

He sat up and placed his hand on his forehead. He stroked it gently, wiping the fallen tear in the process. "Rest in peace, Namjoon-ah. Hyung loves you" he whispered before getting up to let the rest pay their last respects to him.

He didn't let any of them touch the body, however. It was his baby brother. His past actions still killed him and he couldn't even think of letting others touch him for some reason.

After a few minutes, he placed the body in the casket and let the guards take it back to the arena to let the rest of the family pay him their last respects. 

By the time the sun rose, they buried the casket in the Royal Cemetery, next to their father's grave. 

With the rise of the sun, set the magnificent Sun of Oryn.