flowers ! tk

five ; black and blue

the boy, still with a childish grin spread across his face, giggled and reached out a hand for taehyung to take. his hands were unusually dainty and pristine for a servant and the corners of taehyung's mouth turned up at the gesture before taking the boys hand and being heaved up into the room; disappearing into the rotten ceiling.

as taehyung had expected, the room was dusty and smelt faintly of rain. the floorboards creaked with every ounce of movement. the tawny haired boy slumped down onto a fraying mattress set upon a topsy-turvy, peeling oak bed frame. "you see, we are the luckiest in this room, since beneath us is only the kitchen!.. and the staircase of course, so no one is there at night time! we have a blast, don't we yoongi!?" taehyung had hardly noticed the mahogany haired boy on the other side of the cramped room.

"come now hoseok, let's not scare taehyung away with your rambling just yet- he must be tired and we should let him rest a while before supper." yoongi had a stern and calm voice, though he flashed a contrasting warm smile. "that's your bed over there, we unpacked your clothes into the dresser. my apologies if you'd rather have done that yourself."

"no that's perfect! thank you very much both of you, shall we be having dinner all together?"

"yes, we all eat down in the servant's hall as soon as the royals are asleep; though im afraid only namjoon and hoseok shall be eating breakfast with you tomorrow, since all the royal personal staff have to wake at 4am-  the other workers wake at 6."

taehyung flinched a little at the prospect of having to be coherent so early in the morning; he made sure to keep quiet though, not wanting to seem rude.

soon enough, taehyung's two new friends left to help serve luncheon- all hands were on deck seeing that the royals extended family were staying. taehyung could not help feeling a little useless sat alone in his new, unfamiliar, lumpy bed.

-

for the rest of the afternoon the young boy alternated between reading a moth-nibbled book he had found underneath yoongi's bed and gazing out of the only small circular window in the entirety of the room. he had a spellbinding view of the palace's garden system; clusters of flowers like a prism of light spread across acres and acres of vivid greenery. the mellow sunlight streaming a fair, golden haze across the surrounding terrain.

soon enough, the sapphire sky turned a shade of deepest apricot; the sun nestling down into the horizon as taehyung rose from his corner of the bedroom, putting on his new tail-coat uniform ready for the evening ahead.

he felt much too dapper in his evening attire, it was so different to anything he'd worn before. but he ran a hand through his soft locks and ventured out of the hatch in the floor, down to the steep winding staircase.

"taehyung!" hoseok came bounding up the stairs, almost toppling over a pile of books left clumsily on a step, "namjoon told me to tell you that the prince's carriage had just come through the gates!" he panted, clutching his chest.

taehyung nodded in a way that he hoped disguised his immense panic,  thanked hoseok and rushed down the steps. 

the prince had expected taehyung to be awaiting his arrival in his room. which just happened to be on the opposite side of the palace.

the young dismayed boy ran and intertwined around bustling kitchen staff, launching himself up the steep stairs to enter the main grand entrance way through a hidden door in the wall. he heard the crunch of heavy black boots on the gravel driveway; but he dared not look and continued running towards the princes quarters.

he was fast approaching the prince's wing of the palace; but his last flicker of hope vanished when he saw the king and namjoon lingering at the end of the corridor. taehyung was forced to slow down to a formal snails pace- bowing as he approached his superiors.

namjoon gave him a reassuring smile as he turned the corner into the corridor that hid his fait behind dark elm doors.

his hand quivered on the door knob and he slowly pushed the door open. nothing. the room was empty. the young maid could've almost jumped with joy; that was until out of the corner of his eye he saw a large slump of rich dark fur spread across a silk armchair in the farthest corner of the room.

taehyung almost fainted at the sight infront of him.

the prince, completely unconscious, was decorated with an enormous angry red gash across his left cheek and a plum toned bruise embracing his slumbering eye. his white crisp shirt was unbuttoned and his trousers were torn. a full length winters coat caressed the prince's muscular sleeping form. his face was gaunt and pale.

taehyung feared the worst as he observed the limp cold beauty of his master.