Your Divine Grace {NamJin}

seven

Seokjin woke up in his lover's arms, disoriented from the youth of the cold, dark morning. Rain tapped firmly on the window next to the bed, making a soft tang that lulled the regent almost back to sleep but further awakened his senses at the same time. Namjoon's arms still wrapped around his hips and lower body as Seokjin sat up in bed, almost falling out from the full gravity of the situation before him. That day had been the fourth day since he was crowned -- the seventh since the attempted assassination -- and as Seokjin gazed upon the bags and bags of things he had helped Namjoon pack the night before, he realized sullenly that there was no mistaking it.

Namjoon was going to leave that morning, and not come back until God knew when.

Suppressing his tears, Seokjin laid a kiss on his lover's sleeping face and crawled out of bed, dressing himself in the same blue vestment he had worn the night of his coronation with fond memories in his gloomy mind. Pulling on a pair of black shoes, he quietly slid out of the bedroom, closing the door in total silence.

The guard next to the door whispered an almost silent "good morning" with the knowledge that the departing king was asleep in the room behind him. Acknowledging the guard, Seokjin repeated the greeting and began to walk through the hallway when he turned towards the young man, stopping in front of him.

"What time is it?" he whispered.

"I believe it is a few minutes past three."

Three in the morning...that gives me one hour, he thought, thanking the guard and running like a cat down the hallway -- he eased the weight of each foot on the wooden boards beneath him, allowing his dash towards the grand hall to be silent. His mind scrambled frantically, piecing the ideal box of food together for Namjoon to enjoy for at least the trip down to the haven.

He had already made up his mind when he saw the six men from the night before in the palace hall, whispering among themselves. He immediately sank to his knees, hiding himself from them behind the throne in the back.

He forced himself to be still, listening in on whatever they had to say. Being in the palace hall without Namjoon's permission was prohibited -- save for the guards that were on duty. When he looked around, however, no guard was there, and Seokjin could only sit there in confusion and a hint of anger while they spoke.

"Yejun-nim, Namjoon leaves in about an hour. The palanquins and horses are outside, getting ready."

"Good," the man supposedly called Yejun responded.

"What is our first order of business, Yejun-nim?" another one said, slicking his dark brown hair back.

"We'll discuss that later, in our first meeting today. Trust me, Hanseol, the war will be waged soon enough."

War?! I can't let them--

"You see, this regent is not confident in his rule. He is afraid of screwing up the country, he is afraid he won't live up to Namjoon's standards. And with us by his side...it is certain that he won't."

Seokjin had heard more than enough. He stood up fearlessly, allowing himself to be seen and heard.

"That is a point you might make with more caution, considering your surroundings."

"Lord Seokjin," Yejun smiled, taking his sweet time in getting on his knees and bowing to the floor. "What a pleasant surprise."

"Nothing pleasant about it," he smiled back, slowly approaching the cobra before him. "You're up quite early."

"Of course, we only wanted to see His Majesty off on his journey," the short, stocky one said, the others nodding along.

"It amuses me how you address him as Majesty in front of me, then conveniently forget his title amongst yourselves."

"Haven't you ever forgotten a title in your nobility days?" Yejun said pleasantly, annoying the living daylights out of Seokjin. "Or...are they so far away now that you are king?"

"I have permission to forget," he retorted, gritting his teeth. "You don't have the honor nor the ability to call His Majesty by his first name. Nor do you have the permission to be in the palace hall without a summoning. Or did you conveniently forget that as well?"

"...my apologies, my lord," Yejun said, pausing before admitting defeat.

"I have the position to denounce all six of your titles right now if I please. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't."

Mentally scrambling, Yejun remained silent, helplessly bowing there before Seokjin. The regent closed his eyes and took one deep breath before opening his mouth to speak.

Suddenly, the short one stepped up.

"Your Highness, with all due respect, how can you rule a country if you have doubts about yourself? It's one thing when others you don't know have doubts about you. They don't know who you are as a person, they just like to criticize."

He shot Yejun a quick look before continuing.

"However...you barely believe in yourself, which is cause for concern. Why are you king? Why did you accept this responsibility if you fear your own actions so much?"

Seokjin looked at the bold young man in interested surprise, not expecting the words he had to say. Smiling to himself a bit, he took a few long strides towards him and looked at him dead in the eye before giving an answer.

"You are absolutely right."

Yejun's face of shock was the most priceless thing one could've ever seen. He had not expected that kind of response from Seokjin at all, especially from the words that Doyoung of all people had said.

"You are right. One cannot expect his performance to be successful if he has doubts in his abilities."

Doyoung's eyes lit up in curiosity.

"However...you are wrong about one thing," Seokjin said, tilting his head at the slightest angle to the right. "I do believe in myself. I may be afraid, or nervous, as every king is on their first few days. A country is the most massive responsibility one can think of. However, I believe in myself because His Majesty chose to believe in me. And when someone believes in you...that is the greatest gift anyone could ever give to someone else. It validates you, makes you feel worthy and makes anything attainable when it was once impossible."

Doyoung's once twinkling eyes were now squeezed shut, trying to hold back tears. His throat burned with guilt, and his proud head hung low, teeming with hurt and brokenness.

Kim Seokjin...

"As long as I carry His Majesty's will in my heart, I will never doubt who I am and what I'm here for."

Seokjin's power radiated from his body like an invisible, golden aura, brightening the room along with the rising sun. Even as he walked past the six and down towards the doors, his confidence impressed every soul in the room, leaving a harsh burn on Yejun's.

"Are you crying?" Yejun asked, finally getting up from his position on the floor.

Doyoung walked away from them with a tearstained face and without a word.