The Trip

"And suddenly you know: It's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings." Meister Eckhart

The Eagle was staring at Jimin with a frown on his face. He wondered why he was letting a random stranger waste his time when he should go sleep in his log cabin.

"Why do you need me?" he asked impatiently.

The silver-haired crossed his arms, "First you need to promise me not to talk about our encounter to anyone. I don't want the King to know that I am planning something."

The masked man raised an eyebrow and scoffed, "You will really keep on pretending that you are a prince?"

Jimin stared at his brown eyes and he could read amusement which made him angry. He cleared his throat and took something away from his trouser's pocket. He held the gilded piece with a crown in the middle between his fingers to show him.

The Eagle's eyes rested on the Royal Badge and pressed his lips before staring back at Jimin, "So you really are the prince." he said.

"As you see." the silver-haired nodded.

The mysterious man looked at the prince and chuckled, "So, do you expect me to bow to you or something? Because I am not doing this obviously."

Jimin rolled his eyes. "I am not here for this." he mumbled coldly.

"Then what do you want me for?"

"Promise first."

The Eagle sighed in frustration, "Alright, alright. I won't tell anything, it's not like I talk to anyone anyways."

The Prince nodded and looked around him to make sure no one was listening to their conversation. He stared at the masked man and hesitated, he didn't know if it was a good idea to trust a stranger with his plan, but something about his cold and serious eyes proved that he had nothing to worry about.

"I want you to join me in a trip." he started, making the man raise an eyebrow. "I need to find the notebook."

The Eagle froze. He kept staring at the prince, his eyes furrowed. "Are you serious?" he asked.

Jimin simply nodded.

The man started laughing, "This had to be a joke. No kingdom could find it during years, and you know it better than anyone."

"I know." the prince smiled. "The kingdoms searched for it with the idea of a war, this is why they could not find it. But me, I want to search for it with the idea of peace, this is why I believe that I can."

The masked man didn't say anything. He was surprised at how confident and determinate the prince looked.

He nodded and rubbed his chin, "And what do you expect me to do for you?" he asked.

"It's going to be a long trip and I am sure we will meet a lot of obstacles, this is why I want someone who can fight by my side and help me through this adventure."

"And why would I do that?" the Eagle scoffed.

Jimin ran his fingers in his silver hair and crossed his arms, "I heard you like silver coins, well I can offer you gold." he said with a confident tone.

The Eagle may cover his face, but he could see his smirk behind the black mask.

"Now, you are speaking the real words my prince." he laughed. "Gold...such a marvelous creation."

The prince chuckled, he didn't share the same thoughts as the mysterious man obviously. Being a member of the royal family makes him rich and in position of a large amount of gold. He has seen it since his childhood, but he never thought it was the most important thing that existed. Having gold is good certainly, but having it without something to make your life happier makes it valueless.

"I still have a question." The Eagle interrupted his thoughts. "Why me? You don't know me and you have never seen me fighting."

Jimin nodded with a smile, "Everyone know you, everyone is looking for you and everyone fear you. This is what I need, someone fearless."

The masked man nodded, "When should we go?"

The prince raised an eyebrow, he was surprised that he was ready to follow him. "Are you really coming with me?"

"I can already smell the gold." The Eagle closed his eyes. "I am ready to go right at this moment."

Jimin chuckled. "We will leave at dawn." he said. "Wait for me in the forest, near the river."

"It is next to my house." the Eagle nodded. "I will wait for you there."

?

When the prince came back to the castle, he lied on his bed and sighed heavily, wondering what he could tell his father. He never left without being invited to an official ceremony or for a charity work, he needed to come up with a lie in order for the king to believe him and let him leave.

Someone knocked.

"Come in!"

The butler came inside the room and bowed, "Your highness, it is time for dinner."

Jimin sat and ruffled his hair, "I don't feel hungry." he mumbled.

"You have not eaten since breakfast your highness, it is not good for your health."

The silver-haired sighed and gave him a small smile, "It seems like you and my brother are the only people who really care about me."

"Oh don't say that." Joshua smiled. "Everyone care about you."

Jimin shook his head, "They care about the prince, not me."

"But...you are the prince." the butler said.

"Being a prince is just a title, a position." Jimin started. He left the bed and the valet ran to help him put on his shirt and his uniform's jacket. "But I am me, I am Jimin, a normal man who loves to enjoy his life. But everyone seems to forget me, they are so blinded by my position in the crown."

"Being a prince is your duty indeed." Joshua nodded, "But I know the man that you are. I first came to the castle when we were both still children. I saw you growing up, I learnt what you love and what you dislike. I also know that you are a very kind person." he finished with a smile.

The silver-haired smiled back and rested his hand on the butler's shoulder, "My father doesn't know this." he whispered. "And he will never."

The brown-haired butler stared at the prince with sad eyes, he was unfortunately one of the rare people who know how much Jimin is struggling because of his family. He has always been the one who cares, the one who helps and the one who loves the most, but he never received back. His younger brother was the only one who loved him with all his heart, he is the one who knows the true value and the importance of his elder brother.

"It is time for dinner, isn't it?" Jimin told him with a large smile.

He has always been good at hiding his sadness behind a charming smile.

"Yes, your highness." the butler bowed. "They must be waiting in the dining room."

The prince placed his arm around Joshua's shoulder as they walked outside his chambers. "Tell me the chef made something delicious for tonight."

"Do not worry about that." the brown-haired chuckled. "I made sure he prepares all yours and prince Taehyung's favorite dishes."

"Oh!" Jimin clapped his hands excitedly, "You are the best." he whispered in his ears.

When he arrived to the dining room, he was welcomed by the dull atmosphere once again. He frowned and walked toward the table.

"Father, mother." he bowed to his parents and took a sit. He looked at his brother who was in front of him and smiled, "Taehyung."

"Jimin." the young prince smiled back. "The chef made us lamb skewers!" he said excitedly.

"Isn't he the best?" Jimin winked.

"Oh my king, I forgot to tell you." the queen said. "I saw Jimin walking with Lady Irina earlier in the morning, they looked extremely beautiful together." she said with a dreamy voice.

The prince looked at his brother and both shared a small smile.

"I don't understand you." the king spoke to him. "Lady Irina is a gorgeous woman, you should be hurrying to marry her, I don't see why you are postponing the wedding."

"I told you I am waiting for Lyra to come back." Jimin mumbled.

"Jimin, you are a man!" the king said. "You have needs, you have desires. Of course you will want to touch your fiance, how can you be so stubborn?"

"Oh, father please do not start with this again!" the prince protested with an annoyed tone.

Taehyung lowered his head and covered his mouth, trying not to laugh.

Jimin saw him and sent him a death glare. "By the way father, there is something I needed to tell you." he said, catching his brother's attention.

"Go on."

"You know how close I am to Taehyung." Jimin started, looking at the beautiful blond prince sitting in front of him. "We have always been inseparable and I think it is going to be difficult for the both of us after I get married. I will give more time to my new family and we won't get to spend a lot of time together."

Taehyung stared at him with a sad face. He knew his elder brother was speaking this way because it was all in the plan, but a part of him believed that his words are true. The day he will get married, he will possibly spend less time with him and stay more with his wife and his future children. He gulped, feeling his heart ache just by the thought of it.

He loved his brother unconditionally, and he was still not ready to lose him to someone.

"So, I thought that we could go on a trip in order to spend more time together before the wedding." Jimin continued.

Smart. Taehyung thought.

"A trip?" the king raised an eyebrow. "Where?"

"I don't know." Jimin shrugged. "Just somewhere close." he lied.

"If you want to spend time together, you can go to the castle we have in the Diamond City."

Jimin and Taehyung quickly shared a look. Going to one of their castles was surely not a good idea because they are going to be watched all the time.

"No." the younger prince shook his head. "We don't want to go to a castle, we want to try staying in hostels or such because we would like to live as normal men just once in our life."

Jimin nodded and looked at his brother proudly.

"Normal men?" the king scoffed. "What kind if insanity is this?"

"Baekhyun, my dear." Queen Isabella placed her hand on the king's. "Jimin wants to spend time with his brother, please let them do what they want. They deserve it."

The king sighed and looked at his sons. "Alright, but in one condition."

The two brothers got nervous.

"I will send the guards with you."

Jimin closed his eyes and took a breath in order to calm himself down.

His father was always good at ruining his plans. Sending the guards with them only meant that they could not dream of travelling far from Crystal.

?

After dinner, Jimin followed his brother to his chambers. They sat on the chairs next to the window that looked out onto the garden.

"What are we going to do?" Taehyung bit his lower lip. "If we bring the guards, we won't be able to execute the plan."

"I know." Jimin sighed. "We need to find a way to escape from the castle without anyone knowing."

"How do we do that? The entire castle is surrounded by guards."

The elder brother rubbed the back of his neck and stared at the portals. He wished that one day, he could walk past them without anyone asking him where he was going or having someone following him around.

"I don't know, but I will think about it." he said. "We need to leave at dawn."

"At dawn? Why exactly?" Taehyung asked.

"I told him to wait for me there.." Jimin mumbled, thinking about the mysterious man he met earlier.

"Him? Who?" the blond asked confusingly.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you." the elder ran his fingers through his hair. "I met someone in the village when I was there to buy our trip's equipment. People call him The Eagle, he is a good fighter, he is fearless and..." he stopped for a moment and smiled. "He is the first person who kept speaking informally to me even after he knew I was a prince. He is the one we need during this trip."

Taehyung was confused. He could not understand how his brother could trust someone he just met and tell him about his plans.

"I know what you are thinking." Jimin interrupted his thoughts. "Yes, he is a stranger and I barely know him, but trust me, I know that we can believe in him."

"Why?" the younger furrowed.

"You will see." Jimin smiled. "But most importantly, we need to find a way to get out of this castle."

Taehyung sighed and kept staring through the window. He wanted to leave this boring life so badly. His brother's plan sure was insane and dangerous, but he thought that it was better than staying in his chambers, doing nothing but reading books.

He always felt jailed inside the castle, he was tired of the protocols and the same routine, this is why sometimes he would escape in the garden outside to read peacefully.

Oh.

His eyes grew wider as he remembered something. "Brother!" he tapped Jimin's arm, surprising him.

"What is it?"

"I just remembered! There is a shortcut."

The silver-haired widened his eyes, "Where?"

"Here in my room." Taehyung stood up and walked toward a large painting of flowers hung on the wall. "Behind this." he said with a smile. "I used it from time to time to read outside."

Jimin raised an eyebrow, "Did anyone see you before?"

The blond shook his head, "This passage is in the basement and it leads directly outside. There is no chance that anyone will know."

"Perfect!" Jimin exclaimed. "I will look for my things and come back to your room. I will spend the night here and we leave together at dawn."

?

The next day, the two brothers succeeded to leave the castle without anyone noticing. They were scared, but both had a wide smile on their faces because they were doing it together.

They wore the clothes Jimin found in the village the day before. He picked some modest shirts and trousers in order to look like any other citizens. He also brought coats, boots, spare swords and food for the trip. He wanted them to have everything they will need.

"Where is that mysterious eagle you met yesterday?" Taehyung asked when they walked further from the castle.

"I asked him to wait for me next to the river."

After long minutes of walking, they stopped in the village and looked for a stall where they can eat their breakfast.

"Here, they sell pancakes." Taehyung grabbed his brother's arm and leaded him to an old man who was busy mixing the ingredients.

"Can we have three pancakes, please?"

"Wait until I finish." the seller mumbled coldly.

The princes shared a look and smiled. They were used to people treating them nicely and it was good to finally feel normal.

After they bought the pancakes, Taehyung followed his brother in the forest. He widened his eyes, seeing the splendor of the field and the trees which stood majestically, surrounding flower bushes and fallen trunks.

They walked silently, enjoying the calm and the gentle morning breeze until they finally arrived to the river.

"I do not see your friend." the young prince said.

Jimin looked around him, searching for anyone dressed in black from head to toe but he was nowhere to be seen. He pressed his lips nervously and put his bag on the floor. "Stay here." he told his brother. He walked all along the river, hoping he would find him waiting somewhere.

He could not find him after walking for so long, he was about to give up until he spotted a small wood shack hidden between the trees. He hesitated for a moment, then he approached it out of curiosity.

The window was open, he rested his back against the wall and froze when he heard someone talking.

"Here, eat this." a familiar sounded from inside.

He waited for another person to speak but he didn't hear anything.

He furrowed and decided to look through the window.

"You should eat or else you are going to get sick again."

The prince widened his eyes when he spotted the black hood and the gloved hands. The Eagle was awake and feeding his dog, a black and white Siberian Husky with gorgeous sapphire blue eyes. He watched the mysterious man caress his friend's hair.

"You like it huh?" he heard him laugh.

The dog got excited and started playing with him, making Jimin smile and forget that he could be seen from the window.

Suddenly, the Husky started barking when it saw him.

The Eagle quickly turned and stood up when he spotted Jimin outside his house. He was about to say something when he remembered he forgot to put on his mask. He covered his face with his hand and hurried to look for his black mask.

The prince could not see his face unfortunately because he got surprised because of the dog's bark and quickly looked away.

He rubbed the back of his neck and invited himself inside the stranger's house. He smiled and was ready to wish him a good morning, but his smile immediately faded when he looked around him. The interior was too small and dark, only a small candle was illuminated the space. There was no bed, no couch, only a thin blanket and holed sheets were on the ground. Small pieces of bread and a jar of milk were on the wooden table, facing the fireplace.

He felt his chest tighten, knowing that the mysterious stranger who looked tough and charismatic was living in such difficult conditions.

The Eagle cleared his throat, "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Jimin turned to look at him and gave him his widest smile, "Good morning. I am sorry for suddenly barging in here, I was looking for you because you didn't show up next to the river."

"Yes, I am sorry for being late." the young man took his bag pack and caressed the Husky's hair, "I needed to feed the dog. I don't know how long our trip will last, so I needed to make sure it has enough food around."

The silver-haired approached the black and white animal and knelt before him. "Hello." he whispered before running his fingers in its soft hair. It seemed to relax in his touch which made the prince smile softly. "Would you like to bring it too?" he asked.

"Can I?" The Eagle widened his eyes.

"Of course." Jimin nodded. "It cannot stay alone for so long." he said, looking at the dog's beautiful eyes. "I am sure he will bring us good company."

The masked man knelt beside him and patted the Husky's head, "My friend, we are going on a trip."

Jimin smiled and looked around the house again. "Do you live alone?" he asked.

The Eagle nodded.

"Oh? What about your family?" the prince asked.

The stranger looked at him, "I have no family." he mumbled, making the silver-haired man surprised.

?

Jimin, the Eagle and the dog left the house, heading toward the place where Taehyung was waiting for them.

The found him sitting in front of the river, reading a book peacefully while eating his pancake.

The Eagle chuckled when he saw him, "Another prince! How lucky I am." he rolled his eyes.

The young prince stood up and frowned when he saw the stranger's dark outfit. He looked at his brother and wondered how he could trust someone like this.

"This is my brother Taehyung." Jimin placed his arm around the prince's shoulder. "And this is the man I talked to you about."

"The Eagle." Taehyung nodded. "He seems very trustworthy." he faked a smile.

Jimin could already feel the tension between his brother and their new friend.

"Here!" He took a pancake from his bag and gave it to the stranger, "I guess you haven't eaten your breakfast yet." he said, before taking his own pancake.

The Eagle stared at the prince and mumbled a small 'thanks'. He turned around to eat without anyone seeing his face.

"So, where are we going now? When everyone wakes up in the castle, they will surely notice our absence." Taehyung said. "They will look for us."

"I know." Jimin nodded. "This is why we are going to take a ship that will lead us to another city."

"There are a few of them in the harbor." the Eagle said. "But we need to hurry in order to find places for the four of us."

They walked all along the forest until they arrived to the harbor. Jimin stopped them and asked the masked man to take a look around and see if there aren't any palace guards next to the ships. They were lucky that there were only a few travelers and staffs.

"This one goes to Diamond Harbor." the Eagle pointed at a small ship.

"We cannot go to Diamond." Jimin shook his head, "We have a castle there."

"How unfortunate." the man rolled his eyes. "Then there is this one which goes to Ruby Harbor."

"Ruby..." the prince rubbed his chin.

"Oh, do you have a castle there too?" the masked man asked with an annoyed tone.

"Well technically we do have one, but it has been abandoned years ago, so we are safe there."

The man nodded and approached the ship, "Who's the captain?" he asked some people who were standing in the front.

"I'm the captain." and old man answered. "You're going to Ruby?"

"Yes, we need to go now."

The captain chuckled, "We're not sailing until tomorrow morning."

Jimin pressed his lips and whispered to the Eagle, "We cannot stay until tomorrow, my father will send guards to look for us everywhere."

"Are there any ships sailing now?" they asked the captain who simply shook his head. "All the ships are leaving until tomorrow."

The prince looked at his brother who started getting worried. "What should we do now?"

"We need to hide somewhere." the elder said. "At least until tomorrow morning."

"But they will find us."

"There is no other way..." Jimin rubbed his neck. "Let's find a place."

They walked at the edge of the harbor, they watched the sun rise gracefully above the sea, illuminating the azur blue water with its shiny rays.

Jimin stopped to watch the scenery for a moment. He got lost in its beauty, letting it calm him down and relax his mind in order to think better.

He sighed heavily and looked away, they needed to continue walking until they find a place to stay in.

"What is that?" he heard Taehyung asking.

He looked to where he was pointing and his eyes widened when he spotted a ship, and not a regular one.

"Pirates." the Eagle chuckled.

"Pirates?" Taehyung raised an eyebrow. "What are they doing here? Don't they know that it is prohibited to be here? They could get arrested!"

"We are not ones to talk." Jimin chuckled. "What we are doing is prohibited too, so we cannot judge them."

"So, are you planning to sail with them?" the masked man asked.

"What?!" Taehyung widened his eyes, "No way!"

"Brother." Jimin squeezed his shoulder. "They might find us if we stay here until tomorrow. Pirates do not have dates or times, they can leave anytime."

"And how are you going to make pirates obey you?" the blond crossed his arms.

"Oh trust me, there is something that drives pirates crazy." Jimin smirked and looked at the masked man who was watching them with amusement.

As they approached the ship, they could see how big and large the galleon was, a large three-masted sailing ship with a square rig and two decks. A flag of three lions in black and gold moved with the wind at the top of the main mast. At least fifty or more sailors were aboard.

"Let's go." Jimin said before climbing the small bridge that joined the boat ashore.

The pirates stopped their work when they spotted the three strangers. Taehyung hide behind his brother, mentally cursing him for his unlimited courage.

"We'd like to see the captain." the Eagle said.

A tall blond man raised an eyebrow, he looked at him with confusing eyes. He was wearing a white shirt opened to his chest with wide sleeves that reached to his elbows, black trousers and a large white belt with black and silver embroideries on it. He looked away and headed to the captain's cabin, "Captain! Some lads want to talk to ye!"

The cabin's door opened and a man appeared in front of the crew. Jimin was surprised to see that he was still young, he always had the idea of a captain being old according to what he read in books.

The captain was wearing a white shirt and a long brown coat with black trousers and leather boots. A large hat was on his head and a gold earring caught the attention. He raised an eyebrow and approached the strangers, "Who are ye?" he asked.

"Just travelers." the Eagle answered. "We need you to go to Ruby Harbor."

The captain scoffed, "Travelers? Why would travelers come to a pirate's ship? Aren't ye scared?"

"We have no reason to be scared." Jimin said. "Pirates are known to be the real masters of sailing. We could not trust any other captain."

"Aye." the pirate laughed. "We are the masters indeed."

The Eagle looked at Jimin and smirked, he thought that he was very good with words for someone who barely leaves the castle.

"And what do ye offer me?" the captain asked them.

The crown prince took a small suede pouch from his pocket and showed it to the pirate, "I hope you like gold."

"Ho!" the captain's eyes shone at the mention of gold. "Welcome aboard the Three Lions!" he exclaimed.

The two brothers smiled to each other.

"Wonho!" the captain called the blond pirate. "We will be taking these lads to Ruby Harbor, it's on our way anyways."

"Aye captain!"

"That's Wonho, the quartermaster, a good lad." the captain told them.

Jimin nodded with a smile, "What's your name captain?"

"Me name?" the pirate smirked, "Suho, how about ye lads?"

"I'm Jimin"

"Taehyung." the blond smiled nervously.

The Eagle approached the captain and shook his hand, "Yoongi, thanks for welcoming us aboard."

"Yoongi?" Jimin stared at him.

"Yes, why?"

"Nothing." the prince shrugged. "I just like your name." he smiled.