Chapter Text
Jungkook knew it was dangerous to bathe in the lake. After all, the lake was located in the middle of the forest, far from civilization. But the fact that it was a little-known lake made the young prince not hesitate to take a dip in it. It wasn’t the first time the young man had let himself go and decided to bathe there, but that day, he had felt hesitant about whether to do it or not.
That’s why, when the prince heard the faint sound of branches moving, he knew someone was watching him. Trying to remain calm, he was grateful that the lake was large and deep, allowing him to hide his nakedness better from prying eyes. Mentally organizing his escape plan, he figured that the spy was not in a hurry to rob or kill him, so he decided to swim a little longer to further conceal that he had noticed them. "Too obvious," Jungkook thought, unable to believe that the person behind the bushes actually believed they were doing a good job hiding.
As he swam, he slowly moved toward the other side of the lake, where he had left his clothes and where he knew, thanks to the angle, the spy wouldn’t be able to see him fully. As he dressed quickly, he occasionally made noises with his hand to make the hidden person believe he was still bathing.
Without wasting time fastening his linen shirt and only in his undergarments, he began approaching the spy’s location. "What a beginner, I can see the top of their head from here," Jungkook thought, which reassured him even more. Holding a dagger in his hand, he began circling the area where the other person was, who had started moving, possibly because they had not seen him or heard the splashing water for a while.
Jungkook didn’t hesitate to lunge at the person, struggling until he had them pinned down beneath him, preventing them from moving.
Grabbing both wrists with one hand over their head and placing the dagger against their neck with the other, he realized his spy was a man. Around his age and more muscular than him. It was obvious that, straddling a man so strong, he wouldn’t be able to keep him still for long.
Pressing the dagger closer to his throat, he asked, "Who are you?".
The man was looking at him, studying his face, just as Jungkook couldn’t help but analyze his. He had to admit he was an attractive man, slightly older than him but around the same age. His features were different from those of this region, sharper. He was probably a foreigner, which would explain if he didn’t understand the language.
As Jungkook considered his next move, the stranger decided to speak.
"I am just a poor traveler passing through," the man said in a deep, rough voice, with an accent that confirmed he was indeed foreign.
"What were you doing spying on me? Pervert!"
The stranger's eyes widened in shock.
"Pervert? I won’t deny that your beauty left me speechless, adorable stranger, you look like a flower. But when I arrived at this lake, you were already submerged in the water, so I didn’t see anything that I’m not seeing now," the foreigner responded, letting his gaze slowly drop from Jungkook’s face to his chest, and lower still to his navel.
Jungkook now felt embarrassed, but he wasn’t about to let a pervert make him feel uncomfortable.
"Then what were you trying to do? Rob me? Kill me?"
The man smirked mischievously.
"No, my beautiful stranger. I wanted your horse. It’s on the other side of the lake, isn’t it? I was heading toward it just now when I figured you must be getting dressed since I stopped hearing the sound of water."
Jungkook made the mistake of glancing toward Niebla, his horse, standing a few meters away, indeed on the other side of the river. So, the stranger hadn’t been moving closer to him, but rather in the opposite direction.
As he analyzed the situation, the stranger took advantage of the moment to easily free one of his hands and place it on Jungkook’s thigh.
Before the young prince could react, the man spoke again.
"I was about to steal that horse to ride toward my destination, but it seems like the one who wants to ride is you," he said with a laugh, making Jungkook suddenly realize the position they were in.
The stranger continued laughing as he tilted his pelvis upward, making Jungkook realize that his backside was pressed against the man's intimate parts.
The foreigner tightened his grip on Jungkook’s thigh.
"Not sure who the real pervert is," he said with a wink.
"Pig!" Jungkook exclaimed, before striking him hard with the hilt of his dagger in his head, hitting him just enough to knock him unconscious.
Jungkook flushed as he tried to process the position he had been in, cursing himself for how easily the stranger had made him lose focus.
While the man beneath him lay unconscious, the prince decided to examine him more closely. He moved to the side and knelt down, realizing that the man was much more muscular than he had thought and probably taller than Jungkook. His skin was tan, different from what he was used to seeing in the northern lands. His clothes were too light for this climate, suggesting he had only recently arrived in this territory.
His eyes returned to the man’s face, and upon studying him more calmly, he couldn’t deny that he was incredibly handsome. Jungkook had never felt such attraction to another person before, much less to someone who was probably a bandit.
Deciding that no matter how beautiful a man was, he had no excuse for trying to steal, Jungkook called his horse to come closer. He tried to lift the man onto his horse, but the foreigner was too large and heavy for him.
Jungkook hated asking for help, but in this case, it seemed necessary. He took his whistle and blew on it, summoning Yoongi and Hobi to assist him.
Fifteen minutes later, just as Jungkook had finished adjusting his clothes and was finally presentable, both men arrived on horseback.
"Prince Jungkook! What happened?" Yoongi asked as they dismounted.
"I captured a bandit. Let’s take him to my father, he will decide what to do with him."
The three of them managed to lift the unconscious man onto Yoongi’s horse, and together they rode toward the castle, which was not far from where they were.
When Jungkook arrived at the stables, Namjoon, the stablemaster, was already there, ready to help him dismount and take care of Niebla.
"Jungkook, what happened? Who is he? A fugitive?" Namjoon asked, concerned.
"Don’t worry, he’s unconscious. Help us get him off the horse and leave him there in the stable," Jungkook replied. "Jin, please inform my father. Tell him we captured a bandit north of the forest."
Jin nodded and was about to head inside the castle when suddenly, Jimin, Jungkook’s cousin, came running toward them in a hurry.
"Jungkook! Jungkook! Oh my god, I finally found you!" Jimin exclaimed as he rushed toward the prince.
"Jimin, where is my father?"
"Your father is in a meeting. It's happening, Jungkook. Your father is arranging your marriage right now."