Chapter Text
Ten Years Ago
In a Kingdom where the snow never defrosts, never crosses the border into other Kingdoms, Prince Jimin finds himself near a lake that has frozen over. He isn’t sure exactly what this lake would look like should the ice melt and the water become able to touch and dip his feet in. It’s never happened before. In all ten years of Jimin’s life, this lake has been frozen. As have any other bodies of water here in this Kingdom, because it’s the Winter Kingdom. It’s always cold, a place where the snow never melts and seasons such as Summer and Spring do not exist.
Jimin’s companion Jasper the Penguin is beside him waddling around. Unlike Jimin, Jasper trusts the ice of the lake to hold his weight and not crack. Deep within Jimin, he knows that it wouldn’t break open. He knows he wouldn’t fall in, but he still doesn’t take those chances. His body may be accustomed to the cold weather because this is where he’s from, but cold water is definitely a no. Whenever he tries taking a cold bath he always shies away. Sometimes, Taehyung calls him out for it, and Jasper laughs at him.
The silver haired prince lets out a breath, watches as it comes out in puffs of smoke and then disappears. It always amazes him what the cold can do, how it transforms even the simplest things. It got so cold once that Jimin managed to watch as the water that came from inside froze once they were outside. It was an extremely exciting moment.
He lays back in the snow, raises his eyes to look up at the grey skies. He’s seen the sun before, a small fraction of it before it hid behind the clouds and disappeared from sight. It’s a rare occurrence for the sun to be seen here in the Winter Kingdom, though. With the constant snow and rain, it’s barely visible, but whenever they see it Jimin gets a feeling of hope deep within him.
Jimin loves the Winter Kingdom. He loves almost everything about it. The people are incredibly nice to him. He’s heard countless comments about how one day he’ll make a great ruler and possibly change how things are currently run. He loves the snow, loves how it feels against his skin, loves that he can create snowmen and snow angels and have snowball fights with Taehyung, even though he gets in trouble for it later because he should be focusing on his studies instead.
He loves the way their Kingdom looks with their bright blue and white and the silver lining that is included on their uniforms and logo. He loves the way everything is colour coordinated. And he loves the animals. It’s thanks to being in the Winter Kingdom that Jimin was able to get Jasper. A penguin wouldn’t survive in the Summer Kingdom or the Spring Kingdom. Maybe they could in the Autumn Kingdom, but Jimin was glad he didn’t have to take that chance. Besides, Jasper is perfect for him. He can’t imagine having any other friend.
He loves everything about his Kingdom. He loves his friends, his family, and everything it has to offer him, and he can’t wait to take over as King one day and run the Kingdom the way he envisions. Though he knows not all the changes he wants can come true. Especially his dream of making it mandatory to have candy when they want it. His mother says it wouldn’t be good for his health if he ate too much, unfortunately. At least Taehyung has candy whenever they meet up. He gets it then.
However, as much as Jimin loves his Kingdom, he also wishes for more. He wishes he could go out and see the other Kingdoms. He’s learned about them. A lot of his lessons with his teacher are spent learning about the history of the world, about the four Kingdoms and how they all used to be close. The Summer Kingdom and the Winter Kingdom were the closest out of the four, but no one knows what exactly drove them apart.
In all of his lessons, there was never once a mention of a war, a disagreement, or anything that could cause them to grow to hate each other. It never made sense to Jimin. Why would two Kingdoms that were once close slowly come to hate each other and forbid others from travelling into their Kingdom? Why take it out on everyone in the Kingdom if the problem lies with Royalty?
Jimin almost laughs at the irony of that question. He’s wondering that since he, himself, is royalty. The problem lies with his family.
What happened? Why did they close the borders? Why ruin everything for the future? The current present? Jimin wants the experience of travelling to other Kingdoms. He wants to meet others and see things he never imagined before. He wants to see a body of water that isn’t frozen over. One that he can dip his feet in or go swimming in.
Swimming. That’s something Jimin has learned the people in the Summer Kingdom do a lot. With their hot weather and forever beating sun it feels nice to cool off in the water. He wonders what it’s like to wear a bathing suit and swim around with friends. He feels like he and Taehyung would love doing it. Sadly, they’ll never get the chance unless they take a bath together and Jimin outright refuses to do that with anyone. As it is now he doesn’t let anyone help him bathe, even though it’s protocol. He merely dismisses them and bathes himself before either getting ready for the day or getting ready for bed.
Jimin is pulled from his thoughts as Jasper leans his head over and looks down at him. He tilts his head to the side before pulling away causing Jimin to sit up. Jasper turns his head to the right.
“What is it boy?” Jimin questions. Did Jasper hear something? His hearing was ten times better than his and with him being off in his own thoughts, hearing anything was impossible. Was someone nearby? Maybe one of the guards are questioning why he was out here alone when it was getting dark soon. Though he doesn't see why it would matter considering he comes out here a lot to clear his mind and just think.
He falls silent then, waits to hear if there’s any sound, any noise. The only thing that can be heard is his breathing, but then a second later he hears the sound of a twig snap. Immediately, he stands up.
Jimin isn’t unaware of people who wish to attack their Kingdom. He isn’t oblivious to those who hate his father and want things done. They wouldn’t attack him though, would they? How would they even be able to find him? He’s in the middle of nowhere here in the Kingdom by the border—a place that a Prince honestly should not be, and yet he doesn't care. He loves coming out here.
Did someone find him? Were they here to attack him?
“Artemis?” A voice calls. Jimin immediately takes a step back, reaches out and pulls Jasper along with him. He doesn’t know who this person is, doesn’t even recognize the voice. He isn’t letting himself or Jasper get hurt. “Artemis, come on! We have to go home! We shouldn’t be here, you know that!”
Jimin pulls Jasper behind a tree with him. He glances out from it and watches as a blonde haired boy comes into sight. He has a distraught look on his face as he once again calls for this Artemis. Jimin can’t help but wonder who they are, and why this boy with such beautiful blonde hair is here. Why does he emit such warmth? Such beauty? He’s never seen it before.
At least… not in person.
In the Winter Kingdom, most citizens have either blue, silver or white hair. It’s how they’re born and how everyone can recognize what Kingdom they’re from. According to the books that Jimin has read, those from the Autumn Kingdom have red, brown and orange hair colours. Those in the Spring Kingdom have purple, green, and dark pink. And then there’s the Summer Kingdom, the blondes, the light pinks, the blue of an ocean.
It’s Jimin’s first time ever seeing someone with blonde hair in person. The first time he’s ever witnessed hair of that colour, someone of that beauty.
It only made sense that he came from the Summer Kingdom.
But...what was he doing here? And why? Didn’t he know the rules? The borders were forbidden to cross!
He’s amazed that this stranger made it in so far with such delicate clothing on. A light yellow vest sits on his torso with a pair of shorts to match. They’re stitched with white trim to bring it all together and though it’s beautiful Jimin doesn’t know if he’d ever wear something similar. He prefers his blues and silvers.
It’s common knowledge for anyone — regardless if one has been taught this or not — that when traveling to another Kingdom one must wear the proper clothing or else there will be consequences. Okay, maybe it’s not as common since the Kingdoms are kept to themselves now, but even Jimin is aware of it so this stranger must be too.
Those from the Summer Kingdom, even the Autumn Kingdom need to wear heavy, protective clothing to keep them warm during the harsh winters, the cold that seeps through their skin and freezes their bones. Everyone in the Winter Kingdom is accustomed to this, it hasn’t any affect on them but it affects the others.
Maybe this trip wasn’t planned then.
Maybe it’s related to that Artemis.
He watches as the stranger takes another step forward, watches as he shivers from the cold and his legs buckle underneath him. He falls to the ground and plops into the snow. Jimin lets out a cry and rushes to aid him despite Jasper crying out to him. Even Jasper knows this is a stupid idea but Jimin is too kind-natured to leave someone alone when they’re freezing.
“Are you okay?” He cries. He immediately starts taking off the jacket he was wearing over his uniform. Even though he doesn’t need it to keep him warm since the snow doesn’t bother him, it looks good so he wears it. He drapes it over the boy and frowns deeply when he realizes his condition. “You’re freezing. Come on. I’ll take you somewhere warm.”
The boy shivers but takes the jacket gratefully. He pulls it around him tightly and looks up at Jimin. “Where are we going?”
“Not too far. I promise.” He smiles warmly. “My friend lives nearby. We can stop by his place for now and get you warm.”
“B-but…” he bites his lip. “What about Artemis?”
Jimin tilts his head to the side. That’s the name he called earlier. “Who is Artemis?”
“He’s my best friend. An owl. My mother gave him to me. He disappeared here and now I can’t find him.” The boy’s eyes fill with tears as the mention of Artemis disappearing. Jimin’s heart aches. He can’t imagine the pain of being separated from the one he loves. If he and Jasper got separated he would cry too.
“We’ll find him. Or he’ll find us.” Jimin encourages. “Owls are quite smart. I’m sure he’ll come back for you.”
The boy frowns, wrinkles etched into his skin that Jimin thinks are way too early to come. He heaves the boy up, wraps his arm around his waist while the other holds his arm to keep him close. There’s supposed to be a warmth that radiates off of the boy. That’s what he’s learned from all his lessons but he doesn’t feel anything except coldness.
Jimin sucks in a breath, looks at Jasper who in turn begins leading the way and heads towards his destination.
Hopefully Taehyung won’t be mad.
—☆彡—
“You’re freezing still.” Jimin whines. He grabs a third blanket from Taehyung’s parents closet and drapes it over the boy. He is still shivering, still trying to get warm even after fifteen minutes of being here. Jimin frowns, unhappy. He doesn’t like seeing someone so cold. He’s never witnessed it before and now he doesn’t like it. “If this doesn’t help, let me know. I’ll get a fourth.”
They already have the fireplace burning, the fire crackles in its spot, pops and leaps into the air. Jimin feels a small, comfortable warmth from it. He wonders if that’s how those of the Summer Kingdom feel, if that’s how warm they are.
“It’s helping.” The boy’s voice is quiet. He’s looking down at the light blue blanket wrapped around his tiny self then glances towards Jimin. “Who are you anyways? Why would you help me? You know we shouldn’t be talking right now. Nor should I be here or even in this Kingdom.”
Jimin nods his head. “That’s true. You shouldn’t. But I can understand why you’re here.” He motions towards Jasper who’s sitting away from the fire since it’s too warm for him. “If Jasper were to cross into the Summer Kingdom — though he wouldn’t — I would chase after him too. As for us speaking, I’m a Prince. I help people out. You just so happened to be there needing help.”
The strange gasps at that, “Y-you’re a prince too?!” His eyes widen. “I’ve never met another prince!”
That brings a surge of surprise and happiness to Jimin as he leans forward, scoots to the edge of his seat in awe. Another prince? And one from another Kingdom at that! Was today his lucky day?
“I’m Prince Jimin of the Winter Kingdom.” He introduces himself. He beams brightly as the boy — the prince — smiles back at him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“I’m Prince Yoongi of the Summer Kingdom,” the boy replies. He pulls the blankets closer to him, holds them tightly in his hands as he exhales a shaky breath. He still looks cold but not as bad as when they first arrived. “Thank you for helping me out, Prince Jimin.”
“I’m glad I was able to be of help.” Jimin turns to look out the window. He wonders if Artemis is out looking for him right now, wonders if maybe there’s a way to signal for him, or a way for Yoongi to call out. But Yoongi is in no state to stand outside right now. Not with how cold he is, how he looks fragile and like he’ll break any moment. They’ll have to be patient and pray that Artemis isn’t looking for him at the moment.
The two of them talk for a while, mostly about random things, but also things of importance to the two of them. They talk about the differences of their two Kingdoms. About how the Winter Kingdom is a lot colder than Yoongi ever would have imagined while Jimin believes the Summer Kingdom would be quite hot. He even mentions that he has dreams of going swimming one day. He dreams that he’ll be able to have the chance.
Prince Yoongi eventually gets warmer, to the point that he’s able to take one of the blankets off and set it to the side. Jimin laughs when he makes a comment about how he looks like a burrito.
It’s weird but nice having someone to talk to that isn’t from his Kingdom. It’s nice to hear about how many differences there are, like the flowers and the bodies of water in the Summer Kingdom. It’s interesting to hear that while it does rain in the Summer Kingdom it doesn’t snow. It has never snowed there. Most people have never seen it before. Yoongi was one of them until today.
He learns that most people don’t wear heavy layers of clothing. Instead they mainly wear shorts and skirts and dresses with beautiful designs on it. He learns that people stay out longer in the day because the sun beams in their sky while in the Winter Kingdom it's always shadowed.
Jimin won’t lie. He’s envious that Yoongi gets to live like that.
“I wish I could see the Summer Kingdom one day.” He lets out a sigh as his hand runs down Jasper’s back. The penguin lets out a small noise, a signal that he’s enjoying the pets he’s receiving. “I would love to see the sun and all the flowers. To wear something beside what I’m used to. It would be a nice change of pace.” He looks down at his lap. “but I can’t go against my father. I can’t venture out on my own even if I wanted to.”
“I’ll take you,” Yoongi says. Jimin’s eyes widen as he lifts his head up. “Not now, but one day I will. One day we’ll be able to freely travel to all the Kingdom’s again, I’m sure of it. I plan to make it happen when I’m King!”
“Me too!” Jimin nods his head quickly. “That’s something I’ve been wanting to do for forever! I want to open the borders and allow people to visit other Kingdoms again. Go back to our old ways. I don’t want to stay here forever.”
Yoongi nods and silence falls as he thinks for a moment. Then he looks up at Jimin, eyes bright, “What if we do it together?”
Jimin tilts his head suddenly taken aback. His hand hovers over Jasper just about to pet him when Yoongi says that. He doesn’t know how to reply. What does he say to such a proposal? He won’t be King for a very very long time. After all, he’s only ten. He can’t do a lot of things he wishes he could.
“W-what do you mean?”
Yoongi scoots closer in his seat. Holds the blanket in his fists and smiles. “You and I. We can change how things go. We can change the rules, change how the Kingdom’s run. We’ll be Kings one day, and I know if we’re by each other’s sides then we can do this.”
Jimin blinks. He’s still confused. What did Yoongi think they could accomplish? They were still kids. They couldn’t do anything right now. He was ten and Yoongi was twelve. They’re still taking all their lessons and learning everything. They can’t make these big decisions even if they want to.
“H-how?” He asks. Jasper waddles away once he realizes he won’t be getting anymore pets for the time being.
Yoongi purses his lips together, bundles himself up in the blankets more and lets out a hum, “I’m sure you’ve learned in your lessons that some Kingdoms have their heirs get married for alliances, right?”
It takes Jimin a moment to think through his lessons before he remembers that, yes, he has heard about this. But why did it matter? He nods his head for Yoongi to continue.
“Well...what if...one day when we’re older. When we’re close to taking the throne we get married? That would bring our Kingdoms together. And they would realize that there’s no reason for us to hate each other or keep the borders closed.”
There’s a beat of silence that hits them after that. A small wave filled with nothingness as the two of them stare at each other. Now Jimin is a bit glad that Taehyung had disappeared outside to do some work so he couldn’t overhear the conversation. This is absolutely crazy.
“Married? Marriage? Us? B-but we...barely know each other! And we’re kids!”
Yoongi laughs, “I know we’re kids. That’s why I said in the future. When we’re adults and we can do things like change. It can be our secret — a promise of sorts — that one day we’ll get married and bring the Kingdoms together again. How does that sound?”
Jimin has to think it over. He doesn’t see any harm in making such an agreement. Yoongi seems like a sweet person, seems warm and kind. And honestly he’s not looking forward to when Yoongi goes back home once Artemis comes back because he doesn’t know when they’ll see each other again. It could be years. What if they never get the chance to see one another and their promise fails to be fulfilled?
Maybe it’s part of the risk of being royalty and of wanting such a big change to occur.
“Here,” Jimin says when he makes a decision. He rolls the sleeve up of his jacket and takes off a small silver bracelet. It’s a piece of jewelry he got when he was younger. Something that proved his title as a prince, as a Park. He holds it out to Yoongi and smiles, “This will be our promise holder. Wear this until we can fulfill our promise, okay?”
Yoongi takes the bracelet into his hands, looks it over and then slides it onto his wrist. He smiles, “Does that mean you accept?”
Jimin nods, “I do. I-“ he’s cut off by the sound of an owl. Immediately both Jimin and Yoongi turn their heads towards the door, and before Jimin can say anything, Yoongi is breaking out of the blankets and rushing out.
“Artemis!?” He cries. Jimin follows quickly behind him as he throws the door open. It doesn’t take long to spot the snowy owl perched on a tree branch. Yoongi exhales a breath and runs forward, “Artemis! You’re back!”
Jimin tilts his head in confusion. If Yoongi is from the Summer Kingdom then why did he have an animal that’s from the Winter Kingdom? It doesn’t make any sense. He decides against asking, though.
Artemis flies down and sits on top of Yoongi’s shoulder. The prince turns around and beams, “This is Artemis. He’s my best friend.” He turns to look at Artemis. “Artemis, this is Jimin. My future husband.”
Prince Jimin can’t help but smile at that. Future husband. It’s only just been decided and yet it still sounds nice. One day they’ll get married.
One day they’ll change the world.
One day they’ll—
—☆彡—
“ Prince Jimin! ” A ruler hits the edge of his desk making him jump. Jimin is jolted from his thoughts as he pulls away and cowers. He looks around quickly only to see his teacher Namjoon standing in front of him with an annoyed look on his face. Jimin offers a sheepish smile. He can tell that Namjoon isn’t pleased with him. It’s the third time this week that he’s been caught daydreaming. Though Jimin wouldn't call it that. It’s more reminiscing in the past. “I’m trying to teach you, and I would love it if you’d listen rather than daydream.”
“I’m sorry.” Jimin looks down at his desk and flips a page of the textbook in front of him. Namjoon lets out a soft sigh and turns to start the lesson once again. Jimin tries to focus and he does for a good five minutes before he begins zoning out again. He’s thinking about Yoongi once more. It’s all he does recently. All he can do with his free time.
It’s been ten years since he and Yoongi made that promise. Ten years since he gave him his bracelet with a promise that they’d get married when they became adults, when they were ready to change the world. He hasn’t seen Yoongi since that day, and yet all he can do is think about him. How was he doing? Did he even remember him? Was he still wearing that bracelet? Or was the promise no longer relevant?
Jimin lets out a sigh as Namjoon turns and gives him a glare again. A small part of him feels bad for spacing out and thinking of the past during his lessons. He knows that Namjoon is trying really hard as his teacher. He needs to pay attention to the lesson. Especially when they’re important like this one.
But even knowing that, he can’t help but wonder:
Yoongi, will our paths ever cross again? Will you fulfill your promise? Will I see the Summer Kingdom one day?