Hey I'm back! Over my hiatus I got really into mythology again so story is based off the story of Eros and Psyche. If you know it, cool, but I changed a few things. If you don't know it, enjoy the ride. Hope you like it! Sorry if it's weird, I wrote it on my phone :/
Slight waves curled his dark, soft hair. A mischievous glint sparkled in his hazelnut eyes. Giggles and ringing laughs bubbled up out of his pretty smile. Shining, almost bronze skin coated soft, toned muscles. Without a shade of a doubt, Jeon Jungkook was the most beautiful being in the kingdom. And he hated it.
Ever since he was born, the youngest of three, his beauty had been remarked upon. It wasn't until he turned nineteen that it began to be worshipped. As in, literally worshipped.
Much to the displeasure of his brothers, Jimin and Seokjin, the citizens of the kingdom abandoned the adoration of their traditional god of love and took up the worship of their youngest and fairest prince.
Other than the unknowing townsfolk, not a single soul was happy with this arrangement. Jimin and Seokjin, jealous souls, had always envied their little brother for his looks. It is indeed true that, if Jungkook did not exist, one of them might be considered god-worthy also. Jungkook was unhappy, too. He disliked being the centre of attention at the best of times and the thought of people having shrines to him in their homes made him extremely uncomfortable.
Probably the most vexed by the situation would be the god himself. A vengeful and jealous deity, Hoseok did not appreciate this child appearing and stealing his followers. After all, Hoseok had been around since almost the beginning of the universe. This prince would live and die in the blink of an eye. Faster, if Hoseok had anything to do with it.
Where there is love, there is pain, heartbreak, rebound and, most importantly, revenge. Quickly and cunningly, Hoseok devised a plan to rid the world of Jeon Jungkook and gain back the rightful title and offerings.
Meanwhile, Jungkook was busy being a bored prince. It wasn't a rich kingdom, but it would be an understatement to say that Jungkook had an advantaged life. He lived in a palace, had handmaidens wait on him night and day, everything he could ask for except subtlety.
The one thing he had that his brothers did not was a sufficient lack of vanity. One could call this trait 'low self-esteem' and most would if they had the gall to comment on the prince in a way that was not primarily complimentary of his looks.
One night, Jungkook went to bed feeling particularly solemn. His father, the great King Namjoon had informed him that, due to rising tensions across the borders, Jungkook was to be married to the Princess of the neighbouring kingdom. Upon hearing this news, Jungkook felt physically ill and left without saying a word.
Along with the initial disgust and unjust feelings, despondency and hopelessness found their way through. Jungkook knew that it didn't matter how much he protested to this communion; the marriage would go on anyway. Jungkook had never met this girl before, making him even more sure that he did not love her.
In times like this, Jungkook knew that most people would pray to the god of love. However, Jungkook had no one to turn to. He was entirely aware that Hoseok probably had some hostile feelings towards him.
Hostile may have been an understatement. At that very moment, sensing Jungkook's heartbreak, Hoseok decided to unleash his plan. He turned to his son and made sure he understood the plan. Silently, the winged descendent flew down to Jungkook's window, certain that nothing could go wrong.
However, even Jungkook, who was asleep at the time, could tell that something had gone awry. Not just anyone wakes up to see a figure jumping out of their window, a pig squealing and roaming around their room and a fair amount of blood on the floor. Certain he was dreaming, Jungkook just went to sleep.
In the morning, Jungkook's concerns about his future wife and the sudden occurance of a pig in his bedroom made him forget all about the shadow flitting out of his window. But the figure had far from forgotten about Jungkook.
At some point, Namjoon became aware that he was suddenly in possession of an extra swine. Confused, he asked Jungkook how it got there. Jungkook just shrugged and replied,
"I don't know. I woke up and it was there." Namjoon sighed, used to his son being vague and cryptic. He was perplexed at what this could possibly mean. Was it a sign from the gods? Was Jungkook thinking of becoming a farmer? Either way, keeping pigs was not fit behaviour for a prince.
"The wedding between the Princess and yourself will happen a little earlier than expected," he informed the young prince. Jungkook looked and felt shocked.
"Father you can't!" he exclaimed before remembering that his father was the literal king. "How much earlier?" he asked, subdued.
"A month's time," was the honest and succinct response. This sent Jungkook (and all of the servants) into a state of despair. There was so much less time to prepare and Jungkook couldn't handle it. He sprinted out of the throne room to his room, unable to process the news. It had originally been a year. He may have accepted it, or at least met his bride by then.
Towards the side of the throne room, Jimin and Seokjin rolled their eyes. They didn't understand anything about their spoiled little brother.
"That brat has everything," Seokjin sighed. "He's worshipped all over the kingdom, he's considered more beautiful than us," Jimin scoffed at this, "and he's marrying one of the prettiest girls in the entire world. And he's running off distressing like he's been sentenced to death."
"Can't he just be normal for once? He has a thing for pretending not to love the spotlight and it's honestly infuriating." Jimin folded his arms and frowned.
Meanwhile, Namjoon was concerned. His youngest son was exhibiting some odd behaviour that he couldn't quite explain. It couldn't be that he didn't want to marry the princess; that was impossible. It had to be something else. Not knowing what else to do, Namjoon decided to consult the oracle.
The oracle had come to their kingdom years ago. Despite Namjoon's original unbelief, the oracle had never been wrong. Unlike most delphic oracles, Yoongi tended not to be as cryptic or cruel with his sight; he was a little more human. He saw bad things and told them as they were, as long as someone asked.
When a plague was days away from ravaging the kingdom, it was pure luck that Namjoon consulted him then. Precautions were taken and few were killed. He even predicted Jungkook's immense beauty and impact. Namjoon trusted this man.
Down to the cavern he went, a single glimmering torch lighting his way. As he reached the bottom, he could see the steam flowing out of the earth, hear the rippling of the dark water and feel the presence of the divine oracle.
"You have a question, your Highness?" Yoongi asked lowly, and Namjoon sensed a smirk on his face. He probably already knew the query. "Ask it simply and ask it now." Namjoon took a breath.
"What do I do about Jungkook?" he said and there was a pause as Yoongi called on the godly powers of the mother earth and of the oracles. He answered,
"There is a creature, a monster so deadly that the gods themselves fear it. It can and will destroy the lives of every citizen, every soul you are aware of exists in your kingdom. Unless you follow this instruction: garland your youngest prince in sweet flowers and carry him to the highest rock in your kingdom. Lie him on the rock and leave. No one must witness what happens next. The creature will spare your people if this offering is made. That is what must be done."
Namjoon dropped to his knees. He must sacrifice Jungkook? But what about the wedding? This monster must be ferocious and deadly if the gods were afraid of it. This was bad.
"Thank you for your wisdom. I will follow your command." He stood and left, the grief already sinking in.
Jungkook wasn't as fazed as he probably should have been at this news. According to the prophecy, if his sacrifice didn't take place, he would die anyway, along with everyone else in the kingdom. It seemed the best option, if an unfortunate one. He had been powerless to change the wedding, but now his fate was set in stone, prophesised by the gods.
Ten days passed and Jungkook woke up, aware that he would die that day. He dressed in his ceremonial clothes, simple and white. Handmaidens flurried into his room, decking him with wreaths and laurels of hyacinths, lilies and smoraldos. He took one last look at himself in the mirror and the only thought entering his head was,
"At least the inconvenience this face caused me can be brought to an end."
Downstairs, his family were waiting. His father wept his apologies and Jungkook assured him it was okay. His brothers nodded their support and, for once, looked sincere. They may have hated him, but death was a bit of a strong punishment.
Outside the palace, almost the entire kingdom had turned up to witness their "god's" final procession. Jungkook was lifted onto the litter, also covered in beautiful smelling flowers, and the ascent up the mountain began.
Jungkook's naturally kind heart felt horrible for the people carrying him, felt guilty for making all these people walk so far just to see him lie on a stone. He was also uncomfortable at the thought of everyone here to see him in the first place. At least it would be over soon.
It took an hour to reach the summit of the mountain, where Jungkook found the rock already prepared for him - chains and all. He was lowered from the litter and set down on the rock. He stared at the sky as the cool metal wrapped across his body and around his wrists. He could hear occasional sobs and yells of support from the crowd.
His father said a few words. However, it was Namjoon, so a few words turned into a speech lasting over 20 minutes. The crowd applauded when he was done and Jungkook found himself not really wanting to do this anymore. He had no idea what this creature was or what it would do and he was so, so scared. Like he had never been before. Like he had never had to be.
The townsfolk began to descend after final hugs and kisses from his family and then Jungkook was alone. As the final footsteps faded into the distance, the only sound Jungkook could hear was his own heartbeat. Every scatter of rock and crow of bird made him jump and it didn't take long until he was crying, praying to every god to just please, get this over with.
Suddenly, Jungkook couldn't feel the chains on his wrists anymore or the stone on his back. He thought that maybe he was dead or dying and that the monster had inflicted so much sudden pain that his nervous system had shut down.
But he opened his eyes. And sat up. And looked down. That last one was a mistake. He was about 50 metres in the air and climbing. He screamed so loudly he was sure that the entire kingdom heard. A breeze caressed his hair gently, letting him understand. The west wind itself was carrying Jungkook...somewhere. He didn't know. He decided to just sit back and try to relax. This was better than being eaten.
For miles he flew over lakes and towns and mountains, far above the sight of anyone below. It was beginning to get cold and Jungkook wanted to ask where they were going. He was about to when they started descending.
The wind dropped him to the grassy floor and Jungkook thanked it politely before looking around at his surroundings. He was in a green forest, the wildness of which he had never seen before. Vines crawled over trees and unknown creatures squawked in the bushes, which bore fruits of purple and blue. It was very pretty, Jungkook thought.
He walked through the forest, still acutely aware that he was to be eaten. The fear and anticipation that had been relaxed by his flight crept back and a shiver ran through him. He turned a corner into a clearing and caught his breath.
There, in the middle of a forest in the middle of nowhere, was a gleaming, gorgeous palace, the likes of which Jungkook had never seen before. He had thought his life luxurious, but compared to the majesty of this place, his home was a mere stable. It practically glowed purple, the gems studding the door glinting in the light of the setting sun.
He wondered whose palace it was and was again about to call out before the doors opened by themselves. Curious and still afraid, Jungkook hurried through the doors and inside.
Lmao my attempt at a cliffhanger. Hope you liked it!