Tears of the Poor 10/?
Title: Tears of the Poor 10/?
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong/Junsu, Siwon/Hangeng/Heechul, Yoochun/Nichkhun/Chansung,
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: They are not mine to run through space, sabotage governments and overthrow evil politicians with.
Summary: With his life threatened on ShinKi, Yunho heads to Doushite, the underdeveloped planet Jaejoong and Changmin are from. The atmosphere is tense, at best. ShinKi is destroying the Doushiten way of life just because of the deep veins of gold running through the picturesque mountains. They don't know who they can trust when it comes to trying to free Doushite from the clutches of a greedy empire.
This is a sequel to the fic: Pleasures of the Mighty.
The pleasures of the mighty, are the tears of the poor. A song will outlive the sermons in the memory. = Kim Jaejoong's tattoos
Poster credit goes to 0xkaiia0x
Part 10: The Table
A/N: I'm going to the Inlaws this weekend, so you guys have time to get caught up on all the updates :)
The kitchen was bustling and warm. There were fires with pots hanging over them, what seemed like hundreds of wooden cupboards and counters, and lots of women of all ages running around with dishes and food.
The ladies crowded around Jaejoong and most of them cried, calling him their Returned Prince.
Jaejoong smiled at them and kissed their cheeks. He properly introduced Yunho and Junsu, and even though Yunho could tell they did not approve of the relationship, they were greeted warmly and with thanks. They were ushered to a table, and given coffee and a sweet fruit juice.
Yunho understood when one of the women said that breakfast had been served hours ago. But that didn’t stop the women from pausing in their lunch preparations to bring them meat and fruit and some heated porridge and bread.
Everything tasted and smelled wonderful, and since the ladies kept bringing them food, they kept eating until Yunho was so full that he didn’t think he could move.
Jaejoong smiled through the entire ordeal, and when he mentioned to one of the women that he’d like his hair cut, there was a flurry of activity, and he was moved to a chair in the middle of the room. One woman threw a cloth around his shoulders, and rough scissors suddenly appeared next to his head.
While they were cutting, one of the women said something, and Jaejoong laughed. In Shinki, he said, “They wanted to cut Hangeng’s hair, but Heechul refused and tried to steal their scissors.”
They all laughed.
When they were through, his hair was the shortest that Yunho had ever seen it, barely a skiff on his scalp. But the ladies touched it and said how much better it looked now that it was the proper color again.
Junsu pouted and crossed his arms.
“What?” Jaejoong asked when he took long enough to look away from the mirror and at the two of them.
“Now I can’t pull on it while you suck on my cock,” Junsu said.
Jaejoong laughed, but waved away the questions of the ladies.
A few minutes later, Changmin arrived. He snorted at Jaejoong’s hair, but said nothing. He sat down and accepted a bowl of porridge.
“They are waiting for you,” Changmin said in Shinki.
“Then they can wait.”
“What are your options?”
“Take the crown, and lead everyone against the Shinki bastards. Or not take the crown, and lead everyone against the Shinki bastards.”
“What do you mean not take the crown? It’s yours.”
Jaejoong looked at Yunho. “Himchan is still really young, old enough to be king, sure, but not in times of war. Uncle KyungTaek does not want to lead. I can see that in him.”
“Neither do you,” Changmin said, awe and understanding in his voice.
Jaejoong held out his hand and Yunho took it. “How am I to do that? If Yunho and Junsu go back to Shinki, then I’m going with them. They may be fucked up priorities to some, but not to me. And I can’t very well call you my successor because you’re already a king.”
“Of a ruined province.”
“Of the province where the rebellion is staged.”
“Whatever. This sucks.”
“Yeah. I need to talk to Himchan first.”
Changmin shook his head. “You can’t refuse this, Jaejoong. You can’t. Everyone will be devastated.”
“And if there are those who want Himchan to be king? Baekhyun is not dead.”
“You think ...”
“Changmin, I’m seeing traitors everywhere. I call it the Shinki Effect.”
“I thought the Shinki Effect was being turned gay.”
Junsu and Yunho laughed.
“What do you think?” Jaejoong asked and leaned against Yunho.
“I think Changmin is right,” Yunho said and ran his hand over Jaejoong’s short hair. “These people are counting on you.”
Jaejoong shut his eyes with a sigh. “Do you think I should talk to Himchan first? Make sure the kid isn’t going to kill me in my sleep?”
Changmin shook his head. “You can’t. They’re already convened and waiting. Pulling him out of that meeting would look bad, and they wouldn’t let him go alone. He has every right to be afraid of you slitting his throat.”
“It’s nice speaking in another language,” Jaejoong said and looked around them.
The women had gone back to their tasks but they were shooting looks at the occupied table.
Jaejoong sighed. “I guess it is time to deal with the politics.”
Changmin stood up, and half offered his arm to Yoona, before scowling and stomping away.
Yoona stuck her tongue out at his retreating back.
Jaejoong chuckled and stood up. He held his hands out for Junsu and pulled him to his feet. Their lips barely touched for a moment, and then arm in arm, they followed Changmin. Yunho stood and offered his arm to Yoona.
“I think I hate being your wife,” Yoona muttered.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m worried about my family, Yunho.”
He nodded. “I know.”
She placed a hand on her stomach. “If ... okay, I’ll be optimistic and say when I have your child, I’m going to be worried about him, too. On Shinki or here.”
“Here?”
She shrugged. “You have no idea how long we’re going to be here.”
“That’s true.”
Changmin led them up staircases and down long hallways covered in tapestries. Elegant vases covered in gold sat in windowsills and smooth, stone statues functioned as pillars at every crossways.
“It’s amazing here, isn’t it?” Yoona asked, arching her neck to look up at the painted ceilings.
Yunho nodded. “It really is.”
Changmin stopped at a door, and a man quickly opened it for him, bowing at the waist and saying, “Your Excellencies.”
Jaejoong snorted and turned his head enough to roll his eyes at Yunho.
“I definitely prefer master,” Yunho said.
Jaejoong smiled widely as they walked through the door.
The room they stepped into was large, at least three stories high, with a vaulted ceiling and wall-sized windows at the far end that looked out over the frozen lake. A long, straight table was the only furniture. The only thing on the table was an intricate gold and silver crown at the far end. The seat at the head of the table sat empty, but men lined most of the rest of it. Yunho figured there were at least thirty men there. They all stood as the door opened, and bowed over the table.
“Where are the others from ShinKi?” Jaejoong asked. “And Hangeng?”
Changmin looked over at him, an eyebrow raised. “You want them here?”
“Aren’t we here to tell our story? And Heechul speaks Doushiten well enough to act as a translator since you and I are going to be busy.”
“What will I be doing?”
“Conducting this meeting, King Shim Changmin. Must I remind you again, that this is your province, not mine.”
Jaejoong stopped at the first seat on the side of the table and sat down. Yunho sat next to him, and Junsu sat next to him with Yoona on his other side. Himchan sat across from Jaejoong, and Jaejoong’s uncle, KyungTaek sat next to him. The other five Doushitens who had found them in the mountains were scattered around the table, but those were all the names that Yunho remembered. The table was wide enough that if Yunho reached across, his hand would not hit the middle.
Jaejoong said something in Doushiten that Yunho missed, but Changmin repeated it, telling someone to go get the rest of the Shinki Bastards. One of the men at the end of the table stood up and headed out the door.
After the man had left, Changmin said something else, and another man left, and Changmin went to the head of the table. He stared at the silver and golden crown with a blank face, and then he sat down. The men who had been standing all sat after him.
“Now what, oh lustrous, leader,” Changmin mumbled under his breath.
Jaejoong smiled and leaned forward, and ran a finger around the crown. “Is this my father’s?” Jaejoong asked in Doushiten.
Himchan cleared his throat and shook his head. “They ... took it.”
“It’s okay to call them Shinki bastards. They understand.” Jaejoong smiled over at Yunho.
Himchan’s gaze flicked over to Yunho and he almost smiled, and then he dropped his eyes and said, “We made a new one for ... for...”
“Your coronation?”
Himchan nodded.
“Do you want it?”
Himchan’s eyes widened. “Jaejoong-h-hyung?”
“Do you want it? Do you want to be king?”
KyangTaek opened his mouth and Jaejoong held up a hand to silence him.
Himchan swallowed and dropped his gaze. “N-n-no. Maybe?”
Jaejoong smiled. “Maybe.”
“Don’t you want it, hyung?”
“It’s a lot of responsibility in times of peace. It’s overwhelming in times of war.”
Himchan nodded.
“If I didn’t return, would you have taken it?”
“Yes, hyung.”
“Why?”
“Uncle KyungTaek ...” Himchan stopped and looked over at him.
KyungTaek said something that Yunho did not understand.
Jaejoong nodded and leaned back, leaving the crown on the table. “He said that Himchan would take it because it’s his responsibility as the heir to the kingdom. He will not admit that he is no longer fit to rule in a war.”
Yunho frowned at the older man across from him, but nodded in understanding.
The door opened, and women flowed in with plates of bread and meat, and urn of wine and more golden goblets.
“Good timing,” Yunho said with a grin at Jaejoong. “They arrive and give everyone a chance to think about that conversation.”
“You’re playing a dangerous word game,” Changmin said. “Borderline disrespectful to your crown and to our traditions by allowing foreigners to sit at our table.”
“Yes, I know.”
“You should not be speaking that language,” KyungTaek said suddenly and sharply.
Jaejoong smiled. “My apologies. I’ve been speaking it for years. It’s almost as natural as Doushiten.”
“Nice save,” Changmin muttered.
As soon as the plates of food and drinks were distributed and the women had left the room, the other Shinki along with Hangeng came in. Again the men stood and bowed to Hangeng. The men shifted down the table again, and Hangeng ended up sitting where Himchan had been. Pushing everyone else down a seat. The Shinki stayed on their feet and filled the space behind Yunho, Junsu and Jaejoong’s chairs.
Yunho noticed that Yoochun was missing.
“Chansung, where is Yoochun?” Jaejoong asked in both languages.
Chansung bit his lip and then said, “He told me to tell you to go fuck yourself.”
More than one of them snorted.
“Fine. Nichkhun?”
“Um ... tied up?” Chansung winced.
Jaejoong narrowed his eyes at him. “Is he being harmed?”
Chansung shook his head. “No. Yoochun doesn’t have the energy for too much. I think he’s just trying to re-establish his control.”
“Don’t let him get away with too much.”
“We won’t.”
Jaejoong smiled and turned back to the table. He looked at Changmin, who sighed and stood up. He lifted his goblet and said something in Doushiten. The other Doushitens lifted their cups and repeated it. Changmin did it again, and then again. A total of eight times.
“That was a traditional toast to all the families represented at this table,” Jaejoong said in Doushiten, which Heechul quickly translated to Shinki.
Changmin stayed standing, and he bowed slightly to Hangeng. “You were the first to go to Shinki. Tell us all what happened.”
Hangeng stood up and half-bowed to the table. He greeted Jaejoong and Changmin formally, as well as Himchan, Kyungtaek and a few others. After that, he launched into his story. Yunho did not follow the Doushiten, but he remembered Hangeng’s story from before, that he was taken to Shinki in the guise of being a historian and peacemaker and then sold into slavery. He escaped and met Heechul. Hangeng explained about what Angel was doing on Shinki to help, and Heechul added his own commentary to that part.
When they were done talking, Jaejoong told his story, and then Changmin told his. Yunho noted how all three of them glossed over what it meant to be a slave on Shinki, but he was sure the Doushitens knew.
Jaejoong turned to Yunho with a smile. “Your turn, Governor Jung.”
“My turn?”
“Yes.”
Yunho said something in Doushiten that he hoped was asking what he should say. Based on Jaejoong’s smile and Changmin’s snort, he totally butchered it.
“Everyone wants to know why exactly you’re here. Just talk. I’ll translate.”
Yunho swallowed and sat up straight. It’s just a board meeting, Jung. Just a board meeting. He cleared his throat and started talking, pausing to let Jaejoong translate. He talked about his distaste for his government, and for the way his father had refused to let him question the Shinki ideals. He talked about how he cut ties with his family and moved out on his own. He talked about why he bought Jaejoong, and then about finding Junsu again. He told the story of him being poisoned and marrying Yoona. The last part he said in Doushiten.
“I learn your language. I come here. Because of Jaejoong. I love Jaejoong. He needs to be home. He is the king.”
Jaejoong smiled widely at him and yanked him forward enough to press a firm, short kiss to his lips. “Don’t say shit like that when I can’t drag you off to a bed to fuck you.” He held out a hand quickly. “Heechul, do not translate that.”
Heechul pouted. “Damn it.”
After Yunho was done speaking, everyone from Shinki told their story of why they were rebelling against the government. Yesung and Yoseob talked about how their worlds were overtaken by the Shinki for the riches and the people, and how they had ran away from the slave traders.
At Chansung’s turn, he shook his head. “I do not want to speak ill of my master, nor do I wish to make you look bad, Jaejoong. If they want to believe that we all hate slavery, then let them.”
Heechul made a face at him and called him a bitch under his breath.
Jaejoong frowned, and then nodded. “I won’t make you talk if you don’t want to.” He repeated it in Doushiten, and then turned back to Changmin.
What followed was a conversation of Shinki politics. Who was in charge and why, and what Yunho’s rank meant in terms of him leading. He lost the thread of it very quickly.
Changmin suddenly started laughing.
“What?” Yunho asked.
With a grin, Changmin said in Shinki, “They are wondering why a democratic society has so much corruption in it, when they are here spouting at us that they are correct and their ways are the best.”
Yunho shrugged. “I told you the system is flawed.”
“The system is a piece of shit.”
“I know.”
Changmin shook his head, and asked in Doushiten, “What do we do now?”
“I think we need to decide who is going to lead next to you,” Kyungtaek said.
Changmin looked at Jaejoong, and then at Himchan, and then farther down the table at someone else. “The traditions are clear, and there is no question about it. King Kim Jaejoong-shi will lead next to me.”
“Motherfucker,” Jaejoong muttered darkly, but nodded. “I will lead, and I do it willingly, but--”
Yunho lost what Jaejoong said next and focused on Heechul’s quiet translations. Jaejoong was appointing Himchan as his heir, since he would not have marry and have children. More than one Doushiten stood up and protested it.
Jaejoong remained calm, leaned back and let them yell at them, until they quieted down. “I love these two men next to me,” Jaejoong finally said. “I will not harm a woman’s heart by making false declarations just to have an heir, when there is a perfectly good one already available. That is, if he wants to. Himchan?”
The boy bit his lip, and then nodded. “I ... okay. Yes.”
“Good,” Jaejoong said. “Coronation is in three days?”
“Yes.”
“Can we postpone it?”
“What for?” Kyangteuk asked.
Jaejoong smiled at him, and pointed to Changmin, and then Hangeng. “It will be a triple coronation. They need crowns.”
Kyangteuk nodded, as did others around the table. “We will delay it until the end of the moon cycle. Visitors are travelling here for the coronation. We will send out our scouts tomorrow. Hopefully this will let more people come. It is taking time to gather everyone from the hiding places.”
“Are there any other concerns?” Changmin asked. “This is the last chance to voice them. Starting tomorrow, we plan for war.”
“We have no chance against them,” one man said.
Changmin smirked. “Then we fight until we die, as it has always been.” He raised his goblet again and drank to health, to peace, and to freedom.
After the last drink, the men mingled. Jaejoong took Yunho’s hand and gave it a squeeze.
“I’m confused,” Junsu said. “So you are the king?”
“I will be the king.”
“Who is the king?”
“Technically? No one. None of us have been coronated.”
“Who is going to do the coronation?” Changmin asked.
“Kyungtaek is the oldest, and currently in charge, so he’ll do it.”
“Baekhyun is glaring at you,” Changmin said.
“I know.” Jaejoong sighed. “I hoped that by asking Himchan if he wanted the crown or not would keep his father happy. I guess not.”
“Are you kidding?” Changmin said. “Himchan disgraced the crown almost as surely as you just did.”
“We were both careful with our words.”
“Which is an obvious sign of disgrace.”
“Oh, god, shut up, Legs. You’re a king, too. You have the power that you’ve always wanted, get your nose out of my life.”
“Power, in these circumstances, is not what I wanted. It is not what I want now.”
“And you’re too chicken shit to go for what you do want.”
Changmin stood up. “Someone has to keep our traditions, even if you refuse to.”
“There are plenty of people here to keep our traditions.”
“You are a selfish man, Kim Jaejoong.”
“And you are a stupid one. At least I’m happy.”
Changmin inhaled deeply, turned on his heel and stormed out of the room. The men bowed as he walked by and they watched him go with confusion.
“I told you they fight all the time,” Hangeng said.
Yunho smiled.
Jaejoong made a face. “We are still allies with the Shim family, right?” he asked in Shinki.
Hangeng laughed. “Yep.”
“It’d be bad if I declared war on him?”
“Yep.”
“Damn it.”
“Yep.”
“Well, if I am going to be king, I need to be fitted for some proper clothes,” Jaejoong said and repeated it in Doushiten. Those around the table who knew of his love of fashion laughed.
Kyungtaek stood unsteadily and bowed. “We will discuss details of the coronation tomorrow, King Jaejoong.”
Jaejoong nodded. “We will meet here again after breakfast. I promise I will be awake earlier.”
“Until then, your Excellency.”
Part 11: The Talk
Part 9: The Treat | Part 8: The Tub | Part 7: The Tribe | Part 6: The Terrain | Part 5: The Trail | Part 4: The Transformation | Part 3: The Tunnels | Part 2: The Trap | Part 1: The Trip
.
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong/Junsu, Siwon/Hangeng/Heechul, Yoochun/Nichkhun/Chansung,
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: They are not mine to run through space, sabotage governments and overthrow evil politicians with.
Summary: With his life threatened on ShinKi, Yunho heads to Doushite, the underdeveloped planet Jaejoong and Changmin are from. The atmosphere is tense, at best. ShinKi is destroying the Doushiten way of life just because of the deep veins of gold running through the picturesque mountains. They don't know who they can trust when it comes to trying to free Doushite from the clutches of a greedy empire.
This is a sequel to the fic: Pleasures of the Mighty.
The pleasures of the mighty, are the tears of the poor. A song will outlive the sermons in the memory. = Kim Jaejoong's tattoos
Poster credit goes to 0xkaiia0x
Part 10: The Table
A/N: I'm going to the Inlaws this weekend, so you guys have time to get caught up on all the updates :)
The kitchen was bustling and warm. There were fires with pots hanging over them, what seemed like hundreds of wooden cupboards and counters, and lots of women of all ages running around with dishes and food.
The ladies crowded around Jaejoong and most of them cried, calling him their Returned Prince.
Jaejoong smiled at them and kissed their cheeks. He properly introduced Yunho and Junsu, and even though Yunho could tell they did not approve of the relationship, they were greeted warmly and with thanks. They were ushered to a table, and given coffee and a sweet fruit juice.
Yunho understood when one of the women said that breakfast had been served hours ago. But that didn’t stop the women from pausing in their lunch preparations to bring them meat and fruit and some heated porridge and bread.
Everything tasted and smelled wonderful, and since the ladies kept bringing them food, they kept eating until Yunho was so full that he didn’t think he could move.
Jaejoong smiled through the entire ordeal, and when he mentioned to one of the women that he’d like his hair cut, there was a flurry of activity, and he was moved to a chair in the middle of the room. One woman threw a cloth around his shoulders, and rough scissors suddenly appeared next to his head.
While they were cutting, one of the women said something, and Jaejoong laughed. In Shinki, he said, “They wanted to cut Hangeng’s hair, but Heechul refused and tried to steal their scissors.”
They all laughed.
When they were through, his hair was the shortest that Yunho had ever seen it, barely a skiff on his scalp. But the ladies touched it and said how much better it looked now that it was the proper color again.
Junsu pouted and crossed his arms.
“What?” Jaejoong asked when he took long enough to look away from the mirror and at the two of them.
“Now I can’t pull on it while you suck on my cock,” Junsu said.
Jaejoong laughed, but waved away the questions of the ladies.
A few minutes later, Changmin arrived. He snorted at Jaejoong’s hair, but said nothing. He sat down and accepted a bowl of porridge.
“They are waiting for you,” Changmin said in Shinki.
“Then they can wait.”
“What are your options?”
“Take the crown, and lead everyone against the Shinki bastards. Or not take the crown, and lead everyone against the Shinki bastards.”
“What do you mean not take the crown? It’s yours.”
Jaejoong looked at Yunho. “Himchan is still really young, old enough to be king, sure, but not in times of war. Uncle KyungTaek does not want to lead. I can see that in him.”
“Neither do you,” Changmin said, awe and understanding in his voice.
Jaejoong held out his hand and Yunho took it. “How am I to do that? If Yunho and Junsu go back to Shinki, then I’m going with them. They may be fucked up priorities to some, but not to me. And I can’t very well call you my successor because you’re already a king.”
“Of a ruined province.”
“Of the province where the rebellion is staged.”
“Whatever. This sucks.”
“Yeah. I need to talk to Himchan first.”
Changmin shook his head. “You can’t refuse this, Jaejoong. You can’t. Everyone will be devastated.”
“And if there are those who want Himchan to be king? Baekhyun is not dead.”
“You think ...”
“Changmin, I’m seeing traitors everywhere. I call it the Shinki Effect.”
“I thought the Shinki Effect was being turned gay.”
Junsu and Yunho laughed.
“What do you think?” Jaejoong asked and leaned against Yunho.
“I think Changmin is right,” Yunho said and ran his hand over Jaejoong’s short hair. “These people are counting on you.”
Jaejoong shut his eyes with a sigh. “Do you think I should talk to Himchan first? Make sure the kid isn’t going to kill me in my sleep?”
Changmin shook his head. “You can’t. They’re already convened and waiting. Pulling him out of that meeting would look bad, and they wouldn’t let him go alone. He has every right to be afraid of you slitting his throat.”
“It’s nice speaking in another language,” Jaejoong said and looked around them.
The women had gone back to their tasks but they were shooting looks at the occupied table.
Jaejoong sighed. “I guess it is time to deal with the politics.”
Changmin stood up, and half offered his arm to Yoona, before scowling and stomping away.
Yoona stuck her tongue out at his retreating back.
Jaejoong chuckled and stood up. He held his hands out for Junsu and pulled him to his feet. Their lips barely touched for a moment, and then arm in arm, they followed Changmin. Yunho stood and offered his arm to Yoona.
“I think I hate being your wife,” Yoona muttered.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m worried about my family, Yunho.”
He nodded. “I know.”
She placed a hand on her stomach. “If ... okay, I’ll be optimistic and say when I have your child, I’m going to be worried about him, too. On Shinki or here.”
“Here?”
She shrugged. “You have no idea how long we’re going to be here.”
“That’s true.”
Changmin led them up staircases and down long hallways covered in tapestries. Elegant vases covered in gold sat in windowsills and smooth, stone statues functioned as pillars at every crossways.
“It’s amazing here, isn’t it?” Yoona asked, arching her neck to look up at the painted ceilings.
Yunho nodded. “It really is.”
Changmin stopped at a door, and a man quickly opened it for him, bowing at the waist and saying, “Your Excellencies.”
Jaejoong snorted and turned his head enough to roll his eyes at Yunho.
“I definitely prefer master,” Yunho said.
Jaejoong smiled widely as they walked through the door.
The room they stepped into was large, at least three stories high, with a vaulted ceiling and wall-sized windows at the far end that looked out over the frozen lake. A long, straight table was the only furniture. The only thing on the table was an intricate gold and silver crown at the far end. The seat at the head of the table sat empty, but men lined most of the rest of it. Yunho figured there were at least thirty men there. They all stood as the door opened, and bowed over the table.
“Where are the others from ShinKi?” Jaejoong asked. “And Hangeng?”
Changmin looked over at him, an eyebrow raised. “You want them here?”
“Aren’t we here to tell our story? And Heechul speaks Doushiten well enough to act as a translator since you and I are going to be busy.”
“What will I be doing?”
“Conducting this meeting, King Shim Changmin. Must I remind you again, that this is your province, not mine.”
Jaejoong stopped at the first seat on the side of the table and sat down. Yunho sat next to him, and Junsu sat next to him with Yoona on his other side. Himchan sat across from Jaejoong, and Jaejoong’s uncle, KyungTaek sat next to him. The other five Doushitens who had found them in the mountains were scattered around the table, but those were all the names that Yunho remembered. The table was wide enough that if Yunho reached across, his hand would not hit the middle.
Jaejoong said something in Doushiten that Yunho missed, but Changmin repeated it, telling someone to go get the rest of the Shinki Bastards. One of the men at the end of the table stood up and headed out the door.
After the man had left, Changmin said something else, and another man left, and Changmin went to the head of the table. He stared at the silver and golden crown with a blank face, and then he sat down. The men who had been standing all sat after him.
“Now what, oh lustrous, leader,” Changmin mumbled under his breath.
Jaejoong smiled and leaned forward, and ran a finger around the crown. “Is this my father’s?” Jaejoong asked in Doushiten.
Himchan cleared his throat and shook his head. “They ... took it.”
“It’s okay to call them Shinki bastards. They understand.” Jaejoong smiled over at Yunho.
Himchan’s gaze flicked over to Yunho and he almost smiled, and then he dropped his eyes and said, “We made a new one for ... for...”
“Your coronation?”
Himchan nodded.
“Do you want it?”
Himchan’s eyes widened. “Jaejoong-h-hyung?”
“Do you want it? Do you want to be king?”
KyangTaek opened his mouth and Jaejoong held up a hand to silence him.
Himchan swallowed and dropped his gaze. “N-n-no. Maybe?”
Jaejoong smiled. “Maybe.”
“Don’t you want it, hyung?”
“It’s a lot of responsibility in times of peace. It’s overwhelming in times of war.”
Himchan nodded.
“If I didn’t return, would you have taken it?”
“Yes, hyung.”
“Why?”
“Uncle KyungTaek ...” Himchan stopped and looked over at him.
KyungTaek said something that Yunho did not understand.
Jaejoong nodded and leaned back, leaving the crown on the table. “He said that Himchan would take it because it’s his responsibility as the heir to the kingdom. He will not admit that he is no longer fit to rule in a war.”
Yunho frowned at the older man across from him, but nodded in understanding.
The door opened, and women flowed in with plates of bread and meat, and urn of wine and more golden goblets.
“Good timing,” Yunho said with a grin at Jaejoong. “They arrive and give everyone a chance to think about that conversation.”
“You’re playing a dangerous word game,” Changmin said. “Borderline disrespectful to your crown and to our traditions by allowing foreigners to sit at our table.”
“Yes, I know.”
“You should not be speaking that language,” KyungTaek said suddenly and sharply.
Jaejoong smiled. “My apologies. I’ve been speaking it for years. It’s almost as natural as Doushiten.”
“Nice save,” Changmin muttered.
As soon as the plates of food and drinks were distributed and the women had left the room, the other Shinki along with Hangeng came in. Again the men stood and bowed to Hangeng. The men shifted down the table again, and Hangeng ended up sitting where Himchan had been. Pushing everyone else down a seat. The Shinki stayed on their feet and filled the space behind Yunho, Junsu and Jaejoong’s chairs.
Yunho noticed that Yoochun was missing.
“Chansung, where is Yoochun?” Jaejoong asked in both languages.
Chansung bit his lip and then said, “He told me to tell you to go fuck yourself.”
More than one of them snorted.
“Fine. Nichkhun?”
“Um ... tied up?” Chansung winced.
Jaejoong narrowed his eyes at him. “Is he being harmed?”
Chansung shook his head. “No. Yoochun doesn’t have the energy for too much. I think he’s just trying to re-establish his control.”
“Don’t let him get away with too much.”
“We won’t.”
Jaejoong smiled and turned back to the table. He looked at Changmin, who sighed and stood up. He lifted his goblet and said something in Doushiten. The other Doushitens lifted their cups and repeated it. Changmin did it again, and then again. A total of eight times.
“That was a traditional toast to all the families represented at this table,” Jaejoong said in Doushiten, which Heechul quickly translated to Shinki.
Changmin stayed standing, and he bowed slightly to Hangeng. “You were the first to go to Shinki. Tell us all what happened.”
Hangeng stood up and half-bowed to the table. He greeted Jaejoong and Changmin formally, as well as Himchan, Kyungtaek and a few others. After that, he launched into his story. Yunho did not follow the Doushiten, but he remembered Hangeng’s story from before, that he was taken to Shinki in the guise of being a historian and peacemaker and then sold into slavery. He escaped and met Heechul. Hangeng explained about what Angel was doing on Shinki to help, and Heechul added his own commentary to that part.
When they were done talking, Jaejoong told his story, and then Changmin told his. Yunho noted how all three of them glossed over what it meant to be a slave on Shinki, but he was sure the Doushitens knew.
Jaejoong turned to Yunho with a smile. “Your turn, Governor Jung.”
“My turn?”
“Yes.”
Yunho said something in Doushiten that he hoped was asking what he should say. Based on Jaejoong’s smile and Changmin’s snort, he totally butchered it.
“Everyone wants to know why exactly you’re here. Just talk. I’ll translate.”
Yunho swallowed and sat up straight. It’s just a board meeting, Jung. Just a board meeting. He cleared his throat and started talking, pausing to let Jaejoong translate. He talked about his distaste for his government, and for the way his father had refused to let him question the Shinki ideals. He talked about how he cut ties with his family and moved out on his own. He talked about why he bought Jaejoong, and then about finding Junsu again. He told the story of him being poisoned and marrying Yoona. The last part he said in Doushiten.
“I learn your language. I come here. Because of Jaejoong. I love Jaejoong. He needs to be home. He is the king.”
Jaejoong smiled widely at him and yanked him forward enough to press a firm, short kiss to his lips. “Don’t say shit like that when I can’t drag you off to a bed to fuck you.” He held out a hand quickly. “Heechul, do not translate that.”
Heechul pouted. “Damn it.”
After Yunho was done speaking, everyone from Shinki told their story of why they were rebelling against the government. Yesung and Yoseob talked about how their worlds were overtaken by the Shinki for the riches and the people, and how they had ran away from the slave traders.
At Chansung’s turn, he shook his head. “I do not want to speak ill of my master, nor do I wish to make you look bad, Jaejoong. If they want to believe that we all hate slavery, then let them.”
Heechul made a face at him and called him a bitch under his breath.
Jaejoong frowned, and then nodded. “I won’t make you talk if you don’t want to.” He repeated it in Doushiten, and then turned back to Changmin.
What followed was a conversation of Shinki politics. Who was in charge and why, and what Yunho’s rank meant in terms of him leading. He lost the thread of it very quickly.
Changmin suddenly started laughing.
“What?” Yunho asked.
With a grin, Changmin said in Shinki, “They are wondering why a democratic society has so much corruption in it, when they are here spouting at us that they are correct and their ways are the best.”
Yunho shrugged. “I told you the system is flawed.”
“The system is a piece of shit.”
“I know.”
Changmin shook his head, and asked in Doushiten, “What do we do now?”
“I think we need to decide who is going to lead next to you,” Kyungtaek said.
Changmin looked at Jaejoong, and then at Himchan, and then farther down the table at someone else. “The traditions are clear, and there is no question about it. King Kim Jaejoong-shi will lead next to me.”
“Motherfucker,” Jaejoong muttered darkly, but nodded. “I will lead, and I do it willingly, but--”
Yunho lost what Jaejoong said next and focused on Heechul’s quiet translations. Jaejoong was appointing Himchan as his heir, since he would not have marry and have children. More than one Doushiten stood up and protested it.
Jaejoong remained calm, leaned back and let them yell at them, until they quieted down. “I love these two men next to me,” Jaejoong finally said. “I will not harm a woman’s heart by making false declarations just to have an heir, when there is a perfectly good one already available. That is, if he wants to. Himchan?”
The boy bit his lip, and then nodded. “I ... okay. Yes.”
“Good,” Jaejoong said. “Coronation is in three days?”
“Yes.”
“Can we postpone it?”
“What for?” Kyangteuk asked.
Jaejoong smiled at him, and pointed to Changmin, and then Hangeng. “It will be a triple coronation. They need crowns.”
Kyangteuk nodded, as did others around the table. “We will delay it until the end of the moon cycle. Visitors are travelling here for the coronation. We will send out our scouts tomorrow. Hopefully this will let more people come. It is taking time to gather everyone from the hiding places.”
“Are there any other concerns?” Changmin asked. “This is the last chance to voice them. Starting tomorrow, we plan for war.”
“We have no chance against them,” one man said.
Changmin smirked. “Then we fight until we die, as it has always been.” He raised his goblet again and drank to health, to peace, and to freedom.
After the last drink, the men mingled. Jaejoong took Yunho’s hand and gave it a squeeze.
“I’m confused,” Junsu said. “So you are the king?”
“I will be the king.”
“Who is the king?”
“Technically? No one. None of us have been coronated.”
“Who is going to do the coronation?” Changmin asked.
“Kyungtaek is the oldest, and currently in charge, so he’ll do it.”
“Baekhyun is glaring at you,” Changmin said.
“I know.” Jaejoong sighed. “I hoped that by asking Himchan if he wanted the crown or not would keep his father happy. I guess not.”
“Are you kidding?” Changmin said. “Himchan disgraced the crown almost as surely as you just did.”
“We were both careful with our words.”
“Which is an obvious sign of disgrace.”
“Oh, god, shut up, Legs. You’re a king, too. You have the power that you’ve always wanted, get your nose out of my life.”
“Power, in these circumstances, is not what I wanted. It is not what I want now.”
“And you’re too chicken shit to go for what you do want.”
Changmin stood up. “Someone has to keep our traditions, even if you refuse to.”
“There are plenty of people here to keep our traditions.”
“You are a selfish man, Kim Jaejoong.”
“And you are a stupid one. At least I’m happy.”
Changmin inhaled deeply, turned on his heel and stormed out of the room. The men bowed as he walked by and they watched him go with confusion.
“I told you they fight all the time,” Hangeng said.
Yunho smiled.
Jaejoong made a face. “We are still allies with the Shim family, right?” he asked in Shinki.
Hangeng laughed. “Yep.”
“It’d be bad if I declared war on him?”
“Yep.”
“Damn it.”
“Yep.”
“Well, if I am going to be king, I need to be fitted for some proper clothes,” Jaejoong said and repeated it in Doushiten. Those around the table who knew of his love of fashion laughed.
Kyungtaek stood unsteadily and bowed. “We will discuss details of the coronation tomorrow, King Jaejoong.”
Jaejoong nodded. “We will meet here again after breakfast. I promise I will be awake earlier.”
“Until then, your Excellency.”
Part 11: The Talk
Part 9: The Treat | Part 8: The Tub | Part 7: The Tribe | Part 6: The Terrain | Part 5: The Trail | Part 4: The Transformation | Part 3: The Tunnels | Part 2: The Trap | Part 1: The Trip
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