Tears of the Poor 14/?
Title: Tears of the Poor 14/?
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 14: The Thwarted
Yunho decided to wait until after Jaejoong and Changmin returned to their rooms after their meeting. Junsu thought about rushing down there right away, but Yunho knew that Jaejoong was going to need some time to process this information before confronting Baekhyun.
“What are you three doing up here?” Jaejoong asked. “Meena is making apple pies.”
Yunho smiled and said, “You might want to sit down for this.”
“Shit,” Changmin muttered darkly. “What now?”
“Himchan, Youngjae and Zelo came to see us with a warning for you. Himchan says his father is planning something. He thinks you are both traitors, and Hangeng, too.”
Jaejoong sighed and collapsed on the bed. “I can only handle one assassination attempt at a time.”
“What happened in the meeting?” Yunho asked.
Changmin cursed again. “Fuckheads expect us to deplete the stores of food for the sake of a celebration. We’ll starve if we hold a big party like we normally do. Tomorrow, we’re going to pull Meena, Dara and Ailee into the meeting and have them explain how little food we have.”
“Their need to argue with everything we say now makes sense, though,” Jaejoong said and rubbed hands over his face. “Did Himchan say anything about how Baekhyun plans on killing me?”
“Probably, but I didn’t understand everything he said.”
“I’ll need to talk to him in the morning.”
“It has to look like a casual encounter,” Changmin said. “His father will be suspicious if you pull him aside.”
Jaejoong nodded and then sat up. “Junsu. I have an idea.” He crawled over Junsu’s body, smiling widely.
“I like this idea,” Junsu said and lay flat on his back.
“Not while I’m in the same bed, please,” Yoona said.
Changmin scowled at Jaejoong’s laughter and moved to the bed. He offered her his hand and she took it, letting him pull her up.
Jaejoong sat at Junsu’s waist and ran his hands up and down his chest. “It’s been rough and I just wanted to touch you and be closer to you, but listen. Tomorrow, during breakfast, go to Himchan and the others, if they’re there and ask them to teach you to play yutnori. It’s a traditional Doushiten game. Then if you’re already playing with them, it won’t look as odd if I join them during breakfast.”
“My lover is the smartest king on this planet,” Junsu said.
Changmin snorted.
Junsu laughed and pulled Jaejoong down for a kiss, fingers scraping over his short hair. Yunho reached over and put a hand on Junsu’s side, just to touch and be connected to them even if he wasn’t involved in the actual kiss.
“We will leave you three alone,” Changmin said. “I do not need to watch this.”
Yoona smiled up at him. “I think I can argue with Junsu about the smartest king on this planet.”
“There is no argument,” Changmin said with a smile down at her. “Only Jaejoong’s delusions that are spreading to his lovers.”
“So biased,” Yoona said.
Changmin nodded. “Although, I can understand being biased, since you are the most beautiful woman on this planet.”
“Didn’t I tell you that I’m immune to flattery because of Yunho?” she asked, even though they all saw her blush.
“Doesn’t mean I’ll stop speaking the truth. Take a walk with me?”
Yoona’s smile widened. “Okay.”
Changmin smirked at them over her head, and without another word and no proper goodbye, the two of them left.
Yunho rolled on his side and propped up on his elbow. He ran his hand up Junsu’s chest and then along Jaejoong’s arm. “Love you two.”
Junsu smiled against Jaejoong’s lips.
“Are you unsatisfied after all the sex we had today?” Jaejoong whispered.
“No,” Junsu said. “I just want to kiss you forever, and kissing you makes me hard, so I’ll probably be hard forever, because I always want to kiss you.”
“I never want to stop kissing you.”
“What about Yunho?”
“He only gets kisses when he deserves them.”
“He usually deserves them.”
Jaejoong looked over at Yunho and smiled. “Yes, he does.” He reached up, tangled his hands into Yunho’s hair and tugged him close enough to kiss.
~}|{~
The three of them woke much earlier than usual. Jaejoong wanted to head off the threat from Baekhyun as soon as possible and he planned on being at the morning meeting after breakfast. He had enjoyed letting Changmin run things in the morning and only being present when needed; this was definitely a time when he was needed. They were in the bath house, cleaned and dressed before the kitchen was even half full.
“Himchan!” Junsu said and hurried across to the kitchen where the young man was sitting with a few other blond heads.
Even though he wasn’t running toward him, Yunho knew how wide his smile was and the four boys at the table smiled back at him in greeting. He listened only long enough to hear Junsu say in broken Doushiten that he wanted to play yutnori, and then Youngjae jumped up from the table and ran to get the pieces for the game.
Yunho sat at a table with Jaejoong, and smiled in thanks when Meena brought them the sweet Doushiten version of coffee.
“When things settle down around here,” Yunho said and took a sip, “we are totally importing this coffee to Shinki.”
Jaejoong chuckled. “And what do we get in return?”
“Sex slaves. We have an overabundance of them on ShinKi.”
Jaejoong snorted into his coffee. Yunho saw his eyes focus on something over his shoulder, but he didn’t turn around. He brought his own coffee up to his lips again and muttered, “Baekhyun?”
“Yes, glaring at me, as always.”
“How do you handle something like this?”
“You haven’t dealt with an unruly politician?”
Yunho grinned at him. “I ran away from that, remember?”
“Right. You give them respect and let them know that you expect them to respect you back. The whole wanting to kill me thing doesn’t change that.”
Yunho ran his hand over Jaejoong’s forearm. “You are an amazing leader. Your people are lucky to have you.” He took a sip and then smirked, gaze locking with Jaejoong’s. “And I’m lucky to have you, controlling me whenever I want.”
“Mostly when you don’t want.”
“Never.”
Jaejoong chuckled. “Shall we go talk to Himchan?”
Yunho nodded, and they both rose, taking their coffee with them. Jaejoong stood behind Junsu and put his hand on his shoulder. On the table lay a beige square of linen with lines and circles drawn on in black. There was a square and an ‘x’ through the square, with big circles at the corner and middle and smaller ones around the edge.
Rules of Yutnori
“Are you cheating, dongsaeng?” Jaejoong asked in both languages. Himchan and Junsu looked up at him, both obviously having fun.
“Ah-ni-yo,” Himchan said, and then very quietly whispered “no” in Shinki. It made them all smile.
Junsu picked up four wooden sticks and tossed them. They had a flat bottom and a rounded top. Two of the sticks landed on the flat bottom. Junsu smiled and went to move a blue rock on the board. The other rocks were red.
“Move your other piece, your mal, Su-ah,” Jaejoong said,“and send Himchan’s piece back to the start.” He repeated it in Doushiten.
Himchan groaned. “Hyung!”
With a laugh, Junsu followed the instructions and sent a red rock to the start.
“Go again,” Youngae said. “You play again.”
“When you send someone’s piece back to the beginning, you get to go again,” Jaejoong said in Shinki, and then in Doushiten.
“Cool!” Junsu said and threw the sticks again, getting all four to land on the bottoms.
Himchan groaned again.
“Five!” Zelo crowed. “You move five!
Junsu moved his token five.
“Go again!” Daehyun said.
“Again?” Junsu said.
“When you roll a mo or yut, you get an extra roll.”
Junsu laughed and picked up the pieces again.
“Thank you for the warning,” Jaejoong said, lowering his voice. “What more can you tell me?”
Himchan did not look up as he replied, and he rolled the sticks. The others at the table talked and laughed, but Jaejoong’s focus was just on Himchan while they spoke quietly under the others conversation. They had all gone a bit stiff and exaggerated their movements though, and Yunho sighed. Jaejoong would have to teach them what the word discretion meant.
Himchan returned the favor on his next turn and sent one of Junsu’s pieces back to the start.
Jaejoong sighed. In Dhoushiten, he explained a rule of the game, but in Shinki, he said to Yunho, “Himchan says that his father thinks I have been corrupted by Shinki and I am just a plant, sent in to take over, and come spring, I’ll turn everything over to Shinki.”
Again, Jaejoong talked in Doushiten about the game, and to Yunho said, “Having a male lover is definitely frowned upon here, but I didn’t think it would be the reason for someone to rebel against me. And people are believing him, and that’s the most dangerous part. This coronation needs to happen fast.”
“Breakfast!” Meena suddenly said and sat down a large pot. Jaejoong moved to help the women behind her, and the boys reluctantly cleared the game off the table.
“We play again,” Youngjae said. “After breakfast.”
Himchan shook his head. “Meeting first.”
Junsu nodded. “After meeting.”
The others smiled widely at him.
Jaejoong hugged Meena tightly, and Yunho heard him whisper something in her ear. Her eyes widened a bit, but she nodded and said, “As my kings wish.”
Yunho was halfway through his breakfast of meat and vegetables when conversation in the kitchen faltered again, and then whispers of My Prince and Prince Choi echoed through the room. Changmin (who had come down with Yoona only a few minute before) and Jaejoong’s heads shot up, and then Jaejoong was out of his seat and practically flying across the room. He collided with a tall, strong body.
Changmin went over to the two with more grace and actually bowed at the new arrivals.
“That is Prince Jonghun, from the Choi province,” Himchan said, speaking slowly. “And Jaejin? Jaejin!”
Himchan shot up and just as Jaejoong had done, ran across the kitchen to hug his friend.
After a long moment, Changmin grabbed Jaejoong by the arm and pulled him away from the other man and Yunho got a good look at him. He was taller than Jaejoong, with dark hair that fell into his eyes and along his cheeks. He had broad shoulders and a small waist, and Yunho could practically see the muscles hidden under the black tunic and pants.
Yunho had to swallow roughly.
“Wow, he is hot,” Junsu muttered.
Yunho nodded. “Yeah.”
Jaejin was much shorter than the other, and his dark hair was cut in bowl shape right at his eyes. Jaejoong gave him a warm hug, too, and then took Jonghun’s hand and led him back to the table.
Yunho and Junsu stood and bowed, and Jonghun bowed back. His lips turned in a lazy smile and he said something that Yunho didn’t quite understand and he turned to Changmin, who was rolling his eyes.
“He just said that the rumors of Jaejoong being brainwashed by the Shinki bastards is true.”
“Except he was nice about it,” Jaejoong said and stuck his tongue out at Changmin.
Jonghun laughed and hugged Jaejoong to him again for a moment.
Meena and the other women appeared with more plates and bowls of food, and everyone sat down to eat. While they ate, Changmin and Jaejoong caught Jonghun and Jaejin up on what had happened to them on ShinKi. Others came up to the pair and hugged them and told them how good it was to see them.
“Are you going to tell him about the plots against you?” Changmin asked in Shinki.
Jaejoong shook his head. “No. He’ll learn of it at the meeting. I don’t know if I can trust him yet.”
Changmin nodded, and apologized for slipping into the bastard language, and made up something about asking Jaejoong about a detail regarding his capture.
After they finished eating, Jaejoong stood, and Yunho followed.
“Can I stay and play yutnori longer? I get so lost in those meetings” Junsu asked.
Jaejoong smiled. “Of course. Watch out for Daehyun though. He might cheat.” He repeated it in Doushiten, and the said young man protested.
“Himchan, you better come with us,” Jaejoong said.
Himchan nodded.
“Where are we going?” Jonghun asked.
Changmin explained how they were preparing for a coronation and discussing what to do about the Shinki.
Jonghun nodded and stood up to go with, and Jaejin followed.
Changmin led the way to the meeting room. There were some Doushitens already there, including Hangeng with Heechul on his lap. With an exaggerated sigh, Heechul slid into the chair next to Hangeng. Changmin sat at the head of the table, and Jaejoong in his normal seat. Yunho sat next to him. Himchan sat next to Yunho and Jonghun sat next to Heechul.
“Who is this adorably gorgeous man?” Heechul asked in both languages and held out his hand to Jonghun.
Jonghun smiled and said his name and his rank.
“Another prince? Are all your princes this gorgeous?”
“No,” Jonghun said. “None are as gorgeous as I am.”
Heechul laughed. “Arrogance. It’s almost as attractive as your eyes.”
“Damn it, Heechul,” Hangeng muttered in Shinki and pulled Heechul’s hand away from Jonghun.
Jonghun said something and his gaze went to Yunho and Jaejoong, and many of the men stiffened.
Heechul rolled his eyes and said to Yunho, “He’s just wondering why we’re sitting at their table.”
“It is a rather important tradition,” Yunho said.
Heechul rolled his eyes again, but said nothing else and looked at Changmin, who answered Jonghun’s question with something about Jaejoong being a stubborn fool, and then he lifted his glass before Jaejoong could say anything in reply. He led them all in the welcoming toast.
After it was over, Changmin asked Jonghun, “Is this coronation now for four?”
Jonghun shook his head. “My father is alive and well. Or he’s alive. His leg was injured fighting off Shinki bastards a few years ago, but he’s still of sound mind, and he is doing his best to keep our people safe and calm. We are not near the Shinki stronghold. And we brought as many supplies as we were able to spare.”
“Thank you,” Changmin said sincerely. “We will need them since this coronation will be well attended.”
Jonghun nodded his head in acknowledgement.
Changmin turned to Jaejoong.
Jaejoong leaned back in his chair and let his eyes rove over the table. Some men met his eyes with curiosity (like Kyungtaek) and others with disdain (like Baekhyun).
With a smile, Jaejoong stood up. His back stayed stiff and straight, and he clasped his hands behind his back. “It has come to my attention that someone at this table is planning on making an attempt on my life.”
Most of the men gasped. Baekhyun’s eyes flicked to his son and then narrowed.
In the silence, Heechul translated quickly for Yunho.
“Mutiny?” Jonghun said. “Already? We haven’t even started our battle.”
Jaejoong nodded. “Trust me, it gets worse. The reasons for this attempt are varied, but include that you think I’m corrupted because I have Shinki lovers. You think I am unworthy because I have male lovers. Or you think someone else should be king in my stead. This is the worst time to be divided. Before the Shinki bastards, our world was at peace. Our kingdoms were all allies. The worst fights between our families were Legs and me trying to see who could outperform the other with women and sports.”
The men chuckled.
Changmin snorted. “Like you were ever considered competition to me.”
Jaejoong smiled at him briefly. “Doushitens do not betray Doushitens. We are at war. We are protecting our homeland. We are one. We are Doushite. We will fight as Doushite. If you want to challenge my place as king, then you should go join the Shinki bastards that are trying to take Doushite away from us.”
“And what of your ShinKi bastards?” Baekhyun asked.
Jaejoong smirked. “You don’t want to know the details of the things I do with my Shinki bastards. But they are mine, as are the men who came with us, and they are under my protection. They protected me and Changmin and all the other Doushitens who are on Shinki serving as slaves. They and their group are fighting the Shinki on their homeland where it is even more difficult due to the political unrest.”
There was a timid knock on the door, and someone rose to answer it after Jaejoong’s nod.
Meena, Dara and Ailee entered very cautiously and bowed to all the men gathered, many of whom shot the women less than pleased looks.
Yunho frowned at their behavior, but could not fault the Doushitens. On ShinKi, women were treated as slaves with some sort of rights as long as they could produce children.
“Ah, Meena, thank you for coming,” Jaejoong said.
“It is an honor,” Meena whispered and bowed again.
Changmin cleared his throat. “Meena, you are in control of this castle and have been since before I was born. What is your opinion of the state of our supplies?”
“At this moment, my king?”
“Yes.”
“We are fine, and we have plenty of food for the winter.”
“And if we were to have a party worthy of a triple coronation ceremony?”
Meena swallowed and shook her head.“I know that most here want to and I will be speaking against them, but it will make the rest of the winter difficult. We do not have the same stores that we would have had it been planned in advance.”
“Or if the Shinki bastards hadn’t ruined everything,” Changmin said.
“Yes.”
“What do you have that we can spare for the party?” Kyungtaek asked.
Meena took a deep breath. “We have some. Not a lot of meet. Some vegetables and there is always rice and desserts. We will do our best to have enough for the people. But it will make the winter difficult.”
Yunho looked at the men gathered and saw that some were listening to her, but others were very much against her.
“Thank you, Meena,” Changmin said and bowed to her. “Your advice will be taken into consideration.”
Meena nodded, and then bit her lip.
“What is it?” Jaejoong asked gently.
“I ... “ Meena shut her eyes took a deep breath. Ailee put her hand on her shoulder, and Dara looked close to tears. But Meena opened her eyes. Her fist clenched in her apron, and she met Jaejoong’s gaze with determination. “I was approached and told to poison in the royal goblets for the coronation.”
Jaejoong’s eyes widened, and a few men gasped.
Yunho watched Baekhyun. His eyes narrowed as he glared at the woman, but he gave no other acknowledgment of the threat.
“I dare not say who, as my life is in danger for just telling you.”
“It is not,” Changmin said firmly. “Any violence against you or your staff will be seen as treason.”
“T-thank you. People talk, my kings, and some do not like you. You are different than you were before, but that is understandable considering what you went through while you were gone. Do not fret, my kings. The majority of your people are so very glad you are home and they are glad that you are here to lead us against the Shinki bastards.”
“Thank you, Meena,” Jaejoong said and stood up and bowed to her, completely bent at the waist. A few other men also stood up.
“I will prepare the goblets myself,” Meena said, “and they will not be poisoned and you may sip from them with no fear.”
Jaejoong and Changmin and Hangeng thanked her again.
Meena nodded, turned and led her women out of the room.
“You ask for a woman’s advice,” Baekhyun snarled.
“On something that she knows more about than I do, yes!” Changmin shouted. “Your place at this table is wavering, Baekhyun. Be wary of your words and your behavior.”
Jaejoong sighed. “Now that I am aware of this plot, I hope that means whoever is responsible will not be foolish to attempt it. Himchan will be king once this war is over. Your desire to be rid of me is already being planned out. I will not hand over a planet that is in such turmoil to one who does not yet know how to govern it.”
Changmin flipped to Shinki. “Do we tell them of the spies?”
“No. They may join forces.” Jaejoong switched back to Doushiten. “Sorry. Ask your question again Changmin?”
“Are we planning on inviting women to our coronation?”
Jaejoong smirked and let his gaze sweep over the table. “I’ve destroyed a bunch of traditions in the short time I’ve been home, one more won’t matter. Whoever wishes to be present at the coronation can be. We will no longer hide our ceremonies from our people. We will be one.”
Just because he's fucking sexy.
Jonghun pictures:
Fucking love FT Island, guys
Part 15: The Throne
Part 13: The Threats
Part 12: The Travail
Part 11: The Talk
Part 10: The Table
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 14: The Thwarted
Yunho decided to wait until after Jaejoong and Changmin returned to their rooms after their meeting. Junsu thought about rushing down there right away, but Yunho knew that Jaejoong was going to need some time to process this information before confronting Baekhyun.
“What are you three doing up here?” Jaejoong asked. “Meena is making apple pies.”
Yunho smiled and said, “You might want to sit down for this.”
“Shit,” Changmin muttered darkly. “What now?”
“Himchan, Youngjae and Zelo came to see us with a warning for you. Himchan says his father is planning something. He thinks you are both traitors, and Hangeng, too.”
Jaejoong sighed and collapsed on the bed. “I can only handle one assassination attempt at a time.”
“What happened in the meeting?” Yunho asked.
Changmin cursed again. “Fuckheads expect us to deplete the stores of food for the sake of a celebration. We’ll starve if we hold a big party like we normally do. Tomorrow, we’re going to pull Meena, Dara and Ailee into the meeting and have them explain how little food we have.”
“Their need to argue with everything we say now makes sense, though,” Jaejoong said and rubbed hands over his face. “Did Himchan say anything about how Baekhyun plans on killing me?”
“Probably, but I didn’t understand everything he said.”
“I’ll need to talk to him in the morning.”
“It has to look like a casual encounter,” Changmin said. “His father will be suspicious if you pull him aside.”
Jaejoong nodded and then sat up. “Junsu. I have an idea.” He crawled over Junsu’s body, smiling widely.
“I like this idea,” Junsu said and lay flat on his back.
“Not while I’m in the same bed, please,” Yoona said.
Changmin scowled at Jaejoong’s laughter and moved to the bed. He offered her his hand and she took it, letting him pull her up.
Jaejoong sat at Junsu’s waist and ran his hands up and down his chest. “It’s been rough and I just wanted to touch you and be closer to you, but listen. Tomorrow, during breakfast, go to Himchan and the others, if they’re there and ask them to teach you to play yutnori. It’s a traditional Doushiten game. Then if you’re already playing with them, it won’t look as odd if I join them during breakfast.”
“My lover is the smartest king on this planet,” Junsu said.
Changmin snorted.
Junsu laughed and pulled Jaejoong down for a kiss, fingers scraping over his short hair. Yunho reached over and put a hand on Junsu’s side, just to touch and be connected to them even if he wasn’t involved in the actual kiss.
“We will leave you three alone,” Changmin said. “I do not need to watch this.”
Yoona smiled up at him. “I think I can argue with Junsu about the smartest king on this planet.”
“There is no argument,” Changmin said with a smile down at her. “Only Jaejoong’s delusions that are spreading to his lovers.”
“So biased,” Yoona said.
Changmin nodded. “Although, I can understand being biased, since you are the most beautiful woman on this planet.”
“Didn’t I tell you that I’m immune to flattery because of Yunho?” she asked, even though they all saw her blush.
“Doesn’t mean I’ll stop speaking the truth. Take a walk with me?”
Yoona’s smile widened. “Okay.”
Changmin smirked at them over her head, and without another word and no proper goodbye, the two of them left.
Yunho rolled on his side and propped up on his elbow. He ran his hand up Junsu’s chest and then along Jaejoong’s arm. “Love you two.”
Junsu smiled against Jaejoong’s lips.
“Are you unsatisfied after all the sex we had today?” Jaejoong whispered.
“No,” Junsu said. “I just want to kiss you forever, and kissing you makes me hard, so I’ll probably be hard forever, because I always want to kiss you.”
“I never want to stop kissing you.”
“What about Yunho?”
“He only gets kisses when he deserves them.”
“He usually deserves them.”
Jaejoong looked over at Yunho and smiled. “Yes, he does.” He reached up, tangled his hands into Yunho’s hair and tugged him close enough to kiss.
~}|{~
The three of them woke much earlier than usual. Jaejoong wanted to head off the threat from Baekhyun as soon as possible and he planned on being at the morning meeting after breakfast. He had enjoyed letting Changmin run things in the morning and only being present when needed; this was definitely a time when he was needed. They were in the bath house, cleaned and dressed before the kitchen was even half full.
“Himchan!” Junsu said and hurried across to the kitchen where the young man was sitting with a few other blond heads.
Even though he wasn’t running toward him, Yunho knew how wide his smile was and the four boys at the table smiled back at him in greeting. He listened only long enough to hear Junsu say in broken Doushiten that he wanted to play yutnori, and then Youngjae jumped up from the table and ran to get the pieces for the game.
Yunho sat at a table with Jaejoong, and smiled in thanks when Meena brought them the sweet Doushiten version of coffee.
“When things settle down around here,” Yunho said and took a sip, “we are totally importing this coffee to Shinki.”
Jaejoong chuckled. “And what do we get in return?”
“Sex slaves. We have an overabundance of them on ShinKi.”
Jaejoong snorted into his coffee. Yunho saw his eyes focus on something over his shoulder, but he didn’t turn around. He brought his own coffee up to his lips again and muttered, “Baekhyun?”
“Yes, glaring at me, as always.”
“How do you handle something like this?”
“You haven’t dealt with an unruly politician?”
Yunho grinned at him. “I ran away from that, remember?”
“Right. You give them respect and let them know that you expect them to respect you back. The whole wanting to kill me thing doesn’t change that.”
Yunho ran his hand over Jaejoong’s forearm. “You are an amazing leader. Your people are lucky to have you.” He took a sip and then smirked, gaze locking with Jaejoong’s. “And I’m lucky to have you, controlling me whenever I want.”
“Mostly when you don’t want.”
“Never.”
Jaejoong chuckled. “Shall we go talk to Himchan?”
Yunho nodded, and they both rose, taking their coffee with them. Jaejoong stood behind Junsu and put his hand on his shoulder. On the table lay a beige square of linen with lines and circles drawn on in black. There was a square and an ‘x’ through the square, with big circles at the corner and middle and smaller ones around the edge.
Rules of Yutnori
“Are you cheating, dongsaeng?” Jaejoong asked in both languages. Himchan and Junsu looked up at him, both obviously having fun.
“Ah-ni-yo,” Himchan said, and then very quietly whispered “no” in Shinki. It made them all smile.
Junsu picked up four wooden sticks and tossed them. They had a flat bottom and a rounded top. Two of the sticks landed on the flat bottom. Junsu smiled and went to move a blue rock on the board. The other rocks were red.
“Move your other piece, your mal, Su-ah,” Jaejoong said,“and send Himchan’s piece back to the start.” He repeated it in Doushiten.
Himchan groaned. “Hyung!”
With a laugh, Junsu followed the instructions and sent a red rock to the start.
“Go again,” Youngae said. “You play again.”
“When you send someone’s piece back to the beginning, you get to go again,” Jaejoong said in Shinki, and then in Doushiten.
“Cool!” Junsu said and threw the sticks again, getting all four to land on the bottoms.
Himchan groaned again.
“Five!” Zelo crowed. “You move five!
Junsu moved his token five.
“Go again!” Daehyun said.
“Again?” Junsu said.
“When you roll a mo or yut, you get an extra roll.”
Junsu laughed and picked up the pieces again.
“Thank you for the warning,” Jaejoong said, lowering his voice. “What more can you tell me?”
Himchan did not look up as he replied, and he rolled the sticks. The others at the table talked and laughed, but Jaejoong’s focus was just on Himchan while they spoke quietly under the others conversation. They had all gone a bit stiff and exaggerated their movements though, and Yunho sighed. Jaejoong would have to teach them what the word discretion meant.
Himchan returned the favor on his next turn and sent one of Junsu’s pieces back to the start.
Jaejoong sighed. In Dhoushiten, he explained a rule of the game, but in Shinki, he said to Yunho, “Himchan says that his father thinks I have been corrupted by Shinki and I am just a plant, sent in to take over, and come spring, I’ll turn everything over to Shinki.”
Again, Jaejoong talked in Doushiten about the game, and to Yunho said, “Having a male lover is definitely frowned upon here, but I didn’t think it would be the reason for someone to rebel against me. And people are believing him, and that’s the most dangerous part. This coronation needs to happen fast.”
“Breakfast!” Meena suddenly said and sat down a large pot. Jaejoong moved to help the women behind her, and the boys reluctantly cleared the game off the table.
“We play again,” Youngjae said. “After breakfast.”
Himchan shook his head. “Meeting first.”
Junsu nodded. “After meeting.”
The others smiled widely at him.
Jaejoong hugged Meena tightly, and Yunho heard him whisper something in her ear. Her eyes widened a bit, but she nodded and said, “As my kings wish.”
Yunho was halfway through his breakfast of meat and vegetables when conversation in the kitchen faltered again, and then whispers of My Prince and Prince Choi echoed through the room. Changmin (who had come down with Yoona only a few minute before) and Jaejoong’s heads shot up, and then Jaejoong was out of his seat and practically flying across the room. He collided with a tall, strong body.
Changmin went over to the two with more grace and actually bowed at the new arrivals.
“That is Prince Jonghun, from the Choi province,” Himchan said, speaking slowly. “And Jaejin? Jaejin!”
Himchan shot up and just as Jaejoong had done, ran across the kitchen to hug his friend.
After a long moment, Changmin grabbed Jaejoong by the arm and pulled him away from the other man and Yunho got a good look at him. He was taller than Jaejoong, with dark hair that fell into his eyes and along his cheeks. He had broad shoulders and a small waist, and Yunho could practically see the muscles hidden under the black tunic and pants.
Yunho had to swallow roughly.
“Wow, he is hot,” Junsu muttered.
Yunho nodded. “Yeah.”
Jaejin was much shorter than the other, and his dark hair was cut in bowl shape right at his eyes. Jaejoong gave him a warm hug, too, and then took Jonghun’s hand and led him back to the table.
Yunho and Junsu stood and bowed, and Jonghun bowed back. His lips turned in a lazy smile and he said something that Yunho didn’t quite understand and he turned to Changmin, who was rolling his eyes.
“He just said that the rumors of Jaejoong being brainwashed by the Shinki bastards is true.”
“Except he was nice about it,” Jaejoong said and stuck his tongue out at Changmin.
Jonghun laughed and hugged Jaejoong to him again for a moment.
Meena and the other women appeared with more plates and bowls of food, and everyone sat down to eat. While they ate, Changmin and Jaejoong caught Jonghun and Jaejin up on what had happened to them on ShinKi. Others came up to the pair and hugged them and told them how good it was to see them.
“Are you going to tell him about the plots against you?” Changmin asked in Shinki.
Jaejoong shook his head. “No. He’ll learn of it at the meeting. I don’t know if I can trust him yet.”
Changmin nodded, and apologized for slipping into the bastard language, and made up something about asking Jaejoong about a detail regarding his capture.
After they finished eating, Jaejoong stood, and Yunho followed.
“Can I stay and play yutnori longer? I get so lost in those meetings” Junsu asked.
Jaejoong smiled. “Of course. Watch out for Daehyun though. He might cheat.” He repeated it in Doushiten, and the said young man protested.
“Himchan, you better come with us,” Jaejoong said.
Himchan nodded.
“Where are we going?” Jonghun asked.
Changmin explained how they were preparing for a coronation and discussing what to do about the Shinki.
Jonghun nodded and stood up to go with, and Jaejin followed.
Changmin led the way to the meeting room. There were some Doushitens already there, including Hangeng with Heechul on his lap. With an exaggerated sigh, Heechul slid into the chair next to Hangeng. Changmin sat at the head of the table, and Jaejoong in his normal seat. Yunho sat next to him. Himchan sat next to Yunho and Jonghun sat next to Heechul.
“Who is this adorably gorgeous man?” Heechul asked in both languages and held out his hand to Jonghun.
Jonghun smiled and said his name and his rank.
“Another prince? Are all your princes this gorgeous?”
“No,” Jonghun said. “None are as gorgeous as I am.”
Heechul laughed. “Arrogance. It’s almost as attractive as your eyes.”
“Damn it, Heechul,” Hangeng muttered in Shinki and pulled Heechul’s hand away from Jonghun.
Jonghun said something and his gaze went to Yunho and Jaejoong, and many of the men stiffened.
Heechul rolled his eyes and said to Yunho, “He’s just wondering why we’re sitting at their table.”
“It is a rather important tradition,” Yunho said.
Heechul rolled his eyes again, but said nothing else and looked at Changmin, who answered Jonghun’s question with something about Jaejoong being a stubborn fool, and then he lifted his glass before Jaejoong could say anything in reply. He led them all in the welcoming toast.
After it was over, Changmin asked Jonghun, “Is this coronation now for four?”
Jonghun shook his head. “My father is alive and well. Or he’s alive. His leg was injured fighting off Shinki bastards a few years ago, but he’s still of sound mind, and he is doing his best to keep our people safe and calm. We are not near the Shinki stronghold. And we brought as many supplies as we were able to spare.”
“Thank you,” Changmin said sincerely. “We will need them since this coronation will be well attended.”
Jonghun nodded his head in acknowledgement.
Changmin turned to Jaejoong.
Jaejoong leaned back in his chair and let his eyes rove over the table. Some men met his eyes with curiosity (like Kyungtaek) and others with disdain (like Baekhyun).
With a smile, Jaejoong stood up. His back stayed stiff and straight, and he clasped his hands behind his back. “It has come to my attention that someone at this table is planning on making an attempt on my life.”
Most of the men gasped. Baekhyun’s eyes flicked to his son and then narrowed.
In the silence, Heechul translated quickly for Yunho.
“Mutiny?” Jonghun said. “Already? We haven’t even started our battle.”
Jaejoong nodded. “Trust me, it gets worse. The reasons for this attempt are varied, but include that you think I’m corrupted because I have Shinki lovers. You think I am unworthy because I have male lovers. Or you think someone else should be king in my stead. This is the worst time to be divided. Before the Shinki bastards, our world was at peace. Our kingdoms were all allies. The worst fights between our families were Legs and me trying to see who could outperform the other with women and sports.”
The men chuckled.
Changmin snorted. “Like you were ever considered competition to me.”
Jaejoong smiled at him briefly. “Doushitens do not betray Doushitens. We are at war. We are protecting our homeland. We are one. We are Doushite. We will fight as Doushite. If you want to challenge my place as king, then you should go join the Shinki bastards that are trying to take Doushite away from us.”
“And what of your ShinKi bastards?” Baekhyun asked.
Jaejoong smirked. “You don’t want to know the details of the things I do with my Shinki bastards. But they are mine, as are the men who came with us, and they are under my protection. They protected me and Changmin and all the other Doushitens who are on Shinki serving as slaves. They and their group are fighting the Shinki on their homeland where it is even more difficult due to the political unrest.”
There was a timid knock on the door, and someone rose to answer it after Jaejoong’s nod.
Meena, Dara and Ailee entered very cautiously and bowed to all the men gathered, many of whom shot the women less than pleased looks.
Yunho frowned at their behavior, but could not fault the Doushitens. On ShinKi, women were treated as slaves with some sort of rights as long as they could produce children.
“Ah, Meena, thank you for coming,” Jaejoong said.
“It is an honor,” Meena whispered and bowed again.
Changmin cleared his throat. “Meena, you are in control of this castle and have been since before I was born. What is your opinion of the state of our supplies?”
“At this moment, my king?”
“Yes.”
“We are fine, and we have plenty of food for the winter.”
“And if we were to have a party worthy of a triple coronation ceremony?”
Meena swallowed and shook her head.“I know that most here want to and I will be speaking against them, but it will make the rest of the winter difficult. We do not have the same stores that we would have had it been planned in advance.”
“Or if the Shinki bastards hadn’t ruined everything,” Changmin said.
“Yes.”
“What do you have that we can spare for the party?” Kyungtaek asked.
Meena took a deep breath. “We have some. Not a lot of meet. Some vegetables and there is always rice and desserts. We will do our best to have enough for the people. But it will make the winter difficult.”
Yunho looked at the men gathered and saw that some were listening to her, but others were very much against her.
“Thank you, Meena,” Changmin said and bowed to her. “Your advice will be taken into consideration.”
Meena nodded, and then bit her lip.
“What is it?” Jaejoong asked gently.
“I ... “ Meena shut her eyes took a deep breath. Ailee put her hand on her shoulder, and Dara looked close to tears. But Meena opened her eyes. Her fist clenched in her apron, and she met Jaejoong’s gaze with determination. “I was approached and told to poison in the royal goblets for the coronation.”
Jaejoong’s eyes widened, and a few men gasped.
Yunho watched Baekhyun. His eyes narrowed as he glared at the woman, but he gave no other acknowledgment of the threat.
“I dare not say who, as my life is in danger for just telling you.”
“It is not,” Changmin said firmly. “Any violence against you or your staff will be seen as treason.”
“T-thank you. People talk, my kings, and some do not like you. You are different than you were before, but that is understandable considering what you went through while you were gone. Do not fret, my kings. The majority of your people are so very glad you are home and they are glad that you are here to lead us against the Shinki bastards.”
“Thank you, Meena,” Jaejoong said and stood up and bowed to her, completely bent at the waist. A few other men also stood up.
“I will prepare the goblets myself,” Meena said, “and they will not be poisoned and you may sip from them with no fear.”
Jaejoong and Changmin and Hangeng thanked her again.
Meena nodded, turned and led her women out of the room.
“You ask for a woman’s advice,” Baekhyun snarled.
“On something that she knows more about than I do, yes!” Changmin shouted. “Your place at this table is wavering, Baekhyun. Be wary of your words and your behavior.”
Jaejoong sighed. “Now that I am aware of this plot, I hope that means whoever is responsible will not be foolish to attempt it. Himchan will be king once this war is over. Your desire to be rid of me is already being planned out. I will not hand over a planet that is in such turmoil to one who does not yet know how to govern it.”
Changmin flipped to Shinki. “Do we tell them of the spies?”
“No. They may join forces.” Jaejoong switched back to Doushiten. “Sorry. Ask your question again Changmin?”
“Are we planning on inviting women to our coronation?”
Jaejoong smirked and let his gaze sweep over the table. “I’ve destroyed a bunch of traditions in the short time I’ve been home, one more won’t matter. Whoever wishes to be present at the coronation can be. We will no longer hide our ceremonies from our people. We will be one.”
Just because he's fucking sexy.
Jonghun pictures:
Fucking love FT Island, guys
Click to viewPart 15: The Throne
Part 13: The Threats
Part 12: The Travail
Part 11: The Talk
Part 10: The Table
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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