fic: Dance Me a Dream {Chapter 1}
Title: Dance me a Dream
Length: Series
Chapter One
Author: M_K Yujji
Rating: PG-13 for now, probably will go as high as NC-17 if I continue
Genre: Angst/drama
Characters: Yunho, Yoochun, Junsu
Pairings: probably a lot of Various/Yunho, though predominately JaeHo, Junsu/Taeyeon
Warnings: AU, slavery, dubious consent
Disclaimer: Though real people are used as characters, this fic bears no resemblance to Real Life and these people are not owned by me.
Comments/Notes: Obviously it's claws are still firmly attached. The picture in question is here. Yunho in particular looks like a sad sex slave. ^_^;;
Names and honorifics... I've been studying the traditions, customs, and history behind both in Korea and China and quite frankly... *_* it's so complicated. My head was swimming before I was halfway through a single day of research and I've decided that being 100% accurate isn't as important as I thought. So I'm going to go with a very simple, very American/Europeanized system for both. Sire, my lord, my lady for royalty, Sir, ma'am for aristocrats and other high born members of court - or in the case of slaves, everyone since you can't get much lower than slaves.
Previously: Prologue --
Summary: Life is only fair in your dreams.
~*~*~
“He's quieter than I'd have thought.”
Yoochun sighed and looked up from his sword. His friend was facing the courtyard and the swordsman followed his gaze.
The latest acquisition of the Palace sat with a delicate stillness that belied his size. Only one man in the entire palace was taller. Yoochun supposed that a life spent dedicated to the pleasures of men had taught the man that.
“Well it's not like he has to do anything. He's already caught the eyes of the Emperor and the Emperor's son. There really isn't any higher position for him to aspire to, is there?” Yoochun shook his head and wrinkled his nose. The men and women who spent their lives jockeying for a place in the royal hougong tended to be small petty people and Yoochun had never been fond of them. A rare few had no choice in the matter - the practice of giving slaves to the royal family was one their nearest neighbors to the south was especially fond of - but most of them had quite shamelessly set out to capture royal attention. At least the men didn't seem to have delusions that they would win an actual marriage proposal from the efforts.
“You're so cynical,” Junsu replied, leaning back against the support column behind him. “Not everyone is like Haneul or Taeyeon.”
Frowning, Yoochun leaned forward and stared harder at the concubine. “No, just most of them.”
Junsu sighed and rolled his eyes. “I know your pride is still stinging, but really... you can't let one incident rule your perceptions of people for the rest of your life.”
“You forgive and forget too easily, Junsu.”
“And you hold your grudges too close. So one woman used you to get close to Jaejoong. That doesn't mean-“
“And one used you.”
“That's not-“
“And several have tried to use Changmin but he just tells them all to go die.”
“Well, Changmin is...” Junsu looked like he was floundering for a proper description. He could empathize. It was hard to think of a polite word for how sarcastic and harsh their younger friend could be. “Changmin.”
Yoochun gave him a knowing look, but didn't call him on it.
“What I'm trying to say is that the kingdom is not small. There are thousands of potential lovers and wives out there. Statistically speaking, they can't all be social climbing bitches.”
It was the use of vulgarity that startled a laugh out of Yoochun. Junsu prided himself on his ability to remain polite even under the harshest of circumstances.
But the laughter died and he sighed again, an echo of old hurt reverberating through his chest. “I loved her.”
He'd given the woman his heart with all the sincerity and devotion of idealistic youth and she'd shredded it without remorse the day she'd tried to seduce his best friend. The attempt had failed of course - Jaejoong wasn't stupid or cruel and he'd known Yoochun had his heart set on the woman. There was something to be said for having the loyalty of a prince. Haneul was now safely away in another kingdom. She'd wanted to belong to royalty and Jaejoong had given her that - though not in the way she'd wanted.
And though he'd thought up the punishment himself, though he'd spitefully, gleefully given her the news, even that still had the power to hurt him. He'd loved her even more than he'd thought and the idea that she was probably absolutely miserable, possibly even abused - not many ruling families were as benevolent as Jaejoong's - had not brought him the pleasure that he'd once envisioned it would.
In his more fair moments, he had to admit that the situation with Taeyeon had been completely different. Her parents had welcomed Junsu's courtship of her, encouraged their blooming romance. Right up until the moment they'd realized just how close to the prince he actually was. Then they'd decided that a prince's concubine was better than an physician's wife and refused Junsu's marriage offer.
The laws of their kingdom were unbendable in requiring a father's permission for a man to wed a woman. The intention was to prevent low-born men from kidnaping high-born women and forcing them into marriage for their own version of social climbing. Such had happened centuries before, allowing a petty criminal to become the temporary ruler of the kingdom. He'd been killed quickly enough and things had been set to right, but no one had wanted to see it happen again. Unfortunately, it had the unforseen effect of turning the social climbing over to fathers instead.
By becoming a royal concubine, Taeyeon would forever be prevented from marrying anyone outside of the immediate royal family. Junsu was related, but distant cousins didn't count.
Taeyeon was the only person in the entire hougong who was expressly unavailable for random interest, though. Jaejoong had done the only thing he could think of to extract the pair from the messy situation, accepting Taeyeon as his own then reserving her exclusively for Junsu. It wasn't a perfect solution as Junsu would eventually be forced to wed, but it worked for the moment.
In his less charitable moments, Yoochun had to wonder if it wasn't exactly what Taeyeon had wanted from the very start.
Just then the man they were watching glanced up to meet their eyes plainly, his expression never changing from the look of serene blankness it had held all morning, and Yoochun's frown deepened.
He was as familiar with Jaejoong's cache of lovers and servants as his friend was - better perhaps, since Jaejoong could be quite absentminded and forgetful about such things - and he knew the various stages they went through depending on how they'd been acquired. The 'social climbing bitches' all started out smug and ecstatic, pleased with their success and sure that they'd be the one to do the impossible and make themselves an empress. That would last for as long as Jaejoong paid attention to them. It would start to fade the first time one of his friends showed interest in them and Jaejoong would casually - uncaring and usually as absentmindedly as he did so many other things - gave permission. Eventually, they'd give up on their aspirations, disillusioned of the idea that Jaejoong even remembered them once he left their bedroom. Often they became small and petty, taking what vengeances they could get away with out on newcomers who still had his attention.
The slaves were better.
Easier.
If they had any expectations at all, they were usually far worse than what reality was. Upon finding that their lot in life had improved immensely, they were grateful enough to not make nuisances of themselves. They did what was requested of them - sometimes with quiet pleasure, sometimes with simply tolerance - and went about their new lives.
No matter the circumstances, no one had ever looked so... vacant.
“I don't know, Yoochun. I don't think he wants to be here at all.”
And despite all his cynicism and distrust, Yoochun still found himself agreeing.
~*~*~
They had been watching him for most of the morning. He'd felt their eyes on him from the moment they'd ventured out into the quiet garden side of the vast courtyard.
He remembered them both from the royal gala that had sealed his fate. Rare that he should remember anything through the drugged haze that allowed him to go into those situations and still function properly as he was expected to, but then, it was rare that anyone expressed as much non-sexual delight in his dancing as the one with the glowing smile had.
It was something worth remembering.
He fingered the small vial he kept tucked away in the sash of his robes.
”I can't take this, SooMin... I know what it's worth.”
“Nonsense. This entire mess is my fault. It should have occurred to me that you'd catch their eye. I shouldn't have sent you.”
“You're not a god. You can't know everything.”
Gentle fingers closed his hand around the small box. “Take it. I've heard good things about the prince and his closest friends, but not all members of the royal court are like them. It will make things easier.”
Easier.
As if anything could be easy about having his freedom snatched away from him again once it was finally within his grasp.
He tried to be philosophical about it.
An easy life wasn't a life worth living, after all.
If he could have mustered up sarcasm through the wall of his defensive indifference, he might have pointed out that whoever had said that clearly hadn't had a very hard life at all.
~*~*~
TBC
Length: Series
Chapter One
Author: M_K Yujji
Rating: PG-13 for now, probably will go as high as NC-17 if I continue
Genre: Angst/drama
Characters: Yunho, Yoochun, Junsu
Pairings: probably a lot of Various/Yunho, though predominately JaeHo, Junsu/Taeyeon
Warnings: AU, slavery, dubious consent
Disclaimer: Though real people are used as characters, this fic bears no resemblance to Real Life and these people are not owned by me.
Comments/Notes: Obviously it's claws are still firmly attached. The picture in question is here. Yunho in particular looks like a sad sex slave. ^_^;;
Names and honorifics... I've been studying the traditions, customs, and history behind both in Korea and China and quite frankly... *_* it's so complicated. My head was swimming before I was halfway through a single day of research and I've decided that being 100% accurate isn't as important as I thought. So I'm going to go with a very simple, very American/Europeanized system for both. Sire, my lord, my lady for royalty, Sir, ma'am for aristocrats and other high born members of court - or in the case of slaves, everyone since you can't get much lower than slaves.
Previously: Prologue --
Summary: Life is only fair in your dreams.
~*~*~
“He's quieter than I'd have thought.”
Yoochun sighed and looked up from his sword. His friend was facing the courtyard and the swordsman followed his gaze.
The latest acquisition of the Palace sat with a delicate stillness that belied his size. Only one man in the entire palace was taller. Yoochun supposed that a life spent dedicated to the pleasures of men had taught the man that.
“Well it's not like he has to do anything. He's already caught the eyes of the Emperor and the Emperor's son. There really isn't any higher position for him to aspire to, is there?” Yoochun shook his head and wrinkled his nose. The men and women who spent their lives jockeying for a place in the royal hougong tended to be small petty people and Yoochun had never been fond of them. A rare few had no choice in the matter - the practice of giving slaves to the royal family was one their nearest neighbors to the south was especially fond of - but most of them had quite shamelessly set out to capture royal attention. At least the men didn't seem to have delusions that they would win an actual marriage proposal from the efforts.
“You're so cynical,” Junsu replied, leaning back against the support column behind him. “Not everyone is like Haneul or Taeyeon.”
Frowning, Yoochun leaned forward and stared harder at the concubine. “No, just most of them.”
Junsu sighed and rolled his eyes. “I know your pride is still stinging, but really... you can't let one incident rule your perceptions of people for the rest of your life.”
“You forgive and forget too easily, Junsu.”
“And you hold your grudges too close. So one woman used you to get close to Jaejoong. That doesn't mean-“
“And one used you.”
“That's not-“
“And several have tried to use Changmin but he just tells them all to go die.”
“Well, Changmin is...” Junsu looked like he was floundering for a proper description. He could empathize. It was hard to think of a polite word for how sarcastic and harsh their younger friend could be. “Changmin.”
Yoochun gave him a knowing look, but didn't call him on it.
“What I'm trying to say is that the kingdom is not small. There are thousands of potential lovers and wives out there. Statistically speaking, they can't all be social climbing bitches.”
It was the use of vulgarity that startled a laugh out of Yoochun. Junsu prided himself on his ability to remain polite even under the harshest of circumstances.
But the laughter died and he sighed again, an echo of old hurt reverberating through his chest. “I loved her.”
He'd given the woman his heart with all the sincerity and devotion of idealistic youth and she'd shredded it without remorse the day she'd tried to seduce his best friend. The attempt had failed of course - Jaejoong wasn't stupid or cruel and he'd known Yoochun had his heart set on the woman. There was something to be said for having the loyalty of a prince. Haneul was now safely away in another kingdom. She'd wanted to belong to royalty and Jaejoong had given her that - though not in the way she'd wanted.
And though he'd thought up the punishment himself, though he'd spitefully, gleefully given her the news, even that still had the power to hurt him. He'd loved her even more than he'd thought and the idea that she was probably absolutely miserable, possibly even abused - not many ruling families were as benevolent as Jaejoong's - had not brought him the pleasure that he'd once envisioned it would.
In his more fair moments, he had to admit that the situation with Taeyeon had been completely different. Her parents had welcomed Junsu's courtship of her, encouraged their blooming romance. Right up until the moment they'd realized just how close to the prince he actually was. Then they'd decided that a prince's concubine was better than an physician's wife and refused Junsu's marriage offer.
The laws of their kingdom were unbendable in requiring a father's permission for a man to wed a woman. The intention was to prevent low-born men from kidnaping high-born women and forcing them into marriage for their own version of social climbing. Such had happened centuries before, allowing a petty criminal to become the temporary ruler of the kingdom. He'd been killed quickly enough and things had been set to right, but no one had wanted to see it happen again. Unfortunately, it had the unforseen effect of turning the social climbing over to fathers instead.
By becoming a royal concubine, Taeyeon would forever be prevented from marrying anyone outside of the immediate royal family. Junsu was related, but distant cousins didn't count.
Taeyeon was the only person in the entire hougong who was expressly unavailable for random interest, though. Jaejoong had done the only thing he could think of to extract the pair from the messy situation, accepting Taeyeon as his own then reserving her exclusively for Junsu. It wasn't a perfect solution as Junsu would eventually be forced to wed, but it worked for the moment.
In his less charitable moments, Yoochun had to wonder if it wasn't exactly what Taeyeon had wanted from the very start.
Just then the man they were watching glanced up to meet their eyes plainly, his expression never changing from the look of serene blankness it had held all morning, and Yoochun's frown deepened.
He was as familiar with Jaejoong's cache of lovers and servants as his friend was - better perhaps, since Jaejoong could be quite absentminded and forgetful about such things - and he knew the various stages they went through depending on how they'd been acquired. The 'social climbing bitches' all started out smug and ecstatic, pleased with their success and sure that they'd be the one to do the impossible and make themselves an empress. That would last for as long as Jaejoong paid attention to them. It would start to fade the first time one of his friends showed interest in them and Jaejoong would casually - uncaring and usually as absentmindedly as he did so many other things - gave permission. Eventually, they'd give up on their aspirations, disillusioned of the idea that Jaejoong even remembered them once he left their bedroom. Often they became small and petty, taking what vengeances they could get away with out on newcomers who still had his attention.
The slaves were better.
Easier.
If they had any expectations at all, they were usually far worse than what reality was. Upon finding that their lot in life had improved immensely, they were grateful enough to not make nuisances of themselves. They did what was requested of them - sometimes with quiet pleasure, sometimes with simply tolerance - and went about their new lives.
No matter the circumstances, no one had ever looked so... vacant.
“I don't know, Yoochun. I don't think he wants to be here at all.”
And despite all his cynicism and distrust, Yoochun still found himself agreeing.
~*~*~
They had been watching him for most of the morning. He'd felt their eyes on him from the moment they'd ventured out into the quiet garden side of the vast courtyard.
He remembered them both from the royal gala that had sealed his fate. Rare that he should remember anything through the drugged haze that allowed him to go into those situations and still function properly as he was expected to, but then, it was rare that anyone expressed as much non-sexual delight in his dancing as the one with the glowing smile had.
It was something worth remembering.
He fingered the small vial he kept tucked away in the sash of his robes.
”I can't take this, SooMin... I know what it's worth.”
“Nonsense. This entire mess is my fault. It should have occurred to me that you'd catch their eye. I shouldn't have sent you.”
“You're not a god. You can't know everything.”
Gentle fingers closed his hand around the small box. “Take it. I've heard good things about the prince and his closest friends, but not all members of the royal court are like them. It will make things easier.”
Easier.
As if anything could be easy about having his freedom snatched away from him again once it was finally within his grasp.
He tried to be philosophical about it.
An easy life wasn't a life worth living, after all.
If he could have mustered up sarcasm through the wall of his defensive indifference, he might have pointed out that whoever had said that clearly hadn't had a very hard life at all.
~*~*~
TBC