Prince and the Pauper: Chapter 3
Title: The Prince and the Pauper: Chapter 3
Author: Aznmen
Pairings: JaeMin, JaeSu, YooSu, YunChun (Note: These pairings are in no specific order)
Words: 2376
Summary: When Prince Changmin falls off a balcony and the pauper, Jaejoong, saves him, it's the start of their own story. The kingdom is at war and an alliance marriage is necessary... what will happen of the Prince and the Pauper?
Chapter Four:
Jaejoong gathered the last of his stuff. It wasn’t until he had packed everything in bags did he realize that he owned more items than he expected. HaengBok was even being allowed to stay with him. Changmin hadn’t looked at him while telling him what he was allowed to take, though… and that hurt more than if he was glaring at him.
How could this break down like this? How did our friendship go down the drain in a few seconds…? How could he not believe me after all these years? This doesn’t even make sense… Why would he not believe me!?
The carriage seemed to be packed sooner than it should’ve been, and Jaejoong and Yunho were soon found riding inside. The gentle jolt of the carriage soothed the both of them, and the trip to the Jung kingdom was surprising uneventful. Although Yunho had warned him of things that could’ve happened, nothing really did, and the Lee Kingdom definitely didn’t attack. But then again, that was the reason for … Bo Mi and Changmin’s marriage. The Jung kingdom sent over the princess and the Shim kingdom offered the prince; marriage would be formed and the two kingdoms would unite against the Lee Kingdom.
The king of the Lee kingdom, Sungmin - said to be one with queer habits - was a cruel monarch, and many of his people feared him. Each kingdom bordered each other, and there was a certain point where all four kingdoms met. It is aptly called Four Corners. The other kingdom not described is the Kim Kingdom, a neutral territory, which is in good terms with each kingdom. King Ryeowook must’ve been doing something right.
A jolt went through the carriage, and Yunho peeked quickly through the window to see what happened. Jaejoong felt a twinge of fear thinking that the horses might’ve hit something.
The driver stopped the horses quickly and the two inside could hear a voice crying, "My shoe!" The high voice crying a phrase that they weren’t expecting made Yunho come out of the carriage.
Putting on his best royal voice, Yunho apologized, "Good traveler, I offer my sincerest apologies… is your footwear still usable?" Walking over to the man, Yunho offered him a hand to launch himself from the run-over shoe. Smiling at the condition of the shoe, the man was happy that it seemed to be holding together, "Ah… it’s fine! It … just…" and then the shoe split in half, the fabric deciding not to hold anymore. "I … guess it isn’t."
Yunho grinned, and quickly ran back to the carriage. Grabbing a pair of his own shoes, he offered them to him, "These have been used, I’m afraid, but it’s what I can offer you."
"You can just offer me a ride instead? If you’re going where I’m going, that is?" The man looked hopeful, his eyes shining brightly in hope.
"We’re heading towards the castle. Is that alright?"
"It’s perfect! Could you also take one more?"
Not suspecting the request, Yunho looked around for the mentioned person. "YooChun!! We have a ride! We don’t have to walk any more!"
"Junsu! Are you serious?"
Junsu and YooChun had put their stuff in the carriage quickly. They were both carrying loaded packs, but they had placed them in front of their feet and were sitting comfortably in front of Jaejoong and Yunho. Jaejoong let himself glance at the two men before him, taking in their clothing and mannerisms. YooChun, one with sandy brown hair down to his shoulders was unhooking his travel pack and placing it at his feet. Junsu, the one that had his shoe run over, had golden brown short hair. His voice seemed to be like a man’s in the middle of puberty. It didn’t crack, but it had the unnatural high yet low tone. YooChun’s was low and warm.
"Thank you for taking us with you," YooChun said after setting his pack next to his feet.
Yunho nodded his acknowledgment and then looked towards Jaejoong. "Go on," He yelled, and the carriage driver started the horses.
YooChun and Junsu continued to talk to each other, whispering in each other’s ears. Yunho seemed shocked at first by their lack of respect, but rather than bring it up, he let them carry on.
The sun seemed to set quickly, and as the air grew cold and the light dim, they stopped in a small encampment. The driver worked on cooling down the horses and setting them up in places where they wouldn’t run away, and Jaejoong immediately set about, trying to make a fire and dinner. Showing a few tricks that Yunho didn’t know he had, and a few the travelers seemed to approve of, Jaejoong had a small fire going. An odd-shaped camping pot was placed on the fire, and somehow… Jaejoong started dinner. Yunho tried to watch, but Jaejoong was mixing a few things that he had no idea were. "How did you learn?"
Jaejoong smiled, lifting his glance from the pot to Yunho, "Moira taught me."
Rather than go into a big discussion with Jaejoong, Yunho let a simple guttural "ah," let his feelings take place. Smiling, he let himself merely watch and wait for dinner to be done.
Junsu and YooChun sat in the back, having rolled a log over for a seat. YooChun sat down, only to stand right back up and go to the carriage. Lifting his pack, he brought it over and laid a few things down, one of which was some dried meat, "Jaejoong, I have beef jerky!"
Surprised that YooChun had remembered his name, Jaejoong glanced over at him and walked slowly. With one hand, he took it away from YooChun and bit it into hard. The meat was slightly tough, but when chewing it for a few seconds, flavours that didn’t seem to be obvious became wonderous in his mouth. "Thank you," Jaejoong said appreciatingly. Taking the rest to Yunho, he handed the small piece over and looked back towards the ready stew. "Dinner’s done!"
The meal was eaten quickly, the driver nodding appreciatively every few bites, YooChun and Junsu exchanging glances after their bowls were empty, and Yunho smiling at Jaejoong at the first bite.
Looking down at his stew, Jaejoong couldn’t help but think of Changmin… and what had happened. The expression made his eyes grow dark, and as he lowered his glance, his hair fell into his face. Yunho, deciding to try to comfort the boy, sat closer to him and rubbed a small circle on his back. Jaejoong glanced through his dark hair and attempted a smile, but it seemed forced.
Knowing the forlorn boy needed time alone, Yunho decided to take the time to get to know their fellow companions. "Junsu… YooChun… what are your family names?"
YooChun shook his head, "We do not claim any names nor family."
Obviously listening on the conversation, Jaejoong shook his hair out of his face and attempted to seem a slight sense of normal, "Junsu…? Are you the same?"
Junsu smiled, but it was a sad one, "I don’t claim any region… we are simply travelers… in search of new places to be, new sights to see…"
"So you have no wife or children at home? No family?"
Shaking his head, Junsu let his hand run through his hair. As if startled, Junsu quickly patted his chin where a light amount of hair was growing. "YooChun."
The way Junsu spoke his name didn’t bother YooChun much and he simply turned to Junsu with a smile, "You need…?"
"Razor. I need the razor."
Wondering what Junsu was talking about, Jaejoong let his eyes glance twoareds where Junsu’s hand was. He had always wanted a little patch of hair on his chin… or above his lip, but even after puberty… there was nothing! Jaejoong thought it was a manly thing to have, but nothing was what he had.
YooChun shook his head wonderingly, "I don’t know why you don’t keep it in your bag… you know I have no use for it." Digging his hand around in the backpack, he found a small box. Opening it carefully, he extracted two small knives and a decorated wooden box with two slits in it. The knives were slid into the slits, and YooChun locked a small sliver of wood on top of them, two small indents clicking into two impressions in the decorated wood that were previously hidden. The knives were so close together it could have easily been used as a weapon. Handing it to Junsu, Junsu ran over to the small creek they had discovered earlier (along with the log) and dipped his whole head under. He came back out spluttering, "It’s really cold!" but then he dipped it in again. A few more times, and then he ran the razor a few times over his scruff. He repeated these actions several more times and then came running over, water dripping from his hair, and his shirt slightly wet.
Handing over the razor, Junsu stripped out of his shirt and shook himself like a dog. His hair flung every where and he smiled. "You have to be real careful with that thing…" Junsu murmured, pointing towards the razor. "If it cuts, the two cuts are so close together that it makes it hard to heal, as well as it hurts … a lot."
"How did you get it? Did you make it?" Although Jaejoong had no need for it, he was very curious towards how it worked.
"I made it… we had used one knife before, and we could cut ourselves really bad with the point… so what if it just used part of the edge, you know? It’s rather primitive, but hopefully they’ll get better in time."
"Again, I don’t understand why he says ‘we’… I don’t really need it… but Junsu does. You should see him when he gets all hairy." YooChun laughed, "He’s a monster!"
Junsu punched him on the shoulder, and YooChun flinched away, grabbing his shoulder with a pout.
Yunho stroked his cheek as well, and pointed towards the razor, "May I try?"
"You’ll need help… let me go to the river with you."
Jaejoong watched as Junsu took Yunho over to the river and dunked his head in the water a few times. Glancing towards YooChun, he noticed that they couldn’t help but smile.
The trip passed quicker with the two new companions, and Jaejoong and Yunho attached themselves to the others. Jaejoong and Junsu soon sat next to each other, speaking of different places and experiences. Apparently YooChun and Junsu had been to the Lee kingdom, and it was a harsh terrain. They said that as you got further into the Lee kingdom, the ground went from green grasses and flowers, bushes, and many other live things to clay grounds and desert like conditions. Junsu said that they had even seen King Sungmin with their own eyes and he was a hardened king. "We had seen him before, before his son died, and he was a benevolent king… but after… he became cruel."
Junsu had told of fruits that didn’t make sense… and YooChun spoke of some that did. Each told stories of the magnificent and Jaejoong and Yunho hung off their every word. By the time they reached the Jung region castle, Jaejoong and Yunho had a whole new store of information.
The guards waved them in quickly when they saw Yunho, and Junsu and YooChun looked towards him with confusion. He hadn’t told him that he was the prince of the Jung region yet. The king came down, his arms open wide as Yunho came. "My son! You’re back!" Pausing for a moment, the king asked, "Where’s Bo Mi?"
Yunho released his father from his grip, "Bo Mi is still in the Shim kingdom. There was a little … mishap there, and Jaejoong has come. Bo Mi will come in her own time."
The king’s smile faltered, "Mishap? Is it something serious?"
"Only for Jaejoong… It has nothing to do with Bo Mi."
Changmin laid in his bed worriedly, thinking over the incident time and time again. Every time he went over it, something never seemed to be right… something was… off. He didn’t understand it, but something about Jaejoong’s expression, and Bo Mi’s pride. She seemed so happy when he announced that Jaejoong was banished. Looking at the sleeping girl in his arms, he touched his hand on her curly hair, stroking it lightly. Could he believe her? Was she worth his friend who had saved his life…? Whom he had spent eight years with…? Whom he had gone through thick and thin? Learned horseback? Teased… talked about women…? Had he given up their friendship for her?
But it wasn’t just her. Changmin had to remind himself that. It was an alliance. It was for their region, and another. It was for the lives of many. He would have to be king one day… his father was growing old, and while he was still a healthy man, he had to be ready for the day that the war with the Lee kingdom came to his doorstep. At any moment, King Sungmin could march through the doors and take over the kingdom. He might send assassins to kill his father. And then he would be king. He would have to rule… with Bo Mi. His wife.
This was all something that he couldn’t decide, but it was necessary to know that it was his duty. Thoughts of going against duty… getting Jaejoong back… they should be suppressed. His thoughts were supposed to be with his people. And so, Changmin once more stroked the soft hair of Bo Mi… her warm body snuggling closer to his on their bed.
Although they shared a bed, they had not shared their bodies. As typical as it may have been to form many … relationships with women, Changmin knew that this was not for him. He wished to have simply one person to give his body to, one that he knew would have his body… and his heart. Bo Mi wasn’t it… maybe she would grow on him in the future, but for now, his heart laid silent in his heart. The beatings of love were faint, and he wished he could have one to give it too.
A/N: Just so you guys know!~ I don't have a solid internet connection (the reason for the late update) so I'm randomly stealing computers and hoping that they have 1) internet ; and 2) word~ this one didn't have word, but it had wordpad, thank god ^^; So here's the update!~
Author: Aznmen
Pairings: JaeMin, JaeSu, YooSu, YunChun (Note: These pairings are in no specific order)
Words: 2376
Summary: When Prince Changmin falls off a balcony and the pauper, Jaejoong, saves him, it's the start of their own story. The kingdom is at war and an alliance marriage is necessary... what will happen of the Prince and the Pauper?
Chapter Four:
Jaejoong gathered the last of his stuff. It wasn’t until he had packed everything in bags did he realize that he owned more items than he expected. HaengBok was even being allowed to stay with him. Changmin hadn’t looked at him while telling him what he was allowed to take, though… and that hurt more than if he was glaring at him.
How could this break down like this? How did our friendship go down the drain in a few seconds…? How could he not believe me after all these years? This doesn’t even make sense… Why would he not believe me!?
The carriage seemed to be packed sooner than it should’ve been, and Jaejoong and Yunho were soon found riding inside. The gentle jolt of the carriage soothed the both of them, and the trip to the Jung kingdom was surprising uneventful. Although Yunho had warned him of things that could’ve happened, nothing really did, and the Lee Kingdom definitely didn’t attack. But then again, that was the reason for … Bo Mi and Changmin’s marriage. The Jung kingdom sent over the princess and the Shim kingdom offered the prince; marriage would be formed and the two kingdoms would unite against the Lee Kingdom.
The king of the Lee kingdom, Sungmin - said to be one with queer habits - was a cruel monarch, and many of his people feared him. Each kingdom bordered each other, and there was a certain point where all four kingdoms met. It is aptly called Four Corners. The other kingdom not described is the Kim Kingdom, a neutral territory, which is in good terms with each kingdom. King Ryeowook must’ve been doing something right.
A jolt went through the carriage, and Yunho peeked quickly through the window to see what happened. Jaejoong felt a twinge of fear thinking that the horses might’ve hit something.
The driver stopped the horses quickly and the two inside could hear a voice crying, "My shoe!" The high voice crying a phrase that they weren’t expecting made Yunho come out of the carriage.
Putting on his best royal voice, Yunho apologized, "Good traveler, I offer my sincerest apologies… is your footwear still usable?" Walking over to the man, Yunho offered him a hand to launch himself from the run-over shoe. Smiling at the condition of the shoe, the man was happy that it seemed to be holding together, "Ah… it’s fine! It … just…" and then the shoe split in half, the fabric deciding not to hold anymore. "I … guess it isn’t."
Yunho grinned, and quickly ran back to the carriage. Grabbing a pair of his own shoes, he offered them to him, "These have been used, I’m afraid, but it’s what I can offer you."
"You can just offer me a ride instead? If you’re going where I’m going, that is?" The man looked hopeful, his eyes shining brightly in hope.
"We’re heading towards the castle. Is that alright?"
"It’s perfect! Could you also take one more?"
Not suspecting the request, Yunho looked around for the mentioned person. "YooChun!! We have a ride! We don’t have to walk any more!"
"Junsu! Are you serious?"
Junsu and YooChun had put their stuff in the carriage quickly. They were both carrying loaded packs, but they had placed them in front of their feet and were sitting comfortably in front of Jaejoong and Yunho. Jaejoong let himself glance at the two men before him, taking in their clothing and mannerisms. YooChun, one with sandy brown hair down to his shoulders was unhooking his travel pack and placing it at his feet. Junsu, the one that had his shoe run over, had golden brown short hair. His voice seemed to be like a man’s in the middle of puberty. It didn’t crack, but it had the unnatural high yet low tone. YooChun’s was low and warm.
"Thank you for taking us with you," YooChun said after setting his pack next to his feet.
Yunho nodded his acknowledgment and then looked towards Jaejoong. "Go on," He yelled, and the carriage driver started the horses.
YooChun and Junsu continued to talk to each other, whispering in each other’s ears. Yunho seemed shocked at first by their lack of respect, but rather than bring it up, he let them carry on.
The sun seemed to set quickly, and as the air grew cold and the light dim, they stopped in a small encampment. The driver worked on cooling down the horses and setting them up in places where they wouldn’t run away, and Jaejoong immediately set about, trying to make a fire and dinner. Showing a few tricks that Yunho didn’t know he had, and a few the travelers seemed to approve of, Jaejoong had a small fire going. An odd-shaped camping pot was placed on the fire, and somehow… Jaejoong started dinner. Yunho tried to watch, but Jaejoong was mixing a few things that he had no idea were. "How did you learn?"
Jaejoong smiled, lifting his glance from the pot to Yunho, "Moira taught me."
Rather than go into a big discussion with Jaejoong, Yunho let a simple guttural "ah," let his feelings take place. Smiling, he let himself merely watch and wait for dinner to be done.
Junsu and YooChun sat in the back, having rolled a log over for a seat. YooChun sat down, only to stand right back up and go to the carriage. Lifting his pack, he brought it over and laid a few things down, one of which was some dried meat, "Jaejoong, I have beef jerky!"
Surprised that YooChun had remembered his name, Jaejoong glanced over at him and walked slowly. With one hand, he took it away from YooChun and bit it into hard. The meat was slightly tough, but when chewing it for a few seconds, flavours that didn’t seem to be obvious became wonderous in his mouth. "Thank you," Jaejoong said appreciatingly. Taking the rest to Yunho, he handed the small piece over and looked back towards the ready stew. "Dinner’s done!"
The meal was eaten quickly, the driver nodding appreciatively every few bites, YooChun and Junsu exchanging glances after their bowls were empty, and Yunho smiling at Jaejoong at the first bite.
Looking down at his stew, Jaejoong couldn’t help but think of Changmin… and what had happened. The expression made his eyes grow dark, and as he lowered his glance, his hair fell into his face. Yunho, deciding to try to comfort the boy, sat closer to him and rubbed a small circle on his back. Jaejoong glanced through his dark hair and attempted a smile, but it seemed forced.
Knowing the forlorn boy needed time alone, Yunho decided to take the time to get to know their fellow companions. "Junsu… YooChun… what are your family names?"
YooChun shook his head, "We do not claim any names nor family."
Obviously listening on the conversation, Jaejoong shook his hair out of his face and attempted to seem a slight sense of normal, "Junsu…? Are you the same?"
Junsu smiled, but it was a sad one, "I don’t claim any region… we are simply travelers… in search of new places to be, new sights to see…"
"So you have no wife or children at home? No family?"
Shaking his head, Junsu let his hand run through his hair. As if startled, Junsu quickly patted his chin where a light amount of hair was growing. "YooChun."
The way Junsu spoke his name didn’t bother YooChun much and he simply turned to Junsu with a smile, "You need…?"
"Razor. I need the razor."
Wondering what Junsu was talking about, Jaejoong let his eyes glance twoareds where Junsu’s hand was. He had always wanted a little patch of hair on his chin… or above his lip, but even after puberty… there was nothing! Jaejoong thought it was a manly thing to have, but nothing was what he had.
YooChun shook his head wonderingly, "I don’t know why you don’t keep it in your bag… you know I have no use for it." Digging his hand around in the backpack, he found a small box. Opening it carefully, he extracted two small knives and a decorated wooden box with two slits in it. The knives were slid into the slits, and YooChun locked a small sliver of wood on top of them, two small indents clicking into two impressions in the decorated wood that were previously hidden. The knives were so close together it could have easily been used as a weapon. Handing it to Junsu, Junsu ran over to the small creek they had discovered earlier (along with the log) and dipped his whole head under. He came back out spluttering, "It’s really cold!" but then he dipped it in again. A few more times, and then he ran the razor a few times over his scruff. He repeated these actions several more times and then came running over, water dripping from his hair, and his shirt slightly wet.
Handing over the razor, Junsu stripped out of his shirt and shook himself like a dog. His hair flung every where and he smiled. "You have to be real careful with that thing…" Junsu murmured, pointing towards the razor. "If it cuts, the two cuts are so close together that it makes it hard to heal, as well as it hurts … a lot."
"How did you get it? Did you make it?" Although Jaejoong had no need for it, he was very curious towards how it worked.
"I made it… we had used one knife before, and we could cut ourselves really bad with the point… so what if it just used part of the edge, you know? It’s rather primitive, but hopefully they’ll get better in time."
"Again, I don’t understand why he says ‘we’… I don’t really need it… but Junsu does. You should see him when he gets all hairy." YooChun laughed, "He’s a monster!"
Junsu punched him on the shoulder, and YooChun flinched away, grabbing his shoulder with a pout.
Yunho stroked his cheek as well, and pointed towards the razor, "May I try?"
"You’ll need help… let me go to the river with you."
Jaejoong watched as Junsu took Yunho over to the river and dunked his head in the water a few times. Glancing towards YooChun, he noticed that they couldn’t help but smile.
The trip passed quicker with the two new companions, and Jaejoong and Yunho attached themselves to the others. Jaejoong and Junsu soon sat next to each other, speaking of different places and experiences. Apparently YooChun and Junsu had been to the Lee kingdom, and it was a harsh terrain. They said that as you got further into the Lee kingdom, the ground went from green grasses and flowers, bushes, and many other live things to clay grounds and desert like conditions. Junsu said that they had even seen King Sungmin with their own eyes and he was a hardened king. "We had seen him before, before his son died, and he was a benevolent king… but after… he became cruel."
Junsu had told of fruits that didn’t make sense… and YooChun spoke of some that did. Each told stories of the magnificent and Jaejoong and Yunho hung off their every word. By the time they reached the Jung region castle, Jaejoong and Yunho had a whole new store of information.
The guards waved them in quickly when they saw Yunho, and Junsu and YooChun looked towards him with confusion. He hadn’t told him that he was the prince of the Jung region yet. The king came down, his arms open wide as Yunho came. "My son! You’re back!" Pausing for a moment, the king asked, "Where’s Bo Mi?"
Yunho released his father from his grip, "Bo Mi is still in the Shim kingdom. There was a little … mishap there, and Jaejoong has come. Bo Mi will come in her own time."
The king’s smile faltered, "Mishap? Is it something serious?"
"Only for Jaejoong… It has nothing to do with Bo Mi."
Changmin laid in his bed worriedly, thinking over the incident time and time again. Every time he went over it, something never seemed to be right… something was… off. He didn’t understand it, but something about Jaejoong’s expression, and Bo Mi’s pride. She seemed so happy when he announced that Jaejoong was banished. Looking at the sleeping girl in his arms, he touched his hand on her curly hair, stroking it lightly. Could he believe her? Was she worth his friend who had saved his life…? Whom he had spent eight years with…? Whom he had gone through thick and thin? Learned horseback? Teased… talked about women…? Had he given up their friendship for her?
But it wasn’t just her. Changmin had to remind himself that. It was an alliance. It was for their region, and another. It was for the lives of many. He would have to be king one day… his father was growing old, and while he was still a healthy man, he had to be ready for the day that the war with the Lee kingdom came to his doorstep. At any moment, King Sungmin could march through the doors and take over the kingdom. He might send assassins to kill his father. And then he would be king. He would have to rule… with Bo Mi. His wife.
This was all something that he couldn’t decide, but it was necessary to know that it was his duty. Thoughts of going against duty… getting Jaejoong back… they should be suppressed. His thoughts were supposed to be with his people. And so, Changmin once more stroked the soft hair of Bo Mi… her warm body snuggling closer to his on their bed.
Although they shared a bed, they had not shared their bodies. As typical as it may have been to form many … relationships with women, Changmin knew that this was not for him. He wished to have simply one person to give his body to, one that he knew would have his body… and his heart. Bo Mi wasn’t it… maybe she would grow on him in the future, but for now, his heart laid silent in his heart. The beatings of love were faint, and he wished he could have one to give it too.
A/N: Just so you guys know!~ I don't have a solid internet connection (the reason for the late update) so I'm randomly stealing computers and hoping that they have 1) internet ; and 2) word~ this one didn't have word, but it had wordpad, thank god ^^; So here's the update!~