Thirteen Dancing Princes - A Retelling
Thirteen Dancing Princes
Tablo/Eunhyuk (Kangin/Eeteuk), fairy tale, G, 1950 words
A/N: A Freakin' Happy Birthday to our ever so lovely todefinebeauty!
This is not a belated gift because we'd been done with this long before your birthday happened. It's just that we'd all been absently busy 8D May all your adventures and explorations be courageous and filled with the excitement of a thousand paths lavished with trees of gold and silver and diamonds. We lubj00z with the power of infinite suns~~~
There was a king who had thirteen beautiful sons. The thirteen sons slept in thirteen beds all in one room; and when they went to bed, the doors were shut and locked up; but every morning their shoes were found to be quite worn, as though they'd been danced in all night. But no one could figure out how this had happened.
The king Kangin then declared, "If any noble person can discover the secret, and find out where my precious sons dance in the night, they shall have the one they like best for a husband, and shall reign my kingdom alongside them after my passing. However, whoever fails to do so after three days and three nights... shall be put to death!"
Eeteuk, the king consort, added, "Or, just banished, since it would be wrong to kill someone for something so trivial. Right?"
"What? No! I'm the king and I say death!" King Kangin demanded, but cracked under Eeteuk's glare. "Just one. Can't I behead just one?"
Eeteuk sighed, longsuffering. "Fine--"
"DEATH!" Kangin roared victoriously.
And so it was that soon, a princess from a faraway kingdom came along and was welcomed heartily by the king and king consort.
She was wined and dined 'til evening and then was taken to the chamber next to where the princes' laid in their thirteen beds. There, she sat and watched with her door open, so that she might see and hear all that went on in the night, to see where the princes went to dance. But the princess fell fast asleep and when she awoke the next morning, she found that the princes' shoes were full of holes from dancing. The second and third night were no different, and the king had no choice but to order her dead.
Many other princes and princesses and lords and ladies came, but none were able to stay alert and all ended in mortal failure - with the exception of a few that the king and king consort thought too pretty to die.
("YOU SAID JUST ONE!" the king consort scolded.
"A few more won't hurt!" the king exclaimed, and that was that.)
It came the day when Eeteuk put an arm around his king's shoulders in comfort and said, "Perhaps it is time to encourage those beyond noble pedigree to try."
The king, in his great sadness, agreed and decreed it that any person, of noble blood or not, should they find his sons' secret, should receive the reward of his kingdom and marriage to a son of their choosing.
That day, there came a poet by the name of Daniel, who happened to traverse through this kingdom. Hearing this news, he became intrigued by the challenge and walked to the castle gate. But before he could go through, an old man stopped to ask him where he was going.
"I know not where I go or what I am to do, but to try my hand at finding where it is the princes' dance at night, assuage my curiosity, and mayhaps find inspiration for my fading muse."
"A task so simple, but no noble could have done it, too weak against our princes' beauty. Only take care not to drink of the wine any prince will bring to you in the evening, and feign sleep as soon as they leave you."
Then, the man handed him a flask and a cloak of black. "Hide the wine they give you in the flask, so they do not suspect. Wear this cloak and you will remain unseen, able to follow undetected by the princes wherever they may go... And that'll be ten shillings please."
"Five."
"Eight."
"Six."
"Deal."
With such sure guidance at a bargain price, the poet's confidence was fortified and he went ahead, determined to succeed.
When the king saw him, concern belied his expression. "Are you sure you want to take on this challenge, poet?"
The poet stood up straighter, taller, and declared, "It is my greatest wish to reveal the secrets your sons have hidden amongst themselves, so that I may have accomplished this kingdom's most perplexing mystery. My life is a worthy risk."
Both King Kangin and King Consort Eeteuk were very pleased with his words.
So, Daniel the poet was received by the royal court with as much goodwill and precarious hope as had been instilled in other challengers, and when evening came, he was lead to the same chambers as all the others before him to keep watch for the night.
One of the princes, the eldest whose name was Heechul, brought Daniel a goblet of wine of which he was careful to drink not even a single drop and hid it in the flask as the old man instructed. Then, he laid himself in the bed and gave the appearance of a deep and comfortable sleep.
All thirteen princes saw and did not perceive the deceit, believing their trick well-played as they pulled out their finest clothing, dressing and running amok in eagerness to dance.
The eldest, Heechul, cackled heartily, "This bard fellow would have done better to keep at his trade than to lose his life for a chance at a title!"
"Hyung," frowned Eunhyuk, the middle child of all middle children. "He seemed genuinely more curious of our secret than anything else, and more cunning than the nobles that've come. I feel as if we should be more careful..."
"Stop your worrying, worrywart," said Heechul. "We'll be perfectly fine and happy. Do you forget how many have failed before him? This poet is in as sound a sleep as all the rest of them from the sleeping draught. Now hurry on, our princesses await us!"
Hankyung came from behind and pet Eunhyuk's head. "You heard our eldest. Just come along and we'll be fine," he smiled, like he also was worried but because he was second eldest, needed to give a show of oneness.
When all the princes were ready, they looked at their challenger. He did not stir a limb and they thought themselves to be safe. And so Heechul went beside his own bed and clapped his hands together. The bed sank into the ground, turning into a trap door, and the poet looked on discreetly as the princes walked through, one after the other.
Daniel, losing no time, jumped up and put on the cloak that the old man bestowed upon him, following them. But in the middle of the way down, he stepped too quickly and trod against Eunhyuk's shoe.
"Brothers! Something's amiss! Someone took hold of my foot!" he cried out.
"Oh, for goodness' sake, it was most likely your clumsy self tripping on the step," Heechul said, annoyed.
Eunhyuk bowed his head in acquiescence and they all continued to a grove of sparkling trees with silver leaves. To give proof of the sight, the poet stole away a small branch of it and hid it with him in his cloak. The snap as he broke it off alerted Eunhyuk.
"Brothers! I am sure something is amiss! There was a sound I've never heard here before. Did none of you hear it also?" he said in dismay.
But none did.
They walked through more two other groves, one of glittering gold, and the other of magnificent diamonds, and Daniel collected a small sample of each; each time, calling Eunhyuk's attention.
"There is a strange sound, I am sure," he said.
"I might have heard it," said Ryeowook, whom the princes called their youngest.
"I think I heard it also, but it could've been Siwon whispering in my ear again--Please stop," said Henry, their actual youngest, to their brother of many unnecessary gestures - including whispering exceedingly close to one's ears.
"All of you are delirious. It is but the sound of our princesses awaiting us. Let us make haste!" said Heechul, thoroughly annoyed, and they went on until reaching a lake of great size.
At the dock sat thirteen small boats, each with a pretty princess awaiting them, and the princes stepped into their vessels; Daniel boarding the same one as Eunhyuk.
"I'm not sure why, but the boat feels heavier this night, and it takes more effort to row," Eunhyuk lamented.
"It's the weather, I'm sure. Too warm," said Shindong, sweat already streaming down his face from the exertion, and his princess dotting him with a handkerchief.
Across the lake's horizon, Daniel could see a castle, giant and glowing ethereal, with merry music exuding from within its thick stone walls.
There, they landed, and each went into the castle to dance with their princesses, and unbeknownst to them, Daniel pranced around them, not knowing how to dance but boldly wanting to join the merriment anyway under the safe guise of invisibility.
He played tricks on them, such as drinking their golden goblets empty before they could take even a sip.
This also put fear in Eunhyuk, but every concern he voiced was shushed away by Heechul and the others.
"Your worrying is going to worry Ryeowook," Yesung said.
"Just keep dancing~ And then we can go to the shoemaker tomorrow. Again!" Zhou Mi squeed, pulling at Kyuhyun's disgruntled arm in his excitement.
"Maybe it's a ghost..." wondered Donghae, staring at their empty cups.
"Then perhaps it was Kibum," Sungmin pointed out.
Kibum only looked up from his corner, and stared.
"Or, perhaps not," he amended.
"Or perhaps all of you need to hush, and enjoy," their eldest interrupted.
Daniel along with the princes did as he said and watched quietly for the rest of the time, enjoying the spectacles before his eyes. Some spectacles more than others, like the dancing Eunhyuk in fluid grace and artful movement. An individual of sound awareness and inspiration.
They danced until three in the morning. They danced until their shoes were tattered beyond repair and they could dance no more.
Daniel followed them back on the boats (this time with the silent Kibum) and through the trees and up the stairs, running past them to uncloak and return to his bed.
The princes walked up slowly, being quite tired, and checked on him.
"We are safe, just as I thought," said Heechul, and Eunhyuk agreed reluctantly.
Satisfied with the curled snoring figure, they each retired to sleep, worn shoes placed at the foot of their beds.
The next morning, the poet said nothing of the night before, wanting to see more of their ventures, so the second and third nights went on as the first night did; only, on the second night, Eunhyuk had been extra watchful, remarking shyly how Daniel had gazed at him strangely during the day, and on the third night, Daniel snuck a golden goblet from the glowing castle as more proof of what he had witnessed.
The time came for Daniel to reveal what he had found to the king.
"Where have they been dancing, poet?" the king asked.
"In an underground castle, with thirteen enchanted princesses, your Majesty," he replied, and relayed the entirety of all that had happened during their excursions as the princes listened on in horror.
"Is this true?" asked Kangin and Eeteuk of their sons, neither frowning but unhappy still.
Before any of the princes could protest, Daniel uncovered the three branches he'd broken and the golden goblet he had taken and laid them before the king.
The princes then saw there was no use in denying it and confessed to everything.
And so Kangin asked to which of his sons did Daniel want to marry and reign with as kings, and Daniel did not hesitate a beat, saying, "For he that inspired me anew, and for his awareness of me, I shall choose Eunhyuk."
Eunhyuk flushed ever so slightly and took Daniel's hand as he was offered; they were married that very day, living curiously and reigning peacefully forever after.
Tablo/Eunhyuk (Kangin/Eeteuk), fairy tale, G, 1950 words
A/N: A Freakin' Happy Birthday to our ever so lovely todefinebeauty!
This is not a belated gift because we'd been done with this long before your birthday happened. It's just that we'd all been absently busy 8D May all your adventures and explorations be courageous and filled with the excitement of a thousand paths lavished with trees of gold and silver and diamonds. We lubj00z with the power of infinite suns~~~
There was a king who had thirteen beautiful sons. The thirteen sons slept in thirteen beds all in one room; and when they went to bed, the doors were shut and locked up; but every morning their shoes were found to be quite worn, as though they'd been danced in all night. But no one could figure out how this had happened.
The king Kangin then declared, "If any noble person can discover the secret, and find out where my precious sons dance in the night, they shall have the one they like best for a husband, and shall reign my kingdom alongside them after my passing. However, whoever fails to do so after three days and three nights... shall be put to death!"
Eeteuk, the king consort, added, "Or, just banished, since it would be wrong to kill someone for something so trivial. Right?"
"What? No! I'm the king and I say death!" King Kangin demanded, but cracked under Eeteuk's glare. "Just one. Can't I behead just one?"
Eeteuk sighed, longsuffering. "Fine--"
"DEATH!" Kangin roared victoriously.
And so it was that soon, a princess from a faraway kingdom came along and was welcomed heartily by the king and king consort.
She was wined and dined 'til evening and then was taken to the chamber next to where the princes' laid in their thirteen beds. There, she sat and watched with her door open, so that she might see and hear all that went on in the night, to see where the princes went to dance. But the princess fell fast asleep and when she awoke the next morning, she found that the princes' shoes were full of holes from dancing. The second and third night were no different, and the king had no choice but to order her dead.
Many other princes and princesses and lords and ladies came, but none were able to stay alert and all ended in mortal failure - with the exception of a few that the king and king consort thought too pretty to die.
("YOU SAID JUST ONE!" the king consort scolded.
"A few more won't hurt!" the king exclaimed, and that was that.)
It came the day when Eeteuk put an arm around his king's shoulders in comfort and said, "Perhaps it is time to encourage those beyond noble pedigree to try."
The king, in his great sadness, agreed and decreed it that any person, of noble blood or not, should they find his sons' secret, should receive the reward of his kingdom and marriage to a son of their choosing.
That day, there came a poet by the name of Daniel, who happened to traverse through this kingdom. Hearing this news, he became intrigued by the challenge and walked to the castle gate. But before he could go through, an old man stopped to ask him where he was going.
"I know not where I go or what I am to do, but to try my hand at finding where it is the princes' dance at night, assuage my curiosity, and mayhaps find inspiration for my fading muse."
"A task so simple, but no noble could have done it, too weak against our princes' beauty. Only take care not to drink of the wine any prince will bring to you in the evening, and feign sleep as soon as they leave you."
Then, the man handed him a flask and a cloak of black. "Hide the wine they give you in the flask, so they do not suspect. Wear this cloak and you will remain unseen, able to follow undetected by the princes wherever they may go... And that'll be ten shillings please."
"Five."
"Eight."
"Six."
"Deal."
With such sure guidance at a bargain price, the poet's confidence was fortified and he went ahead, determined to succeed.
When the king saw him, concern belied his expression. "Are you sure you want to take on this challenge, poet?"
The poet stood up straighter, taller, and declared, "It is my greatest wish to reveal the secrets your sons have hidden amongst themselves, so that I may have accomplished this kingdom's most perplexing mystery. My life is a worthy risk."
Both King Kangin and King Consort Eeteuk were very pleased with his words.
So, Daniel the poet was received by the royal court with as much goodwill and precarious hope as had been instilled in other challengers, and when evening came, he was lead to the same chambers as all the others before him to keep watch for the night.
One of the princes, the eldest whose name was Heechul, brought Daniel a goblet of wine of which he was careful to drink not even a single drop and hid it in the flask as the old man instructed. Then, he laid himself in the bed and gave the appearance of a deep and comfortable sleep.
All thirteen princes saw and did not perceive the deceit, believing their trick well-played as they pulled out their finest clothing, dressing and running amok in eagerness to dance.
The eldest, Heechul, cackled heartily, "This bard fellow would have done better to keep at his trade than to lose his life for a chance at a title!"
"Hyung," frowned Eunhyuk, the middle child of all middle children. "He seemed genuinely more curious of our secret than anything else, and more cunning than the nobles that've come. I feel as if we should be more careful..."
"Stop your worrying, worrywart," said Heechul. "We'll be perfectly fine and happy. Do you forget how many have failed before him? This poet is in as sound a sleep as all the rest of them from the sleeping draught. Now hurry on, our princesses await us!"
Hankyung came from behind and pet Eunhyuk's head. "You heard our eldest. Just come along and we'll be fine," he smiled, like he also was worried but because he was second eldest, needed to give a show of oneness.
When all the princes were ready, they looked at their challenger. He did not stir a limb and they thought themselves to be safe. And so Heechul went beside his own bed and clapped his hands together. The bed sank into the ground, turning into a trap door, and the poet looked on discreetly as the princes walked through, one after the other.
Daniel, losing no time, jumped up and put on the cloak that the old man bestowed upon him, following them. But in the middle of the way down, he stepped too quickly and trod against Eunhyuk's shoe.
"Brothers! Something's amiss! Someone took hold of my foot!" he cried out.
"Oh, for goodness' sake, it was most likely your clumsy self tripping on the step," Heechul said, annoyed.
Eunhyuk bowed his head in acquiescence and they all continued to a grove of sparkling trees with silver leaves. To give proof of the sight, the poet stole away a small branch of it and hid it with him in his cloak. The snap as he broke it off alerted Eunhyuk.
"Brothers! I am sure something is amiss! There was a sound I've never heard here before. Did none of you hear it also?" he said in dismay.
But none did.
They walked through more two other groves, one of glittering gold, and the other of magnificent diamonds, and Daniel collected a small sample of each; each time, calling Eunhyuk's attention.
"There is a strange sound, I am sure," he said.
"I might have heard it," said Ryeowook, whom the princes called their youngest.
"I think I heard it also, but it could've been Siwon whispering in my ear again--Please stop," said Henry, their actual youngest, to their brother of many unnecessary gestures - including whispering exceedingly close to one's ears.
"All of you are delirious. It is but the sound of our princesses awaiting us. Let us make haste!" said Heechul, thoroughly annoyed, and they went on until reaching a lake of great size.
At the dock sat thirteen small boats, each with a pretty princess awaiting them, and the princes stepped into their vessels; Daniel boarding the same one as Eunhyuk.
"I'm not sure why, but the boat feels heavier this night, and it takes more effort to row," Eunhyuk lamented.
"It's the weather, I'm sure. Too warm," said Shindong, sweat already streaming down his face from the exertion, and his princess dotting him with a handkerchief.
Across the lake's horizon, Daniel could see a castle, giant and glowing ethereal, with merry music exuding from within its thick stone walls.
There, they landed, and each went into the castle to dance with their princesses, and unbeknownst to them, Daniel pranced around them, not knowing how to dance but boldly wanting to join the merriment anyway under the safe guise of invisibility.
He played tricks on them, such as drinking their golden goblets empty before they could take even a sip.
This also put fear in Eunhyuk, but every concern he voiced was shushed away by Heechul and the others.
"Your worrying is going to worry Ryeowook," Yesung said.
"Just keep dancing~ And then we can go to the shoemaker tomorrow. Again!" Zhou Mi squeed, pulling at Kyuhyun's disgruntled arm in his excitement.
"Maybe it's a ghost..." wondered Donghae, staring at their empty cups.
"Then perhaps it was Kibum," Sungmin pointed out.
Kibum only looked up from his corner, and stared.
"Or, perhaps not," he amended.
"Or perhaps all of you need to hush, and enjoy," their eldest interrupted.
Daniel along with the princes did as he said and watched quietly for the rest of the time, enjoying the spectacles before his eyes. Some spectacles more than others, like the dancing Eunhyuk in fluid grace and artful movement. An individual of sound awareness and inspiration.
They danced until three in the morning. They danced until their shoes were tattered beyond repair and they could dance no more.
Daniel followed them back on the boats (this time with the silent Kibum) and through the trees and up the stairs, running past them to uncloak and return to his bed.
The princes walked up slowly, being quite tired, and checked on him.
"We are safe, just as I thought," said Heechul, and Eunhyuk agreed reluctantly.
Satisfied with the curled snoring figure, they each retired to sleep, worn shoes placed at the foot of their beds.
The next morning, the poet said nothing of the night before, wanting to see more of their ventures, so the second and third nights went on as the first night did; only, on the second night, Eunhyuk had been extra watchful, remarking shyly how Daniel had gazed at him strangely during the day, and on the third night, Daniel snuck a golden goblet from the glowing castle as more proof of what he had witnessed.
The time came for Daniel to reveal what he had found to the king.
"Where have they been dancing, poet?" the king asked.
"In an underground castle, with thirteen enchanted princesses, your Majesty," he replied, and relayed the entirety of all that had happened during their excursions as the princes listened on in horror.
"Is this true?" asked Kangin and Eeteuk of their sons, neither frowning but unhappy still.
Before any of the princes could protest, Daniel uncovered the three branches he'd broken and the golden goblet he had taken and laid them before the king.
The princes then saw there was no use in denying it and confessed to everything.
And so Kangin asked to which of his sons did Daniel want to marry and reign with as kings, and Daniel did not hesitate a beat, saying, "For he that inspired me anew, and for his awareness of me, I shall choose Eunhyuk."
Eunhyuk flushed ever so slightly and took Daniel's hand as he was offered; they were married that very day, living curiously and reigning peacefully forever after.