[FanFic] Fairytale Mess [Chapter 9.B]
Title: Donkey skin
Pairing: Yoosu
Author: BloodyRose
Rating: PG-13
Length: 12 chapters
Genre: romance, drama, comedy, angst, happy ending, magic, fantasy, fluff, yaoi
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Junsu opened his eyes and looked around, there by the other end of the bed laid the third bundle, wrapped in silver silk. Junsu sighed and got off the bed; he walked to it and opened it gently, not wanting to damage whatever was inside.
When junsu's fingers brushed against the material in the bundle he gasped, it was the softest silk he ever felt, so soft like a refreshing breeze in the summer, like the fluffy snow falling against your skin or the soft water in a pond. It was amazingly gentle and all white with silvery sewing. The pants, the shirt, the vest and the coat, all white with faint silvery sewing at the edges. Junsu wondered how he was going to be able to find anything wrong to say about this outfit, it was the most perfect thing he had ever saw… well, except yoochun's lips, and muscles, and… junsu shook his head, he wasn't going to think about this, about him, not right now, not when he needed to focus and come up with a good reason as for why this outfit is bad.
Pushing the bundle beside the first two junsu got ready for the play and braced himself, this wasn't going to be easy, the request he was going to voice today was dangerous and could get him hurt, the king could force him to marry him or even worse, kill him for daring to ask, after all he knew how fond the king was of it.
When jaejoong opened the door and bid him good morning junsu only sighed and walked with him the familiar path to the dining hall where everyone was gathered already and waiting for him.
'Good morning' junsu spoke politely and took his seat to the king's right. The left chair which was still empty and waiting for him was prepared for him should he wish to sit there, taking his place as their king's consort, but he didn't.
'Was the outfit to satisfactory enough for you this time, my prince?' the king asked at once, everyone was leaning in to listen to their conversation, all anxious about his answer.
Junsu frowned but didn't answer, he thought for a while and even sipped some of his tea just for dramatics before he answered:' there is something wrong with the sewing, it wasn't done right, and while the material was fine the work wasn't done well, I'm afraid'
Seeing the angry look on the king's face, junsu added quickly:' I'm not saying this to anger you or refuse you, father, and if you do not believe my words I shall bring the outfit to you so you should see it for yourself, I'm not lying'
The look on the king's face softened at once as he looked at his young bride:' it's not that my prince, I'm not angry with you, I'm angry with the idiot tailors who messed up the outfit and disappointed you'
'Well,' junsu shrugged and ate a slice of orange before he spoke again ' I had a pleasant dream last night and I feel generous today so I shall name one last request, if this request is not fulfilled then I shall decline the proposal and I won't agree even if you tortured me and threw me into the darkest cell in the castle. I can be more stubborn than all people here put together, you know'
The king cracked a smile, the prince was stubborn indeed; a trait he inherited from him, no doubt. He nodded his head and braced himself:' name it, my prince'
'I want your most precious treasure's skin. If you love me as you claim, then you should have no reason to deny me this request.'
The king looked perplexed and as he stared at junsu, an inner battle could be seen in his eyes, he was fighting against himself right now.
The air was so thick right now, filled with tension and electricity that even the sharpest sword wouldn't have sliced through it. Junsu tried to ignore everyone's looks and eat his food but he couldn't, he felt all eyes on him and sighed, he looked back at the king, the man was looking ahead of him, not focusing on anything really, just looking into space.
'Well, if you excuse me I think jaejoong have a bath prepared for me' junsu got out and left the hall.
The day couldn't go slower, or more awkward than it already was, everywhere everyone was whispering about the weird request the prince demanded. What was the most precious treasure, anyway? How could it have skin? No one but very few knew the answer, and they were horrified beyond believe to know that the prince requested the skin of a donkey as a wedding gift.
By sunset the king requested junsu's presence in the privet library, junsu was worried to join the king on their own. What if something happened? What if he really tortured him?
Junsu swallowed dry and knocked the door, he waited till the servant opened it from the inside, bowed and allowed him in closing the door behind him. the king was holding a glass of rum in his hand and sipping from it, he looked troubled.
'Leave us'
The servant bowed and left the king and his young bride by themselves
'You asked for me, father?' junsu bowed his head in respect, trying to keep the shiver down to a minimum
'Why…this request…? You could ask for anything you want, all the jewels and money and outfits there is, anything you dream of, yet you ask for a donkey skin, why?'
Junsu shrugged, he decided that half truths were better than full lies:' since I was young I dreamt about getting married, I wanted someone to love me above all else, someone to look at me as if I'm the most precious thing there is to him… I… I wanted to make sure that I shall be your most precious treasure, I guess'
The king looked at him unblinking, a soft frown on his face and his brows knitted together, he looked at junsu as if x-raying him, trying to see into his very own soul
'And you shall achieve that by me giving you a donkey skin?'
'It would show me that you love me above all else, even above the creature that's the reason for your wealth' junsu tried
'I… see…' the king sighed
A long while passed with none speaking, junsu was restless, standing in front of the king and trying not to tremble or flinch…it wasn’t an easy thing to do.
'I need to think' the king mumbled, stood up and left the room, leaving junsu to collapse into the nearest chair, sighing.
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Again, junsu woke up feeling a knot in his stomach; he looked around him and gasped in horror as he saw the ugly donkey skin laying by his feet at the bed. So, the king had done it, he had slaughtered his most precious treasure so he could marry his own son, the thought made junsu feel sick to the stomach, the knot only tightened in his stomach and he reached out with shivering hands to touch the skin. It was processed well; the skin was cleaned, and was smell free, but it still looked so ugly and scary.
Getting ready like usual junsu hid the donkey skin with the three cloth bundles under his bed, he was pale and yellow by the time jaejoong came to collect him for breakfast.
Walking on autopilot junsu was already preparing and plotting his great escape tonight. He couldn't, wouldn't marry the king, simple as that.
Reaching the dining hall and entering junsu took his place without saying any greeting, eyes were glued to him as he entered and sat down. The king looked solemn but eyed him still.
'Your request had been fulfilled; the wedding shall be in a week's time'
The announcement even though expected made junsu wince inwardly and freeze, he felt cold and lonely and tired, he knew he had to move fast, he had to leave before things went bad, really bad.
The rest of the day went by in some sort of a daze like state; junsu was biding his time, searching through the castle for the perfect escape path for later under the excuse of needing to walk and get some air, no one questioned this.
By nightfall junsu had found the best way out of the castle, he had everything prepared and he was confident that his master plan would work perfectly.
At midnight, junsu sneaked out of his warm, fluffy bed and began working, he got dressed modestly but warmly and grabbed the three bundles of clothes from under his bed, he threw the donkey skin over himself to hide his features and took one, last look around.
There were no guards in front of his chamber simply because he ordered them away earlier that day. He walked fast but quietly, his feet not making even the slightest sound against the marble floor and the heavy rugs.
Through the east wing, he sneaked into the third corridor to the right and waited behind an old grandfather clock till the two guards patrolling the corridor walked away, then he sneaked down the stony, coiled stairs till the ground level and through there to the kitchens. The empty kitchen was so dark and barely lit, junsu moved so slowly in fear of knocking something up and making some noise, he dreaded anyone coming and finding him.
Through the kitchen junsu sneaked to the grounds, the wide garden loomed in front of him, he took a deep breath, taking in and inhaling the night's air and began walking in the shadows away from the torches light till he reached the little river. Junsu walked alongside the river out of the castle and the grounds.
The second he set foot out of the castle junsu broke into a run, the donkey skin was slowing his movement as he had to make sure it stayed in its place and covered him up.
Junsu ran and ran, he ran through the kingdom all night long, never stopping for any reason. He knew he had till morning to get out of the kingdom before jaejoong came to wake him up and announced him missing. By then, hell will break lose, he knew it.
Hours passed, morning was rushing by, people were waking up and junsu was nowhere near the boundary, he looked around, hopeless, and saw the dark forest looking in the east, the first rays of sun were already splitting the ink night sky and the castle was clear in the horizon, the world around him was waking up and danger was crawling near.
In a desperate moment junsu took a deep breath and rushed toward the forest, no one will search for him there because they all knew he was a delicate, little, prince and he wouldn't dare go into the scary, dark forest.
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Yoochun sighed; another day had passed by, just like the day before it and the one before it. He searched and searched but found nothing. He had even begun considering the idea of junsu being stuck in an animal form, again.
This was hopeless, he was getting nowhere. He needed a better idea to find his little lover-boy, a mart idea, this reckless search was bound to fail, as it seemed.
What could he do to find the boy?
'Yoochun, honey, maybe it would be easier if you told us what you're searching for' a voice whispered gently behind him
Startled, yoochun let go of his horse and turned around to find the king, the queen and a few generals all looking at him. he bowed his head gently to his parents and still, he looked a little bit startled.
'What makes you think I'm searching for something, my queen?' he tried to sound casual, but failed, even he knew it.
'You go out every morning and don't come back till sunset, you always come back looking crestfallen, you spend the evening looking out of the windows and searching through the castle as if hunting something down. It's clear you're searching for something. If you told us what is it you're so desperately searching for then we will help' she smiled gently at him.
'I…' yoochun sighed ' there is a book I need an old, black, huge, leather covered, book. It was supposed to be somewhere in the castle but I can't find it anywhere'
'But the book isn't all you're searching for, son' the king smirked
'No, it's not' yoochun admitted
'You haven't taken a lover in a long while, you're always out and you're grumpy all the time' the king started ' you're searching for someone. Someone special'
Yoochun didn't deny it but he didn't confirm it either, but his soft, sad smile was a huge giveaway
'Son, tell us, we will help you, we will send out everyone searching for them, just tell us their name' the queen tried again
'I don't have a name, I don't have anything to go by but a face and for that no one can help me…unless…' yoochun frowned thinking, an idea popping into his mind
'Where is the royal artist?' yoochun mumbled, looking around in a rush
'The eastern tower… your highness' one of the generals answered
'Bring him to my chambers, I will describe the man I'm looking for and he can paint a portrait of him, if we could get some around for everyone to see…'
'We will speed up the search by a lot' the king finished, smirking ' it's a great idea, son'
Yoochun nodded, he knew this was somehow cheating, he knew that he was taking the idea out of their own world and performing it in this world, but right now, he couldn't care any less.
'I shall call the artist' the same general bowed his head and left
Yoochun smiled, a happy smile filled with bright, new hope, finally.
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Junsu looked at his reflection in the small pond and frowned, it had been a week since he entered the forest, he didn't shower for a week. He looked and smelled bad, so unlike his usual self. But, on a brighter note, he had finally left his father's Kingdom. Last night he crossed the border between the two kingdoms and now he was safe from them, he was free to search for yoochun and finish this fairytale, the worst was over now, or so he hoped.
After drinking his filled from the pond junsu bathed and cleaned his milky skin from all the dirt a week on the run in the forest could pile on it. he replaced the donkey skin on himself to cover himself and made his way out of the forest, finally.
Junsu walked into the village and looked around, it was a small village and probably no one would know him if he took off this awful donkey skin and acted - and looked- like himself once again, but oh how wrong was he.
Junsu almost yelped in shock when he saw what was at the entrance of the village, right there on the village's gates was a portrait of him! it was his picture with the word WANTED written above his head, a huge number with a lot of zeros was beneath his head, a prize for his head! Could it be his father? How did he reach this village? Was it because it was close to the boundary?
Shaking his head clear, junsu focused again, he needed to find yoochun, he needed to find him fast, and if he remembered this fairytale right then yoochun should be a prince somewhere. Where's better to find a prince but at the royal castle? Making up his mind, junsu pulled the donkey skin tighter around his body and kept on going, ignoring the stares and the laughs and the comments.
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