Of French Customs and Old Times Part 19
Title: Of French Customs and Old Times.
Status: Part 19
Author: xxqod
Pairings: Jonghyun/Taemin/Minho, Jinki/Kibum
Rating: PG-15
A/N: For bopeep_achu who requested this, it takes place in France of the 18th Century. Incorrect use of the French language XD lol, I only had basic French. It's not historically correct and I used their Korean names, cause I can't bring myself to change them. (Don't bash me for it! >.< )
~There's a wordlist at the end of each part, stating the French words and their translation.~
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Jaebum steps down the stairs, taking in the beauty in front of him and his eyes fall onto the little girl half hiding behind la Reine. 'She sure looks like her mother.' He thinks and bows in front of the woman, he takes her hand and kisses it, welcoming her into the castle. Jaebum only then notices the ripped dress and the state the two women are in. His eyes widen.
"What happened to you lovely ladies on the way here?" He asks, touching Taemin's arm to comfort him (her). Taemin flinches away, but before Jaebum can ask anything else Taemin shoves his hand in the front of his corset and fishes out the paper with Jonghyun's message on it.
"This is from Jonghyun, he requested you read it immediately." He doesn't get a reaction however, because Jaebum is staring at him with his mouth opened, but eyes narrowed.
"Taemin?" The younger boy nods his head.
"It's been a long time Jaebum." He smiles. The other looks at him still and Taemin hops onto his other foot, nervous from Jaebum's stare. Fille's hands grip the skirt of his dress and his own hands search for her, pulling her closer to his side. He smoothens out her hair under the watching eyes of Jaebum, who suddenly blurts out,
"How can you have a daughter? You're a man!"
Taemin's smile falls, but he urges Jaebum to read the letter, saying he would explain everything else after. Jaebum agrees and takes them to the study motioning for two lackeys to stay outside the room. He offers Taemin a seat and Fille climbs onto Taemin's lap. The young boy waits for Jaebum to open the paper and read the contents, sharply watching the expressions on Jaebum's face.
The older boy frowns while reading, but sighs as he folds the paper and puts it into his own pocket. Then he gazes up to Taemin.
"Jonghyun wants me to stay le duc d'Orléans."
"Is there…is there a chance… he won't come back?" Taemin chokes on his words.
"There is." Jaebum says and Taemin's face pales visibly.
"What are we waiting for then?! We need to help!" Taemin shouts, his voice cracking around the edges, because just thinking about losing Jonghyun again, forms a lump in his throat. He's already standing, Fille hiding behind the curtain because of Taemin's raised voice. Jaebum pushes him back into the chair and holds onto frail shoulders.
"Taemin. Taemin! Calm down." He says to the trashing boy.
"I'll see what I can do, but you first have to tell me what's going on!" Jaebum speaks up and Taemin considers his possibilities.
"I'll have you know it will be difficult to help if we're going against le Roi, so I need to know." The only thing Jaebum knows for sure is that he's lying through his teeth, but he got Taemin to spill the beans.
He tells about his marriage to Minho, how Jonghyun was against it, how he just went with Minho and came to love him. He tells of his parents' death and Minho forbidding Jonghyun to set foot in the castle.
When he comes to the part about Minho cheating on him, his voice reduces to a whisper as his eyes flicker to Fille once in a while. Jaebum arches a brow at that part.
He slowly tells Jaebum Fille is the child Minho wanted him to have. Then Jonghyun came back into the picture and Taemin felt himself drawn to the blonde. Jaebum smirks when all the secret meetings pass from Taemin's mouth to his ears, but at the hardships they have since a few days, Jaebum scowls. The younger boy finishes his story with coming here.
"So that's what happened." He says, raw emotions surfacing and Jaebum awkwardly reaches out to pat Taemin's shoulder.
"Let's get you and Fille to your old room." But Taemin pushes Jaebum's arm from his shoulders, his eyebrows furrowed in anger.
"You can't be serious! We have to go back and help them! We can't let them die there!" He yells, while making huge gestures with his arms. Jaebum grits his teeth. This is not the direction it is supposed to go. He grabs Taemin's wrist pulling him back.
"Let's get you a clean set of clothes then, before we head out." And the tone of voice Jaebum uses kind of convinces Taemin to do as he says. He takes cautious steps towards the door, a hand holding his shoulder as if to stop him from running away. Taemin walks past the guards standing watch outside and walks towards his own room. He misses the way Jaebum motions the guards to follow them.
A wave of nostalgia washes over Taemin when he opens the door to his old room and sees everything just as he left it. He sits down on his made bed, his hand sliding over the covers. He smiles, remembering the lost times Jonghyun slept with him in his bed, comforting him when thunder would roar through the sky. He sighs and stands up to walk to his closet and take a change of clothes from it (hoping it would still fit, or maybe he'll find something from Jonghyun in his closet), just at the moment Fille yells. Taemin turns on his heels as Fille stumbles into his room and the door clicks closed behind her.
"Merde!" Taemin runs to the door to turn the handle, but it doesn't budge. He bangs on the door, shouting for Jaebum to open it. He keeps up his assault till a voice on the other side makes him quiet down and listen with his ear pressed against the wood.
"I'm keeping you here. That's what Jonghyun wants." Comes a muffled explanation. Taemin can't believe his ears.
"What?! And you practically promised me to help!" He screams at the wooden door. When he gets no response he rests his head against the cool surface.
"You can't be serious…" His frame shakes with the effort of holding his tears and his fists stay against the door, unmoving. A hiccup escapes his lips and he squints his eyes, small droplets running down his cheeks. Small arms try to wrap around his waist and when Taemin opens his eyes, Fille is staring up at him.
"Don't cry…" She says, sadness clearly audible.
"Everything will be alright." And she smiles. Taemin cries harder at that and lets himself fall on his bottom, pulling Fille into his lap. He holds her tightly against his chest as sobs surge through his body and her little fingers slide through his loose hair.
Jaebum sits down in his chair in the study. He takes the note from his pocket and reads it again.
"Jaebum. Keep Taemin safe for me. Don't let him go back. If you must, lock him in his room. I want you to stay le duc d'Orléans. I'm going against le roi. Stay out of this. I owe you. Jonghyun."
It's not neatly written, but that just confirms Jonghyun had been in a pinch moments before and didn't have time to think about etiquettes or formalities. Jaebum bangs his fist down on the desk, frustrated with the fact he can't help. But he understands Jonghyun's thoughts about this. If he were to help, Minho will for sure come after him too and they can't have that. Even if the public doesn't know what's going on, Minho will have an excuse ready to have them executed.
But Minho will surely come here. He knows Taemin doesn't have anywhere else to go and it would be stupid of the boy to wander through towns, forests and fields in a ripped dress, a little girl and bandits along the way. Well, if Roi Minho comes knocking on his door, he'll let him in, feigning he doesn't know a thing. It wouldn't be hard to hide Taemin and the girl anyway. He just has to place a guard in the tower looking for any signs of a king's procession, or anything close to that.
Jaebum decides that's the best plan anyways.
Kibum sinks to his knees, clutching his hurt arm to himself as he looks at the gaping wound on the guard's head. He snaps back up to Jonghyun, who is still staring at him. Kibum gasps when one of the two remaining guards sneaks up behind the blonde. It's too late to say something when the guard releases a grunt as he lifts his sword. And in that second Jonghyun turns eyes wide when the sword embeds itself into the stool he raised as a shield. It takes a lot of strength to just push the guard away from him and he hastily grabs a sword in his reach. The one from the guard he knocked out cold.
Just behind them Jinki guards off another man who tries to impale him on his sword. After that he attacks the man, the tip of his sword grazing the side of the other's face. The guard grabs at his face, screaming from the pain, blood flowing where his cheek is cut. The sword he was holding is now lying on the floor and Jinki makes a grab for it.
"Kibum!" The feline man turns towards him and Jinki throws the sword in his direction, hilt pointing towards Kibum so he can grab it by the grip. He catches it easily (thanks to Jinki's good throw work), and smiles.
"To defend yourself." Jinki adds in a softer tone, but Kibum still hears it. He smiles a bit brighter before standing up, wincing slightly as his injured arm moves too much. He bumps shoulders with Jonghyun and the blonde glances from the corner of his eyes and Kibum does the same, both straining their eyes on the guard in front of them.
Somehow the man had pulled his sword from the stool and was now eyeing the both of them warily. His gaze lands on Kibum's injured arm and Kibum's mouth pulls at the corner when he notices, a scowl forming on his face. He's not the only one though, as Jonghyun takes a position in front of him, to shield Kibum from harm's way.
"Drop your sword if you don't want to end up dead." The blonde growls, but the guard lashes at him and Jonghyun blocks the blow with the blade. He's surprised by the sudden kick to his guts, which makes him gasp for breath as he stumbles back. The guard comes after him, but Kibum is quick to react and before Jonghyun can blink, the younger boy has the sword pointed at the man's heart, tip pressing into cloth and skin.
"Drop it." He demands and smirks as the guard does so. Kibum wants to ask Jonghyun to hand him the rope the blonde was tied with, but he already stands there. Kibum grins as Jonghyun's eyes sparkle and the shorter man proceeds to tie the guard down.
"I already did the unconscious one." He adds before Kibum can even mention it. He hands the younger boy the remaining ropes and takes his sword again.
After throwing Kibum the sword Jinki turns around to see the woman clutching at Minho's clothes, trembling while doing so and effectively holding Minho down. Le Roi tries desperately to have her release him, but she doesn't listen, fear numbing her senses.
'It's almost too easy.' Jinki thinks as he points his sword at Minho and the woman. Minho mumbles something under his breath, and Jinki knows for sure it's meant to be insulting, but he doesn't let himself be bothered by it. He only holds the sword bit closer to their faces.
Suddenly Jonghyun is there beside him. His sword too, pointed at the two persons on the ground. The blonde isn't looking too happy Jinki notes, but the next action is too unexpected. Jonghyun forcefully pulls the woman of Minho and pushes her down again to the floor.
"Jinki, I want to have a honest duel with Minho." He speaks and Minho frowns, because that's the most stupid thing he ever heard when your enemy is disarmed and vulnerable on the floor already. Jinki is reluctant to answer and instead he focuses on the woman who tries to stand up, but fails. He sees Kibum tying up the guard with the cut on his face and then proceeds to tie the woman.
"I don't know, Jonghyun. It's not a clever thing to do, especially not when there are more guards out there. We must take this opportunity to escape." 'That's the best thing to do.' But Jonghyun gets angry.
"Jinki! I need this! I need to win this for Taemin. To win his love!" He says with raised voice.
"Can't you see you have already won Taemin's love?" Kibum whispers as he comes to stand next to him. He rests a hand on Jonghyun's shoulder. He shakes his head as Jonghyun looks unbelievingly at him.
"Taemin loves you since way back. When you would sleep together with him in his bed when the thunder roared outside. He was just slow to realize, but his love for you was always there. Just like your love for him, and that's what binds you to each other." Kibum finishes as his hand rests where Jonghyun's heart is, pressing against his chest. The other still can't believe his ears.
"Y-you're lying right? I mean, he loves Minho." Jonghyun stutters, quickly glancing at said person.
"He loved Minho. But he never failed to watch the full moon, just like you." Kibum's eyes pierce his own and Jonghyun somehow knows the other is speaking the truth. The feline boy hands him the last rope.
"Here, so you can still have your own victory." And Jonghyun grins as he walks over to Minho, tying both his hands on his back and his feet together. Other than weak protests don't escape Minho's mouth and Jonghyun is satisfied with his handiwork. He turns to leave, but Jinki's voice stops him.
"Don't you want to know why Minho did all this to you, to us?!"
"No, I don't want to hear his lame excuses. Let's get out of here." Jinki looks like he has grown a second head, but Kibum smiles. He reaches out to tug at Jinki's sleeve.
"Allez-y. I think Jonghyun made the right choice." Kibum makes sure they each have a sword and they make their way out of Minho's secret chambers.
A knock on the door alerts Taemin and Fille their evening meal has arrived. The door is unlocked and a lackey brings in a plate filled with dishes and drinks. He's outside the room in another moment, not enough time for Taemin to escape even if he wanted.
He had changed his ripped dress for old clothes of Jonghyun. He was lucky it fit his frame like his own clothing, so he didn't have to pull up his pants the whole time or be afraid the shirt would slide of his shoulders. After that he had talked and played with Fille till their meal arrived.
Taemin smiles fondly at Fille who tries to use a knife, he has to admit he has taken quite a liking to her already. She even asked him if she could call him maman, to which he had said no. But a pout from the little girl made him say that yes, she could call him maman.
Fille is yawning towards the end of their meal and Taemin decides it's time for her to go to bed. He tucks her in and kisses her cheek, climbing in bed after her, because she wants him there.
"Bonne nuit." He says as she closes her eyes. His own stay open, because he can't afford to fall asleep now.
When the clock on the bureau ticks twelve, Taemin climbs out of bed. He binds some blankets together and opens the window. He's lucky he has done this before and he still knows how high it is from his room to the ground. He ties one end to the bedpost and checks if everything it tightly connected. He sticks his head out the window, but sees no one.
Earlier Taemin found his old sword in the closet when he was searching for clothes. Maybe it would come in handy, so he had placed it beside the window, so that nobody would notice. Now he picks up the sword and drops it outside. He winces when a dull sound of the sword hitting the ground sounds through the night air, but nothing happens.
He takes the risk as he puts one foot on the windowsill and pushes himself up. He takes a deep breath when he slowly descends, his feet against the wall to steady himself. The last meter or two he has to fall, but the haystack underneath him breaks his fall. Taemin clambers out of it and shakes stray sprigs from his hair, eyes searching for his lost sword. He spots it a bit further and he makes haste to collect it.
Tonnere is where he left him. So Taemin gets onto the horse's back and storms away through the night, to Jonghyun.
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A/N: So I hope everyone likes it so far. I can't kill people. Hehe. So I think the next chapter is going to be the last. It has 20 chapters then. I think that's a nice number to stop. I didn't check for mistakes, so if you see one, please tell me ^^
Also, comment would be nice XD
List of French words with translation:
- la Reine - the Queen
- le duc d'Orléans - the duke of Orléans
- Merde! - Shit! / Damn!
- le roi - the king
- Roi Minho - King Minho
- allez-y! - let’s go!
- maman- mama/mother
- bonne nuit - good night
- Tonnerre - Thunder