Dance into the Fire

~*~

You’ve taken the first brave steps

Now it’s time to make yourself go further

And shine like the star that you are

But keep your head and faith

Do not give into the darkness

That lingers wrongfully

In your soul

~*~

Chapter Ten

~.~

As he descended the stairs on the day of The Moon Festival, Himchan could have never suspected that it would be anything bar a fairly extravagant day. There were several ceremonies to be attended, as both Ren and Minhyun had been rightfully claimed which made the carriers heart flutter with joy and there was the traditional prayer ceremony where everyone thanked their ancestors for bestowing great fortune upon them. That tradition was always just a little bit lost on Himchan because he genuinely wasn’t one for thanking anyone as he did not know who to thank as he was pretty sure there was little to his name. He had no parents, no real family line to follow back and for pretty much most of his life he had been a mere speck of dust that no one paid the least bit attention to.

However, he knew that this time he would indeed be thanking whatever ancient spirits were watching over him as clearly they had seen fit to bestow some light in his dark little world and everything that he had gone through so far was a blessing in itself. Himchan believed that he would firmly remain within this City of Brides, maybe becoming like Key and teaching those youngsters how to behave and act or else he could take up seamstress work as he had discovered that he had a fine talent with needle and thread. Baby Taemin was remarked as having the nicest festival clothing for a child and there had been a literal flood of requests for Himchan’s skills ever since.

Key however had politely declined them, saying that he would only start to take commissions should Himchan remain with him after the Moon Festival and that was quite frankly the end of the matter. Despite his strong friendship with Jin, Himchan very much doubted that he would be going far tonight and was prepared to just happily spend his time watching the ceremonies to bind his two little blossoms to their strong men before walking the grounds that would become his home. He was more than content here, for the first time in a long while he almost felt like he could actually have somewhere to be counted as a real person, somewhere to actually belong.

It was a scary feeling but also an oddly calming one as Himchan was more than sure that he would be able to obtain enough money with a few commissions and he could always become a reliable baby sitter if Taemin’s affections were anything to go by so it would not be too hard for him to find a little house, set up a shop and make his own way in life. Whilst many talked that he would marry Jin by the next festival, Himchan knew that they were meant to be nothing more than extremely good friends though Jin had a slightly annoying habit of joking that they were already married since he had taken claim to Himchan’s first kiss.

Himchan would always playfully push Jin away and tell him that he was being foolish for believing in childish stories but it was nice to actually feel genuine affection coming from the other man.

So walking down the stairs to find himself being almost immediately grabbed by the arm and pulled into a very fine dressing room which he had not previously been in before, Himchan could only blink in slight panic towards Key who simply smiled in that feline way that was both creepy and cute as the same time before the elder man reached out and squeezed the youngers cheeks. “Don’t look so confused, my little butterfly, it is time to make you come completely out of your little cocoon and prove to that Dragon that you are worth the title of Bride.”

“What?” Himchan stammered, staring at his friend and teacher in complete confusion, “Key Umma?”

Key just chuckled, “Yes Himchan, you are a Bride and tonight you shall start your journey to the Capital to meet your rich and powerful man.”

Himchan shook his head, “No…no, there must be some mistake! I can’t go…”

“Why not?” Key asked, pouting a little as this was not exactly the response he expected there again he had momentarily forgotten that he was dealing with the insecure Himchan.

“Because…because I am not…I’m just a…” Himchan gulped and tried to swallow back the tears that wanted to force themselves out of his eyes, “I’m no one. I have no name except which an orphanage gave me and my only redeeming fact is that I can have a child…I do not have Ren’s hypnotic powers of attention or Minhyun’s sweet tendencies that make him someone to be held and protected.”

A tear trickled down his face, as he voiced aloud the truth of what he thought of himself, “I’m just a plain little daisy that gets crushed underfoot. There are others more worthy of being a Bride than me. I’ll just be laughed at…cast aside and reduced to nothing.” The tears continued to roll down his face, marring the slight touch of makeup that had already been applied that morning and staining even down to his voice to make him sound weaker than he had ever been before.

A hand softly reached out to touch his face and Himchan jerked up in surprise to find himself looking directly at Jonghyun, Key’s husband, who looked at him with an expression that was filled with anger, “Who told you that?”

“Sorry?” Himchan replied quietly back, not understanding the question in the slightest.

“Who told you that you were worthless, that you would be cast aside like trash?” Jonghyun said, his voice laced with anger now that had the black haired carrier retreating ever so slightly, “Tell me who told you those lies Himchan and I will go and smash them in the face.”

“Jonghyun!” Key snapped, hands on hips, “That’s my line!”

“No it not,” Jonghyun said as he turned towards his wife, “You’re the one to give him the confidence to keep going on because damn it he’s second only to you in my eyes for being the most beautiful and charming Bride that I’ve ever seen come through our doors and I won’t stand for anyone saying that he is not worth a penny because he is worth more than that. Himchan, you tell me who told you those damned lies and I’ll go and give them a piece of my mind on the matter because if I could then I’d steal a kiss from you as would practically every other man in this entire town and some of the women too because damn it you are the most selfless person in the entire world and whoever has the joy to call you their own will have one of the most precious jewels in all of Matoki.”

For a second there was silence and then Jonghyun continued, “I want to have the pride in being able to say that I helped the most beautiful and loved empress in the whole of history come to his rightful place, so if I have to go and beat up the slobbering swine who have said those pack of filthy lies about you then I swear to you that I will.”

There came a clearing of the throat from behind and Jonghyun ly to find himself being captured in a highly passionate kiss from Key that lasted more than a blush filled minute before the cat like man pushed his husband back, gave him a firm kick upon the backside and pointed to the door, “Get out and calm yourself down because I am not having you getting all hot and bothered any further! Play with Taemin and keep our little pup amused Jonghyun.”

With a silent nod and a smirk, Jonghyun headed out of the room and closed the sliding doors lightly. Almost immediately there came the merry sound of laughter and it was clear that Father and Son were having a really good time with one another.

Slowly Himchan released a breath that he was holding and shyly he turned to look at Key who smiled and placed his hands either side of the youngster’s face, “High praise indeed, Himchan, Jonghyun has not so much as looked at another Bride after me so to have him willing to fully defend your honour by beating the living daylights out of those people who made you believe that you were worthless is saying something.”

Himchan slowly gulped, “I don’t know if I can do this…”

“Sometimes we don’t pick our path,” Key said softly and slowly, running his hands through the silk black strands of hair, “sometimes the path picks up and whilst it is very scary and can be a trickster, it tends to lead us to a much better place.”

Softly Key ran his fingers over Himchan’s cheeks, removing the water droplets along with the light layer of makeup that he had applied, a sad smile crossing his face as he did so. “I will miss you, my little butterfly, but I just know that you’ll have a story so strong and blinding that it’ll be written into the history books. You are more ready to face this challenge than you’ll ever know, you’ve always been ready, you just needed an extra little push and now you have it. You will go far Himchan, I know you will.”

“Key Umma…” was all Himchan managed to say before he threw himself forward into the others hold and just remained there, sobbing his heart out but for what reason he honestly did not know. He was scared of what was to come, part of him still believed that he would end up with nothing to his name whilst a small part of his heart was beating rapidly in hope that just maybe fate was putting him onto a path that would indeed lead him to eternal happiness.

“Now come,” Key said pulling back, “We must get you dressed for the official handing over ceremony. I have the perfect outfit for you.”

~*~

Hurrying along the lines of awaiting people, Ren tugged Baekho along with a joyful laugh as he finally reached the spot where Minhyun was eagerly waiting and he smiled at his friend, “Have they come out yet?”

Minhyun shook his head, “No, you’re just in time. I can’t wait to see Himchan oppa!”

“I know! I hope they managed to get a really good holograph of him, it’ll have that old lady at the orphanage spitting feathers for a month!” Ren chuckled only to let out a slight yelp when he was lightly clipped around the ear by his husband to be.

“You promised to behave,” Baekho said softly, smiling at the other even as he pulled him into a tight embrace, “My little wildcat.”

Minhyun chuckled as JR gently ran his fingers down his back, “Believe me, when you visit said woman you’ll understand immediately why we are not fond of her in the slightest. She was mean to all of us but especially Himchan.”

Before JR could begin to form the question that he wanted to ask, there came a fanfare to announce the brides that would be heading up to the Capital and everyone’s attention immediately turned. There were ten in all, seven females who moved effortlessly across the petal strewn pavement and looked as though they had been born for the role. The second to last one caught virtually everyone’s eye as she had waves of naturally dark brown hair and classic features that made her look striking and imposing but also soft and gentle at the same time. She was known from being kind hearted and always was prepared to listen to everyone, many saying that she did not have a mean bone in her body. She wore a hanbok of bright blue silk with white overcoat that was carefully lined with soft sparkling jewels that enhanced her beauty even more.

Tiffany paused momentarily in the crowd, allowing two male carriers who held themselves proudly, to pass as she knelt down next to a younger girl who was crying at her departure. It was clear to see the sister like friendship the pair had developed whilst Tiffany had been here and she was careful to settle the girl, plucking a flower off a nearby admirer to place it in the girl’s hair with a smile and a soft kiss to her forehead before she rose and turned.

Tiffany’s mouth formed a little ‘o’ of surprise when her dark eyes fell on the last of the Brides who was lingering awkwardly by the steps as if afraid to take the final steps. Of course she knew of Himchan very well, virtually everyone in the town could not stop talking about him after the Butterfly Ball and she had been very keen to meet the young carrier. Not as a rival because they were both very much in the same boat but she had sharp instincts and she knew generally speaking when there was a potential friend standing not too far away from her.

With a little chuckle, she lightly hitched up her skirt and moved back towards Himchan to offer her hand towards him, “Come on, now,” her voice almost sing-songed towards him, “We can’t have you left behind now can we?”

Himchan stared at her in confusion, almost feeling himself shrink away behind the beauty of her smile but a well-timed shove from Key had the boy stumbling and instinctively his hand reached out to Tiffany who caught it and looked concerned before smiling playfully at him. “Well if that’s your way to catch the boy’s attention, you’re certainly getting it.”

“No, it’s not…it was…I mean…” Himchan stammered in fright before realising that Tiffany was giggling at him like a little school girl and he realised with a blush that maybe he was being a little bit overly silly.

“Come on, it’s time to go,” Tiffany said, still giggling as she linked arms with the other, “Let’s take this big scary road together, okay Himchan-oppa?”

Blinking as he finally relaxed, the nickname immediately calming him, Himchan nodded, “Yes, Tiffany Noona. Let’s.”

Together they started down the path and despite having never spent a moment longer together than the one they had just had it was hard to not believe that the pair had been friends throughout their whole time here in the village of the brides.

From the vantage point, Minhyun let out a sigh, “Oh my…I wish everyone could see just how amazing Himchan-oppa looks.” He grinned happily before turning to Ren only to jolt in surprise, “Ren? Are you crying?”

“No!” Ren sobbed, a handkerchief in his hands and his makeup completely ruined, “I’m wailing! He looks so perfect…it’s almost not fair but I can’t be anything but happy for Himchan.”

Indeed, Himchan did look amazing. In contrast to his new friend, he wore a dark red hanbok that had small intricate gold circles hidden within the folds of the long skirt which trailed back a little further than usual but fitted perfectly for the occasion at hand. A long sleeved white overcoat was thickly lined with the same colouring on the sleeves but a more traditional and flowering golden pattern laced delicately over the top. It was elegantly extravagant without being too imposing and with Himchan’s hair merely pulled back into a loose bun and clipped up with just a few simple pins, excluding the flower pin which Jin had given him as it was a gift he would forever possess, it couldn’t have been more classical without being overly burdened.

Himchan turned as they reached the doorway to the carriage which would take them to the Capital, dark eyes scanning for Minhyun and Ren in the crowds along with Key, Jonghyun and Taemin too. He saw them all and was able to just give them a little wave which he prayed conveyed all of his thanks and heartfelt meaningful words that he had never got to say to them before he joined Tiffany in the coach and felt the wheels begin to turn to start him on a new adventure.

Softly he let out a breath and looked down at his hands, praying once again to whatever ancient spirits were watching over him that he was on a path that would lead him to happiness. It wasn’t that much to ask for, was it? 

authors babbling:

Yeah I was in tears writing what Himchan thought of himself, cause god it brought up so many feels especailly after reading some things that he's posted about not being the best looking or the most talented. I love Himchan to bits and I think he's wonderful, I don't know why he puts himself down like that cause he's adorable and I just want to squish him most of the time. But go Jonghyun for surprising me with that kick speach too 

For those interested, Tiffany is wearing this and Himchan's hanbok is this

So we're finally getting on the train to get them to the Capital and then we can get the luving going on. Sorry it's taking so long but I really wanted to get the characters backgrounds and stuff sorted. If it's getting on your nerves just tell me and I'll try to hurry things along. 

Anyway, hope to see you all again soon

Chia