Dance into the Fire

~*~

Balls and Grand Events

Can cause anyone to slip into madness

But do not presume that many eyes

Are not lingering

Sometimes courage is all that is needed

And sometimes

Even the strongest of men wilt

Underneath it

~*~

Chapter Fourteen

~.~

The Bridal Ball seemed to take an eternity to arrive as there were many problems that arose in such quick succession that no one could honestly follow them without getting themselves lost and confused in the process. One the day of the first scheduled ball the Capitol was besieged by a tropical storm which shook the very foundations and drenched everything for miles around. Trees were knocked down by the fearsome winds, roofs were lifted and everything was pretty much left in an unorganised state afterwards that there was not a single chance of anything being sorted out in time.

So the Bridal Ball had been pushed back and the servants given more than enough time to sort everything as it would take at least a week to get everything back under control. Himchan took the gifted time off to teach Jongup how to sew and embroider because whilst the young handmaid knew the basics, he was not yet that grand at doing it and it allowed the pair some extreme bonding time which was good. Tiffany also joined in fairly frequently with their dewing sessions as she could not be bothered to listen to the twittering of the others after the first day and it also gave her ample excuse to complain about the way that the Dragon was treating them.

Despite having the luxury of free time, some of the girls and carriers were being put through classes on behaviours, social etiquette, dancing and singing because it was felt that they needed to showcase their talents more. Himchan had been left out of these extra classes though the reason was vague and from the way that Tiffany complained about them, he was rather glad that he was not involved. Though it did not help to settle his self-doubt that he would remain forever alone and unpicked in this wave of beautiful beings who outshined him without even trying. Jongup and Tiffany tried to help Himchan with his own self-loathing but they had made little headway in this endeavour.

The second time the Ball was postponed was for the rather unusual reason that both Prince Zico and Prince Kyung had taken ill the day before and since they were the most honoured guests it was presumed to be a far safer idea to postpone it to a time when both of them could attend. Prince Kyung regained his health a couple of days later but Zico did not and seemed to only grow worse which resulted in it being pushed back further until the fortune tellers could not take it no more and said that regardless of any further problems the ball would go ahead on the twenty seventh day of the month. For a while everyone was on tenterhooks around the palace, Jongup would sometimes steal away to go and visit his friend there though he would reveal little about whom he was actually visiting, but the day before the Ball, Prince Zico was confirmed to be healthy once again and would attend.

This immediately meant that everyone in the Bridal chambers was fussing over their hanbok’s because there was a potential to catch the eye of a Prince and there was no higher honour than achieving that goal. Himchan remained nervous and impassive, caught up in his own worried as was expected and barely registered the fittings that he went to or the dressers who would visit him until the morning of the ball when he paused half way through a light tea with a look of horror crossing his face.

“What’s the matter?” Tiffany asked, having been able to gladly avoid her class this morning seeing as they had a lot of preparation for this evening, “You look as though you have seen a ghost, Himchan.”

For a few seconds, Himchan was quiet as he let the fear settle down into his heart. Gently he lowered his spoon and placed it down in the bowl in front of himself, feeling bile raising up into his throat that made him want to throw up. Lightly his hands shook in nervous anticipation, “I don’t know what I’m wearing tonight.”

Tiffany frowned, “What?”

“I can’t remember anything that I chose,” Himchan said, hands coming to his face in disbelief, “What if I’ve picked out something terrible or something that doesn’t suit me.”

Letting out a groan come chuckle, Tiffany gently began to smoot out Himchan’s long hair with loving motherly , “I am more than sure you will have picked something fine and Jongup will have been there too to make everything just a little extra special and perfect. I promise you, Himchan, you will not be alone tonight. Why you believe this in yourself I do not know.” Softly her lips pressed against his temple, “Just have faith in yourself for once, everything will be fine and I bet you’ll be the prettiest carrier at the ball.”

Himchan was about to argue the point yet again, as it appeared that his innate inability to actually understand that there were many people out in the world who would simply be overjoyed to have the innocent beautiful look that the carrier had was never going to really register or sink in, when the Dragon turned up right beside him. “Himchan, follow me,” the order was strict, straight to the point and clearly not to be disobeyed in the slightest and the young man let out a whine of worry before standing up to quickly follow the older lady.

He was led into the bathing suite where handmaids were quick to disrobe him and Himchan was thankful for the fact that Jongup was already in the pleasantly warm water in order to bathe his body and wash his hair. His already fragile nerves would have become shattered if another had been present to do this most intimate of tasks. Normally he would just wash himself, never having been one to have the task done for him but with the Dragon hovering dangerously close behind them, Himchan did not grumble and allowed Jongup to do his duty.

Once he was washed and dried, a simple white under garment was delicately wrapped around his bare skin and Jongup hummed softly as he used a variety of specially designed sponges to dry and style Himchan’s hair into a simple knot above his head which was set with a golden circular hair clip before some of the longer strands were neatly platted down the length of his back before being placed into a tightly designed bun so that they would not become bothersome later on. Himchan applied his makeup lightly and in a naturalistic style, glad that Tiffany had spent many long hours on the train teaching him the best techniques and as he glanced in the mirror, taking a deep breath out of nerves he trained his eyes to look for the hair pin which Jin had gifted him.

In the reflection of the mirror, Jongup shook his head and Himchan remembered that wearing a gift from a previous suitor may not be the best idea in the world so he quickly retracted his hands and held them in his lap. He wanted to voice his concerns out loud but was stopped when the doors to the chamber opened and the dresser came in with a series of purple cloths draped over his arms. “Ah, there he is. Come, Himchan, it is time to make you shine like the fireworks,” the man said with a smile that was so genuine that the other could only blink before he was led to the central dais where he was carefully clothed in the hanbok that he had helped to create. He could only really focus on small details, like the various colours of purple and the extremely fine, yet simple embroidered flowers made everything flow beautifully without being garish or too contrasting.

His dark eyes closed as the final tie was sorted and a full length mirror was brought for him to inspect the work and he took a worried deep breath, sure in his heart that he’d see nothing more than just a stranger who looked frumpier than ever. What he did see reflected in the mirror was indeed a stranger but one who looked as though he had been painted on fine silks with oils. Himchan stood in a purple hanbok, the long skirt a darker shade than the top which was lined with white, and an extensive flower pattern had been painstakingly sewn into the material. The full length sleeves were a little tighter than most but still managed to make him look more elegantly defined than he had ever thought he would.

Jongup stepped up to place a matching lighter purple scarf over this shoulders with a smile as the detailing of a bird was just visible. “You look radiant and youthful,” the handmaid whispered to Himchan before stepping back to let the Dragon and the Dresser examine him.

The Dresser clapped his hands in glee, “Perfect for a debutant. So alluring, innocent and modest but allowing the natural beauty to shine through. If you are not whisked away tonight Himchan, I shall certainly be pursuing you for a career in outfit making.”

A glare came from the Dragon, “Do not put silly ideas in his head, he will be a Bride and he will be married come the turn of the new year. Come Himchan, we must make sure that you arrive on time.”

Himchan nodded and followed the lady to an awaiting carriage where he was led in by a handsome footman and in what felt like seconds, the horse which pulled the carriage had taken him directly to the entrance of the Grand Hall where the Bridal Ball was to be held. For a second he wished he could just remain in the carriage but shook his head and mentally scolded himself, “Come on Himchan, you can’t be hiding in your own shadow forever. Hwaiting.”

The Grand Hall lived up to its name and reputation as it was a simply stunning venue with high ceilings, massive stone pillars carved with intricate flowers and nature elements and ceilings which were painted to depict some of the grandest moments in Matokian history. Tonight there were large stone vases with the most beautiful of flower arrangements in them and fine silks were hung in celebratory fashion over the windows. Tables were set with the finest silver and crystal glasses were kept filled with expensive wine or the rarest of juices by a whole host of smartly dressed serving boys who moved about in such a way that they appeared when needed before disappearing completely from view.

There were probably about one hundred suitors in the Hall, all dressed in their finest hanbok or military uniforms and they were a grand sight to behold as everyone seemed to mix in together to share the evening and everything but the most important titles were forgotten. All men were equal in the Bridal Ball and any rivalries were to be forgotten as tonight was about celebrating the beauty and seeing if any of the Brides were going to catch anyone’s eye.

The first two waves of Brides were already coyly mingling with the suitors, their brightly coloured hanbok standing out like butterflies caught in the branches of a wonderful tree and Himchan was glad that he was entering the Hall with the other carriers, as he was positive that he would stumble or do something silly if he were by himself. Thankfully their introduction was brief and Himchan stepped forward perfectly, bowing with the others and as he raised his eyes he felt a jolt go through his heart as he found so many of them trained on them. It was a strange sight, seeing so many look in his direction with wonder, amazement and lust that it made Himchan feel self-conscious once again but he was quickly directed down a set of stairs and was introduced to a gentleman whom smiled politely, made a few enquiries as to who he was and general small talk before allowing Himchan an opportunity to take a glass of very fine wine and move on.

How many men he talked to, Himchan did not know nor cared to remember as a while later he found himself standing idly by one of the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the brightly light gardens where already he could see Tiffany laughing with a very fine, regal looking gentleman who couldn’t be more than a few years older than himself. A sad smile crossed Himchan’s face because he had known that Tiffany would be easily snatched up as she was far prettier than him and it seemed at that moment he was truly meant to be alone that night.

He had talked to many and tried to catch the eye of some he found attractive but it appeared that no one was really interested in him, even the young man with silver hair who had been enraptured with him for half an hour had drifted off to help one of the other male carriers who had fallen over and Himchan knew that he would probably be alone for the rest of the night.

Before the disappointment could begin to grow in his heart at the thought of the self-fulfilling prophecy he had brandished himself with, the band struck up a tune which startled the carrier somewhat in its suddenness before a small chuckle escaped his lips at recognising the tune. It was a lively spring time waltz which he had helped the girls in the orphanage learn a few years back and without intending to or realising it, he began to sway as the steps easily came back to his mind. His eyes closed, imagining briefly the sensation of dancing with a gentleman to this very tune and feeling his heart flutter because out of everyone here present he had been the one picked.

“We’re just dancing on the floor, I keep falling for you,” Himchan gently sang to himself, having learnt the words with the number of times that he had to learn the dance and for a moment he just let all of his anxiety’s slip away and he truly relaxed for the first time. A smile crossed his lips as he continued to lightly sing away to himself and he wasn’t sure if the glow he felt radiating off him was due to the alcohol he was drinking or else the warmth that the music was bringing him but it felt right at that moment and Himchan reassured himself mentally that for once, he was in the right place and just at the right time.

“Excuse me,” a deep voice, a little rough around the edges but filled with a shyness that was surprising to here, “Unless you are already waiting for someone to come back and talk to you, may I have the pleasure of this dance?” 

authors babbling:

I felt like being just an annoying little author and teasing that last bit, but who do you think Himchan has caught the attention of? 

For those wondering, the wong that Himchan is singing is indeed 'Dancing in the Rain' cause I thought it fitted and it's a favourite of mine so it had to be used. 

Just a heads up I may be a bit slower with the updates to this fic cause I'm going to be busy with a few things but don't worry, I will keep up with it an it shall be interesting to see where it goes. 

Much love to everyone

Chia