Dance into the Fire

~*~

First meetings are said to leave lasting impressions

Most of the time they do not

However sometimes we meet people

Who bring out the sunshine

In any conversation

~*~

Chapter Twelve

~.~

Himchan had thought that there might be some kind of grand welcoming ceremony for the Brides when they arrived at the Capitol but due to a Galanit deciding to uncurl itself straight over the train tracks they were delayed on arrival by a good twelve hours so any plans had been postponed. Though to be honest, the relief was more than enough to carry both himself and Tiffany through the short introduction made to them of a lady in a dragon mask whom neither one could remember the name of when later probed by one of the other girls who seemed to think that listening never applied to her. The small fact that she had been eyeing up all of the guards with an obvious look was not considered in the slightest of course but Tiffany said that it was best to just leave it for now.

Girls who strove to get their teeth into the most handsome looking man with the right sort of clothing and jewellery were bound to end up with a broken heart anyway so she was only making her own doom inevitable.

The Brides were lead into their compound which was separate from the palace walls and the surrounding city which Himchan tried his best to marvel at as he was hurried along the paths by servants and guards dressed in red uniforms which looked very strange to the youngster’s eyes but he followed the directions and blinked in surprise once they were finally through to the Brides Compound.

It was a series of three storey buildings, arranged neatly together with a beautifully maintained garden which had so many blossoming flowers that even in the gloom of twilight it appeared to be a simply stunning place. Himchan could not wait to see it in the light of day because the thought of having such a wonderful place to return to in order to rest was something that helped to greatly settle his nerves. He thought back to Key’s garden, which had just been in the centre of the house in a little courtyard which had been a place of rest, relaxation and reflection for the brides or a favoured play place of Taemin’s as he could merrily chase after the frogs in the pond and attempt to not get into trouble for falling in.

These were a huge step up from that little space but the feeling remained almost identical and he could not help but pause for just a second to admire the space before Tiffany reached behind her to take his wrist and pull him along. “Come on Himchan, we don’t want you lost on your first night now do we?” she teased towards him.

“Oh hush, Tiffany, you’re the one who could not find your chamber on the train and had to share a bed with me,” Himchan playfully giggled back towards his companion, loving the way her cheeks turned a slightly darker shade of red as she lightly flicked at his forehead before the pair of them were hurrying to catch up with the disappearing group.

“Mistress Tiffany, you shall be in this room,” the dragon masked lady said, a good thirty minutes later when there were only three Brides remaining, “Your handmaid will greet you and I expect you to be up early tomorrow morning. You two follow me.”

Himchan waved to Tiffany as she disappeared inside the room which had been allocated to her and he felt a familiar wave of panic begin to build up as he and another male carrier were lead down corridor after corridor in an almost maze like pattern. For a second he began to think that this was the end of his journey, that there would be no rooms available for him and he would be sent back to where he had come from because no one had thought that he deserved anything. That thought saddened him more than ever but it appeared that they were on an endless path and the likelihood of something like that happening were becoming more and more apparent the longer they walked.

“Aha,” the dragon lady said eventually, stopping in front of a set of very ornate looking doors that were set with flowers and butterflies, “Here we are at long last, Monsire Himchan. I do apologise for the length of time it took to arrive, I do hope your handmaid has not fallen asleep.”

Almost as if timed to perfection, the door to the room clicked open and a young, fresh faced man with blond hair bowed long and low to the dragon lady before he stepped back to allow the door to swing back so that Himchan could enter, “The thought had not even occurred to me, Madam, I have been eagerly awaiting...”

“Yes yes, I know Jongup,” the dragon replied, dismissing him with a wave and giving Himchan a none too gentle nudge into the room, “You’re a good boy. Now make sure that Himchan is well rested and provisioned for. Lord knows he could do with getting a few extra meals in his stomach before he meets anyone. I shall expect him to be ready by tomorrow evening. Himchan, goodnight.”

Himchan copied Jongup’s bow towards the woman as she bustled away with the last male carrier before he blinked and turned towards the blond haired handmaid who smiled warmly and indicated that he should come inside. The room beyond the door was just as magnificent as the gardens with a simplistic but elegant style that took the boy from the countryside’s breath away. There was a large four poster bed with cream bedsheets and dark brown oak posts. Most of the furniture was of the same dark oak though there was a white oak dressing table which was already set with a set of silver combs and a few hair ornaments which he had not previously seen.

As of yet there was nothing overly personal but to Himchan it was the most wonderful place that he had ever seen in his whole life and for a few long moments he just stood and stared. A soft chuckle broke him out of his staring and he glanced towards Jongup as he gently took off the outer travelling cloak which Himchan had opted to wear in order to keep the chill off. “I’m sorry for chuckling, but you look like a child on [Christmas] who’s just received the most wonderful present.”

Himchan blushed a little, “Would it sound silly if I said that I would not know what that looks like?”

The boy blinked a little in shock but then smiled, “Then by the end of the year you’ll know what it is like. Even if I have to smuggle you out to my family home for you to experience it I shall do so.”

“You don’t have to go to so much trouble,” Himchan said, panicking a little at the notion of getting the young handmaid into trouble.

However, he laughed, “Oh I wouldn’t do anything like that unless you really wanted me to. Oh I forgot to introduce myself, I am Jongup and I am to be your handmaid whilst you are a bride here.” The blond haired boy bowed deeply towards Himchan which only served to make the elder feel a little more on the flustered side than he had been before.

“Please don’t bow to me like that, I’m not really anything...” he stumbled over his words in a panic before sighing at the quizzical look which was politely sent his way by Jongup and sighed, “My name is Himchan and I’m an orphan from the back of beyond and I really do not know how I ended up here in the slightest.”

Jongup blinked and then smiled brightly, “I’m sure you know deep down but don’t worry. Most people in this city are not of reputable birth anyway so no one really pays that much attention to it. Or those that do are some of the few oldest bloodlines and they’re so boring and paper-thin that you can spot them a mile off.”

“I thought it would matter more in the Capitol?” Himchan said, beginning to feel his shoulders relax, “Especially for the Brides.”

The blond hair bounced back and forth as Himchan shook his head, “Brides are above everyone in the social standing unless there is something really specific about their heritage that may mar some old reputation but like I said, most aristocrats rarely mind about that these days. Not even the Royal Family mind because the bloodlines became so confused years ago that no one really bothers to check anymore. With one notable exception.”

Intrigued by those words, Himchan was just about to ask what he meant when there came a knock on the door and the handmaid turned swiftly away in order to go and answer it. Himchan turned back to where he had been looking before and ventured a few further steps into the plush room, noting that he had his own private balcony which would probably have a glorious view and there was a set of stairs leading down to what appeared to be a large bathroom area. He crept towards the tiled room, just in order to take a peak as he could feel the roughness of his skin as being trapped on a train for three days had left him sweaty and sticky in a really unpleasant way.

“If you wish to take a bath you can,” Jongup said, having finished laying a silver pot of tea with a fine cup of bone china on a table which was painted with roses, “Tonight is all yours for once.”

Blinking in surprise at the statement, Himchan let out a confused sound that was a mixture between a sigh and a groan before he looked to Jongup with worried eyes, “I’m sorry, whatever you’re expecting I’m not going to be that person and I just don’t know what to do with myself.”

Jongup surprisingly let out a little chuckle at the statement before stepping forward, “You don’t have to be anything you don’t want to be around me, Himchan-sii, I’m your handmaid and in this space you do not have to act as if you’re anything but you. I shall guard your closest secrets and make sure that whatever you want is here to make you comfortable and as much of a home as you want it to be until you are officially wed.”

“Really?” Himchan asked, trying not to shake with uncertain fear that was plaguing him even though he knew that it should not because too many people had already told him that he was exactly where he was supposed to be right now in his life.

Jongup nodded and then grinned, “I know what may do you the world of good.” The boy quickly hurried across to a table and pulled out a box, “This arrived for you yesterday and I was told not to give you it until you arrived and only if you were fretful.”

The box was fairly plain and ordinary but the writing on the top was with a fine curve and Himchan smiled suddenly as he pulled it open to reveal a small care package from Key Umma with his favourite herbal tea, some special chocolates that he should savour for times of great reward and a little bangle which Taemin had constantly kept putting in the box and would not settle down until it was packed in with it. There was also a long thin box from Jin, with a note saying, “My final gift to our future empress, may it remind you always of our times and make you smile even through the dark times.”

It turned out to be a thin hairpin in gold set with a little dragon upon the top and delicate little strands that were set with tiny sparkling diamonds in slightly different colours. Himchan remembered that he had seen one and commented on it before telling Jin to not buy it for him. Clearly he had gone back to his shop and had it made personally and it did indeed make him smile.

The handmaid let out a happy little sounding squeal, “Oh my, you already have admirers who love you so much.”

“Yes,” Himchan said as he set the hairpin down upon his new dressing table next to the combs and felt himself take in a deep breath of pride. There was a flicker in his soul that started to believe that he could actually do this. That this was where he was meant to be and the world was not as big and scary as it appeared sometimes.

“Jongup, I will have that bath if you can draw it for me and can you please make up a pot of this tea so that I can take a light supper before bed tonight?” Himchan asked with politeness the likes of which Jongup had only ever received from the Princes and his family.

Eagerly the boy nodded, “Yep, no problem…I mean…”

Himchan giggled, “Speak as you like Jongup, I cannot be done with all this formality all of the time. You are right, this is my sanctuary and home, I would like to treat it as such.”

Jongup nodded and quickly set about seeing to the bath whilst Himchan wandered to the balcony to take in the view. It was as breath-taking as he expected it to be and he sat down on the chair, letting out a sigh. This was not the way he had expected his life to go at all but he was planning to follow it to the best of his abilities. Hopefully it would lead to something wonderful, but for now he would have to live with not knowing what it was. 

authors babbling: 

so now we have Himchan and Jongup meeting and it appears that Himchan is gaining some confidence at last. How long do you think it'll last? With me probably not very long but please have patience with me. I've checked my planning and love stuffs will start soonish...I'm just getting things sorted out and having a little fun of probably annoying you all by taking forever but it's all to add to the story elements so don't worry. 

hope you're all still enjoying though and catch you soon