11/11/15

Estimated Time Period: Qing Dynasty (1895AD)

            “I tried finding you everywhere, and when I finally did, you hated me. It took all of my wits and charm to win you back.”

                                                            :::::

            “Hello, how may I help you?” Yoona asked the dusty traveler who just walked into the inn. She peered at the traveler curiously. He looked like a young man around the age of seventeen, but there was something distinctly… feminine about the way he acted.

            “I would like to stay here for the night,” he explained, eyes looking down. “How much will it cost?”

            “Forty silver coins,” Yoona replied. Odd, his voice seems sort of high. Maybe he is younger than I thought. She shook the thought away from her mind and took the bag of coins that the traveler handed out. “What is your name?”

            “Victor,” he replied tersely.

            “Great, here you go Victor,” Yoona said as she gave him his room keys. “Complimentary dinner will be served tonight at seven. I will see you then.”

            The young traveler thanked her quickly and took the keys. He turned around and bumped into an incoming guest who walked in a few moments ago.

            “Watch where you’re going, pipsqueak,” the new guest jeered. He looked the age of nineteen, dressed in the fine clothing of the middle class. Yoona wondered why someone so rich would want to stay at such a measly inn.

            It seemed like Victor thought the same thing. His shy and shifty demeanor was replaced by a hot-tempered look when he walked toward the middle class young man. “I would say the same to you, arrogant bastard.”

            The ‘arrogant bastard’ stared at Victor with a mix of surprise and anger. Then he checked his expression and cleared his throat. “Says the boy who has twigs for arms and legs.”

            “Let’s see what you’ll say about my arms and legs after they beat you up in a fight!” the boy yelled out, getting ready to lung at the older man.

            For a brief moment, Yoona panicked. But before she could yell for them to stop, a male voice came from inside the kitchen. “If you two want to fight, take it outside. You’re causing a ruckus.”

            The both of them looked over at where the voice originated. Out from the kitchen walked a tall man with bright eyes. He was wearing an apron with an axe in one hand and a skinned chicken in the other.

            “Who are you to tell us what to do?” The middle-class man asked, indignant.

            “Besides the fact that I’m armed?” the tall man smiled as he raised up the hand with the chicken. “You two might want to get to start being cordial with one another. Both of you are heading to the army, after all.”

            The two arguing men looked at one another, and they grew silent. One look at each other, and they knew it was the truth. Both packed minimally, carrying a small bag of what must be their most important belongings – a clean set of clothes and a set of trinkets to remind them of home. The two regarded each other with the new information.

            “Nichkhun,” the middle class man extended his hand.

            “Victor,” the young man took the hand and shook it. “Sorry for calling you arrogant.”

            Nichkhun gave a small smile. “Sorry for calling you a pipsqueak.”

            ::::

            “How did you know they were both going to the army?” Yoona asked Taecyeon, when all was settled with the two aspiring soldiers. “Just because that they packed minimally doesn’t mean they’re off to fight.”

            He shrugged. “Just a feeling, that’s all.”

            As he turned around and headed back to the kitchen, Yoona looked at him with suspicion. In the six months that Taecyeon has been working at the inn, this wasn’t the first time Taecyeon has had this feeling. It was as if he knew things before they were going to happen. In any case, he’s saved Yoona and her father a lot of trouble with these feelings. With her father bedridden with the flu, Yoona needed all the help she could get.

            She had not always thought this way about Taecyeon. At first, when he walked through the front door looking for a job at the inn, she harbored an instinctual dislike for him. She was sure that he was here to command ownership of the inn. Like the rest of the villagers in town, he must have heard that her father was getting sick, and that there was no one but his daughter to take over the inn. There were many people who came to this inn looking for Yoona’s hand in marriage in the hopes of inheriting her father’s property.

            But recently, there were also many people who came to this inn with no thoughts of marriage but all thoughts of paying Yoona for a night in bed. Yoona shuddered. They must have thought that she had grown desperate for money now that her father was bedridden. Thankfully, Yoona was able to pass each encounter unscathed. Because Taecyeon was there to fend off those sorry excuses for men. And for that, Yoona was forever grateful. No matter how eerie it was that he always knew when she would be in danger.

            “Oh, by the way,” Taecyeon turned back to face Yoona. “Keep an eye out tonight.”

            He winked before going into the kitchen. She rolled her eyes. He always knew, and he knew she knew that.

            ::::

            Tonight’s dinner was rowdier than usual. Victor and Nichkhun were entertaining the rest of the guests with their childhood stories as they competed against one another for the title of ‘Most Patriotic’. At the same time, Hyuna and Hyunseung, a couple from Chongqing, gained the attention of all the ladies with their cute newborn baby son.

            “Victor seems younger than he looks,” Yoona remarked to Taecyeon as she picked up her chopsticks. “His voice still hasn’t changed yet.”

            “That’s because Victor is actually Victoria,” Taecyeon said matter-of-factly.

            Her chopsticks froze in mid-air. She looked over to the young man with the clean face. Or, more aptly, the young woman with the smooth skin. She resumed her eating. “That makes a lot of sense.”

            “Here, eat more meat,” Taecyeon picked the meatiest pieces of pork and put them into her bowl. “You need to regain your energy.”

            Yoona wordlessly accepted his offering. “I’ve only heard about girls dressing up as boys to go to the army. I never would have thought to actually meet one. It must take a lot of courage.”

            “I think of it more as following destiny,” Taecyeon said thoughtfully.

            “Yeah?” Yoona looked at Taecyeon, and not for the first time, she felt a strange fluttering in her stomach. “You would know about destiny.”

            “Is that sarcasm I hear?” Taecyeon teased.

            Yoona stuck her tongue out at Taecyeon. “I think of it more as finding freedom. Dressing up as a boy, the expectations and limitation of being a girl are gone. It must be a wonderful feeling.”

            Taecyeon looked at her with a clouded gaze. It was the one he wore whenever he had his ‘visions’.

            “I promise you,” Taecyeon smiled. “One day, you will have that freedom without needing to dress up as a boy.”

            They looked at each other in silence for a few moments, as the rest of the table continued to chatter.

            Yoona smiled softly. “I’ll hold you to that promise.”

            :::

            After all the guests finished their meals and went back into their rooms, Yoona and Taecyeon cleaned up the dining room. Taecyeon was in the kitchen washing dishes while Yoona wiped down the tables.

            She looked up and found a guest sitting at one of the smaller tables. Weird, she thought. I don’t remember seeing him here for dinner.

            “May I help you, sir?” Yoona asked as she walked over to him. “Do you need a place to stay tonight?”

            He turned to look at her, and she felt goosebumps. His eyes were pitch black and held the expression of a hungry wolf.

            “Yes, I would like to stay somewhere tonight, sweet-ling,” he stood up and reached for his pocket. Pulling out a gold coin, he smirked, “I’d like to stay in between your legs.”

            Yoona tasted bile in and backed away from the man. Of all the ways to woo a lady, he chose this way. Does he think her so desperate? “My apologies. I am not for sale.”

            The man’s face grew red. The small inkling of kindness on his face disappeared. An ugly and angry face took its place instead. “How dare you refuse my generous offer?! The whole town knows about your situation! Your father is sick and you have no man nor dowry. If you are not for sale now, you will be very soon. And by that time, I won’t pay this much for you.”

            He grabbed her arm. “Might as well get the first time over with.”

            “No! Let me go!” Yoona yelled. She tried to wrench away, disgusted that this vile man was touching her arm.

            “Hey!” A voice came from the kitchen. “You heard the lady! Let go of her!”

            The man’s grip weakened slightly. “And you are?”

            “A decent human being,” Taecyeon spat out as he walked over. He pulled Yoona out of the man’s grip and led her behind him, acting as a barrier between her and the man. “I will have to ask you to leave this inn at once.”

            The man was indignant. He scowled at Yoona and spoke in a leering tone. “How much did he pay to get your good graces?”

            Yoona saw Taecyeon’s warm bright eyes turn dark and cold with anger. His hands curled into tight fists. No, I will not have a brawl in my inn. Not while my father is sick.

            She touched Taecyeon’s arm. Feeling her light touch, he looked back at her, his eyes transitioning from anger to concern. “You okay?”

            Nodding, she warned him, “Don’t do anything stupid.”

            It took him a moment to process her words, but when he did, warmth came back into his eyes. He smiled gently, and Yoona let go a breath of relief. Taecyeon turned back to the man, responding to his leering joke with his own special brand of humor. “I didn’t pay her anything, and she doesn’t owe me anything. But we’ve had a great life together. Together, we saw three kingdoms, bore six children, and reveled in infinite happiness. You dare think this embodiment of serenity is worth one measly gold coin?”

            Taecyeon moved forward to usher the bewildered man out of the inn. “Now you must be on your way. And only visit us again when you’ve come to your senses.”

            After he locked the door, Taecyeon turned to give Yoona his full attention. “Are you sure you’re okay? Sorry, I missed my cue tonight.”

            He continued rambling nonsense as he looked over her, trying to spot signs of mistreatment. “Was too excited. I mean, come on, we all just had dinner together like one big happy family. Oh, your arm. Does it hurt?”

            Yoona looked over at her right arm. There were signs of redness from the man’s tight grip. She shook her head. “I’ll be fine. As always, thank you for your help, Taecyeon. I really don’t know how to repay you.”

            He is a good man, despite his weird quirks, she mused.

            “Don’t ever think that you need to repay me for anything,” Taecyeon looked into her eyes. She looked back at his. They were solemn and honest. When she nodded, his expression softened into one that made her breath catch.

            She let him brush a stray hair away from her face. And she let herself melt into his touch.

            “You’re worth so much more than money,” he rested his palm on her cheek. “Your very existence is priceless.”

Next chapter is last chapter :O It will be set during the modern day. If you have any requests, I'll do my best to incorporate it into the last chapter

A great big thanks to all of you who've stuck around! It's been two years, and the Tawaran trilogy is finally coming to a close. So sorry for my infrequent updates, but I'm now finally out of college and settled into work! Hopefully, I can finally start releasing more content in a timely manner :) (That's what I always say lol)