the queen's pirate 4/??

[.livejournal.com]

mage queen!au; jongyu
pg; 3584 words
sum: jinki is male, but possesses the mage power to rule the queendom of caelestia. that is why he is raised to be female and to inherit the queendom. but what will happen if one night, he was kidnapped and held hostage in an airsship by pirates who wouldn't tell their true intentions?
a/n: happy new year! this fic is dedicated to alizathepirate :).

[ << | >> ] “What are you, Onew?” “Jinki whirled around in surprise, so fast that he accidentally dropped the rag he was holding and stubbed his toe against the bucket by his feet, making the soapy water in it slosh out and spill onto the floor. He took one look at the mess he made, then looked up and tried to explain. “I’m…I was just…” “…Just figuring out how to use a rag and a pail of soapy water to clean the hallway?” Jonghyun leaned against the frame of the opened door to his room with what looked like a teasing gleam in his eyes. “Do you need a step-by-step instruction on how to clean the floor, Onew?” Jinki picked up the rag from the floor, trying to suppress his slight annoyance and frustration. “I just…wondered if it would be faster and better to just pour water on the floor and sweep it off along with the dirt…” Jonghyun studied him for a moment with an inexplicable expression. Jinki shifted his weight from one foot to another, carefully avoiding the water on the floor. “And where do you think the water will go when you sweep it?” Jonghyun finally asked. “Well, it will be swept off to the sides and…oh…ohh…” “Right.” Jonghyun grinned and walked towards Jinki, tiling his head up a bit as he flicked Jinki’s forehead. “You can do what you’re planning if you’re cleaning out on the deck. The sun will dry the floor and water can drip down the sides. But here, underneath everything, we can’t dry off the water easily. That is why we clean by dipping the rag in soapy water, wiping every corner of the floor, then wiping again with a clean cloth. Do you understand now?” Jinki numbly nodded. He couldn’t believe how Jonghyun managed to make it sound so easy. It might’ve been slow of him, true, but Jinki took a while to figure out why he had to go down to his hands and knees to clean the floor when he could sweep or mop it. He’d seen servants in the palace do it, but it never really occurred to him to ask them how or why. “I’ll…do it properly,” he replied, a bit of shame in his voice for being told. “I’ll make this hallway clean, I promise.” “No.” Jinki blinked as Jonghyun shook his head. “Go down to the engine room and help Kibum. He’s fixing the controls for one of the propellers and doing system maintenance. I think he’ll need some assistance.” “But I don’t know anything about your ship!” Jinki protested. “Exactly,” Jonghyun said, gently tugging the rag from Jinki’s hand. “That’s why you need to go down there and learn. I’ll have someone more suitable clean up your mess.” Jinki turned around and made a face as Jonghyun’s laughter rang through the corridor. -- “So Jonghyun tossed you here because you can’t clean the floor?” Kibum’s voice was slightly muffled as he wedged himself under a machine and tinkered with it using various tools in a cloth belt with pockets wrapped around his waist. Jinki kicked an invisible pebble as he waited beside the machine. “It’s not that I cannot clean the floor. It’s just that I wasn’t told how to clean it,” he insisted. He was confident he would’ve done a great job if he had been given instructions. He usually did. Muffled laughter came from under the machine, slowly getting clearer and sharper as Kibum slid out from underneath and sat up, putting up his goggles to reveal his oil-stained face. “Onew, anyone can clean the floor. Unless they’re born with a silver spoon in their mouths and didn’t have any experience cleaning at any part of their lives.” Jinki stiffened for a moment. He had never cleaned anything in his life. Some of his punishments during his lessons involved cleaning stables or latrines, but even though the punishment was for him, Minho was the one who did all of it. The Queen, his mother, said something about how Jinki was too kind that he would take any punishment meant for him but would not be able to take any punishment that would be placed on his friend. Minho was his whipping boy and because of him, Jinki grew up without a hair out of line. “Hand me the wrench.” “What is that?” Jinki asked, peering into the box of tools on the table. Kibum replied without looking up as he continued to tinker with the various contraptions and controls in his machine. “The one with a thick handle and half-moon shape head.” Jinki rummaged through the box, saw something that looked a bit like what Kibum described, and handed it to him. “Is it this one?” He honestly didn’t know why Jonghyun made him work down the engine room when he had even less of an idea what was being done here. “Yeah, thanks.” Kibum used the wrench to turn some screws on the machine. “You know what this is? This ensures that the propellers, the pinwheel-like things at the back of the ship, are working. The propellers help steer the ship and if they stop working, the ship will hover directionless in midair.” “I thought they were the ones who keep the ship afloat.” Jinki eyed the machine with awe. He had been to the engine room before, but there were just so many things to see and no one explained anything to him. Kibum laughed and wiped his forehead, striping it with grease in the process. “How can three small propellers lift an entire ship?! The ship floats because of…” he pointed upwards. Jinki looked up, too, to see large bellow-like structures starting from the ceiling and stretching upwards. “We fly because of a gas called hydrogen. Hydrogen is slowly released through these bellows towards a balloon-like vessel outside the ship. It is lessened when we have to descend, increase when we have to fly over mountains, that sort of stuff. I would explain more but I can see you’re starting to become confused.” His sharp laughter cut through Jinki’s confused look. “I admit I don’t understand everything,” Jinki shyly said. “But it sounds fantastic to me. I know how air can lift up things, but there isn’t a hint of even a gust in here yet we are flying.” Kibum nodded. “Next time I can tell you more about it. Just one thing, though. Hydrogen is very dangerous to handle.” When Jinki looked at him in panic, Kibum pointed to the dials to their left. It was a weather observing machine, it seems, with amount of rainfall, cloud masses, and other things being measured and reflected in the screens beside the dials. “Hydrogen is highly flammable. If say, someone shoots a fire arrow onto the ship, or the ship passes by a thunderstorm and gets struck by lightning, or even someone lights a pipe near the balloon, this ship will explode. Or probably just drop off very fast and crash into the sea or land.” “Are you not afraid that any of those will happen?” Jinki asked, shuddering. Kibum grinned. “No. This is why Jonghyun brought me along. Because I’m the best in engineering. Of course something might happen at any time though…” The fact that Kibum said it so casually made Jinki shiver. He never realized there was some sort of easy danger to such a big and mighty ship, and they’ve been living with it since they’ve stepped into it. He had only been here for a week and he was feeling nauseated knowing about it. What did Jonghyun and Kibum feel living in this ship for a long time? “You get used to it,” Kibum said, as if reading his mind. “That’s why everything is highly regulated, you see? Our weather sensors are pretty reliable. So as long as your Queen doesn’t direct some pure lightning towards us, we’ll be safe.” Jinki swallowed. He would never think of setting fire to this ship, even if he wasn’t inside it. The explosion might not only kill everyone on board, but any living thing existing underneath or within the ship’s whereabouts. “T-that won’t happen,” he croaked. Kibum just smiled as he pulled out a rag from his pocket and wiped his hands. “We’ll see. Jonghyun and that stiff guy in knight clothes…” “Minho…” “Yeah, Sir Minho of whatever. They decided on a month, didn’t they? It’s only been a little over a week and there’s nothing going on. I hope they won’t go back to their word.” He tossed the rag on a side table and heaved a sigh. “I think we’re done here. You should go back to your room. Thanks.” “Why…” Jinki gripped the edge of the table as he fumbled over his words. “Why does the captain…want to see the Queen?” Kibum gave Jinki a surprised glance, as if he wasn’t expecting the man to probe. “Well, Jonghyun doesn’t really want to share the reason with anyone except with me. But he needs something from the Queen.” Jinki waited. “You’re really curious, huh?” Kibum said, laughing as he steered Jinki out of the room. “All I’m going to say is that Caelestia is known as the last reserve of magic in this continent. And that whatever Jonghyun wants from the Queen, it is never for Caelestia’s demise. It’s more of…something important to our own home.” “Where is…” “Alright, story time is over. I wouldn’t want to be whipped by the Captain for being a tattletale. Go back to your room, Onew. And not a word about our conversation to anyone, I trust.” The door to the engine room slammed closed, and Jinki was left with his own thoughts out in the hallway. As he slowly made his way to his room, Jinki pondered over what happened the whole week he was held captive in the ship. After the meeting with Minho, Jonghyun didn’t seem worried or fazed at all. In fact, he let Jinki roam around the ship, walk along the hallways, and explore the rooms—even talk to the crew members—provided that he didn’t go up the deck. He had scoured every nook and cranny of the ship to find a way to escape, but the windows were too small and there weren’t any hatches that open to the outside. Aside from that, they were way up in the sky, anchored only by a single thick rope to a rocky cliff beside the ocean. Jinki didn’t know what the exterior of the ship looked like. He could only imagine what Kibum told him, but even that was hard to visualize. He was free, very much unlike a hostage. Yet he was also still confined, pretty much like a hostage. Jinki was confused. He appreciated the kindness Jonghyun and Kibum showed him, sometimes even surprised at their openness, like explaining how the ship worked to him. But he still couldn’t figure out what they wanted from him. Kibum said it was for their home, probably their country, but they never let out any detail that would give Jinki a hint about their demands. Even though Kibum assured him that they didn’t intend any harm towards Caelestia, Jinki couldn’t help feeling frustrated at their silence. He wasn’t even sure if he could give them what they wanted—considering that he wasn’t a full-fledged Queen yet. Once his coronation ritual revealed who he really was, there might be a fight for the throne and he could lose it, even though his advisers and close relatives assured him that no such thing will happen. Jinki stopped in the middle of the corridor, deep in thought. Jonghyun always looked sincere when talking to him. Maybe Jinki should just confess everything and pay their silence by answering to their demands? But he didn’t know what they wanted. Sighing, Jinki retired to his room. Maybe tomorrow, Jonghyun would let him clean a bit closer to the deck and he could take a peek outside. Time was running out, and soon, Minho’s patience will run thin. Jinki didn’t want him to go to battle with these people. He had to find a way to stop things peacefully as soon as he can. -- “You’re fascinated.” Jonghyun woke up from his stupor and glared at Kibum. “What?” Kibum wore an annoyingly knowing smile on his face. “With Onew. You’re fascinated with him.” Jonghyun looked to where he was staring at before. Onew was sitting with the cook and one of the ship’s assistant engineers, asking them questions that seemed so stupid, but it was obvious Onew didn’t know about it from the look on his face. His table mates couldn’t stop laughing, but answered Onew as properly as they could, making Onew rub his chin with his fingers as he thought about their answers. “I am,” Jonghyun admitted as he turned back to Kibum. “I’ve never seen anyone that naïve in my entire life.” He pushed the peas around his plate as he spoke. “I am pretty sure now that he is of noble blood, but I still don’t know what he is to their kingdom.” Kibum hummed in agreement. “A secret son, perhaps? Son of a concubine?” He sipped his wine thoughtfully. “But you’re not just interested about that part, it seems.” Jonghyun snapped his head back—he couldn’t remember looking back at Onew—so fast that his collarbones creaked. “What are you implying?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. “Kibum…if you’re going to go about your weird hypothesis again…” “I’m not!” Kibum raised his hands submissively. “I’m just giving my observations. Like, we’ve taken hostages before—the spies we encountered once—and they weren’t allowed such freedom. You know Onew is the only line you have to the Queen, yet you let him do as he pleased around the ship, even letting him know about the mechanics of Feritas.” “I don’t want the Queen to think that we’re treating him badly,” Jonghyun immediately replied as he swallowed the rest of his food. “In a way, I’m going to ask for a favor, not a demand, so I want it to go as properly as I could. Onew…is someone innocent that we just happened to pick up. I don’t want him to suffer for something he isn’t involved in.” “Fair enough.” Kibum tucked his hair behind an ear and rested his elbows on the table. “But what if the Queen declines and attacks us?” Onew was starting to question the cook about how cheese is made. Jonghyun tore his eyes away from them. “She won’t. I have faith.” “You are putting your faith on someone you haven’t even laid your eyes upon,” Kibum insisted. “A photograph cannot tell you anything about the person, Jjong…” “I believe in whatever was said to me,” Jonghyun replied with finality. “I have to believe. It is not like we have any other options right now but to believe that the Queen of Caelestia is as merciful and kind and generous as she is described.” Kibum sighed. “A week without anything. And a threat to catapult fire to our ship. That is all we have. None of those say anything about how generous she is.” Kibum opened his mouth again but Jonghyun gave him a look, making him sigh again. “I just hope that this isn’t as foolhardy as I think it is.” “It won’t be.” “Don’t give me empty assurances, Jonghyun Kim.” “I don’t give empty promises. You know that. This will work. I will make it so.” Kibum took one look at him before giving up in exasperation. “Onew!” he called out, motioning for Onew to come closer. “I’m going to bed, come sit by Jonghyun instead of asking the crew stupid questions.” Onew sheepishly approached their table and sat gingerly to where Kibum pointed. Jonghyun opened his mouth to retaliate but Kibum put up his palm. “I’m tired. Good night. I am hoping for clearer skies really soon.” “Is something wrong?” Onew asked as they both watched Kibum trudge out of the mess hall. “Is…Mr. Kibum feeling sick?” Jonghyun shook his head and smiled. “No, he’s just tired from all the maintenance he did today.” “I see.” Onew look down to his lap, his hands slotted between his thighs which were pressed together. “Do you always sit like that?” Jonghyun asked out of curiosity, instantly regretting it when Onew flinched and looked up like a scared deer. “I mean, it must be because of nobility, but you move so gently and so carefully.” Jonghyun laughed at his own realization. “It’s like you move like a woman.” Jonghyun watched as Onew immediately sat up straight, spread his thighs a little, and leaned his weight against the table. “I…do not!” he interjected and Jonghyun couldn’t help but laugh. “Why are you laughing?!” Onew asked, seemingly a bit irate. “Nothing, it’s just…what exactly are you, Onew?” Jonghyun asked as he pressed a palm against his face. “I can never figure you out.” As Onew furrowed his brow in confusion, Jonghyun admitted to himself that maybe he was indeed fascinated by him. There was something about the way Onew moved that was so different. It was as if he was clueless about how men move and work. He would look amazed at carpentry and engineering and plumbing. Jonghyun would catch him staring at his reflection in the mirror and then looking at everyone else’s clothes. Sometimes, he would even see, from the corner of his eye, Onew watching him, as if they were both trying to figure out each other. Yet despite the cluelessness, Onew had an observant eye and a knack for learning by reading or listening. He memorized the crew members’ names just on the second day and could find his way around the day after. Sometimes, when asked about something serious, he would respond in such an eloquent way that left everyone amazed. Jonghyun wasn’t sure if Jinki was rich but naïve or knowledgeable but innocent. Yet despite that, Jonghyun wanted to hear more of him, to see more of him, that every day he would seek Jinki out, make him do odd jobs and see how he overcome his struggles to get used to common chores. “Onew,” Jonghyun found himself suddenly saying. “If…if we ever do not reach a compromise with your Queen and she attacks us, will you escape with us?” Onew dropped his mug. It clattered on the floor and rolled to a corner where someone picked it up. “What…” Jonghyun leaned back on his seat. “If your Queen doesn’t want you back, do you want to stay here and travel with us?” Jonghyun asked. “I could teach you all the things you need to know and…” he caught himself at the last moment. “I’m…never mind. Go to sleep, Onew.” With a shake of his head, Jonghyun stood up and left the room without looking back, although he was sure that Onew was following him with a look—his eyes just as confused as before. Inside his room, Jonghyun locked the door and rubbed his face forcefully with his hands, groaning at his idiocy. He walked towards his desk and sat in front of it, opening his drawer and staring at the contents inside. He hadn’t told everyone, not even Kibum, why he was so fascinated with Onew in the first place. He felt like he was charmed, like he couldn’t help himself. But Onew’s innocence and intelligence and other characteristics were just things he discovered after he began to take notice of the man. There was something else. Jonghyun lifted a framed piece of canvass from his drawer and stared at it. It was a painting of the supposed Queen of Caelestia, painted many years ago. Onew looked so much like the woman in the painting. -- “No word about Jinki yet?” Minho shook his head, and Taemin let out a long breath before starting to pace back and forth. He just couldn’t keep still. It had been a week without any word from the Queen’s captors. “Sit down, Your Highn—“ “How can I sit down, Minho?” Taemin cried, tugging at his hair as he paced around the room. “I can’t believe you just let them off like that. You’re inside the ship! You could’ve taken them all!” Minho pressed his lips together. He had explained it several times, but Taemin couldn’t be calmed down once he started getting agitated. “We tried going for a diplomatic approach. I’m sure that is also what Her Highness would have preferred.” Taemin stopped walking and turned away from Minho, looking out of the window where they could see a part of the Feritas’ ship floating in the horizon. “But it’s been a week and we haven’t even heard anything. Are they really going to wait a month? What if they do something to Jinki? What if… we…we don’t even know what they want yet!” “They wanted an audience with the Queen,” Minho explained once more. “But they didn’t know about Jin…Her Highness’ identity. It seems that they are sincere and willing to wait until the month is done. And Her Highness wanted to try an escape route, if not, a message will be sent to me and I can prepare for rescue at the worst case scenario.” “Bless you for being able to read Jinki’s wind messages,” Taemin muttered. “A month…” “They will wait, Taemin,” Minho firmly said. Taemin stared at the scene outside his window. “But I cannot wait.” tbc.