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shouldn't there be anyone to guard the royal dungeons at this ungodly hour?
boo seungkwan, the blonde haired court jester, snuck down the circular staircase. the bare stone underneath his leathern slippers echoed against the walls, yet still no one appeared to catch him in his deed. the darkness frightened seungkwan, just as the cold atmosphere ever step he came closet to the dungeons far underneath the castle.
in his left hand he held a candle holder, the orange flame illuminating the grey walls. and after what seemed like an eternity, the jester had made it downstairs, the cellblocks appearing in front of him immediately.
never in his life had he been down here, since it was prohibited area for a resident like him. no one beside guards, royal blood and burglars themselves were allowed in the depth of the underground prison. but somehow, the boy with his wavy golden hair had been on seungkwan's mind for the entire day.
the boy had something mysterious that lured seungkwan in. he wasn't certain if it would lead up to something good, but with seungkwan's bad habit of uncontrollable curiosity he had to find it out for himself.
so here he was, strolling past iron bars as it was only a cellblock of about twenty cells. the hallway split both ways, two windows on both ends just above ground level high against the ceiling allowing a stroke of moonlight to fall exactly into one of the cells.
and there he sat, choi hansol, in all his glory bathing in the pearly white moonlight. with his back against the wall, sitting on the bare floor, he had this unexplainable magical atmosphere surrounding him. something seungkwan found captivating and memorable. but mostly, something he wanted to get closer to.
"you're not a guard, are you?" hansol spoke calmly before actually turning his head. his presence seemed so serene and calm, the complete opposite of seungkwan who was the perfect example of an outgoing extrovert.
"and you're not a burglar type, are you?" seungkwan snuck in a subtle comment, a wide grin appearing on hansol's face. he had this gummy smile where he exposed both his upper and lower row of teeth, one that seemed genuine and sparked fondness.
"what are you doing here at this ungodly hour if i may ask, sire?" hansol politely bowed his head, purposely using formalities as he had no idea what range the still unfamiliar boy was.
"sire? oh please, don't make me laugh. shouldn't you use foul language, my best burglar?" seungkwan was surprised by how polite he actually was. though it reminded him of earlier, to the encounter with the king and the elves companion, where this hansol had been significantly well mannered as well.
"i assumed you were from royal blood. i saw you earlier today and the clothing you wore couldn't possibly be that of a simple villager nor servant." hansol recalled the moment from earlier that day. so he did notice me?
"i am adora's court jester, i tell stories to make my audience laugh and sing songs for the king and his companion's entertainment. there's no doubt i have to wear at least somewhat neat clothes to show our kingdom's wealth." seungkwan explained, a small smile tugging on his lips.
"the court jester, huh? you fit that image, honestly. in the best way possible, if i'm allowed to say so." hansol sparked friendliness and seungkwan would be lying if he said he didn't revel in his company. he leaned with his back against the cell bars opposite of hansol, his eyes plastered to the boy in front of him. "and to answer your previous question, i never planned on becoming a burglar either."
"then what made you switch your mind?" seungkwan asked. never in his life had he felt so calm in the presence of another person. he didn't even feel the need to joke around or to be his outgoing self. this burglar really brought out a rare side of him.
"i had nothing left in the village. my parents traveled to another kingdom abroad with my sister about a year ago to visit my grandparents who were severely sick at the time. now recently they sent me a letter that they would be staying there and i had to take care of our house. but i had no money to pay taxes so it only took about a month before they kicked me out.."
hansol took a small pause, needing a moment to comprehend what he had just said. for him it was also the first time he was able to speak freely about the misery he went through. "now i know that with a simple theft, the king couldn't harm me. staying inside the castle and working a lifetime for the king didn't even seem that bad compared to starvation and other diseases i would have to deal with on the streets. tales tell that the present king is a lot more friendly than his parents."
"i can talk to the king if you would like me to?" seungkwan offered. "me and king seungcheol basically grew up together in the castle, i know him pretty well if i may say so. i can ask him to shorten your process in the dungeon so you can get to work in the castle?"
"that's a really friendly offer of yours, but what would they do with you if they found out you were down here?" hansol's eyes spoke concern, not wanting the jester to suffer because of his own stupidity.
"if i tell none other than seungcheol, i don't think i would be in any danger. but it's up to you, if you want to spend two more days in this cold and lonely dungeon that's also fine with me." it wasn't fine with seungkwan and he knew that all too well. "but, if you will excuse me for now. if a guard finds out i've been here i will probably have to stay the night in one of the cellblocks here. they aren't as friendly as the king himself, unfortunately."
"you haven't answered my question yet." hansol rushed to the bars, allowing the confused seungkwan - who almost walked away - a closer look to his face. "what were you doing here at this ungodly hour? i'm just a simple burglar and i don't see any other purposes why you would like to spend your time in such a moldy, dark dungeon."
"oh my dear hansol, you might not be as simple as you think you are." seungkwan giggled before fully turning around, leaving hansol behind in puzzlement.
"wait! i don't think i ever caught your name, court jester." hansol called out one last time. seungkwan had almost disappeared on the staircase, yet his head peeked around the corner for the final time that night.
"it's seungkwan. boo seungkwan. have a good night hansol."
however, before hansol could return a proper 'good night' the mysterious jester had already disappeared, leaving the cellblock as silent as how it was before. hansol's mind, that had been clouded with sorrows, had now entirely cleared. though there was one thing carved inside his brain. something which he doubted would leave his head soon.
and that was adora's jester, boo seungkwan.
