The Four Musketeers (TXT TaeGyu story)

Chapter 11 - Experiment Gone Wrong

A/N: Aaaaand action!

I wanted to finish this book before I leave for family camping next Saturday but I won't be able to even if I post everyday so you'll have to deal with my absence for 9 days again*sniff sniff* Until then I'll keep you entertained whenever I can :D

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It was only a bit after lunchtime, but Prince Beomgyu was already outside in the castle garden. The weather was a bit chilly, but just perfect for him to continue experimenting. He had a small pavilion made for himself with some tables underneath that held several books and notebooks on top. He was excited to say the least. Today was the day when he decided to experiment with a real big air balloon that was tied to the ground. The whole thing was already set up in front of him as he was preparing.

'So yesterday's experiment showed that the hot air makes the balloon fly' he muttered as he was scribbling in a notebook. 'Today we are going to test out that statement on a big balloon that's tied up. Let's see how the balloon acts in the wind' he looked up at his masterpiece proudly.

The balloon part was made out of some fabric he previously got. At the balloon's mouth part he inserted a burner that gave the heat, and he added a huge basket under where you can travel.

The boy climbed inside the basket of the air balloon and slowly turned the heater up. The balloon slowly emerged a few meters above the ground, then it stopped as the ropes held it down.

'Wow, amazing' gasped Beomgyu. He looked out of the basket. 'I'm actually floating in air!' he jumped in his happiness.

Suddenly a stronger wave of wind hit the balloon from the north. Beomgyu could only feel that the thing swayed to the side, making him lose his balance and he fell face first onto the basket's floor. He giggled as he stood up, not knowing that one of the three ropes that held the balloon down tore apart and let go.

'It's becoming windier' he mumbled to himself. Then he felt another sudden push, but he managed to stay on his feet this time. It felt a bit different from the previous one though. No surprise as the second rope let go too.

'Woah, what was that?' thought the prince. He went to the edge of the basket to check what's going on. Just then another bigger gush of wind came and the last rope let go too, making the whole thing halt while emerging from the ground wherever the wind brought it. The sudden jolt made Beomgyu lose his balance again and the boy fell over the railing of the basket.

'Aaaaaahhh!!' he shouted. Luckily (?) his foot got stuck on the rope ladder he used to climb inside so he didn't fall several meters. Despite all of this he was still hanging upside down by his foot high above the ground in an air balloon he didn't know how to stop.

He was pretty much doomed.

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Taehyun was currently cleaning the huge windows on the second floor of the castle while humming to himself. The others were busy in different parts of the castle, Soobin doing laundries, Yeonjun working in the kitchen and Kai outside in the back garden. Suddenly Tae was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a scream.

The voice came from the outside. He gasped as he looked out of the window. The prince's air balloon was floating away in front of the window which was already surprising as they heard that he's only experimenting.

What made him terrified was that the prince was literally hanging upside down on a damn rope ladder from the balloon.

'Help! Somebody, please, help!' shouted Beomgyu on the verge of tears. As Tae looked in the direction the whole thing was flying in, he spotted one of the towers. He doesn't have time to run to get help. He needed to act now.

He threw the cloth he used to clean the window away and started running. He threw the door open and rushed outside. He ended up on the bridge part of the building which connected one of the side buildings to the main part of the castle.

Luckily the wind wasn't that strong so he managed to get there before the balloon.

'Help!' he heard Beomgyu shout again as the balloon was floating towards him. He quickly measured the distance with his eyes, then climbed on the railing of the bridge and after taking a deep breath, he jumped. He was floating in air for what felt like a few moments, then landed right in the basket of the balloon. He found the rope that can drive the balloon and pulled on it since they were still dangerously nearing the tower. If it pokes it, they'll fall down.

Even he didn't know how he managed to turn the balloon back, but he did it. He sighed then looked out of the basket.

'Hey, are you alright there?' he shouted.

'What kind of question is that?' screamed back the prince who was still hanging from the ladder upside down. If it wasn't about life and death, Tae would've found the situation quite amusing.

He grabbed the rope ladder and started pulling it up. Then when it was close enough, he held out his hand for the prince to take and pulled him inside the basket. Beomgyu was shaking as he crouched down on the floor, trying to catch his breath.

'It's okay. It's okay' whispered Tae crouching next to the prince, putting his arms on his shoulders, not caring about the fact that according to Madame de Bossé he's not supposed to exist when the prince is present. 'You're safe now.'

Beomgyu looked up at his savior and inhaled sharply. It was the same beautiful boy from the castle. He looked down embarrassed. The blonde looked at him in concern.

'Are you feeling okay, Your Highness?' he asked. Beomgyu nodded and stood back up, pulling Tae with him.

'I'm sorry for the inconvenience' he mumbled. Just then another strong gush of wind hit the balloon, making Tae lose balance. Beomgyu quickly caught the boy in his arms. Both of them suddenly felt shy at the closeness of their bodies. Then Beomgyu spotted something above Tae's shoulder and gasped.

'Oh no, trees! We have to emerge higher!'

'How?' asked Tae, taking a step back. Both boys felt suddenly cold without each other's embrace. As Tae turned around, he could actually see that they were dangerously nearing some trees.

'Uh, I think we should increase the temperature' said Beomgyu remembering his previous experiment.

'You think? Why the hell are you flying with this thing if you don't know how to use it?!' gasped Taehyun forgetting his manners.

'It wasn't supposed to fly, okay?' frowned Beomgyu as he went to the heater and increased the temperature. They emerged above the trees just in time. The prince's statement made Tae wonder though. It wasn't supposed to fly.

Taehyun stepped to the edge of the basket to pull the ropes inside that were supposed to hold the balloon down. He grabbed one of them and he bit his lip. The rope didn't seem like the other ones that just tore apart. It was way too perfectly torn. Someone cut it. He remembered the ropes of the chandelier the last time and the piece of ruby he found.

'By the way, what's your name?' Tae was snapped out of his thoughts by Beomgyu's words. The older was securing another rope in the basket.

'I'm Taehyun. Kang Taehyun, Your Highness' he bowed.

'Considering that you just saved my life, just call me Beomgyu' chuckled the prince. Tae smiled back at him and nodded.

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A/N 2.0: To be continued, I wanted to write this balloon part in one go but it's already too long so see you in the next chapter :D