The Gallery (-BTS-)

Spice Trade

~Flashback to before Taehyung became one with the gallery~

"You cannot hold me here father!"

"I can do as I please daughter! You will never see him again as long as I still hold breath in my lungs!"

"Fine you know what! . . . I am far from being a part of this family since you do not let me be free. I will leave of my own will and the stain on your family name will be no longer. They all say I am the woman who loves a pirate anyway so why not have it be true!"

"You would rather be dead to everyone than stay with your only family. How pathetic of a human are you Gia that you would run off with the scum of this land when you could marry into one of the wealthy families."

"That life holds no happiness father! I plan on having a family with someone who I love not someone who I am forced to just because a dying old man wishes for money over his family's want to be happy!"

"You are no daughter of mine then! I never wish to see you on this land again. . . and if I do, I will kill you myself!"

Gia turns on her heels and runs out of the room with hot tears streaming down her face. Slamming the door behind her, she ran into her room and packed a small bag with clothes and a gold necklace given to her by her mother before she passed 4 years ago. When her mother passed, Gia was left to live with the monster who was her father. He was always an angry man but when her mom died, he became worse. He was verbally abusive to the point she would wish death upon him. Six months ago, she got her wish as he started to become ill with an unknown sickness. He was coughing up blood daily and growing pale with weakness setting in. It wouldn't be long before he was gone but she could not stay any longer.

"I can no longer stand that old man. . . If he wishes me dead, then so be it!"

She walked out of her room and out the front door of her father's house. Making her way through the town she was coldly looked at by the townspeople and even those she once called her friends. They all knew the rumors of her being in love with a pirate, even though he was just a trader from a land none of them had stepped foot on. Her town was never the richest, but they all had plenty to live higher lives than most. They all planted and sold wildflowers from some of the farthest and most exotic places. Her favorite flower was Carolina Allspice, though it was not a very symbolic flower. It had a strong spicy fragrance that would make your nose tickle slightly, like you wanted to sneeze. Walking further she made it to the boat docks on the far side of town. Looking around she saw a boat with beautiful dark oak wood and gold trim. The sails were a deep forest green with a large ram crest in the middle, and on the front of the boat was a carving of a young woman holding a lily flower in both hands.

"He came. . ."

Suddenly a voice spoke behind her making her jump and spin around to face the man.

"Dear spirits Tae! You can't do that to a lady!"

"I am sorry my dear. . . I see you are leaving your dear home soon."

He nods over to her hand holding the suitcase and smiles. His smile was boxy, and his eyes were so warm and inviting, like you could tell him all your secrets. He only wished to be out on the water with the salt and breeze in his hair. His vessel would never attack others unless needed but while on land they were always mistaken as pirates. This made him upset as his men and himself would never harm another soul unless other lives were at risk of ending. Overall, he was a calm person, a complete polar opposite of Gia's father.

"Why yes sir I am. I am just waiting for my lovely spice trader to appear and take me away."

"Well would you look at that I seem to know of a spice trader who would love to take you anywhere your heart carries you, Milady." He bows at the waist extending his arm out to the side.

"Well, I would love it for you to tell him that I wish to leave now if that is the case. I don't have the need to stay at the port any longer and I wish to see the world in all its beauty.

"Your wish is my command, Milady."

He smiles and scoops Gia up bridal style carrying her onto his boat telling his men it is time to leave. The crew starts running around undoing all the ropes holding the boat to the dock. They tie anything to the deck they need and undo the sails letting the wind hit them to carry them out to the open waters that called out.

"Where to first my love?"

"I am dying to see the countryside in France."

"That will take some months to travel but it sounds perfect to me as long as you are by my side."

They sailed the sea together for five years, growing their spice trade and making a name for themselves as one of the largest trading crews in the Atlantic Ocean. He would bring back flowers from every port for Gia as she would press them in between books drying them out. They were at a port in Spain when Gia started to feel ill, she would wake up in cold sweats and throw up anything she ate. Leo the first mate finally convinced her to see a doctor once they made land at a small village in France they have contracted to house and lodge the crew during the off-season times. After seeing the doctor and getting the results she was over the moon to tell her love the great news.

"Tae, I have something important to tell you."

"Yes, my love you can tell me anything. . . How are you feeling also?"

"I am doing fine. Leo told me to go see a doctor before I could get back on the ship, so I did."

"That's great my dear what did he say?"

"Well, it turns out that I am not sick but. . . I am with child."

He stops looking her dead in the eyes and tears roll down his face. Picking her up into a large hug that lifted her off the ground her spun her around while both laughed and cried.

"This means my question with hold true then. . ."

"Your question?"

"My love I cannot picture a life without you. Ever since I saw you at the market in your town, I knew that no matter what I needed to do you would be mine one day. Among the stars and sea my love only grew for you and now that we are with child, I only feel my love deepen. I never told you my wish but now I feel like it is time. . ."

"Time for what darling?"

"I wish to marry you and finally move into the house I had built on the coast for you. I have been hiding this until the correct time and that time is now. I no longer crave the sea since you are now the steady water that holds me. Please make me the happiest man on land and sea with saying yes."

"Oh, my love! I would be honored to be the wife of a man who has pure heart. I have waited for you until now and now I will be with you until the end of time."

They both laugh as he sets her back down. Later in time she gave birth to a lovely and healthy baby boy, naming him Taehyung after his father. This baby became their whole world as they watched him grow into a young man. From his first steps to his first word, which was sea, to the time he first stood on the deck of his father's ship. They knew the boy would crave the sea as much as them and seek it for the peace and comfort it held. He helped his mom plant and pick flowers in the large wildflower field she created behind the house. He held plenty of favorites but the ones he held dear were Clematis, Rumex, Larch, Buttercup, Spirea (or meadowsweet), and Tiger Lily flowers. His mother would press these for him and then display them in his room, this never changed even though he aged.  

"Mom, can we go pick flowers today?"

"Yes, we dear we can. . ."