A gentle cold breeze howled in the moonlit night. The wind had caused the trees to sway, making their leaves fall messily on the paved path. Although the leaves covered
most houses only one lonely hut did not. In the corner of the populated village laid a mere strip of huts, home to the lowborn artisans that could barely sell their
goods. The strip only had 3 huts, each hut had a straw roof that was matted and dirty with junk from rainstorms. The walls were wooden but the wooden planks were old
and damp, most splintered.

Yet unlike the cold, scary look the huts gave, the families that lived there were the opposite. In the first hut was the Lee family, home to a caring father who
made chairs to provide, a loving mother who weaved thread to sell and a young mischevious boy called Lee Kwang Soo. They were a close family and although they wore 
tattered clothing which made them shiver in the cold, their hearts were still warm.

In the second hut was the Ha family, where a single mother took care of her son, Ha Dong Hoon. The mother was young and spent most of her time writing poetry which 
was forbidden for women but considering they were distant from other villagers, nobody knew. 

Finally in the last hut was the Song family, the biggest family out of all. It consisted of a young father who climbed the rocky edges of the mountain to collect herbs
along with his wife. They had a daughter who was now turning 10 and her name was Song Ji Hyo. The last member to their family was their beloved dog Bongie, a mutt that
was found hiding under ferns with a leg missing. 

Thus, the three family were neighbours that lived in peace and their bonds were closely tied. Everyday they would visit each other, giving food, medicine, books and 
whatever they could to help each other. Though they were all poor, they were rich with care for one another. 

But somewhere else in this province, there was a family who were the exact opposite.

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"Ji Hyo yah! Hurry!" exclaimed an excited boy, his hair covering his eyes from jumping up and down. He bounced to the dirt path that lead them to the main village and turned back while speaking. "Come on! We must see the show!" 

"Dong Hoon Ah~ Stop jumping around, you might slip dear." spoke the boy's mother, her gentle voice clear enough for him to hear. She sat on the bench they had built outside the huts, peeling some vegetables. 

"Yes mother.." Dong Hoon replied quietly calming down but quickly going back to bouncing about after moments.

Meanwhile in the last hut, a young Ji Hyo was busy tying back her hair, messily placing it in a bun that drooped to one side. "Eomeoni! Im ready!" she cried running towards her mother. 

Her mother was busy feeding Bongie when she heard her young child's voice, turning to look down at her. She chuckled at her daughter's hair, kneeling down she pulled her daughter close and re-tied it, making it into a low braid. "There...Now my angel looks better." She smiled planting a kiss on her daughter's cheeks. 

Ji Hyo fumbled at her tattered dress before kissing her mother in return, "Ill be back before sunset Eomeoni~" she sang, skipping off to join Dong Hoon.

"Ah finally you arrived." Dong Hoon commented with irritance, grabbing her hand to pull her along, making both of them run down the path. "Kwang Soo has gone first... That brat lied saying he was going to pick veggies." Dong Hoon explained while entering the village.

Both of them ran through the town, dodging villagers and nobleman.

'Yah you brats!'

'Quit running!"

'Darn Rascals!'

Countless scoldings were thrown at them but they ran on, barely making it to the heart of the village where the festivites were held. They had made it in time to watch the proccession. 

"Dong Hoon! Ji Hyo! Over here!" A skinny looking boy called to the two, waving to them from behind a haybale. 

Ji Hyo and Dong Hoon walked over, both smacking the boy in the head. "Yah! You ran off without us." Ji Hyo complained, pulling at his hair. 

"Ahh!AHH!" he screamed, rubbing his sore scalp. "I..I.. wanted to get a good view." Kwang Soo whimpered.

Ji Hyo was about to yank his hair again when a loud gong was heard and soon followed by traditional music. Her gazed darted to the road as a long line of horses ridden by guards and trumpeteers made their way through. Her jaw dropped in awe, watching some female dancers twirl in a line.

"Look its the Crown Prince!" A villager exclaimed, causing everyone to drop to their knees, bowing towards the young prince that sat in his palaquin.

"Your Royal Highness!" Everyone cried.

Out of nowhere some one crashed into the haybale that the young kids were sitting behind, causing Ji Hyo to stumbled forward into the middle of the road. 

Dazed, she turned around too see Kwang Soo and Dong Hoon buried under the hay which had a unconcious man laying atop. She stood up dizzily and took a step towards them when a sword swung out in front of her.

"HALT!" A horsed general ordered, glaring at the child with merciless eyes. "Who dares to show such disrespectful behaviour towards His Royal Highness!" He shouted, pulling his horses reigns so that he was now in front of her. 

Ji Hyo looked up with widened eyes, her heart thumping furiously. "I.I.." She was at a loss of words, too scared to speak.

Smirking, the General pressed his sword against her shoulder, so that its sharp side faced her neck. "Do you know the penalty for such acts?" He spoke with a low voice. "Death."

Ji Hyo's face went pale, her hands shaking feverishly. Unable to move, she helplessly watch as the General raised his sword to the air causing the onlookers to gasp and grin. 

"General Ji...Put away your sword." A low voice called, making the General freeze as though time stood still. He turned his head to the palaquin and stuttered. 

"But your highness!" he began only to be cut off.

"We dont need to waste out time on lowborns...Just hurry up and move on." replied a bored voice, which could show his dullness.

The General took one last glare at the girl before clearing his throat and mounting his horse, snapping his heels against its flank and moving away. The procession continued and as the palaquin moved past, Ji Hyo peered into it to come in eye contact with the prince. She hid her face in fear while he stared at her with minimal interest.

Ji Hyo returned to her friends, panting and shaking heavily. "Yah Ji Hyo, are you okay? You must be scared." Kwang Soo said patting her back gently. She remained silent, burying her face into her younger friend's shoulder, traumatised.

Few minutes later...

The palaquin's windows were drawned back by a servant. "Your Highness, are you alright?"

The crowned prince flicked his eyes sideways at her, "Yes. Dont bother me to ask." he scowled turning away. 

Flustered, the servant shut the window slowly, returning to walk with the other servants.

"To be spoken to like that by a 15 year old." The servant muttered to the others, distaste in her tone.

"Yah! Watch your mouth~" Her friend hissed, glancing about, worried someone might overhear. "You know that the Royal Kims are like that..."

"That Kim Jong Kook is the worst..." The servant whispered harshly, glaring at the back of the palaquin.

"Well he is our royal highness..."