inspired by Snow White and Seven Dwarfs :) and maybe a little Sleeping Beauty?

十一

Daesung knew very well, as a prince whose coronation was less than one month, it wasn’t very appropriate of him to leave the kingdom just like that. Deep into the forest, he was running, after the old wise man who was always being with him since he was born told him that he would be killed by his older step-brother.

He knew very well the King’s health had deteriorated significantly since two months ago. He had tried to call the best healers all over the kingdom but no one could help him. His father seemed very much alive, but somehow he couldn’t talk at Daesung. His eyes looked like he asked for Daesung’s help, but his step mother always said that Daesung was imagining things.

While he clearly wasn’t.

He remember the day when his father brought a woman and a man back to the palace after his usual hunting week, saying that he had met a woman who could take care of his father in his old days. When Daesung asked his father how he could decide such a thing in a short span of time, his father always brushed him off, saying that his head was sick and saying Daesung had to accept the wedding that came just after ten days the woman and her man stepped in to the palace.

It smelled so fishy, because no one remember how the king fell in love with the woman. Daesung was very sure the pack of hunters would never come across a village –they would go up to the mountain whereas the villages were far away from the foot of mountain because of the volcano.

He prepared things to go out from the palace. He excused himself to his father, saying that he wanted to observe the kingdom because it had been too long since the last time he checked their people. Disguised himself, the prince then went to explore by himself but nothing gave him a light.

Until one day he rested at a shady inn at the farthest village of his kingdom. Some of young men talking about a witch who lived at a mountain with her sibling, saying that she could make any magic potion: love potion and alteration elixir, which the latter could make the face of a person changed into a desired one. It was illegal, but apparently was in high demand.

No wonder they appear so beautiful and handsome, Daesung thought. Maybe it’s because of the elixir.

Daesung wasted no time as he jumped on his horse and went up to the mountain the young men talked about. Although faint, there were some remnants left by the king’s pack on his way. Daesung realized that his father was taking a different route.

The young prince knitted his brows together when he found a small path –it was so small that his horse couldn’t make its way to go through. The pack was sure going to the other way, but his gut saying that he had to go to see the end of the path. Tying his horse at the beginning of the path, he went through the path with his backpack and sword. The steps