Chapter 1. Blankets and sickness.

The King descended from his horse so fast that the Queen got startled and had to step back a little, to let him pass through the multitude. Even though he was almost fifty, he still looked as handsome as ever, what made the ladies at court collectively swooned when he moved towards the main patio, where everyone was staring.

"Chaeyoung!" he shouted.

The young lady, who was trying to get up from the floor, bite her tongue and trying to make a cute face to her father, the King.

"I am so sorry, father… It was not my intention to disturb you and mother… but my horse was out of control and I fell over."

"And… why were you on a horse when I emphasized countless of times that you should share a palanquin with the Crown Princess, First Princess?"

Chaeyoung’s father glared at her with so much intensity that she couldn’t find her arguments to discuss with him. All she was able to produce were monosyllabic sounds without sense.

"But… but…"

"Did I hear but? Un-but, First Princess. And do as I command."

"Mother…" Chaeyoung begged.

The Queen of Joseon, Qing Mi-young, moved towards her daughter with a severe expression on her face, which made Chaeyoung realize that she wasn’t going to defend her against her father.

"Mind your father, my daughter."

Chaeyoung breathed a sigh of resignation and with her father’s help, settled in the palanquin together with her sister-in-law, Crown Princess Seung-wan. The princess felt relieved when her sister didn’t mention the embarrassing moment she had just suffered. Well, until she was certain they were on their way to the province of Chungcheong.

"So… what in the world has gotten into you, princess?"

"Let’s pretend this never happened, okay?"

"I do not mind, but you know your siblings are going to tease you, like, forever."

"I am well-aware of that."

The travel was long and boring for the two princesses and Chaeyoung felt frustrated because they could have arrived in less than a day if somebody had just listened to her and let the ladies take the horses. But it seemed that being obsessed with security was the King’s motto. The First Princess knew that twenty years ago some really bad things happened at Court and that the traumas were still present, but, she thought they had to move on. It was the only way to heal properly. And decrease a little bit the security protocols would be a good start.

After a few security checks, the soldiers let the princesses get out from the palanquins, to settle inside the summer villa of the Royal Family. Usually, only the Royal Children (without the Crown Prince) spent the summer there when they were younger. But almost five years had passed since the last time they went there, and Chaeyoung felt quite nostalgic.

"Hey, Chaenggie!" someone tapped her shoulder.

The princess turned around and saw her brother, First Prince Choi Tae Hyung, smiling at her as if he was an innocent human being. But Chaeyoung knew he wasn’t, especially when he called her Chaenggie. He knew it was her weakness and it meant he was planning to do something he shouldn’t.

"Before you say anything, the answer is no, brother."

"Hey! But… Why?"

"Because tomorrow we have to get up early and I do not want more trouble with father."

"Do you realize he isn’t mad, right?"

"You haven’t seen his face, brother."

"Maybe… but it’s the same one he uses when I intervene at the State Councils without permission. He has to pretend he is angry, but he is proud. Shall we enter?"

Tae Hyung offered his arm to his younger sister to get inside the summer villa and they kindly greeted the guardians, explaining to them how the house had been prepared and how beautiful the flowers at the gardens were that year. Usually, Chaeyoung loved to talk with the servants, but, after their fatiguing journey, the only thing she wanted to do was to retire to her chambers and sleep.

"You should change to something more appropriate and clean yourself a little, sister. Father and mother wish we have dinner before it gets too dark."

Chaeyoung got bothered because she was too tired to stand her three elder brothers mocking her that night for her stupid idea to dress as a man and disobey the protocols. But, after the mess the princess had caused, she had to deal with the consequences…

"… of your actions. That behavior was not appropriate for a princess, sister." The Crown Prince, Jeongwan, scolded her.

"Give poor Chaeyoung a break, husband." Seung-wan intervened. "You never complain when I ride horses or teach you how to fight properly."

"It is because I find it unusually attractive when you do it." and he hugged her from behind, giving his wife a cute kiss on her neck. They giggled.

"Oh, no! Please, go with your affection somewhere else! It makes me vomit!" Tae Hyung complained.

"Gross!" Chaeyoung added. 

In reality, neither Tae Hyung nor Chaeyoung disliked those displays of affection in private between their half-brother and sister-in-law. Because the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess story was one of the prettiest they could think of. They fell in love at twelve, when Seung-wan saved Jeongwan from getting murdered and started to . Then, they got married at fifteen and with a shocking situation: usually, the Dowager Queen had to announce to the whole nation that they were looking for candidates to become the Crown Princess,  and then the noble houses would send their daughters to pass the appropriate tests. But, at that time, it was so obvious Jeongwan was madly in love with Seung-wan, that she only proposed a candidate for the role.

And even after sixteen years, two twin daughters and two miscarriages of male princes, Jeongwan still loved his Crown Princess like the first day. Never a rumor of a concubine or a lover to give him the wanted male hair, because the love he professed for his wife was bigger than anything else.

Tae Hyung and Chaeyoung could pretend that they felt embarrassed when they were near his loving elder brother, but, deep inside, they had envy, because they wished that, when their time to get married arrived, they could be as lucky as those two.

"I am still in shock that you have not improved after sixteen years of training, husband."

"And I am still in shock that you are a better fighter than me, wife."

They sat on the floor, surrounding the big table filled with delicious food. It wasn’t as elaborate as the one served at the Palace, but, after a long journey, they could have eaten raw stews that they wouldn’t have minded.

"Uncle Tae Hyung!"

The two younger members of the family, non-identical twin sisters Do Yeon and Mi Na run towards their uncle to play with him. The First Prince embraced them tightly and proposed to show them a magic trick while waiting for the King and the Queen

"Your parents are here too, young princesses!" Jeongwan scolded them.

It had always been like that: ever since the two princesses were able to crawl, they had always gone to play with Tae Hyung. It was an immediate connection between them.  Well, Choi Tae Hyung had that natural talent with children, it was always a connection, no matter the infant. The little girls stood up and went to embrace their father, asking for forgiveness. But everyone had long accepted that the First Prince had a natural talent to win the children’s hearts.

"But uncle plays with us a lot!"

"Because he is still young. Let’s see in a few years if he has the same energy as he has now."

"Sorry, brother."

Jeongwan made her two daughters sat next to him at the table, and glimpsed his youngest brother, letting him know he wasn’t mad at him. On the contrary: he was grateful that both Chaeyoung and Tae Hyung spent time with his daughters while he was away taking care of his duties as Crown Prince because they were a good influence. Tae Hyung was the hard-working, reliable and intelligent prince and Chaeyoung the sweet, kind and sensible princess.

"Let’s eat!" Mi Na screamed.

When she was about to start eating, her mother scolded her.

"We cannot start until the King arrives."

"But it will get cold, mom!"

"It is almost boiling, so do not worry, Third Princess." one of the maids informed her. "It will still be hot when the King arrives."

Less than five minutes after the young princesses arrived, the King and the Queen entered the room, also with tired expressions. Well, they always looked tired, because, even though they were taking their first break in twenty years, the Royal Couple had been still working until dinner was ready.

"Where is Yeon Jun, mother?" Chaeyoung asked when she didn’t see her other half-brother, the Fourth Prince.

"I guess your brother must be in his room studying, daughter."

"But I personally asked him to join us for dinner." The King didn’t raise his voice, but everyone could notice he wasn’t happy with Yeon Jun’s disobedience. He wasn’t a bad son, but sometimes…

"… he is just like his mother, the late Royal Concubine, forgetful."

"Only with things he is not interested in, father." Tae Hyung added.

"He is your older brother, Tae Hyung, I do not think I need to remind it to you."

"Of course not, mother."

Queen Mi-young placed one hand on the King’s shoulder and he relaxed a little. “Gosh! I do not know what I would do without my wife.” After twenty-one years of marriage and two children, Seung-hyun still thanked the Gods for bringing him such a competent Queen that always knew how to react and how to handle situations he wasn’t capable to take care of.

"Well, I think we have some famished granddaughters here, am I wrong?"

"No grandfather!"

"Then, shall we eat?"

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"But… milord, stop!" Jung Ho-Seok complained.

"For the millionth time, I am not a lord. Repeat after me, Nam-Joon… just Nam-Joon, alright?"

He kept packing his things, without listening to Ho-Seok’s warnings, because, honestly, he knew everyone in their temple had a point, but, he felt she had to intervene before it was too late. Some ingredients, food, a warm blanket if they had to sleep outside… He knew he was going to forget something, but, he didn’t have time to think about that.

"But, but… your father asked me to protect you."

"And our father is too overprotective sometimes." a pitchy female voice said behind them.

Ho-Seok and Nam-Joon turned around to see how Kim Jen-nie also started to pack her things together with her older brother. She might have also felt the increase of dark spirits around the capital of the Kingdom.

"See?!" Nam-Joon pointed at his sister brother while looking at Ho-Seok. "I am not the only one who feels it! You must have also felt it, J-Hope."

Ho-Seok didn’t like it when lord Nam-Joon used his shaman’s nickname to speak to him, because, when he did, it forced them to treat each other as if they were equals. And the Kim brothers came from a noble household, while he was just the son of some humble farmers. Not in a million years, he would have expected to get recruited to become a powerful shaman, but, apparently, he had been blessed by the Heavens even before he had been born.

"Of course I have, monster…"

"Then, call shaman Suga and tell him to hurry up before the Holy Mother of our temple notices we are gone." Jen-nie instructed.

"Someone has to do something!" Nam-Joon exclaimed.

"You are so stubborn sometimes that I do not understand how I can be friends with you."

"Because you love us, Ho-Seok. Do not deny it."

And the young shaman hurried up and went to warn shaman Suga, Min Yoon-gi, because he knew that battle was lost.

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"Chaeyoung!"

"Five more minutes, please!"

"Chaeyoung!"

Tae Hyung felt frustrated because it was getting really difficult for him to wake up his sister. But even more, because he knew the girl was faking: she usually was an early-rising.

"If you are going to take revenge because I annoyed you at dinner… I can always go and tell mother who broke…"

"No! I am awake, I am awake."

"You are sooo childish sometimes."

"And you are soooo annoying."

"I am going to go out and paint a landscape, because the light at sunrise is incredible."

"Hey! WHAT?"

"Shhhhh…" and Tae Hyung covered his sister’s mouth. "Everyone is sleeping."

"I can still speak with my mouth covered, you know right?"

The King had always been so scared of losing one of his children that all were trained to act properly in case someone had the chance to kidnap them, if all the security measures failed. Chaeyoung was particularly good at it, and when she got praised by their father, Tae Hyung couldn’t help it but be jealous.

"Okay, if you do not scream, I’ll take my hand away… promise?"

The First Princess nodded and her brother set her free. For an instant, she thought she had to make Tae Hyung pay for the humiliation during the dinner, but, she was too kind to do such thing. Besides, she could blackmail him for a while if she agreed to help.

"What do you need, TaeTae?" she whispered.

"I will try to be here before we leave. Please, convince mother that I cannot join them for breakfast."

"What am I going to tell mother? You know I cannot lie…"

Chaeyoung was terrified because it was almost impossible to hide the truth from their mother. The witty Queen Mi-young always knew what was happening in around her, but, sometimes (especially when they wanted to misbehave a little), their mother turned a blind eye. Only if she considered it was appropriate.

"I do not know… tell her we stayed up late?"

"For what reason? You know she is going to ask…"

"Aren’t we going to visit our newborn niece to Paju? I do not know! Tell her we were preparing something for her…"

"And then what? Do we arrive with empty hands or what?"

"You are sooo frustrating sometimes, Chaenggie."

"And you a pain in the neck, TaeTae, but I still love you."

His younger sister was so cute that the First Prince couldn’t help it but pinch her checks, even though she was already seventeen years old.

"I am not a ba…"

And Tae Hyung covered once again because she was about to yell again.

"Shhhhhh… I leave now, please, figure something out." he kissed her cheek. "Love you, bye!" and jumped through the window so fast that Chaeyoung didn’t have time to stop him.

The princess ran towards the window, worried that her brother might have gotten hurt, but there he was, waving and smiling with one of those smiles that made everyone soft and unable to scold him.

Once he left his sister in her room, Tae Hyung ran towards the wall of the villa, looking for a small portion of space that wasn’t getting guarded by the soldiers. It was a difficult task because his father was too obsessed with security. He was about to give up when he heard how someone touched his shoulder, and he got startled.

"Jimin, Jungkook, what are you doing here?!" he whispered.

"We sleep in the room next to yours, remember?" Jimin replied. "If the eunuchs come to wake up us and you are not there… uncle is going to kill me."

"I think I would be a better target, you know..." Jungkook added. "Because of all this thing about not being a prince and all…"

"So, we decided it was better if no-one was in the room. That way, we all get involved and we can share the King’s wrath together. It will be less dangerous."

Tae Hyung rolled his eyes and let his two best friends, his cousin, Third Prince Jimin, and lord Park Jungkook, stay with him. They were born in consecutive years, so, of all the nobles of high lineage at Court, they were the closest in age. It was something simple, the way they became friends: Tae Hyung was annoying his little cousin when he was three years old, Jungkook came to the rescue, and they were as thick as thieves. 

"Do not worry, Chaeyoung will cover us up."

"Why do you always get the princess involved in our pranks?" Jungkook tried to defend her.

"Stop defending her, she’s lame."

"No! The First Princess is too kind to deny you something."

"I won’t discuss it with you because you have a huge crush on her, so your opinions don’t count."

"I do not think Chaeyoung is lame." Jimin added.

"Thanks for defending your cousin, Jimin…" Tae Hyun said ironically.

"So… what is the plan, First Prince Tae Hyun?"

"Alright, so…" he pointed at a tree. "There are lots of birds on that tree, sleeping. So, Jungkook, since you are quite agile and discreet, you will go there, awake them and reunite with us at that part of the wall." he pointed another place. "Then, the guards will get confused for a few seconds and we will be able to sneak out of this villa. Are you good at jumping?"

"Please, I taught you everything you know, cousin." Jimin joked.

Jungkook started to move stealthily through the garden, using the trees and decorations to hide when he suspected someone was watching. Tae Hyung and Jimin were waiting impatiently for him. Once he reached the tree, he made a sign of victory to his friends before awakening the birds, and their friends panicked when a guard almost caught him. Luckily, it was a false alarm, and their plan went as well as they could expect. In a few minutes, they were already out of the villa, running through the forest.

"That was legit!" Tae Hyung exclaimed.

They run and run until they reached a cliff near the Imjin River when the sun started to rise over the mountains. It was an incredible view: the foggy mountains and the depths, the rice fields colored with purples and soft oranges and the small villages around the river starting to wake up.