An Escape
The Prince and the Pauper
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
I wasted no time in packing my miniscule amount of belongings into the leathery case with caution, for everything I had contained value. The small beaded bracelet of shells Sehun made me a long time ago, the bow my mother used to wear, the glasses my “father” owned…my father. The reason I decided to escape. If what mistress said was true, then my real father was there in the world, with a Lu Han under his name and it was my duty to find him. I love Sehun; but right now my life isn’t worth a lost cause.
“Lu?” The hushed voice of HwaYoung crept its way into my ears. I angled my head, looking into her deep, devoid eyes. She silently made her way into the room, pulling me in for an extensive embrace.
“I’m coming with you,” she confessed. My cinnamon tinted orbs bulged as I stared widely at her, my face held a sense of bewilderment.
“We left that day to get each servant inspected, my health isn’t in the best place at the moment. I need to leave; and I need to leave now. You’re my only hope Lu Han,” she admitted dejectedly. I hung my head in dolor and held her petite arms tightly.
“Then what are we waiting for?” I asked with a devilish smirk. My appearance suggested pride and strength, my mind, however, was completely drowned in regret and guilt. HwaYoung and myself eagerly gathered up necessary materials to survive until we found a place where we could obtain them. We stocked up on food, drinks, clothing; we couldn’t waste another second. Time was of the essence.
Midnight soon arrived, HwaYoung and I gathered up our things as we began to furtively make our way to the gates, but I interrupted our escape.
“Nana,” I said sternly. HwaYoung seemed deep in thought before she spoke to me.
“Do you think it would be better if she came?” She asked seriously. I nodded and waited out on the lawn until soon after, HwaYoung returned with a slumbering Nana on her back, arms laced around her shoulders. Once I knew we were ready, we were finally off to a paradise; a place where Master could hurt me no more.
“Sehun, forgive me.”
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Hours had passed. It was as black as an undersea abyss, with no hope, no light, no guidance. Only my thoughts and fate led me now. HwaYoung sleepily waddled behind me, continuing to carry the peacefully sleeping Nana. My shoulders grew heavy, my eyelids droopy, and my mind was empty. I couldn’t go any further tonight. We decided to take it easy for the time being, resting against towering trees. My eyes instantly clamped shut, loud sighs escaped through split lips. This serenity wouldn’t last. I needed to get to my destination.
It had only been minutes until I propped myself up eagerly, with the map of my dream objective sketched into my mind, I shook HwaYoung gently. Her eyes batted open as she gave a half smile, almost tart. We continued to trek on our journey, on which no final target was in sight quite yet. However, our aspiration compelled us onwards. Just the thought of a place with no Master made me want to sprint and never stop until I was as far away from him as possible, finally taking shelter in that slave-ruler free home. The chilling wind blew my hair from my forehead, stinging my cheeks and drying my eyes. The traveling would be tougher than I expected.
We made our way to a small village, miles away from the estate we used to call our home. The sun was beginning to rise, and we knew we had to find a place to stay for the day; we would travel at night.
“Here,” I stated. I pointed to a cabin like shed; one with more than enough room for the three of us. Nana was awake and we began to explain our situation slowly for her to comprehend, it would be tough to follow through but we knew we had to. We walked cautiously up to the small building, passing by many townspeople, one which had stopped us.
“Newcomers?” He asks with a twang, I nod. He sets down his tools and begins to ask us questions about our journey. I don’t give him the details, the past is for our own knowledge for now. He decides to allow us to stay at his home for the day, as long as we helped out, which we agreed to do. We all set our things in a spare room and began to study our surroundings.
“Is this a good idea Lu Han?” HwaYoung asked curiously. I turned to look at her, averting my gaze.
“I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out,” I confessed. I go to find the owner of the home once again, discussing our duties and transportation for tonight.
“It’s going to be even tougher from here on out you know?” He told me honestly.
“I realize that, but we have no choice. You don’t come from where we come from, you wouldn’t really understand how we feel,” I spoke.
“Then help me to understand,” he said with a grin. I smiled back and shook my head.
“I can’t do that. But what I can tell you is I had to leave behind someone very important to me, and it’s only been a day but my heart is telling me to go back,” I admitted, revealing to him the very thing I regretted the most. Leaving behind Sehun for my own needs. The man looked at me with complete comprehension, he must’ve had to do the same. I continued talking, I felt like he knew me more than I knew me.
“I’m leaving to find my father,” I finally managed to confess. His eyes twinkled, and he lied back in his chair, rocking back and forth.
“I remember when my parents passed away,” he told me, allowing his walls to be knocked down. “It was devastating. However, I soon found out that my birth mother was still alive,” my eyes bulged at the news. He really was the same as me.
“So what did you do?” I asked with high interest. He locked eyes with me and I saw them gleaming with his past.
“I left to find her.”
“And did you?”
“No,” he looked away, staring out of his window, “but I found the woman I love.” I tilted my head in confusion. He…never found his mother.
“Can… can you explain?” I asked him. He nodded slowly before continuing.
“I came to this village, I had wind that my mother was here, but when I got here a woman helped me and asked me to stay with her and so I did. She helped me gather information to find my mother, however, she had passed away in a village attack years before. But I was with the girl so long I fell in love. One thing lost, another gained. All I’m saying kid is that… if this doesn’t go how you planned, there is probably someone who is there this whole time, begging you to notice them. If it does, that person won’t feel any different. So do it, notice them,” he admitted proudly, closing his eyes and rocking in his chair once again. I absorbed this information with complexity. Someone who loves me. I too love someone. I stood up and thanked him in a hushed voice as I walked outside into the sunny weather. I had to complete my job in thanks for the place to stay.
I strode to the water well and pumped out the liquid, arms pulsing from the pressure of the gadget. Buckets upon buckets began to fill and soon I had more than I could carry. Hours passed as I completed my task, and HwaYoung and Nana worked on the animals the village owned. At dusk, the man invited us to eat dinner with him which we humbly accepted. I broke the silence.
“What happened to her?”
“Hmm?” he hummed as he continued eating.
“The woman you love,” I finished. He halted in his action, meeting my eyes. He swallowed quickly and cleared his throat.
“She’s long gone now. Left years ago,” he declared regretfully. I felt guilty, I knew I shouldn’t have asked. He continued, “I want you to know this, and listen closely. If you love someone, more than anything, just don’t give up. Promise me that you won’t, kid.”
“I promise. I won’t,” I stated, eyes wide. He nodded and went back to eating nonchalantly. HwaYoung and Nana looked at each other confusedly, I just motioned for them to forget about it. I, however, would not. He told me not to give up. I would remember that.
Night came quicker than anticipated. I wasn’t ready. My heart was beating faster than it ever has before. I talked to the man again before departing.
“A carriage comes around here at night, delivers goods for us. Hop on it. Trust me, it should take you in the direction you want to go,” he advised. I smiled at him and he told me one more thing. “It’s Kang. Don’t forget it.”
“It’s Lu Han. Make sure you don’t either,” I teased. He gave me an eye smile and ruffled my hair. I knew I could always come back for help from the person who knew so much about me by knowing so little.
“COME ON!” HwaYoung shouted. I bowed to Kang before speedily shuffling away, grabbing all my belongings. I stopped in my tracks and went back to the man, hugging him tightly.
“Thank you,” I said honestly. I ran off to join Nana and HwaYoung before telling them what he told me.
It didn’t take long until the very carriage made its appearance. We tossed our things in the back gently before joining them sneakily. We sat in silence in the dark of midnight. None of us slept that night, none of us could.
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Daylight was sneaking over the hills; I saw a large city coming into view. I shook Nana and HwaYoung carefully before pointing. I threw our things on the dirt before hopping off, the girls following suit.
“We are getting close,” neither of them knew my destination. At first, I didn’t even know. But I knew who I needed to see, and where I needed to go after contemplating for hours.
“The things seem heavier this time…” Nana complained, yawning.
“Once we get into the city, we can keep our things there as we travel. It won’t be as long as spread out either, alright?” I tried to comfort her, she just nodded and yawned again.
“It’s like home,” HwaYoung stated.
“It IS home,” the city we were currently striding into was where we used to shop and stay at for days at a time as toddlers. It was like our second home; my second home.
“This way!” I yelled for them, urging them to follow my path. We set off to the outskirts of the city, scouring for a place we remember. “This. This is it,” I stated.
“What is this?” Nana asked. HwaYoung shrugging back at her. I pushed open the door to the little shop.
“Yul?” I shouted, my voice echoing in the almost barren store. A man appears from behind the back curtain.
“We don’t have many books left in stock but-” he halts in his tracks. “Lu Han?” he remembers.
“Yul. I’m not looking for a book this time,” I told him. Yul was a family friend. He would watch me in my infant years, I would play games in his shop as a child. He smiled at me, meeting my eyes and grinning even wider. His short black hair stood messy on his head and his deep hazel eyes accentuated his facial features. He was a towering man, one who made you feel uncomfortable with his height. He came from behind the counter to hold me in an elongated embrace.
“Who is this guy?” Nana whispered..
“I have no clue,” I heard HwaYoung respond. I ignored it and focused on the man in front of me.
“We need to catch up. It’s extremely important that we do,” I told him seriously. We walked outside to sit on a nearby bench, telling HwaYoung and Nana to explore the self-owned store.
“How is it?” I questioned earnestly. He looked elsewhere, anywhere but at me.
“Worse,” he replied solemnly. I let out a deep sigh; he copied my action. The town… my town. He meant that it hasn’t gotten better since I left. Knowing that gives me a feeling of depression. We sat in silence for awhile until I speak again.
“You know who my real father is. Tell me where I need to go,” I commanded. That’s when he stared. Not at me, but into me. Into my cinnamon eyes, into my very being.
“That, I cannot do,” he stated and looked away eagerly. I grew angry and furrowed my eyebrows in frustration. He knows and refuses to tell me; this something that is so important.
“I demand to know. Why can’t you tell me?”
“He told me not to,” that struck me like a knife to the heart. My own father wanted nothing to do with me. I wasn’t allowing it.
“I just want to meet him. I need the comfort of knowing my real father. Yul, why can’t you do that for me?” Yul and my second father were very close; I somehow had that gut feeling that he knew all along who my real father was. I was right.
“I need to keep my promise.”
“Promises are void when a son needs to meet his father.” He was silent. Another sigh passes through parted lips. “Tell me where to go. That’s all I ask.”
“It’s not far.”
“How far?”
“He’s in the city.”
“Which one? There are so many, where do I-”
“This city.” My heart stopped. My father is in this city. My real father is so close I can almost feel it.
“Tell me more,” I demanded. He shook his head.
“You said you want to know where, I told you. I can’t help you any more than this. If you need a place to stay, I’m willing to let you sleep in the shop but that’s all I can do.” I stood up, irritated, and stomped back into the shop.
“Leave your things, we have places to go,” I told them. They nodded in unison and we all left together. “We’ll be back,” I said to him. He ignored my statement and we marched away.
The city is massive. High buildings, immense estates, large shops; there were too many places he could be. I didn’t even know what he looked like, but I felt like I would if I saw him. I decided to start at the place I knew best. The city hall.
“Find out anything you can, help me,” I pleaded to HwaYoung. She hugged me tightly before grabbing Nana’s hand and running off. I strolled up the steps of the hall and pushed through the great doors. Workers and more workers occupied the building. Where do I begin? Someone must have records of the citizens. I snuck my way to a room that held files upon files and began to surreptitiously scan through them; I looked for anything that held value to my search.
“Nothing…” I spat. My annoyance grew and I threw things on the ground. “I can’t do this alone.” I cautiously slid out of the room and walked up to a worker I passed by.
“Excuse me, I need help with something rather important,” I asserted to him. He spun on his heels and looked down at me, examining my being. He was rather tall, his caramel hair sweeping across his forehead and his eyes resembled my own, but larger. His lips were plump and tinted pink, I looked him over multiple times.
“What is it?” he asked in a calming voice.
“Records of citizens. I need to find someone. After the village was overrun years ago I lost somebody and it’s essential I find him,” I confessed. He looked at me with confusion yet understanding.
“I don’t think I’m allowed to do that, however…” I smiled up at him and he led me to a room, where I’m assuming he worked.
“Let me see…” he took out folders from his desk. I observed his office. Decorative plants, some furniture, it was a plain room. Then I noticed some photos on his wall. I sauntered over to inspect them.
No.
It wasn’t.
“This is my mother,” I mumbled under my breath.
“What was that?” he lifted his head.
“How do you know her?” I asked sincerely.
“Ah~ That was the love of my life,” he admitted.
“What happened?” he peeked my interest.
“Something that wasn’t planned. I had to leave her; I regret it more than anything.”
“What was that something?” I needed him to confess. I was the problem.
“It’s nothing,” he stated.
“Me.”
“Hmm?” he tilted his head in puzzlement.
“I wasn’t planned, was I?” His eyes bulged, his lips parted and he began to stand.
“I was the reason you left wasn’t I, father?”
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
A/N
update like what.
holla.
c,:
update like what.
holla.
c,:
love you guys, like, really i do okay <3
~parkkimi
Comments