Chapter 7 - To be the queen

    The next day came sooner than Woohyun had expected. He woke up earlier than he usually did. Before getting out of bed, he opened the book to check the first few pages but everything was blank. Still in sleepy mode, he went into the bathroom to do his morning routine. Sunggyu was still sleeping like a baby so he sneaked out without making a noise. On his way to the gates he bumped into one of Hana's senior minister. He was tall but because he was walking hunched over, he was about Woohyun's height. He had a few strands of grey hair and big blue marbles staring at Woohyun.

    " You're taking the princess out, aren't chu lad?" The old man asked with a chuckle, patting Woohyun hard on the back, not giving him any time to respond," she's a wicked one, she is. But perhaps you can show her how to be a little.......nice."

    The old minister waddled away, leaving Woohyun alone in the hall. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts and left for the gate. The large iron gate comes to view and Woohyun could see a brown horse standing there patiently. He approached the horse, touching the muzzle gently. The horse neighed joyful from the friendly gesture.

    " We call her Jagiya and this is Night" Hana's voice said, she came into view on a black horse with a white diamond shape mark on it's forehead,"tell me you've rode on a horse before."

    " I have," Woohyun declared, getting on the horse and adjusting himself in the saddle to prove it. She gave him a single nod of approval and signaled the guards to open the gate. When the gates opened, the queen and her horse took off down the dirt path like a fire bolt. Jagiya, as if getting the cue, galloped after them.

    Jagiya caught up to Night and together they galloped down the path through the forest in unsion. They slowed when they reached the entrance to the village of Woolim. Villagers in raggy clothes were opening their markets in the streets now and children played in the dirt. Their mother were sweeping the road and their daughters fed the chickens out front.

    People stared as they trotted through the village together. Some of them bowed, some of them pretended to not notice, some of them glared, and some of them whispered among each other. The girls that were feeding the chickens greeted Woohyun until they noticed the queen trailing slowly behind him on Night.

    " You know, you can be a little nice to them," Woohyun suggested ," like...say hi? Or be polite? Come on, I'll show you how," Woohyun got off his horse and walked over to the the little girls that were playing with their dolls.

    " Hello mister!" A little redhead chirped, waving her little doll at him.

    He gave her a charming smile and patted her head," hey cutie! Are you a princess?"

    Is he serious? Hana thought, getting off of Night, though she wouldn't leave his side.

    The little girl giggled and threw her arms around Woohyun's neck," no! I'm not a princess mister! Are you a prince? Is this your wife?" She peered over him and smiled at Hana, then leaned in to whisper in his ears," she's beautiful." Woohyun glanced back to see what looked like a frown mixed with twitching and the curve of an effort of a smile.

    " Don't do that!" he called back, laughing uncontrollably," you look scary!"

     He's asking to be killed, Hana thought, petting Night to calm her temper.

    " To tell you the truth," Woohyun said to the little girl," we're not married. But she used to be a princess. In fact, she's the queen."

    The little girl gasped," she's the queen?! My mum says she's evil! But she doesn't look evil at all."

    He glanced back again but see no reaction from her," would you like to meet her?" She nodded her head eagerly and he took her hand to lead her to Hana. The girl peeked shyly from behind Woohyun and Hana just gave her a brief wave.

    " What is it like to be the queen?" The little girl squeaked, squeezing Woohyun's hand tightly. Hana crouched down to look at the little girl directly in the eyes.

    " It's the worst thing ever," Hana said," when you are bind to the throne, you're bind to responsibilities, a legacy, a destiny and a future that's all lay out since the day you were born. You're trained to be what they want you to be. You don't have a say in anything and they make you do things you don't want to do. You don't have any freedom. That's why......that's why," Hana reached out and cupped the the little girl's face in her hand, the way her mother used to do," you should be glad you're not a princess. You get to be free and you get to shape your own destiny."

    The little girl rested her tiny hand on Hana's hand," it's not too late for you, is it? You can still be free and you can still shape your destiny."

    " They say a zebra can't change it's stripes," Hana replied," but I'll try to do the impossible."

    The little girl smiled and hugged Hana then hugged Woohyun," take care of her, oppa, " she whispered, kissing Woohyun on the cheek and running off to her friends with a giggle.

    " YAHH!" Woohyun yelled playfully, touching his cheek and smiling cheesily," this kid is something." He turned to look at Hana and notice a genuine smile on her face," so you do have a nice side."

    " Hurry up and buy the vases," she ordered, climbing onto her horse. He sighed and hurried off to a nearby pottery market to buy the vases. He came back and stuffed them into his bookbag then climbed onto his horse.

    " Where to now?" He asked. She looked off into the valleys.

    " They say there is a waterfall in the forest at the other end of the village," she said," let's go see if it's true." Without any warning, she and Night galloped down the road with Woohyun trying to catch up. It didn't take long for them to find the waterfall. All they had to do was follow the ravine up stream.

    Hana jumped off her horse and tied the rope to a tree. She kicked off her shoes and ran into the gentle currents, creating a splash." YAH! How old are you again?!" Woohyun yelled, watching her swim and play with the fishes like a little kid.

    " You're not scared of a little water, are you?" She taunted, swimming backwards now. Of course, she still talked like the queen. He took off his shirt and dove in, creating a splash that was bigger than hers," YAH!" she yelled, splashing water at him," you're ruining my hair!"

    He splashed the water back as gentle as he could and laughed," your hair never gets ruined. Trust me."

    He tried to swim backwards like her but it ended up in a fail attempt. She observed him and burst out laughing, her hands immediantly flew to and she spun around to hide herself," you look like an idiot."

    Of course, Woohyun thought, she only laughs at the misfortune of others. He reached over and spun her round, pulling her hands away from her face. Her dark hair was damp and it clung to her symmetrical face. The reflection of the water illuminated her. The happiness and the light was slowly dying from her but in those few seconds, he was glad he caught it.

    She pulled away and folded her arms across her chest," move. You're ruining the view of the waterfall."

      Instead he leaned in.......