Fifteen year old Jiyong stood in his fighting stance in the courtyard of the palace. His father stood by watching him as he dodged every attack his best friend, Youngbae, threw at him. He swirled around and jumped in the air, but he was too slow.

Youngbae blocked the attack with his sword and pushed his friend away, a smirk on his face. Though he didn’t notice where Jiyong went to until he found himself face to face with the end of his sword. Jiyong looked down at his friend on the ground and smirked at him.

“Do you concede?” He asked, a laugh tickling the back of his throat. He waited until Youngbae nodded before sheathing his sword. While he wasn’t looking Youngbae got up and tried to attack him but Jiyong was way ahead of him, swiftly dodging his attack and flipping his friend into the air.

“Tsk, tsk my friend. Just because I put my sword away doesn’t mean I put my guard down.” Jiyong laughed as he helped Youngbae up on his feet.

“You’ve gotten better I see. This was a great practice.” Youngbae said smiling at his friend. They laughed and walked over to their fathers. Jiyong’s father, The Dragon King, smiled at the boys as they approached them. Youngbae’s father was the head of all the knights in the kingdom, and The Dragon King’s best friend.

“Both of you are getting better in your fighting skills. I’m proud to see you two growing up so well.” The king said ruffling Jiyong’s blonde hair, putting the ponytail he had it in out of place. Not bothering to fix it, he hugged his father.

“Thank you, your majesty. Now if you’ll excuse me I have to get ready for the ceremony tonight, do I not?” Jiyong said giving his father a sly smile.

“That you do, young prince. After all, it is your birthday today. Run along and get ready.”

Jiyong and Youngbae bowed politely to the king before running off down the corridor to his room.

~~~

Hours later, Jiyong was dressed in black trousers and red tunic with golden lined cape and black boots. His hair was restyled upon his head tucked into a ponytail with a few strands loose in the front. He wore his crown on his head proudly, head held high, as he walked down the corridor to the grand ballroom in which the ceremony was to be held.

“Son.” He looked to see his mother smiling at him sweetly. “I have a gift I want to give you before you walk in there.”

“What is it mother?”

She reached into her robes and pulled out a silver ring with a crystal blue stone set inside of it. It gleamed beautifully in the light to reveal the family crest, a dragon spiraling upward around a sword.

“It’s amazing mother. Thank you.” He couldn’t resist hugging her and she wrapped her arms around him tightly.

“Now this ring will have something special for you when you become of age. Never lose it.” She said smiling as she watched him put the ring on his forefinger.

“I won’t mother.”

They walked into the ballroom and received praise and greetings. There were many shouts of “Happy Birthday Young Prince!” from everyone. After greeting the elders, he went over to meet his best friend and some of the other young palace soldiers in training.

“Great party as usual this year your majesty.” Youngbae said as he approached them.

“Now Youngbae, you know we’re friends as do the rest of the kingdom. I allow you to call me by name.” Jiyong said laughing.

“Yes well…don’t look now but Seunghyun’s father is coming over here.” He said looking behind Jiyong. He turned and saw his uncle, Duke Choi, walking over to them. He had his cousin, Seunghyun, walking silently and broodingly beside him.

“Hello young Prince Jiyong. Happy Birthday to you.” Duke Choi said in his deep voice.

“Hello uncle. Thank you very much.” Jiyong said politely. He never felt comfortable around his uncle the Duke. And his cousin Seunghyun was very stoic, so he found it difficult to get along with him.

The two of them walked away, leaving Jiyong and his friends to share a look with one another before bursting out in laughter.

“Your cousin never speaks. What’s wrong with him?” One of the other boys said still releasing little fits of laughter.

Jiyong shrugged. “I honestly wouldn’t know what to tell you. We never speak.”

Just then there was a large commotion not too far away from them. They looked and saw that one of the servants was bent over onto the floor picking up the tray that had dropped. Duke Choi stood there glaring down at the young lady.

“Watch where you are going young lady. I don’t know how my brother the King could handle such uncivilized help.”

An older woman came up to help the younger lady pick up the hors d’oeuvres that had fallen to the ground.

“I’m so sorry. My daughter is helping us for the night, your grace.” The woman said with a shaky voice.

“You should teach your daughter some manners.”

The Duke was beginning to catch the attention of others. Jiyong saw the scared look on the daughter’s face and walked over to his uncle.

“Uncle, I realize that you have yet to give me my birthday gift. I want to receive it directly from you.” He stood between his uncle and the women. The Duke looked at him unamused, yet he had a subtle glint in his eye that Jiyong didn’t notice.

“You’re right.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wrapped parchment and handed it to the young prince. “Open it later when you’re in your chambers alone.”

Jiyong nodded and looked at it curiously as his uncle walked away from him the second time. Remembering that the young ladies were behind him, he turned quickly to see them standing and scurrying off back towards the kitchens.

“Wait.” He said and they both froze. He walked closer to them before speaking again. “I apologize for my uncle’s rash words. I’m sure he meant no harm.”

The young lady looked up at him with wide eyes before herself and her mother bowed their thanks and went back into the kitchen.

The rest of the evening went slowly. Too slow for the young prince. He was eager to open the gift his uncle had given him.

Finally he was alone in his room, unchanged from his party attire and he took out the gift. He unwrapped it carefully and discovered a small box inside. There was nothing written on the parchment so he tossed it aside and focused on the box.

He turned it around in his hands, getting a feel of the possibilities inside. It was light making him wonder what could be inside. Jiyong opened it and something black shot out of it. He jumped back in surprise and tried to fight it off with his hands but he was unsuccessful.

It surrounded him and next thing he knew he had out.

~~~

“Good it worked on him.”

“What do you want to do with the body?”

“Get rid of it of course. Dump him in the woods or something. Nature will finish him off.”

The voices that spoke went silent and the other man lifted the body and carried it out of the stone building and into the darkness of the night.

The walk to the woods took a half hour. The man dropped the body off on a wooden doorstep of an empty home and ran off into the night.

~~~

Eleven year old, Clara sat in her room, knees to her chest as she waited for her father to return home. The wind was blowing harshly tonight so she bunched her skirts around her feet even more to keep them warm.

Soon she heard the front door slam open and she quickly got up and ran out of her room. There stood her father with a body over his shoulder.

“Daddy what’s going on?”

“I don’t know. I just found this young man’s body lying in the woods while I was on my way home.”

Clara got a good look at the young man’s face as her father set him down on the couch and gasped.

“What’s wrong sweetheart?” Her father asked, pulling blankets over the young man.

“Daddy you don’t recognize him?” She asked walking closer.

“Hmm? Not at all. Should I?”

Clara blinked in shock. She didn’t want to say anything. Her father couldn’t even recognize the crown prince of the kingdom. Her father went back into his room with her mother. She kneeled next to him and his hair from his face. She pulled it away quickly when she felt how hot his forehead was.

She got up and ran to the well with the bucket. She came back and dipped a cloth in the water. Carefully, Clara wiped him down to the top of his pants before covering him again. She continued this for the rest of the night.

When she woke up in the morning, there was a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She looked around groggily before she realized she wasn’t in her room. She looked at the couch and saw that the prince had his eyes open and was staring at her curiously.

Clara jumped up quickly and bowed. “I’m so sorry your majesty. I—”

“Your majesty?” He cut her off and that caused her to look up at him in shock.

“Y-yes…you’re our nation’s prince.”

He furrowed his eyebrows and then tried to sit up. He winced and Clara rushed to help him.

“Who am I?”

“I just told you. You’re—”

“No. I mean what is my name and where am I?”

Clara looked at him with wide eyes. He doesn’t know who he is?

“Your majesty, if you could—”

“Don’t call me that. I’m not some royalty.”

Clara looked at him confused and hurt. He clearly just wanted to know his name. She thought hard on a name that would possibly give him the majesty of his bloodline. She sighed and closed her eyes.