Donghae tightened the straps on his saddle, making sure that everything was correctly put on. After double checking everything, the boy hopped on the grey horse and gripped the bridle in his hands.

 

 

            “Are you sure you want to go alone?” Kyuhyun asked from beside the large horse, his face was creased with worry towards the older boy.

 

 

            “This is something I need to do alone.” Donghae affirmed, “Besides, I don’t want you going around telling everyone in the towns strange rumours about me.”

 

 

            “That was one time.” The boy defended.

 

 

            “Yeah but you’ve only come with me that one time.”

 

 

            “Are you leaving now, Donghae?” Siwon appeared from the stable doors, holding an apple in his hand. The handsome knight went to the horse and fed it the apple, stoking its mane as it munched on the fruit.

 

 

            “That’s right, I’m leaving just as soon as you two stop interrupting me. It’s like you’re trying to keep me here.”

 

 

            “Well, we don’t really want you to leave.” Siwon said, showing a small smile and wiping his hands off on Kyuhyun’s back.

 

 

            “Yah! Gross…I mean, seriously Siwon.” The boy complained, pinching the knight’s arm. “He’s right though, you’re the best servant and person that I’ve met in a long time.”

 

 

            “Aw guys, you’re going to make me cry…Not.” Donghae chuckled, his horse stomped the ground impatiently a few times, wanting to be off already. “You’re both acting like I’m not going to come back.”

 

 

            “How are we supposed to know that you’ll come back, you could run away for all we know.” Kyuhyun said.

 

 

            “I’m not going to run away, you know why I have to go, and why you can’t come with me.”

 

 

            “Yeah, yeah, those two cheeky kids already blabbed everything to us. It’d be a miracle if the entire castle didn’t know that Amber is your half-sister.”

 

 

            “Half-sister? I thought I was a sister-in-law?” Amber asked, suddenly popping out of thin air with Ryeowook by her side.

 

 

            “No, no, no, it’s obviously step-sister.” Ryeowook argued, grinning like he knew everything.

 

 

            “You’re both idiots, aren’t you? They have the same mother so they’re half related, making Amber a half-sister. Nobody’s parents got married here.” Kyuhyun corrected once again, pinching the two young servants on the cheek and pulling them off in the direction of the castle.

 

 

            “Anyway, have a nice trip Donghae, I hope you get what you’re looking for.” Siwon said, patting the boy’s thigh and turning to leave.

 

 

            “Yeah, me too.”

 

 

            “But, are you sure that you’re okay leaving without saying goodbye to the prince?”

 

 

            “He knows I need this, prince Eunhyuk is a better man now, he won’t behead me for simply forgetting to say bye.”

 

 

            Donghae waved goodbye to the knight and his three friends who were waving by the castle doors. The boy kicked his heels and the horse sped off through the castle grounds. Just as he was galloping across the drawbridge, his eyes travelled towards a window in the large castle. He looked through the glass with a sense of sad longing, and he could have sworn to see the prince staring right back at him with a sad smile.

 

 

 

            It was nearly nighttime when Donghae reached the small cabin in the woods. Its chimney was pouring smoke into the cold night air, and the lights shone through curtains in the windows. The brunet slid off of the grey horse, tying its bridle to a nearby tree before making his way to the doorstep.

 

 

             Once there, Donghae knocked on the door, waiting for it to open. As soon as the wooden door opened to reveal his old master, Donghae flung himself into the man’s arms.

 

 

            “Hoho, Donghae son?” The blacksmith said, chuckling lightly at the childish behaviour.

 

 

            “Master, is mother doing well?” Donghae asked, breaking the hug to look up at the older man.

 

 

            “Yes, she’s been out of bed for a while now.” The man said, leading the boy inside to the kitchen where his mother was sitting peeling potatoes. “We were just making some stew for dinner. Are you going to stay for the night?”

 

 

            “Ah, yes, I thought I would if that’s okay?”

 

 

            “Of course! This is your house, after all!”

 

 

            Donghae smiled, this was just what he needed right now, and later he would be able to talk to his mother. The warmth of his house and the two people closest to him rid his mind of any troubling thoughts. Donghae helped make the dinner, laughing with his mother just like old times, and seeing her in a way that he hadn’t been able to in a very long time.

 

 

            After dinner, the two adults sat at the table while Donghae cleaned the dishes. The boy hadn’t shared much about why he was suddenly back, or how long he was staying. He knew that they would begin to ask questions, but he was prepared to answer them, along with asking a few of his own questions.

 

 

            “So Donghae, what gives us the pleasure of your visit? You didn’t run away now, did you son?” His master asked.

 

 

            “I didn’t run away, can’t I just come and visit you two because I felt like it?”

 

 

            “Sorry for the mistake, we’re just curious.”

 

 

            “I only thought it was a good time for a visit.”

 

 

            “How long will you be staying, dear?” His mother asked, smiling gently at her son.

 

 

            “Hmm, would it be alright if I left the day after tomorrow?”

 

 

            “Of course, that’d be wonderful.”

 

 

            The rest of the night, the three of them lounged around the house, enjoying the now rare opportunity to be together without a care in the world. His master told stories of when he was a “young and handsome lad” and journeyed the kingdom to find a blacksmith who could forge the best sword, while his mother put in a few tales of her time as a part-time baker. Donghae joined in on the story telling, recalling the strange and hilarious stories from around the castle.

 

 

            When Donghae’s mother had grown too tired to continue, the two men decided it was time to sleep. Donghae took the familiar lumpy ground by the fire, insisting that his master continue to use his room. The nineteen year old had a lot on his mind, wondering when he should confront his mother. He didn’t want to worry her with his words, but he didn’t want to leave without speaking with her.

 

 

 

 

 

            Donghae awoke to the sounds of birds chirping outside of the cabin. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. The house was quiet, so he guessed that everyone else was still sleeping. Sluggishly shuffling his feet into the kitchen, he took out a cup and filled it with clean water from the pump outside his house. When he got back inside and sat down at the kitchen table, he noticed that his mother was already sitting there with two bowls of porridge set on the table.

 

 

            “Mother? Did you make these?” Donghae asked, taking a spoonful of the surprisingly tasty porridge.

 

 

            “I did actually, I was making it when you walked in earlier, but you were too tired to notice I suppose.” She said, picking up her own wooden spoon to eat.

 

 

            “What about master? Isn’t he going to eat?”

 

 

            “He already left, dear. He is a blacksmith, you know.”

 

 

            “R-Right, sometimes I forget that we all have jobs to do…”

 

 

            “Speaking of jobs, are you sure you can stay away like this? Won’t you get in trouble?”

 

 

            “Nah, my boss is pretty cool with it.”

 

 

            “Really now? The prince just lets you go around without any , not knowing when you’ll come back?”

 

 

            “Yeah, he’s not such a bad guy once you get to know him.”

 

 

            “I guess that young boy you were with was right then.” His mother smiled and ate her breakfast. It looked like she was getting better, even for her age and the state that she’s been in for most of Donghae’s life. Her skin was regaining its colour, and it looked like she had put on some weight. Her skin didn’t cling to her bones, and her hair wasn’t as thin and discoloured. A few months earlier and the woman would have looked like a walking skeleton.

 

 

            Donghae was happy to see his mother this way, happy and full of life. It somehow put his heart at ease. Especially after learning of her hard past, he was glad that maybe after many long years she was starting to accept things and get better.

 

 

            For the rest of the day, the brunet spent his time doing chores around the house. He chopped enough wood to last an entire winter, cleaned the cabin until the windows sparkled, filled up three barrels of water, fed, cleaned, and collected from the chickens, and he did all this with a smile on his face. Even if it was only for a day or two, he was glad that he could forget about his sorrows and focus on what was in front of him.

 

 

            After dinner was prepared, the three of them ate together and laughed about old times that they shared, remembering when Donghae was a little boy and would go around helping everyone in the town. Donghae was well loved by many, and received only little in return, but he didn’t mind. As long as he could see a smile on their faces, Donghae was happy as well.

 

 

            It was almost time for bed and the blacksmith decided to go ahead first, leaving the mother and son alone to chat. Now it was just the two of them sitting by the warm fire, sipping a warm drink. Donghae thought that this was his best chance to talk to his mother sincerely.

 

 

            “Mom? Could I talk to you about something?” Donghae asked, gripping his cup in nervousness.

 

 

            “Hmm? What is it, you sound on edge.”

 

 

            “It’s about…Father, I know what really happened to him.” He finally said, his gaze dropping to his lap.

 

 

            “So…you know.” His mother said, her voice quieting and her actions mimicked her son’s. She set the cup down, sighing as she pushed a strand of hair from her face. “Seeing as you work at the castle, I’m guessing he told you.”

 

 

            “I asked him, the king, he told me…”

 

 

            “I never wanted you to know about it. You shouldn’t have learned the truth.”

 

 

            “Why not?! He was my father, can’t I at least know the reason why he was sent back to war? Can’t I know why he left me like that?”

 

 

            “Because of how he died, that’s why you shouldn’t have to know. I didn’t want you to worry about me. At such a young age you had to become so much like an adult, it wasn’t fair. I couldn’t add on to the pile of responsibilities you held.”

 

 

            “But…don’t I deserve to know why he died, why you suddenly became sick?”

 

 

            “Maybe, but I felt too ashamed of myself. To be treated like that after learning of your father’s death. It wouldn’t break your little heart at such a young age. I was going to tell you someday…I just didn’t…I didn’t want for him to tell you.”

 

 

            “The king? He told me, and I really hate him, he’s a foul person who shouldn’t be allowed to live. All nobles are…”

 

 

            “This is what I didn’t want for you. To have this hatred for people different from you. He isn’t all that bad deep, deep down. The king was only blinded with rage and jealousy, that’s why he did it.”

 

 

            “Do you really think that? After all he’s done to you, to our family?”

 

 

            “He was once my best friend, I can’t just hate him for who he is now, when back then he was so sweet.”

 

 

            “Just because you say this won’t make me change my mind. I hate him.”

 

 

            “We all have the choice to hate others, after all, it depends on how badly they want you to like them.”

 

 

            Donghae was quiet, he didn’t know how to respond to his mother. The boy didn’t want to make his mother upset and worsen her condition, but he didn’t want to believe that she could so easily forgive such a terrible man.

 

 

            “Do you really forgive him?” Donghae asked.

 

 

            “When you get older like me and all you have the time for is to look back on your life, you may understand how I feel. I’m sure the king has done this by now. You start to realize that what you may have done wasn’t the best thing, the choices you chose lead to a different path than what would have been best for you. If when you look back on yourself and you are the person you wished to be, then that’s all that matters. If you aren’t that person, you have to make things right so that you die happily.”

 

 

            “And…are you happy with yourself?”

 

 

            “Not quite, but I think I will be.”

 

 

            The two of them were quiet again. This time Donghae was thinking things over. It was true that he strived to be someone who wouldn’t hate others based on first impressions or their background. It may have been a childish dream, but the boy was now beginning to wonder if his attitude towards noblemen was wrong. Being around Siwon, Kyuhyun, Eunhyuk, Amber, Ryeowook, and even Kangin, Donghae saw how not everyone was as they appeared. A cold hearted prince was actually an insecure boy who didn’t know right from wrong. Behind a knight in training was a boy from the lower towns who was saved from the hard life.

 

 

            “There’s one other thing, mom.” Donghae said, looking towards his mother with a smile. “You have a really great daughter.”

 

 

            “D-Daughter? Y-You mean she lives?” She asked, her eyes glimmering with happy tears.

 

 

            “Yep, she’s a servant at the castle just like me, her name’s Amber and she’s a good friend to me and everyone else in the castle.”

 

 

            “A-Amber…Good things do come out of something bad.”

 

 

 

 

 

            “Are you sure you have to leave now, son?” The blacksmith asked, although he passed the boy a bag of food for the trip.

 

 

            “Yeah, it’s been a great time being back, but I think I should go now.” Donghae said, placing the sack of food in a bag on his horse.

 

 

            “Have a safe trip, dear, and think about our talk. Whatever you decide is fine with me, I love you.” His mother smiled, giving her son one more hug.

 

 

            “You’ve really got me thinking, it was a good thing that I decided to come home.”

 

 

            Donghae mounted the grey horse, waving to his family and slowly walking away on the horse.

 

 

            “Oh, and one more thing,” Donghae shouted from several feet away. “I’m being courted by the prince and I think I may marry him in the future!” The boy smiled cheekily and galloped off, leaving behind a chuckling mother and a dumbstruck blacksmith.

 

 

            When Donghae arrived back at the castle, he had a bag full of goods from the shops in the lower towns. Even though he had refused, the shop keepers insisted on giving him different items from their business.

 

 

            Putting the horse back in its stall, Donghae spotted Amber shovelling manure into a wheelbarrow. Walking over to her, Donghae tapped her shoulder and yelled “Boo!” Catching the girl off guard, it sent the pitchfork to the floor and almost ended up with both of them covered in horse poop, but Donghae had good reflexes, so he managed to save himself and Amber from that fate.

 

 

            “You’re back! Did you just get back? How was your trip?” Amber asked, enveloping the older boy in a rib breaking hug.

 

 

            “I just got back, and it was a pretty good tip I guess.” Donghae said, returning the hug.

 

 

            “You wouldn’t think it, but everyone in the castle completely missed you! Especially one specific person, if you know what I mean.” She wriggled her eyebrows, receiving a punch in the shoulder by the brunet. “Yah!”

 

 

            “I have to go now, but that’s all you get at the moment.” Donghae said and ran off towards the castle.

 

 

            He huffed and puffed, greeting everyone who said hello to him in the halls. It looked like although he had only worked there for little over a month, the occupants of the castle had fallen for the brown haired servant. Not that he minded though, Donghae gladly accepted the love from each and every person.

 

 

            The boy slowly reached his destination, bending over to catch his breath in front of the large wooden doors. His heart was racing from all his running and the nervousness of what he was about to do. Donghae looked to his right and asked the guard that was standing there.

 

 

            “Is the king inside?”

 

 

            “Yes, the council just ended.”

 

 

            “May I speak with him?” The guard looked Donghae up and down, uncertain of whether or not to grant the boy permission. “It’s urgent.” Donghae added.

 

 

            “Alright, he shouldn’t be too busy right now.”

 

 

            Donghae thanked the guard, walking in as the doors opened to reveal the same large room where he first met the king. Upon walking inside, he immediately noticed that the king was sitting at the large chair, his body hunched over in thought. Not wanting to interrupt the man too rudely, Donghae coughed to get his attention. Surprised, the king looked up to see the servant waiting in front of him.

 

 

            “Donghae? What are you doing here?” The king asked.

 

 

            “I wanted to speak with your majesty.”

 

 

            “Alright, it’s the least I can do for you now.”

 

 

            “The past two days I was with my mother.” Donghae began, and the king visibly tensed. “I talked to her about everything because I wanted to know how she felt about everything, and why she never told me.”

 

 

            “A-And, how is Miyoung?”

 

 

            “She’s better, before my mother was barely alive, she wouldn’t eat or sleep and for a few years I wondered if it was just a ghost that was walking around the house. Now she’s better, almost back to how I remember her in my childhood.”

 

 

            “That’s, that’s good.”

 

 

            “Yes, it is. I told her that you spoke the truth of my father’s death. She never wanted me to know because I was so young, I can see now that I would have reacted just like her, if I knew everything that you’d done and that my father didn’t die valiantly.” Donghae paused to glare at the king, the older man was weak and broken when it came to the young servant and his mother, both the bad results of his wrongdoings. “But to my surprise, she said that she forgave you.”

 

 

            “M-Miyoung said that?”

 

 

            “My mother said that what is important is that in your old age you can see that you are the person you wanted to be. I don’t think you are the man you sought out to be, and I don’t want to become the man that I’ve always hated. Although it truly pains me, I’m sure that my father wouldn’t want me to live with hatred in my bones, so I forgive you too. I still don’t like you for what you’ve done to my family, but in a way, it’s brought me close to so many good people. I never wish for anyone to die, but I’m glad that I met Eunhyuk and everyone else in this castle.”

 

 

            “Donghae…I am absolutely regretful for my actions, and I’m happy that you were able to find some happiness from my actions, be it my son or your sister.” The king said, he bent his head, and Donghae would swear his life that he saw a tear escape the old man’s eyes.

 

Ah hello there, how are you, that is good, oh me? I'm eating chocolate. Thank you. Yes. Good. Here you go, oh? You thought Donghae was going away forever? No. Oh? You thought Donghae was going to Eunhyuk when he got back? No.Oh? You thought I would be done by now? No. I'll update soon, like really soon, probably. ^^

 

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