“Alright, Jongin.  Time fer bed, honey,” his mother reminded him, combing her fingers through his soft, chocolate locks and gesturing towards his narrow bed with her other hand.  A patchwork quilt rested on top, the edges frayed but otherwise whole.

                Jongin looked up at her with big brown eyes as he wriggled in place and wrung his hands.  “Do I hafta?” he whined, giving her his best sad look.

                Mostly immune to his tricks, she chuckled at his defense and smiled with a soft mouth, full lips curving up as her light brown eyes twinkled with merriment from under long, dark lashes.  “Yes, ya hafta,” she nodded, brushing ebony waves of hair over her shoulder without conscious thought.

                “But momma…” he pouted, brow furrowed in disagreement, his whole body wriggling in complaint.

                “How bout I read ya a story?” she offered, walking over to the stool beside his bed before she picked up one of the two books on the rickety wooden table nearby.  She didn’t even have to turn to see him move as he gasped in delight and bounded onto the bed in one energetic leap.  “I guess that’s a yes,” she giggled, easing herself onto the stool so she could rest the book on top of her thighs while she searched for the beginning of the tale.

                “Yes,” he beamed, pulling the covers up to his chin before he rolled onto his side and pillowed his head on his hands, peering at her with bright eyes.

                 “Will ya have nightmares if I tell ya a story with a demon?” she asked the six year old boy with a smile, watching his reaction.

                Jongin gasped and shrank into the covers further, bringing the cloth up to cover his mouth.  “I won’t,” he shook his head in denial, holding his breath to see if she’d continue.

                “Alright.  If yer sure,” she responded in amusement, winking at him before her eyes shifted to the page.  She took a breath and began, “The Demon in the Woods.  Remember, Jongin.  It’s just a story, alright?” she reminded, glancing over once more to make sure he wasn’t too scared after all.

                Jongin drew the blanket down so he could curl it under his chin and smiled back, waiting for her to begin the story.  His eyes were glued to the page, blinking rapidly as all manner of images dashed through his imagination.

                “Once upon a time, there lived a Prince who was always happy and had a bright future ahead of him,” his mother began, keeping her voice measured and low with her eyes flickering from the page to her son at regular intervals.  “Now the Prince was the eldest son to the King and Queen and everyone knew he would be the next in line, a fact the rest of the Kingdom was quite happy about.  Ya see, he was beloved by all the people.”

                “What’s baloved mean?” Jongin interrupted, confused by the term.

                His mother laughed gently at the question and explained, “It means that everyone likes him, dear.  Just like you,” she smiled, tapping his nose with her fingertip.

                “Yeah!” he grinned, giggling when he burrowed under the covers so she couldn’t do it again.

                “Now, everythin was going well until the King and Queen received word of a demon moving into the forest that bordered their Kingdom.”  She let her voice drop, mysterious and low, and saw the fright grow in her son’s face when his eyes grew wide, making her struggle not to smile.  “’Help us, my Lord!’ the people cried as they requested aide from the King.  The demon was attacking the people-”

                “But why?” Jongin asked, expression puzzled.

                “Because that’s what demons do,” his mother explained, shrugging for lack of a better way to elaborate.

                “That’s not nice…” he grumbled in annoyance, not at all happy with the demon.

                “No.  It’s not,” she agreed with a shake of her head.  “But I’m not sure we’ll be able ta finish if ya keep askin questions love,” she reminded with crinkled eyes, fingers poised over the page to mark her progress.

                Jongin gasped in worry and shook his head emphatically.  “I be quiet!”

                “Ya sure?” she asked.  When he nodded in mute agreement, she chuckled and continued.

                Entranced by the story, Jongin listened as his mother told the tale of the demon who was terrorizing the kingdom.  His hands tightened on the covers when she explained how people were going missing, disappearing into the woods, never to be seen or heard from again.  And his eyes grew wide when she told him how the Prince had to go to confront the demon because his father was too old and unable to adventure anymore.

                Visions of the noble prince riding on his valiant white steed into the depths of the dark woods filled Jongin’s imagination and he became the hero on his way to slay the demon.  As his mother’s words continued the story, it was he that faced off against the vile monster in its lair and met claws and fangs with a magical enchanted sword in an epic battle to the death.  He was the one to defeat it, chasing it down as it fled, and finally slaying the dread beast for the sake of the people!  It was also him yawning at the conclusion of the story as he heroically tried to keep his eyes open.

                “Alright, love,” his mother laughed, closing the book before she set it on the table and stood up, bending over him to press her lips against the side of his head.  “Bed time.”

                “But I’m not sleepy,” he mumbled, rubbing tired eyes with his fists.

                “Well maybe yer not but mommy is,” she smiled, smoothing the hair away from his forehead to caress his smooth skin with her palm.  “Sweet dreams, love.”  She planted a swift kiss on his forehead and blew out the candle at his bedside, retreating to the kitchen space to wait for her husband.

                Just before he drifted to sleep, Jongin heard his parents whispering nearby and he smiled when he could have sworn his mother mentioned making him a sword so he could be the prince in the fairytale too.

                The next morning, Jongin found a makeshift sword leaning against his bed.  It wasn’t anything more than glorified stick, but it had a hilt and a mostly pointed end which was more than enough for him.  “Yay!” he grinned in surprised excitement, brandishing it like a hero as soon as he got out of bed.

                “Jongin, honey.  Go wash up first.  Breakfast is almost ready,” his mother called from the kitchen where she was leaning over the hearth pit, stirring a pot of porridge or oats.

                “Yes, momma!” Jongin chirped, running outside to the washbasin next to the house, swinging his sword as he went.

                “Mornin son,” his father smiled, busy chopping wood with an axe, splitting the pieces on the remains of an old stump with practiced .

                Derailed from his immediate task, Jongin changed direction and made a beeline for his father.  “Thank you!” he squealed, throwing his arms around his father’s hips, practically running into the older, shirtless male who set the axe down and pat his son on the back with a bemused grin.

                “It’ll work fer now,” he winked, weathered face lit with quiet joy under the beige head wrap that kept sweat from getting into his dark brown eyes and hid the majority of his short brown hair.  “If ya want, we can search fer a better replacement a bit later taday,” he nodded towards the forest that lined the edge of the village.

                “Really?!” Jongin yelped as he let go of his father and flailed in place, stepping away to chase imaginary monsters with his sword.

                “Jongin?  Are ya done yet?” his mother called, poking her head outside and then laughing when she saw her distracted son.  “Breakfast is ready loves.  As soon as ya get washed up,” she reminded them before she ducked back inside.

                “Uh oh!” Jongin’s father chuckled, setting his axe on his shoulder as he brushed off a few chips of wood from his muscled but wiry torso.  “Maybe we should ask yer mother first,” he whispered in a conspiratorial manner, leaning close as he caught his son around the shoulders with his free hand and guided him firmly towards the washbasin once more.

                While his mother wasn’t exactly thrilled about the idea, she agreed to allow Jongin to accompany his father into the forest.  They needed more meat and it would be a good opportunity to show him how it was done after all.  “We’ll be back afore dark, dear,” his father reminded her, giving her a quick peck on the lips as they prepared to head out.

                “Ya better be,” she pointed her finger at him, dropping her gaze to smooth the fabric of his shirt out as she worried over his appearance.

                “It’s okay momma!” Jongin grinned, sword in hand.  “I’ll protect us!” he promised, saluting her awkwardly with the sword, trying his hardest to keep a straight and serious expression.

                Both his parents smiled at the gesture and she extracted herself from her husband’s arms to kneel before her son.  “I’m sure ya will, my little prince.”  She smoothed his hair down before she grasped both his shoulders in her slender hands and kissed him on the forehead, giggling when he fled her blatant affection.

                “Momma!” he complained, wiping at his forehead with a furtive glance at his father.

                “Well if ya don’t want it,” his father chuckled, stepping in to take his son’s place, stealing another kiss from his wife with a wink.  “I’ll be happy ta take another.”

                “Yer terrible,” she blushed, ducking her head.

                “Ugh…” Jongin groaned, disturbed in the way that only children could be when their parents engaged in open displays of affection.

                “Alright, Jongin,” his father chuckled, taking pity on him.  “Wish us luck!” he encouraged his wife with gusto, waving at her as he turned to usher Jongin out.  “Let’s go, son,” he urged, hands planted firmly on both slender shoulders.

                “Do ya think we’ll run into any monsters?” Jongin asked, holding his sword in front of him.

                “None that we can’t handle,” his father winked, squeezing his shoulders reassuringly.

                “Are ya sure?” he questioned, letting his wide eyes settle on the edge of the woods.

                “Yep,” the elder male nodded, giving him a gentle shove ahead before he caught up and kept pace beside him, hand swinging near Jongin’s shoulder in a constant reminder of his presence.

                They were too poor to afford a horse, or any beast of burden for that matter, but it wouldn’t have helped them in the woods anyway.  The trees were too close together with brush everywhere, making travel on foot the only easy way to go and Jongin was fine, until they actually reached the tree line.  He edged closer and closer to his father as every sound jumped out at him, strange and possibly dangerous.

                “What was that?” he asked in a quiet wide-eyed whisper, searching for the most recent creature imagined in the woods.

                “Probly somethin else’s breakfast,” his father supplied, relaxed and completely at odds with Jongin’s tense posture.  “I’ll let ya know if ya need ta worry, son,” he explained in a confident tone, nudging Jongin’s shoulder with the back of his hand.

                “I’m not scared!” Jongin retorted, though the shrill tone to his voice belied his words and he glanced at his father in mild embarrassment.

                “It’s alright, Jongin.  Yev got a magical sword after all, don’t ya?” he gestured towards the glorified stick.

                Jongin paused to stare at his sword, eyes tracing over the length of the weapon before he grinned and held it out in front of him, “Demon Killer!”

                “Whoa there!” his father laughed, holding up both hands in surrender.  “Easy, son.  Ya might hurt somethin,” he winked, adjusting the bow on his back and the axe at his waist.

                “Only demons, dada,” he nodded with a serious face.

                “Good ta know,” his father agreed with a pat on the shoulder.  “Come on then.  Let’s see what we can find fer dinner, aye?” he prompted, taking his bow off his back to test the string.

                “Okay,” Jongin responded, clapping his hand over his mouth when his father put his finger to his lips to signal a little less volume.  “Sorry,” he whispered, hunching over before he started to look around, following and watching his father as much as his surroundings.

                In the woods, his father was very serious, leaving behind his gentle nature seen inside and around their hut.  The lines that appeared when he smiled vanished, expression neutral as he searched with narrowed eyes, traveling with slow, careful steps and a tense posture.  Jongin tried not to step on anything that might give them away but he cringed when nearly every step brought a resultant crack from underfoot.

                He kept expecting his father to get mad, but he only glanced over occasionally and then resumed his search.  If this was what hunting entailed, Jongin wasn’t sure he liked it at all.  It was boring.  And hot.  And tiring.  And he was getting hungry…  He glanced up to see what time it was and saw it wasn’t even midday yet!  When his father paused to kneel, peering at something Jongin couldn’t see, he was quickly distracted.

                “Did ya find somethin?” he asked, leaning close to try and get a better look.

                His father nodded and pointed.  “See?  Animal droppins and tracks.  The pellets are probly from a deer if those prints are anythin ta go by,” he explained, tracing the impressed ground where a cloven hoof was marked.

                “A deer?” Jongin asked, face screwed up in concentration.

                “Aye.  A deer,” his father agreed, nodding forward in the direction the tracks were leading.  “Come on then.  Stick close and try ta stay quiet,” he winked, waving him to follow along.

                “Got it!” Jongin replied, cringing when the response came out louder than he intended.  His father just smiled and shook his head before he took the lead, stepping with care on the trail they were following.

                For a little while, Jongin kept a sharp eye out until they kept walking and walking and walking…  And where was the deer?  Stupid creature.  How did his father do this all the time?  Sure he saw a bird or a squirrel every bug under the sun, but nothing happened.  No deer.  No monsters.  No demons.  Nothing…

                “Oh look, son,” his father pointed ahead at a break in the trees.

                Jongin gathered his reserves and stared, expression lightening when he saw water ahead.  “Is that a lake?” he asked, standing upright and pointing.

                “More of a pond, but it’s probly where creatures stop fer water,” he smiled, clapping Jongin on the back.  “Come on.  We’ll take a break here, alright?” he asked, looking down to make sure his son heard him.

                “Okay,” Jongin answered by rote, using his sword as more of a walking stick at that point.

                Above them, the sun glared at them from its zenith, reflecting off the sparkling water in a near blinding array of light.  “It looks like the pond is well used,” his father commented, staring at the various tracks leading to and away from the water’s edge.  “We’ll rest here fer a bit.”  He removed the small travel pack his wife made for them before they’d left and offered a bit of dried meat and stale bread to his son.  “Here.”

                “Thanks dada,” Jongin nodded respectfully, accepting the food items before he sat down and started gnawing on them with his sword lying across his lap.

                Somewhat focused, he listened to his father explaining the plants or the creatures they could see that were more trouble than they were worth.  Birds didn’t offer more than a mouthful and weren’t fit for a meal unless you caught one of the larger ones or a fair few of the smaller ones and his mother hated plucking the bloody things.  Jongin was still bored though and eating only helped to get rid of his hunger.

                “I’m goin ta scout the area fer a moment.  Ya wait here and I’ll be right back,” his father instructed, kneeling in front of Jongin with a serious expression.

                Simultaneously terrified and excited, Jongin wasn’t exactly sure how to respond.  It was easier just to parrot back a response.  “Okay!” he agreed, nodding his head in a rapid gesture.

                “That’s my boy,” the elder male smiled, ruffling Jongin’s hair with one hand before he stood up and held his bow in the other, striding into the forest, attention already shifted to hunting.

                At first, every sound made Jongin jump and stare at the surrounding area with wide eyes, but when nothing happened, he got used to the bird calls and rustling in the leaves.  Distracted by the meat stuck in his teeth, he picked at it shamelessly until he had the very distinct impression that someone or something was looking at him.

                “Hello?” he asked uncertainly, removing his fingers from his mouth and closing his jaw to stare around with suspicion.  He received no response but the feeling of being watched didn’t go away.  Grumbling, Jongin glared at the woods, gripping his sword tight when he couldn’t find anything.

                A ripple of sound in the water made him whirl around, eyes wide and posture stiff, as if he was made of wood.  What appeared to be the head of a man was poking out from the surface of the water.  Jongin blinked to make sure he wasn’t seeing things and accepted the fact he was staring at someone floating in water; one that was looking back at him with a dimpled smile, amused silver eyes, and short messy blonde hair that looked untouched despite the fact that it should have been wet.

                Jongin scrubbed at his eyes with his free hand, clinging even tighter to his sword, but when he looked again, the figure was still there.  Still smiling at him and floating in the middle of the pond as if he belonged there.  While Jongin stared, a hand broke the surface next to the stranger’s head and waved at him with his fingers…

                Like a puppet, Jongin picked his free hand up and offered a stiff, abbreviated wave in turn, utterly confused.  He stopped breathing entirely when he saw the other male’s eyes flicker behind and then focus on him again.  The figure in the water smiled harder and winked before submerging under the surface once more, leaving nothing behind save disappearing ripples in his wake.

                He jumped a foot off the ground when he heard his father call him from behind.  “Jongin?”

                “Yeah!” he shouted, whirling around in a flurry of limbs before he sprinted to where his father emerged from the woods.  “I’m here!”

                “Ya okay, son?” the elder male asked, concerned as he knelt in front of Jongin and placed his hand on the stiff shoulder comfortingly.

                “Yeah!” he chirped in response, flashing a forced grin.

                His father looked skeptical, one brow rising while he glanced over his son’s shoulder.  “If ya say so,” he murmured, with a genuine smile.  “I killed a deer on my way back so come help me carry it and we’ll head home ta yer mother,” he explained, standing up while he waited for a response.

                Jongin nodded in agreement and waited for his father to start moving before he looked back at the pond.  He didn’t exactly know what he’d seen but it had him rattled.  Holding the sword tight in front with both hands, he swallowed harshly and followed after his father, refusing to look back at whatever might be in the pond behind him.  He could figure it out later.  Right?