Promises. The delicate word that held people’s emotions to a tie, the one thing that once given, meant the world, the universe and more. Why people placed so much weight on this one word, I didn’t know. Why people regarded a promise as something that meant absolute truth, absolute trust, I didn’t know.

            I used to be like that.  I used to think a promise meant that it would happen, meant that it would be true. But I forgot about the forces of nature, forgot that things happened in the world beyond our control and those, were always what broke promises. Sometimes even if the person was one hundred percent trustworthy, life wasn’t.

            I fell in love with him unwittingly. It was something I never wanted, something that when I realized, made me giddy beyond comparison, but scared to the ends of the world. He was someone who swept me off my feet but held me upright in his arms. He was also someone unattainable.

            Prince Himchan was exactly that, a prince. He was the prince of a small kingdom and you were just a normal civilian in another part of town. As part of his traditional coming of age, he had to be introduced to the rest of the lands. He wasn’t supposed to come to us.

            Our town was a small one, hidden away in the alcove of the mountains, the region not part of his kingdom. But it had been storming outside and the entourage was dispersed. I found him huddling in a cave, wrapping a thin blanket around himself, with his horse shivering and neighing uncomfortably next to him. He was patting the animal, trying to soothe it when he looked out at me.

            “Hello,” he spoke formally and I bowed.

            “Are you lost?” I asked him.

            He seemed taken aback by the dialect I spoke but I knew he could understand me nonetheless. He held out his hand. “I’m Kim Himchan.” He smiled warmly and I once again curtseyed. It wasn’t custom for a girl to touch a man unless they had a relationship of some kind.

            He seemed to be confused before dropping his hand. “I lost my friends in the rainstorm. Do you know where this is?”

            I told him the name of our village and his brows furrowed. “It’s not part of the kingdom, is it?”

            When I shook my head, he smiled wryly. “It’ll be my luck to be stranded in an unknown place with such a beautiful girl.”

            His words seemed suggestive, and therefore offensive, so I turned to go. He called out. “Please! I didn’t mean anything. I just wanted to be friendly. Can you take me to a place with better shelter?” Himchan pointed at the dripping cave. “This place isn’t exactly waterproof.”

            I debated silently before deciding I should take him home so no questions would be asked. My mother welcomed him more warmly than I had and my brothers and sisters looked at him curiously. It was not custom to ask where he was from, but judging by his clothes and his manners, he was definitely from the City and had great wealth.

            The town and the road to the larger cities were blocked, so Himchan had to stay with us. He was willing to learn the farming life, and often got his hands dirty. He ate with us and it was only a week later that one of his friends found him. There had been a small exchange between them, and he prepared to leave the next morning.

            That night, I found out I was in love with him. We were out in the fields when Himchan looked at me. “This week, I was able to live another life,” he confessed to me.

            I looked at him. “Who are you?” The question would be rude to anyone of our culture but he took it in stride.

            “If I told you, would you believe me?”

            I shrugged. “I wouldn’t know until you do.”

            “I’m the Crown Prince, and this is my traditional coming out. I’m meant to tour and survey the land and get to know my people who I will rule over in the future.”

            It would be a far-fetched story if it came from anyone else’s lips but I believed him. My heart squeezed tightly as he looked at me intensely. “You don’t believe me.”

            “Oh, I do.” I whispered the words and he sensed something change.

            He took a step closer and took my hand. I flinched at the contact but he held on. “I think in the short time I’ve been here, I’ve fallen in love with you. I think I want to see you again.”

            I didn’t look at him. The corn stalks were more interesting and the rice paddies fascinating now. “Can I?” he asked.

            “Would you?” I asked him back.

            Himchan was quiet. “I would. I would for you.”

            It was a meaningful confession and I knew he understood that I felt the same when I asked him my question. It was something visceral, something that we just knew by seeing one another. We didn’t talk much, but it was the small gestures, the small moments that made me certain that once he left, he would take a piece of my heart with him.

            “I’m leaving tomorrow, but I promise, I’m a prince and I will be here again. I will be right outside, waiting for you when you’re ready. I’ll be here next spring. Just wait one harvest for me, please.”

            I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. He leaned in and held me and we stayed like that, feeling the cool night breeze around us. And then that morning, he left. When he left, I stayed in the fields and even when my mom called for me, I stayed.

            If I didn’t see him leave, when he comes back, it’ll be like he never left. And so I waited. The harvest was marvelous that year and we were busy with our abundant supply. As I gathered the rice and the crops, I only thought that once this was over, he would be back.

            The first night of spring, I was out in the fields. I waited and every gallop of horses made my heart thump wildly. But it was never him. It was the end of spring, and he wasn’t there. Sometime in the dead of winter, we heard news from the large towns. The Crown Prince had taken up a bride. She was beautiful, and the wedding would take place after the next harvest.

            After the next harvest, I took a walk out to the lake and saw a carriage coming. From far away, I saw what looked like a royal entourage. I saw a woman and a man get off and walk, hand in hand, and I stared across the lake at them, willing the man to look up.

            When Himchan did, I only looked at him unwaveringly until he was the one to look away.

this is for wonglifeforever

of inspiration

a little bit of a different voice but I hope you like it dear!