The woods seems wayless as he walk down through any possible route to take him to the castle quickly. His clothes are drowned in dirt, twigs and leaves already. Feeling a bit shy to go to the castle with that kind of look.

 

At last, the final turn has come. The castle are just a few walk away from him. It was standing so powerful under the setting sun's rays. Its stone bricks slightly adapted the blue ocean's color. It was just a beautiful sight for someone like Taehyung.

 

"I'm here in behalf of the Prince."

 

He muttered the key to get through the gate. He has come for the Prince's desire. Even if he was a son of a mere serf from the country side, the Prince and the whole Royal family had let him in and even entertain him sometimes.

 

"I brought another songbird for you, my Prince."

"She was wonderful, Taehyung. Where did you get her?"

Hearing the specific noun the Prince used, he just knew that the bird he held was a female and definitely not what the Prince wanted to get caught.

"Out in the woods, Prince Seokjin."

"That's great. But you know she wasn't whom I'm looking for."

Taehyung nodded and loosened his grip on the bird. A burst of disappointment on his insides. A question on his innocent mind why couldn't he identify a songbirds identity with bare eyes? Is it because he wasn't a royal blood?

"Then off you go and continue searching."

The Prince was heartless. Couldn't even consider Taehyung's lot of efforts to catch more than three songbirds in a day just to make him satisfy. Taehyung turned around and out of the castle. He still had the bird on his arm.

 

He took the same path to get to the deepest part of the woods again. The sun was gone and darkness take over the sky. He can barely have a clear vision while walking. So he stopped at what he thinks the nearest spot to the darkest part. Sitting down at the stoney and a bit grassy ground. Letting loose of the songbird from his hands.

"So long my friend. I'm sorry for bothering and hurting you."

 

Taehyung whispered under his breath as he watch the bird fly away from him. Its wound from the shot was healed already. Its wings flaps so freely, leaving the path it flies a trail of sparkling line.

The sight of the bird, sparkling under the dark sky was too admiring to Taehyung to even blink. It was stunning that made his eyes a bit heavy. After a few minutes, the songbird wasn't on his sight already. It flew away completely.

 

He slept over an hour and got woken up by a beautiful voice in the woods. Its voice are so heavenly that whoever hears it would wish to hear it until the last moments of their life. A singing voice that soothens Taehyung's mind and soul. It was as if it helps him cleanse his spiritual self. Putting him at so much peace but he cant let that get away.

 

Taehyung sat up and turned around in the dark, full of huge trees forest. He saw nothing but darkness, the moon's light passing through some of the trees' shade.

 

The voice was still singing in a slow melodic rhythm. And Taehyung was anxious to know where it came from. He began to search in the darkness. It hasn't stop singing until a tiny flake of snow had fallen from the sky. The first snow of the year had started. That single flake of snow became hundreds as the voice fade away. What does the voice has to do with the snow? Why did it fade as the first snow occured?

 

With a sigh, he just dropped himself on the ground as the snowflakes land all over him. The night was overly cold and luckily, Taehyung always had a warm cloth made by fine weaving thread on his body. Though the cloth was somehow too filthy and muddy already.

 

In the morning, he feel like freezing as the snow covered half of him. He set aside the fact that he was cold and went to continue his job for the Prince. The job he proposed to Taehyung in exchange of his family's finances and needs. A job that until now, he doesn't know what was really about. He was just told to look for the songbird who sings the most beautiful of all. Can the Prince imagine how hard it is? Knowing that there are hundreds of songbirds scattered in the country. And most of them had a satisfying beautiful voices.

 

Prince Seokjin just said on the day he was dragged from his house to the castle grounds, "Find my songbird. I'll give your family a living."

And the poor clueless Taehyung had nothing to say. He just mumbled a soft agreement with the Prince. And now, its been a year and he hadn't find that songbird yet. Damn that bird, he didn't have the time to even go back home and look after his family even for a while.

"Once I got that bird, I swear! I.. I got that bird!"

His mind went blank as he exclaimed infront of the gate, again. The guards are staring at him confusingly.

"You dont have any bird for the prince now?"
One guard said.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to tell something to the prince. Hurry up, its freezing out here."

"The Prince is expecting you actually."
The other said and opened the gate for him.

Taehyung hadn't said a word as he pass through the guards and in the castle. The maid escorted him to the prince's room.

"I have a favor to ask my Prince.. "

"He had sung Taehyung.. "

The both of them started in unison.

"Um, pardon?"
Taehyung asked politely.

"It had snowed! It means he's just here Taehyung."

"Who?"

"The songbird! The one I claim as mine three years ago."

Taehyung was silent. Doesn't have an idea about what the Prince is talking about.

"This is the first snow after three years. And that simply means, he was alive. The songbird I asked you to find. Everytime he sing, winter begins. And I heard him sing last night Taehyung!"

He bit his lip as he remembered the singing voice from last night. That was the one he had to catch but it got away unknowing of him.

"I heard him too."

"I'm so excited this week. I might be able to have him right?"

"Well, that.. about the favor I have to ask.. "

"What is it?"

"Can I perhaps visit my family? Just for this week. I promise, when I get back I'll fetch the songbird immediately."

"But.. my songbird, it might fly away again. And your family was perfectly fine so don't worry."

"I badly wanted to go back home Prince Seokjin."

"NO! You are not going home! You have to get my songbird before I set you free!"

"Why do you have so much interest on that songbird?!"

"He saved my life with his golden voice."

The prince softly muttered and Taehyung fell in silence.

"He was a mute swan that can only sing during full moons. I hadn't seen him sing but I always heard him. I don't know much of him but I feel something so special to that swan I saw near the lake."

"Now Taehyung, go get him within this week and I promise you to set you free and continously give your family a living."

 

Out in the snowy woods, Taehyung found himself searching for the songbird again. He doesn't exactly know what the bird look like but he trusted his instinct in figuring it out anyway.