During a sunset in the season of the year that gave her her name, a baby girl was born in a small and cozy house made of wood near the beach while the sun started to hide far away on the horizon, painting the sky and the calm waters with beautiful shades of orange. The smell of salt covered her new world since the moment she breathed for the very first time until now, because Kim Autumn lived in that same place during the following 24 years of her life. The only gift his non-Korean father gave her before his disappearing were those blue eyes she had, as deep as the sea, bright and alive behind her long eyelashes, two hidden treasures that her grandfather and her cousin loved to contemplate every day since the moment she looked at them for the first time. When she was just 8 years old, her quiet personality gave her the wisdom to understand the loss of her mother, her uncle and aunt, during that fateful day on the high seas when the waves overturned the boat they were in, leaving her in the arms of two men who raised her as if her grandfather was her real father, and as her cousin was her brother. Autumn grew up with her love for nature, for animals that didn't receive the same love and respect than the people had, and now at the age of 24 and in a world whose rules she couldn't change, Autumn devoted her youth to protecting the animals from the zoo which she worked for, giving them as much love and care as she could give.

Kim Autumn. Veterinarian.

In a house made entirely of wood that looked more like a cabin, with a second floor with the shape of a high triangle that Autumn used as her room, she descended the stairs, carefully, holding in her arms a basket covered by a pink blanket, while in the inside, a baby pig slept comfortably. Autumn's long and fluffy black hair was tied on a ponytail, the white t-shirt she wore every day at work had cartoon lions, while the strap of her backpack hung on her shoulder. The smell of fresh coffee filled the living room and the kitchen that were a single large room, divided only by a granite kitchen table in the middle and a gray carpet that covered the floor. The windows and the half-open door let in the scent of the beach and the morning sunlight, illuminating the entire place, but especially the brown piano next to the window that belonged to her brother.

"Good morning, Grandpa." Autumn left the basket on the floor of the living room, next to the big velvet grey sofa. On the other side of the granite table, her grandfather was sitting on one of the high chairs as he ate his breakfast, watching the TV as the voice of the woman reporter narrated the news of that day. "Have you seen Jong?"

"He wanted to go swimming for a while before taking you to work." He said, taking the same cup he used every day to drink his coffee, the same one that his grandson gave him on his first father's day. Autumn looked out of the window, while the waves hit the sand and backed away as the water shone like a diamond thanks to the morning sun. "Is it time to take Pinky back, love?"

As Autumn nodded wistfully because her time as a surrogate mom ended today, the wooden door opened with a slight blow.

Kim Jonghyun. Music teacher.

With his torso and black shorts hanging from his hips, Jonghyun walked inside the living room rubbing a white towel against his black hair, the same color of his eyes. Following in the footsteps of his father who was tender but strong, Jonghyun found his own strength in his family, and he continued to fight to live fully after losing his parents when he was only 11 years old. Now, at the age of 27, Jonghyun found the balance to be young and to take on the responsibilities of a family just like his sister did. His childlike smile was like his mother's, and his chin, as pronounced as his father's, was like a magnet that attracted the students of his class, but it was his angel voice that made his students fall in love with him every day.

"Jong, be quiet." Autumn said softly, pointing to the basket on the floor. “She’s sleeping.”

"Oh. I'm sorry." Jonghyun chuckled and walked around the sofa, pausing for a moment near the little pig under the blankets. "Sorry, niece."

Autumn chuckled while on a day that was not special, their grandfather stopped for a moment and watched with pride at his grandchildren who were no longer children anymore. Life was cruel and took his daughters away from him that day, but that same life allowed him to live next to the children his girls left. He took care of them during his best years, and now, it was the moment when they took care of him with the same love. His hair was as white as snow and his body didn't move as fast as before, but despite how vulnerable he felt sometimes, Grandpa Kim felt as safe with them as his grandchildren felt when they were kids.

"Hurry up, son, your sister has to be at work early." He said with a kind voice, the same tone of every day. Jonghyun obeyed immediately and wiped his hair and his body, while his grandfather chuckled as he and Autumn watched his muscular arms that twitched with every move he made. "Your students are lucky you teach them music and not physical education, son."

"Even with the shirt on...” Autumn chuckled, ready to too. “Jong's classroom is full of women, Grandpa. I've seen the way the girls look at him."

"Yah. Why are you two making fun of me?" Jong asked with his big puppy eyes, looking innocent because he could be it. But a second later, he looked at them both with a flirtatious smile as he flexed his right arm, showing off his muscles, going back to being who he normally was. "You two are jealous because you don't have a body like mine."

His grandfather sighed theatrically.

"I envy you, son."

Autumn chuckled.

"Besides... there's a little action going on here." She said pointing to her abdomen, because after a few months of exercise with him, her body had better endurance. "Let's go now, please."

Like the gentleman he was and always helping her in all he could, Jonghyun took carefully the basket and lifted it as if it weighs nothing, to then walk to the door and out of the house saying goodbye to his second father. Since it wasn't the first time he'd took Autumn to work wearing only his beach shorts, Autumn walked over to her grandfather and kissed his temple as he patted her back affectionately, giving each other a little bit of their love before being apart on that day. And he, like every day, wished her a good day and to take care of herself, and nodding, Autumn left.

The day he was born, the sun shone on the highest point and covered with its light every person in the kingdom, every soul and every heart that looked up at the sky and felt the heat in their skins. While a black-haired hawk flew over the magnificent castle of Black Rock among the winds of a cold winter morning, a child, the heir of the kingdom, the future man who would rule the lands that belonged to his father and his father's father, was born from the belly of his mother throwing to the air a crying that showed his desire to live. Little sparkles like diamonds shone in his brown eyes, and behind his eyelashes was hidden the eyes of a king, a leader who would lead his people to peace, just as his ancestors did since the world was created: that day in which the sun shed a golden drop on the first flower in the desert. When the first prince turned 12 years old, sadness and loneliness covered the kingdom and every heart alive when the people of Black Rock lost their honorable king and compassionate queen, leaving their first son as the light that would guide the people and his little brother when the moment arrives. The second son to the throne grew up under the love of the first prince, who taught him to trust the kingdom, to protect the people, to put their lives first for them if needed be. After the innocence was left behind, the first prince taught his brother to ride, to use a sword, to hunt. At the age of 28, Prince Lee grew up under the name that the same village gave him for his good heart. Onew. His mother's sweet voice that was still whispering in his ears made him as pious as she, and thanks to the brave heart that his father had, it made Onew the brave prince he was today: a future king worthy of the crown that he was about to receive.

Lee Jinki. The future king of Black Rock.

In the big blue sky with cotton-white clouds, a black-haired hawk released her voice of freedom into the air as she flew with spread out wings. In the wheat fields that gleamed like gold beneath the animal that crossed the sky, the horse of black hair, as dark as the night itself, ran among the golden roads, raising tornadoes of sand under his long legs that shook the kingdom’s lands. The horse's muscles contracted with each powerful step he took, leading the way the rider marked for him. On his strong back, the first prince held the straps and made the horse run to the left, following the footsteps of the majestic deer that was lost under the tall ears of wheat. His brown hair was tied to the back of his head as some strands began to escape, and on his forehead, his hair bounced at a steady pace by that quick run.

Lee Taemin. The second prince of Black Rock.

A few miles away, the second prince followed the path his big brother took among the wheat fields. Taemin was 24 years old now, and he was almost as strong and brave as his older brother was. The days, months and years passed since his parents died under a relentless storm in the middle of the sea, leaving the little Taemin under the care of his brother and the protectors and teachers of the kingdom. He grew up being persistent: always wanting to learn more from his brother, wishing to be like his future king. His brown hair was longer than his brother's, his bangs hitting his forehead until Taemin grabbed the straps of the horse to make him stop when his brother did it first.

"Hyung, we lost him!" He said cheerfully, looking around the miles of wheat field. Far away where the horizon broke, they could barely see the castle in which they both grew up. "We lost him again."

Jinki watched around the place: it was so quiet that the only the sound they could hear was from the waves, hitting the low rocks of the cliff where the castle was. The hawk that flew around them stared into the prince's eyes and descended, flapping her wings before landing on the wrist of the right arm that the future king extended. The hawk clutched her claws gently around the prince's skin, just as the bird perched on his cradle 28 years ago. The hawk's eyes were two large black circles, dark and mysterious, but in the center of them shone two gray pearls that matched the moon that appeared every night, shining in the middle of a black sky. Her yellow beak opened slightly, and from the bottom of the bird emitted a light sound like a call, like a voice. The prince smiled slightly, a smile as sincere as it was normal in him, and he pushed his arm up smoothly, sending the bird to the sky to fly again.

"He's not here." Jinki smiled at his brother, and shook the horse's straps once so the animal could move forward and back to their home. "Come on, Thunder."

Taemin chuckled because of his brother's confidence, because the same deer defeated them the previous times, so he made his horse move too at a slow pace this time. The horses whinnied on their way back to the castle, resting their paws under the fertile grounds. However, Jinki looked back for the last time, trusting in his instinct that told him that they were not completely alone, and for a second, the big gray eyes of a deer looked back at him, with his large ears leaning back, and finally, a seconds later, the beautiful animal was lost again between the golden roads that hid his brown body, going back to the forest that was his home.

The first prince chuckled to himself and continued on his way home.

Near the shore and sitting on the dry sand, Jonghyun continued to wipe his surfboard, his gaze focused on his only work before enjoying the waves. With the door fully open, his grandfather sat on the couch of the living room watching the documentaries about animals he used to watch on TV, occasionally asking his granddaughter, who was sitting outside the door, if the facts narrated were true or not. On Fridays, Autumn's shift ended at noon, and during her free time she would sit under the shade of the ceiling feeling the heat of the sun and the silence of the place, reading one of the hundreds of books she had at home. The Kim family house was a little far from the road to the city of Seoul, on a part of the beach that people and surfers didn't visit. The beach that people visited was miles away, leaving Autumn and her family to live in their own world far from the main road the cars barely traveled but never stopped. On the other side, the mountains rose beautifully covered with green trees, giving them two landscapes to admire.

"Do you want lemonade, sweetie?" Her grandfather asked from the inside, and Autumn felt him rise from the couch, always making those sounds of weariness.

"I can make it, Grandpa."

"I will do it. Tell Jong to come inside for a moment or else he will fry himself like a grilled fish."

Autumn chuckled.

"I will not be the one to put aloe vera on his back."

"Me neither!"

Autumn laughed at the jokes at her cousin's expense and put the book on the wooden floor. She stood up and stretched for a moment, feeling the relaxation of her muscles under her long white shirt, because of the free weekend that she was going to enjoy in the tranquility of her home. As usual, she noticed that Jong was not wearing his shirt anymore, with his back in full view of the sun above their heads. Barefoot and with a bracelet tied to her ankle, Autumn walked the sand toward her cousin, who unlike her, did loved the water: because while he used to enjoy the waves and the cold sea, Autumn just enjoyed watching it.

But it was then when she saw him.

Autumn stopped a few steps behind Jong, who stared at the table, not noticing the body floating there in the part of the sea where the water was so calm. He was floating with his face toward the sun, being rocked softly by the weak movements of the waves.

"Jong, over there..." She found her voice deep in her body, but low as a whisper that made Jonghyun look over his shoulder towards her. "Over there in the water."

Jonghyun looked forward and was startled to observe the same image as his cousin. The world stopped beneath Autumn's feet, and for a few seconds her mind parted from her body as Jonghyun stood up holding his board, running into the sea that Autumn respected too much to get into. Jonghyun swam hard to reach the body. Her loose hair was tossed by the wind as she waited. Though her eyes watched her cousin bringing that person back to the shore, Autumn believed that nothing she saw was real. Finally, Jonghyun dragged the man to the place where the water didn't touch the sand and he bent to feel his breath. The man was wearing brown trousers and boots, a gray shirt that had no buttons but a ribbon that closed around his neck, and a black vest, as if he belonged to another era.

But the wound on his chest, Autumn watched the red spot that pierced his clothing and his flesh.

"He's alive, Autumn." Jonghyun looked up at her, breathing hard. "Quick! Do something because I'm not going to kiss a man!"

Autumn frowned, finally coming out of the surprise.

"Don't be silly, Jong! Go and bring grandpa."

As Jonghyun ran back to the house, Autumn knelt on the man's left side and ran her fingers gently around the wound: she couldn't press his chest. In a moment of strange calmness, just as always when she felt that a life was in danger, Autumn pushed the wet hair that stuck to the man's forehead, her fingers closed over his nose while her other hand lifted his chin gently, and she breathed air into his lungs.

Nothing.

She did it again, and nothing, but she wasn't going to give up on a life.

As her family returned to the beach, Autumn felt the salt on her lips and she pressed against his one last time. It was the first time she had done it and the contact with his lips made her body tremble a little bit. Her heart was beating hard against her chest, and the heat of her body drifted away as she pulled away from him for the seconds that seemed hours before her blue eyes. But then, in a miracle as she thought, that man spat out the salty water that filled his lungs, the life returning to his body, and to hers.

The prince's brown eyes widened just a little and with difficulty because of the pain and the intense brightness of the sun that hung over him, blinding his gaze from the sight of the blue sky. Autumn leaned forward slightly to protect him from the sun, holding in her eyes the peace she felt inside at seeing him breathe again. Part of her hair fell down covering her face, but the prince looked into her eyes that shone as the pearls of the sea.

"Look..." He whispered, chuckling weakly as he rose up his left hand, trying to touch her face. "…An angel."

But the strength of his body left him again and Autumn caught his hand before it hit the sand, while she saw his eyes close again. The beautiful but dangerous sea hadn't taken the life of that strange man, and the “supposed” angel chuckled with relief and surprise by that strange nickname as the air returned to her lungs, but although he lost consciousness again before her eyes: his heart was beating again, the heat returned to his body, he was alive and she was grateful for it.

Hello dear readers.

This is the first chapter of "Descendants of the Sun" and I hope you all like it. Sorry for any grammatical errors you may see. I will try my best to write a good story. And as always, thanks for reading ^-^