Part 1 - My only wish is chicken…

     Although the food in front of him was perfect, the young son of a noble could not bring himself to be as happy about the meal as he could be. Sighing with a pout, he glared at the various dishes with a vengeance because of the absence of one thing- chicken. For as long as he could remember, Taecheon knew he liked the taste of chicken. His mother used to have a cook prepare it a certain way. Even if his mother was not the one who made it, he still cherished the chicken.

     If it wasn’t enough that he wasn’t allowed to have chicken for the past two years, it was even worse that he had to be disguised as a lady. The reason for this was that Kim Jingong, Taecheon’s father, was of a high rank in Silla. Due to his status, Jingong could potentially become king as could his children if they were of the same rank or one lower. So, Taecheon was hidden away in his own house to keep his identity secret and to protect him from having to deal with military affairs.

     By Taecheon being in disguise, the servants were kept in the dark about what was really going on. They believed he was Jingong’s daughter to a low rank woman which is why there was a secret in the first place. This made Taecheon very lonely and bored. So, whenever he could find time alone, he would ditch the lady’s hanbok for one which was his style.

     There was suddenly a voice at his door, “Excuse me, my lady.” It was one of the servant women. Rolling his eyes, Taecheon swiped up his veiled hat to hide his face. “What is it?” he questioned while sitting up properly. The woman continued, “Your lunch is ready now. We will bring it in for you.” Taecheon suddenly realized that he had been so preoccupied in his thoughts that he hadn’t even eaten his breakfast. If he could, he would only wish for every meal to be chicken.

     Later that day, with his foot propped across his knee, he leisurely read a book which he wasn’t interested in. Glancing over to his window, he wondered if he should just go hunting although it was only late afternoon now. He was left with the issue of how to sneak out without the servants knowing that he was gone. Sitting up from the floor, he made a decision to just write a note which said he was sick and put it on the outside of his door.

     While in the middle of writing the note with his brush, he was interrupted by a servant. “Excuse me, my lady.” Taecheon looked up quizzically from his table as he set the brush down. “What is it?” he tried to ask as naturally as possible. The servant continued, “There is a letter for you.”

     According to the letter, Taecheon’s father would be visiting him in a week’s time. His father would see him every so often to make sure his son was doing well. Each time, he asked Taecheon if he needed anything. Aside from ending being in disguise constantly, his only other wish was chicken. Of course, his father did not allow it. Therefore, the visits were not as important to Taecheon because he knew what the answer would be each time he asked.

     Nothing could clear his mind better than doing one of the things he loved- archery. The servants were always surprised to find broken objects in his room and they had once even informed his father that his son may have been attacked. Taecheon always got out of the explanation by telling them that he was simply clumsy. After a while of recurring incidences, they began to believe what he said and stopped asking.

     Tonight the moon was full, and he was finally in a good mood now because his bow was back in his hand. For practice, he had started shooting at trees behind the house when he snuck out. He looked around to make sure that he wasn’t spotted by his guards. When he was sure it was clear, he scurried off to his practice trees. By the tree, he had hidden a target which was turned over to face the ground. The target was secured onto the tree and he stepped back to begin.

     An arrow was drawn from his quiver. He focused on the target quickly and let the arrow fly from the bow. Pleased to see that he had succeeded, he aimed and continued shooting. Whooshing sounds softly filled the air as the night went on. With a bright idea for improvement, Taecheon wanted to see if he could test his limits and shoot while he was running. This all seemed like a good plan until he had begun running, aimed, shot, and a figure fell down nearby. He missed.

     A sinking feeling hit his lungs when he realized that he may have just killed someone. Feeling confused by the many emotions and regret occurring, he urged his legs to go toward the figure. When he rediscovered his pace, he ran as quickly as he could and almost slid when he knelt down to check on the person who seemed to be a small old man. Warily, he put out his hand and tapped the person on the shoulder, “Are you okay?” There was no response so Taecheon held his finger under the person’s nose to see if there was breathing. He sighed in relief and sat down when he felt the air hit his hand.

     Now what to do? He looked back at the person, who seemed to be a travelling merchant because of the cart which was beside him. He looked like he needed food and it probably wouldn’t be safe to leave him alone here. Taecheon would wait until he woke up to apologize for almost putting an arrow through him. A crazy thought also crossed his mind that he might just invite this person to eat some chicken with him. So, he waited.

***Thanks for reading! It is a little slow at first, but it may speed up soon with some more comedy. I'm trying to get the characters solidified first. Any questions or thoughts? Comment below!***