King Kim himself stood outside his guest's room. Tae just came out when he almost ran into the royalty. "Sir," Taemin bowed. "Can I come in?" The king asked. "I was just on my way to the hall." "I want to talk to you in private." Taemin let the royalty enter his room and sat on one of the pillows around a small table. Taemin sat across from him on a pillow. "What do you want to talk to me about?" "What's your mother's name?" The king asked. "Taeyeon, why?" Taemin replied. "Have you ever been to Kansal or heard stories about her?" The prince asked. "No," Taemin did not know why he was talking to him about it.

"I'll send a letter to Kibum to take you there." the king announced. "But why?" "Because you have to figure it out for yourself." “Why can't you explain to me?" Taemin was curious.

"I can’t do it for you, you must understand alone so I want you to go to your mother's hometown," the king replied with a small smile on his lips. Thoughts came to Taemin's head, do I not know something about my mother? "Thank you, sir," the pirate said and bowed to him. "Do not worry kid, I know it came out of nowhere but you have to trust me." "I trust you, your highness."

Taemin walked around the castle, he did not think he would reach a large room where a huge and magnificent family tree was placed. Large families were on it, could even see the people who were added over the years because they were born into the families. Taemin managed to find the Choi family, Kim and Park there, in addition to Byun Baekhyun who was at the far end of the tree with a sign next to his name, the same sign appeared next to other family names, a sign of two swords crossed, Park Sungjin as well as Park Jaehyung, and Sungjin's mother, the sign appeared. Taemin guessed that this sign meant that the family members had left the monarchy... "What are you doing here?" a voice asked behind him.

Jeon Wonwoo entered the room, there was no sign of the prince. "I'm here by accident," Taemin said. "I guess you have questions," the young guard said and stood next to him, looking at the huge mural. "For most of them I have answers," Tae smiled and looked at the family that ruled Silla, Choi Minho, and next to him the name of his sister, the king's parents and brother, older brother and little brother about whom he heard so little from his life in Kyong-Ju, then looked at a smaller family tree placed under an area of the large Kim family, the Jeon family. "The Jeon family is here," Taemin noted. Wenwoo's name and above him his father and brother's brother, older sister, and little brother, "your aunt a guard too?" Taemin asked.

"The greatest, my cousin is an excellent fencer, we all got to meet in Jeju for the celebrations," Wonwoo said, "We are the only children in our families, Jungkook is the youngest, and she is the eldest." "Do you all have close and even closer relationships with royalties?" The young guard blushed at the question. "You won’t understand." "Try me."

"Our families are close, more often treated as a family than guards and generals, the royals and we are very close, even though Jungkook has not met them yet or been exposed to the royal family, Dad says his brother doesn’t let him, not until he grows up and starts training. It's because the Jeon family And the Kim family have a romantic past. Mingyu and I are close, but all these years no matter how much a Jeon falls in love with a Kim, they will not be able to be together in the end. That is what happened to my grandfather. 

He and king Kim’s second wife, Mingyu’s grandmother, were in love but she married the king. As you know, the first King Kim got married three times. He told her that she is free and that she can return to her native kingdom, there was a war on this territory, on Gaya, Kim managed to win on the territory so that his wife would live here but she never betrayed her husband even after her release from him. There was when it started, when my grandfather tried to get her back to him, "Wonwoo passed a hand on the Kim family tree," even if my cousin falls in love with the Prince of Okinawa and even if Jungkook falls in love with one of Jeju's princes. We all know it will never work."

"So you like Mingyu but know it will not work because for centuries a Jeon has never been with a Kim?" Taemin asked to see that he understood. "Yes," Wonwoo replied and looked at the pirate with eyes shining with tears that did not want to go down. "It's mostly because he's the heir, right? Because you have to continue your dynasty, right?" "Our lineage, our family, will not be able to continue if we are together, it will never work," Wonwoo sniffed and turned to look at the tree. "The royal family is big." "With many conflicts, after Yang revolted in the north and formed the border and rebuilt a new kingdom and ruled on it from Inchon many wars were created in the area," Wonwoo added. "You're smart for a teenager." "I'll take that as a compliment."

The two heard the door behind them open and the young prince entered the room, "Did you finish the lesson?" The guard asked. "Yes, Dad is waiting for everyone for lunch."

That evening Taemin lay in his comfortable bed in his palace room knowing he would have to get up early the next day, the king sent the servants to arrange everything for him and prepare his horse the next morning, supplying him with food for a few days and with a fast route to Kyung-Ju. Taemin managed to sleep for a few hours but with the first ray of light coming in through his room window he got up and got ready to leave, with his green travel clothes, bag on his back, and sword in his hand he left the room quietly and went to the kitchen where his supplies waited with a bag of fresh apples. Everything he took to the stable.

Sagwa was waiting for him tied outside his cell with the gear on him, new, clean leashes, straps, and saddle. He set off, with the long ride already towards noon it was possible to see the sea that the pirate missed. Taemin stopped for a break by a river that empties into the blue and endless sea, the place was beautiful, how the river’s water blended with the salty seawater, the change between the sand on one side of the bank and the other green from the soft grass, if only he could stay in this place forever. The pirate continued northeast noticing that it was already twilight and the sky slowly turned dark, and this was when he decided to make his first stop.

Three days until he saw Kyong-Ju, the great port city of the Silla, seemed to glow in the light of the sunrise in the distance. Around noon he arrived in town. On the way he thought of his friend he wanted to meet before he went to the palace, he left without saying goodbye, he wanted to see her and tell her about his adventures at sea, about his sudden departure, and the feeling of freedom. They were supposed to get married but there was never a romantic relationship between them but a platonic brotherhood. And he, like a moron, leaves her behind, his sister, Son Naeun, whom he loved so much. His plan was that Sagwa would remain in the family's small stable, where her father's old horse was, Taemin was no longer sure if the stained horse was still alive.

When he entered the city, the pirate managed to blend in with the people in the colorful attire, his horse did get some attention but more horses were around the city as well, a city that doesn’t seem to ever rest. Taemin walked through the alleys and tried not to reach the main path, he even avoided the king's guards who walked in the city looking for people who were making trouble, dragging his horse after him that listened to him and did not cause them to attract the attention of those wearing red and blue. 

On his way to the Son family's house, he saw posters of wanted people. He did not remember seeing before, of course, Key and Bling-Bling were mentioned in two of them, next to them were one with a painting of The Shining Devil and even of The Six-Days, in addition, there was a wanted thief named 'Joy' described as a light-hearted and fast-paced boy wearing a hood on his head, a new thief appeared in Silla's capital. Next to that poster was another one with the 'Fire Dancer' on it, a strange name for a pirate if you ask Taemin, described as having a feminine face and a slender body, a pirate from The Shining Devil.

What pirate of The Shining Devil would be named that? Tae thought to himself. The Son family's small stable was small and full of moss that had not been cleaned for years. The stained horse was still there looking sick but still standing. Taemin tied Sagwa to the gate of the old horse's stall, the stable was like a large warehouse so at least two horses could enter. Taemin went to the door of the house and prayed that Naeun would open the door for him and not her father, even though he did not know who he was more afraid of, the aging man or his old friend. And of course, when the door opened, a girl with a long braid lay on her shoulder and a blue dress stood in front of him with a sullen look and slapping him on his face.

---------------------------