“Once upon a time there was a lovely princess. But she had an enchantment upon her of a fearful sort, which could only be broken by love’s first kiss. She was locked away in a castle, guarded by a fearsome witch. Many brave knights had attempted to free her from this dreadful prison, but none prevailed. She waited day by day, in the highest room of the tallest tower for her true love… and true love’s first kiss.”

 

The narrator could only lie there, unable to comprehend the absurdity of the ridiculous story she had recently found; it was evident in the way she squinted her eyes suspiciously at the thin, leather-bound book she held. Finally deciding that she did, in reality, just read a fairytale whose taste seemed to be directed towards little kids under the age of five, she shook her head and snorted. “Is this what they read to kids in school nowadays? Aigoo.”

 

She placed the small book on the wooden table beside her bed before she swung her legs off the mattress and stood up, stretching her back out as much as she could; she let out a satisfied sigh as she felt a wave of relief blossom all over her body. The soft, thin streams of sunlight entering through her window highlighted the many dust motes floating in the air, along with her pale white skin and blonde luscious hair. She didn’t bother covering when a great big yawn left noisily, for who was there to see her complete such an unladylike action?

 

Kim Taeyeon, age 22, was living all by herself in the forest inside a small, two-room - bedroom and dining room - stone cottage she had happened to chance upon a few years back. She lived away from civilisation, though she did sometimes travel to the kingdom she previously resided in for necessary items and such, albeit very rarely. She had once gone hunting with her father as a small child, and was immediately entranced by the serene forest, with all its big, green trees and colourful birds and just the very aspect of what seemed like peace. She decided then and there that she would move out here once she was old enough, and so she did. Even though she was young, she knew what she wanted. One look at the beautiful surroundings was enough to make up her mind.

 

She enjoyed the quiet scene the forest offered – she could sing and dance and do whatever she wanted without restraint. She understood that her previous lifestyle expected her to get married at an early age, love her husband, have kids and look after them, but she instinctively knew that it was not what she wanted. Her parents were both loving and understanding people, and so let her move out of the house and into the forest once she turned 17. However, the downside to all this peace and quiet was obviously the lack of company. Sure, she could play around with the few deer and whatever other animals that would approach her, but they lacked the ability to provide her with conversations, preferably in the human tongue.

 

She clucked her tongue absently as she laid her eyes upon the basket of fruits on her dining table. After a few moments of indecisiveness, she decided to close her eyes and pick something randomly. She reopened her eyes as her fingers touched something round and smooth – it happened to be a shiny, bright red apple with which she then proceeded to sink her teeth into; she was rewarded with a loud crunch as she munched away happily on the fruit.

 

Still eating away at the crunchy sphere, she stepped outside her door, her feet covered in naught but air, for there was a grand patch of soft grass right in front of her house; she just loved the feeling of the fabulous, cushy green carpet. Her dress floated in the air as she sank down on to her bottom, feeling the exquisite softness and slight prickliness all around her calves and thighs as well. She continued to chew and swallow in a methodical way while she sat there and listened quietly to the birds chattering loudly on the tree branches nearby.

 

She threw away the core once she was done and padded back inside to grab a towel and slip on a pair of shoes before going back outside to head to the nearby stream. She had a kind of pond right in the small clearing right in front of her house, but she would usually bathe in the stream instead.

 

There were no other words to describe her surroundings other than peaceful, serene and tranquil. The sense of calmness she acquired from her place of residency and the area around it could never be obtained in the busy, hustle bustle of the kingdom she used to live in. Although she did indeed miss the company of fellow humans, she would never swap this for it. She hummed along contentedly to the shrill birdsongs the many birds provided so graciously.

 

She was all ready to continue on with her everyday necessities, but as soon as she touched the hem of her dress, she heard a faint commotion. Her ears immediately perked up and she was alert, for nothing rough or anything of the sort had ever happened in this beautiful place. She hurried to jog as quietly as she could towards the source of the noise. The voices slowly grew louder and louder as she approached the site; she quickly hid behind a thick tree trunk, and gradually peeked her head out, enough so that she could see and not be spotted.

 

There were two guards – she assumed by their suits of armour, though they were helmetless – arguing heatedly with another figure – a male, she thought, judging by his short brown hair and clothing ensemble which seemed to be appropriate for men; a quiver full of arrows was slung over his shoulder and he held a bow tightly in his hand. She quickly whipped her head back behind the trunk as the voices suddenly increased in volume.

 

“As the upholders of the law, we have the right to arrest you for hunting here without the King’s permission, so you should even be thankful that we’re only fining you!” one guard pompously declared loudly.

 

“The King does not own this forest,” a low voice retorted. “Why should we, as innocent citizens, suddenly have to pay for the right to hunt our own food? And in a free area, no less.”

 

“Fool! Every area, every land in this immediate vicinity is the King’s. You do not, therefore, have the right to hunt without the King’s permission!”

 

“Feh,” the second guard spat. “I wonder why our King hasn’t even given the orders for your head yet, you disgusting dyke.”

 

She let out startled gasp and her eyes widened as she took in the meaning of the words and the malicious intent hidden beneath them.

 

“Oh, I was all ready to put up with your stupid, idiotic bumbling, but you have just breached the line,” the male – or rather, female – growled angrily. Taeyeon quickly moved her head past the trunk so she could see again, just in time to experience the beautiful view of the girl snapping a powerful, right-footed side kick straight into the man’s protected chest; a loud clang erupted from the centre of his plate, and he stumbled backwards, lost his footing and fell onto the ground. His head smashed onto a rather large rock, and it rendered him unconscious.

 

The other guard yelped involuntarily as he witnessed his buddy falling onto the ground. He whipped his head back to face the girl and unsheathed his sword before he advanced on her slowly.

 

“Now I’ll really have a reason to behead you, you dyke,” he leered. She seemed extremely cautious and took a step back for every foot he placed forward, dropping her bow so that she could keep her hands at the ready. Heartbeat racing, Taeyeon racked her brain for a way to distract the guard. She stepped out from behind the safety of her trunk and let out a loud cry, thankful for the rich volumes of her voice.

 

“YAH! YOU!”

 

The guard automatically turned around to see who had made such a racket, and so did the girl, but without missing a beat she leapt forward and delivered a vicious round-house to the side of his face; his head snapped to the side and a tiny object flew through the air. She dropped to the ground to avoid his flailing arm before quickly rising back up to grab his wrist. At the same moment, she used her hands to deftly twist his wrist around, making sure she pressed her thumb sharply into a spot on his palm; he responded to it with a loud howl of pain as his fingers loosened their grip on the sword, which enabled her to wrench it out his hand with ease.

 

She threw it to the ground and kept her left hand on his wrist to give her control over his movements. Quickly, she pulled him towards her and delivered a crushing right hook to his nose; a sickening crunch was heard as her fist buried itself deeply into his face. He flew backwards, and Taeyeon swore she could see a light drizzle of blood flying out from his mouth. He hit the grass with a muffled thump, and Taeyeon stared at him, unsure of whether he was out cold or not until the sound of a person’s throat being cleared caught her attention. She turned back to the short-haired girl, who sent her a super big dorky smile.

 

“Hey, thank you for that,” the brunette grinned widely. She held out her hand in front of Taeyeon. “I’m pretty sure you just saved my life back there. My name’s Amber Liu, by the way.”

 

Taeyeon returned the girl’s charming smile and shook her hand. “It’s okay Amber Liu-ssi, I’m glad you’re alright. I’m Kim Taeyeon.”

 

“Hello, it’s nice to meet you, Kim Taeyeon-ssi,” the tomboy replied, completing the greeting with a formal bow. She turned back to the two men and scratched the back of her head. “Should I just leave them there?”

 

Taeyeon shrugged uncaringly. “With what they were saying before, I don’t think I’d mind if you did.”

 

“You’re right. I should just leave them out here for the wolves, right?” Amber laughed, but then she proceeded to rearrange the guards so that they were sitting against the tree. She plucked a leaf off a nearby tree and wiped the blood from their faces as best as she could. “Eh. There’s nothing I can do for his teeth.”

 

“You’re kidding,” Taeyeon exclaimed in astonishment. “You broke his teeth too?”

 

“I think that’s what the little white thing flying from his mouth before was,” Amber snickered. “There. Now they look like they’re sleeping or something.”

 

The brunette picked up her bow, and for a moment, the pair stood there in an awkward silence. Taeyeon decided to break it up and said, “Well, it was nice meeting you, Amber-ssi , but I should probably get going now.”

 

“Aw what? No way!” Amber frowned. “Um… are you busy later today?”

 

“Nope, definitely not," Taeyeon replied instantly. With her easy-going lifestyle, it would be a surprise if there was anything to be busy with.

 

“Then that’s awesome! You should come eat at my house,” the tomboy offered happily. “You did actually save my life. I mean, I might know martial arts and all, but there’s not much I can do when someone’s about to chop me down.”

 

Taeyeon giggled. “Okay then, lead the way, Amber-ssi.”

 

The pair set off in the general direction of what Taeyeon assumed was the way to the kingdom. Taeyeon was already well acquainted with the placidness of the forest, but it seemed Amber was eager to make conversation as she directed a question towards the blonde.

 

“So uh, how old are you, Taeyeon-ssi?”

 

“I’m 22 this year, I think,” Taeyeon replied after a bit of thought.

 

“Oh holy what? I’m only 19!” Amber chuckled nervously. “I guess I should be calling you noona then. Sorry, Taeyeon-noona.”

 

Taeyeon raised her eyebrows in an amused way. “Noona? You are a girl, right Amber?”

 

“Oh, that,” Amber scoffed. “Sorry, but as you can probably tell, I’m not really into girly things. As a result, the words unnie and oppa make me wanna shrivel up.”

 

Taeyeon laughed loudly as she saw the way Amber curled up her fingers. It was the first time in years that she was able to have a proper conversation with someone, and she was glad it was with Amber; she seemed to be a humorous dongsaeng. “That’s okay, if it makes you feel comfortable.”

 

“So where do you live?” Amber pressed on.

 

“Um… somewhere around here,” Taeyeon replied, waving her hand in the general direction of her home.

 

“Ah seriously? You live here? In the forest?” Amber said wonderingly. “No wonder I’ve never seen you before. I’m sure if I saw you back in the kingdom I would have remembered your pretty face.”

 

“Such a flirt, aren’t you, my dongsaeng?” Taeyeon .

 

Amber meronged her. “It’s weird because you’re so much shorter than me, noona.”

 

“Yah!” the blonde exclaimed, giving Amber a slap on the arm as she did so. She knew many Koreans were extremely conservative people, but she was surprised Amber was treating her as informally as this; she was glad to find that she enjoyed the fact that Amber could joke around comfortably with her.

 

“Oh, um… Was what that guard said about you before… true?” Taeyeon asked hesitantly.

 

Amber sighed. “The part about me being a dyke, right? I don’t know. To be honest, I don’t know. I haven’t really been attracted to anyone, but I guess I find both genders pretty in a way. But you know, seeing men like that kinda makes me wish I was gay.”

 

Taeyeon nodded thoughtfully.

 

“Wait, are you okay with it, Taeyeon-noona?” Amber asked quickly. “Is it uncomfortable to be around me?”

 

“No, of course not,” Taeyeon answered softly. “People are people, and everyone should be treated equally. I feel perfectly comfortable with you.”

 

Amber visibly seemed more relaxed. The blonde guessed that many people would automatically assume that Amber was gay the moment they saw the way she dressed.

 

“Hey noona,” Amber started. “How come you’re living out here in forest all by yourself?”

 

“Oh, it’s because I find this place very… beautiful,” Taeyeon said. “It’s hard to describe, but I just really love the feeling of peace I can get from here.”

 

“Okay, that’s cool. I guess better than living in the kingdom with all those guards constantly picking on me,” Amber muttered.

 

“How come those guards were harassing you before, Amber?”

 

“Well, I’ve never heard of it, but apparently I now need the King’s permission to be able to get my own food,” the tomboy snorted angrily. “The old King passed away a few months back, and his son’s taken over. Sadly, I don’t think he’s up to the job like his old man was.”

 

Taeyeon was shocked. She’d remembered the old King to be a nice man, willing to help his subjects when they were in need, and they depended on him and loved him for it. This new one sounded like a tyrant, almost.

 

She’d begun to notice that during the course of the conversation, the number of trees surrounding them had slowly thinned down, more and more until she could see the main wall running around the kingdom. The main entrance was not closed by its usual thick gates, but there was a guard standing outside it.

 

“Amber,” he acknowledged her before he saw Taeyeon. He chuckled sleazily. “Who’s this cute blondie? She your new girlfriend?”

 

“No, she’s an acquaintance I just picked up,” Amber stated dully. Taeyeon bowed politely to the man, though she was somewhat disgusted by the way he stared at her; she then remembered that she was still wearing her nightgown, but shrugged it off. Why would her appearance matter to a man she was probably never going to see again?

 

“Come on, Taeyeon, follow me,” Amber urged her. Taeyeon was further repulsed when the man wolf-whistled after her.

 

“You know what? I’m starting to understand what you said about “wishing you were gay” before,” Taeyeon remarked.

 

“Yup, but noona? You know you’re actually really pretty, right?”

 

The blonde blushed at the compliment, but grinned as well. “Why thank you, dear dongsaeng. You’re quite handsome yourself.”

 

“Aigoo, this noona,” Amber mumbled. Taeyeon laughed to herself and continued to follow Amber through the winding stone streets. She was receiving looks and stares all around and questioned Amber as to why people were doing that.

 

“I think it’s only because they don’t recognise your face, noona,” Amber replied thoughtfully. “Oh, and also because you’re really pretty.”

 

“Oh stop it, you.”

 

The tomboy grinned and finally stopped walking. “We’re here, Taeyeon-noona.”

 

Taeyeon stepped through the doorway and was met with the view of a living/dining room that led off into what seemed to be the kitchen.

 

“I’m home!” Amber shouted to no one in particular… or so Taeyeon thought.

 

“Welcome back, Amber!” a voice called back.

 

“I live with two friends,” Amber explained in response to Taeyeon’s confused expression. “The taller one’s name is Sulli, but she’s actually younger than us. The other one is Victoria, okay? Sulli calls her umma even though they aren’t actually related because Victoria-unnie is sort of like the mom in our family. I usually address her as jie-jie. It means big sister in Chinese.”

 

“Oh, I thought your name didn’t sound Korean,” Taeyeon realised and nodded her understanding before following Amber into the kitchen. There, she saw a girl preparing food on the table.

 

“Jie-jie, I brought a friend home for dinner. This is Taeyeon. Do you mind?”

 

Victoria looked up from the pile of vegetables. “No, of course not! Hi there Taeyeon-ssi, I’m Victoria. I’d shake your hand and hug you, but I’m afraid they’re dirty right now.”

 

“Hi Victoria-unnie, I’m pleased to meet you,” Taeyeon bowed. “Would you like some help with the food?”

 

“Oh yes please! Some help would be nice because Amber here can’t cook. She’s not completely useless in the kitchen, but I’d still rather not take the chances of the house burning down,” Victoria winked at Taeyeon.

 

“Yeah, that’s why I live with Vic-unnie,” Amber smiled. “I’d probably starve to death without her.”

 

“Victoria-umma! Amber-hyung!” an excited voice called out from the kitchen door. Taeyeon turned around to see a tall, pretty girl leap onto Amber’s back. She smiled as she realised that the girl had just called Amber a hyung. First she was a noona, then Victoria was an umma and now Amber was a hyung. This truly was a unique “family”, or maybe it was just the girl.

 

"Welcome home, Sul," Amber laughed as she gently put the new girl back down. 

 

“Sulli, we have a guest here,” Victoria said. “Come introduce yourself.”

 

“Ooh, hi! I’m Choi Sulli, nice to meet you,” Sulli grinned happily. “You’re so small and cute and so pretty!”

 

“Yah Sul, she’s actually older than us, so you should talk to her with some respect,” Amber corrected her.

 

“Eh? But you’re so small and cute and pretty,” Sulli gushed. “Hi unnie!”

 

“Um… hey, Sulli, I’m Kim Taeyeon,” the blonde laughed; it was hard to keep the smile off her face when she was in the company of such happy people. She shook Sulli’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

 

“Oh uh, jie-jie, I didn’t get the chance to hunt anything. I got a little… uh… sidetracked,” Amber apologized. “Sorry.”

 

“That’s okay Amber. Go get some money and buy some meat for me.”

 

“Okay jie-jie. Wanna come with me, Taeyeon-noona?” Amber asked. “I can show you around, if you like.”

 

The short girl looked over to Victoria, who said, “It’s okay, I can manage with Sulli here. Go with Amber, Taeyeon-ssi.”

 

“If you’re sure, unnie,” Taeyeon replied. “Bye!”

 

She and Amber walked outside with Amber leading the way to the butcher’s.

 

“So how do you find them, noona?” Amber asked, like she was seeking for approval.

 

“I like your family,” Taeyeon grinned. “They’re very fun and interesting. Why?”

 

The brunette shrugged, acting like she didn’t really know why. “I guess most people here disapprove of my family being so… carefree. Like they should be more… I don’t know. Calm? Composed?”

 

Taeyeon could tell that it bothered Amber, even if the latter pretended not to care about it. “Don’t worry, Amber. Those people are just up themselves and don’t want others to have fun. I like you guys because you’re unique and informal with me. I’d rather you guys than a bunch of people pretending to be polite, if you get what I mean.”

 

“Yeah, I think I do,” Amber smiled happily. They entered the meat shop where the manager greeted Amber cheerfully.

 

“Hey there llama! Ooh you have a pretty friend! Hey there, I’m Luna.”

 

“Hello, Luna-ssi, I’m Taeyeon,” the blonde smiled shyly, accompanying it with a short bow.

 

“Hey Luna, we’ll take the usual,” Amber said as she produced several gold coins. Luna wrapped up a few slabs of meat in paper and handed it to the tomboy.

 

“It was nice meeting you, Taeyeon-ssi,” Luna said. “Have a nice day!”

 

Amber and Taeyeon both said their farewells before walking out.

 

“That was Luna,” the brunette explained. “She used to live with us, so she’s pretty close, but she has a husband now, so they’re living together. I believe his name is Onew or something.”

 

“You know, that she mentions it, you do sort of look like a llama,” Taeyeon smirked.

 

“Well, excuse m-“

 

At that moment, Amber’s stomach let off a loud, thunder like growl.

 

“Sorry,” Amber apologized embarrassedly. “I didn’t eat any breakfast.”

 

Taeyeon couldn’t stop herself and started laughing like an ahjumma at Amber, who pouted and walked off.

 

Victoria served them a delicious smelling hot stew, which they all immediately dug into with gusto. The meal was spent alternating between eating and asking Taeyeon questions and replying to questions that were directed towards Taeyeon. Sulli and Victoria were very amazed by the fact that Taeyeon was living all alone in the forest.

 

“Whoa unnie, how come?” Sulli asked, wide-eyed. “Isn’t it scary out there at night?”

 

“Mm, no it isn’t, actually,” Taeyeon smiled. “It’s really nice and quiet, and you don’t actually have to really worry about anything.”

 

“Maybe we should move out there too,” Amber joked. “It sounds really nice.”

 

“I’ll let you once you find someone to live with or when you reach twenty,” Victoria said. “I am not letting you live alone at this age.”

 

“Aw what? But nineteen is close enough to twenty,” Amber whined. “Sul, come live with me!”

 

“But I like Vic-umma, and I don’t think I’ll be able to live out there,” Sulli frowned. Amber groaned in despair. “Sorry hyung.”

 

“You could live with me,” Taeyeon offered.

 

“Nah noona, I wouldn’t wanna impose on you. I’d like to try taking care of myself,” Amber said determinedly.

 

The blonde smiled; she really was happy that she was able to be acquainted with this charming little family.

 

“I should get going now,” she said, heading over to the kitchen to wash her bowl and utensils. “Even though I said it’s safe out there, I’d still like to be back before dark.”

 

“I understand,” Victoria nodded. “Bye, Taeyeon!”

 

“Byebye unnie! Please come visit us again soon!” Sulli pleaded, to which the blonde responded with a smile and a “Yes, of course I will.”

 

“I’ll walk you back noona,” Amber volunteered. “I don’t wanna think about how those idiotic men might treat you.”

 

Taeyeon agreed. Even though she didn’t want to be considered a nuisance to Amber, her skin crawled at the thought of being ogled by those old dudes. They set off back towards the forest, with Taeyeon doing her best to avoid and ignore the occasional stare and whistle.

 

“Oh, uh, I kept forgetting to ask, but how come you’re in sleeping clothes, noona?”

 

“Honestly, I was about to take a bath when I heard you guys messing up my peace.”

 

“Haha, aw sorry noona. No wonder you smell.”

 

Amber ran away from Taeyeon, guffawing loudly as she dodged the latter’s punches. They raced through the grassy forest, and Taeyeon inhaled deeply with each step, glad to be back in her familiar environment. The air was much cleaner here too, unlike the kingdom, which was screaming pollution in the atmosphere when compared to fresh, crisp smell of oxygen in the forest.

 

“Oh wow, this is not a bad place, noona,” Amber complimented as she laid eyes on Taeyeon’s small home.

 

“It’s small, but it’s perfect for me,” Taeyeon replied happily.

 

“Because it’s small like you,” Amber winked, and ran off a few metres, laughing away as she did. Taeyeon merely rolled her eyes – she was used to Amber’s playful little jokes at this stage.

 

“Bye noona, I really hope I’ll see you again sometime soon,” Amber called. “Come visit if you need anything!”

 

“I definitely will, llama,” Taeyeon grinned cheekily. Amber laughed as well and ran off, shouting that she needed to get back home to help out with stuff.

 

As Taeyeon stepped back inside her comfortable, familiar little house, she reflected on the events of that day. It had been the most eventful day of her life ever since she moved out from the kingdom, and she wished that more days like that would come soon.

 

She just didn’t know that that day would be coming so soon.

 

---

 

A/N: If anyone picks up a mistake, please point it out. There's only so much I can do after re-reading it a few times. :/ 

Please comment and subscribe~ :D