CAN I CALL YOU BROTHER?

King Kyu-Chul groans as he turned to his other side of the bed, his eyes closed, he felt his hand grazed something so soft and warm. He knew for the fact he never shared his bed with anyone- not even his queen. He consciously traced his hand downwards trying to figure out what's that. He squirts his eyes open only to have his queen's face so closed to his. He rose abruptly as thoughts run in his head. How did she end up beside him? As long as he could remember he never assembled her in his chambers talk more of sharing the same bed with her.

He watched her peaceful face so sound asleep, ever since he married her he couldn't bring himself to accept her as his wife or his queen. Dong Mi-Cha had always been the woman his heart long for but after finding out she's pregnant with his child and his wife casting her into the prison. That was the last time he heard of her, he often asked Lee Jaewon about her whereabouts but Lee Jaewon always answered he doesn't know.

If he could turn back the hands of time and set everything right he would, his kingdom won't be like this and he would have a respectable woman by his side as his queen not someone who has turned his kingdom into a kingdom of corpses.

He stared at her for some minutes and gently descends from his bed, he wore his rope and made his way outside. He was greeted by the maids and guards, the beautiful morning breeze caressed his exposed pale skin. He made his way to Lee Jaewon's chambers and found him still fast asleep. Hmmm that's weird, usually Jaewon is always the first to wake him up from sleep but here he was still sleeping.

He taps him three times, Jaewon groaned and turns to the other side not waking up. The king tapped him again but with force.

"What? Leave me alone….. can't you see I'm sleeping? Go away." He gestured with his hand.

"Lee Jaewon, it's me your king, Kyu-Chul..." Lee Jaewon immediately gets up at his voice. He wiped the sleep off his eyes.

"Your majesty, it's you….." then it occured to him he said those words to the king. He clasped his hands over his mouth. "I'm so sorry your majesty, I thought it was one of the maids or guards. I deserve to beheaded for saying such atrocious words to you."

King Kyu-Chul smiled. "I'm surprised to see you still asleep, it's unlike you and for the beheading part, I will think about it." He laughed ( Kyu-Chul )

"Yes I'm surprise too, I don't usually sleep this long….."

"And when I woke up I saw the queen beside me," king Kyu-Chul interrupts.

"What?" Lee Jaewon widened his eyes in shock. "How did she end up beside you? I remembered vividly I was with you the whole night..."

"Unless she was up to something that night." King Kyu-Chul implied. "That woman can't be trusted, the thing is that I don't remember anything from yesterday."

"Me neither, I can't remember how I ended up in my chambers."

"Let that thought be for another day, now let's go practice my swordsmanship." King Kyu-Chul gave him a lopsided grin.

"Huh....but it's still morning your majesty," Jaewon frowned his face. "I still want to sleep."

"I'm your king so I demand you keen to my command," he laughed as Lee Jaewon wriggled his nose and glared at him. "To be honest, I want to shake off the thought of sleeping beside her. So please."

"Alright fine!"

______________________

I stared at the bow and arrows besides me not knowing what to do with it. At least he could have taught me a little. He could have given me an insight on how to play with this. I cursed under my breath staring at the neatly made bow and arrows. Out of frustration I kicked them, they rolled to God knows where. I wasn't interested. It's been a week now and I haven't set my eyes on that mysterious man, I don't even remember getting his name from him.

𝐹𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑓𝑜𝑜𝑡𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑝𝑠, tck..... I kicked a few sands with my foot not bothered to look for the bow and arrows. There I was in my usual spot in the woods drowning in my thoughts. A child who got no one, who is living like a chaff. Every blessed day I blamed my existence- I wonder why the gods if they ever existed sent me to this cruel world all alone. No one is willing to help me or look at me with sympathy.

I remember the look in that man's eyes. He was the second to look at me with those kind of eyes, I felt at peace discussing with him but what did he do? He dismissed me like I was nothing. I willed myself not to look for the bow and arrows, if I can't shoot them then they are no use to me. I turned to leave, to find my way back to the village but come to think of it. I didn't know how I found my way home from that mysterious place- to me I felt it was another world, different from ours.

I shook those thoughts out of my head. Ready to leave but my subconscious mind won't let me, it kept dragging me to that bow. It felt it was calling out for me to retrieve it. Stubbornly and reluctantly, I turn towards the direction it went when I kicked it. I went in search of my bow and my arrows. I searched deeper and deeper in the woods. I searched from the north pole to the south pole.

But suddenly I stopped and retraced my steps, hiding myself behind a tree, watching what was before me. From a distance, I saw five boys and another boy who kinda has the same skin like me. Pale skin but he was kinda reddish in complexion. They kept pushing the boy with the red skin, I leaned my ears close to grasp what they are talking about. And from what they were talking about I feel they are bullying him. I tilted my head to the side, looking at the four older boys earnestly. They look like the boys that bullied me the other time.

"I told you, you have to give us ten percent of what you make from your begging." I heard one of the boys say with furious eyes.

"Why should I give you ten percent out of my hard work? If I give you everything. I will be left with nothing."

"That's not out problem, just give us what you made today." I heard another say.

The bullied boy shook his head, refusing blatantly.

"How dare you say no to us?" The first guy thundered angrily and pushed the red skin boy to the ground. The boy nearly hit his head on a rock but he ended up hurting his elbow instead. They weren't bothered on the pain they inflicted on the boy but they were more concerned about his money. I saw the boy clutching something so close to him, refusing to let go. They hit him many times trying to pull out his bag filled with money but the little red skin boy won't let go.

The sight wasn't entertaining at all and it was none of my business. I shouldn't poke my nose in what doesn't concern me. I will always get the same reaction if I dare to pull the boy away from them. And also I came here looking for my bow and arrows. After satisfying my curious self, I turned away but I felt some force pulling me towards that boy I might be older than with two years.

𝑁𝑜 𝐼 𝑤𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑑𝑜 𝑖𝑡. 𝑁𝑜𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑦. 𝑁𝑜𝑡 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟. I ignored them, playing blind to what was happening before me. I searched for my bow and arrows but then I heard a cry, I turned and saw the bullied boy clutching his stomach tightly and crying in pain. The bigger boys have already taken his bag of money.

𝑁𝑜, 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑛'𝑡 𝑑𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠, 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑛'𝑡 𝑎𝑐𝑡 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑛𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑠. Looking at this boy, he looked pathetic.

"I told you to listen to us, huh?" The first boy said with the bag of money in his hands. "That way there won't be probl....." Like a swift I saw the boy on the floor. He winced as he glared at me.

𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡…..𝑡ℎ𝑒…..? 𝑊𝑎𝑠𝑛'𝑡 𝐼 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒? 𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝐼'𝑚 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚? I was puzzled at myself. How come I'm here with them within a second? I don't remember running or did I? I shook the thoughts and faced those bullies.

"What do you think you're doing?" Another boy from the group demanded, furiously. Advancing towards me.

"Taking advantage of an helpless kid?" I raised my voice, glaring at them. "I'm not a fan of that."

"Listen bunny ears," the boy I knocked down stood up but he clutched the side of his stomach. I don't remember kicking him on his stomach. I watched as he tried to steady his feet. "You shouldn't poke your nose in what doesn't involve you."

"I want to involve myself, going about harassing innocent helpless kids- don't you guys better things to do with your time?"

"Woahh…." I saw his face twist into a pained smile and something in his eyes. It felt like he was trying to ask me why- how dare I challenge him and his squad? "I see you are getting bolder everyday?"

I rolled my eyes and snatched the bag from him. "I believe this is yours?" I handed back the bag to the boy who was still curled on the ground. I guess he has no intention to get up any time soon.

"Who are you to interfere in our business?" One round guy from the group grabbed me on the collar. "You going to regret doing this." He threw a punch my direction but I ducked, I wasn't in the mood to fight. I'm might end up killing them all if I do, as you all know I'm already a sad kid.

I snatched my collar from his grasp, dusting my shirt as I helped the little boy get up. "You should go now." I kinda ordered him. From the corner of my eyes, I could see the rage in their eyes. It could boil an egg but because I channeled my attention on the bullied boy, I didn't see the punch coming my way and before the bullied boy could alart me- it was already to late. The fifth boy's fist landed on the left side of my cheek. The punch knocked me out of my balance and I stumbled backwards a little.

𝐾𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑔𝑢𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛, 𝐻𝑜-𝐽𝑖𝑛. I mumbled to myself, trying to calm the anger sipping in. Another pushed me and when the bullied boy try to get them away from me, he had to pay the prince. He was punched hard on the belly and seeing him wince in pain made me the anger boiling in me intense.

"Bunny ears, who do you think you are to interrupt us?" The first boy pushed me several times. He was about to push me to a tree but I caught his palm and twisted his fingers, keeping a cool profile. He cried when I almost bent his whole fingers. Others withdrew their steps in fear.

I sneered at them and they all ran away. I should have known they are bunch of weaklings, only bully kids they think they're more stronger than. If you don't man up to them, they will walk all over you like a door mat.

"Thank you," I heard someone say. I turned around and saw the bullied boy. I was surprised he's still here. I thought he left. "Thank you for saving me, without you, I don't know what I would have done and sorry for getting you into trouble."

"You haven't gone yet?" I questioned him, dusting my clothes.

"How can I leave someone who saved me?" He asked, giving me a cheeky smile. I stared at him for some minutes and went my way but he held me back.

"Hold on?" He halted me. I stopped and waited for him to say what he wanted to say. He lowered his gaze and twisted his fingers. I could tell he was battling with what he wants to say.

"If you have forgotten what you want to say, I'm leaving." I made a move to leave. He stopped me again.

"Ahhh…..hold on….," He stuttered a little. "Can I call you older brother?"

"What?" I wasn't expecting that.