The Court Maiden's Prince

This story, characters, events, customs, and places are purely fictional and in no way accurately represent the history and customs of any country's past or present.
The prince prepares his troops for the upcoming battle with only a few soldiers by his side. The shouts and yells intensify with each passing moment. The sound of their march echoes loudly, resembling thunder in the mountains. Soon enough, a swarm of farmers and ordinary people approach them.
A soldier alerted the prince, "Your Highness, they're just peasants, not a real army."
"Perhaps, but they've murdered the Queen and threatened the King. They're traitors and must face the consequences," the prince stated, gazing at the princess and her archers. "Archers, unleash your arrows in their direction!"
Following the direction of the crowned prince's sword, Princess Yoo-na armed her bow with an arrow and ordered the archers where to aim. "Release!" she cried out, and a cascade of deadly arrows descended upon the oncoming insurgent force.
The princess and her archers demonstrated deadly accuracy, hitting vital points with their arrows and ensuring their targets met a swift end. The female archers reloaded and aimed, and the princess commanded, "Release!" More of the charging men succumbed to the deadly arrows, but the deluge of attackers continued.
"Charge!" Prince Seo-Joon's voice echoed as he signaled the soldiers to move forward, pointing his sword toward the enemy. The soldiers, in unison, brandished their spears and let out a resounding war cry as they charged into battle.
Leading the charge, the prince rode ahead of his soldiers, his sword poised in his right hand. He first struck upward at the enemy to his left, then swiftly brought his blade down to fend off the attacker on his right. Suddenly, two men with spears rushed at him, their strikes wounding his horse, which fell to the ground. Dismounting in a flash, Seo-Joon surged forward on foot. Before the two spearmen could react, he was upon them, delivering a devastating slash that decapitated them in an instant. With adrenaline coursing through him, the prince continued his relentless pursuit of the next foe.
At that moment, Eun-Ae is urgently trying to persuade Young-Sik to come with her to safety. "Your Highness...we must find a place to hide," she said with a tremble in her voice. Looking around, she witnessed the female archers being cut down one by one as the attackers closed in.
"Your Highness, please, you need to pull yourself together! We have to follow the Queen's commands," she implored the prince.
However, Young-Sik was lost in his sorrow, gripping his mother's arm with all his might, unwilling to let go. Princess Yoo-Na noticed him and hurried to his side. "Take the prince and the little girl away," she instructed one of her handmaidens. "I'll distract them."
Just as the handmaiden was about to reach the prince, an arrow struck her neck, ending her life in an instant. The Princess wasted no time slung her bow over her shoulders and led the prince away from the fallen handmaiden. "We have to regroup with the prince," she instructed her handmaidens, one of whom was holding Eun-Ae's hand.
The group hurried in the direction of Prince Seo-Joon, but unfortunately, two more handmaidens were killed when they lagged and were ambushed by armed men.
The handmaidens of the Princess continued to shoot their arrows, trying to create a way through the obstacles. Despite their skill, they were gradually overpowered by their foes. Finally reaching the crowned prince's group near a cliff, they regrouped with only two archers left, Prince Seo-Joon had a mere five soldiers remaining.
"My Princess, how is your group?" Seo-Joon asked his wife. Princess Yoo-Na shook her head and looked at the last two of her archers. "This is where we make our stand" he boldly declared.
He then took and carried his crying brother, and looked around until he saw some thick shrubbery by some large Pine trees. The prince gently put down Young-Sik and led Eun-Ae to the shrubs. "If you continue to walk that way, in two days you will reach our grandfather's land. Stay there until our father or I come for you" Seo-Joon said as he pointed north. He then faced Eun-Ae "Whatever it takes, take my brother and go to the direction I'm pointing at, you don't stop for anything, understand?"
Eun-Ae teary-eyed nodded to the prince. "Yes, Your Highness"
"Brother... are you and sister not coming with us?" Young-Sik asked his eldest brother
"We will follow you as soon as we are sure that no more bad people will follow us. I need you to be brave okay, whatever you see or hear, promise me you will not cry" Prince Seo-Joon told his brother, and he embraced him tightly. He then took his brother's hand and Eun-Ae's. He joined the two children's hands together. "Go," he said to the two children. Eun-Ae pulled the prince away and disappeared into the thick vegetation.
He then walked up to the princess and kissed her passionately "You should follow them, my love, this is no place for you"
"My place is by your side my husband, I will never abandon you, not even if it costs me my life" The two embraced as they prepared themselves, for an impending attack
"I'm so sorry my beloved, that you have to be in this dangerous situation," he said to his wife. He then addressed the seven soldiers standing beside them "Thank you, for fighting with us, it is my greatest honor to share the field of battle with all of you"
They get their weapons ready and face the direction of men charging, they estimate no less than twenty-five advancing in their position.
Meanwhile, Consort Lee's caravan arrived at their destination without a single problem. They are immediately greeted by Magistrate Lee, Consort Lee's father.
"Daughter, are you unharmed? I received word of the capital's problems" he quickly asked as he embraced his child
"I am just fine Father, and your grandson is safe as well" Consort Lee, happily told the magistrate
He then went to his grandson "How is my Prince doing?"
"I'm just fine grandfather, but I worry about my brothers" Man-Ju genuinely expressed
"For now, we can do nothing to know their condition, I can only send word to the King that the two of you have arrived safely," Magistrate Lee told his grandson.
Man-Ju can only glance at the mountain where his brothers currently are, not knowing the dangerous situation they are in right now.
On an off-mountain path, the two children navigate the thick vegetation, towards the north directed at them. "We have to move quickly, the sooner we get to your grandfather's house the sooner we can send help to the prince"
Young-Sik wrestled his hand away from Eun-Ae, and when he broke free of her grip, he just stood with his head bowed. "What's the matter? We can't just stop in the middle of nowhere, there are lots of wild animals here" Eun-Ae told the prince. Young-Sik without even as much as a word turned around and dashed back to where they left his brother.
"Your Highness...come back! You're going the wrong way! Oh my goodness, that boy is so stupid" Eun-Ae said as she ran after the prince
Young-Sik sprinted with all his might, weaving through the branches and foliage that threatened to slow him down. Upon reaching the scene, he was met with the sight of his brother and sister-in-law fiercely battling the insurgents. In the brief moment he had been away, they had already suffered the loss of one archer and three soldiers.
He watched in horror as the last archer was overwhelmed and killed by two attackers. The princess, too close to use her bow, quickly improvised by stabbing the assailants in the neck with her arrows. As they collapsed, she swiftly turned her attention to the oncoming foes, ready to defend her ground.
Seo-Joon found himself facing four men who dared to challenge him. Without hesitation, he lunged at the closest one, swiftly striking him in the chest and ending his life. Moving on to the next opponent, he thrust his sword into the man's neck, taking him down with ease. With a single fluid motion, he spun to his right and delivered a fatal blow that severed the head of the third man. As the fourth charged at him with a spear, Seo-Joon skillfully deflected the spear upward and swiftly dealt a powerful strike that nearly split the man in two
Seo-Joon looked around him to see that it was only him and the princess, and they had four more rebels to deal with. The princess immediately launched her arrow, killing one in the process. The remaining three were startled at how fast the princess was, Seo-Joon capitalized on this opportunity, dashing towards the three men, he killed the first with a sideways slash to the stomach. He spun to his left striking the second one in the neck, nearly decapitating him, and the third one he stabbed through the chin.
Seo-Joon panted heavily as he locked eyes with his wife, who like him was breathing heavily from exhaustion, and smiled warmly at her. Young-Sik was just about to reach out to his brother when he caught sight of five masked assailants creeping up behind his sister-in-law and brutally assaulting her. The prince, filled with horror at the sight, clamped a hand over his mouth to muffle any cries of shock.
Shock painted Seo-Joon's face as he watched a sharp sword emerge from his wife's abdomen. The masked figure yanked the weapon out, causing her to cough up blood as she struggled towards him. Despite her efforts to reach her husband, the assailant cruelly cut her across the back, sending her tumbling forward.
Seo-Joon rushes to his wife's side, holding her close as she struggles to breathe. With one final look at her husband, she closes her eyes and passes away in his arms. The prince weeps as he holds his beloved's lifeless form. Eun-Ae steps in to shield Prince Young-Sik's eyes from the heartbreaking scene.
With a sinister laugh, the masked intruder revealed his face, causing Young-Sik to instinctively cover his ears in fear. "Your Highness it seems this is our final meeting," Seo-Joon's sobs ceased as he realized the man before him was not only his wife's murderer but likely his mother's as well.
"Lim Do-Yung... you beast, this is where your story ends!" The prince carefully placed his wife's lifeless form on the ground before grasping his sword tightly.
"You're mistaken, young man. I initially intended to take you all captive, but I've had a change of heart. It serves my interests far better to eliminate you and watch the King's influence crumble," he declared with a smug grin. "The one who brings me his head will feast on golden plates for eternity!" The men, driven by avarice, raised their swords and surged forward towards Seo-Joon.
The crowned prince sprang to his feet, his voice booming like thunder. He intercepted the downward blows from the first two attackers just in time, preventing the other two from closing in. With a powerful thrust, he sent the first two off balance, leaving them vulnerable. In a single, fluid movement, he dispatched his initial foes, slicing through their throats with fury.
The remaining two surround the prince with Minister Do-Yung joining the fray. The one behind Seo-Joon was the first to attack, the man thrusts his sword at the prince's neck. Seo-Joon did a simple sidestep to his left to avoid the attack. Once the attacker overshoots and his back is exposed to the prince, he quickly cuts him down.
Do-Yung seeing the prince's sword prowess, hid behind the last henchman that he had. "Feeling afraid, are we Minister? You should be! I will not give you a swift death!" The prince charged at the two men, Do-Yung fearing for his life pushed the man in front of him. Seo-Joon killed the man with a simple flick of his sword to the man's neck.
Do-Yung was about to run when he slipped and fell. He was about to grab his sword, but the prince stepped on his hand, and the old man cried in pain when he felt his hands being crushed. "Please Your Highness, spare me and I will be loyal only to you, I will support whatever decree and decision you make, just spare my life I beg of you"
Without uttering a word, the prince raised his sword and stabbed the old man in his shoulders, making him shriek and wail in pain. Seo-Joon pulled out his sword and was about to stab the old man again, when an arrow hit him followed by another, both burying deep into his chest.
Seo-Joon was forced down on his knees, he looked at where the arrow came from and saw a lone masked archer. Do-Yung got up and picked up his sword. He arrogantly walked to the prince "You should have killed me when you had the chance" he shouted as he drove his sword into the prince's chest.
He pulled his sword raised it above his head with two hands and said "I will find your little brother and I will carve him alive! I will deliver him to your father in pieces just so I can see him go mad!"
"NEVER!" the crowned prince shouted and with every bit of strength he had left, he swung his sword at the old man, cutting him deep in the throat. Do-Yung dropped his sword and quickly clasped his bleeding neck, he gurgled and wheezed, before falling face first on the ground dead.
The prince stood up, broke the arrows buried in his chest, and with the last of his strength charged at the lone archer. The masked man started to shoot his arrows at the prince, despite being hit two more times, Seo-Joon managed to go near enough to slash the man in the neck. The man fell to the ground motionless.
Seo-Joon, staggers back to his wife, he knelt beside her body, before lying down by his wife. Young-Sik brushed Eun-Ae's hand from covering his eyes. He quickly ran out of his hiding place to his brother's side. "Brother, are you all right? You're fine aren't you" he asked his brother
Seo-Joon gazed at his youngest brother with a mix of affection and exasperation. "What are you still doing here? You're such a stubborn little rascal," he chuckled.
"Come on, get up! We need to head to grandfather's house to help father." Tears welled in Young-Sik's eyes as he struggled to lift his brother.
"Just go ahead without me. I'm really tired and could use a nap," Seo-Joon replied, gently running his fingers through Young-Sik's hair.
"This isn't the time for jokes! You need to get up and join us so you can get better. Please, brother, stand up!" Young-Sik pleaded desperately.
"It's heartbreaking, young one, that you've had to witness the passing of those close to you at such an early age." Seo-Joon coughed, his voice strained from the injuries he sustained. "Don't forget the promise you made to me. You must remain strong, no matter the challenges. Protect our family and dedicate yourself to your responsibilities with all your heart."
Tears streamed freely from the young prince's eyes as he nodded to his brother's request. Eun-Ae watched from a short distance; she wiped her face of the tears that rolled from her eyes.
"My time is near my dear brother, you must leave this place, hurry before more of them arrive," Seo-Joon told his brother, he strained as he tried to reach for Princess Yoo-Na's hand. Young-Sik took the hands of the crowned princess and placed them within reach of his brother.
"NO! I can't just walk away from you! You need to take your place as king after our father," Young-Sik wept, heartbroken at the thought of losing his brother.
"I'm not destined for the throne; my role is to protect the one who will be," Seo-Joon coughed, struggling to breathe. "I love you, my brother. I wish for you to grow into a man of wisdom, bravery, and honor." With that, Seo-Joon closed his eyes, and no matter how fiercely Young-Sik shook him, the prince remained silent and still.
Young-Sik embraced his brother as he cried and mourned for the people he lost. Eun-Ae looked around nervously, and she went to the young prince's side "Your Highness ...someone bad might come, we must go now, we have no choice but to leave"
But Young-Sik refuses to leave, he clung to his brother. Out of desperation, Eun-Ae was forced to drag the prince away, she covered his mouth to prevent him from screaming. The children once again disappeared into the thick vegetation.
Moments later, the masked archer, opened his eyes, he took off the mask, it was Lim Do-Yun. He quickly felt the wound in his neck, he concluded that the prince might already be weakened, which explains why his wound was not deep enough to be fatal.
He slowly got up, then he remembered something, he frantically looked around till his eyes found his father. He ran and knelt by the old man's side, picked him up, and cradled his lifeless body, Do-Yun howled in anger.
He gently placed his father on the ground before striding over to Prince Seo-Joon's lifeless form. With a primal snarl, he confronted the fallen prince. He grabbed the prince's arm and dragged him toward the cliff's edge. Breathing heavily, he unleashed a flurry of kicks at the corpse, and when exhaustion set in, he decided to throw the dead prince into the raging waters below. Before he could push Seo-Joon, she saw something underneath the prince's garments. He took the pendant and watched it glisten in the palm of his hands. "I hope you don't mind; I will be taking this as my trophy...your Highness"
He placed the prince's plaque inside his robes and kicked the prince over the edge. Do-Yun observed as the body plummeted into the turbulent river below, where the currents rushed toward sharp rocks. A wicked grin spread across his face as he declared, "You'll be shredded to pieces, and may you vanish forever."
He then heard the sound of marching footsteps heading in his direction. He went back to his father's body, picked up his father's sword, and aimed at whoever came near him. Do-Yun dropped the sword, when he saw it was the King followed by his soldiers.
The King, saw Minister Do-Yun guarding the body of the elder Lim "Minister of War, what has happened here?" Do-Yun knelt by his father's side, and lied to protect himself "Your Highness, forgive us...We failed to protect the royal family" he cried "We were too late and the rebels overwhelmed us, my father fought to the end protecting the crowned prince"
The King grabbed Do-Yun by his shoulders "What do you mean overwhelmed?" he then glanced at the dead body of his daughter-in-law "The prince where is the prince?" he screamed at Do-Yun
The younger Lim looked at the cliff where he threw the prince "He fought valiantly, like my father...and like my father he fell from the sheer numbers of the mountain bandits"
He then removed the torn shawl from his neck to reveal the wound. "I only survived, because they thought I was dead"
The King's legs buckled when he saw Princess Yoo-Na's body, he was about to fall had it not been for the soldiers that caught him. Another group of soldiers ran to the King and reported their unsettling discovery. "Your Highness...we found the Queen's caravan...no one was left alive"
This the King fell to the ground, despite being supported by his soldiers. He cried and wailed upon learning the fate of his beloved family. Do-Yun discreetly glared at the King and in his mind, he thought "The loss you experience is not enough, I will make sure that you will lose more than your family!"
The King then remembered something, he stood up and frantically looked around, when it seemed that he did not find what he was looking for, he quickly went to the soldiers who found the Queen's group. "The prince? Has anyone seen Prince Young-Sik?"
The soldier shook his head, and the other soldiers scattered around, looking for any signs of the young prince.
Do-Yun felt like he was doused by cold water when he remembered the youngest son of the King. He too scanned the area but was unable to find the young boy. "He was here, one of those peasants told me they saw the prince. Then if he's not here, that could only mean, he was able to escape death. I have to assume that he saw everything. He must be killed before he tells the King about our involvement"
"My King... I volunteer to lead a search party to find the prince" he said, offering his services to the King "And when I find him, I will carve out his heart and feed it to the dogs" he said to himself.
"No," The King said "You are grieving and hurt, tend to your wounds then tend to your father, he deserves to be remembered as a hero. The prince is my responsibility, he is my son"
Before he could protest, the King had already told some of the soldiers to carry the bodies of the Queen, the princess, and as well as of Minister Lim. Do-Yun no longer had any choice but to follow the King's order.
The moon quickly rose to the sky, and the children exhausted from the day's ordeal panted from running. While Eun-Ae catches her breath, Young-Sik keeps on crying. The little girl sat beside the prince and embraced him. "You need to stop crying Your Highness ...you might get sick"
"They're all gone...they're all gone because I can't do anything for them," he said "They died because I was too weak and too scared to help them" the prince added, expressing his sentiments about the events that unfolded.
"It's not your fault, and there was nothing you could have done to help them," Eun-Ae said delicately, she did not want her words or the tone of her voice to become salt to the prince's wounds. "It's already dark, we need to take shelter and rest, Nyuong gum is still far"
Young-Sik, despite the tears nodded, he stood up and the pair continued to walk. When they passed some low-lying trees, Young-Sik's Outer robe, kept getting snagged with the branches. "Why don't you remove your robe? It keeps getting caught" Eun-Ae suggested
"No... don't you know, that a presentable look is part of being a prince?" Young-Sik explained to the little girl
"Who do you need to be presentable to?" Eun-Ae simply asked
The prince looked around and realized it was just the two of them, but being a prince, he still refused the reasonable suggestion. "It does not matter, I am a prince and I need to be presentable at all times"
Eun-Ae shrugged her shoulders "Suit yourself, but I'm telling you, if a tiger chases us and your clothes get caught again...Don't expect me to help you" She turned around and continued to walk
Young-Sik started to scan his surroundings, and when he heard the rustling leaves, he started to run after Eun-Ae, but his robes got caught again. "Hey...wait for me HEY!" he shouted as he tugged on his sleeves. Seeing that Eun-Ae was already far away, he took off his princely robes leaving only his inner garments, composed of a long-sleeved shirt and baggy pants, he then ran after the girl.
When he caught up with the girl, he walked beside her, he noticed the large wound on her right elbow. "Is your wound all healed up? Does it still hurt?"
Eun-ae looked at the wound on her right elbow "It's still healing, but it does not hurt that much" she said
The pair continued to walk some distance until they found a hollowed-out dead tree. Eun-Ae took a peek inside, she examined the hollow tree. "We can sleep here for the night" She crawled inside and positioned herself in the middle of the hollowed tree trunk.
Young-Sik peeked inside, his face instinctively showed disgust at the damp, smelly, and filthy tree trunk. "What are you waiting for? Come inside and sleep" Eun-Ae's voice echoed within the hallowed tree.
Having no choice because of fatigue and exhaustion, Young-Sik crawled inside and sat beside the little girl. Eun-Ae guided the prince's head onto her shoulders and embraced him. "What are you doing the prince asked?"
"Reminding you, that I am still here with you," She said, assuring him of her presence
The prince then raised his eyes to look at his friend and he asked a personal question "Eun-Ae...don't you have any family?"
"I was sold to be a court maid when I could even barely walk" She replied, not wanting to talk about her family, Eun-Ae insisted that they rest "It's going to be a long walk, let's go to sleep" The two children closed their eyes and soon drifted off to sleep.