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.

In another world very much like our own, during a period where their present is our past. The country of Chiongsun was on the east-most side of the Asian continent. situated between the countries of Aranes in the west and Guiong in the east. A country brimming with natural beauty and wealth, a country craving for peace, where its people are ready to tear each other apart.

Pyongchaek, the country's capital, housing the royal palace home to King Seo-Jung and his family, is under threat of civil unrest, its people are crying, for the head of the King and the royal family

Atop the place bridge, spanning the entirety of the palace lake, seven-year-old Prince Kim Young-sik (Kim Yong-sik) sits with his older half-brother, eleven-year-old Prince Lee Man-Ju (Li Ma-ju), waiting for the fish to bite their lines.

"Hey brother...We've been sitting here forever, a fish has yet to take a bite from our lines, and my bottom hurts from sitting on this bridge" Prince Young-Sik said to Man-Ju, complaining about how long they should stay to catch fish.

"Aish... you're complaining, scared that big fish away" Man-Ju complained with a hint of frustration in his voice, seeing how the fish was not enticed by his lure.

Rubbing his belly, Young-Sik couldn't help but remind his brother of the time and the fact that he had not eaten yet. "But brother, it's already past midday and I'm hungry, do we have to wait here and catch something before we can eat lunch? I bet there is much food in the palace"

Man-Ju sighed and hung his head down, before looking at his younger brother to tease him "It's no wonder, your belly is big...all you ever think about is food. This thing we are doing is called fishing and it is a valuable survival skill"

The two were startled when they heard a voice from behind them. "Aren't the two of you supposed to be in the villa studying and not slacking around?"

The two princes' eyes immediately widened, when they recognized the voice behind them. Young-Sik tugged on Man-Ju's sleeves "Can you look who that is? I'm too afraid to look" he said to his older brother

"I'm older than you...I'm ordering you to take a look" Man-Ju replied, refusing to look back, Young-Sik strongly shook his head, refusing to follow his older brother.

"And I am older than the two of you. If you can't give me respect as your brother, then respect me as your crowned prince" The Voice behind them said with a stern yet gentle voice

The two immediately dropped their fishing lines to stand up and bowed to their eldest brother. The crowned prince Kim Seo-joon, is nineteen years old. He stood elegantly wearing his blue outer robes. A four-toed dragon symbol, embellished on the chest, back, and shoulders, of his royal garments.

"You Highness" the two princes said in unison, greeting their brother.

Seo-Joon shook his head, he couldn't believe his two younger brothers were so irresponsible. He then pulled the two of them by their ears and led them to their respective eunuchs.

"Take these two back to Master Im and make sure they finish their studies. After their lessons have concluded, bring them to my palace" Seo-Joon said, instructing the eunuchs to keep an eye on the two royal troublemakers

The eunuchs bowed to the crowned prince "Yes! You Highness" they all said and the eunuchs gently led the two brothers back to the villa, where their teacher waited. Crowned Prince Kim Seo-Joon disappointedly shook his head, and he continued on his way.

When the two young princes arrived at the villa, Consort Eri was waiting for them "Where have the two of you been? Master Im has been waiting for a long time!" She shouted scolding the two boys

"Forgive us mother, we were just having fun fishing and lost track of time" Man-Ju explained to his mother Consort Eri

"Go inside and begin your lesson" She instructed her son

The two boys immediately bowed and followed what she said, however, she stopped Young-Sik by grabbing onto his arm "Where do you think you're going?"

"Inside with Man-Ju?" the young boy, innocently explained

"We are not yet finished here...you keep putting my son in trouble. You are a bad influence on him!" she shouted at the teary-eyed boy

Consort Eri scoffed "Look at this boy, are you trying to secure sympathy by crying?" She continued to shout at the crying boy "Let me tell you that will not work with me and you need to be punished" She raised her hand to hit the prince.

Young-Sik reeled, preparing himself to be hit, but at the last moment, Queen Min-Ah stepped in "But it works with me" The Queen said

Consort Eri and her entire entourage bowed to the Queen, which they never saw coming. Queen Min-Ah stood elegantly in her black and gold robes, in contrast to Consort Eri's green and white robes. The Queen glared at the Consort while saying "While I appreciate you disciplining the children, I do not condone you punishing my child!"

Consort Eri still in a bow explained herself "It's not like that Your Majesty...I had no intention of hurting the prince" her voice as soft as a cloud

"Is that why you raised your hand against the prince?" Spoke the Queen with a tone filled with accusation. She walked around the consort and sternly warned her "The next time I catch you, mistreating my child...you will be sorry that I ever chose you as a concubine!"

"Forgive me Your Majesty it will never happen again" Consort Eri humbly said.

The Queen was about to walk away, but she turned around and gave one more stern warning "The next time you want to punish or remove one of my court ladies...run it by me first. I am the Queen here...and it is my job not yours to discipline the palace court maidens!" After the Queen and her entourage left, Consort Eri glared and scoffed at the queen, before going on to her destination.

It was already dark when Young-Sik and Man-Ju were brought before the crowned prince. They sit in front of the Crowned prince and his wife.

"Do you know why I scolded the two of you?" Seo-Joon asked the two boys with a stern expression and an even sterner voice.

Nodding, the two quickly answered "Yes! You Highness" their voice filled with shame

"What did Confucius say, about the qualities of a ruler" Seo-Joon asked his brothers

The two looked at each other and at the same time, they recited the passage "The ruler must first himself be possessed of the qualities which he requires of the people, and must be free from the qualities which he requires the people to abjure."

"How do you expect the people to follow you if you have no worthy traits to follow?" Seo-Joon asked his brothers, making them ponder the meaning behind the passage.

The silence in the room was broken when Prince Young-Sik spoke his mind "But you're going to be king after father not us. So, there is no need for us to have those virtues" he said absentmindedly

Man-Ju embarrassed by what the youngest prince said, quickly covered his brother's mouth and gave a nervous grin to the surprised couple "Forgive him Your Highness...he's just delirious from being hungry and has no idea what he's talking about"

Princess Yoo-Na, the crowned prince's wife, let out a peal of light laughter at Young-Sik's naivete and innocence. The crowned prince looked at his wife with a frown. "You find that funny my lady? These two brats will never learn if we coddle them" he said to his wife

The Princess held her laughter and said "Mianhae, my dear prince. I was just surprised at the prince's honesty" she stated, trying to hide her laughter

She then faced the two princes to address them "With all seriousness boys, the Crowned Prince is right. You two are Chiongsun Princes, and along with that title comes responsibilities not just to your King, but to the people as well. We all have responsibilities, to our country and our people, not just your father, not just your brother...all of us. He wants to prepare the two of you when that time comes."

The crowned prince stood up and walked towards the door "Walk with me both of you. I'll be back in a while my princess" Then he walked out of the room and out of the palace into the courtyard.

Young-Sik and Man-Ju quickly stood up, bowed to their sister-in-law, and followed their brother. They found him standing at the same spot where they were fishing earlier that day.

Prince Seo-Joon was looking up at the night sky, his two brothers stood beside him and looked up at the night sky as well "What are we looking at?" Young-Sik curiously asked

With an index finger on his lips, Man-Ju hushed the youngest prince "SHHH! Shut up, can't you see our eldest brother contemplating?"

Seo-Joon first addresses the youngest "I was just about your age when the responsibilities of a crowned prince were thrust upon my shoulder"

The Crowned prince then looked to Man-Ju and placed his hand on his brother's shoulder "I was older than you when I finally came to grips with my role as crowned prince"

"Why do we have to learn how to be King, you're going to be the next King, not us" Young-sik again asked, still confused as to why they needed to possess the attributes of a good leader.

"When the supreme god Ha'nung, asked his son Daigo to create Chiongsun, why did you think Daigo followed the command?" He asked his brothers.

Man-Ju quickly answered "Because he is Daigo's father and King, that is why he obeyed" he explained with confidence

Seo-Joon nodded, then faced Young-Sik and waited for his response. The young Prince scratched his head and replied "Man-Ju already said the best answer, is there any other answer?"

Seo-Joon placed an arm on his brother's shoulders and spoke "Daigo obeyed Ha'nung, not because he is his father or King. He obeyed because he knew what Ha'nung had tasked him to do, was right. Daigo knew that obeying his father's command would benefit his people."

The crowned prince then faced the two and knelt in front of his brothers "It doesn't matter if you are a God, a King, or an ordinary person, people will only follow what you say, if they know, what you are saying is good and that you know what you're doing." He took both of their hands and held them firmly

"Yet if they knew that you are giving them a selfish command or they realize that you don't know what you are doing, they will not follow you," he said smiling at his brothers.

The two looked at each other, Man-Ju stepped up and took the Crowned Prince's hand "Sorry You Highness, both of us promise, we will take our duties seriously from now on"

Crossing his arms over his chest, the youngest brother said "Not me...I only want to play all day and eat good tasty food" Young-Sik declared, with a frown on his face.

The two older brothers, gave out a laugh as they ruffled Young-Sik's hair "You are still young so I'll give you this. Just promise me, when it's time to be serious, you will try to be a good prince and give it all you got okay?" Seo-Joon requested from the young prince

"Okay, I promise, as long as you will give me lots of toys and delicious food, and you grant me a wish like the Emperor of Guiong," Young-Sik said, adding his conditions to the promise. "

Seo-Joon scoffed "You have to win at combat for honor to be given a wish" he walked to the end of the bridge took something from behind a tree, and headed to where his brothers were. He gave the two a fishing pole each and he sat at the edge of the bridge with a fishing pole of his own "Now this is how you fish" he said Young-Sik and Man-Ju looked at each other with smiles and quickly took a spot beside Seo-Joon, eagerly waiting for his lesson on fishing.

The King watched his three sons from a distance, happy at how close and loving they were to one another. He was especially proud of the crowned prince, witnessing how he showered his younger brothers with care and compassion. Smiling, the King silently made his way back to his palace.

Like a fleeting wind, a week has passed since the night the three brothers had their time together. Prince Young-sik after hiding and losing his escorts was sitting along the banks of the great Quan River, dipping his feet in the cold water as he ate his favorite honey biscuits.

The youngest prince gorged himself with too many honey biscuits, that when it came to the last one, he could not even take a tiny nibble of the delectable pastry. The prince looked at the golden-brown circular dessert in his hands, and after contemplating that he could not eat it anymore, he stood up and raised his arm to throw it away.

"May I have that leftover cookie?" A voice from behind the prince asked.

Young-Sik lowered his arm and turned around, to see who that may be. "A court maiden?" the prince thought to himself "Who are you? What is a court maiden doing outside the palace grounds?" he callously asked the young girl

The girl's face etched a surprised reaction at the question "Oh my...are you blind? Can't you see I'm picking firewood?" the girl said, showing the pack of firewood she had strapped on her back.

"Firewood? Has the firewood from the royal kitchen run out, that they need a thin girl like you to gather more?" The prince asked her without tact.

The little girl laughed at the question, which puzzled the prince "Don't you know anything? This firewood is for the court lady's residence, those in the kitchen are only used for cooking." The little girl explained.

"How dare you talk down on me? Don't you know that I..." the prince stopped his mouth from revealing himself. He remembered that he was in disguise, so he could roam the capital freely.

"Look all I'm asking is if I could have the biscuit that you intend to throw away." The girl said to the prince

"Why would I give this to you?" The prince arrogantly asked

The little girl stepped closer to the prince and smiled at him "It would be a waste to throw it away. Plus, there is a hungry girl right here, that can use a little bit of kindness"

Young-Sik scoffs at the girl's reason, he crosses his arms and says "I made these, so it is my right to decide what to do with them. The last thing I will do with them is to give them to some rude girl who doesn't know how to use honorifics"

The little girl tilted her head a little to the right in bewilderment "Why would I use honorifics to someone my age?"

The prince was dumbfounded by the girl's response "She's right, we are the same age, and she doesn't know I'm the prince" he sighed, refusing to accept defeat, she challenged the girl for the last honey biscuit "If you can tell me my name, I will give the last biscuit to you"

The little girl grinned, then she bowed to Young-Sik "You are the youngest son of the king, Prince Kim Young-Sik!"

The prince quickly ran to the girl to cover her mouth "Shhhh! Nobody knows I'm here; someone might hear you" Young-Sik turned to his left and right, scanning the area for any signs of people. After ensuring nobody heard the girl, he asked her "How did you know who I am?"

The girl forcefully removed Young-Sik's hand that was covering her mouth. The prince distanced himself from the girl and waited for her explanation.

The girl started by stating something obvious "You may be wearing rags, but your skin and complexion are not that of a commoner" She paused for a while "My first guess was, you might be of noble birth or at least from a rich family" the girl extended her open hand asking for her prize.

Hesitantly, the prince placed the honey biscuit in the girl's open palm. She took the biscuit and immediately took a bite. Her face lit up as she tasted the sweet honey biscuit. "One more thing. I helped to bake these, and I was the one who brought them to your room this morning Your Highness"

The girl bowed to the prince again and started to make her way back to the palace. "Wait!" Young-Sik shouted. The girl stopped and looked back at the prince "What is your name? So, the next time I see you, I won't have to call you stick girl"

"Go Eun-Ae, Your Highness" She responded, turned around, and continued to the palace grounds. The prince smiled while he shook his head and started to walk to the palace as well.

The next day, Young-Sik escapes his escorts again and plays with some wooden blocks in an old building within the palace grounds. The prince tries to build a miniature palace, but it keeps toppling. The prince grumbles loudly and, in his frustration, forcefully brushes the blocks away.

Some of the blocks landed near the feet of Eun-Ae, who was passing by and could hear the prince grumbling from frustration. She crouched and picked up some of the blocks. She brought the blocks she picked up back to where Young-Sik was huddled. First, she places the blocks for the base, using a circular pattern with a small gap between the blocks. Once satisfied with the base, she did the same for the second level, the third, and so on, until she made a tower. She proceeded to build the miniature palace, Young-Sik was in awe, and when Eun-Ae was done she marveled at the toy palace.

"Why do they have gaps?" Young-Sik asked, puzzled by the design and wondering the logic behind it.

"You don't have enough blocks and I have to distribute them equally or the structure will not be completed" The little girl replied "It kept toppling over, because there are not enough blocks in the base, making it weak and unbalanced"

"So what if there are fewer blocks at the base?" Young-Sik asked callously

Eun-Ae slapped her forehead with her open palm "Oh my... You Highness, If the base is weak, it cannot support the structure" She then pointed to the base of the toy palace she made "Look, since it has more blocks at the base the structure is more stable"

The girl toppled the structure, reducing it to a pile of blocks "Here You Highness, you try" The prince looked at the pile of wooden blocks and pondered for a while.

He then arranged the blocks in a square pattern, using the same configuration, that was thought to him, and he was able to make a tall square structure, he then used the remaining blocks to erect four towers, one for each corner of the first structure he made.

Eun-Ae clapped when she saw what the prince made "Well done You Highness. You learned fast"

The prince smiled at the praise he received, he was about to express his gratitude to the court lady, but he was interrupted by a councilor's daughter, Lim Ji-Hye, along with two others, all three of them were the same age as Young-Sik and Eun-Ae.

"Prince Young-Sik, why are you playing with a lowly piece of dirt?" Ji-Hye asked the prince, furious at the fact, that the prince found a court lady interesting enough to play with.

The two other girls shoved Eun-Ae away from the prince. They shoved her so hard; that she fell and gashed her right arm on a rock, causing a long wound.

"Serves you right for talking to the prince, be grateful we don't behead you this very moment," Ji-Hye said "How dare you mingle with nobles like us, you can't even read or write your name" she added. She and her friends then left that place, while pulling Young-Sik with them.

Eun-Ae huddled herself where she fell and began to cry. At that moment, Young-Sik forcibly pulled his hand away from the trio "Why did you do that?" He asked the girl Ji-Hye.

"You Highness...you are of noble status like us, you should not lower yourself to the level of a servant," Ji-hye said answering his question.

"So, what if she is a court lady...she is still my friend!" Young-Sik bravely declared and he then ran back to where they left Eun-Ae. He saw the little girl slumped on the ground, crying while nursing her wound.

Ji-Hye scoffed at the way the prince thought and with a glare directed at Young-Sik, she said "Let us go...let that stupid boy get dirty if that is what he wants"

Young-Sik pulled out a gold embroidered handkerchief, he kneeled in front of the crying girl and gently dabbed the wound, making Eun-Ae's face grimace in pain. He then wrapped the cloth around the wound to stop the bleeding. Using his index finger, he started to draw something on the ground. "What are you doing?" Eun-Ae asked the prince

After he finished, Young-Sik dusted his hands and said "That is how you write your name"

Eun-Ae smiled at the prince's kindness and started to draw on the ground as well, imitating what the prince did. After she finished drawing, she asked the prince "Is that right?"

"You can now at least write and read a word, they can't call you illiterate anymore" Extending his hand to the girl, he helped Eun-Ae stand and supported her while walking. When they were heading out of the old palace building, the eunuch in charge of Young-sik came running.

"You Highness...where have you been we were looking all over for you," he said as he and the other court ladies surrounded the two children

"She's hurt, please help her," The prince told them. The eunuch gestured to the court ladies to take Eun-Ae to the infirmary.

Eun-Ae bowed to the prince "Thank you, Your Highness" She then removed the binding on her wound, but the prince stopped her.

"No, don't take it off, your wound might bleed again, keep it, it's yours" The prince was led away by his escorts back to his royal residence. Eun-Ae watched as the prince was led away by his servants, but when the prince looked back at her, it made her smile and she felt a slight heave in her chest. She was led in the opposite direction by the court lady to the infirmary.