There's a myth among those who live in the Yogoian Empire. Every one thousand years, a chosen man and woman will become fated lovers, in order to give birth to the next Rungagi, an Earth Spirit that's said to give the life force to all the plants that thrives within the lands. There is no telling of who will be chosen to be the life givers. The Imperial Court always assumed those who are chosen by the gods, the rulers of the land, would be the ones to be chosen. However, in order to protect the lands and allow to continue, the legends must be fulfilled.
"Prince Kanda, please stay inside. It's raining and we wouldn't want you to catch a cold," said a man dressed in white robe, talking to the little ten year old boy sitting on the soft floor with a pout. His beautiful blue eyes pleaded to run outside in the rain. However, the star reader wouldn't have it. "I'm sorry my prince but we can't afford you to be sick."
With that said the young prince sat in his room working at his studies, obediently. All this work and no play was to be the fated life of this young one. The work that he needed to learn beginning to become a norm he had to face every single day of his life. His head tutor was unlike the master star reader. Whenever, master star reader Shuga came for a visit, he was always so glad to have someone to talk to, someone who cared more about him as a person, rather than a prince that needed to learn the politics of this land.
When his tutor left the prince looked out his window to see if he's out of sight. This prince wasn't like his father growing up. His father was very obedient and quiet. However, this kid wanted nothing more than to explore and did what he could to escape from the demanding duties of being a prince. Prince Kanda knew exactly where to go to get out of his room. No one knows it but there's a secret passageway in his room that leads out of the castle.
He grabbed the torch and key, he hides in his desk, Kanda opened up the passageway then gave the torch a light. The prince began to hear someone's footsteps slowly coming towards his room. He quickly got down the stairs far enough and closed the doorway. He made sure it was such all the way. He even made sure the key was with him before giving the door a shut. Prince Kanda has done this many times and no one has ever suspected this.
The prince always enjoyed strolling through the underground cave ways, it was damp and cold, not to mention a little creepy but that was the thrill of it. So much mystery in the darkness! He smiled to himself, hoping something interesting would happen. Even though Kanda came down these passageways hundreds of time, he found another way to go. Never in his life of discovering these walls have he came across this way. Curiosity really pulled him into going this new way, hoping to find something incredible.
It took him a while but to know what was on the other side of this passageway really motivated him to keep going, even if we getting tired. Before Kanda knew it, he was at the end of the passage.
"Really? I came all this way for nothing?" He pouted. But then he felt a draft coming from above. Kanda felt around and found a loose rock. He did was he could to push it away. There was sunlight at the end of tunnel after all. The young prince climbed up to find himself in the middle of a meadow. Beautiful blue flower bloomed for miles. Trees to each side of him and the palace was behind him. The village was below him, everything looked so beautiful at this height. The ground was still soft from the rain so the sky must have cleared while he was still underground.
The prince was in delight. He ran around in the flowers and took in their beauty. Kanda kept running around without looking to see where he was going, until he tripped over a rock. The poor prince scraped his hands as he fell. He began to cry from the pain until a girl approached him.
"Did you hurt yourself?" Her sweet voice asked.
He didn't look up but gave a small nod. She knelt down in front of him and took out a small clay bottle containing some kind of ointment with a soft smell and applied it to his hands. It stung but he obediently allowed her to continue with the treatment. He didn't look up at her but by the clothes she wore, he could tell she was a commoner. Someone that the prince have never come in contact with before. Never in his life hath he spoken to person of her status. To the Imperial Court, commoners are below them and aren't to be spoken to or be treated as an equal. But this girl was being so kind to him. Kanda felt his head raise to the girl in front of him.
When their eyes met something came over him. His heart raced, the wind below as if seeing these girl's kind eyes unlocked something in the air. Like his selfish, childish, act of wanting freedom was actually fate. The look on this girl seemed like the same thoughts of this meeting is going through her own head.
"What's your name?" The prince was barely able to get his words out.
"My name is Kune," she said to him.
"My name is Kanda," he gave her hand kiss.
"By the looks of you… You're the prince?" She gasped.
"Don't be alarmed. You so beautiful. Where do you live?" He kept hold of her commoner hands. "I never believed that silly superstition of commoners being struck blind in both eyes if they look at someone from the royal family."
Kune still kept looking down at their feet. Afraid that she might get in trouble for even associating with the prince. However, like the prince she was having unknown feelings about him. Kanda still had her hands in his, they felt like they belonged there. Her gentle caring hands felt good inside the prince's.
They two were a good half hour talking about their lives until men from the palace finally found the prince. These men were older and they were furious with the prince for running off so far from the palace grounds. After scolding the prince they turned their attention to the little girl that had fear written all over her face.
"And who are you? Were you planning on doing anything to the prince?" One of men said raising a sword to her. "You should have been struck down."
Suddenly, within a blink the man's sword was flying in the air with the blade of a spear held his neck. The man looked at who was so quick to defend. A woman built like a man, grey hair but her face was young. Her flesh was Kunbalian. When he recognized who she was the man smirked.
"Well well, Emperor Chagum will be happy to know that you're still alive," the man grinned as he was a little happy to know she's still alive and well.
"Is this your daughter?" Prince Kanda asked the spear wielder.
She didn't say anything at first then looked down at the prince and nodded. He didn't have to say who he belonged to. The spear wielder could see Chagum in this one's face. Blue eyes and black hair. Prince Kanda was the spitting image of Chagum when he was a child.
The guards grabbed the prince and pulled him away from the group. He fought them the whole time, wanting to stay a little longer with the beautiful commoner girl. Kanda hated it at the castle, all work and no play. He even screamed a little bit. This was not the behaviour of a prince and the spear wielder did her best to ignore it.
"He maybe the image of his father but he's no where near as quiet," she said before taking hold of her daughter's hand and walking back to the village.