The stars were shining at night and illuminated the forest. Tonight is a very special night for the king and nobles. Tonight is the 10th birthday of the king's eldest son, and on this occasion, a great celebration has been held in the palace, and the laughter and joy of the nobles can be heard even in the forest.
The farmer boy was walking in the dark forest looking for firewood. Since autumn has arrived, the weather has become very cold . So that people have to look for firewood even at night.
The little boy was bending down on the ground and collecting every stick he saw and throwing it on his shoulder. Although he was young, he was tall and had a great body, which made him able to carry more weight as a young boy.
The boy was collecting firewood with his father. The moonlight helped them to do this more easily.
"Yuma, my dear boy, don't forget that we have to carry two loads tonight. Because the old man Tenjin also needs this firewood. He is too old and does not have the ability to collect firewood."
Young Yuma smiled sweetly at his father and nodded.
"Don't worry dad. I'll gather enough firewood. I'll never let Yui and her dad have a hard time in the cold."
The father smiled at his son and stroked his head. And they continued to gather firewood. A strong wind started blowing, indicating that it would rain soon. Yuma took off his old coat and threw it on the firewood so they wouldn't get wet and started to walk out of the forest with his father.
They started their steps when they heard the sound of laughter and joy from the palace. Yuma was looking at the palace through the trees. It seemed that the nobles were very happy and had a good life. Yuma's wish was to live an aristocratic life like them even for an hour.
"Father, what's going on in the palace?"
"It seems that today is the birthday of the king's eldest son. He turns ten years old today."
Hearing this, Yuma frowned and turned his face away from the palace and looked at his father. It seemed that he was jealous that the nobles were so happy.
"It's not fair. Why should they live so comfortably while we have to go to so much trouble to collect a small amount of firewood?"
Hearing his little son's words, his father laughed loudly and giggled. He could understand why Yuma was upset and jealous. Most of all, he knew that his son was worried about his little friend, who is a seven-year-old girl and spends winters hard. He tried to comfort him by stroking his head.
"My dear boy, don't forget that no one is as happy as we are. We have the best family and best friends. Something that all nobles lack."
Hearing his father's words, Yuma quickly blushed and smiled. His father's words made him remember Yui. His lovely little friend who has been playing with Yuma since birth and Yuma loves her more than anyone else. Even more than his own siblings.
"Hurry up, father. We need to get this firewood to old man Tenjin as soon as possible. The weather is very cold and Yui might catch a cold."
Yuma pulled his father's hand to encourage him to walk faster, and the father smiled warmly at his young son, how eager he was to see Yui. They speed up their steps until they finally come out of the forest and can see the light of Tenjin's hut in the distance. It seems that they are still awake.
When Yuma sees the light of the hut, he quickly runs towards the hut and his father walks behind him slowly. Yuma stands behind the door of the hut until his father reaches him and then knocks on the door.
knock knock*
Tenjin: Who are you?
Yuma: Tenjin-san. I am Yuma. My father and I have brought you firewood.
Hearing the young boy's voice, the old man goes to the door and opens it. Seeing Yuma and his father carrying two large loads of firewood, he smiles and leads them inside.
Tenjin: I don't know how to thank you. May God help you for helping me and my dear daughter.
Yuma's father took the old man's hand and stroked it gently.
Arthur: Tenjin-san, please don't say that. I have done a very small task for you. You are dear to all the people of the village and we will serve you and your beautiful daughter forever.
As Yuma's father talks to the old man and tries to comfort him, Yuma turns his head to look around the hut to find Yui. When he did not see her, a sea of worry appeared on his face.
Yuma: Tenjin-san, where is Yui?
With Yuma's question, the old man's smile disappeared and a small frown appeared on his face. He looked into Yuma's eyes and it was clear that he did not have good news.
Tenjin: Yui is still sick and lying in bed. Unfortunately, the weather is very cold these days and Yui's body is getting weaker day by day.
Hearing the words of the old man, Yuma could not wait any longer. He dropped the load of firewood on the floor and quickly climbed the stairs of the hut to reach the attic. The attic was where the old man had tidied up and made a room for little Yui.
Yuma turned on the lantern in the room and looked at Yui's weak body lying on a straw bed. She looked very small and weak for a seven-year-old girl.
Yuma slowly approached Yui's bed and sat down next to her and looked at Yui's cute face sleeping peacefully. Yuma placed hid hand on Yui's forehead and gently caressed it, a soft smile on Yui's face. Yuma knew that this move always made Yui happy especially when she was sleeping and it calmed her down.
Old Tenjin and Arthur came up the stairs and joined Yuma. Yuma's father looked at the little girl sleeping completely defenseless and stroked her hair.
Arthur: Poor girl. She must be going through difficult days. Surely this cold is hard for her.
Tenjin: The cold these days has been unprecedented and our village has never endured such cold. I hope nothing bad happens to our crops or the whole village will starve.
Arthur: Don't worry, old man. Every thing will be ok.
Arthur stood up and looked at his young son and took his hand as they walked home together. But Yuma didn't seem to want to leave Yui.
Arthur: Yuma hurry my dear son. We have to go home faster.
Yuma: Father, please let me stay with Yui tonight. She is very weak, I want to stay with her to take care of her.
Arthur: No, my son. It is not right for you to stay here. This way you will only cause trouble for Tenjin-san.
Tenjin, who was listening to the conversation between father and son, smiled softly and went to Yuma and patted his head. He admired Yuma's kindness and how he felt so responsible for Yui.
Tenjin: No problem, good boy. You can stay with Yui tonight.
Yuma smiled happily and hugged the old Tenjin and thanked him. It was the greatest blessing for Yuma to be able to stay with Yui. The father said goodbye to his young son and left the hut. Tenjin was trying to make the hut a little warmer by building a fire in the fireplace. And Yuma was sitting next to Yui the whole time, watching her.
Tenjin had put some bread and warm milk in a tray and went to the attic to feed Yuma. He was sure that Yuma must be tired and hungry after all that long work.
Tenjin gave Yuma the bread and warm milk so that he could finally eat after all the hard work. While Yuma was slowly eating the bread, he was still looking at Yui, and Tenjin noticed this and smiled warmly and stroked Yuma's head.
Tenjin: Yuma, my dear boy, you are a very kind boy. When you are with my dear Yui, I am sure that she is safe.
Yuma blushed at Tenjin's words and smiled warmly.
Yuma: Thank you Tenjin-san. But I'm sure I'm not as kind as Yui.
Tenjin: Don't say that, my good boy. Yuma, can you make me a promise?
With Tenjin's question, Yuma turned his face towards him and waited for Tenjin's words.
Yuma: What do you mean, Tenjin-san?
Tenjin: Listen, my boy. I am very old. I don't know how long I have left. All my life, I wished to have a daughter, which God gave me as a gift, my dear Yui. Yui was the only reason that made me able to continue living these seven years. She is the light of my life.
Yuma smiled hearing Tenjin's warm and kind words about Yui. He knew that Yui was not Tenjin's real daughter. Everyone knew it, but Tenjin loved and adored Yui even more than her real father.
Tenjin: But after all, life is something that I cannot control and I will die sooner or later. My dear Yuma, you are the only one I can trust to take care of my dear Yui. So promise me. No matter what happens, you will take care of her and make her always smile.
Yuma resented Tenjin's words and wanted to cry, but he was right. Tenjin was too old to live forever. Yuma looked at Yui. Looking at Yui, he smiled again and repeated Yui's favorite move, stroking her forehead, making Yui smile again in her sleep.
Yuma: Tenjin-san, I promise you. I promise I will always take care of Yui and always make her smile. Because her smile makes me happy.
Hearing Yuma's words, old Tenjin smiled with relief. He was now sure that even if his life ends, there is someone who will take care of his dear Yui and build a happy life for her.
While caressing Yui's forehead, Yuma took her hands in his hand and slowly pulled himself next to Yui on the straw bed. Very unexpectedly, Yui rolled over in her sleep and went into Yuma's arms. Yuma blushed but smiled in satisfaction and closed his eyes so that he too would fall into a sweet sleep.
Meanwhile, there is a big celebration in the king's palace. Beautiful ladies are dancing and their men are accompanying them. Silver goblets are filled with wine and the laughter of the guests can be heard throughout the palace.
This big celebration is for the young prince's tenth birthday, but he didn't expect himself to be as excited for this celebration as everyone else. He is sitting next to his mother on the big chair that is for the nobles and looks at the guests with a dull face. While his younger brother is constantly staring at him for his inappropriate behavior.
A young lady approached the prince and knelt before him and kissed his hand to congratulate him on his birthday out of courtesy and respect.
Lady: Sir, I am very honored to wish you a happy birthday. May you enjoy a life full of happiness.
These rituals always bothered Shu but he had no choice but to behave according to the manners he was taught or he would be scolded by his mother because Queen Beatrix expected him to act like a king because soon This position will be his.
Shu: Thank you very much. It is my honor to meet you on this exceptional night and benefit from your presence in my birthday celebration.
After saying the sentences, Shu looked at his mother to get him approval, and his mother only nodded and did not show any other reaction. Shu wanted his mother to smile at him from the bottom of her heart even for once.
The party lasted for hours and the young prince was very tired. While his mother was walking in the ballroom to accompany the guests and talk to them according to customs, Shu took the opportunity and left the ballroom secretly without anyone noticing. He ran through the narrow corridors of the palace and climbed the stairs until he finally reached the highest room of the palace and went to the balcony to watch the moon.
It was a beautiful sight. Moonlight filled the black sky and a cool wind was blowing, which indicated that they were going to have a cold autumn and winter ahead, but this made Shu happy because he loved snowy winters.
While staring at the beautiful moonlight, Shu's eyes looked down and looked at the village. The lights of the village huts were turned off one by one, which showed that the villagers are now ready to sleep.
His eyes followed the fields of the village and looked at the apple trees. They looked so beautiful and delicious and the trees in the fields are beautifully arranged together. Shu always thought to himself that walking and running in the farm was very enjoyable and he wished to experience it even once.
Shu was deep in his own thoughts when suddenly a voice at the door caught his attention. At first, he thought that his mother had come to scold him for missing the party, but when the person entered the room, he realized that it was his little brother, and he became even more disappointed.
Reiji: So you're here. Mother is waiting for you. Get back to the party early. It is really very rude to keep guests waiting. I thought you were wiser than these words, but you don't even know the simplest manners.
Shu, offended by his younger brother's words, pretended not to care at all and turned his face away from him and looked at the forest again. He saw a young boy with his father carrying firewood.
Shu: That boy is very lucky.
Reiji, who didn't even understand why his big brother said such a thing, smirked and smoothed his glasses with his middle finger and looked at his brother with a grin.
Reiji: You're really disgusting. As the eldest son of the king, you behave very childishly. I even doubt that you are a suitable substitute for a father because I am not sure. Your compassion for mortals is really disgusting and stupid.
Reiji turned away from his brother and headed for the door to join the guests in the ballroom.
Reiji: Don't forget that mother asked you to play the violin for the guests tonight. So hurry up and don't keep the guests waiting so long.
Reiji left the room and closed the door behind him. Shu kept looking at the young boy and his father as they both smiled and left the forest to go back to the village. This thought of how much that man loves and cares for his son made him jealous of the subject that his family considered worthless.
Shu: Surely the life of this mortal is much better than mine.
Watching them move further and further away, Shu left the room and joined the guests in the ballroom. With a small look at his mother, he realized that she is very angry with him and sooner or later he will be blamed for not attending this party.
Seeing the young prince, the guests gathered around him to wish him a wonderful birthday with silver goblets and to drink in his honor. Everyone raised their cups and shouted Prince Shu's name. Young prince who will soon rule this land.
It didn't take long before the king entered the hall and all the guests lined up and bowed to him. The king, who had a warm smile on seeing his eldest son on his birthday, went towards him. The young prince bowed to his father and the king smiled back.
Karlheinz: My dear son. Congratulations to your birthday. I hope you enjoyed the party.
Shu smiled in front of his father to pretend that everything was fine. Although the sadness in his eyes could not hide this truth forever.
Shu: Thank you very much, father.
Karlheinz went to the king's chair and kissed his wife's hand and sat next to her. Now was the moment when the king and all the guests were waiting for the young prince to accompany them with his beautiful violin melody.
Queen Beatrix nodded to Shu and indicated that he should now play his music. Shu took the violin that his father had given him and stood in the middle of the ballroom and started playing.
Beautiful and gentle music echoed in the ballroom, attracting all the guests. The young prince closed his eyes and played the violin beautifully in his dreams. All the guests looked at the boy with a warm smile who charmed everyone with his beautiful music, and a proud smile sat on the face of the queen and her husband.
All the guests admired him with their eyes except one. His little brother was watching him from behind the door. His gaze did not look admiring.
The sound of this beautiful music went out from the windows of the palace and traveled with the wind until it reached a small hut where a beautiful girl with golden hair was sleeping in the arms of a kind boy. A smile appeared on the little girl's lips again.
Yui: It's beautiful.
Little Yui muttered these words in her sleep and smiled happily.