THE STRANGE RIDER ON A BROWN HORSE

Lord Han had started packing up a few more clothes and Mr. Song helped in getting most of his luggage ready.

Seunghyeonjeong had woken up very early to prepare his father some breakfast personally and he had delivered it to his father's Chambers when he found him packing.

"Why are you packing up father, are you going anywhere?" Seunghyeonjeong asked.

"Oh, something urgent came up in the Province of Haeji, I must return there immediately and supervise the storage of goods that shall be brought to the capital in the next couple of days." Minister Han replied.

"Already?" Seunghyeonjeong asked so surprised.

"Yes." Lord Han replied.

"You have barely been in the capital, aren't you worried about things at the Office of the Inspector General?" Seunghyeonjeong said as he came over to his father's side to help him pack.

"Not really, besides this is also part of the duties of the Office of the Inspector General, I must ensure that the taxes being levied on those products are sincere and not exaggerated.

Through smuggling goods can most corrupt officials become wealthier with time and the King asked me to ensure that there is an income equilibrium between most officials and the people so that all goods become affordable even to the poor." Minister Han said.

"Alright father." Seunghyeonjeong said.

"You seem to be more understanding than Seungjae." Lord Han said.

"He must be lonely since Seungnyang moved out to the province of Hanseong for further studies to join the military." Seunghyeonjeong said.

"Yes he certainly is." Minister Han said.

"Another issue at hand is Seungjae getting married soon." Lord Han added.

"Have you talked to him about it?" Seunghyeonjeong asked his father.

"Not really but I hope that your mother finds him a very suitable match soon from the most eligible daughters in the Kingdom." Lord Han said.

"I don't think that is a very wise decision father." Seunghyeonjeong said.

Lord Han was quite startled by the words that had flown out of the mouth of his youngest son.

"Why, what would you possibly know about marriage?" Lord Han teasingly asked.

"Shouldn't he be the one to tell you the person he is in love with so that you can let him marry that one instead.

I very much want him to be like you and mother." Seunghyeonjeong replied.

Minister Han looked amazed and then he sat down on his bed.

"Sit with me." He told his son who followed his own instruction and sat down with humility.

"You care so much about your brother and I promise that I will think about it and talk it with him when you return.

In the mean time, talk to your brother for me and if he can not tell you the girl that he is in love with then it is your duty to find out so that we surprise him." Lord Han said.

"Alright father." Seunghyeonjeong said.

"I know you are very capable when I'm away and you are smart enough so I shall put you in charge of this household when I am away." Lord Han said.

"Don't you think that Seungjae should be, He is six years older than me, he probably has more experience in running the household." Seunghyeonjeong said.

"I didn't ask you to run the household and besides, Seungjae has a love life he should be seriously taking care of so tell him I gave him an ultimatum that by the time I return he should tell me the girl he is in love with.

I am asking you to protect the family on my behalf and to look after your mother, walk with her because she is always lonely I suppose.

Give her some company and do some of the chores with her, that way, she won't tend to feel lonely like she usually is." Lord Han said.

"Yes father." Seunghyeonjeong replied.

"Alright then, I guess I better get going." Lord Han said as they boths good up from the bed and Lord Han walked outside.

Seunghyeonjeong walked out of his father's Chambers when he suddenly remembered that he had been preparing some medicine for his father in the kitchen.

"Father's medicine." He said to himself as he turned around and dashed to the kitchen.

In the meantime, Lord Han had already gotten onto the carriage with his luggage and the horses had started to move that by the time that Seunghyeonjeong got out of the gate they were out of sight.

"Young Master." Mr. Song called.

"What is it that is bothering you?" He added.

"Father forgot his medicine." Seunghyeonjeong said.

"Pardon me but he left shortly ago and catching up to him on foot will take a while since he was very much in a hurry." Mr. Song said.

"Are there any Messengers around that I can have deliver the medicine to him?" Seunghyeonjeong asked.

"Not really, everyone else is busy doing something else." Mr. Song replied.

"Then have a horse prepared for me as soon as possible." Seunghyeonjeong said.

"But Young Master, you are still too young and your father insisted that I never let you anywhere near that horse until you are sixteen years old." Mr. Song cautioned.

"This is a matter of father's own health, I am very certain that he will understand the good cause of it." Seunghyeonjeong said.

"Young Master." Mr. Song insisted.

"You better hurry Mr. Song, I don't want to miss father even slightly, it might have a toll on his health." Seunghyeonjeong said.

"Alright young Master, I shall have it set for you as fast as possible." Mr. Song said as he walked back into the Manor and left Seunghyeonjeong waiting at the entrance.

It was very early in the morning when the Imperial guards arrived at the front of the Inn in which the Crown Prince Gyeongjeong had spent the previous night.

They had been escorted by the Grand Prince Gyeongseongmun and they had come to halt their horses right outside as they dined in the lobby.

The Crown Prince had managed to calm down and he did not resist when they talked about taking him back into the city a couple of miles in the valley.

Gwangyang as a capital was surrounded by hills and it rested slightly above the sea level facing the South Geosan sea.

It had both the splendid daylight view and the extreme night time cold.

"Your Highness." The Inn keeper said as the Crown Prince descended down from his room.

He only turned a blind eye and a deaf ear as his mind was far away elsewhere.

Prince Gyeongseongmun upon beholding his brother's presence was so delighted, he eventually walked over to him.

"Brother, this way." He showed him out of the Inn.

The Crown Prince only gave off a wan smile at his brother.

"I'll join you out, let me sort things out with the inn keeper, in the mean time, you and all the others can go to the capital." Prince Gyeongseongmun said.

"Hmmm." Gyeongjeong muttered affirmatively as he continued with the rest of the Imperial guards.

It was right that very moment that the Crown Prince had walked out of the Inn when Lord Han's carriage passed by heading in the opposite direction.

The Crown Prince only watched as the carriage disappeared out of sight and then he shrugged as he went ahead to mount his horse.

He then started a very short ride downhill and slowly as the air brushed against his face and thought about the boy that he'd seen the previous day.

There was something about that face that kept on intriguing him with each and every other moment that went by.

Something interesting about remembering those charmingly outstanding features the young boy wore.

He was the best thing that had ever happened to the Crown Prince in all the twenty two years of his life and as he rode down hill in his absentmindedness, he did not notice Seunghyeonjeong riding a brown stallion past him.

"How was he?" Prince Gyeongseongmun asked the Inn keeper.

"He came here depressed and lifeless and judging from his expression I could tell that something awful had happened to him." the Inn keeper said.

"He must be going through a hard time." Prince Gyeongseongmun muttered.

"In deed it seemed he was but then casually at some point, he smiled and I couldn't help but wonder what made him constantly smile like that.

He was smiling at the moon for almost the whole Night and I could see him all the way from the tree outside where I was seated." The Inn keeper added.

"He smiled?" Prince Gyeongseongmun said so shocked by the Inn keeper's words.

"He did." The Inn keeper confirmed which made the grand Prince wonder all the more.

"That's basically everything that happened to him yesterday when he arrived here." The Inn keeper added.

"What would make my brother happy the day that his baby is stillborn?" Prince Gyeongseongmun asked himself.

"Is there anything else you need to know?" The Inn keeper asked after noticing that the Grand Prince had briefly zoned out back there.

"No, nothing, here is your payment and extra." Prince Gyeongseongmun replied as he took from his bag three taels of silver.

"Thank you so much Sir, you are really very considerate." The Inn keeper said.

"No, I should thank you for taking care of the Crown Prince for me, if it weren't for you, I would have lost my job." The Grand Prince said intentionally trying to conceal the fact that the Crown Prince Gyeongjeong was his brother.

The Grand Prince stood up and kowtowed to the Inn keeper as the Inn keeper did the same thing in return and he turned and walked out of the Inn.

At that moment, the Grand Prince standing on the porch noticed a mass of dust rising accompanied by a young rider on a horse wearing a navy blue beaded hat.

The rider's face was veiled to prevent him from breathing in the rising dust that followed him the faster his horse went.

He didn't care at first until something else that was hanging at the side of the young man's robe caught his sight.

Even at a distance, the Grand Prince could see a pendant that was very familiar, he'd seen it before but he was not certain where so he strained his mind a little bit more.

At last, he recalled it, that halved Jade pendant that he had received seven years ago from that peasant boy who had sneaked into the palace.

"It could be that one, it must be that one." He thought to himself until something came into his mind at that very moment.

The Grand Prince watched as the rider disappeared out of his sight slowly that he was forced to mount his horse and head off in a direction that was opposite from that which he was supposed to be headed.

He rode fast after the strange looking rider who was slowly vanishing from his sight.

Seunghyeonjeong rode a very fast horse and the problem with it was the fact that he wasn't yet a very skilled rider.

He kept on kicking the horse and accelerating it's speed that it didn't occur to him even once stopping would be a very difficult thing for him.

"Father." Seunghyeonjeong shouted after the carriage that he was chasing after and it seemed that the carriage was starting to gradually slow down.

Seunghyeonjeong was happy that the carriage had stopped and the moment that he saw his father's Coachman getting off, he was relieved.

The Grand Prince who was following the young man noticed by instinct that an accident was bound to happen any time soon and just as he had predicted Seunghyeonjeong made an attempt to stop the horse.

The horse stood on its hind legs and neighed that with Seunghyeonjeong not tightly holding it by the reins was thrown backwards.

The Grand Prince who was then closer by a few metres stood up and then stepped on the horse's head lightly.

He was propelled to fly right in time that out of the blue, Seunghyeonjeong noticed a certain grip tightening itself around his waist.

His body had leaned back into a warm muscular physique and the Grand Prince span him in mid air that he ended up facing him as they turned around until safely landing down while looking at each other.

"Young Master." Minister Han's coach man called when he noticed something flying in his direction that he hurriedly got a hold of it before it landed on the ground.

Looking at the things inside, he knew it there and then it was medicine for his master that he did not waste any time and he left with the medicine straight away.

Seunghyeonjeong was left staring into the eyes of the Grand Prince Gyeongseongmun and the Grand Prince stared back at him also intrigued by the magnificent glow and spark in the stranger's eyes.

There was a rush of very many emotions and a mild wind blew about them still bending like an opera couple surrounded by trees and the light whistle of the wind.

"Seunghyeonjeong, think." He thought to himself and then he pushed the Grand Prince Gyeongseongmun away.

"Wait." The Grand Prince halted him when he noticed the halved Jade pendant clearer that time around and he recalled the peasant boy he'd seen at the palace.

"It is the perfect half." The Grand Prince concluded in his mind and started to put his hand into his clothes.

Seunghyeonjeong's first thought was that the man in front of him might be pulling out a secret weapon and in retaliation without a clear conscience, Seunghyeonjeong brought a Kick towards the Grand Prince who guarded it and got a hold of his shoulder.

Seunghyeonjeong hit the Grand Prince's right hand away but the Grand Prince caught him with his left hand again.

Seunghyeonjeong turned around to intentionally trip the Grand Prince but the Grand Prince jumped up his feet missed that he got ceased by his hands this time around.

Seunghyeonjeong tried to turn around to break free and toss the Grand Prince away but himself being smaller flew off the ground into mid air as they exchanged a sharp glance at each other and eventually let go backing up so slowly but remaining on their feet.

"You have some good skills." The Grand Prince said but Seunghyeonjeong didn't say a word after he comprehended what he had done in a swift thought becoming short of words.

He had given the Grand Prince a number of strikes enough to have him beheaded and he had disobeyed his order to halt.

There was one last possible refuge to save him and that was to run away.

Seunghyeonjeong picked up the soil on the ground and threw it at the Prince who got distracted enough for him to jump onto his horse and ride off.

By the time that the Grand Prince strained his eyes and saw through the dust, the young stranger's horse had long vanished from sight with it's rider that the Grand Prince in fury struck the nearby bamboo tree.

He reached out into his clothes and slowly he pulled out the other halved Jade pendant that he'd kept with himself and moved with all those years.

"I can't believe it." He murmured to himself.

"After all these years I finally got the chance to see you again but now I have lost you." He lamented.

Tightening his grip on the Jade pendant, he pulled it closer to his chest in a hearty and warm embrace as his mind wandered away to the rider that he had met.