The Stolen Princess And The Blind Prince

Mi-hee watched Wulin's breathing. His c.h.e.s.t rose and fell with ease. He and Rice Pudding had been given the antivenom about an hour ago. In that time Rice Pudding had woken up, acted like a drunkard, and then fell back asleep. Her grandmother had assured her that this was good. Now, they we all waiting for Wulin to wake up.

Mama Peach had tended to the group's wounds. Mi-hee had suffered small bruises on her knees from fighting in the kitchen, so she was given something to keep them from swelling and aching. Mama Peach had wrapped Rice Pudding in a roll-and-a-half of bandages.

"The cuts were superficial." She had said then, "It was the poison that got him…"

Back then Mi-hee nodded, asking how her grandma had gotten so good at administering aid.

"Bar fights," was the old woman's answer.

Now, Mi-hee watched Wulin lie on the mat. She held her knees to her c.h.e.s.t. Since all the fighting had finished, and the guards had taken the bandits away, she realized how late it was. She blinked. Her chin felt so comfortable on her knees. She was leaning back, back, back… until she bumped something.

"You can go to sleep…" Porridge said.

"Ah! N-no! I'm ok. I'm awake." Mi-hee said, straightening her posture.

The two of them sat back-to-back. While she watched Wulin, he watched his little brother, Rice Pudding. Mama Peach and Boulder were downstairs, moving the unbroken chairs and tables back to where they were.

Honestly, she had forgotten he was there. He hadn't said anything since... since earlier. From what she could remember, she was fighting in that smoke cloud. Then the cloud disappeared and she had fallen over. She couldn't move, and she couldn't see anything; her grandmother's broad back blocked her view.

Then, the three of them were set free and the weird haze was gone. Wulin and Rice Pudding had been poisoned. And in the corner was a strange woman and… and…

"Porridge." Mi-hee's thoughts slipped onto her tongue, "You're really strong..."

"So?"

"So where were you while we were getting beat up? When the fighting was over, I saw you. You had beaten their leader. Easily."

She felt his back move. He was looking at her. She was too tired to care. Mi-hee stayed where she was, chin tucked neatly between her knees. She just thought… that sitting in silence like this didn't feel right. She wanted answers.

"I don't like fighting."

"So, you're a coward?"

"No, I used to love fighting. Now I don't anymore. It's simple as that."

"It's never 'as simple as that.' You're just a coward, a leech. You only care about Rice Pudding and yourself."

Porridge sighed.

"You're tired. You should go to sleep."

"It's hard to sleep with my knees like this," she lied. "Maybe as an apology you should explain yourself."

Porridge was silent.

"Fine," he finally said.

Mi-hee had felt herself nodding off just moments before. She listened as he told his story.

"Our parents were travelers, finally settling down in the forest. That's where I lived for the first eight years of my life. It was my home. Then one day, there was a forest fire. My parents had died saving my little brother.

We were orphans, handed off to our uncle. He and his family lived a town away, in the middle of the city. My little brother and I… we were treated like trash for two years. Back then Ryung -Rice Pudding, would hide in these little places. He was small, even for a kid his age. I was bigger, and easier to find. Back then I would lash out. Punching and kicking. It got so bad that our dear uncle's charity suddenly evaporated. He kicked us out, a ten-year-old, and a five-year-old.

We didn't care. We were finally free.

Rice Pudding had grown up on my bedtime stories about home. He wanted to grow up there, like I did. So, we set off… in the wrong direction. We went east instead of west. Eventually making a little treehouse for ourselves in the forest right outside of the capitol.

For three years, I lived off of fighting, begging, and stealing. Every day we would wake up, then eat breakfast. I would drop Ryung off at the library. Then wander over to the merchant quarter, and steal. If I got caught, I would beg. If that didn't work, I would fight.

Then one day, when I was around Ryung's age, I got invited to an underground fighting arena. I was the heel. I was expected to put on a good show, but throw. That was how I made all my money. By manager would tell me which matches to throw, and when. Not all of them of course, that would've been too obvious.

And we got away with it.

I was happy. My little brother had new clothes. His own bed. I didn't have to ration food for him anymore. I didn't have to steal or beg anymore. All I had to do was fight, and soak up some bruises. I loved it.

One day, there was a fight my manager told me to throw. With how much I was getting paid for it, the other guys must've been in on it. That, and how much shit he was talking.

He was a scrawny guy. Threw weak punches. Pale complexion, perfect skin and hair. A blue-blood who wanted to fight without fighting. Not that I minded, gold was the only color I cared about.

I guess I wasn't selling hard enough, because the guy grabs me by my hair and says 'You better put in a little more effort. Wouldn't want little Ryung meeting my men face-to-face…"

I don't remember what happened after that.

No, that's a lie. I remember throwing the hardest punches I could. I remember the wet 'crunch,' from wherever I hit him. Everything else, is a blur.

Stupidly, I just went home. Like nothing happened. Rice Pudding was asleep in my bed, snoring away. I fell asleep too.

The next morning, I went through my routine. Wake up, breakfast, drop off Ryung. As I made my way to buy food, I was stopped by some guards, and arrested. They told me I had assaulted someone important.

They threw me in jail. I was too young to just be executed, so they finally decided that I would be sold. They called it 'community service,' but it was an auction.

But I didn't care about any of that. I just needed to know if my little brother was safe. I had been locked in that jail cell for over a month. I didn't know how to read or write back then, so I could only hope to see him there.

And I did. He waved at me, but I saw that he wasn't alone. He sat between two men I didn't know. I feared the worst. Had that blue-blood gotten to him?

As my auction began, I realized I was being bid on by two parties. My little brother was one, and the other was… well I guess that doesn't matter right?"

Porridge nudged Mi-hee, but she was... soundly asleep.

He laughed to himself, wondering just how much of his story she had actually heard.

"All that matters," he muttered, "is that I'm here now."