"It's raining soon."
She was right. The clouds were rolling in, the distant thunder already growled from where they sat. The sun stopped shining hours ago. But Jin-Ae wanted to go out and play. Jisung just couldn't turn down his sister like that. And he guessed he forgot about the upcoming weather. He was too focused on his training to notice the thundering clouds.
"We should go back," Jisung murmurs to the young girl sitting ways away, lowering his wooden sword. Jin-Ae tilts her head to the side, scoffing and chucking leaves at her brother, only for them to ultimately fall to the floor.
"Why? We could play in the rain!"
The thunder continued on, Jisung staring warily at the darkening sky. It was raining soon.
"Mother doesn't want us to return soaking wet, now come on," the young boy hisses, grabbing Jin-Ae hand and dragging her down the path. Even with her constant whines and heels digging into the dirt, Jisung continued to drag her. Even when the first drops of water fell to their heads, kissing their cheeks, even when the next second or two brought an increasing downpour.
"Oraeboni!" She whines, Jisung huffing as he halts. "Why can't we play in the rain! I wanna play in the rain!"
Jisung tensed when he noticed the lightning flash across the sky, thunder booming seconds after. He grips the wooden sword tighter, jumping back when another flash of lightning scares the both of them.
"You know what? Nevermind. Let's go home," Jin-Ae shivers, nudging Jisung's hand that gripped hers, ignoring the stinging pain it brought.
"Jin-Ae! Wait!" Jisung calls after her once she runs ahead. Jin-Ae bolts into their homestead, her bright, silken hanbok soaked in water, trailing water across the wood floor. Once the handmaids noticed her, they immediately took her away, afraid that she would succumb to a fever any second.
Leaving Jisung alone.
He huffs, sitting out on the porch and placing his practice sword on the floor, pulling off his boots and drenched socks.
He hated rain. He hated stormy weather. He hated summer because of how much it rained, how many storms that come their way.
He tries to convince himself that most of that hatred comes from not being able to train properly and perfect his sword-fighting. But he knew that some of that came from the fear of it all. But he shouldn't be so scared. He needed to protect Jin-Ae! And a swordsman wouldn't have time to fear storms.
Jisung yelped when loud thunder boomed, scrambling back further into the porch as his wide eyes stared up at the gray sky.
"Jisung." The young boy glances up, clearing his throat and straightening himself when he recognized his mother standing on the porch beside him, smiling and holding her skirt- probably standing long enough to witness the pathetic display of weakness, even if the young boy tried to play it off. "Ignore me all you want, I saw that."
Jisung pouts as he returns to sitting at the edge of the porch, the overhangs providing enough shelter that only his feet got wet.
"I'm not scared!" Jisung haughtily says, furrowing his eyebrows as he tries to wring out the water from the ends of silken hanbok. He was probably only ruining the fabric, but he needed something to distract him from the embarrassment. "I just accidentally got a splinter!"
His mother kneeled beside him, humming as the water fell from their roofs, trickling to the floor in harmonizing drops.
"Jisung, it's okay to be afraid of storms, you know," his mother hums, patting his matted hair.
"Who says I was scared? Swordsmen don't have fear!" Jisung exclaims. "Han Jisung is too busy training to have fear."
"Sure they do. Swordsmen probably has the most fear. They have to protect themselves and the people around them and that brings in a lot of anxiety," she sighs, Jisung yelping when his mother hits his back sharply. "Yah. I told you it was going to rain today. Look what you did to your sister-"
"Sorry!" Jisung held up his arms in defense, scrambling back and bowing. "I forgot! And she really wanted to play."
His mother sighs, furrowing her eyebrows as they continued to stare out to the court. The rain covering everything- the ground, the garden, the buildings and the walls that blocked off their property.
"You know, storms help strengthen life? They water the plants, they take away the dying ones to give way for new and healthier plants to bloom." Jisung leans into the hand that settled on his back, rubbing soothing shapes into his silken hanbok. "I know they seem scary, but sometimes things that seem bad aren't all bad. Sometimes they're all good."
"Mother, I told you, I'm not-"
Jisung whines when a hand hit the back of his head, his hands rubbing the spot with a pout as tears welled in his eyes.
"Yah. If you keep saying you're not scared- you are. And one way to not be scared is to admit you're scared. How are you going to be a swordsman when you don't even have enough courage to admit your cowardice?" His mother scoffs, Jisung staring at her wide-eyed. "Seriously, you're as arrogant as your sister. Where did you two even inherit that??"
Was that really true? Admitting cowardice was much more courageous than denying it? Wasn't being a swordsman all about standing tall no matter the situation? To Jisung, all of that sounded like hooey. His mother was probably spouting nonsense that even she probably didn't understand. But of course, Jisung couldn't say any of that out loud...
He wouldn't be able to live to see his eighth birthday.
"Don't stay out too late," his mother hums, patting his head as he continued to stare out at the rain, the storm that continued to rage on.
He reaches for his wooden sword, wiping it down with his sleeve.
He won't be scared. That only brings on hesitation, and Han Jisung, even in the face of danger, never hesitates.
YOU ARE READING
Almost Killing the Prince | Minsung ✓
Fanfiction[C O M P L E T E D] The last thing Jisung thought would threaten his life was a job offer and a crown prince. He'd think alcohol poisoning would get to him first, or the menace of Goguryeo guards at his heels. But here he was, at the mercy of the c...
