When I turned 12, my mother made me start wearing cloaks when I went into town. She said it was safer if I started to hide myself from the eyes of the guards. That I should always do my best not to attract their attention. I didn't understand at the time what she meant, but I never argued with her. Besides, I rarely went to town anyhow.
That is probably why it took me so long to notice how the older girls, the ones that refused to hide themselves away from sight, seemed to vanish.
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When I turned 14, mother made me start dressing like a boy, binding my chest and cutting my (h/c) hair short like the boys that ran around the docks. People didn't really pay attention to the fact that a new face had shown up in town, more concerned with keeping their families safe from unwanted attention.
I quickly learned that smudging a little dirt on my (s/c) face and clothes helped me blend in even better and kept eyes from staring at my face for too long. I even began to enjoy the freedom that came with pretending to be a boy.
I did not, however, care for the fist fights most boys had and was quick to show them that although I didn't like to fight, it didn't mean I couldn't. Thank goodness for father teaching me how to fight dirty when mom wasn't looking.
Most of the boys soon learned to leave me out of their fights, the rest just went home with more bruises than usual on those days.
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By the time I turned 16, I'd grown used to having to wrap my chest by myself each morning, trimming my short (h/c) hair each week in the mirror and tending to the garden behind the house I lived in.. Once every two weeks, I would travel to the forest and gather the herbs I used for cooking and medicine.
I'd learned out of necessity how to survive on my own, my mother having disappeared shortly before I turned 15 and father himself vanishing shortly thereafter. It was a choice of learning how to live or deciding how to die. And I refused to give up after my mother had worked so hard to keep me safe.
It was during one of the warm days of summer, while out picking some of the herbs that grew along the cliffs, that I saw the ship for the first time. The next day, while trading some of the herbs I had gathered for needed supplies, I heard news of one of Kum-Ji's ships having been attacked by pirates during the night.
I wondered if there was a connection, but dismissed the thought as foolish. I doubt pirates would be so easy to spot. But it was still fun to pretend, so I continued to watch for the ship each time I went near the cliffs, imagining the amazing battles they could have.
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It was on my 17th birthday that I saw something amazing. I was laying down along the cliffs and watching the tiny figures of people moving about the boat below, when suddenly one of them jumped, vanishing from my sight. Feeling the edge of a blade against my neck, I froze.
"Who are you spying for?" His voice made my blood run cold as I began to shake quietly in fear.
"I don't spy for anyone or anything, other than to satisfy my own curiosity." I tried desperately not to punch him, still wanting to celebrate another birthday next year. I might be able to fight, but even I was smart enough to know I couldn't win against someone as fast as him. At least, not while he already had a knife to my throat.
I let out a breath of relief when I felt the blade move away from my (s/c) skin, but it was short lived when I suddenly felt myself being flipped over onto my back. I found myself staring wide-eyed up into a narrowed purple eye, one being hidden behind his green bangs. I could feel my breath catch as his face came closer before he stopped, less than a foot between us as he stared down at me.
"Are you a girl? You're so beautiful!" I could almost see the sparkles floating around him as he suddenly broke into a smile, leaning just a tiny bit closer to me. I didn't even have time to think before I found myself pushing him away and climbing to my feet.
"Get away from me you pervert!" The growl in my voice seemed to shock him just a tiny bit before he began smiling even wider. I had a feeling my day was only going to get worse from here.
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During the next few weeks, I could barely step outside without finding Jae-ha, the name he gave me, waiting to 'talk' to me. No matter what I said or did to try and get him to leave me alone, he seemed determined to spend time with me, usually either telling me I should start dressing in ways more suited to my 'beauty', flirting outrageously or asking me to go on a date.
No matter how many times I refused, it just seemed to make him more eager. I refused to give in just to get him to stop, since there was no guarantee that he would in fact stop once I said yes.
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It was another month before I began making him lunch during his visits. I almost laughed at how happy he looked, his cheeks slightly pink as I finally allowed him inside my home for the first time. I decided at that moment, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to become friends with this man. It was nice to hear someone call me (y/n) again, instead of the fake boys name I had been using for so many years.
The thought was only more appealing when he seemed to enjoy every meal I prepared for him, be it something as simple as soup or one of the more complex meals I had learned before mother vanished.
It had been years since I had learned to make them, but as I spent more time with Jae-ha I found myself wanting to see if I could still remember them, just to see if he would smile while he ate the meal with me.
And I guess it wouldn't hurt to let my (h/c) hair grow out a bit, since even Jae-ha had longer hair than I did.
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The weather had been turning colder as the weeks flew by and I wore heavier clothes to keep warm. Jae-ha frowned at me, saying I shouldn't be hiding my beauty in such ugly clothing since he would be more than happy to keep me warm. He just smiled at me when I hit him and walked back inside my home.
Since he had begun bringing supplies from town, saying he didn't want me walking that far in the cold, I had fallen completely out of current events in the world around me unless Jae-ha happened to mention it. For once, I didn't mind not knowing what was going on in Awa Port.
I felt safe with Jae-ha checking on me each day.
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The weather finally began warming up enough to change back to lighter clothing and I wanted to surprise Jae-ha when he came to visit again tomorrow. I made my way to town as soon as he left for the day, carefully thinking of what I could afford to buy. It couldn't be anything too fancy since I didn't have a lot of money saved up.
Making sure my hair was well hidden and my bandages tight, I made my way into town and headed for the needed shop. It was nearly an hour later that I came out with my purchase carefully wrapped and placed in my pack, ready to head back home. And I would have, if a guard hadn't stumbled into me, knocking me to the ground along with the hat I wore.
All I could do was look up with fear in my (e/c) as I felt my hair brush against my shoulders.
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It was two days before I was loaded into a ship, now wearing the (f/c) dress I had bought to wear for Jae-ha, my (h/c) hair loose and tumbling across my shoulders. I didn't bother trying to hide the tears that ran down my cheeks, my once healthy (s/c) skin now pale from the constant fear that kept me from sleep.
As night fell and the boat began moving, I began praying that the boat would sink into the water long before it reached its destination and I was sold into slavery. I would rather die than let some strange man put his hands on me. I knew what would happen to most, if not all, of the females on the boat with me and we would be better off dead in body before the life ahead of us could kill our spirits.
Exhaustion had set in and my eyes were slowly closing shut when the sounds of battle made me sit upright, my hands struggling against the ropes that bound my wrists as I tried to figure out what was happening. My heart was racing for what felt like hours, but was likely just minutes, before the sounds quieted down and I could hear footsteps coming closer from the other side of the door.
I moved closer to the door, ready to try and force my way past, when the door openned and I saw a face I had been longing to see since I had been captured.
"Jae-ha!" I rushed up to him, wishing I could wrap my arms around him as he stood there frozen in shock. I had just started to move back again when I felt an arm pull me closer as fingers started to run through my hair. Relaxing against him, I rested my head against his chest and listened to his heart beating against my ear.
"(Y/n), I found you. I finally found you. Please promise me you'll never disappear like that again, my beautiful (y/n). I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you." His quiet voice washed over me, soothing me as I made my promise to him.
Cutting the ropes that bound me and the other girls, he lead us upstairs to the deck. I could see a ship coming closer, calling out to him, before I felt myself lifted into strong arms. Before I could even react, I felt the air suddenly racing past as we seemed to fly through the air. Minutes later we were standing outside my home, my heart still racing from having been carried through the air like that.
"I'll keep you safe now, so if you ever need something from town again, tell me and I will get it for you. Don't go back there again, ok? It's not safe enough for you anymore. Promise me you'll let me keep you safe?" I could hear the worry in his voice and it make my heart warm.
"I promise, Jae-ha. I'll stay here for you. I won't go anywhere without you. Because I love you." I blushed at him before leaning forward and placing a small kiss on his quickly reddening cheek.
"Then I'll keep you safe forever, my beautiful (y/n). I love you too." I leaned against him as I felt his arms wrap around me, protecting me from the world.
And even as the years passed by, I never once broke my promise as my world shrunk down to Jae-ha, my house, and the cliff-side where I would watch him leap about the boat as it rested on the waves below.