Minho stepped outside the tent and breathed in the nice ocean air. The wind blowing through his hair, the fresh scent of the salt water fresh to his nostrils, he was where he wanted to be.
Bang Chan, Yongbok, and Minho had gone with a group of men to the ocean waterside where Chan had suggested the visit.
Min-hyung had stayed back to watch over the palace.
There was no way to tell if the Black Mask assassins would also target the Lee royals like they were the Han royals, but it was better to be safe.
Another reason why Minho had left the palace. Min-hyung had insisted he go somewhere safer until the men they had ordered from their home country arrived to help protect not just the Lee royals, but also that of the people living in the Han Palace.
The fresh fish the group had caught yesterday were drying by Yongbok's tent. Minho sat down and started to make a fire. It was better to cook the fish now so that they would be ready when the others woke up.
General Jeon was also already awake, having come with the royals. General Kim from the Han Palace had also tagged along. Minho wasn't sure if the general was sending letters back to the Han Palace about him, but he didn't really care anyway.
He was going to be heading back any day now to greet the new prince into the world. Princess Jeongyeon was about to pop.
And then he would have a nephew, Minho realized as sparks lit and smoke started to pour from starting fire. Not really, since Jisung didn't have any siblings, but the closest it would come for someone on Jisung's side of the family.
Minho laughed out loud, startling General Kim who sat on a log at the other side of the camp. That means that Jisung was his nephew's uncle as well, since Ji-eun had a single son at the moment.
The fire going, Minho pulled the fish from the string they hung from. He set them roasting over the fire before he went off to find his horse. It was time for a good ride.
Running over the sprawling sand hills was not the same as running over the grasslands back at the Han Palace, but it was still nice. Cho enjoyed the ride as usual. Minho let him run wherever he wanted.
The birds were singing in the small trees that stretched over the land as Minho finally pulled Cho to a stop. They were in a small forest now, away from the waterside.
"Walk," Minho ordered softly, urging Cho to walk slowly instead of running through the forest. The tall horses snorted, but did as he was told.
They wandered together for a while, enjoying nature, when Minho heard a call.
"... help..." cried a small voice, through a thicket of trees. "... help!"
Cho's ears twitched as he heard it too, rearing in the air nervously.
"Calm down!" Minho cried as he was nearly thrown off. He jumped off Cho and tied him to a tree before going to investigate.
There, he found a shocking scene.
A young woman trapped underneath a tree, crushing her lower body. A small infant slept at her side.
At least, Minho hoped it was sleeping.
He ran over quickly, finding that the woman's face was drained of color and could hardly call for his aid.
"Stay still," Minho ordered. He searched the area for something to prop under the tree to lift it off her body, but her small, frail hand reached out.
"D-don't!" she cried weakly. "Just listen!"
Minho stared at her. "What are you talking about? We have to get you out of here," he turned around. "Hold on, I'll get some others-"
"Please," she whispered, her voice barely making a noise.
Minho turned back with a frightened face as he leaned down again.
"M-my baby..." she managed to get out. "She's only eight months old... you must take her..."
"We have to get you out first!"
"D-don't..." she whispered. "I heard my own spine snap. My body has been crushed..." she wheezed. "I will die here. But please, sir..." she stared up at him. "She doesn't have a father. You must take her, or nobody will..."
Minho stared at her.
"You don't know me, and I don't know you, but please..." she gasped. "Take care of my baby. Her name is Hei-ran. Please..." she was drifting off, Minho could tell. "Take her."
Minho dragged his eyes from the dying woman over to her small baby, tucked in soft cloth as she slept. Her face was also pale, but not so much as her mother's, thankfully.
He gulped.
Yongbok was going to kill him.
"Don't worry," Minho whispered, turning back and brushing the hair out of the young mother's face. "I will take care of her."
It seemed like that was the final wish of a dying mother. As he said those words, her eyes closed and her heaving chest stilled.
Minho sat back, his face flashing with pain. He had just witnessed a woman die, right before his eyes, and was not able to do anything.
His promise ran through his head over and over. I will take care of her. I will take care of her. I will take care of her.
Minho leaned over and picked the small child up, brushing his finger over her cold face. "You must be freezing..." he whispered, smiling softly as the small baby girl smiled in her sleep as well. He sent a last look at the mother before he turned and walked back towards his horse, cradling the baby in his arms.
~oOo~
Having the big heart Minho did, he decided that he would keep the little baby girl himself. He would never be able to have children of his own, he had concluded, so he would take this little orphan himself.
And indeed, Yongbok had a great lot to say about him taking the baby girl. Saying how it was not proper, she was not of royal blood, he was too busy.
Of course, those words meant nothing to Minho as his world suddenly orbited this small girl.
He had sent word to his older siblings back home of what had happened and that he was taking the baby girl and going to be her parents himself.
Ji-eun quickly wrote back, encouraging Minho to do so.
His other brothers were not as encouraging, but Minho didn't care.
He even asked his older brother to make an official statement, making Hei-ran, without a last name, Princess Lee Hei-ran.
Min-hyuk had hesitated, but had eventually agreed that in the future, he would do so. Perhaps when Hei-ran could come visit them herself.
At the same time, the group of nobles and royals that were living in the San Palace were also preparing to head back to the Han Palace for a short visit. The baby had still not come yet, but the group was ready to leave as soon as they got the news.
Minho had not informed Jeongyeon or her cousin of what had happened in the Han Palace, finding that it was not necessary.
"General, you have to come see this!" Min-hyung laughed, staring out the palace into the large green fields that were meant for the horses.
General Jeon walked over with his eyes narrowed. "What is it?" he asked, staring down at the green hills.
He rolled his eyes.
In the fields where the horses were grazing, Minho walked with his new daughter, her tiny face lighting up with joy.
Yongbok's black horse, Hwan, the gentle gelding he had lent Seo Changbin when they were first coming to the Han Palace, wandered over and sniffed at the small baby in Minho's arms.
"He's literally obsessed with that baby..." General Jeon murmured as he watched Minho play with the small baby. "But I don't think he's ready to be a parent."
"You never know..." Min-hyung said, grinning as he set his chin on his arms. "I think Minho might not be the most mature, but perhaps being in charge of another life will help him learn to be."
The general sighed and turned away. "Whatever you say, my prince."
Minho sat down on a large silver stone, running his finger over Hei-ran's cheek. She laughed and grabbed for his finger. "Da!"
"That's right..." Minho smiled. "Da!"
"You're really starting to act like a middle aged man," Yongbok commented, coming from behind Minho. He gave Hei-ran a small wave and she laughed, pointing at him.
"What are you talking about?" Minho asked.
"I don't know..." Yongbok sat down in the grass next to the grey rock. "You're just different."
"That's fine with me," Minho murmured. He picked up the container full of mashed fruit from beside the baby and sighed. "I can't give her milk... she's weaned early."
Yongbok shrugged. "I'm not a doctor, I'm not sure what you're supposed to do with a baby."
"I'll figure it out," Minho fed a small piece of fruit to Hei-ran, who ate it quickly with a burp.
"How old is she again?" Yongbok asked.
Minho shrugged. "About nine months now, why?"
"No reason," Yongbok lay back in the grass. "When are we heading off to the Han Kingdom?"
"As soon as we get news that the baby has been born."
"Are you planning on taking Hei-ran with you?"
"Yes, I don't want to leave her here all alone," he glanced at Yongbok. "And no, I'm not going to say that she was born mine. If they ask, I'll tell them the truth."
"But, you see..." Yongbok scratched his head. "If later we name her as a princess, she won't truly be because she was adopted by you..."
"They don't have to know that," Minho muttered. "I will never tell the public that she was adopted. Only close people I know won't tell anyone."
"And you think the people in the Han Palace are close people who won't tell anyone?"
"..." Minho sighed. "I guess not."
"And she'll be seen as an illegitimate daughter of you, you know?"
"I don't plan on bringing her to the capital of the Han or Lee Kingdom," Minho said stiffly. "I don't want her to be around those types of people who will scrutinize her for being born who she is. She doesn't need that."
"See? You've totally changed!" Yongbok sat back up and stood, ready to walk back to the palace. "Come on, it's time for lunch."
Hei-ran giggled as her father picked her up and tucked her into his neck. "Don't listen to your uncle," he whispered in her ear, making her shriek happily. "He doesn't know anything!"
Together, the three of them walked back to the palace where Min-hyung and General Jeon were waiting for them there with grim looks on their faces.
"What is it?" Minho asked as he propped Hei-ran to his chest. "What's wrong?"
"There's been another attack on the Han Palace," Min-hyung said. "And not by the Black Masks this time. This time the men were in white, and they did not attack, but appeared to be looking for someone instead."
"Who were they looking for?" Minho asked, glancing between the general and his older brother.
The general winced and stared right at Minho. "You."