Juyeon trudged through the woods, clutching the bottle of water in his hands. He doubted that Hyunjae was supposed to give it to him, after all, the King and Queen had probably sent him out hoping he'd die.

Maybe he deserved to.

Hot tears fell down his cheeks as he tried to push the thought away. Dayeong would scold him for thinking such things, but he couldn't help feeling that he'd ruined her life. If only he'd stayed away, maybe she would be okay.

Still, he wanted to get back to her. Perhaps it was selfish. Perhaps she really would be better off without him. But he was going to find his way back.

As he struggled through the woods, it was the memories of her that kept him going.

The way her small fingers curled around the fabric of his shirt as they slept side by side.

The way her smile managed to light up every room that she entered.

The teasing, sparkling look in her eyes every time she ran into his arms.

Her heartbroken sobs as he was taken away.

Every moment with her played so vividly at the back of his mind. For a desperate moment, he tried to imagine they were walking side by side right now. His hand in hers, and they were going on an adventure. They were just two average people in love.

But the illusion shattered quickly, and reality set in.

He had no idea where he was. Well, okay, he had a general idea. A very general idea. But who knew how long he'd be stumbling around the forest before he'd finally be able to find his way to the city?

At the back of his mind, he knew that his training had prepared him for situations like this.

But his heart was aching. The pain of heartbreak was becoming too much to bear.

He tripped, falling to his knees.

"I'll rest," he whispered to himself, lying down on the grass and closing his eyes. "I'll rest a bit and then I'll keep going. I'll find my way back to you Dayeong... I promise," he said softly, breathing his words into the wind and hoping that somehow, they'd make their way back to her.

***

When he woke up, he was in someone's house. In someone's bed.

He sat up, alarm coursing through him as he stumbled to the door, opening it to find a family, both cooing over their baby girl.

"You're awake!" the man said brightly. He looked around Juyeon's age, but he couldn't be sure. He rubbed the back of his head, feeling disoriented as the man walked over to him.

"How did I get here?" he asked, looking around the place in confusion. It was small and cute, a log cabin, it seemed.

"I found you passed out in the woods. You looked sick, so I picked you up and dragged you back here. Come, have something to eat," the man said, ushering him over to the table.

"I'm Jungwoo, this is my wife Seoyeon, and our daughter, Yumi. She's a year old," he said, pride shining in his eyes.

Juyeon sat down at the table, wishing that he could smile and be happy for them. But the baby girl just reminded him of Dayeong, and of the baby he wasn't sure if he'd ever get to see. Tears rolled down his cheeks, rather against his will.

Seoyeon's smiling face suddenly turned to panic. "Hey... don't do that... are you... Jungwoo," she said desperately, looking up at her husband for help.

"What's wrong?" Jungwoo asked, sitting down next to him. "Is there anything you need? Anything we can do to help you? Why were you all alone in the forest anyway?"

"Do you have a phone?" Juyeon whispered. "I can show you," he said softly, unable to tell them himself. He felt as though he'd truly fall apart if he was expected to explain aloud.

Jungwoo passed him his cellphone, and Juyeon typed in keywords relating to the royal wedding. He found an article on it and passed the phone to Jungwoo and his wife. They read it over in silence, more and more shock written on their faces the farther they got into the article.

"So, you're the father?" Jungwoo said, putting the phone down. "And they sent you away? Is that it?"

"That's so cruel," Seoyeon whispered.

"That sums it up," Juyeon said. "Can you... can you help me?" he asked tentatively, his gaze on their baby girl. "I need to get back to her. Somehow." But as soon as he said that, he realized that he was asking a lot. He realized that they might get in trouble for housing him. "Nevermind," he said quickly, standing up. "I'll be on my way-"

"You sit back down right now," Seoyeon said sternly.

He hesitated for a moment, then did as he was told.

"We won't get into any trouble," Jungwoo said as if he'd been reading Juyeon's mind. "You weren't officially exiled, so it's not like we'd get into any trouble," he said, pushing a plate of food over to him. "Eat," he ordered. "You need your strength if you're going to go back."

"I think he should wait a little while," Seoyeon said softly, watching Yumi clumsily pick up a spoonful of food and bring it to her mouth. "I know it'll seem like an eternity for the both of you," she said, giving Juyeon a sympathetic look. "But it'll be safer. Right now, they're probably expecting you to come back. Wait a little bit, and it'll be easier to sneak back to her."

Jungwoo nodded, agreeing. "Plus, if you're caught again, they might imprison you or something, and that wouldn't be good."

"Save your strength, and pray a lot," Seoyeon said, her voice gentle. "We'll do everything we can to get you back to her. I promise."

I promise.

Promises were scary.

He had promises that he was also determined to keep.

So he decided to put his trust in this family. He decided to listen to them.

He would get back to Dayeong. He would do everything in his power to make sure of it.