30 Their Story Part 1

We met 6 years ago, when I was only nine years old and he was 13.

At that time I lived together with my aunt and uncle but I never felt like I was a part of the family. I was seen though eyes of pity and under the label of being the village chief's niece. I was never mistreated or bullied but I was lonely and isolated.

My aunt and uncle had two sons of their own and they spent their time either taking care of the village or on their children. They had no time for me.

The other kids in the village did not play with me, in fact, they tried to be as far as they can from me because I am an 'outsider', someone from another clan. had it not been for my relationship with their chief I would of been forced out of the village. This is why I am grateful for my uncle and aunt.

They are under the obligation to take care of me because my father left a will asking them to. They obeyed his wishes and when I was old enough to understand they told me loud and clear that I will have to leave at 14.

Life could never have been more dull for nine years until he came into my life. Each day I went through the same routines and ate the same types of food. It must have been the realization that my time here is limited that I became more quiet. The responsibilities and pressure helped me to mature faster than kids of the same age around me.

I did not expect much of my life until he came into my life.

He arrived at the beginning of the summer. He came on a horse and two men behind him. That day his arrival had everyone talking and discussing. Some said that he is a runaway prince while other say that he is a theif. But when one of his men showed a piece of paper to my uncle and had a giant box be carried into uncle's house, all these rumors died down.

He immediately became the focus of all the village girls with his good looks. Each day the girls would be crowded around him and would invite him to play.

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"Yan ge, Yan ge~ Come play with me." Girl A pleaded as she tugged at his sleeve.

"Eh but-" He seemed to be troubled as another girl, Girl B, also began pleading him.

"Come play with me!" She pulled at his left arm. She then turned towards Girl A and said. "Get your hands off of him! He's mine!"

Girl A's face grew red with anger and she yanked his sleeve harder. "No. He's mine!"

"No he is not yours, he's going to be playing with me!" Girl C joined into the fight along with Girl D, E, F and so on.

I sighed as I shook my head. I'm sitting under the shades of an oak tree reading through a book I had secretly taken from my uncle's house.

I flipped a page as I dove back into the world of books. I did not know how long I read for but I had been too occupied to pay attention to what was happening on the outside. I was brought back to reality when someone slid down and bumped into me.

"Huh?" I looked around to see Yanjing making the hand motions to keep it a secret that he's here.

I looked around an dsaw the mob of girls trying to find him. "No wonder." I whispered.

I looked down back into my book and being myself while he hid behind the tree and in the shades until the crowd finally dispersed.

"They're gone now." I commented and flipped another page.

"Whew. Finally." He stood out and wiped his brows.

"Must be hard." I said without looking up.

"Huh? It's okay I guess, it's worse in the city." He answered.

This caught my attention. "The city? So you come from there."

He nodded. "Yeah."

"I've never been to the city." I commented.

He sat down next to me and flashed me a smile. "Then let me tell you then."

I did not expect him to sit next to me and it was enough to make my heartbeats go messy. When he smiled, I felt a sudden jolt and my cheeks flushed. Thankfully he did not notice and was too occupied with talking about the city. From what I remember, he told me that he came from Crystal City but because he felt that living in the city was too boring, he came here. He described the streets of the city and the vendors and people. He spoke about the pavilions and parties he's been to and the banquests he's eaten at. For once in my life I felt this unexplanable warmth inside me as he talked.

That day became the most important day of my life.

And from that day on he began to notice me and had asked others about me.

"Oh she? Do you Xing? She's from another village but unluckily her village was destroyed and burned when she was born. Her parents also died during that catastrophe. The only reason why she's here is because her father and the chief are brothers. Apparently her father had asked chief to take care of here so that's why she's here." This did not prevent him from ignoring me like the others.

In fact we grew closer. That summer we would hang out everyday and would share bits and peices of ourselves. He told me about the food in the city and what type of clothing is in fashion. He never told me about his identity and I had assumed that he was the son of a merchant because of how much he knew.

When summer ended he left and promised to come back next year. From that year on, I can't help but to look forward to next summer.