Part 1

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The sea was not as calm as usual. The traders were carrying their goods to be sold in huge ships. They had to guard their goods from the pirates. One of the Princes of India was also travelling with the traders. They were extremely cautious because they had to protect the Prince. They had to reach the port of Korkai which belonged to the Pandya kingdom, to be exact down South, India.

The southern sea was rough as well. The Prince visited the islands and bought gifts for the marriage that is going to happen in the capital. The Crown Prince was getting married. A lot of jewels and gifts were also carried with them. There were a few different ships as well with a different flag.

"Who is that?" the Prince asked. "They are also traders, your Highness. The flag belongs to Korea", the captain explained. "Where do you think that is heading to? Poompuhar or Korkai" he asked. "If they are here for pearls, they would come to us. If they brought silk to exchange, they may land in Poompuhar", he said.

"Your Highness", a sailor called him. "We are getting surrounded by pirates", he panicked. "They are travellers", he replied. "No, please look at that side", he gave him the antique binocular made of brass and copper.

He saw the ships with a skeleton flag. "Alert the soldiers. Alert the other travellers as well. Help them if they need", he said. "Your Highness, we don't have enough people to protect our goods, in this situation", the captain trailed off. "Our guests are important as well. They should be our priority", he said. To their surprise, their guests were also prepared.

They had soldiers in their ships. They sent a message through an arrow. To their surprise, it was in the native language. They were relieved that they had a translator there. 'We need to work together to safely escape from the pirates. Our Prince Kim Taehyung suggests that it will easy to defeat them together.'

They sent a reply letter agreeing to the proposal. The ships were kept close. The pirates started their attack. The soldiers gave tough fight as well. They didn't know that ships would be guarded with so much protection. Usually, there won't be any higher officials or royals, so it was easy to loot.

This time they tried to damage the properties and they partially succeeded. At the mid-fight, a pirate aimed the arrow to shoot Pandiyan Prince. "Your Highness! Be careful", the commander warned. Before they could shoot him, another arrow pierced his heart. Taehyung bowed slightly towards the Prince. He bowed back thanking him. Finally, the pirates were defeated.

Everyone cheered for the victory. "Your Highness, our ship is damaged", a soldier announced. "Our other ships are full. We need to reduce the weight of the ship by throwing some goods into the water. We have no other choice", they said. "These are for the wedding. I promised the King that I would deliver him. We can't give bad news on the auspicious occasion", he nervously said.

Taehyung noticed the chaos in the ship. Once again, he extended the helping hand. He agreed to take extra loads in his ships. The Pandiyan Prince went to Taehyung's ship. He expressed his gratitude for his kindness. The translators helped in the communication. "I am Kim Taehyung, Prince of Korea", he introduced himself.

"I am Korkai Pandiyan, the Prince of port city Korkai", he also introduced. "Are you not the one who is getting married?" Taehyung asked. "No, it's our Crown Prince who rules the mainland. I am in charge of ports and nearby areas", he explained. Both of them talked a bit about themselves. "Why a Prince himself has come to our country?" the commander asked Taehyung.

"We are here for pearls. I have heard a lot about your country. So, I wanted to visit at least for once", he explained. "You should definitely attend the wedding. Our King would be happy to have you there", Pandiyan invited. "You can visit the places as well", he offered.

Taehyung happily agreed. "Your Highness, where should we keep Princess y/n's portrait?" a soldier asked. "Give it to me, I will keep with my belongings", he received. Taehyung looked at the portrait. It was drawn in silk cloth. "It is my sister.

She insists that I should have one so that I won't forget to bring her the things she asked for", he explained. Taehyung smiled. He found it beautiful. "It's just an outline, but she looks beautiful", he thought to himself. They carried on with the rest of their journey talking about various topics.

Meanwhile in the harbour~

"Princess y/n, your brother is supposed to arrive in two days. You came earlier", your friend Meena announced. "Stop calling me Princess, I am here to send off one of the monks who taught me foreign languages. He wishes to visit other places", you said. "Why do you learn a lot of different languages?" she asked. "I don't know. I find it interesting", you smiled.

"Everyone is learning music and dance, while she is studying", another friend of yours joined you. "Studying is fun", you giggled. Your master left the country after giving you blessings. You deeply sighed. "What happened?" Meena asked you. "I really wish to travel on the ship and visit the countries across the world", you said.

"Stop dreaming and come back. We need to prepare the girls to take us to the wedding. The bride was the Princess of a neighbouring kingdom. There was always a little clash between the kingdoms. But, the wedding relationships continued to restore peace. The scholars and poets were the major reason to keep the countries bind together. They were respected by everyone.

That was one of the reasons which urged you to study. You were a Princess but you were under the main Kingdom. Not like Crown Princess. You didn't get the appreciation or power like the ruling royal family. It had both positive and negative effects. You were not controlled like them. Your father and brother gave you the freedom to do anything. You strongly believed that everything happens for a reason. You believed that you would board the ship someday. What you didn't expect or dream is, a Prince was coming to you. It was destined by fate!

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