The Family Reunion

While running away from the palace, Kaya thought of her real father—who had never shown her much affection, yet somehow, she believed he still loved her. He used to live with her biological grandfather.

As she made her way through the valley, she suddenly remembered that her father lived nearby. He wasn’t part of the royal family, but he was still someone who had once been part of her life. Her family. Her real family.

Eventually, Kaya arrived at their old, broken-down house. It wasn’t much, but it was familiar.

(Softly, she called out)

“Father? Grandfather? Are you home?”

She walked inside, looking around the worn-out rooms. Just then, her grandfather returned from the forest.

“Who’s there?” he called out, stepping through the doorway with a bundle of sticks on his back.

“It’s me, Kaya. Your granddaughter, Grandfather,” Kaya replied.

The old man’s face lit up.

“Oh, Kaya, my child! Look at you—grown into such a beautiful young lady. What brings you here? Did you miss your grandfather?”

He smiled warmly, gently rubbing her head.

Then came her father, grumbling as he approached, thinking it was just a neighborhood child.

“Who is it at this hour? If you're here for sugar, go ask next door. We’ve run out,” he muttered, carrying a huge bundle of wood from the forest.

“Father, it’s me—Kaya,” she said quietly.

He froze.

“Kaya? My daughter?” he said in disbelief. His eyes widened, but then his tone shifted to sadness.

“Don’t play tricks, kid. My daughter lives in the palace, living her best life. She wouldn’t come back here…”

"Life in the palace is awful, Father. They're trying to kill me!" Kaya blurted out, her voice trembling.

Her father's eyes widened in shock. Without a word, he pulled her into a tight hug.

"If you’re not safe there, my child, then you’re not safe here either," he whispered urgently. "They’ll come looking for you. You have to run. Now."

He grabbed her hand, rushed her outside, helped her onto a horse, and with barely a goodbye, gave the horse a sharp nudge to set it galloping into the distance.

Kaya, who had never ridden a horse in her life, clung to the reins like her life depended on it—which, to be fair, it kind of did. Eyes squeezed shut, she dared not look up.

But when she finally opened her eyes—WHAM! A tree appeared out of nowhere (or maybe it had always been there), and in a flailing panic, she tried to stop the horse... but had no clue how.

With a spectacular flop, she tumbled to the ground.

"Bad horse!" she grumbled, brushing dirt off her dress like it had personally betrayed her.

From behind the tree stepped a voice—and then a person.

"The horse isn’t bad. You just don’t know how to ride it."

She looked up to see a young man, all confidence and curls, his brown skin glowing in the sunlight and his hair dancing in the wind like it was auditioning for a shampoo commercial.

He extended his hand. Kaya reached for it—finally, a gentleman!—only for him to pluck a fruit from the ground and take a juicy bite.

"Were you... not helping me just now?" Kaya asked, half-annoyed, half-confused.

"Why would I help you?" he said mid-chew. "I don’t even know you. Are you some kind of spoiled princess who can’t even get up by herself?"

Kaya narrowed her eyes. "Scumbag," she muttered under her breath.

"I heard that," he said, already walking away.

"Hey! Who are you, anyway? Do you live around here?"

Without turning back, he replied, "I don’t answer questions from strangers."

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