The evening sky was clear and starry when Lily had been returning from the library. She went slowly looking at the stars. Suddenly she bumped into someone.

'I am so sorry my Lady.' said a young maiden girl. 'I have not been paying attention. Please forgive me.'

'It is my fault as well. I have not been paying attention where I am going,' Lily replied. 'I will help you,' and she started to pick up the clothes that had been lying around.

'Thank you Lady Lily' replied the girl.

'It was really nothing. What is your name? Where are you from?' Lily asked attempting to make the girl clam down.

'I am Ji-yoo from the Earth Tribe,' the girl replied. 'I have come here to serve our benefactor, his Majesty.'

'Your benefactor,' Lily repeated with unhidden astonishment. Did the Earth Tribe have Soo-won in such a high regard for helping them?

'Here,' she told to the girl and gave her the clothes she had helped to gather.

'Thank you Lady Lily.'

'Why did you call Soo-won your benefactor?' Lily asked unable to hide her curiosity.

'He has freed me.'

'Freed you?' Lily repeated still astonished. 'What do you mean? How did he free you?'

'Two years ago I was kidnapped and sent on a ship to be sold as a salve in Kai. His Majesty sent people to Kai to bring us back. Forgive me my Lady for I have to go. I am already late.'

She could see the old and familiar view of Hiryuu castle popping out from the horizon. The place that was once her home would now be her prison. No – she thought. In a way it was always a prison for her. When her father lived the castle grounds was all she was allowed to see, all that she was familiar with.

'Your Majesty' she could hear Kye sook's voice outside speaking. She didn't care to look outside. She didn't want to see him.

'Princess Yona is inside. I have also gathered evidence of her treason. She needs to be judged and punished accordingly. Not even...' but the voice stopped short by another's she recognized instantly as Soo-won's.

'That's enough,' she could hear Soo-won's voice. Yona could hear Soo-won's voice tinged with impatience. It surprised her. Was he angry? But why? 'We are not going to have a trial now. Go and rest first.'

Several minutes later she found herself locked in a room. She knew it. The rooms were prisons for political adversaries of high enough standing to not be treated like mere commoners. Father told her to avoid this place. She disobeyed him once, but found nothing interesting here and never cared to come again.

Locked and heavily guarded, she could see the room was impossible to escape from. One entrance and two small windows. Looking down from them she saw the moat stretching below. The room was very high and any attempt to get out through these windows would be impossible. To jump from such high would be fatal to the person trying even if the window was large enough to jump from.

Realising that escape would be very hard, she sat down. Would she ever see Hak and the dragons again? She wondered if Hak is all right. She saw him wounded when they tried to escape from the Saika castle. Kye sook giving orders to treat his wounds. Yun and the dragons caught and tied by the advisor. He promised that he would not hurt them, but she didn't feel like she could trust his words.

'What would happen to them? Kye sook told her during the journey that he has gathered evidence to put her on trial for treason. Was he going to put them on trial as well? She desperately tried to think about a way out of this situation, but tired from the mental strain that the last days brought she could thing of nothing.' She could feel her sleepiness overcoming her.

She finally woke up after what seemed to her a very long sleep. She didn't know how long her sleep lasted. The room was dark and silent and through the small windows she could see stars. She remembered suddenly how she used to look at stars with Hak and Soo-won when they were small. The memory seemed so far away now as if the moment when they were together never existed. For a long time she has been wondering why did they fall apart? Why did Soo-won choose to kill her father? Why did he do all of this? Of course, she knew that the country needed a strong leader, but why didn't Soo-won never told anything to her or Hak? What was preventing him? Did he not trust them? Did he not liked them? No, she could tell that Soo-won liked Hak. They were close. Back then in the Water Tribe when dealing with the nadai dealers, she could hear in Soo-won's voice how much he trusted Hak and again when both of them saved Lily from dying. Their bond was close, so why?

Her meditations were broken by the sound of footsteps. Who was it? Why now?

She could hear someone outside telling. 'Open the door.'

Her question was quickly answered when she saw the advisor Kye sook's in the doorway. She turned back her head looking at the starry sky again. She didn't want to come closer to him or betray in any way that she cared about his presence. In the corner of the eye she saw the light from his torch. His presence behind her disturbed her, but she decided not to show it. He stood there for what seemed to her a long while before he broke the silence.

'I have come here to take you to his Majesty'

'What for?' She replied sharply.

'To be judged for treason. You have requested to light the beacon. You have aided foreigners.'

'I have merely wanted to stop bloodshed between Xing and Kouka. There was no need to'

'You are not the one to decided if there was or wasn't a need,' Kye sook answered her. 'You are not the ruler of this kingdom.'

'I know this very well,' Yona replied.

'Then you know also that anyone who goes against the king is a traitor.'

'I don't care if I am going against anyone wishes. I don't happen to care about your and Soo-won's wished. I am the daughter of the King I have as much if not more right to the throne than Soo-won.'

'Just as I thought,' Kye sook replied coldly.

'I don't care what you think,' Yona replied angrily.

'You confess then that you have done it hoping that Xing will help you to take the throne.'

'What are you talking about?' Yona said totally taken aback by Kye sook's words. 'I don't understand what are you saying!'

'You don't. I think you do very well. There is no more need to pretend any more. I have seen through your plan. I have seen through you.'

'What?' The word escaped from Yona's mouth as Kye sook's accusations totally surprised.

'Still playing dumb? You have been going around the country to gather allies and weaken Lord soo-wn's position. You want to take the throne, but this is the end of your game princess Yona. You have lost.'

'I have done everything to help people, I don't care about the throne,' Yona replied angrily, but only Kye sook's laugh replied her.

'To help the people,' he repeated with a distinguishable mockery in his voice. 'Do you take me for a fool?'

'You are a fool for thinking otherwise.'

'Really? I don't think so, but I have no more time to chat with you and listen to your fairy tales. Lord Soo-won is waiting for us. Guards!'

Yona found herself surrounded by four guards with swords. Reluctantly she started to go after Kye sook who was leading them. Two guards where going in front of her and behind Kye sook and two of them were following her.

They were going through corridors and stairs when suddenly they heard two people arguing and shouting at each other.

Yona could hear one of them screaming 'You piece of a shit! Give it back!' and a moment later she saw two drunk guards pummelling each other. The guards in front of her went to stop them.

'This is my chance' Yona thought and turned around and saw by the corner of her eye that the two guards behind her are distracted, their eyes are on the fighting men.

She could hear Kye sook's voice. 'Separate them quickly. We cannot allow his Majesty to wait.'

Quickly she decided to run taking the a flight of stairs that she suspected would lead to the kitchen. She knew that from there she would be able to leave the palace if she managed to escape. She took a deep breath and started to run as quickly as she could.

'Leave this drunk imbeciles, after her' shouted Kye sook when he realised that she is escaping.

Yona has been running as quickly as she could. The months of travelling made her more agile and used to physical exercises, so she found herself before the kitchen's door in no time. The guards were running to catch her and shouting 'Stop the princess.' She opened the door. There were four girls inside the kitchen.

'Stop the princess,' she could still hear the guards shouting after her.

'You are princess Yona.' repeated slowly a wide eyed girl standing in the opposite doorway.

'Please hide me.' Yona panted out while trying to catch breath.