X-X-X-X

Chapter 10

X-X-X-X

"Again, you must be able to hit your target no matter your position!" Joo-Doh said swinging a wooden staff at me.

"You're scary right now!" I cried running away.

"Don't run away!"

"It's a strategic retreat!"

"Hime-sama!"

I ran away from Joo-Doh as I held a dagger in my hand. Joo-Doh was acting as an attacker while I had to hit various targets littered around the area. I threw it at a target when I passed by, still dodging Joo-Doh's swings. This man...You would think he would go easy on the princess, but he's surprising strict with me.

"Tired...!" I tried to regain my breath as I sat on the ground. "I'm so tired...!" I cried sweating quite a bit.

"Why do you continue to run, why not fight me?" Joo-Doh asked leaning the wooden staff against his shoulder.

"But...you're scary..."

"It's scarier if it was a true fight."

"Well, if my opponent is stronger than me...It's only normal for me to run away." I released a small sigh. "Also, I wish to avoid aiming at a person until I'm skilled enough. One mistake can cost someone their life."

"I'm not so weak."

"Yes, but it's still a risk. Also, I think this is more useful! If I can run away from the enemy that is attacking me, then I can at least hold out until someone can help!"

"Let's continue then."

"Eh?"

"Don't you wish to be stronger? Now stand up and let's continue today's training."

"You're a demon!"

"Hime-sama, this is what you want. Isn't it?"

"Y-Yes..."

"Then you shouldn't complain when I have other things to attend to."

"Yes, I'm sorry." For some reason, I can't go against this man. He's scary! "Please teach me."

"Good, now let's continue."

"Y...Yes."

I dropped my head in defeat. No wonder Soo-Won told me to ask this man. He's relentless when it comes to training someone. I stood up and I glanced down at myself. Now that I think about it...I don't feel any pain despite him attacking me. I looked at myself to see I wasn't bruised anywhere and the only dirty thing on my clothing is dirt due to me falling down on occasion. I see, so he hasn't been taking me seriously at all. I don't have to worry about getting hurt at all...however, this has to end soon or this training will be for naught.

X-X-X-X

"How are you doing, Kana-hime?" Soo-Won asked as I sipped my tea.

"I have been well. However..." I slammed the cup down onto the table, but that didn't faze him. "You're quite cruel telling me to ask General Joo-Doh." I stated wanting to pull on his cheek.

"Is that so~! I thought you'd want someone strong to teach you." Soo-Won said smiling.

"What is this cheeky smile?" I questioned tugging at his cheeks.

"Wah!"

"Really..." I released his face and I rested my chin in my palm. "Let's return to business then."

"Of course, Kana-hime."

Soo-Won and I chatted about the current affairs of the kingdom. Soo-Won, although he attempted to keep it a secret...it wasn't difficult for me to obtain actual information about what is going on in our country. I even divulged in the fact I can charm various animals, but mainly birds. It is due to the fact that a certain war had been fought with birds being used as messengers. When I told Soo-Won I wished to train birds as messengers, he actually agreed to my request very easily.

"About the birds we should use, what do you suggest, Kana-hime?" Soo-Won asked smiling at me.

"For more important messages, we should be using hawks or eagles. Anything less can use pigeons or doves. I can personally train these birds and I can train them to accept certain people as their caretakers. We should build an area to house them and breed them." I answered pouring more tea.

"What if we are in battle?"

"That's why we should build various posts." I produced a map of the Kouka Kingdom with various marks all over. "These are all villages that I have chosen as posts. With pigeons and doves, they can go only a certain distance. If you are on the frontlines, we simply send the message to the closest post. When the message arrives we simply have men located there deliver the message in person."

"...This method will take a lot of money and time to complete."

"That is why you should test the method now before deciding if you wish to use it or not."

"You've thought about this quite a bit, haven't you?"

"Of course I have."

"Alright then. You have two months to prove to me that your messenger birds can be used."

"Of course!"

I really want to protect my kingdom...so...it's necessary for me to do whatever I can. I know it's stupid of me to introduce methods of another world, but it's necessary...to ensure my kingdom can grow strong. I continued my chat with Soo-Won about several other matters until it had gotten dark. I silently stood up, dusting off my skirt.

"That is all. I shall return to my room now." I said giving him a slight bow.

"Why not join me for dinner?" Soo-Won asked smiling at me.

"I-I couldn't possibly do that! A-Also, it's a bit improper for an unmarried man and woman to spend too much time together. I should leave as soon as possible." I said waving my hand to dismiss the idea.

"Then why not marry me, Kana-hime?" Soo-Won asked still smiling.

"I feel as if you are teasing me, Soo-Won." I released a small sigh. "You have been crowned king only recently, also...right now...my heart is in pieces and I have no desire to think about such a thing..." I said thinking about Min-Soo.

"You were in love with him, weren't you?"

"I'm...sorry? I don't understand..."

"Hak, you were in love with him." Soo-Won looked at me with a sad smile. "You two were inseparable. I didn't believe it when Yona-hime said that she had been engaged to Hak. After all, it is you who was closest to him. This is also the reason why you refuse to marry me."

"No, I'm not in love with Hak. The one I loved...he is far kinder than Hak and he still has my heart." I turned my gaze to the sky and I tried not to cry. "He's gone and...I'm still not over him. That's why I don't want to marry yet."

"I'm sorry, Kana-hime..."

"It's fine. I know...that he didn't die a meaningless death." After all, Min-Soo wouldn't have died without a good reason. I bet he did it for the sake of Yona and/or Hak. "It doesn't change that my heart aches just thinking about it. I love him and my only regret...was that I continued to choose my duty as a princess over my own heart."

"You're strong, Kana-hime. Not just anyone would be willing to throw away so much for the sake of others."

"I don't have much left...so I want to protect what I can. Soo-Won, I'm not against the idea of marrying you...but Yona had always loved you and..." She's still alive so I don't want to betray her. "At this time, I don't think I'm ready to deal with matters of marriage or love right now. I wish to focus on improving the Kouka Kingdom."

"I understand. I hope you'll sleep well."

"You as well, Soo-Won."

I finally left and I couldn't understand the look of guilt that kept flashing in Soo-Won's eyes. Was it possible...that he is behind the death of father and Min-Soo...and also the reason why Yona and Hak had been chased out of the castle? I reached out to reenter the room, but I stopped myself. No, I shouldn't accuse Soo-Won of such things. Not until I get all the facts. If he is behind the reason why they died...then I'll deal with him after I'm sure my country can handle a changing of kings. Duty before the heart. Sacrifice one, save hundreds. Sacrifice a hundred to save a thousand. One princess for the sake of a country.

X-X-X-X

I continued to sing as more and more birds began to gather around me. Those watching were staring at me with wide eyes while Soo-Won looked as happy as usual. As I sang, I carefully collected the birds needed to breed. Once I finished singing, I let the birds fly off. Sadly, due to the sheer number of birds I attracted due to my singing...well, let's just say the servants will be dealing with the number of feathers left behind. The birds were taken to the newly built outpost located in the northern side of the castle.

"Remember, we can't let them out no matter what. They do not deem this location home so if we release them, they'll just return to where they came from. It's important that we give them good treatment so that they consider this location their new home. It'll be easier with me being here, but this method will not work in the other locations." I explained to the young men who would be in charge of the birds.

"A-Ano...Hime-sama...can I...is it alright for you to be doing this?"

"Of course it is, I'm the one who suggested this method of message delivery. We are undergoing a trial period of five months, that means that we must do our best to train these birds and their children. We want them to be able to carry a message at least 50 miles away to pass. Now, let's get moving! I have a lot to teach you!"

"Yes, Hime-sama!"

"Good luck, Kana-hime!"

"Heika, I thank you for your kind words...but please return to work." I gave Soo-Won a small frown. "If you do not, I will inform General Joo-Doh the next time I see you sneaking out."

"Waah! You're so mean!"

"I am not doing this to be mean. Please excuse me then."

"Take care then!"

I shook my head at Soo-Won's usual behavior. I led the young men that will be acting as my hands and feet for the main part of the training. As a princess, I cannot easily leave the castle without a large number of guards so it's necessary for me to train others to do this. Also, I wouldn't have to train new people over every little thing.

"Hime-sama, what exactly will we be feeding these birds?"

"A mixture of red millet, corn, whole peas, and seeds." I placed the bowl filled with their feed in the designated location. "It's important that we dispose of any extra feed by the end of the day or they'll get sick due from old feed."

"What do you mean? Isn't it all food to them?"

"It's dangerous for them. Feed that is left untouched for days will become filled with germs and may even grow mold. If the birds consume it, they will get sick and may even die and our efforts are wasted. It's important that we monitor how much they eat a day and adjust it accordingly so that they waste as little food as possible."

"I see, they will be carrying out important messages after all..."

"Their water should also be replaced each day. Fresh water and a balanced diet for them will be important. Also, we should prepare some sticks and such so that they can build nests and such when they wish to mate. When they're ready, we'll train them to return here. However, we should start the distance small to avoid losing them. When they are accustomed to those distances, increase it. Repeat this process several times until we reach the desired distance."

"How far are we aiming for?"

"This is only a trial so we must have a minimum of 50 miles. If we go about this right, we can make it 100 miles. For a bird, that distance can be accomplished in a day compared to horses."

"T-That's..."

"Hime-sama...to think..."

"Amazing..."

"Even if we were to use this method, we need them to learn about a second post which will also take time. If we can successfully get them to the 50 mile mark, we can even attempt to make two or three learn to travel between a secondary post to this location and vice versa. During that time, we'll train the other birds to try to reach the 100 mile."

"What will you do about the secondary posts? Who will care for the birds at those locations?"

"Among the ten of you, two shall remain here to train and care for the pigeons. The other eight will be paired up and be placed among the other four locations to do the same."

"Then we'll remain at these secondary locations and send messages back to the castle?"

"Isn't that just ineffective?"

"When you raise new birds at these secondary locations, they will not consider that location a second location, but home. So, what do you think will happen when we train these birds to go further away from the castle? To villages that are located even further from the castle? A secondary location will be home for new pigeons and those new pigeons can be trained to accept a different secondary location."

"I see!"

"So we continuously raise them in various locations."

"Then we will be able to get information spread quicker between north and south."

"We also can change which pigeon is to be used depending on the location."

"Ingenious..."

"This method will save a lot of time..."

"Hime-sama is indeed amazing..."

"Wait, how will we tell the birds apart?"

"It's simple." I pulled out a several strings, each colored differently. "Just tie a colored string to their ankles. For the castle, we will be tying red string to their ankles. We will also replace the strings every month. Don't ever tie it too tightly or the birds may try to peck at it. However, it might not work so you should familiarize yourself with each bird to notice the difference between them."

"Understood, Hime-sama!"

"For now, we'll let them get accustomed to their new home."

"Yes!"

"We'll do our best, Hime-sama!"

"Good. Now, let's begin how we will be caring for the pigeons."

So began a long day of showing what we shall be doing each day at specific times. Early in the morning at dawn, two people should bring the feed out and bring out fresh water. Later in the day, if the feed and water is gone then we will replace it. When night comes, we will dispose of the excess feed and water. During that time, they will clean up the area that is housing the birds. We'll do this method for the first few days until we can estimate how much feed and water is needed to avoid wasting our resources. During feeding times, someone will write out the number of feed that is given and will estimate how much was thrown out. After that, we'll adjust it until there is only a little amount of feed is being thrown out. And so, a hellish two weeks began.

X-X-X-X

Chapter 10 Ends

So Kana is indeed suspicious about Soo-Won. However, she will not do anything as the kingdom is in a very fragile situation right now and they need a king. She is only suspicious, but that doesn't mean she will distrust Soo-Won. That's why she told her ability with birds and why she continues to check in with him about projects she wishes to do. The messenger bird one was done because I read about messenger pigeons and I thought 'well, Kana can attract and decently control birds so if she wants to she can totally do this'. Well, at this moment, the point is until Kana really does find out the truth she will continue to trust Soo-Won, but will not fully give information she believes has no point in being told like how she is the new Suzaku or about how she has the knowledge of various worlds in her head. Well, that's it for today so until next time my dears! Bye-bye~!