Sorry for not updating in a while! I have a con in like 3 days and I wrote this to take my mind off of con crunch.

Prompt: Princess Jia goes off to Xing on her parents' orders. With her three companions, what's the worst that can happen?


"Nolae! Stay close!" Jia called to the songbird. The bird flew a little further ahead before flying back to the princess.

"Princess Jia! Stay close!" her guard, Min-gi mocked. Jia rolled her eyes and walked a little further ahead.

"You did not have to come on this trip," she stated once Nolae landed on her shoulder.

"Well I am originally from Xing. A foolish princess such as yourself would get lost the second you left the castle," Jia groaned at his reply.

"Please don't argue! Could you two get along?" Jia's lady-in-waiting, Hye-su, begged. She rode on a horse while holding the reigns of Jia's stallion. Jia had decided not to ride said stallion and opted to go by foot. They brought the horse along just in case.

"Once Princess Jia stops dressing the way she does."

"There is nothing wrong with how I dress!" Jia shouted back. At the outburst, Nolae flew off her shoulder and onto Hye-su's head.

"Sure. There's nothing wrong with how you dress, if you were a guy that is. When will you stop stealing your brother's clothes?"

"That is none of your business!" Jia crossed her arms. Nevertheless, she looked down at her outfit. Her boots, worn from traveling, had been taken from her brother. The blue tunic she wore had been taken from Young-su. The pants were probably her's. However the white color made her think she borrowed them from one of the Hakuryuu brothers and never gave them back...

"Now, now," Hye-su tried bringing the conversation back in control. "Osamu, the sun will set soon! Shall we set up camp somewhere?"

Osamu, Jia's second guard, walked behind the small group. He was silent, as usual, and gave a small nod to Hye-su.

"Wonderful! Let's find a good clearing where we can set up!" Hye-su smiled.

"Hye-su, that was a terrible excuse," Jia sighed. Nonetheless she fell back and allowed her lady-in-waiting and quiet guard to scout out a camping spot.

"Well princess, are you going to take the tent or sleep in the great outdoors?" Min-gi asked.

"I will sleep outside."

"No you won't!" Hye-su called over her shoulder. "We will be arriving in Xing tomorrow and I cannot permit you to sleep outside tonight!"

"Hye-su you're no fun!" Jia groaned.

Osamu waves the group over to a clearing. Hye-su dismounted her horse and started tying the horses to a tree. Osamu and Min-gi started setting up camp. Nolae flew from Hye-su to join its owner. Jia wandered to each of her companions, trying to figure out what to do to set up camp. Osamu didn't speak to her as he set up the tent. Min-gi called her useless and told her to go away as he gathered firewood. Hye-su said she didn't need to do anything as she prepared dinner. In the end, Jia sat on a log watching the others work.

"Being a princess sucks," Jia talked to Nolae. The bird chirped. Jia took that as a chirp of agreement. "I know right! How do my sisters deal with this?! It's always the delicate princess! But Mother and my sisters are amazing fighters! I mean Da-hee doesn't fight, but she has natural strength... But anyways, why am I different? Is it because of the incide-"

"Hey weirdo princess! Stop talking to your bird!" Min-gi called.

"And that's why I hate Min-gi..." Jia told Nolae. The bird chirped again.

"Princess! Dinner will be ready soon!" Hye-su called. "Please come closer to the camp!"

"Coming!"


"Jia!"

"It's dark..."

"Jia! Jia!"

"No... Please go away..."

"Jia!"

She heard the sound of rushing water. But she couldn't see where the water was coming from.

"Jia!"

The water rapidly rose. She could still hear the voice calling her name. She was cold. Very cold. The water was nearly at her shoulder by now.

"Stop torturing me!" Jia screamed. The water was at her head. She couldn't scream anymore. She couldn't swim either. Something heavy weighed on her ankles. She didn't struggle. She just slowly sunk to the bottom. The voice was still calling her name, but Jia felt no strength to do anything.

Her eyes opened. She wasn't in the dark, water filled room anymore. She was in her tent with Hye-su and Nolae sleeping beside her.

Jia got up and left the tent. Outside, Min-gi was curled up under layers of blankets, fast asleep. Osamu sat a few feet away from the center of camp on guard duty. Jia quietly snuck across the camp and to the dying fire. She rifled through their bags looking for water. She finally found the small jug and brought it to her lips. She didn't get a drink when a hand went over her mouth. Jia struggled for a moment before splashing the jug's water over her captor. They sputtered and let go of her.

"What was that for?!" they growled. Much to her relief it is Min-gi.

"Sorry, I didn't know it was you," Jia replied. She didn't turn around to look at him. Min-gi sat on the ground beside her.

"So why're you awake? Did Princess Jia have a scary nightmare?" he teased.

"Can you not?"

"Well I mean- woah! Wait! Are you crying?"

"Huh?" Jia felt her cheeks. To her surprise they were wet with tears. "Oh, I am."

"How do you not notice something like that?! Did you seriously have a nightmare?!"

"I think so..."

"You think?!"

"It's not a big deal. It's a reoccurring nightmare I've had for years."

"Princess Jia, that's not a good thing. How long has this been happening?"

"I don't know. Since this incident as a kid."

"Incident? Are you talking about when Prince Ry-"

"That's enough talking for tonight!" Jia stood up. "I'm going back to bed!"


The crowd cheered and waved to the Koukan princess as she rode upon her stallion. Min-gi, who guided her horse, was soaking up the attention, waving back, blowing kisses to the crowd.

"Min-gi, you are disgusting," Jia stated.

"Says the princess who talks to a dumb bird," he retorted.

"Nolae, don't listen to him," Jia put her hands on the sides of her bird's head.

"See what I mean?" he snorted.

"Why do you like so much attention?"

"In your terms, it's a peasant thing. You wouldn't understand."

"Try me," before Min-gi could open his mouth, a group of soldiers cut through the crowd. They halted in front of the princess's party.

"Are you our guests from Kouka?" the leader asks.

"Yes we are," Hye-su responded. The leader beckoned for them to follow. The small group of soldiers surrounded the princess's party. They lead them to a large building on the outskirts of town.

"This is Princess Tao's villa. She has requested that you stay here until the end of your visit," the soldiers' leader explains. Jia and Hye-su dismount as the others take their things off the horses. Once that was done, a soldier takes the horses' reigns and presumably brings them to a stable.

"Princess Jia, Queen Kouren and Princess Tao will be here within the day. We have prepared a room for you. Guards, we shall escort you to your own room," the leader says, beckoning two of his soldiers over. He leads the way with the two soldiers following him. The party took that as a sign to follow.

They went inside the mansion. They were lead down a large, decorated corridor. Jia could see Min-gi looking around with an amazed look on his face. Every once in a while, she tugged on his shirt sleeve to keep him from wandering. Whenever that happened, he would glare at her a moment before going back to being amazed. Jia only scoffed at his actions.

"Guards, this is your room," the leader stopped in front of a door. He motioned for them to enter. Hye-su walked on and Jia followed her. Suddenly the leader stuck a hand out. "Sir, I understand that you are a guard that needs to stay with the princess, but we have this covered. You may rest," Jia's party stared at him flabbergasted.

"B-But I-I-" Jia could find no words.

"I will bring you to her room later if need be, but for now unpack your things. You must be weary from your long journey," he turned her around and gave a small push towards the room. Jia just stood frozen in the hallway. The leader walked away. "This way, Princess," he said to Hye-su. Hye-su looked back briefly before being forced to walk on. The remaining group stayed suspended in their stunned silence.

"Did that just happen?" Min-gi finally spoke.

"I... Think...?" Jia responded, not so sure herself.

"I mean, I know you look like a guy with your short hair and clothes, but seriously?"

"Was I just mistaken for a guard?" Min-gi suddenly burst out laughing.

"I can't breathe! I can't breathe!" he gasped through bouts of laughter. He ended up rolling around on the floor in hysterics. That was until Jia kicked him in the stomach, immediately stopping his laughs.

"Ok... Alright... I can fix this... Just tell them that I'm the princess, right?" she pep-talked to herself.

"Yeah, but that may be difficult. Hye-su totally makes for a better princess than Princess tomboy here," Min-gi pointed out, still laying on the floor.

"Min-gi not now. I have to figur- wait..."

"Oh no, Princess. I know that look. You thought of something didn't you? That's not a good sign."

"No, Min-gi you're onto something."

"No I'm not! I had no intentions of giving you an idea!"

"But you're right! I'm not like a princess. I don't want to be one. So... This is my chance!"

"Princess Jia, I don't like where this is going. Butcher that idea right now before it gets bad."

"Hye-su can pretend to be me while I pretend to be a guard!"

"Too late!"

"I'm going to find Hye-su!" Jia threw her bags on top of Min-gi. She started running down the halls where Hye-su and the soldiers went down. She found them clustered outside of a room. Hye-su looked as if she was trying to say something.

"Um, hello!" Jia wedged her way between Hye-su and the soldiers.

"You're here!" Hye-su sighed in relief.

"Uh, right. Hey, could I borrow her for a few minutes? Like real quick," Jia grabbed Hye-su's arm, "this her room? Ok? Good. Thanks," Jia pulled Hye-su into the room. "So change of plans, you're going to pretend to be me."

"Wait, what?!" Hye-su said. Jia put a hand over Hye-su's mouth.

"So those guys mistook me for a guard. So, I kinda thought that I should play the part, you know?"

"Princess, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"No, it's a brilliant idea! It'll only be a few weeks. I promise I'll take up my position again when we go to Sei."

"But Princess-"

"Please Hye-su! You're like my best friend!"

"Isn't Lord In-sik your best friend?"

"My best friend that's a girl," Hye-su sighed.

"Very well. But just promise me that you'll come clean when our visit to Xing is over."

"I promise."

"Thank you, Hye-su! I owe you one!" she hugged Hye-su.

"Yes, yes, I know," Jia let go and left the room.

"Sorry about that," she told the soldiers. "It was just an urgent matter concerning one of our companions. Everything's all cleared up now," she bowed and walked back down the hall. She made it back to the room set up for her guards.

"Please tell me you're here to grab your bags and go to your own room," Min-gi said when Jia returned.

"This is my room," Jia grinned victoriously. "I'm staying with you guys."

"I can't believe you're actually going through with this! Osamu say something to her!" Osamu opened his mouth to say something, but Jia cut him off.

"You don't need to, Osamu. And I already promised Hye-su to come clean at the end of this visit," Jia walked over and sat in front of Min-gi so that they were at eye level. "Min-gi, I'll be fine. But I need your help. Please keep this a secret," Min-gi blinked a few times.

"Tch, fine. But you owe all of us a bunch of favors!"

"Oh, thank you Min-gi!" Jia opened her arms to hug him, but Min-gi stopped her by putting his hand on her face and gently pushing her away.

"Yeah, yeah whatever! I don't want a hug from an ugly princess," Jia ignored him and stood up. She stood in front of Osamu.

"Osamu, what do you say?" Osamu shrugged and nodded.

"Thanks!" she briefly hugged him. She let go and stood before both of her guards. "From today until we leave, I am Jian! I am Princess Jia's bodyguard from Kuuto. Treat me as so!"

"Whatever you say, guy with an uncreative name," Min-gi rolled his eyes. Jia kicked his shin.

Nevertheless she was smiling. Today she was not a princess. She was finally free from her duties!

"What's the worst that can happen?" she grinned.