Other than the increased training for the pirates, the following days passed relatively peacefully. The White and Blue Dragons, Hak, Yun and the princess soon became essential members of the crew and loved by all. If there was one fault that the pirates could find with these colorful recruits was that Yona spent far too much time with Sen.

"She's a bad influence," they told each other. "The lovely princess will be ruined by her."

There was no doubt that Yona was being influenced, although in a different way than the pirates had assumed. The princess had once wandered into Sen's cabin and had found the stacks of her work on reintegrating those sold as slaves into society, how to avoid power struggle between the old leading class and other such topics. Although it greatly hindered her work, Sen explained everything patiently to Yona, who in turn began to visit frequently for these strange lessons held in that narrow room.

"Balance in the court is key to a flourishing dynasty," Yona told Yun as she helped him light a fire on which to cook the pirates' midday meal. "And balance is kept by never favoring one official over the other and never letting anyone guess the ruler's mind. It is for the best, in fact, if the monarch is feared, rather than loved, by their ministers and loved, rather than feared, by the people. For on the shoulders of the common people are like pillars of a nation—"

"Who are you?" Yun asked, glancing at the princess who spoke such words with the most innocent and earnest face imaginable. "And what did you do to Yona?"

"I'm tellingyou about Matters of State," Yona huffed. "I thought you liked to learn new things."

"Well yeah," Yun said. "But it sounds like you're a tyrant in training."

"Tyranny is very efficient, actually," Yona said thoughtfully. "Albeit very expensive. At times of emergency, it's actually preferable to—"

"You sound very similar to someone else I know, dear," Jae-ha interrupted, appearing—seemingly—out of thin air, or rather landing next to them at the right moment. Yun glanced at him as though his saviour had arrived.

"Please do something about it," he pleaded. "I don't think I can listen to any more of this despotic drivel."

"Despotic?" Yona echoed, clearly hurt. "It's all for the benefit of the people!"

"Then how about we put your studies into practice?" Jae-ha asked, offering her his hand. "What would you think of a trip to Awa?"

Awa, the town of dead-eyed people. Yona shuddered at the thought of it. Such a place, even if she never became a monarch of Kouka, she could not even die in peace if she let it remain in its current state. Yet those haunting memories… She shook her head, trying to get rid of the images resurfacing in her mind.

"Let's go," she said, taking his hand. "Jae-ha, please lend me your strength this one time."

Lend it to you once? This power has always been yours, so use me until the end of time, squeeze me of my worth until my veins run dry.

Biting back his true thoughts, dangerous thoughts, Jae-ha said, "Of course," with an easy-going grin as he lifted her up and jumped into the skies. Unaware of what was going on inside his head, Yona looked around with wide eyes.

"It's beautiful," she sighed. The trees that had been taller than her became smaller and smaller until they seemed no bigger than stalks of chrysanthemum in her fall garden.

"Not as beautiful as you, my dear," Jae-ha replied lightly, but his eyes were fixed on the scene beneath them as well. "But the freedom I feel here is something you can never give."

"I never said I could," Yona said, glancing at his face. "I already know you won't come with us."

A moment of silence overcame them. The only sound was the rushing of the wind past their ears. Although Jae-ha had heard it many times, it had never felt so heavy as it did then.

"I'm sorry," he said. Yona laughed.

"Don't be," she told him. "I'm already happy enough that I got to know you. Why would you be sorry for not fulfilling my selfish request?"

"That—"

Before Jae-ha could even begin to come up with an explanation that wouldn't make him sound foolish, he noticed that the streets they were soaring above were emptying quickly. Children were dragged into houses by their parents and shop owners brought in their stalls from the street. Amongst all the commotion, no one noticed the people above them or the not at all subtle noise of Jae-ha landing on a roof.

"What's going on?" Yona asked, worried. The fear in the air reminded her of the shop when that child had been murdered, perhaps even a bit heavier.

"Duck!" Jae-ha hissed, dropping flat on his stomach. Yona copied his actions and lay there silently, her eyes constantly scanning the street. They did not have to wait long before mercenaries appeared, armored men with their backs straight. They were nothing like those cowards before the merchant's house, brash, drunk and shabby, but proud, confident and ceremonial. Some of them even carried red flags embroidered with gold and white.

"A wedding procession?" she whispered, knowing that she would be wrong. Marriage was a joyous occasion; no one would flee from the sight of it. Nor would anyone embroider mythological creatures symbolising power instead of mandarin ducks or auspicious characters.

"Kum-ji," Jae-ha whispered back. "His sedan will arrive in a moment."

It did indeed. Young boys carried the heavy sedan on their shoulders. Although the weather was warm and their load far from light, they did not dare show any sign of fatigue. The curtains on the side of the sedan had been drawn open, revealing a man in armour sitting leisurely inside. As the procession drew closer, Yona managed to get a better look at his face. Once, perhaps, he had been a handsome man; but his face was distorted by lines of cruelty and cunning that could not be hidden. As though he had noticed something amiss, he raised his gaze to the top of the buildings. For a moment, Yona thought their eyes would meet, but they never did. Yang Kum-ji lost interest in whatever caught his attention previously and drew the curtains, hiding him from sight. Even after his sedan had disappeared behind a corner, tailed closely by servants and officers, Yona could still feel a slight chill on her back.

…..

Unbeknownst to her, Yona had caused the appearance of the Three Bitters with something as simple as a trip to Awa. Hak, also known as Bitter number One, decided to train pirates as a distraction. Bitter No. 2, aka Ki-ja, helped him with it. The Third Bitter, Sen, found herself a quiet spot by the sea, and began to mend her ripped clothes. She pricked herself many times with the needle by accident, but couldn't care less. Her mind was on Jae-ha.

It was late in the afternoon when she decided to go back to the ship. As she walked down the road, a young man on horseback passed her, going towards Awa. He stopped when he noticed her and scrutinized her through narrow eyes.

"Who are you?" he asked after a moment, pointing a sword at her left eye. "You seem familiar."

"Oh, just a wanderer," she replied airily. "You might have seen me elsewhere at some point. Few people haven't before."

The man frowned, displeased by the empty answer. His tone became even rougher than before as he asked, "Have you ever slept at Dragon Gate?"

"Yes, with someone else's man," she sighed, shaking her head. "What does it have to do with you?"

"Each person has a star except one," he told her. Sen's eyes widened for a split second before returning to normal again. It could be a coincidence.

"To him belongs the glorious Sun," she replied, hoping that her voice didn't tremble. He nodded slightly, tossed her a small leather pouch, then turned and rode back in the same direction he came from. Sen caught the pouch and opened it. Inside was a letter and a ring cut of stone. Trembling, she lifted the ring, praying to all the gods above that it wasn't what she thought it was. As she turned it, the strange carvings on it glistened in the sun, destroying all her hopes. Her expression turned ghastly and she dropped the signet ring as though it burned.

"Impossible," she whispered. "How did he find me?"

...

Gi-gan, Jae-ha, Yona and her group had already gathered and were discussing something. Suddenly, they felt the temperature drop, and in came Sen. Her lips were twisted into a scowl, and her eyes were fierce. Despite the freezing aura she emitted, Jae-ha stepped to her side and put a hand around her shoulder as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Just the person I wanted to see," he said, smiling. "Miss Genius Strategist, we would like to hear your opinion on—"

"I'm not a military strategist," Sen muttered, pushing him away. "Leave me alone."

"—how to deal with the following situation," Jae-ha finished, unperturbed by her cold greeting. "Now you see, Yona and I found out that Kum-ji is planning to make the deal of his life and trade a shipload of women in two days."

"I thank the gods you two work so efficiently together," Sen replied, lifting her tired gaze to him. "Further praise is not possible in my current state. Please wait a few hours before consulting me again."

"This can't wait," Gi-gan told her sharply. "There will be many ships sith soldiers accompanying the one on which the women will be, holding most of Kum-ji's military power. This may be our chance to destroy him once and for all, so stay here and listen."

"So that's what you need me for?" Sen sneered. "I'm glad, because I have the perfect advice. Set them all on fire."

"Yes, but how do we tell the boats apart?" Jae-ha asked with a sigh. Sen shrugged.

"It's a small sacrifice for the greater good."

"The small sacrifice you're talking about is about sixty innocent women," Jae-ha went on patiently. Something about his tone made Sen want to punch him, but she restrained herself and replied, "Set fire to the ships before the slaves get on them."

"You know that's impossible," Jae-ha replied. "The harbour is so well protected, we could never—"

"I don't know, then!" Sen cried before burying her head in her hands. "I don't know anything, leave me alone. Why are you asking me? There are hundreds of other people—"

"You're the only one who's been in Kum-ji's residence before," Gi-gan told her in a voice only Sen could hear. "We thought you might know something."

"I swear on my life that I don't," she whispered, refusing to look up. "I was a lowly whore without any influence. Please believe me, I can't think…"

During their quiet exchange, all those around occupied themselves with brainstorming and coming up with increasingly ridiculous plans that had less than zero chance of ever bringing them closer to their goal.

"Let's bribe the slave ship's captain," one of them said. "We'll tell them we'll pay them twice as much as Kum-ji does…"

"Haha, yeah," someone else snickered. "The money we need will rain down from the heavens, right?"

"No, but listen," a third added, "if I seduce him and make him prove his love to me by steering the ship away from the others…"

Yona listened to them with polite disinterest when the idea struck her like lightning. Of course, it all made sense!

"I've got it!" she cried, rushing to Gi-gan. "Those men are right, we'll need someone from the inside to bring them down."

Those who had been joking earlier looked at her with eyes of doubt.

"We really don't have enough money for that," one of them told her in a low voice, but Yona continued.

"What if someone showed us the ship? Let's say, set off a firework from it?" she asked. "Shin-ah could see it, even if it was small. Then we could easily find the slaves, no?"

"You suggest we bribe one of the soldiers?" Gi-gan inquired. Yona shook her head.

"They might betray us," she said. "But what if someone would sneak up on the ship?" She paused for a moment before adding, "What if that someone were me?"

The captain smiled. She had always known this princess had guts, but she never expected this much of her. Yona's suggestion had an entirely different effect on the rest. Shin-ah stared at her with "do-not-leave-me" eyes. It might have been enough to keep Yona from going, but due to his mask, no one ever saw his pitiful expression. Ao sensed his sorrow and gave him an acorn.

"I object," Hak said bluntly. Ki-ja hurried to back him up.

"Princess, you can't do this! What will become of us if you d-d-die?!"

Even the generally calm Yun was protesting violently, not to mention the hot-blooded pirates who were outraged by the suggestion. It was at that moment that Sen stepped next to Yona and put a hand on her shoulder. She seemed much calmer than just moments ago.

"You are the bravest girl I've met in a long time," she praised. "Guys, this is Yona's decision. Shouldn't you respect her a little more?"

The pirates averted their eyes, not wanting to associate with her even to such a minor extent. Yona stared at her with awe, Hak with unfathomable hate.

"It's still dangerous," he mumbled. After a moment of thought, his eyes lit up. "Why not send Sen?"

"Not possible," Gi-gan replied quickly. Everyone looked at her in surprise. Hak frowned.

"But she—"

"I refuse," she told him. "I don't want to hear of this again!"

"Isn't that just playing favorites?" Hak grumbled, glancing at the woman he had deemed sacrificeable in his heart.

"She'll fight as the rest of us, but she can't go to Kum-ji," the captain said firmly. "Yona can choose any other companion."

"Really?" he said cheerfully, filled with hope once more. "I volunteer!"

"No, I'll go!" Ki-ja cried out. Shin-ah lifted a hand and Ao made a squeak of agreement.

"Just which one of you could pull off a feminine appearance?" Gi-gan scoffed, eyeing the recruits with distaste. "Remember, Kum-ji's selling women."

"I'll go!" Ki-ja shouted as a proud first. Hak, Shin-ah and this time, Jae-ha joined his claim.

"Do you guys hear me?" the captain asked irritably. "We need someone feminine, someone creative, someone smart who can handle gunpowder!"

Even among ten thousand men, there would be few to suit that description, let alone among a few hundred. All eyes darted to Yun in expectation. The poor boy subconsciously took a few steps back.

"What? Who, me? No, no, no, I have no chance of protecting Yona! Leave me alone," he spluttered. Ki-ja frowned.

"Coward," he said. Yona shot him a look of disapproval.

"Ki-ja!" she hissed. Then turning to Yun once more, she said in a patronizing manner, "Yun, you really don't have to go."

Yun felt guilt and shame tearing at his heart. This girl who was barely older than him and had no talents to speak of was so brave, and yet he...

"Well, this is basically a suicide mission... but if I don't go, Yona'll be in even greater danger, right? If I go..." he stammered. Gi-gan looked at him approvingly.

"Thank you, Yun," she said in relief. "You two will leave early next morning. You should prepare the firework in the meantime."

As her words fell, everyone scattered. Sen herself returned to her room and knelt before her bed. Beside the bed sat a dusty old wooden box. It was her most precious possession, despite its dreary looks. She opened it and put the letter and ring inside, then closed it and left to get a cup of water from the kitchen. The box had no locks, since locks raise suspicion. Furthermore, everyone knew for a fact that there was nothing more inside than letters and good luck charms from her family.

She didn't know that once she was gone, Hak went and began to search through her stuff. He found the box and after rummaging through it quickly, took the ring wrapped in cotton, closed the box, then hurried to find Yona, leaving no traces behind.