"Sora!"

I am in so much trouble…

"How many times have I told you not to play with weapons?"

"But heika, I'm not playing, I'm practicing! Yu-Hon-sama taught me, see!" I said proudly showing him a new swordplay I had learnt.

"I simply won't allow it. You may not be of my blood but you are like a daughter to me and that makes you as much of a princess as Yona. Please, Sora, you may ask of me anything else. What do 10 year old girls want these days – clothes, dolls, jewelries? Anything you desire, but no weapons! Won't you go and play with Yona instead?"

"I'm not a princess! I appreciate that you've given me a home and a family, but this is who I am. What good am I if I am not even capable of protecting anyone?" I said. Although my biological father had been more than happy to teach me some basic fighting skills, he had always emphasized how these skills should be used to protect, to seek justice for those who could not and to defend the helpless. This was his code, and so it shall be mine.

I ask myself every day why the king brought me to the palace and adopted me. And every time I asked him, he would smile and say because he saw bravery and loyalty in me and simply wished for a better destiny for me.

I hated it. I hated how the king had, in his own way, forced everyone to accept me as his adoptive daughter. I hated how everyone would address me as princess when in fact I knew they gossiped amongst themselves behind the King's back. I hated that some even treated me with suspicion that I might one day wish to take over the throne myself.


"Sora ne-sama~~ where are you?"

I continued to ignore the calls of my adopted sister as I practiced my archery in the thick shrubbery around the palace.

"She'll find you eventually, you know. Besides, won't you get into trouble again for using that bow?" said a familiar voice.

I sighed and ignored the raven-haired boy that was lying on the grass with his eyes closed.

"That's because you and gramps refuse to take me with you to Fuuga and let me practice there in peace. What are you doing here anyway? This is my spot, go find somewhere else to sleep. Or I might just trample on you, baka" I said, sticking out my tongue at him as I shot another arrow into the tree.

Son Hak – future general and chief of the Wind Tribe, adopted child of Son Mundok and the most annoying boy on this planet. We fought all the time, seriously, ALL THE TIME.

"I'm not the one hiding, baka"

"I called you baka first. It's stupid to insult someone with the same word! Can't you come up with anything better than that, genius?"

"Hah, even you admit I'm a genius. Well then, if you beg me, I might agree to show you how to use that bow correctly"

"I AM using it correctly! See, I shot it in the exact same point as the first arrow! What do you know, wind boy!"

"Wind boy!? I'm almost ready to compete in the martial arts tournament soon! Bet you can't even defeat your own pillow! All you do is sleep and eat" he exclaimed as he jumped to his feet indignantly.

"Naniiii!? I could say the same for you! Bet I could defeat you with one arm behind my back!"

"In your dreams! I could take you on with no arms!"

"Oh yea, I could take you on with one leg!"

"Bet I could take you on with no arms or legs!"

"You can't fight with no arms and legs, stupid!"

"Oh yea!? You wanna have a go!?"

"There you are!" Yona exclaimed, popping out from the bushes, causing Hak and I to jump a mile.

"Good going, Hak, now see what you and that big mouth of yours did. My practice is ruined" I mumbled under my breath.

"Tch, it's not like the practice would've helped you anyway. You'd need a lifetime of practice to even be half as good as me. No, wait, maybe two lifetimes…"

I let out a battle cry as I pounced on him, grabbing him by the collar and wrestling him to the ground.

"You, take that back!" I yelled.

"Make me!" he yelled back as we tussled on the grass.

"Stop it you two!" Yona cried in exasperation.

"HAK!"

I smiled innocently as Mundok plucked Hak out of the bushes and hit him on the head for insulting me. Although I felt guilty for gramps apologizing on behalf of Hak, I relished the sight of him forcing Hak into a bow.

"It's fine. I like that he's himself with me. At least he treats me like a normal person" I said. And to my surprise, I meant every word. As much as we fought with each other, I could always count on Hak to be honest with me. At least he didn't treat me like I was fragile glass all the time.


I looked away as I felt my face heat up. Did she just say that she liked me being myself?

Although I would never admit it out loud, most of what I said was just to get on her nerves. She had an innate talent for battle; she could pick up any weapon or hand to hand combat easily by only seeing it once or twice. She may not be up to par with me at this point but I had no doubt she would be able to challenge me head on soon enough, if only King Il allowed her to practice.

I remembered the first time I met her – she looked like a small wild creature, with long tousled black hair and fierce golden brown eyes. Although she was relatively smaller in stature, as it turns out she was a year older than Soo-Won and I; 3 years older than Princess Yona. Over the course of a year, with proper food and training, she had grown tall and lean… like a boy.

She'd probably hit me for that comment, I thought to myself with an involuntary smile.

Besides that, she had also grown an appetite for battle, she was always trying to persuade General Yu-Hon or Mundok or myself to teach her something new. I knew General Yu-Hon had been training her in secret, there was too much potential in her for him to turn her away. But, as passionate as she was about it, she was never one to pick a fight. Well, except with me, that is…