Chapter Three: Hidden Strength

Yonin stumbled over a tree root and just barely managed to catch himself before he fell completely.

"Prince."

He leaned against a tree and tried to catch his breath. The darkness of night remained heavily over the forest. Somewhere, an owl hooted, and the silver moonlight streamed in through the tall trees.

"Prince Yonin," Hae tentatively called again.

Battered, bruised, and bloodied, Yonin slowly slid to his knees. His hair hung, disheveled, in his face, and shis shoulders slumped.

"Let's rest here a bit, okay?' Hae murmured gently, firmly touching the young man's shoulder before withdrawing.

Yonin sat back against the trunk and stared up at the dimly glowing sky that peeked from behind shadowed leaves. "Hae?"

She hummed in response, carefully eyeing the prince.

"I-Is Min-soo dead?" He asked, dead violet eyes staring hazily at her. "Am I going to die? And you, too?" Is Wan-soo…" His head thumped back against the bark. "... going to kill us?"

Hae sat on a tree root, one that bulged out from an incline and made the perfect seat. "There's no way I'll let that piece of trash bitch take my life." 'Or yours, for that matter.'

His swollen eyelids drooped heavily. "Don't you dare die…" HIs body slumped further as it continued to go slack with exhaustion. "... Hae. If you do…" She watched as his eyes slid shut. "I'll never… ever… forgive you…" And there, sitting against that tree, he drifted off into sleep.

Hae glanced off, her trembling hand curling into a fist. "I still can't believe it."

Empress Ila was dead. Gone. Murdered.

The bone in her jaw stood out as it tightened. "What a sorry excuse for an empress, leaving the prince to fend for himself like this."

With dirt and blood and dried sweat caked on his face, Yonin seemed so strangely peaceful in his slumber.

'I've been by his side for a long time.'

She looked to his hands. They were filthy, scraped up.

'He's never had to deal with being dirty or being in pain.'

"Tell me, your majesty, what should I do now?" She asked, looking up through the tall, tall trees at the starry sky.

'It feels so long ago. Actually, it feels like it was just yesterday…'

"Hae!"

She sluggishly blinked an eye open.

"Hey, you brat!"

"Hmm…?" She hummed, propping herself up on one hand, the feathers that dangled from her braided headband brushing her cheeks.

A scarred face glared down at her. "Useless twerp." It was the one-eyed Son Mon-yeong, Wind Tribe chieftess. "The Five Tribes had a meeting today. I wanted you there to help represent the Wind Tribe," she grumbled in her annoying old lady voice.

Hae pulled a fruit from her pocket and nonchalantly bit into it. When she was done chewing, she said, "You're the chieftess of the Wind Tribe and one of the Five Generals, Lady Mon-yeong. You're all the representation we need. And I came to the palace with you, didn't I? Isn't that good enough?" The elder blinked down with her one good eye as Hae slowly rose to her feet. "Also, Empress Ila is too bubbly. I can't stand talking to her."

Finally, the old lady exploded. "You idiot! What's with this 'Lady Mon-yeong garbage!?" she shrieked. "Call me 'Grandma!'"

"That's your problem?!" Hae exclaimed, bristling, throwing her arms up, "We're not even blood relatives!"

Mon-yeong knocked her adoptive granddaughter upside the head, which was answered with a growl and a kick from Hae. "Blood means nothing compared to the power of love!"

Hae stuck out her tongue, "Blech!" and the chieftess slapped her cheek.

"Now, now," a cheerful voice chided. Empress Ila stood before them, tittering fondly with her hands folded daintily into her sleeves. "If General Mon-yeong and her heir start fighting, it could leave Hiryuu Palace in ruins."

Mon-yeong abruptly fell to her knees and prostrated herself. "Your majesty, I apologize!"

Hae smiled stiffly, sheepishly. 'Aw, crap. And I just called her "bubbly" out loud, too.'

"There's no need to bow," Ila cooed, gesturing for the venerable general to stand. She approached Hae, and her dark, warm eyes glimmered affectionately. "It's been a while, hasn't it, Hae? I'm sad that you don't visit the palace as often as you used to, dear."

The teen rubbed the back of her head. "A commoner like me shouldn't wander in too freely."

Ila laughed, a bright, bell-like sound.

'Bubbly.'

"Don't worry about that! Yonin gets lonely when you're not around."

Yonin? Wanting to spend time with Hae?

"Ha ha ha, you bubbly little liar," Hae lilted.

Ila froze mid-grin. "Bubbly?"

Mon-yeong's fan came down so hard upon Hae that it smashed her to the ground. "How dare you speak that way to your empress! Even if it's accurate, you must show respect!" the chieftess yowled. "You insolent fool! You are no longer my granddaughter!"

"We aren't related anyway!" Hae snapped back, rolling from her grandmother's reach before standing back up. She gingerly touched her throbbing head.

"You mustn't be so violent, Mon-yeong," Ila admonished.

The elder collapsed into a bow. "I apologize!"

Ila turned back to the teen. "I appreciate that Hae speaks her mind. Would you like a steamed bun, my dear?" Ila offered, procuring said bun from a satchel in her sash.

Which reminded Hae…

She quickly looked around. Nope. Her piece of fruit was lost forever in her battle with the old hag.

The empress tittered when the girl graciously accepted the snack. "What would you think of staying here as Yonin's guard?"

A sigh heaved out of Hae's lungs. "Your majesty…" The clear blue of her irises met the empress in a wry grin. "Dealing with the nobility exhausts me. If I move into the palace and become a general, I can't relax at home and nap when I want." She turned away.

"Hae…" the empress began, dainty hand reaching after her.

"You dislike weapons, right, your majesty?" She shot a glance over her shoulder as she walked away, feathers brushing her cheeks. "So, you should find one of those rare people who can protect others without the use of a weapon."

"Hae!" the dismayed cry echoed after her.

But she ignored it and ambled away. 'To be honest, I don't want anything to do with the royal family or the nobility.' As she walked, two court gentlemen bickered loudly, obviously upset with one another. 'I can't stand all the backstabbing and the spying.' A pebble went skittering across the slate when she kicked it. 'And I don't sense any danger from her majesty.' She chortled to herself. That bubbly woman didn't pose a threat to anyone. "Bubbly really is the word, too."

'And besides…'

"Hae!" a voice called. A familiar voice that made all of her nerves tense up immediately.

'There's another reason I don't want to stay in the palace.'

Yonin frantically dashed up. His brilliant red hair positively gleamed in the light of the sun. He quickly ducked behind her, his long fingers curling into the back of her formal shirt that Mon-yeong had forced her to wear. "Hide me!" He squeaked.

A knot formed between Hae's eyebrows. At thirteen, Yonin had caught up to her in height. In fact, Hae, at fifteen, was just barely shorter than the prince now. Someone of her stature simply couldn't "hide" him. But his fiercely blushing cheeks made her condescending remarks die in her throat.

'Whenever I'm near his highness, he throws me off balance.'

"Prince Yonin!" Someone shrilled. It came from one of the walkways. A tall girl with smoky blonde hair and Fire Tribe garb ambled about, her hands cupped around her mouth. "Your highness, where are you?"

Hae was wrong. She apparently made a good visual shield, since the girl kept walking.

'That's the daughter of the Fire Tribe's chieftess,' Hae thought bemusedly before she turned and met Yonin's apprehensive eyes. What did he do? With a scowl, Hae deadpanned, "If you're going to prank someone, don't get caught so easily, Prince Yonin."

"It's not like that!" he snapped. "I haven't seen you in ages and that's all you have to say?!"

She scoffed and put her hands on her waist. "Well, what else am I supposed to think? What would she want with you?! And you aren't much better!" This prince seriously aggravated her. She would become old and gray like Mon-yeong in no time if she had to deal with this on a daily basis.

Yonin snatched her wrist. "I don't want to talk about it here. Let's go somewhere else."

Blinking, Hae mindlessly allowed the prince to drag her to a more secluded section of the courtyard. When the prince released her, she rubbed her wrist. He certainly hadn't hurt her, but his touch lingered beneath her skin in an incredibly annoying way. "Now, what is it you wanted to tell me?"

Yonin pouted and fiddled with his hands. He mumbled his next words, but Hae still caught them, even if she couldn't believe her ears.

"She's making advances toward you?!" Hae squawked.

Yonin nodded curtly.

Laughter thundered from her, and she slapped her knee dramatically. Her eyes even watered.

"It's true! Stop laughing or I'm going to strangle you!" He huffed and crossed his arms. "Everytime Kan Tae-jee comes to the palace, she gives me gifts and asks me to join her outside." His scowl deepened. "She's always saying things like 'You're lovely like a flower!' or 'Your eyes pierce my heart like an arrow!' and other stuff that makes me really uncomfortable.

Now, Hae was genuinely reflecting over Yonin's issue. 'Empress Ila doesn't have a daughter, no direct heir, so Tae-jee's trying to win the prince's heart so she can take the throne. Even if the prince is only thirteen.' Which meant more persistence than if Tae-jee was genuinely in love with the prince. Stupid power-hungry nobles.

"She's so pushy!" Yonin whined.

Full-frontal rejection might still work, though. Hae shrugged, her response flippant and teasing, "So why not tell her…" she lowered her voice melodramatically to mock Yonin, "... 'Sorry, but a certain young woman named Wan-soo has my heart already.'"

Red swallowed his cheeks, and he looked down at his twiddling hands. Hae watched with an outwardly dull expression. 'That's what I thought.'

"But Wan-soo doesn't feel that way."

The dregs of frustration were building up into something stronger. 'This is why I hate coming here.'

"And if I say that, she'll find out about it!"

"Not my problem," Hae muttered facetiously.

Yonin huffed, whining and pleading, "Stop being so annoyed with me.'

With a hand on her hip, she began to turn away. "In that case, I guess you'll need to just make peace with Lady Kan Tae-jee. Sometimes you have to listen to other people."

Although Hae couldn't see his face, she could hear the prince's pout. "You're so cold, Hae," he muttered to the girl's retreating back. "Wan-soo would never say anything like that!"

The frustration and annoyance and hurt coiled up and sprang from Hae's throat. "If that's how you feel, then go crying to her when you want someone to protect you!"

She disregarded those wide purple eyes and stomped away.

The sky was happy and blue and the clouds were fluffy and white and it all just irritated Hae even more as she stared at them. Head propped on her hand and facing the patio door, she laid on the floor of the room she and Mon-yeong were staying in. She could only glare out at all the stupid green trees and smelly flowers.

"Ugh, I want to get back to the Wind Tribe soon, General Mon-yeong," she groused.

The old hag glanced over her shoulder. "What's got you in such a bad mood? And call me 'Grandma.'"

"I'm not in a bad mood!" the teenager hissed.

Mon-yeong huffed, "You absolutely are."

A slight knock drew her attention to where a young redhead was peeking over the edge of the deck.

Hae bolted up into a sitting position. "Prince Yonin! What brings you here?"

With a couple of grunts, he managed to pull himself over the edge. He had turned one front flap of his kimono into a pouch, and when he released the hem, a variety of fruit bounced out to Hae's feet.

"I'm sorry about earlier," he said quietly, amethyst eyes downcast.

Hae blinked in shock. Yonin hardly ever apologized, much less to Hae.

"You must've been mad at houw spineless I was acting." His lips firmed into a resolute line. "I'm the prince of Kouka, and I have my honor! I've got to stop whining and do something about my problems!" Before she could respond, he was already turning away and hopping off the deck. "Bye."

"Hey!" Hae automatically reached out to grab him, but it was too late.

Yonin's pale hand poked over the deck and pointed at the fruits. "Those are for you. They're a peace offering."

A red apple gleamed in the sun, and it was firm in Hae's palm. It was so lovely a scarlet, but not quite like the prince's blazing hair. Yonin was a clever boy to bribe Hae with food. He knew her too well, even if he didn't know her well enough.

Chest and cheeks warm, Hae bit into the apple. 'This is why I don't want to deal with his highness…"

Later that evening, Hae was sitting against the fence. She was on the grassy side, out of sight from the raised walkway behind her. She wanted somewhere quiet to think, away from that chatty old hag. This area was peaceful enough, until two female attendants walked by.

"How was her majesty at the tribal meeting?" the first asked.

Hae's interest was instantly piqued.

The second sighed resignedly. "Oh, she just did everything the chieftesses told her to do, as usual."

A disapproving sound, one made in the throat, came from the first. "I heard the Fire Tribe's buying up weapons from neighboring countries. Without her majesty's approval."

"At this rate, the tribes are going to keep gaining power at her expense."

"Should we really entrust our country to such a coward?"

'They've got tons of complaints. Not really surprising with an empress like that. She's a nice lady, though.'

From where she sat, she could catch small glimpses of a royal flag - embellished with a dragon - flapping in the breeze. 'When I succeed Grandma and become a general, I'll become a lackey for the royal family.' Which, generally, wasn't a pleasant thought. Hae didn't want to be anyone's lackey.

"What would you think of being Yonin's guard?" the empress had asked.

Hae stood up and brushed the dirt off her clothes, a soft smile gracing her lips. "You shouldn't worry about me, your majesty," she murmured to herself, "I'm-"

"I said no!" Hae recognized that fiery, whiny tone. 'It's the prince.' She quickly ducked down again, hidden by the fence, and glimpsed through to see Tae-jee and Yonin. "I'm not going to the imperial villa with you," the prince declared, face brighter than his hair.

'Kan Tae-jee must be making advances again. Yonin's face is so red. He's really trying hard.'

"Now, now," the girl chided. "Don't play hard to get." With a sickly sweet smile on her face, Tae-jee latched onto his wrist and began to tug him away. "I hear the imperial villa has a marvelous flower garden. Won't you show it to me?"

Yonin attempted to yank himself away, but his body was stick thin, and Tae-jee had moderately-adequate physical training. "Let go of me!"

"Tch," Hae hissed, feeling a vein in her face throb in irritation. 'What a pain. I wish Wan-soo were here.' Then she pictured her best friend's innocent face and changed her mind. 'Actually, no. When it comes to love and stuff, she's no help. She's too easygoing.'

Hae could just hear her saying "Wow, you two will have so much fun! See you later, Yonin!"

'She's always been like that. I bet it's hard on his highness.' Pining over someone who hadn't a clue in the world…

How relatable.

The commotion quickly caught her attention again. Tae-jee pulled Yonin against her, one of his arms pinned uselessly between them and the other held in a tight grip. Speech seemed to escape the flustered prince as he tried to struggle from her clutches. The disturbance also caught the attention of a pair of guards, if their mummering to each other were any indication. "It doesn't look like his majesty is enjoying that."

'What gave it away? The struggling? The "Let go of me!"' Hae sneered sarcastically in her thoughts.

"Someone should stop her."

"But… That's General Kan's daughter. We don't want to wind up with the general mad at us."

"Let's get the empress." And the two hurried away.

'The nobility are aggravating as always!' Blue eyes rolled, and she sank back down to lean against the deck. 'I'm not getting involved. It's not my problem,' she decided, closing her eyes and tipping her head back. 'I'm ignoring this… If I don't… I'll… just keep on…'

"Sorry about earlier." Purple blue eyes stared earnestly. Retreating red hair. "It's a peace offering."

"You really are adorable, aren't you, Prince?" Tae-jee simpered, leaning down into her captive's face. "When you resist with the strength of a kitten, it makes me want to touch you more."

"No, I want you to stop!" Yonin cried, wanting so badly to kick her but fearing retribution.

Both were too busy to notice the raven-haired girl nimbly hopping over the fence.

"I think that's quite enough." Hae tugged Yonin back, sidled herself between them, and firmly pulled the other girl's hand away from his wrist. "Lady Kan Tae-jee." Her arm slipped under Yonin's and around his back in a half embrace.

"Hae-!" He started, hand gripping her shoulder in surprise but relief plainly written on his face.

Tae-jee was aghast. "W-Who are you? The insolence! Don't touch his highness so freely!"

"I can say the same to you," Hae replied. She snuggled up close to the boy in question, her other hand splaying on his chest, her cheek nuzzling into his throat, and her sharp blue eyes glaring from beneath his chin. "Who said you can touch my prince?"

Tae-bllinked. 'Her prince?'

Yonin stiffened. 'Whose prince?'

The Fire Tribe noble shook herself from her stupor. "Y-You have no right to speak of him that way, brat!"

"Oh, don't I?" Hae tilted her head up, her nose brushing along his jawline. He smelled really good and it was honestly kind of distracting. "When we were little, he and I vowed to spend our lives together. Right, your highness?"

"Huh? What?" The boy fumbled; the situation put him at a loss of words. And thoughts, it seemed.

Hae pulled back to look him in the eyes, her gaze clearly saying 'Follow my lead, will you?' as she tenderly cupped his warm cheeks. "What's wrong, your highness? There's no need to be shy."

Uncomfortable laughs poured from him as he squirmed, his own gaze reading 'I'll never forgive you for this.' "Ha ha ha, n-not where other people can see…!"

"E-Eh," Tae-jee grunted awkwardly to gain their attention. "Is it true? Do you have feelings for her, your highness?"

Yonin never did well when put on the spot. "Um, well - uh," he cleared his throat. "Yes." Suddenly, their embrace tightened, mostly on Yonin's part, one of his hands moving to her hair to cradle her head to his shoulder. "I love her dearly."

From where her cheek laid against the fabric of his kimono, Hae stared with wide eyes. A big knot of warmth and happiness lodged itself in her throat. Those words felt good. Really good. Even if they weren't true. Hand over her mouth, she looked away from the two as pink dusted her cheeks.

As Hae suspected, flat-out rejection did not wear at Tae-jee's persistence. "I can't accept that!" she spat, obviously ruffled and petulant, like a child whose toy was taken away. "Even if that's true, I can't stand for the prince to share his life with the likes of you! I am Kan Tae-jee, the second daughter of General Kan - chieftess of the Fire Tribe!" She jabbed a long, rather delicate and soft finger at the other girl. "And who are you?"

Hae faced Tae-jee fully, though she kept Yonin's arm around her waist. "Me? I'm Son Hae, next general and chieftess of the Wind Tribe." The smug statement of how she was actually of higher station than Tae-jee burned on her tongue, but she bit it back. "The empress has personally appointed me to be Yonin's guard." She did, however, let a smirk curl her lips. "Got a problem with that?"

Tae-jee snarled, leaning forward into a fighting stance and left hand reaching for the pommel of her sheathed sword. "If that's the case, then I demand…" The blade hissed from its scabbard. "... that you prove your worth."

A hand shot out, grabbing onto the half-drawn blade in a vice-like grip.

It was the empress.

"Your majesty!" Tae-jee squawked, horrified to be caught in such a manner by such a person.

Hand still gripping the steel of the weapon, Ila smiled softly. "You mustn't do that."

"I'm sorry!" The girl blurted, sheathing her sword and not seeing the blood staining the metal.

"It's all right."

After a swift bow, Tae-jee rushed off.

That bubbly, doughy face beamed at Hae. "I didn't realize you two had that sort of relationship."

Yonin sprang away from Hae as if she were plagued. Harsh. "M-Mother! It's not what you think!"

"Well, since you spoke up, she probably won't come around anymore. Ugh, what a pain," Hae grumbled, trying to lie to herself about how much she actually enjoyed being so close to the prince.

"Stop talking, Hae," said prince hissed.

A chuckle left the empress at the banter. "Hae, have you come around to being Yonin's guard? I knew I could count on you."

"My services don't come cheap," Hae replied, though she respectfully knelt before the empress.

"I'm entrusting my son to you," Ila said, solemn, "Please protect him."

'I can't abandon him. And…' To this day, Hae remembered how the empress turned around, hands clasped behind her back. As she walked away, blood oozed from between her fingers to drip onto the walkway. 'It turned out our empress wasn't a coward after all.'

Though it was still night, Yonin had been resting a long time. Good, he needed it.

The moon was beginning its descent, but it still peeked from behind the wispy clouds. Hae watched it quietly, the moonlight washing her blue eyes silver.

'Empress Ila, are you still watching over us from somewhere?'

A quiet whimper drew her attention back to the prince. His expression was troubled, and a tear rolled down his dirty cheek.

'I will protect the son you left behind.'

She tenderly wiped the drop away.

'And someday, we will return to your palace.'

CHAPTER 3 END