An hour later, Ezra, Yona, and Yun stood in front of a shop, facing a man who was eyeing them from head to toe. Ezra did her best not to fidget.

"So, you three want to work here?" he asked.

"Yes," Yun said, taking the lead. His voice was several octaves higher than normal. "We heard the pay was good."

He makes a pretty convincing girl, Ezra thought.

The man leered at them, and Ezra had to suppress a shudder. "Very well. We'd be delighted to have you."

"Yay!" Yun cheered. "I'm so excited to work here!"

He's better at acting like a girl than I am!

"Right this way, please," he instructed, turning and leading them into the shop. The three let out an inward sigh of relief. They'd all passed the test.

"Please wait in this room," he ordered, opening a door for them. "I'll go get the manager."

Ezra tried not to shake as she stepped into the room, knowing what was about to happen. The floor would open beneath them, dumping them into a holding cell before they'd be transported to Kumji's ship.

Silence settled over them as they fidgeted in the center of the room, the door closing behind them.

Fear was alight in Yona's violet eyes, and Ezra could see her legs shaking.

"Yona," Yun said, taking a step towards her. He didn't get a chance to comfort her as the floor opened up and swallowed them whole.

Their eyes were immediately covered by a cloth that was tied around their heads. Ezra felt the ground rumble underneath her as they moved; they must be in a carriage, on their way to Kumji's holding cell.

After a while the rocking motion stopped. Ezra heard the sounds of doors being open before she was wrenched roughly to her feet. She tripped over her own shoes as she was led to an unknown destination.

Suddenly her blindfold was ripped off. The man leading her swung open a door, revealing a large room filled to the brim with young, frightened women. Ezra's jaw clenched when she took in the sight of them.

For a moment, the three did nothing but stare at the poor women who had the misfortune of looking for work in a dirty town like Awa.

"Get in!" the man who'd led Ezra snarled, shoving them none-too-gently inside. Yona cried out in pain.

"Yona!" Yun gasped as the door was shut behind them. Ezra crawled over to Yona, inspecting her leg.

"Yun," Ezra said quietly. "Look at her ankle."

Yun frowned as he looked over her leg. "It's sprained," he said. "It must've happened when you fell."

Ezra could see the worry in Yona's eyes. Before she could say anything, the door opened once more.

An intimidating bearded man with a rounded belly and narrowed eyes stood in front of them. Yona's eyes widened at the sight of him, and Ezra had to wonder who he was.

The man raised a hand to his chin, staring all around him at the women his men had gathered. "I see," he murmured. "Yes, you're all excellent. Awa still has value left in it."

"Lord Kumji," one of the girls said shakily, and Ezra's eyes widened in recognition of the name. So this was the infamous Yan Kumji. "What is the meaning of this? We came looking for work..."

"Oh, make no mistake," Kumji said with a leer. "There is work. Work so fun, you probably won't be able to handle it."

Ezra shivered uncontrollably from head to toe. She'd never been truly afraid of a human being before the way she was afraid of Kumji now.

He strode forward, grabbing Yona by her hair and lifting her roughly to her knees.

Yona! Ezra cried internally, but her limbs were frozen in place. She was shaking so hard she could barely move.

"Red hair is unusual indeed," Kumji said, bringing Yona's face closer to his. Yona's eyes were squeezed shut in pain. "And your face isn't bad, either. I almost regret having to sell you."

Yun's jaw clenched.

"But with so many goods, keeping one for myself would be no great loss, right?" Kumji leaned his face closer to Yona's. Ezra's hands balled into fists at her side, but still she could not make herself move.

Why won't you move? she asked her locked legs desperately.

Beside her, Yun stood. "Lord Kumji," he said in his girl's voice. His legs were shaking slightly, but his hands were steady as he reached up to place a hand over his fabric-stuffed chest. "I-I'm sure I can satisfy you much better than she can."

Ezra's eyes widened at Yun's bravery. Admiration swept through her for the pretty boy genius who was currently doing what she hadn't had the courage to do.

"Oh?" Kumji asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Forget about her," Yun said, clasping his hands together. "Choose me instead."

Kumji released his hold on Yona's hair and stepped up to Yun, grasping his chin. "You're quite beautiful, yourself." He leaned back. "However..." He brought his knee up, slamming it into Yun's stomach.

The boy flew backwards, his eyes wide, before he hit the ground and coughed blood.

"Yun!" Ezra cried, her locked limbs breaking free of their invisible restraints. She sprinted to his side.

Kumji had reclaimed his grasp on Yona's hair. "Don't interrupt me when I'm having fun!" he snarled.

"Lord Kumji, please don't damage the merchandise!" one of his officials said worriedly. Kumji shot him a glare before slamming his fist up into the official's stomach. The man fell on his back, coughing.

"I told you not to interrupt me," Kumji said darkly.

He approached Yun, Yona in tow. He placed a boot on Yun's head, digging his heel in. Yun groaned.

"You--" Ezra growled, starting to stand. Suddenly Kumji's foot whipped up and around, slamming into her face with enough force to send her reeling. She hit the floor, dazed.

Kumji went back to grinding Yun's head with his boot. "Nothing pleases me more than women who tremble before me in silence," he told him. "Just like this redhead." He gripped Yona's hair even harder.

He hadn't counted on the fire that burned deep in Yona's eyes. When he looked at her face, Kumji's eyes widened, and he released his hold on her hair. She fell to the ground.

"Girl, are you from Awa?" Kumji asked, clearly shaken. Ezra smirked with triumph. Yona had intimidated him.

Ezra sat up, wiping blood off of her forehead as she glared at Kumji.

"Yes," Yona answered, her head down.

"Long ago, I saw red hair like yours at Hiryuu Castle," Kumji told her. Ezra's eyes widened, and she noticed Yun glancing up in worry. "That girl was Princess Yona. She'd be about your age." He stared at her. "Are you Princess Yona?"

***

Hmm, I feel like this ending would build a lot more suspense if you guys didn't already know how this scene pans out! In any case, I hope you're enjoying reading this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it. As always, please vote and comment! Your encouragement means the world to me. 

--Veratia0011