I could not believe how far I had come. I never expected myself to end up teaching Princess Hue the entire art of wielding a crossbow. All I had come for was a month at most.

But that aside, I could also see that I was a good teacher. The entire Yokel could see that. Princess Hue, who had taken a month to hit her very first mark, could now rival several men with experience. The entire time, my lips tingled from her touch the previous night. My heart thumped in my chest, any moment now, I'd be breaking that crossbow. The sun had set. I walked towards the Princess' chamber, my last day in the Palace...

Princess Hue was standing at the edge of her balcony. Her chamber didn't have too many attendants. I didn't knock, wanting her to feel me, and be surprised. And feel she did, because it is one marking of a good warrior.

"Oh to think that you won't be here tomorrow..." she turned to me,  "I shall be so lonely. And Anh," she smiled, while I marveled at her acceptance of missing me. "She'll fantasise about your dreamy eyes."

I took my chance, "Is lady Anh inclined towards me, Princess?"

"Well, her infatuation are numerous and never too serious. I do not consider them a threat. You tell me, which new girl shall you find for yourself?"

I looked down with a smile, "My heart was sold forever ever since I saw you, My Lady."

How easy to fool women, how simple to win their heart with sweet words and praise.

"I do accept that I admire you, and that I'd love for you to stay here," she replied gently, "but you will move on. And so will I. We were never meant to be."

That was one thing she got right.

"Bu-" I begin, but she silenced me with a finger to my lips.

"I'll just tell you two things: I'm sorry, I was rude and uncivil to you, and I didn't listen to my heart before... and the second," I opened my mouth at the same time she did.

"I love you." We both said together, and I pulled Hue into an embrace I only half heartedly took part in. But it was a victorious heart of mine that beat against hers. And presently, I told her of what had to be done.

* * *

"Do you really think this is safe?" Hue asked, looking ahead, she wasn't afraid or nervous, only worried that the time wasn't right. In explaining, re-explaining and convincing, about an hour of time had elapsed. Princess Hue might have ended up liking me, but she - under no circumstances - was blind in love. She knew it was wrong to take me to the crossbow. Nobody else was supposed to enter the room other than the heir.

I had expected it to take more anyway.

"It's the only thing I want to do once in my lifetime. That crossbow, holding it in my own hands - the years of my practice of the crossbow will bear fruit. Tomorrow I shall be gone, and the only second thing I wish is... to see your coronation."

"If anybody sees us, Minh-"

"If anybody sees us, Princess, you can tell them to mind their own business." I replied, coolly. As we reached the weaponry, she wrapped a hand around the handle and sighed.

"Only because you saved my life."

I smiled confidently, closing my hand upon hers on the knob. "You're doing it because you love me, Princess Hue." So yes, she could blush crimson, much more easily than Anh.

"Shut up." she replied, pushing the door open swiftly. We entered, shutting it behind us, "I need distractions too."

"You'll never forget the love you felt for me today."

"I remember asking you to shut up."

I stared at the door I had seen on my first day here. She walked over, fixing her hand on the depression there was. "This depression morphs itself into the next heir's hand magically. That's how there's no competition for the throne. The Palace decides."

I nodded, the knob glowing. "Anh and I are seven months apart. But she never cared, she knows the Palace chooses the heir."

I nodded again, it was a little shocking to know that Anh was elder, but it made sense too. If the Lord was elder to Lord Lac, then it made some sense for Anh to be elder.

"Why do you not speak now?" she looked at me, exasperatedly pushing the door open.

"I was asked to shut up."

If looks could kill I would be dead today. But the door opening made me forget everything else. I could see the brilliance of the crossbow, it perfection. Every cut, every angle was so perfect that I I wanted to grab the weapon and keep it preserved with myself - forever.

But for the umpteenth time, I reminded myself of a mission I had. Besides, I had asked Anh to be somewhere around. I had asked her to leave yesterday - she had no job anymore. But she persisted, she wouldn't leave without me. So I had to do this quick, and conserve energy because there would be a lot to fight afterwards.

Princess Hue picked it up. "Don't break my trust, Minh." she shook her head, handing it towards me. I held it - the body was warm. Warm despite how cold the weaponry always way. I rubbed a palm against it.

All my efforts, all that pain. The day with Bia - when all this began. The first day of training. The library. The water in the chambers. Anh. Everything flashed before my eyes. Princess Hue stretched out a hand for it, but I shook my head.

"Just a moment more." I implored, then I tore my eyes away from it to face her. "Your trust shall never break, Princess Hue." an evil smile formed, it was a challenge. "But this crossbow certainly will."

Sickening crunch, and a flash of bright light - the cross bow was absurdly easy to break. It was because the heir had handed it to me. Her responsibility. Not mine.

I expected a scream, for her to charge at me. I expected pain - a stab, a punch, a kick. Violence. But shock was all that reigned on Hue's face. She knew. She knew it was useless - but the scream came. Just as a small ah.

Fingers, bony and strong, wrapped around my throat in a flash. I had not expected this amount of strength from her - but it was easy enough to overpower her because Princess Hue was frenzied. I heard shouts outside - 

What was that light?

It came from the weaponry.

The Princess is in there!

I needed to make this fast. Pulling her arms away from my throat, I pushed her behind, against the wall. Unsheathing my sword, before she could move, I pushed it right at her. No, not a kill. It passed her and embedded into the wall - but the force so much and the scare so acute that Princess Hue, not so much from the sword as from the shock, collapsed in a heap onto the ground.

This had been easier than I had foreseen. I kicked the door open, shutting it behind me. Guards approached, but didn't speak to me, entering the weaponry. I broke into a run now, hoping it took them sometime. As if on cue, the whole Palace began waking up. I had messed up - the guards had seen me leave the weaponry - but if only I reached our Centre alive, they could do me no harm. Besides, ahead of me, I spotted Anh - rushing towards me, her hair disheveled. The past hour had been surreal in no good way. I grabbed her hand, running in the same direction - now down a staircase, taking three steps at a time.

"Did you - did you-" she began, panting. I was vexed.

"Why else would I be running my lungs out, Anh!?"

She kept running, face set. "They saw you," she stated, while all I could wonder was why the Palace was so huge. "The exits would be sealed!"

"Why would I used the exits!? Have you lost your senses!" I grunted, "Take me to your chamber. FAST!"

"Can you stop shouting at me!?"

"They'll have my neck, not yours!"

I could only marvel at the fact that we hadn't been discovered yet.

Wrong thing to marvel at, because at that very instance, a very tall guard spotted me. Wide-eyed, he spun on his spot, "THERE IS THE TRAITOR! HE'S - HE'S GOT THE OTHER PRIN-"

"DAMN IT!" I muttered, pulling out my smallest dagger - I threw it haphazardly at the man, but a loud thud and a lack of a shout confirmed the mark. This time, Anh gripped me harder. "We'll get away."

She was running faster than I was, now. It helped to be pulled instead of having to do so. We dashed into an airy and fragrant part of the Palace - feminine in every sense. So Anh.

"That glass will break - we can jump out, it's only a few feet." she pointed hurriedly, by now, despite felling a few more men - there were horde of guards behind us. I pulled out my blades, pushing their hilts against the thin glass at once. It shattered readily, and we jumped.