It was around midnight when I woke up. I had heard some grunts and shouts coming from outside. I looked around, and noticed my sister's bed was empty. This was fairly unusual, so I decided to ask a nearby guard where she was. Standing up, I walked towards the door and opened it, stepping out into the hallway. I was still a but groggy from sleep, but decided to continue anyway and walk towards Ahi's night post, where he is situated at night. It was just in the corner, not that far from my room, when I heard grunts and yells from behind me. I turned to see a group of guards running towards me, their weapons out.

"Princess Vienna! What are you doing out of your room?" one of them asked. He was one of Soo-won's generals. "I'm looking for Ahi," I said with my groggy voice. "What's all the commotion about? Where's Yona?" The general nodded his head at one of the guards, and he walked away from us. "Princess, please go to your room. Something happened, and we're trying to control the situation. Ahi is on his way and will see you in his room." I didn't think much of it and proceeded to be escorted to his room by the general and the guards, and once I was inside, one of them stayed to keep guard outside while Ahi was on his way.

I had no idea of what was happening and I was growing scared every second that passed and Ahi wasn't here. Something had happened while I was asleep, and if I wasn't so tired, maybe I could've prevented it, whatever it was. I just hope it's nothing too serious. After a few minutes, the door opens, and Ahi walks in. He immediately sits aside me and hugs me. "What's going on outside?" I asked, trying to keep my voice as low as possible. "It's terrible. I never thought..." Ahi hugged me and buried his face in the crook of my neck. I feared for my life now. I had never seen Ahi so shook like this before. "Ahi, tell me what happened," the words left my mouth on their own, although I wasn't ready to find out hat had happened yet.

"King Il was murdered," he whispered onto my ear. It took around a minute for my brain to process what he had just said. "What? Father is dead?!" I exclaimed and let go of his embrace. My heartbeat rose as I stared at Ahi, who affirmed his own statement. "Who did it?! I want whoever did it dead!" I exclaimed, standing up and heading towards the door. I was ready to grab a sword and slay whoever took my father's life.

Sure, my father didn't take good care of the kingdom, was a coward and wasn't a great king, if not the king of the rich, but he was still my father and took care of me and Yona once our mother passed away. Ahi grabbed my wrist and held me back. "Let me go, Ahi!" I demanded, trying to free myself from his grip, but he was too strong. Instead of freeing me, he pulled me and back hugged me. He was taller than I was, by a lot, and was able to hold my enraged state in his arms. "Yona killed him."

My whole world slowly started to crumble down at my own feet. My own older sister murdered my father, all in cold blood. I stopped moving my limbs to get out of Ahi's grip, instead I leaned in to him and just cried. Then I started thinking. She killed him because he wouldn't allow her to marry Soo-won. That's how much she loved him, how much she wanted him to be hers. Maybe it was all the rage she had bottled up through the day that caused her to murder him. But it could've been an accident. Or better, a misunderstanding. "D-did anyone see her do it?" I tried to ask Ahi through my sobs. My nose was getting stuffy and my cheeks began to hurt from the crying.

"Yes. Soo-won witnessed her killing him, as well as Kye-sook. And Hak, apparently... H-He... Helped her do it," Ahi said. I couldn't believe this. Hak had no intention to kill him, that I know of. Then again, he's my sister's bodyguard. I was speechless, and at some point, my mind went blank and I went numb. I fell asleep with Ahi embracing me, but it was a restless, dreamless sleep.

When I awoke, the first thing I saw was Ahi standing guard, sitting aside me. "Morning, Ahi," I said to him with a cracked voice. He nodded towards me and handed me a glass of water. Before any of us could say anything else, Kye-sook entered the room and bowed. "Your highness, Lord Soo-won requests your presence in the west tower," he said, then left.

I was full of questions, eager to speak to him. The king --my father-- had been murdered, and his oldest daughter --Yona-- is the murderer, or so it is. The longer I tried to wrap my head around it, the more my head hurt. Not to mention that I had to go through the sole process of meeting with the Five Generals to see if I was a fit ruler –which I'm not– or to see who was worthy enough to be king. I stood up slowly and Ahi called in a maid to help me dress. Afterwards, he walked along side me towards the west tower, and as we did, I started to reminisce about some things, like how we met.

Two years ago, I was getting my lessons from one of the ladies in waiting, when I heard some arguing outside my door. I turned my head towards the door, and it opened, revealing Hak and Elder Mundok, from the Wind Tribe, who were arguing outside while my father held the door open. I had never met Hak before, since whenever he came to visit, I was studying inside, but Yona had talked about him and I had seen him around once or twice.

"Hak, Ahi, please say hello to Princess Vienna," my father said. Immediately, Elder Mundok and Hak stopped arguing, and he entered the room along with a boy. Hak had black messy short hair, while this boy had long, chin length black hair. He had a soft stare and kind eyes. Both boys bowed to me and I bowed back slightly. "Hello princess," greeted Ahi with a smile. "Hi," Hak said, looking around the room. "Vienna, you are excused from your duties for the day. Go have fun~!" chimed my father.

I was never excused from my duties, and it was new to me, so I just stood up, tidied everything away, and took a walk along the garden with Ahi and Hak. "So, what do you like to do, Vienna?" Hak asked while he munched on a snack my father had given him. "Um... I don't really have free time. If I do, I just like to stay in the garden-" I was interrupted by Yona running into Hak. In the distance, I hear Taejun in the distance calling her.

"Is Taejun bothering you again?" I asked her. She nodded and she started to have a conversation with Hak. "Who's Taejun?" asked Ahi, who was standing aside me. We both kept on walking and left the two to their bickering. "He's the youngest son of the Fire Tribe General. He often comes to bring Yona and I gifts and asks us out from time to time. We don't like him." He looked at him at the distance and glared at him as we walked in the garden.

Soon after we were separated, since Ahi and Hak had to do business with Mundok, and I was left alone, wandering the corridors to go to the garden. "Princess Vienna!" I heard someone call, so I turned around just to see Taejun. "Um, o-oh, hello Taejun," I greeted him politely. "Princess, why don't you marry me?" The question caught me severely off guard, but it wasn't the first time he had asked this. "Because, Taejun, I don't like you that way." Usually, that answer has him walking away in shame, but not today.

He grabs me by my wrists and pulls me closer. "But I'm a good candidate to be yours! I'll do whatever you say! Please!" I didn't like the close contact I was having with him. I didn't like close contact with anyone at all. "Taejun, please let go of me," I begged, but he didn't listen and continued to harass me. Then, someone pulled me and placed a hand on my waist, and my head landed on someone's chest.

"How dare you touch the princess so freely!" I opened my eyes to see Ahi side hugging me, and giving Taejun a grin. "The same goes for you. Who gave you permission to touch my princess?" he retorted. "My?! Your?!" Taejun is speechless for a minute, then Ahi continues. "Vienna and I made a promise to each other when we were little, and nothing can change that." Taejun was furious now. "Unbelievable! Vienna, you love me, right? Not him, right?!" He fumed.

I smiled and said, "I'm sorry Taejun, but my heart is reserved just for Ahi." Then, he got his sword out. "I can't allow such a beautiful princess marry a lowlife scum like you! Who are you anyways?!" "I'm Son Ahi, youngest son of General Mundok of the Wind Tribe, and I have orders from the king to become Princess Vienna's bodyguard," he responded. My father appointed me a bodyguard? When did this happen?

Taejun swung his sword our way and I flinched, closing my eyes and inching closer to Ahi's chest, but the sword was stopped by a clash between his and Ahi's. He had a long Katana on his hand, and easily surpassed Taejun's strength. He got scared, and ran away quickly. "Thank you, Ahi," I said as he let go of my waist. I hadn't disliked his touch, and I was comfortable around him. He gave off this aura that was really great to be around in. "No problem, Princess."

Then, my father walks in, and says he witnessed everything. He acknowledged that everything we said about being engaged was a façade, since we had just met, and promised to keep Taejun out of the castle unless there is an important event. He proceeded to inform me that Ahi was to be appointed as my bodyguard, and that he'd be living in the castle for then on.

We arrived at the tower, and Ahi opened the door for me. "I had them comb the mountains all night, but they still haven't found anything." "How are things in the castle?" "People are beginning to notice something is wrong, and unrest is growing," I said, walking in the room. On my way, I managed to see general Joo-doh trying to calm all the guests that stayed over for our birthday the day before, but it only caused them to be more curious. Kye-sook bowed to me, while the honey-haired noble came forward and hugged me.

"I'm so sorry, princess Vienna. I couldn't stop them." His warmth draped over me like a blanket, and a small wave of relief filled me, making me shed a few years. I wrapped my arms around him, thanking him before he let go. "Tell me the truth. What happened?" The words left my lips with a hoarse tone, but I ignored it as Soo-won began to explain.

"King Il had told me to visit his quarters after the party in order to discuss some things, and when I opened the door, Hak removed his Hsu Quandao from the king's body, and Yona was with him. I tried to capture them, but they got away. They seem to have escaped to the mountains." When he was done, I exhaled sharply, "It will be difficult for the guards of the castle to find them, specially since Hak was raised in Fuuga..."

I glanced at Ahi, with said guard bearing a fearsome expression. He was clearly enraged, having his brother murder one of their father figures, and he wasn't the only one. "What shall we do, princess Vienna?" Kye-sook asked, only for me to walk towards the veranda in the tower, overlooking the kingdom. The sun was just rising, causing the color of the sky to turn red, a shade I now so despised.

Before she could speak, two guards entered the room. "Lord Soo-won, princess Vienna, we spent all night searching, but we still can not find them. Shall we send more guards after them?" "No, leave them," I said, causing them to jump slightly in surprise. I guess they weren't aware that I could speak my own mind. "Now that they've left the castle, they cannot do anything. Besides, there is something we must do immediately."