"Donghae?” ​

"Hm?” The young man looked up from the fire he was attempting to make. ​

"I think your friends hate me.” ​

He chuckled at Amaya’s crestfallen expression as the stick tent he was building collapsed yet again. “They don’t hate you. Ryeowook thinks you’re alright.” ​

"Ryeowook also thinks that I can’t wash my own hands,” Amaya complained, remembering how Ryeowook had chased her around with a towel, insisting that she use it instead of drying her hands on her tunic. ​

Donghae laughed again as he recalled the scene and she shoved the remaining firewood at him. “I’m glad you find me so amusing.” ​

“Come on, Amaya!” he called, but she was already stomping off to collect more sticks scattered around the clearing. ​

“What was that about?” asked Eunhyuk as he watched the tent Donghae was making with the sticks collapse. ​

"Can I ask you something, Eunhyuk?” ​

“How do you make a fire? Sure. Like this.” Eunhyuk batted his friend’s away from the sticks. Hands blurring so that Donghae could barely see his movements, he stacked them together and lit the fire, then sat back and folded his arms, grinning triumphantly. ​

Donghae rolled his eyes. “As impressive as that was, that has nothing to do with my question.” ​

"Okay. What’s going on?” ​

“Do you hate her?”

​“Of course not,” Eunhyuk said a bit too quickly. “She’s just, well…different.” ​

“Different from what?” ​

“From us. And not because she’s a girl!” The blond held up his hands as Donghae raised an eyebrow. “It’s just…it feels like she keeps pushing us away when we try to be nice. She doesn’t make it easy to talk to her. It’s like she’s hiding something.” ​

"All of us are hiding something,” Donghae snapped. ​

“Point conceded. Still, I don’t know about you Donghae, but…what happened to me taught me to make my way in this world. She still needs us to hold her hands.” He nodded towards Amaya and Leeteuk. The former was holding out a plant, which the latter immediately snatched and burned. ​

“That was nightshade, wasn’t it?” Donghae asked. ​

"Yup,” Eunhyuk replied. “That’s my point, man. She couldn’t last a day without us, but our lives are revolving around her. If I’m going to follow whatever crazy path she takes, I want to know more about her.” ​

Donghae fed a few more sticks to the fire as he thought over what his friend had said. “I thought you liked crazy.” ​

The blond grinned. “Yeah, I do like crazy.” ​

“Oh good, you got the fire going!” Ryeowook said as he and Sungmin came over with squirrels in their hands. “It’s dinner time!”   ​

Leeteuk lay down on his back, stretching his arms up over his head. “The food was good, Ryeowook,” he sighed. The younger elf beamed.

​Amaya copied his position, staring up at the moon. It was a full moon tonight and she smiled slightly, remembering how her sister used to insist that a rabbit lived on the moon and made the stars. She never understood where that idea came from. ​

Donghae noticed the smile and an idea came to mind. “Yesung, we should be safe here. Play something for us, will you?” ​

Yesung nodded and unstrapped his harp from his shoulder. Amaya sat up with interest to watch as he plucked softly at the strings to tune them, before slowly starting to play. It was a song without words, but the simple melody spoke volumes. It spoke of fresh baked bread and noisy market days. It sang of rowdy meals, of food fights, of young children clamoring for more while their parents scolded them to sit still and be quiet with gentle smiles. The flames blurred as the music pulled her into out of this world into another. Starry skies through a candlelit window, crowded mats, a head pillowed on her shoulder, bedtime stories- ​

The song ended abruptly. “Are you alright?” Yesung asked, his brow furrowing. ​

"Yeah. I’m fine.” Her voice sounded slightly strained as she forced herself to smile. “Why?” ​

“You’re crying,” Kyuhyun replied. Amaya brought a hand up to her face. She hadn’t realized that her cheeks were wet.

​“Are you homesick?” murmured Siwon. ​

Amaya abruptly stood up, the light from the fire casting a shadow on her face. “There’s no point in thinking about home when I can’t go back,” she said shortly. “I’ll keep watch tonight.” Without another word, she rushed towards the edge of the clearing and sat down on a stone, her back firmly turned to the group. ​

After a while, she felt something leather brush against her arm as Donghae sat down beside her. Gentleman that he was, he didn’t look at her as she sniffled and dried her eyes on her sleeve. “That’s Yesung’s talent,” he said after a while. “He reads people and plays music that taps into their emotions. It wasn’t just you.” He smiled wistfully as he leaned his head back and looked up at the sky. “I get homesick when he plays like that, too.”

​“But you didn’t cry,” Amaya said almost accusingly.

​“No, but I have before,” Donghae told her. “It’s okay to miss your family, Amaya. I’ve seen how close you all are.” ​

“It’s weak to wish for things that can never happen,” Amaya mumbled.

​“If that’s your definition of strength, I don’t think you’ll find anyone who isn’t weak,” Donghae chuckled. She scowled at him and he held up his hands. “Just saying. Everyone has their hopeless dreams. And, you never know, yours might not even be impossible. You may be able to go home someday.” ​

Amaya shook her head. “Go to sleep, Donghae,” she ordered and he knew by the coldness of her voice that the conversation was over. ​

He was beginning to see the cracks in her armor, but he knew better to break them open by force. Amaya… he thought as he pulled his blanket up to his chin. I will figure you out one of these days. 

Amaya waited until everyone had fallen asleep before standing up and stretching her arms over her head. Glancing over at the nine sleeping forms, she sighed.

​There was a rustle in the bushes and she instantly turned towards the sound. Clutching the small dagger Donghae had let her borrow, she crept towards the noise. ​

A small rabbit stumbled out into the clearing, looking dazed as it blinked up at her. She sighed in relief. “Hey, little guy,” she whispered, holding a hand out to it. The rabbit warily sniffed her fingers before limping towards her. She frowned at the gash on its hind leg. “What happened to your-” ​

Her ears pricked up at the sound of a whistling projectile and she instinctively spun to the side. A knife embedded itself where she had stood moments before, buried to the hilt in the dirt. “Who’s there?” she hollered. ​

Siwon instantly woke up and trotted towards her. “What’s wrong?” he asked. ​

“Siwon, look out!”

​Siwon reared up, hooves flashing as he knocked the knives that came flying at him out of the air. Amaya’s jaw dropped. “Wow…” ​

Sungmin stirred upon hearing the commotion and opened his eyes to find a blade in the ground, millimeters from his face. He shot up with a yelp that woke the rest of the group.

​“What’s going on?” grumbled Kyuhyun, lazily rolling out from under his blanket. ​

"We’re under attack,” Siwon replied rather calmly for someone who had just had a dozen weapon hurled at him. ​

"How did they find us?” muttered Leeteuk. ​

Silence ensued as the boys collected their weapons, automatically standing in a tight circle with their backs to each other. Amaya stood sandwiched between Sungmin and Ryeowook, clutching the tiny dagger. She glanced over at Sungmin’s two short swords and back at her dagger. Really, it looked like a toy compared to what he had. ​

"There!” Ryeowook pointed with his bow as a something small came launching at them out of the darkness. ​Amaya leaned forward, squinting in that direction. “I don’t see-”

The creature pounced from the bushes, lunging at . ​Sungmin stepped in front of her and swung at the creature with one sword. Sparks flew as the creature clashed with him with a metallic clang. By the dim glow of the fire, Amaya was barely able to make out a small humanoid thing latching onto the blade of Sungmin’s sword with its teeth.

​“What is that?” she cried in horror.

​“Warf.” At least, that’s what it sounded like what Sungmin was saying, but it was hard to tell with him gritting his teeth as he fought back against the creature. ​

Another knife came whirling out of the bushes, but a wall of earth shot up to deflect it. Leeteuk cracked his knuckles. “That’s two…” he said quietly. ​

"They’re targeting her,” Kyuhyun hissed. “They know she’s with us.” ​

"I know. Siwon. Take Amaya and run. We’ll catch up with you later,” the wizard ordered. ​

“No!” Amaya protested, but Siwon caught the back of her tunic in his teeth and tugged. ​

"Don’t argue. Let’s go!” He cantered towards the edge of the clearing, but when he realized she hadn’t followed, he stomped his foot impatiently. “Amaya!” She tore her eyes away from the fight and raced after the horse.

​“Kyuhyun!” she heard Ryeowook cry frantically and glanced over her shoulder.

​Siwon galloped through the woods and she did her best to stay close behind him. Presently, he slowed to a stop and pricked his ears, turning them in all directions. “We should be alright here. The others will find us when they are done.” ​

Amaya paced uneasily, passing back and forth in front of the horse so many times, he finally snorted, his ears flattened back in annoyance. “Please stop that.” ​

“Sorry, it’s just…” She sighed. ​

"I don’t like it anymore than you do,” Siwon replied. “But-” ​

A thunderous twang rang through the forest as a flock of crows shot cawing into the sky. Siwon groaned faintly, his ears pressed tight against his head and Amaya covered her own a they throbbd in pain. “What was that?” she gasped.

​“Yesung,” Siwon replied. He scraped a hoof against the ground, peering in the direction they’d come from. “If he had to use his other weapon, it must be getting…” ​

"What?” Amaya demanded. “Must be getting what?” ​

Siwon didn’t answer, although the frequency of twitching in his ears increased. ​

"Siwon, we have to go back,” Amaya whispered. “We can’t stay here- what if they need our help?” ​

“What can we do, huh?” Siwon retorted. “I’m a horse and you’re…well, new to all this.” ​

Translation: She was useless in a fight. ​

"But what if-”

​“Shh!” Siwon silenced her with a flick of his tail, turning his ears. “I hear something.”

​As if on cue, another one of the creatures came springing out of a tree, claws gleaming in the moonlight. Amaya raised her hands to block her face, but before it could reach her, Siwon jumped in the way. He reared, hooves flashing in the moonlight as he screamed in pain. ​

"Siwon!” Amaya shrieked. ​

The horse bucked violently, but the creature clung on, claws tearing into his back. “Get it off!” he yelled.

​Amaya rushed forward, stabbing out at the creature with her dagger. It hissed violently and released Siwon, springing towards her and wrapping its legs around her arm, forcing her to drop the dagger. She shrieked as it lashed out at her face, bracing her other hand against its chest to hold it back. ​

Stumbling backwards, she tripped over a root and landed on the ground. The creature growled again as it clawed at her. “Amaya!” yelled Siwon.

​A flash of gold crossed her field of vision before the creature’s ugly face reappeared, bellowing as it landed a strike across her cheek. Break its neck.

​In one motion, she rolled to the side and slammed her hands against the ground. The creature yelped and, emboldened, she smashed it against the ground again and again…until its grip loosened and it slid into a silent pile on the ground. ​

She shot up, horrified. Had she just…? ​

"Amaya!” Siwon trotted over. “Are you alright?” ​

"I’m fine,” she gasped. “I think I…” ​

The horse prodded the creature with its hoof. “Don’t worry. It’s just unconscious. You did okay.” ​

"Thanks…” ​

"Siwon! Amaya!” Leeteuk sounded tired, his voice a bit hoarser than usual.

​“Over here!” Siwon called back and presently, the rest of the group came crashing through the trees. ​

"You guys okay? One of them got away from us,” the wizard panted as he clutched his shoulder, which had five puncture marks. ​

“We’re fine,” Siwon replied, gesturing to the heap on the ground. “And you all?” ​

"We chased them off. They won’t come back tonight,” Donghae replied. ​

“What is this thing?” Amaya asked, still staring down at the creature. ​

"It’s a dwarf,” Sungmin replied. “I told you that already.” ​

“A what?” ​

“A short angry midget,” Kyuhyun explained. “The governess has seven of them fighting under her.” He rolled the dwarf over with his toe. “This one is Claw. They’re named for the weapon they use the most.” ​

"How did they find us?” Leeteuk asked again. ​

"Can’t be hard,” Shindong replied. “If my summons can track you guys, so can the governess’s beasts. A scent, an image, a strand of hair- that’s all they need to track her down.” ​

“So she knows where I am at all times?” Amaya gasped. ​

“Not at all times. There are ways to get around it,” Shindong replied.

​“But we don’t have to worry about that for now,” Leeteuk broke in. “They need to time to recover. We should do the same. Who has the flasks?” ​

“I do,” Ryeowook called out, holding up his bag. ​

"Excellent.” At the other crowded around the elf, Leeteuk hung back to speak with the horse.

​“What really happened here?” he asked in a low voice as Ryeowook began passing out rolls of bandages. ​

"She killed it,” Siwon replied. “I’d never seen…she was screaming in terror and all of a sudden, she just started bashing the dwarf against the ground. I don’t know what happened.” ​

"It’s in her blood,” Leeteuk murmured. “Noble blood isn’t all that noble, you know.” "What do you mean by that?”

"It’s complicated.” ​

Sungmin whined loudly and the two turned towards him, watching as Amaya washed the bite mark on his arm and bandaged it. “You should get your shoulder cleaned,” urged the horse.

​“It’s not as bad as the gashes on your back,” Leeteuk replied. ​

“Leeteuk,” Amaya called as she handed the flask to Kyuhyun and approached with a whiskey-soaked cloth. “Should I bandage your shoulder?” Ryeowook rushed over with another flask to tend to Siwon. ​

"No, it’s fine,” he replied. “Amaya, I need to tell you something.” Kyuhyun’s ears pricked up as he and Yesung stopped talking to eavesdrop. ​

"There’s blood dripping from it.” ​

"It’s about your birthright.” ​

“It’s staining your tunic.” ​

"The color of your eyes…brown is uncommon. You know that, right?”

​“Does that really not bother you?” ​

“Are you even listening?” Leeteuk snapped. Amaya flinched and mumbled a quick apology. He sighed. “Let me just ask you a question, first. What color are your mother’s eyes?” ​

"Brown,” Amaya replied. Donghae made a show of carefully cleaning Eunhyuk’s injury as they both pretended not to listen in.

​“And your father’s?” ​

"They were blue.” No one missed the hint of bitterness that colored her tone, despite her emotionless air. ​

"And what is your mother’s name?” ​

“I thought you were only going to ask one question,” Amaya grumbled. “Noriko.” ​

“Last name?” ​

Amaya’s brow furrowed. “A last name? Only people with wealth and power can ‘earn’ last names. Don’t you know that?” ​

To her surprise, Leeteuk just smiled. “That’s what I was hoping you would say.” ​

"Stop being mysterious and get to the point,” Kyuhyun snapped. ​

"Why are you listening? This doesn’t concern you,” Leeteuk retorted. ​

"The governess is after her, and therefore, She’s after us,” the elf replied. “I think it does concern us.” ​

The wizard groaned. “Fine. Whatever.” He turned back to Amaya, whose expression was hard to read. “I knew your mother. Shibata Noriko. She was the daughter of a noble family under the late king. Fifty years ago.” ​

"She’s not that old!” Amaya protested. ​

“Fifty years ago in real time, that is,” Leeteuk said. “That’s when the sorceress took over the throne. It would have been easy to revolt right from the start- she was weak then and if the country united, it could have overthrown her. That’s why she cast Chronos Schismasus. The Time Splitter.”

​“Time Splitter?” the girl repeated. ​

"Causes different parts of the country to experience time differently,” the wizard replied. “And only the capital experiences the years in real time. That way, the country can’t unite.” ​

Amaya frowned. “So one year in my town…” ​

"Equals about two years in real time,” Leeteuk nodded. ​

"So I’m thirty-eight?” Her eyes widened in shock. ​

He shook his head. “You’re nineteen. Time is relative.” ​

"Huh?” ​

"Forget it,” Kyuhyun laughed. “None of us really understands the whole ‘relativity’ thing, except for Leeteuk, since he’s an old geezer.” ​

“I am not old!”

​“Anyways,” Amaya cut in before an argument could begin. “That still doesn’t explain how you know my mother. And how could she have been a noble? That’s ridiculous.” ​

"Is it, though? There’s a reason why brown eyes are rare, Amaya,” Leeteuk said. “Not many people know this, but only nobles had brown eyes.” ​

"Why do you say ‘had’?” she whispered.

​“The Purge of the Nobility,” he replied. “When the sorceress took over, she destroyed everything that was part of the king’s reign, including the noble families. Your mother was one of the few to escape. I helped her get out, but her parents and her brother…” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair again. ​

"Older brother?” ​

"He died a long time ago.” ​

Amaya gasped. “So the story…about the king and his two daughters…it’s real?”

​“Of course it’s real!” Kyuhyun raised his eyebrows in surprise. “What did you think it was, a bedtime story?” She flushed slightly and bit her lip. ​

“Aren’t you a little old for bedtime stories?” asked Eunhyuk. ​

“Anyways,” Leeteuk glared at the two of them. “I assume she ran as far as she could and began a new life, probably trying to forget about her past. She probably did a good job hiding it, until she had you. I can imagine how she felt then. She told you the stories of how life had been under the king, didn’t she? It was her way of telling you your heritage.” ​

“But my siblings…” ​

"Do they all have blue eyes?” She nodded. “Then they have your father’s blood,” Leeteuk replied. “Inheritance is odd that way. Who you are, your place in this world, your personality…all can be determined by the color of your eyes. Noble blood is…” He hesitated. ​

“That’s why the governess made such a big deal out of your helping me,” Donghae cut in. “Sure, aiding a wanted criminal is a crime itself, but it drew her attention to you. She realized who you were and that’s the real reason she keeps trying to kill you.”

​“Good job breaking it gently, Donghae,” Sungmin snorted as Amaya’s eyes widened even further. He patted her back in an awkward attempt to comfort her. ​

"I can’t be a noble,” Amaya whispered. “I’m just…me.” ​

"Haven’t you ever wanted to see more of the world, though?” Leeteuk asked softly. “Leave your town, travel and explore the world and see what it has to offer to you? Reach the borders of this country and even go further beyond it?” ​

Amaya felt her pulse quicken at his words. Yes, she had never believed her mother’s stories, but a part of her had always longed for them to be true. The responsible side of her had reminded her daily that her place was taking care of her family, but it had never stopped her from wondering what was beyond the woods around her town and if maybe someday… ​

Leeteuk noticed the expression on her face. “Noble blood runs in your veins, Amaya,” he whispered. “And the sorceress will never stop hunting you for it.”