A/N: I was going to post this after creating the foreword but my friends came over and we went out to eat.  I regret everything D:

*ahem*  Anyways, Cheoljoo is the real name of the rapper Basick.  He's from RBW, same company as Mamamoo, incase you didn't know.  Enjoy!

 The late evening sun left its mark of a yellow to golden brown tint on the bright green grass of the small hill that overlooked the castle just a few hundred feet away. The soft breeze gently swayed the short grass in a southwestern direction and the young princess running towards the top of the hill smiled as the breeze blew past her. She enjoyed running up this hill and the cool breeze blowing past her cooled her body from the exertion.

Her bare feet left small indents in the grass that quickly disappeared as the wind continued to sway the grass. Once she reached the very top of the hill, she languidly threw her body on the ground and turned to lay on her back to allow the warmth of the sun to hit her skin for the last time that day. Her smiled never wavered as she kept her eyes closed and her hands and legs moved back and forth creating a faint grass angel.

Just below where the princess was enjoying her evening, a warrior clad in heavy metal armor finally reached the top of the hill. The same tint that lingered on the grass also shined on her armor, so when the princess opened her eyes to look at her, she was almost blinded by the golden warrior standing before her. The bodyguard moved her hands up to remove the helmet that covered most of her beautiful features. It always surprised Wheein how her bodyguard's short wavy hair was perfect even after wearing that helmet for hours on end.

“Hyejin, please come lay next to me. Let's enjoy this beautiful sunset together.” Princess Wheein motioned with her left hand for Hyejin to sit next to her.

“Princess...you know that I cannot.” Hyejin answered.

A pout formed on the princess's mouth as she sat up and pulled her knees up to her chest. “Hyejin-”

“My duty is to make sure you're safe wherever you go. Nothing more.” Hyejin cut off Wheein before she could say anything else. She knew that the princess had fallen for her a long time ago, and Hyejin had feelings for the older girl sitting in front of her as well – but she could not let her personal feelings affect her duty.

“Will you stop with that! I told you I will convince my father that you're the person I love and should marry.” Wheein protested.

Hyejin shook her head and her next words we're going to shock the princess. “I'm headed to the battlefield. I deploy tomorrow morning.”

A loud gasp escaped Wheein's mouth and her eyes grew wide. How was that possible? Since the age of eleven, Hyejin had been her bodyguard. Hyejin was eleven as well when she had taken on that duty, but she was well trained and had kept Wheein safe for ten years now. How could the general of her father's army, and Hyejin's father at that, send his only child out to war?

The rebels attacking the kingdom were a threat, Wheein understood that, but the King's army had talented warriors that it didn't require Hyejin's services at all. Hyejin could tell that Wheein's sudden silence was due to the many thoughts she had running through her head.

“My father believes that the best thing for me right now is to be by his side and fight in the war next to him. He has known for a while now that I have feelings for you and that you reciprocate those feelings. Essentially, it has come time for us to part ways. He has assigned a capable bodyguard to watch over you from now on.” Hyejin's words were like a knife to Wheein's heart.

Nothing had ever hurt the young princess as much as what her bodyguard had just told her. It had been so long, so many memories created together, so many feelings developed and for it to just suddenly be taken away like this. Wheein had no words, just a broken heart and tears running down her beautiful face.

The sight made Hyejin's chest tighten and her eyes glaze over with tears she held back. There had been moments were she had faltered and given into Wheein's requests. Memories that she would never forget and always treasure. It hurt her to leave the woman she loved behind to go fight for their home, their land, their way of life.

“I'm sorry Princess. It hurts me to leave you but I have no other choice. I want you to know that no matter what happens out there in the battlefield, whether I return or not, you will always be the one that I love. You're my King and I'm your Lionheart.” Hyejin picked up the sobbing princess and placed a gold ring on Wheein's ring finger.

The gold ring was something that Hyejin had custom made for Wheein, to let her know that she would always be there for her, even if it was in spirit. The top of the ring was a lion head with a mane surrounding its face. It was the same one that was on the clips that held Hyejin's cape to her metal chest piece.

Through teary eyes Wheein stared at the ring for a few seconds before Hyejin finally pulled her in for a searing kiss. The kiss was full of love, lust, and hunger for each other. But it was not meant to last very long because it was basically a goodbye kiss.

“I will wait for you Hyejin. You must come back to me.” Wheein told the younger woman. She wanted Hyejin to promise her this but the younger woman just shook her head.

“You know I can't promise you that. I just want you to be happy Wheein, even if it's not with me.”

Their goodbyes had been emotional that night but there was nothing either one could anymore. The next day, Hyejin had reported for duty as a soldier of the King's Army and Wheein had been introduced to her new bodyguard. Moon Byulyi was the name of her new bodyguard. The older woman was pretty, but she didn't exude the authority that Hyejin had.

Hyejin would also never really get the chance to fully immerse herself into the army. The rebels who they were at war with attacked early – by surprise and with a large amount of warriors. Their plan was to decimate the entire kingdom and take their foothold in the King's castle. If at all possible, they wanted to take the King's head that day as well.

Caught by surprise, the King's army fought to defend the castle and hold back the rebels with everything they had but all of that had been a diversion to trick the army into defending the front lines. The even larger army of rebels rode up from behind and stood at the top of Wheein's favorite hill watching as the King's Army tried to defend the castle. Their plan for the moment was to watch the fight before them and to allow the King's army to waste all their efforts – men and weapons on defending the front.

Inside the castle, the group of men in charge of protecting the Royal Family were moving them through the castles hidden tunnels in order to protect the King from being killed in case the rebels managed to breakthrough the army's defenses. Among the men was Byulyi who was keeping the princess close to her. The tunnels led out far away from the castle in a western direction. It would take them to the river that would lead them by boat to the nearest town from the castle. Once there, they could move further away from the castle and the threat of the rebels.

The fight for the castle would continue on for three days. The rebel army on the hill had patiently waited during the three days. The supplies for the main army of the King had been left at the camp located away from the castle; therefore, the supplies they had in the castle were only enough to last three days. They would have to break into the Royal Family's supply in order to sustain another attack but they would never get a chance to do that.

As the rebel line in the front, moved in for their final assault, the rebel line from the back attacked as well. The castle was set on fire and a blood bath would rain through the place. The general sent out the last scouts he had to find the King and tell him that the castle had fallen and that soon so would the Kingdom. As the scouts left the castle grounds away from the battle, the general was met with his end. The leader of the rebels finished him off and claimed the general's head as his prize.

“Your general has fallen just like your castle! The King is the only one who remains in our path to taking over this Kingdom!” The leader yelled out from atop the castle to everyone down below. “Kill them all!”

Hyejin was shocked to see her father's head in the hands of their enemy, but her ability to fight never faltered. She decapitated the rebel who launched himself at her before he could even land on the ground. Once again her armor was covered in more blood of the enemy. She knew that this battle had been lost and the only hope of the remaining soldiers was to retreat if they could, find and join up with the King in order to amass the remaining armies of the Kingdom.

She was her father's daughter, and with the commanding presence she had always had, Hyejin rallied all the troops to retreat. With luck and Hyejin's leadership, the few soldiers that remained managed to escape the castle and get away from the enemy who was ordered to not chase after them.

News of the castle falling to enemy hands finally reached the King the next day. He had now stationed himself and his family in the fort closest to the castle. It was a distance away still, but compared to the rest of the forts, this one was the closest. News of the castle falling had thrown Wheein into a depression. There was no way that Hyejin could have survived the assault in her mind. Looking at the ring Hyejin had given her, Wheein cried herself to sleep as she mourned the loss of her beloved.

“We have no idea where the King is.”

“We might have as well died inside that castle.”

“This is hopeless.”

The words of the soldiers around her had enraged Hyejin. She couldn't believe they were giving up even though they knew that with the King alive there was still hope. Despite being the one to lead the soldiers out of the castle, Hyejin was not the highest ranked soldier in the group that remained. The guy who was meant to lead them, Cheoljoo, had become so disheartened that he didn't even speak anymore.

“We cannot give up! Despite losing we all survived! There is at least five hundred of us left and we're some of the best soldiers in the King's Army. If we can find him, we can join up with the rest of the armies in the Kingdom in order to defeat the rebels. It may seem like the we lost the most soldiers, but don't forget that we killed almost every soldier they had in the front lines. Only those who attacked us from behind remain. We still have a chance!” Hyejin yelled at everyone sitting around her.

“Just because you're the general's daughter doesn't mean you can rally any of us to follow you!” One guy yelled at her and threw back the last bit of water he had in his pouch.

“Yeah! You barely even joined the army! You're a nobody!” Another guy yelled out. This caused some more to start agreeing with these two guys further enraging Hyejin.

“Enough!” Cheoljoo's voice silenced the men and caused everyone to turn and look at the captain. It was the first time he had spoken since they left the castle. “Hyejin is right. Out of everyone here she had the most spirit and optimism, something that we desperately need right now.”

Cheoljoo got up from where he was sitting and walked over to Hyejin. He took off the bloodied captain sash around his chest and placed it around Hyejin. “I hereby release my rank and hand it over to Hyejin. Please captain, lead us to our King and to victory.”

Cheoljoo saluted Hyejin who just looked at the older man with a surprised expression. Cheoljoo smirked at the men around them, “Your nobody just became your captain so get your asses up and salute her.”

The men all looked at each other and one stood up to salute and soon enough more followed until all of them saluted the newly appointed captain. Captain Hyejin saluted them back and a small smile formed on her lips. She knew she would see Wheein once again.

Not long after getting the men to get up and start moving to find the King, the group of soldiers met up with two of the King's scouts who were glad to see them. The two scouts led the soldiers back to the fort where the King was. One of the scouts rode on ahead to inform the King of the good news which spread through the fort like fire. Hearing that group a soldiers had survived the assault on the castle from Byulyi, Wheein seemed to liven up just a bit. Hopefully, Hyejin was among those soldiers.

The sight of a blood covered Hyejin entering the fort was the best thing that happened to Wheein in the last few days. She could not contain her excitement over seeing her beloved alive and walking towards the King who stood in the middle of the court in order to greet his men. The princess ran past her father and the scouts to jump into Hyejin's arms. The captain wrapped her arms around the princess's waist and held her tight against her armor covered body.

Everyone was shocked to see such a display by the princess and this soldier, but Hyejin and Wheein remained in their own world even if it was just for a few seconds. Wheein finally pulled away from Hyejin to look at the younger woman's face. Her hands cupped Hyejin's cheeks and wiped some of the dried blood on the captain's face with her thumbs.

Hyejin smiled at the princess and moved to release her body from the older woman's hold but Wheein pulled her in closer and kissed Hyejin with everything she had. The crowd emitted a loud gasp and the King finally moved and pulled his daughter away from Hyejin.

“Wheein! And you! How dare you put your hands on my daughter?!” The King pointed at Hyejin while holding onto Wheein – who was trying to free herself from his grasp.

“Your Majesty I-”

“Men, arrest her immediately!” The King shouted at his men who were standing behind them.

The two men moved to grab Hyejin but Cheoljoo quickly moved in front of his captain. “Your Majesty, please don't arrest Captain Hyejin. Perhaps her behavior with the princess is not favorable, but if it wasn't for her, all of us would be dead. She led us out of the castle to safety and raised our morale when it was at its lowest point; all while facing the fact that the general – who is her father – had just been killed by the rebels.”

“General Ahn is dead...” The King started to say and Wheein finished it for him. “And Ahn Hyejin is my former bodyguard, and the woman I love.”

“Wheein!”

“No dad! I won't deny my feelings for her any longer!”

“Your Majesty...I”

“I gave up my status of Captain to Hyejin your majesty. I know that she's the only one who can lead us to victory.” Cheoljoo cut off Hyejin but the awkward moment still remained in the room.

Sighing, the King let go of his daughter and moved back to stand where he was before. “We need to discuss our next move in order to reclaim our castle and ensure that the Kingdom is not taken. Please follow me.”

The King motioned for Hyejin and Cheoljoo to follow him as well as the men who were standing behind him. He was not happy with his daughter being in love with with the recently diseased general's daughter, but right now was not the time to deal with that issue. The bigger problem right now was protecting the Kingdom and reclaiming what was lost.

Because of the trust and belief he had had in General Ahn, the king appointed Hyejin as the new General of his Army and raised Cheoljoo's rank to that of Lieutenant. He ordered his messengers to deliver the request of troops to all the forts in the Kingdom. The King would gather up all the troops in the fort before personally leading them into battle against the rebels.

There had been a great number of casualties on both sides, so both the King's Army and the rebels needed time to regroup and stack up on supplies. There was no special kind of strategy set up on the King's side. The army would face the rebels head on. Hyejin felt that the idea was too rash, but she would not argue with the King.

The day before the final battle would occur, Hyejin and Wheein met up on hill next to the fort. Knowing that this second time she might not be as lucky, Hyejin didn't hold back on showing her affection for the princess. Wheein didn't hold back either and they spent that evening in each others embrace.

“Hyejin, what if you can't win this battle. What will you do? Surrender? Run away?” Wheein worriedly questioned the younger woman who had her arms wrapped around Wheein's waist.

“We won't run. We're here to stay.” Hyejin pressed a kiss on Wheein's left temple.

There was no waiting any longer for the rebels. The King had sent them a note two days prior to let them know exactly where they were. It was a ridiculous idea for the King to do such a thing, but he knew that in this fort his forces had the advantage. The land here was an unknown area to the rebels because they had never ventured this far into the Kingdom. The way the fort was positioned and the way the hills raised up gave them an advantage. The hills gave them the perfect view of the rebel army closing in.

Drums, footsteps, clashing swords, and flying arrows. It was the sound of battle that surrounded the entire area around the fort. When the rebels had approached the fort, they looked like a black sea of creatures lurking below them. Both sides were now fighting with vigor and high morale. It was going to be a blood bath that would only allow one side to win.

The day turned into night and those who remained were worn out but continued on with the battle. A group of rebels had managed to break into the fort making all the citizens inside run out in fear for their lives. Byulyi had led Wheein out of the fort and headed for the hills – they were the safest place to go to now. On their way to the hills, Byulyi and Wheein got caught in the battle.

Byulyi withdrew her sword and fought off those who tried to hurt the princess. Near them were the King and Hyejin who were fighting with those who were higher rank soldiers of the rebel army. The sight of Byulyi trying to fight her way through the rebels attacking her and Wheein, caught Hyejin's eye.

She deflected a swing of the the enemy's sword and kneed the guy in the gut. His exposed belly made that area weak and the kick knocked all the air out of him. Now that he was distracted, Hyejin ran towards Byulyi and Wheein – killing a guy who had launched himself at Wheein while her bodyguard was distracted.

“I'll help you get her out of here! Let's go!” Hyejin shouted at both of them as she grabbed Wheein's hand with her free hand.

Before they could even run away, the three women heard the King grunt out in pain. The leader of the rebels had stabbed him through his torso with his sword. Shocked by the sight, Byulyi screamed out in anger and ran towards the King, completely forgetting about Wheein. She had served their majesty before being assigned to protect Wheein so she couldn't bear to see their King fall in battle.

“Noooo! Dad!” Wheein cried out and tried to run for her father but Hyejin held her back. Two men tried to attack Hyejin and Wheein, but the general killed them before they could do anything.

“Take my armor Wheein. It's time I end this.” Hyejin snapped her chest piece off her body and placed it around Wheein. She grabbed a sword from a fallen soldier and gave it to the princess. “Just block their attacks if they come at you but stay behind me.”

“We won't run. We're here to stay.” Hyejin said with tight lips and ran towards the rebel leader. Wheein followed behind Hyejin despite how heavy the metal chest piece felt on her.

Hyejin was exposed to any mortal wound now if anyone was able to catch her at the right moment, but she didn't care. She needed to do this. She needed to kill the leader of the rebels to end the war and to avenge her father's death.

“You killed my father! You killed the King! And you're trying to take our land, but I will end you. Your head is mine!” She shouted at the leader of the rebels who turned towards Hyejin and grinned.

Their swords hit hard against each others. Fueled by anger and determination, Hyejin didn't miss a step or move fighting against the villain. He was skilled, Hyejin gave him that, but he didn't have what she had. On her shoulders she carried the future of the land and her people. The end of the world, death, it had been so near to her in the last few days that she didn't fear it anymore. If she was meant to die here, she would do it by taking down this vile man in front of her first.

The sting of a sword cutting through her side let Hyejin know how vulnerable she was. The cut hurt, but it wasn't as deep as the rebel leader had hoped. He swung low again to try and catch Hyejin, but she was quick and moved back to avoid his swing. She turned her sword downwards as she stepped back and managed to catch the man's left forearm with her sword – cutting right through it.

He screamed in pain but it was silenced by Hyejin's sword cutting straight through his neck and severing his head from his body. The general reached down to grab the severed head and raised it above her head.

“You leader is dead! Surrender to us now!” She shouted out and everyone around her stopped to look. Seeing their leader's head in this woman's hand caused the rebels near her to drop their weapons.

The word spread quickly and the remaining rebels surrendered to the King's army. Hyejin dropped the head on the ground and fell to her knees and grabbed the wound at her side. Wheein ran up to her and pulled the younger woman towards the fallen King who was barely alive.

“Hye...jin...” The King coughed up blood as he said her name. “Please...take good care...of...my...Wheein...”

“Your majesty...” Hyejin reached for his hand just like Wheein had done previously.

The King smiled, “You...have...my...blessing.” His eyes closed and he exhaled his last breath.

“Dad!” Wheein cried out and hugged her father's dead body. Byulyi who had tears in her eyes stood up along with Hyejin as the rest of the soldiers looked at their fallen King.

Paying their respects, all of the soldiers knelt one last time before their King.

Weeks after the King's death and the victory of the army, the remaining rebels had been executed and work to rebuild the castle had started. Wheein, being the only child of the King, had been crowned Queen. With her father's blessing, Queen Wheein was now able to marry General Hyejin and preparations for the wedding had begun as well.

The two of them were standing in the same spot where Hyejin had first given the news to Wheein that she would no longer be her bodyguard. They were standing side by side looking at the beautiful sunset.

“My Queen...do you remember what I told you that day?” Hyejin asked and smiled.

“Yes, I do my Lionheart.” Wheein replied and smiled as well. Hyejin chuckled and turned to look at her future wife – who wrapped her arms around the younger woman's neck.

Hyejin chuckled again, “So if I marry you...will you call me Queen or King.”

Wheein grinned, “No, you're forever my Lionheart.”

A/N 2:  I know Solar wasn't in the story, so please pretend she is Wheein's handmaiden who marries Moonbyul, okay?  :D