As the knife whistled in the empty night air, catching the light streaming in from the tent flap that the desperate princess had blown open, Jang-mii could only cry out as she whipped around to find the weapon bearing down on her. Before it could embed itself into the soft flesh of her , however, another knife suddenly flew out from underneath her arm, colliding with the other and sending both crashing to the plush floor. As the shadowy figure on the other side of the tent moved to make his escape, Lay barreled into the tent, armor flashing, and wrestled him to the ground in an instant. It had all happened so quickly, leaving Jang-mii in a blur of confusion.

“Jang-mii! Are you hurt?” came a grunt from behind her, and she turned back to see that Kris's father had been roused from sleep, and held another dagger in his hand ready to throw should the would-be assassin made a second attempt to claim a victim. She shook her head mutely, still too in shock to process exactly what had just occurred; she could hear the aggressor grunting in protest as Lay hog-tied him roughly. The disgruntled king sat up in his bed, the velvet comforter falling about his waist to reveal his bare, battle-scarred chest. “What are you doing in here, and who is this man?” he asked with a gesture to the unicorn warrior. Jang-mii suddenly recalled the reason that she had stormed into the tent in such a fluster.

“My Lord! There is something important I have to tell you!” she gasped, gripping the side of the sofa bed tightly as she leaned forward so he could hear her hushed voice. She did not doubt that the assassin was related to her intent to divulge all of Baekhyun's dirty secrets to the regal king. “Please listen to everything I have to say. You are the only one I can trust,” she implored him, one of her hands shifting to grab his rough, calloused one, the one that had gripped a sword many long years to protect his home and his people, and even herself at times. “There is more to my kidnapping than I originally told you all.”

Huddled in the dark with Lay on careful guard and Baekhyun unconscious in the next tent over, the princess told him everything, everything she had experienced and learned in her months in the wildlands. She told him of Baekhyun's treachery, of her people's suffering, and of his son's true identity. Though the news was no doubt shocking and painful, he listened to her tale with complete silence, allowing her to divulge everything without interruption. Once she finished, she stared up at him with her eyes wide as saucers, hoping, pleading, begging that he did not accuse her of falseness and fairy tales. Please believe me. If you do not, Kris will die, and I’ll be a prisoner for the rest of my life. He gazed down at her, his expression completely unreadable, before he released a heavy sigh and ran a hand over his face. When it passed over his chin, it was like he had undergone a transformation; there were stark lines drawn into his face, and his eyes were lidded and tired. His dark hair shone silver in the moonlight, and for the first time in her life the powerful king looked nothing more than a weary old man.

“My son…” His voice was hoarse and thick with emotion, and from her close proximity to him she could see the glimmer of tears in his eyes. She had only seen him cry once, the day his son had been claimed by the vile witch. She could see him wrestling with the weight and validity of her story, and so she enclosed both her hands around his own, leaning even farther forward.

“My Lord, I do not lie. We haven't much time. Baekhyun will wake soon, and I do not know what kind of vengeance he will reap on me. My parents will not believe me. They need to hear this from you,” she implored him, her voice breaking as tears streamed down her cheeks. Please believe me! She begged him again, silently, as if her will could influence his own. He gazed out into the darkness for a moment, and she was frightened that the news had broken his mind and that she could not rely on him after all. Then, with a flourish, he threw the comforter off of himself and rose from the sofa to grab the great sword that was propped against the wooden leg of the bed.

“I will handle your parents. You and Lay go free my son,” he ordered her as he threw a tunic over his muscular body and walked over to the unicorn, who was still standing at the edge of the tent with his foot planted in the back of the would-be assassin. “One of Baekhyun's ilk meant to silence Jang-mii before she could reveal the truth about your treacherous lord, hmmm?” he snorted down at him, his expression turning frighteningly icy for a moment. As he gripped the handle of his great sword, she was scared he would suddenly draw it on the man; instead, he waved a hand in dismissal. “Crawl back into the snakes' den, before I cut off your head,” he huffed, and not a moment sooner than Lay lifted his boot from his back, the man took off out of the tent in a flurry of whipping black cloak fabric. Before the three of them could move into action to proceed with the plan, however, the earth rumbled with an earth-rending roar.

“What's happening?” Jang-mii cried as she stooped over with her hands clapped over her ears, unable to move as her bones vibrated with the shockwave. “It's Kris! Why is he so angry?”

“It's Baekhyun!” Lay shouted over his friend's enraged roaring. “He woke up and ordered all his soldiers to move out! They strapped all the oxen in the camp to the front of the cage and took off!” No doubt, the dragon-prince had relayed this all to the unicorn via his telepathic abilities. As he spoke, the thundering roars rapidly quieted into rolling rumbles, and were growing duller by the second. As soon as Jang-mii could move, she was darting out of the tent into a scene of absolute chaos.

Great rifts had been rent into the earth through the middle of camp, as Baekhyun had driven the massive cage through it to likely aid in his escape. Tents had been crushed beneath the gigantic wheels, and loose fabric flapped wildly in the wind and spears of wood jutted into the sky like ghostly, bare trees. The screams echoing in the night were nearly as deafening as the dragon's raging roars, resounding around her in a gruesome symphony of fear and despair. In the sparse moonlight, the princess could see bright red blood splashed across the ground where people had been crushed by the stampeding horses or rolled over by the heavy iron cage, or simply cut down by the soldiers making their escape. Women knelt over their dead husbands while children stood by wailing, a soldier was screeching for aid while he held the bleeding stump that used to be his leg, and child shuffled through the carnage clutching a teddy bear while screaming for its mother. Rage flared in Jang-mii as she gazed at the ruin of the camp. Baekhyun will not get away with this! She swore before dashing over to a frightened horse tied to a post, bucking wildly as it brayed hoarsely. She ducked its kicking legs as she rubbed its side and soothed it with soft words, calming it enough for her to untie the reins and clamber up into the saddle. Just as she was turning the horse about, Lay came dashing out of the tent. He has cast off the armor, and his unicorn garb glowed bright white under the light of the moon.

“Jang-mii! Kris' father has gone to your parents to explain the situation. Baekhyun it getting farther away by the minute. We must hurry!” he shouted as he vaulted himself up onto the horse behind her.

“I’ll control the horse! I need you to shoot down anyone who gets in our way!” she growled and snapped the reins harshly, causing the horse to neigh loudly and take off galloping. Jang-mii could not fight, but she could ride as well as any knight. She held the reins high as she steered the stallion around crumpled tents and dead horses and overturned wagons, following the deep ruts in the earth. The horse's hooves threw up grass and chunks of earth as it thundered through the carnage at the princess’ command. Soon, they left behind the destroyed campsite to storm down the road, or what was left of it; it had been reduced to a pair of muddy trenches and an uneven mush torn apart by the hooves of oxen and horses. The horse rocked violently as it traversed the rough terrain, but it held fast, speeding through the dark faster than the wind itself. Over the rhythmic sound of pounding hooves, Jang-mii could gradually begin to discern the rumbling roar of her beloved, and the metallic clangs of his bone spikes against the iron bars. The horse began to shy, tossing its head, but she leaned down against its neck and soothingly whispered in its ear, patting its neck and urging it forward. The moonlight blazed brightly over the road, and she caught the flash of metal against the darkness of the night.

“We're gaining on them!” Lay shouted over the rushing wind and thunderous roars and pounding hooves. She glanced back as she felt him shift, finding that he drawn his bow and notched an arrow, his muscles flexing powerfully as he drew the string back as far as it would go. One of his eyes were shut tight, the other glittering as it searched the dark for his prey. Then, with a thwang, he released the arrow and it went whistling in the dark; after a few seconds, a pained screech split the night air, followed by a series of clangs and a thump that was no doubt a fallen soldier. Jang-mii turned her head back to find that a row of soldiers was now clearly discernable, riding on horses behind the large cage where her beloved was writhing with rage, attempting to fit his massive paws through the gaps in the bars. One of the horses’ saddles was now empty.

The string of Lay's bow sang with a high tune as he shot arrow after arrow, and one by one the knights fell prey to his archery skills. Once they were free of their masters, the horses abandoned the caravan and turned back to race back down the path, heading for the camp. It seemed that their assault did not go unnoticed, as no sooner than the back of the cage was available to them a squadron of mounted soldiers splintered off from the sidelines to come charging down the path at them with their spears pointed forward. She heard the familiar sound of grating metal as Lay drew his sword, and to her astonishment he actually stood up on the back of the horse, crouched slightly to maintain his balance. “Keep the horse steady!” he commanded, and though the prospect of facing down a line of spears terrified her, she trusted him enough to follow his orders. She urged the horse straight forward, watching as the sharp edges of the spears flashed in the moonlight. When they were a few yards away, Lay sprang from the saddle to sail over the gap, landing with one foot on the back of each horse in the middle; before the knights could even react, Lay had hoisted them up by the backs of their armor and thrown them from their mounts. The horses, no longer driven by their masters, shied out of the way as Jang-mii came barreling through, and as she charged past Lay dropped back into the saddle completely unharmed.

Jang-mii coaxed a little more speed out of the stallion, slowly bringing them closer to the cage. She could see it rocking violently, both from Kris pacing furiously within and the uneven terrain of the road, and hear the iron screeching in protest. Her blue eyes searched for the padlock, traveling along the length of the cage, until she found it, jingling wildly halfway up the frame of the door.

“Lay! Do you think you can break the lock with your sword?” she cried. In answer, he whirled his sword about in his hands to grip the hilt tightly and held out his arm to strike the chains holding the padlock. Jang-mii jerked the reins to spur the horse to the side of the cage. Kris had finally become aware of their presence, and his draconic eyes gazed intently at her from behind the bars. Lay grunted loudly as he powerfully slammed the sword into the writhing chains, and she ducked her head as sparks rained down on her from the clashing of metal against metal. As she lifted her head, she screamed when a flashing sword dominated her vision, and she instinctually threw herself sideways. The sword missed her, and Lay quickly took care of the annoyance, but her momentum caused her to slip in the saddle. Her foot caught in the stirrup on the other side, keeping her from plummeting from the horse completely, but she uselessly dangled with her head barely skimming the rolling wheel of the cage.

“Jang-mii!” Lay cried, moving to right her, but the shouts of more encroaching knights caused her to wrench his bow from his back and grab a handful of arrows.

“Get the cage!” she cried before clamping down on the shafts of the arrows to hold them in , leaving one to string into the bow. She was not nearly as good as a unicorn, but Jang-mii knew the basic principle of archery from watching him. She notched the arrow and pulled the string back, letting it loose just as the foremost knight raised his sword. It struck his horse in the chest, causing it to scream and buck and go stampeding off into the forest. Jang-mii snatched another arrow in and placed it against the string, gritted her teeth as her violently bumping body and her inexperience made it difficult for her to properly notch it. Overhead, Lay was whaling against the chain, attempting to cleave the iron and release the door. Sparks danced over her like falling rain, and she prayed her hair or dress wouldn't catch fire as she shot the second arrow, the string catching the side of her cheek and burning her. The projectile knocked into the side of the next knight's helmet, spinning it around so he could not see. As he fumbled with his helmet, he let go of the reins, and the horse naturally went out of control and carried him off. I think I’m getting the hang of this! She thought wryly as she took another arrow and took aim at the oncoming soldier.

It was not a soldier, but the prince himself, his face contorted with rage and his gilded sword poised to strike.

Before she could release it, however, Lay finally carved through the iron chain with a final crash! She could hear the chain slithering rapidly through the hold as Lay grabbed the reins and pulled back on them slightly to decrease the speed, just in time; as the padlock fell from the cage to land with a thunk in the mud, the iron cage shuddered slightly, the unrestrained iron door groaning as it slowly fell forward to slam into the ground where the horse had just been. Baekhyun jerked the reins to pull his horse to a halt before he was crushed, and with his face flushed with breathlessness, she watched his rigid form rapidly vanish into the chaotic crowd of knights. The oxen brayed as the iron door dragged against the earth, providing much more tension and weight, and the soldiers struggled to control the animals while also attempting desperately to maneuver around the cage to confront the rescuers. Kris stretched out across the door, standing at his full height and stretching out his wings for the first time in days; then, with a growl, he sprang from the door to launch himself into the sky, his beating wings to send gales down onto the prince and his squadron of knights. He spun in the air as he rocketed toward the night sky, then caught the winds above to shoot back towards the campsite. Jang-mii jerked violently as Lay whipped the horse around to follow, her teeth clattering together as she bumped against the horse's flank. After a few seconds the unicorn tugged powerfully on her arm to finally right her on the horse.

“Nice shooting, Jang-mii!” he cackled happily, patting her on the shoulder as the princess spat locks of her black hair out of . She craned her neck upwards to watch the dragon's dark silhouette sailing across the starry night sky, then began to laugh giddily. She whipped around in the saddle to throw her arms around the unicorn, startling him so much that he snapped the reins a little and caused the horse to veer. “Whoa!”

“We did it!” She was crying again, but for the first time in a while they were tears of joy. We saved him! As she buried her face into the unicorn's soft white clothes, one of his arms holding her gently while the other held the reins, she felt all the fear and tension of the last several days wash away with her tears.

Though she knew that the fight was far from over, she allowed herself to feel relief in this momentary victory.