Jihae ran her delicate fingers along the heavy necklace, cool against her skin. Her fingers lingered on the pink diamond which glittered mysteriously in the hollows of . She clenched her hands into tight fists, turning her knuckles ghostly white due to the pressure. The cool night air threw wisps of her midnight black hair into the air and she bit her lip once again in an effort to suppress the painful memories.

“Luhan!” whispered Jihae fiercely as she clutched his hand tightly. His face was streaked with the ashes from a smouldering pile a guard had thrown into his face, before being pulled out of the way by his quick-thinking sister. Jihae softened at the sight of her little brother whimpering and trying his very hardest to keep the tears at bay. She scooped him into her arms, stumbling a little under his weight.

“It’s okay to cry, Lu,” she cooed softly as she dodged stray branches, advancing further into the forest. Luhan gratefully rested his head on her shoulder, but he refused to cry. The servants’ quarters blew up behind them in a brilliant explosion that sent red-hot wood splinters flying into the air like arrows, taking with them, many of the warm memories they had shared with those simple-minded servants. Acrid smoke wafted into Jihae nostrils and she spluttered, trying to keep the thick black gas from entering her eyes.

“We’re going to have to crawl, Han,” she whispered. Drawing her cloak over the two of them, they began a slow and painful crawl through the undergrowth as vines and well-concealed tree roots poked their fingers and bruised their knees. The smoke protected them as they were vulnerable on the ground dressed in all the glory of their brightly-coloured royal robes. But when Jihae’s favourite servant had died of smoke inhalation while trying to put out a fire in the royal kitchens, she’d learnt the hard way that the hauntingly beautiful grey gas wasn’t good for her.

After crawling for what seemed for eternity, Luhan opened his gold-brown doe-eyes. “Noona, we’re going to be fine right?” he asked innocently. Jihae’s heart squeezed painfully. No… the Jung’s are out for us and they’re going to kill you but I will not let that happen. She wanted to yell at him and shake his shoulders until he understood but she choked down the fear that was threatening to suffocate her and clutched him tightly to her chest, indulging in his warmth.

“We’re…”  Jihae hesitated for a moment before smiling softly, “You’re going to be fine.”

Luhan cocked his head in the omission of ‘we’ but didn’t pursue the subject any further. Men crashed through the trees as Jihae quickly twisted her small frame so her back was against a tree. Her heart slammed in her ribs. They were the elite guard force under the noble Jung family, she could vaguely make out their elaborate head-dresses fluttering in the cool night breeze.

“Go Luhan, find the escape tunnel,” she whispered as she set him on the ground. He looked up woefully, willing her not to leave. She put a finger to his lips and gave him a little shove. He’d only been shown the way to the shaft once so she prayed to the Tree that he would find it and be safe. A poisoned-tip arrow whizzed past her left ear, missing it by millimetres.

“Noona…”  Luhan called her softly, turning his head to wave and smile at her one more time as Jihae tried to choke her tears back. Any sound would betray their hiding spot and would mean certain death. The Jungs were not renowned for their mercy.  Jihae mustered up all the strength in her six-year-old heart and smiled brilliantly, trying to assure him that everything would be fine.

But it was also that one last smile that sentenced the innocent four year old to death. As he turned, a branch cracked under his feet and the guards descended onto his little body, engulfing him with wild howls and jeers, their spears glistening with fresh blood as they impaled him again and again. The smoke whirled around them, creating a veil of foul grey as Jihae stood her ground, refusing to look away. Her fists curled tightly and even though she knew she wouldn’t stand a chance against the heavily built, blood-thirsty guards she felt like charging forward, engaging them in a final suicidal stand.

But one word swirled around in her head, echoing as if her mind were the stone walls of a cell. Revenge…

Her breathing became quicker, but she quickly controlled herself. Twelve years. Twelve years of constant torture, guilt and fury. Twelve years since she was banished from Exo, exiled to Earth, after she saw her brother, the only person who she truly valued, die before her very own eyes. Guilt forced bile up and she winced as she tasted bitterness on her tongue. If only he hadn’t turned to smile, he would’ve been safe and she couldn’t help but blame her own pitiful self for his unfair death.

She strolled aimlessly into a small playground on her way back from work at the local noodle shop. In the daytime, the colourful place would be bustling with small children but it was almost midnight and any person who spotted her would think she were a offender of some sort. Children reminded her of innocence, something that had been cruelly stolen from her and she indulged in the fact that other children were getting a chance to be truly happy.

The cool Seoul air caressed her skin softly, evoking emotions of nostalgia as she was reminded of the forever warm wind of the South. She had learned of compassion and love while on Earth and it was hard even pretending to be a princess again. She furrowed her brows, puffing her cheeks as she tried to remember the royal delicacies, the beautiful robes, the corrupt but cheery ministers… A loud, bubbly voice broke through her reverie as she felt a thin pair of arms wrap around her shoulders.

“Jihae!” Daehyun greeted her happily, his eyes crinkling into little crescent moons as he laughed. Jihae almost threw him to the ground in shock before she rolled her eyes good-naturedly, knocking him gently on the head.

“Yah! You totally scared me!” she chided as her adopted little brother stood obediently in front of her as she fixed his school tie. He smiled down at his foster sister fondly and apologised before pulling away to drag her to a swing.

“I bet between balancing college and working at the noodle shop to sustain yourself has been tiring-“ He began only to be cut off my his sister pressing one slender finger against his lips.

“Daehyun, you know I don’t want to be a burden on you guys anymore, besides we’ve talked about this before,” Jihae interrupted, plopping herself unceremoniously into a swing. Life was hard but her fierce independence and pride prevented her from asking any help from her foster family.

“That’s why I’m going to have fun with you today,” Daehyun replied with a sweet smile. “Today, we’re going to be kids again. Remember when we used to come to this playground and eat dukbboki as we…”

Jihae let her younger brother’s happy babble continue as she admired the stars, glowing softly in the deep blue canopy of night. It wasn’t long before the breeze had lulled her to half-consciousness as she felt her eyelids begin drooping. Something about the air was so different, the atmosphere was so heavy yet so dangerously silent. It was comparable to calm before a storm, a cobra’s steadiness as it readies itself for fatal attack. Daehyun stopped swinging and scooped her up in his arms.

“You must be so tired, noona,” he whispered. Even though she was exhausted, she could feel his hot tears as they splashed onto her cheek. It was almost as if he could sense the same foreboding that she could. Tiredly, she stood up and shook her head. 

“Daehyun, I’m fine,” she assured him with a bright smile and giving him an affectionate ruffle of his bright blonde hair. “Focus on your studies and do noona proud, yeah?”

Daehyun didn’t reply, the only sound accompanying the gentle swoosh of the breeze were his adorable little sniffles. Clasping his warm hand in hers, she sought for security as she slipped into unconsciousness.

♦♦♦

Floating. That was what it felt like. It had been a long time since she felt so free of burden. It felt some-what like she was a feather floating on soft currents of wind. It was nice to feel like she wasn’t a princess, a straight A student, the school’s best prefect… For a few seconds, she was just a mere little blob of existence with no significance at all. The soft hoot of an owl jolted her awake. Jihae looked around and was amazed to find stars surrounding her like gems embroidered in a rich robe of blue. One sliver of moonlight pierced the centre of her necklace and she shielded her eyes as the beam of light grew brighter until she felt it envelope her entire body.

Oh… I’m on fire! She thought in alarm, waiting for the searing pain.

Child… Welcome back, I’ve been waiting for you

The deep voice broke off with a soft chuckle that echoed into the confines of her vast prison. In an instant, she felt herself being lifted up and she made no attempt to fight back, the voice was too alluring. When she opened her eyes again, set out in front of her was a tree worthy of awe. From the gnarled, knotted roots rose a sturdy trunk of deep brown only to flourish in wisp of blue and green, each leaf dripping with the finest jewels.

Don’t be afraid… I’ve arranged many things for you already so you can just take the first few days off and relax- wait... oh gee, I wasn’t supposed to reveal that yet! The same friendly voice broke off and Jihae cocked her head as she heard the sound some-one slapping their hand over their mouth but all she saw was a tree, albeit a grand one. The voice chuckled awkwardly before continuing. Here’s a scroll. I can’t talk to you too much otherwise we’ll end up here for two hundred years so this explains most things I wanted to say. I don’t want you to have a silver beard by the time I’m done.

Jihae felt the corners of twitching up as she felt a single scroll plop into the palms of her hands. Shakily, she undid the regal ribbon and let the scroll unfurl.

Inside, there read one word.

Exo.

Jihae gasped and her legs almost gave way.

The Tree of Life, the judge, jury and peacekeeper of Exo. The one that brought her back.

Her mind raced with many thoughts, until it finally settled on one.

“With the comprehension of the human mind, one child may rise up to overthrow royal rule."

The prophecy.

Jihae stared, the cogs starting to roll in her head. “With the comprehension of the human mind, one child…” One child…

She always knew that she was a child prodigy, and that she always scared the ministers and noblemen with her sharp words and undeniable wit. “…may rise up to overthrow royal rule.”  She had always vowed to avenge the deaths of her family, the death of her dear brother Luhan. Coming to an epiphany about the whole bizarre sequence of events, she looked up, and walked towards the Tree of Life. She stretched out a hand gingerly, and patted it affectionately, a token of her gratitude. The tree erupted with huge billows of mystical fire and she found herself standing in front of her former home, the Exonian Palace grounds.

The palace rose into the blue sky in all its glory. Each turret was encircled with a single dragon, carved out of the finest fold, set with Exo's finest jewels. Each window was an intricate master-piece constructed entirely from glass, courtesy of the dedicated craftsmen. The palace gardens were trimmed and Jihae smiled in delight as she recognised her favourite rose bush bursting proudly from the centre of the left section of the north garden. Rising behind the elegant flowers were her own parents as each Exonian royal, no matter what they'd done, were commemorated with a statue of their own. 

Nothing had changed. The ancient monument of the previous kings and queens still remained, but she saw new names engraved into the smooth, white stone. She ran one shaky hand over the monument as she swallowed the words hungrily. 

King: Jung Yunho

Queen: Jung Sooyeon

Jihae’s expression hardened as her fingers froze over the smooth stone. 

No.

 It couldn’t be.

Jung Yunho.

Always a bitter rival of Seo Jiseok, her father. The one that killed and overthrew their family and the one that exiled her to Earth.

The person who had ordered the death of Luhan.

Jihae clenched her fists and turned away sharply. She made her way stealthily through the familiar palace grounds, feeling no familiarity or warmth. She knew the layout well enough to get out without the guards seeing her. She passed the servant’s quarters which no longer produced mouth-watering smells of roast chicken or honey cakes. Instead, she could see each servant slaving away at the royal cuisine in a dimly lit room.

Jihae heard some voices echoing around the courtyard, and her instincts kicked in as she swiftly slid behind a statue of a lion and hid.

‘Sooyeon ah!’

Jihae froze, her heart thudding loudly in her chest.

She could recognise that voice from anywhere.

Jung Yunho.

♦♦♦

A/N:

Thank you so much to those who subscribed and commented, we're truly grateful :)

We hope you enjoyed the first chapter and we apologise for how long it took for us to update. Trust me, we huddled in school hallways just so we could get this done. (But we chose a really awkward place which was a tiny corridor in front of the maths staff-room kitchen. Our teachers weren't too impressed...)

Sorry if we confused you all with our prologue and the first chapter to be honest, was a little muddled so please forgive us for our shortcomings!

So.... Just a quick debrief:

We didn't want Jihae to be a stereotypical strong, smart, independant princess so we tried portray her as a kinder character. However, she isn't completely two-dimsenional and as a result of her princess unbringing colliding with her stay on Earth, she's become some-what a warped character. At the core, she's soft and vulnerable, even to an extent-childish ( as shown in the scene with Daehyun). However, her exceptional intelligence as well as her princess-like values push her to avenge the deaths of her family as well as manipulate others. With the comprehension of the human mind... This isn't anything mystical, it's a quality that a select few have. 

EXO WILL BE MAKING AN APPEARANCE NEXT CHAPTER

- charmallama and shannonigan