"And welcome, noblemen and gentlewomen, to the first annual even of the Holy Sword!"

So it begins.

My star-crossed lover...

Byul's shaded eyes glazed over the scene unfolding before her, her whinnying horse growing irritably impatient. Her slender fingers moved smoothly down his mane in order to stabilize his tranquility, grazing his hair before her grip on her reign tightened all together. A sudden hostility overspread throughout the atmosphere, triggering an apprehensive nerve within the young queen. "My Lady," Sehun breathed, rushing to her side instantaneously. "There's a trouble brewing. His Majesty Lu Han's men are surrounding the area. Our men are scattered as well -- I believe they're planning to wage a battle."
Byul simply shrugged off the young vassal, laying a soft hand upon his shoulder. "They'll only wage battle if we do so first. Stand your ground and don't display your frustrations so naively, Sehun," she commanded in a soft, barking tone. A heavenly look of motherly affection sweeped over her glimmering pupils for just a second before they reverted back to their routine monotony.

"Yes, my Lady."

"The ceremony is about to commence," Byul stated promptly. "These peasants may start a revolt once they all find out who we are, and where we come from."
"We have no place to be here," Sehun nodded understandingly. "If that so happens --"
"Call the men, and we shall fight back to the death," Byul interjected vehemently, gripping the reign encasing her magnificent horse. "There's a bad air sifting through, and I don't like it."
"What do you mean, my Lady?"

Byul simply clicked her tongue, brushing away her short, blonde fringe. "Something bad is going to happen.. something awful. Have you got our back-up? For just in case?"
Sehun nodded fervently. "I've set up posts on the south and north ends, with Siwon-hyung and Heechul-hyung standing guard at the north post, whilst Shindong-hyung and Leeteuk-hyun are manning the south. At the east and west posts, I've stationed Kyuhyun-hyun, Ryeowook-hyung, Sungmin-hyung, and Donghae-hyung."
Byul nodded gratefully. "Thank you. Go collect Baekhyun, Kai, and Chanyeol. Leave Suho to man the eastern station -- that's where the exit is. We need more men there in case Lu Han's army tries to flee. Come back quickly."

"Yes, my Lady."

Lu Han trotted about upon his horse in a leisure manner, narrowing his doe-like eyes amongst the crowd, hoping to catch sight of a familiar blonde head. However, unfortunately for the young king, it was to no avail, and his attempts were deemed overwhelmingly futile. Many had drawn upon their cloaks and their hoods, awaiting the announcing group of men to proceed with the next set of instructions. Lu Han, releasing an irritable sight of impatience, turned to Kris promptly. "Our men.. for back-up, where have you stationed them?"

"I've set up Zhou Mi and Hangeng near the outskirts were Xiumin and Yixing are. Chen is meeting up with Henry to go man the entrance and exit."

Lu Han nodded slowly. "Do you.. possibly think our men might clash with the queen's?"
"It's most likely," Tao piped in, drawing himself voluntarily into the surreptitious conversation. "However, with this mass of people, I doubt we'd be able to recognize any of her men, or anyone else except for her, in that matter."
"Tao is right," Kris confirmed. "Our men could be conversing with her men as of right now, and we wouldn't even know. There are many oriental parties here. They could be anyone, from any clan, and from any province."

Lu Han was about to speak, when he was cut off short by a loud, obnoxious sound. The gates were being forced closed, the sound of screeching metal echoing throughout the stale air. He winced only slightly, frantically looking about. Horses belonging to the peasants were erratic, flailing and whinnying madly as they pounded the grounds with their heavy hooves. Pitchforks and small, cheap daggers were raised into their air by wimpish arms; contorted faces of anger and anguish emerged from the crowd of peasants and merchants, and the noblemen and noblewomen did what they could to hide behind their accustomed facade of diffident monotony.

"What is this outbreak?" Lu Han breathed.

"A peasant revolt," Kris breathed, shielding Lu Han the best he could with his own body and horse.
"Against whom, though?" the young king demanded feverishly.
Kris and Tao scanned the crowds meticulously, in search of their answers. Their tongues curled contemptuously, the answers barely on the tip of their tongue, but not daring to be uttered.
"Well?" Lu Han probed.

"It's against the nobility, sir. The peasants.. they're planning to take the Sword for themselves."

"What is this blasphemy?" Byul grunted, heeding her horse and her men to a nearby post. She turned quickly to Kai, withdrawing her sword from her elaborately decorated leather sheath. "If anyone dares to attack, defend yourself in the normal humble manner. Anything aside from that practice, you shall not lay a single hand on these innocent people."
Kai nodded quickly, spreading the instructions. "But my Lady!" Sehun roared with bemused bewilderment. "They're erratic; how could you deem them innocent?"
"You leave the women and children alone. If any man strikes, you attack back and defend yourself. They're not lucid. With that news of this Holy Sword, of course any man of the merchant or peasant class would grow frenetic as they are. Just stand your ground."
"But you, my Lady?!" Sehun cried, watching Byul retreat further into the courtyard.

"Where is she going?!" Chanyeol cried, holding off a teenage boy desperately trying to lunge his dagger into Chanyeol's waist. The latter grunted, pushing off the ragged boy, before maneuvering his horse over to his team of vassal-men. "Where is Her Majesty heading to?!" he demanded again, voice barely raspy over the loud commotion.
"What's even going on?" Kai inquired desperately, searching the overwhelming masses of people for his queen.

"It's a revolt, led by the peasants and merchants," Suho remarked wisely, parrying an old man. "The talk of the Holy Sword's powers must've triggered something inside of them."
"Whatever it is," Kyungsoo added knowingly. "WIth that word having been spread since this year's early summer, this revolt is most definitely planned."
"That means Her Majesty could be in danger," Baekhyun grunted.

Kai and Sehun nodded. "Fend yourselves," Kai ordered briskly, a determined looking crossing his handsome features. "I'll take Sehun to help locate Her Majesty. If you find her, guard her with your lives. Her blood shed is our lives removed."
"Yes, Captain!"

Kai turned to look at Sehun shortly, ing his chin into a ubiquitous direction, before steering his horse through the crowd, weaving his way expertly through the massive groups of incensed peasants, and through the swarms of vigor-filled merchants. "My Lady!" Sehun called, in unison with Kai. "My Lady, where are you?"

"My Lady!"

It was hell.

Byul had abandoned her horse long ago, with a heavy heart as she watched him fall, a dagger planted harshly into his side. His saddle had remained, but Byul had not, for she had ejected herself into the crowd to protect herself. With utmost skill and stealthy expertise, the young blonde drew her hood up, and masked herself with her cloak, blending in with the lower-class peasants. Her sword was tucked back safely into her sheath, hidden away from the sight of the thrashing mob.

She was in search of the Holy Sword, whever it lay amongst this crowd; she was going to get to it first; she was going to try to withdraw it first; she was going to leave first if she was to not be the Chosen One; and she would be the first to obtain God's powers if she were to be announced the Chosen One. This was her agenda, and this was her plan. Byul was one of routine and went according strictly by plans.

She wasn't going to give up.

And because of that, she ignored Kai's and Sehun's remarkably loud cries, nonchalantly shrugging off their attempts to redeem their beloved queen from the danger-filled mobs of peasants. She was surrounded by a pool of blood, sanguine fluids leaving limp, lifeless bodies; eyes were wide; eyes were frantic; eyes were dull. Limbs were removed; limbs were dislocated; limbs were cut off. Hair was shredded from the very scalps of many. The air was overspread with the flagrant aroma of sweat and blood.

Masses of bodies swarmed around Byul's cloaked figure, even her sweat pertruding through the pores of the open seams of her cloak. Her blonde hair was tucked neatly away beneath her hood, and her small, petite figure danced around those of whom believed her to be of their kind. Noblemen were on the floor, as well as gentlewomen and their children. On this battlefield -because of the talk of the Heavenly Blade- the merchants and peasants were outnumbering the noble-class; they were dominant, and they were erratic, profuse, and immutable of their rampage.

It was several minutes -but what seemed like hours- later, that she had caught sight of the twinkling blade. Left to be neglected and disregarded amidst the drastic bloodshead, the Holy Sword lay static within its place in the marbled anvil. Byul strode over to it quickly, her fingers barely grasping the hilt of the blade, when another pair of hands -quite calloused and manly- shrouded over hers gruffly, peeling off her fingers, and replacing the empty spot with his own. Enraged with the sudden intrusion, the young blonde glanced up; a scowl lined her picturesque features, yet disappeared as quckly as it came, as her line of vision was blanketed with the sight of a young male standing before her, clad in his armour and blonde-haired gloury. 

Her eyes narrowed, unfazed, despite the rapid beating of her heart -- whether it be from catching sight upon this breathtaking male, or from the repulsive heat radiating within the air, she didn't know. He cocked his head innocently at her, a taunting smirk crawling daringly onto his pale lips. "Her Majesty Byul of the Korean province," he addressed formally. His voice was low, a soft baritone timbre that could melt the hearts of many and make the like swoon. She, however, was not moved as easily as the others, and this immediately struck interest within the opposite party.

"Your Highness Lu Han of the Chinese province... I've been expecting you."

The sounds of Chen's anguished cries of pain were drowned out. Kai's and Sehun's relentless calls for their queen were left disregarded. Kris' booming commands were diminishing into the background, muffled and hidden behind the veil of the peasants' war cries. Chanyeol and Baekhyun were left to themselves, fallen onto the ground; left and abandoned by their own steed, which had galloped away to their own selifsh safety, the two vassals crawled desperately into a small hole near the outposts of the Church grounds. Tao was on his own as well, having been left by his elders amidst the befuddling commotion; his own striking calls of despair were drowned out by the sounds of others, his injuries masked behind the suffocating plates of his metal-clad armour.

One by one, three by three, seven by seven, men dropped; of peasants, of noblemen, of merchants, of vassals alike; of the papacy order, of the monks, of the gentlewomen and teenagers and children, blood was shed, as were tears and limbs. Echoes of anguished wails and stifled sobs filtered through the murky air, filling the courtyard grounds with an atmosphere of substantial hostility and intensity.

All because of the Heavenly-promised Blade, this was caused.

"Forgive me, my Lady," Lu Han smirked arrogantly, "but this Sword.. it's mine."

The young queen leered humorously in return, "Over my dead body, it is."

...I have found you.