The Brave Hearts stopped just outside of the forest.  They needed to rest and tend to any injuries they had acquired during their travels through the Valley of the Dead.  Mostly, though, the people needed time to process what had just happened to them.  Since leaving the Valley, six of the men and two of the women had fallen prey to the seductive whispers of the voiceless.  It became obvious that they were losing touch with reality, so the Princess had them all put down like wild animals.  Brothers, sisters, husbands and wives were lost and the Princess said that they had barely scratched the surface of the bloodshed that was to come.

Everyone broke up into small groups once they settled down for the evening.  No one could be left alone; no one could be trusted.  One group left to refill the water canteens while everyone else tried to start fires and set up sleeping areas.  No one would be able to sleep, but going through the motions could give some small sense of comfort to those who needed a false sense of normalcy.  The Princess kept to herself and read the golden  scroll by the fireside. 

Having successfully broken away from the group, Amber wandered back from whence they came.  She wrapped her thin scarf around herself in an attempt to preserve whatever body heat she could.  Despite the warmth, she still felt a shiver run down her spine.  She still felt someone's breath ghosting over her neck.  She still heard the voices.

"Please," she whispered, "leave me alone."

Amber was accustomed to people chattering around her at all hours, thanks to her large family back home.  As she recalled, that was the only thing that made her valuable to the Princess.  What would the people think if they knew that she could understand the voices?  Would they execute her like a sick dog if they found out that she could still hear them?  If they did not, the Princess certainly would.  Amber sat down on a large rock and carded her fingers through her long, messy hair.  She grabbed a handful of hair and rocked back and forth slowly, trying to quiet the nonsense coming at her from all directions.

Gods, the things those voices wanted her to do...

Amber was so caught up in quieting her mind, she hadn't noticed the footsteps coming closer to her.  Only when a lanky, young man cleared his throat did she look up at the two strangers.  They were young, probably around her age.  She noticed the Nolstopian insignia branded on the shorter man's forearm; the taller gentleman remained silent, but his own brand belonged to the Princess's kingdom.  Why they were travelling together, Amber could not imagine.

"Lady," Taemin asked, "are you out here alone?"

"No, I am with the Brave Hearts.  We are following Princess Sulli."

"I am Taemin, servant to the Prince of Nolstop.  I travel with Minho, manservant to the same kingdom you serve.  We are here to retrieve the Princess, so she may marry my master."

Amber looked back and forth between the two men.  She blinked tiredly, and it was then that Taemin noticed how bloodshot her eyes were.  Amongst the three of them, no one knew how long she had been awake.  Even Amber was not entirely certain of how she was still functioning.

"Lady," Taemin said once more, "will you take us to the Princess?"

"Uh, yes." 

Amber got to her feet, though she stumbled a bit.  Minho looked at Taemin with obvious confusion on his face, but neither man commented on the woman's odd behavior.

"However," Amber said, "I do not think you can dissuade the Princess.  She is determined.  A woman like her is unstoppable."

~*~

Sulli brought her favorite blade to her lips and up what little blood remained on the edge.  She had just slaughtered a small forest creature for the others to eat and there was no spare water to clean her things.  The blood was fresh and warm, but insignificant.  Her stomach growled loudly over the sound of the crackling fire and the light chatter amongst the Brave Hearts.  She was sure to reject any scraps of food that were offered to her.

Her people were hungry, always hungry, and she would not steal the food from their mouths any longer.  Back at the palace, she had never known hunger.  Now, she was slaughtering her own men left and right.  She was leading them into peril for the sake of a better tomorrow that none of them would see.  The least she could do was let them eat their own food for once. 

"I am not hungry," she insisted repeatedly.  "Besides, there is more food to come.  Trust me."

Instead of eating, Sulli worried her lower lip between her teeth and reread her golden scroll.  At this point, there really was no need to read it.  Her mother had left the scroll to her and since she was a young girl, Sulli had memorized every inch of the parchment.  More or less, she now only read the page to comfort herself.  It reminded her of the days when she used to read by the windowsill with her father; back when life was so uncomplicated.  Without a doubt, she used to be a picture-perfect princess.  Just like a fairytale.

"And here I am," she said to herself, "I am unfit to lead."

Sulli startled when she heard Amber's voice calling for her in the distance.  The Princess set aside her things and met her Brave Heart halfway.  She gave Amber strange looks when she saw the two men trailing closely behind her.  Sulli recognized Minho immediately, as they used to play together before her father forbade her from interacting with the wait staff.  Minho was like a brother to her and she did not want him anywhere near her bloody journey.  The lithe young man beside Minho looked familiar, but Sulli could not place where she had seen him before. 

"Princess," Amber said softly, "these men come from the palace.  They wish you to return to the kingdom and wed the Prince of Nolstop."

"And I shall."

"Thank you, Prin-"

"I will go back with you," Sulli said sternly, "once I have accomplished what I have set out to do.  You may come with me or return to the palace.  Either way, try not to die."

Minho shrugged when his friend gave him a questioning look.  He had been forbidden from interacting with the Princess for over a decade, but he had kept his eyes on her.  He knew why she behaved the way she did, what motives guided her seemingly cold heart.  He understood her in the same way Taemin understood him. 

"It appears that there is food on the fire now," Amber said.  "Help yourselves, then get some rest.  We usually leave at sunrise."

"Where are we going," Taemin asked her.

"In truth, none of us is certain.  We follow the Princess, wherever she leads us."

"What if she leads you into danger?"

"You are from the kingdom of Nolstop, where the food is plentiful and even the poor have enough firewood for the winter.  Is it not so?"

Taemin nodded, but he did not see what that had to do with anything.  Despite the impatient and foolish Prince, the kingdom he served was known throughout all the lands for its prosperity.  It was nothing new. 

"For the first time in years, someone is taking action.  The Princess is trying to change the quality of life for everyone in our kingdom.  Do you not see?"

Amber looked as if she wanted to say more, but her lips stilled.  The blood drained from her face and her eyes took on a glassy quality.  She looked distracted, as if she were entranced.  Someone was speaking, but she was the only one who could hear it.

"I must go," she said hurriedly.

Her small body trembled as she walked away, but Taemin made no attempt to go after her.  He was determined to go back alive, but he knew from firsthand experience that that could never happen as long as he was invested in the people around him. 

In the group of Brave Hearts, Taemin was the only man from Nolstop.  Here, he was the outcast and the foreigner.  He looked to Minho to guide his every step.  Being a formerly close friend of the crown, Minho led his friend over towards the Princess.  Minho sat down like he owned the place and looked at the Princess expectantly.  Taemin sat quietly and tried not to look too interested in anything in particular.  He was good at keeping his head down.

"What," Sulli asked Minho.  He did not avert his eyes and she did not lift hers from the scroll.  They both knew she was not reading the faded scroll, but for the sake of civility, neither of them brought it up.  "Do not look upon me so.  If you want something, ask."

Taemin felt the silence weighing down on his chest, suffocating him.  When he looked between the Princess and his friend, he knew that they were having a conversation all their own.  He could not explain it, but he understood it.  They spoke the same language that he used when he and Minho were alone. 

"Fine," Sulli sighed, "if you must know, we are going to the Forest of the Forgotten tomorrow.  And yes, we will stop to partake of the fruits and fresh springs.  I am not cruel, you know."

Minho quirked an eyebrow at her, as if he did not believe her claim.  He was a stoic man with limited expression, but when he did offer these little bits of himself up through his cryptic communication, the Princess never seemed to miss a beat.  She interpreted his meanings as swiftly as if he were speaking to her directly.  Nothing got lost in translation.

"You must really think ill of me if you think I have ulterior motives for everything.  Honestly, Minho, the Brave Hearts have endured much suffering already, and I have only just begun.  The Forest of the Forgotten is a lovely place.  Yes, we will lose more men, but at least they will die peacefully.  Please, stop interrogating me.  I am tired."

Sulli rubbed her eyes to show just how exhausted she was.  For a moment, Taemin thought he could see regret and sorrow on her face that was beyond her years.  If only for a split second, Taemin had forgotten that this princess had only just turned eighteen.  She seemed far too haunted to be that young.  He looked around them and noted that most of the people could not have been older than twenty.

They were all too young.

~*~

"No," Amber shouted again.  "Leave me alone!"

She felt a pain worse than hellfire trail up her spine and back down again.  Even though she was ready to call herself crazy, she felt that someone was watching her.  Several someones were watching her.  They were talking to her, always talking.  Always demanding.  She screamed again into the empty woods, praying that silence would answer her cry.

She closed her eyes, hoping that rest would overtake her.  Instead, the steady burning of exhaustion only intensified.  Amber swallowed hard and fell back against a thick tree.  Her head hit the bark roughly and she knew that there were dried leaves in her hair, but she could not bring herself to care.  Her head was suddenly throbbing with a pain that she had never felt before, not even when she had injured herself countless times on the farm.

"I-I do not wish to do that!  Please, stop this foolishness!"

Her fists closed tightly.  Her body broke out in a sweat and her heart began racing.  Amber struggled to take in each breath.  Every puff of air never felt like enough.  She knew she was panicking, but she could not think of a way to calm herself down.  Thinking only made her headache worse.  It was pointless anyway; she could not hear herself over the sound of blood rushing in her ears.

"I do not want to die like this," she said.  "No, I refuse to do that!"

Pain surged through her every muscle.  Amber swore that she could feel liquid fire boiling through her veins, burning her every touch.  The pain was unbearable and unexplainable.  All she knew was that she wanted it to end.  Now.  Amber tore at her clothes in an attempt to free herself from the heat, but it was inside of her.  Even though she knew it made no sense, Amber wanted to run out of her own skin.  She wanted to dive head first into the ocean and drown there, cold and lifeless; anything to escape the feeling of being burned alive now.

"Okay," Amber sobbed, "I will do it."

She opened her eyes and found that she did not hurt so much anymore. 

A gentle breeze kissed her cheeks, and suddenly Amber was not so sure that she had ever been in pain.