You run past the different buildings, lifting your skirts up in front of you to keep you from tripping over them. Irritating fancy maid's uniform...

You dodge the guards only due to years of experience, ducking into alcoves and around corners.

Under your breath, you whisper, "Donghae, where are you?!"

You need to find him to tell him that you have to leave, NOW. To warn the Clan that the Empress's men are going there.

You peek around a corner and see a building with the inner lamps lit, one that, from what you've learned of the palace's history, is usually empty...

Your curiosity piqued, you sneak up to it, then remember that you're dressed as a maid. You take a deep breath, thinking up an explanation in case someone starts asking questions, and then walk right up to the building.

You step up to the door and whistle, a resounding "birdcall" that didn't resemble any actual birds in the area. If Donghae's in there, he'll recognize it. And then you reach up to knock on the door, but it swings open before you can touch it.

There's a beautiful woman there, a bit older than you, dressed in fine silks, with puffed, wet cheeks, like she'd been weeping considerably.

"I apologize, my Lady. I had thought you would be asleep at this hour. I merely wanted to clean up while you were resting..."

But right behind her, your eyes find Donghae's face, sitting in a corner, staring at you. "Ah, you have a visitor..."

"You can stop pretending, Miss. You are a friend of my son's, are you not? He recognized you."

You take a step back. "Your... son?" You look at Donghae in absolute confusion. "But... he doesn't have parents!"

She purses her lips, then steps inside. "Everyone has parents, my dear. Now come inside."

She shuts the door behind you, then gestures for you to sit down. You do, sitting next to Donghae, trying to question him with a glance, but he doesn't meet your eyes, just continues to stare at the floor. The woman sits down across from the two of you, gracefully smoothing her skirts underneath her.

"Excuse me, My Lady, whoever you are, but Donghae and I really have to go. Our family is in trouble! If we stay too long, we might--"

"Didn't you hear her?" Donghae mutters, "she's my mother."

You clench your fist, looking at first him, then her. "What do you mean?! You were found out by the East Sea, not the palace!"

"Please. Calm down," she demanded, her voice shaking, but calm. In a way, she seemed even more regal than the Empress.

"Who even are you? How do you know that Donghae is your son?"

"I am the Emperor's Courtesan."

You blink, your breath halting. "If you're the Courtesan, doesn't that mean...?"

She nods, closing her eyes. "It was over twenty years ago, when my son was just born. She is a jealous woman, the Empress. She resented my relationship with her husband. But what could his Majesty do, when his wife was bearing no child? Producing sons is the duty of the king. So I entered the Royal Palace as his courtesan. It was always such a shallow relationship, without love, but..."

"It was more than she had," you finish, crossing your arms in front of your chest.

She nods. "He visited me often. Even more often than his own wife. She grew more and more jealous, and when I became pregnant, she even began ordering assassins against me. I have lost count of how many times I have almost been killed. I have no proof, of course. The assassins never had a direct link to the Empress, even when we did catch them. And I am only a lowly courtesan. My word against hers is worth little to nothing. Still, I survived, and I had my son. I was exhausted after birthing. It had been painful, dragging on for hours. I slept, and while I slept, her guards came in. My attendants managed to protect me, but they stole my son. They took my newly born baby and carried him far away from the Palace, so they could dispose of him without being caught."

You are starting to understand. "By far away, you mean... the East Sea."

She nods. "That is what I can assume. You see, my guards were provided for me by an independent group loyal to my family. They were well-trained, intelligent, and dedicated to doing the right thing. After my son was gone, my guards went after them, joining with the rest of their group. Eventually they found him, I suppose. The leader of the group and all of my guards died in the ensuing fight. The only information I received was that my son was alive. I knew that it was safer that he stay out of the capital, but when he grew up, I wished to see him again. When he grew up, he could take his rightful place as heir."

"But how did you know it was him?"

"The coin," he replied, holding up the dirty old piece of metal. "It's her family crest. They tucked it into my bedding after I was born. That's how Abeoji found me." He looks up at you, so many emotions on his face that it's hard to focus on one at a time. "With the old leader dead, Abeoji became the leader. But the old leader must never told him why I was so important, only that it was a secret."

You look back and forth between her and him, mother and son, apparently. "So... you mean... Abeoji was there when you were saved? He knew it all along?"

Abeoji. Oh no, Abeoji!

You leap to your feet, remembering your purpose. "Donghae-ah, we can't stay here too much longer. The Clan is in trouble!"

Quickly you explain what you overheard the Queen say. You remind Donghae that the two of you had snuck out in order to get into the palace.

"But... I found my family!" he declares, "I can't just leave!"

You crouch down, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Donghae-ah, I know that meeting your family is important, and all of this is a lot to take in, but if we don't leave now, then everyone we've ever cared about will die. Because they're looking for you. Is that important enough for you?!"

He looks up, his soft, puppy-like eyes looking into your own. You'd always thought that he was too kind for this life. Too gentle to fight, too sweet to steal. He only did it because you did. "Please, Donghae."

He nods, then looks at the woman. "Alright. But she's coming with us."

She stands up. "I cannot. I will only slow you down."

Donghae shakes his head, getting up and laying his hands over her own. "Mother, we came here to make change. To steal something valuable to the emperor. Information, jewels, something. And you are valuable to him. And staying here is dangerous, isn't it? Aren't you tired of assassins always trying to kill you? Come with us. We'll take care of you. Once the Clan is aware, trust me, no one can catch them. But you have to come with us." He looks over at you. "Right?"

You hesitate, looking at how calm, suddenly how satisfied he is. It sends pangs of jealousy through your heart. He's a part of a world you have no place in. And that woman is a perfect representation of that. Still, he needs you. He's always needed you.

You close your eyes, fake a smile, and nod. "Right."

His mother looks between the two of you, and then smiles. "Of course. Now, let us hurry."

Together, the three of you hurry out of the Courtesan's quarters, heading as quickly as you can towards the Gwanghwamun gate, where Kyuhyun had let you in.

When the gate comes within sight, though, you stop suddenly, holding your arm out in front of the Lady. There are at least a dozen men there, waiting for you.

One of them, wearing a slightly brighter color uniform than the rest of the, steps out, giving you a cold smile. "So it's true. The Clan has returned. And they're going to take the royal . We're sorry, but we can't let you nor her escape."

"How did you know we were here?!" you shout, already putting a hand on you sword hilt, hidden under your skirt.

The leader snorts, and gestures to one of his men.

The men push one of their own forward, and he stumbles to the ground, landing on his knees just in front of the leader.

Even in the dim light you can see the bruises, the split lip, the way he's shaking with pain. 

Kyuhyun.

"I'm sorry," he gasps, choking around the blood in his mouth. 

The leader crosses his arms, glaring at you. "So the wretch let you into the palace. What a waste. He'll be publicly executed, of course. To suit a traitor of the emperor."

You clench your fist, then, without any hesitation, rip your skirt off. It flutters to the ground behind you in tatters, while you seethe.

"Donghae-ah," you hiss. "Get Kyuhyun and your mother out of here."

His eyes widen. "No. No, don't, there's too many!"

"Neither of them will be able to get out of here one their own. And someone needs to go to the Clan," you grimace, glaring at the Queens guards. 

"Kill them," the leader commands.

They rush towards you, and you can see the indecision on Donghae's face. And then, in a rushed moment, he pulls you to him, his arms around you, pressing a hot, hurried kiss to your lips. He pulls away, leaving you in shock for a few moments. "Don't die. Please."

After you recover, you grin at him. "Don't worry, Fishy. I'm the Devil's Flower, remember?"

You part, just as the tide of guards hits you. You unsheathe your sword, shouting, "Go! I'll take care of these idiots!"

Out of the corner of your eye, you see Donghae rush over to Kyuhyun, helping him to his feet. But the leader, the captain, or whoever he is, is still there. While you're occupied with flashing swords from every direction, he stands his ground in front of Donghae, his mother, and Kyuhyun.

He unsheathes his sword, and Donghae has a hand on his sword hilt. The captain starts forward, and then freezes. He puts a hand to his neck, where blood is spurting out. His eyes bug out, and he falls to the ground.

Your arm is outstretched, your favorite throwing knife gone from its usual place inside your sleeve.

Donghae nods, and then the three of them rush off into the night, leaving you alone in a flurry of swords and limbs. 

You have to survive. You must survive. Not when you can still feel the kiss on your lips, feel the hope in your heart you had never felt would burn with this much fire. You cannot die.

~

With Kyuhyun limping, leaning heavily on Donghae, the three of them are moving too slowly. Donghae can still hear the ringing of sword on sword, hanging heavily in his heart. He has never felt this afraid before. The world has turned inside out. He is not a poor, vagabond orphan anymore. He has a mother. His father is the Emperor. And his best friend-- no-- the girl he has loved for longer than he can care to admit, is fighting for her life, and his. And a group of the Empress's personal forces are heading towards the only family he's ever known.

Kyuhyun groans, letting go of Donghae's shoulder and falling to the ground. "Keep going, Donghae. I'm only slowing you down."

Donghae gasps for breath and grabs Kyuhyun by the shoulders.

"Look, kid. I still don't understand everything that we've found, but we are supposed to help people. Right now, we need to help the Clan. And I don't care if you quit or not, you're still one of us. I got you into this. I am not going to let them execute you because of me! And I know you don't like that girl, and you call her the "Devil's Flower", but she means everything to me. I did not leave her behind only to lose you, too! Do you understand?! I am not leaving you here!" He feels tears coming to his eyes, 

Donghae feels a hand on his shoulder, and then his mother is crouching next to Kyuhyun. "Lean on me," she says calmly.

"My Lady, are you sure that you can--?"

She gives him a cool smile. "I am not made out of porcelain, Kyuhyun-shi. Remember, I have survived many assassination attempts. Even if it is just a sheet of paper, it is better if it is lifted by many people. We will travel faster if we share your load."

Reluctantly, he puts his arm around her shoulders, and she gets to her feet, nodding to Donghae. "Come, my son. We cannot afford to lose time. The more time we lose, the more friends we may lose."

Donghae pauses, then nods, wrapping Kyuhyun's other arm around his shoulder and standing up. Once again, the three of them rush off through town, hearing footsteps behind them.

~

You wince, holding your side. Men lay in heaps around you, and you're gasping for breath. Some of them are still moving, groaning. You'd only wanted to stop them, not kill them. 

You wince with pain, your vision blurring. When you lift your hand, in the moonlight you can see the red-brown covering your palm.

Your face is scratched, your heart is pounding, and your lungs are still screaming for air.

You sheathe your sword, and walk over to the captain, leaning over to pull your throwing dagger out of his neck.

Behind you, you hear someone groan, "You're the Devil's Flower, aren't you?"

You turn, grabbing the remains of your skirt off the ground. "You should have figured that out before you attacked me," you breathe, giving a weak smile. "It would have saved you a lot of trouble."

You exit through the gate, ripping long strips of it off as you walk out of the palace, heading out towards the slums, where you can walk through the side alleys and hide in the shadows. You tie the strips around your stomach, tightly, to hold the stab wound closed, and then add more layers to absorb the blood.

When you've finished bandaging the wound, you break into a run, going as fast as you can away from the palace.

I'm coming, Donghae, you think. Just wait for me.

~

Donghae, his mother, and Kyuhyun, plunge into the forest, hearing the Empress's men just behind them. Only a bit further and they'll make it to the camp. There's no sign of signal fire, and he can't hear the animal calls that the Clan uses to announce emergencies. They must have made it. 

They run into the camp, and everything is just as quiet and peaceful there as it had been when the two of you had left it. No one stirs in the tents, and there is almost no sign of a fire ever even having burned there.

Donghae sighs, and then lets go of Kyuhyun. The two of them sit down on the ground next to one of the tents, heaving with exhaustion.

Donghae runs straight to Abeoji's tent. There's no time to be relieved yet. They may have arrived before the Empress's men, but the Empress's men are still coming.

"Abeoji!" Donghae shouts, rushing over to the Clan leader's tent. Behind him, he can hear Kyuhyun copying the sounds of the whiskered bat that the Clan had taught them all as children to use as a nighttime alert.

Donghae pushes the tent flaps open, collapsing on his knees next to Abeoji's bedroll. "Abeoji, wake up! We're about to be under attack!"

Abeoji snaps awake, sitting up so fast that he almost hits Donghae in the head. "Attacked?!"

"There are men, from the Empress, coming for the Clan. A large force, probably about fifty."

Abeoji nods. "Alright, I understand. Good work, Donghae." He reaches up and pats Donghae on the head, messing up his sweat-soaked hair, an then grabs his sword.

When they leave the tent, Kyuhyun has woken up most of the camp with his horrible bat noises. They're obviously nothing like the actual bat calls, but they appear to have done the trick. Everyone is rushing about, getting armor on, weapons ready, packing up the tents to run if they need to.

Abeoji looks around, barking out orders to each member of the Clan in turn. And then he looks to the side and sees Kyuhyun and Donghae's mother. "Who is this woman? And you! Kyuhyun! What are you doing here, and looking all beat up?!"

Donghae puts a hand on Abeoji's arm and shakes his head. "There's no time to explain, Abeoji."

He hesitates, then nods. "Alright, let's go."

Suddenly they're surrounded. The entire camp, enclosed by a great circle of men, clothed in plain gray and black, so to pretend that they had no affiliation with the Empress or her family, just like his mother had described.

Donghae puts a hand on his sword hilt, standing between the Empress's forces and his mother. 

And then the fight begins.

Kyuhyun does his best to protect the Lady, while the Clan fights for their lives. Even the women, of course. You might be the best female fighter in the clan, but you're not the only one.

It's often easy for Donghae to forget how skilled all of the members of the Clan were at fighting. They trained often, true, but they rarely had any reason to actually fight, since their missions were usually conducted quietly, in the shadows, avoiding direct conflict.

Still, most of the Clan hadn't had the time to put on their armor. If they're struck, it can easily prove fatal.

But Donghae can't afford to worry about that. There are men in full armor charging towards him, swords ready. He fights the first one off, landing a blow just below the man's collar bone. By the time he faces the second, though, he's feeling the ache in his muscles. He's already tired from the running, and hauling Kyuhyun. Normally, in the Clan's planning, he would have had a day of rest, but in this situation...

"Where is the boy!" he hears the captain of the Empress's men demand of Abeoji.

"What boy?" He asks, dodging a sword swipe.

"An orphan boy. We know that you took him."

Abeoji laughs, slicing across the Captain's chest, sending the man sprawling. "In case you didn't know, we take in a lot of orphans."

The captain groans, holding a hand over his wound. "The boy... from the East Sea."

Donghae doesn't see anything more, because he's being attacked again. Fighting for air, he's pushed down. He rolls, avoiding a jab that ends up in the dirt next to his head, kicking his attacker's legs out from under him.

He stabs, and his attacker goes quiet. Donghae leans over, ready to collapse. He can't fight for much longer.

Then he hears a shout from behind him. Too late, he turns around. Too late, he lifts his sword to defend himself. He sees it all happening in a moment, knowing that there is nothing he can do.

And then he sees the moonlight glint off of the silver of the blade protruding from the man's abdomen.

~

The man falls, and you pull your sword from his back, grinning at Donghae around your pain. "That's the second time today I've saved your life, Fishy."

He smiles, a mixture of relief and joy. "I'll have to make up for it later."

You hold out a hand to help him up, but when you have him on his feet, the enemy is scattering, running off into the woods. The Clan has survived. Many of them are injured, you can tell, but, with few exceptions, they're alive.

Relief floods through you. Now that you've accomplished all that you had set out to, your knees buckle, and you fall to the ground, the world becoming dark.

Before everything goes black, you can hear Donghae shout, see him run to catch you. "Someone get the medical supplies!" he's demanding. 

It's alright, you think. Everything's alright.

~

When you wake up, you're sitting in one of the tents, mostly disrobed. There's a throbbing pain in your side. You lift your hands to feel it, and find that your wound has been stitched together, and bandaged up. You start to sit up, but someone puts a hand over your forehead, holding you back.

"You should remain on your back for a while, my dear. You might re-open the wound. It took some time, since you didn't let it close right away in the first place."

It's Donghae's mother. She's changed out of her regal silks, into the drab Hanbok that the women of the Clan usually don, but she still looks so noble, with the calm air that surrounds her.

You settle back down, staring up at the roof of the tent. "We risked a lot, bringing you here."

"Yes," she answers plainly, dabbing at your forehead with a damp cloth. "I am thankful for that."

"I'm sorry for the harsh way I talked to you. I was only worried about the Clan."

"They are your family, are they not? The only family you've ever known. My son's, too." She begins helping you dress, tucking the first part of your shirt under your back and pulling out the other side so that you can put your arms through it.

You nod. "Abeoji raised us together. We didn't have much, and it wasn't always easy, living on the run, stealing, and fighting, but there was always a lot of love. We may not be related by blood, but... they really are my family. They are the home I return to."

"I have the feeling that you are the home that my son returns to," she replies with a smile, helping you put the top layer of your shirt on without having to sit up much.

You blush, absentmindedly running your fingers over your lips, remembering the way he'd kissed you when you were about to be separated.

"It is dark under the lamp," she says, and you smile, despite yourself. "The most important things are always right in front of you," she continues, "Your love was always by your side. I was looking for my son all over Korea, and he was right here, in the capital city, torturing the nobility."

You laugh, but then wince, remembering the wound in your side.

"My apologies," she says, bowing her head a bit. "I am thankful to the Clan for a great many things. You more than any of them. Thank you for taking care of my son for so many years. And for saving our lives. I have never met a girl like you."

You close your eyes. You're about to speak, but then you hear Abeoji just outside the tent. 

"I hear voices! Is my daughter alright?!"

Donghae's mother nods, smiling coolly. "She is awake, Ahjusshi. You may enter."

He does, whipping the tent flaps open and rushing in. He kneels next to you, crushing you in his arms.

"Ow, ow, ow, Abeoji! Injury!"

He lets you go, wiping tears off of his face. "I am sorry, my dear. I have already lost a wife and a son in my life. I don't know if I would be able to hold myself together if I were to lose my daughter as well."

You smile, patting him on the cheek. "I am alright, Abeoji. I should get an award, however."

"Oh, yes? Donghae told me about it. How you fought against a dozen men while he ran to warn us."

Your shoulders relax of their own accord. "So he told you everything?"

He nods. "The two of you endangered the entire Clan so that you could have your way."

You close your eyes, swallowing. "And... you're not angry?"

He shakes his head. "If you hadn't, we may not have made it through the night. They were planning on attacking whether we had a guard or not. And, in addition, the two of you brought us a beautiful lady to boost morale."

Donghae's mother blushes, looking at her feet. "I will go now, to see to the other injuries." She bows, making her way out.

Abeoji's eyes twinkle when he watches her go, and then looks back at you. "Lady Lee is quite a remarkable woman."

You raise your eyebrows. "Lee?"

He nods. "That is her family name. The golden dragon curling around in a circle-- that is the Lee family crest."

You sit back, and he brushes the hair out of your eyes. "I am glad, my daughter. You truly should be given a medal. And maybe, if things go as planned, you will be able to receive it.

~

A day later, you're allowed to sit up and stand up, even leave the tent.

When you enter the camp, everyone cheers for you like you're a hero. You limp, but stand as tall as you can. You see Kyuhyun, sitting in the center of a group of inquisitive Clan children, looking incredibly uncomfortable. 

"Where is Donghae?" you ask him. 

He seems eager for a reason to ignore the children. "Ah, he's been off in the woods while you've been recovering. Though I'm sure if anyone knows where he is, it's you."

You nod, walking through camp. In front of one of the tents, you see "Lady Lee" talking to Abeoji, his eyes lighting up when she speaks.

You smile to yourself as you step out of camp. After the ruckus that had come up as soon as you'd exited your tent, you expect to be followed, but, to your surprise, no one does. Perhaps they know.

Sure enough, Donghae is sitting by himself in the underbrush near the edge of the cliff, flipping the coin over and over in his fingers. When he sees you, he shoves it back under his shirt, sitting up straight.

"You're here!" he exclaims.

You chuckle, ignoring the dull pain in your side. "I'm here. And it looks like, despite everything that's changed, you haven't changed at all."

You sit down next to him, then put your hand on his cheek to gentle push his face so that he's looking at you. 

"I'm so sorry," he whispers, closing his eyes.

You shake your head, letting your hands fall to rest in your lap. "I'm happy for you. Really, I am. Your mother is a great woman. I wish I could have that. But all I've ever had is you."

"And Abeoji," he corrects.

You smile. "And Abeoji."

He opens his eyes, opening and closing his mouth several times as if about to say something, and then rethinking it, before finally saying, "About... you know... in front of the gate..."

"If you take that back, I'll punch you so hard you'll forget everything you just learned," you threaten.

He looks up at you, wide-eyed, and then relaxes. "Yes... I guess you're right." He laughs, hesitantly laying a hand over yours, his calloused fingers running over the skin of your knuckles. "I... I wanted... for so long, I..."

"Me too," you say, knowing what he's trying to tell you. 

"I wanted to tell you... but... it was the moment, you know. And..."

You lean forward, wrapping your arms around his neck and kissing him, interrupting his thoughts. And he doesn't resist, instead pulling you to him, his heart racing.

When you let go, he rests his forehead against yours, smiling to himself and blushing all the way up to his ears.

"How long?" he asks you.

"I don't know," you answer, whispered.

He shakes his head. "Me either."

~

In the months that follow, the Clan is even more active than it ever has been before. Every night Lady Lee teaches Donghae how to read, and helps him read the scrolls he'd taken from Jibokjae. Scrolls about his family, about the reason the Clan had been allied with the Lees.

And then there are missions. Mission after mission. For many weeks, you aren't allowed to participate in any of them, with your injury, but you know they're going on.

In those months, there are missions to leak the information into the nobility. Missions to get information from other cities, missions to extract proof, call in old favors.

Kyuhyun is sent to a different city, where he can study Confucius and live a peaceful life.

Lady Lee and Abeoji became quite close. The entire Clan is constantly talking about the two of them, how romantic they are, how unlikely a relationship. The leader of a group of thieves, and the Emperor's courtesan.

And, through the constant effort of the Clan, the evil deeds of the Empress come to light. She, and all of her forces, are banished, never to come near the Emperor or the Palace ever again.

One day, somehow, the Clan is able to walk into the city, in the light of day, heading towards the Palace. And as they walk, they're hailed as heroes. The saviors of the lost Prince, the vigilantes that protect the poor.

In the crowd, you see a young girl come out of a paper shop, see her smile to you and bow. You bow, swallowing your tears.

Heroes. You've never known what it's like to be a hero. And yet here you are, holding Donghae's hand, cheers and smiles following behind you.

Into the Palace, doors opened wide for the Clan to enter. And, standing in the center of the courtyard, dressed in embroidered red silk...

is the Emperor.

His hair is well into gray, even more than Abeoji's. But, seeing him, you can see the family resemblance. Donghae actually looks quite a bit like his father.

The Clan bows, dropping to the ground in front of the Emperor.

He smiles lightly, nodding. "You may rise."

You all do, and you glance over at Donghae, who seems to be so nervous that he's shaking.

The Emperor opens his arms. "Please... my son. Come to your father."

Hesitantly, Donghae takes a step forward, releasing your hand.

His embrace with the Emperor is awkward and uncertain, but it seems that the Emperor is happy. "My son. I am so sorry that we were never able to meet until now."

He looks out at the Clan, laying eyes on Donghae's mother.

"Lady Lee, I know it has been too long, but would you be my wife?"

She bows her head again, not looking at him as she says, "Please pardon me, Your Royal Highness. But I cannot."

"Oh?"

She continues bowing. "Your Highness, I have enjoyed my time with you, I truly have. But I believe I have found a place I enjoy even more. If you would gift me with my freedom, I would be happy."

He pauses, seeming sad, but then nods. "I have always wished for your happiness, Lady Lee. I only wish you to know that."

She smiles, looking up at him for the first time, and then bowing again. "Thank you, Your Highness." And then she reaches over and lays her hand in Abeoji's, whose face is turning more red than a pomegranate.

"To the Clan," the Emperor announces, "I forgive all crimes against the country. You have done nothing but great service to me. In addition, all of the orphans you have cared for will be given family names to pass on. And, finally, I invite you all to become a proud branch of the Royal Military."

Abeoji looks up, then back down. "A branch of the Royal Military, Emperor?"

"You have always done great work. But now I ask you to do it in my name."

Abeoji nods, bowing again. "Of course."

"There is a banquet in your honor. You may go there now."

Behind you, the Clan begins to leave, eager for the food the Emperor is offering. But you hesitate, not wanting to leave Donghae.

You're from two different worlds, you and him. You'd never known it from the start, but, looking at Donghae in the robes of the Crown Prince, you cannot deny it. He is royalty. He is the Emperor's son.

They have many things to discuss, you think, turning away to follow your family.

You have been a coward for most of your life. Clinging, yet keeping secrets, all because your greatest fear was to lose Donghae. Abeoji was right, you were a coward.

But now you are facing your fear. You are accepting the heartbreak. You are walking away, knowing that, although you have been together through thick and thin, life and limb, it is time to let go.

"Wait!" Donghae calls, running up to you. He catches your arm, and then looks up at the Emperor--his father-- and announces, "Father... this is all very new to me. I cannot deny the role of Crown Prince. That's what fate decided. But Fate gave me this girl, too. I have always been with her. I am useless without her. I could not have uncovered the truth without her. I could not have had the courage to face you without her."

He pauses for breath, meeting your eyes as he says, "and I cannot be the Crown Prince without her."

You catch your breath, glancing up at the Emperor. He walks towards you, and you can feel your heart thundering in your chest.

And then... he embraces you.

"Alright. An orphan child. The Devil's Flower, I hear. It seems that, although I was searching for one child, I found two."

He lets go, holding his hands over your shoulders. "I expect you to become a proper lady before I allow you to marry my son, however."

Donghae's face turns pink, and you try to hide your disgust at the thought of becoming a "proper" lady.

But then the Emperor leaves, whistling as he walks away, and the two of you are left alone.

"You're a coward, Lee Donghae," you mutter, your eyes wet.

He leans forward and kisses you on the cheek, taking your hand. "I am. A coward who would like the Lady to accompany him to the banquet. Unless you no longer like me, now that I am the Crown Prince."

You punch him in the shoulder. "Oh shut, up, 'Prince'. You've always scratched me where it itches. If you think I'm letting you go just because there's royal blood attached, you've got another thing coming. You're my other straw sandal."

He laughs, and the two of you walk together to the banquet.

THE END