(Light gore mentioned)

It was only less than twenty four hours from their wedding when Jong Suk and Shin Hye had their first fight as a couple.

The atmosphere was tense, almost stifling before everything bursts. Shin Hye stood with her back ramrod straight and her arms crossed defiantly. Her scowl was almost on par with Jong Suk's, and the guards and servants that were watching their stand off were distinctly reminded of Jong Suk's infamous glare. In fact he was sporting his signature scowl as he took in Shin Hye's defiant stance. The surrounding servants shifted their eyes back and forth uneasily, watching to see who would be the first to recede.

"You are not coming, and that's final," Jong Suk said flatly. "There's too many reasons to explain why you can't come."

Rolling her eyes, Shin Hye scoffed. "Look, just because I'm female doesn't mean I can't take care of myself! You taught me yourself, and I even fought an attacker off that day!" She held up a palm and let it burst into controlled flames. "Don't forget, I'm a Fire Seer."

Half exasperated and half wanting to tie her up and throw her back into the house, Jong Suk felt his chest tighten up. Did this woman not know her place? "You. Are. Not. Coming. Fighting off one attacker isn't the same as fighting in a war. The gore, the blood, the fighting...it's not a place for you to be! You could get hurt or killed, you infuriating woman!" And where would I be then if you are? An old memeory began to resurface from time's chains, even after all the years he had spent trying to purge it from his mind. His mother's silhouette, lost in flames, as she sacrificed her life. If only she didn't listen to the prophecy. If only I could have tried harder to persuade her not to go. I don't want to lose someone else close to me. Not again. 

He shook his head to clear out his thoughts and refocused his gaze back on Shin Hye. This time his eyes had softened and lost most of its sterness. They looked beggingly at Shin Hye. "Please. Just stay here." He let out a shuddering breath. "Please."

She sensed from the wild and painful look in his eyes that there was something behind his words. Something painful in the past. One he didn't want to be reminded of. But she had no choice but to deny him. "I'm sorry, Jong Suk, but I have to go with you. I won't be hurt, remember my prophecy? I'm there at the solar eclipse. That means I'll be safe." But the stupid prophecy doesn't tell me what happens after that. "It's just that I have a feeling that I have to be at the demon attacks." She lowered her voice. "And my intuition tells me something's brewing here at the Palace that none of us would want to be here when all hell breaks out. Please. Trust me." Shin Hye reached for his hand and looked imploringly with her wide doe eyes. "I'm more than capable of taking care of myself. Besides, you'll be there to protect me, right?" 

Sighing, Jong Suk leaned down slightly to lay his forehead on top of hers. The woman was stubborn as a mule. "Don't go." And why can't you trust me that I mean it when it'll be dangerous?

"You know that I'll only sneak out of the Palace and follow you, right? So it's much safer that I already leave with you," she murmured.  She continued on, spinning reasons until his head was also spinning. "And that   " 

"Fine." Enough was enough. He could hardly believe his own ears at what he was saying. "Come then. We're leaving in less than an hour. Pack up and don't bring a lot." He straightened up, looking seriously. "Also, if any man in my army dares to     " 

A hand held up quickly cut him off. "I know, I know. It's not like anyone can touch me but you anyways. No human would be stupid enough to try. If any fool does, I'll send whatever's left of him for you to thrash after I go through him first, okay?" She tried to smile winningly and batted her eyelashes, succeeding as his lips quirked up just the tiniest bit, more amused with her. Well, his lips looked less like a straight line than it had before. 

Word quickly spread through Jong Suk's army that his wife had survived the infamous General's glare and would be coming along, thanks to the curious spectators. Moreover, the threat that anyone who was fool enough to harm said wife would suffer the short end of Jong Suk's temper. Already as Jong Suk sat on his horse, his soldiers could feel the waves of barely held back fury steaming underneath the General's skin. Some dissenters to Shin Hye coming along had been planning to propose that they bring their wives, but one glance at the General's quelling look and the dissenters shrank back to obedience. 

Riding alongside Shin Hye's horse was Yu Bi who actually did sneak out and met up with the army some distance from the Palace. The Royal Seer had known that if found far away from the Palace, Jong Suk could not spare enough soldiers nor the time to send her back. Still, Yu Bi was far more impressed with Shin Hye's methods. The two girls were chatting freely, seemingly unaware that the soldiers marching behind them were shooting curious and lusty looks nor that Jong Suk seemed to have fixated a gloomier attitude permanently.

"Hyung, you okay?" Yonghwa's horse paced step by step with Jong Suk's. 

Jong Suk peered sideways at him. "I should be asking you that. How is the Emperor?"

The Prince kept his eyes steady on the road before them, willing his eyes to obey and not spill the tears he was holding back. "He's worsening. The physicians says he might not live much longer. And all the time, the Ministers keep swirling like a pack of sharks, a