Seulgi remembered the crypts back in Quintas. She’d just been a little girl the first time she saw them. Her father had taken her down and they only had one candle along with them and her eyes had gotten as big as saucers when she stared at the stone faces of some of her ancestors with their iron swords across their lap. Father took her all the way down to the end, past Grandfather, and her late Uncle, to show them their own tombs. Seulgi kept looking at the stubby little candle her father was holding, anxious that it might go out. Her Old Nan had told her that this place is where the dead walk. And just then Seulgi heard the sound, low and shivery. When the spirit stepped out from the open tomb, pale white and for blood, Seulgi stood her ground and gave the spirit a punch and heard a grunt of pain. It was only Jaebum, covered in flour – and after that darkness held no more terrors for her. But this time she was stuck in the darkness of an unfamiliar room. Like she said, the darkness did not scare her, but what she was witnessing did. It was herself – with her own sword in her hand and a number of unknown faces waiting in line, their lips pleading for her to spare their life, begging for mercy. The Seulgi that she saw was hesitating with shaken hands. “Kill him,” A voice echoed out of nowhere, “You’ve done this before. This is nothing.”   “No! Please – no, don’t kill me, my lady!” The man wailed and suddenly Seulgi wasn’t the second person. The sword was in her hand, accompanied with the voice pestering for her to kill the man fast. With short, heavy breath, she sank the sword deep in the man; deep enough to make him scream.     Her eyes spring open, shaken back into reality – eyelashes faintly batting against her lids when she blinked. Her palms were sweaty and so were her entire body. The sound of her sword meeting the flesh and the piercing scream of the unknown man was still replaying at the back of her mind. Seulgi immediately sits up from the bed, too late to realise her sudden move had woken up the Princess beside her.   “Seulgi…” A trace of sleepiness yet concern notes in Joohyun’s voice. Joohyun places a hand on her shoulder, making her turn to look at her, “You’re sweating. Is everything alright?”   “A man…” Seulgi wanders off, the scene replaying in her mind, “I killed…the man. I killed him…I-I killed him too…the other day…I-”   Her words hitch when she suddenly breaks down in tears. Seulgi does not know why. Or maybe she does. All her life rarely she feared anything and even till now – it was not fear that was bothering her. It was the haunting, foreign feeling of her first time, taking someone’s life. The feeling was different with how many dummies she had strike, lunge and stab with her sword. Those things don’t have a soul whereas the Sith she killed the other day, had.   Joohyun embrace her in an instance. She pulls her close, gently rubbing her back and caressing her hair ever so softly. “Hush now. It was a nightmare…”   Seulgi nods, feeling rather pathetic of her to shed tears on her killing aftermath. Joohyun’s skin was normally cold but as usual, when they were close like this, only warmth radiates between them and all her worries disappears like rain on summer earth. With a soft kiss planted on the crown of her head, Joohyun lay the both of them down and hold her till sleep calls.                                                                                                                               ***     “It seems that Ser Minho has left the castle, Your Highness.” Grand Maester Wook make known of the knowledge within the council, “I have men searched him all over the castle since last night but he was nowhere to be found.”   “Shall we sent horses to Chester and ask for his presence here, Your Highness?” Ser Gong, Master of Horses, asked. “His Lord Father might be displeased of this but Ser Minho is still one of the knights for the royal banner. We can’t cut him slack.” The Princess remains silence and Seulgi wonder what thoughts were running in Joohyun’s mind. The council only seems to realize it now, but Ser Minho had been out of the castle for more than two days. Since Joohyun had ordered for her official protectors – Ser Jongin and herself – to be within close proximity with her most of the times, it does not seem to sit well with the robust knight.   “… Your Highness, may I add on a certain piece of information that I had received from my spiders?” Jinsung, the Master of Whisperers spoke aloud.   “Go ahead.”   “I happened to exchange a couple of words with a young scullery maid this one evening. She was rather lost in a part of our castle as she told me she was just sent to work here.”   “Where is she from?” The Princess inquires.   “Chester, Your Highness.” Jinsung answered before receiving a nod to continue, “I asked her on which household had she previously worked at and it was the Song’s. I was about to bid her away when she asked me of Ser Minho’s whereabouts.”   “Why would she ask of him?” The Princess had her eyebrows raised, looking equally curious.   “I asked her of her purpose on knowing of his whereabouts but she briefly brushed it off before scurrying away.” Jinsung remains suspicious as he speaks, “But without a doubt, I can sense  fear from her.”   Lord Bae Hyunsik grunts in an obvious note, “Well of course she would be in fear. Never once I’ve heard of the Song’s family to treat his servants well.”   “But there was something else in her tone – a different tale is happening in her eyes.” Jinsung affirms towards the council.   “Perhaps you’re reading too much of this, Jinsung,” Chancellor Kang voices out, although there was a tint of doubt in his tone, one Seulgi did not fail to notice. “As Lord Hyunsik had stated, it is a common knowledge of that particular household and their unpleasant… treatments. Maybe the girl was trying her best to not meet her previous owner due to that…” Seulgi who stood several metres away from the small council managed to turn her head to where Ser Jongin stood tall, unwavered. He had a small crease in the middle of his forehead and Seulgi wondered if he was thinking of the same thing as she was. Her mind recalled back to what Sooyoung had disclosed to them weeks ago of the unusual cloaked visitors visiting Ser Minho’s household at midnight. Seulgi wants to avoid making assumptions but this particular thought had been in her mind for quite some time.   “We shall deal with Ser Minho later.” Princess Joohyun finalize before inquiring, “Tell me what is happening at our town as of the moment? Any sightings of the Siths?”   “Last night we had a drowning, another tavern riot, two knife fights, a , robberies beyond count, and a drunken horse race down the Streets of the Brothers,” Ser Gong informed, “The motive behind the riot is caused by some drunkard lads pointing a finger to one another and made a hell of a wreck of the tavern.”   “How dreadful,” Jinsung said with a shudder.   “The kingdom must be in peace no matter what we are under at,” Grand Maester Wook spoke aloud, “If you cannot keep the kingdoms peace, Ser Gong, perhaps the City Watch should be commanded by someone who can.   Ser Gong puffed himself up, his face reddening, “It’s difficult to keep peace when so many things is happening, Maester Wook. I need more men.”   “How many?” The Princess asked, leaning forward.   “As many as can be gotten, Princess.” Ser Gong turns his head and look directly at her for a few moments before eyeing Ser Jongin. “I beg forgiveness Princess, but I think the official protectors could play a huge role in helping the city if you could permit them to roam the city and see of these difficulties.”   Her eyes met with Joohyun momentarily before the latter addresses, “Those two is – has been actually doing personal errands for me since the day I appointed them. They have been on the hunt for the Siths and finding ways to get rid of the creature for good.”   “Is that so?” Chancellor Kang, her father looked at her, a trace of concern in his tone, “Any leads as for the moment?”   “We had found out that The Siths could not be easily killed with mere swords.” Seulgi spoke in a slight hoarse voice as it was the first tim