Hello my name is Cori and I have an animal crossing obession. 

Byul’s laugh cut through the air. YongSun shot her a look but she couldn’t help but smile at the sound. Arcadia was running around YongSun in circles, clearly not understanding the command that YongSun gave her. “You have to be more clear.” Byul said walking up to her, reaching for her hands. She pulled YongSun’s arms up to her chest, she moved her fingers so her hands formed a claw-like shape, her thumbs resting on the bottom of her other fingers. Byul whistled for Arcadia’s attention, she stepped so she was behind YongSun, still holding her hands, Byul moved her hands downward to the right. Arcadia tilted her head. “Repeat the motion.” Byul whispered in her ear. YongSun listened. Arcadia immediately laid down on the ground, looking at YongSun for her next command.

YongSun smiled wide and spun around. “I did it!” Byul smiled at her as well. YongSun suddenly realized how close Byul was to her, she was barely a step away from her. They stood there for a beat, until Byul cleared and broke eye contact. “Will you show me another?” YongSun was excited about how much she had progressed with the hand signals in just a few days. 

Byul thought it over for a second. “One more but then that is enough, you have training with HyeJin in the morning and we just finished your other training, you need rest.” 

YongSun wanted to roll her eyes, she had gotten a lot more rest over the last few days and she was feeling better, but she knew there was no arguing with Byul about this. “Okay, what is next?” 

Byul did roll her eyes, but she smiled. “Here, try this.” Byul put both her hands out, fingers spread apart, she dragged her right  hand over the back of her left on one. 

YongSun copied the motion. Arcadia watched her as she repeated it. The wolf got up and started moving toward her, but she was creeping along. “What did I tell her?” She asked as the wolf reached her feet.

“You told her to go slow. You can add to it by pointing in a direction.” She demonstrated. “She can take up to five commands so far. Like giving her a list, I am working up to more but that is all she can handle for now.” She patted Arcadia's head. 

They slowly started walking back to the camp, they needed to be far so Arcadia didn’t get distracted by the others. “Where did you learn this from, the army?” 

A sad look passed over Byul’s face. “No, my father taught me.” YongSun never really hByul talk about her father before. “He used to run the animal hospital in our village, and he would teach all of the villagers how to control their dogs so there were no problems.” 

They walked in silence for a while. “I am sorry.” YongSun said.

Byul shot her a look. “Why?” 

YongSun shrugged. “I don’t know, I guess because you lost him.” 

Byul playfully bumped her shoulder. “It was a long time ago.” 

“It doesn’t mean it still doesn’t hurt.” She knew she was still hurt over her father’s death, but three months versus fifteen years, she doubted it hurt less. 

Byul put her arm around YongSun’s shoulder and gave her a quick side hug. YongSun’s heart went into overdrive. “Thank you YongSun.” She smiled and then dropped her arm. 

YongSun searched for the right words to say, or anything to say, or do something, but she was at a loss for it all. Her frame of time ended because they were back at camp. 

The morning sun burned the back of YongSun’s eyes. She was in a clearing with HyeJin, awaiting further instructions. “I want to do something different today.” HyeJin’s voice sounded rough in the morning. Over the last few days, HyeJin had managed to send her a few visions of her past, she basically knew all of her and WheeIn’s history, some she wished she had never witnessed. The last few days they had been doing target practice with her light beams, she could even make little sun balls now. She had no idea what HyeJin had in mind for today but the fact that they were sitting on the ground, she figured something mental. “I want you to try and project something to me today.”

YongSun opened one eye and looked at her. “Do you think that is even possible?” 

HyeJin shrugged. “I think it could be, it should work the same way as getting a vision.” She shifted. “Think of something very powerful and try to send it to me.”

YongSun doubted this would work but she gave it a try. They sat there in silence, YongSun visualized sending her memory to HyeJin, after a long time she sighed very loudly. “I don’t think it is going to work.”

She opened her eyes and so did HyeJin. “What were you trying to send me?” 

“The day I found out I had to marry Eric, I was devastated.” HyeJin snorted, YongSun gave her a look. “What?”

She shook her head. “That is nowhere near powerful enough.” She looked at YongSun like she was searching her memories. “It had to be something so overwhelming.”

YongSun sighed. “Fine I will try again.” They both closed their eyes once again. YongSun dug deep down in her heart and found the first thing that made her heart hurt, she imagined pushing that moment toward HyeJin. This time something did happen. 

YongSun felt her mind being thrown, as if through space. As if she were out of her own mind, she saw the memory make a line for HyeJin’s forehead, breaking through, memory splatting like paint on the back of her mind, creating a movie. YongSun was now in her own memory, she was watching it play on the wall of HyeJin’s mind. 

YongSun was standing in front of Byul… no Yul. They were talking about the night before, an incident where YongSun had hurt Yul by slapping him in the face and cutting his arm with her nails. She took a step closer to him, arm lifting, intending to give him a kiss on his cheek. Until a crash happened down the hall. They both turned, YongSun felt Yul reach for his sword. “What was that?” YongSun asked aloud.

Yul stepped in front of her, looking down the hall. “What is down that hall Princess? Who would be in any of those rooms?”

A chill ran down YongSun’s body. This was something she had dreamed about. “My father’s study.” She just got the last word out as she dashed past Yul and ran off toward her father’s study. Before YongSun could pull open the door, Yul had grasped the back of her dress and pulled her back, out of the way but she managed to throw the door open as he did. Yul went in first but YongSun was on his heels. He was looking around the room but YongSun’s eyes tunneled to one thing, he father was laying on the floor of his study, hand over his chest, blood pooling around him. 

YongSun was too shocked to move, everything connecting in her mind until she finally let out the most body shuddering scream as she raced to his side. Tears were already in her eyes as she put her hands on her father’s body, calling to him, trying to get him to open his eyes, though she couldn’t see much through her tears. He opened his eyes, trying to focus on YongSun, but he kept fading as his blood spilled out of him. Yul pushed her slightly as he bent over her father, hands going to the hole in his chest. “Sir, can you hear me?” He called the king. YongSun felt as if her heart was being crushed in her chest, all she could see was red pouring out of him. “Who did this? Where did they go?” Yul sounded so determined, so strong, not like her falling to pieces. 

Her father’s eyes shifted in the direction of Yul’s voice. “Window, assassin.” YongSun could not take her eyes off her father, she didn’t care if the assassin was still in here, she hoped they would take her out too, there was no way she could live without her father. “Protect Solar.” He managed, fresh blood coating his lips as he said it. 

YongSun felt another part of her heart break at those words. “Yes sir, I will.” Yul said firmly to him, reassuring a dying man, her dying father. 

Her father shook his head weakly. “Get her out,” A shaky breath. “Must leave the castle.” Yul pressed harder on the wound as if he was trying to keep him alive just a little bit longer, giving him more time to say all he needed to. “Ernesto, Velcorn, safe.” His eyes shifted over to YongSun again, she choked on her own tears as she met his soft eyes. “Mistake, sorry.” He reached for her and she grabbed on to his hand as hard as she could, as if she could anchor him to this world. Her body shook with her tears, she could barely hear him over the heaves of her sobs. “My bright sun.” He whispered, only making her cry harder. “Love you.” YongSun managed to pull her father’s hand to her face, she hugged it tight, unable to say the same words, unable to say anything to him. He shuttered a breath, his final breath. YongSun felt his grip slip away as she held him, his eyes rolled back in his head. Her father was gone. 

YongSun’s sobs echoed louder as she watched her father’s corps. Yul reached out and closed his eyes. “Princess.” YongSun heard from far away. “Princess, we need to get out of here.” Yul said to her gently. YongSun shook her head, there was no way she could leave her father. Yul put his hand on her shoulder. “Look at me.” He said a little sharply, YongSun felt shocked out of her trance and she looked at him. His soft brown eyes looked scared as they looked into her’s, he hid it well, trying to be strong. “There is a very good chance the killer is still in the castle, I need to get you out of here.” He said it determinedly, he was trying to abide by her father’s last wish. She watched him a fraction of a second longer, she needed to trust him, he had given her nothing but kindness these last few days. She slowly nodded and took a shaky breath. She turned her attention back to her father, placing the hand she still held, on to his chest, covering the ugly hole in it. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, a final goodbye. 

Yul got to his feet and retrieved his sword. He reached out to help YongSun up, her tears had dried up, an empty space in her chest where her heart used to be. YongSun stumbled trying to get up, Yul’s strong arm went around her waist and held her up. “I know this is hard Princess but we need to get out of here as quickly as we can.”

Anger washed over her as this man tried to pull her away from her dead father. “You have no idea what I am feeling.” She snapped, feeling bad right away.

Yul paused for a moment. “We need to leave.” He said almost emotionless. 

YongSun took another breath, she wiped the remaining tears from her face. “Let’s go.” She said as strong as she could. She let Yul lead her away from her father. 

YongSun snapped back into her own mind, as if she had been slapped. Her eyes went to HyeJin, whose eyes were on her, slightly lined with tears. “That must have been very hard for you.” She managed to say after clearing . She got to her feet, YongSun following her. “You did well today.” She softly touchedYongSun on the back.

YongSun wanted to feel happy about that but rewatching her father’s death only put her in a somber mood. “Thank you.” She said not really meaning it. They walked in silence back to camp. 

Byul hated herself. She had just finished wrapping cloth around her chest, making it hard to breath but making her s no longer visible. She slipped into her regular clothing, but with no chest she no longer looked like a woman. What sealed the look was the wig she put on to cover her long blonde hair. With one sad sigh, she had become Yul once again.

Arcadia looked at her suspiciously, she didn’t blame her. Byul looked like herself, but not herself, she always carried herself differently as Yul. “It is still me girl.” She soothed the wolf. 

Byul had talked to WheeIn and HyeJin last night and they had all come to the conclusion it was time for her to turn back into her alter ego, they would be arriving at the castle by the end of the week. She might as well get used to it now. Besides, if someone from the castle saw her as Byul travelling with the princess, there would be trouble. 

Byul rejoined the others, she didn’t miss the dead stare she got from Luna. WheeIn looked like she was assessing Byul’s look, only TaeOh’s gaze held a sad tone, knowing what this did to her. The very first time she put on her disguise as Yul, she had been shedding the young, slightly wild, wanderer Byul she was in her childhood, stepping into a stronger person, a man. She had lost a bit of herself but she had gained so much more. This time she was losing the confident woman she had become since taking everything off, and was stepping back into a role that no longer fit her. “You look way hotter as a woman.” WheeIn said as if it was supposed to offer her comfort. 

Byul locked eyes with her for a moment before they both broke out in a laugh. Some of the tension broke from her comment. “Thanks WheeIn.” She said and actually meant it. 

TaeOh came over and patted her on the shoulder. “Good to have you back brother.” Byul glared at him. 

HyeJin and YongSun broke through the nearby bushes, YongSun took one step in and stopped dead. Her eyes locked on Byul’s, like she was seeing a ghost. She seemed to notice she was staring for a while because her cheeks coloured and she looked away. “So this is what you look like as a man?” HyeJin asked as if she was genuinely curious, she pursed her lips. “Not bad.” 

Byul shook her head. “WheeIn thinks I look better as Byul not Yul.” 

HyeJin looked over at WheeIn. “Is that right love?” 

WheeIn shrugged. “Woman power is more hot.” They laughed together. 

Byul could not help but notice that YongSun had not said one word since she got back, not even about Byul’s new appearance. HyeJin walked over to her, clearly knowing what Byul was thinking about. “She had a rough practice, we revisited her father’s death. Just give her some time.” She said to Byul quietly. Byul nodded, thankful the HyeJin shared the information with her. She didn’t need to worry about it much longer because it was time to move out. 

The midday sun was trying to burn them alive. Byul was itching the wig on her head, sweat pouring down her back. She sat on a log under a very large tree with YongSun and Luna, Arcadia panting at her feet. TaeOh was chugging the remainder of his water while he leaned against the large trunk. WheeIn and HyeJin were nowhere to be seen, Byul didn’t want to know what they were doing, but she hoped it wasn’t too strenuous in this heat. 

They had taken two breaks already today, it was not in the schedule but the heat wave that landed upon them forced it. Byul wanted desperately to take her disguise off, day one and it was already proving to be annoying to have. Her chest hurt from being bound, the skin beneath was being rubbed raw as they walked, her wig was keeping so much of the heat in that she was ready to throw it in the bushes. 

She looked over at YongSun, the girl was looking at her feet, still looking down. Byul wished she could do something to cheer her up, anything to help her forget the image of her father dying on the ground. Byul’s mind had been replaying those moments the entire morning as they walked. It dawned on her that she never did hear of them catching the assassin, they still thought TaeOh and Yul were responsible for it, something they needed to figure out before they reached the castle. 

WheeIn and HyeJin crashed through the trees. WheeIn carried a large smile on her face, Byul could only guess why, but the large wad of clothing under her and HyeJin’s arms caught her attention. “Guess what guys.” WheeIn called as they stepped in front of them. “We’re going to a party.” She shrugged. “Well a wedding after party but close enough.”

Everyone just stared at her, everyone except HyeJin who was wearing a similar smile to WheeIn’s. “How and why?” Luna said not sounding very enthusiastic. 

HyeJin held out six inventions. “There is a town not too far from here, we… liberated these from a group of very drunk women.” Something told Byul that ‘liberated’ means they stole them from the girls