Swords clash with one another at the training grounds of the Muhwa palace. Eunji grunts as she twirls around, blocking the next move almost instantly. She pushes her elbows forward, causing her trainer, general Choi Siwon to tumble backwards. And that’s when she catches the opportunity to lunge her weapon towards his eyes, stopping just before it barely scratches his skin.

“I win today, sir.”

The man freezes as a drop of sweat trickles down his cheek. He collects his breath as Eunji retracts back to sheathe her sword back into its cover. As always, towards the end of the sparring, both parties take a 90-degree bow as a sign of respect.

“As expected, a stellar performance.” The general nods as he wipes his sweat. “The princess chose you well. It has only been one year since you started training and I think you are already better than me.” Siwon jokes as Eunji humbly denies that completely.

The girl who was once a quiet, shy but fearless fighter in the arena has turned into a kind, charming and strong soldier of Muhwa Kingdom. From the day she was sworn duty to protect the princess, Eunji vowed to train hard and become the absolute perfect warrior.

“I will not let you down, general.”

Siwon smiles softly and ruffles Eunji’s hair playfully. “I know you will. Now then, you should start getting ready. The princess’ coming-age ceremony is today. While this is a celebration, we must stay alert.”

At this, Eunji straightens her posture, arm behind her back as she nods. “Understood.”

“Tensions have been rising between Muhwa and Tonghwa. It’s best that we be careful. Go to the princess. I will brief the guards on this matter.”

“Yes sir.”

Tonghwa has been quite demanding in the past few months, requesting Muhwa for more resources, advancing their trade routes up north and insisting that a marriage pact be signed. The King knows best for his country and none of these benefit Muhwa.

Eunji lowers her head and waits for Siwon to leave the training grounds. Once he disappears completely, the girl finally relaxes and grabs a towel from the bench. She wipes away the sweat and walks to her chamber; a small, simple tatami room. It isn’t much but it is definitely a huge upgrade from the days of sleeping on the hard, cold floor underneath the Coliseum.

When she goes into bathing hall to wash away her sweat, the memory jogs back again; the princess teaching her how to bathe. Of course, this makes her heart flutter. Even though so much of time has passed since, she still thinks about it a lot.

Eunji sighs and she sinks into the tub, soaking her tensed muscles into the warm water. Just as how Chorong taught her, Eunji rubs the soap foam all over her body. This time, over her old scars, new wounds and bruises.

“You must’ve gone through a lot of pain.” Chorong says as she runs her fingers along Eunji’s arm. It happens on those days where the princess observes the girl’s training with Siwon. There is hurt written in those eyes.

“It’s nothing, princess.” Eunji rolls back her sleeve. “Please treat it as a symbol of hardwork. I promise that I will not let you down.”

Staring into her reflection displayed on the mirror, Eunji puts on a leather tunic and turns to the plated armour hanging on display. The sight makes her smile as this heavy piece was personally ordered to have it crafted by the princess, constructed with only the best materials in Muhwa.

Every morning, Eunji wears the armour with pride. Today too, on this auspicious day, she will do the same.

Suited up, she proceeds to sharpen her sword on the whetstone. Her sword too, is another piece of Chorong entangled within. Carved deep into the steel skin are the Chinese characters of her name, “Eunji” which the princess gave to her.

The bodyguard realises that a lot of her belongings hold many ties to Chorong. Hyojung says that the princess pampers and spoils her too much but Eunji thinks she’s only treated this way because the princess holds so much of expectation and regard as her protector.

Eunji takes a deep breath and marches towards the princess’ chambers. She knocks onto the door to announce her presence. After hearing the signal, she gently pushes the board open and almost freezes at the sight of Chorong gracefully sitting on the chair as servants do her hair.

“Princess. I have returned from my training with General Siwon.”

Eunji tries her best not to stutter. It’s been a year yet she cannot break away from this habit every time her eyes land on the princess.

“Welcome back.”

Chorong gives a smile but refrains from moving as she doesn’t want to trouble her servants who are already doing their best. Eunji waits by the door and watches the princess slowly transforming. This is normal. The bodyguard goes through this process every day but no matter how hard she tries to look somewhere else; she finds herself pulled back to the princess’ glowing beauty.

It’s only been one year but Eunji thinks Chorong gets prettier each day. Indeed, she isn’t called a princess for nothing.

“It’s finished, Milady.” Hyojung rises from her feet and hands a mirror for her. Chorong stares at it carefully, admires her hair and nods with satisfaction. The princess turns to Eunji and asks, “How do I look?”

“You’re…beautiful, princess.” Eunji answers carefully. But she genuinely meant that.

Chorong is pretty. Beautiful. Gorgeous. The Muhwa family is certainly hiding such a gem from the world and whoever marries her, will be the luckiest man ever.

“Thank you.” Chorong chuckles with a smile as she gets up from her seat. “Even though you always say that.” The princess leaves her chambers, servants following behind. Eunji does the same and stays by her side, hand always ready by her sword while the other placed behind her back.

Walking along the spacious corridors together has always been a common activity to do. Eunji enjoys this part the most, even though it’s the shortest. She gets to take in the view of the beautiful palace ground while Chorong’s beauty basks in it.

“So, how did the training go? Did you win again this time?” The princess asks, always being the first one to start the conversation. Eunji nods in reply but humbly responses that the general always goes easy on her. Chorong thinks she’s lying.

Suddenly, the princess shifts closer to Eunji and sniffs her neck. The bodyguard stiffens but continues to walk. One year has Eunji learning that Chorong likes to do random, spontaneous actions that doesn’t give the bodyguard time to react.

“I see that you are using my shampoo.”

Eunji looks down shyly. “You did say that I was only allowed to use yours, Princess.”

Chorong looks at her blankly and then laughs. “It was a joke though. I just never thought you would actually listen to me.”

Eunji blushes with a flustered, “oh” and chooses to keep quiet for the rest of the walk. She is indeed a fool for believing the princess. But then again, Eunji realises that Chorong finds happiness upon teasing her. It’s the reason that makes her smile so widely and perhaps, she wouldn’t mind becoming an embarrassment for the rest of her life, as long as it makes the princess happy.  

xxx

The coming-age-ceremony is a tradition that is run through the Muhwa Kingdom for centuries. When a royal family member turns twenty-one, it marks their eligibility to take over the throne and also, to marry. This is something to celebrate. Out in the town, a festival is held. At the palace, a fancy dinner is prepared with the presence of the elders, high-ranking officials, representatives from their allied kingdoms and of course, the royal family themselves.

The princess sits on a high chair, parents seated on her right and left side. After all, the star of the show today, is their daughter. Eunji positions herself behind the pillars as the royal family watches the performance happening at the courtyard, from the balcony.

Drums begin to play loudly as strings chime in. Dancers fly into the stage gracefully as they twirl around with their ribbons.

“This is lovely.”

Chorong comments as she pays full attention to the performance, captivated by the gentle, light movements of the dancers as they create a butterfly formation. The Queen laughs while the King comments that he hired the best performers in all of Muhwa, just for this special day.

As the daughter and parents happily talk and enjoy the rest of the show, Eunji keeps a lookout. She doesn’t have time to watch the performance nor fascinate over the dancers. The bodyguard tightens her grip on her sword when she notices something suspicious. Usually, the trees wouldn’t be wavering that much, unless there is a strong wind blowing. But perhaps, she is overthinking. It could just be a squirrel running across a branch.

The performance comes to an end. The King, Queen, princess and everyone present, rise from their seats for a standing ovation.

Eunji is wrong.

Taking a closer look, there is a shadow among the trees, hiding amongst the leaves. That’s when she notices the reflection of a metal arrow. There are only a few seconds to react. Even though the target is the King, Eunji’s priority is the princess. She swoops in to pull her away and not the King.

But was it the right decision to do?

Within those quick five seconds, an arrow fired from the trees and stabbed straight into the King’s heart. His robe tainted with blood. The Queen screamed as Chorong looked on in shock, Eunji pulling the princess away. Guards immediately took out their swords and surrounded the royal family in search of the intruder.

Down at the courtyard, guests started to run. Tables were tumbling over. Strange-looking masked men began to climb over the palace walls and started attacking civilians. Siwon shouted at the guards as the platoon charged towards the enemies. Servants were mourning as they kneeled by the King’s side.

Chaos. Absolute chaos.

“Princess, we must go!”

Eunji tried to pull Chorong away even though the princess is resisting. She’s still looking at her father’s body but not saying anything. The bodyguard expected Chorong to shed tears, to insist that she’s going to stay with him but no, the princess remained calm. She turned to Eunji and nodded with full understanding of the situation.

“We must leave.”

The princess lets herself go, wanting to believe in her parents’ personal bodyguard to take care of them. She knows that her mother will refuse to leave her father’s side, even in death. In fact, Chorong thinks it will be impossible to persuade the Queen to leave as well, because she will choose to die with him today.

Her coming-age ceremony that was meant to be a joyous occasion is nothing but a misery in disguise.

Chorong and Eunji escaped the palace by going through the back. Squeezing through the small corners that were specially designed in the event of emergency, the bodyguard is well-versed with the escape routes hidden inside.

After all, this isn’t the first time someone has attempted to assassinate the King. Chorong’s great grand-father was a victim, her uncle too and several other royal members who lost their lives at the hand of greed and power. Today, her father too, has become a victim of this long record.

“Princess?”

Eunji stops as she looks back at Chorong with concern, realising that she hasn’t said a single word after seeing her father die in front of her. She tightens her grip as if telling her that it’ll be okay.

The two were now in the communal palace gardens. Just a couple more steps and they will exit through a secondary gate that will lead them down the hill, and into the public town of Muhwa.

“We must keep going Eunji. We must leave Muhwa immediately.” Chorong says, obvious that she’s trying to hold in her tears.

Eunji nods. “If you are tired, please let me know.”

They continue their journey down town as they notice smoke rising up in the air. Fires are starting to spread. In the far distance, there are screams and shouts. This is more than just a simple assassination. This is an attack, a declaration of war. If anything, it is exactly as what General Siwon has predicted.

This is the work of Tonghwa Kingdom.

The only plan left is to take the princess safely out of Muhwa, passing through the border and entering the town of Hongsa, a quaint farming village.

Eunji takes advantage of the night and hides between the alleyways, ensuring that they are not caught. Tonghwa’s armies have started to invade the town that the princess loved going to. Soldiers destroying shops and homes, kidnapping and slaughtering innocent civilians, nothing but destruction.

“Princess?”

Eunji looks back and notices that Chorong is out of breath. Of course. The princess isn’t used to the constant running. So, she approaches her and crouches down. “Princess, please get on.”

“But-”

“Please.” Eunji begs. Chorong knows there is no time to be hesitating. So, she inhales and climbs onto Eunji’s firm back. Her bodyguard easily carries her upwards as the princess wraps her arms tightly around her neck, head resting on Eunji’s broad shoulder.

“I’m sorry.”

“Please don’t be. Now, hold onto me tightly. Don’t let go.”

“Okay.”

Eunji says as she starts to run, but carefully so that the bumping doesn’t hurt the princess. It definitely makes things a lot easier as they arrive at the main gate. Once they pass through, they should be safe and well on their way to Hongsa. Except there are a group of Tonghwa soldiers guarding the gate. Great.

Now, Eunji could fight them off but that puts the risk of the princess in danger. Another option would be taking a detour but with the influx of soldiers crawling around town, the chances of them getting caught are higher.

“Princess. You trust me, right?”

“I do.”

“Then, I want you to close your eyes. Open them only when I say so. Okay?”

“Okay.” Chorong nods and she shuts her eyes.

Eunji exhales and slowly takes out her sword. She has one hand clutching onto the princess, meaning she will only be fighting with one hand, against seven soldiers. It will be a tough challenge but there is no other way.

The bodyguard makes her presence known when she walks out from the dark alleyway, pointing her blade at the seven soldiers who immediately surround her.

“What a lucky day! That’s the Muhwa princess! Hey boys, let’s finish her off!” The man shouts with confidence as the rest cheer on. They circle around Eunji who are like hyenas crawling towards its prey.

But this doesn’t make Eunji scared at all. She waits for her opponent to make a move first.

One charges forward. Eunji easily dodges and kicks the man towards the floor. Another approaches from behind. The bodyguard nudges his chest with the back of her sword, causing him to tumble off. Two more come running towards her.

She blocks the attack with her sword as it clashes loudly. Eunji grunts as she pushes them off and strikes a blow. Turning around, she leans backwards as a blade barely grazes her skin. In response, she jumps and throws a kick. Using that momentum, she channels that force and flies towards another opponent, crushing his head with her blade.

Blood splatters across Eunji’s face, nothing quite like home. A familiar smell, a familiar memory of her days at the Coliseum. She sees it now. She remembers it. The same exact look of fear.

These soldiers have become terrified. Men who have become small in front of a puny girl with eyes of a hunter.

xxx

“Princess?”

Eunji calls out as she continues to tirelessly walk along the rocky path. Feet heavy, stomach hungry. The two are now safe within the borders, cutting through the forest as it will take them another day of non-stop trekking before they can arrive at the village. As it is late into the night, she finds shelter underneath an oak tree, right next to a cold stream.

“Yes?”

“You may open your eyes now.”

The Princess takes note of her surroundings as she gets down. She’s never been here or rather, Chorong always travelled in her palanquin, overseeing the scenery from a safe distance. But here, she gets to experience it up close. When she turns to her bodyguard, the princess notices Eunji’s face dirty with the blood of her enemies.

“Sit down. We need to clean this up.” Chorong gasps as she tries to approach the stream but Eunji stops her by grabbing onto her wrist.

“It is fine. Please do not worry about me.” Eunji decides to sit down, crosses her legs and leans her back against the tree trunk, not bothered by the blood on her face. “You must rest for when daylight arrives, we shall continue our journey to Hongsa.”  

“And what about you?”

“I will stay awake and watch. My sole duty is to protect you.”

“No.” Chorong shakes her head as she settles beside her bodyguard. “You need to rest as well.”

Eunji sighs. “Princess, we shouldn’t be fighting over this.”

“If you won’t rest, then I won’t rest either.” Chorong pouts and crosses her arms, deciding to sit there, refusing to close her eyes shut. Eunji decides to give up and let the princess do whatever she wants. She can never win her.  

Silence follows as the two rest. Taking in the beauty of nature, listening to the crickets sing and sounds of water flowing down the stream, the peace is back. Yet, the horrors of the attack remain vivid in their head.

“I wonder if Father has already found his place in Heaven, up there.” Chorong mumbles as she looks at the starry sky.

“He will happy to have lived a wonderful life.” Eunji replies.

“Do you think my mother is there with him too?”

Eunji flinches because she doesn’t know how to respond. Her answers will only do nothing but hurt the princess. Chorong looks at Eunji, realising that she didn’t reply.

“Before the coming-age ceremony, Father spoke to me in private.” Chorong confesses as she clutches onto the emerald ornament hanging on her neck. “He had a feeling that something bad would happen and he told me to prepare for the worse.”

Eunji listens and patiently waits for the princess to continue.

“I thought I was ready. To see death. To accept reality. But it’s still hard.” Chorong looks down. “As princess, it is my duty to take back my kingdom. The elders always say that I am young yet hold much potential to be Queen, but am I?” The princess doubts herself as the burden on her shoulders has doubled. “War has been declared. I want revenge. But I also want peace. What…what do I do?” Her voice begins to choke.

Eunji looks at the princess, unsure what to say in order to comfort her. For all her life, she’s done nothing but training, fighting, killing. In situations like this, Eunji believes to simply follow her heart. So, the bodyguard hesitantly reaches out her hand and Chorong’s hair. She gently pulls Chorong and lets her rest on her shoulder without saying anything.

The action is small but it meant a lot.

This made Chorong burst into tears as she buried her head into Eunji’s chest, crying and bawling away all of her sorrow and pain. Throughout the night, Eunji stayed by her side. For the next couple of hours, she stayed awake and allowed the princess to sleep in her warm arms.

“I won’t ever leave your side princess so please, don’t cry.”

--

a/n: on the day chorong turns 21, her kingdom falls apart, her parents are assasinated but her dearest bodyguard, Eunji stays by her side during these dark times. :')