“Nervous?”

“Yes. I’ve never seen a manakete up close. Much less have one assigned to me.” Siyeon’s leg had a mind of its own and started bouncing up and down.

“Siyeon, stop that. It’s unbecoming of the princess of the realm.” Yubin said without even looking at Siyeon. She was awaiting the arrival of the kingdom’s finest manakete knight along with the princess.

“Say, Cap, have you ever met this Minji person?” Siyeon heard tales about the manakete knight from other gossiping guardsmen but they often sounded like tall tales. If there was a person she could trust in the castle for reliable information, it was the head of the Knights, Captain Lee Yubin.

“No. She has been out on the field since the day she was deployed. In which case, I’ve been told that her manners are...lacking. So please excuse any sort of strange behavior she may exhibit.” Yubin crossed her arms behind her back, wondering when the convoy was coming. They said that they were going to be here around high noon but there’s only a few minutes left to that time and no carriage in sight.

“She’s a manakete so I don’t think human standards apply to her...” Siyeon tilted her head in thought. manaketes were rarely spotted on human lands so it came as a surprise when Minji offered to join the kingdom’s military ranks. Siyeon was too young when she joined so she had only heard rumours as to why. Some say that Minji was running away from home, others say that Minji was offered as a bargaining chip from the dragon tribes to win the favor of the king.

Yubin hummed idly. She resisted the urge to tap her foot in annoyance. Were these people ever going to show up? Just as she was going to dismiss Siyeon back inside the castle for some cool air, a burst of wind whipped up loose debris. Yubin pulled Siyeon behind her as she could see something approaching fast from the horizon.

It was approaching way too fast to be a normal carriage - in fact, it was flying towards them. Yubin drew her sword and shield, bracing herself. “Get back inside the castle!” The body of a black dragon came up to them before Siyeon could even turn tail.

It was the most majestic creature Siyeon had ever seen. The dragon was easily over 6 feet in height and in length. It’s scales were somewhere between obsidian and dark purple, reminding Siyeon of purple lily flowers. The mouth was opened, revealing razor sharp teeth that looked like it could cut through anything. But most of all, the eyes were a beautiful sky blue. It was like someone carved out the sky and kept it in a crystal sphere.

However, her reverie was broken by the most ungraceful landing she had ever witnessed. The dragon came to a halt a few feet away from them before scraping its claws on the ground. The landing didn't go as planned and the dragon tumbled for a bit before black smoke began to fill the air. Two tall women stumbled out of the smoke, one of them immediately retching in the rose bush nearby while the other grinned happily.

“Nailed that landing!” The woman said with the brightest smile on her face. Her purple hair and eyes were the same color as the dragon. She was barefoot with a black bodysuit and cloak over her form. Absently, Siyeon realized that this person was the manakete, Kim Minji.

The dragon’s companion stopped throwing up to glare at her. “Did not! I told you you were going too fast!” She said weakly before throwing up some more. Kim Minji laughed without care and stalked over to hold her companion’s hair up while she emptied her stomach.

Yubin lowered her sword upon realizing that these people were the envoy she was supposed to receive. Already, she could feel a headache coming on. The duo smelled like nothing but trouble for the castle. “If you two are done doing...whatever, there’s food and medicine in the castle.”

The two tall women approach the Captain and the princess. “You must be Kim Minji and Kim Yoohyeon. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Yubin visibly grimaced at the bush Yoohyeon ruined. “I am Lee Yubin, Captain of the Knights. This is princess Lee Siyeon.”

When Siyeon made eye contact with her new bodyguard, she knew she was doomed. Minji smiled at hearing her name. “You’re Siyeon! The one I’m supposed to guard!” Minji didn't even care that Yoohyeon jabbed her elbow into her ribs for her lack of manners towards the princess. She was just happy at meeting her charge. Siyeon noted that her eyes shined with so much life and enthusiasm. But there was also something powerful, something primal hidden in there.

Siyeon gulped.

--

“Wow, I’ve never been in the main wing of the castle before!” Minji marveled at all the fancy and expensive decor lining the halls. She even saw some artifacts from the dragon tribes. A blue sphere, in particular, caught her attention. She reached out to it, only to be smacked by Yoohyeon.

“Minji, we talked about this. Keep the greed to a minimum.” Yoohyeon warned, though she knew that it wasn’t going to be easy for Minji to suppress her nature. The castle was full of shiny gold and blue things that Minji would just love to horde but thankfully, Minji was a little more potty-trained than that.

The group entered the dining hall full of food already laid out on the long table. At the head of the table was the king, the queen, and the other princess. Yoohyeon grabbed Minji’s hand before the manakete could throw herself at all the assorted food. She had to admit though, the prospect of not eating military rations made water too. But first, respect to the ruling family.

“Welcome.” The king’s deep voice greeted the newcomers. Yubin bowed her head respectfully before exiting the room. Yoohyeon copied the Captain’s bow and had to push the back of Minji’s head down as well. “Please, have a seat, you must be hungry from your long trip.”

Siyeon led them to their seats before taking hers next to her younger sister. Minji didn't waste any time and began eating at a rapid rate. It amused Siyeon greatly because the people in the castle always behaved carefully around her. It was refreshing to see someone that was out of the ordinary. She actually started laughing when she saw the look on her father’s face. Her mother and Gahyeon just smiled.

Yoohyeon sighed and smiled wryly to the others. “As human as she appears to be, she still is a dragon through and through. Please understand.”

The king shook his head, offering a kind smile in return. “Not at all, Grandmaster Kim. After everything the both of you have done for this kingdom, a little understanding is the least I can offer.”

Yoohyeon grimaced at her title. “Please, just Yoohyeon and Minji will suffice.”

“As you say. Anyways, as we eat, we can discuss your new assignments here.” The sounds of food being scrapped off the plates and one particular girl slurping up everything without a care in the world could be heard. Dessert came in soon after, served by a short girl with dark brown hair.

She served a tray of delectables before looking up to make eye contact with Yoohyeon. Recognition passed between them. They both pointed at each other. “Ah, it’s you. The know-it-all.” The patisserie chef sneered. Restrained sneering, of course. She was still in the presence of the royal family after all.

Minji waved happily. “Hi Bora!”

Bora laughed and waved back, switching her expression back to deadpan when she looked at Yoohyeon again.

“And it’s the baker that swindled us out of our bread.” Yoohyeon crossed her arms.

“Hey! I already explained that it was a misunderstanding-”

“Girls...” The queen’s soft voice interrupted. They both apologized and the chef left the dining room.

“You know Bora?” Gahyeon leaned forward in her seat to talk to Yoohyeon and Minji.

“You could say we had a run-in a few kingdoms across...” Time passed with idle chatter about the newcomers’ experiences across the lands. Gahyeon in particular, was especially eager to learn more about the world since she has never left the kingdom. With the threat of war on the horizon, it became difficult to even leave the castle grounds, much less leave the island.

“I’d love to learn more about weaving! I’m training with the castle’s weavers but I’d love to learn from the Grandmaster herself!” Gahyeon said, barely containing her excitement.

“Now Gahyeon, Yoohyeon has the duty as Minji’s Kin and Minji is here to guard Siyeon. You already have Captain Lee guarding you. Not to mention your studies. Teacher Han tells me that you are making excellent progress. One day, you’ll be able to rule in my place.”

Gahyeon visibly deflated with a pout. Siyeon rubbed the back of her head in consolation. “Speaking of which,” Minji spoke up for the first time after she was done inhaling the dessert. “we were called back for war?”

The room fell silent. Everyone was kind of skirting around the topic for a while now but trust Minji to be straightforward about it. Yoohyeon leaned back in her seat, unhappy. “Yes, please do explain.”

The king cleared his throat. “The savages up north have been actively disrupting activity in our waters. Neighboring towns are being raided. Ships are prevented from entering our ports. Reports of missing people are numerous. A few days ago, some of our guardsmen died from assassins. If it weren’t for Captain Lee, they may have breached the castle grounds. Intelligence suggests that they are gearing up for all out war.” He spat, voice full of hatred. His people were being slaughtered left and right, all for the sake of gold.

“So they know where to strike. Can’t really say they are savages if they are resourceful enough to get this close to the royal family-” A scout interrupted Yoohyeon.

“Another group of assassins have been spotted near the docks! Captain Lee is already heading there on horse!”

“Very well. Grandmaster Kim, manakete, your first task will be to put down these assassins. Dead or alive, it does not matter.” The king commanded. The two stood up with a different glint in their eyes. Before they left, Minji turned to address Siyeon.

“Would you like to come watch?” She asked, surprising everyone.

“Eh?”

“Would you like to come watch your new guards in action?”

--

Siyeon was currently gripping the saddle for dear life. When she agreed to come watch, she didn't think they meant on top of Minji’s dragon form. The air on top was much thinner, making it hard for her to breath but Yoohyeon seemed to be doing just fine. The Grandmaster was probably very used to it, considering she was Minji’s Kin.

Yoohyeon glanced back at the princess, who looked like she was one shade away from turning green. “We’ll lower the altitude once we get closer to the docks!” She yelled over the turbulence. Taking pity on Siyeon, Yoohyeon casted a gravity-reverse spell to make her think that her body wasn’t being crushed by the earth’s pressure. “Hold on to the saddle!”

Minji dived straight 90-degrees after she saw their destination. Guardsmen in the white uniform were engaging men in black. Minji roared and spit out fire, incinerating a few enemies. A few enemy weavers attempted to shoot down Minji with their spells but they just bounced off her scales uselessly. “Minji, you stay here and watch the princess. I will engage the hostiles.” Yoohyeon said in a different tongue. Minji grunted in affirmation and brought herself a little higher from the conflict. Spells were the only thing that could reach Siyeon from this height and Minji has total immunity from magic. It was the perfect defense.

The Grandmaster stood on the saddle, pulling one arm back as if she were about to shoot arrows. The other was pointing at a few enemy suits. Siyeon watched in awe as Yoohyeon muttered a spell in a different language while her hands released a series of white strings binding together - the sign of a weaver spell. However, Yoohyeon weaved them at a rate that Siyeon’s eyes could not follow, making it seem like the bow appeared out of thin air. A rain of threaded arrows was released down below. One avoided getting skewered but the rest of them were not so lucky. Their bloodied bodies hung limply from the holy arrows. Some had surprised expressions etched onto their faces before the light in their eyes was taken forever. <