When the thunderbolt strikes across the sky, a strong gust took her and threw her into the air, she is enveloped by sand and stones and they are squeezing her and tearing her apart. She tries to scream but found that she has no voice, she struggles but in vain...

Suddenly, the wind stops and the sand disappeared. She feels herself floating in the air until she falls. A gentle voice rings in her ear, "try to fly, Kura. Just try, you can do it."

She doesn't hesitate for a second. "Up!" She cries.

Upon her command, her body starts to ascend. She never knew she could fly! She wiggles her limbs and finally able to control her body. The night becomes so tranquil. She raises her head and sees tiny silver dots twinkling in the deep blue sky...

Sakura opens her eyes and sees the ceiling above her with the dim light from the window.

Was she flying? Why is there a ceiling? Where is she?

She hasn't been sleeping under a ceiling as long as she can remember. Since she was very very young, she has been living in a tent with her mama in Northeastern Prairie. After her father's sudden death, her mama sold them to the master of a stud farm and she started to pasture horses when she was seven years old.

It must be a dream...she turns to her side and – wait! She immediately jerks up – is it a bed? Why am I sleeping in a bed? She panics. Her feet hurt with the abrupt movement – but the irons and chain are gone.

I must be dreaming! She looks around while her heart almost beats out from her chest – but it doesn't seem she is dreaming.

Where am I?

She looks around, gasping for air, feeling totally disoriented. She squeezes her eyes shut and thinks hard.

She was saved by a man and a boy after she had a fight with the horse dealer's son. Now she remembers...she was carried by the taller men to a place where people wear colorful uniforms and were very polite (especially to the boy). The boy left before an old man came to break the shackles like they were made of sand. The colorful people then brought her to a place they called a bathhouse (she never know city people can make a house just for that) and told her her hair might have fleas and she agreed to have her head shaved (it was strange. They could have just shave it). They then made her take a warm bath (it was strange again. They all retreated when she started to take off her clothes, and she was grateful for that). After a painful but satisfactory bath, she changed into clean clothes (in grey, like what the workmen wear). They were a bit oversized and those people apologized for it and promised they will make a set of new uniforms for her later (that is the strangest part. No one has even apologized to her in her entire life). They then tended and bandaged her feet, and gave her a pair of shoes. They led her into a little stone hut and told her to just stay there and wait for "Lord Jaeyeon". Men who looked like workers came to change their clothes or have a snack and some water. They called her "bald boy" and tried to chat with her. She was so scared she just hid in the corner.

She has no idea where was she until "Lord Jaeyeon" reappeared in his bright color military uniform with shining golden buttons – he was so handsome. He told her she was saved by Princess Eunbi and they are now in the Palace. Her Highness has been very busy so they have to wait until she is free to settle everything – this made Sakura just drops her jaw and could not function for a long time.

Jaeyeon was so kind he has even brought her a big tray of food by himself. "Eat slowly, these are all yours," he said and left a few candies on the food tray. "This is a lounge for stable workers when they need to take a rest. They will all leave after sunset. There is a bed, you can just sleep here tonight – I think you will feel more comfortable to stay close to the horses, right?"

Sakura cannot even remember did she ever respond. The food was abundant and delicious, she has to try very hard not to sweep them all into her empty stomach at once. She felt too overwhelming to be able to describe her feelings. It just can't be real. She has never met a good man in her life, not even her father, her stomach has not got full for a long time after her mother died. And here, a man she has barely known for hours gave her the security she never felt in her whole life.

But then, she feels her heart dropped to her stomach when she thinks of another person. Fear, or worry, maybe the more appropriate words to describe her feelings.

Mama's exhort suddenly rings in Sakura's head, "Kura, when I am not with you one day, you must know how to protect yourself, people will harm you if they know your secret."

She feels her heart clenching and tears well up in her eyes.

But the Princess now knows my secret, I don't know what to do. I don't know how to protect myself...I am sorry...

"Mama I miss you!" She looks through the window at the night sky and mutters. Where is mama? Has she become one of the stars and is looking after her in heaven?

She sobs for a while until a tiny noise diverts her attention. It's the snort of a horse – she has been living with horses in most of her life and horses will always have her attention.

She remembers seeing workers bathing and beautifying the horses yesterday – it must be the preparation for the Princess's birthday today – that's what she heard the horse-traders blabbed. There will be a big horse racing function in the Royal Tokkiz Racecourse and the Princess will appear in-person to present the grand prize for the winner of the Princess Cup.

She recalls seeing workers working on a white horse. Will the Princess be riding it today? Curiosity arises in the child's head and she decided to get up. She looks at the stars and judges that it should around 4 am now, and it is her normal wake up time. She gets out of bed carefully as not to agitate her wounds and puts on her shoes. Then she feels something very different.

She doesn't feel much pain, not even between the legs. Or at least for the first time in months, they become bearable.

involuntarily utters a sound of surprise.

There can be only one person she can relate to...

All of a sudden, she feels very confused. But she doesn't have adequate knowledge nor vocabulary to process the situation she is in. Last night was like a dream, she still can't understand what has been going on, although the Princess has explained to her clearly.

The Princess...

Sakura suddenly changes her feeling towards the Princess. May be all her worries are redundant. The Princess is a mage, people with ill intentions cannot become a mage. Thinking of this somehow lifts her spirit.

Mama has taught her that a person must always show gratitude and be ready to payback. She thinks she has been a bad girl to suspect the Princess, maybe she should start to find ways to payback.

***

If there is one person on earth that Eunbi fears the most, it must be Kim Chaewon. Kim Chaewon is the Head of the Royal Household, but she is no ordinary royal servant and her relationship with the royal family is complicated. Chaewon is the most senior pupil (seniority is not determined by age) of "Great Yoonjung", the most respectable mage in the continent. Bae Yoonjung has been traveling between worlds when she was young. She adopted Chaewon in the 12 Dimension of Earth and decided to bring her back to the 48 Dimension Earth. Unknown to many people, Yoonjung is indeed the Queen's eldest sister. So technically, Chaewon is Eunbi's cousin. When the Cistu-Ar/To War broke out 12 years ago, the then 18-year-old Chaewon was sent to protect the Royal family, especially the little Princess.

The Queen discovered Eunbi's potential while she was around one year old and Great Yoonjung gracefully accepted the toddler to be her youngest pupil. Obviously, that became an important reason for Yoonjung to settle down.

Chaewon continued to stay in the Palace after the war, and she was granted the right by her Master to oversee Eunbi growing up. Being the senior mage, Chaewon has been notoriously strict towards the princess when she was a kid, partly because she is a very serious person by nature, and partly because she could also see the potential of Eunbi and she must make sure the junior needs to learn and practice magic in the absolute right way. Secretly, Eunbi nicknamed Chaewon as the "no-no unnie".

Even Eunbi has turned 17 today, she still flinches a bit when Chaewon enters the dining room during breakfast time.

Chaewon glances Jaeyeon briefly and Jaeyeon quickly leaves the room without a word.

"Good morning, unnie." Eunbi stands up from her seat and doesn't sit down until Chaewon takes a seat.

"Do you know Jaeyeon brought a child into the Palace yesterday without any permission? You know it is forbidden." Chaewon doesn't waste a second to get straight into the topic.

Eunbi bites her lips and doesn't dare to answer.

"Then it's true?"

"No," Eunbi murmurs, "not him."

"Then who did that?"

Eunbi lowers her head, "sorry unnie, it's me...again...Jaeyeon just followed my order."

"What are your reasons?"

It's always easier to be honest. Eunbi immediately confesses what had happened in the Marketplace yesterday and feels relief after that.

"Did you use any magic during the course?"

"No."

"Good." Chaewon nods with approval. "You have good intention, sense of righteousness, these are important elements for a mage. But you also need wisdom. Do you know you have nearly turned the Palace garden to be a zoo by adopting all kinds of abused and abandoned animals? But you are not been taking care of them yourself. Do you know we need to hire two extra people to take care of your animals? And now, you are bringing back a human child! What if the child came from a problematic background? Do you know to take care of him? Of course, I hope he is not a Cistumon spy."

He? Eunbi lowers her head, Chaewon should have talked to other servants. She is not sure if she should confess about last night.

"Unnie...I..." Eunbi stutters, "can you...not telling His Majesty about the...child?"

Chaewon lowers her eyes, "you know it is not possible."

"Please?" Eunbi acts cute, "today is my birthday."

Chaewon softens. Eunbi knows her weak points.

"You let me think first."

"Thank you, unnie!" Eunbi jumps to the front and Chaewon and gives her a hug.

Within her heart, Chaewon indeed cannot say no to the little girl who she has brought up into a beautiful lady. She can't help but pats the girl on the head, "alright, happy birthday Eun-chan."

***

It is truly a long day for Eunbi. Right after breakfast, she has to be in the Main Building to greet ambassadors from different kingdoms and republics. They all come to celebrate her birthday and bring along with boring presents. The most obnoxious among them is the Cistumon ambassador who never stopped pestering her to "give our crown prince a chance". Any person will a functioning brain knows what does that means.

After a light lunch, Eunbi changes into a stunning uniform for the Grand Horse Race. It is a hundreds-year-old tradition in Tokkiz that the King/Queen or Prince/Princess will ride by himself/herself to their birthday race. Tokkizans still believe that only be a good rider can become a great ruler, even though urbanization has been gaining speed in the past few decades.

Understanding Tokkizans' vanity character, Eunbi will always show off "First Snow", a pure snow-white gelding from a very rare breed for festive occasions. First Snow is compact and refined build with strong limbs, he has large eyes and an expressive face that makes him the most loved horse in Tokkiz.* However, Eunbi has nicknamed the horse "tsundere Snow" – which explains well First Snow's temperament. He is not an easy horse, not even after gelded – not that he will embarrass his master (and himself) by throwing a big tantrum under the public eye, but he will always misbehave subtly just to make Eunbi feel discomfort.

Nonetheless, Eunbi sees riding First Snow as a challenge in a positive way.

Today, like any other occasion, when First Snow is led to the front gate being nicely groomed and decorated, servants and officials applause for the beauty and elegance of both the rider and the horse. But Eunbi notices something different. First Snow has raised his tail a little. It is really rare for the tsundere horse to feel pleased – as a matter of fact, Eunbi has never seen this horse raised his tail. When she mounted the horseback, First Snow just stands quietly with his ears relaxed and turned slightly back, transmitting a vibe of tranquility. This again surprised Eunbi and makes her think of the black horse she met yesterday – both have strong characters. When Jaeyeon releases the signal for the marching band to move, Eunbi clicks her tongue and knees the horse belly and First Snow starts his journey proudly.

***

The Princess Cup Race was successfully held. This is the first time Eunbi attended an event without her parents' accompany. The Crown Princess effortlessly won over the people's hearts with her charm and gracefulness. Since she was all alone, she can now take the glory to herself.

What people saw was the complacent expression on the young monarch's face, but Eunbi thought otherwise. She is not the same person after yesterday when she experienced what real people really think, and how unsympathetic people are towards those at the bottom of society. These experiences gave her a new insight into how she is going to rule the kingdom in the future. The Grand Horse Race became a good chance for her to observe her people rather than receiving their cheers.

In fact, she saw the superstitious man who refused to sit near Sakura yesterday during the race. He didn't honor his vow at all and attended the Race and even won a few races! It was not that Eunbi wanted to see him lost money, but she gravely feels that Tokkizans are too much into gambling.

After getting back to the Palace, Eunbi still has to greet the waiting crowds from the main building balcony. The royal duties drained the teenager, she feels tired and hungry after all work is done. After quickly changed into more comfortable clothes, Eunbi finally sits down and enjoys a nice afternoon tea with her parents. When Jaeyeon was about to leave the "Blue Room" where the royal family holds their cozy gatherings, he is invited to stay.

The royal chef has made the most exquisite desserts for the birthday girl and being served with the best Arukas tea.

A couple of dogs and cats are released into the Blue Room to entertain the royal family. They are all rescue animals adopted by Eunbi. And that's what Chaewon mentioned earlier that she has to hire a professional trainer to make the dogs behave like "royal dogs" (while cats cannot be trained). A long-haired black cat quickly jumps onto Eunbi's lap and sits there comfortably, while a Pug nudges her feet for a while before it rests there. All animals stay quiet when the human eat and chat eats.

After the Princess regains her energy, the favorite part of her birthday celebration – the present choosing time finally comes.

After the ceremonial three-knocks on the door, Kim Chaewon enters the Blue Room elegantly. The royal servants follow behind pushing in a huge cart covered by a cloth.

Having already seen the Marketplace with her own eyes, Eunbi found that she is not so enthusiastic about this presents choosing session as she was before. But due to courtesy, she remains patient.

Chaewon gives a standard speech and signals the servants to lift the cloth.

And Eunbi widens her eyes with shock.

A boy dressed in the colors and pattern of a Royal Tokkizan flag is sitting in the middle of the small hill of presents.

Sakura!

Eunbi and Jaeyeon immediately exchange a look.

The boy steps down the cart. He kneels down and bows politely to the King.

"You can stand up." The King looks curious. "Child, what is your name, and why are you here?"

The boy stands up and recites, "Your Majesty, my name is Saku. Sa as 'thanks' and Ku as 'save' (사구 謝救). I am an orphan and a slave. Lady Chaewon has paid for my freedom and I am here to be the Princess's pet." The boy still looks a bit awkward, but obviously, he has been practicing the answer many times so it at least sounds fluent. Eunbi looks to Chaewon and Chaewon just smiles back with her eyes.

Eunbi doesn't know whether she should laugh or cry, but she must admit that the cheap tourist souvenir looks really nice on Saku's body, and the child looks very cute with a rabbit plushie – the Tokkizan mascot on his hat which covers his bald head perfectly.

The Queen looks a bit uneasy, "everyone lives and works here as a free person. You will grow up and cannot be the Princess's pet forever."

Saku stiffens and Eunbi immediately intervenes, "Saku, I have adopted enough animals and has turned the Palace garden into a zoo already." She glances at Chaewon briefly, "not all of them are pets, I must admit, but..."

"Your Highness, I can talk to animals, I can turn them all into your pets!"

Eunbi is stunned for a second – now everything makes sense!

"So can you tame a tsundere horse, Saku?" The Princess asks with a suppressed smile.

"Yes, Your Highness." Saku nods with confidence.

"If I choose you, can you be my friend?" Eunbi asks.

Saku kneels down at once, "I am just a slave..."

The King laughs, "the King of Tokkiz now announce that Saku is no longer a slave. From now on, you will serve the Princess and assist her First Knight as a royal servant."

Saku bows deeply until his head touches the floor. His voice is shaking, "Saku is grateful for the King and Queen forever! I will be loyal to the Tokkiz Kingdom and serve Her Highness and Lord Jaeyeon until the end of my life."

Chaewon squints. It is not in her script – but she is right. This child is special.

Eunbi gives Jaeyeon a smile that says a thousand words. Without knowing its context, however, Jaeyeon just returns a silly smile.

The King nods and squeezes the Queen's hand slightly. He exhales lightly and asks Saku to get up. "By the way, what happened to your face, Saku? Were you abused by your ex-owner?"

"It's common, Your Majesty."

The King purses his lips, "Tokkiz used to be a land with compassion. People watched out for each other and condemned violence... the influence of the Cistumon barbaric culture."

"Should we abolish the slavery system?" Eunbi askes.

The King shakes his head. "You will receive death threat for that – Jaeyeon, what are our laws regarding slavery?"

"Your Majesty, we don't have any law that permits violence against slaves, but we don't have any law against the use of violence either," Jaeyeon says cautiously.

The King nods, "we must find a way to stop this."

***

When all the birthday activities are over, Eunbi orders Jaeyeon to bring Sakura and some of the presents she has chosen back to the Princess Compound. Jaeyeon refused, however. He thinks that her security is of the utmost importance, so Eunbi let them wait outside the kitchen when she looks for Kim Chaewon. This may be the first time Eunbi is so desperate to see Chaewon.

"Eunbi, what do you want?" Chaewon is a bit surprised to see the Princess wandering around the kitchen. "Is there anything you want specifically for dinner?"

Eunbi doesn't answer but pulls Chaewon into a quiet corner.

"Unnie, what's happening?"

Chaewon raises her brows, "hey, you have not even thanked me!"

"Oh, I am sorry!" Eunbi says and hugs Chaewon tightly, "thank you so much, unnie. You are really the smartest person on earth."

"Enough for flattering. What do you want?"

"Unnie..." Eunbi found it very difficult to put her thoughts into speech. Nevertheless, she tries, "Saku...is not a boy."

Chaewon doesn't seem surprised. "It doesn't matter, he has a much stronger male vibe. Don't be deceived by what you see. Clothes cannot define a person, Eunbi."

Eunbi gulps, her heart skips a beat. She doesn't dare to continue, Chaewon can see something she cannot. That doesn't mean she is always right, of course. However, what Chaewon perceived has now changed the whole direction of the game, and Eunbi can only go with the flow, at least for the meantime. She is caught in a dilemma, if she insists, she may have to expose Sakura's secret – she'd better not do so.

"I got it. Thank you unnie." Eunbi bows her head slightly and turns around.

"Before you go – he is not a magic type, his energy is strong but not mystical. He is not a Cistumon spy but he definitely has a lot of issues. A pure and kind but severely wounded soul." Before Eunbi fled, Chaewon makes sure all the information about the pet boy is reported.

Outside the kitchen, Jaeyeon seemingly is having a nice conversation with Sakura – he talks and Sakura listens.

"I just told him, we all thought he was a girl...haha," Jaeyeon reports to Eunbi, "but he really looked like a boy after his head was shaved and in the worker clothes last night."

Since Jaeyeon was never told about Sakura's real name and he never saw her body, he accepts everything Chaewon wanted him to know.

So, this is magic!

Eunbi nods and turns to Sakura, "how is your pain today?"

Sakura immediately kneels down and bow, "thank you for Your Highness for saving me."

Eunbi laughs and pulls Sakura up, "oh, see how the bad influence no-no unnie has on you! You are no longer a slave, and I was asking you a real question."

Sakura lowers her head, "most of the pain is gone. I am really grateful to you."

Eunbi smiles and pet the rabbit on Sakura's head, "you look so cute in this hat – let's go."

***

Eunbi's curiosity is killing her. She was so eager to talk to Sakura again, and she feels so grateful that Sakura is now "assigned" to her and she can summon her openly any time she wants.

After dinner, she changes into her working clothes and meets Sakura again in the lab. She is amazed at how rapid Sakura's wounds are healing, and she is much calmer when she is touched and treated.

"There are a lot of questions I want to ask you." When Sakura is putting back on her flag costume, Eunbi askes.

"I have talked to your horse and asked him to feel proud being your horse." Sakura confesses without asking.

Eunbi eyes widen, "you really did that?"

Sakura nods, "he was not happy because being your horse, he is under great control and people always fuss about his hair, and he cannot run freely as other horses do."

Eunbi is speechless.

"I cannot believe my horse is complaining against me!"

Sakura lowers her head, "I am not lying."

"I didn't say you lie, Kura..." Eunbi is surprised at her slip of the tongue, "oops, why am I calling you Kura?"

Sakura looks at Eunbi in surprise, "Mama used to call me Kura, Your Highness."

"You told me Sakura is in one word." Eunbi is confused.

Sakura breaths in deeply. "My papa's last name is Sa, but I don't really use his last name. It is purely coincident. Mama told me over and over again Sakura is in one word, it is not Sa Kura. I don't know why she insisted. But for convenience sake, she would tell others I am Sa Kura, and she would call me Kura."

"So you didn't really lie when you told His Majesty your name was Sa Ku." Eunbi finds the situation quite amazing, "Did Chaewon unnie give you that name?"

Sakura nods. "Lady Chaewon said Sakura sounds like a girl's name. I told her I am a girl, I will look more like a girl when my hair grows back, but she said, no, you are not a girl. I was very afraid that she might know my secret, but she just said from now on you are Saku and you are going to be the Princess's human pet."

"So she taught you to recite that speech?"

Sakura nods.

Eunbi looks a bit lost, "so are you comfortable to be a boy?"

Sakura looks very lost, "I don't know. I have only know how to live like a girl. And now I don't really know if I am a boy or a girl. It never matters...if not..."

And Sakura stops and sinks into deep thoughts. Her fingers curl into balls and her breath is getting heavy. Eunbi can feel the rapid change of her vibe.

Quietly, Eunbi inches near Sakura and wraps her fingers on her fists. She recites the healing spell until she feels Sakura relaxes.

"Kura," Eunbi's expression is full of sadness, "one day when you are ready, please share your pain with me. I can arrest those horse traders at any time."

Sakura shakes her head, "no, it's not them."

"It's not them?"

"It's not them."

"Then who?"

Sakura raises her head and looks at Eunbi. Only until now, Eunbi realizes that Sakura has a pair of huge puppy eyes. They must be very beautiful if not with all those wounds and swelling.

"Alright, I will wait for you to tell me."

Sakura nods.

"Promise?" Eunbi raises her pinky finger and Sakura locks it without hesitation.

"Just remember you are safe here. No one will hurt you here. No one can hurt you as long as I am living." Eunbi says before she unlocks her finger.

"But..." Sakura bites her lips, "will His Majesty kill me if he knows I lied? Will people get angry if they know that I am not a boy? I really don't know what being a boy is like."

Eunbi sulks, "well, technically you didn't lie, His Majesty will not kill you for this reason, but otherwise, I really cannot give you an answer. I think it will be the same if people found out you are not a girl either – I truly do not know which way will be better. The world will never be safe for you until we have a genuinely peaceful and civilized society, like Arukas before Cistumonions destroyed it. Now we can only put our trust in Chaewon unnie, I don't understand but she must have her reasons. In the meantime, I will keep your secret together with you, is that alright?"

Sakura nods and she blinks, "Your Highness?"

"Yes, Kura?"

"Can I be your pet?"

"Why, Kura?"

"I saw you hugged your pets today, mama used to hug me a lot...can I be your cat?"

"You are so silly!" Eunbi exclaim and pulls Sakura's small body into a bear hug. "Kura-ya, you are a human, you are more precious than a cat. You are not a pet, you are a very useful person."

Eunbi then turns around Sakura's body, puts her on her lap, and hugs her tummy from the back. She rocks back and forth sideways as if she is holding a baby, singing children songs that Sakura also knows. An idea suddenly comes to her mind.

"Kura, why don't you be my little sister? It's so boring to be the youngest member in a household. I always wish that I can have a baby sibling, but my father's health doesn't allow him to do so."

Sakura turns her head with a freaked-out expression.

"Wait..." Eunbi thinks she's found a good reason, "do you remember what I said when we were in the Marketplace? I said you have to obey Jaeyeon because he is your older brother from now on."

Sakura nods. And Eunbi continues, "if you are his sis...brother, then you will be my bro...sister too."

"Why?"

"Because..." Eunbi hugs Sakura tighter as if she is a plushie, and her tone changes. "My parents wanted me to marry Jaeyeon. That's why they have assigned you to both of us. After we get married, we will live together, and you will be our younger sibling, and we will be like a family that won't be separated."

Although Sakura has her own understanding of "getting married", she vaguely feels the happiness in Eunbi's tone.

"Will getting married let Lord Jaeyeon hurt you?" Sakura asks with her soft child voice but her tone is full of worries.

"Of course not. Jaeyeon is very loyal, I believe he will continue to love me and protect me after we got married." Eunbi rubs the stomach of Sakura like she rubs her puppy, "Jaeyeon is a real man."

Sakura feels a bit of relief, "then maybe I should learn how to be a boy with Lord Jaeyeon?"

"Sure, Kura!" Eunbi smiles and pats Sakura's head tenderly.

* Inspired by the Camarillo White Horse

This is a chapter to fill in the blanks of Sakura the child. We have not really known what she has experienced and how does she feel in the whole life-turning incident. Also, I need to introduce another important character, Chaewon the senior mage. You must have noticed that nearly all characters' age doesn't match with the original IZ*ONE's , but that's the way to let the characters be more dynamic. I chose Chaewon to be the senior because she has always act like an unnie while Eunbi is sometimes a baby. Lastly, I have read a wonderful vampire story this week that I want to introduce to you and put in the Foreward later: Blood Line in yeonier's Love Stories Collection. Actually, the whole collection is good.

Thank you for reading. Please leave a comment so I know how you feel and give me an upvote if you like the story!