A/N: Not an april fool's joke, don't worry. As usual, flashbacks are in italic.

Chaewon wasn’t one to thank the stars, but that morning she thanked the good spirits for protecting them – one spirit in particular.

She woke up late and Minjoo’s golden eyes were the first thing she saw. The golden dots inside the chocolate brown eyes were particularly bright thanks to the light that shined through the cracks on top of the cave, making Min’s eyes glow like the ones of a fox – a subtle way to reveal her essence, one that Chae learned to appreciate as time passed and she could only watch Minjoo in silence as she protected her secret.

A secret that may not be as secretive anymore.

Protecting the princess in front of her eyes had been her task for over a year now, yet she had never seen her abilities until yesterday – and Minjoo had used them to keep her safe, to help and heal her even though she could have ran away on her own. Chaewon knew the princess was a kind person, that she cared about others and had morals, but she didn’t expect her to be so…

“You are very warm.” She voiced her thoughts, almost unconsciously speaking her mind as she felt Minjoo’s body still close to hers. With Minjoo by her side, even the shivers from the fever seemed to disappear and she could only thank her presence for some good hours of sleep. Even now, she didn’t feel any pain or discomfort.

Maybe Minjoo was indeed magic.

“Fox things.” The princess gave her a grin, the familiar golden hue to her eyes – Chaewon didn’t need to ask, to know that Minjoo felt good for being able to freely talk about who she really was and use her abilities. The older Kim just gave her a tired smile, nodding in understanding. “Are you feeling better now?” Min said, stealing a glance at the older woman, who just nodded once more.

“Much better than yesterday.” Chaewon reassured, nodding slowly. She wouldn’t dare move too much just yet, but her body wasn’t feeling like it was being cooked from the inside, so it could only be a good signal.

Minjoo returned her smile, relieved to see the soldier better – she would still check on her, but first there was another worry inside her mind. “Do you think the others are fine? I saw Yena and Hyewon yesterday…they were surrounded…” Her expressive eyes grew darker, worry and the heavy feeling of guilt plaguing her. It wasn’t her fault that the guards had to fight off the intruders, yet, if she hadn’t taken them with her to Lee’s house, they would be safe. “Do you think Lee would hurt them?”

Chaewon shook her head, pursing her lips into a tight line.

She knew very well every single one of the soldiers she had chosen to accompany them, and she only picked the best – even Yujin, their youngest member, was strong and smart like no other. “Yena and the others had fought worse battlers and came out unscratched, I would rather believe it happened again.” She trusted them to fight back those mercenaries and come out on top, trusting her friends was something that always granted them the win.. “Besides, once we were out of the picture, they were able to fight freely without worrying about what could happen to us, so I’m sure they handled it just fine. Trust them, they may seem clumsy and foolish at times, but they are the best soldiers in the kingdom.” Giving Minjoo a tight-lipped smile, she reassured once more. “I’m sure they are probably looking for us right now, with enough luck, we will bump into them sooner than later.”

The general’s words had a calming effect over the brunette, who nodded with a small smile. “You are right, they are the best. Those men Lee hired aren’t a match for our royal guards!” Lifting her fist, she cheered for the people who had done so much for her – she would hug them dearly once they met again –, but for now, she could only pray for the nature spirits to keep her guards safe and sound, for them to be okay.

Standing up, Minjoo started to fix things around the cave, searching Chaewon’s bag for anything useful before going outside with a small dagger to get more herbs from the entrance – not before informing she would do so, worrying the general wasn’t her intention. Thanks to her abilities, it only took a gentle touch over the plants for it to grow back up, offering her more medicine. “Thank you, my friend.” She said softly, cutting the leaves she would use and going back to Chaewon who was watching her the whole time. “You weren’t surprised about me. My dad must trust you a lot.” She commented as she crushed the herbs between her palms.

Chae nodded once more, not daring to move her body too much, as she thought about the first time she had heard about the princess' secret nature – it was a year ago, right after their victory over the kingdom of Beojji, when Eunbi approached her with a letter from the king. “General Kwon was the one to recommend me for the position.” Back then she could notice the seriousness in her older friend’s eyes as the woman made her swear for her honor and bloodline that she would never tell anyone about it – Chaewon was surprised with the odd request, and even more as she heard the general inform her that the princess of their kingdom carried the blood of a nine-tailed fox. The king had told her about it again after her arrival, making sure she would be able to protect Minjoo from anything, this included keeping her secret safe. “She also knows I’m not…average either.”

“You surely are not.” There was a hint of something more as Min leaned in to touch the faint scar on Chaewon’s face with a light finger, just like that day at the lake. “I would like to hear about it…maybe soon?” Minjoo asked before moving away, making Chaewon realize that being this close shouldn’t feel this natural – but it felt, and as if Min felt the same, she only changed position so she could ask to inspect Chaewon’s wound again. “You look better, but let me check it first.”

The young general could only take in a deep breath before readjusting her position, already expecting for the burning pain to hit her strongly as she tried to move her arm – and it did, but much, much less stronger than she expected. The blindly pain had become a minor nuisance, her skin still sensitive under her fingers as she carefully slid her robe to the side to allow Minjoo to see it – it wasn’t pleasant, but it was more like a discomfort than pain.

Now that she was more conscious of her actions and the sunlight illuminated the cave through the cracks in its roof, Chaewon almost became embarrassed when she felt Minjoo’s hands on top of her skin – almost, because it wasn’t time or place to waste her time with silly feelings when the princess was trying to help her.

Therefore, she stayed put, closing her eyes as Minjoo inspected her wound – if the princess could notice the red peaks of her ears, she knew better than to mention it to the adorable soldier.

Minjoo’s knees supported her weight as she positioned herself behind Chaewon to observe the wound she had treated yesterday. The green paste she had applied was still on top of the wound, however, it was now dark and dry, meaning that she would have to exchange it for a new one. However, it wasn’t what caught her attention.

Tentatively she touched Chaewon’s skin, smooth and nice under her fingers, it was no longer burning with fever or doomed by a phantom paleness. She could notice the black veins had disappeared in some points and grew paler in others, retracting and allowing the skin to heal. There was still a bit of redness near the place where the poison had entered, revealing inflammation was still working, but not as strongly.

“You really heal fast!” It looked so much better that Minjoo couldn’t help but smile to herself and it took all in her to not hug Chae tightly and cover the healed skin with kisses – it was her turn to get flustered as the thought occurred to her. Shaking her head slightly, she cleaned before asking. “Is it because of your tiger spirit?”

The brown-haired woman nodded once more, her hair barely tied in a bun, bouncing up and down, still unable to cover her red ears. Minjoo never thought a tiger could be this shy or cute – maybe she was starting to grow fond of cats. “It’s one of the blessings I’ve received.” Chaewon reached out for her shoulder with her left hand, careful touching it. “I’m faster and stronger, I can see and hear better as well. But you know all that, right?”

It was Min’s turn to nod with a smile, of course, since the first time she saw Chaewon, she just knew she was special. “How did it happen?”

Chaewon opened her eyes, the grey of it evident as her vision was enhanced to see even in low light – one of the many gifts she had received. It was so long ago, back when she was still just a child and didn’t know much about this world – of the magical beings that inhabited it. “When I was a child, I was playing at that place I took you, the one near the lake...”

As Minjoo treated her wounds, she used this chance to focus on telling her story and not the woman’s warm hands on her skin.

Chaewon was a curious child, she liked to hop around the land near her family’s house and watch out for anything interesting – what could be anything, from a new animal, to even something a traveler had lost. She would walk around the forest, swinging the wooden sword her dad had crafted for her to practice with – Chae was very insistent in following him around and fascinated by the idea of becoming a warrior like the honorable soldiers her dad taught.

Of course, she was still too small to be allowed to go too far and as the precious baby daughter of the family, she was never left on her own for too long – not that there was much to worry, Chaewon had always being an obedient and smart child, therefore, she never went too far or for too long. She would often visit the place at the other margin of the lake by taking the small boat there, which was okay since she could swim like a fish, having grown up beside the body of water.

The other side, the land that belonged to the king, looked much more interesting and magical – no matter how many times she explored it. She would play with her sword, striking moves and creating fantastic stories inside her mind, waving at the little animals she would find and trying to pet them, sometimes stopping by the short trees to collect berries for her mother.

Today, however, her little special place didn’t look as good.

The sky was grey with clouds when Chaewon stepped on the land, a sudden turn in the climate making the kid a little uneasy. The usually lively forest was surprisingly quiet in the morning, no birds singing or the sounds of bunnies and squirrels jumping around, no deer in sight…It was almost like a different place.

As she took a few tentative steps forward and entered the forest to check what was happening – sword in hand, her tiny body tense as she assumed the fighting posture she had learned from her parents, albeit her knees felt a little weak with fear now –, she could hear a weird sound coming from inside the woods. It was low and she had trouble discerning from where it was coming, or what it could be.

Her parents would probably tell her to go home if they were there, and Chaewon was smart enough to know it was dumb to just walk around when she could be heading to a trap – yet, she hesitated. Biting her bottom lip, she kept moving with tiny steps, hiding behind the trees and looking around to try to spot anything that could explain what was happening – maybe some enemy soldiers had come into their territory? Or maybe bandits camped there to plot something evil? Both possibilities sent shivers down her body, yet a third one made her keep going. What if hunters were there trying to steal from the king? It would mean that they were hurting her little animal friends and she was their only hope.

Chaewon’s brave heart and trembling body moved forward as she heard a groan reverberating through the woods, sounding like a wounded animal now. What was it? It didn’t sound like any animal she was used to seeing there, but it was similar to a cat. With her heart beating loud on her ears, she followed the sound, hiding behind bushes and trees as she tried to take a look at what was happening.

What she saw made her open her eyes wide, a little shocked at the sight.

She moved before she could think twice, her pounding heart erratic as she saw the big white cat trapped inside a metal trap, blood tainting its flawless white fur, pained groans louder now that she was so close.

“Hold on, kitten. I will get you out!” She informed, ignoring the disturbing sight of blood to focus on helping the cat – the said cat was too big to be one, yet still looked like a baby. Later, she would learn it was a tiger cub. Using all her strength, she tried opening the trap to free the animal, but all her strength was barely enough to make it budge.

Drops of sweat covered her forehead as she gently patted the cat’s head. “You will be fine…You will be! I will get you out of there!” She said as she tried to regain her breath and make a new try, this time using her wooden sword to aid her – it was a real struggle to manage to open it enough to slip in the sword, but she managed to do it. With a little more work, it was open just enough to free the cat’s leg.

The feline was quick to drag itself out of the trap and search for the safety of Chaewon’s lap. The kid was panting, resting her weight on her hands behind her back as she tried to recover from all the effort she had just done. She was incredibly tired, but relieved and happy, a smile making its way to her face. “I told you I would get you out!” She exclaimed happily, patting the cat’s white head and staring at its bright grey eyes. “Are you okay? I’ve never seen anything like you before…” The cub, of course, only stared back at her without a word. Chaewon shook her head, petting the feline once more. “I will take you home, mom will know how to fix your leg.”

She never got the chance of doing so.

Suddenly the weight on her lap increased, the small paws that rested on her belly growing bigger and bigger as it pushed her down, making her fall back and hit the dirty forest floor.

A scream died inside as she came face to face with a tiger for the first time, the animal pinning her down with its weight and power, its huge face so close to hers that she could see all the pearl white – and deadly – teeth as it smelt her. She closed her eyes tightly, fear and horror filling her as she imagined her end in the paws of the powerful cat she had just saved.

“You are good and honorable. One of a kind.” A deep voice sounded inside her head after a long moment, the weight on top of her growing lighter. Closing her hands into fists and preparing for the worst, she risked opening her eyes a little bit, just to see the tiger staring back at her calmly. The animal’s lips didn’t move, but she could hear his voice once more inside her mind. “For your kindness, I shall repay you.”

Chaewon could only blink in confusion, a scream leaving as the enormous tiger raised his paw to crush her face – yet the pain never came. His huge, yet gentle, paw rested on top of , silencing her scream. “The one that possesses a tiger’s heart, shall possess its power.” A warm feeling filled Chaewon’s body all of sudden, pushing aside any fear and pain, cleaning her thoughts as only the peaceful emotion controlled her. Suddenly she just knew she didn’t have any reason to fear, the one in front of her wasn’t an enemy, but a protector – a guardian like she would be one day. “Long live, Kim Chaewon. May your steps be blessed by the spirit of the tiger.”

And just like that, he vanished in front of her eyes – fur becoming dust as the wind blew it away, taking the spirit back to where it belonged inside the depths of the forest. The young Kim couldn’t move, her hand coming to cover as she gazed at the sky, noticing that it was once more, blue and free of clouds. The birds were chirping and a bunny passed by, the forest back to life.

Yet, she still could feel that it hadn’t just been a wild dream, as she touched the newly made scar over her lips – three small scratches like the ones from a real kitten. However, the little scar that didn’t even hurt, was nothing near what the tiger had changed inside of her.

That morning, when she stood up after several minutes, she realized she was no longer the same person as before.

“Thanks to his blessing, the king offered our family that land and I could become a royal soldier.” Chaewon finished her story, skipping the many years it took her to understand her new identity and grow to become the person she was now.

The princess only smiled, silently thanking the tiger spirit and her dad for bringing her Chaewon.

“So, you weren’t born like this.” Of course, having the blood of a spirit of nature wasn’t a common thing – the reason why foxes like Minjoo were so rare, humans could be cruel when they thought it would bring them any kind of power, and foxes were the rarest kind. Chaewon wasn’t like most humans though, and she had been rewarded for that. Once more, Minjoo found herself admiring the other woman. “You surely use your abilities well.”

Even if she wasn’t born with the traits of a tiger, it was hard for Chaewon to remember how life was before she received this gift. Her life without it would’ve probably been very different, maybe she wouldn’t even be here right now with the princess. She was glad she was. “But I wouldn’t have been able to heal if you didn’t intervene.” If it weren’t for Minjoo’s magic and care, she wouldn’t have been able to rest long enough to heal and she might even…She was just so glad she was here with Minjoo right now. Looking over her shoulder, the general met Minjoo’s fox gaze. “Thank you, my princess.”

She bowed her head in respect, showing her sincerity but it made her miss the fond smile she received in return.

Min didn’t mind if Chaewon averted her eyes, instead she leaned in closer to gently blow some air into the wound – and just like before, oxygen became gold as it settled on top of the wound. Resting a hand on Chaewon’s shoulder, she squeezed it ever so slightly. “Minjoo. Thank you Minjoo.” It was a sweet correction, as she just wanted to hear her name said by Chaewon’s melodic voice.

The reply didn’t come right away, the brunette taking a moment to brave up before she could say, quietly and with fondness, as she risked looking back at Minjoo again. “Thank you, my Minjoo.” The difference of one word shouldn’t mean much – but it did, particularly when Chae’s feline silver eyes were on Minjoo’s golden ones and the young princess was so close that her warm breath hit Chaewon’s bare skin sending a pleasant shiver down her body.

For a moment they just looked at each other, a moment too long, but still not long enough for it to be the right time.

As the birds chirped louder outside and the sun shone brighter, the girls slowly separated, Chaewon pulling up her robe to cover her wound and Minjoo standing up to search for some food in the bag they had brought.

It wasn’t time for it, not when they needed to eat and start planning a way to go back home.

A/N: So here we have Chaewon’s side, once again all the clues about her were given in previous updates. Since it’s a Chaewon centered chapter, make sure to check Ginger’s beautiful artwork of our favorite general on twitter, I would like to thank them again for it!

Next chapter: Tales Of (Love) Choices!

P.S.: We’ll have Minjoo’s bg eventually as well. All in its due time.