Everything was a blur. The princess and the commander had just been enjoying a pleasant conversation, when they suddenly heard a cry. About a dozen men came into their camp, and, while the diplomatic mission had three squadrons of soldiers, the element of surprise rendered them weaker.

The two guards Jongkook had assigned for the mission had already been killed by arrows, and the men had to physically fend off their attackers, who looked to be looters given their attire.  Some of the soldiers have been wounded by the looters, while the others were tied up. The looters also managed to steal the goods on their wagon, after successfully scaring the ladies who were resting near it. They also managed to threaten the ladies to give whatever valuable items they had with them. 

The princess was too stunned by the events; she was about to run to the court ladies to help them, when the commander held her by the wrist and pulled her behind him. “Stay behind me, your highness,” he said, pulling out his sword.

“But my court ladies…” the princess began to insist.

“I beg you Princess Jihyo. Please listen to me this time,” the commander requested, and Jihyo could hear the urgency in his voice. She hid behind the commander’s back, as she saw two men approach their area of the camp.

One of the men saw the palanquin, and checked inside, successfully sequestering some of the princess’s belongings. Thankfully, she did not leave anything particularly important inside, only a couple of bracelets and hair accessories she had stored for the trip. She saw the man overturn her palanquin, destroying it to pieces, and run off with her belongings.

The other one, however, was caught in an intense staredown with the commander. The princess realized that the man had been looking at the golden medallion she wore around her neck; it had been her father’s last gift to her. She whispered urgently to the commander, “Jongkook, he’s eyeing my necklace. I can’t let this go; this was from my father.”

Jongkook could hear her voice trembling, indicating how important the necklace was. He silently vowed to keep the medallion safe and unharmed. He looked at the surrounding area, and noticed that the other men had already escaped with the goods they had stolen. This man was obviously after his own share, if he was coming after the princess. The commander turned his head to the side, and whispered to Jihyo, “Alright, the area seems to be clear, your highness. When I count to three, run to our men and free them from being tied up. I’ll deal with this man. Understood?” 

Jihyo nodded, forgetting that Jongkook was still facing the man. Not hearing an answer, he cleared his throat and repeated, “Understood, your highness?”

“Yes I understand,” the princess willed herself to speak, looking everywhere all at once, and silently calculating how fast she had to be to free up their men and not get in the impending crossfire between the commander and his opponent. 

But there was no use for her thoughts, as she heard him begin to count, “1…”

The princess hoisted up her skirt, and set her sights on her destination. 

“2…”

She dusted off her shoes on the ground, trying to familiarize herself with the feeling of the soil beneath her. She spared a glance at the commander who was still focused on the man in front of him. 

“3!”

She sprinted off to the men, quickly working on the knot that was tied on their backs. She only had to untie one group, and then she can secure their help to free the others and help Jongkook. She turned the men around, so she can both untie the knot and see the commotion that was causing the sound of metal clashing against each other. 

When she next saw Jongkook, he was caught in quite a difficult match. Their attacker was nimble,