The last day of our resting period at the castle I spent in the library, I figured I could try and learn a few things about the stones and any dragons we might meet.

I didn’t find much other then legends, or so they were called, but one thing that did stick out to me was the few pages I read about a dragon witch. The only people before my family that protected dragons because they were a part of nature and witches were the servants of nature.

Reading what little the book had to offer about them made me want to hunt one down and talk to them, because if dragons were still around then witches had to be as well.

Of course many had passed along side the dragons they tried to protect, but they were humans, a few of them would have at least hid away when they saw there was no hope.

“Miss, Seori?”

My head snaps up from the book I was reading when I hear my name echo through out the big room.

“Yes?” I call back from the corner I had made my own, I was sat in a window seal with books stacked on the floor around me.

I hear as someone comes in my direction before I see a lower ranking guard step around one of the many bookshelves.

He does a quick bow before standing up straight again. “The king wishes to see you in the dinning hall.”

“Okay, let me put these away.” I say standing and fixing my shirt.

The guard nods and bows again before leaving the library without another word.

I decide to keep the one book I had been reading when he had entered, hoping that maybe farther into the book there would be more details on the dragon witches.

With the book tucked under my arm I head for the dinning hall, I was wondering why the king wanted to see me, lunch wasn’t for another hour, or maybe I had just lost track of time.

When I enter I see there was indeed food already set on the table and a few of the royal guards were already eating and talking to one another.

I slide into the seat between Jungwon and Ni-ki, resting the book in my lap before I fill my own plate with food.

“What have you been up to?” Heeseung who sat across from me asked just as I take my first bite of bread.

I quickly swallow before answering. “I was just doing some reading,”

He nods and leaves it at that.

When everyone had their fill we sit around and talk a little of the trip to the next stone, thinking about the trip and what all we should bring to make the trip as easy as possible.

All attention goes to the head of the table as the king stands and clears his throat.

“We have to postpone our departure for a few more days.” Jake says with his hands behind his back.

“Why?” Jungwon was the first to ask.

“The king of Gojoseon is coming to visit.”

It was almost as if all the men in the room sighed at one time. I look around confused by their annoyed expressions.

“What’s so bad about him?” I ask as no one seemed to catch on that I had no idea what was going on.

“It’s not really the king, it’s he’s daughter.” Ni-ki said as he looked up at the ceiling as if praying for this to not be happening. “She’s a royal bi-”

“Ni-ki!” Heeseung cut the young boy off before he could finish cursing the woman.

I hold back a laugh as Ni-ki rolls his eyes.

“You can’t speak of a princess like that, even if she is… difficult.” The older one continues while giving

Ni-ki a look.

I wait for someone to explain farther, but no one did as the king started to talk again.

“They want to come by and update some of our trading agreements, I tried to ward them off for now, but the king was very insistent on coming tomorrow.”

“Okay, so you stay here and we head out tomorrow like we had planned and when you’re done with the king you can catch up.” I suggest, I didn’t want to drag this thing out longer because of some entitled king.

“We can’t do that, we can’t just leave the king behind, we’re his guard.” Jay said with a roll of his eyes.

“Then