But his companion did not think so. “Must we do this all the time,” a frustrated Hyung Jun called from behind, “there’s a perfect path over there. Look, with gravel and stones! Why in the good name of Guardia must we venture all the way into this… I don’t even know what to call this. This has got to stop. Follow the path, follow the path.” Digging into his satchel, he pulled out a map and frantically waved it in the air. “See, the map says that if we miss this landmark, which ONLY the path will bring us to, we will be lost and will die miserably out here forever."

 

“You’re no game for adventure, Jun,” Jung Min smiled as he shook his head. Gently touching each tree bark as he passed them, he said, “the forest is filled with magic. This is the real deal.” He looked back and chuckled at Hyung Jun’s exhausted frame, “not the path.”

 

“Not the path,” Hyung Jun imitated with a face, “not the path until we lose our way, then what do we do? Wait here till they realise that you’re missing and then send rescue armies over? That will rightly put an end too all our ‘adventures’."

 

“Shh!” Jung Min hissed, holding out an arm to stop Hyung Jun. The latter conveniently bumped into it anyway. 

 

“Chill dude, its not like anyone’s going to kno-“

 

“Shh! Do you hear that?”

 

“Wha-“

 

“Shh!”

 

“I can’t express my curiosity if you don’t let me say a word,” Hyung Jun mumbled, pouting under his cloak. Jung Min ignored him, with eyes darting beyond the wilderness and his hands reaching around his sword buckle. At the sight of this Hyung Jun was nervous, “what, what is it you hear?”

 

“It sounded like an or-“ before he could finish his sentence, a large humanoid sprung out of the wilderness, landing two feet in front of them with a loud thud that sent the ground into tremors. It was green and huge, wearing a large steel armour coated with spikes. In its hand was a tree trunk it now used as its club. Opening its mouth, it gave a loud roar that sent the leaves fluttering into the air. “ORC!” Hyung Jun screamed before darting in another direction. The orc lifted its club and smashed towards Jung Min, but the man had already dug a wound into the orc’s knee and was now behind the monster.

 

The furious orc turned around to look for his target. With a thumping heart, Jung Min leaped off the ground and jabbed his sword into the monster’s eye. The orc screeched painfully as Jung Min fell back onto the ground defenceless. The orc pulled out his sword and tossed it aside, moving closer to Jung Min until it got him backed against a tree. Roaring again, the monster raised its club. 

 

Abruptly, an arrow pierced through the air and landed deep inside the orc’s neck. The orc instantly fell to the ground and struggled as it felt its control over its body weakened. And after a sure whimper, the orc stopped moving. Jung Min threw his gaze towards the source of the arrow, seeing a sleek figure disappearing back into the forest.

 

“Jun?” he called, finding the other man running towards his direction. “Oh my god, Jung Min, are you alright?”

 

“It's a paladin,” he breathed.

 

“A paladin?” Hyung Jun looked towards the bushes were the figure had disappeared into. "Are you sure? Was there magic?"

 

"No, but she had slightly elven ears," he stood on his feet and rushed towards the Orc's corpse.

 

"Maybe it was an elf!” Hyung Jun gasped. Just seeing an elf would be delightful even though paladins require more luck to chance upon. "It can't be a paladin, no paladins-"

 

“It is,” Jung Min said, pulling out the arrow to show Hyung Jun the crest embedded in the steel. “Only a paladin can shoot so deeply into its target. Its the crest for an archage.”

 

Breathing heavily, she darted around the trees before breaking out onto a path that lead to the river. Looking over her shoulder, she was still paranoid. Those humans couldn’t be following her, could they? They can’t. They shouldn’t.

 

“Yoona!” She heard a familiar name call, hanging her bow back around her shoulder, she leap towards the voice, “Hyun Joong!”

 

The figure rushed to her side, “whats wrong? What happened?” He too was armed with a bow and a quiver of arrows, his vest marked with the same crest. Supporting her with a hand, he closed his eyes and let his mind searched beyond the trees. Green sparkles appeared on his countenance and the ends of his hair gradually turned green the way a tree root would absorb water. Seconds later, the green flushed away and he opened his eyes again. “You’re safe now, Yoona,” he ushered her towards the river as she tried to catch her breath.

 

“What happened?” he asked again, fetching water from a leaf for her. 

 

“I killed an orc,” she told him. His eyes widened, not comprehending, “orc?”

 

“Yes, three miles from here,” she looked at him, “there wasn’t a camp or anything. Just one, a lone orc.”

 

He shook his head, contemplating for awhile, “we have to tell the Elders at once.”

 

“But, the festival?” 

 

“The Elders will decide, come."

The grand golden doors flung open as he entered, walking tall and majestically into the royal ball. The hall was enshrouded with the activity of hundreds of nobles. Some danced in front of the big orchestra, some took time to call upon the wine bearers, but most engaged in small talks with one another. The venue was perfectly decorated that evening. Golden tapestries were strung parallel to the giant windows that stood four storeys high, looking out to the royal garden lined with fountains and greenery. The chandeliers sparkled its light onto the lush red carpets that went in harmony with the seats. Every little detail from the flower ornaments to the robe of each guard was perfect. 

 

He breathed, keeping his head high, as befitting of the golden crown on his temple, as he paced towards the hundreds of nobility that have gathered for the joyous occasion. The masses bowed at his entrance and all movement were put to a halt. "All hail, Your Highness," they chorused thunderingly. 

 

“Rise, all of Guardia. Thou art all welcome this night. Bless thee all with prosperity and may thy merriment be extreme,” he smiled widely, not the usual widely, but widely fitting for a royal. The crowd bowed again and slowly resumed its activities. He continued moving amongst the people with his small entourage trailing beside him. Finally spotting who he was looking for, he ordered his train to draw back. 

 

"Hey," he walked towards a man with brown hair, finely dressed in a robe. 

 

"Your Highness," the brown haired man bowed deeply. 

 

The Prince nodded, signalling for the noble to rise. “Fine night, isn’t it?”

 

“Absolutely,” the noble bowed again.

 

Before the Prince could continue, he was interrupted with the clearing of a throat. Looking back, he was approached by three fine ladies whose hair were bright crimson. The ladies bowed before him and he did likewise, because it was befitting of a gentleman regardless of whether he was royal. That was how royalty kept it's charisma and frivol. 

 

"Your Highness? A fresh blood?" The one who stood in the middle said, darting her eyes to the other man with a look of disgust. "Behold, the soil doth his hair resemble," the lady to the right added. The one in the centre ignored her, but looked to the prince, "surely my prince doth not associate with new bloods?"

 

The brown haired cowered, taking slow steps back as he gazed towards the sea of people. There were many crimson heads in the crowd. Red hair, a symbol of old nobility. The redder the hair, the longer the bloodline of being a noble. There were also a gradient of other colours associating with nobility, with brown being at the bottom of the food chain -- a new noble. He, along with most brown haired noble, belonged to families of merchants rich enough to buy themselves into nobility. Yet, in the face of old blood nobles who have held power for generations, they were like vermin. He looked at his companion, standing righteously with his hair coloured in all the colours of the rainbow, a sign that his family held the ultimate power of all Guardia -- the power of the throne. He moved back, seeking to disappear again into the crowd, but the Royal stopped him.

 

“Hath thee a problem?” the Prince looked at the ladies with contempt. He shuddered at the thought that they would all be running for the position of the Crown Princess. He would not have a wife like them. One of the laughed, “fresh blood reek of the streets, Your Highness!"

 

“Doth they? I suppose the purple blood in my veins grant me access to whomever I may wish to favour a conversation," the Prince replied curtly, forcing the ladies to cower instead. Looking towards the one at the side, he asked, “would thee fancy to wash thy crimson hair back to bronze?"

 

The ladies took a step back, the middle one immediately weighed her chances before bowing. She corrected, "of course. We mean no offense, my Prince.” The third one stuttered, “we’ll take our leave, Your Highness.” 

 

As the ladies hurried away, the prince huffed against his rainbow hair and turned towards his friend. "Let's get out of here," he suggested, ushering the new blood noble out into the royal garden.

 

"I'm sorry, Jun," he said, allowing the evening breeze to dance with his robe. "Stuck up nobles, what do they know," he ran a hair through his hair as he leaned against the marble railings.

 

The brown haired noble smiled sadly, "everything a noble should." 

 

"That's why I'll give everything just to leave this life," the prince turned around and gazed towards the fountains longingly.

 

Hyung Jun shook his head. He was too new a noble, he understood what life without power felt like. "The world wants to gain nobility, and here you want to give the highest honour away."

 

"Nobility my ."

 

Hyung Jun thought meaningfully for awhile, but decided against arguing with the prince. "It does sound quite funny coming from a prince you know," he chuckled. "Nobility my ," the fresh blood imitated playfully.

 

"I sense not thy humour," the prince squinted at him. The noble smiled sadly. The prince often sought to deny himself. All the 'adventure trips' were just desperate attempts to be more like a commoner. Yet, the way he walked and the way that he would naturally talk in the accent nobility talked, were all signs of who he really is. The prince was also conscious of this and he heaved a sigh, pain marking his features.

 

"Well, at least we killed an Orc today,” Hyung Jun shrugged, hoping it would cheer his friend up.

 

"We didn't kill it."

 

"Yes we did! Come on, you slashed it a little bit. Did you really think the Orc would have fell dead just because of one arrow?"

 

"Yes?" the prince raised an eyebrow. "It was a paladin's arrow."

 

"It is official that the prince of Guardia is a dimwit. Of course it was because of you jabbing that thing in the eye!"

 

The prince laughed for real.

 

Hyung Jun smiled contentedly, adjusting his own robe before putting a hand on the prince's shoulder, noticing that the royal robe was a thousand times smoother and softer to the touch. The gems embedded onto it alone was enough to buy trucks of slaves and feed them for a lifetime and still have a lot to spare. "There, next time we'll hunt Cyclopes and you'll be in charge of more eye jabbing alright. But for now, let's go back in, shall we? They are already missing your presence."

 

The Prince smiled, not knowing what to do with the little rascal that is his friend. Finally giving in, he nodded, "let's."

 

Bowing on one knee, she waited with Hyun Joong behind her in the same position. The Elders sat in their seats high above them, each cloaked in robes of sacredness.

 

“This calls for war,” one elder said, the paladin crest on his robe was enhanced with another symbol representing battle, “we cannot tolerate any breach in our territory.”

 

“No, we cannot proclaim war. This will cause the orcs to gather their forces around our borders. The threat to us is greater. We must act with caution. Let us first understand their purpose here,” said another elder, her crest had the symbol of an owl — wisdom. 

 

“We have no time for peace, the orcs have rampaged over our camps centuries ago. Have you forgotten it, Young Ae? We have wiped them out once, we will do it again before they strike!” the first elder pounded her fist onto the armrest.

 

“That is folly, Sun Kyung. We should not-“

 

“Hold, both of you,” the elder at the highest seat breathed. “The festival of Gladen is approaching. We ought to be rejoicing in merriment, but since this has occurred as Yoona has spoken, we must act.”

 

Elder Sun Kyung smirked, but the elder continued. “I agree with Young Ae, we should approach with caution. I do not want to alert every one. Besides, the archery tournament is awaiting. Therefore, I suggest we should dispatch a scout to spy before we convene again after the festival.”

 

“Yes, I fully agree, Great One,” Elder Young Ae bowed. 

 

“Yes, then, if I may,” Elder Sun Kyung looked at Yoona and Hyun Joong with narrowed eyes, “I would like to nominate Yoona to be our scout.”

 

Yoona gasped, looking up at the elders with pleading eyes, shaking her head slightly, “please.”

 

“Why? What is it Yoona? Are you unwilling to bear the burden of protecting our people?”

 

“No, please, I don’t mean that, I-"

 

“Yoona should be allowed to attend the tournament,” Elder Young Ae interrupted, “she is our best archer and has been training for seasons now.”

 

“That is why,” Elder Sun Kyung smirked, “she should be our scout. Since nobody’s better than you, we would all be in safe hands sending you out.”

 

“Please,” Yoona begged. Hyun Joong looked at her and back at the elders, desperately shaking his head as well.

 

“Don’t you think it’s a splendid idea, Great One?”

 

“Yes, it is, Sun Kyung,” the highest Elder cleared his throat, “it is decided then. Yoona, you shall go forth and discern the news of the orcs. Your mission ends with the end of the festival, and we expect some good news.”

 

Yoona shut her eyes, bowing lower to receive the order. 

 

Walking out of the tent, Hyun Joong caught up with her. “Hey, let me go with you,” he offered, placing a hand on her shoulder as he spun her around and looked at her.

 

“No, you don’t have the decree,” Yoona looked away, towards the training ground where young paladins like themselves were practicing archery.”

 

“We’ll beg them again, maybe they’ll send someone else,” Hyun Joong suggested, trying to keep his expression hopeful. 

 

“No,” Yoona pushed him away gently and continued on her path. Before Hyun Joong caught up with her again, they were faced with three other young paladins. Even though they were dressed in the same uniform, the three had significantly sharper ears than Yoona and Hyun Joong. 

 

“Looks like someone won’t be there for the tournament,” the middle one chuckled, “by the time you’re back, we will all be promoted, and you’ll still remain at the bottom of the food chain. So what if you’re our best archer, your blood will always be impure. Right, girls?"

 

The other two laughed mockingly, the other one named Jessica continued, “Tiffany, you couldn’t have phrased it better. You’re nothing, Yoona.”

 

“Please, let me pass,” Yoona kept a straight face and attempted to walk through them. The third girl shoved her back, causing her to push against Hyun Joong. “You’re not going anywhere,” she hissed as the three edged closer. “Listen, you ,” Tiffany took Yoona’s arm and gave it a hard twist, causing the latter to groan, “you’re not allowed to be back before the tournament ends. You will come back precisely when the whole festival is over. You will not spoil any of my plans and neither will you vie with me for the promotion. I will not have a half blood rank above me, and I don’t care how much Elder Young Ae protects you, do you understand?

 

The third girl, Tae Young, stared hard into Yoona’s eyes, Yoona felt a hard punch on her stomach. The pain increased and it was like someone repeatedly knifed her in the abdomen. She sunk to her knees as the energy inside her stomach threatened to explode out of her. Hyun Joong fell beside her and held onto her, looking up to the other three, “please, we aren’t looking for a fight.”

 

Yoona screamed, but Jessica immediately gave her a slap over her face. “Don’t you dare make a sound,” she hissed, joining Tae Young in what she was doing. Suddenly, Yoona felt the pain in her stomach increase two folds. Her face contorted in pain as she gripped onto her abdomen, the other hand covering her own mouth. She sank lower to the ground.

 

“Please,” Hyun Joong begged, reaching out to touch Tiffany’s boots, “please, stop.”

 

“What would you do, Hyun Joong?” Tiffany giggled, “what would you do to save poor, poor Yoona?”

 

“Please, I beg you, stop!” Hyun Joong said as Yoona’s face increasing grew ashen. He bowed and bumped Tiffany’s boots with his forehead, “please!”

 

“I said, what would you do, Hyun Joong?” Tiffany rolled her eyes, squatting down to lift Hyun Joong’s chin up. Her fingers caressed his cheeks, “hmm, answer me, sweet Hyun Joong.”

 

Yoona shook her head furiously, sweat dripping down her temple as she screamed over her covered mouth, her grip over her stomach tightened. 

 

“Anything,” Hyun Joong looked up at Tiffany, his eyes turned puppy. Tiffany beamed, “anything?” She gently brushed his bangs aside. 

 

He nodded in her hands, his eyes desperate, “I’ll do anything. Please stop!”

 

“So I’ll see you outside my tent tonight at the third moon hour, alright?” Tiffany his face. Hyun Joong nodded, the girl immediately showed an expression of satisfaction before she released her hold on his face. She stood up, motioning towards Tae Young and Jessica, she said, “lets go, girls.”

 

The other two immediately shrugged, with contentment over their faces as they spun around and walked off casually. Yoona felt the stabbing pangs in her stomach loosen as Hyun Joong hurried to her. “Yoona, are you okay?”

 

The paladin nodded, groaning as she tried to support herself on the ground with her hands. However, her hands gave way and she crashed back onto the hard soil. “Let me help,” the boy gently lift her up. “W-Why d-did you prom-mise her,” Yoona asked through her pain. Hyun Joong ignored her, “I’ll bring you back to your tent,” he said as he lifted her up into his arms and carried her away.