A/N: I should be studying Chemistry and Zoology right now, but I just really feel like writing. I hope you like this chapter :)

I crept silently out the backdoor of the mansion and shut it as gently as I could. I sprinted out into the dark night. I wasn't sure where I was going, but I knew I had to find safety in some place far, far away. 

I brought nothing with me but a small leather bag. Its contents were pieces of dried food (which I've stolen from the kitchen when Shindong wasn't looking), a few gold coins, a jug of water, and Henry's letter. The provisions would last for about three days; which meant that if I couldn't find a town safe enough to stay in within that given time, I would have to hunt for my food (which I have honestly never done) or starve to death. 

And supposing I would find a town where no one wanted to kill me, I didn't know how I would return to Hearthfordshire to overthrow the queen. "If only I could find Jessica," I thought. "She'd know what to do."

But I was alone now. There was not a single soul but my own running in this huge forest in the middle of nowhere.  

"Halt!" I heard a man's voice say.

Perhaps I was wrong. There was someone else here. And I needed to run faster if I didn't want to get caught by him. 

I made wide but light steps to get away as quickly and as quietly as I could. But I heard his footsteps become louder. I knew he was near me. I was about to run at full speed –

"Where do you think you're going, Krystal?" he asked me as he held my arm in his tight grip. I instantly recognized that voice. It was Minho.

I didn't know whether I'd be terrified because he caught me or insulted because he just addressed me with my first name. (Everyone but my family members called me "princess" or "your highness.") I decided I'd be both. 

"Let go of me!" I screamed, breaking the silence of the eerie night.

"Do you realize how dangerous it is for you to be running in this forest alone?"

"It's not as dangerous as staying in that house!" I replied. Minho gave me a puzzled expression.

"What do you mean?" he held me now with both of his hands and started dragging me back to the mansion.

"You and your companions took my sister," I shouted at his ear as I struggled out of his grasp.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" he answered.

"Stop acting like you know nothing!" I retorted.

"You," he said angrily raising his voice, "stop acting like you know everything."

With that, he flung me over his shoulder like a sack and carried me back to the house. I wriggled, screamed, cried, and pounded on his back to be set free. But it was no use. He was too strong.

Lady Victoria was bewildered when we entered the house. "What is going on? Minho, why are you carrying her like that? Put her down!"

"I'm sorry, my Lady," he said to Lady Victoria. But he wasn't sorry at all; he didn't put me down. He carried me to my room.

"Princess Krystal, my darling, what's wrong?" Lady Victoria asked me.

Minho didn't let me answer. "Nothing's wrong, my Lady. Please go back to sleep." With that, he shut the door of my room, keeping Lady Victoria away from the two of us.

The nerve of this man! How dare he slammed the door at Lady Victoria's face in her own house!? And how dare he toss me – the princess of Hearthfordshire – on the bed so roughly?

"What are you going to do to me?" I asked, afraid that he had some impure intentions in mind.

He did not answer. He just glared at me in response.

"I command you to leave my room!" I said, anger and fear burning in my voice.

"This is not even your house," he told me.

I was about to strangle him when I noticed that Henry's ring was no longer on my finger. Tears started to fall from my eyes. "Henry's ring!" I said touching my hands. "I lost it because of you..."

He started to look concerned. "I'm sorr –" he sighed. "I'll find it for you. I promise." 

I wanted to say something rude to him, but I was already too weak, too tired, too crushed. All my remaining strength and anger slipped away; I had lost what Henry gave me. I curled up on the bed, my back facing Minho, then I cried myself to sleep. 

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When I woke up the next morning, I found Henry's ring on my bedside table. Relief rushed through me. I couldn't help but feel grateful towards Minho for retrieving the ring.

My gratefulness, however, was short-lived. I tried to open the door to go out, but I realized that it was locked from the other side. I knocked, hoping someone would hear me. 

"Princess Krystal?" I heard Taemin's voice.

"Taemin, can you please open the door?" I asked him.

"Sorry, your highness. Prince Minho told all of us not to let you out. He said it's for your own good," Taemin replied innocently.

"He's a prince? I thought he was your messenger." I said, somewhat surprised.

"He's a prince and our messenger," Taemin answered in a happy tone as though he was proud that he had a prince for a messenger. "He's so kind, isn't he? He plays with me like I'm his little brother."  

"Well, it was kind of him to lock me in my room," I muttered bitterly. "Taemin, this is your house right? You can let me out if you want to."

"No, this is the prince's house. He's really nice, Princess Krystal! He's letting all of us live here." Taemin said.

"Oh, I see..." I responded, my last string of hope of getting out lost. "Which kingdom does Minho come from, Taeminnie?"

"I don't really know. But they say it doesn't exist anymore. Bad people destroyed it."

I remained silent and leaned on the door, suddenly starting to feel lonely and trapped.

"Princess?" Taemin asked. "Are you alright?"

"Not really," I answered honsetly.

"Do you want me to tell you a happy story so you won't be sad anymore?" Taemin asked sweetly.

I smiled for the first time in days. I was touched by how much Taemin cared even though he was still so young. "Yes, Taemin. I'd love to hear your story."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was roused from sleep around midnight by the sound of someone opening my door. It was Minho.

"Get up, Krystal." he told me.

Though it still bothered me that he didn't call me "princess" or "your highness," I complied with what he said. He took my hand gently – which greatly surprised me – and led me to the front room.

I was in shock. A number of men were assembled in the room, and I recognized many of them to be rebels. They were the same men who I had seen in the barn talking about weapons and attacking the palace.

"Your highness," Shindong greeted and bowed to me. Everyone else in the room did the same, except for Minho. I curtsied back.

"May I know why all of you are gathered here?" I asked.

"Your majesty, I am Kim Heechul. We have come to greet the general. The general shall arrive any moment now," one of them answered.

"The general will lead us in attacking the palace to overthrow the queen," a man who was shorter than the rest added. I learned later that his name was Kim Jonghyun.

I felt ashamed of myself. All this time, these men were fighting on my side, for my kingdom, yet I had thought they were the enemy.

"Who is this general that you speak of?"

As if on cue, the answer to my question arrived outside the door. I watched him get off his horse. His face was covered by the hood of his cloak. He walked bravely to the house. He was accompanied by more men who carried weapons. He entered and all men bowed before him.

"Greetings, my fellow warriors." 

I was shocked. He was not a he but a she. I recognized her voice. She removed her cloak, smiled at me, and walked towards me and wrapped me in her embrace. I broke down in tears of joy. 

She was Jessica.

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"Yah!" Jonghyun exclaimed. "How come the short one has the same name as me?" 

"Oh, what a coincidence," Key said, laughing.

Jonghyun felt his heart stop for a moment. He couldn't help but notice how handsome Key was when he laughed. He shook his head, as if to wake him self up.

"I must be going insane," he thought.

"Stop shaking your head and continue reading!" Key told him. "Tomorrow's the deadline."

Jonghyun sighed. "Arraseo."

And finally, our favorite ice princess has arrived :)

Oh, and umm...you don't have to worry about me dropping this fic. It's my first chapter-story, and I'm going to finish writing this no matter what, and no matter how long it takes :)

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