Tale of Two

Year 212, Eiju continent.

"Uncle, is it true that our Eiju is blessed by the dragon god?" A little girl with two long braids asked sweetly as she snuggled into her uncle's lap. She held a golden hairpin in her palm, decorated with a beautiful purple stone to resemble a hibiscus flower. When she held it up towards the sun, it shined a different hue, enamoring the young girl.

"Of course, Nara." T'ak Kwan's eyes gleamed with a strange light as he ran his fingers through his niece's hair. He ruffled the shiny raven locks, causing her head to bob as he messed up the neatly done braids. He smiled at seeing the pout on her lips form at having her hair ruined.

To his amusement, instead of complaining, she suddenly spoke out another question, still holding the hairpin tightly.

"Then where is the dragon god now?"

T'ak Kwan's smile froze. This was a query many others, including him, had asked. But to their avail, no answers were given. Though there were several ways to ease her curiosity, he was at a loss on how to reply. His expression faltered strangely, though Nara's eyes were too slow to catch it.

"Well, the dragon god…" He started, though he himself could not complete the sentence.

"Princess! There you are!"

Fortunately, a maidservant interrupted their conversation before he was forced to come up with an excuse. Upon her arrival, Nara jumped up from her uncle's lap and immediately attempted to hide behind him. He was bigger than she was, so she was easily covered by his large figure.

She was out of luck, however, since T'ak Kwan knew the servant had already noticed her, and there was nothing he could do to help his niece. He chuckled before gently pushing her towards the maidservant who was approaching at a rapid speed.

"Quickly come, princess! The king seeks your presence." The maidservant put her hands on her hips, impatiently eyeing the tiny princess.

Nara let out a groan of displeasure at her uncle's betrayal as she walked away with the maid, a frown clear on her face. Her time with her uncle had been intervened with! Out of frustration, she stomped on the maidservant's foot, and she got a slap on the head in return. Normally, such actions towards royalty was seen as disrespect and could be punished by death, but the maidservant was close enough to joke like this with the royal princess.

T'ak Kwan continued to smile.

The moment her tiny figure was out of sight, the 'warm' smile plastered on his face was replaced with a sneer, seemingly filled with nothing but hate and ruthlessness. His expression was like a mad man, hunting desperately for something.

If only she knew the truth about everything.

"Will we proceed with the plan, my lord?" A shadow quietly emerged from the trees. This person's voice was just as sinister as the look on T'ak Kwan's face. He had been watching the two of them this entire time and when he saw the contrast between the loving uncle and the cold hearted lord he served, there was a weird feeling he could not grasp.

"For what reason would we halt them?" T'ak Kwan's voice sounded mocking, as if to say the question itself was foolish. His entire body emitted a cold air. The small amount of gentleness he held in his eyes when confronting his niece was no longer there, and it was instead replaced by darkness.

The shadow couldn't help but to shiver, afraid that if he was not careful, he might be engulfed by this freezing persona. Should he do anything to anger his lord, his life would certainly be at risk.

Such a dangerous threat was standing in front of him just minutes ago, acting all doting towards his niece.

Meanwhile, inside the Yu palace, Nara sat on the floor with her legs crossed as the maidservant diligently watched over her.

The maidservant was named Si-Hyo, and she was the princess' personal attendant. She was a woman of short stature, but she could withstand anything. Since the day she entered the palace, her only duty was to babysit the seven year old girl and prevent her from doing any mischievous deeds.

Most of the time, her intervention proved to be a failure.

"Princess, please sit properly. The king and queen will arrive shortly..." Si-Hyo strongly attempted to convince Nara. Her efforts were in vain, as always, because Nara looked up at her with two beady little eyes. The innocence in her face would make anyone think she was going to be obedient, but it was the opposite. Rather, she leaned down provokingly, further worsening her posture.

Si-Hyo sighed.

As the only royal princess of Yu country, it was no surprise she had a spoiled and playful personality. There was no one who could discipline this troublemaking princess. And as if noticing Si-Hyo's dissatisfaction, the princess even laughed cheerfully.

"…"

A cough startled the two of them and Nara excitedly turned her head towards the entrance.

Standing underneath the beautifully engraved dragon statue atop the front entrance were three people, their eyes all focused on her. She recognized the masculine one as her father, and the more feminine figure as her mother.

"Greetings, Your Majesties!" Si-Hyo immediately lowered her head and bowed to the king and queen.

The king and queen were old, yet their appearance and attire matched their characters. The queen was dressed neatly and a red robe wrapped around her loosely, the crown on her head being the most eye catching. The king was dressed even more extravagantly, being the highest authority of the country after all.

"Stand, and go guard from outside." The queen dismissed Si-Hyo and turned to stare at her daughter. She received a cheeky smile in return, but this caused the wrinkles on her forehead to scrunch as she frowned. Knowing Nara's personality, she was certain her daughter was up to no good.

Nara whistled innocently and ran to hug her father's thighs for protection from the scolding she would receive. Though in her heart, even if she misbehaved and was lectured by her mother often, these two were her most beloved parents.

However, there was a third figure observing them with keen eyes. The one who had coughed was neither the queen or the king. It was a being of higher status than own her parents—Hubei. Upon noticing Hubei's presence, Nara's grin grew wide.

"Hubei!" Her two little feet acted on their own and quickly ran to lunge at Hubei, who extended her elegant arms to catch the princess into her embrace. Once Nara was caught in the firm and safe hug, she laughed and nuzzled into Hubei's chest.

"Nara! You insolent child, address Lady Hubei properly!" Nara's actions had angered the king and he was fast to scold his daughter. He stopped when Hubei made a shushing motion to silence him.

"Lady Hubei, please forgive our daughter, she's still young and naive..." Queen Yu was clutching her handkerchief as she laughed nervously to ease the atmosphere. Hubei nodded in acknowledgment as she rubbed Nara's back.

Queen Yu tried to coerce Nara into getting down, but her foolish child turned her head and nuzzled into Hubei's neck instead. Her face went pale and she could almost see the heavens.

It was common knowledge that the continent of Eiju was ruled by four major countries, and each of these countries had a dragon that was the guardian of the nation. The dragons were worshipped and revered by everyone and seen as the protectors of the continent.

In Yu country, it was the water dragon, Hubei, that reigned supreme. It was law that every citizen was expected to respect the water dragon, the royalty being no exception to this rule.

"Fret not. This master has raised the little one and her brother since infancy, it is no issue that she sees this one as one of her confidants." Hubei comforted the king and queen, white lashes fluttering as she shifted her gaze to Nara. Hubei was expressionless, but her appearance was so enchanting that Nara couldn't help but to fall victim into dazing off.

Since Hubei was a dragon, she did not look like any normal human. The humanized form she took was so outer worldly beautiful that anyone who was to look at her would have their souls whisked away. She was wearing a long and fine white gown, which made it easy for Nara to huddle into, but the plainness to her clothing gave her an even more stunning effect.

"Rather, this master would hope the two of you see this one as your kin, for this master has seen your birth as well." Hubei said.

"How... how could we ever? Lady Hubei is the great dragon that protects our family! We do not dare disrespect your position." King Yu sounded panicked. He was sweating bullets as he hurriedly explained.

"This master already expressed that it is not bother... little one, where is the other seed?" Hubei suddenly questioned.

"Hm?" Nara looked at her innocently. Hubei's manner of speaking was rather odd, so she sometimes didn't understand.

"Your brother." Hubei clarified.

Nara thought for a second before giggling, "Hui was disciplined by our uncle, so he's sulking in his room! Hehe!"

It was his own fault. Her uncle had specifically instructed the two of them to stay out of trouble, yet he was the one who convinced Nara to disobey.

She even warned him not to peek at military affairs, yet he snuck into the training grounds to watch anyways and was caught by their uncle. In the end, he was given a punishment of having to stay in his room with a servant watching him at all times.

Hubei's thin lips curled into a smile as she hummed. Her gentle look was breathtaking and Nara found herself staring at the older lady once more, whose appearance could only be described as heavenly.

"This master has heard word of T'ak Kwan's return from war." Hubei's comment this time was directed towards the two monarchs.

"Indeed, Lady Hubei, it has been three years since his expedition, and he came back only recently." King Yu didn't hesitate to reply. "Since my younger brother has accomplished such wonderful achievements since going to war, we were hoping if Lady Hubei would be willing to do the honor of blessing him during this year's dragon festival."

Hubei's eyes curved into two crescent moons and the tear mole under her eye made her look more pleasing. As a gentle smile fell upon her pale lips, she opened them to speak, "A hero is naturally worthy of a noble prize."

"That's right! My uncle is a hero!" Nara proudly exclaimed. For as long as she can remember, she has been close to her uncle. He has always treated Hui and her as though they were his own children, so she was naturally happy to see him being praised.

"Little one, shall we visit your brother?" Hubei inquired and Nara agreed happily.

Their permission wasn't necessary due to Hubei's power over them, but the king and queen nodded in acknowledgement to allow the water dragon to see their son. Queen Yu scolded her daughter before seeing them leave.

"That naughty girl! Husband, we have to quickly fix her behavior." Queen Yu sighed.

King Yu didn't say anything but he secretly agreed with his wife. He always spoiled his daughter but it was obvious she had grown too ignorant. It would have ended in a disaster if the water dragon wasn't such a benevolent being.

*

Year 212, Eiju continent.

The dragon festival was held every year, at the end of the lunar calendar, to honor the great dragons and the four families that they protected. The great dragons of each nation would naturally perform at their own festivals in their respective nations, and it was especially something to look forward to in Yu country.

This year, King Yu's younger brother—the general, had returned with glory in war. His excellent work in leading the battlefield meant Yu country was gaining yet another territory. The country was not small, but they sometimes lacked in resources and had to trade with other countries for what they were missing.

Naturally, citizens would praise the general for his amazing feats.

It was especially lively in the palace.

Nara and Hui were seated in the corner, arguing with each other over who got to eat what. Si-Hyo finally had enough and slapped them both on the heads. She smirked as they angrily rubbed the places they were hit, feeling that they were wronged. As they ate, the guards at the entrance suddenly announced their uncle's arrival. They both excitedly looked up.

As T'ak Kwan approached the thrones where King Yu and Queen Yu were seated, he kneeled in front of them, knowing the great dragon would appear.

And that she did.

Everyone watched in awe as Hubei appeared from clear water, her hands glowing a blue light. She leaned in to whisper a few words into T'ak Kwan's ears, then she waved her hand and conjured a water droplet. The texture of the droplet was just like water, but it was solid when it was held.

T'ak Kwan still had his head dropped to show obedience, so she reached a hand to prop him to look her in the eye.

"This master is amazed by your talents, T'ak Kwan. From the day you were born, this one knew you were bound for a great destiny. Today, you have proven yourself worthy and have received the blessing of water." Hubei spoke softly.

She did not notice, but within the respectful eyes of T'ak Kwan, there was a hidden desire to possess. She had just explained the content of the water droplet to him, and now that he received what he needed, there was nothing holding him back from acting on his urges.

"You have my deepest gratitude, Lady Hubei."

T'ak Kwan accepted her gift and stood to show respect to his brother and his sister in law, and then accepted their praises. He saw Nara and Hui looking in his direction, so he waved at them.

They waved back, not knowing T'ak Kwan's wave was a signal to begin the true festival.

*

Year 213, Eiju continent.

Nara and Hui were witnessing the coronation of their uncle. In just a few minutes, he would become the new king. Nara was truly happy for him.

She closed her eyes.

It had been a year since that incident.

Nara remembered clearly of how happy she had been, yet in an instant, the entire banquet hall was engulfed in flames. She could not process what was happening, but she remembered her brother's strong grip on her hands. He was grabbing tightly to her as the two of them were led outside by Si-Hyo.

There was shouting as people rushed to stop the flame. Nara's head was ringing as Hui hugged onto her.

Moments after T'ak Kwan received Hubei's words, there were sudden men in black clothes and masks that showed up out of nowhere. The mood of the hall turned dark as the men cornered the king, the queen, the general, and Hubei. They pointed their weapons at them and the queen shouted something at the servants standing by.

Then, Si-Hyo grabbed Nara and Hui and forced them to follow her using a secret passage.

"Prince, princess…" Si-Hyo worriedly uttered. She bent down to check if they had any injuries and only seemed relieved when she found that they were both alright.

She did not know if the king and queen were safe, but at that moment, she heard Queen Yu's orders to take Nara and Hui to a safe place. The queen specified that it didn't matter what happened to her: prioritize the children.

"Mother.. mother and father will be okay, right?" Hui was stammering. "They have Hubei with them, she's, she's strong, right?"

Hearing Hui's cries, Nara began to bawl as Si-Hyo embraced her and tried to calm her down.

It was a long time before the burning palace was drowned in water, not by the help of the servants. The strength of the water could only be Hubei's doing.

After what seemed like an eternity, people rushed out two critically injured people, and two limp bodies that were struggling to walk. Everyone was yelling over each other.

"Hurry, hurry, get the doctors!"

"Lady dragon is hurt!"

"The king and queen…!"

"Help them, quick!"

It took days before a figure finally appeared in front of Nara and Hui. They were waiting in their rooms while Hui was trying to cheer his sister up. Both the siblings were exhausted, but Hui was doing his best to adapt.

They had long gotten the news that their parents were dead.

"Hui, Nara…" The voice that belonged to their uncle mumbled.

Si-Hyo, who had been standing next to the prince and princess, gasped and hurried to help T'ak Kwan balance himself.

"General, please rest! Your body is going to collapse!" The attendant that had followed T'ak Kwan did his best to convince him.

T'ak Kwan ignored him and rushed to take the two children into his arms. Nara, upon finally feeling a familiar warmth, broke down into tears. Hui made efforts to compose himself for his sister's sake these past few days, but now he was crying as well.

"I'm sorry, I could not protect them."

Their uncle apologized over and over again for allowing their parents to die. He expressed how guilty he felt for being the only one alive. The siblings wanted to say that he was blaming himself over something that was not foreseen, and comforted him. The three of them spent the entire night crying their heart out.

The siblings did not know what happened to Hubei, but they heard that she had exerted all her strength to protect T'ak Kwan and her parents. The enemy possessed some sort of secret weapon that made her divine powers useless, so she was fighting as a weaker version of herself.

It was a difficult fight.

She normally would not have been wounded, but she ended up taking several critical injuries from the enemy's mysterious weapons. She was in a coma up until recently. And from the moment she awakened, she had not shown her face to either Nara or Hui, and was secluding herself.

Nara clenched her hand.

She knew what Hubei was thinking.

The water dragon definitely blamed herself for the incident, just as her uncle had.

"Nara?" Hui's concerned voice snapped her out from her thoughts.

"Oh! Is the ceremony over?" She asked.

"No, you looked as if you were dead." Hui tapped her forehead and she laughed. He felt relieved at seeing her smile. Ever since the incident, Nara had lost all her spirit and Hui was upset by seeing his usually cheerful sister become so depressed.

Their uncle was trying to make them happy, he knew that, but even his efforts weren't enough for his sister anymore.

Si-Hyo was standing besides them and she eyed them both, her tears welling up. In just a year, the prince and princess she served had changed into completely different people. If only she was able to do more for them…

She sighed and looked towards T'ak Kwan, who was in the middle of his coronation. Normally, it was the previous king's son who would become the next ruler, yet it was T'ak Kwan who was going to take that role.

It made sense considering Hui was barely eleven, but Si-Hyo was extremely skeptical of T'ak Kwan. Especially since he had not even hesitated to suggest that he take power knowing that the prince and princess were still mourning the death of the king and queen.

She was not dumb. She knew how suspicious it was, but there was nothing she could say or do lest she face the consequences.

She suddenly remembered something and blurted, "Princess, your birthday is soon."

"Oh." Nara replied.

If this was in the past, Nara would be the first to remind everyone that her special day was coming. Yet now she had now forgotten her birthday was even approaching.

"I'll make you a gift, princess." Si-Hyo said, hoping to lift her mood up.

Hui wanted to joke and ask for his gift too, but he knew Si-Hyo was only trying to make his sister feel better.

*

Year 213, Eiju continent.

Today was Nara's birthday.

Nara was dressed splendidly. Si-Hyo had personally embroidered her dress and even did her hairstyle for today's occasion.

"Happy birthday, princess." Si-Hyo admired how pretty her princess looked and caressed her on the head.

For once, Nara smiled genuinely. Slowly, she was gaining her happiness back. T'ak Kwan even said that a banquet would be held for Nara's birthday, which made her even more excited. The only thing that still tugged at her heart was how Hubei was still avoiding her.

It had been a month since T'ak Kwan became king, and Nara and Hui would go to Hubei's palace everyday to leave messages that they missed her. Yet Hubei still had not shown herself.

Si-Hyo knew what she was thinking, so she suggested an idea.

"Perhaps Lady Hubei will show herself at the banquet. She has never missed the princess' birthday's, after all." After saying this, Si-Hyo pulled out two earrings.

They were small, bead like blue earrings that Si-Hyo had made herself. She knew that the princess loved accessories, but she was only a servant and did not have the ability to buy expensive ones.

So she handcrafted them.

"Forgive me for how tacky they look, but I wanted to give you something."

Nara shook her head and accepted the earrrings happily. Si-Hyo did not know, but this meant so much to her. She wanted to put them on right away.

She planned to boast to Hui at the banquet later on.

Yet who knew the birthday banquet would turn out this way.

Why.
Why.
Why.

She wanted to know why this happened again.

"Princess, prince, move! Run! You must…" Si-Hyo coughed up blood as the sword that had pierced her just now was pulled back out. Knowing that the perpetrator would aim for the two again, she immediately covered Nara and Hui's small bodies with hers, taking in any injuries meant for the two children.

Nara wanted to move, but her feet were frozen in fear.

Two hours ago, everyone was having fun and indulging in themselves. Nara had arrived with Hui and Si-Hyo, and everyone greeted her as they wished her a happy birthday.

"Your true gift will arrive soon, my Nara." Her uncle had said after handing her present to her.

She was not aware of what his words meant then. Everything came in place only when people around her were being slaughtered. Before she knew it, T'ak Kwan had pulled out a sword.

She thought he was going to protect them, but he was aiming towards the two siblings instead.

"Uncle, what are you-" Hui was cut off when T'ak Kwan rushed to slash him. His attack was blocked by Si-Hyo, who quickly ran to stand in front of Hui.

"Run…" Si-Hyo was losing blood rapidly. With one last effort, she pushed Hui and Nara towards the exit, and blocked T'ak Kwan's path.

Nara did not know anything that happened next. Hui was holding her hand, just like on the night of the dragon festival, except this time there was no Si-Hyo to lead them. He did not know where the exit was, and so they entered a dead end.

Hui panicked. Where was he supposed to go now?

They heard footsteps behind them. Hui bit his lip and quickly acted to shield Nara.

"Your highness! Follow me!"

It was a voice they had never heard before.

It came from a small boy around Hui's age, but he seemed a bit older. He seemed in a hurry and encouraged them to follow him. Hui was skeptical and was prepared to fight when the boy added in, "I am Master Hubei's servant! I was entrusted to help the two of you!"

It was then that they lowered their guard and reluctantly allowed him to lead them. The boy took them outside and away from palace grounds. They were running into the woods and to who knows where. The siblings had no choice but to trust the mysterious boy, especially with people chasing them.

Hui still had his grip on Nara, afraid to let go.

They were at the cliff side now. Nara had no idea where the boy was taking them, but she was gasping for breath as she ran. The dress she wore was too heavy.

She tried to balance herself up, but she ultimately tripped on something. She went tumbling down the cliff.

Splash.. splash…

Nara heard water and Hui's strained grunt as he tried to pull her up. The servant boy was also trying to help, but they were still young and had no strength to do anything.

Hui panicked as the sound of horses crept closer. He was left with the choice of saving his sister or escaping alone. He was unwilling to pick the latter.

Nara's heart grew heavier as she clenched her teeth. She knew what she needed to do.

"I'm sure Hubei trusted you to help us because you know where to go…"

Hui was confused by her sudden speech and shouted, "Nara, I'll pull yo-"

The small hand that was holding onto him suddenly released, and Hui's eyes grew wide as he tried to hold on tighter. She scratched him harshly in response. On instinct, he yelped and let go. Then he realized what he had done and tried to grab onto her again, but Nara was already falling.

It was too late.

"Take care of my brother! Hui, you have to live! You definitely have to!"

Splash!

The servant boy was silent, but he quickly shook away his tears and grabbed onto Hui's arm to drag him away. Nara had already fell into the ocean in order to sacrifice herself.

"Listen to the princess, prince! You heard her, you HAVE to live!"