Glaciara's Princess

VII. RUN!

A scream suddenly heard by the 4 girls made them freeze in place. All except Handong who immediately covered her little sister's ears, who looked up at her confused and scared.

"Yoohyeon, I need you to be very quiet okay?" she whispered, picking the 8 years old girl into her arms, "And I need you to do exactly as I tell you okay?"

The little girl nodded, arms wrapped around her big sister's neck. Yoohyeon knew that whenever her sister called her by her name rather than her nickname it meant it was very serious.

"Close your eyes, and don't open them until I say you can, okay? No matter what happens or what you hear, keep them closed." she ordered and the little girl, although confused, did as told and the older princess gently pushed the girl's head to rest in her shoulder, face hidden in her neck.

Sure the little girl was heavy, but she didn't have a choice. And she'd always choose her sister's safety over everything and anything. And right now, keeping her sister from witnessing such horrid events was her first priority.

Holding her close as they crouched, hidden within the tall grass of Blossomvale as they headed for the opposite border of the kingdom, they took quiet steps, meticulously keeping their eyes perked for any incoming dangers around them.

As the screams got louder, the blonde princess felt her sister's grip tightened. It was no doubt the little girl was scared.

"We must hurry. We must make it to Crimsonfalls before the guards do." the raven whispered, taking the opportunity of the empty road to take faster steps as she led the way. "Princess Handong? You might want to make sure your sister isn't peaking. She shouldn't witness what we're about to witness as we cross the border."

Handong nodded, taking a glimpse of her sister's buried face in her neck. The girl was too scared to open her eyes, let alone pull away from her sister's comforting scent. And just as they rushed across the empty road, a soldier spotted them.

"THERE'S SOMEONE IN THE TALL GRASS! CATCH THEM!" a soldier yelled.

"Run! I'll stall them!" Bora cried out making way for Queen Minji and Princess Handong carrying her little sister to go ahead.

"What about you?" Queen Minji had asked, sudden concern taking over her beautiful features.

"Hopefully I'll make it out alive. Now go! It's most important you two get to Crimsonfalls and convince the king and queen." she stated as she rose to her feet, launching herself towards the armed soldiers.

-

Desperately knocking on the castle's gate, guards kept telling them to back off threatening to shoot if they didn't.

"Open the gate!" a female's voice echoed and the gate opened the slightest bit to allow the girls inside, revealing a redhead with a wolf cut standing with arms crossed. "How could you threaten Blossomvale and Glaciara's princesses?" Behind her followed the youngest princess of Crimsonfalls, Yubin. A quiet, reserved princess who tagged along wherever her sister would go. They weren't far apart in age unlike the Glaciara's princesses being merely two years apart.

"We must speak with the king and queen." the blonde immediately stated, having no time to catch up with old friends.

"Please, follow me then." the redhead led them inside, towards the throne her parents sat at. Crimsonfalls was on the verge of war and they must stop it at all costs.

"Hello, your majesty." Handong bowed along the other girls as they greeted the rulers.

"What brings you here amidst war?" the king questioned.

"We must ask you to join hands with Blossomva and Glaciara. It's the only way to stop this bloodshed before it reaches Crimsonfalls too." Minji stated, eyes showed determination.

"And what if we refuse?" the queen pondered, looking between the blonde princesses and the brunette queen.

"You might die." Minji blurted out, "My parents refused over and over again to help her parents. And now they've been brutally murdered. They left me with my little sister to look after and an entire kingdom to rule on my own." she sighed, quickly wiping the tears slipping down her cheek. "Don't do that to your daughters."

"Your parents— So you're the queen of Blossomvale now?" the red headed queen, shocked, exclaimed before turning to face her husband.

"I understand your fear may be putting your children at risk, but any given moment can be the end of it all for Crimsonfalls." the blonde princess stated, setting Yoohyeon down and taking her hand. "We've lost almost every citizen of our kingdom... Including Crimsonfalls residents."

"We must discuss this, please stay until a decision is made." the king stated, ordering the maids to guide them to the guest rooms.

"Please hurry. Your kingdom's next on Sunnyvale's list." the Queen of Blossomvale stated and the king and queen nodded before ordering the maids to show them their rooms.

-

"Yoohyeon?" the queen of Glaciara cried out. She, along with the king and maids, had turned the entire castle upside down looking for the young child only to come up empty handed.

"How can she disappear like that?" the queen cried out, falling to her knees, the king kneeling beside her to pull her in for an embrace. "We will find her, honey. I promise." he hushed, rubbing tender circles on his wife's lower back.