The Cold Emperor

Chapter 1

With a heavy sigh you laid down on the soft grass beneath you. You had been practicing your sword fighting skills nonstop for the last two hours, making your body ache with fatigue. You stretched your limbs like a starfish and felt your muscles slowly relax. The warm spring sun shone on your body, making you feel slightly drowsy. You hated the fact that you had to hide so far in the forest to practice. You couldn't remember how many times you watched your brothers Jin and Namjoon with envy, while they practised with each other. You scoffed loudly as you remembered how it was no problem for them to practice topless, whereas you couldn't even publicly be seen wearing pants. These were unfortunately the restrictions of being a girl born in a well-off family. You were lucky that your brothers treated you like they treated each other; meaning that they taught you how to fight as well. This was highly uncommon for women, so they taught you in private. Whereas girls your age learned to dance and sing, you learned how to fight with swords and daggers.

Today you had finally some time for yourself and you took the opportunity to practise. Practicing made you feel alive; it made you feel in tune with your body. You were able to release all you pent up stress and frustrations; making you feel light as a feather when you were done. The warm sun, combined with your aching muscles, made you close your eyes as sleep washed over you. Suddenly you woke up, your body tensing up in high alert. As you laid on the ground, you could hear and feel a group of horse riders coming in your direction. You jumped up and picked up your blade; preparing yourself for possible danger. The sound of the horses suddenly stopped, almost as if they were not sure where to go. After a few seconds they rode again, this time heading towards a different direction. Your curiosity peaked, who were they? What were they doing here? All these questions were spinning in your mind. Before you could overthink, you ran in the direction where the riders had stopped.

Carefully hidden in behind the trees, you inspected the area. There was no one to be seen. Your body completely stilled and you listened carefully. That's when you heard a low whimper. You slowly sneaked into that direction, in the direction of a large oak. As you walked around it, your breathing hitched. There was a large slit in the oak tree, large enough for a man to his in; which was exactly the case. The man in front of you was wearing a crème coloured shirt and dark pants. His face was completely covered by a large cone-shaped straw hat. What had shocked you, however, was the growing puddle of blood beneath his leg. "What happened to you?" You asked startled, as you dropped on your knees in front of him, trying to inspect his leg. "That's none of your concern," he hissed, as he tried to move his leg. "You will bleed to death if you don't let me check it," you bit back exasperated. The stranger didn't object anymore when you tried to approach him again. Slowly, you peeled away parts of fabric that were stuck to his wound, making him flinch.

You breathing hitched at seeing the wound, it was bad, really bad. It looked like he was hit by an arrow in his thigh. "I will need to clean the wound and stitch it, otherwise it will fester soon," you said with concern. "I will be fine, I can take care of myself," he groaned as he tried to stand up again. "You are so incredibly stubborn!" You yelled as you started to feel frustrated, "Do you have a death wish?" The stranger's body froze and you were sure that he was furious, but for some reason he wouldn't look at you. "My horse and supplies are close, I will get them and then clean your wound," you announced and walked away. What an arrogant jerk, you thought to yourself. When you came back, you were almost afraid that he would have left. Lucky, you found him lying in the same spot. You pulled your flask of water out of your bag and carefully cleaned his wound with it. "My name is Y/N, by the way," he said curtly. The man stayed quite for a long time, making you think that he was not going to answer. "Yoon," he said softly, making you look up in surprise, "My name is Yoon."

"Well Yoon, can you tell me why those riders were hunting you?" You asked as you grabbed a needle and some thread from your bag. Frustrated by the fact that he stayed quiet again, you pricked the needle in his skin without giving him a warning, making him yelp. "This is going to hurt, so brace yourself," you said sarcastically and far too late. Although you couldn't see Yoon's face, you knew that he had his jaw clenched in agony.All the muscles in his body were taut with pain. You couldn't help yourself from looking at his bare, deliciously sculpted legs. You behaviour was so unladylike, especially in these circumstances, it made your cheeks burn in shame. You were about to announce that you were done when you heard footsteps behind, you instantly turned around while holding up your sword. You saw a vile looking men eyeing you up, "Give him to me sweet cheeks, this way you will not hurt yourself." You chuckled, it was always like this; no one took you seriously as a fighter. "Someone will definitely get hurt, but it is not going to be me," you taunted.

With rage, he charged at you, but you easily dodged him. He swung his blade at you, but you once again dodged him with ease. "It this all you got?" You yawned. The man's blood boiled at hearing you taunts and he swung his sword again, multiple jabs this time. You blocked all of them and gave a strong swing with your sword, making him fall on his back. "What it is? Are you surprised, you filthy rat?" He growled as your words and jumped up, charging at you again. You had grown tired of his lame attempts at hurting you. With one final blow, you knocked him out. He fell flat on the ground like a bag of potatoes. You walked back to Yoon, as if nothing had happened, but you could sense the hesitation from him. "How did you learn to fight like that?" He asked. You couldn't help but feel pride at the amazement in his words. "I grew up with two elder brothers; I always joined them when they practiced," you explained

Yoon stayed quiet after that. You helped him stand up and guided him to your horse. As you both sat on it properly, you asked: "Where can I drop you off?" "I-uhm, near the royal palace," he murmured. He must be some kind of government official, you thought to yourself as you started to ride. Yoon didn't utter a word when you both rode, but you felt his searing hands on your side, trying to keep his balance on the horse. Your skin tingled at his touch, no one man had ever touched you like this before. Once you reached the gates of the palace, a group of soldiers ran your way to help Yoon off the horse and into the palace. You just stood there; dumbfounded, he hadn't even thanked you or looked back. With an annoyed sigh, you turned around and headed home. The next morning you were rushed out of your bed by your mother. "There is a royal messenger for you," she explained in wonder. Your eyes widened in surprise. You quickly put on your hanbok and rushed to the front gate. "I am Y/N," you confirmed to the messenger. He opened the scroll and read:

"Lady Kim Y/N, you are invited to the Royal palace by His Majesty the Emperor. He would like to properly and personally thank you for saving his life"