.twenty four.

Minji hurried after Prince Eun when Yeon Hwa dragged Hajin away and caught him just as he was about to climb onto his horse on his way out. "Eun oppa," She called his name to get his attention. It was one of the first times, if not the first time, she was calling him by his real name and not Shrimp Prince. Her words had managed to take him by surprise, but only for a fraction of a second. She didn't give him any time to think about it as she continued in a pleading voice. "Take me back to the palace with you. We need to do something to help her." She needed to see Jung. He would be able to do something about this. He could talk to his mother, or the king. They would help them.

Eun gave a firm nod of his head and seemed to have grown strength from out of nowhere. He lifted her up so easily, like she was weightless, and he placed her onto the horse without so much as breaking a sweat. Minji was able to steady herself as he climbed on behind her, trapping her securely between him and the reigns of the horse. Minji placed her hands on top of his to keep her balance and he didn't flinch away like he normally would have. There was no time for any childishness since they were trying to save Hae Soo from a horrible fate.

It took about a moment for them to both get settled and they were on their way, the tenth prince making his horse dash across the dirt road back to the palace.

At one moment Minji gulped, scared that she might fall off. "Eun-ah, slow down..." She called his name, afraid. Everything was passing so quickly before her eyes and horse riding was still something new to her. She was afraid they would both fall and get hurt.

But the tenth prince reassured her. "Don't be scared. I won't let you fall."

And right then, she believed him.

They reached the palace in record time and the guards opened up the gates for them, bowing their heads to the tenth prince as the seventeen year old didn't even stop to greet them. Eun stopped by the back of the palace, where there was a gazebo overlooking a lake in which he and his brothers often had lunch together to enjoy the nice view of nature. He tugged on the reigns gently to get his horse to come to a stop and jumped off the horse shouting off the top of his lungs, his arms flailing high above his head. "Brothers! Brothers, come quick! There's an emergency!"

The others turned, distracted from their lunch, when they heard the commotion and Jung was the first to shoot up from his chair at the sight of Minji. He pushed past his brothers to get to them and asked with concern. "What's wrong? Is Hak Soon hurt?" He looked from his older brother to his girlfriend. She didn't look like she was injured or in any pain, but he couldn't be too sure.

The fourteenth prince helped Minji off the horse as his older brother explained frantically to the other princes who were gathering around them. "No, no. Your girl if fine. She just came with me because we have urgent news from brother Wook's house." He reassured Jung first before starting to explain. The other princes waited with excitement for him to continue. "Yeon Hwa said the Haes are going to marry Soo-yah off to some man and she's going to have to go somewhere far away."

His words quickly gained the fourth prince's attention. He had been standing off to the side, not too close to the others, pretending not to care about anything. But the others knew that out of all his brothers, he had always had a soft spot for both Baek-ah and Eun. They were two of the youngest and he never had a problem with them. With Jung, even though he was the youngest of them, it was a different story. His youngest brother was poisoned against him by their mother. And for that reason, the two could never get along.

"Its some man who's old and has many children." Minji informed them desperately, her hands gripping tightly onto the material of his gown.  Yeon Hwa had given them the vague details that she knew about, but there was a satisfaction on her face. She was glad to be getting rid of Hajin. "We have to save her. Its unfair to force her into a marriage like that." But she also didn't want to be separated from Hajin so that they could continue to search for a way back to the present together. Hajin was the only person who she knew from back home.

The other princes agreed and many of them separated. The fourth prince went to go talk to Ji Mong, to try to find some loop hole. Won and Yo left, more interested in seeing everything unfold than actually worried or attempting to help. But Minji knew they would be of no use to them. They didn't care for Hajin like the other boys did. Han went to talk to the general, in hopes that he might know away to get Hajin out of the commitment her family was pushing her into. Soon the only ones left were Baek-ah, Jung, Eun, and Minji. 

The next one to leave was Jung. "Stay with my hyungs." He instructed Minji, with his hands on her shoulders. "I'm going to find my mother and see if she can interfere."

Minji gave a nod of her head.

As soon as Jung left, Baek-ah turned to Eun and Minji. "I think we three should come up with a plan in case none of them are able to stop that wedding."

The fifteen year old nodded her head in agreement. It was better than just standing around and waiting for news. At least they would be able to help out in some way and they would be able to tell the others of their plan. 

It was another hour before they heard from any of the others.

-

When the others came back, they found that they were all unsuccessful. Wook and Jung had both gone to talk to their mothers, but to no avail. Wang So was unable to find Ji Mong, while the general informed Han that they could not interfere, as they were Hae Soo's family matters. It was business for the Haes to deal with.

But Baek-ah and Eun informed the other boys of their plan. They would all help Hae Soo escape and Wang So had agreed to take the fall for it being a kidnapping. With that, the princes left the palace on their way back to Wook's house. Minji rode with Jung on his horse, but when they arrived, she joined the tenth prince again as he hurried to her window where he had done a puppet show for her earlier. 

"Soo-yah." He called for her.

Hae Soo stuck her head out the window a minute later. The faintest hint of a smile formed on her lips at the sight of the prince and her best friend Minji. When Yeon Hwa took her away, her uncles had been there to see her. They informed her that she was to marry that afternoon and that she would immediately be moved to a separate house which her husband bought for her. They immediately had Chaeryung pack her things and the two girls were contemplating the thought of Soo running away when the tenth prince called to her. 

She left her bedroom and met the two outside, pulling them both in for a hug at the same time. 

"We're here to break you out of here." Minji whispered to her, her eyes darting back and for to keep watch for Yeon Hwa and the Haes uncles.

"And we brought help." Eun nodded in agreement just as the other princes walked around the corner stealthily, Wang So included among them. He and Hae Soo exchanged a few glances before the others explained what would happen. 

They had three pink cloaks with them in order to cause confusion and distractions. One was handed to Hajin, while the other was handed to Minji, and the last to Eun, since they were the smallest in their group. It had been decided that Eun would go with Wook, wearing the cloak as a decoy, so that Yeon Hwa would think it was Hajin. Minji would go with Eun, wearing a cloak for the same reason. While Wang So would take Hajin with him to a place he said no one would find her. The other princes trusted him, and even Hajin did.

The princes split up into three groups and left the eighth prince's home, with Wook making sure to pass right by his sister and Hae Soo's uncles so that they could see them.

The first ones to be caught were Jung and Minji. They were accompanied by Han, and when the guards tried to pry Hae Soo from him. When she climbed off the horse, a guard pulled her hood down to reveal the general's daughter. Minji stuck her tongue out at them. "By now Hae Soo is probably far away and you'll never find her." From behind her, Jung smiled, knowing they had managed to fool the guards.

Jung helped Minji back onto the horse and the guards led the three back towards Wook's house. On their way there, they had managed to run into the rest of the group. Yeon Hwa had tried to stop Wook, but they had found that it was Eun who was beneath the cloak. Though it wasn't too long before they caught up with Wang So as well. Along with the other guards and Yeon Hwa was Ji Mong, making the other princes confused as to his presence there. He mostly handled matters of the king and the royal family, not of the nobles.

The fourth prince refused to let her go warning her that they wouldn't be able to help her anymore.

Yeon Hwa warned Hae Soo with a satisfied smirk playing on her lips. "If you resist, and my brothers interfere, you'll only get them in trouble. Hak Soon too. Is that what you want? Everything will be easier if you just accept your fate."

Minji shot her a glare, but Yeon Hwa was oblivious to it all.

"I will go with them." Hajin said with a sigh of defeat.

Wang So loosened his grip on her and climbed off the horse, helping her off as well. At the same time, Minji rushed to her friend's side and took her hands in both of hers. "Hajin, I swear I will do something. I won't let this happen." Tears were beginning to sting her eyes at the thought of never seeing her friend again.

Her friend offered her a sad smile, prying her hands away from her hold. "Don't cry for me, Minji. I'll be fine."

"Ji Mong." Wang So made one last attempt, pleading to the astronomer with his eyes.

But Ji Mong gave a firm shake of his head. "There's nothing we can do, boys. I have direct orders from the king to take miss Hae Soo back to the palace for a royal wedding."

Everyone who was there stood with jaws dropped in surprise. Even Yeon Hwa, who didn't know who the husband would be. None of them saw it coming. But she couldn't say she was pleased to hear the news.

Hajin tried to stay strong as Ji Mong led her into the chair which the guards would carry all the way to the palace. But her tears started spilling out of her eyes. She was only seventeen in that life, and she would spend the rest of her life as the king's wife. She would be alone in a house bearing children  and only able to see him.

Minji stood by Jung's side, her mind racing with possible ideas to help her. But nothing would come to her. Hajin was taken away and the princes climbed back on their horses, making their way back to the palace to witness the wedding of the king and his newest wife--Hae Soo of the Hae clan.

-

i haven't updated this in a while, so here is a chapter for you all. i'm following most of the general story line in some scenes. but i am adding a few scenes and dialogue to include my own character, which is minji.

i hope you're all liking this story.

in about a half hour i have to go get ready for work so this will conclude my updates for today. i will try to update this again tomorrow, since i have the day off. 

but i'm not sure if i'll be able to. thank you again for reading.

-clary