I bolted up, snatched the dagger under my pillow and backed myself at the head of my bed, cautiously watching the deep shadows hanging over my room.

My hand was ready to snap and stab anyone who thought they could sneak upon me. There was barely any light even with my windows open as it was the new moon. However, I knew my own space well enough I could imagine the furniture and structures around me.

I had always been a light-sleeper, so I had noticed the sudden shift of the breeze while I slept as though someone blocked the natural flow of wind with their body. If it weren't for my training in the Temple of Heaven, I might not have realized the anomaly in my room. I could have been assassinated countless time or taken hostage in some rebel party's propaganda if I remained ignorant with these dangerous visitors in the middle of the night.

"Who goes out there?" I asked, calm but ready.

From the farthest corner, a figure strutted out from his hiding place. When he came close enough for me to identify the body shape and walking posture, I huffed vehemently.

"Kikuhara, do that one more time and I won't hesitate to throw the knife at you."

"Princess Geviv has called for you." Kikuhara ignored my threat as he leaned on a pillar and yawned idly.

Of course it was from her, it always had been. Sighing, I loosened my hold on the dagger and placed it on the bed stool before lighting an array of candles. With the room finally lit, the shadows retreated to the corners.

I went to my dressing screen and changed clothes for something appropriate. A purple and white silk hanfu this time, with wide sleeves that fell to my knees. I tied the waist with a blue sash before pulling my long hair over my shoulder. I walked to the door and the wooden staff was still there, undisturbed.

Kikuhara had used the window again.

"Tell Geviv I'll be there," I said without looking at Kikuhara, knowing the boy would reach his master faster than I could.

I pulled the staff from its place, before sliding the door open. The guard bowed his head when he saw me and said his greetings. I nodded in recognition and started towards Geviv's quarters at the north wing, closer to the court.

My footsteps reverberated over the meandering halls. Since it was close to midnight, there were barely palace servants out, only a multitude of guards on every corner, entrance and exit. Some of them offered to escort me to my destination, but I declined.

I had other plans.

I took a detour to the Lotus Lake. The calm surface of the lake reflected the dancing flames of the torches. The place was a labyrinth of wooden bridges, which led to the elevated pavilion at the center.

Lotus flowers of white, pink and violet were scattered over the surface of the darkened body of water, and plum trees in their full bloom adorned the edges. The wind tickled the pink flowers from their thin branches to be flown away in the air and landing on the lake, creating ripples.

I inhaled the therapeutic incense of nature before running my eyes over the surrounding buildings. The red tiles and pointy edges of the roof, the lacquered wooden screens and pillars. The bonsai trees and the statues carved in limestone. Then the quietness of the night.

This was Amaganad and I would miss it.

The land of summer and tradings, the heart of the south, a small yet humble nation. The day after tomorrow, everything would change. I wouldn't be surrounded by these beautiful things any longer. Another life was waiting for me in the north.

I wanted it as much as I wanted to keep this.

"You just love to toy with me, don't you, Vishta?"

I looked over my shoulder and Geviv was there walking towards me, still in her royal hanfu clothes, with her lady attendants at a distance away, giving us privacy. Her loose hair was pinned by a jade ornament, holding the edges together. It was a beautiful indigo which almost looked violet under the torches. Mine was similar, but it did not have the same shine as hers.

"Lovely evening to you too, Geviv," I said, bowing slightly in acknowledgement. "I was planning to go to your room after this, but I am such a lucky person to have the First Princess spare the trouble of meeting me halfway."

"Keep your amusement to yourself, Vishta." Her stern voice made me grin apologetically, opening my palms in peace. "I would have started with your weekly rendezvous outside the palace and your unethical behaviors but I'll leave that to your husband-to-be."

I leaned on the railings of the pavilion and absentmindedly caught a glimpse of gold and orange carps between the lotus pods. I felt Geviv walk close behind me before taking the spot on my right, standing straight and tall like a proud pole.

"I see you have no trouble accepting my decision," I said.

"My opinion does not really matter, does it?" she said, arching a brow at me. "Besides, you've won the right to choose."

I smiled, fondly remembering how father challenged me earlier.

"Have you not come to terms with it?" I asked, almost feeling sorry for them.

"If the man who kept you waiting really loves you, he would have ran to your side when you struck the right age for marriage. But none of that happened. He came late with a conniving sob story. He did not even come in person."

I closed my eyes tightly, exasperated. This was not going to end well.

She continued on, watching my reaction sideways. "Migza is a land full of unknown, we all know that. We may have had interactions with them in the past, but their unwillingness...their evasive way of keeping nations out of reach from touching their current news of events is already a troubling sign."

I had heard of these countless times I gave up on fighting for Migza's image. The presence of these messengers from Suza was enough evidence he had indeed remembered the old times. Also, it was not only them who were harboring hateful thoughts. I do have my own. It was buried deep inside, waiting for the right time to pick a bone with him.

"You seem worried, sister," I said as a tease, nothing grave. Living in this world, dealing with all kinds of people and their ideals, had to be a sufficient torture, so there was no need in making things worse than they were.

I was met with silence. I thought she had not heard me. I was about to say something when she intervened first. 

"I am worried, Vishta."

Her words startled me so much I had to meet her gaze. What I saw baffled me. The deep crease on her perfect eyebrows was the most unusual expression on her. I never thought she could look...anxious. Disturbed? Was that sadness in her eyes?

No. She was afraid for me.

The thought stunned me I had trouble swallowing the apparent fact. Geviv had always been the the ideal royalty and the paragon of ladies. She had always been unmovable, unshaken. Seeing her goddess image break did not bode well with me. The disturbed look in her eyes was new, but Geviv worried about me? Alarming.

"Worried about what?" I asked, looking away from her gaze. The warmth in my body dispersed as the cold wind began to register, just like the uncomfortable stiffness that began to creep in my gut.

"You know what I mean, Vishta." Her sharp tone further made me uncomfortable.

"It's the war, Geviv, a nation has to be tight with information. You know how people can take advantage of those and use it in ways that could build or break a country."

She scoffed, almost making me sigh in relief she still had it in her to do so. "War? If there had been really a war that raged the land, I wonder who their enemy is? They say barbarians, but of what nation, race or culture? None."

"Why not send one of your doves? They might glean something out for you. Not like you haven't done it yet, but it's worth to try multiple times." I suggested, trying hard to be half-hearted. I had to ease the atmosphere. I would prefer her shouting at me like usual than this almost normal conversation. It gave me goosebumps.

"The birds flew, but came back with no tune. They saw nothing, heard nothing, taken nothing back. The land was as prosperous as they had always been in the historical records, with no sign of struggle. Since that was the case, why cut themselves off? Why wait ten years? Why now? And...where is the enemy?"

This was my first time knowing what her spies had gathered. Her orphan boys had been trained by the Temple of Heaven. As far as I knew, these birds had never failed in their specialty of breaching intelligence from factions in the court or from other kingdoms. So, the information from Migza must have had been true. But a clean slate result was indeed strange.

"You make it sound as though they have ulterior motives, dear sister. It's unbecoming of you." I taunted, trying to bring back our usual mood, but her solemn wall was as hard as a glacier. She even shot me with her icy glare.

"I am trying to be honest with you here, Vishta."

There was no saving me. "Apologies, sister," I sincerely replied.

She held my gaze. This time, it had a motherly spark. "Mark my words Vishta, I am happy for you. You have always wanted this. You waited for it. You fought for it. And you were rewarded by the Heavens, but this is a questionable gift. Just like what you've said in court, anything could have happened in a year. Some things must have changed. Whatever it is, I have a bad feeling about it."

My jaw tightened from the thought of it.

"I understand your wariness of the current events, Geviv. I do not wish to leave Amganad with my family worried over my well-being in a foreign land, so I will take into account the matter at hand. Since your spies could not get anything out of the commoners in Migza, why don't I see things for myself and assess the situation within the heart of the problem?"

Geviv narrowed her eyes at me as I held onto them without wavering.

"Trust me."

"I do," she said, calm and clear. "But father and I will feel better if one of my doves become your personal attendant in such a foreign land."

"Thank you and I don't mind," I said as the tight muscles on my body relaxed. Geviv tipped her head in satisfaction for my decision. Taking a bird with me was not hard. It might prove useful in the near future.

A plop of water from an active carp took our attention away from our dying conversation. We, sisters, stood there in silence as we enjoyed the serenity of midnight. I felt better having garnered her blessing, but Geviv's point earlier had shaken a bit of my guard.

It fueled a fire inside me. It also made me conscious of the heavier responsibility that would soon be weighed upon my shoulder.