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The Astrea Spring Festival had finally come, and afterwards would be Princess' birthday. 

Flower petals carpeted the streets, the appetizing scents and bright colors drawing everyone out of their houses and into the merriment. Tonight would be the festival, which had been long awaited for weeks and intricately prepared for with lanterns and decorations over the lake which would come alive during the festival, illuminating the night.

Even Princess was going to the Astrea Festival this year— and she needed bodyguards.

"Ready, Princess?" Chan helped Princess Luna into her carriage with a smile and a gentle hand while the others stood by. The eight soldiers had trained under the Third Code for this day and any other day that Princess would need them, and they were ready.

Dressed in the uniform of the Astral Guard, the stars fastened near their hearts sparkled under the midday sun along with the shining decorations of Princess' open carriage.

Jisung mounted his horse when Princess had stepped inside the carriage, giving the kind animal a pat on the neck. "Are you ready, Glorious?" The pristine white horse neighed, tossing her head as Jisung pulled the reins.  

He and the others fell into position, surrounding the carriage as it started off. Jisung cantered on the right of the carriage, Chan on the left, Hyunjin and Changbin in front with Minho leading and Seungmin, Felix and Jeongin trailing behind. A few other guards protected the carriage at a greater distance.

Princess stayed silent for most of the ride into the city, enjoying the quiet while she could. As soon as they reached the outskirts of the palace grounds, the citizens started to throng the streets wanting to see the Princess and hoping to get a glimpse of her face.

It was Princess' first time attending the festival before her birthday, and soon the curious whispers turned into murmurs, and excited voices filled her ears.

The procession of guards that surrounded the carriage continued to parade through the streets as Princess Luna peeked out, smiling at the gathered citizens and observing the beautiful decorations that they had prepared.

But her brows furrowed as a large, white horse and its dark-haired rider blocked most of her view.

And that dark-haired rider happened to be someone she knew.

"Hey, you," She called out, and Jisung turned his head at her voice that cut through the chatter of the crowd.

He blinked at her, looking down into the carriage to meet her annoyed glare, her veil covering everything but her eyes. "Your Highness?"

"I can't see the decorations. Move." Princess Luna waved a hand, her tone more bossy than Jisung liked. His gritted his teeth and nodded, gently pulling the reins to slow down his horse and fall back a little so she could see.

But Princess wasn't satisfied. She poked her head out of the carriage, looking back at Jisung, then at the ground his horse was trodding on. "Your horse is stepping on the pretty flowers they laid out. Move off the path a bit."

Biting his lip to stop himself from scoffing at her ridiculous request, Jisung only nodded again and moved his horse farther to the right, leaving a lot of space between himself and the carriage and getting off the trail of petals in the middle of the road.

Was she really going to be so petty? Everyone else was trampling the flowers, she must have a reason to bother only him about it. Was it just because she recognized him as the soldier who missed and wanted to humiliate him more?

Or... did she recognize him from some other time?

Without letting another beat pass, Princess Luna called the soldier's name with yet another request. "Jisung."

The ravenette jumped a little upon hearing the Princess say his name for the first time. How did she know it?  Surely she didn't remember it from the tournament, she wasn't even paying attention to him.

He gripped the reins tighter, wondering what she wanted this time. "Princess?"

Pointing to a stall on the side of the road, she ordered, "I want a donut from there. Buy one for me." Again a demanding tone that required obedience, her eyes shining and a smirk on her lips as she looked up at him.

Rolling his eyes, Jisung was getting really annoyed, his blood starting to boil in his veins, which were standing out from his neck as he clenched his jaw.

What was the reason for all these unnecessary requests? Jisung wanted to refuse, but it was supposed to be his duty to serve Princess anyway.

He sighed. It was his duty to serve her every vain whim without question.

"Chan," he called to the soldier trotting on the other side of the carriage on a sleek black horse. "Will you go back and buy Princess a—"

"Did I ask him?" Princess Luna abruptly cut him off with a firm voice, her arms crossed. "I asked you, Han Jisung." The use of Jisung's full name made his blood stop boiling and suddenly freeze over in a mixture of shock and slight fear. 

Why did she even care to memorize his full name? He was just another soldier, was she really going to go through so much just to embarrass him for losing the tournament, or for working as a tailor before joining the guard?

That was really the only reason Jisung could think why she was doing this; she looked down on him for being a tailor. Unless... she had found out something more that she was hanging over his head right now...

He sighed again through his gritted teeth, and Princess Luna chuckled.

Turning his horse away from the carriage to go back to the stall they had passed, he considered asking Jeongin to take his place, but thought again and called to Seungmin. "Take my place beside the carriage until I get back; I'm going to get something."

Seungmin nodded eagerly, trotting up to cover the right side of the carriage, and Jisung went back to the stall, dismounting his horse to push through the crowd and get in line.

But there were many people milling around, and Jisung couldn't see above all of them. He considered that it probably would have been better to stay on his horse, but the mobs in the streets were too thick due to Princess' visit. He would have either been trapped where he was or risked trampling someone if he tried to move, so Jisung attempted to push through on foot.

But the crowd pushed back, bumping into him from all sides, everyone hurrying through the streets in all different directions like a tossing tide that carried him along.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry— please, let me through!" 

Jisung's pleads were drowned under the chatter, and he could barely distinguish his own voice from everyone else's as he shouted.

His heart started to pound, his breathing starting to quicken as he realized that he was lost. Where did the donut stall go?? He coudn't see over all the people, and the way they were constantly moving and milling was making him sick, his stomach dropping at all the disorienting motion.

His vision started to blur as his eyes darted around, trying to find a window. Trapped in the middle of the crowd, he was surrounded, cornered by unfamiliar faces, and he felt as if he couldn't move, couldn't speak.

He felt powerless, as if he was in the middle of the ocean, being swept away by the current, being pushed around and forced to move left and right, stumbling forwards and backwards, about to lose his balance. But if he tripped and fell to the ground, he feared that the stampede of people would crush him.

His hand went up to tangle in his hair, the other hand resting over his thumping heart as a cold sweat settled over him and he tried to stay standing in the endless waves of people. Swallowing did nothing to help his dry throat this time, which felt like it was quickly closing up as he was moved again, a faceless stranger bumping into him and causing him to stumble back.

He was bewildered, panicking in the middle of a dense crowd with no end in sight, his feet frozen to the ground beneath him as the walls of strangers seemed to close in on him, the waves of bodies pushing him.

The current was too strong, and he felt as if he would drown under all the crowds. 

Jisung tried to fill his lungs, but his breaths were too short, the air leaving him as soon as it entered. His chest tightened — he couldn't breathe.

He couldn't even scream.