Unknown Ruler

Chapter 5

They were in Handong's room again, sitting on the chair that Yubin sat on the other day.

"Make yourself comfy, Yubin." The female warrior watched as Handong grabbed something from a drawer near her bed. It was a box, wooden, blue and gold in color, it seemed old but sturdy.

"Can I ask a question, Yubin?"

"Go ahead."

"What made you decide to be a warrior?" Yubin gave a small smile and looked down to her fiddling fingers.

"Well, I just felt like it was a calling. I wanted to do something...different. It just felt like sitting all day and reading books wasn't for me." Handong smiled and placed the box down on the table and sat down in front of Yubin.

"But hearing from your brother's stories, you sounded like a very smart person." Yubin ducked her head, her face heating up from the compliment.

"I think my brother already told you everything." They both shared a small giggle before Handong said,

"But I want to hear it from you. You're a great person, Yubin. A greater warrior, in that sense. That's why I think you deserve this." Handong grabbed the box and placed it on her lap. Yubin waited in anticipation as Handong unlocked the box.

"Woah." It was an ice crystal. There was a symbol in the middle of it, presumably Handong's since it was the symbol that she saw when she entered the castle.

"Here." Handong had her hand outstretched with the crystal in her hand. Yubin was about to grab it but she hesitated,

"Won't that freeze me or something?" Handong laughed as she placed the crystal on Yubin's palm.

"It won't. See?" Yubin was in awe as she examined the crystal closely. But she was curious.

"Why me?" Handong closed the box and placed it on the table before crossing her arms over her chest. Yubin rarely feels intimidated by people since people usually feel that with her, but with Handong, it's different. The princess' gaze is making her waver.

"Because you can. You almost defeated me a while ago, you know."

"But, we had an equal fight. You had me there." Handong shook her head and pointed to Yubin's sword.

"May I ask who made that sword?" Yubin looked at her sword momentarily and smiled.

"I did. This is my second one. The first one was given to me by my brother but it broke when I was in battle. So I decided to make a new one. It's- it's something special." Yubin obviously developed a deep connection with her weapon. Handong saw that after their battle, Yubin checked the condition of her sword before placing it in its scabbard again.

"Remember when I subtly told you that my mother fought your brother?" Yubin nodded. She forgot to ask her brother about that since she was so distracted with their battle.

"He never reached that far. My mother also used her powers, just like I did, but he never had the chance to put his weapon on her neck. Meanwhile, you almost had me, you know. If I moved or if you moved, I would've died there." Yubin just nodded slowly. She knows since it's a technique that she learned on her own to end opponents the fast way. But of course, she had to restrict herself a while ago.

"And your sword, normally, anything that touches our ice, weapons break apart. But yours even had the ability to break it. You can imagine how shocked I was earlier." Handong paused for a bit before saying,