"I am afraid there is nowhere to run, My Lady," the sound that came out of the girl's throat was vile.

Balancing the swords, the men gradually advanced towards Jay Yi.

She took a quick stock of her options. Jay Yi had her dagger discreetly stashed within an arm sheath that snugly encircled her wrist that Hwan had custom-made for her. But the men, though much younger and shorter when compared to Hwan, still were taller than her and well built. Her blade would be no match for the deadly-looking swords in their hands.

Shaking a long, sturdy vine loose, Jay Yi started to make her way back down, the firm grip of the thick creeper balancing her descent, working like rope, helping her create a distance between the assailants and her faster. The rough, dry scale of the stem scratched her like angry talons while the adrenaline rush that had thrown her into survival mode ignored the stinging pain she felt. Unfortunately, the vine was firmly intertwined with the surrounding vegetation and the tangled roots of trees, limiting how much she could pull it to maintain her balance or create distance.

Seeing how two of them came after one unarmed woman, there would be at least twice the number attacking Hwan. However, it would be safe to assume they were not confident in their skills and, hence, worked in groups, giving them the advantage of numerical superiority. She prayed Hwan's bodyguards were around to help Hwan. She had to get to him.

"Don't come near me! You will regret it!" Jay Yi cried out sternly.

"You sound surprisingly unafraid for a person who is about to die," the girl observed mildly as if she were remarking about the pristine snow puffs drifting around them. She was now perched higher on the slope with the expression of a spectator watching a macabre game.

"Please! Please do not do this. We have done nothing to harm you; please let me go," Jay Yi pleaded, keeping an eye on the men closing in on her steadily.

"Ah! That sounds better. You and that man are the only ones who know about my escape, and I cannot let you go, understand?"

"You cannot do that! You do not understand, he is a very important man!" Jay Yi cried out, her plea genuinely urgent. "Please do not harm him, I beg you!" Jay Yi implored, giving the girl a terrified look.

"Oh, I gathered he was quite important, all right," the girl frowned.

"How would you know that? How did you even know you were in danger?" The men had lost the urgency to hurry down the hill at her pathetic cries. The man further up the slope stopped to adjust his belt. The one closer to her took his time to carefully step through the slippery undergrowth.

"The same way I know you are not pregnant," the girl sneered.

Startled, Jay Yi looked at her. A look of sinister satisfaction shrouded her features that were no longer girlish.

"Surprised, my lady?" the woman let out a shrill laugh. "You see, I do have true shaman powers. Like I can tell, you are of noble birth. I can also tell how many children you will have, their genders, and how soon...why would a woman, who never had kids and is not pregnant claim to be so other than cause trouble......," A frown creased her brows as if she recalled something unpleasant. "But I cannot let you live and give birth to the spawns of that man, My lady! Unfortunately, your dream to have a son with him will stay just a dream because I will change that destiny! This is my only power, and I will not let anyone take it away!" She sounded deranged.

"So you mean you knew the women would give birth to female children irrespective of that drink?" Jay Yi asked, genuinely horrified.

A terrible laughter erupted from the woman's throat.

"Yes, I did," her lips twisted. "And I also knew they would soon birth sons."

Hence the 'approval process'! Jay Yi felt blood drain from her face. "You knew the women carrying those baby girls would eventually give birth to sons! You still fed them the potion? You killed those little girls on purpose ?"

Not bothering to answer, the woman turned to the men. "What are you waiting for? KILL HER!"

Untying her ribbon deftly, Jay Yi dropped it on the ground and stepped on it. Eyeing the thick, brown vine that looked more like a tree root in her hand, she gauged the position of the man closest to her. He was now standing where Jay Yi had minutes ago.

Praying that the vine would not break before completing its task, Jay Yi gripped it with both hands, swung it up and jerked at it with all her might, the leverage of her lower elevation helping the momentum.

The creeper snaked up, its pertinacious stem ripping open the thick fall foliage and dislodging stones, leaves and dirt in cascading waves, uprooting entire sections of undergrowth and exposing soft, dark soil through the large cracks. The man felt the ground shift beneath his boots. His hands flayed as he tried to maintain his already precarious balance. Unable to find a purchase, he slid, falling and rolling off, hitting jagged rocks and sharp bony stems on his way down.

Jay Yi gave another swift jerk to the vines. She quickly knifed a part of it, the rest coiling towards her. Sheathing her knife back swiftly and wrapping the sturdy end of the vine around her fist, she repeatedly lashed it at the man hard, welting the exposed skin of his arms and neck and cutting open a gash on his face. The man yelped in pain, his sword falling away and sliding down the hill. Unfortunately, it landed quite a distance away from Jay Yi.

The man up the hill sprang into action, yelling, increasing his pace as he tried to reach his fallen accomplice.

Picking her ribbon up in a swoop, she gathered two small rocks and ran further down until she reached a good-sized boulder at the end of the slope.

The second man somehow evaded the slope's mini-seizure and reached her, rushing in with his sword. Jay Yi released her makeshift ribbon sling, the rocks hitting the man squarely between the eyes. The man howled, blinded with pain. Jay Yi sprang on the boulder, and using it like a jump board, she flew off it, landing her foot in the middle of his chest. The man sprawled down.

Landing back lithely, she swiftly unsheathed her dagger and buried it in his groin.

His eyes bulged, only gurgles coming from his stunned face before he curled into a foetal position.

The second man had risen, gripping the sword with both hands as he furiously charged toward her. Picking up the fallen sword from the man moaning in pain at her feet, Jay Yi took his blade head-on, her quick, nimble footwork making short work of his hits by dodging, hopping and clanging. However, the man was strong, and a hard blow flung her sword out of her hand. Confident, he came at her again. She sidestepped his blow, sprang on her toe and threw her weight behind her boot on his midriff. He doubled up, giving her the opening she needed. Whirling in a flurry of skirts, Jay Yi landed a perfectly executed hit to the side of his head. The man staggered back.

She moved closer to the perpetrator, and she dropped down and took his legs off the ground in a swift motion. The man sank like a stone in a lake.

She struck again, her blade sinking deep into his groin, and he howled in pain, curling like a whithered leaf, writhing on the ground.

Jay Yi wiped the blood on the blade on his clothes. Encasing her knife, Jayi Yi turned to the woman, who was now as white as the whites of her gown.

The woman whirled and ran up the hill, no doubt going to the rest of her assassin friends.

"Sheesh, I don't have time for this!" Jay Yi exploded before she took off after the woman. She caught her easily, grabbing her by the flowing tunic and pulling her down. The woman slid and fell like a rag doll, rolling down the hill.

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She landed close to the second man, who seemed unconscious in pain. She grabbed his sword, extending it towards Jay Yi, her eyes wide, petrified. "Don't come near me. I will kill you."

"You created such elaborate evil plans to kill innocents that I do not doubt you. But it might have been smart of you to learn some self-defence tricks," Jay Yi drawled. She contemplated the girl for a minute. "You know, I do not want to mar your face. At least some people might feel sorry for you when you get executed."

The woman rushed at her, sword extended, her fingers white on the hilt. Jay Yi slickly sidestepped her, sliding behind her back. Turning, she placed a well-aimed kick between the woman's shoulder blades. The woman landed on her stomach with a cry, the sword slithering free.

Jay Yi kneeled on her back and twisted her hands behind, tying them using the woman's own strips of fabric. Jay Yi tied her feet using her ribbon, rendering her immobile. "I hate to waste my lovely ribbon on you! It's orange, pretty and one of my favourite ones!" Jay Yi grumbled loudly, vexedly.

And that is how Hwan and his men found her.

"Are you all right?" Both cried in unison as Hwan and Jay Yi ran towards each other. Hwan grasped Jay Yi by the arms and looked her over, and Jay Yi did the same, worry creasing her lovely face, her eyes soft, searching.

"I was so afraid they would hurt you!" Jay Yi curled her hands on his arms, gripping the fabric in distress.

"I was worried, too," Hwan said huskily. Aware they had an audience, Hwan dropped his arms, though he did not move away from Jay Yi's side.

Jay Yi wanted him to keep holding her, wanting to burrow her face in the safety of his broad chest. She wrapped her arms around her, her relief at seeing Hwan unharmed making her legs weak.

Hwan gaped at the carnage. Even though he knew Jay Yi's capability, he was still astounded.

One of his bodyguards made a loud gasping noise as his appalled gaze took in the injured men, ugly blood stains covering some very suspicious areas of their bodies. Pale, he glanced sheepishly at Jay Yi before looking down again. His hand involuntarily reached for the side of his leg.

"I don't think she, er, hurt their procreation capabilities." Hwan's lips twitched despite himself.

He was the man Jay Yi had injured three months ago! Jay Yi recognised the man by his reaction. Her hand flew to her mouth. Sending Hwan an embarrassed glance, she stepped closer to the poor guard. Looking contrite, she said, "I am sorry. I did not know you were there to help that night," she wrung her hands apologetically. "They will be all right!" she reassured the man, gesturing at the bleeding men. "That was the best way to stop them from coming after me without causing long-term damage," she finished awkwardly.

The guard bowed deeply, "It is my honour to be of service, My Lady! I behaved foolishly. It will never happen again. Please accept my apology."

Jay Yi nodded uncomfortably and gave him a shy, apologetic smile.

Hwan retrieved the head skirt from the ground, shaking it to remove the debris and the thin sheet of white powdery snow that lined it.

He tenderly draped it around Jay Yi. His hands lingered on her shoulders. He brought the edges around her so Jay Yi could hold them. Soft cottony fluffs were stuck in her hair. His hand reached out of its own volition to brush them off.

He had been halfway down the slope when he had spied her, defiantly taking on the second assailant. Heart in his mouth, he had watched her parry the man twice her size off with the agility of a jungle cat. Afraid to move in case it distracted her, he and his three bodyguards had remained rooted to the spot. He knew she would take him down. He had seldom seen someone so confident and surefooted.

He had almost kicked himself when the sword flew off her hand, a scream echoing in his mind that had stuck in his throat. The next moment, she had been flying off at the man. Without the sword, she was even deadlier. The man did not even know what hit him. Amazed, he had watched her wipe the blade on his tunic, cool as ice, and turn on the girl who had as much chance of getting away from a Jay Yi in her elements as a buck from the mouth of a hungry tigress.

His heart swelled with pride, but his mind battled with conflicting emotions because she had been in danger and, as usual, never even thought of seeking help or making an escape.

"I know you don't think it's important, but did I not order you to scream if you were in danger?"

"I knew you would be under attack, too! How could I distract you with my useless screaming?" She reasoned without flaw.

"You don't listen to my orders," he tried sounding offended.

"That's not true! I do - well, at least I do when it makes sense," she kicked a small stone with her foot, clutching the insides of her head skirt close around her throat, sounding sheepish, but he was sure he detected some mutiny there.

"You, you talk too much!" he complained.

"You don't like it?" Jay Yi came back pertly.

Hwan's exasperated laugh and the eye-roll said more than words could. He was overwhelmed that she was safe, that she was so ingenious, so fearless and that she was - his . He clasped his hands behind his back to stop them from snatching her in his arms and never let go.

Hwan looked at the girl on the ground, fighting her ties, her face contorted in rage.

She was the missing piece of the puzzle bothering him and Jay Yi.

"She knew their game was up and tried to escape?" Hwan guessed correctly.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The woman's face jerked up in shock as she stared at Hwan.

Jay Yi looked at her contemptuously. "You are not much of a fortune teller if you could not even recognise your King."

The woman turned her face away, an angry red hue staining her neck. The evil in her eyes sent ice pricks down Hwan's spine.

"She was the one who gave out the poison to the mothers, Your Majesty. She murdered those babies on purpose."

Hwan felt his ears numb, and it was not due to cold. "What?"

"From what I can tell, she is closer to my age or maybe a little older. She can foresee the birth of children, it seems. She could somehow predict that the families she passed that potion to would give birth to boys soon after."

"That 'approval'......"

"Yes, Your Majesty. We need to investigate more, but it does look like they only 'helped' families when this woman confirmed they would have a son born within the next couple of years. More importantly, she knew which pregnant women were carrying girls and that those innocent girls would die if the mothers drank the potion."

Hwan felt a rush of hot white rage. He went on to his hunches and gripped the girl by her chin.

"WHY?" Hwan felt sickened.

"They had no use for those girls," the girl screamed, furiously jerking her face free. "I did those female children a favour! No one missed them. What use were they even if they lived? To be sold off for a sack of rice? To enslave their bodies to men for food and shelter, give birth to more ugly babies, and suffer until they die? I didn't kill them. Those fools did by drinking the poison, thinking it would change genders!" She shrieked, her face twisted with hate.

"You are wrong," Jay Yi said softly. "Those young children were dearly loved and deeply grieved."

The woman scoffed in disbelief and spit.

"If you were a good shaman," Jay Yi continued, "you would have foreseen the woman who died of grief for losing her daughter once she realised your potion harmed her. Or all the families who were mad with grief trying to find out what happened to their precious daughter or granddaughter. Or those families who finally risked everything to expose you."

"Oh, shut up!" the girl squirmed.

"You did not do any of this as a favour, you wench," Hwan's voice was ice, his eyes black with rage. "You did it for control because you thought you had the power to change their destiny. Take her away!" Turning away in disgust, Hwan barked to his men, who were attending to the injured men, wrapping the wounds to prevent further blood loss.

Trying to find something more valuable to do than to give in to his instinct of driving a blade through this monster, Hwan walked to his men and discussed the transport of the prisoners. Transferring the woman and so many injured men would need many extra hands and horses. Someone had already left to get the guards.

The grey pallor of the forest had settled around them like dust after a sandstorm.

He glanced at Jay Yi, the quick-limbed, entrancing, fire-spitting woman who had made it possible for them to get to the bottom of this with her unyielding tenaciousness. What a marvel of a woman was she!

He felt a fiery smile grip his face muscles. It was a pleasure to see bad people beaten; defeated by their own arrogance. Hwan realised with surprise that he had never seen someone so pure take down an evil so vile.

Jay Yi let go of one end of her head skirt and extended her hand to catch the snow that was still falling but was now more of an occasional cottony flutter than an actual snowfall. She looked up at the streaks of grey skies through the cracks of the trees overhead, releasing a shaky breath, the aftermath of the danger and the enormity of what they just went through hitting her.

"Your hands are bleeding!" Hwan seized her wrist. He grabbed the other one from under the fold of her head skirt and sucked in a breath, his eyes widening.

Startled, she looked at her hands. Really looked.

The skin of her palms had peeled, likely due to gripping the abrasive vine. A gash at the bottom of one of her thumbs oozed blood, and an angry slash covered the side of her other hand above the wrist. There were various little cuts over her fingers, her fingernails caked in dirt, the skin around some of them torn and matted with blood.

"It looks worse than it is, Your Majesty!" She tugged at her hands, thoroughly embarrassed.

How did she always end up looking her worst before Hwan?

Others coasted, she lumbered ; Others preened in beautiful gowns, she ran either in shapeless bags of men's clothes or turned up in tatters. Others had long fingers playing delicate instruments, and she had dirt-caked digits covered in blood.

Jay Yi wallowed in misery.

Oblivious of her crawl into the hole of self-pity, Hwan felt something inside him twinge painfully as he looked at the consequence her valour had brought his braveheart girl. Hwan let go of one of her wrists, and clasping the other, he pulled her after him.

"Get the medicine pouch!" He barked.

Leaving one of the injured men he was securing with a rope to be transported up the slope, a bodyguard retrieved a small pouch from the layers of his tunic and handed it to Hwan.

A wrist clasped in his firm hand, Hwan strode to where they could hear the stream, Jay Yi's foolish heart taking an exhilarating flight at his worry.