Refuse her demands

"Never!" Machiko said, brave with the knife on her throat. "Guards, take her at once!"

The guards did as they were ordered, charging the assassin, even as Machiko kicked and bit at the assassin. But they were too slow. The silk-clad woman stabbed Machiko with a swift motion then flung her at the oncoming guards, who nearly fainted in superstitious awe when doused with royal blood. The silent assassin seemed to walk into the air, disappearing into the treetops, while the Princess lay on the ground.

That was the last thing Machiko saw before her eyes fluttered shut. She had been stabbed in the belly with a twisted sai. The doctors labored for three days to keep her alive, but she was too weak with blood, her body too torn.

She died a day later, and for the first time in his life, her father cried.