CHAPTER SIX

Baek-Hyun set out of Gi very early in the morning before the cock crowed. She didn't dress in white flowing gowns like the rest of the girls, she dressed like a warrior. She galloped in her horse for hours and at some point, she would stop and study her map. She kept going on and on until it was night yet she wasn't still there, she made a fire at night and tarried by the fire to keep herself warm in the cold and she studied her map. She kept going the next morning for almost another day but she never stopped until she had reached the spot where she wanted. She got down from the horse and she slew it. She used it blood on herself, she put a piece of cloth in between her mouth to stop herself from shouting loud then using her sword, she reopened the scar she had when she fell on the broken glass during her paebaek with the Emperor. Then she cut some pieces of her cloth. Just like Man-Chun had advice, she really looked like a victim, but the difference was that she purported to be a Ji-Seok soldier who had survived the attack from Gi. She didn't want to have any difficulties meeting a commander of fellow warriors like herself. Then she started walking to Hak-Kun. She looked so tired because she was. She regretted killing the horse at such a far distance. She looked back where she had come, she was in the middle of nowhere. She was thirsty and hungry, she walked all through the night but finally, she was there. She saw the enormous walls of Hak-Kun kingdom. She was getting close to the gate when she could no more lift a foot. Well, that was her aim; to look worn out and victimised. She hoped that she would be seen soon. It was evening she could tell from the red sky. Just when she thought she would crash, she heard the sound of horse galloping. She was so pleased with herself, she smiled to herself. The men in the horse rode to her and surrounded her. "I would have said it was another spy but then, look at her". One of the men said and Baek-Hyun raise her face up to stare at them. "I'm no spy, my fortress was invaded by Gi kingdom". She cried out tiredly. She hated that these men made her talk so much when she was that drained of energy. "didn't that happen a long time ago?". Another man asked. "they held us captive but I escaped, the rest of our soldiers were brutally killed by them". she said again almost crashing. "so what do you want in Hak-Kun?". The first soldier asked her again. "water, help me with water". She said and the men stared at themselves all confused. "I heard that the King and General of Hak-Kun is a kind hearted man so I chose to come here for help, can you take me to him?". Baek-Hyun asked again when the men were still staring at her in confusion. Then one of the men got down from his horse and walked to her and she staggered backwards. She thought the man was really handsome. He stared at her for a while then he said "I am standing right in front of you". the man said and snapped his fingers at her. "what?". Baek-Hyun asked in shock. "I am Chi-Mae". The cute boy said again. Baek-Hyun stared almost forever, her jaws almost dropped open. "what? are you shocked because the General is standing right before you or is it because you are a spy?". The man asked her. "no, I'm not a spy, I just want water". She said tiredly. Her vision was getting blur and her knees were unsteady. It was as if she would fall anytime soon and anyone could see that. The man stretched his hands and water was passed to him. He handed the water to Baek-Hyun and immediately she got the bottle, she stared at the bottle like she was a drunkard, then she faded. She saw a man right before her, but she decided to stress him and fall in his opposite direction. She was lucky though because he caught her. The other men stared at her in shock. "what do we do with her?". A soldier asked the Chi-Mae. "Why do anything with her?". He asked and was going to throw her down but one of his men jumped down and caught her. "please General, let's help her". The man begged and Chi-Mae stared at him with dimmed face then he turned to his horse and mounted it and he rode away. The men stared at him all confused and then at Baek-Hyun. "I'm sure he will thank us later". U-Jin, the man that had Baek-Hyun said and climbed on his horse with her.

Baek-Hyun woke up two days later, she woke up to meet an all-white heavenly place. She had severe headache. She looked around her and realised that she was no more in the worn out armour. She was now wearing a white gown. The gown was very light just like the nightwear they used in Gi. "she is finally awake". She could hear a girl's voice. She sat up straight on the bed and inspected the room better, it was a healers'. "where am I? what is going on?". She asked as she stood up at once. "you are in Hak-Kun, you were brought here by Lieutenant U-Jin, and you have been out for two days". The girl said calmly. Looking at her, Baek-Hyun could tell she was a person of patience. "yes, that man, the man those lieutenant work for, where is he?". She asked the girl timelessly. "you mean the General, he never showed up here". the girl said again. Baek-Hyun wondered how it was possible that the man was the General of Hak-Kun fortress. He was too young. Their commander Chi-Yang though he was young, was the commander of a fortress not the General of an entire kingdom. Then all of a sudden, she turned to the girl and scanned her from head to toe then she asked "who are you?". "I am Moon my Lady, the court Lady assigned me to you". the girl said with a beautiful smile. "oh! I see". Was Baek-Hyun's reply then suddenly, "I need to go and oh, when your court lady shows up, tell her I do not need a personal maid, I can take care of myself without you". She said and without even waiting for the girl's reply, she dashed out of the room. The girl stood there all confused about Baek-Hyun but she was happy though, she didn't have to serve another foreigner. She didn't know what sin she committed, because she had always been assigned to foreigners.

Baek-Hyun wandered in the place she found herself aimlessly. She didn't even know why she needed to go or where she needed to go to. But one thing she realised was that almost everyone in this Hak-Kun that she met were all so young. Young soldiers everywhere, she wouldn't even know the one to term cutest. She kept walking on until she heard the sound of training soldiers, she walked to where the sound was coming from. There she saw thousands of soldiers training. "wow". She said to herself. The sight of it was so magnificent to her. She was so lost in looking at the soldiers that she didn't notice when someone approached her and stood beside her. "do you like it?". A male voice came to her and she jumped. "oh, yes I do it's …. It's beautiful". She said to him. "what do you really want in Hak-Kun?". The Chi-Mae asked her without staring at her. "my fellow soldiers were killed, some were hanged, others were trampled upon by horses until they died….". then slowly and even more painfully, she said "I was engaged to my commander, our wedding was supposed to be tomorrow. We prepared everything, we were going to have two beautiful children, but Gi ruined it all. They took it all away, everything I had…they took it". Chi-Mae stared at her speechless. "what makes you think I believe you? And by the way, who cares about whatever befell you?". Chi-Mae asked her care freely. Baek-Hyun stared at him with a flare. She wondered why he was so difficult. She tried hard to hide her fear. "you don't have to believe me". She said and walked away. She didn't know where she was going but she knew she didn't want to stand fifteen feet closer to that Chi-Mae of a man. She roamed and roamed the palace yet no avail and it left her wondering why there weren't guard in every corner like all other empires. She roamed to a large door and she pushed it open and went in. when she got in, she saw men staring at her with confusion in their eyes. Only two men in that room were young while the rest were old men, "wrong room". She said and made an attempt to walk out but she was stopped. "stop". She heard someone say but she refused to stop, she just walked out right away. She breathed heavily as if she just escaped a death trap. She felt frustrated. No wonder those girls just came and died. Some of them must have been tired of being frustrated so they just went to do the job immediately and ended up being killed. Baek-Hyun was now walking carelessly. She was lost in thought. She didn't hear people approaching her. The old men she saw earlier in the throne room were walking past her and they put her in the middle. They hit her here and there. But she was the one busy saying sorry. She would have known better than to walk so slow because immediately after the men passed, some soldiers walked to her and told her that the King called for her. She neglected at first but she thought, what was the need, she was in their kingdom and she had to play along if she didn't want to die. She followed them slowly while being conscious of the other two soldiers behind her. Soon they were there. She was so scared when she walked into the throne room. She didn't know how to put up with her own lies any longer. She was so shocked to know that the king was the young man she had seen earlier. She stared at him as if he was some kind of freak. "good day Emperor…. Err…, Emperor.". She stopped and swallow a fake lump because she didn't know the name of the Emperor. The young man on the throne laughed to his satisfaction. He was so delighted to have such a witty visitor in his kingdom. "my name is Young-Jae". He told her. "and I believe you have met Chi-Mae, the General". The man said. Baek-Hyun didn't know how to handle the situation. "oh yes, Emperor Young-Jae, may you live forever". She said and the King stared at her impressively. "what is your name?". the Emperor asked her. "My name is Baek-Hyun o great Emperor". Baek-Hyun said. Chi-Mae stared at her in shock. He didn't expect her to be that warm in nature. "Baek-Hyun, wonderful name, so what brought you to my Kingdom?". The Emperor asked her. "I fainted then I woke up in this Kingdom, it is your general's doing that I am here?". Baek-Hyun said immediately. She was clearly out of her mind. The Emperor turned to look at Chi-Mae but when he saw the death stare in his eyes towards Baek-Hyun, he simply turned back to Baek-Hyun. "and you didn't come to say hi to me, that doesn't look like what a bright girl like you should do". Emperor Young-Jae said to her and Baek-Hyun bent her head low and immediately, another lie popped into her head. "I didn't know the way to your mighty throne room". Well, that was the truth though but basically, she didn't even want to meet the king. "My King, I met Baek-Hyun during my evening patrol with some of our men, she said she is the only survivor in the just concluded war between Gi and Ji-Seok fortress". Chi-Mae was reluctant to speak about her to Young-Jae but he had to. All the while, he never diverted his gaze from Baek-Hyun and the way he stared at her made Goosebumps spread across her whole body. "So Baek-Hyun, what is your intention in Hak-Kun?". Young-Jae asked her. "My lord, I heard a rumour that the rulers of Hak-Kun empire are kind-hearted people and after escaping, I ran here immediately. My King, I want to be a Hak-Kun citizen, I want to serve Hak-Kun as my Kingdom". Baek-Hyun said as she fell on her knees. Young-Jae just kept staring at her and as for Chi-Mae, he didn't believe her at all. "so you want to be a Hak-Kun and you want to fight along with us?". Young-Jae asked her again and she confirmed. "you are one of us now, and for that, we are having a feast this night for you. you shall live in the royal palace with us and you shall be a female warrior. Chi-Mae has told me that you enjoy watching the soldiers train". Then to a soldier, Young-Jae said. "ask the maids to prepare a room for a royal guest". The king said and Baek-Hyun was just staring at him like he was a psycho. "welcome to Hak-Kun Baek-Hyun". Young-Jae said to her. "thank you so much my king, but why all these?". She asked sincerely for the first time since she entered Hak-Kun. "Because you are a guest and we are good hearted people". Young-Jae said almost sarcastically. Annoyance is an understatement for what Chi-Mae felt at the moment. He was irritated and he hated to see Young-Jae relate so friendly to anyone. He was the King for Buddha sake and not some drunk spoilt flirt. "I'll see you in the party Young-Jae". He struggled to say without showing his disgust and started walking to the door. He was leaving and Baek-Hyun would not stay inside that throne room a second more if he wasn't there. "thank you my King, your reign shall never be cut off and if immortality is reality, then I would say you shall live forever but I think I can say you shall live longer than the Greek gods of life". Baek-Hyun said and after the King, Young-Jae laughed heartily, she walked out behind Chi-Mae. Though the King seemed nicer than the Commander, Baek-Hyun had a feeling that the King was only practising the saying; #keep your friends close and your enemies closer#. But she was better with Chi-Mae because he didn't pretend to like her. "hey, General". She called to him but he wouldn't stop. "Commander". She called again but he wouldn't stop. "what is wrong with you, why are you so angry?". She asked him when she got closer. "you'd better call me Chi-Mae, your Commander is dead and I only command Hak-Kun warriors, not spies". Chi-Mae yelled at her. He didn't mind if she called him Commander or General, her opinion didn't matter because he knew she was ninny head like all other Ji-Seok girls. He had heard Ji-Seok girls were not allowed to have formal education. Baek-Hyun was so shocked. She stared at him in shock. He didn't mean to yell but he did and the harm had already been done. He noticed her shrink and that was exactly what he wanted. "if I ever find out that you are a spy, I'll send your head back to Gi". He said coldly and walked away. "blablablablablabla…". Baek-Hyun imitated him and rolled her eyes thinking he didn't hear her but he did and he said nothing about it. She turned and walked the opposite direction hoping to see something better. Baek-Hyun wasn't herself for her a while. Since she arrived Hak-Kun, she didn't know what had happened to her. But the truth was that she was just scared. Scared of dying, scared of being discovered, scared that she might not fit in and that would lead to her own doom. But after that scold that she got Chi-Mae, she was less scared. The way he raised his voice at her took half of the pressure away. It made her know that he might not kill her after all, he might spare her and yell at her. She looked at him walk away. His back was so straight that she was scared it might break. Their emperor looked like a man in his late thirties. And Chi-Mae, he looked like he was in his early thirties. She wondered what will become of her in the Kingdom. But she had a plan, a plan that might save her even after being discovered.

That night, five royal maids were sent to Baek-Hyun and among them was Moon, the girl from the healer's. The maids went with about ten flowing colourful gowns with and asked Baek-Hyun to pick one from them for the night's feast. Baek-Hyun as usual immediately became friends with the maids. "why are all these clothes so revealing?". She asked one of the maids. "these are the kind of clothes mostly worn here in Hak-Kun especially by royalties". The woman replied and Baek-Hyun stared at her with shock. "but I'm not royalty". She said to the woman again. "The king asked that you be treated like royalty and besides, you live with Lady Bong Cha and the woman is looked upon as a royalty". The woman said to Baek-Hyun and she nodded. The Lady Bong Cha in question, she had heard a few things about her but ever since she arrived that house, she hadn't seen anyone except the people that lived in other parts of the house who claimed to be relatives and they weren't her concern. After the butt souring make overs, Baek-Hyun asked the maids to leave; she was capable of choosing her clothes and wearing them. she went back to staring at the clothes one after the other over and over again. Soon she made a choice. She wore a black body hug gown that possessed a long tail. She didn't know what she looked like but she knew the clothe were too revealing. The gown exposed her arms completely, it had a slit that exposed from her thighs. The back of the gown was cut in a 'V' format that revealed her back. Yet, that was the most less revealing cloth. "you look so good My Lady". Moon said with a beam of smile and she got Baek-Hyun startled. "What are you doing here? I asked you to leave". Baek-Hyun half yelled. "I am your personal maid and you cannot go anywhere without me, well except this party". Moon murmured and Baek-Hyun stared at her not knowing what to say. But then she exhaled deeply. "I have told you before, I do no need a personal maid, I am very much capable of taking care of myself, so you will turn around and get out through that door and never return again, I don't want to ever see your face". Baek-Hyun said calmly but manner she said it made Moon understand that there was no sort of joke attached to that. "But…". She was about to protest but Baek-Hyun shut her up. "you are my maid right?". She asked Moon and she nodded. "then I think can order you around?". She asked again and the girl nodded. "if so, don't ever come to me again with the mentality the that you are my personal maid okay?". She asked the girl who looked as confused as confusion itself. "you are not my personal maid, nobody is, that is an order. You may leave now". Baek-Hyun said and the girl bowed deeply and left. She wondered what the matter with Baek-Hyun was. Everyone were looking for such opportunity of having a maid and she was there rejecting it. Baek-Hyun breathed in and out as a means to redeem herself. Then she stared at herself in the mirror and she wondered what kind of kingdom would make the girls go round in such clothes. A guard was at the door to pick her. She was really nervous as she walked out of the door. She felt like she was necked so immediately she stepped out of the door, she hurried back inside and took an almost transparent black veil and wrapped around her back. The guard stared at her weirdly before leading the way again.

Baek-Hyun stepped into the hall where the feast was hosted. Everywhere was filled with bright candles and there was music in the background. The feast had just begun; she could tell that. There were other women in even more revealing clothes that she felt ashamed. They didn't even make efforts in covering their bodies instead she they were dancing all over men who were exploiting their bodies. She stared with disgust. This was clear immorality but the people in this kingdom were so used to it that they weren't even worried. But how can she judge them. that would only make her a self-perfectionist. Besides, it is written in the holy books that one should not judge the other so why should she? That would also be an immorality. Baek-Hyun walked slowly into the hall and immediately the King saw her, he used a spoon to hit the glass to attract the attention of everyone in the hall. "here she comes, the reason for this feast." And to Baek-Hyun, he said "come closer Baek-Hyun, take your seat beside Chi-Mae." Baek-Hyun immediately became tensed. She didn't like Chi-Mae but she walked to the seat beside Chi-Mae's right. Beside Chi-Mae's left was a breath taking looking lady that she knew was the princess, King Young-Jae's sister because they looked alike and besides, anyone would know to call her a princess because she did look like one and because there were five maids standing beside her and one of them was fanning her. She didn't know if to greet her or not as she walked past without looking at the princess' direction. She wondered why anyone would bring their maids along to a party. She had heard rumours that the princess wasn't as nice as her brother the king. If she was asked, she had planned to say that she didn't know she was the princess. Baek-Hyun would have termed her the goddess of beauty herself except that the lady was also wearing revealing clothes. "Baek-Hyun here wishes to share the same fate as our kingdom. She is a skilled fighter and she wants to fight alongside with us against our enemies. Cheers to Baek-Hyun." Young-Jae said and some people raise their glass as cheers for Baek-Hyun and others clapped. "do you have anything to say Baek-Hyun?". The king asked her and she stood up. "thank you great Emperor Young-Jae for this privilege, your reign shall never cease. I thank everyone for accepting me. I pledge my loyalty to your great King tonight before all of you and lastly, I wish to thank the General for saving my live and also taking me in". Baek-Hyun said without staring at Chi-Mae and he stared at her with surprise. The princess beside Chi-Mae suddenly stared at Baek-Hyun with surprise then she studied Chi-Mae's face as well and she was happy to not see a smile on his face. She wasn't happy that the foreign girl looked that beautiful and the fact that she was already being accepted as a Hak-Kun citizen. "very well then, you are welcome to join the King's army anytime you are ready, let the party go on, have fun, get drunk and young men, take yourselves women". The King said and the people exulted. Baek-Hyun was in awe when she heard the King's last words. Then she looked around the hall and she wondered why the king had to throw a party just for welcoming her in, she was sure he had nothing important to do with his riches. "Baek-Hyun, can I have a dance?" the King asked Baek-Hyun and walked to her. She stood up right away and accepted. As she walked to the King, she couldn't help but stare at Chi-Mae. She couldn't read any expression on his face so she looked on and walked gracefully to the King. Everyone wondered why the king decided to throw a party for a commoner. But they knew their king as well; any excuse to throw a banquet. Chi-Mae stared at Baek-Hyun all through her dance with the King. He also stood up and had a dance with the Princess beside him. "Chi-Mae, are you okay? You don't look very happy". The Princess said to Chi-Mae looking worried. "why should you care?". Chi-Mae asked but he never took his eyes off Baek-Hyun. She was beautiful. The gown had gracefully drawn out her curves and she looked even more taller in his eyes. Princess Aya tracked his eyes and found that he was staring at Baek-Hyun. She immediately became alerted and skilfully, turned him around so that his back will be against Baek-Hyun. She took the chance to take a good look at Baek-Hyun. The girl was beautiful and tempting to anyone but she couldn't believe that Chi-Mae would also fall for her charms. But no matter how tempting she looked, Chi-Mae couldn't help pushing away the feeling that there was something off about her. He didn't know if he was wrong to have asked the king to keep her close, he didn't know if he had made a mistake by bringing her so close to themselves. But they needed to study her and discover her intentions. She looked professional in all her actions and it seemed that Emperor Woong of Gi kingdom had saved the best for the last. He jerked himself out of his thoughts when he saw Baek-Hyun walking towards him. He immediately excused himself and left the princess and walked to her. Princess Aya was furious, she wondered what it was about her that Chi-Mae couldn't just forget, she would not allow that underdressed foreigner to destroy her chance of having Chi-Mae all to herself. She had once had him and she will have again. She angrily walked out of the party hall. Her brother the king saw her leaving and he immediately called for her but she ignored his call and left right away. "you're so good at your game". He said to her. "which game?" she asked him. "you know you are not the first or the twentieth spy that has been killed and if I kill you, he will just send another one?" Chi-Mae asked her back. "why are you so sure about me being a spy". Baek-Hyun asked him with dimmed eyes. "because I don't trust you or anyone and if you succeed in going back alive, tell your Emperor that he has acted childishly these past months and for that, I am coming for him". Chi-Mae said to Baek-Hyun and she stared at him with hidden fear. "oh my, I'm so afraid of you". Baek-Hyun said scornfully to him and then she laughed but Chi-Mae swiftly held her jaw so tight that Baek-Hyun thought it might crack. "Just wait until you are discovered, Young-Jae would abandon you and then you will be all mine and left to my mercies alone". His voice was chilly and his eyes reddened. "let … go of … me". Baek-Hyun struggled to say but Chi-Mae only held her tighter. "You better not turn out to be a spy Baek-Hyun, otherwise, you don't want to know what your fate will be". He said and pushed her and she landed right on a seat that was behind her. Then he walked away. They room was dim so no one really noticed what was happening and besides, they were standing by a corner. Baek-Hyun couldn't get her ass off the chair as rubbed her reddened jaw and her eyes watered. Her breathe became unsteady. She wondered what wrong she did to him and she searched her memory for any hateful incidence but she found none. She wanted to leave the party right away but then suddenly, a man approached her. A tall full grow man that was Baek-Hyun thought was in his late thirties. "Hey beautiful, a bit tired now are we?". The man asked and Baek-Hyun looked up to him. She scanned him from head to toe. She wondered if the older people in the empire were purposely killed and only the young ones were left. "yeah". She replied carelessly. "I just want to have a seat. Can I have this one?". The man asked and pointed to a seat that was directly opposite Baek-Hyun. "Yeah, take the seat and sit anywhere but here". Baek-Hyun said and pushed the seat with her leg to the man who smiled. "a little rude, but it's fine". He said and sat down directly opposite her. Baek-Hyun stared at him then she eyed him and looked away. "Why would a beautiful woman be lonely at her own party?". The man asked and Baek-Hyun rolled her eyes. "I am not lonely". She replied and looked away. "Baek-Hyun Isn't it?". The man asked and Baek-Hyun took a closer look at him. "Who are you?". she asked with her brows furrowed. "forgive me for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Sa-Mul, my father is the King's Chief advisor". The man said to Baek-Hyun and she nodded. "so? What do I owe you?". she asked and he shrugged. "I just want us to be friends". the man said and Baek-Hyun smiled. "You have to give me a reason why. A good reason". Baek-Hyun said and the man Sa-Mul stared at her for a while then he smiled. "you seem difficult and I really want to believe you are not". The man said and Baek-Hyun smiled. "you are not proving anything". She said all serious and rolled her eyes, then she looked away and the man widened his eyes. "okay you are difficult". He said and Baek-Hyun smiled then she yawned to the man's surprise. "am I boring?". He asked her and she nodded. "very boring". She said and poured the entire content in the glass she had been holding into her mouth. "Okay? So let's talk about our vices and interests?". The man asked and she shrugged. She was beginning to feel dizzy yet she carried another glass of alcohol. "Let's give it a try". She said and the man nodded. "I love writing and I want to be a writer but my father says I must go to England and study international relations". Sa-Mul said and Baek-Hyun was in awe. She didn't know anything about education except the general basic education which was only allowed for boys. Girls were just trained to be good house wives to their husbands. "is that bad?". She asked all confused and he nodded. "mom and I tried to change his mind but we can't". he said again. "sorry about that". Baek-Hyun said innocently even though she had no idea about what he was talking about. She was getting interested in the conversation and in him as well and her mood was getting better. "but I also love samosa and oh ketchup, the American sauce. I love floating on water and I also love reading books, I love fat girls and I also love Africans". Sa-Mul said and Baek-Hyun laughed. "why do you like fat girls?". She asked and he laughed. "I don't know but I think it's more of pity than love". He said and Baek-Hyun laughed heartily. "okay what are your vices?". She asked him and he smiled. "I know my father can't swim and he hates the river, but when he took me to the stream on day for fishing since I have disturbed for that almost all my life, I made him fall into the water and I paddled away, I was only later I realised that father could truly not swim. It was a miracle he was still alive for he stayed in the water for three days before we finally found him, and when he recovered months later, I lied about it, I was really young though and it was a kind payback because he paid an England tutor and made me study eighteen hours each day". He said and Baek-Hyun covered her mouth with her hands. She couldn't believe her eyes. She looked around to see if someone was actually listening then she burst into laughter. "that is not funny, what if your father drowned to death, the studying, did it end?". Baek-Hyun asked and he shook his head. "I studied that way till I turned twenty". Baek-Hyun felt sorry for him but he nodded. "what other things did you do?". She asked "you know the royal bath are only for princes and when I was young, the only people allowed in there was Young-Jae, the King and Chi-Mae. One day I snuck in there and I almost got drowned. To my greatest surprise, the water was chill and freezing. I got back home and I was sick for weeks, it was good though because the classes stopped allt hose weeks I was ill but I kept pretending I was still sick for a few more days and my brothers discovered my and spilled it to dad. He cancelled my one-hour break that I usually had and I studied for nineteen hours each day. Again, I think I might have caused a whole calamity in the training field. My father asked me join the commander's army but I'm allergic to blood. I was having riding lessons on the first day of my training and then I fell off the horse and hit my head. When I was up, there was a tiny cut on my head and when I saw the blood, I passed out and rolled down the rock and I ended up knocking out everyone on my path". Sa-Mul said and Baek-Hyun didn't laugh this time, she sympathized. "Sorry about that". "I don't want to be a soldier but my dad forced me to learn some self-defence skills like I'm ever going to land in trouble". He said and Baek-Hyun laughed. "I think you should do whatever makes you happy Sa-Mul, life is really short and I advise you to live your life the way you should". She said and they laughed. "So what about you? what are your vices and interests?". Sa-Mul asked. "I am the opposite of you though. I love being a warrior and I can definitely stand the sight of blood. I love wine and especially the American wine ICE. I love reading and I love riding horses, I can and I love cooking though I've not had the chance to do so in a really long time. I love flying arrows and oh, making arrows are one of my favourite things in the world and I do love my sister and my brother. My vices, umm… I think I lie a lot but if I don't, I might end up dead, I kind of hate associating with people but you make it seem fun, I always curse your General in my mind, don't tell anyone". Baek-Hyun said and they laughed. "you should really have a cat because they are thought to be good judges of characters". Sa-Mul said and Baek-Hyun laughed. She didn't really understand what he was talking about but she enjoyed his company. "okay, I think that is enough talking to a total stranger, move along now". Baek-Hyun said and the guy seemed puzzled. He stared at her for a while to see if she was serious and when he did see her seriousness, he stood up to his feet. "you mean I should go?". He asked and Baek-Hyun smiled then stared at him. "What else will I be talking about?". She asked and the guy left still wondering what kind of a girl she was ordering anyone around. Baek-Hyun was penitent about the manner she spoke to him so she called him again. "Sa-Mul, I had a great time with you tonight, I hope I can see you around soon". She said and he nodded. "me too, good night". He replied and walked away. He thought he wanted to hate her but he also thought she was cool. Though she was bossy and somehow arrogant, he really wanted to speak to her more often. Baek-Hyun sat back down and grabbed another bottle of alcohol that made her pass out right after she finished it.

Chi-Mae sat under the mighty oak tree in front of the abandoned offering alter. That was one of his favourite spots because no one went to those places and it was in the outskirt of Gywenn town. But the king recently had announced his plans for that place. he planned to demolish it and build a home for monks but what was preventing him where the offering stones where the women had placed as prayers for their girl children. Chi-Mae loved to stare at the stones because they spoke on ancient days and activities. There, the pink and white veils that had been used to decorate the alter reminded him of his late sister. But the manner in which the veils danced in harmony to the music of the wind reminded him of someone. The person's face was vague so that he could not see the person but he knew it was a female. He couldn't carelessly sleep off when Baek-Hyun might decide to kill him that night. Aha! Baek-Hyun, the dancing colourful veils reminded him of Baek-Hyun. He stared at the stones in anger and he felt like pushing them all down. He turned and stared at the moon, it was very late and he was sure the feast had ended. He had to return and check on Young-Jae and also give orders to the soldiers. Baek-Hyun had to be monitored carefully, he knew. He stood up swiftly and mounted on his raven black horse. When he got to the hall, the King was no way to be found. Which meant that he too had left the party to help himself. He was going to go back because his only mission there was to check on the king and the king was clearly fine. Wait… except he was with Baek-Hyun. He dashed into the hall again in search of Baek-Hyun and there she was. He found her crouch so vulnerably on the huge seat. He didn't know what to do with her so he made to leave but then he stopped when he heard her murmur some gibberish. He walked closer to her and stared at her, he should have spanked her face and drag her out but he carried her. He would have crashed if he weren't so familiar with the way because he was staring at her face. She was half unconscious because she was drunk. She was busy saying strange things that would make anyone believe she was crazy. "who are you? put me down … you do not want to test my anger … I am a Ji-Seok warrior and I will smash you head with the hoof of a … a baby horse? A pony…. When the moon is full…. Hmm… you smell like rubbish… Tomorrow is my paebaek". She kept saying more gibberish on and on unconsciously and Chi-Mae was annoyed. He felt like throwing her down right away. The smell of strong wine filled Chi-Mae's nose. Then came the volcano. Baek-Hyun threw up on him. He wished he had walked faster and drop her quickly then that wouldn't have happened. He couldn't wait to get to her chamber no more because her chamber was still far away and he was right in front of his'. When his guards saw him carrying Baek-Hyun, they rushed over to take her from him but he refused to give her away. "out of my way". He said looking straight ahead and he signalled the guards to open the door. He went in and dropped her on his bed. He felt disgusted, he almost threw her on the bed because he was annoyed but how could he when she looked so fragile. He rushed into his wardrobe and carried some clothes then he asked the guards outside to call the maids. "call the maids up here now". He stared at Baek-Hyun with disgust then he stormed out. "You stay here and ensure she doesn't leave that room". He said and left the men staring at themselves in confusion.

The next morning, Baek-Hyun woke up by mid-day. She had severe headache. She saw herself in yet another strange chamber and dressed in another clothe. She stared around the room with confusion but nothing was familiar to her. She saw three metal armours standing briskly like they were alive and she knew that it was a warrior's room practically her dungeon. Then she saw a writing table just like the one in her room but that one was way busy than hers. It seemed the owner wrote every day. She walked to the table to inspect but then, she mistakenly knocked down the ink jar and it poured on her dress, the table and the flour. "Shit". She cursed and she started looking for something to wipe the ink with but there was none so she used her white sleeping garment. The ink didn't completely go away but it was better to her but in reality, she had just managed to spread the ink around. She stood up and walked to the door and made an attempt to leave but the door was locked from outside. She went back inside the room and sat angrily. But then she saw the expensive garments and apparels that hung neatly on the wooden hanger and many fancy boxes. Everything in the chamber spoke of wealth. She walked to the mirror and she saw how terrible she looked. The ink she had spilled was all over her and she looked like she was dug from the mud. Her face was stained and her nose in particular. She left the mirror to a huge lamp stand that had five lamps hanging on it. That was when she noticed that there were candles nearly at every turns and twists in the chamber. She looked from it to the chess game on a table in the room and also pouko-puo. She didn't know how to play either of them and she walked past them to the window. She stared outside it and she could see thousands of soldiers training in unity. They were so much like sand, but Baek-Hyun knew that was just very few of them. Baek-Hyun was amused. That was the only thing so far that had intrigue her in that kingdom and if her fortress had as many soldiers as that, they wouldn't have fallen. She did enjoy the sight of it but she looked away to another place that had been attracting her since. There were hundreds of white veils dancing to the harmony of the breeze and there were maids washing more and drying more. She thought of a possible way of getting out of the fancy gaol where she had been locked up but there wasn't a means because they her fancy dungeon was almost at the peak of the building. Looking down made Goosebumps spread over her skin. The building was supposed to house all the prices in the kingdom as many as they might be, but there wasn't any prince. Young-Jae's father even with his flaws was faithful to his wife and they were quite young when they had Young-Jae and his sister Aya. They were also young when they died. She became scared whether she had gone in to Sa-Mul or she was taken by one of the rich merchants in the party. Or perhaps, the king had taken her. Whatever the case was, Baek-Hyun was freaking. She tried to remember what happened the night before but all she remembered was dancing with the king and then Chi-Mae bullied her and then came Sa-Mul. That was all. "oh come on Baek, you can do better than that, look what you've gotten yourself into". She kept holding her head with a sour expression on her face. She looked out of another window, the east wing. There she could see and woman walking with elegance and there were three maids behind her, the maids had different uniforms from the rest and Baek-Hyun immediately knew that the woman they were following was the court lady because she also had a uniform on but it was different from all other maiden attires. She wished she was even in their shoes so she could be free and not locked up in a well decorated dungeon. She sat on her knees before the mirror and she stared at herself. Her cracked and swollen her eyes, her rough lips and face, her ink stained cheeks and painted nose. She was draining of energy and her stomach rumbled loud and since, it kept making annoying sounds. She hated it but what could she do? the only things this wealthy man did not have was food and water. She held her stomach and then she crawled to a corner between the bed and the wall. Just then, there was a knock on the door. Baek-Hyun stared at the door with terror all over her face. "who is there? Let me out" she screamed and rushed over to the door. She hit it hard but the maids outside the door got frightened to hear a woman's voice inside the General's chamber. "Who are you? how did you get in there?". The woman asked from outside. "please let me out, I've been locked in here all day and I'm starving". Baek-Hyun complained again and she kept struggling with the door handle. The maids outside were confused. They didn't know what to do in such situation. "Who are you?". another maid asked. "Baek-Hyun, my name is Baek-Hyun and I don't know how I ended up here but please help me and let me out". "we will just come back later My lady; it seems you are quite busy". The first maid said again and they hurried away. They didn't even want to hear Baek-Hyun beg because they didn't know what to do. "no, no, please don't leave me here, I may not last another hour. What if I jump out of the window? What will happen then?". She asked and hit the door even harder but there was no response again. She hit the door and kept pleading but there was no one there again. She wanted to burst into tears and her face reddened. She held herself back. she was a warrior and she wouldn't cry. But what if somehow, she found her way out of there, where would she go? What would she do? how will she survive? How long would she last? And the worst of it all was how impatient Chi-Mae was with her. If he ever caught her, he would make her life a nightmare. She walked back to her sitting position and she leaned her head on the wall. She sat that way for hours until the sun went down.

Chi-Mae was quite very busy. He had to a lot on his plate and he was stressed out. That day, he had to settle a dispute between the swordsmen and the axemen. The two lieutenants, Wang and Seong-Hyun were at it again. They were always at it, always fighting over every little thing like hierarchy, walking space, the finest and even food, as the case was that very day. Other times they fought, U-Jin, the second in command to Chi-Mae always took care of it, not that very day, the fight was more intense and Chi-Mae was called upon. He rode into the market in great speed and indifference. "Ha!". Kept ordering the horse to go faster. Everyone scattered and some knocked over their wares. Some got injured in the process but he didn't care. No one could dare complain because they all knew how swiftly he summoned his sword. They bowed as he rode past and some that didn't know who he was muttered some abusive words but he didn't care until he got the scene and he pulled over like he was crazy. "The General is here". Some of the market women around yelled and everyone scampered for safety. Well, except the fighting soldiers. "General". The other three awaiting lieutenants greeted. "U-Jin, what is happening here?". He asked still seated on top of his horse. "General, the two lieutenants, they are fighting over food". U-Jin reported. "Why? Isn't there enough food?". He asked again. "There is but they are fighting about the greediest amongst them. They accuse each other of eating more than the other". Lady Bong Cha, the head of female warriors said. Chi-Mae watched them quietly. "You three stand here and just watched, won't you do something? They are going to kill themselves". He said and U-Jin replied "we tried but they wouldn't listen and besides, they are too worked up to be talked down". Chi-Mae looked on unto the fight. Then he jumped down from his horse. "Close order formation". He yelled and the wrestlers immediately stopped fighting and struggled to formed a close formation. They were shocked to see the General there because of them. their heads stood in front of the formation. "What is this really about?". He asked and the heads Wang and Seong-Hyun began explaining themselves. The axemen had cut in the line of eating and they ate both their portion and that of the swordsmen. Chi-Mae was worked out. He wanted to do away with each of their heads. "Wang, you and your men eat only after the rest of the soldiers are through eating from today. For the mean time, you and your men will move down to Sheongung and remain there until you are through building their broken walls. Seong-Hyun, you ask the women to cook again your own portion of food and for the mean time, you and your men would clean up the mess you have caused while fighting". Chi-Mae nailed it. U-Jin was impressed. He was way more considerate than the General and he already suspected that his judgement would teach the two lieutenants a life lesson. They all bowed to Chi-Mae as he climbed his horse and returned to his zone. The rest of the lieutenants weren't through with their evening patrol so they climbed their horses and continued their good works.

When Chi-Mae returned to the palace, he was summoned by the King and he had to answer the call immediately. It was a meeting he was being invited to. It was a long one and after the meeting, there were hundreds of scrolls to be read. Young-Jae gave half of them to Chi-Mae. He had to finish the entire scrolls and sort the ones that needed to be sorted in less than three days. They did that only after the other council members had gone off. It was only Hwa-Bel that knew the things that Young-Jae and Chi-Mae did together because he was the Chief advisor to the king and also Sa-Mul's father. He knew almost everything about the two friends who were like brothers. Including the facts that Chi-Mae did all of Young-Jae's works in secret. Example, sorting of scrolls. Baskets of scrolls were taken to Chi-Mae's study that night and he planned on beginning immediately. "what about the foreigner? What do we do with her?". Young-Jae asked and Chi-Mae creased his brows. "who?". He asked. "Baek-Hyun". Young-Jae said and Chi-Mae lurched to his feet. "Shit". He cursed and rushed off. "What is the matter?". Young-Jae asked and he clicked his tongue. "I have something to take care of". He said and left. As he walked back to his chamber, his raven black hair covered his face and his looks made chills ran down the spine of everyone in his path. The old maids looked away while the young ones smiled and batted their eyes at him. No matter what they always did, they always ensured he didn't see them. And they never listened. The older maids and even the court lady always advised them to avoid the General. Rumour had it that he was cursed to never feel human empathy. Some said he had no tears and no blood in him that was why he never felt sorry for anyone. They believed that he was cursed by the medium of Tang kingdom after he had beheaded their king in cold blood. Though Hak-Kun was victorious in that war, they suffered a great loss. Young-Jae lost his parents to the war and so did Chi-Mae. The war took his entire family and after the war ended, drowned by revenge, Chi-Mae went after the remaining survivors of Tang Kingdom. Their king also survived the war but he was in a terrible state. Their medium was doing some prayers on his behalf when Chi-Mae suddenly invaded and killed hundreds of soldiers and Tang Emperor and also the medium. And according to the rumours that went around, the medium had cursed him before she died. That part of the story was entirely false though and Chi-Mae knew what the people thought of him. After almost all the leaders in their kingdom had been wiped out by the war, new leaders were being chosen. Young-Jae inherited his father's throne and Chi-Mae was made the General because he was the best. He earned that position but there were many opponents that tried to rig him of the honour. They said he had a bad reputation and the whole kingdom was scared of him so he didn't deserve it. Young-Jae ensured Chi-Mae had that position because he deserved it.

As Chi-Mae passed, he heard the maids whisper things about him to each other but he pretended to hear nothing. He also knew that most families in Gywenn town didn't wish for him to marry their daughters. He smirked anytime lady Bong Cha reminded him of that. Lady Bong Cha was his mother's best friend and after he lost his mother, the woman became his mother figure and she was also the head of female warriors in the capital. She always advised him to go easy so he would find a wife but he was indifferent about it. He always smirked because he would ensure the girl he marries regret marrying him "or you can always get a wife from other kingdoms". The woman always said each time she saw the indifference in his eyes. "he is said to be cursed". A maid said to another and he turned his gaze sharply to them and the ladies widened their eyes in shock with shivering.

Chi-Mae opened the door of his chamber and stack darkness welcomed him. He lit the lamp in the chamber and he looked around for Baek-Hyun but she wasn't there. "Shit". He muttered under his breath and he picked up one of his books that had fallen. He walked to the window and looked outside. That was when he saw someone curled up in a corner. He pulled out his saber and walked to the figure. "Get up". he said and kicked her slightly with his boot. Baek-Hyun stirred from her sleep and she opened her eyes to meet a saber placed on her neck. She shifted to the wall completely until there was nowhere to shift again but the saber followed her. She sat up carefully and stared at the bearer of the saber. "You". Chi-Mae's voice rang in her ears. "Get up". he said again and kicked her harder than he did before and Baek-Hyun staggered to her feet. He put his sword back into his belt and pulled out a dagger. Then he walked closer to her and placed it on her neck. Baek-Hyun shivered as the blade touched her skin. Her chest moved up and down as she stared at it, then at him. She was speechless. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared at him. He moved his hands to her face and pushed behind her ear the tuft of hair that had covered her face. "What are you doing here?". He asked but she couldn't say a word, she was too weak to. The tears rolled down her white face and fell on the dagger blade. "answer me. What are you doing here?". He asked and press the dagger further. "I… I don't know". She said still looking at his hand. She knew if he moved his hand a bit, she would be dead. "why didn't you leave?". He asked again and she grew furious. But she behaved herself because of the dagger on her neck. "there was no way to. You locked me inside here". Her voice was quivering and she was slowly losing her rag. Chi-Mae stared at her for a while then he removed the dagger from her neck. Baek-Hyun moved her eyes to his bare body. She hated to see its smoothness. She felt like she could get her hands on the dagger and teach him a lesson. "Where have you been?". She suddenly asked and he stared at her like she was crazy to ask him and she really was crazy. "Why did you being me here and why did you lock me up?". she yelled and took a step away from the wall. "did you forget about me?". She asked again with anger and he kept staring at her. "what do you want from me?". She yelled crazily and tears blinded her eyes. But he just kept quiet and stared at her. "Answer me". Her voice was cold and it froze Chi-Mae but he shook it off and walked to her till there was no space then he held her jaw and pinned her to the wall. "have you loosed your mind?". He asked and that got Baek-Hyun thinking. She thought she did for a moment and then she knew she didn't. "I haven't, have you?". she asked and Chi-Mae almost went crazy. He couldn't believe anyone would say that to him. "what is wrong with you?". he asked again with clenched teeth and intensified his grip on her jaw. She was forced to hold his hands and tears rolled down her face. She wished she could make him feel the pains she felt. "You tell me that. Who brings an unconscious woman into his room and lock her in there all day, starving and only returns at night and then tries to kill her?". Her voice was weak and almost in whispers but it had the intended effect on Chi-Mae. His hands weakened and he shifted away from her. "I am not your property and you can't treat me anyhow so you have to show some respect". Baek-Hyun yelled weakly at him and he stared at her and walked to his bed then he started removing his sword. "Get out". He said without staring at her. "What?". She asked and he stared at her then he removed his belts. "I said leave". He said again with indifference. "I'm going nowhere until you say sorry. You have never said it, have you?". Baek-Hyun asked and Chi-Mae froze. "You want me to say sorry?". He turned to her and asked. He was amused. "yes. You wronged me and you have to apologize". "You want to hear me say sorry?". He asked and walked to her and she nodded. Then he bent in to her and she bent back "You have to die first before I say it". Baek-Hyun looked terrified and Goosebumps spread over her body. "but… how... how will I hear you say it if I'm dead?". She stuttered and Chi-Mae smiled. The smile froze her and it made her confused. "Well, that means I can't apologize to you". Chi-Mae said dismissively and walked to the lamp stand. He lighted more candles and the darkness in the room nearly vanished. "Get out". He said and his voice sounded indifferent once again but Baek-Hyun refused. "Suit yourself then". Chi-Mae said and started taking off his skirt. Baek-Hyun creased her brows and asked. "What… what are you doing?". Chi-Mae threw her a quick stare and said "Undressing". "Stop... stop... stop that". She stuttered and looked away. "Stop what? I am in my chamber and I am free to go naked if I want". Chi-Mae said with a smirk. "Shit! You are so… urrgg". Baek-Hyun groaned and rushed to the door. When she went out, Chi-Mae laughed. He was going to get a hang of her because she was appealing to him. She got the guts to yell at him, and he had never met anyone with such high guts before. Baek-Hyun roamed the palace aimlessly. It was really dark and difficult to see but her eyes got used to the darkness.

On the other hand, in Young-Jae's chamber, princess Aya walked into the room and sat briskly on the bed. "Good morning princess, what troubles you?". Young-Jae asked his sister immediately he noticed her mode. "why do you accept a stranger into the kingdom and bring her this close to us? Don't you feel insecure?". Princess Aya asked her brother. "It's best to keep our enemies closer". Young-Jae said and her sister flared up. "that is what you said about the past twenty-three girls that came here and they almost had Chi-Mae, what would you say about that?". Aya asked her brother. "Aya if this is about Chi-Mae then it isn't worth it." Young-Jae said to his sister. "you know he is worth it and more". She retorted. "Aya, I understand you love him but you can't force him to love you back. You have tried for five years and nothing has happened. You should know Chi-Mae, he has changed and I don't want you to marry someone who doesn't care about you." Young Jae said to his distraught sister. "I love him brother and you know that, he knows that and I won't just stand and watch a desperate foreign whore snatch him away, I won't lose him to Baek-Hyun, never". She replied stubbornly but Young-Jae got flared up, something he seldom did. "you cannot lose what you don't have Aya, stop raining abuses on the poor girl, no one forces love and clearly, nothing is going on between them, in fact who told you he loves her? Chi-Mae despises her and he will give anything to take her head and even if he does love her, then let them be, go find someone who loves you back, we all know how Chi-Mae is, if he ever thinks of her as his property, he would make you pay dearly if you ever harm her, even if you are the queen of this Kingdom". Young-Jae said. "But she is going to lead him to his downfall, can't you see she is a wolf in sheep clothing?" Princess Aya said. She wasn't ready to stop. "let Chi-Mae decide that for himself, he is old enough to know what is right is for him and besides, Baek-Hyun is just as harmless". Her brother, the king said. He was fade up with his sister. "Gi will keep sending spies what will you do?". She asked her brother and he stared at her and smiled mildly. "Aya, do you only fight battles you can win?". He asked her and walked out of the chamber. That shut Princes Aya up, she stood there for a while and thought of what his brother said and then she thought of Chi-Mae, her childhood love whom she was carrying the torch for. She walked out of the chamber still pondering on the possibility that Chi-Mae may marry her. Thinking about it broke her heart and she wanted cry but how could she outside her chamber? She walked hurriedly past the huge pillars to her chamber when she saw Baek-Hyun going out of Chi-Mae's chamber. She hid behind one of the huge pillars till Baek-Hyun walked pass her. Princess Aya stared at Chi-Mae's chamber with longing in her eye. She had never even entered that chamber but Baek-Hyun had been there for just three days and now she had already gone into his chamber. The Princess felt drowned by hatred for Baek-Hyun. She thought it would be easy to have Baek-Hyun run errands for her but on the first day of meeting the king, she was made to live in the palace with Lady Bong Cha and that pissed her off. She wondered why her brother did everything on Chi-Mae's accord and she only got to find out about it later. She couldn't believe she just saw Baek-Hyun leaving Chi's room when she was supposed to be the one in there.

Immediately Baek-Hyun got into her chamber and crashed on the bed. She had used the back door so that lady Bong Cha will not know she was missing but too late, the woman was seated in the darkness waiting for her but Baek-Hyun did not see her. She curled up and let the tears run down her face. She had walked round the whole palace for almost an hour before she finally reached this chamber and the frustration of the stress stirred up her emotions. The pains she has gone through angered her. The fact that she was so far away from her only family, and she didn't know how they were faring. She didn't even know if they were still alive or not. She remembered how her mother was killed right in front of her, how she never got to even see her father's corpse before he was burnt to nothing by those Gi soldiers. She would not fail in this mission if she wanted to see her brother and sister again. She missed them a lot. But she needed to be more patient. But she was scared, what if she got back successfully to hear that her remaining family has been killed because she stayed too long. Then she would kill the Emperor at that spot and whatever would be done to her wouldn't matter as long as she takes revenges for her family. She cried so much and her voice was audible to passers. She was so hurt and nothing would calm her unless she cried all her pain out. - "tears, that is how your body reacts when it can't deal with the pains it feels". - Baek-Hyun remembered her mother tell her each time she cried about her father's scolding. Her mother always advised her to save her tears for more painful days. Now, Baek-Hyun believed that it was days like this that her mother was talking about. "Save your tears for another day". She suddenly heard a woman's voice. She knew the voice but she had forgotten the owner. "Where have you been?". Lady Bong Cha asked and Baek-Hyun looked up. "I… I was… Chi-Mae had me. He locked me up in his room all day". She said and the woman walked out of the darkness and lit the candles then she sat on the bed with Baek-Hyun. "Did he hurt you?". she asked Baek-Hyun shook her head but the woman knew Chi-Mae almost better than anyone and he knew that she must have bruises on her body if she had spent the whole day with him so scanned her body until she touched her chin and Baek-Hyun moaned in pain. "he did this to you?". she asked and Baek-Hyun nodded. The woman stood up and came back with a jar of ointment. Then she applied it on Baek-Hyun's swollen jaw. She could even see the mark of his hand on her chin "take this. If you meet him often then you will need more of this". Then she handed Baek-Hyun the jar. "What happened to your dress?". She asked and Baek-Hyun stared at her ink stained dress. "I mistakenly spilled his ink". She didn't want to lie to the woman. Not when she was so kind to her. "I was worried about you and I thought we could get to know each other today but I think we will save that for tomorrow. be careful around Chi-Mae, he can be really violent and he is intense". Baek-Hyun nodded and the woman stood up. "you should be asleep by now so you can make it to morning exercise tomorrow. I heard the Emperor asked you to join Chi-Mae's army. Good night now". She said and started walking out but Baek-Hyun stopped her. "I am starving and I really need something to eat and I don't know how to go about it". The woman stared at her "I'll send for Moon immediately, she will help you fix something". "Who is Moon again?". "Your hand maid". The woman replied and left.

On the other hand, life was getting worse for the captives in Gi. They were made to build walls around the whole Gi yet they ate like an ant. They melted and made more swords, arrows other weapons as well and they were even making trebuchets, wolf teeth strikers and malevolent wood. There was barely any resting time and were sometimes given soured food. At night, they built dirt mound from mud somewhere close to one of the Hak-Kun fortresses. Their Emperor was preparing to go to another war. Man-Chun barely had time to see Kyong or his sister who had been taken away as a maid to serve Lady Ki. Baek-Hyun had asked her to protect her sister and to that, she choose the girl for a maid and that was what gave Kyong a little peace of mind, to know that his sister was in save hands. But he still worried greatly about Baek-Hyun. Everyone knew what the Emperor had done and the feared for the young maidens. "Baek-Hyun might never make it back, none of the other concubines had". Kyong said to Man-Chun and his other friends from Ji-Seok. "But Baek-Hyun is brave". One of his friends argued. "that doesn't make her a fighter and it scares me". Kyong retorted. Man-Chun who had been watching them since finally decided to speak. "it doesn't matter, she is smart and she is very much a warrior and she understands her task so she won't fail". He said and stood up. The young men stared at him speechlessly.

Emperor Woong on the other hand was feeling so relaxed about the possibility that Baek-Hyun wouldn't fail. He didn't understand why he believed in her so much but for some reason, he was relaxed. He feasted every night and for other reasons, his subjects were cold and scared. They were already feeling the vibe of their doom. They knew without a seer that if Baek-Hyun succeeded, then she was capable of raining doom on them. "why don't we some reckon, maybe her corpse is somewhere around our territory". Bayan said to him with fear after the council meeting that took place. "watch your mouth Bayan or you will lose it". The Emperor yelled. "your humble subject apologizes my King". Bayan immediately apologized. He knew his emperor was unpredictable and no matter how useful you are to him; he can still replace you for a tiny mistake. "she had asked me to give her time but I am not very patient enough, it's been nearly three weeks and I'm sure she has reached Hak-Kun by now". The Emperor said sounding annoyed. "or perhaps, she is lost". Bayan said and the Emperor threw him a dead stare. "I believe if she fails, Hak-Kun will send a letter declaring war". The Emperor said and Bayan looked thoughtful even though he wasn't thinking about a thing. "if she can't kill him, then at least, he will surely fall for her, men always do and it seems she has gone to stay". The emperor said frowning to himself.