THE CHILD OF A PROMISE

She was walking about in the fields and the sky above her head was dark with nothing but the moonlight and the stars to keep her company.

A mild wind howled throughout the land and as she kept on walking through the tall grass, she eventually halted when in a distance she saw a city which was stationed in the valley below.

The city was very familiar to her as she had been, a very beautiful young woman with long pitch black hair, her skin was light and flawless and her eye small they sparkled like the Northern stars.

Her lips were tiny and cherry like and she was fairly tall.

"Seoraebeol." She called in a very soft and gentle tone.

Suddenly, she heard an explosion that came from the sky above she was ultimately forced to look up and see what it was.

A falling star which in the shape of a phoenix descended from the sky was headed for her and that moment falling to the ground, the bird landed in front of her with a very brilliant glow.

She was afraid but she was unable to scream at all as she felt that her vocal cords had been tied.

The bird raised it's wings and then it flew towards the young lady.

Frightened she closed her eyes as she felt something entering her stomach with such an immense force she immediately woke up and sat up in bed her whole body sweating profusely and her heart beating first.

"Milady?" Namo called as she turned around and faced her maidservant.

"Namo." she said. as she suddenly felt her mood uneasy that she stood out of the bed and ran out of the room as Namo followed her from behind.

Ceasing the pole that supported the building, she bent over and there she started to vomit.

"Milady." Namo called as she caressed her Mistress's back.

She had eventually stopped.

"Call for me my husband she said as she turned around to walk towards her room again and suddenly she started to feel dizzy.

Namo noticing she rushed over as her Mistress started to make her descent to the ground and had fainted.

"Hyang, Seol Mi." Namo called other servants.

They rushed over to her aid.

"Seol Mi." Namo said.

"What should I do?" Seol Mi asked.

"Summon the physician." Namo replied.

"Hyang." She called and Hyang walked up to her.

"Go tell Lord Gukban that his wife has passed out." Mano added.

"Aye." The two replied in unison as they all departed while Namo and a few other servants in the manor helped the Lady Wolmyeong from the ground and carried her back to her room.

Gukban was walking through the woods with his arrow at hand as he looked around with a strange silence lingering in the air.

He had been to that place a number of times, secluded from the rest of the world without having to worry as he basked in the early morning sunshine with the firmament above his head still a very light shade of pink and blue.

He suddenly heard something walking across the forest floor and the sound of the dry leaves and the fallen tree branches got louder.

He could sense that whatever it was that was coming nearby it wasn't human and taking his refuge behind one of the trees he watched in a distance as a shadow appeared.

He maintained his silence as he readied his bow and arrow from a distance.

Eventually, stepping into his view, he noticed that right in front of him there was a deer.

He released the arrow at once that it went flying and struck the deer it landed on the ground immediately.

Satisfied with the sight he smiled.

"Milord." He suddenly heard someone calling him that he turned around to see who it was.

"Milord." The sound persisted tracing the direction it was coming from he saw one of the servants of his manor headed his way.

He hurriedly rushed over to her.

"Hyang?" He called and seeing him she also made her way towards him.

"What is it?" Gukban asked as she stopped to gasp for air before she looked up at him.

"Milord." Hyang said. "Milady has fainted." She added.

Gukban did not wait to hear anything else that he took off in the direction of his manor as Hyang followed unable to keep up her Master was lost from her sight.

Gukban having spent nearly a decade in the area was well versed with every path that he even had shortcuts of his own.

He went passing the villagers that they looked at him as he appeared to have been like a mad man without a sense of direction.

He was jumping over their carts and wagons if they blocked his way and also sliding under those that were raised very high for him to reach.

Having been a battlefield warrior he was very fit for any distance he would run without really getting tired.

In a short while, he arrived at the entrance of his manor that the doors were immediately opened for him as he went through the courtyard.

"Milord." The servants there greeted him but he ignored them as he hurried up to his bed Chambers which were already filled with a number of servants and two other physicians.

"Gukban immediately walked up to his wife who was laying down in the bed unconscious.

"What's wrong with her?" Gukban asked.

The Doctor still kept quiet as he examined the young woman.

"First wait Milord." He said as he took her Palace and Namo, Gukban and everyone else judging from his expression it looked as though he was puzzled.

"Yeongmun." Gukban called as he looked at him.

"Is there anything wrong with my wife?" He asked.

Yeongmun turned around and looked at everyone that was present in the room.

"This is extra ordinary." Yeongmun replied as he stood up and faced Gukban.

"Lady Wolmyeong's heartbeat is quite weak and yet there is another that is strong within her that it could have caused her to pass out." Yeongmun replied.

"Are you saying that she is pregnant?" Gukban asked.

"At this stage the pregnancy is still very young but yet the pulse that's coming from within her womb is strong which phenomenon can not be explained cause usually, at such an early stage when the foetus is still young, blood around it travels a short distance so it's natural for it to be slow." Yeongmun replied.

Gukban fell to the side of his wife.

"It doesn't matter to me as I fail to see any difference at all, considering the fact that my wife is with child that alone leaves me very grateful." Gukban said.

"I'll prescribe some medicine for her and she'll need to take enough bed rest, we must ensure that the child that she is carrying within her womb is healthy." Yeongmun replied.

"Alright." Gukban replied.

After the physician had left, Gukban was there seated while looking at his wife.

She suddenly started to move her head slowly that he moved closer and looked at her while she opened her eyes only to see him there waiting by her side.

"My dear." Gukban called.

"Honey." She replied as she sat up while Gukban aided her and gave her some support.

"I feel exhausted." Lady Wolmyeong said.

"Please be careful." Gukban said in return.

Lady Wolmyeong looked around and she noticed that the room was entirely filled with so much light.

"What time is it?" She asked.

"It's already late morning." Gukban replied.

"What happened?" She added.

"You passed out very early in the morning." Gukban replied.

"That's strange." Lady Wolmyeong said. "I remember I had woken up because I had a very strange dream." She added.

"What did you dream about?" Gukban asked as he seemed curios.

"I was standing on a hill that overlooked Seoraebeol that at that very moment I heard an explosion in the sky, there I saw a star falling and landing down in form of a phoenix eventually it possessed my lower abdomen and I woke up." Lady Wolmyeong replied.

Gukban was awed that he kept quiet.

"What could be the meaning of the dream?" Lady Wolmyeong asked.

"I don't know." Gukban said. "Perhaps it was just a very usual dream." He added.

"No dear." Lady Wolmyeong objected.

"What makes you say that?" Gukban asked.

"I can feel it." Lady Wolmyeong replied.

"You needn't wear yourself out thinking to much, at this stage you need to be careful because you are with child." Gukban said.

A surprised Lady Wolmyeong lost all her senses at once.

"What?" She asked.

"Yeongmun told us that the reason that you passed out is your pulse was weak and yet you are carrying a child in your womb whose pulse is strong." Gukban replied.

"The dream." Lady Wolmyeong said.

"Don't overthink." Gukban said as he ceased his wife by her shoulders and caused her to look him in the eye.

"No." Lady Wolmyeong said. "Why is it that I would have such a dream especially now of all times." She added.

"You can not start making wild assumptions dear, even though there was any great meaning to the dream I am not willing to believe anything as it is." Gukban replied.

"Fine then." Lady Wolmyeong said.

"O don't want us to fight over it." Gukban said as he caressed the right cheek of his wife.

"We have everything that we need here in Chopalhye, I don't want you to exhaust your mind on wild fantasies." he added as he kissed his wife on the forehead.

After Lady Wolmyeong had fallen asleep once again, Gukban walked out and stood at his balcony while recalling the words that his wife had spoken to him.

He was so lost in his thoughts that at that moment he didn't notice it when one of his personal guards walked up to him.

"Milord." He called a number of times before Gukban could notice that he was present and he turned around to see who it was.

"Moo Mak?" Gukban said.

"You seem frustrated." Moo Mak said as he stood right beside his mother.

"I am rather worried." Gukban replied.

"About what Milord?" Moo Mak asked.

"Everything." Gukban replied.

"It's been a decade." Moo Mak said.

"A decade exiled I doubt that I have come to fully survive the watchful eyes of Seoraebeol." Gukban replied.

"You live a secluded life here in Chopalhye." Moo Mak said.

"That alone is not enough to convince the worried heart." Gukban replied.

"I don't understand Milord, you dropped all the honorary titles so what have they got to fear about you?" Moo Mak asked.

"The Hallowed bone." Gukban replied. "I am confident in their fears more than anyone else." He added.

"Be at ease Milord." Moo Mak said.

"I need to go to the temple." Gukban said.

"Aye Milord." Moo Mak replied as the two dressed up and veiled themselves amongst the commons they walked up towards a small Buddhist temple that was situated in the area.

Reaching there, the place was flooded with monks and other hermits as they roamed around in silence and humble.

Gukban's eyes lingered around the area as he searched the place for someone while Moo Mak maintained his distance right behind him.

Eventually, out of the blue, one of the monks walked up to the both of them.

"Buddha enlightens and gives the way to peace." The monk said.

"So his is the world and all the people within it." Gukban replied.

"This way." The monk said as he led the two men across the courtyard they were being watched cautiously by the monks as they made their entry into the main hall where there stood a fairly big Statue of Buddha.

"Please wait here." Gukban told Moo Mak who stayed at the entrance while he continued inside up to the front with the monk.

Once there, the monk bowed to him.

"Milord." He said.

"Be at ease." Gukban replied.

"Master Gongsung will be with you in a while." The monk said as he made his exit from the room after that.

A while later, an elderly man with a thick and long white beared walked into the Hall where Gukban was kneeling with his eyes closed.

Confidently, he moved up to him and there on his left knelt down before the altar and the statue of Buddha as well.

"I see you are troubled." The old man said.

"I am Master Gongsung." Gukban replied the two still keeping their eyes closed.

"Is it Seoraebeol?" Master Gongsung asked.

"I wonder." Gukban replied.

"Uncertainty is an unavoidable characteristic of the human mind." Master Gongsung said.

"And could the will of heaven be working in the favour of this banished man?" Gukban asked.

"You exiled yourself from the rest of the world." Master Gongsung replied.

"Their tongues were all spitting fire and they had developed very long fangs." Gukban replied.

The incense in the room had started to rise and it reached both their noses.

"You tell me, did heaven forsake thy seed?" Master Gongsung asked.

Gukban immediately opened his eyes.

"There is no future for any of my children outside Chopalhye." Gukban replied.

"And that thought of confinement consumes your heart so much it's become a flame that can not be extinguished." Master Gongsung replied as he put his hands together and bowed his head to the statue once at first before regaining his position.

"I am only protecting them." Gukban replied.

"From who?" Master Gongsung asked. "Is it Seoraebeol or is it Shilla?" he added.

"The world." Gukban replied.

"Your bone has been hallowed, your head has been anointed." Master Gongsung said. "Tell me however, how long do you think you'll run from the will of the heavens?" He asked.

"What is Heaven's will?" Gukban asked.

"Greatness." Master Gongsung replied.

"At the expense of what?" Gukban asked.

"Can the desire if a father confine the heart of a warrior, or can the question of peace in the land raise no cause for bloodshed?

Heaven has been good to you and even I can see for myself that at this very old age, the sight for glory has not departed from me.

Greatness, honour, fame you have deprived of yourself are going to naturally come to you." Master Gongsung replied.

"I am not sending any of my children down to Seoraebeol." Gukban said.

"You don't have to." Master Gongsung said. "Seoraebeol itself shall call them." he added

"Never." Gukban said.

"The child within the womb of your wife shall be a very great leader, and will naturally take the path of the warrior that you have long abandoned.

They'll possess a heart so courageous and hard to go through any storm and they shall amongst all men contend for the greatest favour within the land." Master Gongsung said.

"Impossible." Gukban said.

"That's the child of a Promise towards this land." Master Gongsung added.

"I don't care any more what heaven has laid out for me and if I can not have my will then it certainly won't have its own." Gukban said.

"Have you forsaken your children?" Master Gongsung asked.

"I have forsaken Shilla." Gukban replied.

"But Shilla has not forsaken you." Master Gongsung replied.

Gukban opened his eyes the second time.

"I now understand what I must do." He said.

"Don't taste heaven's patience and do not react out of his Galmunwang." Master Gongsung replied.

"It's been a while since someone called me that." Gukban said.

"They're already waiting for you down in Seoraebeol." Master Gongsung replied as he bowed his head the second time and then he stood up.

Gukban remained silent.

"I won't ever go down to Seoraebeol." He said.

"Heed my wise counsel and forfeit not the hope and the blessing that heaven has given you, your enemies ahead of you are going to rise like the dust that fills Takla Makhan and they are going to hurl at you very many insults worse than anything that this world has ever seen.

The path laid out for your child is that that shall certainly be filled with bloodshed and when all men are no more, yours shall be the final fate of the Seonggol, our bone which is hallowed." Master Gongsung said as he turned around and then walked out of the hall at once.

Gukban walked out after and there Moo Mak who had been seated at the entrance stood up at once.

"Milord." he whispered.

"The will of heaven has forsaken my own." Gukban replied as he led the way out through the courtyard he finally exited the temple.

King Jinpyeong stood at the pavilion of Moral Law that overlooked the whole of Seoraebeol from a distance and there as he stared afar, he noticed that the city looked relatively quiet than it usually was.

"Your Majesty." Ichan Seulbu suddenly called him from behind as he bowed his head.

"Shilla lies silent today and Seoraebeol seems to have gone in a deep slumber." King Jinpyeong said.

"Your Majesty." Ichan Seulbu said. "The two lions that prey on it have gone silent for a while." He added.

"Gorguryeo is up against Sui while on the other hand Paekche is the other lion that is gathering its strength and preparing for another fatal attack." King Jinpyeong replied.

"Your Majesty, there amidst the people rumours have gone around." Ichan Seulbu said.

"Sangdaedeung." King Jinpyeong called.

"Yes Your Majesty." Ichan Seulbu replied.

"Is there anything too hard for you?" He asked.

"I am only a man." Ichan Seulbu replied.

"A man so powerful that you crush your enemies without even holding a sword yourself." King Jinpyeong said.

"I am in the service of Your Majesty." Ichan Seulbu said.

"So devoted to me that you'd kill for me?" King Jinpyeong asked.

"Yes Your Majesty." Ichan Seulbu replied.

"Sokham, Daeya, Amak, are all filled with corpses and these places all remind of one person that I so dearly cherish but sadly I'm forced to keep away." King Jinpyeong said.

"Who Your Majesty." Ichan Seulbu asked.

"At this point even his name has died out and he has deserted my presence to go live in Chopalhye." King Jinpyeong replied.

"Galmunwang Gukban?" Ichan Seulbu asked.

"Yes." King Jinpyeong replied.

"Have the rumours reached Your Majesty's ears?" Ichan Seulbu asked.

"The son of my father and the blood of my own, heaven's calling is to mold on his side for me the last carrier of the Hallowed bone." King Jinpyeong said.

"My apologies Your Majesty." Ichan Seulbu said."if you will I shall have the guards silence those that are spreading these rumours." He added.

"It has become quite popular it seems, as the Royal Princes perish one by one some believe that this in deed is a bad Omen that arises from my awful sin." King Jinpyeong added.

"Your ascension Your Majesty was justified, it's just that your predecessor had proven unfit to bear the responsibility of the Crown that he had taken anymore." Ichan Seulbu said.

"The choice of Seonggols was in deed wide but when the Crown landed on my head and Queen Sado dropped the last of her reins over the country, my brother Galmunwang Gukban deserted me as the other another shield to strengthen my power that I had forged for myself Baekban rose to prominence they fear his influence could threaten me." King Jinpyeong said.

"They are your people." Ichan Seulbu said.

"And they are my brothers." King Jinpyeong defended.

"Baekban possesses a sphere that is very influential within the inner court some fear that he could one time have the Crown for his own." Ichan Seulbu said.

"Yet I still remain benevolent because if I sever him from myself then it might justify a rebellion on his side." King Jinpyeong said.

"Your Majesty, the distance has proven safe so you must keep it, as nothing is certain at this very moment do not give up on the hope of having an heir anytime soon." Ichan Seulbu said.

"I certainly hope so." King Jinpyeong said as he sighed while staring at the vast expanse of his capital in a distance.

Galmunwang Baekban was seated in his study when the doors were opened and someone walked in.

" Haek Ga." He called.

"Milord." The man replied.

"Did you do as I had asked?" Galmunwang Baekban asked.

"Yes Milord " Haek Ga replied.

"How's it?" Baekban asked.

"The rumour has circulated around Seoraebeol it's without a doubt that all the Ministers in the court shall have heard it by now." Haek Ga replied.

"Good." Baekban replied.

"Milord." Haek Ga called.

"Yes?" Baekban replied.

"We have got word from our Scouts in Chopalhye." Haek Ga replied.

"And what is it?" Baekban asked.

"Lady Wolmyeong." Haek Ga replied hesitantly.

"What's wrong with my dear sister in law?" Baekban asked.

"At last, she has conceived." Haek Ga replied.

Baekban looked up at him fiercely.

"Pardon me Your Excellency but we hadn't hoped that after all this time she'd be in the position to conceive again." Haek Ga added as he fell down to his knees.

"You had one simple job." Baekban said.

"Pardon me Your Excellency." Haek Ga said.

"You were to ensure that my Wolmyeong bore no children at all." Baekban replied.

"It's all because of my incompetence." Haek Ga said.

"And a dear apology shall not solve the problem because should my brother bear a son then it'll affect the line of succession." Baekban said.

"When the prophecy went out of control I thought that I could use it as a sword to my advantage, now that my brother's male seeds are extinguished one by one it could be blamed on either his existence and it wouldn't be that difficult to find him doing voodoo.

He could have one way out, to either drop his Seonggol title or be executed with his entire family and yet despite all that I have endeavoured to do he has survived all this time still stainless as before." Baekban said.

"We'll see to it that our mistake is rectified." Haek Ga said.

"It's too late now." Baekban said.

"Why Your Excellency?" Haek Ga asked.

"Even if you were to terminate Wolmyeong's pregnancy my brother is very smart that by now having heard she is with child he'll be more cautious and I know better than anyone else that his eye is very hard to escape." Baekban said.

"Your Highness, there can't be something that we can not do." Haek Ga said.

"I didn't say that there was something that we can not do." Baekban said." It's just that right now we need to make a few adjustments to our plan." He added.

"What shall we do Your Excellency?" Baekban asked.

"You keep watch of the condition in Chopalhye day and night and make sure to regularly update me, you'll have all your most elite men when the time is right to carry out an excursion upon which you'll return with my brother and his wife's heads.

On the other hand we'll complete the prophecy,

"The son of my father and the blood of my own, heaven's calling is to mold on his side for me the last carrier of the Hallowed bone, to atone for a sin so vile like this, the rebel and his house must certainly be extinguished." Baekban said.

"Aye Your Excellency." Haek Ga said as he bowed his head and then walked out if the room.

Confident that he had totally vanished, Baekban spoke up there and then.

"You can come out." He said and into his sight from one of the corners of his study an elderly man dressed nobly walked up to him.

"I see You haven't stopped putting your talents to the best use." The man said.

"I must be King." Baekban said.

"And your brother's children?" The old man asked as he sat down right in front of him.

"No one can call me the villain and on top of that the King's sons are dying very many unnatural deaths in deed a bad Omen has befallen the Royal household.

My other brother resides as a commoner while retaining his wealth out of the Capital to the rural Chopalhye which is close to another deserted Haven.

If he dies without any question because of the rumours going by then the first person to fall victim to the law of suspect shall be the King who failed to exercise his benevolence even with his own brother.

I can promise the true bones a future and naturally fearing that the Royal household is far from redemption with such a good example a rebellion can be justified as my brother has ruled for long he needs to retire and leave behind a male to inherit the throne.

When I am the best choice available with my dear brother out of the picture, as this country's next King I shall certainly bring greatness to this our heavenly kingdom of Shilla." Baekban said.

"I admire your wisdom." The Old man said. "but can the King really kill his brother at all?" The Old man asked.

"Boryun?" Baekban called.

"Yes?" The Old man replied.

"I take after you my great teacher." Baekban replied.

"Yet I am disappointed and filled with remorse." Boryun said.

"Your remorse won't kill me." Baekban said.

"But heaven shall get even with you." Boryun replied.

"Where is Heaven?" Baekban asked and the old man kept quiet.

"I am very sure you resent me so much that you'd wish I were dead, that you hate me to the extent of wanting to rid Shilla of me.

I have plotted for so long I got caught up scheming day and night and now you can barely raise your hand against me." Baekban said.

Boryun looked furious.

"Even if I can not raise my hands because of you, I can get you killed." Boryun replied.

"How?" Baekban asked.

"If you were to tell anyone would they believe you?" He added.

Boryun kept quiet.

"You are a Paekche citizen and at this moment I can have you listed as a spy within the country, our court holds great anger and resentment for the people of your kind so how do you think they'll react to both you and your family.

The life of your entire bloodline rests in my hands and I can crush it without having to raise a finger but simply by giving my command by word of mouth.

You love Shilla dearly but tell me, will that great love be their to save you?" Baekban said.

"I tamed the very tiger that's threatening to bite me." Boryun said.

"And I am the son of King Jinheung so I can kill without the slightest bit of regret." Baekban said.

"And I certainly know it very well, heaven shall send for Shilla the perfect guardian angel to vanquish you." Boryun said.

"I'll gladly wait on that." Baekban said with a ghastly smile on his face.

Ichan Seulbu returned to his Chambers and the moment that he was inside he sat down there with a group of people.

"Hujik, Eulje, Bokseung." He called.

"Yes?" They all replied in unison as he sat down at the table with them.

"Did any of you learn about the origin of this rumour?" He asked.

"No." They all replied.

"It's beyond us all as the instigator seems to be irretracable." Hujik said.

"It must be someone that is in deed very smart." Eulje said.

"The fate of the Royal brotherhood rests on that rumor." Ichan Seulbu said.

"I do not trust Galmunwang Baekban." Bokseung said.

"He is your in law and much as he wields a lot of power and he is quite suspicious, we can not find any physical fault in him as he is too clean." Ichan Seulbu said.

"It's a good show that he is putting on as it has come to my notice that he has popularised himself amongst the people here in Seoraebeol and also the surrounding provinces of Shilla.

He is well linked to a number of popular merchants within the country and he once was an emissary to Sui during the reign of Emperor Yang.

The comments that we received from Sui said he was a very brilliant and intelligent mine who knew well the Emperor's wishes and understood his mind" Bokseung said.

"If he were to take over Shilla it's natural that he'd have the support of Sui as the master of the continent." Hujik said. "After all the Sui Emperor would trust in his sincere submission." He added.

"Galmunwang Gukban who would have appeared a capable threat given his military merit deserted the battlefield about a decade ago and he is a long forgotten warrior.

He maintains his title but he has kept his distance from politics that it makes him a likely target of these rumours of a certain prophecy given his distance from the Royal family.

Having married a Seonggol woman makes him a plausible contender for the throne and his children as well." Ichan Seulbu said.

"So the worry here is that the other two Royal brothers could be contenders for the throne?" Eulje asked.

"A simpler way to put it is that they are all a threat to one another." Hujik replied.

"No." Ichan Seulbu said.

"Why?" Hujik asked.

"As it appears both brothers are the King's right and left hands, the King's right hand is most likely trying to cut off the left." Ichan Seulbu replied.

"What do you mean Seulbu?" Bokseung asked.

"We must give the forgotten Prince our support." Ichan Seulbu replied.

"That would be digging our own grave because there is a likely chance that he might evolve into our enemy." Hujik said.

"Galmunwang Gukban is going to be a target for his brother as I have seen through Baekban's intentions and he is the one with the best justification in overthrowing the King.

If we can drag Galmunwang Gukban back to Seoraebeol then he can be of great help to us in containing Baekban's growing power that with those two as equals, the King can be more prominent in the political spectacle." Ichan Seulbu said.

"What if he becomes our foe?" Eulje asked.

"Then I shall be the first to sever his head from his body." Ichan Seulbu replied.