THE YOUNG WARRIOR
Moo Mak had ridden the horse for days and days and he had succeeded going far in the North, end there he settled only a couple of miles away from the border between Shilla and Gorguryeo.
He had calculated it that could trouble arise in Seoraebeol and they come after him, it would be easy to flee to Gorguryeo given that the troops of Shilla would not be able to penetrate to the other side.
As Moo Mak walked and carried with himself the child, he had veiled himself with a thick maroon cotton cloth and looking around he noticed a small cottage that stood on a gentle and beautiful floss.
The wind there was very smooth and natural that it felt free, he had retired from living in a luxurious manor but that wouldn't get his moods low.
The wind howled as he turned to look at the young girl who had been quietly staring at him as she lifted her hands and then touched his bare cheek.
He could feel the warmth that circulated through the child's hands and at that moment he was calm but he had gone for days barely having much to eat he had devoted his all to sustain the child.
He had purchased some milk about a day ago and all he had to live on were some fruits that he'd come across while entering the province.
He smiled at the child and then turned to look ahead at the cottage, it was nearing Dawn and the sun rising up into the firmament a woman and a man stepped out of the house.
The woman was holding with her a basket as she appeared to be bidding her husband farewell.
The man turned around and looking at the veiled person that was headed their way with a red stead was concerned.
Moo Mak was already feeling dizzy and his feet had started to betray him that he staggered down right next to his horse.
"Namwon." the man called and the woman putting down her basket she hurriedly ran to her husband who had approached the falling stranger.
He looked at him and noticed that in his possession there was a child who was very young and barely a couple of days old.
"Dear." Namwon called her husband.
"This man needs our help." The man said.
Moo Mak could barely hold on any longer and he passed out while the woman and the man carried him and the baby inside.
The man was laid down on a small simple bad as the baby was taken from him.
"This child was born recently." Namwon said.
"Feed him something to eat and put him in right next to Damhyeong." The man said.
"Aye." His wife replied as he searched the man's body for wounds but he couldn't find anything or any blood.
"There's no blood." He said as he held the man's left hand and took his pulse.
After a while, when he had finished catering for the injured man, he walked out as his wife followed him.
"Dear, who do you thinking he is?" The wife asked.
"He is just an average man." The man replied.
"What of we let in someone that is troublesome?" Namwon asked.
"That's impossible, judging by the look of things he had no wounds so no one was after him, the child was born only a few days ago so it's possible he left somewhere because he was distraught.
Despite everything you see he put his life on the line to sustain the baby that he carried with him then it's possible that he is the father of the child and may be the mother died." The man replied.
"Hmm." Namwon added as she nodded her head to show that she had understood.
"What shall I do?" Namwon asked.
"Just look after him and the child and if he wakes up tell him that I saved him, I'll return from the market with some vegetables and ingredients to concoct some medicine that could help him replenish his strength." The man replied.
"Alright I will." Namwon replied as she smiled at her husband.
"I trust that you shall certainly." The man said.
"Please be careful." Namwon told her husband.
"Don't worry, I shall." The man replied as he walked away while his wife waved and bid him farewell.
Once he had vanished while making his descent from the Hill, she turned around and walked back inside the cottage.
She halted in her steps and was quite surprised when something caught her eye.
Staring right at the place where her son had been seated she saw him looking down at the baby and caressing her cheek while he was seated.
"Damhyeong?" She called but the baby didn't seem to hear her as he had all his attention fixed onto the young girl that at a point they looked adorable in her eyes and she smiled.
She walked over to the babies and watched them, her son only a year older than the girl in the crib was.
"So you really like her too?" He asked but silence followed for a while before her son turned around and looked at her with a wild smile on his face.
"You two look so good together." The woman said as she stretched her hand into the crib and carried out the young girl as she embraced it while she smiled as well.
Her son who had been seated at a distance crawled over and herself absent mindedly looking at the child was brought back to reality when she felt something pulling the hem of her dress that she was forced to look down.
Her son kept on pulling the hem of her dress she eventually surrendered and put them in the crib together.
The woman went to the kitchen outside and after a couple of hours she returned inside to tend to the kids.
She was feeding them both when she suddenly heard the sleeping man calling to someone.
"Seungman." He said. "where are you?" He asked that she placed the dishes down and decided to walk over to the man's bed.
"Seungman." He called again. "where are you?" he added as the woman.
She ceased the man by his shoulders and shaking him violently, his eyes opened up and the first thing that he saw was the woman who was seated right next to her.
"Sir, Sir, Sir, Sir." she called a number of times that he sat up and looked at her while his eyes moved around.
"Yes." He replied.
"What is it?" Namwon asked.
"Where am I?" Moo Mak asked.
"Don't worry." Namwon replied. "You are safe." She added.
Moo Mak's eyes looked to the corner where he saw the two babies in the crib.
"Seungman." Moo Mak called.
"You aren't so strong." Namwon said. "Let me get you something to eat." she added.
"Alright." Moo Mak replied as he nodded his head out of acceptance and at once Namwon rose and walked out if the room returning with a bowl of rice in her possession.
Namwon sat down beside the bed and handed the bowl over to Moo Mak who slowly took it and looking at her, he held the wooden spoon.
"Thank you." He said as he ate it up while Namwon watched, the man looked a little bit younger than she was yet she was surprised that he had a child.
"Is she your daughter?" Namwon asked.
Moo Mak eating the rice halted before turning around to look at her.
She noticed that she might have crossed the line.
"It's alright if you don't feel like talking about it." Namwon said.
"She is my daughter." Moo Mak replied as he looked away at his feet.
"She was born only two days ago, and still on the very day that she was born her mother perished." He added.
Namwon was saddened on hearing that.
"I had no where to run to, unable to imagine how the children in the village would look at her and call her unlucky, to be an orphan and to have killed her mother the moment that she came into the world, the weight of it was exceedingly great.
I could only pretend to turn a blind eye but she is my daughter after all and I must understand, she'd never marry if she grew up their in that ruthless world, she'd never live in peace eventually it was my duty as her last stronghold that tied her to this world to protect her." Moo Mak said his eyes becoming teary as he remembered his master's words to raise her as if she were her own.
"Seungman." Namwon called, "such a very wonderful name." she added.
"It is sad." Moo Mak said. "Having to part with your mother at such a tender age." He added.
"I understand." Namwon said.
"Thank you." RMoo Mak spoke up.
"There is no need." Namwon replied. R R R RAGHU
"No, I have greatly imposed on you and I'll repay you later." Moo Mak said.
"My husband PYEONGHWA is a doctor and he saved your life, he said you were only malnourished and had gone a very long time without eating properly.
He loves to save lives so much the only way that you can repay us is when you are given a second chance of life, redeem yourself and ensure that you never find remorse.
Live through retribution and raise her into a very strong woman, that's the only way that you can possibly repay us." Namwon replied.
"Hmm." Moo Mak muttered.
Namwon stood up.
"Is he your son?" Moo Mak asked.
"Yes." Namwon report. "Damhyeong." She added.
"I see." Moo Mak said.
"He seems to be found of your daughter already." Namwon said.
"It would be good enough." Moo Mak said.
"Perhaps they could be siblings while growing up." Namwon added as she smiled at the patient who winding up the bowl of rice handed it over to her.
"You don't have to overwork yourself." Namwon said. "Keep trying for her." she added.
"Don't worry." Moo Mak said. "I'll do anything else but I'll never let my daughter down." he added.
Namwon left the room and Moo Mak stood up from his bed and he walked up towards the crib where the two babies were.
He leaned over and looked at Seungman who was already fast asleep she still had pieces of food on her lips.
He using his thumb, he wiped her face and then he smiled at her unable to help himself as he admired the calm and the grace with which she gave him hope.
"I'll look after you from now on." He whispered. " Seungman my daughter." He added.
Time passed and the years went by.
Seungman had grown up into a very playful and stubborn young girl while Damhyeong was her usual playmate.
It was one morning that she and Damhyeong climbed further up the hill of the floss and the two came to halt when in a distance Seungman watched as her father Moo Mak was practicing his martial arts.
"Seungman?" Damhyeong called.
"Yes." Seungman report.
"What do you think your father is doing?" Damhyeong asked.
"I don't know." Seungman replied as she watched keenly and found herself gaining some interest that she drew closer and watched for herself.
Damhyeong also followed as he seemed to be interested and Moo Mak ceasing a very long stick which which was stationed on the ground beneath him, he started to swing it around.
He jumped up and down throwing kicks and punches in the air.
"Is he mad?" Damhyeong asked.
"No." Seungman replied as she smiled while she continued to walk closer.
"It looks interesting." She added as she walked up to her father.
Moo Mak amidst his practice turning around while throwing a flying kick he was able to notice the presence of his daughter and her playmate.
He halted at once with the stick in his hand and he walked towards her while she ran over Damhyeong following her from behind.
"Father?" Seungman called as she hurriedly caught her father's left hand.
"Seungman." Moo Mak said as he knelt down on one knee and caressed the cheek of his daughter while pushing back a stray strand of her hair.
"What did I tell you about your hair?" Moo Mak asked.
"You told me that beautiful woman always keep their hair tied behind." Seungman replied as she smiled at her father.
"Good girl." Moo Mak said.
"Father, what are you doing?" Seungman asked.
"Me?" Moo Mak asked.
"Yes." Seungman said, "I saw you playing with the stick." She added.
"I am playing with the stick." Moo Mak replied.
"But you are big." Seungman said.
"Even big people play my dear." Moo Mak said.
"No father." Seungman said.
"Why are you saying that?" Moo Mak asked.
"Uncle Pyeonghwa told me that big people don't play, they only work." Seungman said.
"Yes uncle." Damhyeong said. "My father is a doctor and I never see him playing." He added.
"Come here both of you." Moo Mak said as he dragged them along with him and they all sat on a huge rock that stood in his grass field.
"Let me tell you a story." Moo Mak said.
"Haven't you ever wondered where all those men that are dressed in shining clothes that pass through this place go to?" Moo Mak asked.
"Yes." Seungman replied.
"Nearly every year thousands of men dress up in those shining clothes and they go to the border to play, in the game you must make sure that no one hurts you because if they hurt you then you end up losing the game as well." Moo Mak said.
"Father, I see you working hard but I have never seen you going to play." Seungman said.
"I'm only a farmer and I practice so that I can protect myself from animals and I can be healthy, I practice so that I become stronger every day.
Those who practice harder and harder every time are reminded that they have a duty to fulfilled all their lives, it prevents their will from being broken." Moo Mak replied.
"What's your duty father?" Seungman asked.
"You ask too many questions." Moo Mak said. "Can't you be attentive like Damhyeong?" he added.
"I want to know father." Seungman replied and Moo Mak went silent as the same memory of the last words Galmunwang Gukban told him came rushing back.
"Father?" Seungman asked.
"Yes?" Moo Mak replied.
"What is your duty?" Seungman asked.
Moo Mak patted her head as he ran his hand through her hair.
"Seungman, my duty is to protect you." Moo Mak replied.
"Then what about you Father?" Seungman asked.
"Me?" Moo Mak said.
"Yes." Seungman replied. "Who will protect you?" Seungman asked.
Moo Mak laughed .
"I am an old man and I am very big." Moo Mak replied. "Don't you think that your father is the strongest?" Moo Mak asked.
"But you will grow old like the old man from the market, you will not be strong anymore, strong enough to fight off the animals and also protect me." Seungman replied.
"For you I shall always be strong." Moo Mak said.
"No father." Seungman said. "I want you to also teach me to play like you so that I also become very strong to protect myself and when you are old, I can protect you." Seungman said.
That statement alone caused Moo Mak's mind to drift away and he was lost in thoughts as he stared at his daughter who smiled so sweetly at him.
"I also want to be strong like you Uncle Moo." Damhyeong said. "I want to also be strong enough to protect both mother and father when they grow old." He added.
"Yes father." Seungman agreed with him.
"Of course I need to teach you." Moo Mak thought to himself. "You need to be very strong in this world." He added.
"Strong enough to fight, strong enough to survive, strong enough to protect yourself from this vicious and corrupted world, strong enough to protect yourself from Seoraebeol and from Shilla." Moo Mak thought it through.
"Alright." Moo Mak replied and the two children standing up they joyously leaped as they ceased Moo Mak's two hands and pulled him up.
Moo Mak complied and standing up with the two kids on either side, he started to show them the way of combat as he gracefully raised his fists while they watched and followed after him.
Namwon had climbed up father from her cottage to the cottage where Moo Mak and Seungman lived and she halted at a distance as she watched how he was training the young children.
They seemed to be happy while being around him and at that exact moment, her husband following her came to halt from behind as he touched his wife on the shoulder.
"Dear." He said.
"He has become calm." Namwon said.
"He must have fought a number of wars." Pyeonghwa said. "I can tell that from his skills he is in deed very talented that he could have eventually grown tired from the bloodshed when he lost his wife." He added.
"He has been reborn." Namwon said.
"Yes." Pyeonghwa agreed. "thanks to the existence of his daughter, he finally had a reason to keep living." He added.
"Like the apple never falls so far from the tree." Namwon said.
"The daughter in deed takes after her father." Pyeonghwa completed as the two smiled while admiring the beautiful spectacle that was set in front of them.
Time went by and by and the years evolved until Seungman who was just a very simple girl had outgrown her young self to become a strong woman.
She was beautiful and intelligent and had the most beautiful features, her eyes dark and beautiful and her face lovely and round it ended in a chiseled chin.
It was narrow and so was her nose and her lips naturally possessed the cherry color that made them look so natural and her long pitch black hair served good enough to wind up the perfect package of heaven.
Opposed to all other girls in the village she was in deed very strange, she was respectful and kind but not entirely submissive that it made her a very stubborn person.
She used to run around with Damhyeong and as others graced themselves in long dresses, for a girl she insisted to wear shorts.
Moo Mak had yielded to that demand of hers as he knew it very well, it would make it quite difficult for her to jeopardize her reputation and her life if she lived on in such a manner.
Moo Mak sat at the hill top with a stick in his hands on a very huge rock that sat nearly halfway into the ground.
He looked at the narrow path and down at the bottom he was able to see Seungman and Damhyeong lifting the wooden buckets of water as they both climbed up.
"Father." Seungman called.
"Dare put it down and I'll kill you." Moo Mak said.
Damhyeong who was walking behind Seungman bypassed her as he turned around and smiled at her.
Seungman smiled sarcastically as Damhyeong continued until he reached the hilltop.
Seungman persisted and he reached a short while later.
"You are too slow." Damhyeong said. "What took you so long?" He asked.
"How could you lose to a boy?" Moo Mak asked.
"He is a boy father." Seungman complained.
"I am your father." Moo Mak said.
"Naturally he is supposed to be stronger than I am." Seungman replied.
"But he is not." Moo Mak said.
"Father." Seungman said.
"Enough." Moo Mak halted her and Seungman complied while she looked away.
"You are a very young girl and you know nothing, for a boy the world will always be a place that is favourable as he is strong enough to survive.
If you surrender as a girl and take yourself weak, even if you tried harder and harder but with your mind convinced and your heart at peace, you shall never defeat him.
You are a girl so I am teaching you to become stronger, I am showing you that you can equally make the same effort that Damhyeong makes and even surpass him.
This world will not always be fair and we won't always have the same chances in life, take advantage of that and make for yourself a name like no other." Moo Mak said.
"Yes Father." Seungman replied.
"That's my girl." Moo Mak said.
"What about me Uncle Moo?" Damhyeong asked.
"The Day that you lose to this girl here." Moo Mak said. "Guess what I'll do." he added.
"What?" Damhyeong asked.
"I'll kill you." Moo Mak replied as he pulled Damhyeong into a hug.
"Father." Seungman called sadly.
"You lost this round as well so you must run up and down the hill ten times." Moo Mak said.
Seungman angrily ran away while Damhyeong remained there and he laughed at Seungman with Moo Mak.
"What are you doing?" Moo Mak asked.
"Nothing." Damhyeong replied.
"You, ten laps, now." Moo Mak ordered.
"Alright." Damhyeong said as he started jogging and then he eventually ran around the hill top.
The courtiers had gathered in the assembly hall and they were murmuring amongst themselves.
"His Highness deigns you with his presence." King Jinpyeong's presence was announced and the Courtiers and ministers falling into their order while paving way for him.
The King walked down the aisle and mounting the stairs that led to his throne and reaching their with the courtiers bowing their heads, he sat down.
"Your Majesty." They said in unison
"You may all rise." King Jinpyeong said and they complied.
"As you are all aware we have had quite a turbulent time." The King said. "For decades we have fought towards the peace of this peninsula." King Jinpyeong said.
"It's been seventeen years now Your Majesty since I returned to your court in the service of the country, we defeated the Paekcheans and we consolidated our victory and recaptured Kajam fortress" Galmunwang Gukban said
"Wonderful." King Jinpyeong said.
"Your Majesty." Ichan Seulbu said, "The efforts of Kim Yushin and the Hwarang are in deed commendable." He added.
"Yes Your Majesty." Galmunwang Baekban said. "We have enjoyed some victory and we have succeeded in stirring through the turbulence Seoraebeol has started to see a flourishing age." He added.
"It's all thanks to your tireless efforts, who better has enabled me to live up to the expectations of my forefathers than you the very people that have helped me lead this our heavenly kingdom." King Jinpyeong said.
"Thank you Your Majesty." Everyone said in unison.
"Your Majesty." Galmunwang Gukban said.
"What is it?" King Jinpyeong asked.
"In deed victory has returned to Shilla but Zi believe that the battle is not over." Galmunwang Gukban said.
"Is there anything that you wish to share with all of us?" King Jinpyeong asked.
"Yes Your Majesty." Gukban said as he bowed his head.
"Recently I had scouts put in place to patrol the Northern border." Gukban replied.
"Is there any news from them?" Ichan Seulbu asked.
"Yes." Gukban replied. " I had my suspicions soon enough when I came to learn it that it has been close to three years since the last attack of Shilla from Gorguryeo.
We have constantly been in warfare and with Paekche as Tang mediated with Gorguryeo on our behalf during the reign of Emperor Taizong however word reached my ears that the relations between Gorguryeo and Tang have started to crumble.
I'm retaliation, I thought it wise to react nearly impulsively and I sent over some scouts and recently, they noticed that there are strange movements amongst the border troops of Gorguryeo." Galmunwang Gukban said.
"Are you implying that Gorguryeo wants to violate the Tang alliance and invade our borders?" Galmunwang Baekban asked.
"Yes." Galmunwang Gukban replied.
"You can not entirely prove that as it's just a prediction of your own." Galmunwang Baekban said.
"Your Majesty." Gukban said as he turned to the King.
"What is it?" King Jinpyeong asked.
"It's important that we do not rule out that fact that Gorguryeo might attack, given the current situation it's possible they had enough time to readjust their army and equip it with weapons.
On top of that if they fall short of the Tang favour then their reason to attack us would be justified Your Majesty.
We just marched from the South with truimph from Paekche not so long ago and we reconquered Kajam fortress which is a good reason for us both to celebrate yet in the war we suffered heavy casualties.
It'd take time for us to recuperate fully and also repair the damage that was done to our troops so naturally this is the best opportunity for Gorguryeo to attack." Gukban replied.
"I agree with Galmunwang Gukban." Ichan Seulbu said. "Naturally if there are movements in the Gorguryeo troops along the northern border then its a possibility of them attacking." He added.
The Ministers murmuring amongst themselves were able to agree upon the same thing.
"Your Majesty." Naeseongsasin Kim Yongchun said. "I think that Galmunwang Gukban is right." He said.
"As it seems that this is your idea what do you propose that we should do at this point in time?" King Jinpyeong asked.
"His Majesty is wise and all that I ask for is to dispatch troops on the Northern border but we won't give them an order to attack." Galmunwang Gukban said.
"What?" King Jinpyeong asked and a number of the people were quite surprised.
"Why would we dispatch a large number of troops without the order and will to fight?" One of the Ministers asked.
"Your Majesty, as I said earlier that I heard from a rumour that the relationship between Tang and Gorguryeo had started to crumble but given the fact that there are movements along the Northern border then if Gorguryeo had the intention of fighting it could have already made an attack.
Their delay only seems to show that they are intentionally trying to lure us to battle so there is a possibility that the rumour was spread to get us on edge." Galmunwang Gukban said.
"But what you are proposing is like telling us to willingly walk into their trap." King Jinpyeong said.
"No Your Majesty." Galmunwang Gukban said. "We are only doing what they expect of us but we won't fall for their bait, instead, we shall use it against them." He added.
"How ?" King Jinpyeong asked as Baekban reserved his speech and listened to his brother.
"Your Majesty, there are two possible outcomes that could arise for our own good if we stationed the troops at the border.
The first is if they are many, we'd pressure the troops of Gorguryeo to retreat out of fear but if this is a war that they want to start, if they don't retreat then we shall have put them on pressure and when they react and fight, it's natural for us to retaliate and fight them as it being in our defence, on our side, war shall be justified." Galmunwang Gukban replied.
"That way we shall have Lured them into their own trap." King Jinpyeong said.
"Yes Your Majesty." Gukban replied.
"Then have some of our elites sent along with ten thousand troops to settle at the border and join the border troops.
They won't react in any way unless the Gorguryeo soldiers make the first attack, that way they can react by defending the borders of Shilla." King Jinpyeong said.
"Yes Your Majesty." Galmunwang Gukban replied.
"This court is adjourned." King Jinpyeong said as he stood up from his throne and led the way out.
The officials marched out of the assembly hall and as they came out in the open they were talking amongst themselves.
Gukban was walking but was suddenly halted when he heard someone calling him.
"Brother." A very familiar tone crept up his ear that he was forced to turn around and there he saw his fellow older brother Galmunwang Baekban.
"Brother?" Gukban said.
"Yes. " Baekban replied as he walked up closer to him.
"I'd never thought that they would ever be a day the both of us would belong antagonistic parties." Gukban said.
"It's not that, it's just that ever since you returned to Seoraebeol seventeen years ago you have been in the position to exercise a great deal of influence in the court and outside." Baekban said.
"A rich trader, a powerful official, it's all because I wish to safeguard myself." Gukban said as they walked away.
"We are politicians and we survive at the expense of one another, it's natural that we'd compete after all we all share the common sources of our power." Baekban said.
"We'd always look as hypocrites in their eyes no matter what we do, the only reason that I became powerful is so that I could get justice for what happened to the family because I know that one day if I became a threat to my very allies, they would ultimately relinquish me." Gukban said.
"Yet like you even I can never forsake myself, are you any different from other politicians if you pursue power for the selfish interest of your own security?" Baekban asked.
"This is not just a game but a survival for the fittest, I may be selfish, I am too selfish, too selfish to stand and watch as Innocents become victims of the very genetic lottery that destroyed me." Gukban said.
"Then of you so greatly despise the Hallowed bone, why did you embrace it again seventeen years ago?" Baekban asked.
"Sometimes my brother, all it takes is to fight fire with fire." Gukban replied as he continued his way and left his brother behind.
"All these years." Baekban said. "Do you still have the will to keep on contending with me?" He added as he whispered to himself his face overwhelmed with anxiety.