BEAUTIFUL STRANGER

Moo Mak was seated inside his cottage as his mind wandered back to the words that he had heard his daughter say.

"If I could ride AMMAL into battle then nothing more would give me joy, slaying the Northern Invaders of Gorguryeo and the Southern invaders of Paekche and bringing glory to this our Heavenly kingdom of Shilla."

She'd confidently spoken.

"I only trained you to protect You my child and so that when I am gone you can protect yourself, sadly, I never trained you to even once in your life devote your all and try to protect Shilla." He had yelled back at her.

"I don't have the power to command your life and stop you from doing whatever you want and if you are determined that you are going to go and become a warrior then if you are not confident about your return into my arms you can tell me and I'll be prepared for the worst." He had spoken before he had walked away.

"Perhaps I was hard on her." He said to himself as he looked at the sword that he'd carried with him nearly all his life he remembered the first time that he had entered the Kim Manor.

He was but a very young teenager and upon meeting Gukban, he had handed over the sword.

Gukban smiled at it.

"It's been years, it's been ages and nearly more than thirty years yet this memory is still fresh in my head.

If only you were here to see Your daughter, she has grown so much she inherited the heart of a warrior from you." Moo Mak said to himself as he stared at the sword.

Smiling and admiring the sword he caressed it's handle with Care.

"You asked me to protect her from the world, you asked me to protect her from Seoraebeol, you asked me to protect her from Shilla and I have tried.

I am only hurt more and more Everytime that I look at her and I see it in her eyes how she is burning with the passion and devotion to become the very person that you detested.

Her love for Shilla is so great but I have burdened her choice with her love for me." He added as he sighed.

"How I wish that wherever you are, you and your wife are very happy." He said when the door of his cottage was flung open that he was startled and he looked towards the entrance of the house as he stood up.

Seungman and Damhyeong barged in as they supported a soldier who was dressed in silver armour with a colourful head band.

He could tell from what he was wearing that the man was a Hwarang and rushing over he noticed that they carried him because he had an arrow shot in his chest and he was bleeding.

"Father, help him." Seungman yelled.

Moo Mak looked at the man startled and unable to do anything about it.

"Father, help him." Seungman yelled again and realizing that he was being called for, he complied by helping them carry him to one of the bedrooms, they put him down on a bed and Moo Mak sat right next to him.

"I'll talk to you later." Moo Mak said. "You can wait outside." He added as he started to strip off the armour from the casualty's body.

"Do you know what to do Uncle Moo?" Damhyeong asked.

"Yes." Moo Mak replied. "I was once a soldier and I know how to handle these things, your father is a doctor so he taught me some more things about such wounds." He added as he pulled off the breastplate and removed the clothes that were on the man's body.

"It's quite deep." Moo Mak said.

Damhyeong stood in front of Seungman to block her view.

"Please get out." He said.

"Why?" Seungman asked.

"We are all men and you're the only woman here." Damhyeong said.

"So?" Seungman asked.

"You can not look at another man whether fully or half naked, that's a violation of human rights and besides you are an unmarried girl so it's inappropriate." Damhyeong replied.

"I saved his life." Seungman said.

"Silence please." Moo Mak said as he ceased the arrow. "Get out Seungman and wait from there." He added.

"But." Seungman was still complaining.

"No buts." Moo Mak replied and Seungman reluctantly turned around and walked out while Damhyeong followed her to the entrance of the room and smiling in her face he closed the door.

Moo Mak pulled out the arrow and asked Damhyeong to tightly cover the wound with a piece of cloth with some pressure while he stood up and walked over to a nearby table.

He put some herbs within a bowl and started grinding them while Damhyeong studied the casualty that was laying in front of him.

"He looks strange." Damhyeong said. "Judging by his biceps he must really be someone who eats healthily." He added as he looked at his hands.

"I'm also not that bad." He thought, "Mine are just as big." he added. "I'm sure that even Seungman notices then much as she pretends not to." He flattered himself as he smiled.

Moo Mak coming closer to him noticed that he was smiling at the casualty.

"What are you smiling at?" He asked and Damhyeong who was startled looked up at him.

"Nothing." Damhyeong replied.

"It doesn't seem that way." Moo Mak replied.

"Uncle Moo, between me and him, who do you think is more muscular?" Damhyeong asked.

"You are all practically the same size, just a Group of malnourished and weak boned teenagers." Moo Mak replied.

"That's so heartless of you Uncle Moo." Damhyeong said.

"I just spoke a fact, please don't hate me for that." Moo Mak replied. "Step aside." He added as he leaned closet to his patient and then getting the herbs that he had crushed he placed his one hand on the fabric that was covering the wound.

With his other hand he slipped the medicine in the wound.

"Get me a needle and thread." Moo Mak said.

"Aye." Damhyeong replied as he walked over and got them just as Moo Mak had asked.

He brought the needle and thread over and Moo Mak washed his hands and immediately he started to see the wound of the man.

"Uncle Moo?" Damhyeong called.

"What is it?" Moo Mak asked.

"You've been to war before?" Damhyeong asked.

"Yes." Moo Mak replied. "When I scolded Seungman about it, do you think that I was just telling her my imagination?" He asked.

"No, not at all Uncle Moo." Damhyeong replied.

"What then?" Moo Mak asked.

"I was wondering why you left the war." Damhyeong replied.

Moo Mak who was stitching at that moment halted and Damhyeong noticing that he could have felt uncomfortable hearing that question decided to talk him in to dropping it.

"You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want Uncle Moo." Damhyeong said.

"I left the war and the soldiers because it wasn't the place for me." Moo Mak replied as he continued to stitch the wound. "All the people that I had devoted the rest of my life were no more and all that I had by my side was Seungman who was only just a baby that was a couple of days old." He added.

"War comes like a flood sweeping away everything that is in its path and destroying it, once you lose once there is no turning back and when you are left with something small even if it is only one but you hold it so preciously then all you can do is to protect it with all your might.

I would be a very great warrior and a General fighting a number of battles, I just wished to protect my daughter from the possibility of being orphaned at a very young age.

I wanted to devote the rest of my days in this world whether they were long or short to give her all my love as a father and be the mother that she could not have.

To me, it was at that point that Shilla was no longer important but Seungman was because she was the last family that I had left to comfort me and the last family that I had left to protect with my all." Moo Mak said.

"I didn't know Uncle Moo." Damhyeong said as Moo Mak finished stitching the patient and at that point Seungman who was still at the door and had placed her ear on it trying to eavesdrop everything the two had said turned around.

She had heard it all.

"He really loved me." She thought to herself as she walked over to the small table nearby and she sat down.

"I only trained you to protect You my child and so that when I am gone you can protect yourself, sadly, I never trained you to even once in your life devote your all and try to protect Shilla." She recalled what Moo Mak had told her.

"Just like you are frightened here in front of me you will be frightened when your in the eyes of the enemy, a man so tall you don't know how much he eats but he is strong enough to lift an entire horse and then throw it down onto the ground." Moo Mak had spoken

"You freeze and looking at all your comrades making an attack on him and falling down headless while you are watching you are forced to lose the courage to fight anymore.

You can not even find the strength and every one of your senses and body parts especially both your legs and arms become numb and the air only filled with the disgusting smell of blood belonging to all your compeers with whom you swore to fight with all your life.

Forgetting everyone at home with no place to run, your general is defeated and you have entirely been forsaken by reinforcements, you are caught in the middle of fire surrounding you from all sides, there is nothing more for you to defend even surrender itself is out of the question." He added as he was sweating profusely and his tone an endless flow of words.

"All you are left with is death to suit your eternal embrace." Damhyeong had said.

"Why am I so obsessed with becoming a warrior of Shilla when all that I could be is a good daughter to my father?" Seungman asked herself as she slowly started to shed her tears.

Looking around, she noticed a sword that she had always seen her father talking to and unsheathing it she saw the family name that had been engraved along with another statement.

Protect with honour, fight with all your life." She read. "KIM." she added.

"You loved me as I was, you didn't want to have a warrior, just your loving daughter Seungman." She whispered when the door of the bedroom was flung open and Moo Mak looking outside he saw his daughter seated while looking at the sword that he had left behind.

He got out at once and then he walked up to her at first furious but when he reached into close proximity and saw her wiping her tears, at once his anger ceased and he was soft once again.

"Father?" Seungman called.

"We saved his life." Moo Mak said.

"That's great." Seungman Sai but Moo Mak noticed that she wasn't acting normally quarrelsome, stubborn and jumpy like she always was.

He decided to keep dragging the conversation to see if she'd alter her act.

"Tell me what happened exactly and how did you end up coming across this man?" He asked.

"Me and Damhyeong were both walking around when we heard the sound of swords clashing not so far from us and it appeared to be very near to a cliff.

We followed the sound and climbing up we found this man fighting four others that were dressed in thick plain black clothes.

As they talked we were able to learn that the man was a Shilla soldier and that the men he was trying to fight off even when he was wounded appeared to be troops from Gorguryeo." Seungman replied.

"Are you sure?" Moo Mak asked.

"Yes." Seungman replied. "and we saw that the man was going to be killed so the both of us intervened to save him." She added.

"How did you scare them away?" Moo Mak asked.

"We did not scare them away fearing that they could follow us and then destroy the village." Seungman replied.

Moo Mak was shocked.

"Then what did you do?" Moo Mak asked.

"As Damhyeong held the man, I slew all of them with their own sword." Seungman replied.

Moo Mak widened his eyes unable to believe what Seungman had said and she noticed the change in her father's mood that she held his right hand.

"Father, I have been thinking about it and I still have to take the very best care of you." She said. "Honestly, I thought that Everytime you would hold this family sword of hours and talk to it, you wanted to have a military general.

I thought you always wanted a warrior son that is why I had tried everything I could and stopped learning martial arts not only because I wanted to Protect you but I also wanted to ride on that field and make you proud.

I wanted to also carry with me a sword and slay all those Paekcheans and Gorguryeo soldiers and prove to all the others that I have the best father to redeem us of this poverty and give you a life of luxury.

I did all that with one heart not even having a second thought about the type of life you wanted for us both, I did that thinking that perhaps if we lived in a very big Manor and had servants to tend to our needs then our life would be complete.

I thought gold, fame and honour were the things that you needed to keep you happy, yet not once did I notice that as long as you had me your daughter even if there was ever a day that you went hungry you would always be too grateful and very happy.

When you talked to me you made me realize that it wasn't that I couldn't become a female warrior but it was because I was unable to realize that even the simplest things in life could carry with them the greatest joys." Seungman said.

"Seungman." Moo Mak said.

"No Father." Seungman said. "I don't want to talk about war anymore or going to stand on that border to defend Shilla.

I want to wake up in the morning and go to the fields to look for wheat, I want to go down to the market and by Vegetables so that I can come back and prepare food for you and Damhyeong.

I want to also learn to fight so that when I have sons and daughters of my own in future I can teach them the art of combat.

I want to be that daughter that shall keep loving you because you are very dear to me and the last family that I have left in this wide world I can not carelessly lose." She added.

"Alright." Moo Mak said as he wiped the tears that had run down his daughter's cheeks while Damhyeong stood at the door way watching the two of them and smiling.

"You know it that the best is all I have ever wanted for you and as long as you have nothing to be afraid of and there is no one around to hurt you I am good with it." Moo Mak added.

"Yes father." Seungman said and He pulled her into a hug.

"You are my one and only daughter, it's who you have always been and it's who you'll always be." Moo Mak said.

After a while, the two pulled apart and Moo Mak picked up the sword that he had left on the table.

"When you are ready one time." He said to seungman. "I shall hand over this sword to you." He added.

"Yes Father." Seungman replied and Moo Mak stood up with it.

"Both of you watch the patient." He said. "I am going down to see your father and ask if there is anything more that he can do." He added.

"Yes." Seungman and Damhyeong replied in unison and having satisfied him, he walked out and then he halted in outside after the door had closed behind him.

Moo Mak leaned on the left pillar of his house as he remembered exactly what his daughter had told him.

"How did you scare them away?" Moo Mak had asked.

"We did not scare them away fearing that they could follow us and then destroy the village." Seungman had replied.

Moo Mak was shocked.

"Then what did you do?" Moo Mak had asked.

"As Damhyeong held the man, I slew all of them with their own sword." Seungman had replied.

"Forgive me Master." Moo Mak said. "It seems that I can try everything in the world but I can't possibly tame the warrior that resides within Seungman's heart." he added.

He sighed and closed his eyes and then he opened them and then he walked away from the house leaving Damhyeong and Seungman inside.

"This is so not you." Damhyeong said. "What made you change your mind?" He asked.

"I guess I just had to think about it." Seungman replied.

"I'll have to leave you alone for a while, could you watch him for me?" Damhyeong said.

"What are you going to do?" Seungman asked.

"I'm just going to pick up a few things from home, in case Uncle Moo needs some help. I don't think he can carry everything on his own." Damhyeong replied.

"It's alright, you can go." Seungman said.

"I'll be back." Damhyeong said as he walked out and he left Seungman inside.

She stood up and she walked away from the table towards the room where the sleeping soldier was.

She stood at the door and thinking about whether to open it or not, her curiosity had the best of her that she flung it open and stood there.

She looked at the soldier who lay peacefully he was half naked and all there was to cover him was a mere bandage.

She was drawn to him step by step and she walked until she was able to approach him.

She stood right next to the bed and then she lowered herself closer as she studied his physique.

He had a well built body and she could tell how detailed his abdomen was, his abs looked so strong and his biceps were huge that she had never seen anything more beautiful.

She smiled and then noticing that perhaps what she was doing was wrong, she covered her mouth.

Suddenly, his eyes started to shake and the moment that he opened them the first thing that he saw was the very beautiful woman that he'd seen from earlier on.

"Sir." She called him in a very soft voice that he couldn't help it but he was charmed by her beauty.

Alcheon looked at her as he raised his right hand.

"Don't move." Seungman said as she held him down and placing her right hand on his chest, he could feel the warmth that came directly from her.

Her eyes travelled to the place that she was touching and His eyes also travelled from her face to his body.

Looking and noticing that he was half naked.

He screamed as he sat up and Seungman also screamed as she stood away.

"What did you do to me?" Alcheon asked.

"I saved your life " Seungman replied. "Remember." She added.

Alcheon let his mind wander away and there and then he remembered the beautiful girl that he had seen slaughtering the Gorguryeo horsemen.

"You?" Alcheon Rang said.

"Yes." Seungman replied.

Surveying his body he seemed to feel some pain in his right chest that he tightly held it.

"Be careful." Seungman said as she rushed over to him and holding his hand she looked up at him as he realized that their faces were in very close proximity to one another.

Staring at her eyes he could see a brilliant glow in them, she stared into his brown ones and she was able to see something that was veiled behind them.

There was a particular degree of care that she had attached to him that she couldn't ignore as her heart started racing faster than normal his best seemingly synchronized along.

"I'm sorry." Seungman said as she withdrew from him and walking backwards, she stood at a distance and bowed her head.

"I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable." She said.

"No." Alcheon said. "You shouldn't be." He added as he looked at himself.

"I was so close and I was standing in the face of death, hadn't it been for you to help me and slay those foes of mine, I wouldn't have survived beyond this day." He spoke up to her.

"I was only acting out of charity." Seungman said.

"Your Charity saved my life." Alcheon said.

At that moment, the doors of the house were flung open and Dr. Pyeonghwa, Moo Mak and Damhyeong entered.

"Seungman." Moo Mak called as Seungman turned around and walked out of the room where she greeted them.

"How's the patient." Dr. Pyeonghwa asked.

"He is fine." Seungman replied. "He regained his consciousness." She added.

"I'll see him." Dr. Pyeonghwa said.

"Sure." Seungman said as she walked past the three of them and then stepped out of the cottage.

"Yushin Rang." Gopheung called.

"What is it?" Yushin asked as he turned to look at the four scouts that had left with Alcheon.

Gopheung looked down.

Yushin searched around with his eyes and noticed that amongst them, someone was missing.

"Where's Alcheon Rang?" Yushin asked.

Everyone else went silent.

"He...." Gopheung spoke up barely having the courage to complete.

"What happened to Alcheon Rang?" Yushin asked on top of his voice.

"We knew that there was something oddly wrong when we arrived near the hills, we were attacked by the Gorguryeo men and they were dressed as Assassins that had attempted to murder us.

He knew that if we both continued then they would round us all up and kill us and we might not bring the news to you.

He decided to singlehandedly distract the assassins and they went after him and left us." Gopheung replied.

Yushin stummered and nearly lost his equilibrium but he was supported by his own father before he landed.

"Yushin." Kim Seohyeon called.

"No father." Yushin replied. "Alcheon Rang is probably dead, knowing him very well rather than dying in the hands of the enemy, if he didn't survive then he committed suicide." He added.

"It's clear now that with an attempt on our scouts and within our own borders that Gorguryeo wants a war." Kim Yongsu said.

"No." Kim Seohyeon said. "They were dressed as Assassins and not in their armour so it could be anyone.

That can not justify us to declare war on Gorguryeo." He added.

"Father." Yushin said. "One of my men died protecting Shilla with all his life and on top of that we know the Culprits much as they can try to excuse themselves.

My blade is thirst to taste the blood of Gorguryeo and I can not extinguish that hunger unless I satisfy it with the blood that it's looking for." He added.

"Patience." Kim Seohyeon said. "Since Gorguryeo has proven to be so conniving then this is our opportunity to also strike them back." He added.

"How father" Kim Yushin asked.

"We could also provoke Shilla." Kim Seohyeon replied.

"You are asking us to declare war on ourselves?" Yushin asked.

"No." Kim Seohyeon replied.

"He is asking us to disguise Shillan troops as troops of Gorguryeo." Kim Yongsu replied.

"Yes." Kim Seohyeon confirmed.

"I see." Yushin said.

"The Gorguryeo army have been moving along the border indefinitely so there is a possibility that we too can add some comrades to their military retinue." Kim Seohyeon said.

"And if they attack us and in retaliation we'll have to fight back as our cause shall be justified." Yushin added.

"Yes." Kim Seohyeon said.

"How are we going to sneak into the Gorguryeo batallions?" Gopheung asked.

"The Gorguryeo troops shift their armies every three hours.

It's easier to make our move after nightfall because we can sneak into the camps and then take them by surprise.

They could be very Cunning and given the fact that they made a sneak attack on you and Alcheon Rang then they could be planning a surprise attack at night." Yushin said.

"That's plausible." Kim Yongsu said.

"Given that idea we are going to divide the army into two halves and they shall watch the fortress at night in shifts of two hours." Kim Seohyeon said.

"Yes." Gopheung said and he and the other three bowed their heads and they withdrew from the room leaving Yushin, Kim Seohyeon and Kim Yongsu.

"Is it possible that Alcheon is Dead?" Kim Seohyeon said.

"No father." Kim Yushin hesitantly said. "I am so confident in his skills, there is no way that he could possibly fall prey to Gorguryeo." Yushin replied.

"We are all humans so we aren't perfect either." Kim Seohyeon said.

"I know that." Yushin said. "And I believe that Alcheon is a man of a good cause whose faith is unwavered." He added.

"Should Gorguryeo have really murdered him then I won't care taking back hundreds of thousands of lives in his stead.

Until I can find satiety I won't rest until every Gorguryeo soldier is fallen." Yushin replied.

Seungman stood outside on top of the hill as she caressed the small Jade pendant that was hanging around her neck.

She was lost in thoughts and it had been a couple of hours past and it was already coming to dusk.

All she could remember was how strange she had felt in the presence of the stranger that she had saved.

The way that she had looked at him and how drastically everything had changed, her heart beating faster than normal and she couldn't help but feel there was something more than pity and charity that had come to her mind when she was fighting to protect him.

"No." She said to herself. "Come back to your senses." She added as she let the pendant go and then touched her temples with both hands.

"Seungman." She heard someone calling her name.

"Damhyeong." she replied as she felt his hands covering her eyes.

"Why do you seem to know me too well?" Damhyeong asked.

"You're the only one who does it to me and I can recall that voice of yours anywhere that I am." Seungman said.

"Alright." Damhyeong replied as he eventually let go and then stood right by her side.

"It seems there is so much on your mind lately." Damhyeong asked.

"Honestly I have heard too much on my mind today, first me, Father and now him." Seungman replied.

"Him who?" Damhyeong asked.

Seungman realized that she had spoken too much.

"The soldier?" Damhyeong asked.

"I don't know him, none of us do." Seungman said.

"We risked our entire lives just trying to save him." Damhyeong said and that's when he noticed that the aura around her wasn't the usual one that he'd known.

"What happened when we left you two in the cottage?" Damhyeong asked.

"Nothing.'' Seungman replied.

"I do not believe that." Damhyeong said. " whatever it is you seem to be so bothered by it." He added.

"I'm just feeling strange and I'm feeling odd around him." Seungman replied.

"How strange?" Damhyeong asked.

"For some reason there is that minor connection that I find and the moment that I looked in his eyes, I couldn't help but feel something." Seungman replied.

"Perhaps you were just feeling pitiful, perhaps you were feeling sorry, or you were shocked you had never been close to any other man except from me, my father and yours." Damhyeong said.

"Perhaps it could be that." Seungman said.

"You worry too much." Damhyeong said.

"I know that." Seungman said. "I thought that I could feel at ease having spoken to my father and I thought that perhaps seeing him happy was all that I needed.

It's not that I'm not happy that he is but it's just that given everything that has happened I should be comfortable with the situation but sadly, I can not." She added.

"I try very hard to believe that I made the right decision but deep down inside me, I still feel that there is something that is missing, I do not feel complete at all." She said.

Damhyeong pulled her into a hug and tightly embraced him.

"You have me." Damhyeong said. "I am always here for you." He added.

"Thank you." Seungman said.

"There'll never be a day that I don't worry about you and every time you feel lowly and sad I also feel it too.

I can not give you the best solution but everything in life needs time and you might feel incomplete right now but one thing that I know for sure that you can never regret is never abandoning the very people that you love." Damhyeong said.

Alcheon who seated in his bed next to one of the windows was able to see the two embracing each other in a distance and for some reason, he found it uncomfortable that he looked away.

As he lifted his eyes he looked to the door and there he saw a man standing there.

"Sir?" He called.

"You don't have to be so formal with me." Moo Mak said.

"No Sir, I need to thank you for saving my life." Alcheon said.

"You should be thankful that my daughter and her best friend carried you through my door." Moo Mak said coldly.

"Hmm." Alcheon Rang nodded his head in acceptance.

"I do not expect you to understand this but given that I owe you a favour I am going to ask you to do me one thing." Moo Mak said.

"What shall I do Sir?" Alcheon asked earnestly.

"Whatever you do, I know that my daughter is a very curious person and she'll be very persistent, you are from Seoraebeol and when you are talking to her, don't let her get too close to you." Moo Mak said.

"Why?" Alcheon asked out of curiosity.

"My daughter has very many questions that you can never in your entire life answer even if you tried, just keep your distance and I'll ask her to keep hers otherwise I despise people like you I do not wish for you to get closer to my daughter." Moo Mak replied.

Alcheon looked through the window as he walked away after saying those words, inwardly Alcheon was questioning himself as deep down in his heart, he could not help but feel so attached to his beautiful stranger who had saved his life.