A ROYAL RUMBLE

Damju was walking through the courtyard of the Manor when he looked outside and saw a Palanquin halting right in front of it's gates.

He stood there for a while and gazed at it while a Group of Royal guards surrounded it and Alcheon and Yushin Rang walked into his view.

He was surprised and looking on as the Palanquin was opened and a hand appeared out, into his view, Princess Deokman stepped into his sight.

"Her Highness." He said stutteringly as he hurriedly ran away before they could see him and entered the Manor.

Gukban and Lady Wolmyeong were inside and they had just concluded their meal when Damju walked in.

"Your Excellency." He said as he bowed his head.

"What is it?" Gukban asked.

"Her Highness, The princess is here." Damju replied.

"What?" Lady Wolmyeong said as she stood up.

"Don't rush, she won't remove my head from my body even if she wanted." Gukban replied.

Princess Deokman walked Into the courtyard and everyone that was present bowed their heads and gave her their respect.

Princess Deokman looked around and she smiled at them.

"I'm here to see Galmunwang Gukban." Princess Deokman said and at that point Damju walked out of the manor and came up to the Princess.

"Your Highness." He said as he bowed his head to her.

"I heard that Galmunwang Gukban was not feeling very well, I am aroused with great concern to come and visit him." Princess Deokman said.

"This way Your Highness." Damju replied as he led Princess Deokman inside while Alcheon and Yushin followed her.

The moment that they were inside, Princess Deokman halted and the two halted right behind her.

"I'll need to speak to him in private, you can wait here." Princess Deokman said.

"Yes Your Highness." Yushin and Alcheon replied in unison as the Princess was led into the room and Damju remained standing outside with the other too and the Palace maids.

She walked in and stood right in front of her uncle.

"Your Highness." He said as he bowed his head.

"Your Excellency." She greeted him back.

"Have a seat." Galmunwang Gukban said and Princess Deokman complied.

"What's the problem?" Princess Deokman asked.

"Aren't you going to demand for my neck?" Gukban asked.

"Why?" Deokman asked.

"I turned down your offer and I couldn't come and see you." Gukban said.

Deokman laughed gently.

"You'd think that you lied to me but for all we know you told me that you were not feeling well not that you were bedridden." Deokman replied.

"You are just as smart as they say." Gukban said.

"I am surrounded by masterminds everywhere, it's natural for me to level up the game and see that the odds are in my favor." Princess Deokman said.

"Pardon me for my impertinance but I wish to know the reason as to why you are here." Gukban said.

"I wished to know to myself, perhaps because you are my uncle, you are my blood and you are my people, it's natural that I'd care if you weren't feeling well." Princess Deokman replied.

"Your Highness, you and I both know that it is beyond that." Gukban said.

"Then why are you avoiding me?" Deokman asked.

"I am sure that you know that answer very well your Highness." Gukban said.

"Have I ever told you any one of my intentions and thoughts before?" Deokman asked.

"No your Highness and I can't assure you that I am willing to know." Gukban said.

"Sadly you must." Deokman said. "You and I both want something and the only feasible way for us to get it is if we joined hands." She added.

"Your Highness, I don't mean to be disrespectful but I can get what I want without anyone's help." Gukban said.

"What you want is survival." Princess Deokman said. "The question is however how long shall you survive?" She added.

"As long as it takes." Gukban said.

"No man can survive in this corrupted world on his own strengths." Deokman said.

"But I do survive on my wisdom." Gukban said.

"But wisdom didn't save your family seventeen years ago from the awful jaws of death a d perhaps it might have cast a wider gap between you and the people that you loved your everything was consumed in that fire." Deokman said.

"Are you blackmailing me?" Gukban asked.

"No, not at all." Deokman replied. "Even you know it very well." She added.

"Many people want me dead and how certain can I be that you are not one of them?" Gukban asked.

"My brother in law Kim Yongchun lost his power to your brother Baekban, seventeen years ago when you returned from Chopalhye you earned just as much to contend with his might.

Your influence is vast that it spreads across the whole of Seoraebeol if you were to hold a coup or raise an army you certainly wouldn't fail at all to have the support that you need." Deokman replied.

"You are quite cunning." Gukban said.

"I didn't say that I wasn't and perhaps compared to Mishil I could have learnt to be more." Deokman replied.

"What is it that you want, why would you wish for me to Foster an alliance with you?" Gukban asked.

"You are much too valuable for me to consider a political pone." Deokman said.

"As far as I know, even blood itself in a politicians eyes has never been thick enough." Gukban said.

"You could take it as though I was the most benevolent of the politicians in this era." Princess Deokman said.

"You have such a sweet tongue but all along you haven't told me what your intention is and why I should support you." Gukban said.

"If you were quite smart to figure that out aren't you smart enough to know what I have envisioned all these years?" Deokman asked.

"You are the Crown Princess without a Crown Prince and your mother is regent in name but you run most of the King's work at this time when he is I'll." Gukban said. "I wouldn't be blind yet at the same time I am more hesitant now than ever to tell you what I think you are pointing out." Gukban said.

"You have every right to be hesitant because this alone shall not only shake the whole of Shilla but also the whole of the world." Deokman replied.

"If all women were as courageous and yourself, why do you think that you stand a chance.

There are a number of people that stand in your way and they can resist you and Prince Chunchu is a likely contender as well." Gukban said.

"I have the Hwarang, I have my father, I have the Hallowed bone and I wish to add you to my remarkable retinue." Deokman replied.

"Has it ever been?" Gukban asked. "If that was the case then your sister Princess Cheonmyeong would have also stood with you as well.

If that were the case then perhaps the King's that had come on before would have let their daughters share an equal right as well." Gukban said.

"None of them was defiant as I am and none of them perhaps more determined like I would be.

Mishil enslaved herself to the love of all the powerful women there were in Shilla bit she could never become Queen because she had but one flaw." Deokman said.

"And what was that?" Gukban asked. "She boasted quite a remarkable retinue as well, she was smart, a part of the Wonhwa and the Hwarang largely believed in her." He added.

"Mishil's only flaw was that she was a Jingol and that meant that never at anyone point would the Crown be content with her head." Deokman replied. "Contrary to her, I can capture it for myself without having to marry a man to share it's power and to also show the world that I can own a Dominion of my own." Deokman replied.

"You wish Your Highness." Gukban said.

"And I shall become the first female King of Shilla." Deokman added with a smile on her face.

"I can not ask you to take back your words, actually, I have no right to do so given that you are a Princess, we both possess one common element that makes us unique from the rest and we are intelligent at that just as deep as the Hallowed bone runs under our skin.

Can you look me into the eye and tell me that if you could run and contest for the throne unlike all the other women before, I a man who is Seonggol and influential as you had said, why can't I?" Gukban asked.

"You are qualified." Deokman said. "But to tell you that I can even see a king inside you is a lie because just as you have your family alone in your heart, you can never have in it Shilla like I have it in mine." she added.

"I'm not convinced, do you think everyone who wishes to be King is willing to do it because of their love for Shilla?" Gukban asked.

"That alone is what makes me different from all of them and they could call me a cunning and conniving woman but history itself shall remember me as a strong and a Great King." Deokman replied.

"What if I dropped it at this and I terminated the possibility of us ever fostering an alliance?" Gukban asked.

"It's up to you." Deokman replied."You have Ganglyeoghan Palace to you entirely, a title that even the Sangdaedeung of this Shilla doesn't posses and you have massive support of some Courtiers and the People.

As long as the King rose and he wasn't in your favour, how then would you survive the aggression and the jealousy of all those men that surround you and weight to prey on the remnants of every one of your fallen glories?" Deokman asked.

"And you shall protect me?" Gukban asked.

"Perhaps not." Deokman replied.

"Then what shall you do if you aren't to sustain me?" Gukban asked.

"Only I would grant you the power that you'd need to support yourself and protect what you want from this Shilla." Deokman replied with a smile on her face.

A while later, she walked out of the room and looked up at Yushin and Alcheon.

"Your Highness." They said in unison.

"It is done." Deokman replied with a smile on her face while she walked away and they followed him.

Damju upon realizing that the Princess was in excitement hurriedly walked back inside.

"Your Excellency." He said as he bowed his head.

"I am amazed." Gukban said as his mind seemed to be drowned in wonder.

"What is it Your Excellency?" Damju asked as he sat down where the Princess had been seated and Gukban looked him in the eye as he smiled.

"Her Highness seems to be interested in us fostering an alliance." Gukban replied.

"Did you accept her offer?" Damju asked.

"Her terms were very favourable and it's not like I had a choice, she had me cornered and utilised the wall that I had spelt for myself to hamper me." Gukban replied.

"Is she that smart?" Damju asked.

"She is beyond me." Gukban replied. "Initially she is aware that after the Ganglyeoghan incident enough courtiers have their eye on me.

Her choosing to visit me in broad daylight while everyone is watching was to raise the suspicions of all the courtiers against me and even in a way confirm that I am in deed a political ally with her it wouldn't help in the future if I denied it and on top of that it would be automatic that with the King's favour, there are considerations to me becoming more powerful my family and the rest of this entire household would be threatened." Gukban replied.

"That's exactly what you were up against your Excellency." Damju said.

"Perhaps she can see more to me than the quiet and the strategic official I must do nothing more than getting into her own embrace." Gukban replied.

"Now that everything appears to be coming to a wholesome state you are a step closer to knowing your real enemies and your true allies." Damju said.

"And the Princess is none of the two." Gukban replied.

"Why?" Damju asked.

"She is just an aggressor trying to win the victory of this war by seeing to it that her enemies remain divided and if the courtiers could station themselves upon such antagonistic grounds never in the bear future would they be capable of forming a very strong mutiny and resistance to oust her out of power once she claims the throne of Shilla for herself." Gukban replied.

"What do you mean Your Excellency by claiming the throne of Shilla for herself?" Damju asked.

"It means that Princess Deokman is very determined to be the first female King of Shilla and inherit the throne from her father herself without coming into conjugal ties with any man." Gukban replied.

Moo Mak had ridden his cart and he bad long passed the border of Shilla and was lingering within the roads of Gorguryeo.

Seungman who had been tied at the back of the cart regained her consciousness a it was already the twilight hours of the day that were setting in.

"You are finally up." Moo Mak said.

"Father." Seungman called.

"You don't have to keep talking about Shilla here or you might lose your head, as far as I remember it wasn't so long ago that we massacred their people." Moo Mak replied.

"What did you do that for father?" Seungman asked.

"You didn't just expect me to remain seated and watch my daughter become so delusional about joining the military and going down to Seoraebeol because you feel that you are being convicted as a lovely citizen of Shilla to do so." Moo Mak replied.

"Why do you hate Seoraebeol so much?" Seungman asked.

"I already told you before and I promised myself just as your mother made me promise you that I shall take you far away from Seoraebeol even if it's at the extreme end of the Takla Makhan." Moo Mak replied.

"I thought that you would understand me much better than anyone else." Seungman said.

"And I also thought that you would understand me much more than anyone else." Moo Mak said.

"You have suppressed everyone of the desires that I felt I lived for." Seungman said.

"Yet I am still your father and knowing how very stubborn you were I know you'd try to find yourself an excuse yo stay back that's why you shouldn't blame me for I had no choice and this was the only befitting way that I could protect you." Moo Mak said.

"You have no idea how painful I am father, your distrust and the support that you have held back from me had totally betrayed me." Seungman said.

"Your words and your selfish desires broke me first." Moo Mak said. "If anything were to happen to you I don't know how I would face your mother in the afterlife." Moo Mak said.

"You can take a cow to the well but you can not force it to drink water." Seungman said.

"As long as it doesn't return to the kraal then that's not too bad." Moo Mak said.

"And why father, what do you expect me to do?" Seungman asked. "How certain are you that even if you took me to the end of the world I wouldn't come running back?" Seungman asked.

"Human beings in nature are schizophrenic and there is nothing that doesn't change with time, eventually like a tree grows too old and has to die, you shall bend and you shall abandon that feeble dream of yours and forget Shilla." Moo Mak replied.

"I am as surprised, ever since that I came into this world never had you been so hard on me." Seungman said.

"Perhaps that was my only mistake that in due course it forced you to become unruly you always thought that you could have your will as long as you wanted it." Moo Mak said.

Looking around, Seungman noticed that the sword was not so far from where her father was seated that eventually she pulled herself closer to him.

"But like you I am a warrior since I am your daughter after all." Seungman said as she tried to grab the sword but Moo Mak held it.

"And I taught you you can never be more perfect than me." Moo Mak replied.

"Try Mr father." Seungman said as she ceased the handle and then she unsheathed the sword from it's scabbard.

Putting it between her ropes before her father would make a move to counter her she cut herself free that eventually Moo Mak halted and stood in front of his daughter with the sheath.

"It doesn't matter anymore father, if you love me and in deed you knew me much better than anyone else then you'd clearly know it very well that there is nothing that you can do to break my will." Seungman said as she cut one of the ropes that held Ammal .

Moo Mak was distracted that Seungman ceased that opportunity and grabbed the sheath out of his possession and she jumped off the cart as Moo Mak tried to prevent the cart from collapsing onto the ground.

Seungman whistled and Ammal running up to her she jumped onto her at once and rode off in the direction South towards the border of Gorguryeo where she hoped to go back to Shilla before the sun went down.

"Seungman." Moo Mak shouted but she didn't stop at any one time she only continued until eventually she vanished out of his sight but heard him screaming behind her.

"I'll find you, you won't run away from me, you have no one in Seoraebeol." He kept on shouting until his voice was faded from her ears.

"You are wrong father." Seungman said to herself as she went on to ride Ammal as fast as she could.

"I do have someone in Seoraebeol." She added as her horse branched off she made sure that she went in the direction where the sun rises as she knew she was going south.

"I have Alcheon, I have myself and I also have Shilla." Seungman said to herself and in no time while she could still see the hills rising miles and miles ahead she did not waver and continued to maintain her course until eventually it was a purple firmament above her head and she was coming close to the border which was lined with a number of Gorguryeo troops that were on standby.

She halted for a while as she unsheathed her sword.

She made a sound that was loud enough to alert the soldiers they all turned and faced her

"No." She said when she knew better than anyone else that she was a couple of feet from freedom.

Eventually, gathering all her courage she looked up to the sky.

"Mother." She inwardly prayed. "I know it deep down in my heart that you loved me and that I have never seen you and I know that you might have wanted to protect me from Seoraebeol more than anyone else.

Now that you are parted from me in this world I won't let you decide what should a d shouldn't be a fate of mine." Seungman added.

"Against your wish give me the courage to fight and make it back to Shilla where my heart and soul certainly do belong." She concluded as she opened her eyes.

Breathing in the air she tightened her grip on the reins of Ammal and with her sword at once she charged towards the men that approached her with their Spears.

The two parties clashed and Seungman was caught in between as she slay the men ruthlessly with her sword while she was seated on her horse.

Two of the men charged from in front with their Spears pointed at her and ready to trike her horse.

She turned Ammal around and she struck the Spears put of their grip with her sword they went flying and landed on the ground, all that was left for her was to slit their throats with a very sharp blade eventually part of her was covered in blood.

She knew how Ammal had long been used to that stench and to save herself from the others that were attacking her she possessed one of their spears as Ammal faced the border once again.

Seungman pointing it ahead of herself made an example of the Gorguryeo amateurs and cleared the path as Ammal charged and jumped over the small barricade that marked the border.

She hit the flaming pans and torches that were in the vicinity and the wooden barricade was left on fire to distract the Gorguryeo soldiers as she moved further and further the sky above her totally dark but she was comfortable that she had already made it back into Shilla.

Haek Ga walked into Galmunwang Baekban's study and there he greeted him.

"Your Excellency." He said.

"What news do you have on my brother?" Baekban asked.

"He was visited earlier in the day by the Crown Princess." Haek Ga replied.

"Deokman?" Baekban asked.

"Yes." Haek Ga replied.

"And what are the both of them up to?" Baekban asked.

"It's still not certain." Haek Ga replied.

"My brother at last has decided to form a coalition with the Princess." Baekban asked.

"Do you think that His Excellency is suspicious?" Haek Ga asked.

"It must be the Princess who asked for this alliance given that he is quite powerful and influential much as he seems to not know how to put all that power that he holds in his possession to good account." Baekban replied.

"If he wasn't interested at all then he would have denied the alliance." Haek Ga said.

"Sadly, he can not even if he wanted as she is the Princess and it is possible that it was the King who is perhaps trying to win him over to his side." Baekban replied.

"Why?" Haek Ga replied.

"Now that it's clear that there is someone that is trying to frame him, they'd expect him to react out if retaliation." Baekban replied.

"It seems that Gukban is going to be quite troublesome for us." Haek Ga said.

"Whoever is not for us is against us." Baekban said. "My only fear at this moment is that an alliance between the Crown Princess and him could in turn make both of them the most powerful." Baekban said.

"But the rumor is already far spread." Haek Ga said.

"There were a number of faults that Mishil had in her own nature and because of them she couldn't be Queen." Baekban said.

"But who do you think is most likely to be Princess Deokman's choice of a Royal son in law?" Haek Ga asked.

"I am not certain either and no one is, there's two men that she is closest two and Yushin is unlikely because of the flaw in his blood." Baekban said.

"He is a Royal descendant of Gaya." Haek Ga said.

"Yes." Baekban replied, "so the other plausible choice would be Kim Alcheon." He added.

"But as far as I recall his father purposely married a Jingol woman to deprive him of the right of inheriting the throne and the age difference between the both of them is too wide." Haek Ga said.

"Haven't you wandered why the King plans on bestowing upon his mother's bloodline the notable order of having her ancestral line redeemed?" Baekban asked.

"He could perhaps be seeking for the perfect opportunity to have Alcheon Rang declared as a Seonggol, that would ultimately make him an equal contender for the throne." Haek Ga said.

"Good enough to make him a king alongside Princess Deokman." Baekban said.

"But isn't it too early to predict the Princess thoughts?" Haek Ga asked.

"Princess Deokman is interested in having the throne for herself and the only way that she can see to it that things remain that way is if she married someone who is influential as well and the rest of the Courtiers would be most content with as a co ruler." Baekban replied.

"What shall we do Your Excellency?" Haek Ga asked.

"It's quite simple." Baekban replied.

"Tell me Your Excellency." Haek Ga said.

"My brother could have been commissioned to serve alongside the Princess so we must turn and support someone who can actually contend with her." Baekban replied.

"Who your Excellency?" Haek Ga asked.

"Kim Chunchu." Baekban replied.

"But I don't understand your Excellency, why would he revolt against his own aunt?" Haek Ga asked.

"Should Princess Deokman get married to ensure that the Hallowed bone cast is maintained then it would threaten his claim to the Crown.

Not to mention his status was only revoked not so long ago because of a crime that his grandfather King Jinji made to possess the Crown when it wasn't supposed to be his in the first place." Baekban replied.

"Can he wholeheartedly justify our cause?" Haek Ga asked.

"He is a very smart young man and Princess Deokman possesses the support of the Hwarang, a Sangdaedeung , Alcheon and Yushin Rang and let alone her own father while on the other hand the only support that he could possess to call his own is that of his mother Princess Cheonmyeong and Kim Yongchun " Baekban replied.

"But you did take for yourself the power of his uncle, how do you expect him to return that compassion and generosity of yours?" Haek Ga asked.

"It's quite simple." Baekban replied. "He has no choice." He added. "If we can not fight the Princess Deokman head on then should the worst come to it's worst we shall have to sever her from all the people that she loves and holds dear and when the latter is complete we shall despose off the tools and drop the borrowed knife so that the owner is convicted." He said.

"Yes Your Excellency." Haek Ga said.

"Write to Kim Chunchu and tell him that I wish to see him." Baekban said.

"Aye." Haek Ga replied as he walked out of the room.

Seungman had ridden Ammal and eventually as she approached her village from a distance she stared at the cottage on the hill and seeing it without any light she was assured that it had been abandoned.

She rode over there and entered their old house but she couldn't seem to find what she was looking for.

"Where is it?" She asked herself as she recalled that ever since she had been young, there was a strange map that she knew she could use to get to Seoraebeol.

"What are you doing here?" someone suddenly asked and Seungman slowly turning around looked at Damhyeong who was holding a club in his hands.

"Damhyeong?" Seungman called.

"Seungman?" Damhyeong said as he dropped the club and the two of them hugged one another.

"I thought you were gone for good." Damhyeong said.

"Father just kidnapped me and we were in Gorguryeo when I escaped away from him." Seungman replied.

"What are you looking for?" Damhyeong asked as the two of them pulled away and looked at each other.

"I am looking for the map to Seoraebeol." Seungman replied.

"Your father was well aware that you were obssesed with Seoraebeol there is no way that he would have left it behind, he could have even possibly destroyed it." Damhyeong said.

"I thought about that." Seungman said.

"Then why did you come back here?" Damhyeong asked.

"I was hopeful." Seungman said.

"Any place is safe that is not here." Damhyeong said.

"I know." Seungman said, "but it's just that I don't think that I am going to go to Seoraebeol." She suddenly added.

"Why?" Damhyeong asked a little bit surprised.

"If father were to try and find me then he would go to Seoraebeol and there I don't know, what of he met the men that killed my mother, that's something that I myself I can not risk." Seungman replied.

"Then where would you run to?" Damhyeong asked curiously.

"Any barracks that's near the border." Seungman replied. "That's probably the safest and the one place that I can live my dream as a warrior." Seungman replied.

"But who would be willing to admit a woman to join the army?" Damhyeong asked Seungman.

"Don't worry, I have my way." Seungman replied.

"There is a group of soldiers that shall be marching from Nangbi Fortress tonight in a couple of minutes from now on and heading south." Damhyeong said.

"I can join them." Seungman said.

"I'm coming with you." Damhyeong said.

"No." Seungman said.

"Where you go I'll go, where you stay I'll stay, where you move I'll move, I won't quit following you." Damhyeong said.

Seungman's face lit up and she pulled Damhyeong into an embrace.

"Thank you so much." Seungman said.

"What for?" Damhyeong asked.

"For believing in my dream." Seungman added.

"It's nothing." Damhyeong said.

"I'm so sorry." Seungman added.

"What for?" Damhyeong asked.

"I can't let you leaves Aunt Namwon and Uncle Pyeonghwa because of me." Seungman added as she struck Damhyeong on his pressure points and he fainted instantly.

She held him up with a very heavy heart she felt the very feeling that her father Moo Mak had done to her before.

"I am so sorry." She said. "But you shouldn't find me." Seungman added as she dragged him to one of the pillars that supported the house and then picking up some nylon ropes she tied him around it.

She looked into his pockets until she found some silver taels which she pocketed and putting on a Brown hood, she got a hold of Ammal and the two descended the Hill where she walked up to an intersection that was headed south.

The soldiers shortly joined her and inwardly she went while convincing herself.

"I'm sorry I lied about not going to Seoraebeol, I need to be there and also know what happened to my mother." Seungman thought.