THE KING'S WOMAN

Baekban arrived was inside his study as he looked through a couple of scrolls.

He couldn't help himself but recall everything that had happened the day before.

His mind had wandered away to the conversation that he had had with Seungman at the restaurant.

"She is really one extraordinary young woman." He said to himself as he looked through the he rest of the scrolls one by one.

At that moment, his doors were opened and at once Haek Ga walked in.

"Your Excellency." He called but Baekban was still absent minded and he was thinking about Seungman.

"Your Excellency." He called again but Baekban was still ignoring.

"Your Excellency." He said at the top if his voice and Baekban noticing he quickly went onto his knees.

"Am I dead?" Baekban asked.

"Pardon me Your Excellency, my apologies in deed." Haek Ga said.

"Why did you have to raise your voice while talking to me?" Baekban asked.

"I had called you already your Excellency but you weren't replying it seemed to me that you were thinking about something." Haek Ga said.

"Yes I was." Baekban said.

"Your Excellency, are you still think about that girl?" Haek Ga said.

"Young and beautiful, with such a wonderful personality and her Charisma, I can't seem to stop thinking about her." Baekban replied.

"I must say that she left me quite intrigued Your Excellency." Haek Ga said.

"She knows how to amaze but above all things I can not settled down knowing that on our side her wisdom is in deed something that is very fatal." Baekban said.

"What are you going to do Your Excellency?" Haek Ga asked.

"Even I don't know." Baekban replied, "It's natural that I can tell you what my heart speaks and what is in my mind because your service is undoubted and your loyalty unmatched.

We have been through a lot together since you were a very little boy and to me you are very much like a brother I cherish and the closest person I feel some sense of kinship to." He added.

"Thank you Your Excellency." Haek Ga said.

"For Kim Seungman on the other side she is a stranger who is intelligent and now using that as an excuse to try and get me to confess my thoughts to her is something that I am most reluctant to." Baekban replied.

"I understand Your Excellency, even I do not trust her." Haek Ga said.

"Yet I feel that in this competition with the Princess she is something that I shouldn't allow to drift to the other side as I am confident that if we were to join forces with Kim Chunchu on our side, we could match up to Princess Deokman's power." Baekban replied.

"Your Excellency, worry not." Haek Ga said, "You are the smartest person that I know and you must definitely have an ideas." He added.

"You're right." Baekban said as he pondered for a while.

"That's it." He suddenly said.

"What is it Your Excellency?" Haek Ga asked.

"You do remember very well that Kim Seungman demanded that she wished to know what my true intentions were?" Baekban asked.

"Yes Your Excellency." Haek Ga replied.

"Princess Deokman knowing her talents she is aware that she is still at a junction if exposure so why don't we simply withdraw?" Baekban replied.

"Withdraw?" Haek Ga asked.

"Yes." Baekban replied.

"I don't understand what it is that you are trying to say." Haek Ga said.

"We don't have to tell her what our true intentions are and if she wishes to avoid an alliance with us we only have to make sure that the Princess not only grows suspicious of her but distrusts her." Baekban replied, "Considering the fact that Seungman is wise she'll be able to read Deokman's mind and she'll know it that before she falls, she needs to cling to us for her survival." He added.

"That way, she would have naturally become enemies with Princess Deokman and it shall be quite easy for us to persuade her to join our side." Haek Ga said.

"Yes." Baekban replied.

"But how are we going to do that?" Haek Ga asked.

"If she resides in General Sokham's Manor, we can consequently send her gifts over and over again to begin with." Baekban replied.

"Yes Your Excellency." Haek Ga said.

"By the way, you came in before, did you wish to tell me something?" Baekban asked.

"You have reminded me Your Excellency." Haek Ga said, "The spies that we put on Galmunwang Gukban reported that he in deed reached Cheolwon Fortress in the moutains, but he returned as soon as he had gone." He added.

"That's strange." Baekban said.

"It appears so." Haek Ga said, "Do you suppose that he could have discovered that he was being followed so he left the Fortress before drawing any suspicions?" Haek Ga asked.

"Him leaving immediately is already suspicious however him staying there for a very long time would have been suspicious as well.

A High Ranking official out of Seoraebeol." Baekban replied.

"Or perhaps he was summoned by the Princess?" Haek Ga asked.

"Most likely, his meeting could have been to take something or someone or return something or someone as well." Baekban said.

"What could it be?" Haek Ga asked.

"My brother is quite smart, did you find out what was inside the box that Princess Deokman gave him?" Baekban asked.

"No." Haek Ga replied, "We don't have any spies in his manor as a number of them vanished and knowing his current position your brother must have executed them because he is security cautious and on top of that he only hires those that he trusts.

No one is enrolled to work for him without his own consent and he must deem you fit for the tasks that he could ask you to do.

On the other hand our moles in the Palace can't seem to get any dirt on Princess Deokman as she she two is quite careful and the maids that are always close to her are intimate with her like sisters." Haek Ga replied.

"Of course she must put on the caring act to win as many allies as possible." Baekban said.

"With the two being so heavily guarded and protected, It is very difficult for us to know the conversations between the both of them." Haek Ga said.

"But perhaps there must be someone else that we could turn to." Baekban said.

"Who Your Excellency?" Haek Ga asked.

"There must be people at Cheolwon Fortress who came into contact with Gukban and additionally there must have been observers.

In both cases, I want you to find all the individuals that you can find and censor them until you can get at least three with a common story.

Get whatever it is that you can from them including everything that they said and when you are done report it all to me.

Perhaps that way we could have a hint on what is going on in Princess Deokman's mind." Baekban replied.

"Yes Your Excellency." Haek Ga said as he withdrew from the room.

"What was it that you went to do in Cheolwon Mountain brother?" Baekban asked himself.

General Sokham was seated in his courtyard as he thought about what he had seen the other day.

He was not blind to tell clearly that something was going on between Seungman and his son Haesul.

"Could he have fallen for her?" Sokham asked himself as he remembered the way that he had seen his son stretching out his hand as Seungman departed.

The way that they had been looking at each other while they were planting the plum blossom.

"There is something in deed." He concluded and at that moment looking outside the gates he saw that there was a Palanquin that had halted there accompanied by a set of Royal guards and palace maids as well.

"Who could it be now?" Sokham asked himself as he stood up and faced the entrance when he noticed that as the Palanquin was lowered onto the ground and opened, Princess Deokman walked out with the help of her maids.

"Her Highness." He said to himself quite surprised as he decided to approach her while she walked through the entrance and stopped in the manor inside.

"Your Highness." General Fujiyaro said as he bowed his head.

"Your Excellency." Princess Deokman said as she bowed her head.

"To what pleasure do I owe your untimely visit Your Highness?" General Sokham asked.

"Pardon me for turning up without having informed you about my arrival at first." Princess Deokman apologized. "It is just that after everything that happened at the Hwarang Inspection I happened to learn that Seungman cane from this household so I came here with the purpose of seeing her." She added.

"Oh Your Highness, of you had asked I would have sent her to you in the Palace, you needn't have bothered yourself coming all the way here as I am very much afraid that you might find discomfort in this my humble and weaponry filled abode." General Sokham said.

"It is alright." Princess Deokman said humbly, "I was wondering if Seungman is around?" She asked.

"Yes she is." General Sokham said, "I shall have someone send for her." He added.

"Thank you." Princess Deokman said as a maid came over on Sokham's signal and he whispered into her ear.

"Aye." She replied as she bowed her head and walked inside.

"Please come in your Highness for you are but a guest of mine, it would be uncourteous for me to let you stand at my doorway under this very hot sun." General Sokham said.

"Thank you Your Excellency." Princess Deokman said as General Sokham led the way into the manor.

Seungman was seated in her room and staring at the backyard through her window.

She looked at the roofs that were towering over the whole city and the bustle itself was like music to her ears.

Slowly, she seemed to recall her conversations with Alcheon Rang while they were still living upcountry.

It was heard for her to believe it that at last as it was in her dreams she was living in the Golden City.

Suddenly, she recalled the words that she'd coldly spoken to Alcheon Rang the day that she met with Princess Deokman in her quarters and her heart ached at the memories.

"It is so appalling how I risked so much to come down here to Seoraebeol and meet you Alcheon." She said to herself, "And now even when we are close we can not see each other or talk comfortably like we used to it only makes me miss those very recent but carefree days." Seungman said as she held out the Jade pendant that was hanging around her neck and then she looked at it.

"Why must I always part ways with the people that I dearly love and cherish in this life, am I cursed to be a lonely warrior throughout my walk on this Earth?" She asked herself.

"Perhaps it's better." She concluded, "I understand that Father you might never forgive me for what I did and Damhyeong I might never see you as well until the day that I die.

Alcheon Rang you have a reputation that you must keep among your peers, I won't let this rural girl endanger it out of her selfishness and her insatiable desires." Seungman said to herself when she heard a knock on her door all of a sudden.

She turned around and looked at it.

"Come in." She said and the doors being flung open a maid walked in.

"What's the problem?" Seungman asked.

"Her Royal Highness the Princess is here to see you." The maid replied.

"I'm coming down." Seungman said.

"Aye." The maid replied as she walked out while Seungman followed her a while later through the door.

Seungman descended the stairs and she was led to a small room where she found Princess Deokman and Sokham talking to each other.

"Your Highness." She said as she bowed her head and General Sokham looking at the both of them stood up from where he was seated and then he left the room to them.

"Please come and sit." Princess Deokman said and Seungman complied as she walked over to the opposite end of the table and bowing her head she gracefully descended into it.

"It has been a while." Princess Deokman said.

"In deed it has been Your Highness." Seungman replied.

"Did you do what it was that I asked of you?" Princess Deokman asked.

"Of course Your Highness, I devoted my all to see to it that I fulfilled your wish." Seungman replied.

"You are but a stranger in Seoraebeol, I can't help but wonder which place to you would be safe enough to house something so valuable?" Princess Deokman asked.

"Everything valuable comes from the earth, the best keeper for something as valuable as that I realised would be the very place from which it was born." Seungman replied.

"Aren't you worried that someone would find out where it is?" Princess Deokman asked.

"Flowers bloom as seasons come and go, who would forsake such a good view rather they'd let it forever adorn their humble abode." Seungman replied.

"I see." Princess Deokman said. "You have fulfilled what I asked you to do brilliantly." she added.

"Your Highness, I don't mean to be impudent but now that I have done as you have asked won't you fulfill your end if the bargain?" Seungman asked.

"And remember very well before we can do anything else, just as I had promised to keep you and make you a Hwarang I didn't promise that I'd make the Hwarang accept you." Princess Deokman said.

"I understand that whatever you do is in your power and beyond it you can't do anything just as I hid it where I thought to be safe but I couldn't entirely guarantee that that place was the safest." Seungman replied.

"Of course you do because the other Hwarang have to get used to the fact that you are a girl so a number of them will be uncomfortable, sitting with you, eating with you, talking to you and even sleeping with you." Princess Deokman said.

"No worries Your Highness, I did suffer growing up and I am quite used, it wasn't easy coming to Seoraebeol but I can assure you that I shall take very good care of myself." Seungman replied.

"Very well then." Princess Deokman said, "You come back to the Arena tomorrow morning." She added.

"Very well Your Highness." Seungman replied.

"I won't entirely be Lenient as my duty is to approve you to be a Hwarang you find a way to make yourself worthy to be one in front of all the others." Princess Deokman said.

"I understand Your Highness." Seungman said as she bowed her head.

"Did you by any chance meet him?" Princess Deokman asked.

"You already know Your Highness." Seungman replied.

"So I was right." Princess Deokman said.

"However I can not guarantee that you could be right about his thoughts and that you might predict his actions." Seungman said.

"I am not after that." Princess Deokman replied, "Rather I am interested in him misinterpreting mine." Princess Deokman whispered.

"That's good enough." Seungman replied, "If you can not find your enemy then lure him out to try and find you." Seungman replied.

"It is clear." Princess Deokman replied. "Though you'll have to forgive me." She added.

"Why Your Highness?" Seungman asked.

"For this to work out I must be cruel to you " Princess Deokman replied.

"I'll humbly accept it Your Highness given that you have already done me a favor." Seungman replied.

"I only wish that you don't resent me because let alone these men that surround me you being a woman can understand deep down in your heart what my survival in the political realm means." Princess Deokman said.

"You've shown me worse how pure your intentions are, I am willing to also give you my all because of my equal devotion to Shilla." Seungman replied.

"Then I'll be going." Princess Deokman said as she stood up and walked out of the room while Seungman followed her closely from behind.

The moment that the two had set foot outside they saw a series of things that were being carried upstairs.

"Take them to the guest's room." A man was saying which drew Seungman's attention to him.

"Excuse me Sir?" She called as he turned around and faced him.

"Yes." The man replied as he also bowed his head to the Princess.

"Are all those things for me?" Seungman asked.

"Yes." The man replied.

"And who are they coming from?" Seungman asked.

"They were sent over from Galmunwang Baekban's mansion." The man replied and Seungman turned to look at the Princess while she also looked back at her surprised.

Seungman nodded and Princess Deokman smiled to show that there was no problem at all as she continued out of the manor while Seungman climbed up to her room to find one of the corners filled with very many things.

"What's all this?" Seungman asked herself, "what is Galmunwang Baekban's meaning by doing this gesture?" She added.

"Perhaps he must have known that the Princess was coming over." She said to herself as she walked up and picked one of the seven boxes and opened it.

Inside, there was a large pile of expensive fabric for making clothes and most of it was lined with gold and silver thread.

She opened the other box and in it there were expensive utensils that were made from Chinaware.

She moved on to the other and found ornaments.

"I may love wearing these if I could but I can not fight in them, why would he have to send over all this as if he were asking for my hand in marriage?" She'd said when something occurred to her.

"Wait?" She said to herself when she saw a white fabric that was protruding from one of the boxes and she was eager to see what was inside.

The moment that she opened it she was surprised to see that inside there was a hard grey suit of armor.

She stared at it admiringly as she pulled it out and then looked to see if it fits her very well.

It was a match and that alone caused her to smile.

"So this is your decision?" Seungman said as she sighed while putting the suit of armor back inside.

At that moment, Haesul walked into Seungman's room and there he looked around.

"Wow." He said, "what's all this?" He added as he approached Seungman who was still standing in front of her gifts.

"I don't know." Seungman replied, "I don't understand the meaning of this." She lied.

"It's strange, his would someone send you all these gifts when you are a stranger in Seoraebeol?" Haesul asked.

"I'd say that I could have some secret admirers." Seungman replied.

"That's possible." Haesul said, "but who would love a boyish girl like you?" He asked.

Seungman feeling offended looked at him.

"Look who is jealous." She said.

"Jealous, me" Haesul said. "Never." He refuted.

"Then these gifts shouldn't be a problem for me." Seungman replied and she walked past him and went out of the room leaving him inside and quite puzzled himself.

"I understand that for a girl at that age it is natural for her to get gifts from people but she is a stranger." Haesul said to himself as he turned around and walked out.

A man arrived at GOKHYEONWANGSA and he was dressed like a normal Traveller in a saffron attire.

He was walking with a horse in his hands and he stood at the entrance of the Buddhist temple and looked around at the monks as he looked for a senior one.

They all seemed to ignore him and at last when he caught sight of someone he walked inside to a fat old man who had a bald head and a long grey beard.

The man removed his hat and revealed himself turning out to be Gopheung.

"Master." Gopheung said as he bowed his head and greeted the old man.

"Amitabha." The old man said and at that point looking him in the eye the master stared back.

"What is it that brings you here to GOKHYEONWANGSA TEMPLE?" The old man asked.

"I am here to see a Grandmaster." Gopheung replied.

"Which one?" The Old man asked as he kept in shuffling the beads in his left hand.

"The Master who is a vizier." Gopheung replied, the master of seventeen years ago " He replied.

"There are some things that are best left untold and some questions that are best left unanswered.

Whatever it is that you are looking for it is not here, we no longer speak prophecies nor do we communicate the language of the stars except at the Invitation of the King." The Old man replied.

"Something awful happened seventeen years ago, I am here to find out which master it was that foretold the Fate of the Hallowed bone." Gopheung said.

The man looked up at him.

"You are in the wrong place, we do not know him." The Old man said.

"I'm not wrong to say that you do." Gopheung said.

"As I said and I shall keep on insisting, we are not diviners." The old man replied, "This is a house of worship and if you can not offer your prayers then it is wise that I asked you to leave." The man said.

Gopheung turned around with his horse and as he was walking out one of the monks that was a man who appeared to be in his early forties saw him walking out of sight.

The Old man that had halted Gopheung at the gates also turned around and then he walked inside.

"What was he saying?" The monk asked himself as he recalled hearing something that was very familiar.

"I am here to find out which master it was that foretold the Fate of the Hallowed bone." Gopheung had said and something came to the monks mind.

Gopheung was still mourning with regret.

"What am I going to tell Alcheon Rang, I couldn't find out a thing?" He asked himself as he continued to walk while studying the place.

The environment in the mountains was quite serene and one wouldn't help themselves but admire the lively scenery that graced it.

The trees were so thick and tall and there was a river that ran through the valley as it faced the Sea.

"Excuse me Sir." He heard someone say that he was forced to turn around and see who it was that was calling him.

He was surprised to see a monk headed his way and facing his direction he bowed his head and greeted him.

"How may I help you master?" Gopheung asked.

"Back at the temple I heard you talking about something." The monk said.

"I was inquiring on the master from the Temple who it was that foretold the Fate of the Hallowed bone." Gopheung replied.

"So I heard well." The monk said.

"Sir, do you happen to know anything about it?" Gopheung asked.

"I have been here for a while, it's been seventeen years since the Temple had been forbidden from passing any prophecies recklessly." The monk replied.

"Is there something that happen at the temple?" Gopheung asked.

"It's a very long story, let us sit down." The monk said as he pointed towards a shed under a nearby tree where the two of them went and they tested.

"Tell me Master, what Happened?" Gopheung said.

"It was because of that Prophecy that the Temple has changed and most of the old generation did not survive which is the reason as to why most of the monks and the Grandmasters themselves don't know it.

However, I was a survivor of a massacre that happened Seventeen years ago because of that very Prophecy." The monk said.

"A massacre?" Gopheung asked.

"Yes." The man replied.

"Why?" Gopheung asked.

"You might not be aware but when news of the Prophecy spread across the whole of Shilla, quite a number of people from the Seonggol caste were enraged as they believed that it were false.

They wished to make an example of the traitors who were speaking and spreading false rumours about the end of the Royal Dynasty so they decided to slay all the people that were inside the temple.

I had gone to the mountain top to draw the constellations that night and as I stared at the night sky I noticed that there was fire that was coming from the temple so I descended from the range towards it but before I could enter I saw assassins that were killing everyone who was inside.

The Grandmaster who was believed to have been responsible for the rumors was carried away as I was watching and they were taking him to Seoraebeol they claimed on the charges of treason against the King.

I never heard of him again and after living at the temple alone for a while, a group of Grandmasters from a nearby one which had been affected by floods moved up here to keep me company with their fellow monks.

I decided to let them stay and clean it up it eventually became our home but the incident on this mountain was quite famous that no one ever dared to divine and spread a prophecy ever again." The old man said.

"So you are saying that because of the Prophecy you were all persecuted and you survived?" Gopheung asked.

"Yes." The monks replied.

"What was the Prophecy?" Gopheung asked.

"THE CHILD OF MY FATHER THE BLOOD OF MY OWN, HEAVEN'S CALLING IS TO MOULD 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." The monk replied.

"Do you remember the name of the Grandmaster?" Gopheung asked.

"Yes." The monk replied.

"What was it?" Gopheung asked.

"Master Sal Su." The monk replied.

"Sal Su?" Gopheung asked.

"Yes." The monk replied.

"Thank you." Gopheung said.

"But you need to be careful Sir, I am wondering why you are interested in this story when it's been seventeen years, are you perhaps related to the Grandmaster?" The monk asked.

"That's what I am trying to find out." Gopheung replied.

"It's possible that Master SAL SU is still alive somewhere or it's possible that whatever it was that happened to him was for a reason. I am a servant but I myself I am interested as none of that was heard of in Seoraebeol and the massacre is new to my ears I can only conclude that someone was behind all that." He added.

"I wish you the best of luck." The monk said.

"Thank you." Gopheung said as he stood up and the monk bid him farewell.

The Courtiers and the Officials had gathered in the throne room when the King's presence was announced.

"His Majesty deigns you with His presence." His Eunuch announced and at once King Jinpyeong walked through the aisle and mounting the stairs that led to his throne he sat down on it.

"Your Majesty." Everyone said as they bowed their heads.

"All rise." King Jinpyeong said and the Courtiers looked at him.

"I have called you here today to issue a Royal decree and make it known, there shall be no Grand celebration or coronation but I have come to recognize Lady Sungman as my new Queen and it should be made known throughout the whole of Shilla that from this day onwards, she shall be conferred the title of Her Royal Highness " King Jinpyeong said.

"Long Live the King, Long Live His Majesty." The Courtiers announced.