COUP D'ETAT

"Like this you knew I would guard her, like this you know that I would devote my all to protect her." Galmunwang Gukban said as he threw a fist and punched his brother in the face he charged with his sword they clashed multiple times before stilling there again face to face.

"Only one of us could become King, only one of us could rule this Heavenly Kingdom, whether it meant that I should turn against my family, that blood tie and suspicion suspicion was never eternal and neither was it something worth dying for, as long as I would have power I would protect those that I loved and as long as I gained possession of this country I'd guard myself, no one would be suspicious of me, no one would question me and because of that I had to be a rebel because your daughter's glorious fate was my vast disaster." Galmunwang Baekban replied.

"It will never be you." Galmunwang Gukban said.

"I will not stop until I rule." Galmunwang Baekban said.

Seungman noticed that in the strife her Uncle was pulling out a dagger from his clothes and Moo Mak noticed it as well.

"Your Excellency." Moo Mak called as he hurriedly rushed over to his master while Galmunwang Baekban brought the dagger towards his brothers chest.

Haek Ga followed him and as Damju pushed him away onto the ground and stabbed him with his sword, Moo Mak put himself in between and they stabbed his back while he shielded Galmunwang Gukban from the attack.

"Father?" Seungman said as she got angry and swinging her mast with all the strength and anger having built itself up within her, she stabbed and hit all the other soldiers away .

Galmunwang Baekban had his gap with some of his people and he got onto the nearby steads with General Pocheon and they rode away while the other Shilla soldiers pursued the last surviving lot of his army.

Galmunwang Gukban stared at Moo Mak in the eye and slowly the both of them fell to the ground.

"No." Galmunwang Gukban cried out as he went down onto his knees while supporting his old retainer.

"Your Excellency." Moo Mak said as he raised his hand and he touched his master's hair .

"No one has ever cried for me." He added.

"Moo Mak?" Galmunwang Gukban called and at that moment Seungman hurried to her foster father's side that she knelt down.

"No." Moo Mak said, "Don't say a word " He added.

"Why did you do it?" Galmunwang Gukban asked.

"All my life Your Excellency, I swore to protect you even to my very last breath." Moo Mak replied.

"You have already done so much for me." Galmunwang Gukban said.

"Eternal friends have no conditions and I am very sure that had you been in my place you would have done the same as well." Moo Mak said.

"Father?" Seungman called as she slapped his cheek.

"I owe you an entire lifetime." Galmunwang Gukban said.

"No Your Excellency, I am eternally grateful to you because there was nothing more beautiful that you gave me in this life than the gift of being Seungman's father." Moo Mak replied.

"Please father, don't say those words." Seungman said. "You'll be alright." She added as she sobbed bitterly.

"Seungman, is this the type of person that I made you to be?" Moo Mak asked.

"No." Seungman replied.

"It hurts to part with those that you love my dear but what hurts the more is having to let someone go with regrets." Moo Mak said.

"Had it not be for me, you wouldn't have taken the fall for me." Galmunwang Gukban said.

"It has made me more proud today that I lived up to each and everyone of your expectations and even surpassed them for I have given you the time to make up for Seungman's childhood and be a very good father to her this time around." Moo Mak Said.

"Father, the only reason that I struggled so hard to be the best was to be able to protect you because only when I was fighting for Shilla I realised that you were Shilla to me as well." Seungman said.

"You two are my favourite people and you have given me all the happiness in the world." Moo Mak said as he coughed a little bit and blood flowed from his mouth.

"Moo Mak." Galmunwang Gukban said.

"You remember our promise when we were still young?" Moo Mak asked.

"Yes." Galmunwang Gukban replied.

"The time that I chose to follow you I had promised myself that in this life or the next I would have no regrets." Moo Mak said.

"And I promised myself that regardless of the situation I would never abandon you or forsake you." Galmunwang Gukban said.

"I was a servant." Moo Mak said.

"You were my friend and my friend who became my family." Galmunwang Gukban said.

"But now gone are the days we used to smile heartily and the days that we used to play underneath the saffron sky.

Gone are the days of the Hwarang and the days of our lively youth along with the bitter but solemn memories of the battlefield." Moo Mak said.

"What is so solemn about war, I remember you hated it so much?" Galmunwang Gukban asked.

"War builds and war deprives, with our bland this land was sanctified and those Fortresses became the frontiers from which we enlarged our pride.

We slew the Paekcheans and the Gorguryeo troops and we filled out swords with those demons leaving ourselves without any remorse.

If I can look back on the times that we had each other's backs and the times that we were surrounded and we broke free, coming back to a bowl of rice was good enough because at that moment we felt how most precious it was to have life." Moo Mak replied.

"Be careful." Seungman said, "Father, I am remorseful that very many times I broke your heart." She added.

"But hadn't it been for those times that you showed me how courageous and self reliant you were, how persevering and how brave you took yourself to be, I wouldn't have stared at you this day to be proud of the very strong woman you are." Moo Mak said.

"Many times I made you quarrel." Seungman said.

"And many times you made me smile and gave me a reason to keep living and fighting for you." Moo Mak said.

"Those must have been the most beautiful days." Galmunwang Gukban said.

"They were golden ones." Seungman replied.

"I remember when you were young, the first time that I gave you crab." Moo Mak said as he smiled gently.

"I put it on my head and I asked you whether it was a hat?" Seungman added as she laughed while holding her father's hand which was covered in blood.

"I don't want to forget that wonderful time." Moo Mak said.

"And neither do I?" Seungman replied.

"Recall the song of the Hwarang and our bid of farewell?" Moo Mak asked Gukban.

"Yes." Galmunwang Gukban replied.

"Like flowers bloom and either throughout all the seasons." Moo Mak said.

"Like Rivers forever flow without an end." Gukban added.

"There is nothing more dear than the time we always have left." Moo Mak said.

"When we part and bid each other farewell." Gukban said.

"I cherish those words and moments forever with my heart." Moo Mak said.

"We also cherish you father." Seungman said.

"Enough." Moo Mak said, "I was already getting old and tired either way." He added.

"This world must have burdened you for so long." Gukban said.

"But in the both of you I found my peace and when I would reflect on each and every memory that we made I couldn't help but feel lucky." Seungman said.

"I want to watch the sunrise with you father." Seungman said.

"I also will be there when you are watching it my dear." Moo Mak said as he raised his left hand and he touched his daughter's cheeks.

"You have gained some weight." He said.

"As a Princess mother gives me too much to eat." Seungman replied.

"You make me feel our small cottage was quite insufficient." Moo Mak said as he smiled.

"For me it was more than enough if you could hold me in your arms and you would embrace me when the nights were cold, if you would tuck me in before I could sleep and we'd warm ourselves at the fireplace in winter your presence gave me everything." Seungman said.

"If you could both smile with me so heartily." Moo Mak said.

Seungman and Gukban smiled brightly amidst their tears.

"All my life I had no interest in Shilla but when you came to Seoraebeol I followed you as I had always done with your father because I wished to protect you." Moo Mak said, "All that I ever wanted from this life was to see the both of you smile, it is sad that time has no keeper looking back everything has gone by so fast." Moo Mak said as he slowly closed his eyes and the hand that was holding his daughter's cheek fell down into Galmunwang Gukban's grip.

"Father." Seungman called, "Open your eyes." She added but there was no response.

"Seungman is smiling for you." She added.

"Moo Mak." Galmunwang Gukban called but he had already breathed his last.

"Father?" Seungman called again, "Please wake up." She added.

"He is gone." Galmunwang Gukban replied.

"All my life I wanted to protect you in return for you protecting me, I wanted to come from war and find you waiting to congratulate me, I wanted you to make for me some congee when Baekban is vanquished, I wanted you to proudly see me riding Ammal and becoming the armoured woman from my dreams." Seungman said.

"If there is a next life, can you be my brother again?" Galmunwang Gukban asked as Swing exploded in tears while all the soldiers and guards that were watching along with Yushin Rang and Gopheung and Bidam watched.

Alcheon Rang wasn't so far from the scene, Junghwan and a few other Hwarang's as the cry of Seungman drew the attention of everyone who was in the vicinity.

Princess Deokman along with Haesul Rang had turned up as well in the middle of the incident and looking at how sombre Seungman was her heart broke.

"Father?" Seungman said, "I shall avenge you." She added.

"I'll get out of my own way and I will exceed every limit, I'll possess everything that I can yo fight and slay those that have killed you today as I promise you this that with my own hands, I'll bury Galmunwang Baekban with my own hands before your body entirely turns cold abd before you are buried." Seungman vowed.

She stood up at once and faced everyone else.

"The brothers and sons that rebel has deprived of us today, the father's and cousins and all the people that we love he has taken from us.

I ask Your Highness the Princess to give me the permission to lead and Capture Dosal Fortress and deliver the head of Galmunwang Baekban into your hands." Seungman said.

Princess Deokman wiped her tears.

"We have fought so hard today but if that villain lives longer then peace shall never befall our heavenly kingdom, if we allow that murderer to usurp the throne then we shall have failed our forefathers and we wouldn't have lived to the expectations of Bak Hyeokgyeose." Princess Deokman said. "In front of each and everyone of you that is gathered here, I Princess Deokman give my consent and allow Her Highness Kim Seungman to take command to capture Dosal Fortress, and I myself shall personally stand by your side Your Highness when on this very day we build the foundation on which Shilla shall fluorish for Generations to come." She added.

"Thank you Your Highness." Seungman said as she faced the troops.

"Regroup once again, we match for Dosal Fortress with our full force." Seungman said.

"Hoorah." The Soldiers shouted as they raised their swords and spears in the air and a loud applause came from the Commons that were standing nearby.

"Galmunwang Baekban, you shall remember this night as your very last because I promise you this that I am coming and I shall spare no effort until I have spelt your demise." Seungman thought to herself her face entirely veiled with courage which being a mixture of anger, hate, resentment and loathsomeness spoke trouble for all her foes and victory for her allies.

Galmunwang Baekban stood on a hill and he watched in a distance as Seoraebeol had some mild smoke rising from it.

"Your Excellency, we must go." General Pocheon said.

"For now we are safe, I want to stare at this country a little bit longer." Galmunwang Baekban said.

"There wasn't that much of fire, only the stench of blood filled the air." General Pocheon said.

"At last it feels that history has consigned me the position of a usurper." Galmunwang Baekban replied.

"Your Excellency, despite all the effort we are following you because it isn't survival for us anymore beyond this point but why have you not given up?" General Pocheon asked.

"Since I was young regardless of the odds and whose favour they were in I never stopped until I got what I wanted and I never backed down no matter how many times I fell down over and over again." Galmunwang Baekban said.

"I respect you." General Pocheon remarked.

"It's what made me survive this long in the political arena despite all the enemies that I accumulated over the years and the people that envied my power and chose to contain it." Galmunwang Baekban said.

"But in the end you exploded and you also hurt them." General Pocheon said.

"I have deprived them all of enough joy as well but I could live with it as long as I would rule this Heavenly Kingdom." Galmunwang Baekban said.

"You already possesed so much power, the King and your brother were afraid of you even Sangdaedeung Ichan Seulbu couldn't match up to you but why did you go out of your way to tread a path of no return?" General Pocheon asked.

"You'll never know exactly what lies ahead, I couldn't just let history to consign me a fate of any nobleman.

I wanted more than power and all the days of my life I wanted the Crown so much, History rarely remembers the powerful, even if you are weak but with the Highest title, you'd benefit from the success of your Courtiers and their hard work would always be attributed to you." Galmunwang Baekban replied.

"Everyone thinks that villains don't cry but there in that great City of gold lies a man that died fighting to protect me with his own life, a man who shared my dreams and aspirations and for me he drenched his hands in so much blood and had nightmares for he was haunted by the demons of the people that he killed so that I would realize my dream of ruling this country." Galmunwang Baekban said.

"You aren't remorseful?" General Pocheon said.

"Remorse is for the weak because if I surrender right now then all those that shall have died following me shall have perished in vain and those that are willing to do the same for me shall perish without honour and dignity.

I would resist until my very end if I have to, for the sake of the people that Princess Deokman and Seungman have killed on my side." Galmunwang Baekban said as he turned around and looked at General Pocheon.

"There is still Chilsuk Rang, Soseok Rang, Seokpum Rang and me Your Excellency and listening to your words I do believe that even I would keep my honour and fight with you until the end." General Pocheon said.

"Your only fault was that you loved this country so much and you wanted to become it's ruler, you are a man that is sincere and a man that even in the face of death lies courageous.

Your Excellency, if it is a rebellion that you must lose on this day we can not bear the annals of history to besmirch you of your princely honours." Chilsuk said.

"Yes Your Excellency." Seokpum Rang replied.

"Historians may be free to criticize me, they might be free to debate about me but if I must go it shall be without any regrets." Galmunwang Baekban said.

"You have born so much for us, in return we are nobodies and giving back to you this resistance shall no longer continue in your name." Chilsuk Rang said.

"Yes Your Excellency." Seokpum Rang replied as Galmunwang Baekban looked at them.

"From this day onwards, it shall be Chilsuk and Seokpum's rebellion." Chilsuk Rang said and before he would object at that moment there were messengers that hurriedly rushed to him.

"Your Excellency." They said as they got off their steads and bowed their heads.

"What is it?" Galmunwang Baekban replied.

"We are from Dosal Fortress." The Messengers replied.

"Has the artillery arrived?" Galmunwang Baekban asked.

"Your Highness, General Eupseong's troops were advancing for a refuge within the walls of Dosal Fortress but a thousand of the soldiers that were inside were disloyal to Your Excellency and they retaliated I believe on orders of Princess Deokman and fired at his army with the very arms we acquired in our possesion.

Another battallion of fifty thousand soldiers that had been pursuing them also collided in the course of the fight in Seoraebeol and as we speak Dosal Fortress has surrendered and fallen to the hands of Princess Deokman." The Messengers replied.

Galmunwang Baekban was surprised.

"What?" General Pocheon said.

"All along it was a well planned strategy to capture me, I am a rebel now without a foot I am no different from a wanderer with an army." Galmunwang Baekban said.

"Your Excellency, I survived on the orders if General Eupseong to inform you that there is no refuge in Dosal Fortress." The messenger replied.

"Sending a fake seal out of the Palace to draw my suspicion I possesed it, she scattered all the others that would have supported me even if they could send over some armies none of them would succeed as well because of the distance.

She planted spies in Dosal Fortress as she knew that I couldn't position myself in Daeya Fortress because automatically she would have already set her foothold their in the first place it being a primary stronghold of Shilla.

Eventually she has taken my refuge and I am a wanted criminal." Galmunwang Baekban said.

"Your Excellency, in other words we are only left with the option of fleeing?" General Pocheon said.

"After everything that has happened right now all I can say to you is that we can't fled from Shilla either way because if we are to try and escape whether to Paekche or Gorguryeo, the security at the moment is rather tight none of the borders is penetrable at the moment." Galmunwang Baekban said.

"Her Highness must have foreseen this coup before all that she has been doing the past couple of months was closing the doors and windows to contain the fight from within and suppress it there." Chilsuk said.

"Beyond this point we charge into the direction of Paekche because at this rate Shilla can not afford an external war." General Pocheon said.

"We can only devise a two way strategy to beat this." Galmunwang Baekban said.

"What your Excellency?" Seokpum Rang asked.

"No retreat and no surrender, the revolution can only burn as long as the two Princesses are alive, should they die then it can no longer be justified and moreso others might forcefully yield power to us." Galmunwang Baekban replied.

"Then it is so Your Excellency." Chilsuk said.

"To make up for the damage that we have suffered and the followers that we have lost, there is no place for us in history as the protectors of Shilla and it's tradition a rebels job is to accomplish what they started and ours is to end this strife by burying Princess Deokman and Seungman." Galmunwang Baekban said.

Suddenly, there was another messenger that charged from the same direction as the first.

"Your Excellency." He said as he got off his horse and bowed his head.

"What is it?" Galmunwang Baekban asked.

"Thirty five thousand soldiers are marching all the way from Dosal Fortress and headed this way." The messenger replied.

There was another neighing that emerged prominent from the direction where Galmunwang Baekban had emerged from after fleeing Seoraebeol and there another Messenger halted right in front of him and unmounting his horse he stopped right in front of him.

"Your Excellency." He said, " a full force of seventy five thousand soldiers is marching from Seoraebeol and headed towards this direction they'll be here in thirty minutes." He added.

"At last we are all surrounded." Galmunwang Baekban said.

"This battle shall decide our fate." Chilsuk said.

"We'll die with our pride that surrender to be ruled by a woman and it is upon our blood today that perhaps others shall be born that shall counter a woman's reign and in due course challenge the existence of the Female Ruler Jin." Galmunwang Baekban said.

"Yes Your Excellency." Everyone said in unison.

"Remember, at this point our primary intention is to kill those two women whether Victory is or isn't on our side we must avenge our brothers that have gone on before." Galmunwang Baekban said.

"Yes." The rest of the soldiers that were behind him shouted on top of their voices as they raised their swords into the skies while they stumped the ground with their Spears.

Seungman rode at the front on Ammal at that time holding her white flag in her right hand while her white sword was sheathed within the scabbard.

"Your Highness, what are we going to do?" Alcheon Rang asked Seungman.

"You already know." Seungman replied.

"If everything is at its worst right now then you must know that on the other side that we are attacking they are also prepared." Alcheon Rang said.

"I know." Seungman replied.

"I understand that you are mad and angry at the fact that Galmunwang Baekban murdered your father but to take it out on him entirely without a plan is a suicide mission." Alcheon Rang said.

"I am the plan." Seungman replied.

"Your Highness, please don't joke around?" Alcheon Rang said.

"Do you think that I am joking?" Seungman asked.

Studying the expression on her face it was enough for Alcheon to tell that Seungman was very serious.

"Do you think that I would wish to grant my father's murderer a simple death?" Seungman asked.

"No." Alcheon Rang replied.

"I don't care if I can no longer be the Seungman that you loved, I am so sorry that I have become very cruel, it saddens me that I have lost part of my humanity and perhaps my insides are hungering to only spill more and more blood.

But if you must hate me let it not be because I am only after vegeance because I have come to realize Shilla needs redemption from all those heartless men and I fear that if I can't fight and take it upon myself to kill them all then bad things will happen to all the people that we love and care about." Seungman said.

"Yes Your Highness." Alcheon Rang replied.

"For once I want to feel satisfaction at the defeat of my foe, for once I want it to rain when I have not so many people to worry about.

For once even I want Galmunwang Baekban to go through so much pain when everything that he has ever wanted in front of his eyes falls apart, I want to give him the most intolerable retribution and even if I must become the devil himself for that I am most prepared." Seungman said.

"But don't lose yourself too much in the fight." Alcheon Rang said.

"Only you can understand me and you can redeem me, if you must then for my sake give me a guarantee that these shall be among the very last people that I shall slay." Seungman said.

"I promise you this your Highness, I chose to stand with you, even when I can not open up my mouth regularly to tell you how much I love you, if I must I'll work harder and harder beyond this day that you don't have to shed more blood with your hands anymore." Alcheon Rang said.

"Thank you." Seungman said.

"What are we going to do now that we can't just launch a direct attack?" Alcheon Rang asked.

"You are eager for my instructions." Seungman said.

"I am only here to listen and ease the burden on your shoulders." Alcheon Rang replied.

"Either they are expecting a direct attack or perhaps they know that I am not that foolish to walk into one because of my emotions." Seungman said.

"It's most likely the first." Alcheon Rang said.

"I don't want to overlook the second because if they are more prepared than we are then we could walk into their trap and lose out much more than we could possibly gain." Seungman said.

"So what are you going to do to them?" Alcheon Rang asked.

"I'll give them both and more." Seungman replied.

"What do you mean by both and more?" Alcheon Rang Asked.

"Every one knows the white warrior who commands alone so the best alternative that we have at this very moment is to give them more than one white warrior." Seungman replied.

"If you are a target of theirs and they are uncertain whether it is yourself or not, they shall all be in panic." Alcheon Rang said.

"It's another game of pros against cons and regardless of the situation I assure you, I shall be the very one to kill Galmunwang Baekban with my bare hands when he least expects it." Seungman said.

"Yes Your Highness." Alcheon Rang replied.

Galmunwang Baekban's men had coloured their faces with red paint and they had equipped themselves with a few of the weapons that they had carried.

A large number of them had stationed themselves within the nearby trees and led by Chilsuk Rang they stood and waited for Seungman and her battallion to arrive.

As Chilsuk stood in a tree and gazed in a distance, he caught sight of a white rider who was carrying with themselves a tall white banner on an iron mast.

The rider was accompanied by another set of troops and they were marching along the Narrow path.

All the other warriors that were in the tree and noticing their presence they halted as they watched the army go deeper and deeper marching in lines of three three while the White warrior rode by.

The moment that the first head of the army was inside Chilsuk whistled and the attention of the soldiers was entirely given to him.

At once, his archers that were within the trees stretched their arrows.

"Everyone, prepare your shields." The white warrior said in a very soft voice and the soldiers closed in immediately as they shielded themselves while the White warrior sounded the war horn.

Chilsuk's men emerged from the nearby trees and there they collided with the warriors while Chilsuk took a direct attack to pursue the white rider who rode deeper and deeper into the woods.

Seokpum Rang and the other half of the warriors were also on their side watching the small path that joined a rather open fist land and there they caught sight of the white warrior riding into the forest.

All the other warriors that were in the tree and noticing their presence they halted as they watched the army go deeper and deeper marching in lines of three three while the White warrior rode by in a similar manner and they waited until that Branch of the army was inside.

Seokpum Rang whistled and his men launched an attack and Chilsuk pursuing the white warrior he eventually halted after they stopped in a small valley.

"I never thought that you would be this much of a coward." Ichan Chilsuk said and at that moment the white rider turned their horse around and looking into the rider's eyes Chilsuk noticed that the rider was a manner.

He had barely realised it when a large mass of soldiers that were lying nearby emerged and they all ganged up on him and the white rider noticing that Chilsuk was fully surrounded her rode away further and further into the opposite direction while about three hundred men descended on Chilsuk Rang.

Seokpum Rang after pursuing the white warrior halted when they had come into a valley.

"You are not qualified to rule out heavenly kingdom both you and Princess Deokman, and I promise you that on this day I shall get even with you for all my people that yours have slain." Seokpum Rang said as he pointed his sword at the white warrior and charged towards him on his stead.

He'd barely gone further when a net was shot with four arrows towards him and he was captured while the White warrior removing their helmet revealed his true identity as Haesul Rang.

"Even as my senior, I never really liked you to begin with." Haesul Rang said as the soldiers that were laying in ambush nearby emerged and they all tightly held the net while Seokpum was confined inside.

Chilsuk and Seokpum Rang's forces were rounded up within the very woods and there from all directions within the very trees that they had first taken their refuge, they saw the other soldiers emerging from every direction.

"We are all surrounded." Soseok Rang said.

Galmunwang Baekban was still waiting outside for some news when one of the soldiers from the endangered party emerged from within the trees.

"Your Excellency." He said as he went down onto his knees.

"Was the ambush successful?" Galmunwang Baekban asked.

"I am afraid your Excellency that the ambush has failed, Chilsuk Rang is in trouble and Seokpum Rang has been captured by..." The man was still saying when an arrow struck him from the back and he fell onto the ground dead.

Galmunwang Baekban looked ahead and in a distance he caught sight of Seungman the white rider herself who with a bow at hand had made the shot and right behind her were wild soldiers that attacked the last dregs of them with all their full force.

"Seungman." Galmunwang Baekban thought to himself inwardly, "You have prevailed." He added while Seungman throwing away her now and arrow she unsheathed her family sword and raised it in the air.

"Today by my hands you shall be slain." Seungman thought to herself inwardly as well.