Threads of silver

"General Kang has lost his mind!" Min Ha announces, her sharp, rural accent tearing off any sense of decorum palace had managed to drill into her. Seol wastes a moment on imaging Lady Noh's face had the girl been within the older woman's hearing. "Your highness cannot ride! Not with this bruised shoulder and injured knee!"

"Oh hush," Seol waves her down. Sometimes, when Min Ha worked herself into a temper she flung her arms like a duck - given the short plump shape and the unnaturally crooked nose, it was a hilarious thought to imagine her as an angry mother duck. "No need to announce it to the entire courtyard. I'm not an invalid Min Ha."

Min Ha doesn't look pleased, instead her smart eyes work out the guilty expression on Seol's face.

"You arranged this Mama," she accuses, waving a finger. "Heavens, what am I to do with you!"

"You are supposed to lower your voice, go and fetch the physician for me," Seol ignores the accusation and folds the final few items of her embroidery to be taken North. "I need to sleep early, so make haste."

Min Ha watches her for a moment, unmoving.

"Are you that fond of him mama?" Min Ha sounds desperate. "All this effort to ride with a man -"

"Oh disperse! I've had enough of your mothering."

Min Ha knows when her mistress has truly dismissed her. She picks up the last of clothing that they were not carrying back with them and leaves the room, with the least curtsy she could escape with thrown towards the obtuse princess.

Seol lies back, fingering the midnight silk she had been embroidering for almost two years. Candlelight filters through fine silver threads, casting them in a glow that reminds her of Seo's eyes. A sigh slips from her lips, weary as her thoughts turn towards Seo.

"Things I do for you…" she mutters to herself. "Even Min Ha knows - but you don't."

Not that he would appreciate them if he knew. The fine silk slips between her fingers as Seol's eyes flutter shut, her thoughts revealing themselves into simpler wispy dreams.

Her fingers move along a wispy silver thread, barely a gossamer gleamer in the air ahead of her. Trailing fingers along it, she follows the thread - through high arches carved in stone. Around her wind roars - as if she stands upon the highest of mountains.

The thread pulls her forward, laughingly she follows. She has forgotten when the game had begun, or how long the thread had run. She has forgotten the promise that awaits at the end of the thread - whenever she will find it.

Wind is laughing at her, ringing in her ears - draft caressing her like wintery fingers.

"Come find me…" it hums, a voice she knows but cannot pinpoint. "Come - you are close now - come find me."

The gossamer thread in her hand spins around her and suddenly the laughter in the wind is gone. The thread cocoons her, and spins around her, suddenly immobile she realizes what she'd been spinning all along - a spider web. A giant, gigantic spider web clutches her at its center.

Breath burns in her windpipe and the Web begins to move.

"Found you…" the voice whispers.

Seol wakes up to the prick of a silver needle, the female physician peers down at her. She flings her arms and scoots away, still trying to gather her thoughts.

"Who are you and what are you up to?" She wishes her voice doesn't tremble as it does. The female physician is wearing palace colors of light yellow as was the practice. Her question has been a foolish one that the older woman doesn't even attempt to answer.

"Your shoulder mama," she says instead. "With my needles I might be able to relieve some of your pain."

Seol's eyes shift from the lady's earnest expression to the pointed silver needle that she holds.

"I've heard your voice before," she tries to remember. "Have we met?"

"This servant came from Chingju last spring, mama. We haven't had the good fortune to meet."

"I don't see how it's a good fortune for a physician to meet somebody." Min Ha comments from across the room. "I mean no offense of course."

"My court lady doesn't have the sense when to hold her tongue," Seol tells the physician, distracted. "You may continue."

The physician lady bows and begins to set out her needles on a piece of red silk.

"This treatment requires your shoulder to be bare, mama," she suggests as she works. "Lady Min, would you please assist Gonjunim while I prepare other things?"

Min Ha comes over, still miffed by their earlier argument and helps Seol to strip the layers hiding her bruised shoulder. The bruise has turned purple and earns a flinch from Seol when Min Ha's fingers brush along tender skin. The physician however is focused on her peculiar birthmark instead.

"The hunter's star," she murmurs. "I've heard of it before - never thought it is truly there."

Seol shifts self consciously. Whenever the talk turns to those three maroonish triangular dots placed across her skin, just below her shoulder blade and close to where her heart throbbed; the implications had not been positive. Seol doesn't feel inclined to ask the physician what people of her hometown gossip about the peculiar mark.

The lady too doesn't pursue the subject, instead starting to place needles on her pressure points. Her hands are cold on Seol's skin.

"Relax, Mama," her voice is soothing. "You are so tense that your muscles are knotted." She massages a wary line down her shoulder, bringing attention to tender spots along her neck. "What has frightened you so?"

The question draws her attention back to the fleeting nightmare. Seol shudders at the blur of its memory.

"I had a bad dream," she shakes head, clenching and unclenching her fists as the physician directs. "It has been a while since I -" she springs up so fast that the physician drops her needle, the outer robe in her lap falls in a rustle of silk. "Who's there?" Her voice rises an octave, the shadow that had been stark against the deep red of her curtains melts into the candlelight. "Guards!"

Min Ha takes over, face pale at her obvious panic and moves to the door - calling for her guards. None, it seems, were stationed right outside her door. Seol shivers at the sudden blast of cold from the courtyard doors. The curtains may block the majority of the draft from seeping in, but it was cold beside them.

"There was someone standing here," she repeats gradually, as if making sense of the words herself. "A man."

"This is insufferable!" Min Ha rages. "Let me get my hands on those insufferable fools who call themselves guardsmen - I'm going to get each banished to the farthest guard tower imaginable."

Seol ignores Min Ha, her eyes shifting to the physician instead.

"You were there at General Kang's residence the other day," she stares blankly. "That's where I heard your voice."

The woman doesn't flinch, if only a muscle at her jaw tightens.

"Yes, mama."

"Was that another one of your people?"

"Gongjunim - what are you -"

"Wait - Min Ha. Answer me," she turns to the physician with a hand held out to silence her court lady.

"No," the physician says. "It is very unlikely that one of us would be at a place they are not designated to and none so lousy that they will be casually spotted. That cannot possibly be one of us."

"Very well," Seol nods and turns to Min Ha. "You may proceed with strangling the guards now. In the meantime, inform General Kang that my security has been compromised."

*

Yong doesn't often get the chance to venture into the lower levels of the palace complex, but an occasional visit to the soldiers' kitchen lifts his spirits like nothing else. Especially when during that visit he happens to run into one General sleeping with his head buried in his arms on a wooden table.

Yong pulls out the short dagger concealed against his forearm, his eyes glittering in mischief, and approaches the man on muted feet, with every intention of placing the silver blade against his unsuspecting throat.

He is thwarted however, as Seo shoots out an arm to grasp the blade before it has been lowered, twisting it off his hold without even lifting his head. He curses sleepily, clicking his tongue as if he considered Yong a trainee soldier.

"Breathing all over the place like a bear hound…" his voice trails off.

"General Kang," Yong heaves himself into an empty chair beside the sleeping man. "Of all illustrious men - the bearer of my imperial father's sword. Couldn't you find a better place to sleep?"

"He's waiting for his dinner," the fat lady bustling around by the huge, rough fireplace answers over her shoulders before squinting and dropping her pot. "Donggun nim mama!"

"Oh hush woman," Yong waves away her bow just as Seo comes around finally comprehending her startled yelp.

"Don't you have a feast to attend - donggunnim mama?"

"Why Kang Seo - aren't you skiving off the same feast? What is your problem with my imperial father's invitations? You never seem to heed them."

Seo drops his eyes, his fists on the table clenching.

"That's not my place."

"Indeed?" Yong arches a brow, but allows the matter to drop. He has more regard to Seo than to further probe into painful issues. "The ambassador Li," he says instead.

"Means no peace." Seo sags on the chair and leans his head back, his expression weary. "You don't have to worry about your grace, I have him under control."

"The Imperial father wanted me to tell you - but the limping bastard was faster."

"The problem isn't the man himself," Seo sounds weary. "Problem is the roots that feed him with information. Things that should not have left these walls have made their way to a conniving man's lap."

"Silla?"

Seo brushes a hand across his face, rubbing away the sleep that clings to him.

"Not just them. This is too large for a former king who has no imperial authority. They have a network. They move people." He stands up. "If you please - your grace."

"Oh you are not going anywhere without dinner!" The fat woman returns. Savory essence of her steamed buns wafts across the kitchen. Yong hides a laugh.

"I think we better sit back."

Seo rolls his eyes, but is too lethargic to fight the woman over food that his body clearly yearned for. He gives up with a sigh and sits back down. The fat woman looking satisfied and slightly daunted by the presence of the crown prince presents them with what has to be the most refined soldiers' dinner ever.

"Pity," Yong says. "There aren't any other men to dig into this meal."

Seo says nothing as he watches the prince stuff his mouth.

"We took that disgraced minister's body back to his family." He tells, Yong makes a noise to show he is listening as he munches on a large mouthful of steam buns. "Only to find they are gone. All correspondence, books and communication has been burnt. It makes me wonder - has the man been used by someone else?"

Yong swallows.

"And the lady in waiting?"

"People were sent to her hometown. The girl came from too far away to know quickly."

Yong folds his arms.

"You have a theory. I'd like to hear it." He says simply.

"I'm feeling suddenly curious about the old dowager queen of Ryu."

Yong's jaw clenches and his hazel eyes hardens. There were only a few things in the world that Yong hated more than his prospective in-laws. He stands up, bunching up a fist.

"I will look into it," he promises. "Where there's a fire, usually the woman isn't far behind. No need to stand on ceremony," he dismisses Seo's gesture to stand up. "Please finish your meal. I simply wanted to wish you godspeed for your journey north." Yong reaches out and claps Seo on shoulder, before making a move himself to leave.

"Donggunnim mama?" Seo calls after him, his voice hushed in a manner that makes Yong pause. Seo waits until the younger man's hazel eyes return to him.

"I hope you won't join the winter hunt this year."