I hastily escaped the falling castle and went out of the, still, burning kingdom. My Beloved Kingdom was burning to ashes. I went back to my horse. Dara was still kneeling on the ground. “Get up. We’re going.” I said blankly. She didn’t respond. “I said GET UP!” I shouted and tried to grab her by the arm. Her body hastily dropped to the ground. Blood was coming out of . “Oi! What’s wrong with you?” Her face was now more pale. She slowly opened her eye. “Mianhe.” She whispered as a tear fell from her eye. “Oi! Hang in there! Don’t you dare die on me!” I cupped her cheeks slowly slapping her cheeks. She coughed blood. She was loosing grip of her life. Fear started to run inside me. I don’t want her to die. I hastily got her on the horse and rode to the south eastern part of the kingdom where an good friend of mine resided hidden behind the thick forest.

We’ve arrived to Choi SeungHyun’s abode. He has been my friend and saved my life many times. He was a highly regarded sorcerer. People had a hard time looking for him since he disguises himself very well to be not recognized. Since he was a very dear friend to me, it hasn’t been hard to recognize him. When I was ten years old, I used to escape from the lord’s castle and play deep in the South Eastern Woods.

One night, I went to the eastern woods to capture fireflies and brought a glass jar. I saw a struggling kid of my age caught by one of the hunters net trap. “Are you alright? Don’t worry. I’ll get you out.” I said. I climbed the tree and with a small pocket knife I slowly tried to cut the rope tied from the branch. The net dropped to the ground and I heard him groan in pain. I hurriedly went down and tried to see if he was wounded. He was wearing a white clothes and robe. His leg was bruised. “Let me patch you up. Just hold still.” I took out my canister and started washing his wounds. I ripped a strip of my shirt and started to tie it on his leg. “What happened to you?” I asked. He didn’t reply. “You’re not much of a talker, huh? That’s fine.” I finished patching him up and I stood up. “Are you good from here? I need to go somewhere.” I said but still no reply. I nodded. “Alright, then. See yah!” I hurriedly took my glass jar and started running of to the firefly field. I could feel he was following me. As soon as I had captured a few fireflies, I turned my back and saw him hiding behind a tree. “Yah! Why are you following me? Go home already. Staying in the woods this late is very dangerous.” I ordered him. I slowly approached him. “Where is your house? Let me take you back.” He shook his head. With a very deep voice he replied, “My home was burned down by humans. My uncle and I were the only one left but I was swept away by the strong stream and got strain away from him.” And at that time, I felt a connection between me and him. I wanted to help him find his uncle. I knew how it feels like to loose a family. “Mission accepted. I will help you find your uncle no matter what.”

Seunghyun got out from the room. “She is still asleep. Don’t worry, she is no longer in pain.” He said with his usual deep voice. “What’s wrong with her, Seunghyun?” I asked. “She has an infection on her lungs. Something that may be incurable. She needs rest. I believe she has been traveling too much with such frail body. If she continues, she will surely die.” He explained. I heaved a deep sigh. “You like her, don’t you?” He said with such a serious expression. “Her father burned my kingdom to ashes and killed my only family left. How could I even think about that towards her?” I replied with resentment. “I’ve seen her before. She was in the western kingdom making a racket about great peril. She was trying to warn the people there about their doom. She was thrown out of the kingdom. I witnessed how the Great King’s army burned the western kingdom to the ground. I couldn’t do anything. And then, I saw her. I saw how she went to each of the dead bodies and wept.” He said as he reminisce such scene. “Did you know that it was to happen to my kingdom?” I asked. He shook his head. “I though it was just a mere conflict between two kingdoms. You know how that happens very much often, right? Your kingdom has stood still and peaceful, I could have never thought of such cruelty is to happen to you.” He placed his hand on to my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Jiyong. I could have paid mind to her heed.” “It’s okay, Seunghyun. I, too, was a victim of not listening to her. She is a very pure hearted woman. The lord had ordered me to kill her. If only I...” I gritted my teeth. I stood up. “Seunghyun. I’m going to kill the great king. Can you look after her for me?” He made a smirk. “For you? I surely will. However, what are your plans with her?” “I have no plans with her. I just... want her to live... and survive somehow.” I replied. I stared out of the window. “Well, you killing her father and letting her live would really be pointless. What I mean to say is letting her live would only let her feel more miserable as she is already am. I would rather let her die than let her beautiful form be engulfed in all these evilness in the world.” He rebutted. I turned and sternly looked at him. “You don’t know that! She is not like that. Without the Great King, she will become the ruler of the Southern Kingdom. She will surely lead the kingdom to peace.” “And what of you? The Great King’s murderer. What are you to do then? Hide away like a rat?” He exclaimed. I nodded. “If that peace will come, then, I will hide in the shadows and protect her.” He laughed out loud. “You just admitted that you like her.” He said with a smug face. We got startled as the sound of the horse started to gallop from outside. I hurriedly opened the door and saw her riding away. We hurriedly went out. Seunghyun started casting a spell and the ground started to shake. Cracks started to appear on the ground. We heard her scream. I rushed to her and saw that they fell into a round hole. Seunghyun was able to catch up. “I didn’t know that you could do that?” I asked him. With a smug face, he replied, “I’m a sorcerer, am I not?” I shook my head in disbelief and looked down. “Why are you trying to escape princess?” I shouted. She stood up and stared at me in the eyes. “I will not allow any kind-hearted man to simply become a murderer. I will be the one to stop my father.” She was still not feeling well as she was perspiring even more. Her pale skin has grown paler. She flopped to the ground and I rushed down. I placed her in my arms. She was crying. “I’m so hopeless... I can’t do anything right... I can’t even stop my own father...” She continued to sob. I cupped her cheek and wiped the dirt from her beautiful face. “What is your name?” She looked at me with teary eyes and said, “Dara.” She softly replied. “Well, Dara. I was sent by the lord to kill you. Do you still think of me as a kind-hearted man?” She nodded. “I am still alive now. You have gone out of the lord’s way and spared a low life like me.” “You are not a low life. You are the future queen of the southern kingdom. I will have you replace your father in his throne and I will have you replace him in his throne. And you will swore on to me, that you will bring peace in this nation. If you fail to do so, I will have your head. Do you understand?” I sternly said. “Please don’t kill my father. I know he has done vicious and terrible things but he is still my father.” She pleaded. I sighed. “I won’t promise anything.” I looked up at Seunghyun and nodded. He started to cast a spell and the ground started to slowly lift up. Seunghyun castes another spell for her to be in a deep sleep. I lifted her body and started to walk towards Seunghyun’s abode.

“Seunghyun, I will go to the Great Northern Kingdom to seek help and bring down the Great Southern King.” I stared at Dara’s peaceful face asleep in the bed.

“Let me come with you.” Seunghyun insisted.

“No. You shall stay here and make her well. Her life is more important than mine. Promise me that you will keep her alive.” I calmly said.

“Jiyong, look at her! I don’t think any magic spells would allow me keep her alive. And more over, I’ve sworn to not defy the laws of life and you know that better than I do.” He said.

I turned to him and placed a hand in his shoulder, “Do what ever you can to make her live long. I believe in you.”

“Were you even listening to me? She will die soon! I could not possibly do anything else! Her body is weak! Her soul is slowly fading away! Let me stand and fight with you!” He demanded.

I shook my head and crouched beside Dara’s bed. I tucked a hair behind her ears and engulfed myself in one last fitting imagery of her beauty. I ran a finger in her soft pale lips and whispered, “If only I could have met you sooner...” She let out a deep breath and a tear fell from her eyes. I leaned my forehead on her sweating forehead. “Ji... yong...” I let out a bitter chuckle. She was dreaming of me. No one has touched my hearts as she had done on to me. She made me hope that I may make it through this battle alive. I want to see her when all these will end. I want her to see the better parts of the world. I kissed her soft pale lips. I savored the touch of her lips on to mine. “Until we meet again... in the next life...” I quickly got up and gave Seunghyun a tight hug. I rushed to the horse and I drove off towards the Great Northern Kingdom.