(969 AD, 20^th year of Gwangjong’s reign)

“He isn’t here either”, muttered a disappointed Soel, looking forlornly at her prayer tower. She did a 360 degree turn to confirm her suspicions before moving on. He hadn’t been at the astronomy tower or the practice grounds. There was only one other place where she could go looking for him – the leaning tree by the lake close to where Uncle So moored his boat. Soel said a small prayer and hurried along, hoping he wasn’t outside the fort, picking a fight with someone somewhere. It won’t be long before dad and Uncle So started wondering where she was.

Soel broke into a smile the moment she caught a glimpse of the leaning tree. There was no doubt in her mind as to who the person sitting on the branch overhanging the lake was. But even as she hurried towards the tree, her smile faded as a question niggled at the back of her mind. “It’s been months since we met. Would he remember me? What would he say?” Reaching the base of the tree, Soel took a deep breath and said brightly, “Hello there”. There was no response or reaction as Ju continued to sprinkle fish-feed on the water below and watch the fish rise to the surface to snatch the feed away before it could sink. Soel waited for a few minutes before taking a step back and considering her options. Making up her mind, she walked to the base of the tree, took a deep breath and sprinted up the trunk, spreading her hands out to maintain her balance, like an acrobat doing a tightrope walk. If she could just make it to the fork where the trunk split into boughs, she could grab on to a branch for support. She was almost there when she lost her balance. As she struggled to steady herself, the trunk shook under her feet. But as Soel was about to fall, a hand grabbed her and she went crashing down in an arc towards the water below. The next moment, she was splashing around in panic in thigh high water surrounded by broken branches and twigs, struggling to find her feet. “Stop doing that” said an angry voice and Soel turned around to see Ju brush off the water she had sprayed on his face as he made his way gingerly towards solid ground.

Soel kept her eyes down in embarrassment as she followed him and heaved herself on to the grass. She stood up and surveyed the damage. She was drenched from the waist down and water was dripping from her sleeves and the ends of her hair but the rest of her was relatively dry despite all her splashing. She stole a glance at the person who bore the brunt of said splashing as he tried to wring some of the water out of his clothes. He was drenched from head to toe and blood was seeping from nicks and cuts on his face and his hand.  “Are you alright?” Soel ventured cautiously. Ju glared at her as he spat out, “Are you crazy? What were you thinking?” “I… the trunk… it’s sloping…. I thought…” Soel stuttered. “Have you ever climbed a tree?” Ju demanded as he continued his vain efforts to wring himself dry. Soel shook her head and mouthed “No”. “And you just decided on a whim to run up a tree?” he asked in a tone that was part anger and part wonder at how her thought process worked. “Hey, I’d have found my balance if you hadn’t interfered”, Soel raised her voice slightly as she argued. “Huh…. That’s the thanks I get….. I should have let you fall on the ground and break your bones” said Ju with a shake of his head.

Feeling guilty again, Soel looked down at the ground and stayed quiet for about 10 seconds before she glanced back up and said in a barely audible voice, “Thank you”. There was no response but she could see that the expression on Ju’s face soften considerably. After a moment’s hesitation, she asked tentatively pointing to the branch where Ju had been sitting, “So…. how do we get up there?” Ju looked at her like she was a new life-form he did not know existed, as he said resolutely, “WE are not getting up there. YOU are going to Damiwon to get something done about THAT”, he said pointing to her clothes. But that resolve didn’t last very long. Soel pouted sadly and sent a pleading look his way as her eyes welled with tears. “If I go back now, I might not be able to get away again…. and I’m leaving tomorrow”. He looked up at the tree, wondering, even as he muttered, “Well, you were perfectly happy staying indoors all day yesterday”. “How did you know?” asked Soel, feeling more hopeful. “Were you spying on me?” she added with a sly smile.

“Do you want to get up there or not?” Ju completely ignored her question with one of his own. Soel nodded her head vigorously as she moved to where he pointed near the base of the tree. “Walk slowly this time and try not to slip” Ju said as he offered his hand for support. When Soel got to the fork where the trunk branched out, Ju told her she can sit now. “But I want to go further out”, Soel said pointing to a branch up ahead. “Do you want to go for a swim again?” Ju asked in a serious tone as he tugged at her hand to get her to sit. But the next moment, Soel stepped on to a bough, let go of his hand and started making her way towards her chosen branch, grabbing at twigs and higher branches along the way. Ju stared in shock, his heart in his throat until she finally positioned herself near his usual spot and turned around to smile at him. Shaking his head in exasperation, Ju swung himself up and made his way towards the girl who was merrily swinging her feet. “You really are crazy” said Ju as he sat, “and reckless. This poor tree lost half its twigs and most of its leaves because of you.”  “It’s autumn. They were going to fall anyway” replied Soel with a smile as she lifted her face up to the sky and shook her head to let her hair sway in the breeze. But the breeze was cold and she was wet and her teeth chattered involuntarily. Ju removed the sac containing the fish-feed from where he had hung it on the tree, dumped the remaining feed into the lake and tore the sac open. He then placed the cloth on Soel’s lap without a word. The cloth wasn’t thick enough or long enough to protect her from the cold. Nevertheless, Soel felt warm.  

“It’s just as I thought. This is the best view in the palace.” Soel commented with a contented sigh, “Better than the view from the boat”. “What boat?” Ju asked in surprise. “That one” and Soel pointed to the small wooden boat tied to a tree trunk nearby. “But then being on the boat is a different experience. It’s not so much about the view, right? It’s about the way the boat sways and moves placidly along the lake. And it’s so much fun to put your fingers on the water surface and let the fish nibble at them, isn’t it? Feels kind of ticklish, right?” asked Soel feeling excited, remembering the times when Uncle So had taken her on a boat ride. It was hard for him to find the time but he made it a point to take her as often as he could. “I wouldn’t know” Ju said softly. “That boat belongs to the King. No one else is allowed on it…. Except of course, you”, he said, suddenly feeling envious all over again. “That’s because you haven’t tried”, reasoned Soel. “ It’s not like your father is going to whip you for taking his boat for a spin.” Ju gave a chuckle as he responded, “Of course not. He will just use it as an excuse to have me executed…. or maybe exiled.”

Soel stared at him, dumb-founded at the vehemence of his argument and he turned and looked her squarely in the eye as he spat out, “Don’t act surprised. The whole of Goryeo knows that my father hates me. That he’s just waiting for the right excuse to get rid of me.” “But he’s not” Soel said softly. “He cares about you.” Ju grabbed the branch below him and rose to leave as he said, “I don’t have time to listen to your lies”. Soel grabbed his arm and listed out in a rush, “He meets your teachers regularly to find out how you’re doing. He feels proud every time they complement you. He avoids the astronomy tower when he knows you’re there so you wouldn’t have to leave. He worries about you every time you fight my father.” Ju sat back down and looked her in the eye trying to decide whether to believe her or not. “How do you know that he cares? Did he actually say that he cares about me?”

“I know because I see him getting worried every time my father turns up to meet him looking dusty and worn out” replied Soel feeling more confident. “He would ask something like, “Are you still going around picking fights with kids?””, Soel said trying to make her voice sound majestic. “And my father would say something like, “It’s your kid who doesn’t leave me alone. He challenges me every time he sees me”” continued Soel in a complaining Prince Jung voice. “Then your father will proclaim proudly, “Of course, he does. He is the crown prince of Goryeo. If you want me to save you from the embarrassment of losing to him by re-enforcing your exile, all you need to do is ask”” said Soel in her version of So’s sarcastic voice. She followed that up with her impression of the notorious King Gwangjong smile that implied, “I own you now and there’s nothing you can do about it”. Of course, she failed miserably, with her eyes scrunched and her smile crooked in an expression that conveyed more pain than pleasure. Ju burst out laughing and asked, “What kind of an expression is that? Did Uncle Jung punch him in the stomach?” “Ha…. Fine… Keep laughing…. I’m not telling you any more” said Soel pouting.

Ju quieted down with effort, his lips quivering with suppressed laughter as he looked at her hopefully and asked, “And what happened next?” “You laughed at me” came the sullen response. “I’m sorry. I won’t laugh again”, the words were out of his mouth before Ju realized what he had just done. He couldn’t remember the last time he had apologized to anyone. No one ever blamed him for anything he did and a crown prince tendering an apology was considered a sign of weakness. Ju was alarmed that he had not stopped to consider any of that before apologizing to Soel. The words had come so naturally, a little too easily. Ju quickly stood and made his way down from his perch. Soel followed him down, not sure what had caused the sudden change in his demeanor. He gave her a hand and helped her down but refused to meet her eyes.

They walked quietly side by side while Soel wondered what she could do to resolve the situation. As they passed the boat, she exclaimed, eyes shining with excitement, “I will tell you more stories from the palace if you take me on a boat ride.” Getting no response to her proposition, she persisted, grabbing at his sleeves, “Please… If Uncle So asks, you can tell him that it was my idea”. “Stop grabbing my sleeves with your dirty hands” Ju protested. “My hands are not dirty” Soel shot back, making another grab for his sleeve. “Don’t do that” warned Ju as he moved his hand away. As he did, Soel noticed the cut on his arm and that reminded her why she was so desperate to meet him that day. “Oh, I almost forgot”, she said as she grabbed a string tied around her neck and pulled out an ornate pouch hidden under her clothes. “Here you go” she said untying it and holding it out to Ju, “Happy birthday in advance. It’s unlikely I’ll be back before the season changes, so I thought I will let you have your gift early. ” “You want me to carry around a gaudy pouch?”, scoffed Ju even as he took the pouch from her. “You put dried twigs inside this?” he asked, opening the pouch and peering inside. “Those are not twigs. They are barks. Lady Kim at Damiwon said that if you chew them and then place them on fresh cuts, it will stop the bleeding. If you get injured in a fight, that will give you some relief until you get to a doctor. It should work for most wounds, even deep gashes”, she explained as Ju the barks, taken aback by the gesture. Soel looked up then and noticed the setting sun. “Oh no, I’m late. They must be looking for me all over the palace”. With that, she tore off in a hurry, not giving Ju a chance to speak. He stood there rooted to the spot for a long time before he looked down at the pouch in his hand and smiled, “Thank you”.