Chapter 2. The calm. 

"Such a lovely day, Ha Yi!" 

"Well, indeed, Chaeyoung." the princess stared at her baby daughter. "Don’t you think, my sweet Soo Hyun?"

The baby just stared at her mother, unable to understand what was happening around her yet and enjoying the melodies Chaeyoung was playing in her Gayageum. She was just two months old.

"I wished I could just go back in time when I was little and mother would spoil me." 

"She has always spoiled you, Chaeyoung. You are the youngest one, remember?" 

"You had not seen her yesterday when she was mad…" 

"Trust me, I have seen mother angry more times than you, Chaeyoung." 

"Really? When was that?" 

"It is a secret." 

"Ha Yi! Tell me!"

But the Fourth Princess didn’t say a word about her mischiefs when she was younger: she had a reputation to maintain, so she could be a good role model for Chaeyoung. Ever since she was born, when Ha Yi was twelve, the bastard princess promised that would take care of that little one, as much as the Queen has taken care of her when she became her step-mother. If it wasn’t for Queen Mi-young’s intervention, she might not have been able to get married to her beloved Dong Han Bin, due to his suspicious past.

Twenty years ago, Han Bin’s father, Dong Young Bae, was a member of a legendary pirate crew called the Silver Dragons. After saving the Crown Prince and the whole nation from a plot that could have caused a civil war, lord Young Bae and the rest of the Silver Dragons got a Royal Pardon. Unfortunately for him, he died before he could witness how his family was able to come back to Joseon and recover the properties he used to have.

"Forgive the intrusion, First Princess, and Fourth Princess. I know you are enjoying some snacks in private, but the Second Palace Lady told me I should give this to the First Princess."

Lord Park Chanyeol, the sole heir of the Parks of the East, stood in front of the ladies, holding a big drum, the gift Chaeyoung had ordered for her friend, lady Jisoo. As usual, he was dressed in blue, with his uniform as a member of the Royal Investigation Bureau. And, as usual, his hair was down (because he hated how the Heukrip made his ears look bigger) with a headband putting it away from his eyesight. He had two swordbelts on his back and the remaining swords of his clan were kept inside, for security reasons. He looked so cute and cold at the same time that Chaeyoung wanted to giggle.

"Thank you, lord Chanyeol."

The princess stood up and went straight to Chanyeol’s direction, opening her arms to receive the gift. Unwillingly (or maybe not), their hands touched for a second, and, the lord, who wasn’t used to human contact, shivered. He was a lone wolf, after all.

"Have you chosen the drum, milord?" she asked once she was holding it tightly in her arms.

"Well… I went to see some artisans, I explained for whom it was, and they gave me advice." 

"Thank you, for taking your time for this. It is really important for me."

Chanyeol seemed uncomfortable because the princess’ smile was so big and lovely that he honestly did not understand why she was so happy. But, the lord was used to the princess’ cheerfulness, so he just tried to return that unusual display of kindness towards him and also smiled.

"I hope it is of Lady Jisoo’s taste." 

"It is beautiful, I am sure she will love it. Thank you, lord Chanyeol." 

"My pleasure. With permission, princess Chaeyoung, cousin Ha Yi.

"Come back later, Chanyeol." princess Ha Yi said. "Chan Hyuk misses you terribly and wants to learn some tricks from his second cousin.

Lord Chanyeol bowed slightly and left the two princesses alone once again. Chaeyoung returned to the table she was sharing with Ha Yi, pretending to ignore the subtle smirk her older sister was giving her.

"You need to get the courage to confess." 

"Confess what?" 

"You know, Chaeyoung, you know."

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"I still do not understand why it had to be lord Chanyeol the one to buy the drum for the First Princess."

Jungkook was angry, and when he was like that, he used to hang from a tree, with his legs wrapped around a branch and his whole body suspended in the air. Tae Hyung was sitting on the floor, holding some brushes and staring at him with a smirk on his face.

"Everyone knows, well... only Ha Yi and me really, that my sister has some issues with lord Chanyeol." 

"Issues? What issues?! I have not heard about those issues, Prince Tae Hyung. What issues?!"

The First Prince rolled his eyes, frustrated with his friend’s stubbornness. He loved him as if he was his brother, but, it was in moments like those when he questioned his decisions.

"Of course you have. It is just that you keep pretending you haven’t seen it." 

"He comes from a family of traitors. He is not worthy of the princess’ attention." 

"And you are? Do I have to remember you that your father lost his title as Left State Councilor for corruption?" 

"Would you approve, then?" 

"She is my sister! I approve no-one. Understood?"

Jungkook got angry and decided it was time to end that conversation, so, he waved a little his body until he could stand in one of the branches and started to climb the tree.

"Jungkook! Come here! Sorry if I offended you!"

But he didn’t listen to his friend and kept climbing until he was at the top of the tree. There, he regretted his decision, because he could see Chaeyoung playing Gayageum and laughing with her elder sister, Fourth Princess Ha Yi. She had always loved music, and, ever since she was little, she had learned how to play instruments and was known at Court for her talent. In fact, during birthdays or even some ceremonies, she was the one in charge of the Gayageum. And it was when she was playing it during the King’s last birthday that Jungkook started to have a huge crush on her. She looked so lovely with her wide smile and so concentrated and so… well, that was it in fact, but it was enough for Jungkook.

"Forgive the intrusion, First Princess, and Fourth Princess."

The young lord realized that lord Chanyeol had already bought the drum for the princess, and Jungkook wanted to kill the man when he had the chance to touch the princess’ hands.

"I have never had the chance to do it, stupid!"

He kicked the tree because he was really mad at the situation. Unluckily, he lost balance and fell from the tree, next to the prince, who was still waiting for him.

"I know the mere idea of being far away from me kills you, lord Jungkook. But, next time, take your time please, I want you alive." the First Prince joked.

"Tae Hyung!" 

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Jen-nie suddenly stopped, and her friends got worried, because, once more, her eyes were blank, something only happened when she had visions of something. Her brother, Nam-Joon got closer to his sister, to catch her before she fell.

"Is alright, Jen-nie, is alright. I’ve got you." he hugged her even tighter when he didn't receive an answer.

They waited for a few more minutes until Jen-nie returned to her normal state. She had trouble breathing, and they tried to calm her with some comforting stares. She needed a few minutes to recover, because, each time magic was involved, the shamans lost a huge amount of energy.

"Are you with us again, milady?" 

"I told you, Ho-Seok, I am not a lady." 

"Yes, she is fine." Nam-Joon confirmed.

"What did you see, Jen-nie?" Yoon-gi, who cared less about protocols than Ho-Seok, asked.

"The moon of the golden dragon has fallen."

They knew what that meant: that the Chinese Empress, Qing Song, had passed away. Unfortunately, it meant that the biggest defender of the absolute independence of the Kingdom of Joseon at the Forbidden City was gone, and that caused a disturbance in the equilibrium.

"And so the red dragon is getting weak." 

"No way… was that why I felt those changes in the dark forces, right?" 

"Maybe, brother. Maybe." 

"What else did you see, Jen-nie?" Ho-Seok asked.

"Well, I saw the Irworobongdo. The cascades got dry and the land barren, covered with blood. The sky was red and orange and the sun was gone. The moon was darker than the darkest night we have witnessed."

Everyone got chills, because it meant things were going to get even more complicated.

"We must hurry, then." Nam-Joon suggested. "We need to reach our destination as soon as possible." 

"Where are we going exactly?" Yoon-gi asked. "Just to know, because… I am kind of lost right now…" 

"Yes!" Ho-Seok added.

"Are you following us without knowing? What kind of stupid person would do that…" Nam-Joon said.

"Well… if you ask…" Yoon-gi tried to find an excuse.

"I wasn’t asking." 

"Ops, my bad." 

"We are going to Hanseong." Jen-nie informed. "They need us there." 

"Wait…" Yoon-gi said.

"WHAT?!" both yelled.

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"Such a lovely day!" 

Mi-young exclaimed while holding her husband’s arm even tighter. Some maids behind them giggled, but she was so used to the gossips that she didn’t mind at all, especially if they were related to how much they still loved each other. It was a strange moment in history when a King hadn’t had concubines for almost thirty years. 

"Indeed, my Queen."

Their daughter’s house wasn’t a big one, but had lovely gardens and all the rooms were sunny and cozy. So they had decided to walk a little and enjoy the warm autumn day before days were getting colder and colder. When they were at the Palace they usually didn’t have the time to enjoy time together during daylight, because both Seung-hyun and Mi-young took their duties seriously, and worked from sunrise until sunset. The King taking care of the nation, and the Queen, taking care of the Palace administration and making sure to control the budget, so not a single corrupted man could get away without punishment.

It felt nice, to talk with his wife about silly and common things during daylight, other than state affairs. Poetry, literature or just the most recent gossips at Court. Mi-young felt surprised that her husband knew almost every small rumor in court: like, which maid was involved with which scholar, even scholars with scholars. It shocked her, how such abusybody Seung-hyun could be.

"But do not tell anyone, my Queen. Because I think next week lord Kim has an audience with me, begging to set maid Lee free from her duties in the Palace to marry her." 

"Are you going to accept, my King?" 

"Of course not, that man is known for his corruption. Maybe I should send it to you, my Queen, with the condition that if he pays all he has taken, we might accept his proposition." 

"It could be nice. Besides, you are getting to old to handle that type of stuff, my King. Remember that next week we will be celebrating your thirty years of reign."

"OLD?! MY QUEEN?! OLD!?!- he pretended to be offended. "You did not say that the other day when…" 

"Shhhhhh! They are listening." and she pointed the maids and eunuchs, her cheeks red.

"Then admit I am not old and I will not continue, my Queen." 

"Alright, you are not old. Could we just enjoy lunch at the gardens’ peacefully?"

They sat on a pavilion surrounded by a small lake, where the food had already been prepared. Since it was chilling, a blanket for the Queen had been prepared, so she could stay warm.

"Thank you kindly, Second Palace Lady."

Lady Dong Hee-yeon just smiled and bowed slightly, glad that she had made her Queen happy.

"I have a present for you, my Queen."

Mi-young gaped at Seung-hyun, because she wasn’t expecting anything. She had made it clear years ago that she had everything she needed and that gifts were only a must during birthdays or special ceremonies. Presents given unexpectedly weren’t something she enjoyed, but, of course, she wasn’t going to insist in front of their entourage.

"You did not have to, my King." 

"Of course I have. Today twenty-one years have passed since you arrived at the Joseon Court."

Mi-young felt ashamed because she didn’t remember that moment. She had been so miserable at the Chinese Court, with all the conflicts and wars; she had tried to forget everything about her life before arriving at Joseon. Of course, the lovely Empress, her nephews, and her sisters were still in her heart (in fact, she spent almost a whole day during her busy week writing and sending letters for them). But the rest was just a vague and distant memory.

"Really? That long already?" 

"Yes."

He placed a small and long box in front of her, with a wide smile on his face. Seung-hyun wasn’t known for his ability to give good presents, but, he was sure that time he had nailed it.

"Open it! Hurry up!"

Mi-young rolled her eyes but proceeded to open the box, and the cover almost fell on the floor when she saw what was inside. A new Yongjam, the hairpin that only the Queen of Joseon could wear. But this one was different from the old one Seung-hyun gave her the first time he recognized her as his Queen. No, this one had the king’s dragon, wrapping the red sun that represented the King of Joseon at the Irworobongdo, the folding screen at the back of the King’s throne at the Gyeongbokgung Palace.

"People say that the King of Joseon is the red sun of the nation and the moon is the Queen, because the King is the energy that illuminates the nation and the Queen is the calm. But, for m