I rubbed my forehead trying to drive away that dreadful pain that was piercing through my brains, making my thoughts scatter around like dizzy flies. I couldn’t understand the mind of the new king. Sending a scholar to war…was he in his right minds?!

“Jong Woon,”father’s voice came to me through the closed door. “Son, have I heard well? Is the king sending you to war?”

I eyed the red letter that was siting on the corner of the table, throwing red daggers on the walls.

“Oh son, this can’t be! You’re no soldier! You’re a mere scholar!”

“It’s not just me, father,”I spoke, letting the words break the walls that I build around me to protect me from all that anger that came running to me. “We’re all being sent to war. All the scholars have received this kind of letter!”I slammed my hand against the table, crumpling the soft paper of the red letter. “He’s sending us all out there! He’s wishing for our death!”

Father kept silence as I rubbed my forehead.

“What’s there to be done then?”

“We have to slap him to reality. This can not be done! And if he thinks that sending us all to war will bring him the victory, then he might have to think that twice!”I stood from my place and stepped towards the door. “Only together we can make him understand that it’s not about being the king…”

♃~✵~♃

“Your Highness! Please withdraw your order!”my voice sounded powerful in the freezing cold of December.

“PLEASE WITHDRAW YOUR ORDER!”the crowd’s rage passed the high walls of the palace in the form of spoken words.

“There is no point in sending us to war, Your Highness! We don’t know how to fight! So please, withdraw your order!”

“PLEASE WITHDRAW YOUR ORDER!”

“I know we’re outnumbered by the empire’s forces, but still, there’s no point in sending us out there! Please, withdraw your order, Your Highness!”

“PLEASE WITHDRAW YOUR ORDER!”

I knew that our words and pleading passed over the tall walls, but even so, no answer came to our pleading. But there we remained, outside in the cold, letting the snow flakes fall on our shoulders, slowly transforming us into snowmen.

“Your Majesty, please listen to our pleading and withdraw your order!”the words came out like forced through the purple lips that barely moved.

“WITHDRAW YOUR ORDER!”the crowd’s voice melted the cold into grey vapors.

“What’s all this commotion about?”the heavy gates opened in front of us, revealing the red attire of a minister. “Why are you trying to make the king change his decision, huh? What right do you have to do that?”

“Excuse us for wanting to protect this country as we’d for certain lose the war if we go out there.”

“And who are you to judge that?!”the minister snapped at me. “Catch him!”

The two guards clenched their hands around my arms and began to pull me towards the entrance.

“Why are you doing this?! It’s only my right to complain about the king’s decisions!”

“No one has that right whatsoever! As for you all, go home now or you’ll end up following him in jail!” The gates closed behind us, leaving a raging crowd behind as the guards pulled me towards the jail.

“I did nothing wrong! You know nothing about us! This country will go down if we go out there, on the battlefields!”I yelled after the minister.