Yooee started making her way back to the warrior’s house after saying goodbye to Eunji outside the Palace gates. Now on her own, she decided to take the long way through the woods instead of the short one through town. Like the warrior’s maids, she suspected the townsfolk did not necessarily like the idea of her being in Seoul and, worse, being the wife of their most honored general. She had felt their burning stares earlier that morning, when she and Eunji had passed through the center square. She knew that had it not been for the King’s fiancée walking by her side, she would have been stopped and given the third degree. She did not want to take the chance and find out if her assumptions were right.

Alone with her thoughts in the silence of the sleeping forest, she could not stop her friend’s story from replaying itself over and over in her mind. And with every weighted word, Yooee felt herself being pushed closer and closer to the edge. She felt as if she were standing on a precipice and looking down onto a long and dark crevasse. And standing there on the threshold, alone and desperate, she was faced with the choice to either step back or to freefall into the unknown. 
 

She knew that if she ran away to escape the inevitable betrayal, she would be giving the warrior his reason to storm Ilsan’s fortress. He would come looking not for her but for the soldier who had taken his sister away from him. No doubt he would wield his retribution and, in the end, his own death. And with her fiercest protector gone, Seoul would eventually fall. Yooee would not be betraying only the warrior. No. Her deception would also play with the lives of Eunji, the King, their friends, and the entire kingdom. 

The blood of thousands of people would be on her hands. But…
 

If she ran away from what she had been ordered to do, that blood would be her brother’s.
 

How does one measure a life’s worth? How can a mere mortal judge the value of the living? To a stranger, a thousand lives would outweigh a single one. To a sister, a father, a mother, or a friend, that one treasured life holds the entire world.
 

I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I love my brother.
 

She closed her eyes and cursed at the heavens for her bitter destiny that passed for a life. But she knew it was pointless. What had been done could not be undone. She could not turn back time.
 

She had no way of knowing that, just around the bend, Fate was waiting for her.
 

The scream pierced the air, sending the birds flying from the comfort of their perches. Yooee looked up, startled. She stayed still, thinking she had imagined it, but it came again. In an instant, she was running towards the sound, hearing it louder and louder with every step. She broke through some bushes and found herself standing on the riverbank. 
 

“MinJung! MinJungieeeee!”
 

Yooee spotted the children standing close to the water, screaming at the river. She followed their gazes and felt her heart drop in her chest.
 

A boy was struggling to stay afloat.
 

Without thinking twice, Yooee sprinted towards the river and dove in. The moment she hit the cold water, she remembered.
 

I don’t know how to swim.
 

Fate was watching her. And she was laughing.

~

“You’re still seeing Soyeon? Junhong-ah, you’re married now,” Jongup said, frowning. They were on their way towards one of Junhong’s many stables to check on a pregnant mare. Jongup had teased his friend about looking tired lately, saying his wife must be keeping him up all night. Junhong had told him he was correct on the reason but guessed incorrectly on the woman responsible.
 

Junhong shrugged carelessly. “You know that’s just according to a piece of document.”
 

Jongup bit his lip, looking extremely worried. As if afraid of being overheard, he whispered, “Does she know? Does the Princess know?”
 

Junhong smirked and was about to tell him he did not give a damn if she did or not, when two children, who he recognized as his stablemaster's kids, rushed through the fence, shouting, “Appa! Appa! Help! MinJung’s drowning in the river! Help!”
 

Immediately, Junhong dropped the saddle he was carrying and started running. Jongup was not far behind. In minutes, they reached the riverbank. Panting, Jongup looked around frantically and spotted a little boy clinging onto a tree limb that was caught in between boulders. “There! He’s there!” 
 

“You, boy! Crawl! Crawl onto the rock! That wood won't hold!” Junhong ordered, hurriedly shedding off his vest.
 

The little boy was crying. “I can’t!” He was holding onto the tree with just one arm. For some reason, he kept on reaching his other arm towards the rushing water.
 

He’s scared witless. “It’s okay, MinJung-ah. Just hang in there. We’ll get you!” Jongup shouted, taking off his own heavy vest.
 

MinJung shook his head vehemently, sobbing hard. “I’m okay! But she—she’s not! I haven’t see—seen her since she put me here!”
 

“Who are you talking about? Your friends are safe!” Junhong yelled back, checking the rapid waters to gauge how fast and strong the current was. He saw a tree limb rush by and snap in two. It was going to be one hell of a fight.
 

“The Princess,” came MinJung’s weak reply. “The Princess…”
 

Jongup’s eyes widened. He turned to Junhong and knew the exact moment the words registered in his friend’s mind. Jongup had seen the same look on his face that fateful afternoon on the cliffside.
 

“Junhong! No!”
 

But his warning came a moment too late.
 

Choi Junhong had already surrendered himself to the mercy of the angry river.

~

Yooee felt her arms and legs go numb. She had used up all her energy getting the child onto the driftwood. She had been about to climb up herself but the strong current pulled her long skirt and dragged her down to the bottom of the river. Now, her body bruised and battered from being slammed against debris, she felt weak. She kicked and flailed to keep from being down but the current was just too strong. She could not hold her breath any longer. She opened and took in a mouthful of water. She gasped and gasped, still fighting to swim upward. 
 

Yooee, you can’t die now. Think of Yoogun. God, please! Save me! Save…
 

She could not complete her prayer. Her mind, for some reason, could not think of the words. Her vision grew fuzzy and her world started to turn gray. And like a streak of lightning, she saw her life flash before her eyes, saw her mother smiling at her from her favorite spot in the kitchen, saw her father laughing at something she had said. She saw her baby brother on the bed gurgling and smiling. Then, from their doorstep, she saw them waving at her, beckoning.

 

It was then that she stopped fighting.

 

Death seemed like a gift, more merciful than how Life had been.

 

Mother, Father, I’m home.

 

The images froze, floating in the water, surrounding her. And through the murky water, she saw her dream play before her eyes. 

 

The man was gliding towards her, in a macabre dance of haunting beauty. He was graceful, effortless. He reached her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He was dancing with her now, twisting her round and round. She was about to tell him that she needed to go, that her family was waiting…

 

“Can I keep you?”
 

…but her world suddenly turned black.