Chapter 6. Not the man he used to be.

 

 

As Kwon Jiyong promised, both ladies had plenty supplies of water and food and, as Yuri warned, in a better condition than one the crew was eating.

 

"Because we need you alive, princess, if not, you would be eating the chicken’s poop" Yuri warned one day when she brought them some chicken soups. "You are lucky."

 

Indeed. When Taeyeon used to hide in her brother’s studio and listen to the news the Admirals brought, she got goosebumps with the stories: tortures, mutilations, slavery, and murder. So, yes, both ladies should feel grateful.

 

But, being chained all day with nothing to do and no sunlight was maddening, and the anxiety invaded the girls.

 

"Again, princess…"

 

"A small square pond an uncovered mirror, where sunlight and clouds linger and leave… I asked how it stays so pure, it said spring water keeps flowing in..."

 

"It isn’t pure, is clear, Taeyeon."

 

"The hell it says clear!"

 

"I don’t think so, Taeyeon. Zhu Xi thought human beings can’t be pure, never. Only a clear mind and spirit can make them reach inner peace and forgiveness. I doubt the philosopher would have said pure on purpose on his poems…"

 

"Explain me again why are we talking about philosophy and reciting poems, Chaerin."

 

Taeyeon breathe heavily in frustration and throw herself on the floor, making a fuss and kicking her feet. Chaerin glared at the princess.

 

"I am also bored, my princess."

 

"But I will go insane if we stay this way any longer! How long it’s been? A week?"

 

"That’s why we need to keep our minds busy, Taeyeon."

 

As usual, Chaerin was right and her maturity amazed Taeyeon once more: “how can she be so composed and serene in one situation like this? Lady Bo Ah must have trained her well”.

 

"You are right, Chaerin" and she hugged her friend. "It’s just that I’m afraid and stretching on the agony isn’t helping my nerves."

 

Suddenly, the movement of the ship fastened, and both girls kicked the floor for the contrast of speed. The more seconds, passed, the faster the ship moved and the objects in Yuri’s room started falling on the floor.

 

"Come with me! Here you are in danger!"

 

Yuri took the strings of both girls and forced them to walk without explaining anything. She thrown them at Jiyong’s feet, and Taeyeon looked up, angry and offended.

 

"Woah, thank you for your gift, sister, but I’m not into princesses, you know."

 

"Shut up stupid and coordinate us while I save your !" Yuri groaned while putting her armor on.

 

"As you wish, Black Pearl."

 

Everything started to shake, and screams filled Taeyeon’s ears so much she had to cover them. Kwon Jiyong had a powerful voice when he wanted, a girlish but loud voice.

 

"TAEMIN, GO TO THE DECK WITH TAEHYUN!" and skinny and weird eyebrows left the protection of the deck to face the ocean with their arches in flames.

 

"ONEW, WITH THE MINHOs AT THE CANNONS" and he seemed thrilled to manipulate some gunpowder.

 

"TAEYANG, MAKE SURE THE ROWERS ARE CORDINATED!"

 

"Yes, Dragon."

 

Another familiar voice made Taeyeon and Chaerin turn around, and they saw the benevolent and fair scholar Dong YoungBae. His hair looked messy and chaotic, with his skin tanned and half chest uncovered, what made the girls blush: their first time seeing so much skin. How a nice man could follow a band of pirates? Certainly, it was shocking. 

 

"I WANT ALL OF THEM WORKING AND PROMISE THEM BEAUTIFUL WOMEN!"

 

"ert!" Taeyeon scolded him.

 

"Shut up, princess!" and Jiyong continued screaming. "THE JAPANESE, TO THE GUNPORT! SEUNGHOON, GET READY BECAUSE THE SILVER DRAGON WILL NEED REPARATIONS! PRETTY BOY, GET BOILING WATER READY! THE REST, PREPARE THE MIRRORS FOR V.I.!"

 

"Mirrors?" Taeyeon questioned.

 

And Jiyong crouched and took Taeyeong’s chin to force her to look him in the eyes. Brown and brown collided, and the princess pride forced her to look away.

 

"You will see how the Silver Dragon had never been caught, princess" again, how annoying it was his way of saying her title. "Hold yourself; everything is going to move a lot."

 

Taeyeon and Chaerin hold themselves at a mast in the commanding room, and had a perfect vision of everything. Surrounding the commanding room, some corridors full of bronze cannons, which were lighter than the traditional iron one’s. A total of fourteen controlled by seven men, who prepared small iron-cast cannonballs and gunpowder. They were surrounded by a combination of shinning mirrors, a total of four, two at the stern and two at the prow. They were positioned accurately, so the navigator (Seungri) was able to have full-angle-vision although he wasn’t in the external deck.

 

The ship started to run faster and faster, to the point everything was shaking and Taeyeon bended over by accident. That way, she got a full vision of what was happening in the exterior, because she was in front of one of the mirrors: another pirate ship was attacking them.

 

"FIRE!"

 

And the sound of the cannons left Taeyeon unable to listen for a few seconds, her ears burning.

 

"FIRE!"

 

And the bang was even more intense than before, confusing Taeyeon, who needed the comfort of Chaerin’s hand to deal with the pain her ears were suffering. As her, Chaerin wasn’t able to listen.

 

"Princess! I can’t hear you!"

 

After at least five more shoots, everything turned silent. Everyone looking to each other, waiting for the next step. Jiyong grinned at his younger brother, who stopped the helm and brook the ship immediately.

 

"Rowers!" Seungri screamed. "To the left!"

 

"Prepare the Dragon and get ready to attack."

 

Seungri moved the helm so fast that it almost felt the ship was about to knock over the sea.

 

"You will see how to pilot a ship" Seungri said with cockiness.

 

And after turning left as much as he could, Seungri redirected the ship and screamed to the roamers, who were in the third deck, under their feet.

 

"Now, left and right, as fast as you can, boys!"

 

"YES!" a bunch of approximately ten men in the deck bellow them screamed in astonishing coordination.

 

Taeyeon was so amazed by the discipline and control they had of the ship that she couldn’t help but stare through the mirror: she was witnessing one of the most risky and effective military strategies. What Seungri planned to do was very simple: let their enemies catch them, and, suddenly, change the heading faster than their reactions and relocate themselves behind the enemies. That way they could…

 

"Release the Dragon!" Jiyong screamed.

 

At first sight, everyone might think the frontal dragon figure resting on the prow was decorative. But, the Dragon’s face was where most of the artillery was held, and it was used in almost all turtle ships to attack their enemies frontally. The Minhos and Onew moved fast, and fired all the gunpowder at once, destroying the enemy’s stern and making them unable to move.

 

"Everyone!" Jiyong screamed. "Your swords! We are boarding! Pretty boy, Key, TaeHyun, protect the princess. Choi MinHo, get ready to swim. Song MinHo, prepare the oils."

 

"Yes, captain!"

 

"Don’t worry, princess, you won’t need to see men dying, only their heads" Jiyong said while preparing his sword.

 

"How considerate!" Taeyeon dramatized.

 

And almost all the crew left the ship, leaving only the rowers and the three men with the ladies.

 

"Don’t worry, princess Choi Taeyeon" weird eyebrows said. "I am the best archer in this ship" he proudly announced.

 

"That’s when you surpass Taemin" Key inquired. "He’s better than you."

 

"He’s getting blind."

 

"But that doesn’t make you better than him" pretty boy added.

 

"I will one day."

 

"Thank you milords for your protection" Taeyeon said, trying to change the subject.

 

"Woooh! You truly are a princess, so polite" Key said surprised and embarrassed because it was the first time someone spoke to him with so much respect.

 

"We knew it! They kidnapped the Joseon princess!"

 

All five turned around and saw four Japanese pirates inside the ship, with their weapons ready to kill. How they entered worried them: have they defeated the others? “Not, it’s impossible, Yuri is there with them” Taeyeon thought.

 

"How did you enter?!" TaeHyun, who tensed his arc immediately, asked.

 

"We’ve come for the Joseon Princess" although Taeyeon couldn’t understand Japanese, for their furtive looks, she suspected they were searching for her-. "Rumors say the Joseon King and the Chinese Emperor will pay a fortune for her."

 

"Well, she’s not here" Key said while putting Taeyeon behind him, carefully.

 

"Kiss my , Key."

 

"Sorry, you have piles."

 

"How do you know that? Only she…" and the Japanese pirate panicked.  

 

"Yes, that’s why I know… what was her name, Shizuka… right? Told me. She was a beast."

 

"SHIZUKA?! COME HERE YOU BASTARD!"

 

And the Japanese pirates attacked without coordination the three Koreans but with speed. However, the Koreans recognized they were attacking and got ready for a contra attack. They charged and took advantage of the way the Japanese raised their swords to hit them on their legs and unstable them, but the Japanese jumped using their martial arts abilities and the Koreans had to do the same to survive their fierce attack. Key kicked one of them to the ribs and black-flipped to give himself some room. Taking advantage of the contusion one of the Japanese had, pretty boy pierced him with his sword, and whilst the Japanese colleagues doubted after seeing a friend falling, TaeHyun took his arc and shoot two mortal arrows at the same time.

 

"One’s missing" TaeHyun informed.

 

"Get your hands out of me!"

 

Pretty boy, weird eyebrows and Key turned around, only to see Princess Taeyeon held by the remaining Japanese pirate, whose anger controlled him: his beloved had betrayed him with a Korean and his friends were death.

 

"I will take the princess with me."

 

And the three boys laid down arms, hoping the Japanese pirate would reconsider his threat. But he pierced his knife on the princess’ neck even more, making her lose some blood drops. Then, Chaerin’s rage, who tried to control herself a lot, exploded.

 

"You are stupid! She’s not the princess, it’s me!"

Chaerin was determined to save Taeyeon: it was her duty as a friend and Second Palace Lady. The man shoved Taeyeon to the floor and took Chaerin’s arm with force, threating her with a knife on her neck.

 

"Now!" he threatened. "If I can’t leave this ship alive, the princess will die and no-one will get the reward."

But before they could do anything, Chaerin sighed in frustration.

 

"You are a terrible pirate, you know…"

 

And without warning, she took the pirate’s hand, the one with the knife, and threw him on the floor. Then, he kicked her on the feet and Chaerin fell too. She tried to escape from his aggressor, and, with incredible reflex actions, she took one of the swords of the corpses and cut the man’s torso skillfully. Once she rose, she looked at the corpse with disdain.

 

"In your next life, hold better your knives, pirate."

 

"Chaerin!"

 

Taeyeon hugged her friend, who took another sword and pointed the three Korean men with anger. They looked at her in shock: “Wasn’t she an innocent maid we needed to protect according to the boss?” Jin Woo remembered.

 

"Listen, young men, I don’t wish to kill you, but, I really need to take a boat and leave with princess Taeyeon right now."

 

"Woah! Finally! The baddest female has awoken."

 

Yuri said once her and the rest of the pirates returned to the deck, covered in blood and with sacks of rice and money.

 

"I always knew you were more than you seemed to be, Chaerin."

 

"I guess I wasn’t born to be an actress, then…" she said while flipping her swords, intimidating everyone.

 

"It was impossible you were able to help Taeyeon to climb that roof seven years ago if you hadn’t had good martial skills."

 

"I was trained by your sister, Yuri. You should know she’s better than you."

 

Yuri seemed offended, not because she was compared to a traitor sister, no… It was because someone had the guts to say Kwon Bo Ah was better than her. 

 

"Let’s see then how well Bo Ah taught you."

 

They stood apart a moment, looking at each other. To be in equal positions, Yuri took another sword from one of the corpses, and they look at each other, deadly. Suddenly, both started running, and classed simultaneously, so strongly all the ship moved. They flew apart some seconds, to readjust, but, immediately, they started to strike, spinning, jumping and kicking each other, while moving through the ship.

 

"We should stop them, captain…" SeungYoon, in his common sense, suggested.

 

"Shhh!" VI and the others complained. "This is just too beautiful…"

 

It was fierce and hypnotizing, to contemplate two pretty young ladies fighting each other with so much passion. Mainly because it was an uncommon sight: who would have thought they would have on a ship some of the fewest ladies in the oriental seas able to fight? It was a worth-watching experience.

 

"But…"

 

"And that’s a trick your sister taught me!"

 

They were facing each other, with their swords over their heads. Their noses only a few inches from each other and Chaerin cut off the distance and kissed Yuri fully on the lips, who for the shock, had to pull back and wipe her lips.

 

"Yes, it’s beautiful" SeungYoon stated and the others nodded in approbation.

 

"Do the unexpected to defeat your enemy, there are no rules!" Chaerin said with a smirk.

 

And she disarmed Yuri with two certain and fast movements. Yuri, shocked and scared of Chaerin, fell on the floor and the maid sat on her. Aiming the pirate with both swords, ready to attack.

 

"Okay, let’s end this before these boys get too overexcited."

 

And, without warnings, Jiyong took Taeyeon firmly in his arms, making the girl scream and bite his hand until it bleed. But he seemed indifferent to the pain she was causing him.

 

"You can’t leave without your princess, so, Chaerin, stop."

 

And she threw one sword towards Jiyong, who dodge it thanks to Taeyang’s intervention. But he didn’t change his expression. Knowing she hadn’t a chance to escape, Chaerin throw away her sword and admitted her defeat. They needed four pirates to hold her, because they were too afraid to do it alone.

 

"Guard the princess and her maid carefully, like... seriously, guard them". Jiyong ordered, amazed and afraid by Chaerin’s resemblance to his older sister.

 

 

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Kwon Bo Ah sneezed and Second Princess Hayi laughed. Well, she used it as an excuse to stop her tasks, but, luckily for her, it worked.

 

"Someone must have spoken of you, Lady Bo Ah."

 

"Probably, Second Princess."

 

"A lover?" Hayi giggled.

 

"Shush, shush, Hayi" Bo Ah said embarrassed.

 

"Is it a lover?!"

 

"Princess Hayi" Mi-young intervened. "You mustn’t annoy Lady Bo Ah with those questions if she doesn’t want to answer them."

 

"But I want to know!" she buffed.

 

"Then ask her one day she’s really happy, then, she will tell you."

 

"Really?"

 

"Princess Mi-young" Bo Ah complained.

 

"That’s how it worked with my sisters."

 

And, memories of her laughing and playing with her sisters in the palace, far away from plots and interests, came to Mi-young’s head, and a small tear dropped from her eyes. The people at Gyeongbok Palace were nice and kind to her, especially the royal children. However, it had been almost two years since she left to get married, and seven since the last time Mi-young was able to see her sisters. She missed them terribly.

 

"Oh! Forgive me, Mi-young" sweet princess Hayi apologized. "I made you cry."

 

"Don’t worry princess," and she wiped her tears. "It’s just I remembered my sisters."

 

"I wished I had a sister."

 

"Once Princess Mi-young marries your father, you might have one, Lady Hayi."

 

"Cool!"

 

“Once I marry the King… How impossible it seems!” she thought. SeoHyun warned them that the sun had already set, so, Mi-young left the Second Princess’ chambers and left to retire for the day. They passed through the King’s studio, which still had lights on it. With discretion, she asked her entourage to leave her some moments alone, and sneaked into the King’s studio, through the secret passage the Queen Dowager told her.

 

She walk as silently as she could, holding with her hands her hair ornaments, because the Jade pearls were noisy. She moved silently, and peeked through the folding screen. Seung-hyun was speaking with his guardian, lord Tao, and also the Chinese ambassador in the Palace.

 

"With First Princess Choi Taeyeon kidnapping, the Emperor wishes to re-stablish the agreements of your treaty and the return of Princess Qing Mi-young to the Forbidden City" he announced with his strong Chinese accent.

 

"Tell the Emperor we are doing everything in our hands to rescue the princess, and that her marriage to his brother will be held."

 

"But her honor…"

 

"We will prove it and let a Chinese doctor to prove it too, if necessary."

 

Mi-young horrified: being tested like that to prove your purity was one of the most humiliating experiences a woman could face. How was the King so willingly proposing such shameful act?

 

"Nevertheless, he still wishes to renegotiate and you aren’t in the best position to deny the Emperor wishes, your majesty."

 

General Tao grinned and felt powerful: he was able to control a King, and a proud one. But, he underestimated his opponent.

 

"And he isn’t in his best position either. He has lost control over the south provinces, am I wrong?"

 

"How do you know?" Tao questioned in shock: definitely, that Joseon King knew the game he was playing.    

 

"Tell your Emperor the non-intervention treaty will be kept as planned. He can’t marry my bastard daughter to one of his children, so he needs my sister, pure or not. I am sorry to say I won’t renegotiate anything and I won’t marry princess Mi-young until I obtain full-control over the North Provinces of Joseon."

 

So, that was the reason why the King postponed for almost two years their wedding: to recover the control over his provinces, not because he was mourning his beloved’s death. “What a frivolous and manipulative man!” she thought, feeling betrayed by the rumors: Mi-young thought the King was an admirable and romantic man, who decided to be unmarried and faithful to the love of his life. But no, he was just like any other man of power: manipulating everyone so he can get what he wants.

 

"You can leave now."

 

Tao glimpsed at Mi-young’s direction, with intensity. “Has he discovered my hiding place? Impossible! Queen Dogwager told me no-one can see through the fabric…”. But, before she could do something, General Tao left the chambers.

 

"You can get out, Princess Qing Mi-Young."

 

"How did you know I was there?"

 

"The same way General Tao knew you were there, princess. We are used to spies. And you were noisy."

 

"I wasn’t noisy!"

 

Mi-young got out from the folding screen, and, once again, she was wearing her Chinese ornaments. Although she looked gorgeous with them, the fact that she was wearing her hair down didn’t help at all to focus.

 

"You were, princess."

 

"I’ll practice for next time."

 

"Who said there will be a next time? I won’t allow you to come here more, princess."

 

Mi-young felt offended, but, since King Seung-hyun was his fiancé, she decided to hold her tongue.

 

"I can’t trust you, princess. It’s not because I want to control your life because I'm your fiancé. Understand."

 

"Didn’t I help you last week with the Parks, your Majesty?"

 

"It takes more than that to prove loyalty. Besides, how can I trust someone with Qing blood in her veins?"

 

Once more, his gaze was too strong to handle, so Mi-young had to look away.

 

"I only saw my half-brother- she remarked that" three times in my life. None of them for happy situations.

 

"But you are close friends with Empress Song Qian."

 

"She might be Chinese, but she supports the Korean cause and the half-Koreans like me in her court."

 

"That’s why you are still alive, princess."

 

It was a soft and cold whisper, but it made Mi-young feel shivers on her spine and fear for her life: Seung-hyun was saying too directly he had plotted to kill her. Or at least, make her disappear. “Could it be he hired the pirates to kidnap me? But, I thought The Dragon hated the King…” her head was a mess.

 

"But, right now, I need you, princess."

 

"Need me?" she tried not to feel happy about that statement. "Why?"

 

"The Emperor will insist you return to the Forbidden City after our security problems, but I need your family’s influence to keep peace in my Kingdom."

 

"Well, it’s normal since your soldiers failed in their mission to protect me."

 

Her comment made him angry, but it was true: he had a security problem to solve, and Seung-hyun knew someone from his own Palace was the culprit of those deficencies. But he hadn't a clue. 

 

"Would you like to return to the Forbidden City, princess?"

 

Return? To China? Two years have passed since she left, and the news of her sister’s marriages, being then younger, ashamed Mi-young. If she returned to the Imperial City, what would her destiny be? Again, become the Empress’s maid and nurse of the Imperial Children? That had been her mission when her half-brother Geng forced her to leave her house. No… she wouldn’t be able to return with her family, and will be a puppet again.

 

"No, I do not wish to return, your Majesty."

 

"Then marry me."

 

 

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"What are we going to do with the survivors, captain?" Taeyang asked Jiyong.

 

"Burn them alive with their ship."

 

"NOOOOO!" Taeyeon complained.

 

Jiyong stood in front of her, angry.

 

"After the mess your maid has caused, I don’t think you should contradict us…"

 

Just the image of Chaerin throwing her sword at him with so much strength and precision made him bricks. But he wasn’t going to admit it. NEVER.

 

"Why do you have to kill them?"

 

"They’ve seen the Silver Dragon. It’s not allowed."

 

"Why?"

 

"Because they will know our trick…"

 

"What trick?"

 

"Really!"

 

Jiyong took Taeyeon's wrist and she tried to release herself once more. Tired of that constant rebellion, Jiyong left it and screamed.

 

"OUR DAMN SHIP IS PAINTED BLACK AND GREY SO IT CAN BE CONFUSED WITH THE WAVES?! OKAY?!"

 

Oh!" was all Taeyeon was able to say, frustrating Jiyong once more.

 

"That’s it?! Oh? It’s a marvelous strategy and you just say “Oh”… Look! YoungBae, she’s only saying “Oh”" he mocked.

 

"Yes, Jiyong, yes" and Taeyang continued to tie their prisoners, without even bothering to look at his friend.

 

"But… Have you listened to me, YoungBae?"

 

"Yes, yes… as you wish, captain" and he turn his back to the rowers. "As promised, with this money when we land you will have meat and beautiful women waiting for you!"

 

And the rowers lauded to Taeyang, who seemed to have developed the talent to be caring towards everyone.  

 

"Ashhhh… and he’s my second in command."

 

"So, are you going to forgive these men’s lives or what?"

 

"No."

 

"Why not?"

 

"Give me a good argument."

 

"A wise man once said: true courage is about knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one."

 

She looked so serious and wise while saying those words, it kind of reminded Jiyong someone, but he couldn’t remember who.

 

"Who said that, your brother?" he teased.

 

"No. It was your father, the noble Kwon HyunSuk."

 

And Jiyong became silent. His father, how stupid he was: he did what a man of honor should, only to be killed for his values.

 

"Noble? He betrayed your brother."

 

And without asking for permission, Taeyeon touched Jiyong’s check, forcing him to look at her. Both knew he could just have taken her hand away, because he was stronger than her, but he didn’t and glared the princess. See really seemed a noble lady, not because of her looks, but because of her aura. Nothing from that spoiled and childish teenager girl was left. “Gosh, she’s so beautiful even after days trapped on a cell! Focus, Jiyong, she’s your worst enemy’s sister” Jiyong thought.

 

"I am not asking you to give them food and treat them like your guests. Only to show some mercy, as your father did with all his enemies. I thought you believed in those values, right, Kwon Ji…?"

 

But she couldn’t finish her sentence, because a loud noise made them all turn around. Near the prow, Song Min Ho was covered in dust and showing his big smile, but his eyes full of fear.

 

"I am sorry, I was experimenting…"

 

"For heaven’s sake, Min Ho!" Taeyang intervened. "I told you to stop with your weird experiments with the gunpowder."

 

"Hey! My waterproof experiment was successful!"

 

If stares could kill, Song Min Ho would have already been death. It was Taeyeon’s first time seeing Taeyang so angry and scary.

 

"SeungHoon!" he screamed.

 

"Yes, quartermaster!"

 

"Can you repair this mess?"

 

SeungHoon, who Taeyeon learned was in charge of the ship's reparations, examinated the damages for some seconds, and he didn't seem happy.

 

"I will need extra boards, quartermaster!" he apologized while bowing. "We have run out of them to repair the scratches the Japanese pirates made us."

 

"V.I.!" Taeyang screamed. "Stop assisting lady Chaerin and tell me which dock we have closer!"

 

Seungri climbed from the decks and run towards the roof, to verify their position with their nautical charts and Zhen Lu.

 

"Hizen Province in Japan, quartermaster! Half journey north-east."

 

"Do we have enemies there?" Taeyang asked.

 

"Lots, but we can easily hide the Silver Dragon in one of the small bays in the area and go to Karatsu for the supplies."

 

"What do we do, captain?"

 

"Eh?!"

 

Jiyong realized Taeyeon’s hand had been in his check the whole time, and he lost a bit of his attention towards what hi crew was discussing. With care, Taeyeon stopped their contact. Jiyong walk towards their prisoners and uncovered one of the Japanese pirate’s mouth.

 

"You are lucky: my headmaster artilleryman has destroyed our last gunpowder shipment, so, I will spare your lives."

 

The Japanese pirate spited at Jiyong and the Korean covered his mouth again. No physical punishment towards his action. Deep inside, Taeyeon thought Kwon Jiyong was still the man he used to be.

 

"Return them to their ship!"

 

"Thank you."

 

It was just a whisper, but Jiyong heard Taeyeon and smiled a bit. Then, he turned towards Taeyang, murmuring so the princess couldn’t listen.

 

"Leave them in the there, with neither water nor food and leave them a charged gun. Their ship is going to sink, anyways."

 

No, he wasn’t the man Taeyeon believed he was. She lived in a Palace full of conspiracies for years, her ears were sharp and she was able to listen the conversation. So, after listening him, her determination to escape grew even more than before.

 

"Yes, Dragon."

 

"May I give the prisoners some water before we leave them?" Taeyeon demanded. "I need to feel useful."

 

"Of course, princess."

 

Taeyeon was sure he allowed her to do that because he felt guilty. So, she was going to take advantage of the situation, and carefully, asked one of the men in her elementary Japanese.

 

"If you see Koreans, tell them the Princess is in Karatsu."

 

Yes, she was going to return home, no matter what.

 

 

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They had been two weeks sailing through the ocean, and no-sings of the Silver Dragon since they left the Korean coast. They needed to find the princess: the more time it passed, the more difficult it would be for them. But, suddenly, they fate seemed to change.

 

"A boat, milord!" one of his men screamed.

 

The Thunder descended gracefully from the major mast where he was napping a bit. Tired of his night-watch. All his men gasped when he started walking: with his hair down and dirty skin, the Thunder had a bigger intimidating aura.

 

"See if we there are any survivors."

 

Park Sang-hyun saw the ruins of a ship, almost sinking. By the cruelty and damage suffered, he suspected the Silver Dragons had something to do with it. He might never see their ship, but he knew very well their tactics. Kwon Jiyong used to be his master, after all.

 

Unluckily, almost all the Japanese pirates were already death, only one was standing, but his dehydration made him rave. He was about to die too.

 

"I’ll give this man an honorable death" he ordered when his soldiers laid him on the ground of his ship.

 

He looked miserable, burned by the sun and tired, too tired. “Poor bastard” he said whilst the Thunder was preparing to stab him with his knife.

 

"Karatsu…" the dying man whispered.

 

"What did you say?"

 

"The princess… Karatsu…"

 

And he collapsed, still breathing.

 

"May you rest in peace" and Sang-hyun stabbed him mortally, his expression resting at least.

 

Once they burned the pirate’s body with the remainders of the Japanese ship. Park Sang-hyun ordered to his master navigator.

 

"Head to Japan, master navigator! We need to rescue our princess."

 

 

 

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A hint of history.

 

In the seas of China, Japan and korea, the Chinese were known for his sailing abilities and technology development, creating some of the most accurate nautical charts and sailing instruments. Before the arrival of the Europeans to their coasts, they already used a marine compass to orientate themselves into the open sea. The Zhen Lu was a navigation map who it was used in combination with their marine compass to orientate themselves. It was one of the most accurate maps of the Chinese seas and surroundings. It was so detailed that it also included some ocean currents on it, who helped the sailors to travel to Japan easily. 

 

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A/N: Hope you liked the chapter! From now on, I will also include Japanese, and, since I don't know Japanese enough to write full-dialogues, it will be differenced with color green. If you can't read it properly or something let me know and I'll change it.

Have a lovely week ^^