The tavern

"If you promise to not harm the 4th prince anymore, we can help in getting your children back."

That single sentence spoken by a hidden voice, gave them a brief distraction from the villagers' grief. Who was there? Were they here to trick them again? Maybe guards sent to investigate the situation? But those thoughts could not be right. Not when the ones to emerge from the shadows was a woman. A fairly young maiden, dressed in bright silk that look a little worn, her hair was open, so unmarried, and only signs of her class was in her hair. The braid hairband, it meant that she was a noble, but with the lack of jewels of her person, not from a very rich family. This woman was relatively harmless. She must have heard them by accident, and she must have wanted to help them. But her help will definitely involve her family, and nobles were to be mistrusted. For what could this Agasshi do against thugs?

When the second figure emerge from the shadow, their thoughts changed. A man dressed in what seems to be completely black, but a little light show that he wore purple and silver as well. His hair while tamed was still left open and flowing naturally that it hid half of his face. To some, looking at this young man remind them of someone but they could not recall who. Now this young man could possibly help them in someway as it was obvious even through his clothes that he must have at least have some martial arts. The villagers knew that all nobleman had at least some form of training. Though it was hard, they could clearly see that there was silk in this young man's outfit.

"Who are you? How did you know?"

"How can you possibly help us?"

"I know you nobles, you are just going to use this for your own gain. I refuse to be a pawn again."

Even bombard by questions and downright hostility, both the man and lady was silent. But when one of the fathers, drew a wooden stick and wave it in a threatening manner, in a instance, the man was in front of the lady, and in his hands there were sharp mid-length knives. The stand-off between the two was enough to quiet everyone and now they were watching the two. One, with a stick and the other with small knives. Both weapons were not swords, but one was powerful, the other one was sharp.

"Seobangnim, I'm alright. I want to talk to them, please without any weapons." The young lady spoke and her every word could be heard clearly in the silence. This man was her husband. Her husband but the fact that they were dressed like they were unmarried meant they were in hiding. The unknown man let his tense body relax, and put away his knives. The man move silently to the lady's side, and simply with silent movement of his head, gestures for the lady to take a seat on one of the outdoor dining area.

Once the lady sits down, then the man silently sit down next to her at their end of the table, now facing the group of villagers. After exchanging glances among the group, finally Min Gu's parents approach the table and slowly seat themselves across from the high-class. All the other villagers crowd around the table from all sides, all of them looking at the two higher-class. Finally, it was the lady that begins to talk.

"I am Ha Jin, this is my husband Joon. We were out on a walk when we heard what you said. We can help you get your children back but first I need some answers." The lady was staring straight at them, talking in a slightly formal manner but she spoke like it was a easy thing for her to get their children back. But how could they believe these two? But they could not let their first sign of hope in this situation go either. If a few questions could get their children back, why will they refuse.

"Please ask your questions." It was Min Gu's mother that finally spoke up, and along with her, all the other villagers nods their head in agreement. This time, it was the man that spoke. His voice was deep and rich and was a contrast to light tone of his wife. Everything in this pair was opposite between light and dark but they were suited for each other in someway.

"Do you really hate the 4th prince? See him as a cursed being?"

"No. No, we did not...we do not see him as cursed one, not anymore. The rumors of him are something that frightens us. But his actions since his return had helped to see, at least for us, that rumors are not totally reliable. A prince that though he may wear a mask but one that help out us lower-class, who had married in front of all the nation with no restrictions on who saw the marriage could not be so cruel. Not to mention, I know that it is his wife that supply us with medicines and rations when we are in need. So we do not think that the 4th prince is a cursed being."

"Then why did you originally decide to join the protest, before your children were taken?" It was the lady, Ha Jin that asks this time. And to her question, it was Min Gu's father who had stayed silent till now, who replied.

"Money. The drought is not stopping, we need money. I cannot let them starve. But I just knew about throwing stones at him, even that was something I hated the thought of. A man attacking a prince, if I am captured, I will be killed, and my household will be ruined. I did not know about the slaves. That was the idea of whoever paid the instigators. The one that got the most money, they were the one."

"When was your children taken and do you know where?" It was once again the man, Joon, that ask. They could see that the tense man seems to have relax a little, and even the hint of danger that they had sensed from him before had diminished.

"In the morning, while we were getting dressed. When all of our children were alone for a few minutes. When we came out….we...found…" The mother could not talk anymore, just tears were falling out of her eyes. The lady reaches out and take hold of the mother's hand.

"That's all we need to know. Don't worry, we will get your child back. As long as you do one thing for us. After we have rescued the children, please once again go to the rain ritual but this time, attend with a pure heart and support the 4th prince."

"Why...are you...helping...us?" The mother stared directly into the eyes of the pair in front of her. Just why will these nobles, the ones who were supposed to hate the 4th prince the most, helping him.

"Because we cannot witness parents who genuinely want their children suffer by having their children taken away." That was what Joon, the man says, and the way he slowly spoke, they could tell that he had experienced something similar. How Ha Jin reaches out and touch her husband's shoulder, and they could see tears in the lady's eyes. She had also suffered something similar. These two in front of them, though regardless of their class-difference knew what these villagers were feeling. Maybe they could trust in someone who had experienced the same pain.

Clearing his throat, the man's aura changed once again. To one of authority, as he slowly starts to speak. Asking them for all the information they have on the thugs. Their hideout. Then right in front of them, using the utensils, he starts to formulate a plan for the rescue. The women separate from the men, and the lady was asking them for their child's description, their names so they know who they were. In the sky, the stars were shining.

Unknown to them, there were stars shining with a blue light. Two tiny ones around the celestial wolf. But there was another star, just a little farther that was blinking rapidly. Turning solid for a minute, before fading, then blinking away. Like the star was fighting to exist. But even the Astronomer Choi who was witnessing these stars could not understand the meaning. All he could see was that the stars were once again shining blue, and two of the eight stars were now solid in the sky. With that there was another star, not part of the eight, that was also shining along with the star of the 4th prince and his wife.