01

THE ROYAL ORDER

“Where is everybody?” Dara asked when she found no one in the house when she woke up. She checked their kitchen, backyard, each of their rooms but she didn’t found them. That’s when she notice a note nailed beside the chimney.

The note says,

            Dara,

                        I have an early errand in the local clinic. They need my help. Chaerin also left early. She needs to finish something in the Textile. Our Minji went off to her dance session with the brats. They demanded her presence. Just lock the house when you leave. That’s all.

                              -  Bom

Dara shrugs and fixes her brown shabby dress that sewn by Chaerin from the excess fabric in the Textile. They‘ve been living together for quite a while now. Bom is traditional healer. She usually stays at home and the villagers are the ones who are coming for her. She used their backyard to plant herbal tea and medicinal plants. However, there are instances that she needs to go to the local clinic to help just like today. Chaerin works in the Textile as one of the dressmaker. She made their clothes mostly from the cut fabrics. Minji is the youngest among them. She works as a dance instructor for the nobles of the town. Dara is a merchant. She goes to the town’s market everyday and sells products.

After stuffing a piece of loaf bread in , she put on her brown ankle length boots and coffee brown body bag. As soon as she’s finish, she went out and locked the door. After securing the house, she left immediately.

The town market is buzzing when she arrived as always. Villagers are pact this season because of the upcoming festival.

“No wonder the villagers are in rush. Hmm… this will earn me a lot of bronze,” Dara beams excitedly as she prepares her products in the stall.

“You look happy, Sandara-ssi?” Hanbyul asked. She’s the daughter of the fruit stall owner beside her.

Dara chuckles and says, “I’m just thrilled because of the festival.”

“Why? I thought you don’t celebrate the Lantern Festival? Have you changed your heart?” she asked curiously.

It’s true that Dara didn’t celebrate or joined the festival. She just thought it’s impractical to do so since every year the town commemorates it. She doesn’t enjoy it anyway. She’s rather sleep the night off and save her body-energy for the next day.

“No, of course not! Silly! I’m just happy because this season made me earn a lot of bronze. It makes me rich,” she clasps her hands dreamily while imagining herself in the bed of bronze coins.

“Aish! Here I thought you’ve change already. You got me there, Dara-ssi,” Hanbyul says while shaking her head.

“Hanbyul-ssi, bronze are the best thing in this world. It’s my greatest love of all,” she winks at her while smiling goofily.

“Yeah! Yeah! I forgot. You are married to your bronze. Hmm… I wonder if there will ever be a man who can sweep you of your feet and capture your heart.”

Dara laughs out loud this time as if she heard the funniest joke ever created.

“YAH! What are you laughing at?” Hanbyul exclaimed.

“You! That was a good joke, Hanbyul-ssi. But really that’s absurd!”

“Why? Don’t you dream about finding your one true love?” Hanbyul asked with sparkling dreamy eyes.

“Meh! I can only find true love in my bronze coins. And in my case, I always find true love just looking at my bronze. I don’t need to find one. BOOYAH!” she scoffs. “See this? This is my one true love!” she adds while showing her a bunch of bronze coins in her palm.

“I give up! You are a hopeless case, Dara-ssi.” Hanbyul throws her hands up in surrender.

“I don’t need love. I just need my bronze and I’ll survive!”

Both of them laugh at Dara’s stubborn silliness. They seemingly are enjoying their time when the most fear bandits interrupt them. It was a daily routine for the group to extort fortune from the innocent vendors of the town market as if they owned the world. The traders can’t do anything because of fear. They are forced to give them bronze coins.  They will give-in and never fight back for they are afraid they might harm them.

However, Dara didn’t faze at all. She won’t let anyone take advantage of her. Let alone stole her bronze that she works hard for to earn.

‘No freaking way!’ she thought.

Even before the bandits approach them, Dara left for a while to get something. When she got the thing she needed, she came only to witness Hanbyul weeping while begging to the bandit’s leader. Her anger flared up and act on instinct.

She tossed the pale bucket she got in the air. On right timing she kicks the bucket towards the leader with all her strength.

*BAM!>

A loud thud heard when the bucket she throws hit the target which is the back head of the bandit.

The loud gasps from their audience can be heard. The bandits turns to her but she just looked at them with pure disgust, anger and despise. If there is one person didn’t afraid of them it was Dara.

The bandit leader growled in rage and ordered his men to attack. She didn’t think twice and kick the second bucket in their direction. Hell broke loose; she started running away while throwing just anything her hands laid off.

All the while, Dara felt strong and at the same time scared.

Strong because she managed to pissed off the ugly burglars. Scared because if they may catch her up, she surely they won’t let it just pass. What if they caught her? What will happen to her? This is a matter of life and death.

*********************

Somewhere outskirts of town, four warriors stand before the village market place. Their thick cloaks are hiding their weapons. They looked at the surroundings and observed. According to the Royal Augur, Daesung, this is the place that he in vision where they can find the four maidens of the Four Gods.

The Emperor had beckoned their presence and ordered them to search for the missing maidens. It is foreseen by Daesung that a huge catastrophe is about to unfold in the Yang Empire. Only the four priestesses of Seiryuu, Byakko, Genbu, and Suzako can save the palace. And that’s why the head of Seven Celestial Warriors sent to this mission. To maintain the peace in the Empire, Emperor Yang Goon kept the augur as secret. Only few people know about it.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” Seungri the Celestial head warrior of Byakko, the White Tiger of West asked as he roams his eyes around.

“Daesung said this was the place. He said that he saw Lanterns, right?” Taeyang answered without tearing his eyes away from the poster glued in the bulletin.

“How did you know that he meant that?” Top questioned. “I only remember him saying, there are lanterns above the sky. The four maidens are there also. Then… there’s an explosion… chaos… the town will be destroyed… beast attacking…four lights in different colors in the sky… Now tell me, how sure are you? I don’t even understand what he was saying.”

“Taeyang was right. We are in the right place,” Jiyong chirped in while staring at the poster Taeyang was reading. Top and Seungri gazed at him with a frown. “This place held and celebrates the Lantern Festival.”

“Really?” the two idiots exclaimed.

“Well, yes and it will be happening few weeks from now,” Taeyang said matter-of-factly while pointing at the ad poster for the celebration of the Lantern Festival.

“Few weeks from now Is the Blood Moon. The same time the powers of the Four Gods will be triggered,” Jiyong informed.

“I see,” Top realized while bobbing his head.

“But why here? I can’t believe the honorable Priestesses are hiding here. This palce is so simple and not to mention very secluded from the main civilization,” Seungri wonders.

What do you expect huh? Of course, they’ll live discreetly. And this place is perfect for them to hide. Their life is important. They can’t risk of living in the main city,” Taeyang answered.

“Ah! Alright. I understand,” the maknae mumbles.

“Idiot,” Top mocks.

“Hyung?!” Seungri protested.

“Enough! Let’s find a place to stay first until the night of the Festival. While we are here, let’s search for them then. Just be cautious and observe. We can’t afford to reveal to anyone about this mission. The enemies are just around. Be careful,” Jiyong planned out.

“That’s a good idea, Jiyong. Come on! Let’s find some place to rent for our stay,” Top agreed.

They start walking down the town and asking for a place to stay. Once they found a comfortable for lease house, they settled in and planned they’re shindigs. They have decided to buy some supplies they will be needed. Jiyong and Taeyang volunteered to get the supplies to the market while Top and Seungri will wander around to gather information.

Once Jiyong and Taeyang got everything they need, the two decided to go back to their house. However, when they passed by to a fruit stall, they saw a commotion happening there. They saw some men harassing the vendors.

“Spare our merchandise, juseyo! We can’t give you more bronze that you wanted,” a young lady cried while begging to the bandits.

The bandits laugh sardonically at the crying lady.

“Give me the , milady or else…” the bandit leader warns crashing a piece of peach using his one hand.

“No! Please! No!” the lady pleads anxiously.

Jiyong and Taeyang look at each other knowingly. They are about to interfere when a flying bucket suddenly hits straight at the bandit leader’s back head. Everybody who was watching the scene gasps and gaped at whomever responsible for throwing that bucket.

There was a young petite lady standing behind the bandits while her hands both held the side of her waist. She is also has another bucket down on her feet.

“Sandara-ssi…” the young lady whispers silently. Her teary eyes gazed widely at the petit girl.

The bandit leader turns his back behind him angrily.

“You! You dared crossed me!” he growled in rage. His huge muscled body is shaking with madness.

The latter just smirks at the bandits more oblivious to her impending death.

“Yes, I am! What are you going to do now?” she mocks provoking the bad guys.

“You little pest! Get her!”  The leader ordered to his comrades.

The bandits start attacking the girl but the latter quickly kicked the last bucket on the ground hitting the first attacker. That made the bandits get mad more. They aim at the frail looking girl. The people there start to scram while screaming in fear for them and most especially for the girl. Some of them runaway immediately not bothered to help the girl.

Jiyong and Taeyang did not waste time and break to a run to help the girl after securing their basket of goods.

“Take that ugly!” the petite girl yells throwing a big watermelon she had laid her hands on from the stall near her.

“Taeyang, take that two. I got this,” Jiyong instructed pointing at the leader and another bandit approaching the girl.

“Arasso!” Taeyang immediately blocked the two bandits running after behind. “Hey! Leave the girl alone. Fight me instead.”

The two bandits take his challenge and begin to attack him that he easily dodged each of their attempts. Fighting them bores him yet he chose to play with for a while. Besides, hand in hand combat is nothing for him.

Jiyong shakes his head at Taeyang’s antics. He is also busy blocking attacks from his opponents totally forgotten the petite girl’s presence. As celestial warriors, they possess distinct powers and strength that will be able to help them fulfill their duty. They are trained to be warriors that will be able to protect and serve the Priestesses that behold the power of Four Gods. So these local burglars are nothing for them.

Nonetheless, they did not need to waste powers with them.

In the span of few minutes, he and Taeyang finished the bandits who scampered away from them fearfully. Just in time, the Town’s Sheriff arrived.

Jiyong fixes his blue cloak while wiping some dirt he earned a while ago. Taeyang on the other hand checks on their basket he left. Good thing, he managed to secure it to a safe place.

“You got everything?” Jiyong asked at him when the latter came to his side holding the basket.

“Yes. Everything is covered!” he answered assumingly.

“Good!”

They were about to leave when he suddenly remembered something or rather someone. Jiyong forgot about the girl completely when he started fighting. He turns to the petite girl who is still in daze on the ground. He approached her and offered his hand to help her get up.

Instead of taking his hand, the girl continued looking at him with unreadable eyes. Jiyong stares back at her brown orbs. He saw different emotions past at her that he himself cannot fathom. Her auburn hair was disheveled. Her pale face had dirt smudges all over. The ragged dress she’s wearing got torn at the bottom hem. She also lost one of the pair boots she was wearing which she threw as well a while ago.

Jiyong darted his eyes around and searched for the missing pair. Once he spotted it, he stands up and gets it for her. He crouched in front of her. He holds her foot and slides the shoe for her to wear smoothly himself. He also slightly taps her foot. After making sure that she’s comfortable, he stands up and turns his heel to walk away without waiting for her to react. Taeyang just wait for him to finish his business patiently.

But before they even left totally, he turns to the petit girl that still watching him.

“Be careful next time, milady. Don’t let just anybody touch your beauty, arasso?”