The sound of whispering voices woke her.

Blearily, Hajin tried to sit up, only to have pain shoot out from every joint and muscle in her stiff, exhausted body. Hissing, she fell back down and waited for her eyes to adjust to the dark before taking a good look around her. She was lying on a dark coat on the floor of what appeared to be a small wooden room. Piles of dried grass lined the thin walls, which had gaps large enough to allow bits of flickering candlelight in.

She took a few deep breaths before attempting to sit again. This time, she succeeded, wincing and checking herself for any serious injuries.

She was surprised to find that the deep gashes on her arms and legs from her tumble and sprint through the forest had been bandaged, as well as the soles of her feet. Gingerly, she felt them and found them wet with plasma, making her wonder how long she had been asleep.

Before she could fully remember what had happened, before the reality of her situation could sink in, the door opened suddenly. Her hands rose in reflex to shield her sensitive eyes from the light.

“She’s awake,” a voice she didn’t recognize informed the people in the room beyond. The sound of footsteps and seconds later, she was hoisted off the ground, dragged outside, and forcefully plopped onto a chair.

Wincing, she opened her eyes and found herself in a room full of men clad in dark robes, and all of them were staring at her. Not knowing who they were nor what they wanted, Hajin’s senses screamed in alarm, but was too parched for her to utter anything beyond a small whimper.

A man stepped forward and took the seat across from her. Like everyone else, the only visible part of his face were his eyes. “Who are you?”

Good question , Hajin thought in dread. Would you even believe me if I told you?

To buy herself some time, she looked up at the rest of the men, thinking she might recognize the friendly Prince Jung from earlier, even if all she could see were his eyes. To her dismay, she found she couldn’t even really remember Prince Jung’s face as it had been dark when they’d met. She knew Prince So would have a mask though, and couldn’t decide whether she was happy or disappointed that he wasn’t in the room with them.

“I asked you a question, woman!” the man barked, making her jump.

“What use is it if I tell you?” she snapped back, her fear making her irritable. “You’ll kill me either way, won’t you?”

He exhaled heavily through his nose and leaned over the table towards her. Refusing to back down, Hajin kept her back straight and her eyes unblinking. “Fortunately for you, our 14th Prince has decided to take you under his wing. Unfortunately for you, he isn’t here right now and his brother believes you may be a spy.”

Hajin scowled. She decided having no Prince So was better than having Prince So. But then she remembered him telling his brother that should she make a single mistake, the younger prince would have to pay the price… and she supposed she couldn’t really fault the man for wanting to protect his brother.

With a tired sigh, she said, “I’m not a spy.”

“Then who exactly are you?”

“I don’t know, alright?” she snapped. “I almost drowned, survived, and found myself caught in between two armies. I have no recollection of my past, my name - anything!”

One of the men standing around spoke up, “Sounds like a spy, General.”

Hajin laughed without humor. “I knew you wouldn’t believe me. I shouldn’t have bothered answering.”

“Your story is a little too convenient,” the general said, straightening up.

“Unfortunately for me, it’s the only story I have,” she crossed her arms over her chest. “Or would you rather I lied?”

The general breathed in, getting ready to reply, but then he lifted a hand, wordlessly ordering everyone to keep quiet. A moment later, Hajin realized why… it was faint but now that she was listening, she could clearly hear the sound of approaching horses.

The general nodded to a man by the door, who slipped quietly outside just as another blew out the candle, plunging them all into darkness, but not before Hajin saw them ready their weapons.

She dare not even breathe. These people were not the friendliest of sorts, but at least they hadn’t killed her yet and she had the young prince to rely on should worse come to worst.

She couldn’t say the same for the other army: Prince Won’s attitude towards her hadn’t been very promising.

The atmosphere was so tense with energy that the hairs on her forearms stood on end, and just when she thought her bladder couldn’t bear it any longer, the man from earlier came back in and said in a clear, loud voice, “The princes have returned, General.”

Immediately, all the men filed out of the room. Hajin could have cried from relief, but another pair of hands grabbed her and forced her up, keeping her inside.

“I can stand perfectly well on my own!” she snapped, trying to free herself, but she might as well have been struggling against her chair.

“What news?” the general asked without preamble as the dozen horsemen dismounted.

“The royal soldiers have reached the nearby villages to the north, west and east. All the healers have been summoned to the palace, and the soldiers are blocking all exits, so even the shamans and herbalists are off-limits,” a man whose voice she did not recognize replied with a regretful sigh. “I’m sorry, General Park. I have friends who could have helped us, but it seems the King has been made aware of your daughter’s injury and is using this chance to lure us in or trap us.”

“How is sister-in-law?” Hajin recognized this second voice as belonging to Prince Jung and felt her heart leap in relief.

“She is still unconscious. Lady Hae says she has lost a lot of blood.” The general’s voice was full of worry. “We may need to leave this place, if the soldiers are as close as you say.”

“Do not worry, the river water is rising. They can try, but they will not be able to cross.” Hajin snorted, recognizing Prince So. “The air is humid and the wind still. There will be a storm later tonight. The river will be impassable for days, weeks if we’re lucky.”

“Still, without a healer to treat her wounds, we’re nothing but sitting ducks,” Prince Jung sighed at his helplessness.

“I can help,” Hajin told her handler, but he had upgraded from chair to statue. She wondered if he was even still breathing.

A candle flickered to life from somewhere nearby, and that’s when Hajin realized there was another room in the tiny cot. From within this room emerged a small man with a badly bandaged arm. Hajin could tell he was a prince by the finery of his robes and jewelry.

He bypassed Hajin and exited the cot, “Brothers, Father, I ask permission to leave tonight. We can’t stay here. She’ll die if we do nothing.”

“Eun-ah, all we have are horses. You can’t transport her on one. And if it rains, you’ll be soaked and bogged down by the mud. Even if she doesn’t die from her injuries, you both could very well end up dying from the cold,” Prince So reasoned. “Besides, you are also injured. If anyone should leave, it shouldn’t be you.”

“I’m her husband. I have a responsibility to look after her!” Prince Eun said in a wavering voice. “She took that blow for me. How can I live with myself if I just watch her die now?”

“The 10th Prince is right,” General Park said heavily, “but Prince So is right as well. 10th Prince, you are injured and in need of recuperation. Stay here with the rest while I take my daughter to find a healer.”

Throwing caution to the winds, Hajin yelled, “I can help!”

Her statue of a handler came back to life long enough to cover with one large hand. Angry, she struggled in resistance, the grime on his fingers the only reason she hadn’t bitten him yet.

“Who was that?” asked the first voice Hajin had not recognized earlier.

“Lady!” Prince Jung ran into the room. He spotted her being manhandled and ordered for the man to release her immediately.

Hesitantly, the man lowered his hands. Hajin swatted him aside and walked gingerly over to Prince Jung, wincing at the pain from her tender feet.

“Can you really help?” Prince Jung asked with hopeful eyes.

She nodded. She was in nursing school for 3 years before her uncle died and she had been forced to quit. “I know how to clean and suture wounds, and I’m very familiar with herbs. I can help.”

“But this is great! Follow me, she’s-”

“Halt,” Prince So ordered, entering. He eyed Hajin’s resentful pout with amusement. “We still don’t know who she is. She might kill Soon Deok.”

Hajin sighed impatiently. “With all of you watching? Do I look that crazy to you?”

“Soo-yah?”

Everyone turned to the sound of this new voice. Hajin glanced around her, wondering who the woman was talking to, but apart from the two princes and her handler, there was no one else in the room with them.

“I thought it was your voice… but how could it be? No one has seen you in years… where have you been all this time? And what are you wearing?”

When the woman reached out to touch Hajin, she instantly recoiled.

“Soo-yah, it’s me… your cousin, Myunghee,” Myunghee said, eyeing her with concern. “Do you not recognize me?”

Though the woman’s hanbok was muddied and her hair was in disarray, Hajin had no doubt in her mind that she was of noble birth. Slowly, she shook her head, “I’m sorry…”

“Sister-in-law… do you know this woman?” Prince Jung asked in surprise.

“You should know her too, you’ve seen her with me before! Though I understand why Prince So wouldn’t recognize her…” Myunghee grasped Hajin’s hand and held it tightly. “4th Prince, she is the orphaned daughter of my aunt and uncle. My husband, 8th Prince Wook, had her brought to me years ago to help with my sickness. She suddenly went missing before you returned to Kaesong.” Myunghee looked at Hajin then, and Hajin was surprised to see tears in the other woman’s eyes. “Do you really not remember? Did you lose your way after losing your memory?”

“Her hair is different, but she does look like her,” the unknown prince remarked, coming into the room.

Myunghee looked at him. “Baek Ah-yah, look closely… she’s Soo, I’m sure of it! How can I not recognize my own flesh and blood? Soo-yah, look at me and think harder… do you really not know who I am?”

“I… I really don’t…” Hajin stammered, temporarily lost for words.

But her mind was thinking fast.

She couldn’t admit to being Go Hajin from the future… but if this woman was convinced that she was her long lost cousin, then they might actually let her live.

Could she do it? Pretend to be this ‘ Soo’ and just try to escape as soon as she could?

But how do I even get back to my time? she wondered helplessly.

“It’s okay now. You’re safe with us,” Myunghee said firmly. “4th Prince, I beg you to allow her to stay. She is young and has no clue who she is, but she may yet remember. Please!”

“I’m with our sister-in-law in this,” Jung said, coming over to stand beside them. “She saved my life. I owe her a huge debt.”

Though So looked irritated, he didn’t say anything. Hajin figured he must be the eldest of the bunch and therefore the one in charge. She shuddered at the thought of having to kiss up to him in the future. She’s not sure he’ll even tolerate such tactics.

Baek Ah cleared his throat delicately and said, “Hyung-nim… I once tried to teach Hae Soo the gayageum. She learned very fast.”

So sighed, “Not you, too. What are you getting at?”

Baek Ah nodded to Hajin and said, “She is good with her hands. I believe she may be telling the truth about helping our sister-in-law. At this rate, we can’t afford to be picky. Whether Soon Deok leaves or stays… I’m afraid her chances of surviving are very little.”

Hearing this, Eun let out a little whimper and rushed to Jung’s side, bowing low to his 4th brother. “Hyung-nim! Please consider our requests!”

So shut his eyes with a grimace. He had his doubts about the girl, but Baek Ah was right: Soon Deok’s condition was bad, her chances of surviving dwindling with every minute spent with her wounds left untreated. He shared a glance with the general and an understanding passed between them. “Can we really trust you?” he asked, looking back at Hajin.

She had to put everything on the line to convince this man that she meant them no harm. As sincerely as she could, she nodded, “If your sister-in-law dies… I won’t put up a fight. I’ll let you kill me.”

“Soo-yah!” Myunghee protested. Everyone else wore similar looks of surprise.

Everyone, that is, except Prince So.

“Then follow me.”

One look at the pale, young woman told Hajin she was dying. She was unresponsive, and despite the numerous attempts to wipe it off, blood oozed from the gaping slash on her back.

“How long has she been like this?” Hajin asked, clearing the wound for a better look. Gritting her teeth, she tore at the woman’s clothing and asked for a candle to be brought over for more light.

“She got injured before sundown,” Jung replied in worried tones.

“Can you help her?” Myunghee asked, kneeling on the opposite side.

Hajin wished she had looked at her patient before tying their fates together, but there was no helping it now. With a determined nod, Hajin looked up at her companions and issued her commands. She wondered if they would take offense at a woman giving orders, but if they did, they didn’t show it. One by one, they filed out of the room to fetch her warm water, the cleanest strips of cloth they could find, and a disinfectant.

“Dis-disin-” Eun scratched his head, confused. “Come again?”

“Alcohol or vinegar,” she said instead.

The young prince left the room muttering, “Alcohol or vinegar?” under his breath. Hajin wondered if he would be able to get it.

“What can I do?” Myunghee asked, drawing her sleeves back and fixing her hair.

“Do you happen to have a needle?”
 

It took a while for the men to get everything she asked for. The needle was especially difficult to procure, but thanks to Myunghee’s ingenuity, they managed to craft one using one of her hairpins, and used strands of her long hair to sew the ripped flesh back together.

They worked for hours. Sometime in between, the storm hit just as Prince So had predicted. On the upside, it kept the royal army away from the river. On the downside, the wind was so strong, it not only threatened to topple the cot down, but the torrential rains would have swept away whatever herbs could have been useful.

But despite all the setbacks, Hajin managed to finish her work. Cleaned and neatly stitched, the wound looked much better than it had before. Using candle wax to set the bandage, Hajin left the room in search of the woman's husband.

"When will she wake?" Prince Eun, who alone remained awake among his brothers, asked after she had finished reporting to him his wife's condition.

Hajin was so tired, she had to put in conscious effort not to drop down on the floor and fall asleep. "I cannot say. We'll have to look after her until she does. The good news is the wound is clean and she has no fever. If it remains uninfected, the possibility of a recovery increases. Also, I've managed to stop the bleeding but she's lost a lot of blood. In the morning, I'd like for us to search the forest for any beehives. Honey will be a great help to keep her wound free of bacteria, and added with water, it'll be a better drink to keep her hydrated."

Some of the terms Hajin used confused Prince Eun, but seeing how exhausted the woman was, he decided not to press her for more answers. Instead he nodded and thanked her sincerely for her help.

"Soo-yah… drink some water, you must be thirsty." Myunghee had also stayed up to help her. Hajin had been called Soo so many times in the last few hours that she responded instantly to Myunghee's call.

Awkwardly, she took the cup and drank everything in one go, the cool water just enough to quench her thirst. "I'll finish cleaning up, you go to sleep. You must be tired," Myunghee offered, taking the cup from her and motioning for her to get back in the room with their patient. "I set up a space for you beside me. Sleep and get back your strength. You'll need it if you're to walk around the forest tomorrow."

Prince Eun nodded. “You both sleep. I’ll watch over her for now.”

Hajin didn’t need to be told twice. Starving, she staggered to the space Myunghee had indicated and lay down, instantly falling into a deep sleep.

From his position by the door, the Fourth Prince opened his eyes and watched her. So far she had proven herself to be a capable healer, commanding them all with such authority and decisiveness for a small woman with no sure status…

She was a strange woman, indeed, but he couldn’t help but sense that something was off about her. It wasn’t just the possibility that she could be Myunghee’s lost cousin, but the way she had appeared in that lake this afternoon… he would have seen and heard her enter the water, but all he saw was her coming out.

Where had she come from?

And why couldn’t he shake the feeling that she knew a lot more than she was letting on?