The Fourth Prince and his men scanned one of the two nearest crossings for intruders, but they saw nothing that could indicate an army lying in wait at the otherside. The wooden bridge that had been subjected to the strong river current for days still swayed dangerously over the water, evidently in need of repairs, with large logs and other debris littered all over it, preventing anything less nimble than a man from crossing.

This was a blessing on their part as it meant that even if the royal army were to come, they would need to come cautiously on foot rather than on horses.

“Your Highness…” one of the men suddenly said, low voice alert as he trained his eyes on a lone figure in a straw hat that So could now see was crossing.

So gave the order to be still, but signaled one of the archers to ready his bow.

Despite the lack of light, So had no trouble seeing as he had been trained since childhood to adjust his senses to fit his environment.

The man in the straw hat looked ordinary enough dressed in a loose tunic and trousers, with a large pack on his shoulders and a walking stick in hand. He could have easily passed off as a traveling farmer if not for the weapons on his person, of which the prince had no trouble spotting as the man climbed over the log.

“Knives on both forearms. One on his right leg. Another on his chest. Possibly more in his pack,” he informed his men in an undertone. “Stay here and keep watch.”

Moving swiftly and silently, he waited until the man was well within the forest before intercepting him. In one fluid motion, So grabbed the man by the collar, pinned him up against a tree, and unsheathed a knife at his belt.

“State your purpose,” he said, his voice a low rumble.

The man raised his arms to show his subservience, but in one hand, he held an emblem - an emblem of a king.

“I have a message for his Royal Highness, the Fourth Prince of Goryeo, trusted brother to the rightful king of Goryeo, the Second King Hyejong.”

Not that many people knew that his first brother had survived their third brother’s coup: to prevent the clans and the people from questioning King Jeongjong’s claim to the throne, they were informed that the second king had died of natural causes after years of battling an incurable disease. Meanwhile, King Jeongjong and those loyal to him have been doing their best to locate King Hyejong, even going so far as to frame noblemen who were known sympathizers of the second king of treason in order to justify bringing them in for questioning. So and the other princes had watched everything unfold from the sidelines, biding their time until their first brother was well enough to return…

Circumstances forced their hand when their tenth brother’s grandfather, Wang Gyu, was framed and sentenced to death. They had been too late to save the old man and the rest of his family, but were able to successfully free Eun and his wife from prison the night before their public execution. Now branded traitors of the new regime, the princes had no choice but to locate their first brother and start planning a revolt in order to overthrow King Jeongjong.

So released the soldier slowly and watched as he produced a folded up scroll safely hidden in the hem of his sleeves.

“The King has moved to a new location, currently undisclosed in case this message fell into the wrong hands,” the messenger said quietly. “Word has reached His Majesty of the attempts to move the capital to Seokyeong.”

“Seokyeong?” So asked in surprise, opening the scroll to read it in case the messenger was mistaken. He wasn’t. “That would bring us too close to the borders of Khitan.” What could their third brother be planning?

The messenger nodded. “It is His Majesty’s wish that your party travel to Seokyeong to delay progress as much as you can. He puts his complete faith in the Fourth Prince.”

So sighed, not liking the idea. Seokyeong was considerably farther than Hanseong, the road there marred by mountains. It also meant their prospects of a warm welcome was bleak, as most of their allies were to the south of Songak.

However, he couldn’t go against a direct order from his brother. If this could help get rid of their current tyrant of a king, they would have to do it using any means necessary.

The messenger had more to say, “A fortress is already being built as we speak, rumored to be far larger and stronger than Cheondeokjeon. It will be difficult to penetrate once fully functional.”

Making it harder for their army to win the impending war, unless the war came to them, which was unlikely.

So became suddenly aware of the horses becoming skittish, and seconds later, his men came out of hiding to join them. He saw why when his eyes landed on the man he had sent to scout the otherside of the river.

“Soldiers, Your Highness,” he informed breathlessly.

“How many?”

“A hundred at least.”

“How far?”

“Close and mobilizing.”


 

Pandemonium greeted them when they arrived at the cottage. So watched in dread as the injured men he had left behind fought to defend themselves against what he estimated to be around fifty attackers. His frantic eyes scanned the figures for his brothers and found their youngest deep in the fray alongside Grand General Park. Even though they were surrounded and being pressed back, So did not worry about Jung as much as he worried for Baek Ah and Eun, who were the least fighters among all of them.

Where were they and were they even still alive? And what of the women?

With no time to waste, he withdrew his sword. His men did the same. And when he charged at the royal soldiers, so did they.

The soldiers, who had been on the verge of victory only moments before, now found themselves at a disadvantage. They watched, scattering and confused as The Fourth Prince and a dozen more charged towards them on horses, swords raised and already drawing blood.

Fifty foot soldiers were nothing against a surprise attack from a dozen cavalry. Swords came at them from all sides as thousands of pounds of horses with men on their backs broke into their ranks. Jung and the general, realizing they were saved, fought back with renewed vigor.

It only took a couple of minutes to incapacitate their enemies, afterwhich So quickly dismounted and had a look around.

“Spare them,” So commanded gruffly in time to see one of his men lift a barely conscious soldier from the ground. “They are under orders, as you are. I will not tolerate the unnecessary spilling of more blood. Knock them out and make sure they sleep until morning. Our priority should be to look after our injured.”

“Hyung-nim!” Jung limped towards him, a relieved grin on his face.

So eyed his brother critically, finding to his satisfaction that though he had some scrapes and bruises, he wasn’t gravely injured. “Where are the others? Have they been captured?”

Jung shook his head. “We made sure they escaped first.”

That was a relief. He nodded approval and addressed General Park, who had joined them. “We’ll need to regroup immediately and find them. Some of the men are gravely injured, and we have reason to believe more soldiers are on their way here.”

“Then we definitely have no time to waste,” the general agreed.

 

Hajin ached all over. Back bent, shoulders hunched, fingers pressing strongly against her third piece of pottery, she raised her face to the cave ceiling and let out a frustrated growl.

She ignored the chuckles of her companions. “So, how about it?” Prince Baek Ah grinned, crouching in front of her. “Ready to let me try? You’ve been at this since late morning. You need to rest.”

In her tired state, she could only stare at him.

“Come on, we all had a hand at finding the clay, digging the pit, readying the fire, and all that. Why can’t we help with this?” he pressed.

When they first arrived here almost a month ago, Hajin determined at once that they would need some tools for cooking and heating things. Soon Deok’s wound needed to be kept moist at all times to ensure quicker healing, and Hajin wanted to do so by applying an herbal compress rather than plain water and animal fat, though she was pleased to note that Soon Deok’s wound was healing nicely enough, her stitches already removed and a thin layer of new skin forming, rejoining what had been sundered.

Apart from mixing herbal concoctions, good soup would make a wonderful addition to their meals and… as far as drinking water went… her insides squirmed as she imagined all the potential germs and parasites they’d ingested just by taking water straight from the stream. Though they all assured her it was perfectly clean and safe, modern sanitation practices told her it was better to be safe than sorry.

“He’s right, Soo-yah… let us help you,” Myunghee said from beside Baek Ah. “You’ve already formed two good pots. We know how bowls look like, so we should be able to make those, even if they don’t come out perfect.”

Baek Ah and Eun nodded agreement.

“I can-”

“No,” everyone firmly told Soon Deok, who immediately slumped back onto her stretcher, looking bored out of her wits.

“Alright, fine… you all saw how I did the pots?” Hajin stared her students down, suspicious even as they nodded. “Let’s take turns, then. Baek Ah-nim can start. It’s getting late and we need to fetch more water and check the traps before night sets in.”

“I’ll come,” Eun offered, getting up.

“Then I’ll stay and look after Soon Deok,” Myunghee said.

Eun and Hajin picked up their half-empty flasks and two of the baskets Myunghee had tightly woven out of the mature reeds that had been plucked from a nearby marsh, and set off.

They had settled into a kind of routine after just a few days of being together. They always went out in pairs, exploring and looking for signs of their former companions. Though they still had no news of the latter, at least their explorations had been fruitful and highly eventful. Being near the sea meant clay was readily available, and further inland, saltwater gradually became fresh, with rivulets culminating in marshes and tiny ponds rife with plant life and animals from which they got their food.

Hajin now regarded all four of her companions as friends. Being a modern woman, she had little care for status and titles, and in her familiarity with the princes, sometimes found herself addressing them by their first names. Though they had looked surprised and downright scandalized at first, they were used enough to Hajin’s unorthodox behavior and did not take offense.

“Soo-yah, I’ve been wondering… where did you learn to make pots?” Eun asked her as they trudged through the mud towards the first trap he had set at a nearby patch of grass.

“Oh, well my unc-” she caught herself in time and cleared , “the one who found me… was a potter. He taught me how.” That was a lie, but she couldn’t very well tell him that her uncle had been a historian who tended to travel a lot and always brought her with him. They had both taken a pottery class on one of their many trips to Japan. The master there had been very skillful, and she had learned quickly.

“What about you? How did a prince like you learn how to make traps?” she asked curiously.

His shy, bright smile told her all she needed to know.

“I was bored one day because all my brothers were busy with their royal duties… my wife taught me how. She’s taught me many things, actually.”

Hajin smiled. “Were you already married then?”

He shook his head, his smile faltering. “Long before that. I’d already known her since she was a child, but I never thought much of her until my father announced we were to be married. At the time… I really didn’t want to.”

She figured as much. She’d already surmised Soon Deok’s affection for her husband to be genuine and possibly one-sided… but watching Eun these past few weeks has left her with no doubt as to his own feelings, which must have grown over time.

“What changed?” she asked.

He scratched his chin in thought. “I don’t know, really. It just happened. Does that happen?”

“I wouldn’t know,” she laughed.

“You mean you’ve never loved anyone before?” he asked, curious.

“Er… well, I lost my memory, didn’t I? I might have once… but I don’t remember anymore,” she lied again with a forced smile. She wished she could forget that jerk. If she ever saw him again, she promised herself she would kill him.

“If” being the operative word as she still had no idea how to get back.

“We caught something!” Eun exclaimed excitedly, running up to their first trap. “Looks like we can have meat again tonight!”

That night after eating, they all prepared for bed. Their newly formed pots, pans and bowls sat drying at a far corner, close to the fire pit. In a few days, they would be ready for baking. Hajin’s eyes shifted to the other corner to where they kept the numerous dry wood and grass they had managed to collect. She hoped they would be enough; prayed she had gotten the process right as she lay down beside Myunghee and watched as little bits of ember jumped into the air, burned brightly, and then disappeared.

She didn't know how long she stared… or when she knew… or when the idea started forming in her mind… but thinking of  her earlier conversation with Eun had triggered a thought process that was hard to ignore.

The water.

There was no other explanation. She couldn’t do anything to bring about an eclipse, but if the water was all she needed… if that was the conduit for her time travel…

She had to give it a try.

Glancing around her, she saw that her friends had fallen asleep. To be sure, she waited a few more minutes before she got up and went out.

A few steps down the beach and her feet immediately met with seawater. The tide was in: she would not have to go too far for what she was planning to do. It was as if someone was watching and had made sure to set the conditions right for her to proceed.

She might be able to get home today.

She turned and looked at the dimly lit cave opening, feeling immeasurably sad at the thought of leaving her new friends… but she was not from here. She had no idea why she was even brought here. Maybe it was to heal Soon Deok… maybe that girl was important and Hajin had just saved the world by healing her.

That was a comforting thought. Another comforting thought was the fact that her friends were survivors. She wished them luck, wished them well as she turned her back on them and waded into deeper water. The incoming waves were strong, flowing over her hanbok, dragging her down. It was getting harder and harder to move.

Just as well , she thought, let it weigh me down and stop me from trying to surface before it’s time.

She walked towards the full moon reflected on the water ahead. She had stayed in Goryeo for an entire moon cycle. She supposed that was long enough.

One step more, two steps more, three steps more.

The water was now up to her hips.

One more and she would be directly over the moon, just as she had been directly over the eclipse. One more step and she would know… would she wake up to the same scenery? Or would she wake on the banks of a much newer, modern Korea?

One more step… and she braced herself for the fall that never happened.

Opening her eyes, she looked around and saw that she was still in Goryeo, and still very much dry. But of course she would still be here… if she had to drown to come here, it would make sense that she had to drown to leave.

Gathering her courage, she faced the water head-on. She hadn’t enjoyed her first experience with drowning… but there was no helping it now. She had to try. Taking her father's army knife from one of her sleeve pockets, Hajin held it close to her heart and asked her parents and uncle to lend her their strengths.

Closing her eyes once more, she plunged into the water and stayed down.

The next time she was conscious, her first thought was of the massive pain in her head and chest, and the never-ending fit of coughs racking her sore body as she expelled all the water she had drank.

She rolled to her side and coughed some more, feeling her eyes water as she desperately gasped for air.

“Are you alright?”

A man’s voice. But whose?

“Are you crazy? What were you trying to do?” he demanded, thumping her back, helping to expel the water clinging onto her epiglottis.

“Where… where am I?” she wheezed weakly, getting up on all fours.

The man sighed. “You’re on dry land. I saw you face down in the water and pulled you out. Yah, you’re lucky I was here and saw you.”

She shook her head. “I meant… what year?”

He sighed again. “What? Did you lose your memory again?”

Looking up, she was greeted by the irritated face of the Fourth Prince. “You?” she asked weakly.

“Tell me, what do you have against me that you would drown yourself whenever I’m around?” he asked sardonically.

She closed her eyes and groaned. She was still in Goryeo. Her plan hadn’t worked. All she’d managed to do was soak herself to the bone, bruise her body, and annoy an apparently very tired, very bad-tempered Fourth Prince.

“Thank you for saving me,” she coughed, laying spreadeagled on the sand and staring up at the sky. The stars were very bright tonight.

He shook his head and got up. She really was a strange woman.

“When did you get here?” she asked, watching him. And then, realising who he was and the significance of his presence, she sat upright with a gasp. “You're here!”

“Yes,” he said dryly, taking his coat off the ground. “Where are the others?”

Hajin lifted her hand in the general direction of the cave.

“Can you still walk?” he asked, strapping the weapons he had discarded before he had rushed in to save her back onto his person.

“I think so,” she grumbled, getting awkwardly to her feet.

When he began to make his way towards the cave, she grabbed his arm to stop him. “Please… don’t tell them about what just happened. I don’t want them to worry.”

He eyed her steadily and shrugged. “I won’t talk. Your clothes say enough.”

Without another word, he left her standing in the mud.