As the final noble left the courtyard for home, I was dismissed from my post by the king and I let my shoulders sag somewhat in relief. I was shocked by the day’s events, but more so I was worried about the woman. There was something about her that intrigued me and it was more than just her looks, strange as they were. Curiosity was getting the better of me and I quickly made me way down the palace halls, intent on leaving and seeing to the newest member of my household. I was walking as fast as my damaged leg would carry me when a voice called out, the persistent tone finally making me stop after the third yell.

“General, please accept this humble hain’s apologies for calling out to you so loudly. But the Seja joha has requested your presence in his courtyard today.” A fat eunuch puffed out a breath as he sought to regain his composure, the man looking to have run after me. His jowls moved and a chubby hand went to his ample chest in an effort to slow his heart.

I let out a sigh, already eager to be free of the palace and the endless meetings. I didn’t want to waste any more time but there was little one could do when being called by a royal family member.

“Do you know why the crown prince has requested me?” I asked the messenger hoping to find a way out.

“Great General forgive this small one, this one doesn’t know.” The man was red in face and I wondered if maybe he had been told at some point but had forgotten in his haste. in air through my teeth in annoyance, I told the eunuch to lead the way.

“Still hiding in the gardens? Didn’t we always get caught trying to run from lessons here?” I asked the young man who was among the flowers in one of the palace’s gardens. He rose from his bent position in order to greet me, his hand gripping mine firmly.

“Hyung, you know I could never run for long, you always caught me and dragged me back,” the crown prince let out a laugh, his teeth glinting in the light. Called WonJong by me since his childhood, I inspected my cousin as he led me through the gardens. Taller than me by several inches, a fair complexion and dark hair that was adorned with simple ornaments, he was already deemed a most eligible bachelor by the women in court. The intricate details on his bright red pho showed that he was highly favored by the king over his other brothers and already loved by the people; it was easy to see why the youth attracted so many.

“That’s because the future king can’t be ignorant or else the people will suffer. You must do your future duty well. I knew even then that you would be the one likely chosen to inherit the throne.” I had said the words seriously but WonJong waved away my words, his eyes rolling in his head.

“We are living in a time of peace that has lasted for a hundred years. Our great grandfather, our grandfather and now my father have all grown complacent, content with the way things are. Our fleets have gone close to ruin, our soldiers are lazy. The common people are ignorant of the outside world and the nobles are as ignorant as the commoners and yet we celebrate, saying that this is our most prosperous time. I would do more to change the way we live.”

WonJong looked at me beneath his black brows, his face strikingly like Jeonha’s, but there was more kindness there then his father could ever pretend to have. I stared at him back

“The Chinese are strong, the Japanese bide their time as well. We will be torn apart if we aren’t cautious. The people want peace, they want riches but in truth we are not safe. Enemies are at every boarder and they wait to pounce when we are weak. We have lived in this state long enough. When my father finally tires of the crown, I will not sit idly by and wait for destruction.”

My cousin spoke impassioned words but this wasn’t the first time I had heard his spiel. He was ready to make change in a dynasty that had seen very little. Those nobles who knew of his plans and weren’t willing had quickly gathered behind one or another of his brothers to support them instead. But WonJong was right, the military was in a poor state and after the many battles by those nations closest to our borders, we wouldn’t last through a full scale war. I thought on this but said nothing for a while, our winding path leading us somewhat deeper into the garden. Large trees took up much of the space here, a small stone pagoda in the center of the clearing. WonJong hadn’t spoken of much after his initial spurt of annoyance but now he turned to me with a mischievous smile, a fiendish delight in his eyes.

“And what will you do with the woman hyung? When father gifted her to you, I almost died of laughter right then! How long has it been since there was a female in your residence?” WonJong grins at me and I could at once see the child he’d been not so very long ago.

“Yah, you brat! Don’t worry about what I’ll do with my things. I’ll take care of it on my own, you just work on gaining more support for your army. No matter what your father wants, there are others who don’t want to you to secede the throne.” I gave him a push with my shoulder, careful not to be too rough. It was a great offense to harm the heir apparent, even in jest. He was no longer the little cousin I could playfully tussle with.

The little punk did have a point though. What would I do with the concubine? I had long eschewed the presence of women; the ones following our camp during the skirmishes against the Mongols had been through almost every man in the army and that had been enough to keep me celibate, the thought of touching one giving me chills. Cleanliness aside, none had tempted me and here in court the yangban nearly drove me mad with irritation. But what other choice did I have? I’d had none until now.

“Speaking of her, I must go see to my family member and you must go about whatever princely duties you’ve yet to do,” I said mockingly, liking the way WonJong bristled.

“Another strategy lesson,” WonJong sighed deeply with a roll of his eyes.

“Strategy is needed in battle cousin. Always remember that you must fight for this throne, to keep it and pass it to your offspring. If you wish to see your ideas fulfilled then you must be prepared to make sacrifices, to learn from others.”

WonJong nodded thoughtfully, his eyes distant. I worried about the younger boy, his actions holding a wariness they never had before. It didn’t escape me that we had talked in the deserted gardens rather than in his own rooms. I wondered at the change, what had made this golden boy see the palace in a new light? I said my farewells and began the long walk from the palace gardens to the main gate, pure fire racing along my leg and thigh increasingly with each step.

I sank into the choheon’s thickly padded seat gratefully, in a sharp breath of air as the burn hit me again, harder this time now that I had walked for almost half an hour on my damaged leg. As the conveyance moved, it jostled me further and unwittingly let out a cry. Grabbing my thigh and looking down, I finally noticed a bright red spot that had begun to seep through the white of my garment, the stain only increasing as I tightened my hands on my thigh, gripping the reopened wound to halt the flow blood.

I gritted my teeth against the searing pain, trying hard to fight against the wave of nausea that had suddenly taken over my stomach. Trying to breathe past the hurt, I increased the pressure of one hand and used the other to rip one sleeve of my robe. With shaking fingers I clumsily tied the fabric over my old wound, wondering just how badly I had damaged it because of my obeisance. With all I could do done, I laid back in the bumping carriage, deeply breathing through my nose.

A year had passed and still this injury debilitated me, making me feel incapable when I had never been before. Anger filled me slowly, like a coiling beast slithering through my chest. I was less than a man now, crippled as I was. Unable to go back into battle, I was confined to my residence, only leaving if as a yangban I was required in court. But my uncle kept me far away and now with his gift, any woman of class would be doubly hesitant to tie herself to me. He had asked me to prove my loyalty when I already sacrificed my body, now my own bloodline was threatened. I closed my eyes and concentrated, willing my racing heart to slow lest I bleed out. I’d had no real ambitions other than to stay alive in the poisonous nest that I was born into. All of these things could wait. While I tried to center myself and yelled out for the servant to drive faster, I didn’t notice my slip into unconsciousness.

My door to the choheon was opened swiftly and I fell sideways into the arms of the waiting hain, his grip strong when I faltered in my hold.

“Jibeja! Someone go, call the imperial physician for the master!”

Muted voices surrounded me on all sides, and I cracked an eyelid open as a warm cloth was pressed to my forehead.

“Awake now? That’s very good,” said a crisp voice to my left and I felt myself twitch a little in familiarity. Damn, another session of nagging was imminent. Feigning sleep was out of the question but I stayed pressed back against my pillows, able but not willing to sit up. Maybe if I looked pitiful enough the man would be quick about his tirade.

“General you have done yourself a great disservice,” the palace physician said quickly, his tongue his teeth in annoyance. The sound was one I’d heard dozens of times before and I was inclined to ignore it. My head pounded in time to each beat of my heart but thankfully some of the pain in my leg had lessened. I made myself remember that this man had saved my life after I was fresh from the Mongol territories. A little disrespect could be tolerated.

“You’ve torn a section of the wound open, thankfully it wasn’t wider or you’d be forced into bed rest once again. I would remind the general that the healing arts are not infallible. You must heed the orders or your caretakers and properly recuperate. No physical activity for three weeks,” he said in a tone that brooked no argument.

The man’s look was stern, his long grey beard reaching down to the center of his chest. I sighed deeply as I nodded in affirmation, my hands gripping the sheets in frustration. Dismissed, the physician gathered his things and left my suite, closing the door softly behind himself.

“GiTae, the woman...Has she made it here?” My voice croaked dryly and my steward was there with a cup full of water, the taste of it clean and fresh as he poured small sips of it down my throat. When I was finished he bowed respectfully and filled it again, placing it in my hands.

“Master this servant knows, your sowon is being served by two maids that I have purchased. She is sequestered in her own courtyard.” I breathed out a sigh of relief at his words, glad that the older man was here. If things ever went poorly, I could at least be sure GiTae would be able to handle the fallout.

“This is good, you have done well. But one more thing; hire her a tutor. She must learn our language.” I didn’t know where the sudden thought had come from, but I was reminded of that strong gaze looking over me. There was intelligence written all over her features. For some reason I wanted to know her thoughts.

GiTae had served for many years, so the only inkling of surprise that showed on his face was the slightest widening of his eyes. As quickly as it had come it was gone and he was already bowing before me once again in acknowledgement.

“It shall be done as Jibeja has requested.”

A/N: OMG, it's finally done guys! All told this chapter alone was around 6500-7000 words! I am legit thinking my epic undertaking is a bit too epic, but what can we do now that I've begun. The next chapter ihas already been started, so I do hope you'll all stick around and deal with my non-existent update schedule. As always please UPVOTE, COMMENT and SUBSCRIBE for more content. Remember to leave your comments down below, tell me what you liked about this chapter and what you think will happen next. Much love guys, <3!