The night hangs above and the court prison remains largely quiet until a sudden blare of siren disrupts its peace, alarming the prison guards along with their sole prisoner. 

Chanyeol had been lying on the strewn hay of his prison cell in pursuit of sleep when the siren pierced his ears and immediately he knew the meaning behind it— the palace’s security had been threatened.

Chanyeol now anxiously lingers by his cell door, peering at the courtyard, where the guards can be seen murmuring amongst themselves in worried confusion.

Moments later a panic-stricken patrol guard sprints inside the prison courtyard. “We are under attack! An army of rebels have stormed the palace!”

Upon having their fears confirmed, the prison guards clamor in dismay, while Chanyeol’s thoughts instantly travel to the King and his safety.

“We must stay on high alert and be prepared for a fight if need be,” the chief of the prison guards declares.

Having recognized the patrol guard from his days as a palace guard, himself, Chanyeol calls for the man. “Pansul! Lim Pansul!” 

The patrol guard squints his eyes in Chanyeol’s direction quizically. “Park Naeguemwi nauri¹?” He runs toward Chanyeol’s cell having recognized him. “Nauri, so it is true? You have indeed been held in confinement? But why?”

“It matters not at present,” Chanyeol hastily dismisses his former comrade’s question. “Tell me what precisely is happening? Do we know the nature of the attack?”

“I’m afraid I do not know the particulars, but I believe they have specifically targeted the central palace."

“The King!" Chanyeol exclaims. "I must go out there. I cannot stay here while His Majesty’s safety is at stake,” he says with urgency.

“If only it were possible,” the patrol guard states dejectedly.

Chanyeol grunts in frustration. He simply cannot bear the thought of the King’s safety possibly being in peril while he stays in captivity like a feckless indolent. He takes a brief moment to appraise his circumstances.

As the King’s loyal servant, Chanyeol has vowed to protect his master until his last breath. He may be a prisoner, but dead he is not, and for as long as he still breathes he will do everything in his power to honor his vow. 

“Lim Pansul.”

“Yes, nauri?”

“I am in desperate need of your assistance. Will you help me?” 

╚══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══╝

Mura struggles to come to terms with what she sees. She must be experiencing delirium. The man before her couldn’t possibly be Prince Jongin. 

“What are you doing here?” The prince asks her, seemingly as puzzled by her presence as she is by his.

“I should ask you the same.” Mura stands as an obstacle between the unconscious king and the dubious prince; the blade of her sword erect and tilted forward. 

Jongin looks over her shoulder and takes a glimpse of the king's deadened state. “So the rumors were true… the King is indeed gravely ill.”

“Why are you here, Gun-mama?” Mura questions him.

“I have my reasons," Jongin answers. "You, on the other hand, may no longer stay. Drop your sword and I shall have someone you out safely.”

“Tell me you do not intend harm upon His Majesty,” Mura asks.

"Do as I say and drop your sword." Jongin ignores her query.

“For the love of heavens!” Mura struggles to maintain her guard, much too overwhelmed with sentiments. “Mama, I must urge you to assure me that you are not here to harm His Majesty.” She swallows a sob. “Please?” She holds on to a splinter of hope that the prince harbors no vicious intent.

“I am sorry to disappoint, but I cannot give you the assurance you seek, Park-sshi,” Jongin answers, stone-faced. 

And just like that, the last small shard of faith Mura had in the prince gets crushed under the boot of his betrayal. 

But there is no time to wallow. Mura tightens the grip around the hilt of her sword while her expression toughens. “Then you leave me with no choice.”

With that vague warning, she charges at the prince. Her first attempt at a blow is easily deflected by the other's blade. But that does not deter Mura from making further attempts, but each subsequent attack is skillfully avoided by her more deft opponent. 

Their confrontation takes them to the corridor where they come to a momentary standstill, albeit their swords still aimed at each other. 

Mura can’t help but feel the prince is holding back for reasons unknown. All he has done thus far is deflect and evade Mura’s attacks. He has not attempted a single offensive strike at her, which only adds to her perturbation that he is employing some wile strategy.

“Yield!” Mura growls. “It isn’t too late for you to surrender and atone for your sins.”

“Do not patronize me,” Jongin snarls. “Sins have indeed been committed, but not by me.”

“So you refuse to surrender?”

Jongin scoffs. “I have not come this far only to surrender to the wills of a trifling woman.”

Mura grunts and swings her sword, resuming the fight. The sound of metal clashing rings sharply as they battle it out. 

Mura soon comes to the realization that instead of injuring her, the prince is simply attempting to disarm her. She cannot allow that. She finds herself stepping in reverse as she obstructs the other’s attempts when she unceremoniously trips on one of the corpses lying in the corridor causing her to fall on her rear.

A perfect opportunity for Jongin to point the sword down at her in triumph. “Enough! I will have no more of your rubbish.”

Mura glowers up at the prince as she heaves. Jongin then notices her eyes flicker behind him for a swift moment. His instincts tell him to turn around, so he does only to find an unfamiliar woman at the King’s chamber door gripping a large porcelain vase. 

Eunbo immediately stills upon being discovered by Jongin. Panic-stricken, she begins to tremble pitifully.

She had been discreetly witnessing the skirmish between Mura and Jongin taking place in the corridor from her hideaway behind the divider inside the King’s chamber. But when she had caught the prince standing over a helpless Mura with his sword pointed at her, she felt the need to do something to save the former crown princess. Thus, she made the hurried decision of grabbing one of the decorative vases perched on top of a cupboard and sneaking behind the prince in order to strike him.

However, that vase now lays scattered on the floor as it slips from Eunbo’s shaky hands. Afraid for her life, Eunbo takes backward steps re-entering the king’s chamber as an incensed Jongin menacingly draws near her, entering the chamber himself. A flood of tears courses down Eunbo’s face before she stumbles and falls.

Jongin looms over her and is about to inflict a fatal blow when the hairs on the back of his neck become erect in warning. He swiftly spins around to find Mura advancing at him with her sword. He moves aside just in time to evade the other’s attack and another round of skirmish unfolds between the two, now inside the king’s chamber.

Meanwhile, Eunbo frantically crawls away to the nearest corner where she cowers in terror. 

Mura becomes overwhelmed by Jongin’s prowess as it seems the prince has adopted a more aggressive approach this time. She shuffles backward while trying to withstand the prince’s attacks, nearing dangerously close to the King, who seems to have regained consciousness due to the ruckus but continues to be paralyzed by his feeble state.

Mura then finds herself blocking a downward straight cut from Jongin, but instead of withdrawing his sword, Jongin presses down against Mura’s blade with his own. 

Mura struggles under the prince’s force. She tries her best to fend him off, but instead, she is brought down to her knees by the other’s might. Forced to utilize both of her hands now, Mura tries to counter the prince’s duress barreling down on her, but it proves to be difficult with her wrists increasingly growing weary.

In the end, her wrists fail to persevere causing Mura to loosen the grip around her sword and prompting Jongin to successfully disarm her. Mura tries to reach for the weapon, but Jongin kicks it and the weapon sweeps further away.

In a final desperate attempt to save her husband, Mura hastily crawls toward him and uses herself as a shield.

Baekhyun, still debilitated, tries to feebly reach for his wife. His mind is much too clouded with his ills to grasp the happenings around him.

Jongin walks up to them and points his sword down at Mura. “Move,” he commands.

“If you wish to get to him, you shall have to kill me first,” Mura declares valiantly.

Jongin swings his blade below Mura’s jaw, stopping within a hair’s breadth of her skin, making her jolt. “And you believe that I won’t?”

Despite her inner trepidations, Mura continues to don a fierce expression. “No, I am certain that you will. A man who has no qualms about taking the life of his flesh and blood—”

“Half-blood.” Jongin is quick to correct. 

“Nevertheless, blood is blood. What chance might I— an occasional acquaintance at best— have in comparison?”

“Precisely. Hence why,” 

Mura takes in a sharp breath, her chest rising, as Jongin’s blade breaks the skin on her neck. Not nearly deep enough to inflict any meaningful harm, but enough to exude a small drop of blood. 

“I shall end you right here and now,” Jongin finishes.

However, Jongin’s actions, or lack thereof, contrast his words. He continues to rest the blade of his sword against the other’s neck, but cannot bring himself to actually slice it along the other’s throat. His conflicted heart won’t allow him. 

“Mama!” A breathless Uncle Shin appears abruptly. He regards the confrontation between his nephew and what appears to be a royal nurse quizzically. 

“The king’s seal?” Jongin asks his uncle without averting his gaze away from Mura. 

“I have it,” Uncle Shin informs delightedly. He unfolds a silk wrapping and presents his nephew with a gold seal fashioned in the likeness of a turtle. 

Jongin steals a quick glimpse of the seal before his gaze settles back on Mura. 

“Our men are also holding strong against the palace’s forces. Now, all that remains is for you to kill the King,” Uncle Shin states. “You must make haste, Mama. Allow me to deal with the nurse.” He goes to reach for Mura.

“Do not harm her,” Jongin orders. “Simply restrain her.”

Uncle Shin fails to understand why his nephew would concern himself with the well-being of a mere nurse. Regardless, he obeys his nephew’s command. 

“No! Do not touch me!” Mura screams in futile as the elder man prises her away from the King.

“Buin,” Baekhyun murmurs infirmly while fruitlessly trying to reach for her as she is dragged away from him. His frail mind still cannot comprehend what is happening around him. He cannot even distinguish if it is reality or merely a dream.

Jongin points the tip of his sword downward before raising it above the debilitated king.

“No!” Mura shrieks. “No, please, Mama, do not do this. Please, I beg of you.” She wails desperately, caged within Uncle Shin's arms.

“Your pleas are naught but in vain,” Jongin tells her.

“Then you might as well just kill me first. Please, kill me first.” Mura bawls. Death would be preferable over having to witness the killing of the man she loves so fervently.

“Even after he cast you away, you hold him in affection,” Jongin speaks with bitter jealousy. “How pathetic.” And it makes him loathe his brother all the more.

“Hyungnim?” Baekhyun whispers. 

“Yes, Brother, it is me,” Jongin crows. “You have awakened not a moment too soon. It is only right that you see the face of the man who is about to bring your end. May you be granted a much happier fate in your next life, Brother.”

Jongin is about to his sword into his brother’s heart when a dagger comes spinning in his direction and embeds itself into his right shoulder.

A pained cry retches out of Jongin and his hands drop to his sides, halting his murderous intent. 

The offender of the blow reveals himself to be none other than Chanyeol. 

Upon catching sight of the king’s chief personal guard, Uncle Shin releases Mura with a shove before charging at Chanyeol; also abandoning the royal seal in the process. A sword fight commences between the two men in the corridor. 

As Jongin tries to recover from the throbbing pain of the lodged dagger in his shoulder, Mura seizes the opportunity to reclaim her sword before pouncing at him once again. Her attack fails to strike a blow as the other manages to evade her attempt, but she does succeed in repelling the other away from the King. 

Once again, Mura stands as an obstacle between her husband and his treacherous brother, aiming her sword in the latter’s direction.

As he and Mura come to a standstill, Jongin assesses the predicament he finds himself in. The injury to his right shoulder has now rendered his right arm— his dominant arm— quite stiff and weak. As such, he is having difficulty swinging his sword as efficiently. He may gain better mobility in his arm if he were to yank out the dagger, but that may cause him to lose too much blood. 

He ponders over his prospects of securing another victory over Mura in his current state. She might be a woman, but her skills are nothing to scoff at. Jongin is in dire need of reinforcements, but until they arrive, he must do it on his own. No more will he allow the woman before him to stand in his way. No more will he let his fondness for her waver him. This time, he will decidedly kill Park Mura.

The renewed determination strengthens Jongin’s weakening arm and numbs the pain in his shoulder. He plows ahead and so does his opponent, and yet again a clash of metal ensues between a man desperately fighting for his grand ambitions and a woman desperately fighting to protect her husband. One is driven by greed, the other by love.

Unfortunately for Jongin, the initial burst of vigor soon begins to deplete as the pain in his shoulder makes its unwelcome return and the muscles within his arm grow increasingly weary. 

The rapid decline in Jongin’s prowess invigorates Mura’s own might. 

Meanwhile, Chanyeol easily incapacitates Uncle Shin in the halls, but soon finds himself being charged by two rebel soldiers. 

The rebels try their best to eliminate the personal guard, but their efforts prove ineffective in the face of the ferocious guard’s superior combat skills.

Immediately after Chanyeol slays the two rebels, a piercing cry of a woman erupts from inside the king’s chamber. Chanyeol rushes there but halts immediately at the threshold upon beholding the unexpected sight of Jongin holding a terrified Eunbo hostage within his arms with the edge of his sword resting below her jaw. 

It is a sight that causes the blood flowing within Chanyeol to boil. Oh, how he wishes to snap the prince's head with his bare hands. 

“Do not come near!” Jongin warns the personal guard when the said guard attempts to cross the threshold of the king’s chamber with menace in his eyes. “Or else, I will slit .”

Eunbo moans in terror as she feels the cold steel of the prince’s sword against her skin. 

The bubbling hot blood within Chanyeol suddenly runs cold at the prospect of harm coming upon the royal consort. He has never known such hopeless fear before. 

On the other side of Jongin, Mura, too, stands frozen with her sword still raised defensively. She nearly prevailed over the prince during their combat when he took an unexpected course of action and managed to capture the royal consort, who had sat cowering in a nearby corner. 

“Drop your sword and step away from the door,” the prince instructs Chanyeol. “Otherwise, she dies,” he threatens Eunbo’s life again. 

Jongin’s state is worsening. Not only is he considerably weak and in excruciating pain, but the world around him has begun to spin, as well. Outnumbered, outpowered, and with none of his men in sight, Jongin has no choice but to retreat. No doubt, the central army has been alerted by now and their reinforcement unit could very well be on its way now to thwart the insurrection. He must escape with his life intact while he still can. 

Chanyeol knows better than to give in to an enemy’s demands, but presently he can think of nothing else but the safety of Consort Yoo. Therefore, he does as told— drops his sword and slowly steps away from the door. “If you harm her, I will tear you from limb to limb,” Chanyeol snarls. 

“As long as I am allowed to leave the premises unimpeded, no harm shall come upon her,” Jongin assures. 

Mura remains rooted in front of her bedridden husband; the blade of her sword still raised high as a precautionary measure.

Jongin, with Eunbo as a shield, takes measured steps outside the chamber and into the corridor, where Chanyeol remains some distance away, eyes trained on the prince and the royal consort while his heart pulsates violently in trepidation. Jongin cautiously takes backward steps toward the egress while maintaining strict eye contact with the personal guard. 

Meanwhile, Eunbo quietly sobs within the prince’s hold, still feeling the coldness of his blade against her neck. 

Jongin's eyes then momentarily fall on his uncle, who sits on the corridor floor reclined against a wall, motionless. Jongin isn't certain whether he is alive or not, but regardless, he has no choice but to abandon the elder. He must leave behind the man who has been his mentor, his champion for so many years, his one true ally, and it devastates Jongin. He cannot even give the elder a respectful funeral he deserves.

Then two of Jongin’s men rush in before stopping beside the prince and aiming their swords in Chanyeol's direction. They regard the injured state of their master worriedly and it dawns on them that they have failed in their mission.

“Mama, the central army reinforcements are on their way here. We will soon be outnumbered. We must flee at once.” 

Now armed with the security of his men, Jongin pushes the royal consort away from him before running off with his men. 

Eunbo, who falls to the ground from the sheer force of the push is promptly approached by Chanyeol, who kneels before her. 

“Jaga, are you quite all right? Are you unharmed?” The personal guard inquires. 

Eunbo, still afraid and desperate for comfort, wordlessly throws herself in the personal guard’s arms before bursting into tears. 

Chanyeol, positively bemused, struggles to think how he should respond. His hands tentatively hover over the royal consort’s back— every part of his being imploring him to return the embrace and comfort the woman. But alas, such contact will be grossly inappropriate, so he lets his hands fall to his sides. However, he does allow the royal consort to continue holding him and sobbing against his chest. He chooses to comfort her verbally, instead. “You are now safe, Jaga. You are safe.” The words are meant to reassure himself as much as they are the royal consort.

Soon after, Lord Park appears in the king’s quarters alongside a swarm of soldiers from the central army. He finds Chanyeol in the corridor, but there are more pressing matters at hand than fretting over his nephew’s presence there instead of the court prison.

The left state councilor rushes to the king’s chamber, where he finds his daughter wielding a sword. He is immensely relieved to find both her and the King alive and unharmed.

Upon finding her husband’s life is no longer in imminent danger, Mura drops her sword and kneels beside him before draping herself over his body and weeping with relief. 

╚══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══╝

Translation:

1. Nauri: sir.

A/N: our badass Mura saved the king! With a little help from Chanyeol of course. This chapter was wholly out of my comfort zone but I hope I did it justice. Hope you enjoyed!