;~;~;~;~;~;

“Namjoo! Namjoo!” her grandma ran toward the hut the next morning.

Namjoo turned away from the clothes she was folding up and stood when she saw her grandma.

“A soldier has come!”

“A soldier?” Namjoo asked when her lips immediately fell apart.

She turned to look out the door before running outside and just as her grandma had said, there was a soldier on horseback waiting for her at the front gate. Namjoo froze where she was, her heart high in her chest. Was this bad news? Had it finally happened? Was Chanyeol…not coming home?

“Your husband’s been severely injured,” the soldier informed, “he’s in the palace hospital waiting for you.”

With no suspicion Namjoo mounted her horse and followed him through the forest. She’d never been to the palace before so she completely trusted the soldier’s guidance. A crowd of trees were now all around her. She didn’t realize how deep they were in the forest until it was already too late. It wasn’t until she spotted another armed soldier up ahead did she come to a slow stop.

Chanyeol had told her once that if a palace soldier was to guide you, it meant he’d put his life on the line to make sure you got to where you were supposed to; and he should be the only one with you unless there were other circumstances. Bells were ringing in her head as she noticed the sword hanging off the side of the horse.

Why was she being brought there?  

“What are you doing?” the soldier questioned when he turned back to look at her.

Namjoo glanced at him quietly. To ask him why or to run?

“Why…are there two of you?” Namjoo asked.

The soldiers glanced at each other before the one who’d been waiting said, “Lets just get this over with!”

Namjoo’s heart thrashed wildly within her chest when the soldier began to pull the sword out of its sheath. Immediately grabbing the reigns she pulled and turned her horse around. She needed to run. She didn’t want to die. She was afraid…

The horse started off at a run and Namjoo was certain that she would be safe. That was until she heard something fly through the air and stab the horse by surprise. As the horse collapsed to the ground Namjoo fell along with it. She rolled off the saddle with a scream and was only able to regain herself when she heard the soldier’s horse running toward her.

The soldier stopped his horse and climbed off it before starting toward her. Namjoo let out a cry of fear as she struggled to pull herself up and made it only a foot forward when she felt him grab her arm. She screamed and tried to pull away, but she was too weak and he too strong.

“Come here, come here you little!” he threatened trying to turn her around.

Namjoo continued screaming and with her utmost effort to push him off before she heard her cheap robe rip. Her eyes widened when she felt a breeze fly over her bare shoulder before she turned to look at the soldier’s eyes that had suddenly become hungry. Another loud scream deafened the surrounding woods before he pulled her toward him with even more strength.

Unable to shout, Namjoo repeatedly screamed as her body collided against him and he shoved her to the floor of the forest.

“Let me taste you before I kill you,” he tossed off his armor before climbing over her.

Namjoo cried deliriously and felt loose strands of her hair stick against her face.

“What are you doing!?” the other soldier shouted.

“Just shut up and stand there!” he grabbed her wrist and pinned it down before attacking her neck and fought to split her legs apart.

Tears rolled out and Namjoo felt engulfed in deep fear. No one would help her. No one would come to her rescue and Chanyeol would never know what had happened to her. Namjoo let out a loud gasp as she cried and fought to gather her knees together before kicking the soldier in the abdomen. He let out a shout of surprise and Namjoo immediately rose to her knees before stepping up and ran.

A loud sob heaved itself from her chest as she raced past trees and tripped over her own feet when she turned to look back. They were coming after her and they were going to finish her. She’d never been so frightened before.

Namjoo panted and turned to look around. She was lost. She didn’t know where she was. All she saw were trees and more trees. Terrible tears ran down her eyes as she finally saw the river Chanyeol had taken her to just a few days before. Her heart raced at the thought that she was near home, but Namjoo slid to a stop when she saw the huge waves roaring by. It was a threatening river ravine that could kill and drown. This was the scarier part of the river and she wouldn’t be able to escape to the other side unless she wanted to try running through the waves.

Escape suddenly became impossible. A cry fell out her lips, but she had no time to debate. Namjoo spun around at the footsteps behind her and saw the soldiers come to a halt just a few feet away. Namjoo took a step back in fear and stopped when she felt water soak up her shoe.

“Come here. You can’t go over there,” the soldier who had assaulted her waved for her to go over to him.

Namjoo felt her lips shake and turned to look behind her. The waves continued echoing in her ears and she knew she had nowhere to run. Finally determined she turned around to step into the river, but felt the soldier tug at her robe and try to pull her toward him. Namjoo let out another cry as she turned around to free herself and he suddenly reached for her hand, but instead grasped onto the golden bracelet Chanyeol had given her.

They engaged into a tug of war before her robe ripped and losing her footing Namjoo plunged backwards into the ravine unaware of the bracelet that had flung off her wrist. She first swallowed a mouthful of water and rose to the surface to cough. With her best effort she tried flinging her arms around, but the waves were already carrying her away and held her body down.

Namjoo was trapped. She turned to look around, but she was too far in the middle of the ravine to catch any branch drooping into the river. Namjoo heard something roar and swiveled her head around just as she reached a dropping waterfall. She couldn’t even scream as she was pushed off and felt her head hit the deep waters moments later before all became black and blue.

;~;~;~;~;~;

Chanyeol let out a shout and swung his sword forward. The Mongol soldier in front of him was immediately struck down and he turned around to attack another one coming from behind. The impact of the clashing swords caused their swords to fly in different directions. The Mongol soldier reached forward to punch him. He flew to the ground before the Mongol soldier climbed above him in an effort to strangle him.

Chanyeol’s face was streaked with dirt, grime, and blood from the long hours of fighting. He was fatigued and ready to call an end to all this fighting. But all his energy came swerving back when he felt the necklace around his neck break. Suddenly slamming the Mongol soldier in the face Chanyeol threw him off and deliriously beat him before crawling around in search of the precious necklace that Namjoo had given him.

He felt his heart race and clutched it into the center of his palm. Oblivious to all the fighting around him he glanced at the broken necklace and clamped his eyes shut. He was relieved, but yet for some reason felt broken inside.

“General!” one of the soldiers called out interrupting him. “We can’t hold them off any longer!”

When Chanyeol turned around he saw all the bodies lying on the ground and the blood that was slowly forming a mini-lake. And at last they finally pulled back.

“I’m sorry, your Majesty! Your loyal servant has failed you!” Chanyeol apologized bowing his head in front of the king the next morning when they finally made it back to the palace.

“Raise your head, general,” the King ordered. “It is time the kingdom be usurped by our enemies. We could not have won even if luck belonged to us.”

Loud rushed footsteps echoed down the hall before a soldier appeared at the doors. He seemed to search the room before running forward.

“I bet your apology, your Majesty,” the soldier bowed toward the King before turning to Chanyeol, “General, it’s been reported that your wife has gone missing.”

Chanyeol’s lips fell apart before he turned back to look at the King who nodded toward him.

“General!” Heora shouted from where she stood beside the queen seated in her throne.

But Chanyeol could not give a damn about anything if what he had at hand concerned Namjoo. Immediately jumping onto his horse he rode all the way into the village. Namjoo’s grandma immediately rose from where she was sitting and ran toward him desolately.

“Namjoo…she hasn’t come back! What do I do!? What do I do!? My dear granddaughter…” the grandma grabbed his hands and shook him.

“Where is she? Where did she go?” Chanyeol wildly looked around.                          

Her grandma sobbed for a moment before shaking her head, “A soldier came and took her. I don’t know where they went.”

Chanyeol watched dumbfounded as grandma shook her head in complete loss.

Grabbing her shoulders he interrogated, “A soldier?! Why did they come here!? What did they say to her!?”

“They said you were in the palace hospital…”

Chanyeol’s eyes widened and he turned to look around. Suddenly leaving Namjoo’s grandma behind he dashed off toward the forest.

“Namjoo! Namjoo!” he screamed from the top of his lungs. “Namjoo!”

Chanyeol walked on for almost a mile before he came across Namjoo’s horse lying on the ground still alive, but bleeding. Kneeling beside it at once Chanyeol saw the arrow pierced into the leg of the horse before standing up to look around. It hit him real hard that something bad had happened and he started fearing for the worst.

“Namjoo!!” he screamed louder than before as he spun around.

He ran…for how long, he didn’t know.

“Namjoo!” he belted out another scream and turned around when he heard water running in the distance.

Chanyeol’s eyes searched the trees and the skies before he trudged forward. The sky was starting to darken, but he wasn’t going to leave until he found his wife. Devastation struck him when he spotted something lying on the ground. Wasting no time he ran toward it and picked the item up. Running his fingers against it he recognized it as the cloth that made up Namjoo’s clothes before he saw something else lying on the ground.

The waves were washing in fast and he felt the tips of the water brush against his fingers as he picked up the golden chain he had given Namjoo as a wedding gift. Tears perked his eyes and he slowly stood up before gazing at the rushing river ravine. For long minutes on end he watched the river run by refusing to acknowledge the fact that this had been the last place Namjoo had been at.

“Namjoo!!!!!” he screamed heartbrokenly.

;~;~;~;~;~;

The soldier laughed and watched his friend run off before stepping into the empty lounge. The curtains inside were flying free due to the force of the wind before the doors behind him suddenly slammed shut.

“Who’s there!?” he spun around in alarm and looked around.

The evening sun shone in through the paper walls and he immediately turned to look around the dim darkness for anyone who might be pulling a trick on him.

“Who’s there?” he asked again and slowly started toward the unlit lantern at the table in the middle of the room. “I swear if you don’t come out right now, I’ll slit you.”

The wind whistled in his ear making his hair stand on end before he quickly grabbed the lantern and the long match beside it before his hands scurried to light it. Muffled cries seeped from his lips before he finally lit the match and looked up to see a pale face with blood shot eyes staring back at him. The wind blew again and he watched her long hair fly back before he screamed. And with a wave of her hand the match flew into his face.

“Who’s there!?” someone questioned from outside the room.

Namjoo turned when the door opened and felt her eyes land on the soldier in front of her.

“Who are you?” the soldier interrogated before his eyes landed on the burning man on the ground. “What are you doing!?”

Namjoo pulled her hand back and watched the soldier’s spear fly back and with a wave of her hand watched the spear gut the soldier before blood splattered. Her blood shot eyes roamed over the palace hall before she flew out and landed in the middle of the palace grounds. She tilted her head up to see that the sun was starting to go down and that only meant nighttime was coming. The wind ruffled her long loose hair before she heard footsteps and shouting.

“Intruder!”

“Stop!”

“Who are you!?”

Her eyes were dark and evil. The wind came blowing again and her long hair flew back before she suddenly tilted her head toward the palace soldiers. Namjoo’s eyes turned gray at once and pulled back all the soldiers’ weapons with a wave of her hand.

“You’re all the same!” a deep voice growled out of her. “Killing for pride; never minding the fate of your people! You deserve to die for serving hypocrites!”

The soldiers screamed when their weapons hurdled toward them crying in anguish when they landed on the ground. Namjoo’s fierce eyes scanned the empty grounds before she suddenly turned around to come eye to eye with another soldier sneaking up on her.

A sharp tip dug itself into her back, but she didn’t groan or moan or cry out of pain. Instead he froze upon their eye contact and she mercilessly grabbed his spear before plunging it into his eye. Namjoo didn’t flinch when blood flew onto her face, but turned around calmly and trekked through the blood soaked grounds in a dazed manner before leaving the palace.

;~;~;~;~;~;

Chanyeol didn’t know if his heart was beating any more. He was sore, but it wasn’t because of the wounds inflicted upon him from battle. It hurt deep inside and the pain resonated throughout his body without mercy. He’d lost his dearest person and he didn’t think he could keep living.

Namjoo…

Her smiling face entered his mind and he thought of the way she touched him with her well-proportioned fingers, the way she fed him, and the specific way in she shyly gazed up at him. It hurt…everything hurt…

During the few darkest hours of his life he’d been unfazed by the darkened sky and the high moon in the sky. All that loomed over him was a cloud of darkness. His heart had been snatched away so awfully. What had happened to his beloved? What had the soldiers done to her? Where was she now?

And as if by instinct he suddenly stopped in front of the gate to the hut. His eyes scanned the dirt road in front of him and saw strange dark speckles before spotting a long haired figure sitting on the porch. She looked dazed as if hypnotized. She didn’t seem aware of his presence, but Chanyeol thought he recognized her right away.

His lips fell apart and he just stared. Her eyelids were droopy and her lips were hanging apart before she lazily looked up at him. Chanyeol’s heart raced, but he wasn’t able to act until her torso suddenly leaned forward and she landed with a thud on the ground.

A gasp escaped him and he ran toward her, “Namjoo! Namjoo!”

Her head drooped back over his arm and she didn’t move when he shook her. It didn’t take him long to realize that blood was oozing out of her. Panicked he pulled her up and carried her inside dismissing the fact that she was no longer in the clothes she’d died in.

He lay his bloody wife on her bed and lit the lantern on before searching for anything he could use to soak up the blood pouring out of her back. Gently scooping her head up into his arm he lifted her torso up and pressed the cloth to her back. Chanyeol glanced into her face and thought she looked as she did every night she slept.

So beautiful…so peaceful…

After he was able to apply enough pressure to the cut and stop the bleeding he stepped out into the dark yard to wash his hands free of blood. When he stepped back into their bedroom Namjoo was sitting in bed; her long hair draped over her shoulders messily. Chanyeol was about to smile and talk to her, but when Namjoo looked up at him he saw something in her eyes he’d never seen before.

Grudge and hate.

The wind immediately lapsed by and her hair flew back revealing her pale skin before he suddenly flew through the weak walls of the hut. Chanyeol landed with a thud outside and rolled over once before he finally stopped. When he sat up Namjoo had flown up from where she was sitting and landed in front of the hut just before him. The way she looked at him…was full of such resentment…

“Stop!” a voice shouted and Chanyeol turned to see Namjoo’s grandma following a strange old man through the gates.

Chanyeol’s eyes ran themselves over the strange man before he saw the long sword he was pointing at Namjoo.

Rising to his feet he called out, “Who are you?”  

“Step back,” the old man cautioned, “she’s not who you think she is.”