Tears of the Moon
Chapter 07

She didn't know what it was that woke her, but nevertheless in this darkness of the night she was wide awake. Her eyes were wide open, her body was on high alert and her whole being was electrified like on haywire. 

She looked around but could only see the extreme darkness that enveloped her. She closed her eyes and tried to have her ears scope out anything amiss but could only hear the tiny rift-raft shake of the windows as the window try to break inside her chamber. She then tried to feel anything and everything around her but could only feel the cold winter surround her. It was pretty normal. Everything was pretty normal.

But it still felt weird, like something was wrong, like something was amiss.

That feeling, the feeling that seemed to crawl on her like second skin. A feeling that little by little until gooseflesh where all over her body. 

It nagged her every senses. That even in the darkness it still felt blinding to her eyes; even with the familiar rhythmic wind blowing outside she could still hear it pierce through her ears; even in the freezing weather it still felt like her heart was hundred degrees colder.

It nagged and bothered her. But then again it was just not a feeling; it was also about feeling it but not guessing what specifically it was. That was what made her afraid, feeling it yet not knowing what it was.

It was what her brain keep conjuring up her mind, possibilities that is too scary to think about yet too possible to erase. It was what made her heart palpitate without any cause. It was what made her hand feel damp even in the cold freezing weather.

It was that feeling. A feeling that nagged and crawled at every senses and every angle.

She sighed trying to forget anything and think positively but she knew it was useless. The feeling won't go away just like the last time. And the last time she had felt that way was when her mother passed away. The same feeling. It was really a terrifying thought and feeling.

She tried to rub away how her skins seem to stand up but it was useless. nothing and no one can erase it, it will nag persistently until it drops it's bomb in her face to blind, shock and freeze all her senses over.

She knew that she will not be able to sleep now, it was useless to even try.

She her side lamp and it illuminated her tiny and humble chamber. The tiny dancing flicker of the lamp was enough to give light to everything around her from her tiny cot bed, to her tiny desk where she reads, to the low, dark and lapidated ceiling. With the tiny light from her lamp it gives light to how her current chamber was only the tenth the size of her previous room, the Queen's quarters. She smiled liking what she saw. She liked it here, all small and old. She liked it here.

She looked around. She didn't know what time it was, but she knew it was still a long time for morning to come. She didn't know what to do now, she could probably read but her concentration is not reliable.

She was worried.

She was uneasy.

She was scared.

She sat down, now unable to lie down and be relaxed. She did not know what to do to calm her mind, body and heart.

She remembered the kids that were fast asleep in their rooms, sleeping soundly. She envied how they lived - no worries and all about playing.

'I could clean...', remembering the messy kids quarters.

'Or do laundry..', thinking about the mountain high laundry after their snowball fight yesterday

She shook her head shuddering at the cold, 'no, not the laundry'

'But the cleaning... I could do that. Yes, that is it.'

'After cleaning I'd be tired enough to sleep again.' she rationalized.

She stood up and went to get her winter coat. The kids will still be asleep but she will just clean around them.

She opened the door of her chamber and immediately the wind blew past her, it felt like a slap on her face. Her whole body shivered. It was more freezing cold outside. She wrapped the winter coat around her body and reached for the winter wrap from the side of the door, and wrapped her head and neck with it. It was enough to make sure she will not die while crossing from her chamber to the children’s quarters.

She stepped out of her chamber, still cold but determined.

She looked at the sky and smiled, the crescent moon was bright and visible. She did not know that it would be showing tonight but she liked it. It always seemed to calm her like no other, the crescent moon. Even as a child she always liked the moon that way. It always seemed like a shy lady not allowing anyone to see everything around her but just that little crescent part of her.

She put on her winter shoes, a little bit of shiver gone.

She stood and marveled at the little illumination from the moon, the wind blowing and the winter wind cold. She was a little calmer yet still very much terrified.

She took a step into the snow, and immediately her foot sank until mid leg. The snow was that deep already after early last night’s snow fall -- leg high deep.

She took another step with her other foot. Both legs sinking and seemingly trapped. It was hard to move but with the stick at the side of her quarters, she used it as support to pull her other leg to move forward.

She walked in snail's pace, onward and forward. Slow yet sure. Her breathes were turning into cold puffs in front of her. She was really cold. It was hard but it was not impossible.

She was in the middle of her path from her chambers to the kid’s quarters when she stopped. Wanting to take a breather first before continuing on. She looked at the foot prints she had made from her chambers to where she stood now, she smiled. She had only taken a couple of steps, ten steps, yet it felt like she had climbed a mountain, it was that hard.

But she like it, with her blood pumping in her veins even.

The wind blew and she shivered again, it was time to move before she froze to death.

She started to walk again, when the wind seem to blew just on her left ear.

The wind sounded fiercer that usual. Her heart jolted.

"....Milady" she heard a faint shout. A warning.

She turned around but could not see anything in the night. Yes the moon was up but it was still dark to see anything clearly.

She turned to look at her back trying to locate that familiar sound but she saw nothing. Then she just felt another wind blew at her right, it made hair flying fiercely.

Before she could react, many things happened before her eyes. She saw a very familiar figure jump over the roof and HyunMin was by her side as arrows flew passed her.

"Milady please step inside" HyunMin spoke tensely as he waved his sword against the arrows.

Without second thoughts, she ran toward the children’s quarters. Her heart was hammering in her chest, her breathing was heavy and strained, and her legs were cold yet moving on survivals instinct.

She could her the clinking of metal to metal and the clashing of sword to sword.

At the threshold of the children's quarters she looked back and saw that HyunMin was fighting a masked man and just at the roof, the familiar figure was none other than her older brother fighting another masked man.

She saw how the masked man nearly sliced through HyunMin but sighed a breath of relief when he escaped narrowly. She stared at the horror of seeing how the fight was becoming piercer and more dangerous. She was afraid, afraid for her brother and her guard. She wanted to help but she knew she would only bring hindrance if she showed herself.

She felt tears flowed from her eyes, she wiped it away and felt a little twinge of pain. She looked at her hands and saw blood in her hands. She felt her cheeks again and felt pain again. She looked at the fighting before her eyes and saw the arrow that here centered on where she stood. 

She had been the target. The arrows that narrowly missed her, was intended for her head.

She felt gooseflesh around her skin, 'so this is it.'

Her brother just then jumped toward the center of the court and help her guard. Glancing up she saw that the masked man her brother was fighter was slumped over the roof. Glancing back down before her eyes, she saw her brother's sword pierced toward the second masked man's heart, kneeling down before his brother brought the last attack by slicing his neck. He was dead before his face fell down the snow.

Her brother and her guard both stood in the center of the court, breathing hard. Strained from the fighting. 

Her brother then nodded toward Hyunmin before he disappeared and his brother looked up to her and said, "Milady, we need to talk"

She nodded and motioned for their conversation to be done at her chambers, 'this was it'

Her brother nodded and escorted her to her room.

The lamp was still on but even inside she saw everything. The wind was still blowing the same but it felt like noise was all over her.  She was inside her room but it felt colder now.

She knew something was going on to make her brother come to her.

She knew something was going on if assassins were coming for her.

She knew that she will now be hearing the reason why she was jolted awake in the middle of the night. It was here.

It was really cold, she did not like this type of cold, it seeped through from her skin to her heart and soul.

The sound was supposed to be calming with the wind rhythmic blowing but she did not like this semi silence. Her brain was shouting her to deafness with possibilities and her worries.

She dancing flicker of the lam beside her, illuminated half of her brother's face. It was enough to see the hard and serious contours of his face. He was bringing in some news. He didn't want to give it but still the news he had to give her.

She did not like it but nevertheless she needed to hear it.

"Milady.." her brother started.

"Brother, please stop calling me that", she wanted to cling still to her current life even for just a few more seconds. 'Just a few more seconds'.

He nodded, knowing her silent request, "Gyuri-ah.."

She smiled. 'Thank you brother…  for knowing me  so well'

He sighed, she felt her heart constrict seeing that her brother was having a hard time saying the words, 'As the town's people say, the palace already knows I am here....'

She smiled again, "It's okay brother, just tell me."

'Tell me that the palace already knows I escaped and they want me brought back to be tried for treason'

Her brother looked back straight to her eyes and motioned, "...you father is making a commotion at the palace. he is accusing the concubine's clan of kidnapping you"

She looked at her brother, shocked, 'but that is not what I heard'

"He is saying that since it has been five months that you are gone, you might be dead already", he wants to the entire clan to be punished.

She shook her head and reasoned. "But I though the ministers are saying that they know I escaped.."

Her brother shook his head and answered, "Those rumors are also circulating but our father has brought in evidence that states you are killed already. and it all points to the Concubines clan."

She shook her head, disgusted with her father’s tactics.

"But.. What did the king say" she asked

"The king has not made any decisions. He seemed to stay silent"

"He has been cooped up in his chambers for the past five months from your disappearance. Speculations state that his health is bad."

"Your father are using all this as evidence for the Concubines guilt"

"The accusation stated that they are trying to usurp the throne, with you gone and the king not in good health the next in line would either be the concubine and his cland..."

"...or the King's brother, but everyone knows the king's older brother is long dead."

"The king is sick? Why haven't I heard it from town?", She felt her heart constrict more, hurting at the thought of the king's pain

"The king's health issue is being put under wraps. No one outside of the palace knows"

Her brother sighed now. She saw her brother's hand fisted, she knew that the worst was yet to come, "Tell me brother.. what is it. I know there is more"

"Your father wants GyuMi to be placed as the Queen since you are gone. He is reasoning that for the people to believe that the Concubines family not to be accused of usurping the royal line, then the queen's seat must be held by someone from our family."

Her breathe was caught, 'gyumi? 15 years old gyumi? in the palace?'

"Gyumi came to me crying, wanting me to look for you... Begging help tp escape", her brother's voice came in soft and serious.

She stood up, "NO!"

The thing that woke her up, that feeling. She now knew what it was. 'It was this’

She imagined all her horrible childhood memories in the palace, "NO!"

"I know how you feel but what will we do?", solemnly asked her brother.