Tears of the Moon
Chapter 09

The courtyard was filled with tension, palpable to everyone and everything. The air had a semi-silent aura only broken by the random noises from the birds chirping, branches rustling, animal movements and wind gushing passed everyone.  

She sat in the middle of the courtyard regally. It has been more than eight years since she had stood in this same position and area. Eight years since she stood here being honored and named the crown princess.

But now as she sat in the same position and place, it was an entirely different reason. A reason at different spectrum as her coronation day, the complete opposite. 

She sat with chin up and chest square, looking as composed and as in control like any other day. She looked around with only her eyes moving. checking and gauging the different expressions of the people that have come to lay witness to today's procedings.

The people She saw had different types of expressions, with a majority having a sad, happy, expressionless and triumphant facial expression.  

She knew what facial expression to expect from the different clusters of people around as the preparation for today's event was getting completed.

She turned her head to her right and saw the tearful faces of her attendants. She wanted to comfort them, to tell them that it was okay. It had been her decision, no one needs to be sad anymore.

She wanted to comfort then but she knew running up to them was something unacceptable. It was something she could not do even if she just wanted to say 'it's okay'. She knew that she could not do it, not today and not ever.

She looked to her left where most of the ministers stood. She saw up front was the left ministers and behind him were all his minions. She noticed that they were not even really trying to tempt down their smiles. The corners of their lips keeps going up into a sinister sneer. They were all happy and ecstatic. She expected it. They now have what they wanted. She had given them their wish. And they most certainly could not ask for anything more.

She took a deep breath as she heard her father whispere, "Such an ungrateful daughter. You are such a stupid girl"

"You are going to hurt everyone in our family, all the children will suffer because of you"

"You should have stayed in whatever God forsaken hell hole you were in"

She did not need to look back to see the murderous look her father was throwing at her. She could feel his hot stare at the back of her neck. His hatred towards her, burned her nape like hot iron  being pressed to her skin. She had ruined all his plans. He had wanted Gyumi to take her place. He had wanted for her to truly disappear and put her sister as the queen. 

To her father, everything and everyone was expendable. Everyone and everything were chess pieces to his game to gain more power. She would not be surprised if she finds out that it had been her father who had sent the assassins, to finish her off.

But then she came back and ruined everything he planned. His hate really burns through her, but somehow she didn't care anymore. She was not scared of her father anymore.

She knew that she could not say anything that would make her father hate her less. But truthfully she didn't want to explain more, it would be useless. She knew that what she did was very unfilial but this was her last move to right everything. She was not being righteous, she just wanted everything to be put in the right place.

She could not care less anymore. Not about her father or the ministers or her position. 

She hardened her heart. She tried to block out everything and everyone but somehow she still felt a little disheartened. Gauging from the people around, there were more negative feelings towards her than positive. She sighed and sarcastically thought, 'What did you expect Gyuri...'

Then she finally looked up, she looked up at the king who sat upfront.

She studied his face, and like always he sat expressionless. She did not know what he was thinking. She had always wondered what he was thinking. It felt like ages ago when all she cared about was his thought,  

'Because but right now...'

"If I knew you would do this, I should have killed you before you came back to the palace...", she heard her father coldly state from her back.

All those years she longed for him, but now at the pinnacle of her life she did not care anymore.

She sighed thinking about his siblings, 'though I thank you your majesty...'

He had granted her small wish. She had received the letter late last night. She smiled thinking for her brother IlWoo, and sisters Jiyoung and Gyumi, 'they are safe. Thank you for that...'

She continued to stare at him until the trumphets started to belt out to cut the silence.

It has began. She immediately felt a jolt run through her, the end will finally starting.

She sat straighter, hands at her side, chin up, shoulder square and chest out. She sat like she always did, breed to her through the years.

She sat like the Queen that she was, regal and arresting. 

She stared ahead and watch from the corner of her eyes as a man moved forward carrying a paper with him. He opened it and started reading, "After days of investigation and deliberation , the council has finally formed a final verdict of punishment"

Her hands started shaking thus she clasp her hands together tighter and continued listening. She was trembling of the final decision might be. But she had her guess and it was felt like a freezing flow of sinister energy from her skin to her bones.

"Six months ago, the palace was rocked with the most unprecidented event when a group of masked men came and kidnapped the queen. But it was belatedly found out that it was all a lie and that the queen schemed the kidnapped for her escape..." His voice rang through out the courtyard. Everyone was silent.

"We, the council, has found that Park Gyuri, 20th Queen of our monarch guilty of high treason" His voice grew louder. It was like he was shouting. 

His words echoing all through  out the courtyard,  "Guilty .. High treason..."

"High treason..." 

"Treason..."

There were cheers from the opposing council of her father. They were shouting, "That's is right."

"Guilty..." was being chanted for most of the audience.

She sat still, not looking at them. 

She knew it was coming. She expected it. The moment she decided to escape, she knew that it was a possibility, the biggest possibility of her action. She knew she will be labelled as traitor escaping her position.  And when she came back, she knew she will be punished for her daring and treacherous actions..

The drums were sounded to get order in the court as the man continued, "Today we are all here to bring down the law of our country and bring forth punishments. No one is above the law, even the royalty will be punished for action that are deemed harmful to our country and monarch..."

He took a deep breathe and shouted the first verdict, "First to her clan, her clans' wealth will be taken by the government and distributed to the poor for compensation"

"Second to her family, everyone from young to old will be exiled to an island." She could feel all the damning hate from her clansmen who were just at her back. Most of them were also goverment official who are in cahoots with her father.

She knew they rage run deep, and if they can they would likely stab her then and there.

He moved to the next page, "Third, the palace guards will find who has helped her in her escape and everyone will be imprisoned for life."

She prayed that those guards never find her brother and his men. She knew most of them are safe, having fleed when she left the message and money to her brother explaining of what she was going to do and begging him to escape with their sisters. It was her last prayer, for them to go uncaptured, they had helped her, they were not at fault.

The man took a deep breath and continued to read, "Finally, to Park Gyuri, the 20th queen will be stripped down of her title and rank. She will be declared as a slave in our historical manuals..."

The verdict rang like a bomb inside the courtyard

But she knew the worst is yet to come.

She bit her lip and took a deep breath. 'This is nothing. You expected this Gyuri...'

She looked at the king, his face still the same expressioness facade.

The man was not finished yet as he read, "And for treason against the king, she will bear the heaviest punishment. According to our laws, she will be sentenced to death by poison...."

She heard a scream from her left. but she didn't care, whoever it was she did not care. Whether it was a shout for joy or pain. She did not know and did not care cause it was really here. The end was here.

She took a gulp as she heard the final words of the man reading her punishment, "... today will be the day she will be punished and be given the poison"

"This will be warning to one and all of treacherous acts."

She had known that it was going to be her punishment. But hearing about it was really different from just thinking about it. And hearing the verdict made her feel heavy, 'it is here'

She knew she will die now. 

She continued to look at the King, and he looked at her continually. They stared at each other like they were the only two people in the world.

'it's here...'

'the end...'

She bit her lip, a little scared and anxious. 

She wanted to cry but looking at the king made her tears stop from falling.

They stared at each other as the preparation was being done for her. She knew that her clans were causing a ruckus and her father was raging but she did not look back. His wealth and position will be stripped away, while her life will be taken. Her fate was worse. 

But she had chosen this path and she will accepth the punishment with dignity.

But inside, all her cells were trembling, she contemplative of her own end.

She saw the king nod to her, and then his mouth moved with words she did not understand.

If she had not been intently staring at him she would have missed it. But even if he did caught him mouth something off, she did not understand.

She blinked her eyes and he did it again, speaking to her.

Finally at the end of it all, at her end he was finally speaking to her.

She squinted her eyes and focused everything on him, 'I am sorry. it will be over soon'

She nodded, 'yes it will be over soon.'

She knew her father continually argued against the verdict. but he felt so far away. ike his voice was being drowned by waves and waves of emotions to be buried deep within the sea.

Her father deserve much worse than exile, 'much worse..'

She was okay now, 'it will all be over soon...'

She had no worries anymore.

The guards were already moving her father as well as her clansmen out from the couryard as the final act will be done.

The ministers were moved out, as well as her attendants. The courtyard was almost empty

She sat in the middle with the royal guards around.

The olderst attendant of the king came and put down a black liquid infront of her.

The drink, her last.

The poison.

"You majesty.." she called with tears in her eyes.

She smiled at the aged looking woman, she had known her all her life. She was the oldest attendant of the king and she knew her also all her life in the palace

"It's okay...Lady Min"

"This is not right..." lady Min argued.

"it's okay. Maybe I was such an evil person back in my previosu life... thats why I had to pay for it for this life.."

"your majesty no that's not true.. you dont deserve this.."

She laughed and she joked, "yeah, It's all because of the king.."

The attendant's read eyes immediately produced tears that seemed like the river. Then her tears turned to powerful sobbing.

She smiled at the attendant's loyalty, Lady Min had always been on her side. "Don't worry about me. You know I hated the palace so much. I escaped this walls a couple of times already."

Lady Min nodded as she nodded her tears away and tried to control herself. "yes, you were such a troublemaker when you were young"

"troubemaker?, I thougt you called me a devil incarnate for all the trouble I put you through. I guess you were right. I am the devil so I am getting punished"

The attendant let out and shout and cried harder now..

She held out her hand her arms and hugged the frail old attendant, "Its okay its okay.. I was just joking."

"I'll make sure that my cursed life ends with this one" as she smoothed Lady Min's back.

"Dont worry so much about me. In the next life. I'll make sure not to fall in love with the person who doesnt love me"

The old attendant hugged her tighter.

"I'll make sure to be the happiest woman in the world...  and not fall for the king.", She promised

'Never again...'

The frail attendant was inconsolable, "Lady Min.... Don't worry too much and please take care of yourself..."

She returned the hug, and in the old and frail attendan't body frame, it was like she was crushing it as she advised, "Don't let the new queen trouble you too much. Don't let her be such a devilish girl like me..."

Her tears were running down her eyes as well  as Lady Min continued to call out, "your majesty" like an echo.

"your majesty...."

"...your... majes"

"ty...."

"Thank  you for everything....", she hugged her tighter, Lady Min who was like a mother to her in the palace.

She held the old attendant out and regally sat as the old woman was being taken out.

She looked at the sky, the sun was up and at the highest peak.

She then returned his eyes to the king.

She smiled. It was finally here.

He stared back at her.

"Gyuri ah...", she read his lips

He called her name, she didn't know what to think of that.

She was suddenly blindsided, she had always wished for him to call her that, by her name. But it had always been a hopeless wish.

She had dreams of him crying out her dreams, but those were the dreams when she was at the gates of death those many years ago. It was delirium talking.

She did not know what to make of him.

She continued to stare now, confused.

She did not need this confusion, she was already resolved for  her end, 'why now your majesty?'

'Are you that cruel...', she now felt tears fall.

She had said she would not care anymore, but he was too much, this was too much.

Her heart that had been broken into a thousand pieces was being crushed, even in her death he would still hurt her.

"Gyuri-ah...", she read again.

She wiped her tears that felt like blood tearing out of her body, 'Stop it your majesty.. I can't take it anymore...'

"Begin", stated the council man as the drums were sounded to begin the ceremony.

She looked at the black liquid that was in the glass in her hands. It was the end.

She brought the liquid to her face and even from a distance she can smell the foul poison.

From the smell she sknew how potent it was. She knew she will die with it even just a touch from her lips.

But she didn't care, she had already died countless lifetimes in her life. And this would finally put an end to her heartbreak and torment.

"I welcome you...death.."

She then looked back at the king, she saw something she did not think possible.

She knew it could only be an illusion. because it could not be true as she could see the tears from the king's eyes. Streaming down. Falling non stop.

His eyes looked sad and tormented. Eyes that spoke of sorrow and pain. Eyes that only looked at her. Eyes that looked lovingly at her.

It was certainly an illusion. A mirage of sort for her end. God was still kind to her, giving her an illusion straight out of her number one wish, A Loving King.

She smiled, at the very least her illusion of a loving king.

"Goodbye..."

She closed her eyes, held the poison to her lips and gulp down. 

The foul smilling poison ran down it's bitter and scorching movement to .

She knew it would only be seconds, she opened her eyes and looked at the king as she bid her farewell, "Be well..."

Tears fell from her eyes.

Darkness.

Silence.