He Walks Alone in the Moonlight

A MIGRATORY BIRD

Chaesung studied the wooden gate of the training camp closely as she adjusted the fabric of her worn out shoes. She'd left her usual attire of fine dark cloth and black leather boots at the small town at the base of the mountain, along with her horse and weapons. To apply to the camp as a servant, she donned ill-fitting gray robes and kept a sturdy wooden hairstick as her only weapon. Although the missing weight of her blades was felt, it didn't unsettle her. When she'd been an assassin-for-hire, not having weapons made her feel naked, but since working for the prince, she'd come to rely on more subtle skills to obtain information. She could still recall the young prince's words when he first offered her a position. Could remember how his earnest naivety touched her heart.

"My goal is to not lose anyone. Even you. The best way to do that is to never put you in a situation where you need to use such tools again."

Now she was faced with a relatively simple task. Infiltrate the camp Jihyun came from and determine the remaining rebels and their hideout. She scrubbed her hands with the gravelly snow on the side of the pathway, ignoring the sudden thought of what noises Munyeong would make if she touched her with such cold hands. The spy emerged from the trees and pulled out the scrap of paper denoting her new position as a servant to the camp. The guards let her through after a glance at the paper, and Chaesung immediately got to work upon entering the camp.

~~~~

Chaesung entered the servant's sleeping quarters as the last pink dregs of sunlight ducked behind the horizon. She stood before the bare wooden platform with her arms full of a thick winter blanket, studying the body-sized patch worn yellow from use. She didn't often like to imagine the lives of the people she imitated, but she couldn't stop herself from wondering what kind of person had this spot below the window. What kind of person got to wake up to the bright white sunlight and fresh mountain air. Got to view the expanse of the sea and the white froth of its waves crashing against the distant shore. What kind of person had been here long enough to wear down wood. What had happened to them.

"That's not your spot." Chaesung blinked out of her reverie at the haughty tone, turning to see a fox-eyed servant staring her down.

"I believe I was assigned this space. Was I told incorrectly?" Chaesung spoke softly, forcing her normally rigid and authoritative tone to go soft. The best way to avoid conflict was to be invisible, and if you couldn't be invisible, be compliant.

"It doesn't matter what you were told," the servant mocked, crossing her arms over her large chest, "That's not your spot. So go somewhere else." Chaesung didn't respond, choosing to stare blankly at the huffing vixen. She'd seen many people like her before, where their anger didn't derive from Chaesung's actions, but something else entirely. There was little she could do to reason herself out of such a situation, it'd be best to let it pass with her silence. "Are you listening to me? I said-"

"That's quite enough, Sulhee." The old woman Chaesung met in the village swept into the room, silencing the muttering of the other servants. She was the head of staff at the camp and

"But Madam Hui-" With the raise of a hand Madam Hui ceased Sulhee's whining, crossing the room to stand between her and Chaesung. She watched as the old woman's face settled into reserved sadness upon seeing the yellowed platform.

"He is not here anymore. We cannot keep his space empty forever."

"He'll come back! Jihyun will come back, and when he does, his spot will be waiting for him. Next to me. Like always. Like before." Chaesung hid her jerk of recognition at Jihyun's name, casting her eyes downward to mask her shock. Madam Hui simply shook her head at Sulhee's protest, defeated.

"He is not coming back, Sulhee. With any luck he is still alive, but-"

"Don't say that! You all say that! You, the Commander, everyone acts like he is dead. But he's alive! I can feel it. I can tell," Sulhee choked on the words, tears pricking her eyes. Suddenly, she whirled on Chaesung, shoving her to the floor. It was only due to her quick reflexes that the spy avoided smashing her head into the corner of the platform. "If you so much as lay a finger on that spot, I'll kill you! It's not yours!" Sulhee screamed, and Chaesung's fingers itched to pull the stick from her hair and plunge it into the brat's throat. Fortunately, Madam Hui ordered Sulhee to be taken outside, and Chaesung took the opportunity to reign in her bloodlust.