Desert • Flower | TaeJin || BOOK 3#

V. Give goodbyes and welcomes

"As you request sir."

A funeral, waiting for the savages, the violent, it's been a bit sad and very hard days Taehyung tries to keep his spirits up; but the death of his adoptive mother and father prevents him. Taehyung prays for the situation to get better soon even though it seems it never will.

~ * * * ~

Taehyung leaves home, his large and ever-expanding territory to make long rounds around the coast. That way he can watch for approaching ships. It can be considered a paranoia as well as a duty. Sometimes he does it, sometimes others from neighboring houses do it; in general they help each other in the hope of getting away unharmed.

Taehyung is surprised to see that something finally arrives. It is not a ship as he expected, it is not big or magnificent and it is not full of people; on the contrary, it must have only five or six people. Not to mention that it is dragging four children; they all have bags of faded cloth, some small boxes they can barely carry, skin blackened by the impact of the sun, matted hair.

Taehyung gallops down the slope to intercept them, he manages to scare them off immediately. One of the men stands in front of the group, covering them with his arms and body. Taehyung climbs down from his horse and raises large earthen walls. Solid and strong they prevent them from passing through or returning to the raft they came on.

"You-"

"Do-don't hur-t us please! don't hurt us ple... ase" the man says awkwardly with a hand on his chest. "We didn't come here do anything bad. W-we just wanted to esca- get away from Japan-what-we-want-"

"Flee Japan?" repeats the nobleman with a wrinkled face and disgust welling up.

"Y-yes...over there we have nothing and-and we don't want to" He swallows hard. "B-be part o-of the army...p-please don't-please don't kill us."

Seok emerges, at Taehyung's side and vigilant that no one dares make any false moves against his master. Taehyung analyzes briefly, keeping his hand on the sheath of his sword. They certainly look like miserable people, what little or nothing they have of the world beyond what they brought with them and they are all frightened of him, they look like they are about to die of fright. Taehyung approaches with a stoic face and takes a much closer look, surprised that they suddenly drop to the ground on their knees.

They repeat the plea over and over again not to kill them. Some just poorly mimic what the first one said, apparently being the only one who knows Korean out of all of them.

"Are you Korean?"

"Yes my lord. I-I was kidnapped years ago and-and-"

"Do you trust these people?"

"Yes my lord."

Taehyung gives a soft gasp. It's one thing for soldiers to come, it's quite another for people to come who want to take refuge from the war; being Japan or Korea Taehyung doesn't care. They are human beings who are scared of the situation and Taehyung can't blame them. He can't imagine how scared they are to have crossed the whole sea in such a poor and risky way just to save themselves.

He feels sorry for them, they are still people in spite of everything and he knows that wars come because of the nobles; they very rarely have to do with the people in reality. What's more, the reason for the war itself is not even known, only that there is a rumor that there was an attempt on the crown, but nothing is certain.

"Y'all risked coming here in such a dangerous and uncertain way" comments Taehyung dropping his sword. The rock walls slowly descend. "Why?"

"Many are running away from there in this way, some say that if you reach a certain Coast full of white sand you will be safe because this territory there is no one" explains the Korean, "but we didn't see any coast with white sand, we only saw is full of complicated boulders. We have no food, we had to go down."

Taehyung ponders briefly: that means that more people might come, that's what worries him because it might cause soldiers to come. At the same time, what people are going to look for is going to be a white sandy coast, it's miles away. He remembers it perfectly well because a long time ago he used to go for walks there with his parents. It's almost a month away if not more. Taehyung must send a letter to the people who live near that area to make them aware of it.

"Can we go my lord?

"Where will you go."

"W-we don't know, but... but..."

Taehyung looks at the children standing there. It reminds him so much of him when he was a child and had no one. Thin, starving, haggard, hungry, frightened... their mothers keep hugging them desperately, afraid that they will vanish in their arms.

And if it seems to him such a cruel act, so miserable, so sad?

"You can come with me."

. . .

"My lord, this is very risky. If any of them decide to attack us-"

"I have it in mind, Mr. Kim."

They all watch the group of Japanese eating in a room they were allowed. Taehyung can tell they are desperate and don't stop thanking as they eat, mainly the women who see their children gagging.

"But..." Taehyung sighs with her eyes closed. "I can't let people die who are not to blame for anything and need help." admits with a sad gesture.

The older man does not avoid smiling faintly. Taehyung may not be his former master's biological son, however, Taehyung totally inherited his candid and sweet attitude. None of them agree with this, they consider it an invasion and that they should leave. However, they gradually begin to understand why Taehyung does not throw them out any time. On the contrary, he starts to look for a way to make them at least a small house and be all together. Taehyung simply sees the human value, he sees nothing else. People who need help, just as he needed it at the time and someone reached out to him.