[Arthdal Chronicles] Fight for freedom

CHAPTER 47: A reunion as wanted as dreaded.

The silence fell in the room as Enoria pondered about everything she had just learnt. She rested her head on the table and sighed. Things kept getting complicated and, sometimes, she wished she could just run far away and selfishly leave everything behind.

Eunseom was Inaishingi. He was the leader of the Ago Tribe and would soon go to war against Arthdal. Whether they would want it or not, Saya and Eunseom would have to lead their respective armies towards each other. One army would obviously lose that war, and it was very unlikely to be Saya's. MooMyung hadn't only delivered Tanya's message to Eunseom, he had observed and gathered information too. The Agos were outnumbered, less equipped and less trained than the warriors of Arthdal. With a commander giving the right orders and deploying the right strategies, the victory of Arthdal was assured and Saya had really carefully studied war strategies for years. If he stayed well-protected -and she intended to make sure he would be-, he would definitely lead Arthdal to victory.

What would Saya do to his brother if he defeated him? She didn't know. It would depend on how they decided to treat each other: like brothers or like enemies. 

Their shared blood could make them closer but many things could make them hate each other. Saya would fight for Arthdal, for Tagon, while Eunseom would fight to free the Agos from their influence. Would Saya give up on Tagon for his brother? It was very unlikely knowing he had spent his whole life preparing himself to reach Tagon's expectations. Would Saya give up on Arthdal itself? It was also very unlikely. Saya wanted power, just like his adoptive father. And that war was the occasion he had been waiting for to prove his worth to Tagon and to the citizens of Arthdal: he was Tagon's heir, a future King. Was the war evitable? Not at all. Arthdal needed that war to unite the people towards one common goal: crushing their biggest enemy. Even if the twins allied, the war would happen. And what would Tagon do if he learnt that a boy with a face identical as the one he had recognized as his son, was not only leading the enemy army but also living in broad day-light as an Igutu? Probably nothing good. The resemblance of the twins could bother him. Rumors could start about Saya which would lead to rumors about Tagon himself and that, the King would surely not accept it, meaning the two could actually end up in danger.

Even before the war, they faced a more urgent problem: Eunseom was in Arthdal and at that exact moment, he was waiting for the opportunity to talk to Tanya. Tanya. How would she react knowing the two brothers would face each other on the battlefield? How would she react if they decided to ally or if they decided to go after one another? She would maybe have to make a choice. Arthdal or the Agos, Saya or Eunseom. Or maybe she wouldn't have to and she would be a way for the twins to bond. Or she could be the opposite. The love they both had for her could make them tear each other apart.

"Should we even tell her?" Enoria asked as she raised her head, breaking the heavy silence in the room, "he didn't give Tanya any news for months and when she had just decided to give Saya a real chance, he shows up! Did he even think about what she went through while she waited for him? She spent months wondering if he was even alive and if he was, if they would ever meet again. Not knowing if the one you love is even alive, it's unbearable. Your brain just goes wild imagining the worst. It was so hard for her, so how selfish is that brat  to think he can just show up like that after all this time?!"

In silence, Yangcha glanced at her. He felt like some of her words could be addressed to him as well. While he was in Iark, despite their promises to find each other again, she too had waited for him without knowing if he was alive or if they would ever meet again and the idea it may have been more difficult for her to wait than he thought it had been, saddened him.

"Plus she is married to Saya now," she continued, "how is she going to face Eunseom when she is not even sure about her feelings? She is going to feel lost between the two, again!"