the Twelve-faced Moon: A Loona fanfiction

Chapter XI

Chaewon II

On eastern part of Gyeongbukgung palace lies another complex of quarters with a front yard. Sound of wooden stick clashing interchange with grunts and shouts of command. Chaewon peered out from her chamber's window while waiting for her boiling herb being done,seeing Mansik taught the twins Jiwoon and Jiwoong his spearmanship. A futile attempt to made both of them a warrior in their own rights it seems. Chaewon knew nothing about fighting and weapons and martial arts,but even she could saw that the boys are not really good at it.

"Again" Mansik commands the exhausted boys,no older than nine both of them. Both are high cheeked huffing and puffing out air,with short brown-reddish hair like the traditional looks of Kim from Southern Chungcheong now filled by dust and dirt. Each of the boy holding a long lean wooden log,almost as tall as their body.

"can we rest for awhile?" said Jiwoon the elder of the twin by five minutes

"yeah,we've been going at each other for hours by now" Jiwoong wholeheartedly agree.

the sun that already rise high just above their heads further sapping their nearly non-existant strength in arms.

"How about this,the one who won the next bout can rest. One who lost,continue his practice" Mansik put out a wager. With a chance to rest at stake,the boys continued their spar letting out their best war cry against each other,trying to stab each other,each parrying one strike after the other,in the end none of them won,when Jiwoon and Jiwoong simultaneously hit their sibling's head at the same time,both down to one knees..much to the amusement of their instructor.

"i think you two deserved your rest. Go. Into the shade,hide from the sun..sit and learn"

Mansik took his spear,kick it high in the air and catches it. the tip of the spear are three headed steel with different angle gleaming with sunlight,Mansik twirling it so fast with his wrist sending dust up in the air so many it seems like a small typhoon forming around him. Leaving the twins and Chaewon in awe.

"i want to be able to do that" both of the students said it at the same time

"Practice,young ones,a lot of them hours. Make the spear an extension of your hand and you're going to be invincible. enemy couldn't reach you because your spear reach them first."

The boys nodded,Chaewon finds it hard to believe Mansik could have them both listening so intently.

Chaewon's attention soon turned to the pot she boiled at her hearth,crackling sounds of wood consumed by fire ringing in her chamber,stocking-up on concoction and potion. she doust the fire by a handful of water and walked outside towards her orchard followed by faint smoke in her trail.

Autumn is getting near,its Chaewon's favorite season. where wild edibles grow best on the edges of forests and in places that are rebounding from disturbances. Wild mustard greens and wild spinach are chief among them,Both of these plants are growing in abundance in an area where the invasive "Tree of Heaven" has been cut down. These so called tree of heaven are an invasive plant that prevent other plants from growing around it and competing for nutrients with surrounding plant-life. It was interesting to observe that only these strong, wild edibles were growing in areas where nothing else could Chaewon thought to herself.

In her own orchard,she also kept many fruit trees. She carry a basket nearby and starts harvesting mulberries from her own five mulberry trees. Chaewon put a bed sheet beforehand,underneath the tree and shaking it so the mulberry will all fall like raindrops in red. She wished to fermented these mulberries to create mulberry wine or condiments,She'll make some of those for Juntae and Mansik later. Then around the autumn olive tree, she found beautiful honeysuckle blossoms that she collected to make a relaxing tea..she need one of those after these potentially stressing afternoon during the audience later when she'll met her older brother Chiwon,that covetous brother of her always looked down on her expertise just like her mother.