Until Forever

Part 1 - Chapter 1

PART I

 CHAPTER 1

         Bidam hurriedly walked towards Ingang Palace after receiving an urgent summons from Her Majesty, the Queen. He suspected that it pertained to the contingency plan he had presented earlier in court. He also hoped against hope that she had finally changed her mind. Silla was now officially at war with Baekje and Bidam, as head of the Royal Inspectorate, charged not only with the internal affairs of the state but national security as well, had designed emergency plans to address this new crisis. Based on the recent intelligence reports, the Baekje armies were already marching towards Amnyangju, obviously emboldened by their continuous victory against the Silla defence lines. News of Lord Jujin’s forced retreat to Nam Cheon due to heavy casualty was received with trepidation by the entire royal court. 

            Silla’s capital, Seorabol, was just a day’s ride from Amnyangju, and would surely be breached in no time if the Yushin army, known as such because of its famed leader, Lord Kim Yushin, also failed in routing the invading forces. Her Majesty had sent them as reinforcement to Lord Jujin and was just now engaging the enemy. These recent developments at the war front plus the knowledge that it was his sworn duty to protect not only the kingdom but Her Majesty herself, had prompted Bidam to present to the court the boldest plan he had ever come up with – the immediate evacuation of the entire royal entourage to a safe location in Yul Po Heon. Although it ensured the safety of the entire royal family, it also meant forcing the Queen to abandon the capital itself. Bidam had assured Her Majesty that he, together with his troops in the Royal Inspectorate, would remain in Seorabol and defend the capital to the last man.

            Conflicting reactions to this bold plan were voiced by the ministers. Lords Seo Hyeon and Yong Chun, staunch supporters of the Queen, advised Her Majesty against it. They insisted that such a move would be tantamount to defeat since it would surely deflate the armies’ morale. The two insisted that the Queen’s abandonment of the capital would mean virtual surrender, with the capital handed over to the invaders on a silver platter. On the other hand, Lords Misaeng and Hajong, both members of the Royal Inspectorate and loyal supporters of Lord Bidam, urged Her Majesty to evacuate the capital as soon as possible. Their argument was that evacuating the Queen would secure her from immediate capture should the capital be inevitably penetrated by enemy forces. The Queen patiently listened to the suggestions put forth by the two camps but in the end, her dedication to her troops won out making her refuse Bidam’s proposal entirely. She declared that it was a cowardly move and would do nothing but dishearten the people.  And so, Bidam was left with the dilemma of convincing Her Majesty to accede to his proposal.

            When Bidam arrived at the Palace, he was immediately escorted to the Queen’s receiving room where he found her sitting at her desk, going over several documents. Although he knew that she was already aware of his presence, she refused to look up from her papers. Her cold gesture told him that she was not in a very congenial mood. Yet he could feel no animosity towards her for he saw the tell-tale signs of the strain of the war with Baekje. The dark circles under her eyes also told him that the war was beginning to take its toll on her and that she had not been sleeping well lately either.  A sudden desire to protect her welled up within his breast and he became even more determined to make her see the wisdom of his plan.

            “Your Majesty, shall I go over my contingency plan again?” he asked after taking a seat directly before her.  

            “I will not leave Seorabol,” the Queen said, her voice betraying the irritation she felt at Bidam’s insistence. Turning from her papers, she looked up sharply at him and said, “However, I would like you to escort Lord Chun Chu to Yul Po Heon so that if worse comes to worst and the capital indeed falls into enemy hands he would still be able to lead our remaining forces in our campaign to regain it.”