"Damn! We overslept!"
Those were the first things Enoria heard in the morning. She hadn't even opened her eyes yet when she felt Yangcha getting out of their bed in a hurry.
"Good morning to you too," she mumbled with a half-asleep voice as she closed again the only eye she had opened and let her head fall back on the pillow.
Realizing he hadn't even greeted her, Yangcha finished putting on his trousers, went to drop a kiss on her forehead, squatted near the bed before he gently stroke her hair, "sorry," he murmured, "good morning to you, my beautiful Igutu," he said, making her smile, "but, you should get up too."
She stretched herself before she approached her face to his, so close that their noses were touching, "I don't want to, I want to stay in bed with you all day," she murmured with a mischievous smile then, she let a soft kiss on his lips while running her hand along his bare chest.
"Those are some naughty hands you have," Yangcha whispered, taking her hand in his to prevent her from going lower on his body," and I swear to you that is a really tempting proposition but, we are late, get up," he said with a smile.
"Make me," she defied.
He lifted her from their bed with a facility that surprised her, "those are some strong arms you have," she teased, laughing as he gently put her down on the ground asking her to get dressed as he went to search for a shirt.
She didn't seem too interested in getting dressed, she liked the nightdress she was wearing at the moment, and she just sat on the table watching Yangcha running around like a headless chicken.
"You know what? I think we deserve a day-off," she said.
"Yes, sure, then why don't we go see Tagon and ask him for a day off so we can pass our day making love?" he joked as he put on his shirt. Shirt on, he turned to look at her and he noticed the expression on her face, "don't you dare asking that for real, troublemaker," he warned with a worried expression, he knew she was capable of such a thing.
"Then don't give me ideas," she replied, sticking out her tongue. Then she got up from the table and went to take what was necessary to redo the bandage that was protecting the injury on his hand.
When she passed near him, he looked her up and down, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"What? Are you already regretting having rejected my proposition?" she teased with a smile when she felt his gaze on her, while she took his hand to bandage his hand.
"That nightdress is see-through you know that, right?"
"Yes, I am aware of that," she replied while finishing what she was doing, "I think it looks great on me but, if you don't like it, I can take it off," she proposed.
Yangcha passed near her with a smile he couldn't restrain and went to the closet, "dress or pants?" he asked.
"Is nothing an option?"
"In that room, yes, to go back to the Palace, absolutely not," he answered as he picked a dress for her. Then, he approached her again and handed her the clean clothes, "that nightdress suits you, but take it off to wear this, we are already in the Shrine, it won't take me too long to go back to my post, unlike you."
She sighed before she took the clothes he was handing her, "it's fine, I will just come up with another lie to explain why I was late," she said as she let her nightdress fall to the floor to put on the dress he had chosen for her, "it's easy for me, unlike you, who can't lie to the High Priestess since she enters your head whenever she wants."
Hearing the tone of her voice at her last sentence, he let a small laugh escape, "do I hear a bit of jealousy there?" he asked, putting on his leather gloves.
"Me? Jealous? Not my style."
"Of course, not your style at all," he replied with a knowing smile, "her hearing my thoughts so easily is the reason why I can't be too late, what would I tell her? That I overslept because I gave you all of my energy last night?"
"Yes, you should tell her that, and you should give her as many details as you can on how you actually did that and when she will be red with embarrassment because of your dirty thoughts maybe she'll realize she actually has to learn how to control her mind-reading gift," she said, finally fully-dressed.
"Even if it sounds like a fun thing to do, I won't do that," he replied with a smile, wrapping his chains around him, "I am going, you should hurry too," he said heading for the door, mask in the hand as he usually put it on outside of their room.
"Are you serious?" she asked, dumbfounded, "first you reject me and now you are going to leave me just like that?" she complained as she gently caught his arm to prevent him from leaving the room, "I know you are late but you are really lacking common sense sometimes. I am quite upset."
He turned to look at her and they exchanged knowing smiles, she hadn't said that for nothing, one of the rules they had established in their couple was to never leave the other one on angry feelings.
"I wasn't rejecting you, I was trying to resist you, and that is a quite difficult thing to do, temptress," he said as he rubbed a gentle, caressing hand down her cheek and around her neck. He saw the corner of her lips raising, she knew he couldn't resist her. His eyes stared down at her before he lowered his head to hers and captured her lips in a slow, gentle kiss. When he released her mouth, he stared into her eyes, "are you still angry now?"
She shook her head, slowly, she wasn't even angry in the first place and she knew he was aware of the fact she was just teasing him, "you can go now," she murmured with a smile, taking his mask from his hand to tie it around his face.
"I'll see you later," he murmured to her as he softly let his forehead touch hers.
"Try to keep your thoughts for yourself," she advised.
"I will try," he replied as he headed for the door, but before leaving he looked at her again, "ah, Enoria, even though that nightdress looked good on you, I think you look even better without anything on, I can't wait to see you taking that dress off," he said before he quickly left the room with a smile on his face without waiting for an answer.
When the door closed behind him, she smiled thinking about how much of a lovely idiot he was. Then, she covered her purple lips with her lipstick and she, too, left their room to go back to her post.
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Unlike the two late risers, Saya had been working on his own new project as soon as the sun had risen.
He had summoned Yeonbal and Hongsul who were asked by Tagon to assist him in his search for the secret of the Bronze.
When Saya entered his office, the two Daekans were already there and they respectfully bowed to their leader's son while explaining they were ordered to guard and assist him.
When he passed near them to reach his seat, he noticed the look the warriors exchanged. At first he tried not to pay too much attention to that but the words Yeonbal had exchanged with Gitoha and Enoria in front of the throne room before Tagon had collapsed because of the Shahati's poisoning came back to his mind : 'Hongsul and his unit said they saw someone with the same face as Lord Saya when they went to Doldambul to bring back the Wahans who were working there as slaves,' Yeonbal had explained.
"What was that look?" Saya asked the two warriors, "what were you thinking when you looked at me just now?" he questioned seeing them confused.
"We just-"
"Tell me the truth, does it have a link with that rumor? Was that what you were thinking about? That I look similar to that Igutu?"
"What rumor? What Igutu?" Yeonbal asked as he knew it was better to pretend everything was just a misunderstanding.
"I look similar to the Igutu you and your unit saw at Doldombul," Saya explained looking at Hongsul, "that's what you and Gitoha said in front of the waiting room at the Union Palace," he addressed the other warrior.
"No that's not it, I am sorry, I made a mistake, you don't look like him," Hongsul replied on the defensive. It could get him in trouble if he was accused of spreading a rumor about Tagon's son.
Saya gave a faint smile, why was everyone trying to hide the truth from him? Or was everyone thinking he was too stupid to understand by himself? He knew that wasn't a mistake, there was someone with the same face as him and he needed to know more about him, "that dujeumsaeng who killed Sanung Niruha," he murmured, "Eunseom, tell me how he got caught and how he died."
"Pardon?" Yeonbal asked, surprised by the request.
"That guy who killed Sanung Niruha," Saya repeated, starting to lose patience.
The two Daekans looked at each other wondering if they had to tell him the truth or if they had to keep it for themselves but at the same time, they couldn't just lie to him, he was their master's son. "To be honest, the person who was thrown into the boiling water wasn't him. But we are sure he died, we weren't able to find his body but he got stabbed and fell into the river," Yeonbal explained.
"Who stabbed him?" Saya asked, "by any chance, was it Mubaek?"
"Yes, Mubaek went after him and that's what happened."
Saya sighed, Mubaek was the only witness of what happened to Eunseom, and because Mubaek was who he was, the others didn't doubt his words. He stayed silent for a moment as he remembered Mubaek's conversation with Tanya: 'the mirror was standing right next to you. How could I not recognize his face?' he had told her, so Eunseom had his face? That would explain why Tanya had reacted the way she had the first time she had seen him, rubbing his lips and revealing his purple lips as if she knew what she was doing, she did know he was wearing lipstick because Eunseom had purple lips too. Was that why she sometimes looked at him with an expression that confused him? Had she ever looked at him for who he was or had she always been looking at him?
Tanya was a liar. She had kept that huge secret from him. She had played with him. He felt the anger growing inside of him and he clenched his fists, going back and forth, lost in his thoughts, in front of the two Daekans who didn't truly comprehend what was going on.
"Lord Saya?" Yeonbal dared to say to pull him out of his thoughts.
Saya sighed again but he pulled himself together. The answers he had gotten weren't enough and if Tanya had never told him so far he doubted she would do it now. She wasn't giving him the choices he had to find a way to know more and he had just thought about a perfect way to get what he wanted, "follow me, both of you," he ordered before leaving his office. The secret of the Bronze could wait, it wasn't his first priority anymore.
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Tanya had put on one of her dresses, a white one, as she should, and as she looked at her reflection in the mirror she wondered if she would have to wear only white for the rest of her life. If Eunseom was by her side he would have probably looked at her up and down before telling her it wasn't her color. She would have chased after him in the forest to teach him a lesson on how to talk to girls and he would have surrendered before they would have both laughed.
But Eunseom wasn't there, and she wasn't in Iark. She was in Arthdal, and she was Asa Tanya, Arthdal's High Priestess, not Wahan Tanya who could run barefoot in the forest. Here, she had a role to play, her status had to be shown in the way she walked, talked or even in the clothes she wore.
She sighed, she missed Iark, she missed Eunseom and she missed being Wahan Tanya.
She got out of her room a little while later, putting on her face her invisible High Priestess' mask, and she let show a bit of surprise when she noticed her usual bodyguard coming running, so even such an obedient warrior could be late?
The six warriors who had assured the night guard left after paying their respect to Tanya who was getting used to not reacting weirdly when people were bowing to her. When the guards passed near Yangcha, they didn't miss to complain to him but the masked warrior didn't even react to that, he was bowing to his Niruha who was looking at him with accusing eyes.
"You are late," Tanya stated.
Yangcha raised his head and his eyes met hers, the only thought he directed to the High Priestess were his apologies but he also couldn't help but to think that if he was going to be scolded despite the fact he had hurried he should have stayed with Enoria a little bit longer since the result would have been the same anyway.
"Then you should have stayed with her," Tanya grumbled walking by him, "let's go, I have a lot of things to do," she informed, continuing on her way with him slightly behind her who complained she didn't have to listen to his every thoughts nor did she have to be so grumpy.
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In his office, Tagon stared at the document he had in his hands. It was a copy of the agreement he had passed with Taealha concerning the share of power between them. It was also the symbol of the change in their relationship, but, even though he was aware she would not let go easily the fact he had made her father tortured, he loved her, enough to have accepted her conditions, at least on the paper.
"Is everything clear enough?" Taealha asked.
"Pretty clear," Tagon replied.
"Perfect, now we'll be able to celebrate our marriage with joy," she said with a fake smile, "is everything ready for the ceremony?" she questioned.
"Almost, Saya is taking care of the last preparation."
"Great, I am sure he will prepare everything nicely," she replied. Saya. Another one of the problems she would have to take care of as soon as she would become the Queen. She had already a plan for him, just like she had one for her too, "have you given a special mission to your Daekan Lady too? She wasn't there when I arrived," she said.
"No, she should be there, she is probably late," Tagon replied, "but that's nothing, she had a rough day yesterday, I should have given her a day to rest."
"You are so attentive to her," she said as she went behind him and gently wrapped her arms around his neck, "you know that because of how kind you are to her she is taking a little too much liberty, don't you?"
Tagon sighed, he knew she would bring up the subject, she had disliked the fact Enoria had opposed her will the night he had collapsed, "I already know, I know that she used my name to give an order to the Daekans," he said, stroking gently her arm.
Seeing the calm with which he was saying that, Taealha concluded he wasn't even bothered by the power he was giving to his woman warrior and she wondered if he was even conscious of how dangerous it could be for them. She released her embrace and went to the window, "then you also know I went to the headquarters, don't you?"
Tagon simply nodded, he didn't want to confront her on the fact she had been the one wanting to go against what he had decided that night, he didn't want to upset her more than she already was and he preferred soothing things rather than getting them worse.
"Then you should also know that Mubaek had taken her side, has it crossed your mind that they could side together against you?" she asked.
"To do what? Taking over Arthdal?" Tagon mocked, "it would never work and they both aren't stupid enough to try such a thing."
He wasn't worried about Mubaek, he doubted him but he was also keeping a close eye on him. As for Enoria, he knew she wouldn't harm him, not because she saw him as her leader as, even though he had made her a Daekan warrior he knew well he would not have her loyalty, but because of her lover who he knew would never betray him. He didn't think it was a coincidence if Enoria wanted to help him so much to do the right thing, consciously or not, Yangcha was probably the one preventing her from doing him wrong.
"And what if they choose someone else to rule over the city?" Taealha continued, "haven't you noticed that she spends a lot of time with the High Priestess?"
"I have," Tagon replied, "she seems to appreciate that Wahan girl, though I am sure she goes there for Yangcha most of the time, but they aren't plotting anything against me."
He didn't think Tanya was capable of taking him down, even with help, she hadn't even understood what it was to have power yet and if she only used it to give a better life to the slaves, it wasn't really a problem anyway, he had already planned to use that in his favor if necessary.
"How can you be so sure of that?"
"Because Yangcha wouldn't allow such a thing," Tagon explained with a smile, "his loyalty to me is strong and it's restraining her from doing things against me. Yangcha is her strength and her weakness at the same time."
"You think he wouldn't betray you?"
"That's Yangcha we are talking about."
"Yes, the same Yangcha who hides an Igutu from your eyes for years. Let's say he will stay the way he is, loyal and obedient, he is not a problem for us but her, at the risk of repeating myself, she is taking too much place," Taealha said, "we should do something about that, I know you don't want to harm her but, at least, let's teach her her place."
"We can't do that," Tagon simply replied.
"We can't or you don't want to?" she questioned, "why are you so attached to her? Is it because she is an Igutu too? Do you think it makes the two of you close and connected by some sort of invisible link?" Taealha mocked, "is that why you keep her close and let her manipulate you as she wants?"
"Is that what you think? Do you really think she is manipulating me?" Tagon asked as he stood up and approached her, "she is trying to find a way to keep things peaceful in the Union, that's why I keep her close."
"You keep her close because you like her," Taealha scoffed, "if you had the choice would you make her your Queen?"
"Does she scare you or are you actually jealous of her?"
"Jealous?" she scoffed, "you are wrong Tagon, I am not jealous of her. If you want to put her in our bed, do it, I don't mind. But I won't allow her to have too much power nor over Arthdal, nor over you, even if that means I have to act against her despite your deep affection for her," she added with a provoking smile.
"My affection goes to you, Taealha, to you and our baby," he said as he placed his hand on her stomach.
"That's a good thing to know," she replied with a smile, stroking his cheek, "I hope you will never forget that."
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Unlike Yangcha who had run to his Niruha, Enoria took her time and she arrived at the Palace, walking calmly while humming a song. She was informed Tagon was in his office and headed there, the door was closed so she didn't enter. She hoped he didn't know she was late, not that she really mind if he did though.
When her eyes met those of Tagon's new guard, he looked away. She leaned on the opposite wall and she couldn't help but to have the feeling she was making him feel uncomfortable, "Munae, isn't it?" she asked.
"Mungtae," he corrected, without looking at her.
"Yes, well, whatever," she murmured, "do I scare you or something?"
He caught her eyes and quickly lowered his head, "no, my Lady," he mumbled.
"So you naturally look like you are going to wet yourself any moment?" she asked in a murmure, "or are you afraid of what Tagon could do to you because of what you know about him?" she continued with a smirk on her face.
Yangcha had told her Mungtae was a member of the Wahan Tribe but Gilseon had made him a guard. During the night of the coup, he was the one who had brought Asa Ron to Tagon. And even though Asa Ron had told him about Tagon's real blood color, the Union Leader had spared his life without even cutting his tongue. Yangcha didn't mind about it but she thought it was unfair Mungtae had kept the right to talk though he seemed not to dare doing it anyway.
Mungtae's eyes widened, "I don't know what you are talking about," he mumbled.
"Careful answer, good, at least you are not stupid," she replied before the silence engulfed the corridor again.
A moment later, Saya, followed by the two Daekans warriors, showed himself in front of Tagon's office.
"Always a pleasure to see you, Lord Saya," Enoria ironically greeted him.
"The pleasure is for me, Daekan Lady," he replied with the same tone, then he turned to Mungtae, "come with me, I need you for something."
The guard immediately bowed to him, ready to follow.
"What are you up to, little Lord?" Enoria asked.
Saya smirked before turning to her, "I am preparing the coronation ceremony, nothing more," he replied with a fake smile, "what about you mind your own business anyway? Warriors shouldn't ask questions, they should just obey orders," he added before walking away followed by the two warriors and the Palace guard.
Enoria smirked, it seemed he had already forgotten what had happened the last time he had tried to give her an order and she thought maybe she would have to make him kneel again for him to remember he shouldn't play the master with her.
She wasn't convinced by the answer he had given her, she could feel he was up to something but she didn't know what it could be. She didn't have the time to think too much about it, the door of the office finally opened and Taealha went out.
"You are late," Taealha said, looking up and down at Enoria who slightly bowed to her, "you weren't there when I arrived."
"Yes, I know, my apologies, I didn't know what to wear," Enoria lied with a smile.
"You already used that lame excuse once, don't you think you should have prepared another one?"
"I like that one, Lady Taealha."
Taealha just smiled at her before she left. The day after she would have to call her her Queen, and she already had a plan for her if she refused to submit to her.
Tagon appeared a moment later, he was about to ask Enoria why she wasn't there earlier but he gave up, he wasn't sure he really wanted to know anyway. He handed her a scroll and ordered her to give it to the High Priestess as it contained the speech she had to learn for the coronation ceremony. He asked her to help her memorize everything word for word as he didn't want her to prepare some tricks.
Enoria bowed and headed for the Great Shrine to execute the order she had received.
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'Gather the Wahans for me, tie them up and lock them in a room where no one can find them, immediately,' was the order Saya had given to the three men he had gathered.
The two Daekans wondered why they were asked to hold captives the High Priestess' relatives but they didn't question Saya's order. As he had said earlier, warriors weren't supposed to ask questions or to care about what they were doing, they had to obey and that was all. They bowed to their master's son and went to execute their order. Mungtae felt anxious about that order, but he hadn't opposed it, he wouldn't have dared doing it, he had to side with those in power to survive, no matter what he had to do for that and, without hesitating, he followed the two warriors to assist them in the captures.
After having given his order, Saya went to the Great Shrine. Tanya was in the Fire Room, taking a break from all the things she still had to learn about Arthdal.
"Niruha," he respectfully greeted her entering the room she was in.
Yangcha glanced at her to know if he should leave the two alone, with a head sign Tanya gave her approval and the warrior bowed and left to give them privacy.
"What brings you here?" she asked, standing up.
Saya didn't answer right away. He still couldn't believe how she could have hidden so easily so many things from him. His eyes went to the necklace he had given her, or was it truly his? It didn't matter. Soon he would find out everything she was hiding from him, though in a way she would hate.
"Is it about the coronation ceremony?" Tanya asked.
"My father wants to know if you have finally found a new name for the Union," Saya explained.
"I have thought about it," Tanya replied, "how do you write 'star' in Aniartz characters?"
Saya invited her to go to her office as he had nothing to write on and with in the Fire Room. When they got there, he slowly traced the characters before he taught her how to read them.
With her finger, Tanya followed the lignes of the characters Saya had drawn. He watched her doing so with a smile, forgetting for a moment she had lied to him.
"So? What is the name you are thinking about?" Saya asked to clear his thoughts.
"I will keep it for myself until tomorrow," Tanya replied with a smile.
There were a lot of things she was keeping for herself, Saya thought, but he just smiled at Tanya without saying anything.
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"Nice dress," Yangcha murmured with a smile seeing Enoria approached him.
"Thank you," she replied, "a quite attractive man chose it for me, but he also said I looked better without anything on."
"Must be a pervert," he joked.
"Absolutely, but I like that about him, that's part of his charm, I am probably one too," she said, restraining her smile.
"You must be made for each other," he replied before they both discreetly laughed.
When she inquired about Tanya being in her office alone or not, he informed her Saya came when she was in the Fire Room and that the two had been together in the office for a while now so he thought he may leave the Priestess alone soon.
Not wanting to actually have to talk to Saya again, Enoria stayed outside, waiting -in pleasant company- for him to leave on his own initiative so that she could give Tanya Tagon's instructions for the coronation ceremony.
The time passed faster thanks to Yangcha, they talked for a while before the door of Tanya's office opened and the two warriors fell silent as Tagon's adoptive son went out and closed the door behind him. He didn't exchange a word with them and just went his way, not without looking at Enoria up and down as if to ask why they were crossing paths once again in such a short time.
"Seeing him two times in a day is really too much," Enoria complained to Yangcha in a murmure when Saya was out of sight.
"If he looks at you like that again, I'll tear his eyes off," Yangcha told her.
"How lovely, you really are too sweet," she joked before they exchanged a last knowing look and she announced herself to the High Priestess who welcomed her in her office.
"Tell me you are not here to talk about the coronation ceremony," Tanya complained.
"Sorry, I wish I could tell you that but-"
"What is it that I have to learn again?" the priestess sharply asked.
"Wow grumpy Tanya, what have you done to the nice Tanya?" Enoria questioned as she took a chair to comfortably sit.
Tanya gave her a sharp look which surprised Enoria a little but as the Igutu didn't look away, the Priestess took a deep breath, sighed and apologized before explaining there were too many things to do and to learn and she felt overwhelmed.
"Everything is going to be ok, don't worry," Enoria tried to reassure.
"Is that so? What will happen to me once Tagon will be the King?"
"Nothing special, you'll still be Tanya Niruha."
"That title, 'Niruha', would it still mean the same thing? Isn't a King more powerful than a Niruha?"
" 'Niruha', 'King', 'Queen', "leader', those are all the same thing, those are just different words to designate someone with power, the title in itself doesn't even matter, it's the way you act that is important."
"That's the problem, the title is useless, I can do nothing, even if I have it."
"Nothing? Really?" Enoria questioned, "who is going to make Tagon the King tomorrow? Who acknowledged him as Aramun Haesulla's second coming?"
"I did what I was told to do."
"I know, you didn't really have the choice but still, it's you who gave him the power he has and you could use that to your advantage."
"How?"
"You said you wanted to change things in Arthdal, for that you need good allies."
"I have you, and the people."
"The people can be by your side but they can't really help you, not only they are defenseless but they also can change their minds too easily, you need strong allies, people that can actually help you make a difference," Enoria explained, "and who is in charge of the most powerful army Arth had never known?"
"Do you want me to be Tagon's pawn again?" Tanya asked, surprised, "I don't want to work for him."
"Then work with him."
"I don't see any differences."
"If you work for him, he is the one pulling the strings but if you work with him, you could be the one pulling them."
Tanya stayed silent for a moment, thinking. What Enoria was saying wasn't stupid but she didn't think she could actually accept to work with Tagon. The one she was going to crown a King was smart, manipulative, and ready to do anything to reach his goals, he was used to the game of power, she wasn't and she didn't want to become like him.
'Tell me Niruha, in which way do you think you are better than him?' Yangcha had asked her the day before, right, he had also told her she had a good heart but that it wasn't enough.
It wasn't enough.
She had to play the game, like Tagon, Taealha or even Saya, and it would have been a lie if she had told she wasn't already aware of that. She had refused to see the truth because she was scared, scared of losing herself and becoming like those she hated. Could she be actually capable of changing herself to be the one pulling the strings without losing herself in the process ?
"Tanya?" Enoria asked, seeing her in deep thoughts.
The priestess went out of her thoughts and apologized, she didn't want to talk about making Tagon her ally for now, she had already a lot to think about and she asked her friend to go on with the scroll she had brought.
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Tanya didn't sleep well the night before the coronation ceremony and the day came quicker than she had expected. In the early morning, her maids came to prepare her and she was surprised not to see her Wahan friend, Agaji, among them but when she inquired about her, one of the maids informed that she had not been seen since the day before and was probably assigned a task that was making her busy.
"Yes, it must be that," Tanya had replied to her but she had a bad feeling and she couldn't help but to think there was something wrong with Agaji's absence.
"You need to focus Niruha," MooMyungjin said, "it's an important day today."
"I know that, I also know what I have to do," Tanya replied, it was only morning but she already couldn't wait for the day to be over.
When she went outside, it wasn't her usual silent bodyguard that was waiting for her but Mubaek who informed her he was the one going to escort her until the ceremony.
As she wanted to review one last time everything she would have to say and do, she went to study only accompanied by Mubaek.
She was sat and concentrated on her final memorization while Mubaek was standing at a respectable distance from her, explaining to her about the timing of her appearance.
"I have a lot to memorize so please don't disturb me," Tanya told him with a faint smile after he had finished his explanation.
Mubaek apologized and fell silent, he didn't want to be a bother but he gave a faint smile thinking that if the priestess enjoyed silent company, Yangcha was probably the best bodyguard she could have for her daily life.
When Saya showed up just after, asking Tanya if she had finally memorized everything, she snapped at him, complained she had asked not to be interrupted, stood up and went further.
Saya let her do, it wasn't for her he was there anyway and he asked Mubaek if they could have a private conversation which the warrior accepted. He sighed contently, "I have captured all of the Wahan people," he informed Mubaek with a satisfied smile, "do you think I'll torture them to hear what's being kept from me? No. I'll kill them all after the coronation ceremony. I don't know if this is enough to blackmail you, but I believe that it is. If you tell me everything you know about me, they'll live," Saya continued, patting the warrior's shoulder.
Mubaek looked at him in confusion, wondering why he was doing that rather than asking the priestess about the truth. But he didn't ask, it wouldn't have changed anything. Then, and before he had the time to answer, the signal for the beginning of the ceremony was heard and Saya told him he should escort the priestess out.
"Let's go," said Tanya who hadn't heard the two men's conversation.
Before leading the way, Mubaek exchanged a glance with Saya. He could see in his eyes that he would not even hesitate to kill all of Tanya's people if he didn't get the answers he wanted and yet, he was able to hide his evil intentions behind a smile that could fool everyone around him. Tanya would not appreciate but he knew she would understand since it was for her people, Saya was not leaving him the choice anyway, he had to tell him what he knew.
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The people cheered for the Priestess as she headed for the Palace. MuMyungjin and other priests at Tanya's service were following behind, the Palace guards surrounding them to assure their protection. In front of Tanya, Saya and Mubaek were walking side by side and even though she knew she had to stay focused on her role and smiled at the people, Tanya couldn't help but to notice the two men had approached each other as if to have a conversation.
"Eunseom is alive and you are his twin. That is all I know. Please, release the Wahans as soon as the ceremony ends," Mubaek murmured to Saya.
Saya looked back at Tanya and he remembered the time she had asked him if he was curious about his parents and siblings, and how she once said she regretted meeting him every time she was seeing his face. All this time, she knew and she had kept everything for herself. Betrayal, anger, sadness: a mix of different feelings engulfed Saya and he tried his best to hide them so that no one would notice the storm going strong inside of him.
Tanya could feel there was something wrong with the way Saya had looked at her but she didn't have the time to wonder what it was, they had arrived at the Palace and she engaged herself into climbing the stairs. She exchanged a look with Taealha, then with Tagon before she turned and addressed the crowd: "The Great Mother Asa Sin sent Aramun to this world by the wishes of Airuju, saved many clans from the war, and had them form a Union. Today, 200 years from that moment, Airuju wishes to tear down the union he once founded and build something new with the newly born Aramun. In front of the entire Union, I will convey the words of Airuju, the beginning and end of this world, and the one who moves all things."
Tanya then invited Tagon to stand in front of the eyes of Airuju and crowned him a King. Before placing the crown on his head, she told him it should be worn on his head and in his heart.
Tagon gave a faint smile, she almost sounded like she was warning him. When he stood, the people cheered for him and a smile appeared on Taealha's face. Tagon and her were freshly married since the marriage was held just before the coronation, and if he was just crowned a King then she was now the Queen. 'I want you, with all my heart, I still want you,' Tagon, now her King, had told her, she did too, except she also wanted all of Arthdal for herself.
As the people continued cheering, Tanya's thoughts went to Eunseom, she wanted to go back to him but she was also giving herself a new mission there. She had thought about it all night long and she was ready for it, she was ready to play the game and to do everything she could to be just and to show everyone here they could live differently and learn from the way the Wahans were taught. That was why the Great White Wolf, Asa Sin, had sent her there, it was the mission given to her by her ancestor. And if Tagon was truly Aramun Haesulla then she would teach him how to be good, like a mother teaching her child and if he refused to follow her teaching she would punish him, she had the Gods by her side.
She didn't let her thoughts distract her for too long and she focused on her role again. She declared that the Union no longer existed and that all Arthdal tribes were now one country. She explained that since the Union didn't exist anymore they were no longer members of the Union.
"A name is a vessel, so all things of this world will have a new name. I, the direct descendant of Asa Sin, High Priestess Asa Tanya, give a new name to all former members of the Union. As of today, you will be called 'subjects'," Tanya stated, then as they cheered for their new name, she looked at them and, in her mind, cast a silent spell: "I, Tanya of Arthdal, cast a spell on you all. Subjects. You may begin in this world as those of the lowest social status, but you can become anything. My fate is now entwined with yours. I hope to provide support as long as I protect you. My subjects."
At the bottom of the stairs, Enoria looked at Tanya in a suspicious way, "do you remember when she said that names tie you up?" she asked Yangcha who slowly nodded as he understood what she was suspicious of, "she couldn't cast a spell on so many people, could she?" she asked, looking at the crowd then at him again. He shrugged, he didn't know if it was possible to do so but if it was, it would have been a smart move for her plan though probably a problem for the new King.
Tagon didn't know about the silent spell the High Priestess had just cast on his people, he was enjoying the cheers. All Arthdal belonged to him now, he was the owner of the sky and land and there was no one above him, not even the Gods. He halted the people's cheers to announce his first royal command: "Let the power of Arthdal spread to all land of Arth. We will conquer the east, we will bring those against us, including the Ago Tribe, to their knees and educate the barbarians!"
The people cheered and Tagon smiled. Everything was going the way he had wanted. Though Enoria's plan had been a good way to distract the people from talking again about the Bato shaman's curse on him, he knew it wouldn't have been enough to restore the damages caused by the coup. A war was a way more efficient way to put an end to everything that happened during and after the coup, for good, because by gathering his subjects towards the commun goal of making Arthdal grow in power, he would definitively erase every worry they could still have.
Tanya stared at Tagon in shock and disgust and she struggled to contain her emotions thinking about the fact she couldn't do anything to stop that. She had decided to play the game but Tagon was already one step ahead.
Down the stairs, it was anger that could be seen on Enoria's face. Tagon had promised her he would try to be good, that was why she had accepted to help him while the people thought he was punished by the Gods, but by starting a war he was breaking that promise. She cursed herself for having been naïve, for having believed Tagon could actually truly wanted to do what was right while he had probably planned everything from the beginning. He had fooled her, used her, and she had seen nothing. The anger let the place to worries as she thought about her own people. If Tagon planned to spread his power all over Arth and to eliminate those who weren't with him, her people, who were for the moment well-hidden but who could end up being discovered, were also in danger.
Yangcha noticed the worry of his lover and while the others were cheering, he took a step closer to her so that his hand touched hers discreetly. He wouldn't ordinarily have allowed himself such an intimate gesture in front of a crowd but that was his way of telling her he was there and that everything was going to be ok, the others were too busy cheering to notice anything anyway.
Between them, a single look was worth a thousand words. She hated the fact he had actually predicted Tagon's plan correctly, he knew, but there was nothing he could do to stop it anyway.
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After the coronation ceremony, Tagon announced one week of festivities to celebrate the new beginning for the newly established Kingdom. After that, they would have to focus on the preparation for the war.
He could still hear his people claiming his name, pleased about what he had announced tothem, and he went back to the throne room with a smile on his face. It was a good day.
He stared at his throne, symbol of his entire authority on Arthdal and its inhabitants.
"We have succeeded Taealha, my Queen," he said as he heard her approach.
Because he hadn't even looked at her he couldn't see the faint bitter smile that had drawn on her face, there were no "we" anymore between them but she wouldn't allow him to see her true feelings, not now, not yet. She came closer to him, putting a fake smile on her face, "yes, we have, Tagon, my King," she said.
Her eyes went to the throne too, wondering how such a thing could represent so much power, it was only a chair after all. A chair she wanted. It wasn't Tagon she was seeing sitting there, but herself. The day he had decided to torture her father behind her back for a secret he had promised her he wouldn't convet he had broken something in her. She gave a bitter smile as she thought about how it had taken so much time for her to trust him and how, in an instant, her trust had been destroyed.
Her father was right from the start, love had made her weak, she had let her feelings for Tagon get the upper hand on her senses. She should have known she shouldn't have trusted him, but she had wanted to trust him, to believe in him, to believe in their love in a world where her own father had sent her in the bed of a man twice her age for information. She knew she had been fooling herself, they maybe loved each other but there was something they loved even more: power, and she had decided she wouldn't let her feelings make her weak anymore. She was determined to take everything, from everyone, even from him. She took a deep breath and held her head-high and her gaze left the throne she lusted for, for herself and herself only and she looked at Tagon with a warm smile. "Everything under the sky belongs to you now, all Arthdal is at your feet and soon, all Arth will be too," she told him.
"It's ours, mine, yours and its," he said as he put a gentle hand on Taealha's stomach where their baby was growing.
Liar, she thought, if it wasn't for the baby she was carrying, would he have tortured her to get the secret of the Bronze he wanted? She covered his hand with hers and she smiled, that baby was her protection, no matter what she decided to do, Tagon wouldn't do harm to her as long as he was growing in her. She thought about how, once, she had wanted Tagon with all her might and now, she wanted to take everything he had, to betray him like he had betrayed her. When she lifted her head, her eyes directly caught his, he was looking at her with love, and for a moment she wished she could just forget about everything and love him like she once did, but there were too much bitterness between them for that, she couldn't let love control her again, and his love wasn't enough for her anymore anyway.
He smiled at her, a smile that she knew could make her weak for him again and she wrapped her arms around him not to see his face anymore, she wouldn't let him into her heart anymore.
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Later, Tagon went back to his office and he wasn't surprised to find out who was already there. Enoria was waiting for him, arms crossed, her face betraying the anger she was feeling.
"I know, that wasn't what we had planned," Tagon said, "the different clans of the Ago tribe are reuniting, the war is bound to happen anyway so it is better if the people believe it is on our initiative."
"For how long have you planned that move?"
"At the moment I learnt about them thinking Inaishingi had came back to them, a little before the coup."
"You could have tried to negotiate with them. You promised you would try to do things the right way, without unnecessary violence."
"That war is necessary. We need to wipe out those who dare to oppose Arthdal's power. And thanks to you and your little distraction, I got the people's full support."
"There is no 'we'," she replied with gritted teeth, "if I had known what you were planning I would not have helped you, I am done with you," she added before heading for the door to leave.
He caught her wrist, firmly enough for her not being able to free herself, preventing her from leaving: if she was done with him, he wasn't done with her yet. "You are my warrior, one of my subjects, don't forget that," he told her, looking directly into her eyes.
"No, I wasn't born in the Union, I am just one of those barbarians you want to get rid of and the Daekan symbol I am wearing on my wrist is more of a symbol than anything and you know that," she replied, trying, without success, to free herself from the grab he had on her.
Tagon laughed, mockingly, "so what? What are you going to do? Do you want to get rid of me? I am curious about how you could do that. But that's all it is, curiosity, because I know you'll do nothing against me even if you are dying to. Why? Because I may not have your loyalty but I have Yangcha's," he told her. From the look in her eyes and the way she wasn't even trying to free her wrist anymore, he could feel he had touched a sensitive point. "Your love for him prevents you from doing harm to me or else you would have already done it. But you haven't, you tried to help instead, for me? No, for him. He trusts and cares for me, just like I trust and care for him and even you, you can't go against that. His love for you is strong, I don't doubt that, but his loyalty for me is just as much, or maybe even more? After all, it's you who stayed alone for three years while he was in Iark with his Daekan brothers, with me. But you are already aware of that, aren't you? As long as your life is not threatened, his duties towards me pass before you," he continued before he finally freed her wrist and walked to the window.
She didn't move, frozen in place by Tagon's words, angry tears falling discreetly on her cheeks. She knew he was right and she hated him for that.
"I have no intention to attend to your lives, both of you are precious to me, but you should not forget your place, you are not the one in charge here, I am your King and you'll obey my orders."
No he wasn't her king, he would never be, but she wasn't able to say those words out loud. She was too upset to continue that conversation. She hadn't been able to anticipate Tagon's move to declare a war or rather, she hadn't wanted to imagine he could actually do that even when Yangcha had told her that he could be preparing for that. She scoffed, she knew there was nothing she would say that would make him change his mind concerning the war and even if she came to threaten him with the color of his blood, he would threaten her back using Yangcha against her. Tagon had won this round and she had lost it.
Tagon looked at her, curiously, wondering what was going on in her head," the others are celebrating my coronation, you should join them, go," he ordered.
Celebrating his coronation? There was no way she was going to do that and she got out of the office even angrier than when she had entered. She was angry at Tagon for not having respected the promise he had made to her but she was even more at herself, an idiot, that was what she was for having believed he could have truly wanted to do good, for having wanted to believe that.
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After the coronation, Saya wandered in the Palace, Mubaek's words were repeating again and again in his head, 'Eunseom is alive and you are his twin,' a twin? How could someone he didn't know have any importance in his life? He didn't care about him, he cared about Tanya, but was Tanya caring about him? Or was she only caring for the man with the same face as him? If only Eunseom had died, Tanya would have forgotten about him and she would have been his, and his only.
"Saya!" a voice called out making him turn.
The Prince almost laughed at the view of one of the best Daekan warriors coming to him in such a hurry. Warriors really lacked elegance and reserve.
"The Wahans! Where are they?" the warrior asked.
Saya smiled, was Mubaek that worried about them? Had images of them dying come to his mind while he was searching for him?
'Eunseom is alive and you are his twin. That is all I know,' Mubaek had told him but was that really all? No, there was more. Mubaek had forgotten to mention what he had shared with Tanya in the Fire Room.
"You didn't tell me everything you knew," Saya simply replied with a smile before he took a few steps away.
"Did you- did you kill them?!" Mubaek asked, grabbing the young Prince by his collar.
"No, at least not yet," Saya replied, "what you talked about with Tanya in the Fire Room, the sword, bell and mirror, tell me everything about that and they'll be free."
Mubaek looked at him with surprise, how much did he already know? He wasn't sure it was a good idea to share the prophecy with him as he had only shared it with the Priestess who had chosen not to tell him so far.
"You can refuse to tell me if you want," Saya murmured, "but if you choose to do so, you'll have to explain to the High Priestess why her people are dead and how you could have chosen to save them but haven't," he continued with a smirked.
Mubaek took a step back, loosening his grab on Saya's collar. "If I tell you everything, will you release them right away?" he asked.
"Of course, I give you my word," Saya answered with a smile before he encouraged the warrior to follow him so that they could talk privately.
As Mubaek followed the young Prince, he remembered one of his conversations with Enoria, she was afraid Saya could be the sword and not the mirror and that he would literally, 'slay the word'. He hadn't given too much importance to that before but he could see it in Saya's eyes now, that kid could bring chaos to Arthdal.
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'Three babies were born on the same day and hour 20 years ago, the three babies were each born with the destiny of the bell, mirror and sword so they could end this world.'
Interesting prophecy, Saya thought as Mubaek silently watched him assimilate everything he had just shared with him. He, a child who was kept hidden in a tower for years, was chosen by the gods to end the world? Saya almost giggled at the idea. Tens of possibilities of how the prophecy could happen engulfed his mind, was he supposed to work with Tanya and Eunseom to make it happen? Or did that mean they would be against each other? Was he actually the mirror or the sword? What would happen if the three of them met?
His thoughts suddenly went to Tagon, what role could his Father have in all of that? He was his heir, the Prince, a future King and he couldn't just destroy Arthdal just to play his part in a prophecy.
But he also wanted Tanya, could he have both? No, that wasn't about what he could have, but about what he wanted, he wanted both and so he would find a way to have them.
He looked at Mubaek with a smile and asked: "is that really all? Are you really sure there's nothing more you want to tell me?"
"There's nothing more. Now keep your word. Tell me where are the Wahans," Mubaek replied.
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When Mubaek opened the door of the room the Wahans were in, they were all startled at the unexpected entrance. The warrior looked at them one by one, searching for potential injuries the Prince could have inflicted them, finding none, he finally allowed himself to breathe and sighed of relief.
"What is that all about?!" Yeolson asked the warrior, "is my daughter safe?"
"Tanya Niruha is safe, you don't have to worry about her," Mubaek replied as he knelt to cut the ropes that were tying the High Priestess' father, "I am sorry about all of that," he murmured as he helped him stand up.
"You are sorry?! How do you want us to accept your apologies when we don't even know why we were in this situation in the first place?"
"You should just be thankful," a different voice was heard behind the warrior, "thanks to Mubaek, you are still alive."
Saya entered the room with a smile, he passed near the warrior who stepped back to make way, and approached Yeolson. "We haven't had a lot of occasion to speak, have we?" he asked, taking the man's hands, "you are going to tell me everything too, aren't you?"
"Everything about what? I don't understand," Yeolson mumbled.
"I want to know more about the one who has the same face as mine," Saya said. The Wahans exchanged worried looks, Tanya had asked them before not to mention Eunseom in front of Saya but now he was the one mentioning him. Saya noticed well how they looked at each other and he smiled at Yeolson while tightening the grab he had on his hands, "yes, you know exactly who I am talking about, Tanya's childhood friend, my twin brother, Eunseom."
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Leaned on the edge of the window of her High Priestess' room, Tanya looked at the blue sky above her and for a second she imagined herself back in Iark, she wanted to run barefoot in the grass, to feel the wind in the hair she wouldn't even have brushed. No one cared in Iark if her hair was messy or if she had stained her clothes, in Arthdal it was different, there were many rules she had to follow as the High Priestess. She sighed, even if she wasn't a slave anymore, she wasn't free either.
'The newly born Aramun will connect the sky and land, look over the many days and nights and serve and protect all forms of life on Arthdal to connect the old days with the many years to come.'
Those words came back to her mind, her words, the words she had pronounced in front of the people she had sworn to protect, and she hoped they could have an effect on the one she had crowned a King. Just like Enoria had told her the day before, she had crowned Tagon a King, she was the one who had given him the power he had now and she had decided she would do everything she could to use that to her advantage because, no matter the way, she had to protect her people, her subjects.
She got out of her thoughts when Saya entered her room. She clenched her teeth seeing the happy face he was showing her, he was probably excited at the idea of the war.
"You did well today," Saya praised her as he approached her.
"I did what I had to do," Tanya replied, though she wanted to use it to her advantage, it wasn't like she had had the choice in the first place, "may I help you for something?" she asked to inquire in a polite way the reason for his visit, she didn't really want to talk to him at the moment.
Saya smiled, she could help him by telling him why she had lied to him, why he had to do what he had done to obtain the answers he needed, why she didn't trust him enough to share the truth with him. But he wanted to let her another chance to confess, "our soldiers still haven't found the Wahans who had been taken to Doldambul, but they are still searching, even though the slaves rioted there, they shouldn't be too far."
"That's a great thing," Tanya replied, relieved, "I hope they will come back safely."
She wasn't sure she wanted Arthdal's soldiers to truly find Eunseom, she couldn't help but worry about what they could do to him knowing he had the same face as their Prince but wasn't him, plus, what if they discovered he was an Igutu? She remembered what Enoria had told her about how Igutus were treated in Arthdal and the idea Eunseom could be treated that way sent an horrible image in her mind.
She looked at Saya in silence and she wondered if he could see Eunseom in his dreams just like Eunseom used to see him in his. Did Saya know where his twin brother was at the moment? If she gently asked him, would he tell her about what his dreams were showing him?
If the twins could really dream about the other's life, she wondered if Eunseom could see her in his dreams, but, even if the idea he could know she was fine, she was also worried: what would he say if he was seeing her, she wasn't the Tanya he knew anymore, she was Asa Tanya, Arthdal's High Priestess now, with all the responsibilities that fell to that title. If they had the chance to meet again one day, would things be as they used to be between them? Was Eunseom still searching for a way to come back to her or had he given up? No, he couldn't have given up, she had given him a name, she had tied him up to her, he was Wahan's Dream, her Dream, he would come back for her, no matter what.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Saya asked. And yet, he knew, she wasn't looking at him, but at the part of him that reminded her of his twin brother.
His words made her get out of her thoughts and she looked away, "I am sorry, I was just-"
"Thinking about Eunseom?" Saya interrupted.
"Yes," Tanya simply replied.
But it wasn't enough for Saya,"is that all she has to say?" he thought, "so in the end, she won't tell me truth eventhough I gave her the opportunity to talk to me..."
Tanya frowned at his thoughts but she didn't have the time to comprehend what he meant.
"We may have the same face but I am not him, Tanya, so don't look at me like that again," he said with a faint bitter smile on his face and with a glance that sent shivers all over her body.
"What are you talking about?"
"Did you think you would be able to hide the truth from me forever? Well, I have to say I am disappointed, I thought we weren't hiding things from each other but you lied to me, you don't trust me, do you?"
"I don't know what you are talking about."
"Don't play dumb, I am talking about Eunseom," he said as he approached her closer.
Instinctively, Tanya stepped back when he approached. The look in his eyes was nothing like Eunseom's, Saya's scared her, and she wondered if he would dare to hurt her. "I didn't mean to lie to you, Saya," she said as she questioned herself on how he had learnt about everything.
"And yet, you did," Saya accused.
"I didn't lie to you, you never actually asked about him," Tanya defended herself, trying to keep her composure.
"Are you going to play with words now?" Saya scoffed, "why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me that your childhood friend was my twin brother?"
"I didn't know how you would react."
"And how do you think I am going to react now? Do you even know what I had to do to learn the truth?" Saya asked. If she had hurt him, he could hurt her too.
A shiver ran through her body, she knew Saya was capable of the worst, he wasn't a warrior but he had killed before and she couldn't help but to worry about the Wahans, "what have you done?"
"Why should I tell you? Can't I keep secrets too?" he provoked, "ah but I am not like you, I trust you so I should tell you," he said, as he leaned closer to her, "I held the Wahans captive to force Mubaek to tell me the truth," he murmured to her ear with an evil smile, "but don't worry, they are safe, I didn't have to hurt them."
Tanya felt the tears coming to her eyes as anger engulfed her, how could he speak about trust when he was capable of kidnapping the ones she cared about?
He took a step back to observe her reaction to his words with a satisfied smile on his face. They were even now, she had hurt him by hiding the truth and he had hurt her by taking her people hostages, they could start over. "I am not angry, I can forgive you for not having told me but you have to promise me you'll never hide anything from me again," he said, taking her hands in his.
"You forgive me?" she asked with gritted teeth as she looked at him with hatred, how could he think she was the one who had to be forgiven when he had used her people against her?
"Yes, of course, I care for you, enough to do that, you know that," he said with a smile.
She quickly freed her hands from his, "do you even know what it means to care about someone Saya?! Or it wasn't written into the books you read?! You should be the one asking for forgiveness right now!" she raised her voice.
"Why would I? I didn't do anything wrong, you are the one who lied to me."
"You kidnapped my people! You used them against me! You were ready to hurt them! To kill them! To take my family away from me forever! How could you?!"
"I needed to know the truth," he defended himself, "I could have killed them but I haven't."
Tanya didn't reply to that with words, her hand had been faster than her mouth. But at the moment her hand had slapped his face, she had regretted it, not because he didn't deserve it, but because she was afraid of what he could do to her. She called out for Yangcha, who had taken back his place as her bodyguard as soon as the coronation ceremony had ended, and he immediately entered the room. He was aware of the tension between the two as he had been able to hear Tanya's voice raising. An hand on his chains, he gave a dark look to Saya and, without taking his eyes off him, he directed his thoughts to the High Priestess, "should I make him get out of here Niruha?"
Saya took a deep breath, put a hand on his cheek as if to realize what she had just done, then he glanced at the warrior who was threatening him in silence. He looked back at Tanya, "I don't understand why you are angry, I am the one who should be upset right now. You are even calling your bodyguard because you are afraid of what I could do to you? I thought we trusted each other, I will never hurt you, Tanya," he said as he stroke her cheek.
The sound of Yangcha's chains was heard in the room, a way to tell him to get his hand off out the Priestess.
"You have no right to talk about trust," Tanya said with gritted teeth then, head-high, she headed for the door and opened it, before she gave a sharp look to Saya, "get out," she ordered as firmly as she could. She felt safe with Yangcha in the room, Saya wouldn't dare to try anything.
Saya smirked as he glanced at Yangcha who sharply returned it, "alright, please take time to calm down, we will talk again later then, we have a lot to talk about," he said with a smile before he bowed to Tanya and left the room.
After he had left, Tanya felt weak on her knees and she would have probably fallen to the ground if it wasn't for the protective arms Yangcha held her with. He quickly made her sit on the nearest chair. "Are you ok?" he asked in his thoughts.
"I am, thanks for your help."
"That's my job, I could have kicked him out if you had called earlier," he thought as he handed her a glass of water she took with trembling hands making him wonder if she was truly ok, "call if you need," he informed before he headed for the exist to take back his place as her guard outside of her room.
"Yangcha," she called, making the warrior turn, "could you please stay with me?"
"Do you need something, Niruha?" he immediately inquired.
"I don't need anything, I just don't want to be alone."
Yangcha frowned, he wondered why she wanted him to stay when she could have asked someone else to keep her company. Even though she had told him she couldn't completely trust her maids, for company they probably were better than him. He didn't ask, he was a warrior obeying orders and so he should do as his Niruha said and he placed himself near the door but inside the room, to guard her from inside, as he was asked to do.
As he watched his Niruha sipping the glass of water he had given her, he wondered what had happened between his master's son and her, he had heard a few things but not enough to comprehend the situation.
"Saya knows about Eunseom, he forced Mubaek to tell him by kidnapping the Wahans," Tanya explained in a low voice, "I slapped his face," she mumbled.
It surprised him to notice the Wahan girl was quite brave to do that to the King's son and for a second, Yangcha felt like congratulating her for her brave gesture, though he would have loved to see that by himself. But, he could also see how the conversation she had had with the Prince had affected her. She probably felt guilty for what she had done, not only for the gesture she had had, but also because he could have hurt her people just to discover a secret she had kept from him."Be careful with him, Niruha, he will use your culpability to get what he wants," he felt the need to tell her. It wasn't his role to reassure her or to advise her, but he couldn't help it, maybe because her good heart reminded him of the young Enoria and he knew too well that to survive in this world she had to toughen up.
"And what does he want?" Tanya asked, looking at him.
"You."