Sat on the ground at the entrance of the wooden house, Tanya was still lost in thoughts she wanted to chase away. And it was when Sana and Saya came back from their hunt that she was able to escape them.
"Niruha! Look what I caught!" Sana joyfully exclaimed.
"What we caught," Saya corrected.
"What? You did nothing, mister Prince-who-doesn't-want-his-hands-to-get-dirty," Sana accused before she turned to Enoria who was just coming back, "my Lady! Tell Niruha that Saya was useless!"
"I can't say that because he is the one who saw those birds first," Enoria said.
Saya smirked, before he turned to Sana. "You owe me an apology now."
"Do you know where you can put that apology?" Sana asked before she clicked her tongue, looked at Enoria, complained she was disappointed she had taken his side then told them she was going to complain to Yangcha and she disappeared inside.
Tanya smiled at Sana's childishness then she turned to Saya, "did it go well?"
"Yes, it was fun," he replied, "though your new assistant is quite annoyingly noisy."
"Saya, why don't you go help inside? Since you helped get our meal you should also help prepare it, don't you think?" Enoria proposed.
He was about to protest but the way she was looking at him was telling him to just do as she was asking him to. He bowed to Tanya with a smile then left the two women outside.
Once Saya was in, Enoria approached the Priestess. "Are you ok?" she asked her.
"Yes, I am," Tanya simply replied.
"Then why do you look so lost? Did something happen while we were away? Or is Yangcha so difficult to support that you had to isolate yourself outside?"
"We- I mean, I was just thinking a little too much but I am fine, don't worry," she tried to reassure.
"What is bothering you? You shouldn't torture yourself with the things that happened this mor-"
"That's not that," Tanya interrupted, "I was just confused for a moment."
"About what?"
"Love."
Enoria looked at her with a questioning look, frowned, took some time to analyze the Priestess' words then looked at her again. "For fuck's sake please don't tell me Yangcha is the one confusing you."
"Eh? What? No! Of course not! What are you imagining? There's no way!"
"Good thing to know because I am not the sharing type," Enoria replied, "the twins then? Are you afraid to be in love with Saya?"
Tanya's eyes opened wildly. She hadn't expected her friend to say that aloud and she begged her with her eyes to be quiet. "I don't think I even know what love is," she confessed, "this is-, this is too complicated," she deplored before she entered the house again.
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Enoria entered after Tanya who had already found something to occupy herself. She looked at the Priestess with worry. She knew way too well what it was like to fight against her own feelings and she feared Tanya would actually hurt herself by denying what seemed more and more evident for her: no matter how hard she could try to deny or reject it, there was a part of her which was attached to Saya in a way that wasn't friendship. Maybe it wasn't exactly love yet, but there was something, she was sure of it.
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Once their well-deserved meal was ready, the three youngest people sat around the table to finally eat while Enoria was tiding a little the mess they had made. Yangcha kept his distance, he wouldn't allow himself to remove his mask and eat in the presence of the High Priestess and Prince of Arthdal.
"Aren't you hungry?" Tanya asked him.
He shook his head but his own body betrayed him not long after and the rumbling sound coming from his stomach made everyone, except him, laugh. Slightly embarrassed, he glanced at Enoria who silently made him understand to wait outside the time for her to prepare their plates so that they would eat together. Yangcha excused himself to the High Priestess who restrained herself from laughing more at him and he left.
Enoria wasn't long to prepare their plates and she joined him soon after.
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While eating the meal they had all prepared together, Sana and Tanya were chatting about diverse subjects. Looking at them -or rather at Tanya-, Saya had to recognize that he was actually enjoying the time he was spending in her presence, though they weren't alone. She was different when she was surrounded by others, she smiled, laughed and talked more, maybe because she was less on her guard, and he wondered if she would be at ease like that with him one day. She would soon be his wife and he wanted her to trust him completely, to share happily, with him, simple moments like they had just done, with something as ordinary as the preparation of a meal. He thought maybe that was what it looked like to be a family. Had he ever shared a happy meal with Taealha or Tagon? No, actually, they had never sat around a table to speak about their respective days. Would they if he were to ask? He didn't know that. Would he dare to ask? Probably not. It was like he could already hear Taealha laughing mockingly at him for having such expectations as for Tagon, he would probably make an effort but it would probably be awkward. Why had they torn him away from his real parents? What if, if Tagon hadn't picked him up, his birth mother had come back for him and brought her two children to Iark instead of only bringing Eunseom? Would he have grown up witnessing a happy Tanya by his side? Would she have smiled at him the way he had seen her smiling at Eunseom through his dreams? Or had he always been destined to be the rejected one? No, he would prove to her he was worth her smiles and could make her happy too.
"Tomorrow," he started, without realizing he was actually interrupting the conversation of the two women who just stopped to listen to him. He noticed the way they were looking at him, and with a smile Tanya encouraged him to continue. "Tomorrow, I would like to have lunch with you."
"Are you proposing a date to Tanya Niruha?" Sana teased.
A date? He hadn't thought about it, "it's not," he replied not to make Tanya embarrassed, "it's just, I have thought about it and I think we should spend more time together before we officially announce our marriage. I know we have an arrangement but in the eyes of the people we have to be credi-"
"Let's do that then," Tanya interrupted him, "maybe you should accompany me in some of my activities and me in some of yours."
"It would be a pleasure to do that," the Prince replied with a smile.
Sana looked at them one after the other. There was something wrong about the way they were looking at each other and she awkwardly cleared her throat to remind them she was still there. "Should I go pick up some flowers or something like that so that the two of you can fli-"
"For how long have you known Enoria?" Saya interrupted her before she dared to say what she was about to say. He didn't want to make Tanya uncomfortable by putting words on things that didn't need to be named.
"I met her when I was 8, so ten years."
"Wait, there's something I am actually curious about," Tanya replied, "how old is she exactly?"
"How old do you think she is, Niruha?"
"26?"
Sana laughed, "oh but Niruha, how could she be 26? She was already 16 when her tribe was found out and it was 15 years ago."
"She is quite childish for a woman in her thirties," Saya scoffed.
"I thought she was about my age that's why I allowed myself to be friendly with her but if I had kno-"
"You will have treated her like an elder? Don't ever do that Niruha, she'll hate you if you ever dare to do that," Sana warned, "once I told her that if she had been 5 years older she could have been my mom and she sulked for two weeks!"
"Somehow I can picture her reacting like that," Saya said before the three of them laughed.
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Enoria and Yangcha had installed themselves outside, a little further from the house so that he would be able to remove his mask and eat comfortably.
They ate rather quietly but although he was happy to share a moment with her, he couldn't help himself but to scold her about the attitude she had had towards Tagon earlier.
"Did you just roll her eyes?" he accused.
"Of course not, I wouldn't have dared to do such a thing," she fakely defended herself before she laid on the grass to enjoy the warmth of the sun.
"I am serious Enoria, the fact Tagon appreciates you doesn't give you an absolute immunity."
"Could you please be less serious from time to time?"
"Could you please be more from time to time?" he asked as he laid next to her.
She watched him do so, in silence, the time for her to evaluate if she actually wanted to continue their actual conversation which she knew which turn it would take. She sighed, before she looked up at the sky then closed her eyes. "Tagon needs to be pushed that way, Yangcha, you know that."
"It's too risky."
"It's a risk I am willing to take."
"Not me!" he raised his voice, "you're so fucking selfish, do you have any idea what it does to me to see you putting yourself in danger like that?!"
She hadn't liked the way he was raising his voice, and so, with a quick move, she positioned herself on him, immobilizing his two arms with her hands on his wrists. "And do you have any idea what it does to me to see you grovel to Tagon? To see you obeying blindly every order given to you? To prevent yourself from saying what you want to say just because someone told you you should stay quiet for the rest of your life? Is that how you imagine yourself for the rest of your life? Tied to Tagon? Punished? Not free?" she asked, looking straight into his dark eyes.
He didn't try to push her away, instead he stared back into her eyes which never missed to penetrate his soul. "It is not th-"
"Don't you dare tell me it's not that bad. You could have, no actually you could be so much more but you satisfy yourself with the bare minimum because you don't want to fight for your freedom."
"I don't know if it's something worth fighting for," he replied.
"If it's not then what is Yangcha? Capturing people to reduce them to slavery and wars in the name of Tagon?"
"I have always li-"
"You have always lived like that, yes, I know that, but that doesn't mean it's right nor does it mean you have to live like that for the rest of your life. Because, let me warn you, I am gonna take back the freedom Tagon took away from me, and if you don't want to fight for yours, I will because I don't fucking care if you want to follow him for the rest of your life but you will do so freely. It's out of the question that, if we actually manage to bring children into this damn world one day, they could fear to end up being owned by someone. This is something I don't want to happen for our children and if not for ours, for those of the people we care about. Do you understand what I am saying?"
"And how are you gonna do that, little Igutu?"
"I don't know yet. I still have to figure out a plan."
"Are you gonna stop one day to be a troublemaker?"
"No, never, I was born to be one. If you wanted a lovely spouse who spends her time cooking and sewing while waiting for you to come back home to wash your back and your clothes, you've chosen wrongly. I am a warrior and I do intend to fight until my last breath for the things I judge right. Am I being clear enough, Daekan?"
He didn't reply to that, it wasn't truly a real question anyway. He was staring straight into her eyes and he saw in them the same determination, the same will he had seen when the 16 years old Enoria had asked him to train her.
"What?" she asked him, sharply.
"You look quite attractive when you are like that."
"I am always attractive, you haven't been paying attention, Daekan," she said as she freed his hands from hers.
"Free my body from your weight now."
"Free yourself," she challenged.
He raised to a sitting position but she didn't move from where she was sitting. His face was now a few centimeters from hers and he just watched her. They were both aware of the double meaning of her words, they had had that conversation plenty of time and it had also been the source of numerous arguments. He wished it was as simple as she thought to free himself from Tagon but it wasn't. He had swore an oath and his honor as a warrior forbad him to break it. Somehow, he envied her rebellious personality, he admired her for always being able to do what she wanted to do whenever she wanted to and somehow, he thought that if one day he found the will to fight for himself it would be thanks to her and it would be not only for him, but for her too.
"Are you gonna stare into my eyes for much longer or are you finally gonna decide yourself to kiss m-"
He had caught her lips before she had even finished her question. She didn't fight to finish it, instead, she gave back his gentle kiss. He quickly realized he was being too gentle, too soft and that it wasn't enough for her. She threaded her fingers through his black hair, holding him close to her, while his hand crept up to cradle her nape.
For a moment, it was only the two of them and nothing more before she forced herself to come back to her senses, "we should stop right now," she managed to say between two kisses.
"Do you want me to stop?"
"No, I don't want you to stop, I need you to stop before I start begging you to continue. The kids could go out every moment and I highly doubt they want to see us like that," she replied, before she took a hold of herself and finally stood up. "Let's go back."
He didn't immediately stand up, he watched her with an amused smile on his face, taking a few steps away before coming back as she remembered they had to take back their plates.
"Are you sure you are thinking straight right now?" he mocked as he stood up to help her, "how are you gonna explain the color your cheeks had taken?"
"The weather, it's kind of hot today, you see," she replied before she walked away with their plates.
"Hey, Igutu," he called out, making her stop and turn, "your lips, you must cover them again," he continued as he approached her. He searched her pockets and was warned not to enjoy too much though he didn't know if it was her or him that benefit of it the most, and when he had found the small container, he gently applied the lipstick to cover her purple lips. When he was done, he put it back into her pocket, dropped a kiss on her forehead, murmured to her he loved her and, while she told him the same words she warned him she would definitely ask Tagon for a day off they would pass in bed. He took his mask and tied it back to his face, hiding the smile on his face.
Enoria and Yangcha joined the trio who, after having finished their meal, were just chatting together. They headed back for the city a little while after.
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After that day, Tanya didn't do anything to upset the King again. She found herself busy between the preparation for the Spirits of Flowers Ceremony, her duties as the High Priestess, Saya's training to which she was often invited to assist, the children of the stone factory she visited whenever she could and the visits she paid to the citizens to assure their workers were being treated well.
She hadn't been surprised the way some of the citizens looked at her had changed, Tagon had warned her, by acting in favor of the slaves, she had set some of the citizens against her and yet, most of them seemed to still support her and not bothered about the changes she had brought to their lifestyles.
The first part of her great plan had already started, she was praying every morning and every evening for the Gods to send them rain and she had made sure every single citizen was aware of the efforts she was putting in helping them.
Saya had been of great help to her. The two were spending more and more time together and the rumor had spread that something was going on between them which was exactly what they wanted.
A few days later, at one of the Kingdom meetings, Tanya announced a date for the Spirits of Flowers Ceremony and with a look, assured Tagon that she was more than ready for everything they had planned.
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It was already night when Yangcha and Enoria could finally rest, they had eaten, washed before crashing into the bed.
"Is Tanya ready for whatever she has planned to do?" Enoria asked as she was resting her head on his chest while he was gently caressing her hair.
"I don't know, I am not her friend, she doesn't share anything with me," he reminded her, "recently, she makes Sana and I out of her office anyway."
"You almost sound sad," she teased him.
"I don't know if I prefer being inside with the risk Tanya Niruha hears my thoughts or being outside with that mini-you talking and talking as if she would lose the ability to do so if she was to stop."
She laughed lightly, he could say whatever he wanted, she knew he enjoyed Sana's company and the feeling was reciprocated. "She is a nice little girl."
"Indeed, and there's so much you in her, it's interesting to witness. If we ever have a girl one day, I bet she'll be similar to Sana."
"Or she will be as quiet as her dad in the presence of unknown people," she teased.
"Maybe we should try to bring that little girl into this world," he murmured to her ear.
She wasn't long to respond to the proposition and she threw one of her legs on the other side of him, sat on him, and leaned to kiss him. He caressed the curve of her waist, and even through her night dress, she could feel the warmth of his hands. He had raised to a sit up position to be able to touch her as he wanted to. He made the top of her night dress go down to her waist so that he could enjoy the feel of her skin on his. He felt her tense from anticipation but he didn't rush things and he continued to kiss her, tenderly, slowly, while caressing her bare back. It was when she was about to help him take off his shirt that the door suddenly opened.
"Oh shit! Am I interrupting something?" the unexpected visitor asked while having the decency to turn not to see anything else.
"Damn it Mugwang! Knock!" Enoria raised her voice before, with Yangcha's help, she dressed herself. Yangcha's eyebrows had furrowed and he fought against the urge to yell at Mugwang. He was glad they hadn't been in a more advanced situation and that Enoria's hair had been hiding what Mugwang would have surely glanced at if it hadn't been covered. He sighed and, just like Enoria, he stood up before he put back on his mask.
"The door was not closed, little wolf. You should take precautions. I don't know what I would have seen if I had come just a little after," Mugwang teased.
"Locked or not, for fuck's sake knock at people door before entering!"
"Now I am sure mute dude is not a virgin," he amused himself.
'Oh shut up!" Enoria replied for Yangcha who had just sighed in exasperation.
"And you must recognize I was right, you like to be abov-"
The dagger she had put on his throat interrupted him in his sentence. "If you ever tell someone about what you just saw I am gonna slice your throat in your sleep, is that clear?"
"Got it, you little psycho how come you are that embarrassed? You are a grown-up woman, you do grown-up woman activities, nothing more normal about that!"
"Why are you here, Mugwang?"
"Remove that dagger from my throat first."
"I don't want to. I still haven't decided if I wanted to slice your throat anyway."
"We both know you are not going to do that, honey. I have got the plan of the Fortress of Fire you wanted," he said as he brandished the scroll.
"Oh," she replied as she lowered her dagger and took the scroll from his hand, "efficient," she murmured as she walked away from him and rolled out the scroll.
"Are you dressed?" Mugwang asked.
"I am," she replied, which allowed him to turn.
Mugwang's eyes met with Yangcha's and he could see that his mute comrade wasn't that happy about having been interrupted in potential nice night activities. He apologized in silence, to which Yangcha just sighed very loudly and rolled his eyes before he gave him a dark look seeing him approaching Enoria.
Mugwang stayed silent for a moment, watching her examining the scroll he had brought to her. He saw her furrow her eyebrows as if she was trying to comprehend what was the best tactic for whatever she was planning to do. "Hey, little wolf, for what exactly did you need that?" he asked, "you are not planning to do something you shouldn't do, are you?"
"Of course not, you know how much I love respecting the rules."
"Yeah that's what worries me," he replied, and the way she looked at him with a small malicious smile on her face was proof she was up to nothing respectful of the rules, "hey, you, don't you dare puttin-"
Mugwang hadn't had the time to finish his sentence. A shadow jumped into the room and Mugwang just like Yangcha were fast to draw their swords but as the intruder didn't attack, they stayed where they were, shielding Enoria behind them despite the fact that, unlike them, she knew the identity of the man who had appeared.
"What the hell are you doing there?" the man asked Mugwang.
"Who the hell are you to speak to me like that?" the warrior asked back.
Enoria made her way to the visitor by passing between the two who had unnecessarily shielded her and Whan immediately dropped to one knee to respect the one standing in front of him.
"What's wrong?" Enoria asked.
"I have urgent matters to discuss with you my Qu- Lady," he corrected himself as he stood up and slightly bowed to Yangcha standing just behind her, "why is that man here?" he questioned as he glanced at Mugwang then looked at her again.
"He brought me something I asked for," the Igutu woman answered before she turned to Mugwang, "could you please leave us for a moment?"
Mugwang looked at the visitor up and down and he couldn't help but to notice that, somehow, he did look like Yangcha: tall, wearing black, a sword at his waist, a black mask covering half his face and eyes that seemed to spit fire at him. He looked back at Enoria with a smirk on his face, "somehow you do have a type, are you into threesome?"
"How dare you ask such things to her?!" Whan accused, "you better leave that room before I make you."
"What's wrong with you, boy? I am not even talking to you."
"You shouldn't even talk or approach her! A piece of trash like you shouldn't have that right!" Whan replied with gritted teeth.
"Why not?" Mugwang mocked, "what have I ever done to you to be that disrespectful, huh?"
"The question is what have you done to her?!" Whan lost his temper.
"Enough!" Enoria interrupted, "Whan calm down and you Mugwang, get out for now but stay at the door, I may have some questions for you later."
"Alright, and don't worry, I'll knock next time," he said as he winked at her, gave Whan a dark look, then left as he was asked.
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"I can't believe you enjoy the company of such a man," Whan accused after the door had closed behind Mugwang.
"Somehow I got used to him and I can't say I am actually enjoying his company," Enoria replied, "now tell me why not only you seem so troubled but also incapable of keeping your temper."
"Yihyun," Whan replied, "she is nowhere to be found. Sana told me she was in the city and was supposed to come see me before going back home but she never came."
"When?" Enoria asked, "when were you supposed to see her?"
"Three days ago, I've been actively searching wherever she could have wandered around but I haven't been able to find her."
Enoria could hear in his voice how the situation deeply affected him and she had to hide her own worries so that he wouldn't feel even worse. She could have scolded him for not having warned her before but it was not necessary. If he had not done so, it was because he probably didn't want to accept the fact that his little sister, just like some of their other people, had been found and caught by Taealha.
She asked him to give her as much information as he could and he described to her the way she was dressed the last time Sana had seen her, the places he knew she had visited and everything he could think about.
"If something was to happen to Yihyun I won't forgive mys-"
"I know, Whan," she interrupted him before she approached him and cupped his face into her hands, "I promise you I will bring your little sister back to you, no matter what I have to do for that."
"So what do we do?"
"You, you go back to your home and you rest. I bet you haven't taken a rest for the past three days. Not only are you too emotionally involved to be careful and efficient but you are also way too precious to me for me to take the risk of you being caught too."
"But-"
"But nothing, that is an order you don't have the right to disobey," she interrupted, "I have a plan and though I thought I would have more time to prepare myself, I am gonna execute it tonight. Now go, I will keep you updated."
Whan thanked her and though he wanted to know more about her plan he trusted her enough not to ask and he left with a heavy-heart.
"Your plan," Yangcha started as he approached her once Whan was not in the room anymore, "does it consist of infiltrating the Fortress of Fire?"
"Yes, absolutely," she replied, "and I know what you are going to say, it's too risky, if I get caught I'll be in trouble and you are tired of me being a troub-"
"I am coming with you," he interrupted her.
She looked at him, surprised by the unexpected words, "you, you are aware that it goes against the rules, right?"
"Yes, I am aware of that fact but do I have another choice? Either I tie you to a chair and we both know you'll end up finding a way to free yourself to go be the troublemaker you are, either I come with you and I make sure you don't get yourself into too much trouble."
"Either you actually think it's exciting to break the rules."
"No, I would have actually preferred another kind of excitement tonight," he replied before he went to the closet and chose clothes that would make them two shadows in the night.
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When they were both ready, dressed and armed, Enoria called back from Mugwang who had obediently stayed at the door as she had asked him.
"The other dude is gone?" Mugwang asked first before he looked at the couple, "are you going somewhere?"
"Mugwang," Enoria started, "what are you doing tonight?"
The small smile she had on her face gave him a weird feeling, whenever he wanted it or not, he knew from the way she was looking at him that he was going to be involved in some trouble and it didn't actually please him.
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"Are you mad or something?" Mugwang murmured as he was following the two in the quiet streets of Arthdal, "if we get caught we are fucking dead, do you know that?"
"Shut up now before I cut your tongue," Enoria replied, "why did you accept if you didn't want to come? We didn't force you! Now if you are freaking out, wet your pants if you want but do so in silence."
"You fucking bi-" he started to say but he interrupted himself. Through the darkness he could still distinguish quite well the look Yangcha was giving him, "alright, alright, I shut up. No wonder you two are together, two of the same kind I am telling you," he muttered before he fell silent.
When they arrived at the Fortress of Fire, the tension raised. Yangcha and Enoria waited for the opportunity to climb and enter through one of the windows while Mugwang was asked to stand guard so that they would come out safely.
It wasn't the first time for Yangcha to enter the Fortress of Fire that way. During the past twenty years, Tagon had asked him to go check on Saya from time to time when the latter was still a kid, to make sure Taealha was treating him well. He always entered and left without being seen, even by the one he was checking on and so, he knew the habits of the guards.
They entered without too much difficulty. They had waited for two of the guards to be further and they were both discreet enough not to make any noises while walking.
With the plan Mugwang had gotten for them, they knew exactly where to go though they didn't know how they would access the hidden room.
Arrived at their destination, while paying attention to the timing of the guards' watch, they inspected every corner to find a way to the hidden place. They found a trapdoor and without too much hesitation, Enoria engulfed herself in the corridor and Yangcha followed. He warned her in a murmure to be prepared for anything as they didn't know what Taealha could have done to her people but she didn't hear him anymore, her eyes were focused on the door at the end of the corridor and her mind lost in the worst thoughts. When she cautiously opened the door, there was no one inside and she didn't know if she was relieved or even more anxious at the idea they would have to continue their research. She was examining the plan to find out where they were going to check next when something caught Yangcha's attention. On the table in the corner of the room, he noticed a scroll on which there was a familiar drawing.
"I think that's a message left for you," he murmured as he gave her the paper, "that drawing is similar to the tattoo on your ankle."
He saw the immediate worries in her eyes. She wasn't the only to have that tattoo on her skin. Every member of her close group of warriors had come one day with the idea to make it the symbol of the Shadows and so, they had all got tattooed the same way as their leader.
She unrolled the scroll with a certain urgency and recognized Taealha's handwriting almost immediately.
'Congratulations for having successfully managed to come here without being caught. The people you are looking for are not here, honey, try again, ha ha ha,' she read and it angered her to the point she had difficulty controlling the color of her eyes. Taealha was playing with her and the fact she was doing exactly what the Queen had probably predicted her to do annoyed her.
"Let's go, there are other places we can check," Yangcha tried to reassure, "we shouldn't spend too much time here."
Seeing her lack of reaction, he took the scroll from her hand and replaced it the exact same way they had found it, took the map and examined it to find their next stop, then he guided her himself towards the exit.
They passed again by the trapdoor and headed for the next potential hidden place. They had calculated the time they had to pass from one corridor to another without being seen but for whatever reason, their path crossed the one of two guards. Before they had time to give the alert, Enoria had stuck her hairpin into the ear of one of them while Yangcha, a hand on the other's mouth, made him pass out before Enoria stuck her hairpin into his ear as well. It was a discreet weapon, leaving no trace behind if the blood was wiped out. They hadn't been noisy in their action but, in the silence of the night, the muffled screams of the two guards had put the others on alert and soon, guards were heading to where the two infiltrated Daekans were.
"We have to go, now," Yangcha murmured to her as he took her hand to force her to make the right decision.
"I can't leave," she whispered as she freed her hand from his, "I made a promise to Whan."
He grabbed her two arms to force herself to think straight, "if we get arrested, how are you going to find Yihyun and the others? Don't give Taealha what she probably wants."
She knew he was right and yet she still didn't want to leave because she knew that, with the two dead bodies they were leaving behind, Taealha would probably reinforce the security and they wouldn't be able to come back to continue their research.
He didn't give her the choice, he had promised himself he wouldn't let her put herself into too much danger and he forced her to follow him. A quick signal to Mugwang who answered back and they were out of the Fortress of Fire. They waited under the window for a short moment because of one of the guards just above them who was ordering the others to check around the Fortress as well. When Mugwang gestured to them that it was safe to move, they were quick to join him and to leave the place.
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Mugwang hadn't asked about how their infiltration had gone, from the way Enoria walked with angry steps and the way Yangcha looked at her with worry, he could conclude it hadn't gone the way she had wanted to. Before sending him away, she had thanked him for the assistance and asked him not to talk about anything that happened during the night. He had reassured her of the fact that as he would get punished too if it was to be known he had helped them and so, she had no reason to be worried about him talking, he wouldn't.
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Enoria hadn't really slept that night though Yangcha had done his best to try reassuring her that they would search for a solution with a clear head. She wasn't that talkative the morning after and it was reluctantly that she headed for the Palace. She heard some of the Palace guards talking about rumors of an intrusion in the Fortress of Fire but she didn't pay too much attention to them, even if she didn't doubt Taealha would suspect her, the Queen of Arthdal would have no proof to accuse and arrest her and her accomplices.
"A girl you said? Damn it, people die like flies nowadays, so annoying," she heard Gilseon complaining as he passed by her with some of his guards and for some reason she felt anxious at his words and the idea that, because of her infiltration into the Fortress, Taealha could have killed Yihyun came to her mind. Forgetting she was supposed to go train Saya, she followed the group of Palace's guards. They made their way through the crowd and so did she, soon finding out what they were all staring at: the body of a girl was hanging, her face hidden by a bag that had been placed on her head. Enoria froze when she recognized the clothes Whan had described being those of Yihyun the last day she had been seen.
She heard the guards debating on the fact they should report to the King first or take the girl's body down first.
"Make her down," she ordered in a murmur to Gilseon and his men, even though her eyes didn't quit the small figure.
"What?" Gilseon asked her as he had just noticed her presence, "why are you here? Don't you have things to do, huh?"
"Cut that rope immediately," she said with a certain urgency the guards could hear in her voice.
Gilseon looked at her with a certain annoyance, he didn't like being ordered around by a woman who didn't have the status to do so, he rolled his eyes and with a look he ordered his men to do as she had said.
"Hey, you may be the Daekan Lady, it doesn't give you all the right," Gilseon complained.
She was aware he was talking but she didn't pay attention to him, she had approached the girl's body as soon as they had gently released her from the rope.
"Do you know her?" Gilseon asked but she didn't answer him which annoyed him even more.
She had carefully removed the bag from the girl's head and a few discreet tears fell down her cheeks when she saw the girl's face: it wasn't Yihyun and she felt so relieved that it wasn't her that she felt bad for the poor girl lying on the ground.
She stood up, asked the Palace guards to properly bury the girl and turned to leave but Gilseon caught her wrist.
"Hey, that's the last time I am gonna repeat that so listen carefully: stop ordering my men around," Gilseon murmured to her, "you may be Yangcha's girl but-"
"But what?" she interrupted him, "does that fact bother you because you have to restrain yourself from treating me badly? Because you are scared of what he could do to you if you were to lay a single hand on me? Don't be ridiculous, Gilseon, that's not him you should be scared of. Now if you don't want me to break your arm in front of your own men, you better remove the grip you have on my wrist," she threatened in a murmure before he freed her wrist and she left while asking them once again to properly bury the young girl.
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"What are you playing at?!" Enoria asked as soon as she had entered the Queen's office without even having announced herself.
Taealha stared at her, a satisfied but discreet smile on her face, before she dismissed the other people in the room. "I am not quite sure to understand what you mean, sweetie," the Queen replied.
"Don't play the fool! That poor girl you dressed as one of my girls and got hanged, was that a kind of warning?!" the Igutu woman accused.
"It's funny," Taealha murmured, "you know for a while I have some of your people, you had been prudently searching for a way to find them and yet, as soon as you heard I had that girl, you rushed things. I was sure the tattoo on her shoulder meant she was precious to you, I can see I wasn't wrong."
Enoria clenched her fists, she could hear the mockery in Taealha's voice, the Queen of Arthdal was having fun playing with her. "Why are you doing this?" she asked her.
"To help you make a choice, honey, you see, there are two kinds of people: those who are by my side and those who are not, which one do you want to be?"
"I already told you I wouldn't join you!"
"And I have until the next full moon to make you change your mind. See, I know it was you who visited the Fortress of Fire last night, you even killed two of my men and yet, I won't blame you for that because, despite your rebellious spirit, I still think you could be useful to me so I can let that go, but my patience has its limits."
Enoria approached her and, her face close to hers, she threatened in a low voice: "if you hurt them in any ways, I am gonna kill you."
"I'd like to see you try, honey," the Queen replied with a smirk before she laughed at Enoria who stormed out of the office.
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"You are late, again," Saya complained as his teacher finally made him the honor to show up.
She didn't answer him, in silence she took a practice word and she launched an attack without warning him. Surprised, the Prince wondered if that was part of the training but he didn't dare to ask. She wasn't giving him the time anyway.
She hadn't even paid attention to the fact the High Priestess and her two bodyguards were there.
"She is not training him right now, she is taking it out on him," Tanya murmured.
Yangcha and Sana had noticed that too, and they both wondered if that could have a link with the rumor they had heard about a young girl having been found dead earlier in the day.
"Yangcha, stop her," Tanya ordered him as she could see Saya was struggling to keep himself safe from the anger of his teacher.
Without hesitation, he obeyed the order he had received. He loved her but at that moment he knew she would be able to hurt the Prince without even doing it on purpose and he couldn't let that happen.
Instead of meeting Saya's practice sword, her own sword met Yangcha's, allowing the Prince to escape the fight.
Yangcha could have wanted from her to immediately lower her weapon but he could still see anger in her eyes and so, he knew it wouldn't be that easy to stop her and indeed, she didn't have the intention to calm down so fast. He let her take it out on him, he was a more fair opponent than Saya but he didn't let it last too long. When he had decided it was time for her to calm herself, he grabbed her right wrist, forced her to drop her weapon, pinned her left arm behind her back then the right one to immobilize her.
"Fine, fine, I calm down," she said so that he would free her from his firm grip which he did, "sorry," she added as she looked at him while trying to catch her breath. He felt like questioning her on the reason for her anger but he couldn't with eyes on them.
"Was it Yihyun?" Sana asked with tears in her eyes, "the girl they found was it-"
"It wasn't Yihyun," Enoria replied before the crying Sana ran to her for a hug, "it wasn't her," she repeated as she gently stroked Sana's head to calm her but also to calm herself.