Sae Joo observed the teenage boy's appearance, scanning him from his red headband down to his straw shoes. Opening a small window of hope, he thought that the boy could save him.
The young boy, in a fighting position, snarled. "Let us do this!"
A man in front gave a strong blow of punch, but he managed to bend backward dodging the quick fist of knockdown. He then crouched and whirled his right leg forward before he leaped into the mid-air, unleashing two side-ward kicks which hit the chest of two men on his sides. The men stumbled on the ground, accidentally letting go their sticks.
The leader yelled. "Hey, you useless animals! Would you let this teenage boy defeat you? Get up!" The two men grimaced in pain as they tried to convince their bodies to stand.
Another man stroke the boy with the wooden stick, but he just dodged them, either to the left or the right. He laughed when the man could not even hit even his onyx hair. "This is tiring. Level up, will you?" he cackled and whacked the man in the nose, making the poor man bend down, screaming in pain like a child.
The leader gritted his teeth for this humiliation, which reflected how he trained his men. He walked to the boy and smashed him with the wooden stick in the back. The teenage boy tripped on the ground in an unexpected blow. Facing down the ground, leaves and soil kissed his lips as he tried to get up. The leader stroke him again but before the stick could hit him, he rolled to the left and kicked the leader in the face.
Witnessing what happened to the boy, Sae Joo bit his lips and looked sideways, seeing some of the men fled while wobbling like an old lady. Catching for the perfect timing, the young crocodile finally had its first bite. The man, holding him stepped back yelping in pain. The Prince saw the wooden stick fell on the ground. He grabbed it and repeatedly hit the man, as he closed his eyes and screamed.
"You bastard! Die! Die! Ah!"
It was a chaotic scene, intensified by the Prince's continuous screaming.
Sae Joo was busy hitting the guy, while the teenage boy managed to defeat the remaining men using just a wooden stick, leaving some of them knocked down on the ground. After the fight, the teenage boy ran to Sae Joo to stop him from hitting the man, who was lying on the ground blocking the stick with his arms. He grabbed him by the waist and pulled him away. The Prince wiggled and shouted, "Let me go! I am going to beat this varmint more! Let me go!"
The teenage boy closed his eyes and cocked his head away, saving his eardrums from complete destruction. He shook the Prince by his shoulder and frowned at him. "Stop it! You are overreacting!"
Sae Joo fell down on the ground in an instant with a loud thump, realizing his stupidity.
"Come. Let us get out of here. I will offer you a ride to your house. Where do you live?"
Sae Joo breathed heavily for a few seconds before a gasp escaped from his mouth. He quickly stood and ran to the stream.
"Aish! This boy is driving me crazy!" the teenage boy scratched his head and followed him.
Sae Joo stopped at the edge. "What are you doing?" the teenage boy asked.
"Can you swim?" Sae Joo answered back.
"Yes."
The Prince threw a quick glance at the stream, biting his lips. The teenage boy's eyes narrowed as he shook his head. "Err, no. You are abusing my kindness already. Do not tell me to jump on that water to save your Agassi, who just fell a while ago."
Sae Joo grabbed the boy's hand and locked his eyes on him. "Please, I am begging you. I cannot swim." he then looked down.
The boy pushed him and shook his hands, with a little disgust on his face. "Hey! Do you not have manners? You should not hold a stranger's hand just like that... especially if he is a boy as well."
Sae Joo pouted his lips. "Well, you just grabbed my waist a while ago."
The boy cleared his throat, face reddened in embarrassment. "That was different! You are being over-dramatic a while ago. You even screamed like a girl! Servants like you should know how to fight. How could you protect your master if you act like a wimp?"
"I am not a...." Sae Joo cut his statement, stopping his tongue from spilling the beans.
Placing his hands on his waist, the boy tried to explain the scenario. "All right, look. That river is flowing, and she fell about thirty minutes ago. Do you think if I swim there, I would be able to find her? You know what, let us just hope that your master survives. Furthermore, pray that her father, which I assume is a nobleman, would spare your life for failing to protect her. Tsk tsk. You are a boy and you cannot even fight! Do you even know how to punch?"
"Being a boy does not mean that you have to be good at fighting, just like being a girl has to be good at cooking."
"Well, this is how the world works. You can do nothing about that. It will not change even in thousand years... Aish, you know what this is getting off topic, let us just get out of here." the boy suggested.
Sae Joo thought for a while. I hope Jin Ri survives. I cannot forgive myself if something terrible happens to her.
"Hey, what do you say? You seem lost again." snapped the teenage boy.
"Nothing. Good idea. By the way, I would like to thank you for saving my life and dealing with my stubbornness."
"It is nothing. One of the things that I hate the most is injustice. You obviously do not know how to protect yourself, and besides, you are just a commoner so why would they take advantage of you as if they can get gold out of it?"
"Thank you, again... err,"
"Shun. My name is Shun, just in case you would ask since you could not continue what you were saying."
"I am Sae Joo. It was nice to meet you, Shun. I am very lucky to meet you."
"Hmm, that name is familiar. Anyways, let us go. You go in front. I'll be right behind you." Shun smiled.
The two started walking back to Shun's horse. "So, err, where are you from?" asked Sae Joo.
"I live in the northernmost province of Silla, Myeongju. How about you?"
"Seorabeol."
Shun's eyes twinkled, thinking that Sae Joo might know the exact way to his destination. "Great! That is where I am heading. Perhaps, do you know where the main infirmary is located?"
As soon as Sae Joo was about to answer, a loud hiss in the wind traveled swiftly in the air, a thin line of a blurry object passed across his eyes, almost hitting his face.
"Get down!" yelled Shun.
The two startled boys got down as they covered their heads. After a few seconds, when Shun started to feel that it was safe already, he told Sae Joo to crawl closer to him. He grabbed the Prince's arm as he wrapped an arm to his shoulder, pulling him closer.
"Now, we are not strangers. Tuck yourself closer to me."
"This is too close already. I could already hear your unsteady heartbeat. By the way, what is happening? What was that?" Sae Joo wondered.
Shun looked around and was shocked to see metal, star-shaped boomerang which impaled a tree next to Sae Joo's former position. "I think those men called for reinforcements. Brace yourself. This is going to be a long, tiring battle."
Shun stood and walked a few paces carefully. He yelled, his voice echoing through the huge nature's skyscrapers. "Come out! Show your faces, cowards!"
No one responded.
"This is getting annoying. Where are you, stupid pigs?"
A few minutes had passed and Shun got what he wanted. From the thickest bushes and the tallest trees, men, with brawny stature wearing iron-plated armors came out, surrounding them. His jaw dropped upon realizing that these men were different from the ones that he had fought. These group of men appeared to be more vicious and stronger. Some were even carrying crossbows, spears, swords, and metal boomerangs.
He titled his head to Sae Joo as his eyes grew large, shaking his head. Suddenly, the leader shouted, spurting out unfamiliar language to him. "What did he say?"
Sae Joo waved his hand, signaling him to come closer to him. Shun nodded and crouched, making his way back to the Prince. "I think they are not from Silla. If I am not mistaken, they are Tang people," whispered Sae Joo.
"What?"
"Yes. They have an advanced set of weapons, compared to Silla."
"Oh, Heavens! My fighting skills surely will not match with them."
"I think so."
The man from the group blurted again, this time his men walked towards the two boys. Shun picked a small dagger from his chest pocket and pointed it to them while holding Sae Joo. "Do not come any closer." He swung and whirled the dagger but the men seemed to be not intimidated at all. Then, another one from the back, pointed a sword near his neck, saying words he could not understand.
"Ah! What did he say?" screamed Shun, stomping on repeat.
"He is telling you to stop it. You cannot scare them at all. Shun, just do what they say. Let us surrender if we want to survive."
"No!"
"Please, just stop. You will kill both of us."
Taming the fierce cub took some time. The young boy just thought that he needed to survive for his father. However, part of him still wanted to try fighting because this delay would gravely affect his father's condition. He decided to surrender for now, but surely, he would think a way to escape in the right timing.
The leader instructed his men to check their pockets and collect any weapons. Then, he commanded them to tie the two together. After being tied in a rope, the men pushed them and forced them to march along the forest ground.
As they continued marching, the two stumbled together because of Sae Joo.
"Ah, that hurt! Please be careful," said Shun, frowning. Annoyance and disappointment reflected in his eyes.
"My apologies."
Sae Joo was alerted when he saw his eagle figurine in front of him, which might had stuck out from his pocket when they stumbled. He quickly looked around and jolted his hands to the figurine, covering it as if nothing happened. The two stood and marched once again.
~~•~~
Meanwhile in the palace, in the middle of a council meeting at the main hall, a hwarang barged in without permission, his footsteps were heavy as if he wanted to tell something urgent to everyone inside. The guards outside tried to stop him but they did not succeed.
Dae Wong frowned and warned the hwarang. "This is treachery. How dare you barge in without permission? Go out now or you will be punished."
Jae Joong interfered and let the hwarang speak. "There must be a reason for this unexpected behavior. Speak."
The hwarang bowed and swallowed. "Sire, the Crown Prince is missing. We have searched for him all over the palace but we could not find him."
Jung Ho butted in and scoffed. "Are you certain? You know the Prince's mischievousness. He might be somewhere, where he does not want you to see. Have you searched enough?"
"Yes, Your Excellency. The last time we saw him, he was with Lady Jin Ri. He told us to leave them, for they would just talk in the gazebo. After a couple of hours, we fetched him but the guards said that they have not seen him in the gazebo."
"Are you saying that my daughter has something to do with the Prince's disappearance or perhaps, are you just blaming other people just because of your incompetence?" he cocked his head to the King, whose eyes narrowed in displeasure. "Sire, please punish this hwarang in this instant."
Jae Joong stood and announced, "Daedungs, this meeting is adjourned. I will personally look for my son. Everyone, go out and look for the Prince. Now!" The council members bowed their heads and exited. The King paced down the carpet and approached the hwarang. "If my son is indeed missing, be ready. Now leave, search again."
When the hwarang left, he turned to his brother and ordered him. "Prime Minister, what are you still standing there? Go out and find my son."
"Yes... Sire," said Jung Ho as he bowed his head slowly.
"Ah, before I forget, I want to see Jin Ri now."
Jung Ho's eye twitched as his lips turned thin before giving a faint smile. "Yes... Your Majesty."
The King exited while he remained in the hall. He paced down back and forth, clenching his fist. "Jin Ri, where are you? You better do your task accordingly." he shook his head, shoving away negativity and left the hall.
~~•~~
All people in the palace, from the lowest rank up to the highest, scattered around the palace and looked for the Prince. Every single portion, rooms, and spaces—even the darkest and the smallest ones were carefully searched. Almost half an hour had passed and yet, no one reported even the smallest part of the Prince's shadows. This was when Jae Joong started to think about other possibilities. Maybe his son was really not inside the palace, but somewhere else's. He called Yoo Min, and the minister worked his feet quickly towards the King.
"Minister Yoo Min, I want you to make several copies of my son's portrait. Worse comes worst, post his images all over the capital. Do it now!"
"Yes, Your Majesty," said the minister, running back to his office.
In the middle of an intense search; as Jae Joong and the other council members reconvened in the palace courtyard, Jin Ri came out all of a sudden from the south gate. Her body and clothes were wet, and her hair was messy with pieces of river weeds all over it. She trudged towards the King, whose eyes grew large in a mixture of confusion and a sense of terrible feeling.
"Jin Ri? What happened to you?"
Upon seeing his daughter from afar, Jung Ho strode back to the palace courtyard. A lot of people stopped momentarily as they watched a very rare scene.
The young lady fell on the ground and started crying. "Your Majesty, please punish me!"
"Do not tell me that you are the one involved in the Prince's disappearance," cautioned Jae Joong.
"Yes! Yes, Your Majesty!"
Jae Joong's eyebrows rendezvoused as he stepped closer. "What do you mean? Explain!"
Jin Ri rubbed her palms rapidly as she threw quick glances to everyone. "It was the Prince's orders, Sire! He told me that he badly wanted to escape the eight gates of the palace, and he wanted to see the world outside. He threw tantrums when I said that it was a farcical idea. Forgive me, Sire! I could not do anything, but follow him."
Jae Joong did not believe the lady's statement absolutely, for he had trust in his son. Surely, he knew that the Prince would want to see the outside world, but ordering someone was not his mode of getting what he wanted.
You are just exactly like your father, Jin Ri. You are both despicable.
"So, where did you take him?" asked the King.
"In the outskirts of the capital, in a stream facing the Dongdae Mountains, near Lord Nori's house. I was leading him to the woods but after a few minutes, we were attacked by unknown men. I tried to save him, but I failed. One of them threw me into the stream as they took the Prince away," explained Jin Ri, eyes clouded with tears.
Jae Joong glowered at the young lady and gripped her arm tightly. Jin Ri shrieked in pain, twisting her arm a bit trying to let go.
"What did you say? How could you be so irresponsible?"
Dae Wong held the King's arm and pulled him away from the lady, "Your Majesty, please control your emotions."
The King scowled at the Prime Minister, who was silently glaring at his daughter. "So, Prime Minister, what do you say about this? I guess the hwarang was right. Lady Jin Ri had something to do with the Prince's disappearance."
"Err, I suggest... uh, we send troops to that place... and find the Prince. We will also try our best to find... those wretched men," stuttered Jung Ho.
"Of course, we must do that. Now, what about your daughter? Should I heed her plea? Should I punish her?" Jae Joong raised an eyebrow as his ears reddened in composed anger.
The Prime Minister's scanned the waiting faces of everyone around, including the court ladies. His breath became shallower as he moved his eyes from one person to another. He cleared his throat and locked his eyes to his daughter's. "If she had done anything wrong, I would not interfere to any punishments," he sternly said.
Jin Ri closed her eyes as pearls of tears dropped once again from her bloodshot eyes. Jae Joong ordered all palace officers to get back to their works, except for the council members. Then, he commanded a troop of hwarangs to search around Lord Nori's house. He firmly said that they should not go back unless the Prince was found.
"Daedungs, let us go back to the main hall. We have something urgent to talk about. Oh, now that you have mentioned it, where is the Head of the Prosecution Department?"
"Lord Jung Min!" he called.
The young man walked to him and bowed his head. "Yes, Sire?"
The King looked at Jung Ho and Jin Ri before speaking. "I hope that you could do your job well, regarding putting some punishment to Lady Jin Ri."
"Yes, Sire. I will do my best."
"Very well!" he scoffed and tapped Jung Min's shoulder before giving a sideward glare to his niece. He ordered everyone to go back to the main hall for another important council meeting.
~~•~~
After almost two hours of walking, the two teen boys felt too much exhaustion. They felt like all of their body fluids were drained during the travel even though the sun started to bid goodbye in the orange skies. The leader of the Tang men ordered to stop as they reached the mouth of the river, going out to the Silla sea. The two saw a big arc docked at the estuary. Shun whispered to Sae Joo, "I do not feel good about this. I think they are taking us to their country."
"That is what I feel as well."
"He nudged the Prince as his eyes darted sideways. "Hey, you understand them. Could you please talk to them to release us? I mean, we are both children of nobody. We are not even nobles. They would get nothing from us."
"I think it is not ransom money that they are after."
"What do you mean?"
"Look there." Sae Joo pointed using his lips to the boat ramp, aboard the entrance.
As the two climbed up the boat, Shun was dumbfounded to see cell compartments on his left and right, with two to three people inside, each. These people varied in ages, sexes, and even race. He overheard the conversations of the weak people inside; some were crying for help, while some were arguing with their colleagues in an unknown Southeast Asian language. Others were just lying on the cold ground sleeping, saving their energies for what could lie ahead.
A Tang man pushed them, signaling them to go inside the last cell at the left corner. The man opened the cell, and the two boys entered. When the door was locked, they sat down on the hay ground, looking at the other people.
Sae Joo asked, "You must be having one of the greatest regrets in your life, right? Saving me."
Shun raised a brow, "In all honesty, a bit. If I did not save you, maybe I would be in Seorabeol right now, buying medicine for my ill father."
"I am disheartened to hear that."
"Well, anyway, whining is useless. This happened already. All I have to do is to think of ways to escape," claimed Shun.
"That is a good idea. But do you already have anything on mind?"
When Shun was about to reveal his plan, he noticed that the men were having a small argument from the entrance. After some time, a Tang man walked in the middle of the aisle and announced. People from the cells exchanged whispers, looking to other cells. Some even cried silently, looking upward and chanting their unknown supplications.
The clueless Shun asked, "What did the man say?"
Before Sae Joo could even talk, an old man from the opposite cell butted in, "He said that they are taking us to Dokdo Island, where a high government Tang official is waiting. Then, he also mentioned that there is a Prince in here, disguising as a commoner. The government official would free us if he could talk to the Prince. But, if the Prince refused to reveal himself, our heads would be the price."
Shun laughed. "What? A prince? That is crazy! Who among these people would be a prince?—that is crazy as well! I would not let these fools have my head!"
He then shouted, "Wangja-nim! Reveal yourself! Wangja-nim!"
No one stood up and just looked at him for a few moments. He then noticed that Sae Joo's face became pale while pinching his palm. "Hey, Sae Joo. Are you all right?"
The Prince grabbed the boy's hands as he dragged him to the corner of their cell.
"Hey, what is wrong with you? There you go again with holding my hands!" Shun tried to remove Sae Joo's hands but the Prince's grip became tighter, clenching him more.
"Listen to me. I have something to say." Sae Joo moved his face near the boy's ear and whispered, his warm shaky breath oozed out from his quivering lips.
"I... am... Silla's Crown Prince."
__________
NOTES:
Agassi (아가씨) - Korean honorary term for, "Miss or Lady"
Dokdo Island (독도) - a small group of islets lying in the Sea of Japan on the far east side of South Korea.