When Tanya arrived in front of her office, she put her hand on the door handle but she didn't open right away.
Yangcha had already resumed his place next to the door, he noticed how Tanya was hesitant to enter and he wasn't surprised, he didn't trust Saya and he didn't think the High Priestess should either. But she didn't have to worry, as long as he was on duty he wouldn't let anything happen to her and he would be ready to burst into the room at any suspicious noise.
Tanya took a deep breath, she didn't really want to see Saya at the moment. She wondered what he wanted, maybe he knew about what she had asked her attendant to do and he came to tell her that whatever she wanted to do it was stupid. She sighed before she made up her mind to enter anyway. Saya was already there and had made himself comfortable, he didn't seem to bother himself respecting the fact that room was hers and not his.
When he saw Tanya, he greeted her with one of his smiles that reminded her of Eunseom then he started talking to her, but it seemed to the High Priestess he was turning around the bush, not saying or asking what he really wanted to. She asked him to go straight to the point as she doubted he was there to talk about the weather or her well-being.
"What did you talk about with Mubaek?" Saya finally asked. He knew she had met Mubaek earlier. He was on his way to see her in the Fire Room when he noticed she was talking to the warrior. He didn't intend to overhear the conversation in the first place and was about to leave but he stopped when he heard his name: Mubaek was talking about him being the mirror as he recognized his face easily when he had met him. He heard him saying that he believed the world would change once the sword, bell and mirror all came together.
Tanya was surprised he knew she had met Mubaek and she wondered how he came to know.
- He asked me to lift the curse I put on his brother. Tanya simply replied.
Mubaek, indeed, came to ask her to lift the curse on his brother because he had come really close to death during the night of the coup but that wasn't his only reason. He also shared with her the words Asa Sakan, the elder of the White Mountain Tribe, had shared with him: "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." Mubaek believed Tanya was the bell as she had found Asa Sin's bell in the Great Shrine, he believed Eunseom, who he had helped escape when his plan to rescue the Wahan Tribe from Arthdal failed, was the sword and that Saya was the mirror.
Tanya couldn't tell Saya everything, she didn't want to. He couldn't learn about Eunseom's existence as she didn't know how he would react to the fact she had kept for herself the fact he had a twin brother. She already knew Saya didn't care about people he didn't know, he had already told her that when she tried to ask him about what he thought about his birth family, but his reaction only made Tanya want to protect Eunseom from him even more.
"Is that so?" Saya questioned and when she just nodded, he sighed. He knew she wasn't telling the truth and he wondered why she was lying to him. "You are hiding something from me Tanya, again," he murmured.
"And so? What if I am? Why should I tell you everything anyway?"
Saya smirked, she was becoming braver he wouldn't deny it. He approached her, taking her two hands in his. "Because we are on the same side so you shouldn't hide things from me," he replied with a smile.
"Are we really?" she asked, freeing her hands. The images of how joyful he was when the tribe leaders were slaughtered in the throne room came back to her mind as if she needed to be reminded of what kind of person Saya was. He had the same face as Eunseom but they really were two different people.
"Is that because of what happened in the throne room? Don't worry about that, things like that are not going to happen again, thanks to Enoria, things are going to be way softer than they should be," he explained.
"You don't seem happy about that."
"How could I? My father needs to show he is the one in control, by listening to her he will only look weak."
"Is trying to do things without violence a weakness for you?" Tanya asked with gritted teeth.
The look she gave him was a mix of anger and disappointment and Saya didn't miss to notice that. He apologized telling her he should go back to the Palace as she had a lot of things to prepare for the coronation ceremony and she probably needed time by herself to learn everything she had to. She didn't ask him to stay, she didn't want to continue speaking to him anyway. His hand was already on the door handle when she asked him to tell Enoria she wanted to see her. But it only made Saya let out a loud sigh. He was tired of how easily she had managed to slip into everyone's heart. His own father was trusting her more than he was trusting him and now, the woman he loved wanted to see her while she didn't want to see him.
"Why do you want to talk to her?" he asked, not even trying to hide his annoyance.
"Does the High Priestess have to justify everything she does?"
"No, but I wonder what business you could have with someone like her, you shouldn't trust her, Niruha. She is not a friend, she made sure to be close to you so that she could use you when she'll need you. She is manipulating you just like she is manipulating my father," he replied, turning to look at her.
"I know how to choose my friends."
Saya let out a small mocking laugh before he coldly looked back at Tanya. "You trust her, don't you? How can you trust someone like her? You made a scene because of my reaction during what happened in the throne room but you are ok with someone capable of killing her own mother mercilessly? Does the rules apply differently for her and for me?"
"What do you mean?" Tanya questioned, confused, "her mother died during what you people call the Great Hunt or whatever."
"Not at all, but I guess she didn't tell you that, did she? Do you remember the ambush we fell into weeks ago?
"Yes, how could I forget that?"
"Taealha told me it was set up by her mother who had escaped the hunt. Enoria had killed her mother and her entire family which included two young boys who had nothing to do with the attack, and what for? Pure vengeance. And who do you think was the one who killed that girl, Chaeun, you were crying over? She was killed with her entire family and Enoria was among the killers."
Tanya turned her back to Saya so that he didn't see she was upset by what she had heard. She didn't really know who to believe. She was aware Saya was probably trying to set her against Enoria but she also knew what the warrior was capable of. She remembered well how she had easily taken the lives of those thirty-two men who wanted to harm them in the forest, how blood-curdling she had felt when the Igutu had put her dagger on her throat, threatening her not to say a word about her hidden relationship and the look in her eyes while doing so that made her shiver from fear.
"What kind of person do you think she is? She is just like the man she loves, a brutal emotionless cold-blooded killer, that's what she is, that's what they both are. That's why you shouldn't befriend her, nor should you think she is on your side. Think about the number of lives she probably took, think about all the blood on her hands, compared to her, what I have done is nothing," Saya continued.
Tanya didn't answer him, she didn't even want to look at him as she was sure her emotions were showing on her face.
"You need people you can truly count on, true allies, and she is not one of them, me however, I will always be by your side, Niruha," he added.
He didn't wait for an answer, he bowed to her even though she didn't see it and he left the room, leaving Tanya alone as she wondered if there was someone she could truly trust in Arthdal or if she was just a pawn they were all playing with.
-----------------------------------------------------------
After having left a baffled Gilseon behind, Mugwang went after Enoria. Not finding her immediately he complained out loud she had walked fast for someone with short legs. When he managed to spot her again, he was about to call her out but he restrained himself from doing so seeing what she was doing: on one of the stands of the market, she took a cape she put on herself a little further, then on another stand she took the necessary to write.
"So my money is not the only thing she likes to steal, she is a little thief," he murmured for himself, not seeing any money pass from her hands to the hands of the ones running the stands.
Out of curiosity, he followed her, keeping his distance, trying to understand what she was up to. It led him out of the city as she sank in the forest surrounding Arthdal.
He lost her sight again and the only things he found were the writing stuff she had let on the floor. He looked around, searching for her, complaining she couldn't have gone too far when he felt a weight falling on him.
She had waited for him to come closer before jumping on him from the tree she had been hiding in. She pinned him down by sitting on his chest and she put her dagger on his throat. "Why are you following me?"
"What?" he asked back, confused about what had just happened.
"Who ordered you to follow me? Taealha? Or was it Saya?"
"No one, I am not following anyone's order at the moment!"
"Then why are you following me?"
"Remove that dagger from my throat first."
"Answer first."
"I wanted to spend time with you."
"What? Nonsense. Give me a valuable reason."
"That's the truth!"
"Seriously, you are giving me a headache. Why would you want to spend time with me?"
"Because I like you, dummy," he replied with a small smile.
"I told you to give me a valuable reason! You're so annoying!"
"Is Yangcha the only one who can like you?!"
"Of course he is! Who do you think you are?! You have completely lost your mind," she replied as she removed the dagger from his throat and put it back in its sheath.
Mugwang looked at her, he put his hands under his head and smiled. "And what if I have? Do you care?"
"Why would I?"
"Because you like me a little."
"Nonsense. I don't. I only love Yangcha."
"Then why did you save my life if you don't even like me a little?"
"Because I owed your brother. And because if your heart is going to be rip out of your chest I thought it would be funnier if it was my hand doing it."
"That's love."
"Definitively not. What do you even know about love anyway?"
"I know that love is what I want to make to you."
"I am going to tell Yangcha about it."
"Sure, go ahead, I am sure you already tell him everything anyway, that's why he always kicks my ass during our training," he replied before a smirk apparead on his face and she knew he was going to say something stupid, "little wolf, I see you like to be above, does Yangcha enjoy that? I am warning you, if you stay sit on me like that, I won't be responsible for my body's reactio-"
She slapped his chest to make him quiet. "You are disgusting," she said before she quickly stood up.
"And you are hot," he said, looking at her from the ground he was still laying on.
She sighed, rolled her eyes and took back the writing material she had let on the floor. "Go back to the city, idiot."
"I don't want to," he said before he extended his hand, "help me stand up."
"Get lost Mugwang," she replied before she sighed and walked away, just talking to him was taking her way too much energy.
"What a heartless woman," he murmured with a smile, before he stood up and caught up with her.
"Aren't you going to leave?"
"Will you force me to?"
She knew he wouldn't leave and she couldn't force him to, though she had thought for a second about knocking him out, the fact he was going to stay with her actually didn't bother her that much. "Do you know how to read and write?" she asked.
"No, I don't."
The fact he didn't know how to read and write was making him completely harmless for what she had to do. She sighed then put the writing material in his arms, that was the least he could do since he was imposing his presence. "Alright then, you can stay, but keep that mouth of yours closed."
"Deal. You like silent men anyway, don't you?"
"I only like Yangcha," she repeated once again.
"If you didn't only like him it would make things easier, but your heart only belongs to that mute brat."
"Then if you know, shut up now. And don't call him like that."
"Did the two of you play roughly last night? Is that why you are wearing such a covering dress today?" he asked, a mischievous smile on his face as he pointed to her neck.
She stopped walking and put her hand on her neck as if she needed to hide, even more than with the clothes she was wearing, the mark Yangcha had left there. "Not at all. It's a new style I tried, that's all," she answered quickly.
"Then why are you blushing?"
"I am not blushing."
"You are."
"I am not! Shut up already!"
Mugwang laughed as she walked faster to put distance between him and her, her reaction was betraying her and he found her cute for being embarrassed.
Enoria knew well her cheeks had taken colors but she couldn't admit it in front of Mugwang, just like she couldn't confess to him why she was wearing that specific dress. She focused on the path she was taking, hoping for her cheeks to go back to their normal color soon enough. She initially wanted to go the wooden house but now that Mugwang was with her she couldn't, that was Yangcha's and her place only. She decided to go to Harim's storage house.
When they arrived there, Mugwang complained she could have chosen another place before she reminded him he could still leave if he wasn't happy. She gestured to him to give her back her stuff, and she sat at the table. He sat in front of her and for a moment he just watched her, silently, as she had asked. The messages she had written were piling up next to her but he wasn't even aware of the time that had passed.
"Could you stop staring at me?" she finally asked, not raising her head.
"Ah sorry, it's just seeing you write is quite fascinating, those signs make absolutely no sense to me."
"Then you should learn."
"What for? I am a warrior."
"Just because you are a warrior doesn't mean you can't learn."
"Does Yangcha know? Is that how the two of you communicate?"
She finally raised her head and gave him a questioning look.
"Don't look at me like that, we are not stupid, we know the two of you speak, one way or another, the only reason why we don't speak about it is because it could put the two of you in troubles. Yangcha is smart, I am sure he could have learnt easily."
"What do you know about him?" she asked, out of curiosity.
"Not that much. He was already wearing that mask when he joined us so all we knew was that he wasn't allowed to talk but we didn't know why he was punished or if he could actually talk. The other children who had trained with him were all killed for a reason we ignored so we couldn't ask questions. All we knew was that his skills were, and still are, on another level, no one would have dared to confront him on purpose even if he was just a kid, those who tried ended up regretting it. It was like he was born to be a warrior. I can't imagine what he had been through to have reached that level so fast."
She lowered her head, she knew what his childhood was like and she didn't wish that even for people she didn't like.
"You know, don't you?" he asked as he had noticed the way she had reacted.
"I can tell you nothing."
"I know. I am glad he had someone he could open up to during all those years, even if we didn't know about it. It's good to know there was someone there for him when he needed it. It surely helped him a lot. We talked to him but that was different since he wasn't allowed to answer us, poor him, I was talking for the two of us, it must have pissed him off so much."
"Indeed you are the talkative type, it can't be denied, but in a way, you were also there for him, and for that, thank you."
"That's because the Daekans are a brotherhood!" Mugwang proudly replied.
They both smiled at each other before she told him she was done writing her messages. She sent them using her birds and although Mugwang would have loved to ask how she had tamed so many he restrained himself from asking questions.
Then, they waited for Enoria's people to answer her messages. They weren't long to do so, and the two warriors went back to the city before she went back to the Palace to tell Tagon she had put in place the first part of their plan.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Tanya was still deep in thoughts when she was interrupted by a soft knock on her door. Her attendant informed her they had found what she had asked for: a place where many people were suffering and with a lot of people around. The High Priestess sent her attendant away, she needed a little time to get a hold of herself as she had, once again, cried for a moment. She took a deep breath before leaving the room, she stood up straight as she opened the door, she was a Niruha, she should act like one and not give any reasons for the people to talk behind her back.
She had only taken a few steps outside her office when she heard that voice she was yet not too familiar with :
"Did she cry? Why would she cry again? Could Saya have hurt her earlier? Did something happen?"
She didn't answer him, even if she could have told him the many reasons she had cried, she didn't want to share anything with him. For now he was just a weapon Tagon had placed by her side and she couldn't confide in to a living weapon, not until she had made sure he would change side for hers.
The door of the factory where children were forced to make smooth stones for decorating Arthdal's monuments opened, as Yangcha followed by Tanya and her attendants entered the place.
The man who ran the factory was surprised by the visit of the High Priestess, he was even more when she asked one of her maids to give each child a pair of shoes. Confused, the man explained to her that they didn't need shoes because they never walked or ran, but Tanya informed him that they would soon, because she forbad him to shackle them any longer and she also commanded him to feed them three times a day with food provided by the Great Shrine.
When she removed one child's shackles, the child thanked her tearfully for giving them hope. But she knew she was the one who had to be thankful as she was going to use them to win the people's heart.
As she left the factory, people bowed respectfully to her but she didn't pay too much attention to them. She knew she was putting the children in danger by giving them more freedom, and she was afraid that, if Tagon disagreed with what she had done, he would make their lives even worse than they already were.
"Why would she do something unnecessary?"
Once again, she was interrupted in her reflection by her guard's thoughts.
"It's not unnecessary," she replied, not even looking at him.
"She heard me?" he asked himself.
"The children need to run around the entire market telling everyone how kind I was to them. There's nothing more important than that."
He complained in his mind that if she was going to listen to his thoughts she could at least not interrupt them but he wasn't sure Tanya had heard that as she didn't answer him and just continued on her way. Yangcha had no doubt she was going to use the slaves to win the people's hearts but he wondered if she was aware of the consequences it could have to try stealing the people from Tagon and how they could be in danger by doing so. He also wondered if she was aware of the responsibilities her actions were going to give her.
Before going back to her office Tanya dismissed her attendants. Only Yangcha was left, walking slightly behind her as she went back to her office.
He had already resumed his place as a guard when he was surprised by her demand asking him to come inside as she needed to talk to him."Doesn't she know I can't talk? Why would she want to talk to me anyway?" the warrior thought, not moving from where he was.
"I-, well, consider that an order, please, come inside," she said because of the lack of reaction of the warrior.
Yangcha smirked, thinking that if she wanted to be credible while giving an order she should make it sound like one as the way she talked was too hesitant to be the one of a leader but he entered anyway.
Tanya closed the door behind him and passed near him not without glancing at him in an angry way for his latest thought. "Sit," she ordered as authoritatively as she could.
Yangcha frowned, he thought she was acting weirdly, he was a warrior, he couldn't just sit in the High Priestess' office.
"Well, do you want to eat something? I was brought too many fruits and I know you haven't eaten all day."
"I am used to it. And I can't just eat something that has been brought for the High Priestess anyway. What does she want exactly? Can't she just tell me what she wants me to do? That situation is fucking awkward," he thought just shaking his head to answer her.
For once, Tanya agreed with his thoughts. She was just trying to be sympathetic instead of asking directly what she wanted but she regretted it, she shouldn't have even tried, she had no reason to want to be nice to him anyway. "What did you mean earlier? When you said I interrupted your thoughts what did you mean?" she asked.
"She heard that? Can she really hear me all the time?" the warrior asked himself, frowning.
"Most of the time I can, so don't do as if I wasn't there."
"As if I was doing it on purpose. Doesn't she know how weird it is to be heard like that?"
"You are doing it again. Talk in your mind but address me directly."
"My apologies Niruha. I didn't mean to be disrespectful. I just need a little time to adjust to your gift. If I had known you were able to hear me all the time, I would have restrained myself from thinking since it may bother you."
Tanya gave him a questioning look. He was being way more polite all of a sudden and she didn't know if he was being sincere or ironic. "So, aren't you going to answer my question?"
"About that, I didn't mean your action was unnecessary. I just thought that slaves with shoes were still slaves anyway"
"I know that. I want to free them but what can I do?"
"If I can allow myself to say that, Niruha, you shouldn't give them hope if you can't give them what they want and you know you can't."
Tanya sighed. She knew that she wouldn't be able to do anything by herself, she wasn't powerful enough for that. Saya was right, she needed allies, people she could truly count on and who knew the way Arthdal worked.
She remembered the words Enoria had shared with her when she was still Saya's maid "Trust no one, see everyone as a threat" but she also remembered the Igutu saying she would gladly give her life for some people she had chosen wisely. She glanced at Yangcha, he was probably one of them and she thought that if she could make Enoria one of her ally, Yangcha would follow her and side with her too.
Tanya looked at him. Her eyes went to his chains remembering well how cold they felt when they were wrapped around her ankle when he separated her from Eunseom in Iark. She took a deep breath, she wanted to go back there, to go back to the life she had there as she rather be with Eunseom than in Arthdal where she had to search for the people who she would be able to trust. But she couldn't go back. And she wouldn't. Not until she had made something to help those who needed to be helped, just like him. "Yangcha, if I ask you some questions, will you answer honestly?" she asked.
"It depends of the questions, Niruha."
"Why do you serve Tagon?"
"He is my master, that's why I serve him."
"Hae Tuak told me that a master was someone who owned your life, so, in a way, you are not different from the children from the factory, you are not free, you are a slave under Tagon's order."
"He doesn't treat us like slaves, Niruha"
"I know. You are treated well so that you can mistreat those of lower status, does that seem logical to you?"
Yangcha shrugged. It wasn't like he could do something about it, he was a warrior obeying orders, he didn't see why he should justify himself to the High Priestess anyway.
"Tagon ordered you to protect me but if he asked you to kill me, would you do it?"
"Of course I would."
The lack of hesitation made Tanya shiver, though she didn't know what she had expected him to answer. He was Tagon's warrior, a murderer who wouldn't hesitate to kill for his leader if he ordered him to do so. Tanya stayed silent for a moment, Yangcha was an obedient warrior who would do anything for Tagon but she thought there was only one person who had the power to make him disobey without hesitation. "If Enoria wanted to kill me, would you still protect me to respect Tagon's order?"
"I wouldn't hurt her."
"That doesn't answer my question."
"It does."
Indeed it did. Yangcha wouldn't hurt her, he would rather disobey Tagon's order than cause her harm and Tanya wondered if she could use the link the two had to her advantage.
"And if Tagon wanted to kill me but Enoria didn't want you to do it, what would you do?"
"What's the point of those questions, Niruha? What are you trying to do?"
"I am trying to figure out who my allies could be, Saya told me I wouldn't be able to do anything without allies but, at the moment, I am a little lost, I don't know who I can truly trust and who is just playing with me."
The warrior didn't reply to that. He wasn't her ally and he knew she already was aware of that.
"Does Enoria considered Tagon as her master too?" Tanya asked.
"No, she doesn't, she has no master and will never have."
"But Tagon made her a Daekan."
"It's more of a symbol than anything. Daekan or not, you may have noticed that most of the time, she does what she wants when she wants."
He was right, even Tanya had noticed that the Igutu woman didn't seem to care much about the rules. "What kind of person is she?"
"What kind of person do you think she is?" Yangcha asked back.
"I don't know, my intuition tells me I can trust her but I don't know if I should listen to it."
"From what I know you spent a lot of time together so why are you doubting her now?"
"I need people I can truly count on."
"And you don't think she is one of those you can trust?"
"I am not sure anymore."
"What did Lord Saya tell you?"
Tanya wasn't surprised to hear him mentioning Saya. He was attentive, observant. Even earlier, he had noticed quickly there was something wrong and he was smart enough to connect the dots together so that he knew that was the conversation she had with Saya that had led her to doubt her friendship with Enoria.
"He told me what she had done to her mother, to her mother's family, to her men and to Chaeun and her family as well."
"And so? Shouldn't you listen to her side of the story before judging?"
Tanya noticed how his thoughts sounded angry and she wondered why he was getting angry over her mentioning the atrocities the woman he loved had done. "If you know, tell me."
"It's not for me to tell. If you want to know you'll have to ask her yourself."
"Then I will," she informed. The way she looked at him was full of determination. She was determined to find out what kind of person Enoria was so that she would be able to choose if the Igutu was going to be on her side or not. "Thank you for answering my questions honestly. You can go now."
The warrior bowed his head and turned to leave. He had his hand on the handle of the door when he stopped and slightly turned his head to look back at Tanya. "I can't tell you everything about her but I can tell you one thing, she is not the kind of woman wasting her time with people she doesn't care about. She isn't your enemy, Niruha. Plus, the two of you may be more alike than you think," he said in his mind before leaving and resuming his position as her guard.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Enoria came later that day as she was asked to. When he saw her arrive, Yangcha immediately warned her that Tanya may ask her about things she wouldn't want to talk about and that in no case she was obliged to answer her questions. Enoria didn't have the time to ask what he was talking about and what he was so worried about because the door of the office opened.
Tanya had the intuition she had arrived and she was right, she asked the Igutu to come inside. Before doing as she was asked, Enoria looked at Yangcha who told her through his eyes that he would be there if something happened. She could feel his worries just by the look he had given her and she wondered what had happened for him to be apprehensive of Tanya and her meeting.
As Enoria passed near her to enter the office, Tanya glanced at Yangcha who asked her in his mind not to force Enoria to talk about things she didn't want to but the High Priestess just closed the door behind her without giving an answer to the warrior who was left alone with his worries.
"I thought warriors couldn't sit in a Niruha's office?" Tanya asked seeing Enoria already sat comfortably.
"Stupid rule I am definitely not going to follow," Enoria answered, shrugging.
"Nice dress, it's different than usual."
"I tried a new style," Enoria replied but her thoughts were asking why everyone was so obsessed with the clothes she was wearing that day.
Tanya didn't pay too much attention to those thoughts, she went to the window, watching the sun which was already setting down to let place to a cold night.
"What happened to your mother?" the High Priestess asked.
"Why do you want to talk about my mother all of the sudden?"
"Tell me, honestly."
"I killed her."
Tanya looked at her, that wasn't the answer she wanted to hear. She had hoped Saya had lied to her but the look in the Igutu's eyes just confirm that she was saying the truth, she didn't even blink, there was no regret in her eyes.
"But you already knew, didn't you? I guess Saya talked too much again," Enoria continued with a sigh.
"Why? Why did you do that?"
"I had my reasons."
"Explain yourself."
"Why should I?"
"Because I am ordering you to."
"Ordering me? Wow, you are throwing yourself into your Niruha's role wholeheartedly today, what happened to you? Or rather, what are you planning?
Tanya gulped, she hadn't realized she was being too serious and that it was that obvious she had something in mind. Enoria was just like Yangcha, attentive and observant but just like him she was quiet about herself and Tanya knew that if she wasn't careful enough the Igutu would not say a word to her even though she needed her to talk. "So you won't tell me?" Tanya asked.
"Why don't you tell me first what Saya said to you exactly?"
"He told me that your mother was the one who ordered her men to attack us in the forest weeks ago and that you killed her, her family and the rest of her men because of that. Is that true? Did you really kill the woman who gave birth to you for pure vengeance?"
"Basically, yes, I did. She tried to kill me first anyway, she failed, I didn't."
"How can you say that so easily?"
Enoria explained to Tanya that the woman she had killed wasn't the mother she had known and that she, her husband and her men had done bad things that were punishable. She didn't give too much details, Tanya didn't need to know that her mother was the main responsible of the Daekans finding their tribe during the Great Hunt, or that she had tried to kill her not once, but twice, nor did she want to explain that her mother's new husband's job had been to sell young women as sexual slaves and what happened to her for her to know about that.
"Did Chaeun do punishable things too? That's why you killed her?" Tanya asked with gritted teeth.
"Did Saya tell you I have killed her?"
"He told me you were among the killers the night she was killed with her entire family."
"That's right, I was, but that night, no one took her life, neither hers nor her sister's."
"Are they alive?" Tanya asked, surprised.
"Officially, no, they are dead."
Tanya felt relieved for a second, at least that was one least crime Enoria wasn't guilty about. But there were still things she needed to know about the Igutu. "Who was the first person you killed?" Tanya asked, looking at the Igutu.
"Aren't you done with the interrogation already? Why do you want to know that, Tanya?"
"Tell me."
"No, it doesn't matter and I don't want to talk about that anyway."
"It matters to me."
"Why?"
"Because I am trying to understand you, I want to know who is the real you between the nice you I like to pass time with and the killer you who scares me."
"I am a murderer Tanya, and if that scares you then I am sorry but I can't change that fact."
"I know but I think that deep inside, you are someone who is naturally a good person, that world made you make things you didn't want to. What happened to you? What happened to you for you to have turned into a killer?"
"I think you are being way too curious today."
"And I think the you who is all confident is not the true you, is it? In fact, you are just afraid aren't you? You don't give your trust to people because you are afraid to let them get close to you. You are always careful with your words and with your actions, always with that impassive look on your face. It's like you are wearing a mask to protect yourself from others. Drop it and explain to me, what happened to you for you to have become the two-faced person you are today."
"Stop. I told you I didn't want to talk about it. This conversation is seriously becoming annoying," Enoria said, standing up to leave.
She understood why Yangcha was worried about Tanya and her meeting, she had probably talked to him before she came and he had guessed the High Priestess was going to question her about her past. Yangcha knew her well enough to know that talking about what happened when she was 16 or about the betrayal of her own mother were things she rather not mention. She had been careful about controlling her thoughts but she was starting to have difficulties doing so and she rather leave than keep being questioned like she was at the moment.
She had her hand on the door handle when she was stopped by Tanya's questions:
"So instead of confronting your own past you run away from it? Are you ashamed? Or do you have regrets?"
Enoria let out a heavy sigh. She didn't want to explain to Tanya why she was the way she was but she also knew she wouldn't give up until she got the answers she wanted.
"You want to talk about my past? Alright. Let's talk about it."
Enoria explained to her that the first man she had ever killed was a man who, after having beaten her up for two all days with the help of his men without her even knowing why they were doing that, had tried to rape her. She explained how ripping his heart out was the only way she had found to avoid being sexually abused that day. She confessed that she did ask them nicely to stop, several times, she even begged them but they had remained impassive to her demand. She told her how she had killed the man's comrades to avoid being killed herself and how, even if she was only 16 years old, she had taken the life of eighteen men that day. She confessed she had not even truly realized what she had done until she saw herself covered in blood in the reflection the river sent her after she ran away from that camp which was a pool of blood.
She wasn't ashamed and she didn't have regrets either, she couldn't have just let them do whatever they wanted, she already had someone she had to go back to and even if she wished he could have saved her that day, she also knew she had to save herself, alone, even if that meant she had to become what she didn't really want to be: a murderer.
That day she understood that her abilities with a sword and her natural physical strength given by the purple blood running in her veins were her strength. From that day, she took the decision not to be afraid of what she was. She had asked Yangcha to teach her how to fight so that she would have nothing and no one to be afraid of and he did that well. Even if, at first, she wanted to avenge for what had happened to her tribe she quickly, even quicker than she thought she would, forgot about vengeance. Instead, she used what she knew to protect herself and to protect those who needed to, like the women who were also at the hands of those same men who had badly hurt her in many ways, or other people she had met on her numerous trips.
She didn't tell her about the place she had built with the help of Minji, Rin and ShinWoo, she couldn't put them and the others in danger but she did tell her about all the people she had killed to free others.
Enoria told Tanya that her mother was the one who had informed the Daekans of the position her tribe was hiding and that she had ran away without any hesitation leaving her own people being slaughtered. She also told her that it was her own mother who had sent those men to her because she was afraid Enoria would be a threat for the new life she had gotten in Arthdal. That was why the Igutu had been merciless with her, her own mother had not only sold her own family for her own good but she had also tried to kill her twice for her sake. She shared with Tanya the words her mother had murmured to her when she was half-dead, she had called her unique daughter a monster she shouldn't have given birth to, claiming that meeting her father and giving birth to his children were the biggest mistakes she had ever made. She had killed her for vengeance but also because she needed to make sure she didn't know about Yangcha and her's relationship as she didn't know back then how Tagon would have reacted to that fact.
Tanya was right, she was always in control of what she was saying or doing and she didn't let people close to her because she couldn't let anyone see the weak her, she couldn't let others see that she could be hurt as in Arthdal it could be used against her. She didn't trust people easily because giving her trust meant she cared and she couldn't take the risk of caring for people who could betray her. She had, once, given her trust to the wrong person and she had to deal with the consequences it had on her people. She had promised herself not to make the same mistake again as, as a leader, she was responsible for the lives of the people under her care.
She was a murderer and even if she wasn't proud of being one she had always done what she thought was right. She had taken many lives and had a lot of blood on her hands and there was no way she could change that fact but even if she was given the possibility to do so, she wouldn't give back the lives she had taken anyway.
Enoria had not taken a break from telling everything Tanya wanted to hear. She had not wanted to be interrupted and she hoped Tanya had not noticed that sometimes, tears were slowly falling on her cheeks. Recalling that day when she had come back to Yangcha wounded was a painful memory, sometimes she still dreamt of that moment, she still felt the pain on her back or felt the weight of that man on her body. Recalling about her mother's betrayal was painful too. The look on her face, full of hatred, when she looked at her was still a fresh image on her memory and she was still confused about how the woman who had raised her for 16 years had turned out to be such a hateful person.
"Are you satisfied now or is there something else you want to know?" Enoria asked.
Tanya didn't reply straight away. She had not interrupted her, she thought that if she had the Igutu would stop opening up to her and she didn't want her to close herself again. She felt sorry for her, she had felt how painful it was for her to recall her 16-years-old-self's memories, but she also felt reassured, she was right, Enoria wasn't someone who killed for fun, she had always reasons to do so, even if the consequences were the same and if that didn't change what she was. She pretended not to have seen the tears on the Igutu's cheeks, she didn't want her to feel even worse knowing she was the one who forced her to talk. She wondered how Yangcha would react knowing she had made the woman he loved cried but she also understood why he was worried about her asking her to speak and she felt even more sorry.
"I am sorry, I forced you to tell me everything," Tanya said as she took Enoria's hands in hers.
"You actually didn't force me, it's not like I had a dagger on my throat or something. But I felt like you would have kept asking questions if I didn't tell you and you would have been even more annoying," she replied with a faint smile, freeing her hands.
"I probably would have, I needed to know more about you."
"And so? Are you satisfied to know about all the atrocities I had committed?"
"And so, thank you, for opening up to me."
"That's all you have to say?"
"No, I have many things to say actually but I won't say them to you only."
Enoria frowned and gave a questioning look to Tanya, she wasn't sure to understand her way of thinking at the moment. She followed Tanya with her eyes as the Priestess stood up and called for Yangcha.
The warrior was not long to enter the room, his eyes met his Niruha's eyes first before they went to Enoria, who was trying to understand what Tanya was up to.
"You made her cry?" The warrior thought looking angrily at Tanya.
Tanya glanced at Enoria too, wondering how he had managed to see that when she wouldn't have been able to.
"I told you not to make her talk about things she didn't want to."
The High Priestess could feel the anger even in his thoughts, she noticed how he was tense as if he was ready to kill her at the next word she would say.
Enoria noticed the look he was given to Tanya and she quickly approached him, she stood next to him, turning her back on Tanya, her hand discreetly holding Yangcha's as she murmured to him she was fine and they exchanged a look that calmed down his anger.
"I took my decision," Tanya informed.
"What decision exactly?" Enoria asked, looking at her but staying near Yangcha.
"The two of you are murderers, that's a fact we can't change, but how could I judge you when I am one too? "
"What do you mean?"
"I may not be skilled with a sword and I can't rip the heart out of a man's chest with my bare hands but I ordered the death of hundreds of people not long ago to protect the Wahans."
"Ordering to kill and killing yourself are two different things, plus, you had no choice but to follow Tagon and Taealha's order."
"I know, but the consequences are the same, people died because of the order I gave. Plus I don't think you had the choice either when those men hurt you."
"And so? What is your point?"
"I told you, I think that deep inside, and no matter what you have done, you are someone nice. That's why, I, Tanya of the Wahan Tribe, Asa Sin's descendants and Arthdal's High Priestess, cast a spell on the both of you. Names tie you up so I tie you up to me by your names, my bodyguard, Yangcha, and my friend, Enoria, you will be my allies and you will help me fight for the freedom of every single person who lives in Arthdal so that they will live as equals. You won't be able to escape from that curse, if one of you refuses to assist me, the other will die."
Yangcha smirked. Tanya was starting to look and sound like a true Niruha after all. He had maybe underestimated her potential. But he also thought that her curse was unnecessary as she had not yet realized that Enoria and her actually shared the same goal.
Enoria exchanged a look with Yangcha, they hadn't talked about it but she knew he was aware that what she wanted to do was similar to what Tanya had cursed them for.
"Are you done?" Enoria asked, looking back at the High Priestess.
"Yes, I am done."
"But Tanya, you cursed Mugwang too and yet he is still very much alive though he had lost his mind a little."
"Completely," Yangcha corrected.
"Mugwang would have probably died if you had not stepped in. I know you may not believe in my abilities, even I, I still doubt them but I know something for sure: you won't take the risk to play with each other's life."
"Indeed, you mark a point there, but you could have simply asked us to help you, you know."
"Now I am sure you will."
"Sure. It was a really smart move, little Niruha."
"Thank you. I have been thinking about it all day."
That was the only thing that had been on her mind all day after her conversation with Saya. She knew he was right when he had told her she needed allies.
Eunseom was the first one she thought about when Saya mentioned she should find people she could truly count on but Eunseom wasn't there, even if he was probably still alive, he was far away.
Saya's name came to her mind too but she couldn't consider him like an ally, he worshipped Tagon too much to follow her. He enjoyed chaos and he didn't value people's life while she thought humans were equals and had been taught to respect even animals and flowers. She wasn't giving up on Saya, she still thought he could change and become better but she couldn't entrust everything to him. They had too different ways of thinking to truly work together on the same goal.
Enoria's name was also one of the names that came to her mind but after what Saya had told her, she didn't know if she could still consider her as an ally. That was why she had questioned Yangcha and her. The Igutu was made a Daekan by Tagon but as Yangcha had told her, she was still a free spirit, doing whatever she wanted whenever she wanted. She didn't fear Tagon and wasn't hesitant to oppose him, unlike Saya, who wanted his approbation and was doing everything he could to win his love even if that meant turning Arthdal upside down. She knew Tagon listened to Enoria and it could be useful to her. Tanya had learnt more about Enoria thanks to what she had shared with her, she now understood better who she was and had confirmed her intuition: she could trust her and so she had chosen her to be by her side. She knew she could have just asked Enoria to side with her but she also needed to be sure the Igutu would be loyal to her that was why she had decided to curse her and Yangcha. She knew Yangcha was loyal to Tagon and he would probably always be but he was even more loyal to Enoria. Their love was their strength and their weakness at the same time.
"So, how can we help you, little Niruha?" Enoria asked.
"I want to free the slaves of Arthdal, how do I do that?"
"So impatient," Yangcha thought.
"You take things slowly first. Changing the way things work in that city or the way people think are things which are going to take time to be done the right way," Enoria replied.
"But the slaves can't wait, can't you imagine how it is for them? Those children at the factory didn't even have shoes, they were chained, flogged and underfed, how long do you think they can stay like that?"
"They can endure that a little more. The citizens of Arthdal will complain if you free the slaves too quickly, you can't change their habits overnight and you don't want to set them against you."
"If things change too fast, the people will rebel," Yangcha added.
"So what can I do?"
"For now, nothing special. Continue to take care of the children slaves as you did today, make them look more human in the eyes of the citizens so that they will accept them better when they'll change status. Because of the coup, things are not that stable yet to plan big changes in the city, you'll have to be more patient."
"Alright, I will do that though patience has never been my thing," Tanya replied, making Enoria give a faint smile. If patience wasn't the thing of the High Priestess it was hers.
Tanya dismissed the two warriors not long after the conversation they had, the guards were already there to take over Yangcha. When they were alone in one of the corridors, the masked warrior took Enoria's hand asking her in a murmure if she was truly ok despite the fact Tanya had made her recall her old painful memories. She reassured him, it had not been pleasant to tell her everything but she was feeling ok.
They went to the headquarters, she had things to verify there and she wasn't against a drink too. When they arrived there, they were greeted with a teasing as usual, the other Daekans always had fun trying to provoke the couple, especially Enoria. But that evening, she didn't pay too much attention to them, she was there for a particular reason and not to have fun fighting them with words.
She sat at the table while Yangcha served her a drink before he sat next to her and served himself one too. That was something he did sometimes and each time he was teased by the others for being more sociable since his relationship with Enoria was known and each time, they didn't get any reaction from him which annoyed them for his inner pleasure.
A short moment after they had arrived, Mugwang arrived in the headquarters as well, stumbling due to the fact he had passed the end of the afternoon in a tavern.
"Isn't it a little too soon to be that drunk Mugwang?" Enoria asked.
"I am not drunk, little wolf."
"Then you just don't know how to walk straight I guess. Stop calling me like that."
"Why? It's appropriate. I saw it, your tattoo."
"When?"
"When that Neanthal girl attacked you."
"For someone who was shaking like a leaf out of fear, you still paid a lot of attention."
"I'll always pay attention to you, little wolf."
Yangcha rolled his eyes and sighed in annoyance which made Enoria restrained herself from laughing. Mugwang smiled at her before turning around the table to sit in front of her.
"Why are you here ? Were you searching for me because you missed me?" Mugwang asked.
"Not at all. Don't take your hopes for reality."
"As expected, you are heartless."
"That's because my heart belongs to him," she replied, showing Yangcha with her hand.
"And I hope it will always stay that way." Yangcha thought as his eyes met hers briefly.
"I know! It's all because this dude won't share, you selfish brat!" he replied, pointing at Yangcha who gave him a look expressive enough for Mugwang to understand not to continue talking like that. "Yes, yes, I know, you don't need to give me such a dark look, why do you think I am drinking? I am a lonely man."
"It's more appropriate to say a stupid man."
Before Enoria could answer, the three warriors' attention was drawn by the entrance of another one: "Hey hey hey, everyone, you won't believe it, you know that people were talking ill about Tagon Niruha since the coup because they didn't approve what happened after it right?"
"Yes we know that, and so?"
"They completely changed their minds! Now they are wandering around telling Tagon Niruha saved them and the Union!"
"Really?"
"Yes! I don't know how he managed to do that but he is a genius!" the warrior proudly said.
The others started chanting Tagon's name proudly before they all filled up their cups and drank to their leader.
Yangcha looked at Enoria, he noticed the small smile at the corner of her lips and he wasn't long to understand that if the people of the Union had changed their mind concerning Tagon it was because of something she had done. He also understood why she wanted to come to the headquarters: for gossip, the Daekans were fast.
She looked at him too, she didn't say anything, she only confirmed with her eyes that what he thought was right, it was her doing, she had asked her people to change the rumors that were spreading in Arthdal and from what she heard, they had succeeded in a record time.
"You two, you look suspicious," Mugwang murmured, looking at them with furrowed brows.
"Do we?" Enoria asked.
"Don't tell me... you did it, right? That's thanks to you they changed their mind? That's what you have prepared this afternoon right?"
"Shh!" she said, putting a finger in front of her lips he quickly imitated.
"Oh I see, shh, that's a secret right? Alright I'll keep my mouth closed. That will be a secret between us."
Enoria didn't say otherwise though it wouldn't have been a problem if the other Daekans came to know she had helped Tagon changing the rumors about him but she found the way Mugwang was reacting funny so she played along. She finished her drink, looked at Yangcha who did the same before they both left the headquarters.
It was already night outside, there were only a few people outside. They walked quietly to the Great Shrine and once they were in their room, Yangcha took off the mask he had put back on before leaving the headquarters and they both got comfortable.
"Tell me Igutu, how many people are working for you exactly for you to be able to completely change a rumor in only one afternoon?" he asked.
"A few," she answered with a smile, "but don't worry, among all my people, you are my favorite person," she answered, wrapping her arms around him; making him smile.
They talked for a moment about the day they had. He told her about the conversation he had with Tanya and she told him about the meeting she participated in and what she had planned next.
The fact Tanya had cursed them wasn't a problem for them, the two women shared the same goal though their methods could be different, as for Yangcha, Enoria's goals were also his and her safety was his priority, even if that meant he had to help the High Priestess or disobey Tagon.
She also confessed who she had no choice but to pass the afternoon with since he wouldn't leave her alone. Yangcha had already guessed Mugwang had kept her company but he didn't mind as long as he kept his place as her favorite person in all Arth which she assured him he would.