1 | Prologue
~Northern Border of the Unified Silla Empire, Late Autumn 675 AD~
The wind was unleashed across the valley, flaying the tall blades of grass and stripping the trees of whatever dried leaves remained hanging on the branches. A crude palisade wall had been raised in the middle of the open terrain but a cold gust easily swiped past it, making its way between the many scattered tents, their cloth flapping incessantly.
In the war encampment of old general Min-Jun, the changing of the seasons was fast approaching.
The night with its cloak of darkness had descended gradually. Here and there, campfires spewed light while the smoke carried the scent of charred wood, roasted rice cakes and meat. The hours were slowly creeping away and despite the candles kept alight inside the tent, Soo-Ah's eyes were getting heavy. All the other nights she'd spent by her grandfather's sick bed, helping him through his coughing fits, had taken their toll.
How fast glory faded when sickness knocked on the door. How easily "the wolves" closed in when they smelled blood.
"The Feared General" they once called him, enemies trembling as he ruled the northern border of the kingdom. Who would tremble now in front of an old man waiting for death to come and find him?
But when all had lost hope, Soo-Ah fought to cure him, to see him stand on his two feet and leave that cursed sick bed behind. She was willing to battle the Arbringer of Death himself for not even he should dare take away the only family she had left in this world. Too many years she'd spent as a soldier in disguise, learning to fight and dancing with danger in the face of battles, just to stay by her grandfather's side.
How she loved her grandfather.
It was hard to watch him slip away, his body thinning every day, the hollows in his cheeks deepening. A great general fading into nothing. But every day Soo-Ah kept on fighting even if it only meant cooking and feeding him soup, forcing medicines down his throat, helping him lift from the bed so he could breathe during his seizures or keeping at bay "the wolves" circling to feast on the old man's glory.
She still clung to hope that one day he would rise like the glorious general he once was and march ahead of his armies to put an end to this long war. And he would be called a hero again, and she would be happy just to remain in his shadow, to learn from him, to have their heated debates well into the night when he would shut her blabbering mouth with a kiss on her forehead for sweet dreams.
She was the one who kissed his forehead now, gently caressing his thinning white strands.
With her hair pulled in a tight bun, the armour weighing heavy on her slender form even when sitting on a stool, and with her sword perched close to her knee, always at a ready, Soo-Ah's eyelids were slowly closing.
As soon as she rested her head on her grandfather's bed, she fell into a deep slumber. The wind howling outside made for a strangely soothing lullaby. She might have slept until the camp rooster signalled the beginning of a new morning.
Unfamiliar clamor, voices raised and hasted military commands resounded close to her grandfather's tent in the dead of night, jolting Soo-Ah up. Someone's footsteps were fast approaching.
Who would dare disturb the Old General at such an hour?
Anyone willing to enter the general's command post would usually be announced by the foot soldier standing guard outside, yet no announcement was made. Soo-Ah grabbed her sword and jumped from her seat, positioning herself beside the tent's entrance, ready to attack any assailant.
With a self-assured move, a man drew back the curtain and entered, stride confident.
"The audacity!" Soo-Ah thought, appalled. No trespasser was getting any further.
Another step and the insolent one found his neck facing the sharp hilt of her blade.
"How dare you enter the general's tent unannounced? Who do you think you are?" she asked in her soldier disguise, coming into view in front of the stranger. He staggered to a stop at the tip of her sword. The smooth skin on his neck was being mercilessly scraped, yet no blood had been drawn. For now.
The intruder's eyes glinted for a moment as if in front of him lay a sight he ached to set his eyes upon. Until his attention moved to the menacing blade and his expression turned harsh and fierce, as fierce as piercing arrows.
Soo-Ah inspected him too. Her gaze travelled all over the man's appearance. His long slick hair, raven black, was pulled all the way up in a high ponytail, adorned with a precious hairpin. A fresh, pinkish scar ran through his left eyebrow giving him an untamed flavor. His mouth and the lower part of his face remained hidden under a black veil. His helmet stood cradled against his chest. His hands were gloved. He wore the ornate armour of a high-ranking official. If that was the case, he should have been greeted with respect. His coming should have been made known a day ahead at least to make the necessary arrangement for protocol.
Soo-Ah knew of no visitors coming to see her grandfather, especially one coming so late in the night. She could not afford to show trust.
"I am a friend," the man finally spoke, in a deep smoky, soothing voice. His effort to sound calm and gentle was perceivable. He did have his life dangling on the steadiness of a mere soldier's hand.
"Friend or foe, whoever you might be, you should know enemies come disguised in many things these days... my friend," she replied in a voice, too soft to come for the young man she was pretending to be. Yet she sounded as determined as the stranger's unwavering stance.
"I assure you I am not your enemy, and I would appreciate you pointing your sword someplace else." He stared back into her eyes as if he wanted nothing else but to linger there. His tense body spoke a different language though when he slowly lifted his hand and motioned to have the blade moved away from his neck.
His scent of aromatic pepper mixed in with manly sweat distracted Soo-Ah's senses. His gaze seemed familiar, like a feathered memory coming to haunt her from long ago. But she allowed no emotion to grace her face. "No introduction of who you are, and yet you make demands. Where are your manners, friend?"
The insolent one started to chuckle. With a hint of annoyance and amusement fused together, he resumed measuring the young but daring-looking "man", from head to toe. His scrutiny was meant to provoke unease. He lingered too long where her forms should have been showing if she wore a dress, or if she were naked.
Soo-Ah did a mental check. She had tightened the bounds flattening her breasts earlier that evening. And the armour was thick. The stranger could see nothing. He knew nothing. He was bluffing. As a result, Soo-Ah held her sword more menacingly, making a dent in the man's skin.
"General Sung-Ho, at last, you have arrived." Old General Min-Jun's croaky and strained voice was heard from the back of the tent. The stir of the voices must have been loud enough to wake him. "Please pardon my aid," and he signalled Soo-Ah to step away from the man's imposing figure. "It's alright child – put that thing away before you bring more offence to our esteemed general."
General Sung-Ho. The name did ring a bell to Soo-Ah. This must have been the great general her grandfather tried telling her about. The wolf. The one coming to strip him of his command and steal all of the old man's glory. Soo-Ah put away her sword and saluted him with half-muttered words. But her distrustful expression said silently: "I had you at the tip of my sword once. Don't think I won't do it again."
"Honored General Sung-Ho," the old man strained himself to talk. "Such a long time since we've last seen each other. Forgive this old man for not greeting you properly." He attempted to lift himself from his bed but fell victim to a coughing fit instead. Soo-Ah rushed by his side to pat his back and offer him a sip of tea.
As soon as he regained his breath, Min-Jun looked deep into her eyes, "we have many things to discuss. Soo-Yun," the old man used her fake name and gently patted her hand, "be a good lad and give us some privacy. Make sure we will not be disturbed."
Soo-Ah locked eyes with him for a moment. Her secret shall be kept no matter what. She was a woman, on the front line of war, in a sacred military uniform. "Sacrilege," they would shout, "Treason! Off with their heads!" She had been pretending for nine long years and she was good at it. No young, smug general will make her confidence waver. No one will put her life and that of her grandfather in danger.
No one will find out the truth.
She obeyed her grandfather's request and headed outside, striding in a manly march, not sparing the "Almighty" general one more precious look. She did sense his eyes glued to her back until the tent flap obscured her from view.
