5 Chapter 5

Daegwan, Kingdom of Silla

Spring of 604 C.E.

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As the warm colours of the sunset faded into the lovely blue of the sky, two men and women are seen soaked in the golden curtains of the afternoon; casting shadows that mimicked their every move.

The creaking of wooden wheels and whines of horses filled their ears as they travelled through the endless ricefields. As the men were at the front riding their horses, both women were forced to walk the distance, hands tied behind their backs.

Soo-yeon's obsidian locks frantically danced with the wind, along with her ripped orange hanbok that had its colour gradually fading.

Beside Soo-yeon, there walked Jae-hwa; her gaze fixated on the things that were in front, eyes ever so distant and brows slightly furrowed. They both had been walking for quite a while and Soo-yeon could feel her own head and legs burning with every step she took.

"Hei-ran, what should we do?" the thief whispered, her eyes dropping down to her feet, unable to meet the other's gaze.

Although Jae-hwa had lowered her voice, the men in front could still hear her hushed tones. Nonetheless, they stayed silent, just intently listening and not bothering to interfere with what she had to say.

Soo-yeon took a moment before she lifted her own face at Jae-hwa's call, forgetting that she was — unfortunately, indeed Hei-ran.

She sighed.

Soo-yeon had also wanted the answer to that question.

A new name, a new time and a new life. This all still felt too foreign and ridiculous for her. She had wanted to pass out and hope that this was all a dream.

But she knew, no matter what she did, time or fate would not twist their hands just to bring her back.

So, what would she do next?

Her gaze lifted to meet the sky once more, flinching when her cheek slightly stung. Large and vast clouds appeared and she suddenly felt so small underneath them.

Scratch that first one, what could she do next?

Times like these were not at all friendly, she knew that very well. Not even a day had passed after Soo-yeon arrived, and yet here she was, tied up with a bleeding head and numb legs; off to an unknown city with her captors.

Chances were, she would be dead before the year ended around here.

Jae-hwa turned to look at Soo-yeon. Despite the tiredness lacing in her voice, she continued.

"We would not be in this situation if I had listened to you this morning." The words that left her lips felt heavy.

"In the end, we are back to where we started, but worse." She looked away, strands of hair untangling themselves from the braid.

Soo-yeon could not help but stare. Despite the curiosity bubbling on her lips as to what had happened before she woke up, she knew better not to ask at all.

"Don't beat yourself up about it," Soo-yeon quietly replied. She silently cringed when the words left her mouth. It did not feel convincing, even to her own ears.

Jae-hwa did not seem to notice and just nodded quietly, letting the sunset illuminate the ghost of a frown on her already cracked lips.

"Hei-ran," Jae-hwa paused as she looked up at the sky.

There was that name again.

Soo-yeon bit back the sigh that wanted to escape. The name was slowly starting to annoy her. The more she heard it, the more she felt pressured to actually accept this situation they were in and not look back.

Of course, the thought scared her, quite more than she would ever like to admit.

"Thank you for always being with me, through thick and thin." Jae-hwa continued. Her simple words halted Soo-yeon's thoughts, as if she suddenly realized a harsh truth.

This Hei-ran girl used to have a life.

She did things and had memories before Soo-yeon woke up in her body. And now, the fact that Hei-ran would not be able to do all of those made Soo-yeon silently grieve for a loss that was not even her own.

Would she ever grow to like that name? Accept it? Cast away all her doubts and actually live this second life of hers?

Soo-yeon sighed deeply.

Just when she was about to answer her own question, the view of the city gates invaded their sights.

"We have returned." Jae-hwa could not stop the bitter frown from gracing her lips.

Soo-yeon stopped in her tracks as she marvelled at the scene before her.

Large and thick walls protected the city, along with a vast watch-tower made of stone; overlooking the whole afternoon view on the ground. Its once smooth rocks grew damaged and rough, as if it were scarred through countless battles of war. Yet it stood, proud and unwavering to any who passed its way. Along the front lines existed a wide stone bridge that served as a medium to get across. The calm and mute water, drowned by the golden rays of the disappearing sun, remained still and silent underneath as it awaited the call of the afternoon wind.

Soldiers stood stiffly in their grand lamellar uniforms; heavily designed with small steel plates woven together. Dressed in threads of brown and faded red, with loose blouses and kilts hanging off of their strong figures. Their hardened eyes were distant and focused ahead.

Both women fell silent. Jae-hwa dropped her gaze to the ground as they were being pulled within the gates. While Soo-yeon let her eyes roam freely; drinking in the sight.

The bustling streets of the afternoon gave off the kind of splendor that made any traveller feel welcomed upon entering the place.

Countless hanoks could be seen lined up; filled with wooden pillars, rafters, doors, windows, and floors. The thin sheet of paper that covered the frames of doors and windows completed the whole feel of being back in time to where traditional korean houses existed.

From vendors, shops, to wooden carts with different kinds of items, Soo-yeon's oak-coloured eyes glistened in amazement as she observed each and every detail. Lanterns and lights all enveloped the street wholly.

The endless shouts and voices of sellers clouded their ears. Soo-yeon looked around the place as if it were an ocean of unfamiliarity and she a lost ship.

"A thousand years ago," she whispered, to nobody in particular. "I still can't believe it."

The city was undeniably crowded at the part they were in, Soo-yeon could say that much. She could feel the damp coldness of sweat sticking to her clothes due to the number of people gathering there.

As the men they were with busied themselves by talking to the locals, a thought had slowly been forming in Jae-hwa's head.

Soo-yeon caught her gaze and wondered what Jae-hwa would do when she gestured to the nearby stand with weapons. The seller had been quite busy entertaining the soldiers at the opposite side, which made everything open and defenseless.

As if reading the other's thoughts, Jae-hwa smoothly stole one of the daggers that was within her reach. She faintly smiled at Soo-yeon; a hint of mischief lingering in her now bright eyes. Grief completely gone as if it never existed.

With an eyebrow raised, Soo-yeon could only stare as the thief hid the dagger from their view.

They both stayed silent, simply walking and following the men. For a moment, Soo-yeon had wondered how easy it seemed to be for Jae-hwa. As if Jae-hwa herself knew all there was to know about stealing, and it had been as natural as breathing.

But then Soo-yeon remembered, that she was after all, a thief. And thieves would always find ways to survive, regardless of their predicaments. The conversation they had earlier, had that been part of her plan all along?

Jae-hwa's gaze dropped to the tied wrists behind Soo-yeon's back, urging Soo-yeon to turn around so she could cut it quickly.

Soo-yeon did so and felt the knots loosen, letting her wrists and arms breathe once more. Clenching and unclenching her hands as she observed the bruised colors turning back to normal.

Soo-yeon quietly took the dagger with shaking hands. She hid it behind her back as the two men were about to spare them a glance.

"We are almost there. You both must behave." Joon spoke stiffly, not bothering to listen to anything they had to say when he turned his head back.

Although Soo-yeon had no concrete plan as to what she would do in this second life of hers, she knew that she did not want to remain in a place where they would be treated as slaves.

Jae-hwa walked in front of her, trying to hide the dagger as much as possible, all the while giving her the chance to slash the ropes.

Unfortunately for Soo-yeon, who was not so well-trained in daggers and knives, she struggled for quite a while to cut the knots off.

To the point that by the time one of the men looked back once again, they could see Jae-hwa finally freeing her hands.

"Hey! How did you — " before they could continue, Jae-hwa bolted as fast as she could, taking Soo-yeon's hand in the process.

They navigated their way through the endless sea of people, knocking off precious items on stands to constantly distract the men behind.

Soo-yeon could feel her head pounding with every step she took, breathing becoming more uneven than it had been before.

If there was one thing she had disliked, it had been running. Much more so with a wounded head and weak legs.

They kept on running, making turns, going through shops, and overall pushing people — who of course were not too pleased. Shouts could be heard behind them and Soo-yeon just wanted to give up at that point.

Everything seemed to blur.

Maybe it was due to the exhaustion, or maybe because of the pain from her injuries, she did not know. What she did know however, was that as every second passed, Soo-yeon could feel her hand slowly slipping away from Jae-hwa's.

In the flash of one moment, they were separated. She was soon lost and carried into a vast marketplace that had once again too many people for her liking.

Soo-yeon's eyes roamed around, looking for a certain thief. Instead, all she could see were stars beginning to creep at the back of her head. She soon rested on the ground, taking in large gulps of air as her legs could not do their job.

Stares were being thrown in Soo-yeon's way, looking at the woman with such obvious distaste. She looked unkempt and dirty, but she could not bring herself to care.

She soon forced herself to stand, running to the opposite direction, as fast as she could. Forcing her legs to carry her as far as possible. But not even a minute had passed after running, she fell down to the ground once again, pushing someone along with her.

She groaned and held her injured head, honestly baffled as to why so many things did not go her way today. The pain became a thousand times worse and her burning cheek did not feel all too well.

"Usually, when women greet, they do it in a less barbaric way," a familiar voice answered.

Before she had the chance to process anything else in her tired mind, a rough hand grabbed her wrist and forced her to look down into his annoyed charcoal eyes.

If Soo-yeon had trouble breathing properly before, then what she felt at that moment was something no soul could compare.

It seemed as if it were just the two of them in the busy streets. The voices of other people were merely nothing but murmurs in her ears as they faded away.

She froze completely.

"Can you not hear the words I say? Get off," he said, pushing her away himself.

His hold on her loosened as he sat up from the ground; clothes becoming disheveled due to the fall.

Soo-yeon could not speak at all. She could only stare up at him, pools of oak repeatedly blinking and roaming around his cold features.

He wore loose robes with hues of dark red, black lines outlining the outer edges. It matched the vermillion headband that he wore, along with his dark leather boots that seemed too thin to be pleasant. His dark-brown hair was styled into a topknot, a few strands of hair framing his face.

"Jin," she said in the quietest tone, amazed eyes gradually filling itself with disbelief.

The man raised his brow, confused by what she had said. "So you speak. I was starting to think you were mute, too."