Sparks II

Nunbyul knew she should have left, she knew she shouldn't have stayed and yet here she was, standing there and looking at the most incredible fight she had ever witnessed;

A woman fighting against a member of the Daekan Forces.

Nunbyul wasn't amazed because she was one of those people who wrongly thought women weren't strong enough to be warriors, but rather because she had never thought it was possible for anyone to resist against the soldiers of the elite troop of Arth. Nunbyul was an Neantal, a race of beings who were stronger and faster than any animal, let alone Sarams. And yet even her knew she would have never been able of defeating one of the members of the Daekan Forces. Why ? Because they were the ones who had decimated her entire race. During ten years they had chased every Neantal, women and men, youngs and olds, and had murdered them in the most violent ways. All in the name of peace and prosperity. They had hunted each single one of them until the entire ground of Arth had been covered in their blue blood. Until there wasn't one single Neantal left to resist them. And Nunbyul was sure of it she was the only one who had survived. She hadn't survived because she had been able to beat one of the Daekan no, she had only managed to make it out alive because a Saram had accepted to help her. When it came to the Daekan Forces strength and speed didn't mean anything all the contrary, they made her stand out in a crowd of Sarams who couldn't run faster than a tiger and lift as much as a bear. That's why she had let her adoptive father render her powerless, because she wanted to survive and the only way to survive was to be weak. Or at least that's what she had always thought. But now that she was witnessing this fight she couldn't help but wonder if that really was the truth. What if she had been mistaken ? What if she had thrown away the only way for her to protect her family ? The memories of the murder of her parents came back to her mind and she suddenly felt nauseous. She shook her head and tried to focus on the fight once again. Now wasn't the moment to have regrets, she was there to learn the truth. The woman in the burgundy cape was fast, extremely fast. But the Daekan soldier wasn't lacking either, he was using a chain to keep her away, as if he was afraid of what she would do once she got closer. " A chain and a mask " his appearance was familiar but Nunbyul didn't want to think about it, she was afraid of the memories he would trigger. She looked at the female warrior with her heart racing, she wanted her to win. And almost as if she had heard her prayers the woman stepped it up a notch. She suddenly threw her dagger at the face of the warrior who used one of his hands to stop it, confidently. " Big mistake " He had lowered his guard by doing so and the mysterious woman immediately took advantage of his reaction. She jumped above him and threw at him another dagger she had kept hidden in one of her pockets. Nunbyul observed this scene play out with apprehension. There was only two possible issues for the Daekan soldier, he could try to avoid it and risk to get tangled in his own chain or catch it and lose his chain in the process. He opted for the second option and caught the dagger with his other hand. His opponent seemed to have predicted his reaction as she immediately closed up the distance between them before taking out another dagger. Nunbyul was impressed by the quick thinking of this woman she admired more and more as time passed. The Daekan warrior took out his sword at the last second and blocked the dagger, the woman in the burgundy cape tried to kick him in the ribs but he stopped her with one hand. The young Neantal was impressed, no matter their size swords were heavy but if you added to it the weight of your adversary it became almost impossible to hold it with only one hand. And yet here he was holding his adversary and holding his sword at the same time. Nunbyul gasped in horror before putting her hand in front of her mouth " Is she going to lose ? ". She was afraid but the female warrior still had a few more tricks up her sleeves; she used her other leg to propulse herself and spin around, freeing herself in the process. She then stepped away from the warrior and took a defensive stance, ready for the next attack. On the other hand the Daekan soldier didn't move and simply looked at her. from where she was standing Nunbyul couldn't read the expressions of the two fighters but she could tell tension had reached its height. She held her breath waiting for their next moves.

— Enough you two ! hissed a voice.

Nunbyul was so surprised she almost let out a little cry, she hadn't expected for a fourth person to be there. The person who had spoken walked in and joined the two warriors, standing between them. She was covered in a cape as well, a brown one, so it was difficult for the young Neantal to distinguish her face.

— I know you're doing this for me but please think about your goal ! she begged while touching the cheeks of the woman in the burgundy cape. If you get discovered here it will be the end.

There was a long moment of silence during which no one moved until the female warrior nodded slowly, the masked man seemed to relax but didn't lower his guard. To prove she was truly giving up the fight his opponent threw away her last dagger and approached him slowly, once she was next to him she put a hand on his cheek before slipping her hand on his throat in a caress, a threatening one. She then leaned in and whispered something into his ear. The soldier didn't resist, at most he clenched his fist as if he was restraining himself. The Neantal was curious to know what they could have talked about but from where she was standing she couldn't hear anything. In any case the agreement they had reached seemed to satisfy the woman in the burgundy cape who turned tails without worrying about exposing her back to him. The daekan soldier put his sword away, grabbed his chain and pushed the daggers at his feet in the direction of the two women. The one in the brown cape tried to bent down but was interrupted by her companion who picked them up herself before putting them back at their place. Nunyeol thought it was a really cute gesture, it reminded her of her big sister Chaeeun. She smiled until she realized something. She had been away almost the entire night her sister must have been so worried ! She looked one last time at the three mysterious figures who were having a big discussions.

— Let's all go home now, I'll prepare a bath and something to eat. said the woman with the brown cape after grabbing the hand of he friend.

" So they know each other well... " this revelation should have surprised her but it didn't, after what she had witnessed nothing seemed to surprise her anymore. A Daekan soldier, two mysterious ladies, a fight and a draw. It was a night Nunbyeol was sure to never forget. When she arrived at her house later she was welcomed by the warm hug of her crying sister. Nunbyul felt bad for worrying her but she also felt angry. If she had been strong her sister wouldn't have to worry about her whenever she left the house, she would have been able to protect herself but also her family. Thinking back about the fight made her realize something, she had been mistaken the entire time. And when her father called her to ask where she had been Nunbyul didn't reveal what she had witnessed, instead she directly asked him:

— Father would you teach me martial arts ?

===

As someone who had served the Hae Tribe for years Hae Tuak was pretty used to tense situation, lord Mihol and lady Taealha did not have the best relationship and it was pretty common for both of them to address each other in a passive aggressive tone with a smile on their face. However none of her years spent working at the Fortress of fire had prepared her for the scene she was going to discover by stepping into Tagon's house that night.

After coming home from a way too long journey to another city in the name of Mihol, her and Taealha had agreed to directly go to bed instead of working late as the lady of the Fortress of Fire usually did. At the time Hae Tuak had rejoiced herself at the perspective of being allowed for once to sleep early, but of course as always things hadn't went her way. As she was helping her lady to undress Taealha had ordered her to check if Saenarae was in her room and if Saya was sleeping. A simple task in sum but which had turned into a critical situation; the two young adults had left in the middle of the night and without an autorisation. When Hae Tuak had shared her discovery with Taealha she had expected her mistress to get angry or panic but she had remained calm and had simply told her to check Tagon's house. She was sure Saya didn't run away and her servant hoped she was right. After running through the secret passages connecting the fortress to the house, Hae Tuak had reached Saya's second bedroom eager to obtain explanations but the room was empty and there was no sign that someone had slept in there recently. That was when she had heard big noises coming from down stairs and how she had ended up stumbling upon the most unexpected scene.

Yangcha and Saya facing each other in the front hall, so close to one another that it almost looked like they were going to kiss. Almost because they clearly looked like they were more focused on finding out the best way to murder the other rather than bounding in any way. To Hae Tuak seeing Saya angry was one thing, afterall in the twenty years she had served him she had multiple occasions to witness his temper tantrums, but seeing Yangcha look so irritated was a rare sight. The servant wasn't the most observant person but even she could tell he was restraining himself from choking Saya with his chain. " What is happening here ?! " As she was about to intervene a voice called out to her.

— Ma'am you're back !

She turned around and noticed Saenarae who was holding towels with a desperate expression on her face. It seemed like she was the biggest victim of this incredible situation. The two men looked in the direction of Hae Tuak and immediately changed their attitude. Yangcha slightly bowed his head and Saya stepped away from him to approach Saenarae and Hae Tuak.

— Did you know he would arrive today ? he asked with a disdainful voice.

The servant quickly glanced at Yangcha who was concentrating his attention on a point on the wall, as if he wasn't the one being talked about.

— No...she said before addressing the masked man. Is lord Tagon back in Arthdal as well ?

The soldier gave her a slightly confused look before reaching for something in one of his pockets. " A letter " Hae Tuak extended her hand to receive it but Saya was faster, he immediately pried it out Yangcha's fingers with an excited expression. A reaction which triggered the other man's reflexes as he violently grabbed his wrist.

— Let go. ordered Saya.

He had spoken in a calm tone but his anger was palpable, his jaw was clenched and his entire body tense. He was like a volcano on the verge of exploding, and yet none of this seemed to impress Tagon's right-hand man who even tightened his grip on his wrist. Saya slipped his hand in the pocket of his cape and Yangcha put a hand on his sword. Hae Tuak decided to step in before one of them killed the other.

— Please stooop ! she yelled. Lord Saya please hand me the letter, it is probably as usual addressed to lady Taealha. As for you Yangcha have some manners ! Lord Saya is the son of your master !

The two young men exchanged one last heinous look before abruptly releasing each other. Saya gave her back the letter and Yangcha went back to ignoring him again. Saenarae who was still holding the towels gave a sympathetic smile to Hae Tuak as if to say that she understood her discomfort. Although she knew she wasn't the unwelcomed person here the strain was such that Hae Tuak temporary thought about leaving the room and never come back.

— Where is lady Taealha ? suddenly asked Saya as if nothing had happened.

His question made the masked warrior frown in confusion and Hae Tuak interpreted his reaction as him wondering why he didn't call Taealha mother . She was a bit surprised herself to see that Tagon hadn't talked about this with Yangcha before but she could understand why as well, maybe the leader of the Daekan knew nothing about the complicated relationship he had created between Saya and Taealha. There was hatred in it but also a sort of mutual respect that could only be find between two mortal enemies. Taealha didn't consider Saya as her equal but she considered him as at least half better than the rest of the people of Arthdal. While on the other hand Saya who hated her more than anyone else in Arth still admired her intellect and her strength. They were enemies and allies, predictor and student, master and owner. " In a way their relation is similar to the one between Lady Taealha and lord Miho " thought Hae Tuak, even if for her Taealha was a way better parent than Mihol had ever been to her. " Saya hates her but that's only because he doesn't realize how sweet his childhood was compared to the one of my lady " She sighed, maybe their relationship wouldn't have been so sour if they both knew how to communicate properly ? Lady Taealha had never been very good at mincing her words and sadly her adoptive son seemed to have inherited this bad habit of hers which often created conflict between the two of them. But Hae Tuak was sure of it, behind all their harsh words there surely was a bit of love between those two.

— Hae Tuak ? asked once again Saya with a voice that sounded more like a growl than a human voice, his patience was wearing thin.

— Oh ! I apologize my lord I was lost in my thoughts. answered the servant with a little bit of panic in her voice. Lady Taealha went to bed.

— I see. he nodded slowly with a unreadable expression on his face. I guess we won't be allowed to fight before tomorrow.

— Exactly ! said Hae Tuak with a barely disguised enthusiasm, she didn't want any of them to get hurt or die under under her supervision. Now how about we all go to bed my lord ? I'm sure both of you will need all your energy to fight tomorrow !

Saya exchanged a look with Saenarae who nodded at him with a smile, a sweet exchange which didn't escape Hae Tuak's notice who had to bit her tongue to not make any comment. " Aren't they adorable ? " After all those years spent together they still were very close and always made sure to protect each other " just like siblings ". They could understand one another with just one look and spent most of their times together. At first hae Tuak had though they might have been romantically involved but both of them had denied before clarifying that they were more like a brother and a sister. Something which her mistress had laughed about but that Hae Tuak firmly believed in. If there had been any type of romantic feelings between those two she was sure she would have been the first one to notice.

— Then I'll excuse myself and return to my chambers, goodnight you two.

Having said those words, Saya glanced one last time at Yangcha whom he had deliberately ignored and started to walk up the stairs. The mood wasn't as heavy as before but it still felt uncomfortable so Hae Tuak tried to lighten it up a little bit by complimenting her master.

— Ah I almost forgot to say but your makeup looked really pretty today my lord !

The igutu froze during a few seconds before leaving without giving any word back.

— Did I say something wrong ?

— I'll explain to you later. whispered Saenarae with an uneasy face.

" I hope I'm not in trouble " thought Hae Tuak, she could still remember the last time she had upsetted Saya. Most people when angered would react right away, they would throw a tantrum, shout and maybe even resort to violence. But it wasn't the case of her master, for he would do all the contrary. He would simply stand there, irradiating with anger and hatred without doing anything. After a moment he would calm down and then act as if nothing had happened, he would accept apologies and smile to the person who had wronged him with the utmost sincerity. However all of this every time his comportement was nothing than a lie. Saya never forgave anyone who harmed him, he would simply wait for the right time to get his revenge and then strike his enemy with a fatal blow. No one was safe from his fury except lady Taealha.

— I drew a bath for you, I was just about to bring the towels to your room. explained Saenarae, extending her hands. Hae Tuak noticed that her hands were slightly shaking but didn't make any comment, maybe she was cold ? After all it was quite cold at this time of the year.

In response Yangcha showed his hands covered in dirts.

— Ha ! My apologies, I should have thought about that I'll immediately put them in your room !

Yangcha nodded and then started following her as she guided him to his room. " Their difference of height is actually very cute, he's even taller than lord Saya " noted Hae Tuak. They actually looked good together, her who was so delicate and sweet and him who was so strong and dangerous. They kinda looked like a princess and her bodyguard. As she watched them walk side by side an idea popped into Hae Tuak's brain. " What if those two fell in love ? " Yangcha may have been extremely good looking and have a great job with a good salary, he rarely was approached by women because of his mask. Receiving the punishment of silent meant you had committed a crime related to speech, you could have spread lies about someone, betrayed a friend, disrespected the founding tribes of The Union or failed to keep your words. Receiving this punishment meant you weren't trustworthy and that was a sstigma which made it impossible or extremely difficult for Yangcha to bound with someone. Hae Tuak ignored what exact crime Yangcha had committed but after witnessing him risk his life for Tagon so many times she believed he wasn't the traitor every citizen of Arthdal whispered about. He was a good companion som maybe he would even do a great husband. " What should I do ? " she wondered, she had the future of Saenarae in her hands after all. The young woman was a slave so her only future prospects were either working till the end of her life for the Hae tribe or to be fred if she was extremely lucky. But there were only two ways of obtaining freedom; The first one was to be fred by your master, which for Saenarae certainly was impossible since she knew many secrets of the Hae tribe. And the second one was to marry a member of one of the founding tribes of Arthdal, with of course the agreement of the owner of the slave. Yangcha may have been a simple soldier but he still was a member of the Sanyeok Tribe therefore if Saenarae were to marry him she would become a free woman. Moreover Taealha would never be against this union since she trusted Yangcha. Hae Tuak clapped her hands together, she had found the perfect solution for her protege.

— Hae Tuak I'll take care of his meal you can go to bed don't worry.

Had it be any other person than Saenarae, the servant would have teached them a lesson for not addressing her properly but the young slave was an exception. She was greatly appreciated by Hae Tuak who she had charmed with her kindness, her politeness and her positivity. She was the little sister the servant had never had.

— Don't worry I'll stay with you Saenarae but tell me…

The girl looked at her with a puppy like expression which almost gave to Hae Tuak the urge to hug her and tell her she had worked hard. " She truly is adorable, poor child if only she hadn't been a slave she probably would have married a good man ".

— What do you think of Yangcha ?

Saenarae blinked multiple times as if she had heard something ridiculous, which in all honesty may have been the case.

— I don't understand, what do you mean by that ?

" I forgot how innocent and inexperienced she is, I need to take it slow " thought Hae Tuak, she grabbed the slave's hand and dragged her in the kitchen.

— Let's get to work I'll explain.

The two women started cooking and Hae Tuak tried a new approach.

— Don't you think Yangcha look handsome ?

The slave paused her work for a few seconds before continuing while avoiding on purpose the gaze of her superior.

— I don't know he wears a mask so I can't tell.

— He didn't take it off in front of you ?! suddenly yelled Hae Tuak making the young slave flinch.

— W-why would he do that ?

— But...But...You accompanied him for his bath…

Saenarae seemed to understand what she meant and let ou a " Aaaah " before answering.

— He is not my master so I didn't help him to get undressed.

Hae Tuak put down the knife she was holding and sighed.

— Do you realize how many girls wished they had been in your place ? Yangcha never takes off his mask !

The young woman ignored her tantrum and poured different spices in the pot she had been watching over.

— Of course he wouldn't, the mask is there to inform and remind people that he is a sinner. He can't just take it off whenever he feels like it, that would be the same as mocking his punishment.

— I know… said Hae Tuak with a sad voice. But no one would know if he took it off in front of me or lady Taealha, he could do it. Imagine how horrible it must feel to wear this all day.

Her comment made Saenarae interrupt her gesture.

— Lady Taealha never saw him without his mask ?

— Keep stirring or else it's going to taste weird. ordered the servant. Well I've never seen him without it, I'm not sure about lady Taealha she never said anything particular on this topic.

The two women continued to prepare the meal for a long moment in silence until Saenarae whispered « — What if he was an igutu ? » Her question created a panic in Hae Tuak who immediately put her hand on her mouth to stop her from adding anything else.

— Don���t say things like that out loud !

The young woman delicately freed her mouth and bowed her head in apology.

— I'm sorry I'll be more careful next time.

Hae Tuak glanced around her as if she was being spied then and then whispered back.

— He isn't one I'm sure of it I've seen him bleed.

— I see...That's a relief then.

Hae Tuak scrunched her face, as someone who had grew up with an Igutu Saenarae shouldn't have been uncomfortable with the presence of one.

— What do you mean by that ?

The young woman paused for a few seconds what she was doing and then turned to look at her superior with her usual smile.

— Oh I was just thinking about the fight of tomorrow, it would have been too difficult for lord Saya if they were identical…Could you give me this please ?

The servant scolded herself " What was I thinking ? "

— Here you go ! she said while handing to her companion the meat. Ah ! Since we are on that topic...she lowered her voice. Do you know what happened between those two ?

Saenarae bit her lips with nervousness.

— To be honest I don't really know myself, everything happened so quickly…

— Tell me everything. We have all the time, the meal won't be ready before a while.

The slave pondered for a moment before telling her story.

— Since lord Saya had requested me to accompany him on a walk, I had advised him to remain in Arthdal.

— Why ? Isn't it less dangerous for him to walk in the forest ?

— If we had walked in the forest we would have spent the entire night there, I know him.

Hae Tuak nodded in agreement, that was another common point he had with Taealha they both seemed to lose track of time whenever they were doing something only them enjoyed.

— Moreover as you saw I had done his makeup so he was unrecognisable. added Saenarae with a certain pride in her voice.

— Oh it's true that it was quite well done ! He really looked like a fine young woman, in the dark I wouldn't have recognized him. But why was he mad when I complimented him ?

The young slave tried to contain her laughter while explaining.

— Well ..I think until now he had forgotten he was wearing makeup so your remark probably made him realized he had been acting quite...Manly while being all dolled up.

Hae Tuak tried to hold her laughter in as well but failed miserably when she imagined Saya talking down to a confused Yangcha and maybe even threatening or promising him he would beat him during their dual while looking even more delicate than any flower. After a few minutes of laughter the two ladies regained their composure even if their smiles hadn't left their faces.

— Should I continue ? asked the young woman.

Her superior gestured her to continue with her hand « — Please do ». Saenarae nodded and resumed her story.

— We were walking and talking about his...she lowered her voice. Dreams.

Hae Tuak immediately interrupted her by waving her hands excitingly.

— What does he dream about ?! she yelled before whispering. I mean...I would love to ask… you know who because I'm so curious, but I can't !

Saenarae laughed softly at her remark and explained.

— He dreams of other young people, he has a hard time remembering their faces and their names but he said that they often play together in grand fields.

Hae Tuak noticed that the young woman looked a little bit sad while saying those words, maybe she envied those people who appeared in his dreams ? Or maybe she envied their freedom, it was hard to tell since Saenarae never complained.

— I wish I could have dreams, it seems fun. said the servant with compassion.

— Me too…

They both sighed.

— Oh excuse me I interrupted you ! And then what happened ?

— Ah right ! Well lord Saya started noticing noises coming behind us so he told me to be careful and then... Yangcha appeared.

— Yangcha ? He was... Following you ?

Saenarae remained silent for a few seconds a thoughtful expression on her face before hazarding a guess.

— I suppose he saw us leave lord Tagon's house and assumed we had broke in ?

— Ah it's true that we didn't tell them you both had the keys of his house…

The young woman let out a little " Ah " as if she had just realized something.

— Then it would explain what happened after...

— What happened ? asked her the servant, but the girl didn't answer.

Instead her face darkened as if she was reminded of an unpleasant memory.

— Is everything alright ?

— Y-yes ! Of course ! she said while making sure to avoid any eye contact with Hae Tuak.

The servant grabbed her hands to reassure her.

— You can tell me don't worry I won't be mad at you.

— I'm not worried about me...

" Aaaah how adorable... She's always covering up for lord Saya " thought the servant refraining a little chuckle from escaping her lips. They truly were the most adorable siblings.

— It's fine ! I won't tell lady Taealha so don't worry about lord Saya.

— It's not about lord Saya.

Hae Tuak furrowed her brows.

— Then who ?

— Yangcha. finally answered Saenarae after an hesitation.

Her answer confused even more the Hae Tribe member who had known the warrior for years. She knew he wasn't the type to make mistakes.

— He...attacked lord Saya without a reason.

The eyes of Hae Tuak widened in shock, it wasn't possible. Even if he had suspciouns about them Yangcha would never have attacked a inhabitant of Arthdal without concrete evidence that there were a threat. Lord Tagon had sent him here undercover, it would have been stupid to cause harm to a civilian which would have brought attention on all of them. He also didn't have any reason to want to harm Saya as they were to fight the day right after. " It doesn't sound right " Hae Tuak opened her mouth to ask her something but was interrupted by Saenarae's sudden gasp. Yangcha was standing at the entrance of the room. It was hard to tell if he had heard anything as he had his usual look of boredom on his face and didn't seem upset to the slightest. " Since how long has he been standing there ?! " screamed the servant in her head. " Did he heard what we were talking about ? " she hoped he hadn't, this would have been way too awkward.

— Sit down Yangcha, your meal is ready. she said with a jesting tone which only had for effect to highlight how uncomfortable she was.

But Yangcha didn't pay any attention to her, his entire attention was focused on Saenarae who he was staring at as if he was seeing her for the first time. There wasn't hatred or anger, just interest as if he was evaluating her. Hae Tuak grabbed the dish Saenarae was giving her and furrowed her brows.

— Is there a problem ? she asked while putting the plate on the table.

The warrior switched his gaze to her before looking at the dish, Saenarae had cooked in the last hour; a stew which smelled very good and looked quite tasty. " After such a long travel he will probably be happy to eat something like that and it might even make him forget what we were talking about ! " thought Hae Tuak with a smile but contrary to what she had expected the masked man bowed politely and then left.

— Uh ? Yangcha ? You are not eating ? Yangcha ! she called him a few more times but the soldier didn't come back.

— You should give up he's probably in his bed now... said Saenarae with a sigh.

— But what do we do with the stew ? You worked so hard to cook it…

— It's ok don't worry, it doesn't bother me. answered the young woman with a sad smile. We can just eat it tomorrow.

Hae Tuak felt really bad for Saenarae, although she was trying to hide it her elder could see how saddened she was to see her hard work ignored. " What's wrong with Yangcha ? " Yes, he was very bad at interacting with people and the fact that he couldn't talk often left room for misunderstandings but what he had done to Saya was wrong and the way he had treated Saenare was simply rude. " He has never done something like that before and he has no reason to hate Saenarae so why would he-... " she paused, feeling like she had finally put her finger on something. " Of course ! " She let out a little squeal of excitation and grabbed Saenarae's hands, making the young woman flinch out of surprise.

— I think Yangcha likes you !

Saenarae looked at her with wide eyes.

— Hae Tuak I think you're misunderstanding things…

But the servant didn't listen and continued to explain to her the reasoning she had done to come up with that conclusion.

— Yangcha is a little bit shy and I'm sure he only did this to attract your attention ! You know like how little boys pull on the hair of the girl they like ?...Or the contrary since in your case you used to-...

— I really don't think he likes me !

— No need to be shy~ teased the servant.

They continued their cute bickering for a while, while from the top of the stairs Yangcha looked at them, a dark expression on his face.