The encounter

Everything Saya had done until now had brought him to this moment. The years of suffering alone, the fear of the unknown and all the dangers he had faced to arrive here. Everything had brought him to the man standing so close yet so far away from him. Tagon, the leader of the Daekan Forces but most importantly; his father.

— You did well today again, good job ! You all should go and rest now, tomorrow might be harder than today.

Saya admired him as he talked to his men, he looked full of assurance and ease despite the state they all were in. The young boy could easily guess they probably had just finished cleaning up the battlefield on which they had fought. They were covered in blood and dirt but there were no trace left of bodies or broken weapons. He couldn't help but feel disappointed, he would have loved to witness his father in action. To see him fight and overpower his opponents with his incredible skills. In the lonely place where he had been raised his only source of amusement were the tales about his father Hae Tuak would sometimes tell him. His father was the hero and protector of Arthdal, his greatest fighter and his best strategist. That's why he always had to be away, that's why he couldn't come and visit him. He wasn't avoiding him, no ! It's just that his work was too important. He had to protect their great city and all of their inhabitants. A task which could only be achieved by someone as great as him and his valorous warriors, the Daekan Troops. Saya looked up at them almost as passionately as he admired his father, he envied those men he had never met because they had the trust of his father. Sadly he hadn't been able to gather much information on his heroes as Hae Tuak didn't knew about a lot of them. She had told him that the best fighter of the group was Mubaek, a man from a tiny tribe who had been the leader until Tagon arrived. Then next in strength was Yangcha, his father's right hand man. He was a mysterious masked fighter who wasn't allowed to talk because of a punishment for an important fault he had made. Saya was very curious about it but most importantly he admired the generosity of his father for accepting a sinner among his rank, if the decision had been his he never would have accepted. He sometimes wondered if his father truly was such a virtuous man or if he was the one who still had a lot to learn about the value of men.

— Mubaek I'll let you take care of the rest.

The voice of Tagon forced Saya out of his train of thought, his father was on the move he had to follow him. However he still had to be careful, none of his men knew about his existence and he didn't want to create a scene on their first meeting. He had to stay hidden until they returned to the camp, he didn't knew where his father was heading but it didn't look like he was planning on accompanying his soldiers. If he stayed away from them it would make things way more easier for his son who wanted to talk to him alone, yet again the odds didn't seem to be on his favor. While most of the soldiers stayed kneeled on the floor, one of them rose to his feet and followed him. "Yangcha…" Immediately identified Saya, he frowned, why was this man following his father when it clearly looked like he wanted some time alone ? While he wanted to complain out loud all he could do right now was curse at him in his head.

— Ah this day is finally over ! happily shouted one of the man while stretching his arms. Time to go home !

— But where is lord Tagon going ? asked another.

— Well lady Taealha was there yesterday, she might have announced to him something important he needs to think about.

The comment of the third man created a wave of confusion among the warriors who started to chat among themselves like undisciplined children.

— Lady Taealha was there ?

— I didn't see her.

— Me neither and I was on duty !

— Well no one is surprised about that.

— Hey what are you insinuating ?

From there all the chatters turned into loud comments as everyone seemed to have something to say about the person next to them. This hubbub lasted until the man who had mentioned Taealha's presence in the first place gestured everyone to be silent.

— You're all totally missing the point here ! he said to them with an annoyed face. You should be talking about what she could have announced to him instead of blabbering about whether someone saw her or not !

His remark made the crowd go wild once again, all the soldiers were now exchanging theories on what Taealha could have revealed to Tagon. Some of the warriors claiming she may have come to announce to them they were finally allowed to go back to Arthdal, while others were affirming she had only come to give them orders.

— As expected when it comes to gossips no one can beat Gilsun !

Saya tried to gather in his mind all the informations he knew about this man. He was a member of the White Mountain tribe and an influent one at that, which placed him near Mubaek in term of rank but clearly below him in term of fighting skills. Hae Tuak had said he was quite smart but lady Taealha had called him a "capable idiot" so he wasn't too sure on what to think of him.

— I thought you were tired and needed to rest but seeing how you still have that much energy to talk about things which do not concern you I guess you won't need a day of rest tomorrow.

The comment from the man who Saya assumed was Mubaek made all the warriors silent. He was just like Hae Tuak had said, more serious and mature than the others.

— Brother, aren't you being too harsh ? asked the man who had rejoiced about going home earlier. We are just chatting

Saya identified him as Mugwang, contrary to his older brother he was childish and had average fighting skills. Despite thinking of him this way the young boy didn't despise the soldier, he had heard of how loyal and obedient Mugwang was to his father and nothing in his heart could ever beat such a good attitude.

— We are going back to the camp. ordered Mubaek without paying any mind to how discomfited his brother looked.

— You sure know how to ruin the mood. commented Gilsun. Mugwang is right, you're being a pain in the ass with your sore attitude.

Mubaek glared at him angrily before walking up to him as if to challenge him into a fight. "Now is the moment !" thought Saya as much as he wished to stay and observe a fight between the two men, he knew their bickering was the only opportunity for him to pass by them without getting spotted. Walking slowly on all fours he circumvented the crowd as silently as he could and went in the direction his father had gone. Even if it was getting darker he didn't mind, for a reason he didn't knew he could see very well even during night time. After a few minutes of fast walking he caught up to the two men. His father was still leading as Yangcha followed him, none of them exchanged a word but they both seemed quite concentrated. Saya admired his father once again, he was tall and muscular just like he had had imagined. He was also handsome and charismatic just as the heroes in the books he had read. There was no doubt in the mind of the young boy that his father must have been favored by the Gods and that simple thought made his heart burst with pride. Pride but also fear, compared to his father he felt so little and insignifiant. He was worried about many things, how would his father react after seeing him, what he would think of him and what he would decide to do with him in the future. "What if he decides to lock me up again in the tower ?" this simple thought terrified him, he didn't want to go back there again. He hoped his father would understand but he also hoped he would tell him what he had done to be punished like that all those years. "Father please forgive me for my past wrongdoings and let me stand by your side…" too busy repeating those words again and again in his mind to give himself strength, Saya didn't caught the slight stoppage the two men he was following executed at the same time.

— Leave me, I want to be alone for a moment.

Tagon had said those words without looking back but Yangcha still cared to bow to him. After doing so he turned tails and left, leaving his leader alone in the forest. And the further the soldier walked away, the louder Saya's heart reasonated. He could feel his entire body shaking and his hands becoming sweaty. Now truly was the moment he had dreamed of his entire life. It was time for him to greet his father.

— I know you're there so why are you hiding ?

The question almost made the young child collapse, he couldn't believe his ears. Had his father been aware of his presence since the beginning ? "Of course he must have" he was the lord of war Tagon, the best strategist of Arthdal. There was no way someone as wise and experimented as him could have been deceived by a small fry like himself. After taking a huge breathe the boy left his hiding-place and advanced. At first he walked, with careful and timid steps but then as he saw his father slowly turn to look at him he started to run.

And it was at this moment that it happened.

He suddenly felt something cold and hard violently grab his throat to pin him on the floor. As he was out of breath and confused he didn't even think about freeing himself before a shadow suddenly jumped on top of him to pressure him down. The weight of the man was making it hard to breathe and the tears of pain he was trying to refrain from flowing were blurring his vision. He couldn't see well but he immediately recognized Yangcha because of the dark spot his mask was creating on his face. Afraid the child tried to open his mouth to call out to his father only to have grip of the chain around his neck tighten. Panicking he started to resist but quickly gave up as the soldier increased his pain each time he moved.

— Well what do we have here ? said Tagon while approaching, after seeing Saya his expression changed. A child ? Now I always knew Mihol had no problem using innocent children for his dirty deeds but it's my first time seeing him use a killer child.

The masked man didn't answer but his growing anger and hatred toward Saya didn't go unnoticed.

— Hey now...What's gotten into you ? asked Tagon with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Yangcha looked away, clearly embarrassed by his reaction.

— It's just a child, he wouldn't have been able to hurt me anyway.

Reluctantly his loyal servant loosened his chain allowing oxygen to enter Saya's lungs which made he cough loudly.

— What's your name kid and what were you trying to do ?

Between two violent coughing fits the child tried to pull himself up but was violently pushed back by the soldier.

— Yangcha. said his lord with a cold voice.

The soldier immediately got off of the boy as if he had been burnt. Having done so he then picked up his weapon without taking his eyes off him. His behavior was calm but the killing intents in his gaze was perceptible. This time Tagon didn't comment on his attitude and directly addressed the trembling child.

— Catch your breath kid then answer my question.

Saya nodded to show he had understood and took a minute to himself to gain back a part of his composure.

— Now tell me, who sent you ?

Although he had asked this question with a gentle tone, his son could still feel the authority in it. Out of nervousness he lowered his eyes and his head.

— No one fa... sir.

Yangcha rolled his eyes and Tagon sighed, obviously none of them was convinced.

— Look if you're going to lie you should at least dot it properly, I don't want to hurt you but I will have to do so if you keep on lying.

— I'm not lying ! I swear ! I just… he glanced towards Yangcha...C-cannot reveal anything in front of him.

The leader of the Daekhan Forces putted his hand on the shoulder of the young boy and spoke with a reassuring voice.

— As you can see this man is under the punishment of silence, he wouldn't be able to repeat anything you just said even if he wanted. You can speak without any fear.

— I-I know about this..But, but still… I cannot.

Tagon didn't hide his irritation to the slightest which made the cheeks of his son reden out of embarrassment, he didn't want to be such a nuisance for his father but he had to insist. It was the only way to protect their secret and to protect him.

— Fine. Yangcha…

He didn't even have to finish his sentence, his loyal soldier had already stood up. In the silent exchange of glances that followed a message was passed, his right hand man wasn't needed, he could leave. Which he did after bowing and looking one last time at the young kid, anger written all over his face.

— I have accepted your request, we are alone. Now tell me, who sent you ?

His heart pounding in his chest like a furious war drum, Saya slowly opened his mouth."This is it...the moment I've been waiting, the scene I have so much dreamed of. The very first time I am allowed to call you..."

— Father…

As if he had been struck by thunder Tagon's heart missed a beat. The sensation made him feel like the entire world was collapsing. The man froze. For the first time in his life he wasn't sure on to what to say. The fine orator who he was couldn't think of anything he could have said to regain control over the situation. Until now he had not thought one second that the kid in front of him could have been the same kid he had rescued years ago. He had made many hypothesis about his identity but none of them had hit the mark. Just like he had locked up the child in a tower far away from him, he had locked up his existence in the back of his mind. The same place where he had trapped his old demons in the hope they would stop haunting him. "A mistake…" he thought to himself, he had become too comfortable for someone in such a dangerous situation. Locking away his fears had made him forget about the sword of Damocles he had himself placed above his own head. The arrival of this cursed child was a proof in itself of how fragile everything he had built until now was. A simple kid could have destroyed everything. The years he had spent fighting away from home, all the promises he had broken, all the people he had to kill to protect his secrets. There were so many thing he had sacrificed to become the man he was today and in a single day almost everything had turned to ruins.

— Fa..ther..?

This time Saya's voice didn't have as much strength as the first time he had called out to him. He was scared of the look his father was giving him and the pressure he was exercising on his shoulder with his hand. Was he angry ? Disappointed ? Shocked ? The child couldn't tell, but his nervousness was enough to somehow bring back Tagon to his normal state. With a faked warm smile on his face and slightly trembling fingers he brushed the make up off the mouth of his son to reveal the natural color of his lips; a vibrant purple. He felt a sort of surge of relief by confirming he hadn't fallen into a trap, the child truly was an igutu, just like him. But at the same time this verification was making him grow anxious. "So many things could have gone wrong."

— Who is aware of your presence here ? he said with his hand still resting on the cheek of his child. A gesture which totally made Saya ignore the state his father was in.

— No one outside of Sanarae, I...

— Who is Saenare ? Tagon's question had been asked abruptly and coldly yet once again Saya ignored his odd behavior. He was too happy to see his father show a bit of interest in him and to finally be able to talk to him. The world could have ended right this instant he wouldn't have cared. The only thing that mattered to him was having his father sit in front of him and talk to him. His own happiness was blinding him to the point that he couldn't even read the panic in Tagon's eyes. To the warrior everything suddenly seemed out of his control and he felt powerless, a feeling which he hated. Just a few hours ago he had been controlling an entire battlefield but now he was at the mercy of a child.

— She's a servant Taealha gave me a few months ago but she...he hesitated to comment about her in front of his father. She's a bit weird to be honest, she doesn't listen well to what I say and she just does whatever she wants !

The Daekhan Forces leader tried to calm himself down to analyze what he had just heard. Taealha had given a servant to the child without asking him first about it, which in itself was very weird since it wouldn't have taken much time for the servant to understand their master was an Igutu. "What is Taealha planning ?" The man pondered, if Taealha was going to betray him she would have opted for a far better strategy with lower chances of backfiring. So what could she have in mind to do something so risky ? As his father was remaining silent, Saya interpreted his behavior as a disapproval of his little tantrum.

— B-but of course I'll learn soon how to… Uh...Be a good master like you.

Tagon ignored his comment and undertook to ask him more questions.

— Which clan is she from ?

— I don't know... Probably a minority clan, she lost her entire family in a fire...he paused during a few seconds after remembering something. She once said Taealha wouldn't have chosen her if it hadn't been the case, but she refused to explain to me why.

"This girl is smart" thought Tagon, she had seen through Taealha's reasoning although she probably didn't have all the keys to perfectly understand it. Taealha had chosen an orphan because they were the most obedient servants, they didn't have any family or relative left with with whom they could share secrets with, and were totally tied to the fate of their masters. If they tried to betray their master and were caught they could be killed and if they got their master into trouble they would be punished alongside them. This is why Saenarae wasn't too much of a treat, she couldn't reveal Saya was an Igutu as she had no one left to believe her and support her accusations against the hero of Arth. This thought helped Tagon to calm down, he didn't have to worry too much about her for now. Now the only thing left on is mind was Taealha, he couldn't quite figure out why she had decided to give Saya a servant but he trusted her. She was cunning and loyal, he knew she wouldn't have taken this risk if she wasn't sure they both would have greatly beneficiated from it. Until now Tagon hadn't thought even once of what he would do with Saya because whenever the existence of the child would cross his mind he would feel restless. But Taealha probably had considered the question a lot and had found a way to make him useful. Until now she had rarely brought up the topic of their adopted child — Tagon suspected she had noticed how uncomfortable it made him, but they would need to discuss the future of the child one day or another. "Probably sooner than what we thought" figured the leader of the Daekan forces. The fugue of Saya changed everything both of them had planned concerning their future, they needed to carefully study the consequences of his acts. Not only that but they would also need to discuss the acts of this Saenarae who sounded a bit too smart for her own good and whom he actually knew nothing about.

— Is she kind to you ?

The sudden question made Saya blush a little bit, not because there was anything between him and Saenarae but because he was embarrassed at the idea of his father thinking so.

— Well uh… She is. Sometimes...Not that she's mean to me ! But she teases me a lot... I guess that I can call her friend… he lowered his head, his eyes riveted on his feet.

Tagon longly looked at him, a part of him was touched by his naivety but the other wanted to make him face reality. In Arthdal Igutus were monsters, it was impossible that this girl ever saw him as something else than that. She only was nice to him because she had been told to be, but if Taealha had ordered her to kill him she would have probably done it without any remorse."My woman...Taealha" whispered a little voice in his head, a veil of nostalgy covered his eyes as he remembered the moment she had discovered he himself was an Igutu. A sweet yet painful moment engraved in his memory forever. He knew how lucky he had been to meet someone like her, and he knew a meeting like this would never ever happen again.. In his thirty years of existence, from all the people who had learnt the truth about him only four of them had survived. This was how rare people who accepted Igutus were. Something Saya had yet to learn about and which Tagon didn't really feel like teaching him yet. Instead he decided to come back to his interrogatory.

— And where is she now ?

— She refused to accompany me, she said it would be better if for our first meeting we were alone.

Tagon laughed internally, it was evident that Saenarae had only said so after realizing that without Taealha being around she would never be able to stop Saya from escaping. He couldn't blame her, Saya was an igutu and Tagon knew too well how capable they were when it came to breaking the rules. But still he had to admire her ability to lie so easily. "She would make a great politician" She had refused to go with Saya because she was scared of being punished by Tagon but had managed to convince him she had done it for both of their sake. He wasn't angry at her for choosing to avoid him either, after all even if Taealha must have seemed scary to her to most people Tagon was way worst.

— I see, how did you find me ?

Saya avoided the gaze of his father and triturated the fabric of his shirt.

— I followed Taealha from afar.

To his surprise, Tagon chuckled softly. The warrior found very funny that the best spy of Arthdal didn't notice the presence of a kid following her for days. When she would learn about this her pride would most likely be hurt and her lover could already see the annoyed face she would make once he would tell her. Still, he couldn't really mock her. This child wasn't like any other, he was an igutu after all, it was normal for him to be able to accomplish such things easily despite his young age. This thought suddenly made Tagon curious, until now he hadn't cared about him but his sudden appearance — as frightening as it was, was making him reconsider how he had treated him. He wanted to know, how many things would he be able to achieve under his guidance ?

— How old are you now ?

— Fourteen father !

The leader of the Daekan seemed disappointed and his reaction didn't elude his son.

— It's still too young…

"He won't be useful to me now, but in the future…" he looked at Saya under a new light, while he still considered him as a threat to his safety he couldn't help but feel excited to see how he could shape and use this new tool.

— I know I'm young father but I also know that I can be of use to you ! You can ask me anything and I'll obey !

Tagon froze, during a few seconds he saw himself as a child begging his father on his knees to spare him, to give him a chance to be useful. Had he really looked that pitiful ? He couldn't tell but seeing Saya acts exactly like he used to disgusted him it was like looking at his own reflection, he hated it.

— Don't ever beg again to anyone.

Saya lifted his head up timidly.

— You're my son. The son of Tagon, the leader of the Daekan Troops and an heir of the Sanyeok Tribe. You should never kneel in front of anyone, understood ?

— Yes father.

During a few seconds Tagon was troubled by the gaze Saya gave him, he could see how much he had touched the young boy by acknowledging him as his soon. He disliked that. To him Saya was just a tool nothing more so having him look at him with such hopeful eyes annoyed him. He had the impression once again of looking at his old self, naive and optimistic. It made him want to crush the hope he could read in Saya's eyes. He wanted to make him taste a little bit of what he had endured years ago. It was an act of pure bitterness and Saya didn't deserve it but Tagon couldn't help himself and thus he addressed the young boy with a cold tone:

— You're useless and weak, nothing but a burden to me.

Weirdly seeing Saya's face break down didn't bring him any comfort all the contrary and yet he didn't stop because it still felt to me that it wasn't enough. It was nothing compared to what he had heard his entire life.

— You "think" you can be of use when you don't even follow orders ? We ordered you to stay in the tower but you ran away at the first occasion.

— But father all I wante-...

— Be quiet !

Saya bit his lips and lowered his head once again.

— What would have happened if someone had discovered you ?! Would you have assumed the consequences ? Would you have found a miracle solution to save us all ?

He paused and grabbed Saya's face to force him to look into his eyes.

— No you wouldn't have. And why is that ? Because you're just a useless child !

He let go of his face and stood up.

— Now if you understood all of this, go home immediately.

He suddenly couldn't stand the view of Saya in front of him, the interest he had taken in him a few minutes had disappeared to make way for the disgust and uneasiness he was feeling towards him but also himself.

— Then...What should I do ? whispered Saya, What should I do to be worthy of you father ?

Since he still had his head lowered Tagon couldn't read his expression but he could tell by the sound of his voice how emotional he was. His tone was a mix of rage and sadness and yet it was extremely calm. There was a bit of resolve in it, something he didn't expect from a fourteen years old. "Interesting" thought his father.

— Look at me.

Saya reludanctly lifted his head and their eyes met once again. "Determination" was the first word to come to Tagon's mind. He had expected the young boy to crumble in fear and cry of pain but instead he was giving him a daring look. He was awaiting for his next words ready to meet the challenge, an attitude which surprised his father as Taealha had never mentioned that he had such a personality. But then again they rarely talked about him. Still this change of attitude intrigued Tagon who decided to give him a chance.

— I want you to go home and train with Taealha. Now don't rejoice yourself too fast, I have three conditions.

His son nodded.

— First, your are to obey to everything she tells you. If you ever disobey or talk back to her I will have you locked and chained up in this tower for the rest of your life. he broke off momentarily to let the words sink into Saya's mind, once he was sure he had understood he continued. Secondly, you won't ever contact me under any circumstance until you are ready.

Saya frowned, the first condition made sense to him but not the second one. Tagon noticed his trouble and briefly explained.

— I don't want Mihol or Asa Ron to intercept our exchanges.

That wasn't the only reason but Tagon prefered to leave it at that, he would never admit out loud that being reminded of Saya's existence made him restless.

— I understand but..What do you mean by ready ?

�� I want to see if I can trust your judgment, once you think you are worthy of accompanying me send me a letter.

His answer made Saya bit his nail, he still didn't understood what his father expected from him and was worried about sending a letter too early.

— But how would I kn-....?

Tagon interrupted him once again.

— This is the third condition, if you want to join me you will have to defeat Yangcha.

Contrary to what he had expected the young boy didn't turn white as a sheet but instead smiled slightly.

— Then father we should meet in four years.