Lost Memories

Day 4

 Hwan nodded with approval as Sung On reviewed the details of moving their camps closer to Gaeseong town. By design, the men avoided discussing last night's fiasco with Jay Yi. What had he been thinking! He could still taste Jay Yi's raw desperation in his arms only hours ago. The thought of Jay Yi being hurt was more than Hwan's soul could bear. Perhaps, Hwan mused, it was best to let things be. 

Earlier in the morning, Hwan handed the release letter to Ga Ram, who had sobbed her happiness into Jay Yi's shoulder. 

 "Ga Ram, if you had not been with Jay Yi, none of us would have been alive today," Hwan said, his eyes damp as he fondly looked at the friend he had come to cherish. He knew Ga Ram might never overcome the subject-ruler barrier in her mind when it came to him, but he would always be grateful to her. He looked at Jay Yi, hugging Ga Ram in joy, a mixture of protectiveness and aching desire gripping him, holding him prisoner. 

More grateful than Ga Ram would ever know. 

Jay Yi's eyes met his over Ga Ram's shoulders. He felt blood rush to his head as she coloured furiously before looking away, a shy smile curving her lips. He sucked in a breath, his pulse acting up again. He needed to stop this madness.

"Your Highness, Man Deok is here and says he had a messenger from a small group of rebels headed this way." Tae Kang interrupted Hwan's wandering thoughts, abruptly returning him to the present.

 "What?" Hwan was out of the tent in a flash, followed closely by Sung On.

Man Deok was waiting outside, worry creasing his genial face. 

 "What is going on, Man Deok?" Hwan asked the man he had come to regard as a friend. Man Deok had been instrumental in Hwan's understanding of many critical pieces of the puzzle that had been missing about the rebellion. Both Man Deok and Bok Soon had been crestfallen at the realization that they might have unwittingly caused the loss of innocent lives. 

 "A messenger just came in, Your Highness. A small group of rebels are heading this way to join us. We will be in the new camp, so they will not know what happened to us. Seeing this place deserted might give them the wrong idea. They might even turn back, or worse, if they see the troops, they might start a fight misunderstanding the situation. I need to go right away to them."

 "Sung On, go with him," Hwan ordered. 

 "Yes, Your Highness. How far are they?" Sung On asked Man Deok.

 "About three fourth of a day away," Man Deok surmised. 

 "I will also go with you, too," Tae Kang interjected. "Your Highness, please permit me to go with them. I can help break the news of my brother to them. With more of us, it might be easier to get them back safely."

 Hwan looked at Tae Kang with affection and pride. "You may go, Kang."

 "We will leave in two hours after seeing most of the people off for the new camp," Sung On said. "If we can make it to them by today evening, we can be back with all of them by tomorrow afternoon."

 Hwan nodded. "Take about five soldiers with you. Make sure to take enough supplies." 

 "Are you leaving for the Gaeseong prison now, Your Highness?" The second batch of prisoners was being sent to Hanyang today. 

 "Yes, I will leave shortly". 

 "We will bring everyone directly to the new camp." Sung On bowed. 

 Jay Yi and Ga Ram made their way through the throng of people preparing to depart for the new camp later in the morning. Bok Soon and Dal Rae intertwined a few ropes as she and Ga Ram passed them. 

 "Good Morning, Young Master!" Dal Rae called out to her cheerfully. Jay Yi smiled back. 

 "Did you eat?" Bok Soon asked.

 Jay Yi nodded. She looked at the men working in different areas. Some were loading the carts. Others were working on filling their travel boxes with personal belongings. The women tended to the hearth, preparing food because everyone still needed to be fed.

 "Where is Mak Deo?"

 Bok Soon explained that he was preparing to accompany Sargent and Royal Guardian to escort a troop of refuges back here. 

 "Rebels?" 

 Bok Soon nodded. "Yes, we are scattered everywhere, and many come in small groups from all over the country." 

 "Once all this settles down, I think His Majesty will send information around the country so all of them can start feeling safe," Jay Yi mused. Bok Soon agreed.

 Jay Yi reached Hwan's tent. Right Minister was there with Hwan. She remembered the second batch of prisoners was being taken to Hanyang today. Hwan must be going to the Gaeseong prison.

 Hwan's eyes involuntarily found Jay Yi's through the tent's open flap. He beckoned them in. "Your Highness, Right Minister," Jay Yi curtsied. Hwan looked at her questioningly. 

 "I would like your permission to visit my family's grave today, Your Highness," Jay Yi said quietly.

 A fissure of alarm shot through Hwan. "Today?"

 "We will be leaving for Hanyang at daybreak the day after tomorrow. I will not get another time to visit. Please, Your Highness, let me visit."

"In that case, I will come with you. I want to pay my respects to my Master." His tone brook no argument. 

 "I would like to pay one last visit to my parent's house too," Jay Yi said, trying to keep her voice steady. 

 Left Minister Song Ha looked at Hwan. "Your Highness, we do not know how long it might take to dispatch the prisoners safely. Then there is the man who has requested your audience, for he says he has information that might be useful to us."

 Jay Yi knew Hwan was worried. "Garam and Young Master Kim Myung Jin will come with me. The markets are closeby to the new camp, and the gravesite is nearby too. I know the place. Maybe you might want to meet us at the grave site once we leave my house?"

 Hwan was aware of how well she knew the area. Still, he was unconvinced but acceded. "Take your horses with you. Two Royal guards will accompany you. I will send someone to the gravesite with the offerings ahead of you."

 Jay Yi nodded, grateful for his thoughtfulness. "Please do not be worried, Your Highness. Those who could have caused trouble are in imprison. What would I have to fear?" 

 "Please make sure you take your release letter with you, child," Right Minister's eyes were kind. 

 "Must you visit the house as well?" Hwan was visibly uneasy.

 Jay Yi nodded but did not elaborate. Hwan didn't pursue further.

 Hwan called two guards after Jay Yi left. With Sung On and Tae Kang both gone, it was even more important he oversaw the transport arrangements of the prisoners. But sending Jay Yi out by herself was making him nervous.

 "Which of you can ride a horse in a crowd better?" Hwan asked.

 The guards looked surprised at his question. The taller one pointed to the shorter one. "Oh, Hyuk is an excellent horse rider, Your Highness."

 Hwan knew he was probably overreacting, but he could not shake off his anxiety about Jay Yi going out on her own. "You will accompany someone important today. If you sense any danger, you must ride back as fast as possible to let me know. Personally." 

Home

Min Jay Yi, Jung Ga Ram and Kim Myung Jin rode along the familiar path to Jay Yi's home, followed by the two Royal Guards, the tip-tap of their horse's gentle hooves resonating around them. 

"Aashi, why did you want to visit the house?" Garam had felt sad the way everything had been in there when they had to fetch the incriminating gravestone. 

 "I cannot go to the grave site wearing this,' Jay Yi looked down at her man's hanbok tunic. "You know how Mother felt about my wearing a man's clothes. I want to respect her wishes at least this one time."

 "But would your pretty hanboks still be there?" 

 "I hope so," Jay replied. 

 "Everything in the house is supposed to be evidence," Myung Jin added. "People generally do not steal from crime scenes for fear of being implicated. Sometimes superstition also keeps them away."

 The building loomed in front of Jay Yi, tears welling inside her as she took in the devastated structure of her beloved home, ravage and neglect marring its once beautiful façade. Broken furniture littered the courtyard. Overgrown weeds greeted them as they dismounted their horses. 

"I never thought we would be able to come back here, Aashi," Ga Ram said. "But this is not what I hoped we would return to." 

 "Once you are married, maybe the Sargent can help repair the place?" Myung Jin pondered aloud as they walked in." I am sure Your Highness will also be interested as this was his Master's abode." 

"I will not marry Sargent Sung On," two astonished faces greeted Jay Yi's announcement. 

 "What?" Ga Ram and Myung Jin cried in bewilderment. 

 "Aashi, how…then what…" Ga ram stammered. 

 "Then what will you do? Unless…" Myung Jin didn't complete his sentence. "Never mind." 

 "Will that not get you into trouble?" Ga Ram asked. "What will we do then, Aashi? Why?" 

 "I have been with the Crown Prince for all these months. Even though I was in disguise, they now know about it. Do you think it is right for me to go to their home as their bride?" Jay Yi asked gently to no one in particular. 

 "I am sure they will not object. After all, you were under His Highness's protection. They will understand," Ga Ram argued. 

 Jay Yi shook her head. "I will not marry Sargent."

"That is not the real reason, though, Lady Min, is it?" Myung Jin spoke, his eyes fixed on a spot at the far end of the spacious room. He turned to her. Jay Yi averted his knowing gaze. Myung Jin smiled to himself. 

 "What do you mean, Master, not the real reason?" Ga Ram looked like someone confronted with perplexing Mathematical problems. 

 "Aigoo, you will never understand matters of the heart!" Myung Jin complained. Ga Ram appeared even more confused. 

 They were standing in what used to be her room. Jay Yi glanced around, a feeling of melancholy accosting her.

 "Why don't you ladies finish here and come out?" Myung Jin lumbered towards the door with a cheery smile. 

 "Aashi, what will we do then?" Ga Ram persisted. 

 "We will live in Hanyang. Once we go back, I will find a house for us." 

 "You will live alone?" 

 "How can I be alone when I have you with me?" Jay Yi smiled. "Have you not enjoyed being yourself all these months? I think we will do just fine," Jay assured her."Do you not have faith in me?"

 Garam gave a tremulous smile, wringing her hands. "Yes, you know I do, Aashi! And if we are in Hanyang, maybe Young Master can help us too!" 

 Making peace with that happy thought, Ga Ram opened Jay Yi's wardrobe. Myung Jin was right. Jay Yi's beautiful dresses were still there, though they had been ransacked and bunched up. 

The jade jewellery box her brother gifted her when she was twelve was lying face open on the floor. Jay Yi traced its smooth surface lovingly, her eyes stinging with memories. Her brother had teased her mercilessly for prancing around like a boy, telling her she would never need it. As she grew up, Jay Yi's love for feminine articles and beautiful clothes had surprised everyone, especially her brother. He bought her precious jewellery and silk whenever he came home to visit them. 

 As Ga Ram sorted her clothes, Jay Yi found herself wandering around the house.

Her brother's room had been left untouched, with only a few scattered clothes showing signs of search and seizure. She ran her fingers over the spines of books lying haphazardly on his shelves. She had spent hours reading the books, her young inquisitive mind always hungry for more. Her brother pretended to be angry at her for touching them without permission, yet he always stocked them with new ones even when he was not home. A tear spilled over as she rearranged them in order.

Her mother's closet had been ransacked, too, folds of silk and satin entangled with cotton and jute littering everywhere in her room. She spied a copper hairpin encrusted with red and green stones at the corner behind the door. She picked it up and put it in her pocket. 

She froze when she entered her father's room. There were holes in the floor and the walls. Pillows and mattresses had been ripped apart. Perhaps Shim Young had spent most of his time ransacking through her father's room, trying to find the gravestone. 

 Her father's desk had been shoved to a side; the floor beneath had been dug up. Her gaze fell on the quills still on his desk, silent witness to the madness that had rampaged through this room. She picked up a piece of cloth and lovingly dusted the desk. That is how Ga Ram found Jay Yi when she came looking for her. 

Garam had hand-picked two of the dresses that still looked clean and unrumpled. Jay Yi chose a green jacket over a cream silk hanbok patterned with lotus and chrysanthemum motifs. For the robe, she chose a matching cream silk bordered with green. Ga Ram found Jay Yi a pair of well-worn plain brown silk shoes lined with satin inside, its leather soles embroidered.

"Aashi, let me tie your hair." Most of the jewellery was gone, perhaps taken away by the Royal forces as a part of confiscating valuables. However, some were still scattered here and there, some hidden by the folds of Jay Yi's voluminous clothes. Ga Ram found a pair of flower accessories made of copper and glass. 

 "Aashi, I thought I would never see you like this again," Ga Ram teared up. "Why do you not want to marry any more, Aashi? I think Sargent Sung On likes you despite knowing everything. You will make a beautiful bride!" She implored, shock and bewilderment at Jay Yi's stance that she would live an unmarried life still crowding Ga Ram's mind. 

Jay Yi smiled. "Perhaps, I will tell you one day. Now is not the time." 

 Ga Ram had packed Jay Yi a sack that carried her man's attire and two sets of silk hanboks she could wear later. 

The guards stared in shock at Jay Yi as she stepped out, luminous in the folds of cream and green silk, braided hair adorned with fine jewellery, looking every inch the noble lady she was. Ga Ram followed her, wearing a simple outfit she had found in a box in her room. Both the women carried a knapsacks on their backs. The guards quickly curtsied, confusion written on their faces. 

 "I am sorry to give you both a surprise like this." Jay Yi gave them an uncertain smile.

 Myung Jin looked at her and bowed, "I pay my respect to the best detective in Joseon!" Jay Yi and Ga Ram's laughter filled the courtyard. 

 "Please pay your respects to Lady Min Jay Yi, daughter of the late Governor Min of Gaeseong, whose gravesite we will visit." Myung Jin introduced her with a flourish. "And this," holding Garam by the shoulder, "is my student and her faithful servant Jung Ga Ram." Ga Ram bowed shyly at the introduction. 

Comprehension lit up in their eyes. They took a quick look at each other and bowed their heads. Crown Prince's orders suddenly made sense to them. 

 "My lady, should we arrange for a palanquin?" The taller Guard asked, his eyes averted from her face as a mark of respect. The ladies obviously could not ride the horses in their dresses. 

 "No, walking is faster. Palanquin takes up too much time." Jay Yi said, adjusting her cloak around her face. "We must hurry back here again to change and return to the camp."

"Do you have the release letter with you?" Myung Jin asked. 

 Jay Yi and Garam bobbed in unison. 

 The taller Guard and Myung Jin also decided to walk with the women, while the shorter Guard followed them with his horse, the backpacks tied by its side. 

Gaeseong Prison

Hwan could feel the malevolence snaking the air all around him. Won Bo's stared back at Hwan, his face twisted with hatred. 

"Your Highness, he refuses treatment to his wound. The guards have been wary of going near him, too," the Guard was trying his best not to show his anxiety.

Hwan's wanted to wrap his fingers around the vile man's neck and squeeze until life slowly seeped out of those vicious eyes. He walked with measured steps, stopping just shy of reach of the heavily chained creature. Calling Won Bo a human was giving him too much credit. 

"Won Bo, I do not care if you rot and die here today. I also do not care if your arm festered and fell off. On the contrary," Hwan paused, his voice chillingly quiet, "I hope it does. However, I want you to serve as the embodiment of justice to all the people of Joseon. Seeing you getting torn to pieces will bring solace to all the hearts you have carved out with your greed. And when that happens, I need you to be healthy so that you can experience the terror in every sinew, every muscle of your body." 

 Won Bo let out an otherworldly howl, a mixture of frustrated laughter and depravity laced with terror, knowing this time he was defeated. 

"Treat his wound. Cover his head, stuff his mouth, tie him up, do whatever you must do. He gets no privileges of a minister." Hwan ordered. He had to leave before he lost control of his urge to throttle Won Bo with his bare hands.

"You think you have won Yi Hwan?" Won Bo's malicious voice stopped Hwan in his tracks. 

 Horrified, the Guard poked Won Bo with his stick through the prison bars. "How dare you utter Your Highness's name?" 

 "You have no idea how far my reach is," Won Bo's fiendish eyes sent shivers down Hwan's spine. "I heard you had a hard time sleeping for the last three years. Now I will ensure you cannot sleep for the rest of your life." 

 Hwan turned away.

"Did you not know a Crown Prince cannot afford to have a weakness?" His wild roar of maniac laughter followed Hwan, echoing through the chambers as he exited. 

What did he mean?

Hwan could not entirely suppress the lingering trepidation of Won Bo's words as he walked to the interrogation chamber.

The man sitting before him trussed in ropes, looked familiar. His face was covered with shaggy unkempt beard, his clothes still encrusted with blood. His eyes, though bleary with sleep deprivation, were famliar. He was the assasin who had shot him in Paju. Hwan's eyes narrowed.

"He says he has some crucial information only for your ears, Your Highness. In return, he has requested that we take care of his sick daughter." The Guard informed. 

Hwan took in the dishevelled man. "Gap-Soo – served in Capital defence before being dismissed for irregular attendance. You followed us several times to Manyeodang." 

 Hwan had been careless. He had assumed the man lived there. 

 "You killed Oh-Man-Shik. You shot an arrow at me. You probably provided all the information to that bastard. What information can you give me to make me consider your request?" Hwan asked dismissively, carefully keeping out the seething fury he felt inside from his tone.

Gap-Soo fell on Hwan's feet. "Forgive me, Your Highness. I was doing this for my sick daughter. The army threw me out after my wife died, and I had to care for my child. Won Bo helped me, and I sold him my soul in return. Have mercy, Your Highness." 

 "What do you have to say?" 

 "Your Highness, someone close to you might be in danger," Gao Soo said anxiously. 

 Hwan raised an eyebrow.

"Before we left for Gaeseong, Left Minister had called for the slave hunters who had earlier provided him the information on Min Jay Yi's servant." 

 Hwan's heart dropped to the pit of his stomach; his hands turned clammy. 

"And?" 

 "Your Highness, I don't know why he called them, but later on our way here I overheard that those slave hunters might have come to Gaseong to find someone and kidnap them at Minister Cho's orders."

Now I will ensure you cannot sleep for the rest of your life.

Hwan broke out in cold sweat.

 Jay Yi.