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𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓, Sara sat at her desk, reading the reports on the economy. Soo-Won was sleeping already, his even breathes audible in the silent room.
After ten minutes, she set her quill down, sighing and rubbing her face tiredly.
It was around midnight now.
The economy of Kouka was slowly rising and stabilizing again thanks to the duo, and the amount of poverty was decreasing. There would always be nobles and people wealthier than others, but the poor would no longer be as poor.
However, there was still the pressing matter of the kingdom Xing, and their two princesses. She herself was a close friend of Kouren, the older sister, because they bonded over having a younger sister.
Sara also knew that Kouren was scarred because of what Soo-Won's father had done. Instead of releasing the war prisoners, like he had promised, the general had decapitated all of the soldiers, permanently traumatizing and affecting the oldest princess. Tao, the younger sister, didn't know of it.
She looked towards the sleeping king, and wondered if he was aware of the sins and murders his father, Yu Hon, had committed.
She stood up, silently pushing in her wooden chair, and walked out of the bedroom.
She needed some fresh air.
The sakura tree standing in the middle of her garden was a symbol of her childhood, when everyone was still free.
She would always sit inside, veiled by the long branches and the blossoms, reading an old text or writing a poem.
Occasionally she would be joined by Soo-Won.
The tree looked old in the moonlight. Its trunk was smooth, from people touching it, and its branches were thinning.
Sara found that she and the sakura tree were similar. The years had worn them down.
She walked towards a shed, looking for something.
When she found it, she took it out, feeling its weight.
The blade gleamed, its wooden handle familiar. An axe.
looking towards the tree, she swung it without hesitation, lodging the weapon deep into the trunk.
A loud thunk was heard, ringing in the garden.
And there she left it, an axe sticking out of a sakura tree.
Her childhood was over. Tomorrow, she would chop it all down, and plant another tree.
-
When she walked back into the bedroom, dusting off her hands, she saw that Soo-Won was awake, gazing at her with questioning eyes.
"Where did you go?"
"I had some..business to take care of. "
Sara went back to the desk, now ready to dive back into her work.
"Come sleep, my love. You've worked hard enough today." The king lifted up the covers, patting the spot next to him.
Sara tilted her head, and after some hesitation, she sighed. "Well...alright, I suppose." She reluctantly slipped in next to her husband, pulling the blanket over her body.
"...Do you regret what happened?" Soo-Won asked after a while, putting an arm around his wife.
"Regret? No. As I said before, thanks to you, the kingdom is rising again. Perhaps there were some better ways to go about it, but I only see good effects."
The room became silent again.
"Do you regret it?"
"....No. It was necessary. But a part of me, sometimes wonders, if I did the right thing. A surge of guilt rises up in me."
Sara nodded, looking at the ceiling.
"I see."
-
The next day was the meeting where the generals of the five tribes gathered.
Soo-Won sat at the head of the table, with Sara standing behind him, a hand on his shoulder.
To him, it was a sign of reassurance from his wife, but to the woman herself, it was a sign of power, as a queen.
Perhaps the five men knew that, because they looked at her for affirmation every time they spoke.
"I would like to know if you five approve of my being on this throne." Soo-Won stated, gazing around the table impassively.
Immediately all four except for Mundok, the wind tribe's general, spoke their approval.
However, the old man simply stood up.
"I am tired." He said, before walking towards the exit.
Kye-Sook, Soo-Won's advisor, tried to stop him, but Sara spoke up.
"I admire you, old man. When you meet with Yona and Hak, tell them I'll see them again...extremely soon."
Mundok nodded, before leaving.
After the meeting, Fire General Kang Soo-Jin, Sara, and Soo-Won gathered to speak over how the current situation was going according to how they planned.
Kang Soo-Jin seemed to be a little uneasy over the actions of the Wind Tribe and about keeping the pair of escapees alive. "Is it really the correct way?" He asked the two.
"I know Hak. He wouldn't act irrationally and risk endangering Yona." Soo-Won states.
"But Kang Soo-Jin. Prepare for the Wind Tribe's rebellion. I don't want them killed. And for god's sakes, get rid of that atrocious dam. We don't need it anymore." Sara ordered sharply, making the Fire Tribe General bow quickly and run to do as she said.
She turned to Soo-Won, who was looking out the window. She also stepped closer and gazed out of it, watching Mundok, who took out his horse out of the stalls and left on it.
"I am grateful to him for considering me as his grandson." The king said, a slight tinge of sadness laced into his tone.
"You can tell him that yourself."
With that, Sara gathered her skirts and swept out of the room, leaving behind a confused king gazing after her.
-
"This is why wars occur." The queen grumbled to herself. "Lack of communication and obvious unexpressed remorse."
Something was going to happen, she knew it. Perhaps she would meet Yona sooner than she thought.
For now, the woman finished her letter, folding it into a thin shape and tying it around an eagle's leg.
"Send this to Kouren, immediately. And make sure you bring back her response."
