A Lily of the Valley ~ Alchemy of Souls

-Chapter Seventeen-

"C'mon , let's go, I'll race you to the fortress!" a young girl called over her shoulder, her hanbok swaying carelessly in the wind.

"Wait up! I'll be right there!"

"Slowpoke! Meet me at the tree by the gate, little bird friend."

"I'll be there," the young boy promised. "Won't your father be very angry with you running when you're to be at the ceremony?"

"It's fine. Just some hosh posh about betrothing two people. He didn't tell me who, though. I wonder if they were told."

"I doubt it. My father was to be there as well. He said it was necessary for the future of Seoho fortress. I couldn't make head or tail of it. You know what, I will race you!"

She laughed and grabbed his hand, the warmth bringing a small blush to his cheeks. "Just come with me. We can't lose any time together. I don't know if I'll ever see you again."

"Won't you visit again? Your father said this was your 'first' visit. That implies more, right?"

"He's very ill," the girl whispered, dropping the boy's hand. "I don't know anymore. Hey, let's walk to the tree, alright? You said you wanted to make a bird whistle with me."

"Yeah. My friend, Dang-gu, taught me a month ago. I haven't made my own. Do you want to make it with me?"

"We'll both make one, and help each other, and then if we ever want to find each other again, we'll know, because of the whistles."

"I just know I'll see you again, Aera," the young boy smiled.

"C'mon, Yul-ah. We don't have much time!"

So it was her. He should have known it would come full circle. An arranged betrothal of children, a mysterious visit where the father had disappeared soon after. A girl he never saw again.

The origin of his bird whistle.

Yul supposed that Aera did have a place in his story, after all. The one he had thought only belonged to him and Cho-yeong.

So she started it all. This was how she was connected to the whole thing. So where was her bird whistle? Had she forgotten? It was likely.

And the way things were going, she was probably storming off somewhere to get away from him. He shouldn't have lost his temper.

Should he ask Jang Uk? What was it that he had said to Aera? What could have made her so upset?

Yes, he supposed. He had to go to Jang Uk.

"And you say she wouldn't tell you?" Jang Uk asked, scratching his chin inquisitively. "I can understand that, actually," he said in a tinier voice. "It's not pretty."

They were standing in Uk's room. It was brightly lit by small lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Many of them were painted with little red dragons, which he used to find very amusing. Now they seemed inappropriate. Like they were taunting him.

The thread wrapped itself tighter around his body, beginning to get uncomfortable. It made the cool room feel like ice.

"I don't care!" Yul raised his voice, beginning to get frustrated. "You have to tell me! How do we get rid of the relic?"

"You need something very powerful, Yul. And the firebird was destroyed a year ago."

"How can you act so calm? You were the one that, I was told, was freaking out when I was going to die from the bloody parasite!"

"Fine, Yul! I wasn't going to tell you, because you would have said no. I want to help you. You would have refused."

"What?" Yul stepped back, reaching his hand out behind him to find the table for support. "How could you help me?"

"There's one other thing. The ice stone," Uk finally said, giving Yul a hard stare.

"But you die if the ice stone is removed—" Yul paused. "Oh no no no no no—no—" Yul stuttered, stumbling back. It had finally hit him. "You can't die for me! You weren't going to tell me so that I could stop you."

"Yul—"

"NO! You can't do that! Isn't there any other way?" Yul pleaded, grabbing Uk's shoulders.

"You're shaking me," Uk said stiffly, wrenching Yul's hands off of him. "No, there isn't any other way."

Yul was distressed. He started pacing back and forth, his heavy footfalls making the floor creak. He laced his fingers in his own hair, gently tugging as he tried to think. "I can research at Jeonjinggak. We can find a way—you can't die, Uk."

"I don't know, Yul. I don't know."

"We'll find out. Because—we have to. We just have to."