Decisions

Return to Songak

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During the next week, So took Soo to the last region where he resided during his travels as an ambassador. A part of Soo was sad at the thought of their journey ending, but she felt ready to return to Songak. Days upon the road had made her tired, and she was sure So and their guards thought the same.

Soo and So were currently visiting the apothecary to see what kind of herbs were available. The guards were given time to their selves, as So always allowed when they came to a new town, but only after making rounds to make sure it was safe.

Soo was currently holding some dried flowers to her nose to take in their unique sent. According to the apothecary, this flower was very rare and only able to grow in this region. Soo thought it would be a good ingredient for making soaps or even perfumes if she seeped the petals and distilled their extract.

She stood up and let the petals fall back into their container, before turning to look for the apothecary. When she did, she saw So talking to the elderly man and smiled. He was most likely buying medication for her knee and a tonic for her heart. Although he already knew about her knee, when she told him about her heart condition, he worried greatly for her.

However, she assured So that she had been doing fine before the journey. True to her words, Soo hadn't even had one panic attack these past months traveling with him. Furthermore, she was taking the tonic the royal physician prescribed her diligently, so there was nothing to worry about. He only relaxed slightly after she promised she would tell him immediately if she was in pain.

Her knee was basically healed now. It was only during days when it rained or if the weather was very cold that she felt a dull ache deep in her bones. But even then, it was not pain, only a simple reminder of what she had survived.

She saw the apothecary nod before turning around to gather and pack the herbs So had asked for. After the apothecary left, So turned his head in her direction and smiled to see her looking at him. He walked over and placed a soft kiss on her temple.

"Did you find anything to your liking, Soo ya?"

"I did find a couple of things. Mostly just necessities for our journey, but I particularly like these flowers. The apothecary said they can only be grown around here, and they give off a very nice aroma. I was thinking about making some soaps or even perfume with this. Do you think we can afford it?"

"Of course we can. I will let the apothecary know so he can pack this along with our other purchases."

"Thank you, So ya!"

"Anything for you, Soo ya."

He smiled at her indulgently before turning away to find the apothecary. After he left, Soo took another look around the small shop to see if anything else caught her eye. All of a sudden, her sight clouded over, and she prepared herself to see another vision.

The edges were tinged with red, and as the scene grew clearer, she saw King Hye Jong with a pale face and sunken eyes. The scene then switched to what seemed like the pool at Damiwon, and she saw the King's face down into the water, sinking slowly to the bottom.

As the vision cleared from her sight, her knees grew weak and she dropped down to the wooden floor noisily, trying to control her breathing. Luckily, her chest did not feel stuffy and she quickly took deep breaths to calm herself down.

"Soo ya!"

So ran to her and grasped her shoulders, kneeling down next to her. She looked up at him to meet his eyes, a worried expression on his face as he searched her up and down.