Hwarang: A Different Kind Of Halfbreed.

29

Mei managed to avoid Jinheung for a week, no matter how many times Jinheung tried to get close to her Mei always slipped away. 

Jiya and Mei were working in the fields with other young girls, Mei was the only one who wasn't chatting while she worked.

"Aya, that man is not just your friend am I right?" Jiya asked. Mei looked at her friend dusted her hands. "What are you saying?"

"He is the love of your life, yes?"

"What makes you say that, he's just a friend" Mei said.

"Everyone knows it Aya, it's obvious really. The way he looks at you and the way you keep avoiding him. You should have seen the way he looked at you last night during the little dance we did" Jiya said.

"You're all imagining things, he's just my friend and I am avoiding him because he keeps trying to convince me to return with him" Mei said.

"You can't expect anyone to believe that Aya.  Besides you are being too hard on him, after the story you told us you are also at fault" Jiya said.

"What are you talking about?"

"If you had revealed yourself from the very beginning then he might not have fallen for that other woman and the two of you would be married by now. Be fair to him, you were much younger when he last saw you and while he'd already matured you still had a long way to go and everything about you obviously changed and he thought you were dead, must you really blame him for everything?" Jiya said.

Mei sighed, she knew that what Jiya said was true she'd known all along but that didn't make it any easier.  If anything it made everything harder for Mei. 

"Even if I am partly to blame, he didn't have to be so stubborn.  He should've told me the moment he realised that he loved me instead of making me suffer that way and he acted like a tyrant"

"Dear friend, I know he hurt you but think of how far he's come for you, he's risked everything for you" Jiya said.

Mei shrugged "it does not matter anymore Jiya, I want to forget everything and move on with my life"

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Jinheung sat under the moonlight by himself thinking of how he'd convince Mei to go back to Silla with him. He needed to think of a way fast because he'd away from the throne too long but he wasn't prepared to leave without Mei.

"You wish to marry Aya, am I right?"
Jinheung turned to find that the girl he'd always seen with Mei sitting next to him.  He was utterly shocked.

"How are you able to speak my language?"

Jiya smiled at him, "Aya has been teaching me just as I taught her our language"

"I want to marry her, but she will not forgive me for being cold towards her" Jinheung said.

"Do you love her?"

"Of course I do, I wouldn't be here otherwise"

"The villagers can see that you love her but Aya has become one of our own you see. We will not let her go easily, you will have to prove to the village head that you love her and will take care of her"