Arirang

Prove them wrong

I follow Ren inside the palace of Silla that is heavily guarded with guards who all blocked the doors inside of the palace.

"Wow this place is surrounded with maximum security than usual today." Ren says while walking ahead as I trail behind him since I was a little nervous.

Today was the first day of training where it was the first day that would determine if you were fit enough to be a soldier and protector of Silla.

Usually the day of training to be a soldier and protector of Silla was only designated for men to sign up for. However we have faced a recent war that happened where it took the lives of the many men who were trained and ready to fight.

Along with those men that died in the war my dad died among them. He was very loyal to the other soldiers where he never left any of them behind him. He was one of the leaders in charge of Silla's army which was called Arirang.

He risked his life for a soldier that was only 16 years old when a posinous arrow was directed at him from a distance. The soldier didn't see the arrow but my dad did so he ran in front of the soldier where the arrow pierced him right in the heart. It killed him instantly.

At this time I was with Ren where I had to take care of him since he caught small pox at the time and couldn't help fight in the war. He blamed himself ever since then for being so weak. He was one of the strongest warriors in the Arirang army.

So for him to get sick like that it was devastating but I was more so worried about his state of health. He was getting worse day by day. As each day passed, I thought I would lose him. Fortunately he recovered from the small pox but that was after the war was over.

This was when I got the sad news that my dad was killed in battle. I didn't know how to handle it since I had lost my mother to war when I was 8 when the warriors from the village of Gwanju came and tried to burn down our village.

They were our sworn enemies that we still fight from this day on where they had split half of their army to fight with Arirang while the other half went to burn down the village. My dad was fighting in that battle and didn't realize that it was all a diversion for Gwanju to completely destroy Silla. Luckily that didn't happen since Silla recovered from the fires, but my mom didn't.

They burned down the house while my mom was inside it and I was playing with Ren at the time where we were far from the village in the forest. So when we came back the village was in chaos with women and children in distraught.

I wondered where was my mom? Only to see that the answer was right in front of me. I stared at the burnt remains of our house along with the burnt remains of my mother. It was a horrible sight and during those times when my parents died Ren was there through it all. He would hug me tightly while combing through my hair.

He would say "You are not alone." Those four words remained close with my heart through those years since he was an orphan who lost his parents to war also. Until one day my dad found him and he raised Ren like his very own.

We have become close where nothing could break us apart. So when I heard the news that Silla was looking for men and women soldiers I decided to join in. However Ren was against the idea and didn't want me to fight.

He said he didn't want me to fight because I would always be in trouble. He would have to always save me. Through his eyes I could tell that was not the real reason.

It was because he didn't want to lose me and when he said those words "You are not alone" they were not only directed to me but to him as well. Since we both had each other.

Eventually Ren gave in and he let me join him in training since I kept bothering him about it. He also knew that I had wanted do something more than cook and clean in the village. I wanted revenge for what the warriors of Gwanju had done to my parents and to the people of Silla.

Ren has been helping me prepare for this moment, the moment that we were facing now as we enter into those palace doors. Until we are stopped by a guard.

"Whoa, what's this pretty miss doing on the night of training. She isn't training to fight is she? Is she used to encourage you as you train?" The guard asked as he looked at Ren while looking at me in a way that made me highly uncomfortable.

Before Ren could speak up or do anything I decided to prove the guard wrong by shooting my arrow at an apple tree that was a good distance from the palace which was a couple yards away. Earlier in the woods my aim was off but my aim now was on point.

I shot the arrow that went spiraling towards the apple tree where the apple fell from the tree onto the ground.

The other guards along with Ren and the guard who was talking to him stared in shock and in amazement at the scene. That's when Ren picked me up and happily started spinning me around.

After that he put me down where he looked at the guard who doubted me and said "Yes she is training along side me and together we are going to kill the Gwanju where Sillia will live in peace once again! Yeah! C'mon Yurri!"

"Okay." I say slightly embarrassed but proud that I was able to prove the guards wrong and make Ren proud of me. We then walk inside the palace full of other potential warriors of both women and men who were ready to train.

Well this was it, this was our time to prove that we can be a part of the Arirang Army.

Hope you enjoyed this part of the book and that there is more to come.
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