Secret of the Two Kings (89 CHAPTERS - ON HOLD)

제 35 부

The guards rushed to the unconscious prince, and one of them carried him to his back. The slight commotion was controlled by the eunuch and some of the officials. As the guard brought the Prince to a tent, Shun and Sae Joo reconvened with their fellow captives, while the other Tang nobles just waited patiently outside. Most of them were actually more concerned about what Sae Joo said: considering that something happens to the Prince, all of them would be in serious trouble. Some even panicked, realizing the consequences if the Emperor knew what had happened.

Sae Joo held Shun's arm and asked, "Are you all right?"

"Yes," nodded Shun, tapping Sae Joo's shoulder.

One of their fellow captives spoke, "What is going to happen to us? The final decision still depends on the Prince's words."

"Fret not. Let us just trust in the Heavens. I looked into his eyes as I spoke to him. My words were no ordinary dagger for him. For now, let us just wait until he wakes up," assured Sae Joo.

The guards attempted to tie the captives again, thinking that the low-life persons might strike back and cause more commotions. However, Shun stood in front and defended them, "Dare not! Touch my people again, and you will pay it with your lives! Wait for the Prince's decision before you make a move."

An hour or two had passed before the eunuch came out of the tent and reported, "His Highness is in a stable condition now. Gladly, the hit was not that severe."

"How about his decision regarding us?" asked Shun.

After clearing his throat, the eunuch spoke, "The Crown Prince accepts his defeat. Shun of Silla, you have won against His Highness."

Dazzling sparkles mirrored on each captive as they heard the good news. Now, the final cheers belonged to the captives. Finally, they would be able to return to their families and homelands—see the smiles and hear the voices of their beloved ones.

"Is that true? Do you mean we can... go now?" asked Sae Joo.

"Yes, but His Highness wants one more thing."

The cheers paused for a while because the captives' short-lived enjoyment and excitement might be in great jeopardy again.

"What is that? Shun butted in.

"He wants to know your name," replied the eunuch, pointing to Sae Joo.

"This is a very rare scenario. The Prince was very eager to know the name of the person with a unique vocal capability—the ability to play with words. You are the one who really convinced him to accept his defeat."

"Sae Joo. My name is Sae Joo."

"Hmm, very well then. Sae Joo, this is not the last time that the Prince will see you. Guards? Take them to mainland Silla!" the eunuch announced his final commands and turned around, walking back to the tent. The faces of the Tang nobles filled with disappointments were one of the final moments that the captives had seen on the island as they climbed back to the ship, and went back to their individual cells.

As the morning star started replacing the night stars, and as the sunlight commenced its natural rivalry with the fading moonlight, the ship started traveling back to the mainland. All of the captives felt tired, yet relieved, especially Shun, who fought with all his might and energy for the sake of the people's freedom.

"Enjoy your well-deserved rest, Shun," said Sae Joo.

The young boy yawned. "You too, Sae Joo."

When everyone else fell asleep, Sae Joo was still restless as if the angel of sleep skipped him from the melody of lullabies. He kept on thinking about what he did back on the small island. He could not believe that he actually had the guts to fight for other people, considering it was his first time to see those kinds of people—the ones whose lives were far from what he lived on.