WHEN THE FLOWERS BLOOM IN MARCH ~ INCHEON~ PART ONE

11.

‘This is your last chance.’ Her voice is stern.

‘I can’t – I won’t’ you yell.

‘You will not be reasoned with.’

Your eyes fly to Dae min.

‘I will not do it.’ You say stubbornly.

‘Kill her’ he instructs her.

You and her gasp

‘She is important – she has the two elements and has the capacity for more. She is the one –maybe she is not ready.’

‘Maybe we don’t need her. I will have Sookhe’s greatest seat either way.’ He seethes.

‘Look here,’ she addresses you. ‘You must defeat me to gain my powers.’

‘No, I don’t want your powers. I want to control the earth element.’

‘Yes, that is the same thing – the student must become the master someday.’

‘So, if I kill you’ you argue, ‘and master Dae min becomes my master and I kill him’ you turn to him. ‘How do you get your seat?’
‘You won’t kill me.’

‘Then why must I kill her.’ You demand.

‘That is the way of the Jang clan. Two masters cannot rule a ship.’ He says.

‘You will lead the Jang and Han sect. You will become my successor. Please, do this. I have lived too long.’

‘FINE’ you give in. ‘If this is what you want.

‘It is what I want.’ Her lips tremble. Her eyes harden. ‘We are about to begin. As soon as you enter this circle, only one comes out. If you do not defeat me I will not spare you.’ She whispers.

You gulp. At this point, you cannot go back. You are thinking about your family on Kunjo Island. You are thinking about the chance you never had with Seiichi.

You feel master Dae min watching you. You want to impress him. You remember the lessons your earth master taught you. You hold your breath stepping into the yin-yang circle.

She is on you as soon as you take your second step. ‘You attack first. You cannot let them breathe.’ she rasps, flinging her long wide, green sleeves. She is wearing a different gown today. It is evergreen.

You are dodging the attacks. As you stay on the defence, suddenly the rocky terrain turns to woodland.

She swerves her hand and the earth approaches you mechanically in succeeding brown, bricks coming at you like ascending stairs.

The tallest, also the closest hits you on the chin. You rub at it, but she has been twirling her hands all this while, now uprooting a tree from its roots.

‘You must be at the attack. A coward runs and hides.’

Your eyes widen, as the tree is rolling, disturbing the earth to come to you. It will crush you.

‘I see that fire. Unleash that fire.’ She commands.

You shove your hands forward to shield your eyes. When you open your eyes, the tree splits in half and is burning. You wave it away so that it crashes tumbling away. She makes gestures in the air so that the leaves and twines grow rapping to you, missing when you somersault. You raise fire and then heat.

You are rolling in the air missing the rocks tumbling, raining and jumping from every direction.

Your hand connects to her neck mid-air and your scalding gaze burns her, or maybe it is your caressing touch.

Her smile is forced. She is obviously in pain. She tries to remove your hand from her neck, but it takes seconds; you, still hanging mid-air aiming, delving at her; she, about to jump. In minutes, it is over. She spurts blood and staggers, pushing you away, out of the circle.

You twirl around, landing softly on one foot and then the second.
The circle catches fire and disintegrates.

Dae min claps for you. He hands over a curved dagger. ‘Yours… Jang Ok Jung’

‘Jang Ok Jung’ you test the name on your lips, attaching the dagger to your sheath.

‘Yes, you will be known by this in the palace.’

You nod stiffly, shutting your eyes.

He places a comforting hand upon your shoulder. ‘You must hurry. I will meet you in the palace.’

You rush out of the large house into the busy streets after a quick change of clothes. Your hair has been carefully pinned and your jacket and skirt are freshly sewn. There are flowery details on the silk skirt; earth master’s last gift.

Remember, he is the usurper. Dae min’s voice comes to you in remembrance.

You still do not understand that night; one of the first things you will be doing is finding out the details. How did Seiichi die?

Why?

You step into the hired carriage.

Occasionally you will open the windows and then you will shut it.

It reminds you of your first journey to the palace. Sookhee nation is hardly different.

It is still the same Injo market. It is still the same Injo streets and the same Injo palace gates. The guards are wearing different colours of armour and badge.

A chill comes over you when you look out the window at the board. It now holds different information. Several months have gone by. You are no longer the same girl.

They will hardly recognise you. You touch the burnt part of your jaw. At the impact where you fell when fire shot out from you boiling the water surface. It burnt your jaw so that your face looked like you had a coral reef attached to it.

‘Get her away from the entrance!’ a palace guard yells.

You open the carriage window for the second time. There is a girl flung upon the ground. She is dressed as a palace maid. Her hair ribbon is loosened so that most of her hair covers her face.

‘What is the hold-up?’ you demand.

One of the carriage carriers beckons for the rest of the three carriage carriers to drop the carriage. He rushes to help the woman up and then sets her aside apologetically.

She snatches her arm away from his with a huff. Your carriage lifts and moves forward. Your window is still slightly open.

You are peeping through the curtain. Your one eye connects with her glaring pair.

‘She is beautiful’ is the first thought that crosses your mind.

You cannot imagine why she would be denied entry to the palace. You whip out your fan more than ever conscious about your coral reefed flaw.

Your fingers trace through the veins of the reef. You are thinking about the women in the palace and how you can manage to capture the emperor’s attention.

It seems impossible.

You beckon to the lead carriage carrier, calling him. ‘Make them let her in.’ you instruct with a smile. You are reminded of when you were Inhyeon.

This is what Inhyeon would do, maybe even do something more like bring her into the carriage, but this was no future queen’s carriage.

There was room here for only one and you are no longer Inhyeong.