Travel Through Time

Travel Through Time Chapter 24

  Jin-hyeok stands and looks around in panic.  I take his hand and give it a squeeze, I hold my finger up to my mouth and then pull him into the bedroom I sit him on the bed . "I'll see him you stay here and rest" I whisper he nods and gives my hand a squeeze.  I wipe my face of tears and I go through the connecting door and close it behind me.  "Enter" I call, Hun lets my father in the room, and even though he has withdrawn to the hall he has left the doors open.  My father walks in and looks me up and down before opening his mouth.  I stop him with a raised hand "if you're here to plead for me to intervene, I'll save you the bother, instead I'd be more likely to be the one taking her head."  I see his jaw clench and it makes me relax a little knowing I guessed right.  "I can't bel.." I interrupt him by saying "I can't believe that I have a father that cares more for the bitch that has beaten, and abused your children. If that is all?  You may leave, oh I should warn you, that you will not come out of this scot-free.  So, I'd start thinking about your own arse than the evil bitch, Hun" I call and he steps back into the room bowing and indicating my father should follow.  He opens and closes his mouth a few times before turning to leave, just as he goes through the door he turns "I can't believe that you won't even hear your father out" he spits.  I grab the knife from my back and throw it, it flies between Hun and my fathers head.  He squeals and nearly falls over Hun bows "good shot Princess" he looks at my father "I will be letting the King and Royal Prince know how you have treated your daughter today.  You'll be lucky if they just paddle you."   I hold my hand out for my knife and Hun pulls it from the wall and gently throws it back for me to catch.  "I could have killed you just now and not one person would have blamed me.  My Mother is throwing curses down on your head right now, you might not live to much longer if you don't reflect on what you've done wrong.  Hun have him taken to the investigation office and have them detain him there for questioning."  Hun bows "with pleasure your Royal Princess, guards" the doors are closed and I take a deep breath before going to see my brother.  He is still sitting on the bed where I left him, "are you okay?"  I ask "does he know what she has done?" he demands.  I sit next to him and put my arm around his shoulders and nod.   He never came to see me when I was shot and poisoned with an arrow or when her daughter soaked my gown in poison.  It was only when she had been arrested, he came" I explain.  "So, the bitch is in a cell at the moment?" he asks "yes, they have probably integrated her by now.  Father must have gone to see her and she has gone on about me hating her and wanting her dead.  Only this time she is right" I say.  "I think your going to have the servants going wild, with your handsome face and tall frame" I add trying to make him smile.  "Only you think I'm handsome" I nudge his side with my elbow.  "Not true Keon-hi also told me you where handsome and every time the door has opened all the servant girls are trying to peek in to get a glimpse of you" he smiles "after I've gained some more weight I'll be even more good looking" he winks at me and I laugh out loud.   I hug him to me, "it really is good to have you back I missed you.   I wrote you letters, but you never got them."  He gives me a sad smile back before saying "can we go and see the bitch.  I want her to see I'm still alive and well." "I'll ask the Prince at lunch as I don't know  if they will be integrating her?"   He nods and stifles a yawn "lay down for a bit and get some sleep I'll wake you up before lunch" he nods and lays down I cover him with a blanket and kiss his forehead.  I keep watch over him while he sleeps and start to draw him then I draw some images that come to mind of him when he was younger.  I open the door to the garden and breath in the fresh air.  I see Un watching Chang-wo practice archery with Keon-hi watching both of them.  She waves and I wave back, I hear my brother move and think he's woken.  I walk back into the room and find him tossing on the bed still asleep.  "No, please no more" he sobs I walk over to the bed and sit on the edge and rub his back to comfort him.  I feel hard ridges under his clothes, I loosen his tops and lift them up revealing nasty raised scars from a whipping.  My vision blurs and I see red, I pull his clothes back in place and then walk to my bow and arrows picking them up and shoot them as I walk from the room.  There are no targets set up in this part of the garden but I don't care.  I imagine the bitches face on the far buildings post and keep firing until all my arrows have gone, then take out my knives and throw them at the same post.  I turn and pound my fists into a post close to me.   I feel arms come around me, "I'm okay Sis, I'm here with you and everything is alright" my brother tells me.  I sag against the post I was abusing, "I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you, so sorry" I sob. We stand there just outside the room, my brother hugging me from behind and me with my head against the post sobbing.  Once I've cried it out, I turn to my brother "I will make sure that every single person who harmed you pays" I promise.  "You've already taken care of the one that used a whip on me" he smiles.  I sharpened stones and threw them at him and his useless son after you had them hung up on the town wall and in the centre of town.   My aim was so good that other people asked me to throw the things they had bought.  The son didn't live long once everyone started to throw stuff at him, his father lasted till he was sat on a pointy pole he didn't last long on that.  I was a little shocked though to see what they had tied around their heads.  Did you think of that?" he asks I look at him then glance away before nodding, "I was so mad when I heard and read all the things that they had done to innocent people, I wrote it down and after the Prince read it he asked if I could really carry out the things I'd written.  I had to ask Un though, to do the cutting, I didn't think the Prince would appreciate his future wife to be doing that.   I was shocked at how small they all were and some people probably didn't even know what they were" I finish.  My brother laughs, "I'm surprised the Prince let you see it." "I don't think I would a second time" the Prince says as he walks out to where we are.  "Did you get to see them hung up?   They were the things that night mares are made of, but I think it did help the towns people to ease their anger" Jin-hyeok says. "I saw the ones hung on the town wall, but only as I rode past, I didn't really see what was tied around their heads, it looked more like someone had tied up a bloody finger or something.  I tried not to focus on their naked bodies much.  They looked like large babies wearing only the cloths wrapped around their neither regions" the Prince answers.  "I was very happy to hear that your sister hadn't been the one to chop them off" he adds and shudders.  He walks to me and takes my face in his hands and brushes his thumbs under my red swollen eyes and then kisses the tip of my nose.  "You both ready for lunch?"  he spots my bow and looks across the garden and all the arrows sticking out the post as well as my knives.   "I believe you had a visitor?"  he asks "my father wanted to plead for his wife, I got mad and threw one of my knives at him or close to his head anyway.  I had Hun take him to be questioned, Hun I believe wanted to paddle him there and then" I tell him.  We all walk back inside and sit for lunch, "Jin-hyeok I was wondering if you'd like to see the woman that we are holding?  The King has already passed sentence on her and her daughter as well as a few other people that had something to do with their criminal acts" the Prince asks.  "What is their punishment?" Jin-hyeok inquires "they will be put to death by drawn and quartered at noon tomorrow.  Others will be hanged.  The King will decide about your father's punishment once the investigation is finished but I must warn you the King has already been told of the disrespect he has shown to your sister and me, as he did it in my presence.   Also, this morning visit has already reached his ears.  He is very displeased" the Prince informs us.  "I don't need to visit her while she is being held, but I would like to see her being executed tomorrow.   I want my face to be the last one she will ever see" at Jin-hyeok's words I become very distressed.