The General's Bride

YoonGi (2)

The early morning sunlight filtered into the palace at all sides and I heard the low echoing of my footsteps increase in volume the closer I came to the king's quarters, the intentional creaking of the wooden floors made so that intruders would be heard. Armed guards stood in every corridor the deeper inside the palace I went, their bodies a living warning that death waited for those who displeased our ruler. But I wasn't afraid of these men; I had trained with them, was their leader in battle and they watched me with respect in their gazes. I returned it knowing full well that this type of behavior was why I had been awoken from my bed in the early hours of the morning to attend Jeonha's call.

I reached the doors of his majesty's study, his place of learning and governing that was done out of the public eye. Every morning he would stay sequestered here for several hours with his tutors and counselors, all intent on imparting knowledge both spiritual and physical in nature, all so that he would be able to govern the country with fairness and good judgement. I could only hope that during our meeting, those learned principles would be in effect; with trepidation I hadn't felt even on the battlefield, I walked in as two guards opened the door for me.

Kneeling in front of a king is at times nerve-wrecking and at others undoubtedly wholly irritating. My uncle, Jeonha TaeJong was situated on a raised wooden platform, the cushion he sat on top of lushly decorated in gold and red. His stern face stared down at several documents littering his work space, the scrolls of parchment stained with lines of ink. The man didn't raise his head as I waited there on the floor and I knew his treatment was intentional. He looked scholarly now, but this father of the nation had been ruthless in his youth, killing off his own brother and his family members, forcing his second brother who had already become Jeonha years before to abdicate the throne in his favor.

I was well aware that he would get rid of me without hesitation in order to make way for his own sons; the old man was crafty enough to have heard of the rumors spreading in the palace, false ones that said myself and other people were gathering to support me in trying to gain the throne. I'd had no such collusions but still here I was, seeking the Wanja's reprieve so that I wouldn't be killed before I turned twenty-eight. My thigh throbbed the longer I knelt on the floor, the pain a stark reminder of what I had risked keeping myself in the king's good graces. He had been pleased by my victory and at the time saddened by my injury; there were no hints of those tender feelings now. Truly people would only care about the sacrifices recently made rather than past loyalty and loyalty misplaced, however innocent it was, could be a death sentence in court.

If I was scared of my uncle's rash decisions in regards to my life, it was safe to say that the nobles in court were even more afraid of their king and his capricious temper. Truth be told, he had been quick to eliminate any and all competition when he was a military leader himself, showing everyone just how formidable he was on the battlefield when dealing with the remnants of Mongol hordes in those times. But in his palace as well, he ruled with a stern hand and it kept the high-handed scholars and despotic noble families firmly in place. The standards he expected were seen to without question and he dealt swiftly with any dissension.

Words of a mounting rebellion had cropped up and whether I knew them to be false or not, it was up to my uncle to decide what would happen next. If he decided on my death then there would be little I could do about it. In the event that he found the rumors to be substantiated, I would be subjected to beheading and my corpse would be staked on a pike, my body put up for the common people to see around the palace walls. The sight would be declaring to all that I was a traitor to the monarchy. But there was a bigger issue here; who had brought this treasonous knowledge to the king's ears? Someone wanted me dead. The thought chilled me to my core.

"General, Gwa-in has heard disturbing news, that this general wishes to ascend to the throne." TaeJong questioned directly, finally signaling dismissively with a wave that I could rise from my kneel. I moved smoothly into a bow, still not daring to look up. I let out a deep breath and tried to ignore the white-hot sting of hurt that tore through my leg at the motion. The wound that had removed me from the front lines still wasn't fully healed but now wasn't the time be concerned about pain. To provoke TaeJong unnecessarily invited death and I was no fool.