Ballad of the Mountain Fox

제 10 장: Rain Song

Nara awoke the next morning to the sensation of several fat raindrops falling on her face.  The contrasting clean streaks the water left on her otherwise-oily skin made her realize just how dirty she actually was.  When the nobleman’s servant had called her dirty and smelly the previous day, she had taken offense, but upon reassessment, maybe he hadn’t been too far off.

Slowly getting to her feet, Nara cast her gaze over the smoldering remains of the previous night’s campfire and the two still-slumbering forms of Won Soo and Park Young Min, who were more sheltered from the rain underneath their own trees.

Nara looked down at the rope that was once again bound tightly around her wrists, rendering her fairly useless in a long-term escape attempt.  Although her hand movement was limited, she suspected that she could still manage to relieve herself without having to wake up the nobleman and having him untie her and then follow her again.  Or even worse, having the servant insist on making sure she didn’t escape.

Besides, Nara hadn’t been plotting any grand escape attempts.  So what if she got sent to the magistrate for a few days?  She wasn’t a wanted thief in these parts, and he certainly wouldn’t recognize her.  All it would do would delay her progress a few days.  As long as she eventually got to Busan, she would be fine.

Nara started off into the trees to find a suitable private spot, heading parallel to the road that they would soon be traveling again.  Suddenly, however, a loud snore from somewhere to her right had her starting in alarm.

“Ya!  Wake up, you lazy dog!” a man’s voice exclaimed, followed by a loud thump and a grunt.  “Get a move on!  We’ve got people to entertain and money to make!”

There was a sudden twang of a stringed musical instrument, and then a hiss of disapproval.

“The humidity’s messed up the tension in the strings,” someone else complained.  “It’s going to take hours to tune.”

“You can sing in the meantime,” another voice said.

The street performers, Nara thought, curiosity prompting her to creep closer for a better look.  Trying to be as silent as possible, she stepped over roots and stones and pushed aside stray branches, tracing the murmured voices and fragmented musical sounds to their source.  Once she finally saw them, however, a cold sweat broke out along her brow.

She knew these people.  They had been in her little farming village only a few weeks ago, having just arrived from Hanyang and a performance for the king.  The townspeople had welcomed the entertainment and the performers had stayed long, supplying acrobatics, music, and stories from neighboring villages.

They had witnessed the event.  And they certainly knew her.  If they were planning on staying in the tiny town in Joryeong Mountain’s pass, then she would have no hope of ever reaching Busan once the local magistrate began asking questions.

Quickly and silently, Nara retreated from the street performers’ campsite, soon breaking out into a run in the opposite direction.  That stubborn yangban and his servant still had her belongings, but she couldn’t afford to turn back and get them now—what if they had already woken up?  And oh—foolish!  Now that noble knew her name, as well!

Tears threatened to spill, blurring Nara’s vision as she stumbled through the woods.  Her bound hands did very little to protect her from the onslaught of twigs and leaves that smacked into her as she ran, and several times she nearly tripped and fell.

Finally, a sudden clap of thunder was what startled her into stopping, just in time for the light rain from earlier to turn into a fully-fledged downpour.

Cold, scared, and disoriented, Nara sank down to the ground, muddying her already dirty clothes.  What could she do?  She couldn’t turn back, but surely she wouldn’t be able to get to the other side of the mountain in time, without the young scholar and his servant catching up to her on their horses?  And not to mention that the knots in the thick rope around her hands were too difficult to undo without help!

Then, a voice from somewhere above her head put an abrupt stop to her sobbing.

“You again.  Well, this is certainly unexpected.”

Haha!  Midterms are over!  In celebration of me surviving, here's another chapter.  Enjoy.  :)