~ a lily among thorns~

"listen to me"

It had been only half an hour since the large orange sun had sunk beneath the Earth. The sky was still a tint of grey as Ji-Dwi hurried towards the inn. He rode upon his large bay horse, the animal growing restless the nearer it drew to the destination. It was as if it could sense the danger lurking ahead. But, instead of turning back like his humble steed insisted, Ji-Dwi journeyed on, determined to face this newfound threat. Anyway, he had prepared himself for all outcomes.

The travel time equaled to about five minutes before Ji-Dwi spotted the run-down inn on the horizon. That building had been abandoned since before he was born. No one had bothered to occupy it again and there were good reasons as to why. The dead girl in the forest wasn't the first superstitious tale to arise in Silla. Many said the inn was haunted by a quarrelling couple. They fought so much, they killed each other, and still argue in the afterlife.

Ji-Dwi snickered to himself as he thought of the prospect. What a horrible fate that would be – stuck in eternal warfare with a loved one...at least someone you used to love. He shook his head, easing his horse into a canter. Soon enough, they were outside the inn, and he pulled on the reins to stop.

Ji-Dwi took in a deep breath, wondering what he was about to step into. Jumping off his horse, he led the large animal to a wooden post, tying it there to await his return. He then felt for his sword, making sure the weapon was easy to access in case of an attack. Hopefully, none of the sorts would happen. His mother would be furious if she found out what he was doing.

Ji-Dwi placed his hand on the old chipped door, slowly pushing it open. It creaked violently, signaling his presence. Anyone who was waiting for him would surely be aware of his arrival now. "Hello?" he called out, walking inside. His voice triggered a small flock of bats to fly rampantly out the door behind him. He dodged them narrowly, pressing up against a wall. Immediately he felt the stickiness of cobwebs crawling over his skin. "Ergh," he grumbled, brushing them off. "This person couldn't have picked a cleaner place to meet?" After all, his usual residence was either in the grandness of the palace, or his satisfactory (and tidy) Hwarang room.

"I'm here," Ji-Dwi exclaimed once more, taking a few more steps forward. "Are we going to do this or not?" The man waited for a reply, but all that met his ears was silence. He sighed. "You should've specified what time of night you wanted me to come, honestly. Early evening? Midnight? When exactly-"

"Are you done?" a voice spoke from the quietude. Ji-Dwi spun around to face where the sound had come from. A black silhouette stood in the doorway. "Who are you, and what do you want?" he asked, grabbing the hilt of his sword. The figure stood still for a moment, before stepping forward into the moonlight. Ji-Dwi's eyes grew large as he recognised his company.

"Nari," he breathed with shock, before a large smile swept across his face. "Nari, you're back! I've been looking for you everywhere!" He began to run to the girl, filled with relief and joy. However, he was quickly stopped by the edge of her sword.

"Have you forgotten," she growled, "about your betrayal?" Ji-Dwi's expression became stressed as he remembered the events from three months before. "Nari, I can explain," he began, but she quickly cut him off. "I trusted you!" she cried, pain filling her eyes. "It looks like you were too much of a coward though to return the favour."

"Nari, listen to me!" Ji-Dwi begged, trying to make her see the whole story. "There was a plan! I was going to-" "I don't care what you were going to do!" she yelled. "You're plan had me stuck in a rotten jail for months, and it looks like you didn't even try to get me out!"

Ji-Dwi crossed his eyebrows, his heart stopping. "What...?" he said quietly. He suddenly realised there was a missing piece to this story he wasn't yet aware of. Nari scrunched up her face angrily, pressing her sword closer to him. "Don't act dumb with me," she warned. "Now, fight me, or die."

Ji-Dwi's stomach churned. He didn't want to lay a finger on her. Fighting the one person he loved seemed like a nightmare come true...or a ghost story. "This all seems a little extreme, don't you think?" he said, holding up his hands in surrender. "What's extreme," Nari replied sharply. "Is that you framed me and had me sent to prison. I honestly thought you loved me, Ji-Dwi...but you played me for a fool."

"Nari-" Ji-Dwi protested but the girl cut him off. "Pick up your sword and fight me," she instructed, positioning herself for attack. "Nari, please. Let me talk. I didn't know-" "Fight me!" she yelled, before lunging her sword forward. In an instant, Ji-Dwi whipped his sword from its sheath, blocking her strike.

Their two blades collided with a loud clang, and it wasn't long before Nari was raising her sword to attack again. "Nari, listen to me!" Ji-Dwi demanded through gritted teeth as he fought off the second hit. "Not everything is as it seems!"

"I don't want to listen to your excuses!" Nari yelled, withdrawing her sword to strike again. Ji-Dwi lunged forward, grabbing her wrist in an attempt to stop her. However, she quickly kicked him in retaliation, sending him to the ground. His sword skidded across the floor, stopping several metres away from him. Immediately, he looked up to see Nari's powerful weapon soaring his way. In an instant, Ji-Dwi rolled across the ground, narrowly dodging the deathly blow.

"Can we please just talk this out?" Ji-Dwi pleaded, as he speedily got to his feet, grabbing his sword. Nari shook her head briskly, her loose strands of blonde hair firmly sticking to the sweat beading on her neck and forehead. "I'm done talking!" she replied. "I don't converse with traitors!" With that, she struck again. Ji-Dwi deflected the hit, and the many more that came after it. There were the two once lovers, now locked in lethal combat.

"If you would just let me explain, we can stop this madness!" Ji-Dwi exclaimed, fighting off Nari's newest rally of attacks. The girl was advancing on him quickly, but he didn't want to battle back. He had to show Nari that it wasn't his plan to hurt her.

Ji-Dwi was being continually forced to retreat as Nari overtook the upper-hand. He kept stepping backwards until he could go no further. The wall of the tavern proved an inconvenient obstacle. Ji-Dwi cursed under his breath before looking up in distress. All he could see were Nari's giant blue eyes. But they weren't how he'd remembered them. Once resembling peaceful ocean waters, they were now filled with raging seas. The girl let out a growl as she raised her sword again, collecting all the spite in her to carry out this last vengeful mission. Ji-Dwi watched in horror as the weapon came down on him. He knew there was no way he could fight it off now. He had to resort to the last option of survival.

Without a moment's hesitation, he dropped to the ground, rolling into the murky darkness nearby – a place where no moonlight could reach.