the Twelve-faced Moon: A Loona fanfiction

Chapter XXXIV

Jiwoo II

Jiwoo rode to the tournament ground of her younger brother's betrothal jousting tournament atop ashen colored mare along with the priest Wa Dae.

the twins followed behind,finally able to ride a horse,not a pony,a proper horse, for the first time.

To Jiwoo's surprise, Apparently they learned how to ride from the amiable castellan of Gyeongbukgung Palace,Togaki,cousin to the master-at-arms Tozaki. "They took to riding like a penguin to a water" Togaki said upon arriving in Hongseong. Jiwoo highly doubt Togaki ever saw the creature swim,but hearing those words made her happy nonetheless.

Her mother threw a lavish feast that day. along with half of Southern Chungcheongan nobles in attendance.

One might be forgiven to forgot that the realm is at war,aside from mothers anxiously awaiting their sons to come back home unharmed,wifes awaiting their husbands,little sisters and brothers,or other kind of loved ones.

At first,Jiwoo felt it was a little bit inappropriate to held such merriment amidst all that,but her mother convinced her so. "a chance for the lowborn and highborn alike to have some respite from their woes. They crave distractions on these tiresome times. If we don't make one,they'll made it themselves and will likely ended with our heads on the spike. A joust sounds better...and safer."

Judging from the burstling tourney ground full of commoner and nobles alike,her mother was right,they need a distraction. And a tournament to celebrate her younger twin brothers betrothal seems just like the right kind of distraction they need..and wanted.

The splendor of it took Jiwoo's breath away. The shining armor,the great chargers caparisoned in silver and gold,the shouts of the crowd,banners snapping in the wind and the knights...oh..the knights,gallant and dashing,each vying for attention of any fair maiden present. For some,it was a great chance to win some glory. Because other more well-known knights like Chiwon,Hyuntae,Hajoon,Jinhyuk and many others are absent from this tourney,away at war.

Jiwoo herself seeing these tourney as the chance to perhaps enlist some of them to her service,it was her personal goal to gather her own Fingers,to emulate what her father does. to have a collection of mighty warriors and knights in her side.

So far,she only have three,the Eagle of Seosan Roh Wonjae,the Bloodhound Siwoo and the priest Wa Dae. Well,Wonjae and Wa Dae are her own bannermen in the first place and Siwoo was handpicked by her father to served her,so it was not Jiwoo who recruited them herself. But,even so, there's still seven spots left to fill and she intended to recruit them herself from these pool of participants.

"I have to say,your lady mother does know how to made a festivites,my lady" the priest beside her said. She inclined to agree with a nod and a wide smile.

Jiwoo dressed beautifully that day,in orange flowing skirt hanbok and white silk upper robe that brought out the brown of her shoulder-length hair and auburn eye. She could felt the loving glare of commoners and nobles present,honestly,it made her blush. but she kept her 'lady-face' her mother always said, "keep your composure and do not make yourself looks silly" was her mother's word before she left.

Jiwoo took her seat in the uppermost podium,overlooking the ground and other spectator. her plump mother, Jisook already seated on the right side "you did well" she said while gently clasping her hand when Jiwoo sat. Lady Jisook is the very splitting image of Jiwoo,but plumpier and her hair more gold than brown,trace of House Jung's blood in her.

The recently turned-ten twins both sat on Jiwoo's left side,looking as comely and handsome as any small lordling should be. Their previously tussled red-brownish hair now neatly combed and shining,well dressed for the occasion,wearing deep dark orange doublet studded with double row of golden penguin head.