Noir

Chapter 24 - Finale

By evening the following day, I nearly burst into tears when we reached land. Everyone flocked above deck, to see the lights of the town growing steadily brighter and larger as we neared. "We made it!" Yixing cried, kissing me, and I could finally accept that he was right. We had.

Yifan and Zitao docked the ship in a harbor, and I was the first to get off with Eunji in my arms. I nearly kissed the earth, so happy was I to stand on solid ground. Around us, everyone spoke in my native language, and it felt amazing to be back home.

Here though, we had no money to pay for a room or food, and everyone realized all too quickly that they couldn't stay here. "We have to go back to China," Zitao said solemnly. We were on the side of the road, leaving town to find another place to stay. Yifan, Luhan, and Chen were all with him, standing solemnly beside him.

"Go back?" I repeated. I had Eunji in my arms, who was gurgling happily though it was getting late. "What do you mean, 'Go back'?"

"We can't stay in Korea," Chen explained. "None of us speak the language, and we're only in your way - "

"That's nonsense - !" Yixing exclaimed, but Luhan shook his head.

"We've discussed this, and made up our minds. We'll take the ship back to the mainland, and then travel down to southern China," He explained. "We should be safe there. The priority is your freedom, and you have it."

"But all this time..." I found that I couldn't leave Luhan, who had become my friend while Yixing was away. He had been there for me through the hardest times, and now I was had to let him go. Tears formed in my eyes, and I looked away in sorrow.

"It was an honor serving with you, My Lord and Lady," Yifan bowed before us, and Yixing and I did the same. The rest did as well, stating similar pledges, and I felt my heart was going to break. Freedom meant that we had to sacrifice something we loved. And I would have to give them away.

Handing the baby to Yixing, I embraced each of them in turn, staying a little longer with Luhan. "I'll never forget you," I murmured in his ear, and he gave me an extra squeeze before pulling away.

"And I you," He swallowed, his voice already choking with emotion like mine. "I wish you good luck, Milady."
He knelt before me, forming a fist over his heart, and I wanted to burst into tears, before he stood again, and turned back to the others.

We parted ways, and I found that I couldn't bring myself to look back. Yixing took my hand as we walked through the countryside, not saying a word for a very long time. "Look," He finally said, after about another hour and I felt like collapsing. "There's a little farmhouse up ahead. Maybe we can spend the night there."

"Do we just knock?" I asked worriedly. This was a totally foreign experience to me. I had always had a bed and a hot meal ready whenever I wanted.

"I suppose so," Yixing said, walking up the path towards the house. I adjusted Eunji onto my shoulder, holding her closer, and she cooed by my ear. He knocked on the door, and I knew this was hard for him, begging solace from total strangers, the man who had once been a lord. 

A while passed, and Yixing was about to knock again, when an elderly woman opened the door.
"Hello?" She asked, and her eyes fell onto Eunji. "Oh, what a darling child!"

"Thank you, Halmeoni," I smiled tiredly.

"What can I do for you?" She asked, eyeing Yixing.

"Just a place to stay, please," Yixing said, swallowing his pride. "Only for the night, that's all that I ask. We've come a very long way, but we'll sleep in your barn if there's no room. Please, Halmeoni, if you can spare anything - "