The Oath (Kingdom)

VII. The Truth (part 1)

~5 months later~

She was running. Thin stick scratching her face and arms, her muscles aching. Her leg was loosing her fight. She was healed, but her leg was never same. She can't walk long distance without limping. And running was pure torture. But now she must run. Her life depends on it.

After her return to Sangju things goes bad. Sang-Ho became new leader of guards and gave her hard times. He let her heal, but then she must return to service. To be soldier again.

But she can't.

Only thing she can think was him.

She needed to find Yeongshin. She wanted to join him. Not because she must, because she swear to protect him. She wanted to join him because she loves him. But Sang-Ho didn't want to heard anything about it. He forbid it. She would maybe understand it, if there weren't two or three soldiers who can join Lee Chang's group without consequences. But she can't.

She got message from Beom Pal that he gets letter from his highness about they journey to distant villages around Wonju. So she did desperate thing and run away. She knew that Sang-Ho will haunt her, and if he catch her, she will end in dungeon or dead for her desertion.

It took her month to find Lee Chang's fellowship. She was travelling through the villages asking for strangers, seeking disease. And after long unsuccessful weeks she found small settlement they crossed just one day ago.

Her stomach was trembling just from the image of seeing Yeongshin after long months. She held tighter grip on wooden swallow hanging around her neck. Beom Pal gave it to her, when she was leaving Hanyang and told her that it was made by Yeongshin. It was the most precious thing she ever had, even she used to wear gold and pearls. That simple wooden swallow was her treasure.

She was leaving settlement and head to the mountains in the footsteps of Lee Chang. But then she saw them. Guards from Sangju seeking for her. Sang-Ho and two soldiers were standing in the centre of few houses talking with some old woman.

Nilah almost cried out loud. She didn't wait and run. She must shook them off. She wasn't thinking about pain in her leg. She just focused on idea of Yeongshin's lips gently kissing her forehead in infirmary few months ago. She cherished that memory and it give her strength to continue.

She already saw smoke from camp she were heading. Hot tears were running down her cheeks. She tripped over log and fell to the ground when her leg can't hold her anymore.

She almost felt his touch when he was treating her burned arms. When he gently touched her skin with his fingers.

And than she saw him. His silhouette between trees. He was talking with Lee Chang. Prince was pointing higher to the mountain and shaking his head.

Nilah found last drop of strength and stood up. It was just few more steps.

Suddenly she felt hard blow to the back. She lost her breath and fell back to the ground. Heavy body pinned her down with face hardly pressed to the leaves and dirt. She wanted to scream, but large hand covered her mouth.

"Shut your mouth Nilah, or I will kill you right here." Side of Sang-Ho's face was pressed to hers. He was pushing her down and other man tied her hands with thick rope.

No! No! No! She was screaming inside, fighting for her freedom. She was so close. She still saw Yeongshin's shadow between trees. If she can't freed herself now, she will never see him again.

"What were you thinking, stupid girl?" he pushed piece of cloth to her mouth and tied it with strip of other cloth. She almost cannot breath than speak or scream. "That you just run away and you will live happy life with that chakho? You are more foolish than I thought." He laughed at her cruelty. "Once you became soldier, so you need to face consequences."