Early in the morning, two days after receiving the news from Ntsua-Ntu City, Chinua sealed the letter she had written for Bastsaikhan, using wax to seal it shut before placing the candleholder down. She rose to her feet and stepped out of her room into the open training ground. Today, the training ground remained devoid of soldiers training this morning. The vibrant space, filled with the sounds of activity, was now replaced by distant echoes.
Chinua traversed the ground toward the tents from which the echoes originated. As she drew nearer, the fading echoes grew more distinct, gradually giving way to the harsh sounds of weapons being sharpened.
She looked at the soldiers sharpening their swords outside the tents. She felt sad to see the soldiers sharpening their weapons in silence. She nodded gently to the soldiers who made eye contact with her, then slowly walked past them. She knew well that not all soldiers would return after their journey to the Northeast. Yet, despite the sadness in her heart, no tears came to her eyes.
As Chinua walked past the soldiers, she received a gentle nod of acknowledgement. By this time, Chinua knew that the news that they were about to embark on an unknown journey had spread through the military camp and nearby villages. She continued through the tents and came to the front gate of the barracks. Hye was standing at the gate of the military camp, leading two horses while waiting for Chinua. Chinua took the leashes from Hye. They mounted their horses together, riding towards the early morning sunlight.
Chinua and Hye slowly rode their horses on a dirt road strewn with pebbles and small rocks. The wind that blew past them carried the aroma of fresh rain. With the small creek on their left and the mountainside on their right, they continued down the dirt road towards the under-construction columbarium. After a one-hour journey, they pulled their horses to a halt in front of a small valley that was surrounded by mountains on all sides except for a small mountain pass that led into it. As they approached the valley, they heard faint voices and the sounds of tools colliding with stones.
Hye stared at the gate into the columbarium, turned to look at Chinua, and said, his voice slightly strained, "From this point onward, we have to walk."
Chinua still focused her attention on the gate into the columbarium that was well-designed, but the well-carved boulder standing on the side of the gate was empty. She asked, her voice contemplative, "Why is that boulder standing there empty without anything written on it?"
Hye said with a smile, looking at the boulder then at her, "Because I don't know what Chinua wants to put on it. What do you think we should write on there? A short poem? Words of congratulations? Words of wisdom or something else?"
Chinua still stared at the boulder, and by this time, an Asian green bee-eater landed on the top of the well-carved stone. The bird turned its head from side to side, gently brushed its beak on the stone as if it were trying to resharpen the sharpness of its beak, looked at Chinua, and chirped twice before it flew away.
Chinua smiled and said, her voice clear and thoughtful, "Welcome to Gate of Haven. Here lie the brave warriors who sacrificed their lives to protect the freedom, peace, and stability of the Great Hmagol Kingdom."
Hye turned to Chinua and said with a smile, nodding in approval, "Well said. Then that should be what we will be writing on it. 'Gate of Haven'... that is a wonderful name for this columbarium site." He jumped off his horse, walked to the ten horse posts by the side of the road, and tied his horse.
After Chinua tied her horse, she followed Hye up the short stairwell and entered the Gate of Haven columbarium site. When she got to the top of the stairwell and walked for twenty steps, she saw the first wall to her right. On the top of the grayish wall was written 'The Battle of Hosha City,' and on the first niche compartment on the left were neatly carved the words, "Your legacy will live on and never forgotten."
Chinua turned to look at Hye and said, her expression appreciative, "You did great. I like your vision for this columbarium site." She looked over the three stone bridges and found that the workers were actively working on the site. She didn't want to bother them. She had seen the site, and coming here had allowed her to make peace with the thought that if she fell in battle, this would be her final resting place. "Let's go back. I've seen enough, and I feel very satisfied."
Hye asked, a little surprised, "You don't want to go see the other side?"
Chinua shook her head and said, softly, "No. I trust your judgment and design." She turned around and began walking down the stairwell towards the horses.
Hye waved to the manager. Seeing this, the manager quickly rushed over the stone bridge towards him.
The manager greeted Hye with a smile and said, his voice polite, "Advisor Hye, I didn't know that you were coming today."
Hye smiled and said, "I was just stopping by."
The manager looked down the stairwell and saw that Chinua was still making her way down, so he turned to look at Hye and asked, curiously, "Is that General Chinua?"
Hye said, nodding, "Yes, that's her. Oh, by the way, the General decided what to write on the greeting stone at the front gate."
The manager quickly pulled out the booklet from his waistband and grabbed the charcoal that was resting behind his ear. He licked his finger and flipped to a blank sheet of paper. He asked, his pen poised, "What does General Chinua want to write on the greeting stone?"
Hye said, dictating clearly, "General Chinua wants you to write: 'Welcome to Gate of Haven. Here lie the brave warriors who sacrificed their lives to protect the freedom, peace, and stability of the Great Hmagol Kingdom.'"
The manager quickly wrote down the message in his booklet. He smiled and said, looking pleased, "I got it."
Hye said, "Manager, I will not be visiting you until further notice. I have given you all the details I want for this site, and if you come across any problem, go look for Chief Behrouz."
The manager said politely, bowing slightly, "I will. You don't have to worry about this. I will make sure that everything is complete before you return from your journey." He saw that Hye had turned around and was about to walk down the stairwell. "Advisor Hye."
Hye turned around to face the manager. "Is there anything else?" he asked.
The manager nodded and said, his voice heartfelt, "Thank you so much for all your hard work that you have done for Pojin Village. Because of your efforts here, you have made Pojin Village a more stable place to live. Although this part of the Great Hmagol Kingdom is called the Wasteland of Hmagol, we common villagers, who are not well-educated, could only share our harvested goods with you as a way of thanking you for making our daily lives easier. I know that each journey is an unforeseen outcome, so while I have the opportunity, I want to say this to you." He looked at Hye sadly. "Thank you for everything you have done, and good luck on your journey and stay safe. We will pray for you and the soldiers' safe return."
Hye smiled at the manager and acknowledged his kind words. He turned around and walked down the stairs towards Chinua, who had already mounted her horse. Just when Hye was almost at the bottom of the stairwell, the red flare was shot into the sky. He knew that the red flare was the signal for Chinua to return to the military camp, as the replacement general had arrived from Ntsua-Ntu City.
Seeing the red flare in the sky, Hye knew he would have to return to the North and face the past he desperately wanted to leave behind. Just as Chinua had mentioned to him, sooner or later he would have to go to Nue-Li City and make a plan for the Magoli soldiers to retake it. In the past, he had ignored this truth and set it aside, not thinking of it. But that day, as the red flare spread across the sky and the wind carried the smoke over Pojin Village, he came to a realization that he could no longer set the truth aside. He walked to his horse, untied the rope, and mounted it.
"They are here," Chinua said, her voice tight. "I guess we are leaving for the Northeast today."
Hye sighed and said, his voice heavy with emotion, "Chinua, how about tomorrow?"
Chinua asked, looking at him, "Why?"
Hye said with a heavy heart, his gaze distant, "Give the soldiers one more day and one more night to say goodbye to their loved ones... Who knows if they will get this chance again."
Chinua turned to look at Hye and said, her expression softening, "We leave tomorrow then."
Hye gave Chinua a sad smile and said, quietly, "Thank you."
Chinua and Hye pulled their horses away from the columbarium site and rode back to the military camp, facing the sun.
Hye smiled sadly at the morning sun and said, almost to himself, "The bugle calls, the hour is nigh, my love, my home, I say goodbye. Duty's path, though hearts may ache, for freedom's cause, this stand I take. Keep me in your thoughts, hold me dear, until the day I'm standing here."