His heart pounded at his own words. But Yeong remained unmoved.
"Are you afraid Sahngjon's plan will be disrupted?" she asked flatly.
Seong hesitated. Should I explain further? Should I tell her that her wound caused me more pain than all the other sacrifices? That I am terrified of seeing her among the dead after losing my master, the High Commander, in the first battle? That I can't bear to send her into battle, even though I have sent my lifelong companions, my family? That I want to know if she shared my fear? The bandage around her shoulder was slowly turning red with blood. He felt pathetic, whining like this to someone who had lived through countless battles. He lowered his head, suppressing his emotions.
"So many people were hurt and killed," he mumbled. "Even Master..."
"We almost annihilated the enemy," Yeong countered. "We didn't retrieve Ji'uigeum, but we captured the Princess. The High Commander died, but the light of Sahngjon awakened within Kyeongseon Joon, his son. Think of what we've gained. And what we can achieve with it. Dwelling on compassion and loss is not the duty of the Guardian. Four years of that was enough."
Is it consolation or criticism? Seong couldn't tell. He hid his anxiety and left to check on the others.
The sight of the fallen soldiers filled him with despair. Is this victory? He dreaded counting the dead. Joon still sat beside his father's body with his sisters. Seong approached and placed a hand on Joon's shoulder. Joon looked up at him. Seong nodded and moved away. Joon followed.
"I can't face my sisters," Joon confessed. "I was the one closest to Father..."
"No one could have stopped it," Seong reassured him. "Don't blame yourself."
"I heard you saved Yeong," he said cautiously.
Joon shook his head. "I failed to protect her. She's badly injured. We were just lucky."
"She wouldn't have that luck if it weren't for you. Are you alright?" Seong asked, searching his face.
Joon, understanding his concern, recounted what had happened.
"The Princess's arrows shattered against me," he said. "When I saw the arrow flying towards the Guardian Crimson, I threw myself in front of her without thinking. I thought I was dead, but I was alive. I thought the arrow had missed. Then I saw the Princess hiding, and I lost my mind. I walked towards her, not even realizing I was being hit by arrows. She shot at me repeatedly, but even the arrows fired from point-blank range couldn't pierce me. They shattered like pottery."
He suddenly drew his dagger and slashed his left palm before Seong could stop him. There was a faint cracking sound. He opened his hand, expecting pain, but there was no wound. The blade of the dagger was broken. Seong, startled, stared at his unharmed palm, then at the broken dagger. Joon's hand trembled as the reality of his transformation sank in. He couldn't take his eyes off his hand. The warm, sticky sensation of his father's blood and brains, spilled onto his palm as he cradled his limp body, lingered. Why has my father died while I survived, despite sharing the same blood, being struck by the same arrows? This twist of fate seemed to deny the bond between them.
"Would he be proud of me if he were alive?" Joon asked in despair.
"He would be," Seong assured him. "Without a doubt."
"Why me, and not him?"
Seong didn't know how to answer. Joon began to weep silently, his broad shoulders shaking. Seong reached out and gently stroked his back.
They began tending to the wounded, splinting broken limbs, assigning helpers, preparing stretchers for those who couldn't walk. The sunlight reflecting on the sea gradually shifted to a golden hue. Norahn, who had been absent, reappeared, moving among the wounded, placing his hands on bleeding wounds and offering prayers. After he left, the Emissaries followed, spooning a mixture of Sogahmcho powder and water down the throats of the injured. Those who received the medicine stumbled, their eyes unfocused, even with crutches.
Seong watched as Ryang rallied the living and Norahn tended to the dead and dying. Yeong, her wounds treated, joined him.
"Don't you feel like you should be doing something?" she asked.
"Yes," Seong replied. "I feel like I shouldn't just stand here and watch."
"Watching is your duty," Yeong said. "Observe, and when you see something amiss, then act. That is how you must lead. That is the way of Sahngjon."
Ryang approached and reported to Seong, "The preparations for entering the city are complete. The soldiers await the Two Guardians."
Seong nodded and led the procession. The blue flags of Wi, cleaned of the sand and dust from the battle, stood tall. Behind it stood the standard bearers of House Myeonghyeon, the Ministry of Emissary Divine, and the three other houses: Kyeongseon, Keumpyeong, and Jang'gyeong. Seong and Yeong mounted their horses, followed by Ryang, Norahn, and the three Kyeongseon siblings.
"This is our first victory," Ryang said to Seong, who sat frozen, gazing at Nahmgyo in the distance. "For the people, it is the day they reunite with the Guardian of the Azure Scripture after half a century. You must be more resolute than ever. Forget about the casualties. Focus on the joy of victory."
Seong straightened his back and commanded, "Enter the city."
Seven conch horns blared. Seong spurred his horse, and the procession began to move. People from Nahmgyo flocked to the blood-soaked beach, following the procession. Seong's heart pounded with a mix of emotions. This day has finally come. The day I march towards the open city gates under the bright sun, leading the soldiers of Wicheong Palace. The memory of gazing up at Nahmgyo from the beach as a child felt distant, and the white walls of the city seemed like a mirage.
Only the flags of House Seolyo fluttered on the gate tower of the south gate. The flag of Wi was nowhere to be seen. People lined the path from the gate, forming a corridor. Most of them were elderly, and they prostrated themselves before Seong and Yeong. Those who didn't know what to do hung back, watching with fear. Foreign merchants who hadn't left Nahmgyo watched the procession, whispering among themselves and glancing at Norahn's glowing blue eyes.
They could see people waiting outside the open gate. Jin, accompanied by her son, Seolyo Yeong, stood some distance from the gate, waiting to welcome Seong. Seon, who had returned to the city with Princess Kyeong'ui, stood behind Jin with U'nso. The Lord and the Lady of Dongrahng and Seorahng were also present, having likely watched the battle from afar. As Seong and Yeong dismounted at the gate, Jin knelt, her stiff knees creaking. The Lord and Ladies prostrated themselves seven times.
After the greetings, Jin bowed her head to Seong. Although Seong had visited Nahmgyo before Cheon Hwan's departure, Myeonghyeon Seung had prevented him from meeting Jin, so this was their first encounter. Jin looked at Seong with the usual kindness elders showed towards the young, but there was also a firmness and vigilance in her eyes.
"Jin of House Seolyo, the Lady of Nahmgyo, greets the Guardian of the Azure Scripture, His Majesty the King of Wi, and the Guardian of the Crimson Star," she said.
Seong, surprised by the title, looked at Ryang, who shrugged, equally taken aback. I am not the King yet. I cannot be the King until we reclaim Sunyahng. He wanted to refuse the title but knew this wasn't the place. He straightened his back, remembering Ryang's advice, and addressed Jin.
"I've heard much about your dedication and contribution from the High Councilor," he said.
"I'm humbled by your words," Jin replied. "I watched the battle from the gate tower. Witnessing today's victory, I wonder if I've lived this long to see this day."
She gestured, and soldiers brought forward a long wooden box, taller than a grown man. Jin opened it.
"Please accept this," she said to Seong. "It belongs to Your Majesty."
Inside the box was a blue flag, neatly rolled around its pole.
"It's old and worn," Jin explained, "but we've kept it safe since the day Sunyahng fell."
She offered the flagpole to Seong with trembling hands. Seong quickly accepted it. It was heavier than Yeom'myeol. This unexpected, long-awaited day had finally arrived, and Seong stood frozen, the flagpole in his hands like a memorial tablet.
"Guardian," Ryang said, bowing, "it's time to raise it above the gate."
Seong climbed the steps to the top of the wall, thinking of the winding mountains surrounding Wicheong Palace and the narrow crevice leading to the cave as he ascended the high, smooth wall built by human hands. He reached the top and approached the parapet. Far below, he could see the bloodstained beach. Ryang and Norahn stood beside him and untied the knots holding the flag. They stepped back, and Seong raised the flagpole. The faded blue flag of Wi, of the royal family of Cheon, bathed in the red sunset, fluttered above the walls of Nahmgyo.