"They must not return to Aranes with those weapons!" Young-Sik proclaimed, his gaze sweeping the shoreline where several boats lay stranded. "To those boats, quickly!" the prince commanded his men. He then turned to Captain Gi, barking orders. "Captain! Collect all these weapons, and return them to the capital for examination!" With that, he dashed toward one of the vessels.
"The wind had yet to fill their sails; we still have a chance! Row with all your might!" the prince commanded. With unwavering resolve, the Chiongsun defenders exerted every ounce of strength, their oars slicing through the water in pursuit of the Aranese ship.
The Aranese, desperate to defend their vessel, brandished their rod weapons, but the tumultuous waves hindered their aim. With the wind against the Aranese vessel, Prince Young-Sik, and his valiant crew finally closed the distance and stormed aboard. A brutal clash erupted between the Aranese and the Chiongsun warriors.
Young-Sik proved to be a formidable force against the beleaguered invaders. Each foe that ventured too close fell swiftly to the prince's blade. One unfortunate soldier was hurled back, sending a gas lamp crashing from its perch. Oil gushed forth, threatening the nearby barrels.
As the Aranese soldiers readied their black rods once more, they unleashed a barrage of fire upon the prince and his men. Sparks erupted in the chaos. When the smoke cleared and the weapons needed reloading, the Chiongsun warriors surged forward. An Aranese soldier managed a shot, but the prince deftly avoided the projectile. With a swift thrust, he plunged his sword into the enemy's heart, sending the soldier tumbling into the spilled oil.
The Chiongsun soldiers roared with victory as the final invader fell to the ground. "Someone take the helm! Turn this ship around, and let us make haste back to shore!" Prince Young-Sik commanded, a triumphant smile lighting his face.
However, they had not foreseen the lamp oil reaching the red-hot end of the weapon. The oil ignited, and flames raced toward the barrels of black sand, culminating in a devastating explosion. Young-Sik spun around, his heart sinking as a massive fireball swelled, consuming him and the ship in its wrath. "Jin-Ri" he whispered, dread filling his heart.
On the shore, Captain Gi beheld the vessel erupt with a thunderous roar, engulfed in flames. "PRINCE YOUNG-SIK!!" he cried out, struck by the horror of the prince's fate. Back in the palace, Jin-Ri felt an agonizing pain in her chest; she staggered as her vision began to swirl, and she succumbed to darkness.
A week later, Jin-Ri burst forth from the western gates, her feet barely touching the ground, her heart racing as if it might escape her chest, and her face aglow with a smile that could light the darkest of nights. The army had returned, triumphant after almost eleven months of grueling war and battles, and she stood there, a bundle of anticipation, longing for the prince's arrival.
Her heart sank in sorrow when she saw that less than half of the soldiers had returned. The soldiers were in a gruesome condition, a lot were heavily wounded, some came in crutches while others were carried in stretchers. All of the soldiers were physically, emotionally, and mentally scarred.
A bystander then said "So many left, yet only a few returned"
"So many lives lost" she uttered in response. When she saw the army generals marching atop their horses, her face let out a smile, anticipating the prince riding with them. Her smile however vanished when the prince was not with them.
"Has the prince come through yet? Did I miss him?" she inquired of a passerby.
"No, the prince has not yet arrived," the bystander replied.
With renewed hope, Jin-Ri continued to wait, her heart fluttering with excitement until she spotted a familiar figure. "Captain Gi!" she called, waving her hand to draw his attention. The captain approached with his head bowed, a shadow of sorrow crossing his face.
"Captain, I thought the prince would be with you. Where is he?" she asked, her voice laced with anticipation. But Captain Gi's gaze fell to the ground, tears spilling down his cheeks. "Why are you crying? What has happened?"
"Forgive me, Lady Jin-Ri!" Captain Gi said in between tears, "I was not there for him"
Alarmed, Jin-Ri's voice began to falter, her heart that was leaping with joy, now starting to be dragged down by fear "Why are you asking for my forgiveness? You were not there for whom? Where is the prince?"
"I could not protect him," Captain Gi confessed, his voice trembling.
In an instant, her joy shattered and disappeared, replaced by a chilling dread. "What do you mean? You could not protect him?" Panic surged within her, threatening to consume her whole.
With trembling hands, Captain Gi unfastened a white cloth from his back, wrapped inside the white cloth was the prince's sword and sheath, that he handed over to Jin-Ri."I'm so sorry," he whispered, his heart heavy as he turned away, leaving Jin-Ri in a storm of despair.
Tears brimmed in her eyes as she clutched the prince's weapon, a cold reminder of his absence. With a heart heavy and filled with disbelief, she sprinted back to the palace, each step echoing the reality she refused to accept. Jin-Ri burst into the courtroom just as the generals were delivering their grim updates to King Man-Ju. All eyes turned to her, the frantic court maiden, a storm of fear and desperation. "Your Highness, I beg you, where is Prince Young-Sik?" she implored, clinging to the hope that the King would bring her a different tale.
The King stood up from his throne, cleared his throat, and slowly paced toward the court maiden "Surviving witnesses said, that my brother, was the closest to the explosion. Our soldiers scoured the oceans even the coastlines for days, but all they found was his sword that you are now holding. I am so sorry, but your master is no longer...with us"
"No longer with us? He's gone? My prince is dead?" Her words shattered, each syllable heavy with the anguish that clawed at her heart.
The King's silence was deafening, his head shaking slowly, a gesture that felt like a dagger to Jin-Ri's heart. In that agonizing moment, she realized the cruel reality: her beloved prince had been taken by the unrelenting hands of war.
The court maiden, unable to bear the weight of her sorrow, shook her head and stepped back from the King's approach. She exited the courtroom and began to flee to the prince's residence, her tears streaming down her face. Lady Hu wept in Captain Gi's embrace, her heart shattered as she received the tragic news. Queen Ji-Hye succumbs to the shocking fate of the prince and falls to the floor. The news of the prince's death would soon ripple through the kingdom, and the elders of Gyong would mourn deeply, while the people of Haan would be left in despair, their cries echoing for the hero they had lost.
Jin-Ri upon entering the prince's residence, shut the doors with trembling hands, locking away the world outside. Clutching Young-Sik's sword to her chest, she crumbled to the floor, her cries echoing through the silence. Each sob was a lament for the love that had slipped through her fingers, a love now extinguished forever with the prince's passing. The weight of his absence crushed her spirit, leaving her to mourn the future they would never share.
END OF BOOK ONE
To be Concluded in Book II