by L. S Bethel
“But you need to make sure the prices stay reasonable,” she added. The merchant looked offended at the idea. “The blockade will end one day. When it does, there will be more merchants with products just as good as yours. Do you want people to remember you as the one who took advantage of the Kingdom’s misfortune, or the one who helped the people through it?” The implication of her words must have hit him because he went to his knees asking for forgiveness. Serenity removed one of her rings and placed it on the ground before him.
“I will pay for these people’s things today,” she said. Amoli looked surprisingly at her even as she translated, and the crowd gasped. The merchant took the ring and started bowing profusely expressing his thanks and apologies. The crowd called out to her with words of thanks. Serenity accepted their gratitude with a smile. She had to admit there was a great deal of satisfaction in ruling when things worked out. Going back to being a regular teacher might be boring after this. Serenity was eager to return to the palace and tell Kang-Dae about what had happened.
On their way back, Amoli sat in the carriage with her. “May I speak candidly my Queen?” she asked.
“You don’t need to ask that Amoli. You’re my friend. You’re one of the only people I can talk to candidly.” Amoli smiled at that.
“I just wanted to tell you I think you are doing well. You may not realize it yet, but being the Queen suits you,” she told her. Serenity grinned.
“I still think there are way more qualified people than me but thank you.”
Chapter Three
Serenity’s good mood lasted all of twenty minutes when she returned to the palace. Knowing Kang-Dae was busy with his own affairs she decided to get in some studying. As she sat in her office practicing her phrases, a knock sounded, and Advisor Min entered. “May I have a word my Queen?” he asked. Serenity released a sigh and put her book down. Advisor Min was one of those people who offered her just enough respect to avoid appearing defiant. Though his attitude improved slightly after the arrow incident, he still stared at her suspiciously as if he was waiting for her “true colors” to show any moment.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I heard you had some issues in the marketplace.” Serenity rolled her eyes. One of the women must’ve been someone he put near her to keep an eye on her and reported back what had happened.
“If you’re going to continue to assigning spies to my detail, I’d appreciate it if you would just tell me.”
Ignoring her, he continued on, “It would be best to adhere to all market issues to me or the King.”
“Any particular reason?” She asked looking back down at her book.
“The market is delicate especially given the current state of trade. These things should be handled by those who have experience dealing with such things.”
“I think I handled it just fine,” she said with a tight smile.
“Possibly, but you also could have cost the people a much-needed food source.”
“But I didn’t” she countered. “Or is that what’s bothering you? Not that I’m doing the job but I’m doing it well. It puts a whole wrinkle in your “she’s evil” theory huh?”
Advisor Min didn’t respond, not that she expected him to. Serenity turned her attention back to her book.
“As long as I’m here and as long as I’m Queen I’m going to do my best to make sure I’m taking care of this country. If I need your help or advice, I will be sure to ask for it.”
“Did you consider the danger you put yourself in and how it would affect our King if you had been hurt?” Min countered. With a roll of her eyes and a loud sigh, she shut her book.
“I wasn’t and he doesn’t need to know about that part.” Min just stared, his posture going tight. “You already told him, didn’t you?” As if on cue her door flew open and Kang-Dae appeared dressed in a white shirt covered with a sleeveless blue robe and blue pants. Like the snitch he was, Min slinked out the room to avoid the storm he started.
“You promised,” Kang-Dae started coming toward her. “You said you would be careful.”
Serenity let out a groan. “I was. My guard was with me the whole time. I was never in danger.”
“You could have been,” he countered.
“I wasn’t.”
“You had no way of knowing that. There are more dangers beyond these walls than you can imagine,” he told her.
“Are you sure about that? I’m pretty sure I’ve almost died more here than out there.”
Her joke was not well received. Since humor was not working, she tried a different tactic.
“If I had sensed anything, I would never have done it. There were no visions, no bad feelings. The only thing I knew was that the people were unhappy, and I wanted to help. So, I did.”
Kang-Dae didn’t appear too accepting of this. She stood and walked over to him. “Your Queen managed to win the hearts of the kids and adults of the city in one day. And she took steps that should bring in more food in the capital.” She smiled brightly at him batting her eyes. “Aren’t you a little proud?” He looked away from her trying not to let her influence his mood, but she could tell his anger was already dissipating. “My King.” She added in her sweetest voice. She saw a hint of a smile on his face before he quickly hid it beneath a scowl.
“Be more cautious next time,” he grumbled.
“I will my King,” she said with a dramatic bow. Kang-Dae rolled his eyes before letting the smile he’d been fighting come through.
“Have you eaten yet?” She shook her head. “Come. You’re done for the day.” She beamed as he grabbed her hand and the two walked out together, not noticing the disapproving eyes of Min watching them. He thought about what he’d learned and his trepidation at revealing it. Now it didn’t seem like such a bad thing. Perhaps it was time to share what he’d found with his King.
Chapter Four
Serenity was flying. She soared above in the night sky looking down at the lands below her. She wasn’t in Xian, she didn’t know how she knew that, but she did. The land was plush with green fields and thick trees. As she looked closer, she saw giant fruit hanging off every one. She wanted to go down and grab some but wasn’t unable to descend. A glow from below her caught her attention. Something was coating the ground, slowly moving through the land. It took Serenity a second to realize it was lava. Lava was flowing between the trees covering the grounds. However, every tree the lava touched didn’t burn or even get scorched. Instead, as lava made its way throughout the forest all the fruit increased in size. There were people in boats just drifting on the lava, but they didn’t appear to be in any kind of danger. Each boat was filled with heaps of fruit. The people smiled brightly at first until they reached a dark part of the land. Their smiles turned and became full of fear. The people began throwing their harvest into the river of lava letting it flow with the current. The ground began to rumble. The people did their best to stay aboard their boats. As the rumbling continued, sorrow filled each of their faces. The people in the boats only had one thing left. Each one carried a small box, all with different designs. The way they held it so carefully, it was obvious it was precious to them. Eyes full of tears they dropped the boxes into the river. A flash of lightning was in the distance, and a massive figure could be seen-
“Serenity.” Serenity’s eyes opened and the first thing she saw was the concerned face of her husband. “You were unsettled. Was it a nightmare?” She shook her head as she groggily sat up.
“A vision.” Kang-Dae helped her as she rose, pausing only a second at the mention of a vision.
“Tell me.” Serenity slowly recounted what she saw as best she could.
“You spoke the word ‘echang’ when you woke.”
“I did?” Serenity asked not remembering that at all. Kang-Dae nodded.
“It wasn’t familiar to me.” Serenity was surprised to hear that. She knew only just enough Xian now to get by. What word could she have said that Kang-Dae didn’t know? “What do y
ou think the dream meant?” he asked.
Taking a deep breath and releasing it, she lightly shook her head. “I’m not sure. Normally I would think lava was a bad thing, but it didn’t seem like it in the dream. It was like it was helping the land grow more food.” From her limited first-grade teacher science knowledge, she knew lands with volcanoes tended to be very fertile.
“Could your vision be trying to give us a solution to the food shortage?”
“Maybe. Although, I have no idea where that place could be. All we know about it is that it might have volcanos.”
“Volcanos?” repeated Kang-Dae. “Could this land be an island?”
Serenity tried to recall her overhead flight in the dream. There were moments when she saw glimpses of the sea. “Possibly,” she answered.
“Kah Mah.”
“What?”
“Kah Mah, the Misty Island. It’s an island off the southwest coast. It used to be a part of Xian.”
“What happened?”
“Their leaders disagreed with my great grandfather’s actions. They refused to serve him any longer and declared themselves an independent nation. Luckily for them, he died before he could force their submission,” Kang-Dae explained.
“I've never heard you talk about your great-grandfather before. I don't think I've heard anyone even mention him since I've been here.”
“There is good reason for that. He was quite, I guess the word you can use is, deranged. He caused an unnecessary war with the land we now call our southern province.”
“That’s where Kyril is from isn’t it?” she asked. Kang-Dae nodded. “They were once their own nation until great-grandfather felt disrespected by their chieftain. The chieftain was celebrating his daughter’s engagement. Hearing how beautiful she was Great grandfather felt insulted he didn’t offer her as a potential wife for my grandfather. The chief would not apologize, of course, and great grandfather became furious. He ordered their absolute allegiance and they refused. So, he sent his army to wipe them out. They fought for years until they could no longer sustain themselves through it all and had to surrender. People were very happy when grandfather had taken a wife and became King. He was a much simpler man but a better ruler in every aspect. He immediately gave their lands back and tried to help them rebuild, but the country had been so destroyed by the war they were unable to support themselves. To give them a better chance he made them a part of Xian so they could benefit from our resources until they could fend for themselves once more.”
“Wow.” That was all Serenity could say.
“Xian’s history is not all pleasant, but we do learn from it. And as awful as it was without all of that I would not have Kyril.”
“Thank God for Kyril,” Serenity proclaimed, knowing how much Kang-Dae relied on him.
“Mmm, the land is doing much better now. With the way things are, no one has felt a need to change anything.”
“Was that the reason Kah Mah separated.”
“Mostly, they had been very close allies with the southern province, as their island was not far from them. They wanted to help but knew it was a losing battle. It wasn’t until the chieftain’s death that they rebelled. Once my grandfather was crowned, he let them be.”
“If your right about my vision, they may be who we need to go to.”
“Xian hasn’t interacted with Kah Mah for years. I fear it won’t be easy creating an alliance on either end. There are still those here who feel that their actions were unforgivable no matter the reason.”
“Do you?” she asked curiously.
“I believe vows should be upheld until they go against what you know to be right. I cannot fault them for doing what they believed they must.”
“Can you convince the council of that?”
“Me? Neeco, that is what I have you for.” Serenity narrowed her eyes as he just grinned.
***
The King and Queen sat on their thrones overlooking the people before them. Representatives from the western and southern regions had come to petition the crown. They claimed their people were on the brink of starvation and wanted to beg the capital for help. Though the eastern province had been retaken there was still a blockade separating most of the country from the much-needed farmlands. It was not enough to feed everyone.
“Please my King, my Queen. We can’t go on like this much longer. Riots are breaking out almost every week. Thieves are running rampant. Our cities are on the brink of collapse.”
“Unfortunately, we do not have the resources to offer any more than we already have,” Satori spoke. “Giving more to you would just be taking more from someone else.”
Serenity looked to Kang-Dae who just stared back expectantly. She rolled her eyes before speaking.
“What about Misty Island?” Serenity asked suddenly. Everyone looked over to her.
“I had a vision about them last night. I believe they can help us,” she informed them.
“We do not trade with Kah Mah,” Satori responded. “They have long since abandoned us.”
“My Queen, you may not understand but I assure you there are reasons-,” Yoon began to add.
“Everyone has reasons. But this isn’t about the past, it’s about Xian’s future.”
“And those reasons are insignificant at the moment.” Kang-Dae continued for her.
“With respect, my King, I do not believe turning against your king is an insignificant act,” stated Satori.
“No, it isn’t. But neither is inciting a war for personal reasons,” Serenity pointed out.
“How da-,” one look from Kang-Dae shut Yoon up quickly.
“You were saying?” Kang-Dae asked slowly, the threatening edge of his tone not going unnoticed.
“Nothing my King.” After a short tense silence, the conversation continued.
“Regardless of their reason, we cannot look to those who so easily break their vows for help. How can we trust them to uphold their end?” Satori asked.
Serenity thought that was a fair point. She didn’t know much or anything about these people. But clearly, her dream knew something she didn’t, so she chose to trust it.
“Trust takes time to rebuild. This can be an opportunity to do just that.”
“My Queen,” Satori bit out. He always said it like it pained him to even utter the words. “This should not be taken lightly.”
“Our people suffer,” stated Kang-Dae. “If we are unwilling to do everything in our power to stop it how can we claim to be working in their best interest?” Kang-Dae questioned. No one said a word. Kang-Dae looked at Advisor Min. “Have an envoy sent there as soon as possible so we can open negotiations.” Min bowed and left the room. “As soon as we have made a deal, we will get the food out to both your provinces,” Kang-Dae assured the representatives. They bowed in gratitude.
Chapter Five
Later after the day was done, Kang-Dae lay upright in bed reading, while sneaking glances at Serenity who was doing her strange ritual of wrapping her hair up in silk. She had told him once it was something she did to keep her hair from getting too dry. He didn’t understand it, but he took her word for it.
“How exactly can you read without looking at the book?” Serenity teased, repeating the same words he’d said to her once before. Kang-Dae chuckled before shutting the book.
“I guess I am just in awe of how amazing my Queen is,” he answered honestly. She smiled bashfully.
“You know, back home women call themselves queens for doing the smallest things. Here I am a real queen, and I can truly say I slay.” He laughed at her confusing jargon. “Rielle was always-,” she stopped short. Kang-Dae could see the joy turn to sadness right before his eyes.
“What is it?” he asked concerned. She blew out the lantern by her mirror and stood.
“Nothing,” she said getting on her side of the bed presenting her back to him. Completely unsatisfied with the answer and her change in demeanor he reached over and turned her, so she was facing him.
&n
bsp; “You told me you would no longer keep things from me.” A guilty looked passed through her. “Talk to me.”
“I just, I realized I hadn’t thought about them today, or yesterday.”
Kang-Dae didn’t need to ask who they were, knowing she was referring to those she left behind. Serenity played with her necklace, he noticed she did that whenever she thought of her family. He imagined it was because it was her only connection to her home. “I feel guilty because I know they must be worried. My mom cried for a day when I got lost once. I was missing for an hour. I can’t even imagine what she’s feeling now. My dad,” her voice cracked. “He used to drink. He stopped when he realized it was getting bad. I worry he might start up again all because of me. Rielle, my best friend, her life is constantly messy. I was worried about her even when I saw her all the time, but I always knew she’d come to me whenever she needed me. But now I’m not there. I have all these people probably thinking I’m dead and I’m just over here, absolutely fine. When I start to feel happy, I remember what they might be going through, and I feel guilty.” A tear rolled down the bridge of her nose.