by Zola Tau
Nari just nodded, more to herself than anyone else around her. "But father, what example does it set to the people that we don't care about their troubles not enough to even place the one accused into a holding to prepare for trial?" Princess Ki asked. The people all chanted with praise in unison. Palace officials were divided amongst themselves, while the king looked to them for help.
"Yes, what justice is there for my child?" A man in rags yelled.
"Are you not our king" some yelled.
"Place her in holding, until there is evidence of otherwise." others shouted.
A small smirk found its way to Ki's face. The village people pushed forth towards the king, at this, the guards created a circle around the king and his children.
"I didn't participate in this awful crime you guys speak of" Ada finally said. "I didn't, how could I take a life of a child that someone cared for when I lost a life I cared for just recently? Do you not think I'm human enough to do at least that?" as Ada spoke all were silent.
"I know you don't think I'm human enough to at least wear a crown to my name, but believe me when I say I cry sea like tears, when I'm hurting and require all the same you do in order to function as you do, if not a princess then at least see me as a being. " Ada finished.
" As sweet as that was Princess, how is it that everything is timed just right from when you and your father placed a foot on this land, you brought your evil spirits with you " Ki stood up and scoffed waving her hands in Ada's face.
“Is this the way of your people, king” Ada asked as she turned towards the king in disgust.
“Do you punish without reason or evidence?” she yelled louder. Nari widen her eyes at this new woman before them.
Ada in anger walked towards Princess Ki, no longer to ask for her hand but to slap her, and so she did.
"As for you! Don't you ever speak so carelessly about my father, whom you never even knew, I wouldn't think to disrespect your father's name don't be so cruel to mine!" Ada said walking closer and closer to Princess Ki's face.
"If you hated me you should've said so from the start, not speak so sour of my father." With each proceeding word, she poked at Princess Ki's shoulder causing the princess to walk back in fear of being slapped once more, her hands on her cheek that were now turning pink.
"Who, do you think you are?!?" Princess Ki yelled still holding onto her cheeks.
"Do you enter a stranger's home, help yourself to their things and still Attack them?" Princess Ki asked in anger.
"Am I your guest? Is this how one treats their guest? With false, and unforgivable accusations?" Ada replied back. All that stood around shook their heads and mumbled in shock.
"Father, you dare allow a stranger to boldly attack me, it doesn't matter her status, once one hurts one, and they hurt us all, or are you not a king of your word." Princess Ki asked boldly raising her voice at her father.
The king distraught looked at his Advisor who stood beside him. The advisor made his way towards him and whispered in his ear.
"We shouldn't arrest the princess, but if you allow her to get away with slapping a princess of this land the people will lose respect for you. We would just later need to get the princess out." he whispered to the king.
The king looked at him, and gave a nod; the people awaited waiting for his decision. The royal adviser stood and reluctantly voiced. "Guards arrest Princess… Ada. "
Ada looked around in fear, confused. Ki smirked once more as she saw the princess shriveled and locked from the ability to have an upper hand. "Rule number one, do not threaten a lioness on her own territory" Ki scoffed to Ada's face.
"But father!" The crown prince and his eldest brother both exclaimed. But King Wook only stuck out his hand to silence and bring them to stop. The crown prince tried to reach for Princess Ada but his eldest brother pulled him back.
"You'd only make the situation worse, speak to the king when no one is present to influence his decision." the eldest brother said. Nari stayed silent and just observed.
An evening fog was quickly descending on the palace, as Ada was being led to a holding room underground to the palace meanwhile she quivered. The path towards to it was murky and as lonely as it felt, it seemed that it was built to be hidden. A place absent to light and life, though only a few layers of earth separated anyone from the dead life below, and vibrant colors overhead.
The guards tried to be gentle with Ada, easy to press on her hands so that she wasn't hurt physically as well, as kind as guards could be they made efforts to do so all to not make her feel uncomfortable.
"Her father must be rolling restless in his grave." A guard was heard saying as he watched Ada be escorted by him and group of other guards.
Throughout Ada just gave a blank expression on her face it said more than intended. The blank expression was one of fatigue, and hopelessness the feeling one gets when through time it's grown obvious that nothing was going to get better, therefore, it was better to just allow the rough waves that life drowned you in to rise, rather than fight it, waste energy and drown all the same.
The area in which Ada was kept gave off an everlasting eerie stench fitting well to the horror tale it seemed to be a part of. The walls of the holding cell were made of chipped stones, with moss growing from each crevice. Chains embedded themselves on the walls, as well as hammered metal shackles on the floor. Depressions took the ground and decorated itself with hay as a cushion and in the air hung the scent of fatality and suffering.
There was a strange cold that surrounded the back of the room as Ada looked about trying to find a way to make sense of where she found herself. On the side of the wall, there was a black molding stain, which caused Ada to shudder to even imagine what it probably was.
"Is this really what I've become?" Ada asked herself looking around.
To an extend Ada no longer had a reaction. The stubborn princess has now become so numb with the fast paced waves that she saw it pointless to cry, or rather her tears have gone dry because the amount she had stored didn't even slightly come to match with the horror she's been experiencing. Ada wanted to scream and tell the world that this was not a way treat a Princess but even she wanted to denounce the title.
From afar and in a dungeon of mental captivity himself, the king walked about from one area of his room to the other. The king fell silent about all that was occurring struggling to comprehend why things were as they were.
Earlier that day the officials had advised him to allow Ada to be used to form an alliance as his own.
In the midst thought, a knock came to his door breaking him from what once consumed his attention, his thoughts.
[제 9장]
“Silence, in a setting requiring action,
is a larger crime than to commit the crime by your own hands ”
At the door stood Nari with food for the king to eat, since often stress caused him to consume himself. Nari like always came and placed food by his bed and knelt on the velvet pillow by the table that rested with food. It was not normal for Nari to stay by as long as she did to make sure the king ate therefore even the king grew suspicious of her actions.
In the honesty that rested within her heart, she was there for her own selfish wish, something other, than to just checking on the king's well-being. Desperately she knelt fiddling with her thumb.
"What is it Nari so that I may grant this to you? There seems to be something on your mind." The king said coming forth and getting his bowl of porridge from the table.
Avoiding eye contact with the king, Nari proceeded to say "I was just concerned would Princess Ada truly be found guilty of treason, for placing Princess Ki in her place after all the evil she has done?"
The king didn't reply for a while till he looked for a reason to keep Nari quiet." I am your King do not question my actions so carelessly." He said as he began to walk away.
"You wonder why your daughters betray your name. The biggest example of all came to light and there in the dungeon, she sits for defending her fat
her. I would doubt that Princess Ki would even slightly come to your defense, she cares for no one other than herself and you allow her to smother everyone else with this idea of arrogance." Nari finished.
"You give points with no way to counteract them, how am I going help you? No matter what the princess must be punished, it's for her own good and safety; in the dungeon, she is safer and out of target." The King added.
"If it's found out she didn't get in trouble for lifting a hand at the people's princess do you think she'd be safe?" He added once more as he was placing the bowl of porridge back onto the table.
"But f-... but fine, I only assumed a king such as yourself would have enough power to protect any of your people why do you never use it? I am out of line to speak as I do, but we both know that if the foreign leader were present at this moment the act to free the princess would not be questioned because she wouldn't even be there in the first place." Nari began to say.
Her being in its wholeness shuttered at how boldly she was addressing the King and pinpointing flaws in his past choices so openly.
The king reached for Nari's unsteady hand; her hand seemed to have contained more that wanted to be said that Nari's lips did not allow being released. Quickly Nari moved her hand and backed up.
"If you're unable to help my Princess, King I have to say I no longer have anything to speak about, I ask to be excused, and forgive my request, that would require you to act accordingly to the humanity in yourself. " Nari said, and she walked towards the door not waiting for a command allowing her to be excused. The king called her name, but she didn't turn around even the slightest.
A shaking Nari walked down the halls and towards the servant quarters upset with herself, especially at the expense her unsuccessful mission. Upon getting into her room, she glanced at her humble bed that obtained a letter, on the envelope similar to many that have come in the past was her name written in ink.
Nari rolled her eyes and huffed. "How irrational can one be?" she asked herself with a grunt of aggravation she stood up and walked over to the stream towards the back of the quarters.
Walking out of her room, there as the direct anterior view of the home of the palace staff dwelling quarters, if one walked long enough, straight into the woods decorating the back of the servant's yard, you would find your way into the area where the royals resided.
With a sigh, she took the note and like she did to the other letters she has received she walked them towards the stream like a ritual. For every time a note showed up on her bed she ripped it up and spread it around the stream, she squatted down and sat on the grass staring with envy at the water. "You get to roam about so freely with no start and no finish." She said curled up like a ball indulging on the moonlight's reflection on the water.
While everyone thought to himself as to how they were to get the princess out of prison for doing something they all had wished to be done so long ago the crown prince found his way about and walked into the dungeon. Through the bars, he stared at Ada as she fell asleep on the filthy hay. The prince took in the outline of her face, her slim oval face, her dark lashes were so bold they outshine the dark cafe of her skin. Her untamed hair was splattered in decoration with bits and pieces of hay, and her curls laid as a pillow for her.
"You could've escaped this fate if only you just didn't give in and lay your hands on her.” he said through the bars in a whisper speaking more to himself. " I don't blame you after years of being with her many of us wished it was that did that." he continued, all in all, his words came to a halt as the sound of soft mumbling.
Princess Ada seemed to be well into a dream as she whimpered calls for her mother and father. The crown prince shook his head and sat beside the cell which held Ada. He outstretched his arms trying to get a feel for her hand, but she was too far away. Instead, the prince squats down staring into the dungeon unsure what it was that he could do but, question himself.
"Why are you even here, what is she to you?" The prince asked himself. His sigh dismissed his question, and he sat leaning onto the cell bar.
Too lost in thought the Prince was taken aback when he saw a guard come in suddenly, though both the guard and the prince were startled, the kind guard took it to himself to bow several times as he should.
"Our Prince why are you here? If I may ask." The guard asked in curiosity.
Hesitant the prince just said as the few words that came to mind. "I'm paying my reverence to the foreign princess.” he said standing up and dusting off the dirt on his hanbok.
"Ah, I see Prince, but I do have a request to fulfill, I came to take her highness out of the dungeon. She's been dismissed." the guard said. In joy, the crown prince smiled and grinned, ecstatic to hear the words that he heard just then.
"Father has finally come to his senses.” the crown prince said as he tried to seem as calm as he could.
" Oh no, Crown Prince, I was informed by the eldest prince that the princess has her as a maiden to herself till she pays off her debt to her, or perhaps gets married. " the guard replied even he confused on the message he delivered. "It isn't the best of choices, but it is better than her staying here, don't you think Prince?" The guard, spoke his words speaking towards the ground, avoiding the prince’s eyes.
"Who allowed the middle Princess to enslave another princess, What crime did she commit but to defend herself!!??" The prince expressed in anger dismissing the last question.
"Would you rather your lover be left in there to rot? Dear brother?" A voice asked as it came down the stairs.
The voice didn't sound of a voice belonging to a woman but rather a man forcing a female voice. Proving true to his theory, out from the darkness came in the eldest prince.
" She'll be living with Areum’s protection for a while, till Ki returns from her trip that father sent her on to visit her mother, she isn't gone yet, but she has been taken away to board the ship tonight. " The eldest Prince said with a smile as if he was deserving of an award.
The crown prince turned his sight into a glare towards his eldest brother for causing a fear within him. The confused guard stood there unsure what to do.
"Open it, would you?" The crown prince said looking at the guard, and the guard did just that. The two princes in a way fought to carry Ada. "I'll take her to her room, brother. You should go thank father." the crown prince said with a smile.
Reluctantly the eldest brother did just that he felt it was his duty to do so. "He commands his eldest brother around because of a girl, some friend she is to him. "The eldest brother said to himself with a laugh to follow." Even so for as long as she is just a friend to him than to me I can admit out-loud my attraction to her." He said as a conclusion to his thoughts.
With Ada asleep on his back, the crown prince carried her towards her room, and Areum stood outside waving for her brother to hurry with the princess. "She's been here no longer than twenty days, and already she's had the experience of a lifetime.” The prince said as he slowly laid her on the bed. He stared at her face, with her eyes closed and a doll like innocence, he took in her beauty as he laid her, on her bed.
"Well at least she hasn't gone crazy yet "Areum scoffed. The crown prince, didn’t respond to his sister rather he was dazed within the dream of the woman before him. Areum looked to her brother then said, " I have a meeting to attend for the night, but I should be back to check up on her."
"A meeting? Areum you aren't getting into more trouble are you?" the crown prince asked waiting to be amused with his youngest sister's response.
"As a matter of fact I am going to go make sure that our dear sister Ki gets where she is supposed to be." she quickly said. Before there was time for the Prince to ask any more questions, she changed the route of the conversation back to the problem at hand. "Call for Nari to prepare a bath for her, and wake her to do so. Those dungeons are full of disgust she doesn't deserve to go to bed in the feeling of such filth."
The crown prince nodded and looked back towards Ada’s direction." Why
do I need to call Nari to prepare her a bath, I'll just do it myself. How hard it to throw petals on the water and boil some water?" he asked himself as he started walking to the bathing hall.
He made an effort to make the water warm and spread about the hibiscus flowers long enough for them to release their wine-red color in the water. Soon after all was prepared he smiled with a feeling of accomplishment and he then took the time to go wake Ada to bathe.
" I might as well be a craftsman, I seem to have the talent to waking up everywhere but where I started. " Ada said as she spoke to herself, after be shaken awake by the crown prince. “ Then maybe you should keep yourself out of trouble.” He added.
A confused Ada did as she was told as she outstretched her arms, yawning and as always questioning her whereabouts. By the time Ada reached the bathing hall, she was surprised to see Nari sitting there waiting with her arms hugging one another in a tight grip in front of her nervously.
The moment she saw the princess, she became overjoyed causing her to race towards her Princess to bow at her feet, but instead, Ada stood her up lifting her up her hand, causing them both, to fall into the water as a result of a quick attack of an embrace. Nari was jumping for joy and attacking Ada, with the happiness she felt lead them to lose their balance.
"I tell you not to make me worry, and you carry out to just do that, Princess. " Nari said.
Ada looked down and whispered an apology, then paused. "For a servant, you insist on acting like a protector of me, that I do not mind Nari because since I have stepped foot here, you have been the one to treat me as someone worthy to serve.
"There, there, you stubborn Princess, even I at times am shocked by how much of a friend you make of me. When I heard you had returned I rushed over and after seeing you, all is well. Princess Ki was sent by the king to go visit her mother, this evening "Nari went on.
"Why would he send his daughter at night?" Ada asked in curiosity.
"The ships that sail at night tend to be less likely to be the ones attacked and hunted for gold especially if thieves of the sea hear it boards a royal, they are most likely to get attacked, so it is better to ship out when it is less likely for anyone to see. "