First Impressions

King Tae-Hans soldiers were waiting at the port, watching as foreign ships began to drop their anchors. In their minds, they knew this Queen would either be the key to their countries growth or the flames for war. It left them both jittery and antsy.

The King of Joseon had done his best to educate all his soldiers about his future wife's country and people. So when the soldiers watch as people began to unload cargo from the ships, most of the soldiers remained neutral in their expressions. However, for those who had never seen a foreigner before, their eyes lit up with fascination. Others were slightly wary of the varying colored people.

But some soldiers weren't paying attention to that, there eyes we're looking at the ship in the middle of six ships, it was the biggest compared to the rest, yet it was the last to unload. As a matter of fact, no one had even left the ship.

But King Tae-Hans General, Ki-Yong, knew better. This ship was not just a cargo ship but rather the ship that the Queen was aboard. With a swift gesture of his hands, he began to walk towards the dock and six of his trusted men followed, while the rest of the soldiers waited for orders.

Every Jamaican froze in their spots, the natives were moving towards the Queens ship. Not once had the people acknowledged the native people... but now all eyes were turned to the small entourage walking to her ship.

Ki-Yong stopped a few feet before the end of the dock, looking up to the ship where a pale man with blue eyes and a black man with black eyes appeared, and had begun to lift a bridge over the rail of the ship.

Immediately three of Ki-Yongs men lifted their hands, pulling the bridge towards them before tying it to the dock.

However, neither the pale man or black man moved from their spot instead they looked back further into the ship.

Loud footsteps were heard coming closer to the edge of the ship...

Ki-Yong knew it wasn't a woman walking, but rather a man, but when he saw the man come into view, his eyebrows raised in shock.

A man that looked like him, like his people, was looking back down at him, Ki-Yong watched as this man walked down the bridge towards him.

The man bowed before sticking his hand out towards Ki-Yong, quickly all the soldiers in the dock bowed and Ki-Yong grabbed the foreign man's forearm.

Although perplexed by the motion, the man followed suit and gently shook Ki-Yongs forearm like a handshake, "My name is Tae-Jeong. I am one of the wiseman to the Queen of Jamaica, my home country. And who do I have the pleasure of speaking to?" Tae-Jeong said politely in Korean.

Ki-Yong let go of Tae-Jeongs forearm and bowed slightly, before standing upright. "I am Ki-Yong. The General of Joseon or as you may call it Korea, and this is my home country."

It was Tae-Jeongs turn to look both puzzled and alarmed. He didn't like the idea of the General meeting the Queen before the King did, it was rather unsettling, "The General? Shouldn't you be by your king? Protecting him."

Ki-Yong didn't know whether his questions were insults or just genuine questions, so he decided to answer calmly, "My King has plenty of protection. I am here to protect your Queen who is to be our future one. Will this be a problem?"

"No, it will not."

Ki-Yongs heart doubled in pace as he heard one of the softest voices in his short lifetime, he without thinking, side-stepped Tae-Jeong and their in her glory was Queen Asora, smiling. And almost like earth had agreed, a soft wind blew from behind her, while the sun brightened. She looked like she was glowing from head to toe, her tiara made it seem like she had a small halo over her head.

At the sight of her, every single one of Tae-Hans soldier dropped to one knee to the ground, whether on the beach or dock, and Ki-Yong bowed deeply.

The Queens people smiled proudly, their Queen had that effect on people.

Queen Asora with the help of her uncle began to carefully walk down the bridge until she came within a foot of Ki-Yong.

"Hello, General Ki-Yong." The Queen said as she slightly bowed.

Almost immediately the General sputtered, "No need to bow my Queen, I mean, Queen..."

"Asora." She smiled.

"Yes, Queen Asora." General Ki-Yong blushed, a couple of the soldiers behind him stared at each other in amazement. Their General was really blushing, and for good reason. This Queen that stood before them was very beautiful despite her abnormal skin color to them. "Please do not bow to any of us, only to the King do you bow."

"Interesting," Queen Asora said. "I thought your people bow to those who you respect, wish to, or are older than you."

"Y-yes that is correct, but there's no need for you to do so."

"But that means I do not respect you, so for those reasons me and my people will bow to those who they respect or wish to respect."

General Ki-Yong stared at the Queen just for a second, he did not expect the Queen to be as kind and forthcoming as she was. "Yes, Queen Asora. Please do as you wish."

Queen Asora smiled wider before looking to her left and right, to her people she nodded, and every single one of her people bowed or curtsied to them, before saying together in the natives mother tongue, "Thank you for your hospitality."

Each of Taehans soldiers even the stockiest ones mouth hung ajar. Her people knew how to say something in their mother tongue.

Ki-Yong watched as the Queens people began to wave the soldiers over to them, and like a pleading puppy his soldiers all looked to him. And with a chuckle and a nod from their General, all the men quickly scurried over to the foreigners and began to help them unload.

Ki-Yong looked back to the Queen in awe, "Your people speak our language and even look like us." He said as he snuck a glance at Wisemen Tae-Jeong who smiled back.

Queen Asora grinned with pride, "You're right many more of my people look like my advisor Tae-Jeong, we are blended people who do not discriminate against peoples skin. And each one of us have spent the past several months studying your language."

Ki-Yong did a double take, "You really did that for us, even you though you have never met our people?"

"Of course, I can even read and write, I do still have a lot to learn though. But I don't think you want to have a Queen or an allied nation that doesn't try to speak the same language as you." Queen Asora said.

"Now I feel embarrassed, most of our people do not speak anything but our language. What language do you and your people speak?" Ki-Yong asked, he would make sure he learned theirs, since they learned his.

"English," Queen Asora said in her mother-tongue.

"Eegaleshoo," Ki-Yong repeated in broken English.

Queen Asora giggled, and the General outright blushed. "That was good." She said back in his mother-tongue.

"I swear my men and I will learn your language," Ki-Yong said seriously as he placed a fist over his heart.

"No need to be too serious General," Queen Asora smiled. "The fact that you're willing to learn is enough for me to know you care."

Ki-Yong couldn't help but smile at her kindness, she reminded her of his mother and sister. "Now," Queen Asora said. "We have a lot to unload, and I see your people and mine are already working together. So let's go over all the cargo. I want to make sure everything is to your satisfaction."

"Oh, but we have carriage or as we call it a 'yeon' ready for you." Ki-Yong said awkwardly as he looked back to the yeon, it was rectangular white cabin, all four sides of the cabin were fitted with beaded red curtains, and purple drapes were installed on the curtains for opening and closure. It was big enough to hold two people, and would be held up by four soldiers, who were surrounding the carriage that sat on the sand.

"That is the carriage?" Wisemen Judias asked in English, and while Ki-Yong couldn't understand what he said, Judias face showed how unimpressed.

Queen Asora glared at Judias, in which he sighed and looked off to other ships, after a few more seconds of glaring she turned to Ki-Yong with a small smile, "It seems that our versions of carriages or as you call it 'yeon' are different. In our country a carriage is pulled by horses. Is this how you do your carriages here? We've never seen this before."

"Oh we do too," Ki-Yong said quickly. "But the yeon is for the King and royal family members only."

"I see," Queen Asora said slightly perturbed by though of men physically having to strain themselves to carry such a large thing. "With much respect, General, I will not be sitting in the yeon, instead, I will take one of my horses."

"But the king would like to see you as soon as possible." Ki-Yong said alarmed that she declined the Kings offer.

"And he will," Queen Asora smiled. "But as a Queen of my own country, I have an obligation to fulfill what I promised the king and to make sure you are aware of what we have in our cargo; that we did not cheat you anything. And I also have to make sure all of my people are well and accounted for."

Ki-Yong, although still flustered by her decline, understood where she was coming from, and nodded his head. "Okay, I understand. But my king may not be happy that the yeon was not of use and even those soldiers too, they may take it personally."

Queen Asora suddenly heard giggles in the wind, and her eyes turned to some of the children of her people who were playing on the beach. The children tagged along with their parents or families who would cook for the native people and her people as well, she knew exactly how to use the yeon.

"Children do tire easily, so I will have some of the children sit in the carriage. Is that okay General?" She asked as she turned back to Ki-Yong.

Ki-Yong, who had a fondness for children, smiled back at the Queen, "That will not be problem."

"Great," Queen Asora clapped excitedly. "Now let's get to the inventory, so your King isn't waiting for me too long."

"With pleasure," Ki-Yong said as he stepped aside and allowed her and her advisors walk past towards the beach.

As he followed after them he noticed that the Queen had red streaks on the bottom of her white dress, Tae-Jeong who was in the back of the group turned back his head to see the Generals alarmed face.

So he slowed down and walked the same pace as the General, "I see you looked rather confused with her choice of dressing."

General Ki-Yong face reddened in embarrassment, "I did not mean to come off as rude, it's just not a normal sight see. Is this a cultural or is she hurt?"

Wisemen Tae-Jeong laughed, "She is by no means hurt, Queen Asora intentionally wanted her dress to look like that."

"Why?" Ki-Yong asked.

"Queen Asora was not the traditional heir you may think she is."

"Was she voted in?" Ki-Yong asked. "It has been a few centuries since the last time another person who was not a royal heir became King."

"She fought for it." Wisemen Tae-Jeong said.

"Fought for it?!" Ki-Yong exclaimed. "As in she overthrew the last king?!"

"No, our previous king was assassinated by our enemies. And in order to be the leader of our country, you had to several tests and trials to become King or Queen. And her last test was to fight the remaining women and men to become Queen of our country." Tae-Jeong explained. "The white dress symbolizes that while she has pure intentions, love, and body, she had to get your hands dirty to become the Queen that she now is."

Ki-Yong looked ahead to see Queen Asora clumsily taking off her heels with the help of her advisors. He didn't understand how someone as tiny as her could kill a man, but he respected the her for what she gone through. She was a soldier willing to lead his people almost like and that moved him to protect her even more so.

"I think she will make a great Queen for our people," Ki-Yong smiled.

Wisemen Tae-Jeong chuckled, "And I can tell you now, that she really is."