If Sun Tzu is anything to go by, a normal traveling distance for an army is 30 li = 15 km = 9.3 miles. The Parks pushed their troops to about 60 li per day which is fine because they travel at max 3 days until they arrive and have almost 1 up to 3 days to replenish their energy while waiting for the enemy. Hwon however has a problem when he exhausts his troops like this for 5 days and without a rest for his soldiers before battle.

Namjoon focus

After yesterday's arrival of officer Park Hyungsik in the early afternoon, the general had called for a last meeting of all the officers to discuss the plan. The troops had been distributed into the two camps of Namjoon's design, a bigger portion in the south, a smaller one in the north. They had discussed which officer would take which route down from the mountain to receive Hwon. The cages of birds had been positioned by officer Bogum. And the wooden pedestal had been prepared, only missing the décor.

Right now, it was decorated, equipped with the tea table, and Namjoon who was sitting on his chair in the shadow of the umbrella, slowly drinking a cup of cold tea. Today was a beautiful late summer day that made him sweat under his armor, but the thought of Hwon's soldiers being equally drenched in sweat pacified him.

His messenger had transmitted his request for a meeting and had brought back the information that their enemy would arrive around the time of lunch, so here Namjoon was, waiting for any movement ahead. If they already arrived today, it meant that Hwon had pushed his soldiers to speed up just as much as Silla's officers had, so they would be tired upon their arrival which contributed to his plan. Still, the tension was almost unbearable.

"Your highness. I think I can see something," general Park, who was seated on his horse next to the pedestal, said.

"Finally," Namjoon murmured and put town the cup he had been playing with nervously.

And indeed, there was a swirl of dust against the bright sky and a dark line approaching them. Namjoon checked if his horse was still loosely tied to the pole next to the pedestal in case he needed to make a quick escape.

"Your highness," the general said at his anxious twisting. "My nephew believes in your plan. Be a little confident for this old man's sake now."

Namjoon could not stop himself from chuckling. General Park was just as nervous as he was. It was comforting in a way. Even decades on the battlefield could not make you resistant against the nerves of war.

Two riders had separated from the approaching troops and galloped towards the pedestal.

Namjoon forcibly relaxed his body and sunk back into the chair, giving his teacup another fill. If this should work, he had to be as confident as possible. He had to be self-satisfied, something he normally was not, but fortunately he had seen enough minister sons in his life to know how it had to look like.

Hwon's face became visible in the distance. Big soft-looking eyes graced a pale face that had a strong nose but nothing of the sharp edges and clean-cut lines of the man who was riding next to him. It was a face that spoke of good feeding and little strain, which was a strange contrast to the deep scowl that twisted the lips in distaste at Namjoon's appearance.

The riders stopped their horses, and two pairs of eyes gave Namjoon's stage an inspection. He sipped on his cup.

"King Hwon," he greeted the soft-faced one. "General," he said to the middle-aged man with tanned sharp features.

"Kim," the enemy's general answered while Hwon just rolled his eyes, looking like he bit into something sour. Good, Namjoon thought, at least the general seemed reasonable.

When the king looked back at him, aloofness was prominent in his features. "I saw your towers at Gimcheon pass deserted with nothing but a lonely soldier asking for my audience. Are you scared of me and ready to negotiate about peace?" he asked Namjoon with a risen eyebrow.

"Not in the least," the crown prince answered calmly and put down the cup to fold his hands in his lap.

Hwon snorted and rolled his eyes again. Had no one ever taught this brat etiquette? "You should be, if this is all you came with," the Baekje king said then with a gesture at general Park.

Namjoon sighed like he was talking to a petulant child. "Park," he ordered his general who grabbed the small flute that was fastened around his neck.

A long sharp whistle cut through the song of the cicadas.

And was answered by the rolling of numerous war drums from the forests.

Satisfied Namjoon watched how Hwon's face fell and his general's eyes quickly scanned their surroundings. His troops really looked good, even if he could just glance at them from the corner of his eyes. Amused he smiled at his enemy and enjoyed the growing concern on their faces.

"You know the situation now," he said once his troops had come to a halt, a ghostly silence settling over the plains of quiet cicadas. "I will give you three nights to sleep over a decision. We have lived in peace for long, we can live in peace for longer. I would rather fight a thousand battles with you than one against you, my brother."

The meaning of his words was warm, but he could not bring himself to make his tone less icy. This man was marching against his kingdom without reason, pressuring him into weighing the lives of his soldiers against his wish for saving his heirloom.

"What? That is all?" Hwon suddenly huffed and Namjoon's abdomen tensed. Had he miscalculated the situation? Had minister Park's information been incorrect?

"My king," the enemy general interrupted and leaned over to whisper something into his ruler's ear.

Hwon's face became as sour as before, but then he suddenly turned his horse around and vanished in a cloud of dust.

"Kim," the general spoke to him, looking troubled with the whole situation but unable to figure it out. "I don't know what this is, but don't rest your heart. We may accept your three nights, but know that my king is not easily swayed by words nor by threats."

With that he also turned around and followed his emperor.

Namjoon breathed out relieved. General Park echoed him.

"So far, your highness predicted everything correctly," the old man said. "I hope your shamming will end in success."

Namjoon stood up and unfastened his stallion to get on. "This is called deception, general. And it is an art worth cultivating." He gave his horse the heel.

><

Jiyeon (Jimin's sister) focus

Jiyeon had only been to the capital two times. The first time, aunty Solmi had taken her to visit a meeting of the scholars for her husband; another time, their family had been invited to cousin Bogum's one hundred days celebration for his son, a feast that had ended with the Park senior brothers getting drunk and being at each other's throat.

However, that celebration had been the only situation where she had seen her aunt-in-law, consort Kang. Of course, they had received sweets from her whenever Taehyung had resided at their mansion in Busan, but Jiyeon knew that royalty liked to throw around their wealth, so she had never been fast to expect anything of the consort. But at the celebration she had learned that the woman was just as warm and benevolent as her son, and Jiyeon had instantly liked her.

Still, she would never have thought that consort Kang would invite her to the palace. It was a great honor and Jiyeon was brimming with curiosity. Only rumors about the treasures and beauty within those walls had reached her ears, so she was anxious to find out the truth.

"Young mistress, we arrived," old Lee said through the screen, and Jiyeon slipped out of the carriage to look around. The huge portal of the royal gardens greeted her.

"Young mistress Park?" one of the soldiers asked her when she had lowered her head again to look for someone to let her in.

"Yes, that is me," she answered with a smile and curtsied. The soldier bowed.

"Noble consort Kang is expecting you. Please follow me," he told her and gestured two of his men to bring her luggage.

"Young master," she spoke to the man who was guiding her towards the entrance. "Where can old Lee rest?" She gestured at her carriage driver who stood next to the horse now.

The young soldier gestured another one of his comrades to take care of Lee. "Our servant quarters have guestrooms as well. We shall accommodate your employee there."

Jiyeon smiled. "Thank you."

The soldier smiled back shyly and gestured her to come along.

"Her ladyship is having tea right now," the young maid whom the soldier had handed her over to said. "She is waiting for young mistress at the tea house."

Jiyeon nodded absentmindedly, distracted by the beautiful buildings she could catch a glimpse of on their way through the hallways. Busan was a rich town, but the palace was far more beautiful than any building there.

"Say, sister. What is that building?" she asked when they passed a door that led outside and towards a huge pavilion-like building surrounded by a lake.

The maid came back to where Jiyeon had stopped and looked outside as well. "That is the banquet hall," she explained and began walking again, hesitantly followed by her guest. "It is used for big feasts. Once the crown prince will return from the battlefield successfully, we will arrange a big banquet there."

Jiyeon listened up. "Sister seems confident that we will win this war," she noted.

The maid turned back to her. "Is young mistress doubting the success of her brothers and cousins?"

Jiyeon smiled brightly. "Of course not," she said proudly. "I just did not know that my family receives such trust from the palace."

The maid just nodded without commenting further.

When they left the hallways and stepped outside, Jiyeon could already see the tea house in the distance. It had the form of a small shrine and was built on an island of another artificial lake. With all the doors opened, the place invited the visitor to look around the area with lavishly green trees and neatly groomed paths.

"My lady, young mistress Park has arrived," the maid announced her once they had crossed the bridge to the shrine-like building.

"Oh, my dear!" consort Kang welcomed her warmly. "Sit down with me. Let me see your face."

"Noble consort Kang," Jiyeon greeted the woman with a polite curtsy before sitting down on one of the heavily ornamented sitting matts. "I am very thankful for your invitation to the capital. I will do my best to be a good guest at the palace."

"Oh, no need to be so formal, my dear. Call me madam," the consort said happily. "And to tell you the truth: I was rather selfish in inviting you, so you do not need to worry about troubling me." The woman's eyes gleamed warmly and Jiyeon instantly felt at ease.

"I was very happy when I received madam's letter," she revealed. "I never had a chance to spend much time in the capital, because father... father does not like the capital that much." Embarrassed she looked down at her hands.

"Do not be shy," consort Kang told her. "Your father did good in staying out of the court's businesses. He is an honest and strong-willed man."

"Madam means he has got a bad temper," Jiyeon translated the consort's nice words into what they really meant.

The woman concealed her laughter behind a sip of tea. "Oh, how inconsiderate of me," she then said. "We have been talking for this long and I did not offer you any drink. Please, try this and tell me what you think." She took the tea pot and filled a second cup, handing it to the younger.

Jiyeon tried it and found it to be quite familiar. "This is father's favorite," she noticed perplexed. "He always drinks it when he is home and no one is allowed to drink it without him." Again, embarrassment overcame her at what she had blurted out without thought.

But consort Kang only smiled warmly. "That is because I make it my personal concern to reserve him some of the palace's crop every spring," she explained, and Jiyeon's eyes became round. Her father truly held a spot of importance in the kingdom to be graced with the palace's personal tea crops.

"Uhm, consort- I mean, madam is very thoughtful," she replied and sipped on her cup again. It truly was a delicious brew, fragrant in odor but mallow in taste. Not like the bitter infusion their housekeeper normally served. But maybe the old lady was just not treating the tea properly like her father did.

"It is nothing," the woman brushed it off. "I am interested. Apart from your good taste in tea, what else are the interests of young mistress Park?"

Jiyeon was not sure what to tell the consort. She liked to visit the market and practice the sword with the guards at the mansion. She also liked to go swimming in the ocean and diving for pearls or fishing. But none of that seemed to be something that would please the wife of a king.

"What are you afraid of? Just tell me. Satisfy this old lady's curiosity," consort Kang asked of her.

"You are not old, madam," was the first thing Jiyeon blurted out. Noble consort Kang did not have a single white hair, nor deep wrinkles like their housekeeper. She looked fairly young.

"What flattery," the woman said and laughed softly. "Thank you, my dear. But now tell me what you like to do. The palace and the capital are so different from Busan."

"Well," Jiyeon began to tell. "I like to stroll the haven when the trader ships and fisher boats arrive to buy fish or sea food. The vendors have really delicious snacks, spicy shrimp or fish soup." Consort Kang was listening interested. Most likely the capital did not have those vendors. "And if it is too warm, I like to spend time at the beach." Swimming was better not to mention.

"Oh, but your complexion," consort Kang said shocked as if she had not seen how dark Jiyeon's face and hands were by now. Shyly, the girl looked down.

"In Busan most people do not care for the sun," she explained. Apart from the Park family only two more noble families lived in Busan, and their sons and daughters had either gone to the military or moved to the capital. And the simple folk did not care about things like that, so Jiyeon also had never cared much.

"I see," the older woman replied and nodded as if contemplating that idea.

"If madam was agreeable, I would like to see the market in the capital. Father said it is much bigger than the one at home and they sell more sweets."

The consort was smiling. "Of course, we can visit the market. Only today I fear that most stalls will already be closed. It is rather late to go out. Maybe we can go the day after tomorrow?"

"If madam would like to," Jiyeon answered.

"Today you shall settle in, and tomorrow I will show you around the palace, so that you will not get lost or enter places you are not supposed to," the woman explained and poured them each a fresh cup of tea. "But for now, let us rest and enjoy the beautiful weather. Ah, I was wondering: since young mistress' uncle-in-law is a scholar, is there any book you came to like?"

Another thing Jiyeon was not sure how to answer. The books she spent most of her time with most likely would be frowned upon by aunty Solmi and her husband, even more so by consort Kang, she could imagine. "I have a collection of poems that I hold dear," she decided to answer. It was not a lie, and an easy way out.

The consort seemed happy with her answer. "The palace has a library that could also be of interest to you then," the woman said. She already seemed to plan their day tomorrow.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Jiyeon suddenly remembered. "Uncle-in-law has sent some books which he thought might be of interest to noble consort Kang. As I had no idea what to bring as a gift, he was kind enough to prepare something," she admitted shyly.

The woman looked happy. "Oh, next time just bring me something of the ocean. I never was lucky enough to visit the sea, so I would love to have something that makes the stories and poems I read about the coast livelier."

Jiyeon smiled at her. "Then I will bring madam a shell next time. They are very pretty inside," she promised. "Aunty Solmi has one big enough to be used as a storage for her jewelry."

"Oh, how exciting," consort Kang agreed with gleaming eyes. "I would like that very much, my dear."

>><<