Yoongi focus

"Now isn't he a rude guy?" Yoongi asked the donkey he was riding through the forest. "Hwon should have brought wine and beautiful dancers for our first meeting, but he decides to bring an army. Such poor etiquette..."

The donkey stayed quiet and shuffled forward on the slim mountain path. Prince Namjoon had sent him off to spread the story of his father under the Hwon soldiers, so Yoongi had taken the opportunity to bring back his storyteller masquerade and had borrowed a donkey from one of the houses in Gimcheon, dressed it up with red décor, and rode it over the southern hills towards the enemy's camp.

At this time of the day, the soldiers should be out and searching for firewood, so he should be able to find a few to place his demon in the enemy's heart.

Half an hour of slow travel later (he would probably have been faster without the donkey), he came across a small group of men with the Hwon's emblem on their sash and headband. The bunch gave him a strange look, hands resting on their swords, before they seemed to decide that he did not look dangerous.

"What are soldiers doing in these quiet woods? I thought we live in peace," Yoongi asked them, making his donkey halt.

One of the soldiers stopped looking for twigs and turned towards him. "We're foot folk. What would we know about the ones who dress in golden thread?" he replied, eyes overflowing with suspicion. He obviously knew more than he was willing to tell, but he also seemed to be the leader of this group, so if Yoongi wanted to know more he would have to crack this one.

He snorted amused. "A war in prosperous times like these smells like a war for love." Crossing his arms, he leaned back as far as possible without toppling over and off the donkey back.

"A war for love? What are you babbling, storyteller?" the man asked and began to collect wood again, ignoring Yoongi.

"Don't tell me you never heard of the to-be-sworn brothers Kim and Hwon?" he kept poking.

"The late emperors? What about them?" another of the group asked, receiving a sharp look from the leader that made him lower his head again.

"I heard they fought over a woman," another said, apparently not as afraid of their leader as the one before.

Yoongi grinned satisfied. "That's quite true my friend. Their fathers had been sworn brothers and the sons were about to renew the bond when both fell in love with the same woman," he sighed. "Their love was so deep that they decided to fight over their own death for her," he exaggerated. "But when prince Kim won, he did not have the heart to kill his former friend and only cut off his topknot."

Now four angry pairs of eyes were looking up at him. "He did what!?" the leader asked enraged.

Yoongi raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Don't be mad at me. That's how the story goes." The four men calmed down a little, so Yoongi felt safe to continue. "The disgrace caused a war between Baekje and Silla, but no kingdom could overpower the other, so they settled on a forced peace that held out over more than a decade."

The soldiers seemed to contemplate what he was saying.

"But now you tell me the war started again?" he asked displeased. "Tell me who started it. Was it king Hwon? Is he searching revenge for his father?" All the eyes were glancing at him secretly. He had them. "Or is he searching for his own revenge?" he began to provoke. "What I heard on the streets is that Hwon never favored his own son, his own flesh and blood. So I wonder, is he taking revenge on the son his father always wanted to have? From the woman he had fought for? Is he marching forward with a petty reason, crying about how his father has never loved him because of a son that wasn't even his own?"

"Don't run your mouth!" the leader barked at him eventually.

"Did I say something wrong?" Yoongi asked bored, slumping back over his donkey's back. "Is there any pressing reason for war? Is your folk hungry, is it sick? Last time I checked your people were perfectly able to treat me to wine and meat. So, what could possibly motivate your young king to pull you from your house and loan and lead you into battle with a nation you have been trading with peacefully for almost a decade?" he asked snappishly.

The leading soldier seemed angry when he spoke, "The Kim spies infiltrated the court and corrupted our ministers, making the young king's work a mess. We're here to take revenge for the unmanly way to destroy our government," he finally spat out. So, not as much of a foot soldier as he had wanted Yoongi to believe.

He laughed at the silly excuse. "What kind of nonsense is that?" he asked amused. "What use would there be in destroying the court of a kingdom that trades with your own?" he reprimanded the one in front of him.

"What would a storyteller know?" the soldier barked at him, looking seriously irritated.

"Yeah, yeah," Yoongi retracted to pacifying the situation. "Think what you want, but that reason doesn't seem worth a war for me. Purge the foul eggs and replace them with loyal men. That's what every new king must do. Have a nice war. I'll be at the next guest house if you search for me." And he gave his donkey the heel and passed the starstruck Hwon soldiers.

His mission here was done. Now he had to turn around and go to receive the Goguryeo army to inform them about their plans and lead them here.

"Can't you speed up a little?" he asked the donkey that was still as slow as before. The animal stayed quiet.

"Are you not supposed to make sounds and be mulish?" The donkey halted.

"Oh no, that's not what I meant. Keep going. I'll feed you well," Yoongi said panicked, but the animal just stood there silently. "Is this what they call a self-fulfilling prophecy?"

He jumped off the ride and took the reins to pull at them and make the donkey move again. It was like pulling on a rock.

"If you don't move, I'll feed you to our dogs," he said half-heartedly, but to his surprise, the donkey began to move again. "Oh, so you listen when I tell you you'll be fed to someone? What did your owners treat you like?"

><

Jiyeon focus

"This is the banquet hall," consort Kang explained when they stepped out of the palace quarters and approached the building Jiyeon had asked for yesterday. "The one hundred days celebration of your cousin's son should have taken place here, but Dahee was adamant on celebrating at minister Park's mansion."

Impressed Jiyeon traced the lines of the solid pillars and the heavy roof with her eyes and felt slightly disappointed that they had not celebrated here. The hall was beautiful with its open ground floor and the cozier upper level, and the artificial lake with the koi fish was a nice sight to look at. It was far more comfortable than the dark mansion they had celebrated in. She could even imagine how rows of torches would illuminate the happy guests.

Or not so happy, she remembered. Maybe it was better that uncle and father had not embarrassed themselves at the palace.

"I was told that the celebration of the crown prince's successful return will be held here," she replied, happy that she knew something.

Consort Kang looked impressed. "Who told you?" she asked astounded.

Now this was uncomfortable. Was it suitable for a palace maid to talk about things like this; could she tell that it had been one of the maids who had informed her?

"It was me, my ladyship," the girl who had received her yesterday said from behind them.

The consort looked appeased. "Yes, Miso is right. The kitchens are already preparing for his return."

Jiyeon wondered why everyone was this sure about their success. "Does it not bring bad luck to forestall the outcome of a battle?" she asked concerned. Father had always told them that a war was only won once the enemy declared defeat and that a good general had to accept the prospect of defeat in order to succeed.

The consort eyed her with contemplation. After a moment she replied, "It does not matter what the celebration will be for; we prepare to receive our heroes or our defeaters. Whatever the outcome, a banquet will be needed." It sounded too serious for the lively and unconcerned woman Jiyeon had met all the times before. Apparently, consort Kang was not as shallow and easy as she made one believe.

"But let us not talk about defeat," the lady continued in a brighter tune. "Let me show you to the bathhouse. It is my second favorite place after the tea pavilion which we will visit later."

Jiyeon smiled at the childish claim of favorites and followed the consort to leave the banquet hall behind, pass the tea house they had sat together in yesterday, and walk down a neat path that led towards the western parts of the gardens.

"The bathhouse is also open to guests of the palace, so you can visit at any time and ask concubine Oh to make you one of her praised herbal baths," consort Kang explained. As far as Jiyeon remembered, concubine Oh had been taken into the palace very late with her almost mature son, and the two were tending to the palace's bathhouse.

She had never met the first prince nor his mother, so to walk into the bathhouse without being properly introduced seemed rude. "May I greet concubine Oh and her son?" she asked of the consort who smiled and nodded at her question.

"Of course, you may. Since you will be staying here for a while it is only right to get to know all the important people," the lady said. And Jiyeon found herself impressed. She would have thought that between the women in the palace, there would be bad blood, but apparently that was but the stuff her favorite novels were made of.

The bathhouse was just as beautiful as all the other buildings within the palace gardens. The green of its cornice was radiating in the sun and the tips of the trees in the garden behind the hallways made it look much livelier than the yards of the royal quarters.

When they entered, a bunch of maids hurried around, and a moment later a rather tall slender woman with soft features was at their side to welcome them. She was dressed in simple but noble clothes with the long sleeves bound back to allow the freedom of her hands, and to Jiyeon's amazement she was barefooted.

"Noble consort Kang. Young mistress. How can I help you?" she asked calmly and with a polite smile.

"Concubine Oh. This is young mistress Park, the general's daughter," the consort introduced her. "She arrived yesterday and will be staying for some time, so I am showing her around the palace."

"Young mistress Park," Jiyeon was greeted formally by the concubine with a curtsy and curtsied back.

"Concubine Oh."

"We shall take a look around the bathhouse, if you would be so kind," consort Kang asked of the other woman who nodded with a less forced smile and gestured them to follow.

Through a short hallway, they reached an area in the middle of the house where a big basin was built into the floor, filled with petals and milky water, radiating the odor of medical herbs. "This is the royal basin," concubine Oh explained. "It is solely for the use of royal family members and forbidden for guests. But we provide great comfort for our visitors as well."

She graced Jiyeon with a warm smile and walked past the basin to open one of the doors to its side. A smaller but skillfully decorated room became visible with a big wooden bathtub and a grooming chair with a mirror on a low shelf. A hanger for clothes stood next to it and a big paper lantern with intricate drawing was hanging from the ceiling.

"So pretty," Jiyeon whispered at the sight. Their mansion in Busan was only sparsely decorated. It was practical and simple, just like expected of soldiers. She had never known that a bathroom could look this cozy.

Concubine Oh seemed pleased by her words. "Has young mistress Park ever visited a bathhouse?" she asked after closing the sliding doors again.

Jiyeon shook her head. "My mansion has a bath, so there was no need to visit a bathhouse," she explained with a shrug.

The woman smiled amused. "A bathhouse is not only for cleaning," she told her with a knowing look. "It is a place to recuperate and rejuvenate, and to enjoy yourself with friends."

Jiyeon nodded understandingly. "Maybe I never thought of it because my friends and I would go to swim and enjoy ourselves at the beach," she mused.

The look of the two older women told her that she had said something improper.

"A young lady such as you is swimming in the ocean?" concubine Oh asked with a not-so-polite snide to her words.

"Y-Yes, madam. We used to do it since we were children," she mumbled perplexed. So, court ladies did not swim in the ocean. She had expected as much. But why did they have to criticize her? She was not a lady of the court and she would never want to become one.

"Young mistress Park," consort Kang intervened softly. "There is a difference between children and adults. What seemed tolerable for the little ones is not necessarily tolerable for the grown-ups."

A rumble interrupted the embarrassing situation and made all of them turn around to look at a young man with sleeves bound back like the concubine and hands smeared with mud.

"Taehyung!" consort Kang called out confused. "What happened to your hands?"

"Brother Jin and I have been tending to the radishes," the man said with a boyish smile on his features. Jiyeon instantly recognized the rectangular grin and smiled as well. Taehyung had never been the typical prince. And apparently that went as far as touching dung with bare hands, if Jiyeon did not misinterpret the smell.

"Seokjin?" concubine Oh asked, slightly shaken. She probably was scared that her son would appear equally undignified.

"Big sister Jiyeon!" Taehyung called out without noticing the two women's distress. "When did you come to the capital? Let's go, I will show you around!" the third prince rambled without breathing.

"Um, Tae. You should probably..." She gestured at his hands.

"Oh, sure," he said and ran away in search for a bowl of water and a piece of soap to clean himself.

"Tae?" concubine Oh asked, sounding almost hysterical.

The consort placed a hand on the other woman's arm to calm her. "My son and young mistress Park are well-acquainted," she explained the situation. "When he was younger, I sent him to Busan for general Park to practice the sword with him."

"We were practice partners," Jiyeon said, fully aware that a woman using a sword would shock these two even more. But Taehyung's appearance had made her bold and confident. There was nothing wrong with her; she was just different from those esteemed court ladies.

As expected, the two looked starstruck. "You... you did..." concubine Oh breathed out shocked and sunk further into consort Kang's hold. Unexpectedly, the consort seemed to receive those things with more grace. But whether it was because of a longer path of education in how to keep your composure or whether she was just used to bizarre things because of her son, it was hard to say.

"Let's go!" Taehyung chirped when he came running back. "Mother, you should rest. I will show sister Jiyeon the palace." And with that he grabbed her hand and pulled her out through the hallway.

"Tae, your hair is a mess," she laughed happily when they ran outside again and around some corners to find a figure in white between rows of radish heads and cabbage.

"Brother Jin! Look! This is the Park Jiyeon I told you about," Taehyung introduced her once they had reached the royal patches of vegetable. So, this was where Taehyung had spent his time a moment ago.

The man that stood in front of them was tall and looked very much like his mother, had it not been for the wide shoulders. The plump lips were hers as well as the soft brown eyes, and the hands under the sleeves that had been bound back were clean and pale. "Older sister Park," he greeted her with an amused smile and eyes shimmering with humor.

"First prince Seokjin," she greeted him back with a smile of her own.

"Taehyung could not stop telling me about you since consort Kang made plans to invite you to the palace," the first prince revealed. "He told me that he wanted to spar with you to show you that he has improved. Did he really lose against you every time?"

Jiyeon laughed. "Yes, every single time," she said proudly. "But I could never beat him in games."

"Truly a spoiled prince," the first prince joked.

"Ya! I am right here," Taehyung growled. "And I am not a child anymore."

"I can see that," Jiyeon agreed and truly looked at Taehyung. He had grown taller, that was expected, but he had also gotten the air of a royal family member. His chin was held higher than the average man's, and when he did not have dung at his hands, he looked like a man of importance in his dark blue robes.

"Older sister," he said, a new thought apparently able to clear out everything from before. "Why do we not go visit the guards and borrow a sword for you, so we can spar a little?"

"Taehyung," the first prince said warily. "Older sister is wearing expensive robes. How can you ask her to exchange blows with you like this?"

"I am wearing expensive robes, too," Taehyung answered gruffly. "What is the matter? I am not trying to cut her, so why would we need other clothes?"

The first prince sighed but gave in. "Do as you please."

Taehyung grinned. "Come, come," he said happily and grabbed his brother's hand as well to pull him along.

The strange trio was looked at with curiosity and wonder by the servants who crossed their path while Jiyeon was remembering the time when Taehyung would pull her and her brothers to the beach like this. Apparently, the third prince still liked to be outside; his skin was tanned and dark compared to his older brother's pale complexion.

"Is aunty Solmi doing well?" Taehyung wanted to know while they walked and walked around the gardens.

"Yes, happy as ever," she replied.

"I think, mother and her would become good friends if they met. They both love books," Taehyung mused. "We should invite her to the palace when she comes to the capital again."

Jiyeon just hummed in agreement and looked at the simple yard they were approaching. "What is this?" she asked. Consort Kang had not shown her this area, yet.

"The practice grounds for the royal guards," Taehyung announced and let go of them when they stepped over the threshold into the yard. "General Shin?" he called out and looked around between the resting soldiers. Apparently, lunch break was about to start.

"Your highness!" a huge muscle-packed man replied and came over. "Are you here to practice?" He gestured some of the soldiers to get up and come over.

"No need, no need," Taehyung said and gestured them to sit back. "I am here to borrow two swords and your yard for a match," he explained then and Shin looked at first prince Seokjin with contemplation.

The tall handsome man smiled humored. "Not me, general. The second sword is for the lady," he clarified and moved to the side to sit down with the soldiers who looked at him from the corners of their eyes.

General Shin seemed astounded. "A lady who can wield a weapon. I'm curious. Who is this young mistress?"

"She is general Park's daughter, Park Jiyeon," Taehyung introduced her, and murmurs could be heard all over the yard.

"Why am I not surprised? Kang!"

One of the young men jumped at the call and delivered his sword which general Shin handed over to Jiyeon before he unfastened his own to hand it to Taehyung.

"Are my man and I allowed to watch this exchange?" he asked.

"Sure," Jiyeon answered him. Why should they shush away all the soldiers who were resting? She had nothing to be embarrassed about. Should she win, she would be praised, should she lose, it was no shame for a woman. "Unless Tae is scared to embarrass himself," she teased the younger.

"You sound like you are sure about your success," the third prince said and grinned back. "But the last time we crossed swords was ten years ago. You might change your mind today." There it was, the competitiveness that Jiyoen had only seen in the prince when they had been playing games. It seemed that he now applied the same importance to the sword. It sure was a well-received trade for a prince.

General Shin left the sparring grounds and Taehyung and Jiyeon walked into the middle of the yard. It felt exactly like so many summers ago; the sun was burning relentlessly, and the dust was covering their shoes with only one step. She had to turn them in a way that Taehyung would have to look against the sun, Jiyeon analyzed while fixing up her hair so that it would not disturb her.

She pulled the sword from the sheath, mirroring Taehyung who already stood in position. His stands were solid, and the tip of his sword did not waver when it pointed at her.

"Begin!" Shin started their competition and Jiyeon lurched forward, brushing off the sword that was pointing at her and delivering a swing to Taehyung's torso. A sheath blocked her attack and she had to dodge the prince's attack at her neck. He had become quicker, that was for sure.

"Watch your head, sister," the brat chirped while he delivered one hit after the other towards her neck. It was too quick to throw an own attack, so she retreated some steps to breathe again.

"What did they feed you while I was gone?" she asked displeased and earned the chuckles of some of the soldiers.

"Love they fed me," the third prince joked back and struck again for her neck.

It was too predictable, so Jiyoen could easily dodge the flying blade and attack from behind his back. What she had not expected was to meet the sheath again and the double tap on her sword with the flat side of Taehyung's blade that caused her to drop her own weapon.

With big eyes she looked at the other. "Who taught you this?" she wanted to know. Such a strange attack; she had never seen it before.

"Advisor Min has seen many strange things in his life," Taehyung answered and did not answer her question.

"So, advisor Min taught you this?" she asked and for some reason the yard seemed to be filled with a strange tension. All the soldiers suddenly seemed more invested in their lunch bowls than their conversation.

"Are you fighting or talking?" Shin interrupted them casually.

Jiyeon shook her questions out of her head for now and picked up the sword. "Now that I know your strange methods, I will be twice as vigilant."

Taehyung grinned and took his stands again.

They fought for the whole duration of the soldiers' lunch break and in the end Jiyeon had been able to win four rounds out of fifteen. Taehyung had truly improved, and she even felt a little proud for that little brother, but her own pride sealed her lips for praise. "Had I not been busy with the mansion, I could have practiced more," she claimed.

"If you had not gone to the ocean every day, you could have practiced more," Taehyung exposed her while handing back the two weapons.

"Fine," she gave in. "But your strange methods are hard to come by."

"Mistress Park?" a voice from behind them asked when they were about to leave. A bunch of young soldiers was following them.

"What is it?" she asked confused.

"Will you visit us again?" the leader of the little group asked.

"Uhm-"

"Am I not pushing you hard enough?" general Shin's call echoed in the yard. "Do you need a woman to defeat you, so that you can learn?"

The soldiers lowered their heads and retreated a few steps.

Jiyeon laughed. "Sure, I will come visiting again. Maybe your general can show me how to defeat this one." She pointed at the third prince next to her whose hair was a complete disaster now.

Her words brightened up the faces and a small cheer filled the practice grounds.

"You are truly an exceptional woman, older sister," prince Seokjin said once they had left the yard behind them.

"Because I can fight?" she asked confused. Has queen Jang not been a famous female general?

The older prince shook his head with a smile but did not answer.

"Sister, which place do you want to see next?" Taehyung diverted their topic.

"Madam told me about the library, but we had not come that far before you picked me up," she told him and decided to forget the first prince's strange words.

"Sure, follow me," the younger said cheerfully and grabber her hand again. "The library is in the astronomy tower. You have a great view over the palace grounds from the top."

"Can I go there any time?" she asked curious.

"Sure. But do not bother advisor Min once he is back. He likes to be left alone," Taehyung warned her.

"Once he is back? Is an advisor not supposed to be at the palace at all times?" she asked confused.

The first prince decided to join their conversation again. "An advisor should be where his advisee is. The crown prince is on the battlefield and so should his advisor be," he provided.

Still, something was strange about that logic. "But is an advisor not helping with topics in court?" she wanted to clarify.

The first prince gave her a piercing look. "For a daughter of a politically unengaged family older sister sure knows much."

And that was all the two spoke about it before Taehyung took over again and told her about the books that were stowed in the library tower.

>><<

The technique of Taehyung with the double tap on the sword is a Japanese two-swords technique called autumn leaf blow. We can assume that Yoongi experienced it while fighting Japanese (= Yamato) enemies.