A King's Promise // Dann of Kingdom

Ch. IV - Unlocked

The gates opened towards King Dann's kingdom and all eyes focused on the king himself. Trotting his horse to his palace, Dann could simply hear the whispers of what has happened during the night. He did not mind and all he could do was just look straight ahead. People started to feel uneasy as the king passed by them, slightly shaking at his presence.

The guards at the front gate were startled and straightened their posture as the king came closer.

"Welcome back your highness," they had said and opened the front gate for him to pass through. Dann got off his horse and walked it towards its area. As he walked his horse, he gave the two guards a nod of approval and a slight smile.

Tying the lead towards the pole and making sure it was secure so Dann's horse wouldn't walk away, the king himself felt weird of coming back to the palace.

The servants couldn't believe of what they were seeing. Their king, in a black and gold warrior's clothes and a menacing red upon his hair? They began to wonder of what has happened during the night when he had left. It was all a mystery towards the public and they also felt that their king wasn't the same.

Looking up into the sky as the cherry blossoms were still growing, Dann decided to go to the Moon's Hall. The Moon's Hall was where his six brothers laid, dead and lifeless. His travel there was just all his servants staring at him with such curiosity but his footsteps spoke the same as it did before on the king's palace-grounds.

"I never had the chance to say goodbye to you guys," he said under his breath as he reached the entrance of the Moon's Hall. From there he could see the separate white blankets covering each corpse of his brothers. "I've been trying to cope with all the silence between hours. The servants have been taking care of me but it's not the same without you guys here."

The king went up to one of the corpses and he could tell who was who. The one he approached was Chiwoo and then he walked to the next corpse beside him. Ivan came next, then Louis, then Arthur, and so forth. Dann's inner instincts wanted to cry out but his brain refused to let such a breakdown go and all he ever did was just look at them with despair and sadness.

Dann did this every day, in the same order and at the same time. Two o'clock in the afternoon when the sun shines upon the palace is when Dann goes to the Moon's Hall and walk around as he looked at the covered bodies of his brothers.

The servants thought he was going crazy but one in particular knew the whole situation. Dann's closest servant and friend ever since Dann was a child. Kim Minyeong. She basically grew up with the seven princes as she was the closest amongst everyone else in the palace.

One day, it was midnight and King Dann was still awake; sitting down and thinking deeply as he looked towards the window. The sounds of knocking disrupted the flow of silence and Dann's train of thought which made him look up and see who was there.

"Minyeong," Dann was shocked of who knocked before entering but smiled at her presence. Dann felt at ease when he saw her.

"Seungbo," she said, smiling back but she felt a bit sad seeing her friend been thinking so much, alone and haven't been experiencing the same amount of liveliness ever since his brothers died. "How have you been?"

Minyeong went inside and sat beside the king but she didn't see Dann as her king as this time, she saw him as her friend in despair.

"I'm doing fine," Dann replied and gave a smile to support his statement but Minyeong saw right through him. She knew that he was lying.

"No you're not," Minyeong had the confidence to oppose Dann's statement. Dann was shocked at the fact that Minyeong said no to his saying and opened his mouth to ask why but was already cut off by Minyeong.

"I know what you're going to say but I know you Seungbo," she looked at Dann's eyes. She saw of how tired he was just by thinking about the same thing over and over. His brothers were and the only thing that kept him awake.
"You don't need to lie."

"But I- No... but," Dann could not think of an answer as Minyeong was telling the whole truth. He was tired, fed up and sometimes lonely. "I just wanted to... rewind the regrets I've done and fulfill a promise."

"Seungbo, your actions will never be in vain. Remember that people will never go away," Minyeong tried to comfort Dann but Dann looked at her with confusion. Dann could not understand of what she just said. "They will remain inside your heart."

"My heart?" Dann looked at his chest and pointed of where his heart was. He was slowly getting of what Minyeong was trying to say to him.

"Exactly. Your heart. They will be with you whenever you hit your darkest times. Your brothers will always be there spiritually and mentally," Minyeong finally went to the point and Dann understood of what was going on.

"I suppose you are right. However, I made a promise and I want to fulfill it. Not just for me but for the next Kings in line and for the good for my kingdom," said Dann, standing up and picked up a photo that had him and his brothers standing together.

Putting down the photo slowly, Dann could sense something else in the air; a disturbance in the flow of the ordinary. The source was very close to him and in fact, he knew than an act was up.

"Minyeong, I have a question to ask you."