The Birth of Silence [Yeowool - Hwarang]

1.

The darkness in the room wasn't anything special anymore, Yeowool got used it. He lit a candle and sat down on the cold bed. He reapplied a bandage on his wrist after he cleaned up a wound.

His hands were used to getting wounds. They slowly became less beautiful and elegant through the years. Five fingers on the left, four fingers on the right. He should've been more careful.

Ah Ro entered the room after knocking four times.
'You're going to sleep already?', she asked.
Yeowool nodded quietly.

'Did you put your medicine on your finger?'

'It isn't necessary, there's no wound anymore', he wanted to reply. But he couldn't.

Ah Ro sighed, expecting either a nod or him shaking his head. She put a teapot and a cup on the table. 'Here, these herbs will help.'

He knows.

Those herbs make the tea more refreshing, but it still won't help him. One ingredient is missing, a flower that won't ever return. If he ever sees that flower, then he'll be cured.

'I can't believe I keep giving you this for years, but there's no sign of improvement. It's so quiet these days.'

Yeowool nodded again and placed his right hand on the table, the woman grabbed her medicine box and rubbed some oils on the little stump that used to be his pinky finger.

'Never make promises again, or else you'll lose your other fingers.'

Another nod.

'How are you feeling lately?'

Yeowool shrugged, showing a "I'm fine" kind of expression.

'If you feel down, you should write me a letter and express your feelings. Even if it's the hundredth time you're grieving.'

He looked at a piece of glass hanging near the wooden window.

'Things would've been different if he was here, right?' Ah Ro did her best still trying to relate with his sadness, but she knew she had to leave when she saw his face.

'Good night, Yeowool.'

The warrior drank his tea and looked in the mirror, wondering how life would've been if he still had that flower.
Would he still feel pain? Would he be in the same place?

He wouldn't be alone all the time, that was for sure.

His face didn't look the same, he missed his youth. In the back of his mind he still could remember the the flower.

He was young, three and a half years younger than Yeowool to be exact. If he still was here, he would've been thirty-four.

Life was still ahead of them when they met. A clumsy teenager met the cousin of the faceless king. Yeowool went out with his guard that he was trying to get rid of. The quick prince moved through busy streets. His guard tried to run after him, but got blocked by a cart being pulled by a cow.
Yeowool looked back to see how the guard was yelling his name, instead he laughed and waved.

He bumped into someone.

'Hey, look what you've done!' It was Dan Se, who realized he just had been yelling at the prince. He then bowed next to the pile of wooden planks that had fallen out of his hands when Yeowool bumped into him.

'My aplologies, I didn't know what I was thinking-'

'Get up', Yeowool dropped the formalities, even though he knew Dan Se was older than him. 'Where do you need to go to?'

'My house.'

'Let's go, I'll help you.' He grabbed some of the planks. 'Let's not go that way since... My guard is going after me.' Yeowool followed Dan Se through the city.

'Why are you running away from your guard? Aren't you supposed to listen to him?'

'All the luxury is boring me a bit, I'd love to play around and have fun, but there's no one out there.'

'Do you know the faceless king?'

'I've only seen him when I was a little kid. I wouldn't recognise him if we reunited. By the way, why are you carrying those planks on your own? You can just get a cart or something like that.'

'Not everyone has the money to get a cart. I'm a half breed.'

'I see.'

They eventually arrived at the house, Yeowool saw another young teenager sitting under a parasol. An old man strictly looked at him as the boy wrote down a poem.

'Your grammar has to be perfect, your handwriting has to be even better than perfect-', the old man ordered. He saw Yeowool standing in the distance and bowed. 'Your majesty.'

Yeowool looked at the boy writing a poem, he looked at the man before his eyes went to the prince. He was a little bit clueless until Dan Se signed at him that he had to behave with respect. Before the boy could reply Yeowool already started talking.

'Nice to meet you, I'm prince Kim Yeowool. What's your name?'

'I-I'm Seok Hansung. The only young member of the Seok family', he shyly introduced himself.

That's how Yeowool remembered him. The shy, vulnerable kid who had a hard time living up to his grandfathers expectations. He stayed shy and vulnerable until his death.

The bitter warrior got up and put the cup of Ah Ro's tea down on the table. His heart couldn't be even more broken. The memories wouldn't fade away over time, they only became more vivid. His life was a never ending cycle of missing Hansung.