The Girl of an Old Mansion

3. The Arrival of a Shaman

"I can't sit here idly. I have to do something. I am the mother of this nation, and I have to give them an heir," the Queen found herself thinking.

Her thoughts drift to the shaman who had been exiled from the country for practicing black magic against the royal family. 

It was rumored that she could do anything using her black magic.

Seeing no other way, she immediately ordered her guards to bring the shaman to the palace.

King Eun too was lost in his thoughts of not having any heir.

 King Eun was a man of few words, but the two traits his people liked the most about him were his selflessness, and love for his people. Of course, he's also conscientious, warm and determined, but they're tainted by and mixed with habits of being shallow as well.

There were many instances when his people counted on him for his cooperation in times of need. Fortunately, his loving nature is usually there to help mend things when needed.

"I have no hope. I've become a poor King who can't give an heir." The King mumbled in his thoughts.

Shaman's Arrival

The guards placed the palanquin at the entrance of the palace. Shaman slowly made her way towards the palace. With every step, she observed the beautiful architecture of the palace. Her eyes wandered, capturing the splendid sight of the mesmerizing palace. Even though it was not her first time at the palace, she couldn't sway herself from the splendor of the majestic looking palace.

The mighty palace was situated at the hill overlooking the town, its sharp towers piercing the sky, giving it the look of an eccentric crown. Tall, wide windows are scattered generously around the walls in seemingly perfect symmetry, along with huge crenelations for archers and artillery. It was as big as thirty ordinary houses of the town and employed a good number of the townsfolk as servants. Well-kept gardens with fragrant flowers, gorgeous trees and bushes decorated the outside of the castle, and the giant statues of former Kings were lined up outside of the castle gates adding up its beauty along with serving as the reminders of the past. The castle has stood the test of time, and its inhabitants are intent on making sure it stays that way for ages to come.

The sound of the King and his ministers who were in a heated court session, completely died down. They watched in complete silence, as the Shaman walked into the courtroom.  

 Mi-Sook continued to walk deeper into the courtroom, the silence erupted into Chaos. The ministers, guards and the King expressed their inner turmoil, and the court resonated with the cacophony of rage.

"How dare you enter the palace? Do you not value your life? You know you will face the consequences of stepping foot here again." The Court people threatened her.

"How dare you disobey a royal command? You were exiled from this kingdom because of your terrible deeds? What brings you here?" King Eun asked Mi-sook furiously.

"I know your Majesty! I had committed a heinous crime, but trust me this time, I won't repeat my mistakes. Pardon me for my crime, your Highness," Mi-sook threw herself on the floor and continued to plead to the King to forgive her.

Queen Iseul entered the room and put an end to the raised furor, " I had summoned Mi-Sook, she is here on my command," she exclaimed, silencing the entire courtroom.

 King Eun fidgeted nervously on his throne, uncomfortable with the shaman's presence. He dismissed the court in disgust after hearing that the Queen had summoned the shaman.

"Are you out of your mind? Why would you let this dangerous lady enter the palace? Have you forgotten what she had done to the previous king?" The King asked in vexation.

"She charmed him with her black magic and he ended up dying painfully."

"How could you forget that it was your own mother's conspiracy because she wanted to see you on the throne, and not your step-brother.Mi-sook was only following the royal command." The Queen argued back.

"I still can't believe that my own mother did this to my loving brother. Just because of her, I only exiled that shaman, or else I could have executed that toxic lady." King continued sorrowfully. 

"Talking about my mother, she also died a painful death. I still clearly remember her condition after my brother's death. She had been hallucinating dark shadows that would claim to kill her; she couldn't even sleep peacefully because of the series of horrible dreams that used to chase her the moment her eye fell shut," he continued sorrowfully, "I still remember her last day, she was hiding in a big trunk while court ladies came to me, and told me about her condition. I quickly rushed to her, after seeing me, she whispered in my ear slowly that sends chills down my spine even today- 'THE DARK SHADOWS ARE BEHIND YOU. THEY ARE SAYING THAT NO ONE CAN SAVE THE PALACE NOW. THEY ARE HERE TO TAKE ME WITH THEM'. Just after the words slipped her lips, she fell unconscious and was later declared dead by royal physicians," the King said in a deep and somber voice.

"It was all because of her hallucination, nothing else. She just suffered from a mental illness," said the Queen. "Let the dead remain in the dead. Stop looking at the past, we are not going that way, we must think about our present problem's solution. The only solution to our problem is taking the help of that shaman. She can do wonders with her powers."

"We'll find other alternatives. I don't want that lady to practice her dark arts in this palace. She is dangerous and I can't trust her."

Queen Iseul was not positive about the idea of going for another alternative. She had made up her mind to ask for the shaman's help as she was certain that Mi-sook wouldn't disappoint her. The Queen started sobbing in pain. She grabbed a knife and threatened the King or else he would lose her forever. The King loved his wife dearly. Therefore, he reluctantly agreed to her wish.

"Promise me you'll help me when the time comes, whatever it takes, I need your contribution too, after all, I am doing it all for this nation," said the Queen.

"I promise you. I just want my Queen to be happy." The King held her in his embrace.

Lots of random thoughts choked his mind, but he still couldn't shake off the fear. But he did have an uncomfortable sense of foreboding, the feeling that something unpleasant was going to occur in the future. He was silently praying for the wellbeing of the nation while gazing at the sunset as a fiery red orb of light slowly sank beneath the horizon, and threads of light lingered in the sky, and slowly the stygian darkness took over the sky.

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