The Last Imoogi

A Trap

"JURCHENS!"

Before Sandara knew it, Kwon Jiyong was already in front of her, dodging the deluge of arrows coming her way with his sword. As she looked around, she realized the entire place had turned into a battleground in an instant. Imperial guards surrounded Zhu Yunhe to protect her, while Kwon Jiyong's shadow guards fought with the men who were identified as Jurchens, an ethnic group from northeastern Ming which had been illegally inhabiting the borders of Ming and Joseon for decades now. This group had been widening their territory, causing battles in the borders of the two kingdoms ever since they had arrived there.

But what grabbed Sandara's attention the most was that all the men were wearing black robes, tunics and boots and their faces were hidden behind the shadows of their straw hats. Their swords and bows glinted with red emblems, and as they attacked closer, she realized they were all sporting braided pigtails, their straw hats covering their Jurchen hairstyle of half shaved front head. As far as she remembers, the man who killed Sun Hae wore the same clothes though she was sure she didn't see him in pigtails. Could it be that he was a Jurchen?

Amidst the chaos, she was able to notice a lone figure standing on top of the cliff ahead of them. She wanted to point it out to Kwon Jiyong, but she was afraid of getting him distracted so she alerted herself and waited for Kwon Jiyong's next move. When the rain of arrows stopped, Kwon Jiyong finally turned to her and in one swift move, grabbed her to a safer place.

"Are you alright?" Kwon Jiyong asked as he lowered her behind the thicket just above the riverside. Sandara nodded and immediately pointed at the top of the hill.

"Your Highness, over there!" The man with the same straw hat was still standing there, immobile, as if too focused on the scene below him. Kwon Jiyong knew the head of the group would be a bigger catch, and ordered two of his shadow guards to take the man with them alive.

"Stay here and hide. I'll by closeby,"

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Sandara smiled and pushed Kwon Jiyong who still was hesitating to leave.

But it seems the Jurchens were fully prepared as if they were expecting this to happen. Even if most were wounded and hurt so bad, they would still stand up and fight once more. Kwon Jiyong found this odd. Didn't he give them enough fatal blows for them to keep coming back to their feet?

Meanwhile Sandara who was observing from the sidelines was wondering as well. She watched Kwon Jiyong fight effortlessly that she hadn't seen anyone fight in such a graceful yet powerful manner in her whole life. Even her older brother Wonhee who topped the military exams paled in comparison to Kwon Jiyong. But how come the Jurchen warriors seemed so undefeatable?

Soon Sandara realized why just the same time as Kwon Jiyong did. They didn't come for a test of strength with Kwon Jiyong's shadow guards and Zhu Yunhe's imperial guards. When Sandara turned to the man up on the hill, he wasn't watching over his men anymore. Instead, he was looking her way as if he could see through the thick bushes where she was hiding, and not too long, just like a pack of wolves, the Jurchens started running towards her as if they'd sniffed her out.

Sandara had always believed in Kwon Jiyong. She trusted him too much. Even if their marriage was only arranged by the King, she realized that Kwon Jiyong would never allow her to get hurt.

But behind her courage and beliefs, Sandara was still a woman who hadn't been to a ruthless fight such as this and her basic instincts told her sitting there behind the thickets won't save her life.

Rising to her feet, she started sprinting as fast as she could into the dense forest without even looking back.

Kwon Jiyong will find me. Kwon Jiyong will find me. She chanted in her mind. For now, she had to keep a safe distance from these men who were after her for some odd reasons.