Kingdom

05. The Forbidden Pool (1)

An ancient magic spell protects all Royal Families. Kings and Queens cannot be influenced or harmed by magic as easily as common folks can be. Their wounds heal faster when badly injured and they recover quickly when they get sick. It is believed, however, that if Royals become unworthy of their titles, magic might turn against them.

If the members of a Royal Family become too greedy, too cruel or too dangerous, a curse may fall upon them. A curse that could destroy them all, one by one. In the Western Kingdoms they call it "Madness of Riches". More than one bloodline has been lost as brothers and sisters would be killing each other over their lust for more wealth and influence. When one Royal Family fails the test of power, new Rulers would rise and the magic would shift to protect their bloodline.

People say the Min Dynasty is cursed in such a way, they say it is their own greed that led to their downfall. Being the last of that bloodline, some believed that King August the Second won't be able avoid the curse himself. His enemies secretly hope for some strange disease to render the King weak and vulnerable, or for some uncontrollable madness to cloud his mind and force his people to rise against him. They speculate he might fall by the hand of his most trusted man. The same way his father did.

How and why Prince Yoongi survived the curse for so long, no one knows. Where was he hiding when his brothers were hunted down and slaughtered by their uncle? Why did destiny spare his life only for him to rise as a cruel and destructive conqueror? Was it Dark Magic that protected him all along? Is King August going to bring his Kingdom to its final ruin or to a new zenith?

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Yoongi loves the feeling of warm water on his skin, it feels like a gentle embrasse that takes a heavy weight off his shoulders. He likes how light and careless he feels when his body is almost entirely submerged in the fresh caresses of the mountain spring.

When his mind is troubled, the King often comes to the Temple, far from the noise of the Palace. This is a place known only to a selected few, hidden deep into the old Green forest, not too far from the city but high above its constant hustle. Yoongi finds it easier to relax here than anywhere else, easier to chase away his worries and anxieties.

The room surrounding the hot spring feels magical, dreamy, unreal. Yoongi prefers to dim the lights as much as possible and to keep the South Doors fully open. He likes to feel the cold wind entering the room and to marvel at the view opening towards the distant mountain peaks and small villages.

This Royal Temple was designed centuries ago by a famous Daegu Queen and her loyal wizards. Located on the top of a waterfall, the Temple has an unusual architecture. The whole building seems to be hanging in the air, lifted from the ground and supported by heavy wooden columns. On three sides the Temple is surrounded by steep cliffs and it can be accessed only from the East Entrance, where the small wood path finishes.

The hot spring area is occupying the most important part of the Temple. In the middle of a large room, rising from the ground, there is a huge formation of rocks. The room and the Temple itself are built around those peculiar rocks. A deep crack in the enormous stones marks the birthplace of the royal hot spring, its magical waters coming from the very heart of the mountain, known to heal both body and soul.

Once out into the world, the hot spring splits in two streams, divided by a large sharp rock. The waters of the first one are gathering in a deep pool naturally formed between the stones. There is an underground tube connected to it that leads some of the water towards the Royal Palace. The stream never goes cold all the way to the King's rooms. There is another pool built in the Palace and legends say that the two pools are one and the same, mirrors of the same reality. Both connected by a powerful magic spell. Any outsider who dares to enter the Royal Hot Spring rooms or set foot into the water will be punished by the magic in terrible ways. One could even lose their life.