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“So the king worked hard with his fellow hwarang to become the best leaders they could be for Silla.  They spent hours practicing martial arts, swordplay, and debate.  They had very little free time.  Yet they began to bond with each other.  Those who had begun by sparring ended as friends.  The queen had achieved her goal of creating a unified force to strengthen her son’s reign.  As long as they would eventually choose to support the true king.”

Jijin quirked his eyebrow.  “Did you write this before or after we talked this afternoon?”

“Yesterday afternoon.  It is now half past midnight,” she corrected him.  “And I wrote it beforehand,” she responded to his question matter-of-factly.

He shook his head.  “I don’t know how you do it.”

She smiled slightly as she continued.  “But one day a new conflict arose.  One of the king’s fellow hwarang, a boy named Yun Seo, was injured during their martial arts practice.  The king and another lad helped him back to his room.  And left him to rest and heal.

“But as the king was shutting his door, a servant arrived.  ‘Yun Seo’s sister has come to bring him a message from his father,’ he announced.

“The king frowned, ‘She is not allowed in the men’s private quarters, and her brother is injured.  I will go meet with her.  Lead me to her.’

“He followed the servant.  They were walking beneath the balcony on which the girl was waiting to meet her brother.  At the same time, two hwarang were engaged in a sword fight a few feet away.  One of the lads began to run up the steps to change his vantage point and get the upper hand over his opponent, who quickly followed him.  Both men ended on the balcony, the first backing away from the second.  The first boy backed straight into the waiting sister.  Knocking her backward off the balcony.

“The king glanced up as he heard her scream.  And threw his arms out to catch her as she came flying down towards him.  His face a mask of shock, he caught her in his arms and fell backward.  Hitting his head on the pavement.  He was instantly knocked out.

“The terrified girl tried desperately to catch her breath as she stared down at the beautiful boy whom she’d just killed.  She bent over him as tears filled her eyes.  Her heart was still hammering in her chest from her unexpected flight.  And the fear that she had been plummeting to her death.

“‘No, no, no.  Please.  You can’t be dead,’ she begged.  But she was certain she had killed him.

“Still, she leaned over him and reached up to touch his cheek.  ‘Such a pity.  Such a beautiful man,’ she murmured.

“Suddenly, his eyes flew open, spearing her emerald orbs with his chocolate ones.  ‘Must I always be rescuing you from one scrape or another?’ he asked dryly after a moment of staring into those gorgeous eyes of hers.

“Relief flooded her countenance.  ‘You’re not dead?!  I didn’t kill you?!’

“‘Certainly not.  I hope I’m made of sterner stuff than that,’ he asserted with a faint smile.

“‘Sir!  I am so sorry.  I,’ she glanced up. 

“Two hwarang were leaning over the balcony, gazing at the couple with horrified expressions cloaking their features in despair. 

“‘I was rudely pushed to my death by one of those boys,’ she accused.

“‘Not to your death, as it turned out,’ he corrected her wryly.

“She nodded her head vigorously before breathing, ‘Thanks to you.  How can I ever thank you?’

“‘Well, you can start by removing your person from my chest,’ he responded with humor lacing his tone.

“Then he groaned as she exclaimed in surprise and rolled off of him. 

“‘Are you all right?’ she asked worriedly.

“‘I’m fine.’  He sat up.  ‘Are you all right?’  His eyes perused her form.

“And for some unaccountable reason, she blushed.  ‘I am also fine.’ 

“She stood up and dusted herself off before offering him a hand.  He reached up to take it and allowed her to pull him up.

“‘You’re strong.  For a girl,’ he qualified his compliment.

“‘For a girl?’ she huffed. 

“He shrugged.  ‘Well, it’s what you are, isn’t it?  A girl?’

“She simply glared at him.  ‘Excuse me.  I need to find my brother,’ she announced in her snobbiest voice.

“‘I’m your brother.’

“‘What?’ she turned back towards him in confused shock.

“‘I mean, I’m here for your brother.’

“She frowned.  ‘I don’t understand.’

“He sighed.  ‘Your brother can’t come out right now.’

“Worry furrowed her brow.  ‘Why not?  Is he all right?’  Concern flooded her voice.

“‘He’s fine.  He just suffered a slight wounding during practice.  He’s resting in his room.  And girls aren’t allowed back there.’

“‘Oh,’ she sighed in relief.

“‘You had a message to deliver to him?  From your father?’

“She nodded as she dug in her pocket for the slip of parchment.  She held it out to him, but when he reached for it, she didn’t release it.  ‘You promise not to look at it?’

“Annoyed, he glanced up at her.  ‘Of course not!’

“‘You don’t promise?’ she asked in surprise.

“He rolled his eyes.  ‘I meant, of course, I won’t look at it!’  He glanced at the missive in her hand.  ‘Surely it has his seal on it anyway.  Your brother would know if I’d tampered with it.’

“She nodded.  ‘True.  All right.’  She released the parchment into his hand.  ‘Thank you,’ she added, all prim and proper.

“‘Why so frosty?’ he breathed.

“Caught off guard, she met his eyes.  ‘What?’

“‘Why are you treating me so coldly?’ he asked.  ‘After I’ve rescued you now three times, I would have thought that I had earned a little bit of your trust and some kindness from you.’

“Color suffusing her face with heat, she glanced up and around.  But no one appeared to be watching them any longer.  The two boys had returned to their sword practice.  The servant had left them too.

“‘I apologize.  I didn’t mean to seem…frigid,’ she responded haltingly.

“‘Where is the easygoing girl I met in the forest?  The one who treated my lip.’

“Her eyes widened in concern.  And she reached up towards his face.  ‘Oh!  How is your lip?’

“His own eyes widened as her fingers brushed across his mouth, and he felt lightning touch the tips of his toes.  He simply stared down at her as he recognized the sensation creeping across his consciousness.  He’d felt this once before.  As an adolescent.  When one of the village girls had turned her pretty eyes on him. 

“It was a weakness.  A terrible vulnerability that turned his heart towards hers.  He blinked.  He couldn’t afford such a response.  But he couldn’t make himself turn away from her marvelous touch.  So he simply stood still, staring down at her, as he murmured a mild response.

“‘It’s fine.’

“She giggled suddenly.  And his eyes collided with hers. 

“‘I’m fine.  You’re fine.  Your lip’s fine.  That’s just fine.’

“His lips tugged upwards in a sweet smile.  As his eyes caressed hers. 

“She was simply beautiful.  And those eyes of hers!  How they stunned him!  He could gaze into them for an eternity.”

Jijin interrupted her then.  “That’s a bit melodramatic, don’t you think?”

Eun Sook blinked up at him.  Adorably.  Confusion was shining out of her deep indigo eyes.  “Melodramatic?  Of course, it’s melodramatic!  It’s supposed to be melodramatic.  It’s a story.  But,” she batted her snowy eyelashes at him, “you don’t think he’d want to lose himself in her eyes for all eternity?”

As he gazed into those gorgeous violet depths, he had to consider her question seriously.  “Perhaps,” he muttered.

Suddenly, a bright smile broke forth on her face.  And she giggled.  “It’s rather ridiculous, isn’t it?  To imagine two people falling in love and spending forever staring at each other.  I mean, we’d die from starvation while gazing at each other.”

“Perhaps the whole point is that your love is enough sustenance for me,” he murmured romantically.

She beamed at him, and her whole face was suffused by a rosy glow.  She cleared her throat.  “Well, then, I should continue.”  She glanced up at him.  “Or do you wish to sleep now?”

His eyes slid slowly over the hills and valleys of her face.  “I have no wish to sleep now.”  He continued to peruse her lovely countenance.  “Speak on, author-nim.”

She blinked several times in rapid succession. 

And he frowned.  “Are your eyes bothering you again?”

She nodded.

“Close them.”

She allowed them to flutter shut.

And he reached up to place his thumbs over her eyelids.  He applied a slight pressure.  Even as a deep sorrow tugged at his heart.  He wished there were some way that he could help her.  That he could heal her eyes.  Or even simply relieve the pressure on them.

Her expression melted.  “Jijin,” she breathed.  She could feel his tension.  “It’s all right.  I’m used to it.”

“Well, I’m not.  And it’s not something you should have to become accustomed to.”

She could hear the sorrow in his voice.  She reached up and pulled his hands down before leaning forward to brush her mouth across his.  “I love you, Jijin, for your wide-open heart.  You will be the best of kings.  The hero among heroes.  Just as I wrote in my story.  Silla is blessed to have you.”

And so am I.

For as long as I get to have you, she reflected sadly.