Once upon a time in the highland village of Payon, lived the honorable Emperor and
Empress. Theirs was a kind rule and they were loved by all their subjects. They had a
daughter, Princess Sohee, a kind and soft-mannered little girl. However, during that time,
Payon was being terrorized by wild monsters and unwelcome foreigners. More often than not,
Princess Sohee would be locked inside the Imperial Palace with her mother so that no harm
would befall them as the Emperor was away, attending to important matters in other cities.
Nobody of commoner's blood has ever seen the Princess and the
soldiers and guards were posted everywhere, making sure that no one and nothing
could enter the Imperial Palace save for the Royal Court. Among the soldiers were young
Bongun and Munak. Young Bongun and Little Munak were soldiers in training then, although
they were only eight and nine. They were mischievous children, causing more trouble than
the help that they give. They always snooped around the Palace. Young Bongun knew every
nook and cranny of the maze-like building. Little Munak would always follow him...like a
dog's tail. They were inseperable.
Chapter 01 - Children
One fine day, the soldiers were out and about on their rounds as usual and the
merchants were vending their wares. The sun was bright and the sky was azure, the two
couldn't resist themselves. They took the secret passage on the East side of the Palace and
rounded the guards so that they wouldn't be detected. As they were creeping through the
third central room, a voice called out,
"What are you doing here? Who are you?" Bongun and Munak twirled around to see that
it was a girl they had never seen before. She was very pretty. Her hair was long and silky
and black. She wore fine robes of silk and her skin was fair like the whitest ivory. Munak
stared at the other girl for a while and looked down at her soldier's uniform. It was plain
red cloth and her shoes were dirty. She was filthy and her hat was covered in dust. It was
Bongun who spoke up. "We're soldiers. We're just patrolling. Who are you? Why are you
asking?" Bongun stepped in front of Munak and got into a battle stance. "You're not an
enemy are you?"
The little black-haired girl stepped back, afraid that the blue-robed soldier boy
would attack her. "Of course I'm not. I live here in the Palace, with my mother." She
innocently replied as she half-hid her face with her long-sleeved arms. She peered at them
with wide eyes. Bongun sighed and relaxed, whispering aside to Munak, "Maybe she's one of
the servant girls, living with one of the Empress's handmaids." Little Munak, encouraged by
Bongun's boldness, approached the girl and smiled. "Would you like to play with us
outside?"
At that moment, the little girl's eyes lit up and she gave a bright smile. It was
not long until they found themselves running amongst the bamboo trees in the forest not far
from Payon. It was beginning to get dark when Bongun, Munak and Sohee decided to return to
the Palace. When they came back, an unusual number of guards were stationed like
well-seasoned spices about the Palace. "Why are there so many guards? Has there been an
attack?" Bongun wondered. Munak shook his elbow saying, "We must return Sohee to her
mother. They might be worrying about her. Bongun looked back at Sohee and she returned the
gaze with a slight pink blush to her cheeks. She put up her long sleeves again to cover
half of her face, obscuring her bashfulness.
They headed through a secret passageway and into the Palace. Before leaving, Sohee
told them to wait for a while. Munak and Bongun did so patiently. When Sohee returned, each
of her frail arms were carrying weapons. One was a night-colored blade of fine
craftsmanship and the other was somewhat like a spear, red as fire. Munak and Bongun were
so delighted when Sohee gave the weapons to them. "Thanks for being my friends." She
smiled. But suddenly Munak reached the spear to Sohee saying, "Friends don't have to give
gifts...This is too much. Please, before you get scolded!" Bongun followed suit reaching
out his weapon too. Sohee smiled and gently pushed their arms back. "No really. I really
want you to have them." Munak smiled back and hugged Sohee. Bongun tapped the two girls'
shoulders. "Hey! Someone's coming! Let's go, Munak..." Munak and Sohee let go of each other
and they all said their goodbyes.
Munak and Bongun had escaped before that someone arrived. Sohee turned around to
see who it was. A pair of hands seized her by the shoulders and the light revealed her
mother with a disappointed expression upon her face. "Sohee, where have you been!" "I'm
sorry mother, I went out with my friends. They took me out to play in the bamboo forest."
The woman checked Sohee's neck, face, arms, hands and even feet. "Thank the Gods you
weren't harmed! Do you know that very bad people can harm you outside the Palace? They
might take you away and you might never see Payon again." Tears were brimming in her
mother's eyes. "But there are also good people outside. They showed me lots of things
outside. Do you know? We found a plant that shone the colors of the rainbow!" Innocence had
won over worry. "I don't want you to go out of the Palace again, do you understand? You
made me worry sick!" "I'm sorry, Mama." Sohee shamefully replied. A grown-up soldier in a
black uniform and a red feather sticking from the top of his hat, came and knelt before
them both. "Glad that the Princess is safe, Your Majesty." "Yes, General. Thank you. You
may go now. The Princess and I will have dinner shortly. Is there news from my husband?"
"No, Empress. The messenger has not arrived yet." The General humbly replied.