Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! I know how you feel. It is hard to get over with Faith (I am rewatching it at the moment again). Everything was right. The romance wasn't shown like in other dramas. It was more subtle but that made it much more romantic and meaningful. When CY kind of 'proposed' in ep 21, it broke my heart, knowing how he has to feel that moment. Sigh, anyway, back to my story. The Woodalchis are my favorites. A group of perfect guys lol. I cried everytime when one of them died... Faith wouldn't be Faith without them :)

I hope you will enjoy this chapter as well :)


All the Woodalchi in the tavern were curiously gathered around Daek Man, Dae Man and Seung Bae, who excitedly described what they saw on the hill. The vice general just sat at a table in the corner of the tavern and listened to them with a smile.

"And then…he did this and she was like this…" Seung Bae explained with a snicker as he hugged himself, imitating what he saw earlier. The Woodalchis gaped at him with wide eyes before they broke out in a wide-grin.

"Woot-woot! That's our daejang!" A Woddalchi laughed, making the other Woodalchis laugh in joy as well. They proudly patted each other on the shoulder and joked as if they just won another battle against Yuan.

"No way, did this happen! You guys are lying. Our daejang doesn't even pay attention to the other gender. Don't you remember the girl from Yuan last year?" A grim-looking Woodalchi interrupted.

A shiver went through the warriors in the tavern as they imagined the perfect creature: Beautiful ebony hair, perfectly framing her face. Eyes black like the night, skin like porcelain and blood-red lips, graced with a seducing smile as they had addressed their daejang. Still, he hadn't even spared her a glance and had just walked pass her, completely ignoring her advances.

"Nah, that girl was crazy! Have y'all forgotten what she did afterwards?" Daek Man added.

Another shudder went through the warriors. Afterwards, she had almost killed one of the poor maids with her bare hands in fury while she cried and whined how their General would regret rejecting her one day.

"But there was a woman he did looked at," an older Woodalchi warrior peeped in.

"The High Doctor!" another one said in an affectionately tone. "She was an awesome woman! Pretty outside and inside."

All the Woodalchi, who had the luck to meet her, nodded with affectionate smiles. Though, the woman from the Heaven had been strange at times, she had been fun to be around, not stiff like the most noblewomen they knew.

"What kind of person was she? She must have been someone great for being able to capture our General's heart," one of the newer Woodalchis asked, curiously. There was no Woodalchi who hadn't heard of her.

Dae Man thought for a second before he answered, "S-she was very beautiful and very kind. She always listened to our stories excitedly, e-even mine. And she made us tea which helped us to feel better."

"She didn't mind to joke, drink, or talk with us. She always treated everyone- from the lowest servants to the king- as an equal, not like the other noblewoman. And she was the only person who wasn't scared of our General's anger. He always felt frustrated because of her," Daek Man added humorously, making everyone laugh. After she disappeared, her absence had been very noticeable in the barracks and they all had missed her, especially because their General went back to his old self which had worried them much.

"Oh and we think that she is –"

"WHY ARE THERE NO GUARDS OUTSIDE?" an angry voice suddenly boomed through the tavern, making all warriors jump up from their places. Choon Seok kicked two of the Woodalchi warriors who rushed out of the door.

"Yah, daejang! Next time a bit of a warning, please, before you start to shout. Aishhh, my ears…" a woman scolded as she wiggled herself out from behind the General and looked up at him while rubbing her ears exaggeratedly. He almost smiled amused but immediately stopped himself when he noticed how the Woodalchis were watching them curiously. He cleared his throat.

"Turn around," was his only answer.

The High Doctor, who as always forgot where she was when she talked to Choi Young, furrowed her eyebrows cutely, "Why?"

He softly put his hands on her shoulder and gently turned her around.

"Because of them. Weren't you all excited to see them again some minutes ago?" Her eye's widened as she saw all the men in front of her. Her expression fast changed from surprise to pure happiness.

"OMO! How I missed my Woodalchis!" She rushed over to the men and pulled the first familiar face into a hug.

"Aigoo~ Dae Man, I almost didn't recognize you. You are all grown-up now!" The young man flush red in embarrassment as the Woodalchis busted into laughter.

-:-

"And while the evil Yuan Prince fell asleep," Eun Soo whispered as she leaned forward, making the Woodalchis around the table also lean towards her anxiously, "the Goryeo slave girl took the dagger out of the hidden spot, soundlessly tiptoed over to his bed and quickly…" Eun Soo made a sudden jabbing move with her hand. The Woodalchis' eyes widened in surprise before they loudly cheered:

"That's how a Goryeo girl should be!"

Choi Young watched with a smile how the High Doctor had the Woodalchis hung on every word with her animated gestures. She really knew how to entertain people which, however, could get her often into troubles.

He walked over to her table and signaled to the Woodalchi, who was sitting next to her, to move over. The Woodalchi immediately jumped up from his spot and made it free for him with a bow.

Sitting down, the General helped himself with one of the Woodalchi's plate and started to eat. He felt like he hadn't eaten for some days. Eun Soo watched him with a frown before she took the plate in front of him away and put it back in front of the poor Woodalchi warrior who didn't know what he should do now.

Choi Young raised his eyebrows at her questioningly but she just shrugged and went back to her conversation. Sighing, he reached over again; however, Eun Soo gave his hand a little clasp before he could take it. He scowled at her but she smiled and pointed at her plate which she moved between them. Pleased, he started to eat out of her plate.

The Woodalchis, who secretly observed the silent interaction between the couple, held back the smiles, which wanted to form on their lips.

-:-

Eun Soo stood up and stretched to get the kinks out of her legs and back. "Where will I stay tonight?" she asked no one special. Every head turned to their daejang's direction who shot a warning glare at his men which made them look away again- but didn't stop them from grinning mischievously.

Shaking his head at them, the General also stood up and pointed upstairs. "I arranged the room next to mine. The tavern's owners already prepared it. I will lead you to your room."

Eun Soo gladly followed him upstairs. After he closed the door behind them, she surprised him by wrapping her arms around him. "Please say nothing, just hug me back," she whispered. Pulling her closer to him, he complied with her wish.

After some quiet minutes, she pulled herself away from him and looked up at him shyly, "Sorry, I needed to make sure this is not a dream. The whole day, I feared I would wake up and still be stuck in the past…"

"That would be a cruel dream;" he said, knowing how she felt because he felt the same. He still could hardly believe that she was here…with him and that it was not just his imagination.

Eun Soo laughed, "Wouldn't it be? Thinking you have everything back in one second but in the next one, it is gone again." She threw herself carelessly on the bed while he sat down on the only chair in the room and watched her rolling around happily like a child.

"I am sooo happy. It was so nice to see the Woodalchi boys again. But it seems like there are more of them now."

"There are around 150 now. We tried to recruit more but many can't make it through the initial training."

"Not good enough for the great daejang?" she grinned.

He chuckled, "They'd make good soldiers in the royal army though."

Eun Soo turned around and put her head on her hand while still lying on her side.

"Then, I should feel honored that you took me in as a Woodalchi five years ago... Oh! By the way, do I still count as one? It was fun in the barracks! Though, you still owe me some pretty clothes. Hmmm would I be able to wear them as Woodalchi?"

Choi Young glanced at her, amused at her words. Only she would ask such questions while describing probably the hardest time in her life as fun. It reminded him again that she was nothing like she appeared to be. She was such a strong person, nothing could get her down. She would always see the good side of everything and in that way pull herself through it. He abruptly stood up, making her flinch. Walking over to the door and opening it forcefully, three Woodalchis stumbled into the room, flabbergasted.

The young Woodalchi warriors looked at their General sheepishly.

"What's rule 236, Seung Bae?" Choi Young asked sharply as the warriors got distracted by Eun Soo who gave them a little happy wave.

Panicking, the Woodalchi went quickly through the rules but then furrowed his eyebrows about the content of that particular rule,"Eh, if a Woodalchi warrior quits the Woodalchi without the permission of the king or the General, he will be punished with 100 whips and then hung in the central of the capital as a sign of disloyalty. D-daejang, I've never even played with the thought of leaving the Woodalchi! I really never did!"

Choi Young rolled his eyes before he turned his head to Eun Soo, "I think you have your answer."

Eun Soo blinked at him confused. Huh? What had this to do with her?

The General turned back to the three pale Woodalchi warriors, "And you three will take the night shift for the next two weeks." Seung Bae's eyes widened at that. Two weeks? That would be hell! He needed sleep! But seeing his daejang's expression, he knew that protesting would just lead to more weeks. All three warriors immediately nodded before they quickly walked out of the room.

Choi Young shook his head at the young recruits as he turned around again and gave the still confused woman a smile.

"I think I should look for your black bag. I noticed it is not here."

"Should I come with you?"

"No, it will just take me some minutes." With that, he left the room.

Wait…Suddenly, Eun Soo realized what he had implied earlier, her eyes widened and she pulled herself up from the bed. "YAH, daejang! What do you mean? I didn't desert the Woodalchis! I DID NOT…AT LEAST NOT VOLUNTARILY! YAH!" she yelled after him.


[Gae Kyeong- Capital of Goryeo]

"What? Again! I think I haven't heard right. You want me to do what?" the current Goryeo king Gongnim asked in a stunned disbelief.

Without even batting an eyelash, the royal official repeated calmly, "Your Majesty needs to take a second wife."

Unbelievable! The king curled his hands into fists as he fought to keep from snapping out a very angry remark at them.

These royal officials would be his dead for sure. At every turn, they tried to weaken his authority and strengthen their own. How laughable it was that he once thought that they could be fair in their judgments for the sake of Goryeo. Just because some of them were well-known scholars didn't make them much different from the other noblemen. They also wanted him to be their puppet-king so that they could use him for their own benefits and not for Goryeo's…He looked around the room to calm himself before he answered to the outrageous proposal. He saw the worried glances of his Woodalchi warriors who were left behind by the General to protect him. How he wanted the General to be here. Next to his wife he was the only person he could truly call a friend.

"Have you lost your minds? I won't continue this conversation."

"But, Joenha, you need an heir. Goryeo needs an heir."(1)

"And we have a queen who is very much capable of giving us the future HEIR!"

"Joenha, you are on your throne for over 5 years but there is still no heir. We need one or people will start to doubt Your Majesty. As your loyal servants, it is our most important task to strengthen and ensure Your Majesty's royal authority. This is just possible when Your Majesty has an heir."

"I am still YOUNG. There is no need to rush this!"

Without even listening to him one of the royal officials continued to talk, "Joenha, we have already decided that Official Wu's granddaughter would be the best candidate. She is beautiful, well-raised and obedient. She should be to Your Majesty's liking." The mentioned officer nodded as in confirmation.

"STOP THIS RIGHT NOW! My wife, the queen, will give us the heir and no one else. I don't want this discussion ever again!"

"But there are rumors going around that-"

"I don't care about the rumors! If there is nothing else to discuss, I shall retire to my chambers now. I am tired." With that, the Woodalchi warriors rushed at his side as he furiously stood up and left the room.

-:-

"As if I wouldn't be able to see what they are really planning. They think they can gain control over me by taking away the loyal people around me. They already tried this with Choi Young and now they are trying the same with you. The audacity of them…" The king angrily fumed as he paced up and down his royal study room, trying to sort out his thoughts.

The Eunuch An Do Chi watched him worriedly from the corner of the room while the queen quietly sat at the table and patiently waited for him to calm down, so that they could talk in a more rational mood about the royal official's request. Though, the request hurt her deeply, she had to stay reasonable instead of emotional. The king's well-being was priority for her.

The king stopped at his study desk and picked up a half-finished drawing of him and the queen. He wanted to finish it for her day of birth as a sign of his deep feelings.

As he closely studied her on the drawing, he couldn't help but admire her gracefulness and beauty. No woman had ever caught his eyes and moved his heart like her. She belonged next to him. He couldn't imagine anyone else but her on this drawing.

With a frustrated sigh, he finally walked over to the queen and sat down opposite of her.

She studied his face for some seconds before she put her hand over his and said in a calm slow voice,

"Joenha, they are right. Your Majesty needs an heir. A-and if I can't give Your Majesty one than Your Majesty needs to take another wife."

Gongmin's head snapped up and he looked at her with a shocked expression. "No! Stop! I don't want to hear this from you as well. Even thinking about it, makes me feel disgusted. The only woman who will carry my son will be you. No one else."

"We need to be realistic, Joenha. The High Doctor's response to my question about when I will have my next child was very vague and with a touch of hesitancy. We have no confirmation that I will ever get pregnant again and-" The queen closed her eyes for a moment before she continued with a forced smile, "every king takes more than one wife."

"Please, my queen. Don't talk like this! Don't! How hard it must be for the queen to even suggest this."

"As long as it is for my king's, my husband's happiness, I will always support him, no matter how."

This time it was the king who put his wife's trembling hands into his and carefully squeeze it as he directly looked into his wife's beautiful eyes.

"Thank you, my heart. Thank you for standing next to me and giving me strength. We will have a child of our own and he will be the next king of Goryeo. I won't have it in another way. Have faith!"

A lonely tear slipped down the queen's eyes and she thankfully stared at her beloved husband.

-:-

"Joenha, I think there could be another way to ensure a child," suddenly the Eunuch spoke, not being able to stay quiet while his queen and king suffered this much.

The king's head immediately turned in his direction with hopeful eyes, "What do you mean? Speak freely!"

"TaeJo's blessing, Joenha. (2) A gift by the Heavens to the first king's favorite but infertile concubine. However, it went lost during the reign of King Wonjong…" (3)


Another chapter done :D What do you think?

This time, it had the queen and king in it. lol A sequel without them is not possible because a) they are so cute b) the king loves to get CY into trouble.

Next chapter should be up by Friday!

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(1) Joenha means Your Majesty

(2) King Taejo was the founder of the Goryeo Dynasty(10th-14th century). He ruled from 918 to 943. I used him in the story because he had many queens and consorts which led him to have many children. Some consorts seem to have no children...

(3) King Wonjong ruled from 1260 to 1274. During his reign, Goryeo became a dependency of the Mongol-founded Yuan-Dynasty in China. (For now I just can say that ES and the kids had the luck to meet him lol)