Chapter 2: The Healer from the Heavens
Author's Notes: Thanks a lot to everyone who gave their comments on my first chapter. I'm so happy there are still people following Faith despite it being finished a long time ago. I so love this series.
Please be a bit patient with me with the updates. When I write, I miss Faith so much I end up re-watching some episodes so it gets delayed. I also had to read some Korean history to not make a total mess of the story. I planned to update per week but it doesn't seem possible so maybe once in two weeks. I hope. Thanks again.
-same disclaimer as chapter 1-
...
"She must be some kind of witch, I tell you." Mun Dong Hee was one of the very few talented new Wu Dal Chi recruits who used the sword like a dance. He had been on the inn when their general unexpectedly came back with a woman in tow. He excitedly regaled the story to the other new Wu Dal Chi's who had to stay and watch the palace.
It was late in the afternoon and their duty just ended for the day and whilst the older members were busy doing mock duels the newer ones would usually watch and talk about who would win against who. But this time around, another topic was more interesting than the battle prowess of their leaders. "For sure she had this bewitching aura around her, her hair was as red as fire, and Daejang couldn't take his eyes of her. And take this, he was holding her hand when they came in, not her wrist, but her hand." He emphasized the last word gesturing with his own hand.
The others looked at him in disbelief. The general was not the sort of man who paid much attention to women much less hold a woman's hand.
Sang Hoon Jin in particular who had already been with the Wu Dal Chi for about two years knew this information was a lie. After taking back the territories of Goryeo the general's name had been hailed throughout the country. Once, he had seen the general being introduced to a government official's daughter. She was one of the most beautiful females he had ever laid eyes on, and he had heard that when she played the lute, the sound would be like angels coming down from the heavens. But the general didn't even seem to notice that she was a woman. He had treated her with respect but his eyes never lingered on her. And although the smiles she threw his way were plenty, he would merely answer with a nod of respect.
All that person cares about is duty and honor. Many of the Wu Dal Chi believed that to be true.
But Dong Hee was not done talking. "And then, when we were on the boat, he sat down beside her, really near, that their arms were touching. And while we were riding on horses, she rode beside him and he kept glancing at her." He paused for effect. "And he even smiled."
Hoon Jin slapped the back of Dong Hee's head after that last remark. He had enough of his lies. "If you are going to make up stories, make them at least believable."
"It's true though." This came from another Wu Dal Chi which surprised Hoon Jin. "I wasn't on the same boat but on the way here I did see Daejang look at her and smile. Multiple times in fact. If I didn't know how Daejang is, I would think she was his woman."
"Hey, wasn't there a rumor before about Daejang and the Prince's fiancee?" Another Wu Dal Chi member piped in. "I heard the Prince's wedding never happened because Daejang barged in and claimed her in front of everyone."
"That was Eui Seon!" Said another. "The doctor that Daejang took from the Heavens to save the Queen."
"But I heard she went back to Heaven though."
"What is all this talk of heaven?" Doek Man who had just came out victorious from his fight had just overheard their conversation and sternly asked the question. But the new recruits were too curious to pay attention to his tone.
"Is it true?" It was Dong Hee who asked. "Was that really the Heavenly doctor that came with us back to the palace?"
This earned him another slap at the back of his head and this time by Deok Man. "Were you not warned not to speak about this?"
Dong Hee rubbed the back of his head to ease the pain. "We were told not to spread it around, but I was just talking to fellow Wu Dal Chi members." He complained.
"So it is true then?" Another Wu Dal Chi member concluded. "The Heavenly doctor is back."
"Did she really become a member of the Wu Dal Chi before?" asked another.
"I heard she stayed at Daejang's quarters while she was at the palace." This other comment seemed doubtful as if the speaker could not believe the words he was saying.
Doek Man couldn't resist grinning at that. "Eui Seon is Daejang's woman of course, everyone in the palace knows that." His words implied that it should be common knowledge however his tone belied his feeling of superiority for knowing such piece of information about their general. He was still grinning from ear to ear when he became the new recipient of the back-head-slap. He turned around in annoyance, angry at who would dare do such a thing to him and came face to face with Choong Seok, the general's right hand man.
"You are supposed to be preventing this kind of behavior and not feeding it." Choong Seok's no nonsense look said it all. He was not amused. Then he addressed the rest of the Wu Dal Chi. "You don't really have the time to be gossiping around, go train yourselves."
Everyone complied, but Hoon Jin could not stop thinking of what he just learned. He had heard of the Heavenly doctor before. Five years ago when Gong Min took the throne, he had brought her along with him. It was said that she went down from the heavens and sewed the princess of Yuan's head back together. Many officials had said they saw the stitches on her neck themselves.
Being a son of a scholar, his father had wanted him to follow in his footsteps. However Sang Hoon Jin had always been partial to the sword. At the age of seven he had been an avid follower of the stories about the Jeok Wol Dae and how they protected the kingdom. At thirteen he heard a leader of the Jeok Wol Dae had become the new captain of the Wu Dal Chi. That person, they said could kill three men with one sweep of his sword and could control lightning. Hoon Jin had been determined since that day to be a member of the Wu Dal Chi. So he had begged his father that he be trained by the sword instead of by the book.
But it hadn't been easy for Hoon Jin. The Wu Dal Chi would only take the finest of warriors. Family background, influence, and monetary bribes mattered less than skill. And thus being accepted at the age of 23, two years ago, Hoon Jin had taken a lot of pride in it. He was there when Choi Young had taken back Ssangseong with the help of the young general Lee Seong Gae and his father Lee Ja Chun, a Ssangseong official who had taken the side of Goryeo. His son owed his life to the Heavenly doctor who in turn had supported the King, so he had taken this as a sign of providence.
However, Hoon Jin also heard that the Heavenly doctor had tried to kill the general when they first met and had even cursed him so that he was sick for days. Many had also whispered that she had seduced the general so as to take him back to the heavens with her. Whatever the truth was, he knew for a fact that the mighty general he had admired for years had been reportedly sent to jail three times since the doctor had been around. Hoon Jin decided he didn't like her at all, and wished she never came back.
...
"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" The Queen was sitting on a chair inside her chambers where Eun Soo was changing with the help of Lady Choi. She had arrived early this morning covered in a hooded cloak, and escorted by a very irritated Choi Young. Since no one else knew of her presence in the Palace except for the Royals, the Wu Dal Chi, and Lady Choi, the only place she could go to was Kwon Seong Jeon (The Queen's Chambers).
Eun Soo had donned on a white dress with golden embroidered lace down the front, designed like flowers, and was covered by a red flowing cloak. Her hair flowed a brilliant red loosely in waves down her shoulders and back with hair extensions that made it reach almost to her thighs. The only adornment she had on her hair was a golden flower shaped clip.
The clash of colors coupled with her long bright red hair made her look ethereal but the Queen was too worried to notice. Eun Soo flopped down on the chair opposite the Queen and gave her a smile. "I should be fine, I've done this type of thing before remember?"
The Queen still looked doubtful, she turned to look at lady Choi as if pleading for help. Lady Choi looked at Eun Soo and then back at the Queen for once not knowing what to say.
Eun Soo glanced at the blank expression on lady Choi's face and then back to the Queen's concerned one and sighed. "I just thought this would be a better option than having to run away or hide." she said with a pout. "Do you think I'm crazy?"
...
"She has gone crazy." Choi Young said in frustration.
The King watched him calmly as he sat opposite where his general stood, inside Gang Ha Jeon (The King's Chambers). The King's Eunuch Ahn Do Chi stood beside the King in silence, not betraying the amusement he felt at the situation.
"She thinks she can just go tell everyone she is from a different world and they will all just believe her."
"It just might work." The King finally said. He had been silent for some time now as his general vented out his concerns. He had listened quietly and patiently.
The absurdity of the situation wasn't lost on Do Chi though. Although Choi Young and the King had been really close, that sometimes words were not needed for them to understand each others schemes and plans, they never really talked about anything personal. That Choi Young was now venting out personal frustrations to the King had surprised him. A lot.
"It might work?" Choi Young looked at the King in exasperation. "Might work? That's what she said too. 'Might work' is not a hundred percent successful strategy."
"Well if it doesn't work, you can always just drag her out of the palace and run away." There wasn't a hint of a smile on the King's face but his eyes betrayed his amusement and to that Choi Young narrowed his eyes.
"You think this is all funny?"
He looked so seriously angry that the King had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing. Yet he couldn't stop one corner of his lips from rising up into a smile. "The meeting is in the palace, I don't think anyone would try to physically harm her here. And I should think I still have some power as the King to prevent any other trouble."
The moment he said that the King regretted it. For it was as if Choi Young suddenly woke up from a trance and realized he was standing in front of his King. He bowed his head respectfully. "You are right, your highness. I should go fetch her now."
The King smiled and nodded, although he would have liked to listen more. His general had always been calm and level headed. Even surrounded by a vast army he would remain unfazed and find a way out of any situation. He always stood firm to his morals and had no want for any wealth or power. It had been really refreshing to see this side of him. The King had almost forgotten how it was when his general would leave behind the palace to run away with a woman. Yes, he seemed more troubled and restless since she had came back. But he also seemed more alive.
"We should get going too your highness." It was Do Chi who broke out of the King's thoughts. The King stood to go.
...
They couldn't help gaping when they saw her. Choi Young had come to Kwon Seong Jeon with six other Wu Dal Chi members, including Deok Man, Dong Hee, and Hoon Jin while he left the guarding of the King to his right hand man Bae Choong Seok. The ones on the look out in the palace grounds were being led by Dae Man.
And they could not stop staring at her. The last time that she had been the recipient of such stares was when she had entered the Wu Dal Chi quarters in shorts, well it had been her pants which she had cut off due to being torn. She learned men in this time wasn't used to seeing skin. But this time she was fully dressed and covered so she began to worry if her dress had a tear somewhere. It had been awhile since she had seen herself on a full length mirror and at that moment she wished she brought one. The thought of her carrying a huge mirror through the gate almost made her laugh.
It was as if she was ready to burst out laughing and this snapped Choi Young out of his trance. She looked different. Very different. In fact if it wasn't for her perky smile he would have thought he had come to the wrong place. And yet the pull she had in him was the same. The warmth, the brightness...
He took her wrist and pulled her to the nearest vacant room to the surprise of everyone who quickly moved out of the way.
"Be careful, I'm already having trouble walking in this dress without having to run after you, I could easily trip on these." Eun Soo said indignantly the moment they were inside, hitching up her skirt to emphasize it's length.
Choi Young looked her over once more. "What kind of joke are you playing at now?"
Eun Soo looked up at him innocently. "The last time, I had a really hard time convincing people I was from the heavens. Jang Bin told me I had to act like I was from there, but I'm not very good at acting heavenly, so I was thinking maybe clothes would help." She looked at him as if seeking his agreement.
"How did you..." Choi Young was reaching out to touch her hair while saying this but he was cut off as Eun Soo immediately backed away.
"Don't! It might come off." she warned and so Choi Young slowly dropped his hand. He was looking at her weirdly again and Eun Soo tried to look at his eyes to decipher what he was thinking.
She seemed to be moving farther from him. Was the center of Choi Young's thoughts the moment he had seen her in that dress. Not even when she had donned the robes Deuk Heung gave her when she agreed to marry him had his thoughts wandered like this. He had instinctively used her hair as an excuse to touch any part of her to be sure she was still there, but he knew that her presence wasn't the one giving him a sense of loss.
In the four years he had waited for her to come back. He had imagined her presence everywhere. Every place they have been together he saw her there. Even in places he had never had a chance to take her, he imagined bringing her there. Although he never thought of her looking like this, the vision in front of him looked more from a dream than his thoughts have ever been able to conjure.
Guessing at what he was thinking, Eun Soo rolled both sleeves up impatiently and crossed her arms across her chest. "I chose to look differently so I can be just me. Clothes are easy to replace but my personality is quite difficult to change you know. And I don't plan to be acting like a different person my whole life."
When he still didn't say anything she moved closer to him which made her look up to see his eyes because he was so tall. He looked so lost and unsure it squeezed at her heart. So she gave him a gentle smile while looking straight into his eyes. "I'll change out of the clothes if you don't like them that much."
"If you fail, they will force you to marry the King." Choi Young was grasping at any thought of protest that entered his mind.
"No they wont." This time her smile looked triumphant. "I'm not very well versed on the Goryeo part of history, however if your kiss could stop Deuk Heung from marrying me, then there is no way I am still a fitting candidate for a Queen." She moved her head to the side perkily with a teasing look in her eyes. "Or have you forgotten that you kissed me in front of all those people?"
There was an intense silence as he looked back at her unamused by her lighthearted banter. Eun Soo's smile slowly evaporated as the air seemed to grow thicker. The look in his eyes was stealing her breath away.
Before he knew it, Choi Young had raised his fingers to touch her lips propelled by the memory of the kiss. Eun Soo stood frozen as he traced her lips. She suddenly found it hard to breathe. They need to meet the King soon, she should move back, away from his touch. But she couldn't move. In fact she felt it was a miracle she could still stand, her heart was beating so loudly in her chest he must be able to hear it.
He wanted to replace his fingers with his lips. He wanted to taste her, feel her, and assure himself she was no longer a figment of his imagination. He met her eyes looking for confirmation. The last time he had kissed her he hadn't given her a choice. He had taken her by surprise, he knew that. This time he wanted her to want it.
He was going to kiss her. Their lives had been a whirlwind of danger since the moment they met, that times where they were able to enjoy each others company had been few. And most of those instances they had spent trying to run away with bounty hunters after them.
But the timing was wrong and there were people waiting for them just outside, still she wanted him to kiss her. The hard beating of her heart was becoming painful as the longing for his kiss grew.
Seeing the want in her eyes, Choi Young's heart seemed to stop. He removed his fingers from her lips as he slowly bent down with the intent to capture her lips with his own. Her eyes fluttered close as if her heart had risen up to a height she could no longer handle. He closed his own, engraving the shape of her lips into memory, wanting to take the heart she so readily offered, wanting to give back his own. But before their lips touched a knock sounded at the door.
Eun Soo felt as if someone had cruelly snatched her heart out from her chest. The air she took in to breathe felt heavy and burning, like she had just ran a mile.
Choi Young clenched his fists as he walked to open the door. It was lady Choi. "Whatever it is you two are doing there, I need to remind you that the King and Queen as well as all the retainers and government officials are waiting."
Choi Young nodded stiffly. Eun Soo made herself busy unrolling her sleeves and fixing her hair. As she moved past him to the door, he touched her shoulder to hold her back. The eyes that met hers was filled with trust. "You can do it. I believe in you."
She smiled back at him. "If I fail, you can always come save me."
Despite his worries her smile was too contagious he couldn't help smiling back. The situation had not changed a bit, however somehow his heart felt lighter.
...
The reaction to everyone in the meeting was more or less similar to that of the Wu Dal Chi. It must be her long red hair. Eun Soo mused. She had asked Choi Young along the way if there was anything inappropriate with her dress. He merely looked at her but didn't say anything which she took as a no, else he wouldn't have remained silent.
Eun Soo had just entered the meeting room and was announced to the King. She had insisted on walking in alone to which Choi Young had to agree. She would be safer if she was not associated with him and the Wu Dal Chi. Being seen with him will just remind them of the claim he had staked on her and that would be detrimental to her situation. She needed to be seen as the Heavenly doctor first and not as his woman.
Since the King had told her once before to just act casually with him she merely gave him a nod instead of a full bow then she looked towards the Queen to give her a smile. The Queen smiled back calmly befitting of her regal status. Gone was the worry on her face replaced by confidence and pride. Eun Soo wondered how she had learned to mask everything so easily and look so magnificently dignified. It must be a princess thing. She concluded.
"Your highness." It was Lee Jae Hyun, the well renowned scholar, who managed to recover first. "Didn't you declare to us all four years ago that she is no Heavenly doctor and that you merely started the rumors yourself?" Everyone in the room who have heard of it murmured in agreement and whispers were being shared everywhere.
Eun Soo was about to go sit on the chair behind the King, opposite to where the Queen sat, but the scholar's words stopped her on mid stride. Before the King could answer she faced him herself.
"It is true. I am not some Heavenly Doctor." She shrugged. "In fact I have no knowledge of what it is you call the heavens."
The talk became louder. Wasn't she just introduced the as the Heavenly doctor? But she was not?
"But it is true that I do not come from this world. The knowledge I have of medicine is from a world different than here. A world beyond the gate where things exist that is beyond your comprehension. Whether you want to call that place Heaven or not, it is of no importance to me."
It was not hard to believe that she was from another world. Her manner of speech and her actions were completely different to that of other women. And the way she looked at the moment, even with her brisk strides and snappy tone which should seem out of place from her ethereal vision of loveliness, it made her look magnificent instead. Like a goddess sent from the heavens to battle.
But these were men of logic. "May I ask where have you been these four years?" This time it was the student Lee Saek who asked the question.
"I had to go home." Eun Soo sighed. "Then I had to travel to a different world and them back again to mine. It took me some time to find this place again."
Now everyone was looking confused. "Are you saying there are plenty of different worlds?" Lee Saek asked.
"Well not exactly." Eun Soo raised her index finger like a teacher giving of a lesson. "In essence there is only one world separated through time. And I happen to come from one that is about 700 years from now." She said as her index finger pointed somewhere far away.
Everyone had blank looks in their faces. Eun Soo sighed once more. She knew talking about the future would never work. These people would find it easier to believe she was from heaven than face the possibility of time travel. "Here let me show you." With that she whipped out the mini projector that she had hidden under her belt. She turned around to face the King and pointed it behind him. Then she turned it on.
Everyone gasped, some in wonder and some in fear. She had taken a new projector with her the last time she came back to her world thinking it would come in handy. She had to leave behind the other one she took for fear of changing history and her past with Choi Young. Her surgery tools, her notebook and the projector. She left them there for Gi Chul's teacher to find making sure that history will unfurl in the same way. She could not risk not meeting him.
With the new projector though she had recorded the streets of Seoul, the tall buildings, the fast cars and even the lighted sign boards. She recorded almost everything that she passed by along the way back to the gate. And these she played in a fast forward motion. She really did not want them to clearly see the future. Then she turned it off.
"And that is my world." She looked back at them and smiled. "Whether you want to call it heaven or not, is up to you." Then she went and took her seat.
It was a long time before anyone could speak.
...
A messenger entered a quiet room then keeled in front of a man sitting behind a desk writing letters. "As you have thought, she has come back my lord."
The man nodded at this piece of information then stood to walk over to where the messenger was kneeling. He had on black and red robes. The upper portion of his long hair was tied up into a pony tail with a red ribbon while the rest fell straight on his shoulders. He looked to be about in his early thirties and his face was what you would have described as beautiful if it wasn't for the cold dark look in his eyes.
"So what's the situation?"
The messenger got up to give a full report. But before he did so, he gave a glance to the hooded man sitting in one side of the room who seemed to be engrossed on a book. He wanted to know if it was alright speak in the presence of another. When he got a nod of confirmation he began to talk.
"She's taking up the title as Eui Seon again and this time the King has given the title a position. She already has everyone convinced she is from heaven. And she has the King and Queen's full support. It will be hard to touch her."
The man in the black and red looked lost in thought. "So he has given up on her then?" He thought out loud.
"Impossible." The voice came from the man with the hood. He placed his book down and stood, taking off his hood to reveal his face. It was Deuk Heung Gun. "That man will not give up on her up to his last breath. I know this for a fact."
And indeed he knew. He remembered the first time he had poisoned the woman. He had expected him to come and deal for the antidote. He had not expected to almost get killed. That person had been on a rage of a different level that for a moment Deuk Heung thought he had gone off his mind and was going to kill him antidote or not.
And then he made the mistake of thinking that placing the King's life in danger would keep that person busy enough away from her. He was the King's most trusted man after all. But instead he risked everything to stop their wedding. In all his calculations he had not counted for that kind of crazy behavior.
Taking consideration of what Deuk Heung said, the man revised his plans. "Are all the soldiers ready?" He asked the messenger.
"Yes, two hundred thousand men." came the answer. "Should I report that we are ready to move?"
"No." The man who seemed to be the leader of a vast army quietly replied. "I need to take care of some matters first."
"Are you still thinking of going through the plans of assassinating the King?" It was Deuk Heung who asked. "I tell you, as long as Choi Young is with him, it will be an impossible task. You already have thousands of men ready to go into battle, why not move them?"
"Because we will loose." With that he went to open a drawer and took out a box. "The woman from the future will see to that." He opened the box and inside was a .45 caliber handgun and a silencer. He took the gun and attached the silencer to it like a pro. "I will have to deal with this situation myself.
...
Hoon Jin sighed. She was beautiful, he gave her that. The governor's daughter didn't even hold a candle to her. And her smile, it was like sunshine on a rainy day, the stars on the darkest night, a flowing river on dry parched land. He shook his head away from such thoughts. He needed to be vigilant on his watch and his thoughts were not helping. Yet she also treated the Wu Dal Chi like friends, she even asked for his name. He couldn't help thinking.
He was standing guard in the shadows near the room where the Heavenly maiden slept. And when she passed by she smelled of flowers. His thoughts once again wandered and he sighed for probably the hundredth time since he'd seen her.
Suddenly he heard footsteps. He watched as a cloaked figure passed by him looking around making sure she was unnoticed. He followed silently. Where did she plan to go at this time of night? It was already past midnight and everyone was asleep except for the guards on night duty. And then he smiled as he saw where she was heading. She was going straight for the Wu Dal Chi quarters.
...
NEXT Chapter 3: The Assassin's Target - An urgent report of the Red Turban Troops on the march to Gaegyeong with 200,000 troops puts the kingdom busy in preparation for war. In the midst of it all, an assassin comes to kill the King?
Author's Notes: Chapter 2 became too long as I decided to replace some of the named Wu Dal Chi members. They will be forever in our hearts but the story must go on. So I had to move some parts to chapter 3. Thus I am actually very excited to update with chapter 3 as it is already partly done and in it is a conversation which is very dear to my heart. But I still cant promise on how fast the update will be.