In the autumn sunset, Songak Mountain seemed as if it was on fire, the molten gold of the setting sun brightening the dark red and yellows of the leaves. The wind was colder now, and the rain more frequent – at times the mists not rising from the land for days on end.
When the Yoo king and the Hwangbo princess were to be wed, the palace was filled with guests, nobles from all around Goryeo. Some were afraid, knowing that the power of the royal in-laws' houses were being minimized – and quickly. Others decided to bend under the king's boot and make it easier on themselves by ingratiating themselves to the throne. As she looked down at the palanquins and processions arriving, Soo faintly heard two servants hauling rolls of curtain fabric refer to the affair as a 'political clusterfuck'. And really, it was.
The Pyeongsan House Yoo had never been rich, unlike their Chungju cousins, but where the wedding guests lacked in lavish gifts and rich robes – they made up for it in flattery and praise calling Yo a strong and wise king, and telling Yeon Hwa that she looked radiant. They brought several servants and retainers, riding on well-maintained horses. House Yoo of Pyeongsan was the ninth prince's house, and he acted as their representative.
Ryu Deok Young and old Ryu Cheon Gung arrived wearing what looked like half of their ancestral riches, bringing with them a massive surplus of servants to show off their power. 'House Ryu,' they said with their displays of wealth, 'Will not make a good enemy. If you make us your friend, however, you will not regret it.' House Ryu was old, since the beginning of the three kingdoms – they had been the money of Goguryeo, elites of the kingdom, always on the defensive, but ready to back true power. Soo watched them curiously, wondering exactly how heavy one of those palanquins must be.
On the week before the wedding ceremony, it seemed as if the entirety of House Kim and all of its' relatives arrived at once – both the Dongju and Gyeongju Kims. They rode in armed, in their armor, on their best horses, claiming that they were beset by bandits on the way – but obviously showing off that they would fight back if provoked. Their animosity towards the throne of Goryeo had always been pronounced – after all, they used to be royals themselves; of overthrown Silla. Kim Eok Ryeom had been on the offensive, speaking for the entire group – that they refused to stay in the palace as guests. Baek Ah urged his clansmen not to be like this, but they ignored him, dismissing him because he was one of the Goryeo Wang. It would have bordered on true ungraciousness and defiance of the king's power, if they had not mentioned at the last moment that ill old Dowager Kim could not stand places with too many people. But they had gone too far.
Yo had refused House Kim – saying, 'She can stay wherever she wants, but if you refuse my hospitality, you may find yourself refusing much, much more than you can handle.' Ever prudent and honorable, Kim Haeng Pa and Baek Ah had both apologized to the king, and then convinced Eok Ryeom to not go any further. Grudgingly, they had accepted Yo's hospitality.
The nobles of House Park were much more reserved in their displays – showing that they would go wherever it was easier for them, remaining neutral until the last possible moment. General Park himself and Soon Deok with the tenth prince arrived with a group of people from Pyeongsan, and House Ham from Yanggeun – old Wang Gyu sitting sleepily in a palanquin as he was carried through the gates.
But it was not the sour-faced Jincheon head of House Lim, nor the diminutive Oh Da Ryeon (supporters of King Hyejong) that were the most dangerous. That was Park Sul Hui, who had petitioned for Wang Moo to be king before Goryeo was even fully established. After Wang Moo's death and Wang Yo's ascension, he was rumored to have begin supporting the Hwangbo – standing behind Wook as the next king, after Moo began to fall apart.
However, he had two worthy adversaries. Wang Shik Ryeom had arrived from Seokyeong with all of his best guards and an entire carriageful of wedding gifts for his nephew, and Queen Yoo had joined him, leaving her temple and returning to the palace with triumph in her eyes, and pride in her posture.
Soo had heard all this from Baek Ah. They had tea, and he spoke to her of rumors of intrigue and sedition – and then sadly told her that So was busy and hadn't sent any word. Soo accepted this news with a nod and downcast eyes. 'Of course he wouldn't. He still can't forgive me…' She gave Baek Ah another letter that she wanted sent to the fourth prince and thanked him for everything he'd done. And then she shut herself up in the library and read until her eyes hurt, and it was time for her to have dinner and retire to her quarters.
'I will keep waiting,' she said, whether to remind herself, or to somehow telepathically tell So that she would still be there for him when he came back, that she was lonely and almost alone, but that she still believed in him and still loved him.
The king barely saw her, she passed him in the corridors maybe twice a week and bowed. He glanced down at her, but no words were passed between them. Occasionally, a note was left in her quarters, written in sharp, neat calligraphy, telling her things like, 'There is a new set of robes being made for you – wear them, they'll look good on you,' or 'According to the list you made, books were ordered – aren't I a good husband?' and 'I see So still isn't writing to you – just give up already.' Each one would be read by Soo, then folded and put in a drawer of her desk, slowly filling with paper.
It was five days before the wedding when she was summoned to the king's quarters to have dinner. Outside, the weather was frightful, strong winds buffeting the palace, occasionally whipping the walls with rain. With trepidation, Soo readied herself. Every time she saw the king, in her mind, she saw him drawing the bow and levelling his aim at Wook. Why on earth did he want to see her? Had she done something wrong?
Wile he was eating, Yo barely glanced at her as she picked at her rice and meat. But soon enough he was done, and he looked up at her – evaluating. "You're a dead woman walking, Hae Soo," he said.
'Is that a threat, or is that just how he talks to people?' the thought flew through her head in a moment, but she bowed her head. "Please excuse my ignorance, Your Majesty, but I'm afraid I don't understand."
"You sleep, you eat, you read. You have tea and gossip with Baek Ah. You wait every single day for any sort of sign from the Wolf-dog, and when you receive none, you fall deeper and deeper into this half-dead stupor," Yo said flatly. "Was it Wook's death, also, that affected you so?" When she did not answer, biting her lips, he smirked. "Is it me that you're afraid of?" She still could find no words, and he took a sip of tea, shrugging. "No matter."
Finally, forcing words from her dry throat and staring at the hands twisting in her lap, Soo said, "Your Majesty is most kind to worry about me."
Yo snorted. "Worry," he said, as if the word itself was abhorrent to him. "Is that what pretty word you will come up with, little wife?" He shook his head.
She remained silent, eyes cast down, expression forcedly neutral. Wook's wide eyes and cowering shoulders flickering in front of her eyes.
He eyed her appraisingly, then suddenly burst into laughter. "You are afraid of me," he said, shaking his head. "Of what I am capable of."
Again, she said nothing.
"'Oh, how I hate him. He is a murderer, he is a monster, he shot his own brother,' things like that," he said conversationally. "Right?" He stood, walking up to her. "Look at me."
She did, slowly raising her head and meeting his dark eyes.
He looked back down at her with a neutral expression, one hand resting on the edge of the table. "The palace is full of monsters, Hae Soo. We have a Wolf-dog, poisonous snakes, scurrying rats… We eat each other alive and spit out the bones. It is a veritable menagerie." He snorted, shaking his head. "The eighth prince was not so blameless as you think, little wife."
'Maybe so, but… Did he deserve to die?' Soo still said nothing, looking up at him.
Yo rolled his eyes. "You think I'm trying to convince you? Maybe that I'm suffering an attack of conscience and I'm trying to convince myself?" He laughed again, then stopped abruptly. "Fool." The king's eyes narrowed and he leaned in, bracing himself against the arm of her chair. "I just want to see the look on your face, dear wife, when I tell you exactly what your beloved eighth prince was going to do."
Soo was still, eyes wide, transfixed as he smirked.
"So, if you did not want Wook to die, would you rather it had been Eun?"
"W-what?" she didn't realize she had spoken out loud until his smirk widened.
"Oh… Of course you didn't know." His tone was almost comforting as he shook his head. "Your dearest eighth prince was going to use Wang Gyu and the tenth prince's entire house to strengthen my rise. The pathetic old Wang Gyu and the child that is my tenth brother. To make a bloody example of them, to say they were plotting against me. Fortunately for them – or unfortunately for Wook, really – their deaths would have brought me no benefit."
Soo's lips parted with a gasp of surprise. In her mind's eye, Wook's frightened face darkened until he looked pensive – just as on the day of the coup as king Taejo lay dying… 'How could he?' Suddenly, she remembered Jung's words on that night she had found Wook in the Damiwon… "So thinks that Wook was plotting, and he said that he planned on scapegoating Eun in his place, even having secret meetings with the king. But he wouldn't do something like that!"
"Do you know why Eun and General Park's daughter stayed in Songak for so long after our wedding?" Yo asked conversationally.
"Bandits," Soo said, her voice still shaking.
"Precisely." Yo grinned. "And I wonder, wife, just who was it that payed them off to block the roads for so long without fearing arrest? It's odd, isn't it? While he was trying to convince me that House Ham posed a threat to me, wasn't it so beautifully convenient that Eun and his little wife were trapped in the capital?"
'N-no, it can't be…' But she had no trouble believing it. After all, Yo had no reason to lie. He felt no remorse, that much was clear.
Yo continued, looking almost sad – the illusion ruined by the slight twitch of his lips upward into another smirk. His voice was low. "Imagine, Hae Soo. Eun and his little wife cornered in the palace gardens. A guard cuts down the girl. I draw my bow…" he paused, "The boy falls. I shoot again. So is forced to perform a mercy-killing on the unfortunate child." He sighed, shaking his head. "Wouldn't that be much, much crueler?"
"H-how…?" she whispered, tears coming to her eyes. "Why did he…?"
The king smirked, drawing back. "Oh, yes," he said, sitting back down. "Isn't it much better this way, little wife?" He spread his arms. "Aren't you glad?"
Her voice died in her throat as she stared at the king, trying to suppress more tears.
"Answer me," he said, his voice turning hard. "Are you not glad?"
She licked her lips, forcing her voice to remain even, but failing. "I-I… I would have been glad if no-one had to die…"
"How naïve," he spat, then shrugged, face turning neutrally amused. "Still, typical, I suppose." Yo shook his head. "You don't want to say it, do you? It makes you feel as if you're giving up on your pretty ideals. You don't want to believe it." He grinned again. "You are glad that it was Wook instead of Eun."
Soo could say nothing to that, mind drawing a blank. She refused to cry, but somehow, her eyes refused to listen, and tears build up until they spilled over in two clear lines over her cheeks.
In a bored tone, Yo carried on. "You want to know 'how' and 'why'? Wook gained the support of the Songak elites, and was going to try and take the throne for himself." He leaned over and reached across the table, putting a hand under her chin and making her look at him. "Now tell me, lady wife, what do you think of all this?" he asked in a deceptively gentle tone.
"I-I…" she trailed off, cursing herself for showing her fear, "It's sad," she whispered.
He looked at her oddly and released her chin, sitting back. "I suppose it is," he said. "Do you want to go back to the days before you entered the palace?"
She nodded, unable to do anything else.
So quietly, that at first Soo thought she had imagined it, the king said, "As do I, sometimes."
/
The next evening, Soo was told that she would be receiving the king in her own quarters for dinner. When he arrived, she bowed, and they ate in silence. He held out his cup to her, when he was done eating, and she poured him tea. "Mother wonders at me," he said, taking a sip, looking at her over the rim of his teacup. "She finds it odd that I would marry a mere court lady."
"Your Majesty did this humble lady of the court a great honor," Soo said, bowing slightly from her seated position.
Yo laughed. "I see you do have a sense of humor," he said, shaking his head. "But… I tell you this now – around the Queen Mother, you would do best to act as if you are nothing but a pretty face."
Soo looked up at him oddly, then bowed her head.
Again, Yo laughed, shaking his head, then taking a sip of his tea. "Do you know what she said, little wife? She said, 'She must be an exceptional girl to catch your eye, my son.'" He snorted. "Have you caught my eye, then, Hae Soo?"
"I couldn't say, Your Majesty," Soo said flatly, looking down. 'Where is he going with this?'
"I suppose you have," Yo said, smirking into his teacup. "After all, where else could I find so convenient a hostage?"
'I see. This serves as a reminder of my position.' Soo remained silent.
"…Or so taciturn a dinner companion," he added dryly. "Am I really so frightening, Hae Soo?"
"If I answer 'no'," Soo said quietly, "It would be an insult, Your Majesty – and if I answer 'yes', it would show weakness on my part."
Yo laughed, and it seemed genuine. "You see right through me, little wife. I enjoy your little honesties, so politely delivered and so true to heart…" he looked sideways at her. "You are wasted on this. Politics would suit you well."
She was more wary of him than she ever had been. Since he had killed Wook, since he had given her the 'warning shot', since he had told her about the eighth prince's plans… Soo was wary of his unpredictability and the pleasure he took in being cruel, in throwing her off-balance. The few times when they had spoken before Wook's death, Soo had begun to relax very, very slightly. But now that she received yet another reminder of Yo's ruthlessness – like a turtle, she retreated back into a hard, protective shell of politeness and cold.
Was she afraid of him? She didn't know. Maybe she was, after all, she would have to be a fool not to. But being afraid would not help her, and so she wondered if she really ever was, seeing the king in front of her – the man on front of her as a human being just like anyone else – but with… Major issues. Although, really, she doubted that the word 'issues', or even 'major issues' could even begin to encompass Wang Yo.
/
Three days before the wedding, they had tea in the gardens during the afternoon.
"…What do you think of Yeon Hwa?" he asked curiously as a court lady poured him tea.
"Princess Yeon Hwa… Her Highness is-" Soo could think of nothing to say. "I am not well acquainted with her."
"She whipped you, years ago," Yo pointed out.
Soo winced, despite herself.
"I see you remember," he said with amusement. "Then, are you jealous?" He raised his cup to his lips.
She stared at him, then caught herself and looked down.
He snorted, then laughed, setting his cup down. Looking at her, face full of amusement, Yo shook his head. "A simple 'no' would have sufficed," he said. "A horrified stare, while amusing, and effectively answering my question – is mildly discouraging."
"Your Majesty is amused?" she asked, trying to keep a smile from her own face, and bowing her head.
"You had better keep me that way," Yo said dryly, "Or who knows what sharp things I will point at you."
'That sums up our interactions in one sentence,' Soo thought tiredly.
"We should eat meals together more often," Yo said, shaking his head – seeming to be smiling – genuinely, almost like a normal person. "Your keen wit and tongue require honing against a worthy opponent."
'Oh great.' "Your Majesty is most… Kind."
/
The wedding was a trumped-up, pompous event, at which everyone (especially the pretentious House Ryu) – wore every curtain, robe and golden hairpiece that they owned, or what seemed like it. Yo despised it, the niceties and the hidden poisons – the affectation and the carefully veiled threats. Yeon Hwa loved it. The attention, the power, being called 'Queen'. It would have been somewhat endearing, if all this had not been bought with her brother's death. 'But,' Yo supposed, 'If Wook himself couldn't become king, Yeon Hwa becoming a queen was the next best thing – maybe it's what he would have wanted.'
His mother finally understood. Yo had known perfectly well that she didn't appreciate being sent away to Chungju – but he had seen no other way to keep her out of things. She would never have approved of his marriage to Hae Soo from the start, but now that she saw what it had done for him, she was pleased. She would have been displeased with him for that fiasco with Wook – the eighth prince's escape… But now that he had the Hwangbo under his thumb, there really was nothing she could say about his failures – for they had resulted in great successes. Yo knew what he was doing; he had a plan – and it wasn't Queen Yoo's plan. 'Have I made you proud, Mother?'
Going against his mother's wishes… It was much harder than he thought it would be, when she stood in front of him, smiled and told him who she wanted dead. Who was he to defy her?
But no. He was the king of Goryeo. He would do all he could to make her comfortable in her life as the Queen Mother, but no more. She had made him what he was, honed a sword that she wielded with precision – but he was a man, not a sword. 'Well, Mother? Are you proud of your son?'
Yet still, even as he was thinking this, he saw himself from outside, desperately trying to win Mother's approval, like a pathetic child.
Even as he sat at the head of the table, Yeon Hwa practically glowing beside him, Yo's eyes were unseeing as he looked past the long table. Some court lady refilled his cup and he raised it to his lips, then set it down, deciding not to eat or drink here. Too many people, too many poisonous creatures wearing the guise of men and women. Was he paranoid? Maybe. But if he did not die the way his predecessors did – that would be enough for him. This was court, this was royalty, this was dangerous – intrigue at every turn, at every bow, at every sweet word. There was no-one at this entire table who meant what they said – him included, hypocrite that he was. The only difference between him and them, was that he made it clear that he didn't mean what he was saying.
And the only reason he could do that was because he was king.
Somehow, his thoughts drifted to Hae Soo. She would have hated such proceedings as much as him if not more. Hae Soo… She was an oddly straightforward person with such strange principles – and really, it seemed that she couldn't lie to save her life. But she had a sharp tongue and an even sharper wit that she hid under layers of dignified, polite coldness. She was so very different from Yeon Hwa, it was astounding. He didn't understand Hae Soo at all, and he understood Yeon Hwa too well.
Ryu Cheon Gung was smiling in a way Yo didn't like, and the king watched as the nobleman stood and raised his cup. "May I propose a toast?"
Yo raised his eyebrow. "You may," he said shortly.
Cheon Gung smiled, bowing. "Then, to the king and his beautiful bride – for a future that lasts as long as Your Majesty's prosperity!"
Yo rolled his eyes. Ryu Cheon Gung twitched. Yo smirked. Ryu Cheon Gung swallowed. "That's a very nice sentiment, Lord Ryu," Yo drawled, raising his cup. "I think I'll add something to that." His smirk widened. "May my prosperity be long enough that our future together is not cut short."
The nobleman paled. "Y-yes, of course," he said. "I-I didn't mean-"
Turning to Yeon Hwa, who also began to smirk Yo asked, "Do you like that, Yeon Hwa?"
His queen smiled up at him, poison in her eyes, her red lips curving beautifully. "I like that very much, Your Majesty."
"Then let us drink to that," Yo said, his voice carrying down the table. "To me and my beautiful bride – and to my long prosperity. Woe be to all those who think to cut it short." 'Maybe that last part was a little much, but I have to get the point across somehow.' He pretended to take a sip, and then laughed, the rest of the table joining in. Cheon Gung sat quickly down, saying nothing for the remainder of the 'party'.
Beside him, Yeon Hwa laughed quietly. "Cheers," she said in a sing-song voice.
An accidental smile rose to his lips. "Don't enjoy yourself too much, Yeon Hwa," he said. His eyes roamed across the faces of the people sitting at the table until they settled on a single man in modestly decorated silken robes and an immaculately trimmed white beard, sitting between General Park Soo Kyung and a drunkenly cheerful Eun being fed things by his little bear-wife. "Park Sul Hui," Yo said under his breath, his eyes sharp, "What will you do now? It's your move."
As if hearing him, Park Sul Hui looked up and made eye contact, then smiled slowly and bowed his head. He raised his cup and drank- Beside him, Eun was gesturing and nudged his elbow- The contents of his cup landed in his lap.
Yo couldn't suppress a snort, and Park Sul Hui almost glared at him, averting his eyes at the last moment. Eun looked surprised, then began to apologize, as his wife- 'Ah, Park Soon Deok, was it?' -looked mildly horrified, apologizing as well. The nobleman smiled, waving his hand at them, as if it was perfectly alright.
Yeon Hwa had also been looking, and she glanced up at Yo. In a low voice with such a practiced innocent undertone, she said, "What do you mean about Lord Park Sul Hui, Your Majesty?"
"You don't know?" Yo asked, smirking. "I'm surprised, Yeon Hwa. Not to know the man who wanted to put your brother on my throne after Moo failed to keep it… You really must have been out of the loop."
She hid behind her cup, but he could see the whiteness of her cheeks and hands. She said nothing, and it was wise of her.
Later, as he entered the room in which she sat proudly on the red-curtained marriage bed – he told her that he didn't trust her at all – and the moment that he suspected her of plotting against him, he would have no qualms about killing her. "You wanted a man that could cherish you. You wanted someone who would enlarge your power. I will not allow anyone in Goryeo to be more powerful than I, and I will employ any means necessary to ensure that."
She twisted the ring on her finger. "I am a queen of Goryeo," she said, looking up into his eyes with no fear.
In that moment, he admired her greatly – and remembered why he had asked her to marry him the first time. "You are," he said. "But I am your king."
Hwangbo Yeon Hwa bowed to him, her hair falling to obscure her face as she did so, but he could see a single tear drop from her eye onto the sheets. A tear of happiness at becoming queen? Of her sadness at the cost of her brother's life? At her own powerlessness in a position of great power? He did not know. When she came out of her bow, she was smiling. "Yes, Your Majesty," she said sweetly, and pulled at the ties at the front of her robes, the silk falling from her smooth shoulders. She reached for him, and he did likewise.
/
It was a week after his wedding to Yeon Hwa that Yo saw Soo next. On a whim, he passed by the gardens, then by the lake – and he saw her there, standing by the lake's edge, her hands folded in front of herself and her eyes fixed straight ahead. A single orange leaf fluttered down by her, and she held out her palm. The leaf landed there, and- 'Is she crying?' A single tear rolled down her cheek as she watched the small leaf settle. She whispered something – he could see her lips moving, but he couldn't tell what she said.
He stepped forward, making an impatient gesture at the servants attending him, and they hung back. As he approached her, a sudden wind rose, the leaf fluttering from Soo's palm. She did not hear him approach until he was right behind her saying the first thing that came to mind; "So can't hear you, you know."
Soo whirled around, then bowed low. "Hae Soo greets the king," she said.
"You may pine and pine, and he will not come back until I call him back. Your time would be better spent otherwise." He was frustrated. This woman was so odd, and he didn't understand her at all.
She bowed again, dark lashes casting shadows on her cheeks. Hae Soo stayed silent, as always when he said something she didn't like and didn't know how to respond.
"Why are you like this?"
"Because I still haven't lost faith in everything."
It took him a while to realize she had spoken as he stared at her. "You haven't what?" he asked incredulously.
"I can still believe," she said simply.
"You're a fool, then," he snapped. "You've been betrayed more times than even I – and you will keep being betrayed." For some strange reason, she made him so angry when she said things like that.
Her eyes were soft and sad, large and soulful as they met his. Her look was guileless as she shook her head. "If I didn't believe in anything, Your Majesty," she said gently, "There would be no point in living for me."
Yo laughed mirthlessly. "I believe in three things. Power, strength, and the ability to survive. You would be wise to do the same."
Soo inclined her head. "You must live a very sad life, Your Majesty," she said softly. Then, just saying a thing like that – she bowed and left, leaving him standing there. 'Who does she think she is?! The absolute-' He took a deep breath in. 'I keep letting her get to me. She's just lying to herself to make the pain go away. The poor, foolish woman.' He shook his head. 'So really knew how to pick them, didn't he…'
