Walking the Path Chosen

Chapter 6: The Pledged Brothers & Sisters

by deadkitty1

An illusion or a lie is how the Red Moon Crescent Army ended up making an oath to protect the king. In that one day, their lives change. Their once proud and brave leader, teacher, and father falls with a single swipe of his own sword by the ruler of the country which he will never see freed from the clutches of Yuan. Everything gets rushed the minute he departed from this world. Choi Young became appointed guardian of the royal family and every Red Crescent Moon Army personnel is searched and thrown into jail by the paranoid king. Young is thankful that he at least got Mae Hee to leave. While riding through the country and putting everything in its place to protect his pledged siblings, he can feel at ease knowing she's not in jail torturing herself over their teacher's death.

The look she gave him hurt deeply as he begged her to live so they can survive in this bad dream. She's blaming herself. She kept telling him that she's the one who should've died. It's too late to fix the past though. He can only mend the present. He's a leader now. A position he might have wanted years from today, but at this moment, it's a responsibility which he's thrust into defenseless and panicked. His mind combats with the king and his advisors to help keep his family afloat. The people around him don't bother questioning his decisions. There is little time for them to argue as they instinctively place their trust of their lives in their new commander's hands.

Time lends a helping hand as eventually the Red Moon Army gets their freedom under Young's supervision. With unrelenting pride, they quietly take in their new role of protecting the royal family despite a few member's boiling resentment of the crown. They are supplied with the best materials befitting a king's guard. The new armor and horses they've long been asking for have been granted, along with their new place among the soldiers of the palace, who don't hide their blatant scorn and arrogance for the radicals. Young knows better than any of them the price they paid for them to live in such splendor. They will forever be under the King's thumb yielding to his every whim until they become useless animals.

Despite the sacrifice, Young is smart. He used the connections he gained through the palace in order to release his brethren. He suspected Yuan might have had a hand, maybe to use the Red Army as a pawn to murder the king for vengeance after the death of their admiral, but the Army knew better than that. Even if they are unwilling to do what the king commands, they will all respect the wishes of their teacher to protect the king and his family because it's how they've been trained, to keep their word. So Choi Young was surprised to learn it was directly issued from the king himself who set his siblings free. Although Young is forced to serve the royal family due to his oath, he sees no reason for his pledged siblings to be forced in such a grim fate also. The king's momentarily lapse in kindness is a ploy unable to win the loyalty of the Red Moon Crescent Army. He can't bear the burden of pulling his pledged brothers and sisters to serve a notorious ruler. No. He'll make it so they'll be able to live outside the wretched birdcage of a palace and never be pawns ever again.

Just as he begins planning, he gets word from one of his informants that Mae Hee hasn't come to the hideout he prepared. Young's face pales as he grabs a horse to ride out and look for her. Throughout the chaos of everything, she wouldn't just up and leave. She couldn't leave him. He's tried so hard to protect everyone and her so they can figure all of this out together. They've always had each other's back. She should have his. She should trust him. With a heavy lump in his throat, he fears her trust might have wilted away due to her impulsive thoughts.

It takes him two days to arrive at their meeting spot where they spend their memorable moments together. They shared their dreams and childhood memories on this very spot. He even kissed her by a tall evergreen tree here. There is no other place she would go. She has to be here.

While walking through the fallen leaves, he spots a piece of clothing among the dirty ground. As he grips the black cloth tightly, his footsteps pick up. Her Red Crescent Moon bandanna would not be abandoned so carelessly unless she didn't need it anymore. Panic lumbers his movements, clumsily tripping over some roots and rocks on the trail. The small hope he holds trickles through his hands like water. A few more steps until he arrives. She'll be sleeping down on the branches or eating lunch just as she usually would. She'll be practicing her special vine whip with newly fresh blisters on her fingers. It's what this spot represents to her. A place of comfort where he's only invited, so she wouldn't...

His eyes widen and his knees crash hard on the floor with wind sweeping over the cracked leaves, taking them away. The sight before him has forever cursed the wonderful memories either of them carried on this spot. She has left him. Indeed, she didn't listen.

As in a trance, he carefully lowers her body down, removing her whip around her neck with gentle trembling fingers. The smell from the evergreen tree suffocates his senses as he drags her a bit further away. What was once a scent of her is now a memory of death and disappointment. Even as he tries to push her swollen tongue and eyes back into her skull, he can't help but scold the girl through his mourning.

All she had to do is wait. He would have been here to help her, to talk to her, to hold her. He can't understand why she didn't just trust him when all he's ever done is trust her. She has soiled the memory they have of this place. Mae Hee, to die knowing that he'll be the only one to find her and see her like this is a selfish and painful wish. One he would not wish for anyone should the time come when he leaves this world.

Using his pent up and turbulent emotions in his body, he digs a grave for her right under the tree. He digs using all his strength and ignores the complaints of his arms and shoulders. It's later in the day when he finishes as he lays the body to rest.

There are no prayers said for he has none. Any emotion he has is spent. All Choi Young feels is emptiness. He rather join her to forget the troubles brewing in his heart and head, but his oath prevents him from doing so. He can't do what Mae Hee has done. He can't abandon his pledged siblings without a leader. Too much responsibility lies on his shoulders now.

Any thought the young man holds for the future disappears as she took any hope he wanted for a tomorrow with her death. He awaits his faithful meeting with death in yearning. Living based on a promise to another is the only string binding him to this world. He has to protect the king and his family. He has to protect the Red Crescent Moon Army. After that, he has no intention of doing anything else because what is living unless one has a purpose?

OoO

Upon returning to the palace, many of his dear siblings notice the sudden change in their leader. He would spend most of the days sleeping and the rest eating or fighting. He takes little care in his appearance, unless he has to appear in front of the king, and the socialization of the troops are abandoned. No more carefree conversations. No more drunken nights out. No more planning for the future. As hard as many of them tried, Young would not engage or talk out his troubles with them. He's still a capable leader which they've always admired him for but they miss the other Choi Young. The one who used to be their friend and brother. The carefree man who would laugh at their jokes and have fun with them. They miss him.

The mad king adds to the distress of the Red Moon Army by sending them to every dangerous section of the kingdom, hoping to kill them off within a span of a year. Young's training comes in handy and his various strategies outsmart the opposing forces. He takes each of the battles seriously, applying his best to avoid massive loss of lives. Retreats aren't cowardly to him. If the enemy fails to capture them, they can retaliate again another time. He reminds them each and every time of how precious their lives are and how valuable each member is. Their deaths to him are like painful arrows through his heart as he serves it up as a powerful boost of morale for the next battle. While he rather they not fight at all, he knows these people are the only ones he can trust with him on the battlefield. He can't fathom how he can bond with another group as he bonded with them.

As they get through each war, Choi Young finds a home for each of his friends so they can start a new life apart from the focus of fighting. While many remain grateful to him, the remaining stubborn few would not leave him alone and one of them is Ho Min.

"How about this village? It has a great fishing area," Young suggests. He glances back at his friend then returns back on his netting. "I can teach you how to make these and then you'll be able to catch a lot of fish to earn money. It'll be easy living. You'll see! Most of the fishermen here are still using the old techniques. This will be your secret weapon."

Ho Min snorts at his captain's idea and shakes his head. "I am not going anywhere. If you think for one second I'm going to leave you alone with those money hungry soldiers from the king, you would be sorry. You wouldn't last long with those greedy bastards. They'd stab you in the back without us by your side. I'm staying!"

The young man taps his sword firmly to show Young he means business. Trying a different strategy, the captain engages him on something serious.

"How about your sister?"

"She's proud to have her forth son, thank you very much! Said the little kid is the fattest outta the whole bunch. Won't need me as an extra mouth to feed," he snorts in amusement.

"And your parents?!" The commander pleads.

"Old and cranky. Still living the life though. If I come home and tell them I've left you, they'd kick my butt out the door," he argues back.

"Pledged brother! What about your own life?"

"What of it? I'm living it. I'm here, fighting side by side with my captain and my siblings, living the life of the sword. My loyalty lies with you until I breathe my very last breath. Not anything you say can change that my friend."

Young looks upon the dedicated warrior in exasperation. He's as hardheaded as Mae Hee, but then he was in the same team as her. Putting aside the netting, he grabs the sword by Ho Min's side, pointing it at the man.

"This. What can I say to convince you to give this up?" he state while searching for the answer in the man's eyes.

Ho Min pulls his lips up for a smile at the captain's persistent effort to get him to leave the service. After thinking about the statement for some time, he answers.

"Say you'll come with me."

The commander pulls back facing away in sudden contemplation. Ho Min stands up as he continues on with his reasoning.

"Say that you abandon the king. We can both live in some village – this village hidden away in the mountains and live as a couple of fishermen selling fish. We can do that. Together."

The captain hangs his head down low as he didn't even entertain the idea of living a life outside with a friend. He can't. He won't. He grips the sword of his teacher and remembers the promise he's taken. A future doesn't lie in store for him nor is he waiting around for it to begin. His place will always be in the moment. He can't look ahead or deem to hope a life with his friends exists. It doesn't work for people who have responsibility for others, a leader like him.

Ho Min gauges his reaction, seeing his friend falter at his suggestion. He eases back on the spot, leaning down on the ground with a sigh. "And that's why I'm not going to leave you alone, captain."

"You'll die." Young said as his eyes squeeze painfully.

"I know. But let me be with you anyway."

Young returns Ho Min's sword back to him as the leader walks back to the village deep in thought. He can't help feeling relieved to have his friend remain by his side, but he'll always feels guilty for letting him stay, even with all his attempts at bribing him to leave. By having his comrade by his side, he gains the boost to fight and the will to live on. He tries hard to hide his true feelings every time he says farewell to a brother or a sister. With their smiling faces, relieved at having been given a chance to live a normal life, he didn't want to shatter their dream by a selfish wish of his own for them to stay. Ho Min has seen through his facade. He's grateful to lift the mask at least around one person. If for one moment he can forget his duty and share a drink with a friend, it's enough of a life to live, for him.