Chapter 4

Fleeing in haste into the forest they were suddenly overwhelmed by the thick undergrowth and the fast-moving wind that buffeted them, after going deeper into the forest, Seung Nyang knew that TalTal could not hold out for long and hoped to find a shelter soon to take refuge, but TalTal got ahead of him.

-There's a cabin there, it looks like a good shelter- TalTal exclaimed pantingly.

Seung Nyang and TalTal headed to the site as the first drops of rain fell on their shoulders, the rain began to increase as Seung Nyang searched for branches to light a fire in the center of the cabin, but TalTal preferred not to do so since they could be easily found.

-Master, he is injured, I will go look for medicinal plants, Seung Nyang exclaimed.

-No, stay here- TalTal said, but Seung Nyang had already crossed the door.

TalTal settled into the cot in the cabin, began to unbutton the black armor he always wore when he went into battle and carefully removed the top of his clothes, his body was bruised after the fight in the desert and the wounds had begun to close between the banks of blood, but they still needed to be cleaned and healed a bit, some wounds had opened from the effort from the horse and he knew he had to take care of them as soon as possible before they could get more infected, he looked at his torso and undid some cloths to use as bandages, after a while Seung Nyang returned to the cabin.

Seung Nyang returned soaked by the rain that was raging in the forest, but she was happy to see that the rain had put out the fires in the palace and she had been able to get the herbs for her master, who was leaning against the wooden wall while trying to remove the blood with a piece of cloth.

-Master, let me help you- said Seung Nyang worried that her master was overexerting himself, she still had doubts about how he had managed to survive and return to the palace on time, but there would be a chance to find out later, -Master, please-

TalTal stopped the task he was doing and let Seung Nyang approach him, he saw how she was wet from the rain and looked at her with concern, he didn't know what was wrong, he had come back to rescue her and prevent her from getting hurt.

Seung Nyang approached cautiously and although she was a little cold, she put it out of her mind to take care of her master, she tore off some fabric from her dress and cleaned the bleeding wounds on TalTal's torso, he just looked at her cautiously, but she couldn't know what he was thinking.

After crushing the herbs, she placed them in her hand to apply them on TalTal, she had already cleaned most of it and now all that was left was to bandage it, she carefully placed the herbs on his wounds that did not seem deep and sealed them with a thick piece of cloth and then bandaged them, TalTal did not seem seriously injured, but he did not express any pain either. Seung Nyang was worried that he was hiding for her well-being.

The rain continued to fall hard, he had decided not to light a fire, but he was still cold, he had barely finished bandaging his master when the rain increased and he knew that the enemy would no longer bother to look for them since their footprints had been erased along the way, for the moment they were safe.

TalTal was internally grateful for the care Seung Nyang had given him, thankful that he had been able to return in time to save her, and lamented that the bears would have ended up like this after their failure on the battlefield.

– Master! Now the firewood is wet, I'm afraid I won't be able to heat the cabin because of the rain – Seung Nyang exclaimed worriedly.

-Your clothes are wet, we can burn this cot so you can warm up a bit- said TalTal

-No master, it is where you rest, please recover-

-I can sleep without it, you better use it- said TalTal

- Master- Seung Nyang exclaimed worried about his injuries.

TalTal remembered how Seung Nyang had been able to warm Ta Hwan up when he had a fever in the mountains, it had been a long time since he had had contact with a woman like that and he had honestly not been interested in any all this time until Seung Nyang's arrival in the province when his uncle was the governor while trying to compete for a concubine.

Seung Nyang was clearly cold, a bonfire hadn't even done much good as her clothes were still wet, but doing that act caused her some shame and she considered it improper after the recent death of the Emperor, but also dying of cold could cause her more problems, the black cloak that accompanied her was still dry and she decided that it would be an excellent blanket for Seung Nyang.

-Use my cloak to cover yourself. TalTal exclaimed, Seung Nyang looked at him in astonishment, but she knew that the cloak itself was not enough to keep warm, it would work better if she took off her wet clothes and…

Seung Nyang felt a little embarrassed to herself, all the men who had been able to see her in that position had finished passing by her bed and while she worried about TalTal, Ta Hwan's recent death left her unsure of what that could be interpreted as, but she had to warm up anyway.

TalTal looked at the insecurity in Seung Nyang's eyes, she made it clear in her head that she did not want to show herself to him, he understood, she was visibly uncomfortable with the situation and there was not much to warm up to, she felt partly guilty for having caused this situation for Seung Nyang, if she had triumphed on the battlefield there was no need to expose her to so many dangers.

-I'm sorry I couldn't defeat General Hyun Kwan and his Mongol army in the desert, TalTal confided in Seung Nyang as he looked partially tired and the rain poured down from the sky.

-Master, I know you did everything you could to beat him- said Seung Nyang

- Yes, but I could have achieved more, still, I am worried that the wet clothes will cause you some discomfort, please wear the cape, I will turn around so you feel comfortable-

TalTal noticed that there was still a lot of sadness in Seung Nyang's eyes; the emperor's death was not easy to bear and he thought of dedicating a few words to her.

Seung Nyang began to remove layers of her clothes from the darkest part of the cabin, she thought she could stay at that end while TalTal looked in another direction, the water was falling in torrents and it did not seem to stop anytime soon, she was still cold and it was the only option she had, TalTal had always been very respectful to her, she admired that about her teacher, he had always been her mentor and had helped her through multiple problems, he was wise and mature enough to make decisions with skill and caution, he was quite an admirable man whom she had always had a deep respect for, she looked with sadness at him being so hurt, she was surprised by his strength to return in time and help her escape, he had been her salvation many times since she met him.

In the innermost part of her process, she glimpsed TalTal's cloak on the floor, it had some blood marks, but they didn't seem to be his, she hoped he would recover and trusted that the rain would give them an escape for tomorrow, suddenly TalTal interrupted her from her thoughts.

- Did Your Highness leave peacefully? I'm sorry I didn't arrive on time- TalTal said heavily.

"He left in peace," Seung Nyang replied with a sigh.

A silence fell over the cabin as the sound of the rain covered the noise

TalTal looked for Seung Nyang's gaze in the darkness, hoping to offer her comfort beyond words, but Seung Nyang didn't seem to offer her any looks, until she turned in her direction.

-Master, don't worry about that, what matters is keeping us alive for now and finding a way out for tomorrow, I hope we can get to the city to regroup with the rest- commented Seung Nyang while lifting TalTal's cloak.

TalTal looked at him with tenderness and concern, wanting to express that his well-being was the most important thing to him, he wanted to make sure he was okay, Seung Nyang's gaze held in TalTal's eyes seemed to indicate some desperation.

-I will protect you above all, your highness- TalTal Express –We will continue advancing until we recover the throne-

-Master- Seung Nyang replied as she approached him.

-Unity will help us defeat the enemy- TalTal replied while he continued to look at her

Seung Nyang walked closer to him with the cloak in her hand and knelt beside him, she was only wearing the last white layer of her clothing, but TalTal didn't seem to care.

-Your Highness- said TalTal before being interrupted by the hug that Seung Nyang gave her, she was cold, she was wet and she hugged him back, still unable to believe it.

Seung Nyang pulled back for a moment and gave her a warm look, TalTal looked at her willing to accept any challenge for her, her gaze seemed very sweet to him and he took her by the face wanting to have closer contact with her, he caressed her cheeks and Seung Nyang snuggled up to him, TalTal dragged the cloak towards her body and held her to his chest, they ended up falling asleep.