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Kye-sook dreamt a dream in which he saw the red blood splashing on the ground in front of him, heard the sound of the knife piercing the flesh, and witnessed the most important person falling into the abyss.
From the darkness behind, the cold, bloody hands suddenly appeared and grasped his shoulders. Those hands had been warm and full of trust, but now Kye-sook only felt deep resentment within them. The dead man’s breath burned his hair, and the words coming afterwards turned into the sharpest spear, went through his heart, and brought an endless pain that Kye-sook had to wish for death to relieve.
You were nothing but disabled man. You should have swung your sword. The dead man’s voice echoed in his ear. And then, the cold hands moved to Kye-sook’s neck, cutting off his breath.
.
.
.
Groaning, Kye-sook woke up and found he was in his own room, in the general’s mansion. The cold hands had vanished, but the aftertaste of his helplessness in the dream was still lingering in his mouth, tasting of blood mixed with tears.
When his self-control returned, Kye-sook realized that he was not alone. Beside him, a golden-haired child was sleeping; his little hand gripped Kye-sook’s coat so tightly that he could not free himself.
He wondered why Soo-won, the son of Lord Yu-hon, was here. Then the memories slowly flowed back into his mind, as cold as the snow falling upon the old forest, where he meant to take his own life after his lord’s death.
He unconsciously touched his neck, where the cold from the fingers of the dead man still remained.
“Kye-sook…” He heard Soo-won murmuring in his dream. “Don’t go.”
Perhaps that was a nightmare like his.
Kye-sook lay beside Soo-won again and closed his eyes.
Some day, he would follow Lord Yu-hon into the darkness of doom. But it was not this day. This day, he still had a light to chase, a person to protect, and a dream to dream.
***
Kye-sook dreamt a dream, of the dark hall of the Hiryuu Castle. In this dream, he was kneeling before the throne while the royal court around him shouted at him. He heard some words like “betrayer” and “death.” Their anger increased as fiercely as the flame, but his king’s glance was cold and sharp like a frosty knife, filled with hatred that Kye-sook had never seen. That was the king of Kouka Kingdom, not his gentle brother. And now Soo-won was looking down on Kye-sook as if the advisor was an insect.
“Do you have anything to plead, advisor Kye-sook?” Soo-won murmured. Kye-sook thought it was better for his king to shout at him as the court did, instead of quietly expressing anger like this.
“My father saved you from the battle and brought you to our mansion. We’ve grown up together. I’ve trusted you with my life.” Soo-won continued. “Why did you betray me?”
No.
Kye-sook gasped. Those words were burning his shattered heart.
“Your Majesty.” Kye-sook heard his voice tremble with despair. “Betraying you is the last thing I want in my life. I have never done anything to harm you or our country. Trust me. Please.”
The king did not reply. His beautiful face was covered by a gray cloud of disappointment.
The advisor turned to the general, who was wielding his sword, as if he was afraid Kye-sook would attack the king. “General Joo-doh, do you still believe in me?”
The general silently shook his head.
“Put him to death!” The royal court screamed.
“No one trusts you now, advisor Kye-sook.” Soo-won turned his back to him, stepping into the darkness behind the throne. “From now on, you are expelled from Kouka. Go and die the way you want.”
And this is the end.
The end of their relationship. The end of their dream. The end of ten years of trusting and loving.
Kye-sook sprang up and threw himself onto Joo-doh’s sword. He felt the cold of the steel going through his stomach and the warmth of his own blood wetting his cloak.
How could he continue to live when his most important person did not trust his words anymore?
.
.
.
“Kye-sook! Kye-sook!”
The advisor opened his eyes. He found himself in his study, with books and papers all around. His chest is clenched, too painful to breathe. Blinking several times, he tries to get his calmness back. When his sight has cleared again, he see Soo-won sitting beside him with one hand laying on his back, and the king’s eyes filled with worry, unlike his hateful glance in the dream.
“Are you okay?” Soo-won lowered his voice. “You look extremely exhausted. You need rest in your chamber instead of your study, Kye-sook.”
“I’m fine, Your Majesty.” Kye-sook shook his head. “You should have woken me when you found me falling asleep while working.”
“You cried while sleeping. What did you dream of?” Soo-won asked softly.
“I…” Kye-sook hesitated. “Nothing, Your Majesty.”
“You’ll feel better if you tell someone what’s disturbing you. And we’re brothers, don’t you remember? There is no secret between us.”
“I had a cruel dream in which you accused me before the throne. You called me ‘betrayer’ and banished me.” Kye-sook found it difficult to describe his dream due to the bad feelings it had brought. “Then you turned away, ignoring my explanation. I was in a deep despair, so I attempted to… ah, forget it. I just want to say, if you have a doubt some day, please remember that I’ve sworn to follow you forever and ever. I’ll never break my vow. I’ll never betray you.”
“No need to say more.” Soo-won broke in. Suddenly, the king pulled Kye-sook’s sleeve and hugged him tightly. “I do not know what made you dream like that, but I’ve never had a doubt about you, Kye-sook.”
Kye-sook breathed a breath of relief.
His chest was not hurting anymore.
His king trusted him, and that was enough for him.
***
Kye-sook dreamt a dream in which his king was lying in his arms, his beautiful face gone pale, his golden hair wetted with sweat, and his body trembling fiercely in pain. The advisor called the medical officer in hopelessness, but no one came. Around them, there was only darkness.
“Your Majesty, what should I do?” asked Kye-sook hoarsely. “Is there anything I can do for you?”
“Just… stay with me. I don’t want to be alone… in this darkness… and at the end of my life.” Soo-won leaned his head against Kye-sook’s chest.
“What are you saying? It’s a normal headache, isn’t it?”
“Kye-sook, I… have no time left.” Soo-won grasped his hand tightly, as if he was going to be swept away by the flow of destiny. “I’m so sorry, I cannot stay longer to witness our dream coming true.”
“Please don’t say so, Your Majesty!” Kye-sook begged. “You’ll be alright. I’ll never let you go!”
“I have many things to do. I don’t want to set my uncompleted duty… my burden… on Kye-sook’s shoulder. My selfishness. Please forgive me. But we know… all good things must come to an end.”
“I’m your advisor, Your Majesty. I’ll defend our country by my last breath. I’ll make our dream come true. I’ll bring victory to Kouka. I can carry all of your burden. Don’t worry about me.” Kye-sook took the king’s hand. It was as cold as the bitter wind of winter. “But please don’t go where I cannot follow. I cannot walk in this sorrowful world without you.”
“Kye-sook…” Soo-won slowly closed his eyes. “I’m so… sorry.”
.
.
.
“No!”
Kye-sook screamed and woke up.
“Advisor Kye-sook, what’s the matter?”
The advisor raised his head and saw General Joo-doh staring at him. They were in the tent of the commanders. Perhaps he fell asleep after the military council. Kye-sook felt uncomfortable under the general’s gaze. He did not want anyone else to see his weakness.
“Nothing. Just a dream.” replied Kye-sook.
“It seems like a bad dream. You called His Majesty once or twice.” Joo-doh said. “Maybe you worry too much about the battle tomorrow. You’d better return to your own tent and get some rest. You’re the Chief Commander; the army of the Sky Tribe needs you to lead them with all of your strength. You cannot make a wise decision when you are sleep-deprived.”
“I get it.” Kye-sook said briefly. “I’m a bit tired. Could you please leave me alone?”
“Go to bed soon.” Joo-doh said and left the tent, leaving Kye-sook with the darkness, and the torment of the dream.
Your Majesty, Kye-sook thought and looked toward the capital, Kuuto, where his most important person was staying. Please be safe.
That night, he was not able to sleep again.
***
Kye-sook dreamt a dream in which he saw himself dressed in a black coat like mourning clothes. The table in front of him was covered with papers of an incomplete manuscript. Outside the window, there was the misty valley surrounded by high mountains, their peaks like the gray lances rising onto the summer sky. He knew this was not Kuuto. The scenery seemed familiar, as if he had been here before, but he could not recall where it was.
A wind blew through the opened window, carrying the sweet scent of spring and the cool air from the valley below. Kye-sook picked up a little white petal falling on the floor, realizing it was pear blossom. He remembered that there was a pear tree in front of his old room in the mansion of General Yu-hon. Despite this place being peaceful and quiet, his heart ached with a vague grief, like a deep fire. He felt the sorrow lingering on the spring air, but he could not tell where it came from. It made his tears suddenly fall without reason.
Then his sob turned to a bad cough. Kye-sook collapsed on the floor, felt like his chest was tightening, and his lungs were burning.
Blood splashed on his hand, as red as autumn leaves.
“Advisor Kye-sook! I told you to stay in your bed.” Someone had knelt beside him. “Your health is more important than anything.”
“Your… Majesty?” Kye-sook whispered. The fever and tears had blurred his eyes; he could not see that person’s face clearly. Soo-won was the first name that flashed in his mind. “What happened…”
“No, it’s me. Advisor Kye-sook, you have a high fever. I will call the healer right now.” That one said and carefully lifted him up. “You’re delirious. You need to rest.”
“General Joo-doh… Where is His Majesty…?” Kye-sook had no idea about his illness and wondered why Joo-doh was here. The general did not often come to his study.
“Advisor Kye-sook, His Majesty had gone. Do you remember?” Joo-doh’s voice was filled with sadness. “And you fell ill after the funeral.”
“So, he had gone…” Kye-sook closed his eyes. At last the gods did not hear his prayers, and the illness had taken his king away to a world that he could not reach. “You should have let me die.”
“I can’t do that, Advisor Kye-sook! You must keep fighting! The proud advisor of the Sky Tribe hates to be defeated, doesn’t he?” The general ground his teeth. “And I’ve made a vow to His Majesty. I won’t let you follow him.”
“I have a vow as well, General Joo-doh.” Kye-sook said weakly, blood flowing from his mouth, and he could hear the steps of death that were coming nearer. “I’ve sworn… I will follow His Majesty… forever and ever…”
.
.
.
Kye-sook had not heard the response from Joo-doh in the dream. When he opened his eyes again, the familiar ceiling of his chamber in the Hiryuu Castle slowly appeared. He felt weak - very weak - and his chest and throat still hurt. But he knew his own pain could not compare with the pain from the illness that tortured his king day to day.
The curtain around his bed was rolled up, and he saw the medical officer, Min-soo, putting the medicine bowl on the table next to his bed. He smelled an unpleasant scent of herbs.
“Advisor Kye-sook, how are you feeling now?”
“I feel better now. Just a cold.” Kye-sook replied. “I have to return to work. How’s His Majesty?”
“His Majesty is resting. Last night, his headache was getting worse, and I had to bring a soporific to help him sleep without pain.” said Min-soo. “You need to rest as well, advisor Kye-sook. If you worked too hard, a normal cold could become a lung-disease.”
“I’m fine. I have to fill both positions until His Majesty regains his health.” Kye-sook stood up and changed his clothes. Soo-won’s serious illness was a state secret. Before the royal court, he must act like it was simply a headache due to being sleep-deprived for as long as he could.
“Advisor Kye-sook…” Min-soo hesitated. “I’m so sorry, but it seems His Majesty’s illness cannot be cured. Maybe… he won’t recover.”
“We should not resign all hope.” Kye-sook turned away and quickly left his chamber. He did not want Min-soo to catch the despair showing in his face.
If a day like his recent dream came, if destiny determined to destroy his dream and take all hope away, Kye-sook would know what to do.
He would follow His Majesty.
***
Kye-sook dreamt a dream, of the tremendous dragon, the chaos suddenly bursting upon their camp at night, and the lifeless body of his king hanging in front of him, in the dragon’s jaw.
The advisor lay helplessly on the ground, hearing the sound of Joo-doh’s swords, the roar of the angry dragon, and the scream of the soldiers.
He wished he could force his heart to stop now to wipe out all of the extreme pain within.
His king. His brother. His light. His dream. His life.
All had gone.
The time stood still.
Kye-sook’s nightmare always ended with his death. But now, his most important people had died before his eyes. And he is still alive.
This cruel scene was not a dream.
He could not wake up.
End.