She pulled aside the woven carpet in the far left corner of the room. Underneath, the floor was layered with sheets of thick, oiled paper over large flat stones that covered the network of flues carrying the heat. But this corner contained no flues.
She'd always complained about how cold this one spot had been. It wasn't until she was thirteen that she'd discovered the reason why, for this was where her mother kept hidden the Kang family treasures. When Kira had asked her mother why she kept them in the floor and not in a locked chest, she'd been told that some things needed to be hidden. She respected her mother's decision. The locked chest, which had held some coins and valuable silk hanboks, had been completely destroyed, but the floor had been untouched.
Kira ripped the yellowed, oiled paper and lifted up the farthest corner stone. Within the deep cavity lay a large bundled box. Grabbing it by the knot, she lifted it up from its hiding place, coughing as clouds of dust flew all around her. She waved the worst of it off and untied the wrapping cloth, revealing a large rectangular box covered with an ornate design of two dancing dragons.
Opening the lid, her eyes were dazzled by the treasures within the box: jewelry she'd never seen her mother wear, gold coins, and other items worth a small fortune. In the corner, there was a small silk-wrapped parcel with her name written on the cloth. She was glad the Yamatos had not gotten their hands on her family treasure, but she would have traded it all to see her parents one last time.
She leaned against a wooden beam and opened the little parcel. Inside it, there was a small scroll and a black embroidered bag. She unrolled the scroll and found her father's bold calligraphy of the flowing pictorial characters of hanja. A bolt of emotion shot through her at the sight. Her father's presence shone through his words, reminding Kira of all she'd lost.
Unlike other noble fathers who barely spent any time with their daughters, her father had trained her to be a fighter since she was a little girl. He'd always said, "Kira, if you'd been born a boy, you could become the greatest general in all the Seven Kingdoms." She'd laughed and said, "Just like you, Father!"
Even when the king would make his dislike and contempt of her clear to all, her father had always stood by her side. When the entire court and citizenry had followed the king's lead and shunned Kira, her father had always protected her.
As a young child, she'd once asked him why everyone hated her.
"They don't see the real you," her father had said. "They see only the outside and are frightened by your differences, and in their blindness they can't see how truly wonderful you are."
"And my uncle? Why does he hate me?" she'd asked him.
"He doesn't hate you, he is afraid of you-a small child who can see demon possessions and who was able to save the prince's life. Instead of recognizing your worth, he fears your strength because they are powers he doesn't have and can't understand. But I will help you fulfill your destiny and train you to be the greatest warrior of the Seven Kingdoms, and one day you will be respected and loved by all."
Her father trained her to be the best soldier and the prince's bodyguard, which saved her from the king's enmity. In her heart, she knew that if she had not become useful to her uncle, he would have found a reason to be rid of her long ago. Even the love of her aunt, the queen, wouldn't have been enough to protect her.
She missed her aunt. Bright and beautiful, she was a larger-than-life figure. The queen had always kept Kira's mother by her side. They were sisters, but more important, they were the best of friends. Even though Kira had been more likely to clash with the queen, she'd loved her very much. The queen had supported General Kang's decision to train Kira as a saulabi, a member of the king's elite army. She was the one that insisted Kira would be the prince's bodyguard.
For the queen's sake, Kira had agreed to dedicate her life to protecting her cousin, Prince Taejo. She was seven years old the first time she saved him from a demon who tried to sacrifice him to an imoogi,. Despite her uncle, Kira and Taejo had always been close. To Taejo, Kira was not only his bodyguard but also his big sister. And now he was the one, the future king of the prophecy, destined to unite the Seven Kingdoms. Protecting him was the most important priority for Kira. As the Dragon Musado, it was her destiny. It was her father who had first said she could be the Dragon Musado, the one to fulfill the Dragon King's prophecy-the warrior who would unite the kingdoms and save their world from the Demon Lord. Even when the Dragon Springs Temple monks, who'd studied the prophecy for centuries, had proclaimed that her cousin, Prince Taejo was the one, her father had believed in her. She didn't know how he'd known, but he'd been right. Unfortunately, he hadn't lived to see Kira fulfill her destiny.
"I believe that one person can change the world. Whether he is the Musado or a girl with a tiger spirit. The monks teach that we mere mortals cannot question fate. But I say that we control destiny by our every action. Our power lies in the choices we make."
If the loss of her mother was a knife through her heart, the loss of her father was the hammer that pounded on it. She missed them fiercely.
In the upper corner of the scroll was an ink brush painting of a tiger. Underneath it, a caption read "Golden Tiger." Quickly scanning the writing, she realized the scroll was the court shaman's prediction of her fortune, written at her birth. The characters for death and betrayal leaped from the paper before she rolled up the scroll, unwilling to read any more. She didn't need to know what was in store. It was bad enough that she was plagued with prophetic visions that nearly always came true. There was a danger in knowing too much of what the future held.
Setting it aside, she opened the little bag and removed a thick gold chain with a small tiger medallion. She'd never seen it before, but it was clearly a gift for her. No one else in the family had been born the year of the tiger. She wondered why her mother had never given it to her. What had she been waiting for? What would she have said when presenting it to her? Kira's heart hurt to think of another missed opportunity.
She remembered a long-ago conversation with her mother when she'd been only five years old. They'd been sitting in this very room, her mother embroidering a tiger on a pillow for Kira. It was the first time that her mother had told her about the tiger dream.
"See this tiger?" her mother asked. "It is your animal symbol, your protector."
"Like me. I am the year of the tiger," Kira said.
Her mother nodded. "But it is also something more. It represents you as I first saw you, before you were ever born."
"How is that possible?" Kira asked.
Lady Yuwa caressed the silk before passing it over to her daughter.
"It was in my dream. I was in a meadow bordered by a thick bamboo grove, sitting on a large rock before a beautiful persimmon tree filled with ripe fruit. Chills ran down my spine when I sensed something behind me, stalking me. From within the bamboo grove, I spied two golden-amber eyes ringed thickly with deepest black. Only then did I realize that it was a large tiger, sleek and sinewy, its immense head held low to the ground while its golden eyes stared fixedly at me. Suddenly, it leaped toward me. I was so frightened I fell off the rock and landed on my back. The tiger was right on top of me and I flung my arms over my head, thinking I would be devoured. When nothing happened, I opened my eyes and found the large beast lying on its stomach before me. It yawned and shook its massive head as if it was nothing more than a house cat, batting a paw at a passing insect.
"Slowly I sat up, and the tiger rose onto its front legs. It raised its right paw and placed it gently upon my thigh. Within its razor-sharp claws was a perfect pink peony. It uttered a low purring growl and nudged me with its head, knocking me over and out of my dream."
Lady Yuwa had a faraway expression on her face, as if she were reliving the vision in her head. Kira waited for her mother to continue.
"It was definitely a good omen, but of what? I called the local village shaman who entered into a trance to commune with the spirits. When she revived, she told me I would bear a child in the year of the golden tiger, who would be the greatest warrior of all the seven kingdoms."
"That was me?" Kira asked.
Yuwa nodded. "After you were born, your father laughed to hear that the great warrior was an infant girl. But I knew my dream was an omen, for when you opened your eyes at me, they were the same golden amber as my tiger's eyes."
Kira was quiet, surprised by the story. Was this an explanation of why she was so different?
"Is that why Father makes me do my taekkyon training," she asked. "So I can be a warrior?"
She'd been so proud to think she was special.
"Never doubt that you were born to do great things, my child," her mother said.
Her parents had been right: she did have a tiger spirit. Ever since she was a little girl, whenever she'd been sick or injured, she'd dreamed of a tiger that would comfort her. Now she knew it wasn't a dream but the spirit of a large gentle tiger that would curl up beside her and emit a golden light surrounding them both. Its ki, pure tiger energy, would transfer into her body and heal and rejuvenate her. Kira and her tiger spirit were deeply connected. Without it, she would have died a long time ago.