"You may need to bring your soldiers south," Kira said. "The Iron Army needs all the help they can get to defeat the Demon Lord and his army."
A child ran up to Shin and handed him a piping hot steamed bun. He took it with a smile of thanks, ruffling the little girl's hair as she beamed in adoration.
He offered it to Kira, but she declined.
"I already had a few," she said. "You eat it."
Shin demolished the steamed bun in two bites, wiping his hands on his trousers.
"We were on our way home when our scouts got word of the demon infestation at Numa."
"Lucky for us you were nearby," she said.
"It's not luck. It's destiny," he said. "Don't you see? Our lives are bound. Fate keeps bringing us together."
Kira rolled her eyes, making Shin laugh.
"Do you remember when we were children?" he asked. "The nurses would take us outside to play and we would chase you around, but no one could ever catch you. You were so fast. Once, we thought for sure we had you and you climbed up a tree and stayed there for hours."
"I'm no fool," she said. "You and your friends were terrors."
"Yes, but how does a five-year-old climb the biggest tree in the kingdom! Grown men had a hard time climbing that tree and there you were, scampering to the very top like a monkey."
He shook his head in wonder. "You never did have any fear."
"No, that's not true. I was scared of monsters," she said. The nightmare image of the imoogi appeared in her mind. "You have no idea how scared I was."
"But you never showed it," he said. "I admit that I was jealous of you. We all were."
"Of me? Why?" she asked.
"You can't be serious? You were better at taekkyon fighting at five than most boys were at twice that age. And then when you were seven years old, you were already training with the saulabi. And you were a girl! We weren't allowed to start our training until we were ten, and only if we were deemed worthy."
Kira crossed her arms across her chest. "Is that why you were always pulling those nasty pranks on me?"
"Well, yes, and also to get you to notice me. You were always off in your own world."
"That's because everyone called me a freak and no one would ever play with me," she said.
"I would have," he said.
They'd reached a creek and Kira bent down to pick up a few stones.
"No, you were the worst of them! Always telling everyone how strange my eyes were and mocking me. I really hated you." She flung the stones into the creek, watching the growing ripples in the water.
Shin sighed. "The things I would do differently if I could only have a second chance. I'm sorry about that. I was a dumb kid."
Kira made a rude noise with her tongue.
"But the truth is, I've always liked you," he said.
"You had an odd way of showing it," Kira said. She bent her arm to throw another stone, when he took hold of her hand and drew her closer.
"The river washed the old me away. Here I stand, a brand-new man. Can't we start all over again?"
Before she could answer, a young man came racing toward them, bumping into Kira hard. Kira would have fallen into the creek if Shin hadn't been holding her.
"Chansu, what is it?" he asked, a slight frown creasing his face.
Chansu gave Kira a hostile glare before answering him. "Chief Shin, the men are back from patrol and have important news to report."
He stared at Shin with an expression of besotted hero worship that caused Kira to hide her grin. She'd seen many young soldiers idolize her oldest brother in the same way. Even though Chansu looked about the same age as Kira, she felt years older than him.
Shin sighed and bowed to Kira. "Will you excuse me while I see to my men?"
As he returned to camp, Chansu stayed behind, looking Kira up and down with a haughty sneer. It reminded her the way she used to be treated by the nobles at home. As soon as she thought of it, she remembered the sight of court ladies falling from the cliffs-the colorful silk clouds floating in the Han River. The memory saddened her.
"You're not really his betrothed, are you?" Chansu asked.
Kira was puzzled by his unexpected question and open hostility.
"We were once engaged, but not anymore," Kira replied. "All those who wanted it are no longer with us."
Kira remembered when her aunt and her mother had surprised her with news of the betrothal.
My dear sister, let my daughter get used to this idea, her mother had said. After all, you said so yourself. She's thought of herself as more boy than girl for all these years. Give her time to consider what it means to become a woman.
"So you're not going to marry him," Chansu said.
Kira pushed aside the painful memories. "No, I'm not."
"The betrothal was a political arrangement, then?" he asked. "He didn't want it either?"
Kira hesitated. There was an intensity about his gaze that was off-putting.
"No," she replied.
"And you won't be holding him to it?"
"I said no," Kira snapped, losing her temper. She did not like this soldier at all.
Chansu smiled, a look of relief crossing his sly face.
"Come, let me take you to your injured friend-he is asking for you," he said.
Kira couldn't help showing her annoyance. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" she asked.
"I'm telling you now," Chansu said with a laugh.
He moved quickly through the woods, leaving Kira to wonder at his mercurial mood swings. She glared at the young soldier as he ran ahead. It was not that often that she took such a strong dislike of someone, but Chansu had struck a nerve with her. She pondered over their bizarre conversation and the intensity of his hero worship of Shin Bo Hyun. Chansu made her uneasy. She knew she could not trust him.
19
Upon their return to camp, Chansu waved Kira over to the infirmary tent and took off. As soon as Seung saw Kira, he hustled over to her side.
"Young mistress, my master is asking for you," he said. "If you could spare a moment to see him-"
"Of course," she said.
Inside the large ger, there were a few rows of injured people lying on straw pallets on the ground. Off to one side by the wall, she found Jaewon covered by a thick blanket. She maneuvered around the other patients and sat down next to him.
Jaewon opened his eyes and smiled at her.
"How are you?" he asked.
"What kind of silly question is that?" she asked. "You're the one who's stuck in a sickbed."
He laughed. "It's just that I haven't seen you since the attack and I was worried."
Kira patted his hand. "Well, as you can see, there is nothing to worry about."
"I'm sorry for getting injured and delaying our journey."
Kira glared at him in mock anger. "You should be! How dare you nearly get killed by a demon and force me to eat all the yummy steamed buns I can get!"
"Steamed buns? I didn't get any-"
"That's because you are sick and can only eat rice gruel," she replied. "But if you get better soon, I might share some with you."
He smiled. "Perhaps just a bite or two, if you are feeling generous."
"Hey, hey! I think you're pushing it there," she said, smiling at him.
He gazed at her with such intensity, Kira felt that same uncomfortable feeling she had around Shin Bo Hyun.
"What's the matter?" she asked.
"They say the chief is your betrothed."
"What? Who said?"
"The soldiers. His soldiers. They say you are his betrothed and he plans to marry you," Jaewon said.
Kira shook her head in annoyance. Why were people still talking about their betrothal? "It is true that he was once my betrothed. But not anymore. I have no intention of marrying him." Or anyone else, she thought to herself.
Jaewon sighed in relief. "Good. Don't marry him."
She scowled. "I'm not exactly the marrying kind."
"That's not true. You would make a wonderful wife for the right man," he said.
"Ha! That's the problem," she said. "There's no such thing as the right man for me."
"Don't say that, Kang Kira, you are so special. You deserve to be happy."
"Who said I need a man to be happy?" she snapped.
Jaewon was quiet, his lips twisted as if he were looking for the right words to say.
"Perhaps it is just my own feeling," he said finally. "To have someone and not be lonely in life, as I've been for so long. I mean, I've always had Seung, but it's not the same. Sometimes you can be sitting in a crowded room and still feel all alone. I just would love to find someone who would be the mate of my heart."
Kira understood his loneliness.
"That would be nice. But I don't think it happens that often," she said. "Maybe some lucky people meet their soul mate. The rest of us just continue on the best we can, never knowing that there's something missing. We can still be happy enjoying the little things in life. Like the delicious steamed bun that I had this morning. That made me so happy!"