XII. Time

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” ~Buddha

Year 972 (23^rd year of King Gwangjong’s Reign.)

At Haeinsa Temple, inside the Abbots meeting room.

Gyeo and Leom stood inside the Abbots meeting room with documents in hand.

“Welcome back.” The Abbot greeted them both.

Both monks greeted the Abbot,“We are happy to return, Abbot.” Leom said.

“How was your stay at the palace?” The Abbot asked.

Leom and Gyeo approached the Abbots desk. Leom set down the book on his table.

“Our work is complete; The King has received a copy of the fully translated book.” Leom stated.

“He asked that the book be kept away from the palace in a safe place. Therefore, we have brought it back with us.”

Gyeo addressed the Abbot, “Here is our full report.”

The Abbot took a few minutes as he read Gyeo’s report.

Both monks waited patiently.

The Abbot stopped reading, looked up, and asked, “Ji-Mong?”

Gyeo, answered, “The King’s star diviner. On our arrival at the palace, he met us.  We remained as guests in his tower.  He proved instrumental in helping us decipher the more difficult parts of the book.”

Gyeo stopped for a moment before continuing. “He died a year later. He drowned at the Daminwon during an eclipse.”

The room was quiet for a minute as the Abbot remained in thought.

Leom then continued, “We believe the information in the book was as much of interest to Ji-Mong as to the King.”

“Go on.” The Abbot said.

“The book contains specific dates. 1,000 years into the future. It records the relationship between the eclipses, the Daminwon and a way to travel between incarnations. We believe Ji-Mong was searching for this information.” Leom said.

“What relationship would that be?” The Abbot asked.

Leom answered, “Certain events can trigger the door to open.  For example, the eclipse, when it reaches totality. It is a marker that shows the door has opened.”

The monk continued, “The Daminwon, and travelling thru water, we believe it changes the traveler. The nature of the trip. It helps them retain their memory after reincarnation.”

Then Leom said, “And something else….”

The Abbot’s eyes stayed on Leom.

“This, Ji-Mong did not learn of this before leaving. The way a person reincarnates affects the traveler….

The lady’s reincarnation as an adult. It interrupted the usual cycle.

The Heaven’s way of keeping balance. The natural order of being born from childhood to adulthood.”

Gyeo chimed in then, “Ji-Mong was searching for this information. He understood the door would open, but he wanted to understand the side effects affecting the traveler. He didn’t understand the relationship with the lady’s heart condition.”

“He was seeking confirmation from the lady’s writing.” Gyeo finished.

The Abbots face remained calm, as he nodded deep in thought.

In a calm voice the Abbot added, “The Heavens kept balance. They provided Lady Hae Soo with a heart in Goryeo strong enough to help King Gwangjong to become King.  What she gained in strength she lost in time.”

Silence filled the room again.

“He has returned, then?” The Abbot asked.

Both monks nodded.

“We believe after his second trip to Goryeo, Ji-Mong has returned to that future.” Gyeo said.

Both monks met the Abbot’s eyes then.

All three stood in silence again.

The Abbot’s gaze traveled to the window. 

He then slowly gathered the materials on his desk, and with a small satisfied smile said, “Well done Leom and Gyeo. Thank you for your work.”

“Please ensure the book is kept in a safe place.” The Abbot added.

Both monks nodded in agreement.

Then bowed to the Abbot before exiting.

Inside the Palace at the Daminwon

King Gwangjong stood watching the outside pool at the Daminwon.

Two ladies approached carrying tea to refill his cup. He turned seeing them approach and dismissed them with a wave of his hand. 

He stood alone by the pool in contemplation.

A memory of another time, came back to him. 

He had returned to the palace as a prince after being a hostage.

King Taejo had asked him to return for the rain ritual. Ji-Mong had suggested he bathe at the Daminwon pool. 

He had entered this same pool then.

That day, as he entered the pool, he had met Hae Soo.

Emerging from the pools depths, she had moved as fast as a water dragon, startling him into taking a step back.

From the start, all their encounters had been far from ordinary. 

He had first met her in the town street, as he galloped towards 8^th Prince’s home.

She had ended that encounter riding his horse, as he tried to keep her from falling into a creek.

Afterwards, she restrained his horse with her bare hands. A feat few soldiers would even attempt.

Their second meeting had ended with him physically restraining her from beating prince Eun.

No one else would have dared touch a prince, but she had pushed the young prince to the ground and sat on him.

Everything about Hae Soo had been different.

As the memories returned, he felt a sense of amusement now looking back at all of it.

He remembered the time a young Prince Jung had been attacked, and she had come to his rescue.

She had single-handed fended off a gang of criminals with just a stick.

Prince Jung, Prince Wook and himself had been too surprised to do anything but just watch her as she ended that encounter with a big smile and a hug for Prince Jung.

Only now did he understand enough to know why she was different.

Only now did he understand the courage it must have taken for her to keep this secret for so long.

He knew now, that whatever the place Hae Soo came from, or whatever her name, it was her heart he had fallen in love with above all else.

The heart that had allowed for Goryeo to have a King Gwangjong.

That heart had changed the King he became.

She had been as trapped by the constraints of the palace, as she was by time itself and his own history.

Ji-Mong had been a puppet master all along in this play that fate seemed to have set for them.

Pieces in the puzzle he had spent most of his reign searching for, now fit into a complete picture.

He knew enough now, to make sense of their life together.

Scenes of that life replayed in his mind.

He had analyzed every detail, so that he felt like he had lived several lifetimes with Hae Soo instead of just a portion of one.

Without her, things would have turned out very differently.

He spoke her name out loud slowly, trying to familiarize himself with the sound … “Hae   Jin.”

Time, the work of two persistent monks, and mounting evidence had all brought him to stand at this pool today.

The Daminwon had held its secrets for too long.

Ji-Mong had died at this pool during an eclipse.

King Mu had drowned here too.

Hae Soo had traveled to him in this pool, as well.

He moved to take a step down into the pool, but before he could reach it, waves suddenly stirred in the pool.

The ground shifted under his feet.

He struggled to keep his balance.

He heard ceramics shattering on the floor behind him.

Yelling inside the Daminwon followed as the ground continued shaking more violently.

The ground slid away under his feet as the waves from the pool increased in strength and splashed him.

The thought of that water dragon came to him again.

He almost expected it to come rising out of the pool.

Small rocks from the rock wall surrounding the pool, fell into the pool adding to the churning waves.

The columns shook, and he expected them to fall into the pool as well.

For a moment he couldn’t understand what was happening. 

Shouts inside the Daminwon echoed from its first and second floor.

“Earthquake!”

XI. Your Road.

“It’s your road…..and yours alone……others might walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you. No matter what path you choose really walk it.”   =Buddha

The horse’s legs had the strength to keep galloping. As Crown Prince Ju held tightly to the reins, he wrapped his legs around his teacher’s horse letting his legs help him control the horse.  

He had ridden him before and knew his teacher had picked this horse for speed.  He knew what the animal had in speed would mean he needed to also be careful not to overexert his stamina.

The King rode next to him also at a full gallop. His horse was a full half body length ahead of his own horse.  Out of the corner of his eye Prince Ju could admire the King’s speed and control of his horse.  The King looked like he was enjoying himself challenging his son as they rode out into an open field.

Prince Ju rode as low as he could be trying to catch up to the King.  Ahead of them a flag bearer stood waiting for them to cross the finish line.

As they approached at full speed, Prince Ju forgot all thoughts and just imagined himself melting into his horse, throwing everything he had learned about riding into trying to run as fast as he could to the finish line. 

His horse seemed to read his intent and gained a little on the King’s horse.  The finish line was just ahead.

Then the King bore down on his own horse as both animals rode side by side.

They crossed the finish line, as the flag bearer raised his flag.

The soldiers at the finish line cheered. 

Prince Ju sat on his horse after the race looking at the King.

His Father’s wide smile left him feeling unguarded for a moment and then he realized he too was smiling. 

The King had won the race.

Prince Ju let his horse walk slowly, trying to cool him down. Then allowed him to approach a creek and drink.

The King stood close by, letting his own horse drink.

“Persistence and endurance carry their own reward.”   The King’s words took him by surprise.

Prince Ju turned to see his Father focusing on the creek and his own horse. The King’s back did not let him see his face.

For a moment he felt frustration, all this time he had wanted his father to acknowledge him. Now he stood next to him and words failed him.

“It takes courage to go up against a wild pig by yourself. What went wrong?” The King casually added.

Prince Ju stood quiet for a moment letting the King’s words sink in.

“I didn’t expect the pig to turn away so quickly from the arrows path. I wasn’t prepared to shoot a second arrow at him.” He answered.

After another silence the King spoke again, “It was good timing to have your teacher arrive when he did. Had things not worked out this way, who would be mourning your choice today?”

At the King’s words, the first face that filled Prince Ju’s mind was his Mother, Queen Daemok.

The realization filled him with sadness as he thought of his Mother alone in the palace.

Prince Ju understood the sacrifices his Mother had made to help him become the Crown Prince.

 After a pause, the King continued, “Courage is not always enough….

A King travels his own road alone; always.

His every choice can both help and hurt those around him.”

The King’s horse had stopped drinking.

As he turned away from the creek, Prince Ju could now see his face.

“King Taejo, favored Crown Prince Mu during his reign. 

My oldest brother managed to survive being the target of the King’s advisers who continuously asked for his removal as Crown Prince.

They attempted to poison him, and sent assassins to kill him before he became King.

He persisted, but was unable to endure.

His reign lasted three years.”

The King’s eyes looked sad as he remembered.

“Sometimes, endurance can be the true measure of a King’s success.

This applies to you as well, Ju.

A father’s acknowledgement, isn’t always a blessing.”

Prince Ju walked next to the King as they both slowly led their horses back to where the soldiers were.

Then the King added, “Travelling this road alone as Crown Prince, has afforded you the freedom to remain by your Mother’s side.

An enduring Kingdom as Goryeo’s next King will be your biggest challenge.”

 In a lighter tone the King added, “You have received good training from your teacher, you kept your head when that pig turned against you.”

Prince Ju stopped walking for a moment and said to the King, “I was scared.”

Prince Ju’s words made the King smile again. 

Before reaching the soldiers camp, the smell of roasting meat reached them first.

The King’s last words before reaching the camp were soft and for his ears only.

“The path ahead of you is being cleared. You will need to be strong enough to walk it alone.”

As Prince Ju’s thoughts returned to the present,

The King’s words still echoed in his mind.

He shot his last arrow.

Then walked to the target himself to retrieve them.

As he approached the target he stopped for a moment in front of Goryeo’s  royal flag, the wind made it sway.

He held three arrows that had not reached the bulls-eye in his hand,

and slowly walked back preparing to shoot again.

X. Courage

Year 971 (21^st year of King Gwangjong’s Reign)

What is Courage? Courage does not always roar. Sometimes, it is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow.” ~ Anonymous

Inside the Archery Grounds at the Royal Palace.

The soldier joyfully announced, “It’s another bulls-eye your highness!” The arrow had embedded itself at the center of the target.

Crown Prince Wang Ju stood preparing to shoot a third arrow.  Archery was something he had mastered easily from a young age.

Martial arts and swordsmanship had also been skills that he had mastered.  However, it was archery where his skills truly shined.

He had practiced endlessly, when he was young, hoping that if he excelled, his Father, King Gwangjong would recognize his skills and that this would help him gain his acceptance.

Persistence was his strong suit.

 His mother, Queen Daemok had frequently praised him for his determination. 

Queen Daemok and his Father had spent most of their life as monarchs in a silent war with each other.

The Queen hoped to continue to empower the noble families and build alliances to strengthen their position.

The King had done everything within his power to weaken the clans and noble families and to wrestle power from them.

The King had inherited a kingdom under the power of the clans. 

He had freed slaves in a move that had managed to weaken the clans and strengthen the King’s power. 

Slaves became citizens of Goryeo, paying tribute and taxes.

The King’s purges had removed many nobles from the court, also strengthening the King’s position.

It had been a calculated move to remove inherited positions.

Creating new openings through merit and testing, rather than family ties.

The King’s reform had attempted to remove entitlement and replace it with talent and competence.

Prince Ju's movements flowed as he continued preparing another arrow, it  became a form of meditation.

“Kings are rarely understood.” Prince Ju whispered his thoughts as he prepared another arrow.

King Taejo would be proud of his son King Gwangjong and his work strengthening the kingdom he had founded.

Many at court and among the noble families would say that the opposite was now true of the Crown Prince’s position at court.

His Father did not acknowledge him publicly.

Some whispered that he suspected and mistrusted his own son.

They believed the King’s son might not become King or even perhaps survive the King’s wrath if it ever turned against him.

In the matter of gaining a stronger position for her son, Queen Daemok had spent years trying to have the King openly recognize her son and help him get an official position of trust with his Father. 

All her efforts in this regard had failed.

He had once overheard the ladies-in-waiting to his mother speaking about the King and how he ignored his own son.

They had thought the King did not consider him worthy to be the Crown Prince and suspected the Prince would be poisoned or killed before becoming King.

He calmly took another arrow from his quiver, quietly aiming.  He let the arrow fly once again.

“Another bulls-eye your Majesty!” the flag bearer announced.

The Crown Prince’s eyes traveled to the target and the center.

He remembered one time when he was an 11-year-old.

He had been trying to prove to his Father, that he was indeed worthy to be Crown Prince.

He had set out during the afternoon alone to hunt a wild pig that had been spotted around the palace grounds. 

Surely, he thought the tale of his bravery would reach his Father’s ears.

He had packed his arrows and bow and had spent most of the morning tracking the pig, trying to find any trace of the animal.

He knew it had been sighted the day before, during the late evening, inside the palace grounds.

He hid underneath a bush, waiting the way his teacher had taught him.

Even, as the light started to fade he continued to wait.

The sound of every living thing around the grounds kept him at the ready.

He heard snorting nearby. 

It was unmistakable.

He realized the animal was fast approaching his hiding spot and he nearly lost his courage.

After a moment’s hesitation, he had readied his bow.

Suddenly, the animal burst out of the brush.

He tried to steady himself and aim the arrow.

He let his instincts guide him then, as he always did when practicing.

He loosed the arrow.

It traveled straight towards the animal. Abruptly, the animal moved out of the arrow’s path.

He had barely registered his failure, before he saw that the animal had spotted him.

The fury in its eyes was enough to make him scramble, as fast as he could, towards a tree.

The wild pig ran towards him.

He had reached the base of the tree, but he knew the animal would reach him before he could climb up.

He turned and stood frozen.

His back against the tree as the animal charged him. His instincts took over again as he barely managed to move out of the way.  

The pig rammed straight into the trunk, so close to him he could feel the heat from its body.

The animal was stunned.

He moved to run away again, trying to position himself where he could shoot again.

Then a spear hit the animal across it’s middle, and it collapsed on its side.

He stood there staring at the dying animal with his legs shaking.

He saw his teacher approach him, with a calm knowing look on his face.

As his teacher moved closer to him, he slowly turned.

Behind his teacher rode his Father, King Gwangjong on his horse.  Next to him, the other soldiers who had also come to hunt the animal.