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.