The armies indeed returned the following day. The men and women were battered and bloodstained, but the overall feeling was one of joy, because they'd won. Only among the Hwarang there was a sour mood.

As soon as the group entered the courtyard, Iseul flew over. A man who's name she didn't recall was in the lead and as soon as he saw her, he bowed his head and sank down on one knee. The others followed swiftly.

Iseul's gaze flew over their heads. She saw Chul-seok and Du Ho and other familiar faces. She saw scratches and bandages and even an improvised stretcher, but there was one face she had been dying to see and he wasn't there. "What happened?" she asked, as the men stood back up. "Where is ... how many of you are ..." She couldn't finish her sentence, but when the man in front started walking again and led the group over to where the Royal Guard was gathered, she pulled Du Ho aside. "Where is Jae-sung?" she hissed, frantically looking at the now empty gate to see if he perhaps followed behind.

Du Ho didn't look like his usual cheerful self. His face was ashen and there was a cut on his brow. He needed medical attention, but Iseul was too distraught to recognize that yet. "Du Ho, tell me, did he die? Did others die?" She suddenly remembered another missing face and turned around. The backs of the Hwarang were now facing her and the stretcher was placed on the ground. Chul-seok knelt down beside it and hastily Iseul began to run his way.

She fell down next to the stretcher, startling Chul-seok, who quickly bowed his head and murmured: "Your Highness."

It was Chul-yeo on the stretcher. His eyes were closed and his face was so pale. Iseul stared at it and almost cried when at last she saw the inhale of breath. With a sob she asked: "What happened?"

The younger brother softly related the story. "He was so brave. We arrived at the scene when the fighting was already well underway. The border patrol barely held on, but we managed to push back the enemy far enough to allow the wounded to retreat." He took a breath while around them healers from the palace began to swarm.

One of them took Chul-yeo's wrist in his hand and everyone fell silent until the man nodded once and called a few servants over to take the stretcher to the medical wing. Iseul stood up and stared after them. With a choked voice Chul-seok continued: "On the second day of fighting they had regrouped and split up so they could attack from two sides. That was the day we discovered Hojin and his father among the ranks of Baekje's army. Jae-sung ..." Iseul's head swiveled back to him so fast she felt a muscle in her neck explode. She ignored the pain, however, and withstood the impulse to grab Chul-seok by the lapels and shake.

The boy sobbed and had difficulty pulling himself together. Strained he said: "Jae-sung shot an arrow that hit the minister in his shoulder. Both he and his son retreated and Jae-sung and my brother went after them. I ... I wanted to go too, but I lost sight of them."

He was about to continue when the king appeared. He spoke proud words about bravery and victory and how the fallen would be remembered. Iseul merely wished he would stop so Chul-seok could continue.

The armies were disbanded and all around them soldiers began to move to the gate to go home. As soon as the gate opened, Iseul saw a familiar face and she yelled: "Binna!"

The usually soft spoken and quiet girl almost tripped over the threshold in her haste to reach them. "Iseul, I mean, Your Highness." She made a sloppy bow and then grabbed Iseul by her arm. "Where is my brother? We heard he didn't come back." She looked around her frantically and called again: "Where is he?"

Iseul threw her arms around her friend and both sobbed uncontrollably for a few minutes. Until Nari's soft voice reminded Iseul that she needed to pull herself together.

The courtyard was almost empty by now. There were a few ministers still talking among themselves but the king had gone back inside. The wounded were being taken care off and the Hwarang had shielded her embarrassing display from prying eyes. Iseul lifted her chin, blinked the tears from her eyes and finally looked around with a grateful expression. Even though her status as crown princess was little more than a puppet show, she could see in the eyes of the young men around her, that in their eyes at least, her power was real.

"Thank you," she said, making eye contact with as many of them as she could. She settled her gaze on Du Ho and said: "Go back to Bongyo, refresh yourselves, eat, sleep, rest. I will make sure Chul-yeo gets the best possible care and I will make sure men are sent out to look for J-Jae-sung." She swallowed and nodded once when Du Ho made to object. He sighed and bowed his head and then turned around. Most of the Hwarang followed, but Chul-seok remained with a stubborn expression.

"Come." Iseul said to him. She took Binna by her arm and began to walk in the direction of the medical wing. "We will check on your brother and you tell us how Jae-sung got missing."

Chul-seok followed with his head bent down. He sounded tired when he told them what had happened after he lost sight of his brother. "I tried my best to get to where they were, but I could only see glimpses. Jae-sung stood high and fired arrow after arrow. I saw my brother with his sword, he was heading towards the place Hojin and his father were hiding. A cordon of enemy soldiers surrounded them."

They reached the medical wing and waited for one of the doctors to come outside to tell them how Chul-yeo was doing. Behind them a low voice suddenly asked: "Binna, what are you doing here? Is your brother inside?"

Iseul and the others turned around to find a fretting Minister Go tiptoeing to see inside. Binna let go of her friend's arm and jumped in her father's embrace as if she was five years old. "Father," she wailed.

When nobody spoke, Iseul gestured Chul-seok to go on and after clearing his throat he said: "My brother charged straight into the line of enemy soldiers. There must have been at least twenty. I tried to get closer, but there were so many between us. I could see Jae-sung fire his arrows. Straight and true, making a path for my brother. Together they managed to get my brother inside the ring of protection. After that I couldn't see anymore, but others told me." He inhaled sharply and narrowed his eyes.

"Hojin fled. He left his father and fled. Jae-sung went after him. That was the last thing anyone saw of them."

Iseul bit her lip and wrung her hands.

"Apparently Minister Bae's injury was not so severe that he couldn't fight, because he was the one who did that to my brother." Chul-seok looked at the closed door with an angry expression. "But my brother beat him. He fought and he won. When I got to him, Baekje's army of cowards began to flee and I got him to safety." With a regretful expression he looked at Binna and her father. "Forgive me, I should have gone after Jae-sung."

Binna was crying, but her father shook his head. "There was nothing you could have done. We must have faith he will find his way back."

In silence they waited for news on Chul-yeo's condition and when it came it was partially good. He was alive and he would live, but the road to recovery would be long and painful.

"Father?" with tearful eyes Binna looked up at him and pleaded: "Can we provide that care for him? He doesn't have anybody else here besides his brother. Please, let him stay at our house until he is well."