.ninety one.

-

"That girl...I have loved her my whole life, with all my heart. She is the rain of my soul, my best friend. I...I cannot let her go alone."

-

Eun had been found by the soldiers by the private baths and dragged away towards where Yo was waiting. By the time Minji found her way to the courtyard, the commotion was already happening outside. The tenth prince fully cooperated with the soldiers, thinking that his wife and children were currently on the boat that would take them far away from there. They would surely miss him, but time had a way of healing wounds, and they could surely forget about him. They could start a new life away from all the hate against them in Goryeo. 

He was taken in front of the king where he saw Yo standing atop the stairs that went up into the palace. By his side was Yeon Hwa with tears stinging her eyes when her gaze locked with her brother's. Eun knew his sister could do nothing to help him, even if she might want to. But he did not resent her for it. They had long since been on good terms and he knew Yeon Hwa cared about him and Minji. He saw Jung being held back by soldiers on the far side of the courtyard. Despite their disagreements, Eun caught pity in his brother's eyes because they both knew what was going to happen next.

Yo watched his younger brother with a smirk on his face, feeling every bit thrilled that he had won. He had been unable to capture the other three, but surely executing Eun in the courtyard would serve as a lesson for anyone who might want to challenge his throne. That would also assure that Han would very likely not be coming back less he wanted to continue living.

The tenth prince searched his brother's eyes for any sign of faltering. Any sign that he might let him leave that day. He found none. He opened his mouth to plead him for mercy, yet no sound would come out. He was terrified, his heart beating madly in his chest. And the feeling got even worse as his heart dropped when he heard a voice calling out to him a few ways away. "Eun, my love...Where are you?" The dainty voice of his wife called for him desperately. 

Everyone turned their heads in the direction of the sound to find Park Hak Soon stumbling blindly into the courtyard, her hands at arms length ahead of her, to prevent her from knocking into any walls or people. Eun, Jung, and Yeon Hwa felt their breath hitch in their throat and it was like their hearts collectively stopped as one. But Wang Yo was thrilled to see her there because it was yet another person to add to his successful kill list. The grand general's daughter, his tenth brother's wife. She was a wanted criminal of the kingdom, according to him, and she was willingly turning herself in to him.

The guards that were surrounding Eun lunged forward in her direction, trying to apprehend her. But Eun found surprising strength and fought back, pushing them out of the way to get to her. He cupped her face in his hands, tears brimming his eyes and his voice faltering with emotion. "I told you not to follow me. Why would you do this? I told you that I would follow you soon." He said to her, his voice full of sadness as he rested his forehead on hers and gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

"I couldn't let you go alone." She said to him, offering him the faintest hint of a smile.

"Don't just stand there and watch them." Yo said to the soldiers with annoyance. Pointing a finger at the young couple, he instructed, "Apprehend them now and subdue them so that we can get started. We must make an example of these people so that future enemies of the kingdom will think twice before challenging me."

Eun stood in front of his wife protectively, a hand resting on her arm as he shielded her from the attackers with his body. 

"Don't worry, jagi." He said to her bravely. "I will keep you safe."

Minji could only nod and listen as the soldiers came at him. 

He looked to his brother, in an attempt to convince him to spare them. "Brother! Please! Let us go, and I promise you we will never return to Goryeo. You are very mistaken, I do not want your throne, brother. Please. Think of our past bond, growing up together. Brother..." The words echoed in Minji's mind and she knew she had heard those exact same words before, but in her dreams. Except they didn't seem to be dreams anymore. They were premonitions of what would happen to them on this day, and she did nothing to try to change it. In a way, she knew it was her fault.

Eun wasn't one to carry weapons, and he was unarmed. He had been able to take a sword from one of the soldiers and used it to defend himself and his wife with it. But there were too many of them, and just one of him. They were outnumbered, and Yo was all but willing to spare his younger brother. They soon became too many for the tenth prince to handle and seeing him distracted, using both hands to sustain his sword, before he could even react, Minji felt the horrible stinging of a blade as it sliced across her back. She let out a pained scream that rang in everyone's ears and Eun turned around, defeating the soldier that had injured his wife. 

After the first hit, Minji felt herself slowly falling to the ground with the air knocked out of her. She could feel as her clothing was rapidly being soaked in what she knew was her own blood. But she seemed to be in shock. There was a ringing in her ears, she could still hear the commotion around her, along with Eun's cries as he let the sword fall to the ground beside him and he knelt by her to tend to her with trembling hands. He held her in his arms, cradling her, and he too seemed to be in shock to see her slowly fading away.

His dark brown eyes were glazed over with hot tears that spilled unceremoniously. His shaking fingers went to cup her face gently. "My wife..." 

It was all so surreal, feeling herself fading away.

"Hak Soon-ah..." He called her name quietly, voice shaking. "Please...please don't go without me."

It was all she heard from him and she lifted a shaking hand to touch his face gently. He closed his eyes tight and snuggled into her touch, knowing it was the last time she would touch him. Her fingers rapidly growing stiff and cold. In the distance, she could hear Jung crying out upon seeing her slain on the ground, blood pooling around her quickly. He had tried to wrench himself out of the soldiers' hands, crying in utter despair.

It was getting difficult to breathe, and she was growing cold, so cold.

Then she felt herself fade away, the rise and fall of her chest stopped along with her breathing.

It had all happened so fast. By her side, Eun lamented her loss, begging her with his cries for her to come back to him. He held her in his arms, tears spilling endlessly from his eyes.

Meanwhile on the balcony with Yeon Hwa a silent witness to it all, Yo gestured for one of his guards to hand him his bow and arrow, the one thing he was most skilled at. The unsuspecting tenth prince was still shaken from having witnessed the murder of his wife when he felt an arrow dig into his upper arm. It was a sharp stinging pain that did not go away, even after the initial hit. His hand quickly let go of Minji and out of reflex went up to try to soften the pain.  But the arrow was deeply lodged in his arm and he couldn't get it out. He looked to his brother, eyes full of hurt and betrayal as he watched him pull another arrow that would surely be aimed at him as well.

Just before shooting at him, Wang So arrived in the courtyard and decided to step in. With his sword in hand, he was able to subdue the guards that were surrounding his younger brother, pushing him back. The sight before him was a blood bath. Hak Soon was on the ground, lifeless and covered in blood. Eun's clothing was blood stained as well, and there was an arrow deep in his arm. His trembling fingers were pushing the hair out of his wife's face. 

So tried to stand in front of his younger brother protectively. Still, the second arrow made its way into his abdomen and it had knocked the air out of the tenth prince. He looked at the arrow lodged in his body through tear glazed eyes, hands shaking as his first instinct was to pull the arrow out. But as he touched it even a little, he found that it hurt beyond anything. And he could slowly feel himself fading away as well.

"Eun-ah!" So dropped his sword and hurried to kneel at his brother's side, catching him in his arms as the tenth prince started to fall to the floor.

He helped his younger brother down onto the dirt ground slowly, his body only about a foot away from where his wife now laid. "Do you remember on my eighteenth birthday, all those years ago?" He said, struggling to speak and even to breathe. The two brothers clearly remembered that day. It was the day when he had asked So to remove his mask and show everyone what was underneath it. All of the brothers were there, and even Minji and Hajin. For a moment, So wondered just how many years had passed since then. Eun had turned eighteen when it happened, and now his life was ending at twenty four years old. "You said I could have any present I wanted, and I was told there was one gift only you could give me. He manipulated me." He paused for a moment and looked to his wife who was laying on the ground nearby. "That girl...I have loved her my whole life, with all my heart. She is the rain of my soul, my best friend. I..." He finally managed to choke out. "I cannot let her go alone."

From the balcony, Yo pulled yet another arrow and looked on with hate, waiting for just the right moment to make his final move. Just one more strike and Eun would be finished, everyone knew it. From the sidelines, tears were shed. Yeon Hwa was sobbing at that point. Jung had gone limp and lifeless, feeling powerless that he had been unable to save Hak Soon. Then there was Baek-ah who was still struggling in the hold of the soldiers who held him back. He continued to scream, pleading for Yo to spare Eun. It was too late for Minji, but there was still for Eun to live.

He could survive his injuries if Yo would just stop there.

"Brother..." Eun quickly made the decision, knowing that he no longer wanted to continue is she wasn't by his side. "I would prefer it if you just...Its a gift only you can give me."

So was conflicted at first, but quickly nodded, willing to grant his brother's last request. The fourth prince slowly got back on his feet, picking up his sword in the process and helping his brother up to a kneeling position. Eun watched his brother with grateful eyes because So was helping him to reunite with his love. Eun didn't know if another life beyond Goryeo existed, but if it did, he hoped that Hak Soon would be waiting for him on the other side. 

"Wait for me, jagi." He whispered over to his wife with tears flowing down his face and a sad smile on his lips. "I will be finding you doon. I promise."

He closed his eyes and everyone in the courtyard watched as So struck Eun with his sword.

-

why am i crying, guys?

eun and minji have passed away. but there are still about ten more updates before the story ends. so please stay tuned for that.

thank you again for those of you who have been reading and supporting this story. it means the entire world to me. as i mentioned before, i will be writing a spin off to this story, about han and soon deok. but i will also be writing a story about the children in goryeo after their parents have passed away.

so please stay tuned.

-clary