章節 16: | The Walls of Stone (Part I)
Soo-Ah and her grandfather relentlessly covered the remaining distance. It took them five days and nights to reach the northern reinforced bastion, the end of their road and the beginning of a new life journey.
The imposing construction, atop the mountain, normally housed up to 1000 well-trained military personnel. But the noble houses of the region joined forces and brought more recruits drafted from the surrounding provinces. They counted on 15000 Sillian men and refugees willing to fight for their adoptive country, making up the two legions meant to serve under Great General Min-Jun. From the safety of the mountains, they descended to the lower plains to hold at bay the Tang invaders, in meticulously planned campaigns. When in need they fell back to the mountain citadel to regroup.
Under the heavy weight of a man, a child and their few belongings, the horse's hooves slipped on the rocky path. The last part of their journey was treacherous. Until they made a turn on the path they had tirelessly followed for an entire day and their eyes met an old sight for General Min-Jun.
"You've been looking up for quite a while, girl. You want a neck sprain?" He eyed his granddaughter's amazement as he walked beside the horse, keeping hold of the bridle and carefully guiding it along the narrow mountain trail.
"Is that the fortress, grandpa? It is so high up. How will we get there?" marvelled the young girl at what was an outlandish sight for her now bathed in the soft light of the afternoon sun. Her gaze soared again over the stone slope of the mountain, giving way to the rock and brick walls of the keep.
"Long ago, a monk is said to have placed here his abode and hid it from the world, so he could meditate in peace. No one ever heard from him since." Min-Jun peeked at Soo-Ah's overwhelmed expression. "There are steps carved in the bedrock. The entrance is hidden away. It is revealed only by speaking a magic incantation to appease the spirit of the mountain," he joked.
"But grandpa, we can do no magic." The young girl tried to sound pragmatic, keeping her eyes on the enormity towering over them.
"What's this nonsense? One should always believe in the magic you create with our hands." Min-Jun caressed Soo-Ah's face with his affectionate stare. He wanted for her to remain an innocent child a few moments longer, sheltered from all the horrors that were expecting them.
Over the ridges of the mountains laid a vast grassland bordered by the oldest forest in the region. The crisp green of the meadow would soon be stained by the crimson of the victims' blood, while the soil would be turned over under the hoofs of the horses and the soles of men. With each of the general's victories, they would advance their camp further and further from the mountain slopes, leaving the forest and its trees as the only silent witness to those horrors.
*
Getting closer to the walls of stone, Soo-Ah thought again of the place she cherished and was uprooted from. A home, its people, a sense of time standing still, and the freedom to explore and understand what life was all about. All of these were gone now.
What was here to stay for Soo-Ah was the distinct agitation of a war camp.
As soon as they first stepped past the thick gates, she was confronted by swarming people, getting busy, roaming around the inner courtyard from one corner to the other. The walls seemed to stretch so high towards the sky, making Soo-Ah gasp for air as if drowning in a sea of stone. A sea of orderly, carefully polished, stuck one on top of the other stone, making up the outer walls and the stand-alone keep that was partially hugging the mountain bedrock.
On top of the battlements stood proud the flags and banners of war, with their ribbon tails fluttering tirelessly in the brisk northern wind. In due time Soo-Ah would learn how the regalia on each flag represented the king and the noble houses leading the regiments. For now, she only recognized her grandfather's crest. He never made a case out of it so only now did it dawn on her what it meant to be part of the nobility, to stand by the side of the king. Her mind had always been free of any such prejudice.
Around her, the rest of the buildings were made out of freshly cut wood logs, the crips and chilly air keeping vivid the smell of the tree sap. Most of the buildings were clearly new additions, built to house the incoming recruited soldiers. And there would still not be enough space for all of them. Soon the troops would need to move to the open field.
Sharp scraping sounds directed Soo-Ah's attention towards the blacksmiths, housed in sheds, leaning against the fortress wall.
Sparks, as many as there were soldiers around, flew high from the grinding wheel as if wanting to break free of this oppressive setting, but they could only go so far. There was no escape from the muddied soil, calling them like a battle cry, ready to extinguish their tiny flames. The soil the men here were meant to protect.
Soo-Ah kept staring at the small puddles, reflecting the clear sky, with sparks raining over them before she took one more look around. And reality struck her. She was surrounded by men and the realisations sent a shiver potent enough to make her bones shake. Men could easily lay their hands on any woman and make her submit in that painful, horrendous manner. Overwhelmed and scared, she told herself she was safe for now, as long as she was in disguise.
"Soo-Yun!" she heard Min-Jun impatiently call and was startled from her contemplation, quickly heading towards her grandfather.
"Coming, General Min-Jun!" She replied as previously instructed, following her grandfather's steps and feeling odd calling him as such.
Min-Jun did not wait for her, and he kept walking. There was no more time he could waste, as he headed in a haste inside the keep where the General Command Post waited for him. From now on Soo-Ah would no longer bathe in his undivided attention.
And this change came quicker than she anticipated when, by dinner time, she was already forgotten in the strategy room, while her grandfather was discussing with his commanders the recent movements of the enemy.
Soo-Ah's buttocks became stiff from having sat so long on the round, rigid chair while following her grandfather's every gesture. He was still wearing his civilian clothes while the armor that he brought with him in that big sack she inquired about, was being made ready somewhere in the corner by an aide.
She was paying attention to Min-Jun's every word. Not that she understood much of the terms he was using. Soon she would need to learn them as she would a foreign language.
In this new setting and with this new identity she was too afraid to move out of her spot so as to not draw attention to herself. But her stomach did a pretty good job at that when it rumbled too loud, making everyone else silent. The men pulled their focus from their maps and, for the first time they shared a smile with each other.
"Dear boy, you must be famished, are you not?" General Min-Jun shook his head, finding it hard to believe he became so caught in his newfound duty that he forgot to provide for the girl. His own hunger was not a priority at the moment.
The elder of the commanders, whom everyone else called Commander Bak, called at the soldier making himself busy near the armor rack.
"Aide, leave the polishing for now and take the general's grandson to the mess hall, then prepare their sleeping chambers for the night."
"Grandpa, I don't want to leave you." Soo-Ah jumped and pleaded to her grandfather, wide-eyed. "I mean General," she corrected herself, spying on everyone's reaction, embarrassed, her anxiousness still lingering in her tone.
To be taken away from her only lifeline to security and be tossed among so many unknown faces spelt horror for Soo-Ah. But the look her grandfather gave her made her understand she was meant to leave her childish behavior behind. Now she was part of the army. Reluctantly she stepped out of the room, watching the sturdy door close behind her. The young soldier appointed as Min-Jun's aide showed no intention to wait for her so she had to quicken her steps not to lose him from her sight.
The man seemed to be in an awful lot of hurry when he led her to what turned out to be a building improperly named the mess hall. An open linhay, large enough to protect only the kitchens and a couple of tables, was meant to dominate the constricted space of the courtyard but was now dominated by the presence of too many people. The capacity of the fort was already overrun so most of the soldiers were left to find or improvise places to sit and eat.
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