Page 84 of King Foretold
The royal guards remain silent on the floor, and Jang Sanggung smiles at Ethan. “You must give them permission to rise, Your Majesty.”
“I’m not ... Never mind for now.” He shoots her a flustered glance, then says, “Guards, you may rise.”
“I thought you were our prince, but you have shown us that you are our king.” The sanggung’s lips tremble as tears well in her eyes. “You possess the golden axe and the silver axe. It matters not who sits on the throne. The Kingdom of Mountains has chosen you as its king.”
“Your Majesty,” the royal guards chorus once more, with their fists over their hearts, bowing their heads low.
“Jesus Christ,” Ethan mutters under his breath.
“Relax, dingus. They’re only swearing their undying fealty to you,” I say with a teasing smile. Relief runs through me when he chuckles incredulously. “What’s the big deal?”
He’s understandably overwhelmed. Even though this has been his end goal since he broke the stone of tears, it’s a whole other story to have it actually happen. Ethan is the King of Mountains. A shaky exhaleflutters past my lips.Holy fuck.He is the ruler of this kingdom.Ineed a moment to process it. I can’t begin to imagine what’s going through his head right now. It feels hopelessly inadequate, but I squeeze his hand to lend him my strength. I’m gratified when he squeezes back.
“We should secure your father before he breaks free of the paralysis,” Jihun reminds Ethan in a low voice.
“Yes, of course.” Ethan draws his shoulders back and faces the captain of the royal guards. “Captain Ha, secure the tyrant. The paralysis will not hold for much longer.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” After a bow, he turns to the guards. “What are you waiting for? Restrain him with the net.”
The royal guards launch a shimmering silver net—similar to the one thrown at me when I first arrived at the Kingdom of Sky—over the paralyzed king. I breathe a sigh of relief. Even my gumiho couldn’t break free of that net.
“Is there a prison capable of holding my father?” Ethan asks the captain of the royal guards.
“He built a dungeon to imprison powerful shinbiins who refused to submit to his will.” A look of distaste crosses Captain Ha’s face. “The deepest cell in there should be strong enough to secure him.”
“May I offer you my assistance, Captain?” Jihun sheathes his sword at his back.
“I might consider it if I knew who you were.” The captain takes a measuring look.
“My name is Song Jihun, captain of the Order of the Suhoshin.” Jihun tilts his head in a wry bow.
Recognition flares in Captain Ha’s eyes. “Your reputation precedes you, Captain Song. I would be honored to have your assistance.”
“It would bemy—” Jihun’s response is cut short when Jang Sanggung moans as her legs give out.
With a grunt, I stop her from falling and gingerly lower her to the ground. I look imploringly at the captain of the royal guards. “We need a physician. The bleeding won’t stop. Please, we need to help her.”
Captain Ha meets and holds the sanggung’s eyes, then gives her a slow nod before turning to me. “My lady, no physician can help her now. The former king’s knife was forged with the sacred tombstone of Dangun. No ordinary shinbiin can recover from it.”
“Why?” Ethan kneels next to Jang Sanggung. “If you knew this, why did you put yourself in harm’s way?”
“We all loved your mother. She was good and kind. But in the end, we could do nothing to save her from the tyrant.” Her hand flutters at her side, and Ethan cradles it between his own. “I could not stand by and watch her son die too. Not when I could save you.”
Ethan looks away, his throat working.
“Please do not be sad, Your Majesty. I am honored to exchange my life for yours. You are needed here.” Blood sputters from her mouth as a cough racks her body. “The queen sent you to the Kingdom of Mountains because we desperately need a good and kind ruler.”
“Thank you, Jang Sanggung,” I choke out, squeezing her free hand. Her fingers feel as cold as ice. She doesn’t have long. “You don’t know me, but you saved someone precious to me today. I can’t ever thank you enough for that.”
“You are very welcome, my lady,” she says kindly before grimacing in pain. “You are someone precious to him too. I can tell by the way he looks at you.”
“I guess he likes me okay.” I half laugh, half sob. “And don’t worry. You were right about him. He is good and kind like the queen. Please be at peace knowing that the people of this kingdom will be safe under his care.”
“I am at peace. At long last.” Jang Sanggung’s eyes focus on the blue sky past the hole in the roof. Then she faces me again and smiles with sweet innocence. “You came back. I’ve been waiting for so long. Can we go to the harvest festival now?”
“I’m not ...” I look helplessly at Ethan. She’s hallucinating about someone she obviously misses and cares about. After a brief hesitation,I decide to help ease her passing. “Y ... yes, we’ll go to the harvest festival. As soon as you get better. I promise.”
“I am so happy you are back, dear friend.” She coughs until her body convulses. When the coughs finally subside, she grips Ethan’s hand with both of hers. “I must leave you now, Your Majesty.”
