Ada : ( The Untold Story )

by Zola Tau

  "Now see what he did, he refrained me from breathing, and now I can hardly breathe at all.” Ada whispered to herself sarcastically. The Prince looked back and asked her if she was okay, rather than to be honest she nodded her head as a yes while looking away pridefully. Satisfied with the reply the Prince excused himself and told her he had to rush to get ready. The young man left her behind and raced to the palace as the color filled sun was slowly setting with every several steps he took.

  "She is sure different." The Prince mumbled to himself shaking his head in beguilement. He raced to his room where his clothing pieces sat on his bed allotted out for him to place on before joining the celebration.

  "Better now than never, I was expecting it anyway,” He said to himself, while putting on his red hanbok.

  He spoke about the event to take place in mind, out of nervousness. His hanbok which decorated in gold patterns of spirals made him look more elegant than even he intended. He let down his bountiful wet, dark oak tinted hair that coded sandy streaks when the last light of the submerging golden sun hazed over it through the window and with his fingers restructures it behind his ear. "Young highness we have to leave soon." A servant's voice called from outside his doors.

  "I'll only be a moment!" The prince called back. In his quick pace of getting ready, he allowed thought for a moment about the dark sun-kissed woman; he met earlier and just chuckled. "How did she manage to arrive past a week's time and only now has given me the pleasure of meeting her?" The prince asked himself awaiting the new adventures mentally to come that was likely to being provided by the coming of the young woman.

  "Her personality is her biggest flaw here." He said to himself nodding his head agreeing with his own theory. Placing his hands behind his back with his right cupping to the left, he walked towards the palace where the gates opened wide leading to an opened space in the center which was usually outrageously decorated with gold statues. What was already immoderate was now complemented with even more decoration of red and gold decorations all about the place.

  Familiar with the process of the celebration of his birthday, he began walking towards the seat underneath his father's outdoor throne placement. The king decorated in white attire along with the foreign king were both speaking and sharing laughter between one another. The two leaders were friendlier than the prince had initially assumed they would be with one another.

  The king smiled and stood when he saw his son, as he was every year excited to be celebrating his son's year closer to the throne.

  "Let's be merry in the midst of one another that my son can hold another year in his past, and bring forth another for his future, all In time to take over this throne." He announced as a proud father should, everyone applauded and smiled in gratitude, as a fatigued Ada stood next to a beige pillar awaiting the arrival of Nari so that she may walk in to meet her father with her as they agreed.

  "That walk was more burdensome than I primitively assumed." She whispered to herself as she fought to catch her breath. She repeatedly outstretched her arms for the competence to fight the soreness that was starting to occur at random. Nari came up close behind Princess Ada moments after her arrival. Ada; who was too focused on her breathing, didn't recognize Nari when she arrived. Nari walked around Ada staring at her and proceeded to examine Ada's face.

  "Princess, are you well?" She asked with concerned drowning in her voice. Once again Ada smiled and nodded her head to a lie.

  "Just seems my hand is sore from earlier, that's all." The prideful Princess said. Nari nodded and told Ada to stay calm as she was headed to get a physician, but as expected Ada stopped her. "Just let me say hello to my father and excuse myself to him and the king to go...to go rest." Ada finished with a soft stutter.

  She reached out her arm to say something else, but in the middle of her sentence, she stopped. She placed her left hand on her forehead, rubbing soft circles on it. "What is the matter, Princess, truly what is the matter? You are acting out of the ordinary!" Nari began to say as she leaned in to observe the stubborn princess.

  " I am just tired" she lied, while in reality, her head started to pound as if a nail was being drilled slowly into it, filling her body with recurrent chills. Ada felt a jolting shock then proceeded to grab onto her hanbok; she grunted a muffled shriek of pain softly.

  "Princess!" Nari called out once more in concern, but Ada paid her no mind and walked over to where the king and her father sat, sitting below them was the young man from earlier. Explains his arrogance, even if he is the king's son he sits so close to the king she thought to herself is if him doing so was a crime. She followed his presence with her eyes and then nodded her head at the sight of her father who was calling her over.

  She forced a smile and leaned in to whisper to her father, but her efforts failed, so she resorted just to speak out loud just enough that he may hear. In the midst of everyone, she spoke up to her father for he was sitting up high, near the king.

  "How are you my princess?" her father asked. Those around were surprised to hear the King speak in such a way, simply because they were used to his threatening presence and nature of fright that he gave. While they spoke, Ada who was ignoring her pain convinced herself that it was only just that she favored talking to her father rather than giving into the pain.

  "We shall go home soon, alright my dear?" Her father said thinking his daughter's distraught was cause from thoughts of home. Ada nodded her head "I know, Father." she managed to say. Smiling her father reached out to her like a father would an infant child. At that moment as she made an effort to grab onto him, her eyes closed, and she began to collapse as if her spirit suddenly left her body, and at that moment all went silent.

  The quick prince managed to grab hold of her before she hit the ground while the King stood stunned. "Ada! Ada!" The foreign king yelled as he began to shake his unconscious daughter. The Prince in shock yelled "Someone, please call for the royal physician!" and all about people scattered. Nari came forth with a physician that she tightly gripped onto as she wished the best for the princess.

  "What happened to her hand?" the physician asked after racing over decorations and making every effort to get towards Ada. He stared studiously at her hand that was starting to swell."It seems as if they are thorn punctures, but they seem to be rotting the actual outline of the puncture has faded, therefore it could be anything.” The physician said in a phase of uncertainty.

  “I can't say I know from what." he silently said as he was resting his hand at the base of her neck, to position her upright. Nari came over suddenly wanting to be of assistance.

  "She was by the roses earlier today, I remembered her bleeding and I told her to wash up out of concern "she managed to say while grabbing onto her hanbok skirt twisting it about by cause of her nervousness and fright.

  "The roses!?!" The King questioned. "I recently ordered that they'd be layered with poison to keep the hunting dogs from chewing on it, I wasn't made aware of the reaction it'd have to human blood, personally I never pick the roses to have been concerned with it as an issue, I naturally assumed, it was managed like mindedly by others that resided here. "The King said softly. A dark ring formed around Ada's finger where it was bruised.

  "She's got high sensitivity to many things, she was a sickly child." Ada's father said as both he and Nari were trying to figure out what was best to do, in aid to the conscienceless princess.

  "It happened so suddenly, she was fine earlier, "The prince said as he was rambling to himself. He began to feel a bit of guilt for leaving her to arrive alone and taking her statement about being alright so seriously.

  "Let's call onto the guards to carry her back to her room" the physician ruled. Looking down at her and shaking his head at her stupidity, the prince made effort on carrying her towards the rest hall. "Let the guards do their job, and watch after our guests; she is light enough to carry. " The prince said as the royal physician followed close behind. They headed towards the back of the land, into a close d
ivision several small steps away from the palace where the individual royal rooms were located. After walking over a small bridge, the rooms were made visible beyond a largely grown cherry blossom tree. The prince walked towards his room to lay her down on a comfortable bed. Nari soon met up with the rest with fruits and teas.

  "It's possible the small puncture got infected." The physician decreed. He wrapped her swollen finger in a seaweed wrap drenched in ginger water and on top of that wrapped a white cloth around it to secure it in place. "The poison may have possibility took a while to collect that is why there wasn't an instant sign of presence when she first got injured, that's probably the reasoning behind her sudden reaction. Let her rest by tonight she may wake, or go into a deep sleep to wake in the morning but she should be fine, don't worry too much." The physician said softly reassuring everyone around him.

  He excused himself saying he would come back tomorrow to check on her progress. The elderly physician made effort to control everyone's nerves; even though he wore his hair gray of experience his talent rested in how easily he placed everyone at ease with his kind words. The physician who only now was being observed by those that surrounded him was dressed in black like a guard, with a black belt over his right shoulder. The fact of the matter was that no one seemed to notice his appearance before, because of their prior concern on the safety of the foreign Princess.

  With a smile and effort to stay professional the physician bowed and got ready to leave. Nari asked for the prince to leave Ada as her job, considering he shouldn't have to do the work of a servant. Resistant the prince shook his head at her request, he stood out the door.

  "I'm going to stay the night just to keep watch." He said looking about at Ada as she laid on the bed. Nari looked at him examining his face " Of course, crown prince " she said, she bowed and went about her way gracefully, occasionally looking back at the Prince who would wave with a still smile, gesturing her off. The young prince sat by the doorstep and made effort to stay awake but sleep got him hostage after his minimal efforts.

  His eldest sister walked about and saw him as she was taking her nightly strolls with her husband, Rather than had attended her brother’s celebration, she stayed to herself and avoided the required attendance her father had nagged her about several days prior.

  "He looks pitiful sitting at her feet in that way." She said with a roll of her eyes. Having had heard of the foreign princess’s arrival, She along with the others mad sure, and found it just to avoid meeting with her, for as long as they could whether it was not waking when she did, so that she couldn’t meet them on her stroll to the palace, or when it was time for dinner they took it to themselves to eat elsewhere, there was no need to breathe air with another whom was titled as you were, competition was already threatening as it was between those already living here. Yet there sat the next potential king...before her feet, as if a feline.

  Her husband displeased with the negativity she spoke towards her younger brother, proceeded to his defense " I am sure your father asked it of him, don't be the one to break down his spirit when you are to be the one that he should feel comfortable to come to comfort for when he seeks it. " her husband responded.

  " You don't understand, He falls for all who give attention his way, but...of a stranger he's never even known, it's even more pitiful..." she replied.

  "He may seek the attention of a stranger because his family gives him none." Her husband said. After thinking about the statement made, she looked towards her husband who now stayed silent. She quickly changed the subject of the words she spoke. "I wonder when they will send her home she looks awfully lonely here." she said cupping onto her husband's arm, smiling amused at her brother's loneliness to come, and away they walked.

  Before the new day's light came, Ada woke up in pain from her hand, she slowly pushed herself up with her left hand, she squinted, her sleepy eyes trying to detect the shadow outside her door, and she walked up only to see that it was the Prince besides the doorstep.

  "He was probably here to mock me," She told herself. Even with that insult in mind she walked over to him and looked at the sleeping prince. She walked back to her bed to take the white blanket that she laid with, placed it over his shoulder and covered his body.

  She sat next to him shooing away any insect that came close to his face as if a protector of his only attractive trait. "You're more attractive when you're silent, you know that? You probably speak to keep women away.' she said softly to him followed by quiet laughter. After a short moment of staring at the skies she gave a small yawn and looked around, the bed called her name once more and she strolled over, and she too fell into a trance of sleep.

  [제 4장]

  “Before hate the greatest

  Illusion of envy is sight”

  Only a few sections away from where Ada rested, a meeting was taking place. The middle Princess; Princess Ki sat among two other princesses and from where she sat she smiled at the sight of two brothers all in a circle around a table.

  "I met up with the man again today, seems he's genuinely up for the fight." The high-pitched voice spoke. The rest around the table remained silent and calm.

  "It will truly be a blessing when you become king, Gyeong." The middle princess chanted staring at her twin brother. The others scoffed some making uncertain faces.

  "Someone needs to tell her that..." Areum was about to say something but the eldest princess shook her head

  "Not now if you say that now she will be up all night.” she mouthed at the spirited young princess.

  As if they were threatened to be there to be a witness of Princess Ki's display of drowning in her own selfishness. Everyone else stayed silent, allowing her to speak.

  " If it wasn't for you own gain Ki, you wouldn't be here" called out a sister at the end of the table with her fist making a stand for her chin, she looked about the room waiting for disagreeing heads, but she received none.

  "Silent! Areum if you rather rot in the end of this palace the second father gives even a bit of power to that foreign king, GO RIGHT AHEAD!"The angered Princess cried out, she banged her hand sharply on the table and shouted in resentment.

  "Don't you know we are secluded? You don't think that foreign king wouldn't fight to place his daughter on OUR throne. What legacy would be left of us?" Ki asked with her eyes flaring, her words seemed to have growled a hidden chill on everyone who heard her speak. Areum rolled her eyes entertained at her sister's effort of playing such a well acted victim.

  "You do understand that without his resources we wouldn't be developing as we should or that without his help our growth would come to a halt, you'd starve the people and you'd have no subjects to praise your feet as you desire, right? You egotistical, selfish being..." the youngest sister flared her nose before she continued to speak. She pointed at her sister as she lectured her blatantly.

  "Furthermore, this matter doesn't concern me. Please, never call me to one of these again; I have better things to do with my time!" Areum stood up with her short black hair hardly in a ponytail, stiff and unmoved as she was. Unlike the other women in her position she dressed with her own twist, in order to get her to even wear her proper attire, to dress as a lady should, the King agreed to allow her to cut her hair, and style it as she liked. She gave complaints of head dresses and décor. Only for events worth attending did she dress accordingly. For a tiny being, she had no fear of her middle sister as the others did. Following her words, she did exactly that. She stood up and left the table, leaving the others in awe and silence.

  "If I didn't know better I'd say she was lacking a mind." Ki barked at the door that was left open by a furious Areum. With a grunt, Ki stood up in anger and walked out to catch up with her sister. Upon finding her in the night, after calling her name countless amounts of times, a slap was the first thing Areum's face met. Shaking, Areum stared at her sister; she kissed her teeth and hissed at her sister.

  "Don't ever disrespect me like that in front of everyone ever again
; just because our eldest brothers use to protect you, you think, because I didn't use to say anything when they were here, that now that they have left I will allow you to talk to me however you please?” She reached out her hand and held on tightly to her younger sister’s chin, while moving her face about to her own liking.

  “If you do then you are very much mistaken!" Ki shouted at her little sister. Areum softly chuckled like a mad woman, before tightening her grip on her sister’s arm then pushing her back.

  "Are you so scared of the truth that you use your hand to hit me like you would to one of your servants?" With that Areum slapped Ki right back with every force within her.

  "I may be the youngest, you may assume I follow after the others but I am not our eldest sister, nor am I a puppet for you to string around... If you ever lift your hand at me, even once more, I will do anything in my power to ruin your success, I'll watch you and leave you to rot in the midst of everyone like a cat does to a crow it is ready to feast on. I never needed our eldest brothers to voice my opinion; you were just too crazy to leave me alone with!" Reluctant to cause any more disorientation to her sister's power than she already had, with those words Areum turned around and found her way to her room to rest, leaving her sister behind to devour in her own anger.

  The night ended in dysfunction and anger between the siblings. To Areum’s satisfaction she felt no remorse for her truth. Ever since she was young Princess Ki used her misunderstanding as a method, of manipulation towards others. Rather than accept help she blamed everyone else around her. No matter how often Areum attempted in her youth to befriend her strange sister it seemed as if Ki, enjoyed the distance she emplaced between them. Now Ki had anger towards her as if she was still the naïve child she had once been. Areum entered her room after taking a glance towards the crown prince’s empty home only a few steps away from where hers resided, then sighed as she closed her door. She needed to leave before early morning as always, therefore there was no need to engage herself in more than she already had, this evening.