Descendants of Destiny (EDITING IN PROGRESS)

KING MUNNU

I sigh as I skip stones into the river,my servants are standing behind me dismayed and I know why

I have skipped Court again  but I don't care, there's no point in me going there because I don't really have any power or influence in court and they'd all rather see me dead anyway and I know it

So I don't go and leave them standing. I am a good looking boy of 14, people say I resemble my Mother the Lady Munmyeong, who was a great beauty.

She was riding along this very river when the King,my father first saw her,he immediately fell in love with her and made her his concubine

And when she was pregnant with me a Dragon priestess told them that I was the King that was promised and that yeouiji orb would return from the heavens at my birth.

So the King announced that I was to be the Crown prince in place of Il Mun the Queen's son and this announcement was of course met with shock and fury from the officials who were the Queen's relatives

And officials who were their allies and sparked a rebellion and several attempts on the King and my mother's life were made and when that was unsuccessful,

They started to incite the people against the King and Lady Munmyeong. Spreading vicious rumors that the child the Lady Munmyeong was carrying was a cursed child

And that the child was destined to destroy the Kingdom and this of course started a great protest and each day the people would gather at the palace gates to plead with the King "Your Majesty!!!! Don't let us be destroyed!!!!"

But the King did not respond,and he refused to let me be killed. And on the day of my birth,the yeouiji orb did return, and a giant aura the shape of a dragon appeared in the palace and this silenced the people's protests and proved the rumors to be false but our  enemies did not stop there.

When I was but a year old My father and mother took me to the temple but on the way we were attacked by assassins who succeeded in killing my father but my Mom and her maid took me and fled but the assassins kept coming

And my Mother knew that if they continued this way they would catch up with them so she gave me to her maid and fled in the opposite direction to lead the assassins away from me.

She was killed as well. The maid took me to my grandfather's,my mother's father,who took me to the Dowager Queen who then Crowned me King Munnu of Silla.

My parents died because of me and because they believed in me but I couldn't even protect them with all the power they claimed I have.

And even till now I don't have the yeouiji orb but most people think I still do and that was why I was still alive.

I would love to be a good king but after the Dowager Queen died I was left with even fewer allies and my survival was a daily battle not to talk of actually being King,but if I really had the yeouiji orb I could have been a better King.

I suddenly hear the sound of footsteps behind me breaking into my musings,it's Il Mun.

Although the Queen,his mother hates me we are close friends and in fact Il Mun is at the top of the very small list of people I trust with my life.

He sits down beside me and says "aren't you supposed to be at court" "you know as well as I do that there's no point in my going there,as it is I might not be alive for long"

"Please don't say that,I have sworn to protect you always" he says earnestly, a frown creasing his brow, and I sigh "I know,but my enemies will not relent and the few supporters I have are reducing daily,it's either they are threatened Into supporting the Queen or they're bribed and when I'm deposed you will be King"

He says nothing but he doesn't have to,I know full well that he doesn't want to be King,he wants to be the General. When we were kids we used to dramatize what we would do when we grew up

He would lead my army against the Tang Empire and free us from their oppression and he would support my dream of unifying the three Kingdoms

Then he would marry Yhu Won the daughter of an official whom he had a crush on when he was younger which I used to tease him mercilessly about,I smile at the memory.

But if I don't find the yeouiji orb or it doesn't come back to me I can't fulfill my dreams and Il Mun won't get his wish either.

" Your majesty the Crown princess asked me to deliver this to you" a messenger said behind me and my personal servant takes the missive and gives it to me.

It's a message from the Crown princess Hye Jin, we were betrothed recently and is the only other person I trust and love apart from Il Mun,i read the message in her pretty handwriting and turn to Il Mun

"I will be leaving now,Hye Jin has asked me to meet her at the East end of the palace, maybe she has information that she wants to let me know in secret"

A worried frown immediately creases his forehead and he says "let me come with you" I'm puzzled by his reaction, the three of us were close and we both trusted her, so why was he acting this way?

I ask "why what's wrong?" "I think my mother and Hye Jin's father are up to something"

"But Hye Jin would never betray me" "I know but do let me come along if you won't take your guards with you" he insisted I knew how stubborn he was and I knew he wouldn't let it go so I relent "alright let's go" I say to him and we both set off.

But as we turn into the quiet path between buildings leading to the place where Hye Jin asked me to meet her,

we are immediately surrounded by assassins.