Post by ajk on Apr 27, 2012 21:37:41 GMT -5
As Chilsuk converges on them, the rope snaps. Sohwa tosses Jinheung's little dagger up to safety, and then down she goes, into the sinkhole and out of view. Chilsuk grabs the screaming Deokman...and freezes in place, looking past her. What's behind her? Uh-oh, it's that sandstorm he was warned about, and it's a doozy. And fast, too--already it's right on top of them. Everything goes dark....
A head and a hand, sticking out of the sand. It's Deokman; she survived it. Seems okay. Staggers to her feet, looks around, and then remembers Sohwa and frantically begins scouring the dunes for her. Runs around wildly, and by luck stumbles across the little bundle that Sohwa had been carrying, with Jinheung's dagger next to it. (Neither covered by sand. Seriously?) And the frayed end of a piece of rope sticking out of the sand nearby. She pulls and pulls at the rope, and digs and digs, but the rope comes up empty...Day turns to night; she's still digging and searching to the point of exhaustion. She collapses onto the sand and passes out. But now what's that point of light we see in the distance? Someone carrying a flame? Now several more points. It's Cartan and his trader friends and their camels, on their journey to their next stop. They spot her laying there and run to her.
What a segue: We're abruptly thrown into the middle of a wild, chaotic battle scene. No idea who's fighting, but it's big and it's intense. We see one particularly skilled warrior, who ultimately gets taken down by a big spear...Princess Cheonmyeong wakes up with a start, covered in sweat. It was her dream we saw. She gets up, runs out of the room and past her husband Kim Yongsu, who we see for the first time. That warrior in the dream, it was him. He calls her to him and asks what the matter is. Mishil's veiled threats from back at the Hwarang ceremony, that's what's the matter. "The heavens have chosen Mishil," she argues, so don't get involved in the "campaign" (whatever that means). "I acquiesced to being deprived of my sacred bone status" so we could marry and be together without fear or intimidation. Yongsu says he wants to help the king; "someone must be by His Majesty's side." Not a comforting answer, apparently: "And why must that be you?! Why must we be the ones?!" But now an attendant runs in with news that the Hwarang are "acting suspiciously."
Cheonmyeong runs to investigate and finds the Hwarang in full dress in the ceremony courtyard--wearing their womanly face-paint. Uh-oh. Subtitling identifies the two Hwarang who look to be the leaders of the group: Hojae (identified as "true bone Hwarang, current Pungwolju"), and Bojong (identified as "Mishil & Seolwon's son, Hwarang Vice-Chief"--so here's another one she squeezed out!). The pair boldly tell the princess they're here simply to voice their grievance over Yongsu's investiture. She glares angrily at them.
A state council meeting, in the outdoor plateau area they used previously: Yongsu is there--he's one of ten, so apparently he's a council member--and they're all debating his worthiness for the throne. Same issues: his loss of sacred-bone status because his father was dethroned, and his lack of a record of meritorious service. The majority of the council members are either Mishil's allies or others who agree with them, and they're letting Yongsu have it but good. And to their surprise, Yongsu agrees with them: "How could I ever be suitable for inheriting the throne?!" Misaeng and Hajong, far from gracious, only laugh at him for the admission. But then Yongsu drops a bomb that shuts them up: "Therefore, I shall gain such accolades, and live up to such paramount legacy." Huh? "I shall personally take to the battlefield, and lead the vanguard in our initiative to recapture Mosan Fortress." And he darn sure means it. So this is the "campaign" that his wife had the nightmare about. (Mosan, at the site of present-day Namwon, was a Shillan fortress captured by Baekje in 616 AD. So here's one historical event that fits into the timeline.)
Mishil is meeting with Hojae and Bojong, still in face-paint, as well as Seolwon and a new face: Kim Yongchun, who is Yongsu's brother. Wouldn't expect to see someone from Jinji's family with Mishil, but Yongchun isn't there out of friendship. He's furious with the Hwarang for their insolence and is reading the riot act to the two young leaders. Seolwon isn't too pleased either--he doesn't see it as something that should concern them to this extent--and even Mishil looks a little skeptical about it all. But the pair are unrepentant: "If a man of no virtue and not even of sacred bone should lead us all, what Hwarang would devote his life to serve him?!" And they, too, feel that "he must prove he is worthy of such legacy through meritable services." And at that moment, Misaeng walks in with news of Yongsu's decision to lead the Mosan campaign. Surprises all of them, to say the least. Yongchun runs out of the room...
...and goes to confront his brother. "You cannot! I shall never allow you to!" Too late. "But, it is Mosan Fortress! Don't you realize what kind of place that is?" Whatever that means....
Back at Mishil's, Hajong is hopping mad at the idea of Yongsu possibly grabbing battle glory for himself. But Seolwon calms him down. The route to Mosan, he explains, is exposed and vulnerable to ambush; more or less a death trap. The only way to capture the fortress is to "sacrifice the vanguard as a diversionary stratagem, and that is why nobody is accepting its command." Read between the lines: hopeless mission; Yongsu gets killed; problem solved.
Cheonmyeong, in tears, is pleading with her mother to stop Yongsu somehow. But Maya is resigned to it happening.
Military strategy session: 20,000 Baekje troops to contend with. Yongsu's vanguard will be 1,000 men; a rearguard action will attack and retake the fortress. So yeah, not good odds for the vanguard.
Outside, first Yongchun and then Cheonmyeong confront Yongsu, and now here's the king standing there. Privately, he tells his daughter of his regrets over his self-perceived failings, and of his frustration at all of the trouble Mishil has caused over the years. But at least I protected you, he tells her. And then finally tells her of the star-sign on her birth night, and the vision of a long-vanished man named Munno about how "someone able to contend with Mishil's might would grace us." And? "And that is you." Cheonmyeong gasps. Yongsu is close enough to hear all this, and sighs.
Back at Mishil's, Hajong is still carrying on dramatically about "What if he returns victorious?!" Seolwon pretty much ruled that out, though, and Misaeng rolls his eyes. "Actually," Sejong says, "what Hajong says is not completely devoid of reason. The battlefield can always endow the most inconceivable of victors." Then Mishil and Seolwon enter; they've been pondering the question as well but aren't worried. "Lord Yongsu being proclaimed crown prince can only be positive for us," Seolwon explains. If he comes back successful, Mishil says, then all the better for Shilla, and "anything blessing this heavenly kingdom shall bless Mishil." Which seems like an oddly selfless viewpoint for her to have, and they all know it. But she has a much bigger issue that's in her favor, or at least we can see that she thinks it is: now that the king has chosen a true-bone successor, well, his doing so "can only bestow an opportunity to all true-bone descendants." Uh-oh, this sounds like a big new can of worms, and from the confident look she gives her husband, she's ready to open it.
The evening before Yongsu's deployment: Cheonmyeong is preparing her husband's uniform. She has a jade medallion that obviously is of significance to her; she sows it onto his uniform. In the process the needle pricks her, and the sight of a little blood unnerves her to tears as the vanguard's likely fate looms. Yongsu enters and finds her crying; they take a walk and reminisce about the past, but it doesn't really help much. She doesn't want him to go, and he's not exactly thrilled either but "I shall vanquish them at all cost. Vanquish Baekje...and Mishil as well."
Deployment day: We see the army leave the capital. They don't exactly seem to be in the best spirits.
Now they're in the wilderness...
...And suddenly we're in the middle of it all. It is big, and it is bloody. Arrows flying everywhere and soldiers dropping like flies. Exactly like in Cheonmyeong's dream, it's happening in what looks to be a shallow creek bed. Swords, spears, close-in combat, utter chaos. We see Yongsu and darned if he isn't a heck of a fighter. Now the enemy forces are shoving barricades at the Shillans, pinning and killing a whole group of them...But suddenly it's over, and the Shillans have won! Against long odds. Yongsu stands on top of a barricade and shouts, "Hurrah for our great nation!" The troops go wild and cheer along with him. But then in the nearby woods we spot an archer--in a Shillan uniform? Sure looks like it--draw and fire. Buries the arrow in Yongsu's chest. He falls, as Cheonmyeong watches in horror. What--she's there? She runs to him among a crowd of soldiers, but he dies in front of her. This isn't real, we now know...And now we see Cheonmyeong asleep, tossing and turning, and then waking up with a start, once again covered in perspiration. She fears it's a bad omen, and asks her attendant for any news from the battlefield. Right on cue, from outside, a soldier shouts, "It's a triumph! A triumph! We recaptured Mosan Fortress! It is a grandiose victory!"
The princess runs outside to him. "Our troops led by Lord Yongsu slaughtered two thousand Baekje men, and recaptured Mosan Fortress!" Well how about that. They did it after all. So when is Yongsu coming back?, she asks. The soldier looks away and fidgets. Uh-oh. Finally he answers. "His Highness Lord Yongsu led us in recapturing the fortress, but on our way back...he was hit by the arrows of a few Baekje remnants...." The soldier has something for her; it's the jade medallion, with a big piece missing. "In his last moments, he ordered us to convey to you this." Cheonmyeong falls to the ground in shock.
"Deokman! Open the door." We're in an inn somewhere; Cartan and his trader friends have brought Deokman there. They've brought her food but she won't open the door. We see her inside, just staring blankly ahead...Now she imagines her mother there, drying her tears and comforting her...And now we see Cheonmyeong, dressed in white and grieving...and now Yongsu is there comforting her...The twins are trying to cope in the same way. There's knocking on Cheonmyeong's door too, and she won't answer either.
Yongsu's body is lying in state at a royal shrine. The princess is kneeling before it. Mishil arrives, dressed in black (sheesh) to pay respects and place a flower. She kneels next to the princess: "Could a ghastlier misfortune afflict our nation? It is truly a most lamentable occurrence. May you regain your vigor, Your Highness." Cheonmyeong stares daggers at her, not buying it for anything other than phony sincerity. Mishil gets up to leave; then turns back, kneels again, and hugs Cheonmyeong! The princess is shocked, and it seems way out of place...but then Mishil talks into her ear: "Run!...The seven stars...Gaeyang's keeper?! Abandon such trifling delusions, and run far away." Cheonmyeong struggles to get away, but Mishil holds her tightly: "This...is my last shred of compassion for you." And she smiles. She gets up and leaves, the princess sitting there completely unnerved.
The trading group is getting ready to leave the small town they're in. Deokman is there to see them off; she's feeling much better. I'll be all right, she assures Cartan with a smile and a hug. He's visibly worried about her but she puts on a brave face. She waves as they all depart. (Anybody else surprised she didn't go with them?)
Now we see her sitting in the desert, just outside of the small town, watching the traders go by in one direction or another. And she's not all right. She's hurting and crying, all alone, and it's terribly sad. But here comes Cartan; he knew she wasn't all right and doubled back. Come to Rome with me, he offers. She's grateful, but she has other plans: Shilla. She wants to find out if this Munno person who's name she knows is her father. Her mind is made up. Cartan understands; he gives her a cloth hat--the rolled-up cloth kind like the desert traders wear. "You must dress as a man," he advises. "You never know what could befall a lone woman on such an arduous trip." And gives her some words of encouragement, which seem to help. Good guy; sorry to see him go.
"Leave the palace?!" Cheonmyeong is before her parents and they're not happy. She's had enough; "I shall leave the palace, and devote the rest of my days to Buddhism." Jinpyeong reminds her of the star event, but she wants none of it: "I shall from here on in bury such prophecies deep down my mind." And she bows respectfully before them, clearly determined to do just what she said. Quite a decision, even considering her grief and frustration.
Now we see her walking through the city streets, dressed in a plain robe. She still has her attendant with her, and the attendant--also in a plain robe--isn't too pleased about giving up the palace for a temple. Tough luck for her. They walk to one of the city gates, where we see Yongchun, Yongsu's brother; they've obviously arranged to meet here. She has a favor to ask of him: find Munno! This is a surprise. Find him, she tells Yongchun, and "we could seize control of the Hwarang back from Mishil's hands." Yongchun had no idea that the princess was thinking this way, and neither did we. Obviously this whole religious-pilgrim thing is a cover for her real intentions. "I shall not run away. I shall find and meet Munno. Should the prophecies about me he believed turn out to be true, should they be part of my destiny, then I shall restore his position amongst the Hwarang, and make him one of my people." And if that wasn't a big enough turn of events, here's another one: she's pregnant with Yongsu's child! "I cannot bear this child in the palace," she tells Yongchun; "I shall not allow him to go through the same fate as Lord Yongsu or my three brothers." So search for Munno in secrecy, she tells him. "You must find Munno at all cost."
--------------------
It's now one year later. We see Cheonmyeong on the grounds of a monastery, which we eventually learn is located at Mt. Seoda (present-day Mt. Mai). She's going through a prayer ritual with six older, shaven-headed male monks. One of these things is not like the others...Her attendant comes running up to her to tell her, "He has come." Yongchun is here and meets his baby nephew. What's his name? Cheonmyeong explains, "Lady Mishil cannot do anything before time's prowess. Therefore, I gave him a name which means exactly that time she so fervently daunts. I called him Chunchu." (No idea what that means; can anybody bail me out?) Subtitling informs us that the child is the future King Muyeol of Shilla. Anyway, did Yongchun look for Munno? Yes, he says....
Someone's being tortured. And it's Seolwon doing the torturing. "I shall ask you for the very last time. Who is the man Lord Yongchun is looking for, and for what reason?" Uh-oh, word got out. But whoever he is, the guy ain't talking.
Yongchun says he's found Munno! "At Yeorae Temple, up on Samsan in Manno County."
Too bad--the guy cracked, finally. "They are looking for the Gukseon who suddenly vanished, Munno. I do not know why they are looking for him."
Manno County is Munno's home. Yongchun says he had gone there briefly long ago, and recently came back. Cheonmyeong wants to go there herself...but it's not a safe place. It borders Baekje, for one thing, and there are border skirmishes. (But I have to point out that the border also must be very close to Mt. Seoda, so not sure why this is suddenly an issue.) And in addition, there's a bad famine in the area. But the princess is undaunted. If he moves around so much, she reasons, we'd better catch him while we know where he is. Makes sense.
Mishil is told of the search for Munno. She looks confused and troubled.
Cheonmyeong is about to leave for Manno County. Yongchun assigns several of his guards to accompany her.
Seolwon thinks this is all some revenge plot for Yongsu's death. And he got the tortured guy to tell him Munno's location. Mishil tells him, "Demise shall be the only way to cut those ties. Prepare for it."
Cheonmyeong departs, leaving her son in the care of her attendant and another female attendant.
We see a boat! A riverboat. (Oops--camera boat's wake is in the shot.) Just a regular local ferry. Deokman's on it, her face covered enough to hide her gender. It arrives in Jielin, a small Shillan river port. Next we see Deokman walking into Manno Fortress (present-day Jincheon, in the interior part of the peninsula, a little farther north than we've been recently). She stops and asks a man, "Is this the Gukseon Munno's hometown?" Well, turns out that a lot of people have come here over the years "just to learn a few moves from Munno." But he hasn't been here for a long time, the man says. Not the news she wanted to hear. She walks onward and asks a silk merchant in the street market. Same answer; people have various theories on where the guy is, but nothing for certain. Other merchants have heard other things, but it's all fuzzy. She asks person after person, becoming more agitated as she gradually realizes that this may have been a wasted trip and a hopeless quest. Eventually she sits down, the reality of it hitting her full force. And she starts to whimper for her mother....Then from off to the side: "Lord Munno is not the kind of specimen anyone can seek audience with." She runs to the source--an older-looking man, talking to a younger man who tells him that he's travelled a long way to meet Munno. She runs up to the older man and kneels at his feet. "You know who Munno is? Can you make us meet?!"
A head and a hand, sticking out of the sand. It's Deokman; she survived it. Seems okay. Staggers to her feet, looks around, and then remembers Sohwa and frantically begins scouring the dunes for her. Runs around wildly, and by luck stumbles across the little bundle that Sohwa had been carrying, with Jinheung's dagger next to it. (Neither covered by sand. Seriously?) And the frayed end of a piece of rope sticking out of the sand nearby. She pulls and pulls at the rope, and digs and digs, but the rope comes up empty...Day turns to night; she's still digging and searching to the point of exhaustion. She collapses onto the sand and passes out. But now what's that point of light we see in the distance? Someone carrying a flame? Now several more points. It's Cartan and his trader friends and their camels, on their journey to their next stop. They spot her laying there and run to her.
What a segue: We're abruptly thrown into the middle of a wild, chaotic battle scene. No idea who's fighting, but it's big and it's intense. We see one particularly skilled warrior, who ultimately gets taken down by a big spear...Princess Cheonmyeong wakes up with a start, covered in sweat. It was her dream we saw. She gets up, runs out of the room and past her husband Kim Yongsu, who we see for the first time. That warrior in the dream, it was him. He calls her to him and asks what the matter is. Mishil's veiled threats from back at the Hwarang ceremony, that's what's the matter. "The heavens have chosen Mishil," she argues, so don't get involved in the "campaign" (whatever that means). "I acquiesced to being deprived of my sacred bone status" so we could marry and be together without fear or intimidation. Yongsu says he wants to help the king; "someone must be by His Majesty's side." Not a comforting answer, apparently: "And why must that be you?! Why must we be the ones?!" But now an attendant runs in with news that the Hwarang are "acting suspiciously."
Cheonmyeong runs to investigate and finds the Hwarang in full dress in the ceremony courtyard--wearing their womanly face-paint. Uh-oh. Subtitling identifies the two Hwarang who look to be the leaders of the group: Hojae (identified as "true bone Hwarang, current Pungwolju"), and Bojong (identified as "Mishil & Seolwon's son, Hwarang Vice-Chief"--so here's another one she squeezed out!). The pair boldly tell the princess they're here simply to voice their grievance over Yongsu's investiture. She glares angrily at them.
A state council meeting, in the outdoor plateau area they used previously: Yongsu is there--he's one of ten, so apparently he's a council member--and they're all debating his worthiness for the throne. Same issues: his loss of sacred-bone status because his father was dethroned, and his lack of a record of meritorious service. The majority of the council members are either Mishil's allies or others who agree with them, and they're letting Yongsu have it but good. And to their surprise, Yongsu agrees with them: "How could I ever be suitable for inheriting the throne?!" Misaeng and Hajong, far from gracious, only laugh at him for the admission. But then Yongsu drops a bomb that shuts them up: "Therefore, I shall gain such accolades, and live up to such paramount legacy." Huh? "I shall personally take to the battlefield, and lead the vanguard in our initiative to recapture Mosan Fortress." And he darn sure means it. So this is the "campaign" that his wife had the nightmare about. (Mosan, at the site of present-day Namwon, was a Shillan fortress captured by Baekje in 616 AD. So here's one historical event that fits into the timeline.)
Mishil is meeting with Hojae and Bojong, still in face-paint, as well as Seolwon and a new face: Kim Yongchun, who is Yongsu's brother. Wouldn't expect to see someone from Jinji's family with Mishil, but Yongchun isn't there out of friendship. He's furious with the Hwarang for their insolence and is reading the riot act to the two young leaders. Seolwon isn't too pleased either--he doesn't see it as something that should concern them to this extent--and even Mishil looks a little skeptical about it all. But the pair are unrepentant: "If a man of no virtue and not even of sacred bone should lead us all, what Hwarang would devote his life to serve him?!" And they, too, feel that "he must prove he is worthy of such legacy through meritable services." And at that moment, Misaeng walks in with news of Yongsu's decision to lead the Mosan campaign. Surprises all of them, to say the least. Yongchun runs out of the room...
...and goes to confront his brother. "You cannot! I shall never allow you to!" Too late. "But, it is Mosan Fortress! Don't you realize what kind of place that is?" Whatever that means....
Back at Mishil's, Hajong is hopping mad at the idea of Yongsu possibly grabbing battle glory for himself. But Seolwon calms him down. The route to Mosan, he explains, is exposed and vulnerable to ambush; more or less a death trap. The only way to capture the fortress is to "sacrifice the vanguard as a diversionary stratagem, and that is why nobody is accepting its command." Read between the lines: hopeless mission; Yongsu gets killed; problem solved.
Cheonmyeong, in tears, is pleading with her mother to stop Yongsu somehow. But Maya is resigned to it happening.
Military strategy session: 20,000 Baekje troops to contend with. Yongsu's vanguard will be 1,000 men; a rearguard action will attack and retake the fortress. So yeah, not good odds for the vanguard.
Outside, first Yongchun and then Cheonmyeong confront Yongsu, and now here's the king standing there. Privately, he tells his daughter of his regrets over his self-perceived failings, and of his frustration at all of the trouble Mishil has caused over the years. But at least I protected you, he tells her. And then finally tells her of the star-sign on her birth night, and the vision of a long-vanished man named Munno about how "someone able to contend with Mishil's might would grace us." And? "And that is you." Cheonmyeong gasps. Yongsu is close enough to hear all this, and sighs.
Back at Mishil's, Hajong is still carrying on dramatically about "What if he returns victorious?!" Seolwon pretty much ruled that out, though, and Misaeng rolls his eyes. "Actually," Sejong says, "what Hajong says is not completely devoid of reason. The battlefield can always endow the most inconceivable of victors." Then Mishil and Seolwon enter; they've been pondering the question as well but aren't worried. "Lord Yongsu being proclaimed crown prince can only be positive for us," Seolwon explains. If he comes back successful, Mishil says, then all the better for Shilla, and "anything blessing this heavenly kingdom shall bless Mishil." Which seems like an oddly selfless viewpoint for her to have, and they all know it. But she has a much bigger issue that's in her favor, or at least we can see that she thinks it is: now that the king has chosen a true-bone successor, well, his doing so "can only bestow an opportunity to all true-bone descendants." Uh-oh, this sounds like a big new can of worms, and from the confident look she gives her husband, she's ready to open it.
The evening before Yongsu's deployment: Cheonmyeong is preparing her husband's uniform. She has a jade medallion that obviously is of significance to her; she sows it onto his uniform. In the process the needle pricks her, and the sight of a little blood unnerves her to tears as the vanguard's likely fate looms. Yongsu enters and finds her crying; they take a walk and reminisce about the past, but it doesn't really help much. She doesn't want him to go, and he's not exactly thrilled either but "I shall vanquish them at all cost. Vanquish Baekje...and Mishil as well."
Deployment day: We see the army leave the capital. They don't exactly seem to be in the best spirits.
Now they're in the wilderness...
...And suddenly we're in the middle of it all. It is big, and it is bloody. Arrows flying everywhere and soldiers dropping like flies. Exactly like in Cheonmyeong's dream, it's happening in what looks to be a shallow creek bed. Swords, spears, close-in combat, utter chaos. We see Yongsu and darned if he isn't a heck of a fighter. Now the enemy forces are shoving barricades at the Shillans, pinning and killing a whole group of them...But suddenly it's over, and the Shillans have won! Against long odds. Yongsu stands on top of a barricade and shouts, "Hurrah for our great nation!" The troops go wild and cheer along with him. But then in the nearby woods we spot an archer--in a Shillan uniform? Sure looks like it--draw and fire. Buries the arrow in Yongsu's chest. He falls, as Cheonmyeong watches in horror. What--she's there? She runs to him among a crowd of soldiers, but he dies in front of her. This isn't real, we now know...And now we see Cheonmyeong asleep, tossing and turning, and then waking up with a start, once again covered in perspiration. She fears it's a bad omen, and asks her attendant for any news from the battlefield. Right on cue, from outside, a soldier shouts, "It's a triumph! A triumph! We recaptured Mosan Fortress! It is a grandiose victory!"
The princess runs outside to him. "Our troops led by Lord Yongsu slaughtered two thousand Baekje men, and recaptured Mosan Fortress!" Well how about that. They did it after all. So when is Yongsu coming back?, she asks. The soldier looks away and fidgets. Uh-oh. Finally he answers. "His Highness Lord Yongsu led us in recapturing the fortress, but on our way back...he was hit by the arrows of a few Baekje remnants...." The soldier has something for her; it's the jade medallion, with a big piece missing. "In his last moments, he ordered us to convey to you this." Cheonmyeong falls to the ground in shock.
"Deokman! Open the door." We're in an inn somewhere; Cartan and his trader friends have brought Deokman there. They've brought her food but she won't open the door. We see her inside, just staring blankly ahead...Now she imagines her mother there, drying her tears and comforting her...And now we see Cheonmyeong, dressed in white and grieving...and now Yongsu is there comforting her...The twins are trying to cope in the same way. There's knocking on Cheonmyeong's door too, and she won't answer either.
Yongsu's body is lying in state at a royal shrine. The princess is kneeling before it. Mishil arrives, dressed in black (sheesh) to pay respects and place a flower. She kneels next to the princess: "Could a ghastlier misfortune afflict our nation? It is truly a most lamentable occurrence. May you regain your vigor, Your Highness." Cheonmyeong stares daggers at her, not buying it for anything other than phony sincerity. Mishil gets up to leave; then turns back, kneels again, and hugs Cheonmyeong! The princess is shocked, and it seems way out of place...but then Mishil talks into her ear: "Run!...The seven stars...Gaeyang's keeper?! Abandon such trifling delusions, and run far away." Cheonmyeong struggles to get away, but Mishil holds her tightly: "This...is my last shred of compassion for you." And she smiles. She gets up and leaves, the princess sitting there completely unnerved.
The trading group is getting ready to leave the small town they're in. Deokman is there to see them off; she's feeling much better. I'll be all right, she assures Cartan with a smile and a hug. He's visibly worried about her but she puts on a brave face. She waves as they all depart. (Anybody else surprised she didn't go with them?)
Now we see her sitting in the desert, just outside of the small town, watching the traders go by in one direction or another. And she's not all right. She's hurting and crying, all alone, and it's terribly sad. But here comes Cartan; he knew she wasn't all right and doubled back. Come to Rome with me, he offers. She's grateful, but she has other plans: Shilla. She wants to find out if this Munno person who's name she knows is her father. Her mind is made up. Cartan understands; he gives her a cloth hat--the rolled-up cloth kind like the desert traders wear. "You must dress as a man," he advises. "You never know what could befall a lone woman on such an arduous trip." And gives her some words of encouragement, which seem to help. Good guy; sorry to see him go.
"Leave the palace?!" Cheonmyeong is before her parents and they're not happy. She's had enough; "I shall leave the palace, and devote the rest of my days to Buddhism." Jinpyeong reminds her of the star event, but she wants none of it: "I shall from here on in bury such prophecies deep down my mind." And she bows respectfully before them, clearly determined to do just what she said. Quite a decision, even considering her grief and frustration.
Now we see her walking through the city streets, dressed in a plain robe. She still has her attendant with her, and the attendant--also in a plain robe--isn't too pleased about giving up the palace for a temple. Tough luck for her. They walk to one of the city gates, where we see Yongchun, Yongsu's brother; they've obviously arranged to meet here. She has a favor to ask of him: find Munno! This is a surprise. Find him, she tells Yongchun, and "we could seize control of the Hwarang back from Mishil's hands." Yongchun had no idea that the princess was thinking this way, and neither did we. Obviously this whole religious-pilgrim thing is a cover for her real intentions. "I shall not run away. I shall find and meet Munno. Should the prophecies about me he believed turn out to be true, should they be part of my destiny, then I shall restore his position amongst the Hwarang, and make him one of my people." And if that wasn't a big enough turn of events, here's another one: she's pregnant with Yongsu's child! "I cannot bear this child in the palace," she tells Yongchun; "I shall not allow him to go through the same fate as Lord Yongsu or my three brothers." So search for Munno in secrecy, she tells him. "You must find Munno at all cost."
--------------------
It's now one year later. We see Cheonmyeong on the grounds of a monastery, which we eventually learn is located at Mt. Seoda (present-day Mt. Mai). She's going through a prayer ritual with six older, shaven-headed male monks. One of these things is not like the others...Her attendant comes running up to her to tell her, "He has come." Yongchun is here and meets his baby nephew. What's his name? Cheonmyeong explains, "Lady Mishil cannot do anything before time's prowess. Therefore, I gave him a name which means exactly that time she so fervently daunts. I called him Chunchu." (No idea what that means; can anybody bail me out?) Subtitling informs us that the child is the future King Muyeol of Shilla. Anyway, did Yongchun look for Munno? Yes, he says....
Someone's being tortured. And it's Seolwon doing the torturing. "I shall ask you for the very last time. Who is the man Lord Yongchun is looking for, and for what reason?" Uh-oh, word got out. But whoever he is, the guy ain't talking.
Yongchun says he's found Munno! "At Yeorae Temple, up on Samsan in Manno County."
Too bad--the guy cracked, finally. "They are looking for the Gukseon who suddenly vanished, Munno. I do not know why they are looking for him."
Manno County is Munno's home. Yongchun says he had gone there briefly long ago, and recently came back. Cheonmyeong wants to go there herself...but it's not a safe place. It borders Baekje, for one thing, and there are border skirmishes. (But I have to point out that the border also must be very close to Mt. Seoda, so not sure why this is suddenly an issue.) And in addition, there's a bad famine in the area. But the princess is undaunted. If he moves around so much, she reasons, we'd better catch him while we know where he is. Makes sense.
Mishil is told of the search for Munno. She looks confused and troubled.
Cheonmyeong is about to leave for Manno County. Yongchun assigns several of his guards to accompany her.
Seolwon thinks this is all some revenge plot for Yongsu's death. And he got the tortured guy to tell him Munno's location. Mishil tells him, "Demise shall be the only way to cut those ties. Prepare for it."
Cheonmyeong departs, leaving her son in the care of her attendant and another female attendant.
We see a boat! A riverboat. (Oops--camera boat's wake is in the shot.) Just a regular local ferry. Deokman's on it, her face covered enough to hide her gender. It arrives in Jielin, a small Shillan river port. Next we see Deokman walking into Manno Fortress (present-day Jincheon, in the interior part of the peninsula, a little farther north than we've been recently). She stops and asks a man, "Is this the Gukseon Munno's hometown?" Well, turns out that a lot of people have come here over the years "just to learn a few moves from Munno." But he hasn't been here for a long time, the man says. Not the news she wanted to hear. She walks onward and asks a silk merchant in the street market. Same answer; people have various theories on where the guy is, but nothing for certain. Other merchants have heard other things, but it's all fuzzy. She asks person after person, becoming more agitated as she gradually realizes that this may have been a wasted trip and a hopeless quest. Eventually she sits down, the reality of it hitting her full force. And she starts to whimper for her mother....Then from off to the side: "Lord Munno is not the kind of specimen anyone can seek audience with." She runs to the source--an older-looking man, talking to a younger man who tells him that he's travelled a long way to meet Munno. She runs up to the older man and kneels at his feet. "You know who Munno is? Can you make us meet?!"