Post by ajk on Aug 3, 2012 23:25:36 GMT -5
Now how did Yushin know Deokman was a girl? We get an immediate answer--a flashback to some unidentified time after Deokman became a DFer, presumably very shortly after. We see her in a bath in a dimly lit room, alone...and then as she's dressing afterwards, Yushin accidentally walks in on her. She looks almost fully dressed--nothing to see there. But her hair is down, and for that or whatever other reason or reasons Yushin reacts awkwardly, as though he's discovered something he didn't expect. So that was how he found out. Really, though, it doesn't matter how he knows, only that he does know. But why tell everyone that story about the scar? Why protect her like that?
"Deokman's a what now?" You heard him, princess. Yushin apologizes for not telling her sooner. This last piece falling into place, Cheonmyeong concludes that Deokman is her twin sister. Okay...so NOW what? "We can't say anything," the princess instructs, mindful of the twins prophecy. "No one--NO ONE--can know." But as Yushin points out, if this is all true, Deokman is royalty! Leave royalty as an anonymous Hwarang trainee? No easy answer. Why did Yushin keep quiet about this? "I didn't want to lose her," he explains. Neither does the princess, and if this gets out, she fears that Deokman will indeed be lost somehow to them. She thinks they have to get her out of the capital somehow. "We've got to keep this from her for now," Cheonmyeong says. "How could she stand to learn the truth?" (Huh? Isn't that EXACTLY what she's been trying to learn for years?) Cheonmyeong feels very sorry for Deokman, being torn from her home as an infant and going through such an odd life, and now she can't even learn the truth about herself because it would put her in mortal danger. (Not sure I follow that reasoning, what with King Jinpyeong having a living grandson.)
Deokman is sitting alone in the evening air, trying to figure out what to do now. But she's not alone. Off to the side, Cheonmyeong is watching her from a distance, desperately wishing she could spill the beans to her sister, but staying silent.
Elsewhere, Yushin is sitting alone, lost in thought. Gingerly, Jukbang approaches him. "You know, right?" About Deokman? Yushin orders him, "Act like you don't know." Jukbang understands.
Yushin, walking alone, happens across Deokman. Also walking alone. Awk-warrrd. They look at each other--one of those I-know-that-you-know-that-I-know moments. Then they walk by each other, wordlessly. But then Deokman whirls around. "Why?" Yushin turns and stares. "Why didn't you give me the boot?" Yushin first denies knowing anything, but then fesses up. "The princess said to take care of you, so I took care of you." Gender aside. "I just followed orders. Was I wrong?" Deokman feels compelled to tell him why she's been keeping it secret; I have a good reason, she insists. Yushin rudely insists he doesn't care and turns to walk away, but Deokman grabs him and tells him anyway about how she wants "to learn who I really am." "Pathetic," Yushin snarls back. "What does it really matter? All that matters is what you make of yourself now." Deokman doesn't want to hear that. "Don't be so quick to give advice to others," she answers. Which Yushin doesn't like, and he walks away, half angry at her and half sorry for her.
Same evening: The king has finally come clean to Eulje, telling him how Sohwa and the second twin were sent away and that they carried Jinheung's dagger with them. Eulje is understandably concerned about the obvious possibility that with Sohwa back, the twin is also back. And if Mishil finds out about the twin...Yikes.
"You said you never forget a woman's face, didn't you?" Mishil is asking Misaeng, who snickers. "Ladies need to feel special," and I've had more than 100 kids because I remember the little things. So the answer is yes. She wants him to take a look at someone.
So the two go to visit Chilsuk and Sohwa. Chilsuk's eyes aren't working at the moment, but he seems to think he's making progress. Mishil starts talking to him; Misaeng stays silent. He quietly moves towards Sohwa, who's completely zoned out and doesn't seem to realize anyone else is around. He leans in to get a good look at her...and then gasps audibly. And then falls backwards. He looks at Mishil, wide-eyed with surprise.
They return home. Misaeng knows. It's the maid who ran away with the twin. "The king's maid. Sohwa."
Cheonmyeong and Yushin wonder whether or not it might be best to tell Deokman the whole story after all. Maybe we should, they agree; just not now. They'll send her to Mount Jungak for a while to give them some time.
Eulje tells Kim Yongchun about Sohwa, and the possibility that the twin is alive. Yongchun knows exactly how dangerous it is that Sohwa was a witness to the twins' birth. "We've got to get her back." But they can't just stroll into the forbidden shrine, certainly not without causing enough of a stir that it might confirm to Mishil just who it is she's holding. He tells Imjong to keep a close watch on the shrine.
"You're moving us, my lady?" Mishil tells that Chilsuk that he and Sohwa aren't safe here because of her wandering habit. "We have a quiet little place away from the palace that would suit her needs better." They'll go a different location, using just a few guards "so as not to arouse suspicion." She stares at Chilsuk, showing some disapproval with the lie that she now knows he's been telling her.
Next day: The DFers are training. Running around their compound carrying heavily weighted sacks. Deokman is struggling with hers; she eventually falters and falls to the ground. Jukbang runs over to her to help...and now he's fussing over her, beyond how a guy should help out another guy. "What's with the fatherly routine?", Godo asks, and the other DFers think it's odd too. An angry word from Yushin gets her up, and she quietly cautions Jukbang not to treat her differently than before. Now Cheonmyeong shows up. "Go to her," Yushin tells Deokman. So this was planned.
The two go off to a side alley. Cheonmyeong asks Deokman about going to Mount Jungak temporarily, until "vital orders" are ready for her. Just stay there and train for a while. This seems odd to Deokman, and Cheonmyeong can't even look at her as she says it. Deokman looks at Cheonmyeong, though. "Princess...You're a terrible liar." What are you keeping from me?
The rest of Mishil's cabal is told about Sohwa. Mishil wants to separate her from Chilsuk and try to get information about the twin. Won't be easy, because as Mishil believes, "For faithful Chilsuk to lie to me like that, he must care for her very much indeed." The men don't understand what he would see in her...but Mishil can see it. They have a common bond, because "they sacrificed half their lives in blind obedience to others. They understood each other--and that turned into love." To our surprise, Mishil nearly chokes up as she says it. "I understand him a hundred times, a thousand times over." This has really pushed a button for some reason. But all that aside, they need to separate the pair, and do it without Chilsuk suspecting why they're being separated. "We'll do it when they leave the shrine," she orders. She's setting up a nasty deception: Bojong and some of his Hwarang will kidnap Sohwa while on their way from the shrine, and Chilsuk will be made to think that it was the king who ordered the kidnapping. "I'll take it from there," she says. Even for her, this is a tricky one.
Chilsuk and Sohwa are escorted out of the shrine. Chilsuk is put on a horse; Sohwa goes into a small gama. Imjong is watching surreptitiously, along with one of his Hwarang, who Imjong now orders to go report to Eulje.
Seolwon gives the instructions to Bojong. "No one is to be hurt. Just get the maid." And warns him not to underestimate Chilsuk, bad eyes or not.
Imjong's Hwarang reports to Eulje. "It has to be now," Eulje says. Tell Imjong to get Sohwa now; it may be their only chance.
Afternoon, walking through the countryside: Chilsuk, two guards, Sohwa, and four bearers. As they travel, Imjong and his Hwarang stalk them, faces covered. But now what's this? Five sword-wielding men covered in red cloths, their faces also covered, run up the path and confront the travelers head-on. The four bearers put down the gama and run away. The two guards run forward, swords drawn, and fake-battle for a few seconds, before they look at the red men, nod in acknowledgement, and run away. This is Bojong and his group, and they've set this all up ahead of time. But only five of them? Seems like a tactical error, and in fact Imjong's group hiding in the nearby trees is much larger. Chilsuk dismounts, still not seeing properly but knowing something bad is happening. Now the red men surround Chilsuk. He fights them off, but they smartly shoo Chilsuk's horse away and the sounds of its running send Chilsuk running after it. The men grab the gama and head back towards Seorabeol. They don't get far, though; Imjong's much larger group of Hwarang soon descends upon them and they flee for their lives. So Imjong gets the gama.
"Attacked?!" Bojong brings Mishil the bad news that they lost Sohwa. What about Chilsuk? He made it to the shrine, but Seori tells her, "Come when you can. He's quite distraught."
A terrified Sohwa is sitting alone inside a dark room. Imjong and a female attendant enter and assure her they won't harm her. They've brought different clothes for her. Looks like a Hwarang uniform--they're going to disguise her as one of Imjong's Hwarang.
Training is over. An exhausted Deokman slumps to the ground and sits by herself...and looks up to see Yushin standing there, offering her some water. Peace offering, maybe? He asks her what the princess wanted (he already knows, of course), and she tells him. "So why haven't you left yet?" She glares at him. "You're hiding something from me, aren't you?" He's surprised that she would ask such a thing. But she's annoyed. For all of their oaths of loyalty to each other and the stuff about no secrets from each other, well...what about it? Yushin deflects: "You hid that you're a girl." And takes back the water container and starts drinking the water himself. Nyah, nyah, nyah. And he repeats the advice that she didn't like the first time, about how it's the here-and-now that matters, not where you came from. "The past killed my mother!", she fires back angrily. Explains about her mother's scarred lungs--and that she wants to know what happened. "She never hurt a soul--and died of suffocation in the desert to save ME." I want to know--know "who gave the order." And as for her reassignment, well, "If it is a direct order, I'll go. Otherwise I'm staying." Angry and frustrated, she runs away from Yushin...
...and outside the training compound, and stops. Nearby, Imjong's Hwarang walk by. Sohwa is with them, dressed like one of them. They stop for a moment, and she catches sight of Deokman standing there. Intense, rapid flashbacks race through her mind. Her eyes widen and suddenly she starts to run towards Deokman. But the Hwarang grab her and lead her away, knowing full well about her wandering episodes. Just as they turn the corner, Deokman turns and looks. Just missed her.
A frantic, screaming Chilsuk is locked inside a room at the shrine he's been taken to. Mishil and Seori arrive. They still have no clue about what happened to Sohwa. Chilsuk's door is unlocked and the pair step in. Chilsuk's eyes are better at the moment: "My lady, please let me go. I have to find her." He tries to storm past them and out the door, but Mishil deftly snatches his sword out of its scabbard--and puts it to his throat! And then calmly hands it to him. "Kill me and you can go," she says with a smile. "I mean it. I know how much you care for her." Well, he's not gonna do THAT...so he appeals to her more judiciously, kneeling and asking Mishil for permission to go find her. "I can't bear for her to be hurt any more because of me." Mishil kneels next to him, and you expect a comforting word--but guess what? "It IS your fault," she tells him. Ouch. "You lied to me--what's her real name?" Uh-oh; dude's in trouble. "The attackers wanted her, not you. So who is she?" Chilsuk is shifty and silent. So Mishil goes ballistic--screams at him and tells him exactly what she's learned. Wow is she angry. But then quickly pulls herself together. And now we see the deeply moved, choked-up side of her that we saw earlier. "My dear blind fool. Who would want Sohwa dead? Me? Or a king that can't have a witness to the birth of twins?" Scheming or not, she does have a very good point. And hammers home the argument that it must have been the king that took Sohwa. Now there's a tear in Mishil's eye, and it seems sincere. "Had you been candid with me, I would have blessed you both." It's all too much for him and he's coming apart. She grabs his hands. "Chilsuk...trust your Mishil. I'll bring her back to you. If you tell me everything." She waits for an answer, knowing she's got him cornered.
Yes, he did tell her everything, because now Mishil's repeating it all to her cabal. The twin was lost in a sandstorm; he took in Sohwa out of pity for her grief. Seolwon tells Mishil that Bojong believes it was Imjong who led the raid and snagged Sohwa. Under Eulje's orders, he thinks (good guess).
The royal storehouse room: They're keeping Sohwa there. The king and Eulje walk in to see her. A physician has already examined her and correctly concluded that she's suffered some sort of mental trauma, which explains the dazed state she's still in. The king kneels next to her. She eventually looks at him...and it clicks. Eyes widening, she tries to make some submissive gesture, not entirely remembering what to do. "How could this happen?", Jinpyeong asks. "This is my fault. I was wrong." She's trying to talk, trying desperately to say something. But no luck.
A quiet afternoon. Deokman is sitting by her hiding place, out of which she produces the mysterious dagger to look at it again. And ponders what to do. Go, or stay?
Inside their quarters, Deokman is asking Jukbang for something. He's reluctant to give it to her and at first denies he even has it, but she presses him and eventually gets it. Something small, wrapped in green cloth. Can't tell what it is. Jukbang leaves, and as Deokman busies herself with what looks like packing up to leave, Yushin enters. He's come to insist that she follow orders, but no need. She'll accept the order and go to Jungak. Well that was easy—so easy it briefly flusters him. He tells her to take Goksaheun and Taepung (two other DFers) with her. She's annoyed at this. "To look after me?" "Get your head clear," Yushin answers with irritation; "We'll talk when I join you." Deokman leaves, intending first to say goodbye to Cheonmyeong.
A stunned Maya has just learned from her husband that Sohwa has returned. "Then that means...my baby?" Now it's queen second, mother first. "There's no way to know," Jinpyeong tells her. She desperately wants to see Sohwa, talking or no talking.
He must have okayed it, because now she's in the storehouse. (Any chance these trips to the storehouse might start attracting attention?) A very sad, touching reunion. "I'm sorry," Maya says tearfully, hugging her; "so sorry." And the baby? "My baby--is she alive?" Oh, bad question. Here come the sandstorm flashbacks, right? Wrong! Sohwa only recalls seeing Deokman earlier outside the training compound. She looks at Maya--and nods! "Where is she?" She's frantically trying to get words out, but they still just won't come. "She's here? In Shilla?" That gets another nod. "What did you name her?" Unless she named her Nod, that won't get the answer. "We sent her away before we could name her." Maya is overcome, crying: "What's her name?" Sohwa cries in frustration; she just can't spit it out.
Deokman and her two unwelcome companions are leaving, but Deokman does stop to see the princess on the way out.
Walking back home, Maya blacks out for a moment and slumps to the ground. Have to give her this one; a whole lot of huge news for anybody to have to absorb in a short time. But she shakes it off and now it looks like she has some newfound resolve; we can see it in her face.
Cheonmyeong is glad to hear that Deokman is going after all. "Good. We have a lot to talk about later. Wait for me there." Deokman has a favor to ask. Underneath the table, we see that she's holding Jinheung's dagger. "Could you grant me an audience with the king before I go?" As in, I've got a surprise for him. An immediate, flat-out "No." Deokman protests. "Rude little trainee," the princess says haughtily. "You think any little trainee can demand to see the king? You think our friendship gives you special privileges?" Lots of bluster, trying to prevent the bomb from igniting should Deokman show up before the king with that dagger. "You're dismissed." Deokman doesn't like it and knows something's being kept from her, but she nods without a word, and stands up to leave. At that moment, from Cheonmyeong's attendant: "The Queen to see you." Maya enters, immediately sensing a weird vibe in the room. "I seem to be interrupting something." We're done, her daughter assures her, again dismissing Deokman. Deokman leaves and the door is closed behind her. She stands there briefly, thinking like crazy. Then she turns to one of the queen's attendants waiting there, grabs her hand, and puts something into it. Not the dagger--we can't see it, so it's too small to be the dagger. She tells the surprised attendant, "I'll be at the Hall of Records." And walks off, leaving all of the attendants open-mouthed in amazement. What just happened here?
"My baby...your twin sister is alive." Not news to Cheonmyeong; will she act like it is? Nope. Maya is stunned to find out that her daughter already knows. "Where is she?" "Now's not the time," Cheonmyeong says, thinking of the larger implications. "Mishil's people are everywhere," she reminds her mother. "And so I have a plan. It's best you don't know yet." Maya is still in mom-first mode, and this seems almost torture. "If you won't tell me," she says frantically, "I'll find her myself."
The queen's and princess' attendants are looking at the object, and think that Deokman--male Deokman--was trying to hit on the attendant Deokman gave the object to. At that moment Maya emerges and demands to see what they're fussing about. So they show it to her. It's not the dagger--at least not the whole dagger. It's the dagger's jeweled sheath. Maya gasps.
Deokman has been waiting by herself outside the Hall of Records. Waiting for a while now, it seems; she's looking impatient and dejected. And now a soldier guarding the place is ordering her off the premises. But here comes an attendant running. "The queen has asked for you."
Maya and Deokman are alone, sitting face to face. Is this going to be it--finally? Finally? Maya puts the sheath on the table. "I understand the princess has entrusted you with many things," Maya says. "This dagger belongs to a girl--is that right?" "Yes, my lady." "Do you know where that girl is?" Quietly, calmly, "Yes, I do."
Now Deokman has left and is walking away alone. What happened? She rejoins her companions and apologizes for the wait. She's smiling, for the first time in quite a while. Looks like a load has been lifted off her shoulders, whatever its consequences. "Come on. I'll buy you some drinks on the road."
Evening: A brief glimpse of a large gama with eight bearers headed somewhere in the capital.
Concurrently, at an inn on the way to Mount Jungak: Deokman's two companions are passed-out drunk. Totally, completely out. Deokman looks at them and mutters, "Sorry." And heads off without them. Nearby we can see an unwrapped piece of green cloth. Suggesting that she drugged them with whatever it was that Jukbang gave her.
Late evening: Mishil is told that the royal gama is out for a spin at this late hour. Seolwon is there, and figures, "It might be Sohwa." Yeah, one too many trips to the storehouse.
Two very apologetic DFers have returned to an angry Yushin, at a loss to explain how the small amount of alcohol they say they consumed could have knocked them out. Whatever--Deokman is gone.
Cheonmyeong's attendant comes running in to tell the princess that the queen's gama just departed from home.
The gama continues on its way through the streets...
Deokman has returned home. She stops momentarily, and then with a purposeful look in her eye heads off somewhere....
Cheonmyeong reflects on her mother's insistence on finding the twin, with or without Cheonmyeong's help. Yushin enters with news of Deokman's disappearance. She wonders if the queen is somehow trying to meet with Deokman--a stretch, but accurate. "Deokman's a sly one," Yushin says; "She may well 'Feint east and strike west.'"
The path of the queen's gama is blocked by Bojong and some of his Hwarang. "We're after a Baekje spy," Bojong tells the lead soldier. Lie. Can we confirm that the queen is inside the gama? No, you may not. So the Hwarang, who outnumber the soldiers, subdue them and look inside anyway. That isn't the queen; it's an attendant. Decoy!
Deokman is alone, pacing, in a dark corner of the capital. A solitary figure approaches her, head covered with a scarf. Maya. Why here, and why now? What couldn't they do together before, and what did we miss?
Cheonmyeong and Yushin are also out, in a hurry towards somewhere....
"I did as you asked," Maya tells Deokman. "I came alone, without my retainers." Her eyes search Deokman's face. "Now where's the girl who has the royal dagger?" Deokman swallows, preparing to say or do something...and then looks over the queen's shoulder. And gasps.
"Deokman's a what now?" You heard him, princess. Yushin apologizes for not telling her sooner. This last piece falling into place, Cheonmyeong concludes that Deokman is her twin sister. Okay...so NOW what? "We can't say anything," the princess instructs, mindful of the twins prophecy. "No one--NO ONE--can know." But as Yushin points out, if this is all true, Deokman is royalty! Leave royalty as an anonymous Hwarang trainee? No easy answer. Why did Yushin keep quiet about this? "I didn't want to lose her," he explains. Neither does the princess, and if this gets out, she fears that Deokman will indeed be lost somehow to them. She thinks they have to get her out of the capital somehow. "We've got to keep this from her for now," Cheonmyeong says. "How could she stand to learn the truth?" (Huh? Isn't that EXACTLY what she's been trying to learn for years?) Cheonmyeong feels very sorry for Deokman, being torn from her home as an infant and going through such an odd life, and now she can't even learn the truth about herself because it would put her in mortal danger. (Not sure I follow that reasoning, what with King Jinpyeong having a living grandson.)
Deokman is sitting alone in the evening air, trying to figure out what to do now. But she's not alone. Off to the side, Cheonmyeong is watching her from a distance, desperately wishing she could spill the beans to her sister, but staying silent.
Elsewhere, Yushin is sitting alone, lost in thought. Gingerly, Jukbang approaches him. "You know, right?" About Deokman? Yushin orders him, "Act like you don't know." Jukbang understands.
Yushin, walking alone, happens across Deokman. Also walking alone. Awk-warrrd. They look at each other--one of those I-know-that-you-know-that-I-know moments. Then they walk by each other, wordlessly. But then Deokman whirls around. "Why?" Yushin turns and stares. "Why didn't you give me the boot?" Yushin first denies knowing anything, but then fesses up. "The princess said to take care of you, so I took care of you." Gender aside. "I just followed orders. Was I wrong?" Deokman feels compelled to tell him why she's been keeping it secret; I have a good reason, she insists. Yushin rudely insists he doesn't care and turns to walk away, but Deokman grabs him and tells him anyway about how she wants "to learn who I really am." "Pathetic," Yushin snarls back. "What does it really matter? All that matters is what you make of yourself now." Deokman doesn't want to hear that. "Don't be so quick to give advice to others," she answers. Which Yushin doesn't like, and he walks away, half angry at her and half sorry for her.
Same evening: The king has finally come clean to Eulje, telling him how Sohwa and the second twin were sent away and that they carried Jinheung's dagger with them. Eulje is understandably concerned about the obvious possibility that with Sohwa back, the twin is also back. And if Mishil finds out about the twin...Yikes.
"You said you never forget a woman's face, didn't you?" Mishil is asking Misaeng, who snickers. "Ladies need to feel special," and I've had more than 100 kids because I remember the little things. So the answer is yes. She wants him to take a look at someone.
So the two go to visit Chilsuk and Sohwa. Chilsuk's eyes aren't working at the moment, but he seems to think he's making progress. Mishil starts talking to him; Misaeng stays silent. He quietly moves towards Sohwa, who's completely zoned out and doesn't seem to realize anyone else is around. He leans in to get a good look at her...and then gasps audibly. And then falls backwards. He looks at Mishil, wide-eyed with surprise.
They return home. Misaeng knows. It's the maid who ran away with the twin. "The king's maid. Sohwa."
Cheonmyeong and Yushin wonder whether or not it might be best to tell Deokman the whole story after all. Maybe we should, they agree; just not now. They'll send her to Mount Jungak for a while to give them some time.
Eulje tells Kim Yongchun about Sohwa, and the possibility that the twin is alive. Yongchun knows exactly how dangerous it is that Sohwa was a witness to the twins' birth. "We've got to get her back." But they can't just stroll into the forbidden shrine, certainly not without causing enough of a stir that it might confirm to Mishil just who it is she's holding. He tells Imjong to keep a close watch on the shrine.
"You're moving us, my lady?" Mishil tells that Chilsuk that he and Sohwa aren't safe here because of her wandering habit. "We have a quiet little place away from the palace that would suit her needs better." They'll go a different location, using just a few guards "so as not to arouse suspicion." She stares at Chilsuk, showing some disapproval with the lie that she now knows he's been telling her.
Next day: The DFers are training. Running around their compound carrying heavily weighted sacks. Deokman is struggling with hers; she eventually falters and falls to the ground. Jukbang runs over to her to help...and now he's fussing over her, beyond how a guy should help out another guy. "What's with the fatherly routine?", Godo asks, and the other DFers think it's odd too. An angry word from Yushin gets her up, and she quietly cautions Jukbang not to treat her differently than before. Now Cheonmyeong shows up. "Go to her," Yushin tells Deokman. So this was planned.
The two go off to a side alley. Cheonmyeong asks Deokman about going to Mount Jungak temporarily, until "vital orders" are ready for her. Just stay there and train for a while. This seems odd to Deokman, and Cheonmyeong can't even look at her as she says it. Deokman looks at Cheonmyeong, though. "Princess...You're a terrible liar." What are you keeping from me?
The rest of Mishil's cabal is told about Sohwa. Mishil wants to separate her from Chilsuk and try to get information about the twin. Won't be easy, because as Mishil believes, "For faithful Chilsuk to lie to me like that, he must care for her very much indeed." The men don't understand what he would see in her...but Mishil can see it. They have a common bond, because "they sacrificed half their lives in blind obedience to others. They understood each other--and that turned into love." To our surprise, Mishil nearly chokes up as she says it. "I understand him a hundred times, a thousand times over." This has really pushed a button for some reason. But all that aside, they need to separate the pair, and do it without Chilsuk suspecting why they're being separated. "We'll do it when they leave the shrine," she orders. She's setting up a nasty deception: Bojong and some of his Hwarang will kidnap Sohwa while on their way from the shrine, and Chilsuk will be made to think that it was the king who ordered the kidnapping. "I'll take it from there," she says. Even for her, this is a tricky one.
Chilsuk and Sohwa are escorted out of the shrine. Chilsuk is put on a horse; Sohwa goes into a small gama. Imjong is watching surreptitiously, along with one of his Hwarang, who Imjong now orders to go report to Eulje.
Seolwon gives the instructions to Bojong. "No one is to be hurt. Just get the maid." And warns him not to underestimate Chilsuk, bad eyes or not.
Imjong's Hwarang reports to Eulje. "It has to be now," Eulje says. Tell Imjong to get Sohwa now; it may be their only chance.
Afternoon, walking through the countryside: Chilsuk, two guards, Sohwa, and four bearers. As they travel, Imjong and his Hwarang stalk them, faces covered. But now what's this? Five sword-wielding men covered in red cloths, their faces also covered, run up the path and confront the travelers head-on. The four bearers put down the gama and run away. The two guards run forward, swords drawn, and fake-battle for a few seconds, before they look at the red men, nod in acknowledgement, and run away. This is Bojong and his group, and they've set this all up ahead of time. But only five of them? Seems like a tactical error, and in fact Imjong's group hiding in the nearby trees is much larger. Chilsuk dismounts, still not seeing properly but knowing something bad is happening. Now the red men surround Chilsuk. He fights them off, but they smartly shoo Chilsuk's horse away and the sounds of its running send Chilsuk running after it. The men grab the gama and head back towards Seorabeol. They don't get far, though; Imjong's much larger group of Hwarang soon descends upon them and they flee for their lives. So Imjong gets the gama.
"Attacked?!" Bojong brings Mishil the bad news that they lost Sohwa. What about Chilsuk? He made it to the shrine, but Seori tells her, "Come when you can. He's quite distraught."
A terrified Sohwa is sitting alone inside a dark room. Imjong and a female attendant enter and assure her they won't harm her. They've brought different clothes for her. Looks like a Hwarang uniform--they're going to disguise her as one of Imjong's Hwarang.
Training is over. An exhausted Deokman slumps to the ground and sits by herself...and looks up to see Yushin standing there, offering her some water. Peace offering, maybe? He asks her what the princess wanted (he already knows, of course), and she tells him. "So why haven't you left yet?" She glares at him. "You're hiding something from me, aren't you?" He's surprised that she would ask such a thing. But she's annoyed. For all of their oaths of loyalty to each other and the stuff about no secrets from each other, well...what about it? Yushin deflects: "You hid that you're a girl." And takes back the water container and starts drinking the water himself. Nyah, nyah, nyah. And he repeats the advice that she didn't like the first time, about how it's the here-and-now that matters, not where you came from. "The past killed my mother!", she fires back angrily. Explains about her mother's scarred lungs--and that she wants to know what happened. "She never hurt a soul--and died of suffocation in the desert to save ME." I want to know--know "who gave the order." And as for her reassignment, well, "If it is a direct order, I'll go. Otherwise I'm staying." Angry and frustrated, she runs away from Yushin...
...and outside the training compound, and stops. Nearby, Imjong's Hwarang walk by. Sohwa is with them, dressed like one of them. They stop for a moment, and she catches sight of Deokman standing there. Intense, rapid flashbacks race through her mind. Her eyes widen and suddenly she starts to run towards Deokman. But the Hwarang grab her and lead her away, knowing full well about her wandering episodes. Just as they turn the corner, Deokman turns and looks. Just missed her.
A frantic, screaming Chilsuk is locked inside a room at the shrine he's been taken to. Mishil and Seori arrive. They still have no clue about what happened to Sohwa. Chilsuk's door is unlocked and the pair step in. Chilsuk's eyes are better at the moment: "My lady, please let me go. I have to find her." He tries to storm past them and out the door, but Mishil deftly snatches his sword out of its scabbard--and puts it to his throat! And then calmly hands it to him. "Kill me and you can go," she says with a smile. "I mean it. I know how much you care for her." Well, he's not gonna do THAT...so he appeals to her more judiciously, kneeling and asking Mishil for permission to go find her. "I can't bear for her to be hurt any more because of me." Mishil kneels next to him, and you expect a comforting word--but guess what? "It IS your fault," she tells him. Ouch. "You lied to me--what's her real name?" Uh-oh; dude's in trouble. "The attackers wanted her, not you. So who is she?" Chilsuk is shifty and silent. So Mishil goes ballistic--screams at him and tells him exactly what she's learned. Wow is she angry. But then quickly pulls herself together. And now we see the deeply moved, choked-up side of her that we saw earlier. "My dear blind fool. Who would want Sohwa dead? Me? Or a king that can't have a witness to the birth of twins?" Scheming or not, she does have a very good point. And hammers home the argument that it must have been the king that took Sohwa. Now there's a tear in Mishil's eye, and it seems sincere. "Had you been candid with me, I would have blessed you both." It's all too much for him and he's coming apart. She grabs his hands. "Chilsuk...trust your Mishil. I'll bring her back to you. If you tell me everything." She waits for an answer, knowing she's got him cornered.
Yes, he did tell her everything, because now Mishil's repeating it all to her cabal. The twin was lost in a sandstorm; he took in Sohwa out of pity for her grief. Seolwon tells Mishil that Bojong believes it was Imjong who led the raid and snagged Sohwa. Under Eulje's orders, he thinks (good guess).
The royal storehouse room: They're keeping Sohwa there. The king and Eulje walk in to see her. A physician has already examined her and correctly concluded that she's suffered some sort of mental trauma, which explains the dazed state she's still in. The king kneels next to her. She eventually looks at him...and it clicks. Eyes widening, she tries to make some submissive gesture, not entirely remembering what to do. "How could this happen?", Jinpyeong asks. "This is my fault. I was wrong." She's trying to talk, trying desperately to say something. But no luck.
A quiet afternoon. Deokman is sitting by her hiding place, out of which she produces the mysterious dagger to look at it again. And ponders what to do. Go, or stay?
Inside their quarters, Deokman is asking Jukbang for something. He's reluctant to give it to her and at first denies he even has it, but she presses him and eventually gets it. Something small, wrapped in green cloth. Can't tell what it is. Jukbang leaves, and as Deokman busies herself with what looks like packing up to leave, Yushin enters. He's come to insist that she follow orders, but no need. She'll accept the order and go to Jungak. Well that was easy—so easy it briefly flusters him. He tells her to take Goksaheun and Taepung (two other DFers) with her. She's annoyed at this. "To look after me?" "Get your head clear," Yushin answers with irritation; "We'll talk when I join you." Deokman leaves, intending first to say goodbye to Cheonmyeong.
A stunned Maya has just learned from her husband that Sohwa has returned. "Then that means...my baby?" Now it's queen second, mother first. "There's no way to know," Jinpyeong tells her. She desperately wants to see Sohwa, talking or no talking.
He must have okayed it, because now she's in the storehouse. (Any chance these trips to the storehouse might start attracting attention?) A very sad, touching reunion. "I'm sorry," Maya says tearfully, hugging her; "so sorry." And the baby? "My baby--is she alive?" Oh, bad question. Here come the sandstorm flashbacks, right? Wrong! Sohwa only recalls seeing Deokman earlier outside the training compound. She looks at Maya--and nods! "Where is she?" She's frantically trying to get words out, but they still just won't come. "She's here? In Shilla?" That gets another nod. "What did you name her?" Unless she named her Nod, that won't get the answer. "We sent her away before we could name her." Maya is overcome, crying: "What's her name?" Sohwa cries in frustration; she just can't spit it out.
Deokman and her two unwelcome companions are leaving, but Deokman does stop to see the princess on the way out.
Walking back home, Maya blacks out for a moment and slumps to the ground. Have to give her this one; a whole lot of huge news for anybody to have to absorb in a short time. But she shakes it off and now it looks like she has some newfound resolve; we can see it in her face.
Cheonmyeong is glad to hear that Deokman is going after all. "Good. We have a lot to talk about later. Wait for me there." Deokman has a favor to ask. Underneath the table, we see that she's holding Jinheung's dagger. "Could you grant me an audience with the king before I go?" As in, I've got a surprise for him. An immediate, flat-out "No." Deokman protests. "Rude little trainee," the princess says haughtily. "You think any little trainee can demand to see the king? You think our friendship gives you special privileges?" Lots of bluster, trying to prevent the bomb from igniting should Deokman show up before the king with that dagger. "You're dismissed." Deokman doesn't like it and knows something's being kept from her, but she nods without a word, and stands up to leave. At that moment, from Cheonmyeong's attendant: "The Queen to see you." Maya enters, immediately sensing a weird vibe in the room. "I seem to be interrupting something." We're done, her daughter assures her, again dismissing Deokman. Deokman leaves and the door is closed behind her. She stands there briefly, thinking like crazy. Then she turns to one of the queen's attendants waiting there, grabs her hand, and puts something into it. Not the dagger--we can't see it, so it's too small to be the dagger. She tells the surprised attendant, "I'll be at the Hall of Records." And walks off, leaving all of the attendants open-mouthed in amazement. What just happened here?
"My baby...your twin sister is alive." Not news to Cheonmyeong; will she act like it is? Nope. Maya is stunned to find out that her daughter already knows. "Where is she?" "Now's not the time," Cheonmyeong says, thinking of the larger implications. "Mishil's people are everywhere," she reminds her mother. "And so I have a plan. It's best you don't know yet." Maya is still in mom-first mode, and this seems almost torture. "If you won't tell me," she says frantically, "I'll find her myself."
The queen's and princess' attendants are looking at the object, and think that Deokman--male Deokman--was trying to hit on the attendant Deokman gave the object to. At that moment Maya emerges and demands to see what they're fussing about. So they show it to her. It's not the dagger--at least not the whole dagger. It's the dagger's jeweled sheath. Maya gasps.
Deokman has been waiting by herself outside the Hall of Records. Waiting for a while now, it seems; she's looking impatient and dejected. And now a soldier guarding the place is ordering her off the premises. But here comes an attendant running. "The queen has asked for you."
Maya and Deokman are alone, sitting face to face. Is this going to be it--finally? Finally? Maya puts the sheath on the table. "I understand the princess has entrusted you with many things," Maya says. "This dagger belongs to a girl--is that right?" "Yes, my lady." "Do you know where that girl is?" Quietly, calmly, "Yes, I do."
Now Deokman has left and is walking away alone. What happened? She rejoins her companions and apologizes for the wait. She's smiling, for the first time in quite a while. Looks like a load has been lifted off her shoulders, whatever its consequences. "Come on. I'll buy you some drinks on the road."
Evening: A brief glimpse of a large gama with eight bearers headed somewhere in the capital.
Concurrently, at an inn on the way to Mount Jungak: Deokman's two companions are passed-out drunk. Totally, completely out. Deokman looks at them and mutters, "Sorry." And heads off without them. Nearby we can see an unwrapped piece of green cloth. Suggesting that she drugged them with whatever it was that Jukbang gave her.
Late evening: Mishil is told that the royal gama is out for a spin at this late hour. Seolwon is there, and figures, "It might be Sohwa." Yeah, one too many trips to the storehouse.
Two very apologetic DFers have returned to an angry Yushin, at a loss to explain how the small amount of alcohol they say they consumed could have knocked them out. Whatever--Deokman is gone.
Cheonmyeong's attendant comes running in to tell the princess that the queen's gama just departed from home.
The gama continues on its way through the streets...
Deokman has returned home. She stops momentarily, and then with a purposeful look in her eye heads off somewhere....
Cheonmyeong reflects on her mother's insistence on finding the twin, with or without Cheonmyeong's help. Yushin enters with news of Deokman's disappearance. She wonders if the queen is somehow trying to meet with Deokman--a stretch, but accurate. "Deokman's a sly one," Yushin says; "She may well 'Feint east and strike west.'"
The path of the queen's gama is blocked by Bojong and some of his Hwarang. "We're after a Baekje spy," Bojong tells the lead soldier. Lie. Can we confirm that the queen is inside the gama? No, you may not. So the Hwarang, who outnumber the soldiers, subdue them and look inside anyway. That isn't the queen; it's an attendant. Decoy!
Deokman is alone, pacing, in a dark corner of the capital. A solitary figure approaches her, head covered with a scarf. Maya. Why here, and why now? What couldn't they do together before, and what did we miss?
Cheonmyeong and Yushin are also out, in a hurry towards somewhere....
"I did as you asked," Maya tells Deokman. "I came alone, without my retainers." Her eyes search Deokman's face. "Now where's the girl who has the royal dagger?" Deokman swallows, preparing to say or do something...and then looks over the queen's shoulder. And gasps.