Post by ajk on Aug 31, 2012 21:49:53 GMT -5
Okay, now they're fully surrounded--sixteen Hwarang swords pointed at them like spokes on a bicycle wheel. And that's without Bojong and Seokpum, who are further back along with Seolwon, and those black-masked guys who just showed up. And then it all breaks out: wild flips, spins, Yushin's stick swinging in every direction, Hwarang flying backwards too fast to keep up with. And as the weird guy fends of the swords of nearly a dozen of the Hwarang at once (ugh), Seolwon starts having flashbacks to Episode 3, when Munno pulled some of the same stunts to fend off even more attackers who thought he was carrying the second twin infant. Now the Hwarang are all knocked unconscious (not clear if any of them have actually been stabbed or are dead, but I'm guessing not). Several of them get up and go back for more weird-guy punishment, and Bojong signals the black-masked guys forward...but wait, Seokpum stops them and steps forward towards Yushin. A duel? Wow, really? Yushin thinks back to Episode 8, when he and his other newbie DFers got roughed up by the other Hwarang, and Seokpum schooled him personally...Seokpum smiles. Easy pickins, he's thinking. He screams and charges. Eleven seconds later, Yushin has deflected all of his blows and knocked him to the ground. So much for easy pickins. Bojong gets angry at the sight of that, and charges Yushin. Thirteen seconds later, not only is he on the ground too, but his leather chest-armor is split wide open and his sword is shattered into pieces. (Should have stopped at eleven, dude.) Even Deokman and Seokpum gasp at that one. And Yushin looks a little surprised himself. Munno's words from yesterday about not knowing what he might be capable of are still in his head. But even so--two elite Hwarang in a combined 24 seconds, yow-wee. Then Seolwon signals, and the black-masked guys step forward, and now what's THIS, now there are Shillan soldiers running into the scene as well. Where did THEY come from? (This is getting ridiculous.) Somehow Yushin, Deokman and the weird guy all get to one side of this mixture...and make a break for it.
Now the chase is on. Over the road, then through a stream bed--which seems to be working for the three; they've opened up some distance. The weird guy is flashing his goofy grin like this is a day at the park. Then the pursuers stop; Bojong orders archers forward. "Aim at their legs!" At least nine archers step forward, aim and fire. They can't be more than twenty yards away from their target, but all of the arrows fall harmlessly short. UGH. So they all stand up and give chase again, but the gap has widened by the time they get rolling....
Guess what--a cliff! Well of course it is. The three have reached a cliff of probably twenty feet, with the stream they've followed going over a waterfall into a small lake below. Not really much choice here, is there, not with shouts of "Get them!" becoming louder and louder. So over the edge they go, and into the lake. Their pursuers reach the edge and look over. There's no sign of them--they're not on the water's surface, at least--so Seolwon orders a thorough search of the area. You'd better find Deokman, Einstein--you already told Mishil you had her.
The Hall of Royal Affairs: Goksaheun and Daepung (the two DFers we've been seeing a lot of) inform Alcheon that Deokman and Yushin are missing. And so are Jukbang and Godo, which they tried to tell him before, in Episode 20. "It's not a matter for you guys to meddle in," he tells them; just go back home and wait. They don't like that answer...but he dismisses them because now here's Cheonmyeong. Alcheon tells her that Eulje and Kim Yongchun aren't here now. But the princess is here to see him, not them. Really? "I heard you were pretty close to Yushin," she says to him. "Will you help me?"
"Hey, doesn't this feel refreshing?!" Who else but the weird guy, jumping up and down in the shallower waters he's reached. Yushin and Deokman made it, too, and he's splashing water on them like a four-year-old. And now he's even catching fish by hand. (I guess when there's no chicken you take what you can get.) But this isn't all good; Yushin is dragging Deokman up to the stream bank; she looks to be unconscious. As the weird guy gushes with excitement over their victory--"We could have killed all of them!"--Yushin is giving Deokman what looks to be modern-day CPR (I wonder about this) and trying to revive her. And it's not going well. The weird guy looks over at her, seeing her uniform loosened, and he notices a not-flat chest. Yushin screams "Look away!" Finally, Deokman coughs up a mouthful of water and starts to snap out of it. Oblivious, the weird guy giggles a bit. "What's this? So you're a girl?" Smirking, he moves in front of her to get a better look. "Hey, you are a girl. I was wondering why you had no strength wielding your sword." (Uh-oh--she wields like a girl!) Then he remembers, and tells Yushin, "The girl was intending to commit suicide." The knife she hid in her hands but didn't use to free herself, that whole thing...An angry Yushin snaps, "Is he right?" And then screams at her. But she's too worn out to even answer him.
Seolwon has no luck searching the area. (Not sure where the three ended up; obviously it's far downstream.) He orders half of his men to Yangji village, knowing that the weird guy came from there.
The three have moved away from the stream and take shelter in a secluded area near a brook. Yushin is still hassling Deokman about her suicide thoughts--Why am I trying to save you, Why did your mom die for you, Why is the princess so worried over you, on and on--and finally she's had enough; she stands up and starts barking right back at him, angry because, well, "NOW what do we do?" She gets angry and storms off. Yushin follows her, leaving the weird guy to try to figure out what the heck they're talking about.
"There's a way." Yushin catches up and tells Deokman, Let's just leave Shilla and go somewhere else, anywhere else. "Why?", she asks cynically. "Why would you do that for me?" Leave your family and country and all the rest of it. "Because you like me maybe?" Wow, she didn't waste any time bringing THAT up, the moment we all started to wonder. Yushin looks around awkwardly, saying nothing. "You're right, that's stupid. But if not that, then why?" More awkward silence. She wheels around to storm off again, but he grabs her wrist: "Who said it's not?" Now they're both staring at his had grabbing her wrist, so he lets go. And runs away like an embarrassed child. She goes after him...
...both past the weird guy, who's left literally scratching his head...
...and into a cave where they've built a small fire. Deokman awkwardly tries to talk to him. "I see. You felt sorry for me. I'd have done the same. We've been through a lot together. So you can take it back." But he's not tongue-tied any more. "I choose you. I'll go anywhere with you." As the weird guy listens from the cave entrance, he continues. "I almost lost my mind when I was locked up, watching you being taken away. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again." And the kicker: "That includes you." Now it's Deokman who's tongue-tied.
The weird guy steps back out of the cave entrance, laughing hysterically and mocking the seriousness of Yushin's words. He walks away...just as we see four Hwarang searching the higher ground above him.
Seorabeol: Nighttime and Alcheon has called his Risking Phoenix Guards and the DFers to duty. Head for Geumhak. "Rescue Yushin and Deokman." Cheonmyeong is there and gets on a horse; she's going with them.
The king and queen get word of their daughter's departure. Doesn't exactly comfort them, and they're worried enough about the lack of news from Seohyeon. Manmyeong is there too, and then Eulje and Yongchun enter. Together, they figure that Cheonmyeong must be headed to Geumhak since that's where Seohyeon went. Would be extra-big trouble if the two princesses were captured together by Mishil, so the king tells Yongchun to send Imjong and his Hwarang to Geumhak and protect Deokman and Yushin. Wow is it gonna get crowded up there!
Mishil, Sejong and Hajong get the news that Seolwon doesn't have Deokman yet. Sejong, of all of them, is particularly annoyed. "The longer this takes, the worse it gets. We have to resolve this succession business NOW." After what we started at the last Council meeting, he says, "if we don't get Deokman back in time it will be a fiasco!" But Mishil knows that all they can do for now is wait. They can't just trot Chilsuk and Sohwa out together before the council, because Chilsuk still thinks the king has Sohwa. "If he finds out we have her, there's no telling what he might do."
Now Misaeng and Seori and Chilsuk get the news. Seori grumbles, "They should have killed her when they had the chance." Chilsuk asks about progress finding Sohwa. Not just for him, but because "If the king kills her, that will hurt Mishil's cause."
Wolchun is trying to examine and treat Sohwa, but Jukbang and Godo are there in handcuffs and their whining and begging for mercy is annoying him. Eventually he leaves...and the whining stops! Apparently it was a distraction so they could try to pick his pockets. They've gotten some pieces of metal and some sort of key, but none of it will get their cuffs open.
Outside, Wolchun is met by Dukchung and Bakui, the two elite Hwarang we've seen before who are allied with Mishil's cabal. "Mishil wants you to hurry," they tell him. As in, get Sohwa's mind clear again. It can't be rushed, he tells them, but they urge him to work faster. He goes back inside, alone. As he steps into a room, THWACK! An arrow buries itself into a side wall. A note is attached? He opens it and reads it; it displays some sort of logo that looks like a turtle with six circles on its shell, arranged like a star. He reacts with shock: "The people of Gaya?" Bakui runs in to check on him; strangers were spotted nearby. Hiding the note (What's with that?), Wolchun answers that he's fine.
"You're acting under Eulje's orders, aren't you?" Well THAT was some quick work; Cheonmyeong is up north already and has cornered Kim Seohyeon for a very difficult conversation. Seohyeon says nothing and stares downwards. "What did he promise you?" Still nothing. Well you won't get it, she tells him. "Yushin and I will never marry"--so she already knows--and your Gayans will be barred permanently from the capital if you kill Deokman. She's really angry and is dropping the hammer without any reservation. "You think I can't do what Mishil can?" And then, "If you disobey your king, are you any better than Mishil?" Ouch, that's gotta hurt. Seohyeon's in a tough spot here. He begs forgiveness, for whatever that's worth. Cheonmyeong demands that he issue new orders to get Deokman back safely. He says he will. The poor guy just can't please anybody here. Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.
Deokman is alone, staring into the small fire in their cave. Pondering over what Yushin said to her. "Should we?", she wonders. "Do we dare?"
Outside, Yushin is sitting alone by the brook. The weird guy has been gathering wood for the fire; he kneels next to Yushin and asks him if he's leaving. Then tries to get chummy--"You said you were going to run away together. Do you like her?"--but Yushin very unkindly tells him to be on his way, as in, permanently. Not nice at all...but no time for that anyway, because he spots several Hwarang on nearby high ground and he and the weird guy scramble for cover. They duck back into the cave, and the weird guy generously offers to sneak back to Yangji and arrange for a boat for them to get far away from here. "Just one thing...you gotta take me with you, okay?" Ooh, a long trip in a small boat with a weird guy--who could resist? But really, what choice do they have, so they agree to it. He can't leave at the moment, though; "They're sure to be searching Yangji, since I told them I live there." But seeing their disappointment, he tells them he'll go take a quick look around to find out what's going on out there. Yushin warns him to watch out for "men dressed like us, but in red and purple." Goofy grin intact, he leaves.
"Since you'll be risking your life, you deserve to know." Apparently Cheonmyeong has just told Alcheon the whole darned story. But Alcheon says he didn't need to hear it; his appreciation for Deokman's saving his life and his friendship with Yushin are reason enough to risk his life for them. Now Seohyeon enters with news that Yushin is staying in a plague village and that Seolwon's men are headed there. Not sure which part of that is worse news for the princess.
Yeah, Seolwon and his men are running all through the village. The village elder tells Seolwon he doesn't know anything about a Hwarang trainee. And the mysterious healer Seolwon's heard about? "I don't know--he just up and left."
Seorabeol: Seori's at the shrine. She's praying, I think. No, wait, she starts babbling astrological baloney...
...and goes to tell Mishil, "You have to kill her. Not capture her; kill her. If she lives she may destroy you." Mishil brushes her off with a smug comment about Seori's age catching up with her. Seori sighs. "Mishil, why is it so important that you become queen?" You already have everything a queen could possibly have. Yes I do, Mishil answers with a smile, which you know isn't good. "Even Heaven bends to my will," she says, her voice now rising in anger. So what do I care about a pair of twins? Or a silly prophecy? You can leave." So Seori does leave, but the look on her face suggest she's not about to let this go.
And she isn't. She goes to Misaeng, explains the astrological baloney, and tells him, We have to kill Deokman. So they bring in Daenambo and ask him if he'll risk his life to do something for Mishil, even if it's something Mishil doesn't want done. "Poison," Misaeng says; "We need a poison arrow. To kill Deokman." Daenambo knows that Mishil wants Deokman brought back alive, but they assure him that Deokman will end up destroying Mishil if that happens. Will he do it?
Yangji village, nighttime: The Hwarang have finished searching. No sign of the people they're looking for. Seolwon orders two men to stay behind and keep watch; the rest of them are leaving. As they go, we see the weird guy on the thatched roof of a tall hut. He's hidden by hay and watches them leave. Somebody's there on the roof with him. A friend of his, apparently. Also waiting for Munno to show back up. And he has the leather chest-armor that Yushin gave the weird guy.
Seohyeon reports Seolwon's movements to Cheonmyeong, but says he has no idea where Deokman and Yushin are. They were helping a local healer, he learned, but the healer vanished. "Seolwon will start another search tomorrow," Cheonmyeong is certain. Tells Seohyeon to request reinforcements from the palace (for what?).
Now Cheonmyeong is in Yangji, with Alcheon and one of his Hwarang. The two guards who were left behind are at the healer's cottage, they've learned. And now here are Goksaheun and Daepung; they've been gathering information on that healer guy..."He comes and goes like the wind. No one knows where. Yet he's not a man to leave his patients to suffer. The villagers expect to hear from him soon." Then Alcheon spots a woman walking quickly through the village; looks like she's carrying a baby. Alone out here at night? Playing a hunch, Alcheon and his subordinate follow her. She rounds a corner, and now the weird guy and his friend can see her too. They recognize her as the wife of someone named Sukchul. Then they spot the two Hwarang trailing her. Remembering Yushin's advice about colors, he decides to follow the two Hwarang who bear yellow color, mainly because he's not sure what to do about yellow.
Now it's a mini-parade out in the moonlit woods; the woman and baby; then the two Hwarang; then the weird guy and his friend. But the Hwarang sense they're being followed; they double back and stop their pursuers at the point of their swords. And notice that the weird guy is wearing Hwarang leather chest-armor. He explains, "I swapped it for a drumstick," and then, goofy and distracted, he complains about "he never mentioned yellow," only red and purple. Alcheon is starting to wonder. "Where did you get this?" "But he wore blue." Who did--"Was his name Yushin? Was he with a trainee?" The weird guy's response: "Boy or girl?" Bingo. "It's only...he never said nothin' about yellow. Is yellow the good guys or the bad guys?" Alcheon is getting frustrated and waving his sword pretty seriously...but now what's this...Amazingly, Cheonmyeong and the two DFers have found them, out there in the middle of the woods. (Good grief! Major DJY flashback! Chulin and the random woods meetings.) The weird guy sees the two DFers in blue and reasons, "Same color means same side, right?" Yes it does, so he decides to take them to his blue comrades. Tells his friend to wait in the village.
And sure enough, now we see him leading the four Hwarang and the princess to the secluded area by the brook, where the cave is. It's dark and they're carrying two torches. Suddenly he grabs the two DFers' swords out of their scabbards and holds them to their throats. "I trust no one," he says, and orders Goksaheun and Daepung to tell him their names. Loudly. So they do. Again, louder. So they do. Over and over...and inside the cave, Deokman and Yushin hear it.
Cheonmyeong, irritated at the name calling, pushes Alcheon aside and angrily confronts the weird guy. "Are you an idiot?" He stares silently... "You know we're not the only ones searching this mountain, don't you?" He smiles at her. "Now you're angry." Well, time to eat some crow, princess, because here come Yushin and Deokman out of the cave. The twins hug each other, and Deokman's calling Cheonmyeong "princess" doesn't escape the weird guy's notice. Deokman is a lot happier to see her sister than she was before.
The next morning: Daenambo pays a visit to Seolwon, who's with the recently butt-kicked Bojong and Seokpum. "My overconfidence nearly lost us everything," Seolwon admits, being very frank...but reasons that they're still on the mountain they've been searching, so all is not lost, not by any measure. He orders 100 six-man units to search Mount Julji.
Then Daenambo goes and pays a visit to a three Hwarang who look almost like DFers but the blue is different so they must be his own Hwarang. And now we know, Yes, he'll do it. He's asked them to get a poison arrow, and boy did they deliver--there must be at least a dozen of them in the batch they hand him. He's to lead one of the search units and wants these three men in his unit. They're going to kill the trainee, he tells them as they split up the arrows, "and no one must know."
Alcheon sends his subordinate and the two DFers out to Mount Julji, to do reconnaissance and find out what's going on.
Yushin is pacing back and forth outside a couple of huts out in the woods somewhere. Inside, Cheonmyeong and Deokman are talking. What did Cheonmyeong come all this way to tell Deokman? "Go away." Seriously? "Go." I want to help you, and so do the king and queen. "But we can't. We're powerless." She feels terrible about it, and about the shared childhood that they were deprived of. Don't blame yourself, Deokman offers; "You did all you could. I could never blame you for anything." Then Cheonmyeong gives Deokman a gift: a robe just like the one she's wearing, made by their mother. Deokman is shedding a few tears by now. "Try it on," Cheonmyeong urges; I want to see it on you. (Whoa--could this be it? The end of the man clothes? No more DeokMAN?)
Yushin is still pacing around outside. Now Cheonmyeong steps out of the hut, and explains to him that she told Deokman to leave Shilla. And confesses, "I'm so tired of it all. I can barely hold it in any more. I wish I could just finish Mishil once and for all." But now what's this, suddenly Yushin drops to his knees in front of her, and begs forgiveness. "I can't stay with you any longer." Huh? "I'm going with Deokman. To protect her. Look after her. And take care of her." Ouch, that's gotta hurt, after those goo-goo eyes we're sure we've seen from her. And it does, we can see. Completely out of nowhere, and it wobbles her. And then, look at this, Deokman comes out of the hut, and she's wearing the robe. But WITH her Hwarang headband still on. Cheonmyeong tells her that her hair should befit the royal dress she's wearing...but she's too overcome with emotion to say anything more, and goes back inside. "I don't make much of a princess," she tells Yushin; I'm so used to men's clothes (and she sure doesn't walk like a girl--the robe really emphasizes that). "I told her," Yushin says obliviously, "that I'm going with you." "I'm sure she took it hard," Deokman answers. "Maybe you can't see it, but I can. She depends on you so much."
A little later, the sisters are outside the hut and now Cheonmyeong is doing Deokman's hair. No more headband. We barely even know who this person is, the sight is so foreign to us. "I'll send him back," Deokman says of Yushin; "I know how much you depend on him. And how much Shilla needs him." As soon as I'm out of Shilla and I can feel safe. As visibly difficult as it is for her, Cheonmyeong replies, "Go with Yushin. Be happy with him." After all you've been through, "Forget us all. Live a normal life. A woman's life." Very tough for her to do this, but very generous.
Nearby, Yushin asks Alcheon to look after Cheonmyeong. But Alcheon has quite a piece of news. "Before I left, they announced your engagement to the princess." Doink! "You might want to reconsider." Leaving, that is. "Think about her position and how she must feel." Yushin realizes that this explains his father's presence: "He and Eulje must have cut a deal. My marriage for Deokman's head." For a bumpkin the guy is surprisingly sharp sometimes. "I can't go against my heart," he tells Alcheon, no matter how Cheonmyeong might be feeling. And just then we see the weird guy stroll by at a distance, and check out the two women sitting together. (Hmmm....Okay, dude, which one? Have to think he's got an idea or two. Take one of them out for some chicken, maybe?)
Another mini-parade. Lots and lots of Hwarang combing the mountainside. Then Goksaheun and Daepung, scouting the situation. Then Daenambo and his three men, bows and poison arrows ready to go.
Goksaheun and Daepung report to Yushin and Alcheon; they've even brought a piece of cloth with a map on it that Bidam has drawn for them to get Deokman and Yushin out of the area and away to safety. (Note: Yushin says "Bidam" here, so the name is out there and we have to dispense with "the weird guy" going forward. Darn!) It's a good route; lots of thick woods to make spotting them and tracking them very difficult. And Alcheon has even sent money ahead to arrange for a boat to be waiting for them. Deokman has her uniform back on; that sure didn't last (but at least now it makes sense, for the same reason it made sense when she was traveling to Shilla in the first place). Now, is there anything else that can be done to aid their getaway? Cheonmyeong looks down at the robe that Deokman just took off....
Uh-oh; Goksaheun and Daepung leave the hut to go scout the area, and here's Daenambo watching them leave.
Back inside, the sisters tearfully hug goodbye forever.
Now the chase is on. Over the road, then through a stream bed--which seems to be working for the three; they've opened up some distance. The weird guy is flashing his goofy grin like this is a day at the park. Then the pursuers stop; Bojong orders archers forward. "Aim at their legs!" At least nine archers step forward, aim and fire. They can't be more than twenty yards away from their target, but all of the arrows fall harmlessly short. UGH. So they all stand up and give chase again, but the gap has widened by the time they get rolling....
Guess what--a cliff! Well of course it is. The three have reached a cliff of probably twenty feet, with the stream they've followed going over a waterfall into a small lake below. Not really much choice here, is there, not with shouts of "Get them!" becoming louder and louder. So over the edge they go, and into the lake. Their pursuers reach the edge and look over. There's no sign of them--they're not on the water's surface, at least--so Seolwon orders a thorough search of the area. You'd better find Deokman, Einstein--you already told Mishil you had her.
The Hall of Royal Affairs: Goksaheun and Daepung (the two DFers we've been seeing a lot of) inform Alcheon that Deokman and Yushin are missing. And so are Jukbang and Godo, which they tried to tell him before, in Episode 20. "It's not a matter for you guys to meddle in," he tells them; just go back home and wait. They don't like that answer...but he dismisses them because now here's Cheonmyeong. Alcheon tells her that Eulje and Kim Yongchun aren't here now. But the princess is here to see him, not them. Really? "I heard you were pretty close to Yushin," she says to him. "Will you help me?"
"Hey, doesn't this feel refreshing?!" Who else but the weird guy, jumping up and down in the shallower waters he's reached. Yushin and Deokman made it, too, and he's splashing water on them like a four-year-old. And now he's even catching fish by hand. (I guess when there's no chicken you take what you can get.) But this isn't all good; Yushin is dragging Deokman up to the stream bank; she looks to be unconscious. As the weird guy gushes with excitement over their victory--"We could have killed all of them!"--Yushin is giving Deokman what looks to be modern-day CPR (I wonder about this) and trying to revive her. And it's not going well. The weird guy looks over at her, seeing her uniform loosened, and he notices a not-flat chest. Yushin screams "Look away!" Finally, Deokman coughs up a mouthful of water and starts to snap out of it. Oblivious, the weird guy giggles a bit. "What's this? So you're a girl?" Smirking, he moves in front of her to get a better look. "Hey, you are a girl. I was wondering why you had no strength wielding your sword." (Uh-oh--she wields like a girl!) Then he remembers, and tells Yushin, "The girl was intending to commit suicide." The knife she hid in her hands but didn't use to free herself, that whole thing...An angry Yushin snaps, "Is he right?" And then screams at her. But she's too worn out to even answer him.
Seolwon has no luck searching the area. (Not sure where the three ended up; obviously it's far downstream.) He orders half of his men to Yangji village, knowing that the weird guy came from there.
The three have moved away from the stream and take shelter in a secluded area near a brook. Yushin is still hassling Deokman about her suicide thoughts--Why am I trying to save you, Why did your mom die for you, Why is the princess so worried over you, on and on--and finally she's had enough; she stands up and starts barking right back at him, angry because, well, "NOW what do we do?" She gets angry and storms off. Yushin follows her, leaving the weird guy to try to figure out what the heck they're talking about.
"There's a way." Yushin catches up and tells Deokman, Let's just leave Shilla and go somewhere else, anywhere else. "Why?", she asks cynically. "Why would you do that for me?" Leave your family and country and all the rest of it. "Because you like me maybe?" Wow, she didn't waste any time bringing THAT up, the moment we all started to wonder. Yushin looks around awkwardly, saying nothing. "You're right, that's stupid. But if not that, then why?" More awkward silence. She wheels around to storm off again, but he grabs her wrist: "Who said it's not?" Now they're both staring at his had grabbing her wrist, so he lets go. And runs away like an embarrassed child. She goes after him...
...both past the weird guy, who's left literally scratching his head...
...and into a cave where they've built a small fire. Deokman awkwardly tries to talk to him. "I see. You felt sorry for me. I'd have done the same. We've been through a lot together. So you can take it back." But he's not tongue-tied any more. "I choose you. I'll go anywhere with you." As the weird guy listens from the cave entrance, he continues. "I almost lost my mind when I was locked up, watching you being taken away. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again." And the kicker: "That includes you." Now it's Deokman who's tongue-tied.
The weird guy steps back out of the cave entrance, laughing hysterically and mocking the seriousness of Yushin's words. He walks away...just as we see four Hwarang searching the higher ground above him.
Seorabeol: Nighttime and Alcheon has called his Risking Phoenix Guards and the DFers to duty. Head for Geumhak. "Rescue Yushin and Deokman." Cheonmyeong is there and gets on a horse; she's going with them.
The king and queen get word of their daughter's departure. Doesn't exactly comfort them, and they're worried enough about the lack of news from Seohyeon. Manmyeong is there too, and then Eulje and Yongchun enter. Together, they figure that Cheonmyeong must be headed to Geumhak since that's where Seohyeon went. Would be extra-big trouble if the two princesses were captured together by Mishil, so the king tells Yongchun to send Imjong and his Hwarang to Geumhak and protect Deokman and Yushin. Wow is it gonna get crowded up there!
Mishil, Sejong and Hajong get the news that Seolwon doesn't have Deokman yet. Sejong, of all of them, is particularly annoyed. "The longer this takes, the worse it gets. We have to resolve this succession business NOW." After what we started at the last Council meeting, he says, "if we don't get Deokman back in time it will be a fiasco!" But Mishil knows that all they can do for now is wait. They can't just trot Chilsuk and Sohwa out together before the council, because Chilsuk still thinks the king has Sohwa. "If he finds out we have her, there's no telling what he might do."
Now Misaeng and Seori and Chilsuk get the news. Seori grumbles, "They should have killed her when they had the chance." Chilsuk asks about progress finding Sohwa. Not just for him, but because "If the king kills her, that will hurt Mishil's cause."
Wolchun is trying to examine and treat Sohwa, but Jukbang and Godo are there in handcuffs and their whining and begging for mercy is annoying him. Eventually he leaves...and the whining stops! Apparently it was a distraction so they could try to pick his pockets. They've gotten some pieces of metal and some sort of key, but none of it will get their cuffs open.
Outside, Wolchun is met by Dukchung and Bakui, the two elite Hwarang we've seen before who are allied with Mishil's cabal. "Mishil wants you to hurry," they tell him. As in, get Sohwa's mind clear again. It can't be rushed, he tells them, but they urge him to work faster. He goes back inside, alone. As he steps into a room, THWACK! An arrow buries itself into a side wall. A note is attached? He opens it and reads it; it displays some sort of logo that looks like a turtle with six circles on its shell, arranged like a star. He reacts with shock: "The people of Gaya?" Bakui runs in to check on him; strangers were spotted nearby. Hiding the note (What's with that?), Wolchun answers that he's fine.
"You're acting under Eulje's orders, aren't you?" Well THAT was some quick work; Cheonmyeong is up north already and has cornered Kim Seohyeon for a very difficult conversation. Seohyeon says nothing and stares downwards. "What did he promise you?" Still nothing. Well you won't get it, she tells him. "Yushin and I will never marry"--so she already knows--and your Gayans will be barred permanently from the capital if you kill Deokman. She's really angry and is dropping the hammer without any reservation. "You think I can't do what Mishil can?" And then, "If you disobey your king, are you any better than Mishil?" Ouch, that's gotta hurt. Seohyeon's in a tough spot here. He begs forgiveness, for whatever that's worth. Cheonmyeong demands that he issue new orders to get Deokman back safely. He says he will. The poor guy just can't please anybody here. Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.
Deokman is alone, staring into the small fire in their cave. Pondering over what Yushin said to her. "Should we?", she wonders. "Do we dare?"
Outside, Yushin is sitting alone by the brook. The weird guy has been gathering wood for the fire; he kneels next to Yushin and asks him if he's leaving. Then tries to get chummy--"You said you were going to run away together. Do you like her?"--but Yushin very unkindly tells him to be on his way, as in, permanently. Not nice at all...but no time for that anyway, because he spots several Hwarang on nearby high ground and he and the weird guy scramble for cover. They duck back into the cave, and the weird guy generously offers to sneak back to Yangji and arrange for a boat for them to get far away from here. "Just one thing...you gotta take me with you, okay?" Ooh, a long trip in a small boat with a weird guy--who could resist? But really, what choice do they have, so they agree to it. He can't leave at the moment, though; "They're sure to be searching Yangji, since I told them I live there." But seeing their disappointment, he tells them he'll go take a quick look around to find out what's going on out there. Yushin warns him to watch out for "men dressed like us, but in red and purple." Goofy grin intact, he leaves.
"Since you'll be risking your life, you deserve to know." Apparently Cheonmyeong has just told Alcheon the whole darned story. But Alcheon says he didn't need to hear it; his appreciation for Deokman's saving his life and his friendship with Yushin are reason enough to risk his life for them. Now Seohyeon enters with news that Yushin is staying in a plague village and that Seolwon's men are headed there. Not sure which part of that is worse news for the princess.
Yeah, Seolwon and his men are running all through the village. The village elder tells Seolwon he doesn't know anything about a Hwarang trainee. And the mysterious healer Seolwon's heard about? "I don't know--he just up and left."
Seorabeol: Seori's at the shrine. She's praying, I think. No, wait, she starts babbling astrological baloney...
...and goes to tell Mishil, "You have to kill her. Not capture her; kill her. If she lives she may destroy you." Mishil brushes her off with a smug comment about Seori's age catching up with her. Seori sighs. "Mishil, why is it so important that you become queen?" You already have everything a queen could possibly have. Yes I do, Mishil answers with a smile, which you know isn't good. "Even Heaven bends to my will," she says, her voice now rising in anger. So what do I care about a pair of twins? Or a silly prophecy? You can leave." So Seori does leave, but the look on her face suggest she's not about to let this go.
And she isn't. She goes to Misaeng, explains the astrological baloney, and tells him, We have to kill Deokman. So they bring in Daenambo and ask him if he'll risk his life to do something for Mishil, even if it's something Mishil doesn't want done. "Poison," Misaeng says; "We need a poison arrow. To kill Deokman." Daenambo knows that Mishil wants Deokman brought back alive, but they assure him that Deokman will end up destroying Mishil if that happens. Will he do it?
Yangji village, nighttime: The Hwarang have finished searching. No sign of the people they're looking for. Seolwon orders two men to stay behind and keep watch; the rest of them are leaving. As they go, we see the weird guy on the thatched roof of a tall hut. He's hidden by hay and watches them leave. Somebody's there on the roof with him. A friend of his, apparently. Also waiting for Munno to show back up. And he has the leather chest-armor that Yushin gave the weird guy.
Seohyeon reports Seolwon's movements to Cheonmyeong, but says he has no idea where Deokman and Yushin are. They were helping a local healer, he learned, but the healer vanished. "Seolwon will start another search tomorrow," Cheonmyeong is certain. Tells Seohyeon to request reinforcements from the palace (for what?).
Now Cheonmyeong is in Yangji, with Alcheon and one of his Hwarang. The two guards who were left behind are at the healer's cottage, they've learned. And now here are Goksaheun and Daepung; they've been gathering information on that healer guy..."He comes and goes like the wind. No one knows where. Yet he's not a man to leave his patients to suffer. The villagers expect to hear from him soon." Then Alcheon spots a woman walking quickly through the village; looks like she's carrying a baby. Alone out here at night? Playing a hunch, Alcheon and his subordinate follow her. She rounds a corner, and now the weird guy and his friend can see her too. They recognize her as the wife of someone named Sukchul. Then they spot the two Hwarang trailing her. Remembering Yushin's advice about colors, he decides to follow the two Hwarang who bear yellow color, mainly because he's not sure what to do about yellow.
Now it's a mini-parade out in the moonlit woods; the woman and baby; then the two Hwarang; then the weird guy and his friend. But the Hwarang sense they're being followed; they double back and stop their pursuers at the point of their swords. And notice that the weird guy is wearing Hwarang leather chest-armor. He explains, "I swapped it for a drumstick," and then, goofy and distracted, he complains about "he never mentioned yellow," only red and purple. Alcheon is starting to wonder. "Where did you get this?" "But he wore blue." Who did--"Was his name Yushin? Was he with a trainee?" The weird guy's response: "Boy or girl?" Bingo. "It's only...he never said nothin' about yellow. Is yellow the good guys or the bad guys?" Alcheon is getting frustrated and waving his sword pretty seriously...but now what's this...Amazingly, Cheonmyeong and the two DFers have found them, out there in the middle of the woods. (Good grief! Major DJY flashback! Chulin and the random woods meetings.) The weird guy sees the two DFers in blue and reasons, "Same color means same side, right?" Yes it does, so he decides to take them to his blue comrades. Tells his friend to wait in the village.
And sure enough, now we see him leading the four Hwarang and the princess to the secluded area by the brook, where the cave is. It's dark and they're carrying two torches. Suddenly he grabs the two DFers' swords out of their scabbards and holds them to their throats. "I trust no one," he says, and orders Goksaheun and Daepung to tell him their names. Loudly. So they do. Again, louder. So they do. Over and over...and inside the cave, Deokman and Yushin hear it.
Cheonmyeong, irritated at the name calling, pushes Alcheon aside and angrily confronts the weird guy. "Are you an idiot?" He stares silently... "You know we're not the only ones searching this mountain, don't you?" He smiles at her. "Now you're angry." Well, time to eat some crow, princess, because here come Yushin and Deokman out of the cave. The twins hug each other, and Deokman's calling Cheonmyeong "princess" doesn't escape the weird guy's notice. Deokman is a lot happier to see her sister than she was before.
The next morning: Daenambo pays a visit to Seolwon, who's with the recently butt-kicked Bojong and Seokpum. "My overconfidence nearly lost us everything," Seolwon admits, being very frank...but reasons that they're still on the mountain they've been searching, so all is not lost, not by any measure. He orders 100 six-man units to search Mount Julji.
Then Daenambo goes and pays a visit to a three Hwarang who look almost like DFers but the blue is different so they must be his own Hwarang. And now we know, Yes, he'll do it. He's asked them to get a poison arrow, and boy did they deliver--there must be at least a dozen of them in the batch they hand him. He's to lead one of the search units and wants these three men in his unit. They're going to kill the trainee, he tells them as they split up the arrows, "and no one must know."
Alcheon sends his subordinate and the two DFers out to Mount Julji, to do reconnaissance and find out what's going on.
Yushin is pacing back and forth outside a couple of huts out in the woods somewhere. Inside, Cheonmyeong and Deokman are talking. What did Cheonmyeong come all this way to tell Deokman? "Go away." Seriously? "Go." I want to help you, and so do the king and queen. "But we can't. We're powerless." She feels terrible about it, and about the shared childhood that they were deprived of. Don't blame yourself, Deokman offers; "You did all you could. I could never blame you for anything." Then Cheonmyeong gives Deokman a gift: a robe just like the one she's wearing, made by their mother. Deokman is shedding a few tears by now. "Try it on," Cheonmyeong urges; I want to see it on you. (Whoa--could this be it? The end of the man clothes? No more DeokMAN?)
Yushin is still pacing around outside. Now Cheonmyeong steps out of the hut, and explains to him that she told Deokman to leave Shilla. And confesses, "I'm so tired of it all. I can barely hold it in any more. I wish I could just finish Mishil once and for all." But now what's this, suddenly Yushin drops to his knees in front of her, and begs forgiveness. "I can't stay with you any longer." Huh? "I'm going with Deokman. To protect her. Look after her. And take care of her." Ouch, that's gotta hurt, after those goo-goo eyes we're sure we've seen from her. And it does, we can see. Completely out of nowhere, and it wobbles her. And then, look at this, Deokman comes out of the hut, and she's wearing the robe. But WITH her Hwarang headband still on. Cheonmyeong tells her that her hair should befit the royal dress she's wearing...but she's too overcome with emotion to say anything more, and goes back inside. "I don't make much of a princess," she tells Yushin; I'm so used to men's clothes (and she sure doesn't walk like a girl--the robe really emphasizes that). "I told her," Yushin says obliviously, "that I'm going with you." "I'm sure she took it hard," Deokman answers. "Maybe you can't see it, but I can. She depends on you so much."
A little later, the sisters are outside the hut and now Cheonmyeong is doing Deokman's hair. No more headband. We barely even know who this person is, the sight is so foreign to us. "I'll send him back," Deokman says of Yushin; "I know how much you depend on him. And how much Shilla needs him." As soon as I'm out of Shilla and I can feel safe. As visibly difficult as it is for her, Cheonmyeong replies, "Go with Yushin. Be happy with him." After all you've been through, "Forget us all. Live a normal life. A woman's life." Very tough for her to do this, but very generous.
Nearby, Yushin asks Alcheon to look after Cheonmyeong. But Alcheon has quite a piece of news. "Before I left, they announced your engagement to the princess." Doink! "You might want to reconsider." Leaving, that is. "Think about her position and how she must feel." Yushin realizes that this explains his father's presence: "He and Eulje must have cut a deal. My marriage for Deokman's head." For a bumpkin the guy is surprisingly sharp sometimes. "I can't go against my heart," he tells Alcheon, no matter how Cheonmyeong might be feeling. And just then we see the weird guy stroll by at a distance, and check out the two women sitting together. (Hmmm....Okay, dude, which one? Have to think he's got an idea or two. Take one of them out for some chicken, maybe?)
Another mini-parade. Lots and lots of Hwarang combing the mountainside. Then Goksaheun and Daepung, scouting the situation. Then Daenambo and his three men, bows and poison arrows ready to go.
Goksaheun and Daepung report to Yushin and Alcheon; they've even brought a piece of cloth with a map on it that Bidam has drawn for them to get Deokman and Yushin out of the area and away to safety. (Note: Yushin says "Bidam" here, so the name is out there and we have to dispense with "the weird guy" going forward. Darn!) It's a good route; lots of thick woods to make spotting them and tracking them very difficult. And Alcheon has even sent money ahead to arrange for a boat to be waiting for them. Deokman has her uniform back on; that sure didn't last (but at least now it makes sense, for the same reason it made sense when she was traveling to Shilla in the first place). Now, is there anything else that can be done to aid their getaway? Cheonmyeong looks down at the robe that Deokman just took off....
Uh-oh; Goksaheun and Daepung leave the hut to go scout the area, and here's Daenambo watching them leave.
Back inside, the sisters tearfully hug goodbye forever.