(This is based on the Tale of On Dal in Chronicles of the Three States.)
(Characters, incidents, and dates do not match historical facts.)
I stripped General Go Geon of his military rights.
Therefore,
I need you to...
assist me and ride into battle.
I must do as you command.
Did you manage to rest in comfort?
It was not exactly comfortable.
To think that you doubted me...
because of a Goguryeo fool's ruse.
You are of noble blood...
and a core member of my court.
Would I truly doubt and desert you?
While you got some rest,
I used Go Geon's madness...
to speed up the preparations for the war.
You must get rid of...
Lord Hae and his daughter.
Not just those two.
The stubborn Goguryeo maverick...
who is not as useful as I expected.
He must go as well.
You managed to clip General Go's wings,
but what will you do next?
General Go.
Even if he becomes a nobody,
will your love for him not change?
It will not change.
My gosh.
This is why issues that...
cannot be solved with money are a headache.
You are blinded with love,
and so you do not see the end.
Mo Yong.
Your father's eyes...
see the end.
Men of the Central Army's Five Bu are ready for battle.
Soldiers from the Five Tribes have also joined them.
Daedaero. Watch over the Capital for me.
I will do my best so the people do not become restless.
Your Majesty. I pray that...
you return victorious.
Silla's army plans to attack the Princess and General On.
We will rush to save them,
and recover Adan Fortress!
- Salute! - Salute!
Stop crying.
You are King Pyeongwon's son...
and a prince of Goguryeo.
Over the years,
I did many bad things.
I should pay for it with my life,
but instead, I am only leaving the palace.
The King has shown me grace.
Will I never get to see you again?
Until now,
I dreamed only of the day when you would take the throne.
One day,
when my dream comes true,
we will meet again.
Mother.
You must be strong.
Until that day comes.
(Adan Fortress)
General.
General. The advance party broke through the east wall.
We must enter before the main army...
blocks the East Gate.
Did you come here to live?
- We came to win! - We came to win!
If we lose,
will you die?
- We will win! We will live! - We will win! We will live!
Brave men of Goguryeo!
We head to battle!
General. Where are you going?
If I tell you, will you follow?
The Silla army left at daybreak.
Then I can relax...
and chase their tail.
Even if you go to the fortress,
do you think you can meet the Princess?
So...
that was what was written in the letter that was burned.
The one who told the King...
was Lord Hae...
or you. Am I right?
Yes.
- I did it. - Why?
For fear that you would go to your death for the Princess.
In case you jumped into a pit you cannot escape from.
So I made you stay back.
That was foolish of you!
No. I did many foolish things until now.
Now I will act wisely...
to save your life.
Lady Hae. Even if you save me,
I cannot be saved.
Why do you not see that?
Do not forgive me.
A hundred times a day,
until the day you die of old age,
curse me,
hate me,
and resent me.
You have...
no right to be resented.
I know that.
That is what I am.
Your Majesty. We got word from Adan Fortress.
It is good news.
The 3,000 men took back Adan Fortress.
What about the Princess and General On?
Are they safe?
Yes.
So is General Sa Pung Gae.
Things will worsen when Silla's main army arrives.
We must hurry.
Are we too late?
It seems the governor did not last long.
Spread out our men.
Will you not attack right away?
We must give them a chance to surrender.
Spread out!
It is the Silla army!
The Silla army is here!
That is the King's banner.
The King came in person.
A messenger!
Halt.
What does it say?
That we should surrender?
By daybreak tomorrow,
we are to put down our arms and open the gates.
They will kill every one of us if we fight.
How dare the lunatics say that?
What will you do, General?
The Goguryeo people...
cannot leave Goguryeo land.
I will fight until the last man goes down.
I will fight with you.
As will I, General.
Princess.
This is where...
your duty ends.
I do not want to go.
I will stay and fight.
No. You must obey the General.
Take the wounded safely back to the Capital
- But... - I too...
want you to be safe.
Honey.
Do not be stupid.
I cannot go without you.
I will not.
You did what you came to do.
You fought with me,
and we got back your father's heritage.
That is enough.
I will protect it, Ga Jin.
No.
I will stay with you.
Do not be stubborn.
That is an order,
not from your husband but from the leader of the army.
Return with Jin and the wounded men.
We got the fortress back,
but we lost many men.
You do not have many left.
This fight is meaningless.
So Dal...
Whether we win or lose,
it is a warrior's fate to never put down his sword.
If any soldiers wish to leave,
I will send them with the wounded.
I said my piece.
Okay. I will prepare to leave.
The wounded...
return to Pyeongyang Castle with the Princess!
- Yes, sir! - Yes, sir!
Jin. We should go.
Stop.
What is it, Princess?
Jin. I cannot leave like this.
What do you mean?
Do you think General On will be pleased if you go back?
He will not even let you in.
No.
I am not returning to General On.
What?
Did the King send you?
Princess.
Do not do it.
Who goes there?
Who are you?
Your Majesty. It is Goguryeo's princess,
Princess Pyeonggang.
I have heard of your prowess.
Seeing you in person...
is quite remarkable.
If it had not been for General Go Geon,
she could have killed me as I slept.
Thank you.
If you infiltrated us without command,
you will be punished.
You smuggled Goguryeo women.
That is rich, coming from you.
You are very brave.
A princess sneaks deep into the enemy camp...
hiding a weapon too?
Were you sent by your king...
or by your husband?
I came on my own accord.
If I were to kill you,
I can save my men's lives.
Oh, dear.
I gave you a chance to surrender.
Not at all.
General On...
and the men at Adan Fortress...
will fight until the last man dies.
I think highly of your bravery,
but you must also see the whole picture.
You are disadvantaged, even before the fight.
Why do you not see that?
Even if we lose,
we will not give up the fortress that easily.
The corpses of your men will stack as high as a mountain.
- General Go. - Yes?
The Princess who is my prisoner...
is threatening me.
I should have her dragged out and killed.
What do you say?
Kill her.
If you let her live,
she will become a threat to Silla.
Do you mean that?
To fight Goguryeo,
I came here without your command.
Why would I lie to you?
Too bad.
Even your old subordinate has abandoned you.
There is an old proverb that stuck with me.
"Jade, even when smashed, does not lose its color,"
"and bamboo, even when burned,"
"does not curve at the joints."
You can kill me...
or attack Adan Fortress.
The result will be the same.
I thought they would attack at daybreak.
This is strange.
He is right. They are not moving.
General, you have a letter from the Silla army camp.
Is that not the Princess' bracelet?
Your lady, Pyeonggang, is held at my camp.
She became captured by me while trying to harm me.
I heard that you would even risk your life to win this battle,
but that would be a meaningless sacrifice.
Surrender immediately...
to save the lives of the Princess and my troops.
Pung Gae.
The Princess...
has been captured by the Silla army.
Unless I surrender,
Ga Jin will be killed.
Are you all right?
I only told him to kill you...
because I knew the Silla king would not do so.
I understand that much.
- I will find a way. - What are you trying to do?
- What is the matter? - That is none of your business.
Take her.
- Yes. - Yes.
Tell me what this is about.
Where are you taking her?
His Majesty ordered the Princess be taken to Seorabeol.
He promised...
that she would be sent home if Goguryeo surrendered.
You may be lucky,
but you are apparently not clever.
A precious prisoner like her could not be sent back so easily.
Whether On Dal opens the castle gate or not,
they will all be slaughtered before sunset.
Follow me!
- Yes. - Yes.
Things started getting more and more complicated...
at some point.
I no longer even remember what I fight for.
We will fight together...
to recover the legacy of General On,
Adan Fortress.
After that,
we will leave everything behind.
The two of us.
Do not be afraid, Dal.
I am not afraid of anything because I am with you.
Lady Hae.
What are you doing here?
I came to get you.
- We have already discussed... - My father...
passed away.
- What? - He was slain...
by soldiers under the king's command.
"The king's command"?
But why?
You may be in danger as well.
I am sure the King gave his command.
You may be lucky,
but you are apparently not clever.
I have nowhere to go now.
Will you say no...
if I ask you to take me in?
The Princess...
is being held by the Silla army.
Kim Cha Seung is taking her to Seorabeol.
I was following the escort.
All you care about...
until the end is the Princess.
Lady Hae.
Please. I will get in touch with you...
and come to you by all means.
General.
Let me help you.
It would be better than fighting alone.
What are you talking about?
You should stay out of this.
I can take care of a soldier or two.
You should worry about yourself instead.
Do you expect me to let you get killed?
Should I give a shout when you ambush them?
Have you...
lost your mind?
Probably.
Your obsession with the Princess...
must have caused me to lose my mind as well.
Make up your mind quickly.
The Princess is getting farther away.
Halt.
The Princess is not going to Seorabeol.
Her home is Pyeongyang Castle.
My apologies. I know that you would rather not see me.
Your Highness.
You despicable rats.
Get them!
Lady Hae.
Are you okay?
Yes.
Do not worry about me.
If we go back the way we came,
we will run into the rest of the troops.
We must take a detour.
Thank you both.
We should go.
Lady Hae, can you get up?
General.
What should we do?
The soldiers are waiting.
Should we open the castle gate?
The great cause of protecting the empire...
or the justification of saving the people...
These are...
all nonsense.
The only person you must risk your life to protect.
And the only reason a man must wield a sword.
She is your only reason.
Pung Gae.
The only person you must risk your life to protect.
That person is the only reason...
a man must wield a sword.
Both you and I...
have someone we must protect.
Dal.
General On...
would have been proud...
to see you now.
Thank you, Pung Gae.
For being by my side until the end.
It has been my great honor, General.
General!
A message has arrived at the north gate.
His Majesty is leading his troops here to the fortress.
What did you say?
Go Geon took the Princess away?
Forgive me, Your Majesty.
I sent agile constables and archers to chase them.
They will be captured in no time.
Your Majesty.
The King of Goguryeo and his troops are marching on Adan Fortress.
Our spy says the number of soldiers well exceeds 30,000.
After all,
he wishes to save his sister.
However,
you let my precious prisoner escape.
Fine.
I can handle the immature king of Goguryeo with no trouble at all.
We are going to war.
- Your Majesty. - Your Majesty.
General On, the King plans to attack Silla from the side.
Should we leave the fortress to surround them from the side?
Believe in the King and protect the fortress.
The King will bring us a victory all on his own.
Your Highness, the battle will take place soon.
We must hurry. Lady Hae.
She cannot walk anymore.
I will carry her on my back.
It will open up her wound.
If she bleeds more than this, her life would be in danger.
The Silla soldiers will be coming after us soon.
We should move Lady Hae first.
Lady Hae. Please get up.
Your Highness, what do you plan to do?
I must let General On know.
That will alert the soldiers coming after us.
I do not have time to argue about this.
Dal, I am right here.
It is a signal pouch with colored powder.
If you are in danger, tie it to an arrow and shoot.
Just go.
I do not want to burden you.
Burden me?
You are the first friend I made after returning to the palace.
Pung Gae, keep the fortress safe.
What will you do now?
You cannot return to Silla now.
But...
I cannot return to Goguryeo either.
I lost my family and country.
I even failed to keep my promise.
Letting you...
take my life would be better.
Master Go. You did not lose everything.
You have someone who is willing to join you even if it means death.
Princess.
I have always...
made the same decision.
It was you.
That way!
- Over there! - Princess.
Mo Yong.
Go.
General Go.
Princess!
General Go!
What were you doing here? This was foolish.
Princess.
These two...
saved me.
It has been a while.
- You too, Lady Hae. - Country bumpkin.
You are still calling me that.
Take the Princess...
and Lady Hae.
Hurry.
No, Master Go.
I cannot leave.
These women...
never listen to me.
I know that too well.
Have you forgotten?
Even if it kills me,
I will be buried next to you.
Princess.
I must postpone our match...
until next time.
I will wait for you.
Okay.
If you want to fight Ga Jin,
you must beat me first.
Take the Princess with you...
and go.
Please go now.
On a day like this,
I wish I could sit in a boat on a river...
and drink for hours.
Do not say anything.
Lady Hae.
I know I have no alcohol to serve as a penalty,
but shall we make a bet?
It will be very interesting and fun.
Lady Hae,
do you hate me?
Yes.
I hate,
resent, and curse you.
Gosh.
I do not...
believe you.
General Go.
It is your turn,
Lady Hae.
Hurry.
Have you...
loved me...
even if it was just for a moment?
Mo Yong.
Yes, General Go.
You were me...
in the most...
complete sense.
You tried to win over a man...
you could never have.
You tried to reach a destination...
you could never reach.
I saw myself in you.
Mo Yong.
Please...
do not...
stop...
and live on.
I...
loved you.
That is a lie.
General Go.
That is Goguryeo's trumpet of victory.
The King won the battle.
His Majesty came running to us with reinforcements...
to push out the soldiers of Silla.
Ga Jin.
You did it.
You delayed the Silla army.
Otherwise, they would have taken over the fortress at daybreak...
even before the reinforcements arrived.
What about Master Go and Lady Hae?
That is all the more reason we need to live happily.
Because they...
gave up their lives for you.
Happiness...
Do I deserve to be happy?
Of course. You promised me.
You just need to put down everything...
and leave with me.
I have been thinking too.
And I think we need more than five kids.
What?
Let us have seven kids.
The eldest, the middle, and the youngest will be girls.
And we will have four sons in between.
Gosh, I was only kidding.
Dal!
Dal! Dal...
No!
Dal, no! Dal! Dal!
Dal. Dal...
I...
am okay.
Dal, hang in there.
But...
I cannot see you.
Ga Jin.
I can hear your voice,
but I cannot see your face.
I cannot see you.
You are here, right?
I am right here. I am here, Dal.
Everything is over now.
Our lives will just begin.
You promised to be with me.
Stay with me.
You are my woman.
You are my love.
I love you.
Dal.
Dal, I love you too.
Dal... I love you too.
Dal, open your eyes.
Open your eyes, Dal.
No...
No! Dal!
Dal! Dal! No...
No! Dal!
Why is this not moving at all?
My gosh!
General On!
- You need to get going now! - General!
- General! - General!
Princess!
Dal must not want to leave.
General!
Why are you being like this?
You need to go now, General.
You were born in the lands of Goguryeo.
Now you need to leave to the skies of Goguryeo.
Our fates have already been decided,
so do not linger and move on.
I will send you off, General.
Why are you not listening to me?
Did you not say you will go if I tell you to go...
and stay if I tell you to stay?
If you are worried about me,
you need not worry at all.
We may be apart...
by death,
but my heart...
lies with you, General.
So...
you can leave in peace.
Make way for General On!
- General! - General!
General...
- General! - General...
- General... - General!
General...
When you are done mourning for his death after many years,
you can always return to the palace.
I am sorry.
I doubted...
and resented you.
I was not a good brother to you.
I wish...
you will become a King that can take good care of your people.
I trust you as your sister.
I wanted to have this with you...
before you leave.
Is that okay?
It is sweet. It is good.
Yes, Pyeonggang.
It is delicious. Come try it.
- Come have a look. - Of course it is good.
You can try it.
Here you go.
You can go and take care of the rest.
I borrowed some money from my close acquaintance from Baekje...
to buy a house and start a business.
So you have become one of their people?
You are the one who accomplished the unification of three empires.
I see that you are leaving the palace for good.
What about General Go?
I buried him at a sunny gravesite.
I will not be the one to be at a loss anymore.
I am sure you will manage well.
- I know that you will. - Of course.
Since we are friends.
Deer... Where are we going?
Do not worry.
I am not going to kill you.
I found it!
Why are the leaves so...
It is a bellflower root.
But I am sure I saw five leaves.
Who are you?
Who are you...
to be standing in my front yard?
Oh, I see.
Are you here to see the monk?
You are here, Princess.
Wol Gwang.
That man...
He is going to get some firewood.
Why do we not have a chat while waiting for him to return?
Before he left the house,
he asked me a big favor.
I have a request.
You want me to find out what situation the Princess is in.
I will not do it. It is too much of a bother.
That is not it.
It is a different request.
He wanted to learn how to feigning death...
to make his body seem dead.
So when his life was at stake,
he used that method...
to feign death.
But it is a dangerous method.
It is stopping your body and spirit from living,
so it could go wrong if you are not experienced enough.
What is this?
Are you a fox or a raccoon?
Why are you still here?
What are you doing? Go away.
I know you.
How would you know me?
Follow me.
Why are you doing this to me?
Let us go.
Your parents gave in to their cruel fate,
but you two overcame it with unwavering dedication.
I wish you will be forgotten by the world...
and live in peace for a long time.
I cannot even remember my own name.
And I do not know where I am from.
But that weird monk keeps telling me that my memories will come back.
I am not sure either.
My mind is all jumbled up.
The monk is right.
You will get them back eventually.
Then...
do you know my name?
Look over there.
Over there.
It is just a moon.
That is right. It is a moon.
Think carefully.
On Dal?
That is right!
That is my name?
That is right, Dal!
And this scent...
I think I remember it.
There are so many things I need to tell you.
I will need...
more than a few days to finish the whole story.
Then why do you not tell me...
who you are first?
Do you...
remember me now?