Lord Rah read the official coronation notice.
“‘It is hereby established that the once separate kingdoms of Hansong, Guru, Tongey, Oakcho, Jinhan, Kaya, and Kudara are now united into one nation. The united kingdom of Coryo. All will swear fealty to the new king of Coryo.”
As Taejo walked the length of the courtyard, Lord Rah stepped forward. “All hail Coryo, the united Seven Kingdoms! Manse!”
“Manse!” answered the crowd.
Kira felt a rush of pride. Manse, ten thousand years. There was no greater honor.
Next, Lord Nam addressed the crowd. “All hail the new King of Coryo! Manse!”
“Manse!”
Taejo was almost near the dais when Lord Hwang raised his arms to the skies. “All hail King Taejo! Manse!”
“Manse!”
Taejo stepped onto the dais and stood in front of the throne. Shouts of “manse” continued as the nobles threw up their hands with each cry. Then a sudden darkness fell over the crowd. Something was blocking the sun. People started pointing in the air and screaming. A large, bright creature was fast approaching. A beautiful silver dragon landed in the middle of the courtyard. As the nobles scrambled away in fright, it quickly transformed into an old man, with long white hair and a matching beard. It was the old Dragon King, King Dang.
“Greetings to the heir of my throne and the new king of a new country. You have once again reunited the Seven Kingdoms. My prophecy has been fulfilled and I can take back my treasures,” he said.
At his words, Kira hastened to his side and handed over the tidal stone, jeweled dagger, and jade belt. The belt had been retrieved from its special hiding place in Flower Hill Temple before she’d returned to Hansong.
As she handed over the tidal stone, however, Kira felt a pang of loss to be parted from the ruby that had become so dear to her. It was not its power that she would miss, but the connection that she’d had with it.
“Thank you, my child, for taking such good care of my treasures. May they never be needed again in this world,” he said. He wrapped the belt around his waist. A shiver of energy passed through the belt and each of the dragon figurines seemed to thrum. “You always kept the treasures separate for good reason. But watch what happens when they are all combined.”
He slipped the jeweled dagger into a loop within the belt and then placed the ruby in the hole that had sat empty in the belt buckle. A shimmering glow rose up from the trio of treasures and then several bursts of light came shooting from the belt, each a living replica of the dragon figures. Thirteen dragons circled the air above them. Kira recognized each dragon by comparing it to the figurines she’d memorized. The only one missing was the silver dragon of the east. The one that had always reminded her of King Dang.
They were a magnificent sight. An auspicious omen for the coronation of a new king. The dragons soared through the air, a dance by the most powerful creatures in the world. They climbed higher and higher until they disappeared into the clouds. The stunned audience cheered so loudly, Kira was sure that the heavens could hear them.
“The fourteenth dragon, as you know, is currently on a chain around your neck,” the Dragon King said with a wink.
Kira placed a hand on her chest with a sudden start. She’d forgotten to replace the dragon of the east on the belt.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, preparing to take it off.
“No, keep it,” he said. “Let it be a reminder of who you are. You are the Dragon Musado. The One of the prophecy. ‘Seven kingdoms became three. Three kingdoms became one.’”
He inclined his head to Taejo.
“And One saved us all.”
At these last words of the prophecy, he looked directly at Kira and bowed deeply.
Then the old man stepped back into the middle of the courtyard and once again transformed into the pure silver dragon. He shot up straight into the air, like a bolt of lightning rising from the ground before disappearing from sight.
Taejo stood at the center of the dais and raised up his arms. “All hail the Dragon Musado! Manse!”
“Manse! Manse! Manse!”
But Kira wasn’t listening.
There was a lightness in her heart that she had not felt since she was a little girl. All the burdens she’d carried were gone. All her fear and anxiety had suddenly disappeared. She stood staring into the blue sky and watched the silver light disappear. The last of her responsibilities had flown away with the Dragon King.
At long last, she was free.
Glossary