Original subtitles

(This is based on the Tale of On Dal in Chronicles of the Three States.)

(Characters, incidents, and dates do not match historical facts.)

(Episode 1)

Dal. Wait for me.

Hang in there, until I come.

Dal.

Ga Jin.

I miss you.

Dal. Dal.

We won.

By fighting to the death.

You should have waited.

You are so stupid.

Ga Jin.

You are my Goguryeo.

You are my nation.

Thank you for staying alive.

Your Highness. Where are you going?

(Princess Pyeonggang, King Pyeongwon's eldest daughter)

(Goguryeo's Pyeongyang Castle, 561A.D., 3rd year of King Pyeongwon)

Come on!

Is that even right?

How dare a servant act like he rules Father's nation?

Watch what you say, Princess.

Are you not even angry, Mother?

Then what?

Must I shed blood?

They want their new tribe...

to have exclusive rights to salt for eternity?

The exclusive rights to salt...

is what the Five Tribes live on.

That is true, Your Majesty.

It would be utterly unreasonable to take back the rights now.

Please be understanding.

So you brought your private army...

to threaten me?

That is not the truth.

Shut your mouth.

(Kim Pyeong Ji, Daedaero, Head of Office)

Approve the request, Your Majesty.

All of this...

was your idea, was it not?

Who currently holds the power that keeps Goguryeo standing?

The Jeollo and Sunno Tribes are defending the borders,

and our other three tribes stayed together...

to keep our nation going.

Your throne...

only exists because of us.

- Your Majesty. - Your Majesty.

I must rest.

The salt monopoly,

I will leave it to you to decide.

(Go Sang Cheol, Gyeru Tribe commander)

I will patrol our land as planned.

(Patrolling was a means of surveying the land.)

Is that truly the only way?

If we let the Five Tribes continue to have their way,

it will threaten the royal household.

Princess.

Why did you sneak in here like a mouse?

It is just that...

I missed out on the timing to greet you.

I came out of concern for Father.

I will go and catch a real mouse.

Princess.

I apologize.

The king is like a glass bowl.

If you so much as touch his jealous spirit,

he will shatter easily.

(Royal Consort Jin, King Pyeongwon's concubine)

You got to monopolize salt.

What more do you want?

His queen is egging him on.

She insists on going on patrol in these circumstances...

because she has a plan.

The Jeollo Tribe's heroine.

She may be young, but we must not take her lightly.

Are you jealous because she is younger than you?

Hide this in the queen's chambers after she leaves on patrol.

What is this?

A talisman that will make you queen.

The current queen is young and healthy.

I would not dare dream of replacing her.

Who knows what could happen while she is on patrol?

What are you doing here, Your Highness?

Where were you the whole day?

I could use a ruler and still not be as accurate as you.

It does not show, so do not worry.

Mice keep sneaking into the palace.

I shall have the maids catch them.

Should I let loose some cats?

They will be hard to catch.

They are really nasty.

- Pardon? - Bring my training outfit.

Your Highness.

Why do you want to train in pointless martial arts?

Not that again.

Is it because a woman cannot be king?

- Of course not. - You are wrong.

I will follow in my father's footsteps and become ruler.

Slicing with the blade comes later.

Gather your strength.

You must see but not look,

and hear but not listen for your family to be at peace.

I pray that...

you return from the patrol safely.

You are trying to run when you cannot even walk.

- Master Go. - Yes, Your Highness.

Did you hear about the salt monopoly?

And that the Five Tribes threatened the king?

Concentrate on your training.

It is possible that in the near future,

I might get to meet your father.

That will make us sworn enemies.

That will not happen.

I am Go Geon, Gyeru Tribe's first in line,

and I will loyally serve your family.

What if you must choose between...

the royal household and your tribe?

I do not care for either.

Because I will choose you.

Won. While I am on patrol,

you must be well.

I want to go with you.

We are not going for enjoyment.

- Here. - A sweet snack?

We will only be gone a few days.

Can you wait?

- You must come home quick. - I will.

Let us go.

I sent my carrier pigeon.

A carrier pigeon?

You are concerned for your queen's safety.

Did you think I would not notice?

If anything untoward is to happen, we will hear of it immediately.

Then you will hear of it in due time yourself.

Before visiting her native Jeollo Tribe,

she said she would visit the Sunno Tribe.

The Sunno Tribe?

Are you saying...

she went to see General On Hyeop?

(Sunno Tribe border)

(On Hyeop, Sunno Tribe chief)

(Sunno: One of the Five Tribes, defends the Jeolla border)

Move faster!

You should have attended the Five Tribe meeting.

I do not care for pathetic political games.

But our tribe always lags in the back.

Do not be silly.

Guarding the southern border...

is our tribe's greatest duty.

Yes, sir.

General!

General!

General. I have terrible news.

Your treasured sword is missing.

You will get squashed by it before you get to wield it.

I must be able to lift it to be a great general.

You should put it back before you get caught.

Go and bring a wooden sword instead.

You cannot beat me with that.

- Do not fall over. - Come at me.

Hey, hey!

Hey, you. My gosh.

What are you doing?

Before you learn how to take a life,

you must learn how to save one.

This is not any fun.

It is training required to defend the border.

It is not for fun.

I can do this when the time comes. It is not hard anyway.

Go and grab a rope.

If you can hang on until I reach the top,

this sword...

- I will give it to you. - Are you serious?

General. Do you think Dal can manage?

Ignore him even if he asks for help.

Hey.

Oh, dear.

Do not give up!

If you give up,

your father and your comrade loses his life.

A man's life is in your hands.

Oh, dear.

Do not come closer!

I can do this. I will do it on my own!

Hold on!

General, are you all right?

Father!

General.

Father.

Your father just died.

Bury it.

Where are we, Father?

It looks like a grave.

Later.

I will tell you later.

When you are ready to be a true fighter.

Father.

I am sorry for what I did...

The queen sent him.

- The queen? - Yes.

She's headed to our tribe to meet you.

She should arrive around dawn tomorrow.

Mother.

Who is the strongest person in our nation?

By that, do you mean power...

or military training and capability?

I am asking if anyone can beat Gochuga.

You mean Gyeru Tribe's Go Won Pyo?

Yes.

The man who brought his private army to threaten Father.

A little further up is a temple called Yibullansa.

Famed for his skills, General Son...

I mean, Wol Gwang lives there.

A monk? Can a monk beat Gochuga?

Before he became a monk, he was Jeollo's greatest fighter.

You are from the Jeollo Tribe, Mother.

Let us drop by. I would like to meet him.

It is very late.

You should sleep.

Well done, General Son.

So, with this sword,

you beheaded the leader of the Gokturks that invaded?

Yes, Your Majesty.

You must forget such dreadful rumors.

Rumors?

12 years ago,

you married the young queen.

Less than eight months later, the princess was born.

It just so happened, that winter, Jeollo Tribe's General Son...

resigned from his station to become a monk.

Do you dare voice doubt about the princess' heritage?

Your queen is so young and beautiful.

That must make you anxious.

A woman's love runs strong and deep.

Even if she tries to hide it,

it is bound to leave a trace.

A carrier pigeon arrived from the patrol party.

The queen...

went to the temple Yibullansa.

Wol Gwang. That is where he is.

I found it!

A talisman that will make you queen.

You left the troubled world behind,

and I am left alone in sorrow.

(Yibullansa)

We are separated by 120km,

but our hearts are just 10cm apart.

(The Sunno Tribe)

I run to you ever single moment.

My lover, my master.

You must relax.

I will kill them.

The immoral witch and scum both!

Your queen gave you a son.

How would killing her make you look?

I do not care.

I will kill them both myself.

Then...

will you leave it to me, Your Majesty?

Greetings, Your Highness. I am On Hyeop.

You may stand, General.

As of now, the man stronger than Go Won Pyo...

is General On Hyeop who stands before us.

Are you curious about my sword?

You are the strongest general in Goguryeo.

So I want to know what kind of sword you use.

I am sorry.

I used to have a sword that was much more precious than this one.

But it broke, so I cannot show it to you.

That is a pity. I wanted to see it.

I advise you to stay away from swords.

It is okay. I am going to become a ruler.

I am proud to hear that.

When that day comes, that sword will be used to protect you.

Princess.

You want us to dispatch our troops?

Go Won Pyo keeps looking down on the royal family.

Sooner or later, he will try to take over the throne.

But I am just a soldier.

I am not interested in politics and power,

and I do not know much either.

The king recently banned the monopolization of salt,

but he brought soldiers and threatened the royal family.

I am not just asking you to protect the royal family.

I am asking you to protect the people of our country.

She is right.

That man, Gochuga, is a horrible man.

He told me to keep my mouth shut...

even though I saw everything.

What did you see?

I saw him secretly meet up with Royal Consort Jin a few days ago.

She heard about the patrol, and she told him that right away.

Why are you telling me that now?

Mother.

Go and wait somewhere else.

Did I do something wrong?

I told you to go.

I guess princesses also receive scoldings.

My father scolds me all the time.

Do you want to see this?

Is it not great? I carved it myself.

If you look here, you can see the saddle and helmet.

I still need to carve this part a little more though.

Get that out of my face.

What is so great about a wood carving?

Once I become a ruler, I will rule the entire cavalry.

How can a princess become a ruler?

How dare you talk to a princess that way?

Only a prince can become a ruler.

It is a man's job, not a woman's.

Says who? What kind of a rule is that?

you are a princess, but you are even stupider than I am.

- What is your name? - Why?

I will teach you a lesson as soon as I become the ruler.

You cannot become a ruler just because you want to.

You need to receive acknowledgement from our people.

What is your name?

My name is On Dal, the future general of this country.

Hey!

I must go back.

If Go Won Pyo asked about the patrol,

he definitely would have planned something.

Your Majesty, the guards will not be enough to protect you.

I will go to the village and gather more troops.

Please wait until I come back.

I will take you to the palace.

Father.

Guard Her Majesty.

Hurry!

Get going!

- Please do not kill us. - Please.

- Go! - Please show us mercy.

You have permission to kill whoever fights back.

Arrest all the traitors!

What happened to the queen?

Tell me what happened!

What are you talking about?

We are not traitors!

What did we do?

Shut your mouth!

You expect to stay alive after having killed the queen?

Take them.

- Yes, sir. - Yes, sir.

- Get up! - Come on!

They turned us into traitors so they could get rid of us.

I was a fool.

I underestimated Go Won Pyo.

You should go to Yibullansa and hide there.

If you ask the monks for help,

they will send a letter to Pyeongyang Castle.

Dal.

I want you to lead the queen and princess.

What? How?

Get to your senses.

This is a life and death situation.

I will stay here.

- Your Majesty. - Mother.

This happened because of me.

I cannot leave my people and just run away.

- But... - I will...

deal with this.

Leave this place to me.

Meanwhile, I want you to follow him.

No, I want to stay with you.

You are the princess of Goguryeo.

Keep your dignity.

If anything happens to me, make sure...

you tell your father everything.

Until then,

this stone will keep you safe.

Mother.

Please take good care of the princess.

You are the only person who knows the forest.

This time, do not ever let go of the rope.

Do you understand?

Yes.

Princess.

Let go.

Hurry.

Move it!

Go!

- My goodness. - Please show us mercy.

- Spare us! - Stop what you are doing!

- General! - General!

No one here is a traitor!

What do you think you are doing?

Withdraw your troops right now.

Long time no see, Hyeop.

Go Won Pyo.

What do you think you are doing?

That is what I would like to ask.

I thought you left to patrol our land.

But I guess your goal was to conspire against me.

We pledged our alliance to Goguryeo.

What made you become so disgraceful?

Did you suddenly become greedy for power?

You arrogant punk. Get out of my way.

I have no interest in you and your tribe.

Go Won Pyo.

Withdraw your troops right now.

Do you think you will be able to get away with killing the queen?

Do you not understand?

His Majesty was the person who told me...

to kill you.

No!

Your Majesty.

I will not forgive you even after I die.

You will never be able to take over Goguryeo.

Goguryeo is...

already mine.

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty.

If you admit that you are a traitor,

I will spare the lives of everyone else.

General.

No, General!

- Do not do it! - No!

- General! - Please do not!

General!

General!

General, do not!

Princess.

I cannot go. I cannot go alone.

How am I supposed to do this?

Then do you just want to die?

My father and the queen stayed there to fight so they could save us.

Do you want them to fight in vain?

How can you call yourself the princess of Goguryeo?

I thought you wanted to become the ruler.

If you give up now,

that will be the end of Goguryeo.

Who says I am going to give up?

Keep climbing!

No, get up here!

If you give up now,

that will be the end of Goguryeo.

Get up here!

Just keep climbing!

Keep climbing!

Hey!

Wol Gwang!

Where are you hiding, Wol Gwang?

Find Wol Gwang!

Tell me where Wol Gwang is.

I do not know.

Wol Gwang!

Where are you hiding? Wol Gwang, where are you hiding?

I am going to find you and rip you into pieces!

Mother.

Tell me where Wol Gwang is.

I do not know anything. Please spare me.

The Princess is missing.

Search the area thoroughly.

Pyeonggang.

Ga Jin, are you okay?

(8 years later)

Is it clear?

Let us go.

Hey!

Who are you?

I heard about a group of weaklings leeching off the late royal family.

And one of them is right here.

I am here to punish...

the brute of Goguryeo on behalf of the universe.

When they said the group consisted of mere assassins of low status,

they were talking about you.

I will be drinking your blood tonight.

It was the chief's order.

We must eradicate every descendant of Goguryeo.

If you consider yourself as the best swordswoman of Cheonjubang,

there is no room for mercy.

No!

Ga Jin, what is wrong? Are you out of your mind?

No, Ga Jin.

- Go ahead. - You too. Stop it.

Ga Jin, you cannot do this.

How will you explain this to the chief?

Did you have another nightmare?

You already have nightmares.

But when you wake up from them, you have headaches.

How could you live in that state?

You have been...

having more nightmares lately.

Perhaps, your job is catching up with you.

And that is why you must be having piercing headaches.

You said it was because I had a fever.

What?

You said I had a fever when I was little.

And that is why my brain is messed up.

You said that is why I cannot remember my past clearly.

Right. Yes.

Gosh. This all happened because of that darned fever.

Of course. Yes.

- Dad. - Yes?

Give me a bit more time.

I have something in mind.

What is that?

I told you to kill every single person from Goguryeo.

Tae Mo followed my order as my swordsman.

How come you scolded Tae Mo for following my order?

I believed Cheonjubang was not...

justified to kill a baby.

When that baby is old enough to wield a sword,

it could have been directed at you and me.

Have you forgotten that our sworn enemy is Goguryeo?

You graciously welcomed my father and me...

when we had nowhere to go...

after losing our family to the soldiers of Goguryeo.

And I will never forget your kindness.

That is why after being selected as the swordswoman,

I have followed all of your orders at the expense of my own life.

However,

I do not wish to see blood anymore.

If I could live my life in peace with my father working with salt,

I would have nothing more to ask for.

Please...

give me your blessing...

to stop taking away lives.

It cannot seem to fly when the door is wide open.

Do you think you can fly?

I am not trying to fly.

I am only asking, so I can live my life.

I want to be free of nightmares and pain.

I want to live a peaceful life.

Please...

consider my request.

Get up.

In a few days,

the King of Goguryeo will climb to Cheonjedan at Mount Songhak.

Where are you, my ladies?

Where are you?

There you are.

I want you to kill...

the enemy of Cheonjubang,

the King of Goguryeo.

I have already come up with a plan and prepared for it.

You will act as my sword and stab him. That will be...

your last mission.

"Last"?

That will be the end of your duty as my swordswoman.

Bring death to that man,

Pyeongwon.

- Gosh. - We must have caught something.

- We caught it. - Really?

- We got it. - Let us hurry.

Hurry up.

- We got it. - I wonder what we got.

- Hurry. - Let us go.

We got one!

- Score. - We got it.

We got a big one.

It is still alive. Cut them.

Cut where?

- Cut the antlers. - But it is still breathing.

Come on.

- Cut them. - All right.

What? What was that?

- It hurts! - Who are you?

Who did that?

Let go of the deer.

Hey, who do you think you are?

Hey, are you okay?

It hurts, right?

- The deer feels pain too. - Come here.

Even if animals cannot speak, they still hate being in pain.

Gosh. You are unbelievable.

You are going to get hurt too!

- Hey. - You little brat.

Sorry.

I really hope in your next life,

you will be a human.

When you do, do not be awful like them.

Be good.

Gosh.

No need to thank me.

Hey.

You cannot leave just yet.

What are you doing?

I know you.

I know you.

(Based on "Princess Pyeonggang" by Choi Sa Kyu)