Page 32 of King Foretold (Realm of Four Kingdoms #2)

Long ago, in the days of old, a lonely bear loved a beautiful tiger. The tiger liked the bear well enough, but he liked very much how desperately she loved him.

The bear would have done anything to build a life with the tiger. But he wanted to be with a tiger, lithe and graceful like him, not a hulking, cumbersome bear. Still, the tiger enjoyed being adored by the bear, so he would tell her, “If only we were the same.”

“You wish to become human?” the god of earth asked.

“More than anything, my lord,” the bear answered without hesitation.

The tiger stayed silent. He did not object to becoming human. He would be strong and handsome either way. Perhaps, the bear would become beautiful enough as a human to be worthy of him.

“Go dwell in a lightless cave for one hundred days, not a day less, eating only garlic and mugwort,” Hwanung commanded. “Endure this trial, then I shall make you human.”

“Thank you, my lord.” The bear bowed low, determined to succeed for the sake of her love.

Although the tiger was horrified at the prospect of such hardship, he did not want to appear weak, so he bowed to the god of earth as well.

Together, the bear and the tiger entered the dark cave to begin their trial.

As days stretched into weeks, the tiger could not hide his cruel and selfish nature.

He claimed he could not stand another day of eating garlic and demanded the bear give him her allotment of mugwort.

The next day, when the bear gathered only garlic for herself so the tiger could have all the mugwort, he roared with anger and said he wanted all the garlic, not the mugwort.

The bear endured his bad temper in silence. She believed this wasn’t really him. He was suffering. But on the twenty-first day, the tiger dragged her toward the cave’s entrance, ignoring her pleas to let her go.

“We’re done here,” he snarled. “This foolishness stops now.”

“No. Please.” Confused and afraid, the bear dug her heels in, and the tiger had no choice but to release her because she was stronger than him. “We cannot leave this cave until the hundred days are over. It is our only chance of being together.”

“We do not need to become human to be together,” the tiger purred. “Of course, I will mate with a tiger as beautiful as me, but I will allow you to serve me at my side. That should be good enough for you.”

The bear stumbled back. “How could you mate with another if you love me?”

“Love you?” The tiger laughed cruelly. “You should be honored I tolerate you.”

Deeming the conversation over, the tiger stalked toward the entrance, then looked over his shoulder. “Well? Aren’t you coming?”

“No.” She would be a fool no longer. “I am not leaving with you.”

“You ugly, useless beast,” he roared. “You will regret this. You are nothing without me. You will see.”

The bear swallowed her tears and gathered the broken pieces of her heart to her chest. Hwanung had heeded her prayer and had given her a chance to become human. The tiger disappointed her, but she would not disappoint the god of earth. She would not throw away the god’s kindness.

The first few days after the tiger’s betrayal felt endless .

.. hopeless. But in the days that followed, the bear came to understand her love for the tiger was born of loneliness.

And she had been afraid of being alone because she did not think she was good enough.

She had thought she needed the love of another to make her whole.

In the dark solitude of the cave, the bear saw that she was brave. That she was strong. That she was enough. At peace with herself, the days passed with calm swiftness, the hundred days no longer insurmountable.

Even before Hwanung appeared to her after one hundred days—even before the god of earth turned her into a human as promised—the bear already knew she was a new person. Someone brave and strong. And when she walked out of the cave on her human legs, she was still her. Someone complete and whole.

The woman named herself Ungnyeo and prepared to flourish.