Empire of the Ring

A car ferry carrying migrants was just docking at Arirang Wharf.

The ferry, which exceeded its maximum passenger capacity, went through the Black Sea at its full speed through the ice and snow-covered canals; it finally arrived at the royal territory.

The Kurds, who were interested to see the ferry breaking the ice on the Ural River had to get inside their cabins after a few minutes because the unbearable cold air almost felt like it would freeze one’s lungs.

After getting through the cold, the faces of those who got off the cafe were almost blue.

There were about 600 people in the passenger waiting room.

They looked nervous, but their frozen body and mind melted a bit after seeing the warm faces of Kazakh officials and volunteers welcoming them. They had never seen such a warm smile in Syria.

It was not until they got on the train leaving the wharf that everyone got a little bit relieved that they started to have conversations on board.

Youngho was observing them while acting as one of the officials in the royal territory.

The Turks were easily frightened by a loud noise and other external stimuli because they had lived in war for all their lives. It was trauma.

“Your Highness, it looks like our kindness is opening up migrants’ hearts”

“I think it’s because our bureaucrats have been kind to them from Turkey. Please pay special attention to them though. I feel sorry for their past.”

“It’s a relief that they didn’t suffer much on the Turkish border.”

“I’m sure Director Park had a lot of trouble. I told him and officials not to think about returning home if any of them fail.”

“Hahaha…”

“Did you arrange the medical staff on standby, Commissioner Kim?”

“They’re ready to meet their patients. They said they’ll start with vaccinations and people in need of immediate attention.”

“Everybody’s only skin and bones. They’ve been dependent on aid, so they’re not well-nourished.”

“Don’t worry too much. If they eat well for a few days, they’ll be fine.”

“They might get sick if they eat greasy food all of a sudden.”

“The medical staff created and distributed a new diet. There were a lot of diarrhea patients even during the trip because they couldn’t adapt to a new diet. The medical team ordered not to give them anything other than the food they specified.”

Immigrants from Syria had not been able to eat proper food for a long time, so everyone was not in their best conditions.

They had lived for decades in a place full of flying bullets and eating properly was vanity to them. Fresh vegetables or meat for a good meal would have been a luxury, like soup, canned meat, and dried bread must have been their usual relief food supply.

“We’ve built the assembly building in a hurry, but I don’t know if they can stand the cold. We can’t let them into the hotel or dorms because they are too many.”

“We’ve got enough heaters and heated blankets. I’m sure they will survive.”

“They’re not accustomed to the low temperature like us yet, so you’ll get a lot of cold patients.”

“Don’t worry, Your Highness. All of the administration staff are taking extra care, and we’ve also got many volunteers. We’re fully prepared.”

As the train moved, Jelyan, who had been silent all the way while holding Youngho’s hand, left him to approach the children huddled in the corner of the train.

Earlier of the day, Jelyan heard that the Kurds would arrive at the port, so she followed Youngho to see them.

Most of the children sitting on the train were in their teens.

At a glance, the children seemed that they had not been cared by adults. Food stains were all over their clothes, and they were looking around their surroundings with anxious eyes.

Jelyan went up to the tallest girl there and talked to her in French. At first, the girl seemed nervous, but soon, she opened her mouth to Jelyan’s friendliness.

Youngho went over close to them to see what was going on.

“Dad, they are orphans. They used to be at the U.S. military camp in Syria, but they migrated this time.”

“Did they have a guide?”

“The U.S. military took them to Turkey, and our people helped them from the harbor.”

“I guess they had less trouble.”

“But she said it was too cold.”

“What are you talking about? The car ferry must have had the heater on, and this train is hot.”

“It’s too cold to go outside because they don’t have underclothes.”

“You’ve checked something very important. Did she tell you how long they were in the U.S. military camp?”

“They stayed there for about two months. They lost their families when the Turkish bombing destroyed their residential area.”

Telling the children’s story, Jelyan’s eyes were turning red.

She must have remembered her time in the past. Youngho patted her shoulders to comfort her.

Her painful memory that had long been forgotten was brought back after she saw those orphans.

Jelyan also suffered extreme fear and pain and was given a long psychiatric treatment before she could recover.

“Jelyan, you have to be strong in these times. Those kids and the Kurds came all the way here, trusting you.”

“Dad, thanks for helping the Kurds. My heart aches when I see them, but I’m okay because I have a father.”

Even though she grew bigger as she entered her adolescence, she was still a little girl in Youngho’s eyes, but she was talking like an adult now.

“Yes. I will always remain a strong supporter of you, Jelyan. Those orphans will forget their pain and live happily ever after in the royal territory from now on. Let’s do our best to make that happen.”

By the time Youngho finished speaking, the train had arrived at the royal territory’s temporary camp and was slowing down.

***

When Youngho, Jelyan, and Kim Chun got off the train, the royal guards saluted them.

Youngho was about to get on the waiting car after tapping on the shoulders of the guards suffering from the cold weather. The girl Jelyan met on the train opened the window and talked to Jelyan, so Youngho turned his head. As Jelyan responded in fast French, the girl almost shouted at the people on the train.

Seeing it, Jelyan covered her mouth and smiled.

“Does she need anything?”

“No. She asked if I was a Kurdish princess, and I said yes, then she shouted to the people on the train. She said the princess was on the train with them.”

The migrants, who had not yet gotten off the train, were all peeking out of the windows of the train to see the outside view but were confused by what the girl said.

Jelyan did not know what to do as people cheered for her.

“Jelyan, you have to wave your hand. They’re cheering for you.”

“Dad. I’m so embarrassed.”

“They’re going to be our residents now. What’s the shame? It’s a courtesy to wave your hands to them.”

The train was in an uproar as she waved back at them.

They looked discouraged and nervous when they left the wharf, but now they were applauding and shouting. It was almost a frenzy.

Some of them were even seen wiping away tears with the back of their hands.

Youngho could not just leave in this situation so he hesitated, but Kim Chun suddenly told them to pay respect to the Duke and the princess of the Kazakh royal family.

The migrants immediately began to get off the train and surrounded Youngho and Jelyan.

“Long live Your Highness, long live the princess!”

They exclaimed in French.

Fearing a possible safety accident, security guards protected Youngho and Jelyan, but the Kurds were left helpless in the midst of the outbursts of emotion.

Even though they were excited, they did not get close to Youngho and Jelyan, so Youngho stopped the guards and raised his hand to wait for the migrants’ feelings to subside.

As the moment passed, Youngho gathered the power of the ring to raise his voice.

“I am the Duke of the Kazakh royal family. My daughter next to me, Jelyan, played a big part in the decision of accepting you. I’ll do my best to help you settle down here. You are not a people without a country now. Keep in mind that Kazakhstan, where Princess Jelyan is, is your home country from now on. I sincerely welcome you into the country.”

“…”

There should be cheers and applause at this point, but everyone was silent. It was because Youngho talked in English. The French-speaking Kurds of Syria could not understand him.

Youngho looked at Jelyan to see if she could interpret his words for him. There were other people who could speak French, but he thought it was best if it could come out from Jelyan.

As Youngho gestured her to interpret, she took a loudspeaker from the guards and started talking to the people.

Although Youngho only said a few words, she talked for a long time. She seemed to have added a little extra words to his speech, but since Youngho had no idea what she was saying, it was a bit frustrating. At the same time, it made him proud that she had so many words to say to her people.

When Jelyan was done, the migrants began cheering again.

“Long live Your Highness! Long live Princess Jelyan!”

“Commissioner Kim, I think the translation is a lot longer than what I said.”

“I’ve never seen that side of her before. She’s all grown up. I think she expressed her personal wish. She’s tearing up.”

“My Jelyan is quite emotional today.”

When Jelyan came to Youngho’s side after she was finished, Youngho wrapped his arm around her.

Seeing the friendly gesture of father and daughter, people raised a thunderous roar again. Despite the cold, the atmosphere was warm enough that it seemed people could stand outside for hours. They did not want to go back to the train.

After saying goodbye to the migrants, Youngho, who got into the car, hugged Jelyan who had stood in front of the hundreds of people. As a girl who was only 15 years old, it was a lot to take in. Youngho encouraged her.

“You did very well today. Daddy is very proud of you, Jelyan.”

At Youngho’s words, Jelyan burst into tears as mixed emotions crossed her mind.