the kumiho blood line - part 22
the lee family in historical fantasy contexts, a snapshot of various time periods.
existing as kumihos, literal shapeshifting creatures, the members of the family have learned to wield silence as shield and weapon, carry grief with grace, and hide in plain sight.
lee hyesun is one of the original fox sisters, cursed, but they descend from the heavens and integrated themselves into the world. she marries the mortal lee beomjae. she conceals her nature, though her husband does not leave her even in the revelation. the couple bears seven children-- six daughters, one son. the matriarch enforces the mythic code of survival to protect her descendants. she watches her own lover die of old age, and she watched her own children fall in love with mortals too. even in her own grief, she holds space for her children, who also mourn the loss of lovers. they were once nomads, feared and revered in whispered lore.
in this time period, lee hyesun is witness to several dynasties rise and fall. though it is now her daughters who serve as ladies-in-waiting to princesses, queens and noble ladies alike, adapting many names to blend in. miharu's father, lee hyunjae, with the sons of the family, serve as scholars or even generals. lee hyesun's grandchildren, including the twins mikoto and miharu, are now grown adults. as they mature and finally explore the world, they eventually take on mates as well. forbidden love with mortals becomes a lesson that miharu's generation learns, a consequence of breaking the most sacred rule that forbids her kind to reveal their true nature.
during this time period, the whispered lore becomes a cautionary tale. the family exercises even more restraint, for this is the period where their original enemies, the samjokgu, have hunted their kind to death. nonetheless, they integrate into the court life with veiled cadence and ritual diplomacy.
the family migrates to japan to avoid threat, survival reliant on shapeshifting. mikoto serves lords with his other cousins, while protecting the ladies of the family. the family also adopts japanese personas, the lee family adopting the surname yamaguchi. they settle in ezo, just before the country is sieged in civil wars.
the family travels seasonally between countries, though travel does not come with risks and challenges. when they return to hanseong, the family fights under the banner of the the joseon king. and yet, even with the service rendered, the kumihos remain hunted, forcing the lee family to return to ezo, as a special unit tracks and tries to kill them too.
with the hunts finally ceasing, miharu and her family enter the service of the new joseon king, and are sent as envoys to negotiate peace, reparations, and continue bridging a cultural exchange as a new era begins.
in 1813, the yamaguchis finally set sail to the other side of the world. the yamaguchis reach london, hoping to integrate into the european society. money, looks, and small connections allow them to debut into society-- julien's branch of the family traces back to maison de renarde from versailles. as they adjust to society, its matriarch lee hyesun is a widowed noblewoman. her children debut into society as rite of passage, and once embedded, her grandchildren take the spotlight.
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