Promise- Minsung

Chapter Forty Nine

Minho set off around the edge of the field, steady as he could. He didn't usually run like this, he used to. When he was younger and more fit.

~oOo~

By the time Master Sang-hyuk returned, Minho was still running, sweat pouring down his face which was bright red as the sun had come out from hiding.

"That's enough!" he called as Minho came to a rest on the other end of the field. He walked over to the river and took a sip of the cool, fresh water. He washed his face and arms down quickly before standing as Master Sang-hyuk approached him.

"Take a few moments. Then get back up and get on that horse," he pointed to a tall brown stallion that was standing in the shade of the mountain. His eyes flicked wildly towards him.

"Great," Minho wasn't a bad shot, but he wasn't sure about this horse. For some reason... something was off about him.

Minho sat by the stream side for a few moments like Master Sang-hyuk had said before he walked over to where the horse was standing. A quiver of arrows was tied to the saddle and an arrow rested on the ground.

Minho took the arrow from the ground and held it. Not too heavy, not too light. He pulled it back. Not bad. He could use this well.

Minho was more worried about the horse.

He reached forward and brushed his hand over his neck, the stallion stamping his feet under him. "Some temper, huh?"

Minho swung up on his back, the stallion nearly bucking under him. He held the reins tightly as he reined him in, turning him around carefully towards the targets.

He kicked him into a gallop.

And he had never been on a more bouncing saddle.

It wasn't actually the saddle. The horse, his gate was just really awful. He reared back and didn't move in a straight line. Minho clenched his teeth and reached for an arrow, knocking it into the bow and pulled back, trying to see where he was aiming as he was bucked around.

He let the arrow fly.

Sure enough, it missed almost completely.

"Let's take a round and get you settled down, huh?" Minho muttered as he took the stallion on a quick run twice around the field. As he did, he shortened the reins and pulled him in more.

Don't mess with me, he was saying. In horse language, that was.

The stallion snorted and pulled forward, trying to gain rein.

Minho pulled back.

"Quit it!" he muttered as he took the second round.

This time when he went by the targets, he sent the arrow flying faster before, making sure his arm didn't shake as he did so.

The arrow didn't miss completely this time, hitting the target, but far from the center.

Minho sniffed before taking the stallion in a circle and going again.

He went again and again until he didn't miss. By the time, it was nearly dark.

~oOo~

For the next few days, he was dragged out of bed early and forced to do some strange exercise, now finding that the others being trained around him would turn and stare at him when they passed by the openings in the walls.

He was getting better, slowly. But these skills, were they really something he needed to learn like this?

Minho found himself thinking of Jisung more and more these days. His longing to return home to him was growing and growing the more he stayed away.

More like was forced to stay away.

One morning, Master Sang-hyuk stopped him on his runs early and handed him a long wooden stick. "Take this. Fight him," he waved a tall, large-built young man over.

He wasn't wearing a mask but his face was schooled into coolness.

Minho glanced at the stick in his hand and the large one in the young man's hands and groaned. He was getting a beating today.

Turns out he was right. Before he could even move, he was swept off his feet and sent flying with a blow to the knees.

He groaned as he stood up. Sweeping the legs?

He gritted his teeth and turned around, sending the stick's butt into the side of his opponent who grunted on contact.

Minho then spun so that he was standing behind him. The running had made him faster these days. He slammed the stick into the other young man's back and sent him stumbling.

Before the young man turned and hit him in the head, knocking him out quickly.