Minho was embarrassed to say the least. He realized quickly that if he didn't improve, he was going to keep getting embarrassed. Which meant that as long as he was here, he had to work even harder.
Minho was up now on his own, heading up before anyone could come in and drag him out of his own bed. He was spending less and less time with Hei-ran.
And before he knew it, he had been training for more than a month at this stupid place.
But still, he was doing strange exercises instead of learning battle techniques or actually fighting with swords instead of sticks. That was what Minho thought he would be doing, and in reality he was just sore from all the bruises those damn sticks had given him.
Master Sang-hyuk was always just sitting there watching him. He was getting tired of this quickly.
At some point he had just asked, "Why won't you give me real training?"
"Because you don't deserve it," Master Sang-hyuk shot back.
"Then why did you even bring me here?"
"For you to prove that you deserve it."
Stupid. Minho was so tired of him.
But he was coming to respect him. The longer he stayed here, the more he saw the training men and women here. He was creating an army here, and all these people were better than him.
Why not pick one of them? He had asked that too.
"They are only better than you for now. You need to get better than all of them."
Good answer.
Minho lay awake this night. He was thinking of the San Palace again. Was Jisung alright? Yeong? His brother and his subjects that come with him?
"If you're worried about them, then learn to protect them," Master Sang-hyuk had said.
Easier said than done. Minho was dying here.
The next morning, Minho got up before anybody else. He was up shooting every target right in the center on the worst horse they had given him.
He was running faster than ever.
What more did they want from him? As he ran, he kept asking himself that. When was the real training going to start? If he was stuck here, he might as well get some.
Minho didn't rest until the afternoon. He lay back on the rocks near the stream as his robes floated along with the water, trying to break free from his body.
"Minho!" Minho didn't open his eyes as he heard Master Sang-hyuk arriving.
"This is your new teacher."
Minho sat up quickly to find a sword lying at his feet. He stared up at the face in front of him. "This is Wang Ka-Yee."
"I know you," Minho winced as he sat up, staring up at the foreign face in front of him. "You're the ambassador... right?"
"That's right," his accent was distinctly foreign but he could speak Korean. That was good. "I'm here to teach you."
Master Sang-hyuk nodded. "Fine swordsman. He'll be teaching you from now on. Then when he's done teaching you everything he knows, you'll come back to me. I'll teach you how to actually lead."
"What?" Minho laughed as he stared up at them from where he sat. "Everything he knows? That's going to take a long time."
"Then you better get started," Master Sang-hyuk laughed as he turned and walked away. "Better hurry."
~oOo~
(Large Time Jump. Sorry.)
(19 (ish) Months Later)
"GET OUT!" The general waved his arms frantically as the soldiers rushed to get people out of their homes. "Hurry up!"
In the last few months, more than six of the Han villages had burned to the ground. The army was running out of supplies to help the victims with.
To make matters worse, attacks on the Geulimja Kingdom as well as the Western Lee Kingdom had started as well.
The King stood tall on his horse, scanning the burning village around him. "Get them out now!" he ordered as more men ran into the fire to get citizens out.
"Your Majesty!" Captain Kim ran from where he was gathering the safe villagers together. "You should leave now. We'll take care of the rest."
Jisung stared down at him from his horse. "I'll stay and make sure that everything is handled before I leave."
"But isn't Yeong's birthday celebration coming up? Go celebrate with him," his eyes glossed over. "He should have a parent at his side."
Right. Both his parents had died, his adoptive dad had been kidnapped and was missing and his only other guardian was struggling to rule a country that was falling under attack from an unknown enemy.
"Captain!" Jisung called as Captain Kim began to walk away. "If you see any Black Masks, do not risk out soldiers and try to catch them. They've all got their tongues cut out anyway."
"Yes," Captain Kim bowed before running off, yelling orders to his men.
Jisung turned his horse around and began to run through the village, looking for people who may still be inside.
"Help!" he heard a small voice from a small hut at the end of the village. He jumped off his mare and pulled the door open.
A small, maybe five or six year old whimpered in the back of the building. "Come here," he swept her up and carried her out of the house. "Come with me."
"Ahjusshi, aren't you the king?" she stared up at him with big eyes.
"... right, I'm the king who is here to help," Jisung jumped back on his horse, holding her in front of him as they rode back towards the captain.
"Here! Let me take her!" General Kim pulled the girl down from Jisung's hold as Jisung turned and surveyed the group. "Get water. Douse the village." he ordered before he swung his horse around. "And make sure everyone is safe."
"Yes," the men before he bowed as he ran off back towards the San Palace.
Yeong was waiting for him there. Already two years old, his small little son. He leapt from his horse as soon as he got through the gates and ran into the palace. "Yeong!"
"Daddy!" Yeong stumbled around the corner, waving his arms in the air. "Dada!"
"Our Yeong!" Jisung picked him up and swung him into the air, kissing his cheek. "You grew up so quickly, you handsome boy!"
"Dada!" Yeong giggled.
Jisung grinned and tapped his nose with a long finger before carrying him to the gathering room where Min-hyung, Yongbok, Changbin and Bang Chan were all waiting. "You're back," Changbin murmured, bowing his head.
"Are the villagers alright?"
"We got everyone out," Jisung nodded.
"Good," Min-hyung reached over and took Yeong from Jisung. "My little nephew! You're so big!"
"Yaa!" Yeong waved his arms around and giggled.
"He's an excitable one for sure," Min-hyung brushed his cheek. "He'll make a fine king."
"Changbin," Jisung turned to Changbin. "If Yeong and I die, you have to find Hei-ran."
"What?" Everyone turned to him with wide eyes and shouted. "What are you talking about?"
"We're in more and more danger every day and there's nothing I can do about it," Jisung murmured as he turned away. "If we happen to both die, you need to find Minho and Hei-ran."
"You're not planning on dying any time soon, are you?"
"Who ever plans on dying?" Jisung turned and walked back to his room. "Hold on to him for a moment. I need to write something."
"Okay," they watched him go as Min-hyung held onto Yeong.
"Changbin," Bang Chan turned and looked over at Changbin. "Minho. Any luck?"
Changbin winced and shook his head. "We'll keep looking for them. Jisung will never give up but... I have a feeling they are not willing to leave."
"Leave where?"
Changbin started to walk away, Yongbok watching him go. "Where are you going?"
"I'll be back," Changbin murmured as he walked towards the stables.
His horse took him right to the mountain.
He jumped off it's back as soon as he reached the cave and he looked around. "Where is Master Sang-hyuk?"
"He's in the back, sir," the servant bowed and took his horse as Changbin walked through the temple training area and to the back of the mountain where he heard grunts and cheers as he walked.
He stood looking out over the scene in front of him.
It was Minho.
His hair tied behind his head, his fist wrapped in cloth and blood running down his forehead, he sparred with another young man with their fists.
"Get him, Minho!" they cheered as Minho landed another punch right in the guy's cheek. "Get him!"
Minho sent one last punch to his nose, sending him sprawling to the ground.
"Damn brother!" The guys ran to the fallen kid's side and helped him up. "What were you thinking, challenging him? You're lucky you weren't using a sword! You would have lost your head!"
"Minho!" Changbin called down.
Minho looked up between the beams of wood holding up the temple where Changbin stood. He wiped the sweat from his eyes as he said something to the others that sent them back to training. Changbin hurried down the stairs and followed after Minho as he went to wash his face in the stream.
"What were you doing?" Changbin asked as Minho ducked down and washed the blood away in the river water.
"Master Sang-hyuk said to do my best if they challenged me and to win so I would win their respect and they would follow after me."
"Whatever," Changbin settled down next to him. "So you've become quite the opponent now?"
"No one challenges me anymore. They beat me up in the beginning but now once I beat them they just like to watch for fun. They just want action. It's boring up here."
"So training is going well?"
"I guess so. I'm at the top."
"You have to be better than the top now don't you?"
"Of course. It's never good enough."
"Jisung is still looking for you, you know," Changbin looked over at him as he cleaned himself. "Are you going back?"
"I have to stay here," Minho murmured. "I'm his right hand man. I'm almost done with training. I can go back after that."
"But you've changed here, haven't you?" Changbin stared at him. His once child-like face had turned harsh and more severe, like he had seen more, endured more, and from that changed.
"We've all changed," Minho stood up and walked back towards the temple. "Are you leaving?"
"I just wanted to see you," Changbin stood up and followed after him.
"I'm just going to hang out with Hei-ran for the rest of the day. My training ended this morning." Minho walked up the stairs. "She's waiting for me."
Three years old and Hei-ran was the love of everyone in the mountain. She was spoiled by all of her older orabeonis, who were probably around her fathers age, sometimes younger. Minho had to go find her everyday to take her back.
Today was easy. She was sitting on Son Hyunwoo's lap as she played with some toy one of the other guys had given her.
"Oh, Hei-ran, your dad's here," Hyunwoo lifted her off his lap and into Minho's arms.
"Hi, Dad!" Hei-ran waved at him as he held her up. "Are we going now?"
"Yeah," Minho bowed to Hyunwoo and the other guys who waved goodbye as he and Hei-ran walked back to their room with Changbin trailing them.
"Oh? Uncle Changbin? What are you doing here?" Hei-ran asked in her cute little voice.
"I'm just here to see your dad," Changbin gave her a small smile before waving. "I'll be going then. Let's speak again soon, Minho."
"Sure," Minho didn't look back as he carried his daughter back to their room. "I'll see you next time."
Changbin watched him go, his back and shoulders wider now, and perhaps his heart smaller.
Minho had changed.
And Jisung had no idea.