Not So Cinderella ► T.K

Chapter Two

❛ Kim Taehyung, the kind.❜

────୨ৎ────

The training fields of Kimansa's royal barracks were alive before the sun had fully risen.

Dust hung in the air, kicked up by boots thudding into the packed dirt, and the sharp ring of sword meeting steel echoed across the grounds like a morning bell. Rows of soldiers moved in perfect sync under their drill commanders—young recruits sweating through their tunics, their faces set in fierce concentration. Wooden dummies bore fresh dents, sparring circles crackled with energy, and the air buzzed with discipline.

On the far side, archers lined up at the straw targets, their movements crisp and clean. The charioteers training with the horses, the guards cutting the air with their spears and the wrestlers tackling their opponents to the ground—truly a sight to behold. Every now and then, a shout rang out ; corrections barked, praises growled and the occasional grumble of a seasoned knight muttering about 'the soft wrists of today's youth', upset a lot of moods.

Tucked away in the corner of such a busy field was a sparring ground currently occupied.

"So tell me general-", Prince Kim Taehyung, the future heir to the throne of Kimansa, the biggest and the most influential Kingdom in all of the eastern continent, teased with a smirk as he and his sparring partner jumped back a step and circled one another, their sword pointed in each other's direction, "-do you want me to treat you to noodles after I defeat you today?"

"Defeat me? How about you start by not apologizing every time you land a hit?" Jimin, the said sparring partner, the general in training of his powerful army and the leader general of the Secret force Orenron, asked with an answering smirk. He swirled his weapon ; a practice sword, in a single hand flawlessly, flaunting his swordsmanship skills, earning a few stray claps from the ring of soldiers gathered to watch them fight. Jimin turned around and bowed at them from the waist down in courtesy with both of his arms spread out.

"Never-", Taehyung charged with a strong swing of his sword going for a kill, but the general, sensing the blade cutting the air, ducked and turned around just in time, getting only a few of his golden strands cut rather than his head, "-turn your back to the enemy. That's what you taught me, remember?", Taehyung finished with a dramatic tilt of his head. The soldiers made a united 'ooooooh' sound with a fist over their mouths.

Jimin was quick to get up and back into position, "One, two-"

"I am sorry for going for your head."

"There you go. Why do you keep apologizing! It was a good hit, do not worry!", Jimin cheered his prince on, expertly putting on a mask of bravery to hide away how barely he had just managed to not have his head rolling on the ground right now and how his legs shook slightly at the fact, "You did that because you knew I would be able to evade, do not apologize for it.", adrenaline filled his body.

Taehyung laughed softly, the sound like a breeze through silk. He jumped lightly onto his toes to warm up with his silver practice blade pointed at his opponent in grace. His grey hair was tucked neatly behind his ears with bangs falling over his grey eyes. Though he wore simple sparring clothes ; a brown fitted tunic with brown pants and boots, he still looked far too princely for the dusty arena. If you look too close, you could see a few of the soldiers blushing from the sidelines.