GOLDEN

ASSIGNMENT DAY 1: AKIRA

Sir Hyungwon and I, perched on our horses, sat at the edge of the great forest, awaiting the appearance of the Elven treaty. Hyungwon pulled out his pocket watch and sighed.

"They're always exactly 13 minutes late, no matter what time I come, early or late." He mumbled, putting his watch back in his cloak pocket.

After a few moments of silence, he turned to me and hummed.

"If I may," he began, catching my attention, "does your hair get in the way of your daily activities? I don't mean to come off as rude, if I do but, it's very long and, although braided back, it seems to not be suitable for combat." He asked, gesturing to my hair.

"Sire, my hair is the pride of my clan. It is tradition for us to grow our hair long and healthy, such as lions do, to represent our pride. For us, our hair is precious, and we have learned to fight and work around it." I said, simply. Although, I do wish to cut my hair to spite the clan, I mustn't. Our image is everything, and I would only do us a disservice if I were to cut it.

"You don't seem to be too prideful, yourself. You speak in fact, not love. You don't like it, do you?" He read me like an open book. I didn't like it.

I didn't even get the chance to argue against his statement as we heard the sound of trotting elk exiting the forest and toward us.

"Ah, here they are, just on time." He sarcastically stated as we finally saw them.

The Elves were always a beautiful sight to see. Their red elk were a perfect match for their elegancy. Leading the treaty was a beautiful woman. Her long dark hair contrasted her pale skin and shaped her face. She looked to be sculpted by the gods themselves.

We dismounted out horses and walked to meet them in the middle. She promptly did the same, followed by her 2 guards behind her. I stood just to the side of my prince, although slightly behind to show my status as not an equal.

"Ah, if it isn't my favorite of all of Fantasia!" Her silky voice sounded like a song, gracefully entering my ears and filling my body with a sense of peace.

"Lady Aspen, lovely to meet you once again." He gave her a soft smile as she took his hands, lifting them to her forehead to show her respect before letting them go.

"Yes, of course! And who might this woman be? Are you in love with another? Don't worry, you'll never find another just as good as I am." She teased, though her underlying tone and eyes expressed a subtle seriousness. I felt lightly threatened.

"Oh, this is my personal guard, Miss. Solaris. Don't mind her presence as I won't mind your guards." He expertly attempted to avert her attention, but to no avail.

"This is your guard? Huh, but she looks to be the height of a 15-year-old human. I cannot see how that would be fit to protect you. You must request a new one at once!" Her comments were digging deep, and I clenched my jaw, reminding myself of my place. She only referred to me as though I was an object.

"She has successfully beaten our kingdoms' Gladiator, and my father seems to believe she is capable. Who am I to doubt the king?" He seemed passive-aggressive about the statement, and I couldn't help but feel as though he didn't believe in me. It hurt my pride, funny enough.

"Well, I believe you should see her skills yourself. I believe even you could defeat her in a duel, you are a very skilled swordsman, my prince." She fed his ego greatly, and he turned to scan me lightly before turning back to her.

"I do believe you to be correct, however we should focus on the task." Now, their attention was diverted and my feelings, and my own ego, were struck down. I harden my expression and turn to face the guards of Lady Aspen.

I was being carefully examined by the two royal guards of her ladyship. They were frightfully tall and beautiful. They were testing me with their gaze. I kept a steady expression and they finally seemed to let up, giving me a respectful nod, to which I returned. They saw me as one worthy of their respect! I felt like I would explode with happiness, but I couldn't show it, so I only tapped my fingers on my left hand quickly on my pants.

After almost an hour, the trade and conversations were complete, and Lady Aspen was saying her goodbyes to my prince.

"Do come visit my humble forest, sometime, my love. I would love to show you more of what I can offer to please you." She slowly let her eyes study his whole body. My prince was visibly lightly uncomfortable.

"Ah, I will keep that in mind, my lady. Please have a safe trek home, Mr. Nakamoto sends his thanks to you." Hyungwon and I watched as they mounted their elks and made their way back into the forest. Once they were out of sight and we couldn't hear them anymore, Hyungwon let out a long-exasperated sigh.

"Gosh, it is so hard to deal with her flirting. She always seems to disregard personal space and it really wears me out. I do apologize for the lengthy conversations, let's make our way back to the castle. If we make haste, we should arrive within the next hour." He stated. I nodded and mounted my horse, and he followed.

Our way back was silent, I admired the scenery. I hadn't left the boundaries of the palace and village, so these vast fields of green were a wonderful sight. I wish I could properly appreciate the sight, however both the prince and the lady's comments were clouding my thoughts and just ruining my overall view.

Once we had returned the horses to their stables, we took the garden route to the castle.

"Lady Aspen had a point earlier. I do believe you are not fit to be a guard, much less a personal one." Hyungwon paused in his steps, brining me to a halt as well.

"Sir, with all due respect, I do believe I am more than capable of completing my expected duties to protect you and the kingdom." I stated the rehearsed statement that had been circling my mind ever since the king had first told Abel and I our duties. I knew we would be doubted so we both rehearsed this phrase.

"Then, prove it. Akira Solaris, I challenge you to an official duel under the rules of the royal dueling laws. Do you accept this proposal?" He asked, sticking his hand out for me to shake.

He absolutely towered me, however I couldn't let him run my pride over like how he's done. I also couldn't accept a fight against a prince!

"My prince, would a duel be professionally accepted? Is this within acceptable laws? I don't believe, as your royal guard, I should be dueling you." I respectfully declined. He furrowed his brows.

"You will accept this proposal, or you will suffer the consequences of denying a royal request bestowed upon you. What say you, Solaris?" He demanded. His tone was harsh and there was no more room for denial. I inhaled sharply and kept a steady expression as I firmly took his hand.

"I accept."

As we entered the castle's training grounds, we saw Abel and prince Minhyuk entering on the opposing side of the grounds.

"Did you challenge your guard, as well?" Minhyuk asked my prince.

"Yes, in a way." He simply answered, glancing back at me. I didn't notice his eyes glance at me as I winked lightly at Abel and quickly flickered my eyes up to the stands. Hyungwon ignored the shared gesture and carried on with his conversation with his brother.

Abel looked up to see the other princes with their guards in the stands, speaking to one another and laughing. I assume they are going to watch the duels. All except for Hyunwoo and his guard who are there to spectate and keep from actual harm being done to any party involved.

"Now, we gather here today to watch as these guards prove their strength in duels against their princes. Our first duel will be Prince Hyungwon, of Nulyra, and Royal guard Akira, of the Solaris clan," The prince and I walked to the center of the grounds, seeing as the other pair had gone to the sidelines.

"Use of magic or sorcery of any kind is prohibited in these duels. No killing blows and no use of weapons other than the swords at hand. With this, let the first duel BEGIN!"