Time travel || Wonhyuk

8: The fight

Unable to sleep, Wonho climbed out of bed and walked outside, his sword in hand. Surely, Hoseok had fought hard to be in the position he is in, recognised by even the general himself. It would be a disgrace if he didn't do well in the match. Even if Wonho was merely taking over his body, be it temporarily or permanently, he had the task ensuring the wellbeing of this person. He wasn't sure though, whether the former  Hoseok had looked just like him, or did it just appear to be Wonho himself when he stare in the mirror, but in fact he looked different to everyone else. That doesn't matter right now though.

He unsheathed his sword and swung it much more gracfully than when he first started training, cutting through the thin air with ease, much like those manga characters he used to fantasise being. Thrusting the sharp tip of the sword forward, he pretended to fight against an invisible enemy, as he glided across the field and did another quick slash.

"Yah, why aren't you sleeping?"

Startled, Wonho jumped and spun round to face Hyunwoo. His hair was mussed, most likely due to deep slumber.

"Just practising..."

Hyunwoo strode over and snatched the sword from him, before making his way back to the small cluster of brick huts.

"You're good enough. If you don't sleep now, you'll only be tired in the morning, and perform even worse."

This caring side of Hyunwoo really warms Wonho's heart. Going back into the comfort of his straw mattress, he closed his eyes, letting the warmth wash him over with a wave of drowsiness.

Yawning, Wonho rolled over in his sleep, and landed uncomfortably on a protuding lump of metal. He got up and pushed the sword aside, before looking out the window. The sky was just as dark as he last saw it, but he vaguely saw a shadow packing up in the other corner of the room. Taking that as cue, he decided against falling asleep again and forced himself out of the coziness.

Clad in heavy steel, Wonho arrived at the outdoor court along with the 15 other, who were all anxiously fidgeting about. It wasn't long before a ray of sunlight filtered in through the dense clouds, accompanied by the faint drumming of hoofbeats in a distance. Almost immediately, the knights stood at attention in two neat columns, prepared for the arrival of Royalty.

And there they made their appearance, the King, flanked by four princes and four concubines, leading a small group of personal bodyguards towards the stone seats in front of the outdoor court, or rather, a brawling ring by now. A loud greeting was made, before everything settled into silence yet again. An ambassador stepped forward onto the podium, announcing the rules and finally the commencement of the event.

Many officials and servants alike began to gather around the court, watching the duels. The first round passed easily enough for Wonho. Afterall he had the upper hand with his bulk of gym muscles. Soon enough, within the duration of around two hours, 7 men were already eliminated. The last qualifying round was a battle between Hyunwoo and a guard called Hajoon. Hajoon was a relatively skinny knight, eyes deeply set and cheeks sunken in. Despite his looks however, he was not one to be trifled with. Strength may not be his best trait but tactics surely make up for what he doesn't have.

It wasn't even seven minutes into the match when he dropped onto the ground, looking pretty much defeated. However, when Hyunwoo had his back towards him, the man jumped up, taking Hyunwoo by surprise. Luckily for him, he moved away in time, succesfully blocking the other's assault with his wooden shield. This raised Hyunwoo's wariness against him, and the next time Hajoon fell, he made sure that Hajoon was genuinely knocked out.

That leads to the quarter finals, with the remaining 8 knights.

An eye-opener for a novice knight really... Wonho was taken aback by In-Tak's fierce and wild attacks, one after another. It was clear that In-Tak was adamant in winning that day. Wonho could barely keep up with his pace, strong sharp thrusts followed by a wild low sweep and finally a full swing of the sword. A minute passed with Wonho frantically dodging left and right and rolling on the ground just to avoid the mad attacker. Due to In-Tak's recklessness, he failed to notice how wide open he was and the uneven pace of his attacks. Wonho took advantage of that and struck, just as In-Tak raised his hand well above his head for a slash. The sharp blade cut through the armor with a loud clash of steel against steel. A huge crack on the chestplate was the result of it. That threw In-Tak off course, which gave Wonho a chance for comeback. Slowly but surely, In-Tak was worn out, and a natural win given to Wonho.

Four knights proceeded onto the semi-finals. Though all of them have already proven themselves, they were still required to battle till the end. The winner of the match will be serving the crown prince, or more specifically, Minhyuk. But that wasn't all. The most important part, was the promised cash prize and a noble title for the winner's family. This wasn't something that Wonho needed, because not only does he not know who Hoseok's family was, he was also not obliged to claim such honour for someone else. It was worth nothing to him, for someone who came from the future. Crazily enough, he managed to get into the finals alongside Hyunwoo, his soon-to-be enemy.

"Told you you were good. Now, don't be too gentle on me okay?"

The overly cheerful tone did not fit Hyunwoo in any way. More like a happy congratulatory speech, it sounded lime the calm before a storm. There was a glint in his irises, it was unnerving.

"I...won't. You shouldn't either."