Queen of Roses

6) Victorious

Taehyung chugged from a nearby flask of water, his heart beating rapidly and his breathing heavy from the warm-up he had just completed. The day of the wrestling tournament had finally arrived, and all 30 soldiers in the faction were busy preparing to prove not only to the hundreds of spectators gathered around the arena, but also to themselves that they were worthy of serving in Goryeo's army.

There was an open field adjacent to the military training grounds that had been set aside for the event. The soldiers had risen at the first light of day to set up heavy rope around the grass, forming a large circular wrestling ring. The citizens were instructed to stand behind the rope, and a long wooden bench was placed on one end of the circle for the competing soldiers to rest upon.

Taehyung paced around the temporary circular ring that had been specially built for this event, stretching his neck and shoulders and ignoring the enthusiastic chatter of the citizens that surrounded him. The spring air was refreshing as he inhaled deeply to remedy his tired lungs, and the sun shined down on the arena like a natural spotlight. The markets were completely empty as everyone waited patiently for the exciting event. The recent war had made community events a rare occurrence, so the country was in dire need of some sort of entertainment. This wrestling match was not only an opportunity for Taehyung to earn some money, but to also help boost the morale of all the citizens.

Grabbing a nearby cloth, he hastily patted the gleams of sweat that were forming on his forehead and neck, tossing it towards the far corner of the ring where a handful of young ladies dressed in simple, beige and pink hanboks watched him eagerly. He was momentarily taken aback when a couple of them quickly moved to claim the used cloth, beginning their own fight.

"I grabbed it first!" one girl exclaimed, just as another snatched it from her hands.

"No, I did!"

Taehyung simply shook his head and moved to join the rest of the soldiers on the bench, taking his place in between Yoongi and Seokjin.

"Are you prepared to lose?" Seokjin asked with a grin, "because I'm not planning on going easy on you."

"Just worry about yourself, hyung," Taehyung chuckled, "I was born for this."

"I was born first," Yoongi pointed out, inviting himself into the conversation.

"No one asked," Seokjin responded sarcastically.

Taehyung smirked, "let the best man win."

Yoongi scoffed at that, "seeing as how I'm the only real man here, I guess I've already won by default."

"If your definition of a real man is 5 foot two and below 60 kilograms, then yes I guess you're the only man here," Taehyung muttered sarcastically, earning a sharp elbow in the ribs that caused his breath to hitch in pain.

He recovered quickly from the blow and laughed it off carelessly, "you're going to pay for that."

Before anyone could say anything else, the commander of the faction walked towards the middle of the wrestling ring, immediately ceasing all conversations as everyone waited in anticipation.

"Thank you all for joining us today as we welcome our new soldiers to Goryeo's central army. We hope that you enjoy this brief entertainment before proceeding with your busy lives and celebrating the Spring festival tomorrow. Before we get started, there are some special guests joining us who I would like to formally announce."

Taehyung glanced up in surprise towards the front of the arena where 4 high chairs were placed just inside the rope borders. He had been so engrossed in conversation with Yoongi and Seokjin that he hadn't even noticed the workers bring them out. His surprise only grew when his eyes caught sight of a familiar tall figure walking towards the chair with a young nobleman.