A Warrior's Heart

Chapter 40; Captured

Black.

That's all he could see.

The endless view of nothing but that one solid colour.

He tried wiggling his hands, but as soon as he did he felt the small sting of rope digging into his wrists.

He had woken up a little while ago, gaining consciousness again. His head was pounding like no tomorrow and his mouth felt dry. His tongue darted out to wet his lips, and though he was blindfolded, he knew he was in a room, the soft creaking of wooden planks under his feet sounding in his ears.

He was scared, but if there was one thing he had learned from the head warrior, it was to never show your fear. It could bring pride to your opponents and it could make them have fun in fighting you. You never wanted to let them have fun in slashing their sword towards you, you wanted them to fear you instead. Have them shaking in their shoes as you fought them, making it easier to spot their weaknesses.

Suddenly the door to the room opened, and Beomgyu his train of thoughts was broken. He heard someone entering, the door falling closed behind the person. The air in the room seemed to get colder with the new presence, as if the world was giving him a sign, a hint, that this would not be some guy who brought him tea.

The blonde kept his mouth shut, his lips pursed in a thin line. He balled his hands to fists in preparation. He didn't know what he was preparing himself for exactly, but if he had to figure out what this person was going to do with him, he would say something bad was about to happen.

"So you're that boy.."  A male's voice suddenly sounded from somewhere in the room.  "The so-called emperor, am I right?"

Beomgyu kept quiet, not planning on answering the man. He couldn't see him, but he could hear him, loud and clear. It was a rather soft voice, like it hadn't been through much yet, it wasn't too old, but not too young either. He'd guess the age of this guy somewhere in his early twenties, maybe even 19 still.

"I really don't see why they're all going on their knees for you."  The man continued.  "I mean, you're not even a full-grown adult yet. You don't radiate power at all."

Beomgyu kept silent. He knew the man wasn't right, and he only said it because he was been taught that way. But he knew he didn't have to radiate power to actually have that power. Power was earned by actions, not by looks.

"And now you're not even saying anything to me! You're just a weakling!"

Beomgyu's head snapped to the side, a stinging sensation lingering on his cheek. His eyes were now blown wide behind the blindfold and tears welled up in them quickly. The man had slapped him.

If warrior Yoongi would be here, he would've wasted no time in beheading the young man. He would've pulled his sword out of it's heft and slashed it towards the man's throat with no hesitation at all. He'd do anything to protect the young emperor and to take his wrath out on anyone that brought danger to him.

But he wasn't here. So the man kept his head and continued talking to him.

"Ahh that was so worth the risk!" The man said, chuckling slightly and Beomgyu slowly moved his head back. In a way, he had expected the man to hit him. But it still shocked and hurt him that the man actually did so. He didn't know what the risk was that the man was talking about, but he didn't really want to find out either.

"The new emperor is so weak, that didn't hurt my hand even a little bit!" The man continued. The blonde could hear him walking a circle around the chair, could sense man behind him, and when the man leaned in, he could smell his hot breath when the man whispered in his ear. "Not even a little bit."

He refused to cry. Refused to let the tears escape. Refused to let his fear show.

The man circled around the chair, ending up in front of him again. He wanted to believe the man wasn't going to hit him another time, but he already knew that he would. Why would he come all the way to this room to hit him only once? Even the young emperor could imagine that soldier didn't think that way.

He was proved right when his head snapped to the side again, the skin around his eye burning with pain. He could already feel the skin starting to hurt with a pulsing sting. He was so not looking forward to seeing that turn into a black spot.

He could almost see the man smirking down at him, pride filling him because he just hit the emperor of the kingdom. Beomgyu didn't know why, but somehow the soldiers were always filled with some sense of confidence whenever they inflicted any kind of harm to him or his people. Why couldn't they just be happy and live amongst the others in peace?

"You're just a weakling! A weak emperor who can't even defend himself when it matters! Just a small, young, stupid empero-"

"That's enough."

Beomgyu flinched when another, deeper voice interrupted the man. He couldn't see him, but if the voice and the command was anything to go by, the new person was older and had a higher position.

"You've insulted him enough, don't you think?" The oldest continued.

The blonde could hear someone turning around, and then the man spoke up again. "What?! But he's just a lowlife! He deserves to be insulted and slapped!"

A sigh.

"You're up here against orders. It's time you go back to your room and continue your strategising. Our leader won't be pleased with you, you know that right?"

Beomgyu could tell the man was mad, even though he was speaking in a rather calm voice. It was a strategy used by the leaders of a group. He learned that when he was younger, and his mother taught him things about the world. If you yelled at your followers, all that would follow was them not listening to you and despising you as their leader. On the other hand, if you'd stay calm and collected, they would know you meant it, and you got respect out of it.

"I wasn't even doing that much.."  The boy muttered and the blonde could hear people walking out the door, slamming it shut behind him. Their voices got softer and softer as they walked down the hall, and eventually Beomgyu couldn't hear them anymore. He was all alone again in the room, his skin stinging and eyes watering.

He already hated being here.