Masters of the Sea

025

It was an ordinary morning, or so Minsung thought. He was an early riser, so he was up and about before dawn, practicing his swordsmanship in the courtyard of the barracks as he usually did. It was his turn to be on barracks duty today and he particularly enjoyed the alone time he had before the rest of the soldiers awoke and the silence gave way to the hustle and bustle of the day. This morning though, a rare interruption distracted him from his routine.

Knock, knock, knock.

The Baekje barracks were located on the outskirts of the capital, a fortified compound with high stone walls, with one main gate and a number of smaller ones that led off from different sectors of the compound. The knocking was coming from the main gate, which had two towering doors constructed from solid oak wood, each with its own huge brass knocker. Not that the knockers were ever used. Minsung had only heard them sound once, and that had been when Dojin had forgotten to bring his seal out with him and was barred entry by the diligent foot soldiers who had been on guard.

Knock, knock, knock.

Who could it be so early in the morning? Looking around, Minsung noted that he was the only one awake at the break of dawn. Walking over towards the main gate, he sighed when he noticed the guard on duty snoozing by the wooden doors. He made a mental note to tell Sunghyun that discipline within their army was decreasing in standard and they really should do something about it. Giving the guard a hard kick, he woke the sleeping fellow from his slumber with a start.

"I'm sorry sir!" The guard immediately leapt to his feet, bowing sheepishly towards Minsung. He silently cursed himself for having been caught slacking on duty and wondered what punishment lay in wait for him.

Minsung shook his head, "Do you know what could happen if the enemy ambushes the barracks in the middle of the night? Are you willing to bear the burden of all the lives of the men who sleep within these walls? Report for your punishment immediately after your duty. And try to stay awake till then."

He didn't open the gates. It was against protocol. Instead, Minsung headed up the stairs to the top of the fortified walls, peering down curiously at the other side of the gates. When he saw who it was who had been knocking relentlessly, the sword in his hand clanged noisily to the ground.

"Open the gates!" he shouted loudly to the guard at the base. Running as fast as he could, he sprinted down the stairs, reaching just in time to see the gates crack open, revealing the two men who were outside. He almost couldn't believe his eyes. "Hoya, Sunghyun!" he exclaimed, looking from one exhausted man to the unconscious one that was carried on his back.

"Minsung, you don't know how glad I am to see you," Hoya mumbled, his voice hoarse from the lack of water he had experienced. Seeing a familiar face in a familiar place, a sense of relief washed over him.

We're finally home. We're safe.

It had been a long journey, one that he hadn't expected to have survived. But now they were home, and everything was going to be alright.

Placing one hand on Minsung's shoulder, he smiled. The last thing he remembered before he blacked out was Minsung's shocked expression, and the vague sounds of his friend shouting for help.

#

When Sunghyun awoke, he felt as though the weight of a million tons was weighing down on top of him. He tried to move his limbs, but they felt incredibly heavy, as if someone had lined them with rod iron. Blinking his eyes, he looked up at the ceiling above him. Something about it looked familiar.

He coughed.

"Sunghyun! You're awake!" an excited voice could be heard. The next minute, a chirpy-looking face had popped into his field of vision, a face that he felt as though he hadn't seen in almost forever.