An hour after being introduced to their new teacher in Hwarang House, the Hwarang and Nando men had found themselves gathered at a large field. There were three large square boards on a far distance almost on top of the hill looking like a target board because of its white, red, and yellow squares and they way they were lined up with a distance from each other.

“Our training for today will be about shooting the arrow while riding the horse.” Chunhwa starts, her voice booming in the open field.

Two Hwarang bodyguards together with the Hwarang General joined them at the same time, the bodyguards carrying two pairs of horses.

“Lady Heo,” the general starts but falters when Chunhwa turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. The general clears his throat.

“I mean, Miss Chunhwa, here are the horses as you have requested.”

The female nods, “Alright, thank you General.” she turned towards the Hwarang and Nando men once again.

“As I have said, our training will be about shooting the arrow while riding the horse. You will do that together with your Nando and each of you should complete a total of 3 laps before the next pair to move on.” she says, noticing their reactions about what she had just said.

“I do not ask for you to hit the bull’s eye in just one shot,” she continued, looking at each one of them.

“But I expect you to give your best because I will still grade your performance for this training. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Miss Chunhwa!” the men chorused.

“And to be fair, me and the General will go as a pair first.” she travelled her eyes towards the Hwarangs and her eyes met with the Hwarang beside Yeowool.

“You, what is your name?” she calls out and almost everyone turned to look at him.

“Ji-Jin Juhyung, Miss Chunhwa.” the Hwarang stuttered a little.

“Alright, Master Juhyung,” Chunhwa nods, “You and your Nando will go together with me and the General first and you shall decide on who will be the next two pairs to do the shoot and ride. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Miss Chunhwa!” Juhyung and his Nando chorused before she and the General went to the two horses near them, the chosen Hwarang and Nando doing the same.

The Hwarang men watched in awe as Chunhwa mounted on her horse with graceful ease without any help. Jidwi looked fondly at her, glad that she still possessed that fearless attitude especially when riding the horse. He remembered her telling him how much she loved horseback riding when they were young and it seemed that she still does so as she gently kicked the horse’s side, the horse cantering away from the process.

Everyone watched the General’s horse gallop across the field while the General draws his bow— releasing the string and the flying arrow then hits around the red square.

As Chunhwa’s turn came next, not one Hwarang blink as they watch her draw her bow and swiftly released the string— the arrow impressively hitting right in the middle of the bull’s eye.

“Wow, I can’t believe she could do that even while looking elegant at the same time.” Hansung says, his mouth still agape in awe while it was Juhyung and his Nando’s turn next.

Yeowool rolls his eyes at the younger, pushing his chin up to close his mouth.

“Will you stop that? I can also be elegant shooting an arrow while riding the horse just like her, you know.” Yeowool says with a smirk and Hansung looks at him, unamused.

“Whatever, Yeowool hyung.”

Sooho watched Chunhwa at her last lap in shooting the arrow— his eyes travelled to her perfect posture as she rode her horse and the way she drew her bow, striking another bull’s eye as she released the arrow.

If this is the girl he will marry someday, then, he should show her that he can be as capable as her in terms of physical abilities.

Sooho turned to his Nando, “Shall we have our turn next after them?” he suggests and his Nando looks at him a little surprised.

“Sure, whatever you wish Master Sooho.” his Nando nods and Sooho gently pats his shoulder in thanks.

He turned his attention once again to Chunhwa and realized that her horse was now trotting towards his direction. She gently pulled her horse into a stop and just as she was about to get down, her footing slipped from the straddle’s stirrup.

Sooho immediately run towards her side to catch her before she could completely fall. Swiftly appearing in front of her— he grabbed her hand, his other arm making its way towards her waist to support her from possibly falling.

Chunhwa’s free hand immediately latched to his shoulder and her head snapped up towards him, the two of them sharing eye contact. She immediately set her foot on the ground and gently pushed him off.

“Thank you.” she says, sparing him a look. Just as she was about to look away, he spoke.

“Kim Sooho.”

Chunhwa turned to him, confused. “I’m sorry?”

“It’s my name, Kim Sooho.” he says, waiting for any reaction from her.

“Ah...” she blinked at him, “Thank you Master Sooho.”

With that, she bowed a little at him before walking away. He turned to watch her nod towards his Nando who bowed at her before proceeding towards Sooho’s side.

“Master Sooho, shall we?”

Sooho looked at her back for a second before turning his eyes towards the man beside him and gave him a nod— the two of them mounting their respective horses.

‘Does she not remember me somehow?’ he asks himself.

“You’re making it so obvious that you like her.” Yeowool tells Sooho as the former passes by him. Sooho noticed that he is also riding the horse, his own Nando following behind.

“You’re also next?” he asks, avoiding giving the other any reaction about what he had said.

Yeowool shrugs, “Juhyung picked me so I had no choice.”

“Anyway, I shall go first.” he smiles mysteriously at Sooho before kicking his horse on its side and galloped away, his Nando following him.

“He fell off from a horse?” Sooho asks, looking at an unconscious Sunwoo lying on the bed.

He, Yeowool, Banryu, and Sunwoo’s Nando, Danse stood around his unconscious figure with furrowed eyebrows as they observe the Hwarang— Jidwi stood by the door, looking at him as well. It was a few hours later after they had their training with Chunhwa in the shooting range field. Sunwoo had come back to the field after their lunch to perfect his shooting, as he completely lacked the ability and kept shooting his arrow out of the target board. But then an hour later, they were informed that Sunwoo was rushed at the doctor’s room, unconscious.

“His horse returned without him, so I went and found him like this.” answered Yeowool, looking at Sooho and then at the unconscious man.

“At least,” spoke Danse, “A physician was thankfully nearby.”

“Although...” Banryu speaks and the three turned to look at him. “Why did you call me?”

“This is why they say you are rude.” Sooho sighs once again, but this time in exasperation.

“How can you say that when our roommate might die?”

Banryu’s lips twitched at his words.

“I feel sorry for your future wife.” Sooho shakes his head.

Just then, the door to the doctor’s room opened, surprising Jidwi who was standing beside it. The Hwarang men and Danse turned to look at the new comer and their eyes widened in surprise.

“I heard Master Sunwoo was rushed here. What happened?” Chunhwa asked, making her way towards the three of them and her eyes focused to the unconscious Sunwoo.

She looked at Yeowool and then at Sooho, waiting for them to answer her.

Sooho cleared his throat.

“He fell off from his horse while practicing his archery, Miss Chunhwa. He looks fine but he is still unconscious so we are not really sure.”

Chunhwa sighed and shook her head.

“I told him that he could practice his archery but not over exert himself. Is he really hard headed like that?” she asks to no one in particular.

Her eyes then caught Ahro who has been there the whole time, sitting on the other bed across the room— her face blank and unmoving, staring off the space.

“Then, what happened to her?” she asks.

The three Hwarang men turned to look at Ahro as well and Sooho sighed pitifully.

“She must be in shock to have witnessed her brother falling off from the horse.”

“Her brother?”

Chunhwa looked Sooho and then at Ahro, she also looked at Jidwi who was still standing by the door, looking at her— she turned to look at the unconscious man on the bed and then back at the other female in the room. It then dawned upon her that Ahro is the sister of Sunwoo Jidwi told her about that night at the festival.

She then made her way towards the unmoving female, their eyes following her. She sat down beside Ahro.

“Ahro-yah.” Chunhwa calls, trying to get her attention. She repeated calling her name two more times before Ahro had finally responded and turned to look at her— although her face was still void of any emotion.

“It’s alright, your brother will be fine.” she smiles lightly at her, holding her hand in comfort.

The other did not speak, but Chunhwa knows that she is thankful for her reassuring words.

She then turned towards the men inside the room, “I think we should leave them for now. You still have your lecture with the Assistant Chief Instructor, am I right?”

The Hwarang men looked at each other and nods at her.

She turned to back to Ahro, “We will leave you two.” she says softly, patting her hand gently before standing up.

“Well then, let us go. I shall inform the Assistant Chief Instructor that Master Sunwoo will not be able to make it to the lecture this afternoon.”

With that, she made her way out of the doctor’s room and the rest of the Hwarang men and Danse follows.

“You know Miss Ahro?” Sooho asked, the moment they got out of the doctor’s house.

“Of course, she is one of my friends when I was a child.” Chunhwa answers him, if she was confused as to why he had asked her such a question, she did not show it.

“So, do you know me then?” he asked, a smile making its way to his face when she gave him a nod.

“If you’re Kim Sooho then you must be Minister Kim Seub’s son, am I correct?”

“Then do you remember me?”

He asked her again. However, the female looked at him without any recognition at all.

“No.” Chunhwa answers him without a beat, “Am I supposed to remember you?”

Sooho faltered at that, he then shook his head no.

“Well then, I’ll see you all tomorrow during training.” She tells the rest of them before going on a different direction.

“What was that?” Banryu asks as he caught up with Sooho who had stopped walking.

“Rejected by the second time that’s what.” Yeowool says, amused before going on his way.

Jidwi on the other hand looked at Chunhwa who was still on his sight, a thought crossing his mind.

‘I didn’t know that she knew Ahro from when we were children. But how come she does not remember the rest of the people in her childhood?’

“Master Sunwoo, I see you have finally woken up.”

Chunhwa was walking in the Hwarang House grounds four days later, when she encounters Sunwoo on her way somewhere— her bow and arrow case slung on her shoulder.

Sunwoo nods at her, “Yes, just two hours ago, Miss Chunhwa.” he answered and she nods back at him, smiling faintly.

“Well then, if you are feeling well now you can join the others in training but if you’re still not completely well you don’t have to worry since I have advised the General about your condition.”

“No,” he said before she could walk past him, “I can join the training.”

“Well, that’s better then.” she nods, pleased that he can join the training.

With that, the both of them parted ways— Sunwoo making his way towards the training grounds while Chunhwa made her way towards the shooting range field.

“Hya!” Chunhwa cries as she kicked the side of her ebony black mare, drawing her bow and shooting her arrow into the target boards on the top of the small hill.

She had been feeling a little suffocated lately, ever since she had found out that Sunwoo and Ahro were actually siblings.

The only thing she remembered when she was young was that Ahro had an older brother but she never knew that it was Sunwoo.

‘But how about the bracelet I saw? Did I just mistook it as Sam Maekjong's bracelet?’ she thinks distractedly, having given up shooting arrows and have settled in just riding her horse in circles.

She slowly pulled the reins to slow down her horse to a stop though, when she saw Princess Sookmyung together with her female bodyguard making their way towards her.

Chunhwa gets down on her horse as she meets Princess Sookmyung half-way, immediately bowing to her in greeting.

“Lady Chunhwa greets you, Princess Sookmyung.”

Princess Sookmyung gave her a small but genuine smile in return.

“How is your stay in Hwarang House so far, Chunhwa eonni?” she asks.

“It was alright, Your Highness. Thank you for asking.” the older female answers her with a small smile as well.

“Although the Hwarang men seemed to be reluctant towards me as their teacher at first, I have proved to them that I can be capable of teaching them a lot of things especially in the art of war.”

“That is good to hear then,” the princess nods, relieved. “I just worry that they are being hard towards you.”

Chunhwa chuckled lightly and shook her head, “There is nothing to worry about, Your Highness.”

“I may appear fragile because I’m a girl, but I promised in my grandfather’s grave that I will be a strong warrior to protect the royal family.”

Princess Sookmyung looks at her admiringly.

“After all,” the older female continues, “I did not stay in the North for a long time to only cure myself but also to train myself to be a skilled warrior in order to protect you and the Queen if there comes the time I have to.”

“Chunhwa eonni...”

Chunhwa averted her eyes away from the princess and to the open field, looking at the horizon with a calm smile.

“That is why no matter what happens, I will help and make Hwarang the strongest warriors of Silla. The ones who will protect the King and the royal family when the time comes I’m not around to do so.”

Princess Sookmyung looked at her with a sad expression.

‘This is why I like you...’

She watched Chunhwa who continued looking ahead of the fields with a smile, the wind gently blowing her hair.

‘Even if you’re just a tool for the royal family.’

Author's Note:

I apologize for any spelling and grammar mistakes.
I was not able to proof-read my work properly and I just
puked 2,550 words in this chapter. I feel shameful T.T

Nonetheless, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter ;u;
Hello to my new subscribers as well!

- flyingjunmyeons [20170520]