A dull ringing in his ears muffles the sounds of the battle raging around him. Yongguk pulls at his armor haphazardly, letting each piece drop to the ground as he stumbles closer to his target. With each step his body grows heavier, his muscles weary and pleading for a moment of rest. He sinks to his knees and falls forward on to his hands, his sword lying tossed to the side. His breaths come in ragged gasps in the hopes of forcing more air into his lungs, but the blood that pools in his mouth blocks the way. His eyes become fixed on the bright spots of crimson that adorn his dirtied hands; tokens of war he wished did not have to be paid. His heart twinges at the thought of all the men that left their stains on him, men who now lie broken on the barren soil.

This is not how it was supposed to happen, he thinks, digging his fingers into the black soil, I have failed my people.

Yongguk lifts his head to stare across the chaos in front of him. His eyes fall on her and he bites back the name that forms on his lips. He cannot call out to her, not now as she stands in line with the enemy. A crooked smile pulls at one corner of his mouth as he remembers that she was to be his queen. She looks at him for a moment before turning her eyes away, guilt flickering across her features.

“Figures,” Yongguk rattles out, “She really was too good to be true.” However, the realization that she had always been the enemy could not extinguish the feelings that bubbled u