As soon as we entered the training area the men immediately jumped to attention.  As if on cue, they all stood and saluted almost simultaneously. I was a bit startled by their action, but Kyuhyun seemed unperturbed as he brushed past me.

He quickly walked to the front of the group, eyeing them critically.  I stood off to the side, watching as Kyuhyun’s eyes went cold and his face became an unreadable mask. 

Kyuhyun exuded authority, he cast an aura around himself that paled in comparison even to my master.  My eyes scanned the throngs of men and I could only see respect in their eyes.

“Our kingdom is under siege.  There will be a war and many of you will die”

I shivered slightly as Kyuhyun’s blunt words cut through the silence.

“However, the harder you train, the better your chances of survival.  This isn’t fun and games, this is your lives at stake.  Feel free to around, I don’t care, but just remember it’s your skin on the line”

His eyes met the eyes of every person there and I saw a few of the prospective soldiers shift uncomfortably under his scrutiny.  Kyuhyun turned his back to the men, but his voice rang out as he gave orders,

“Separate yourselves according to your training.  I will assess your strengths and determine where your skills will be most useful”

There was a slight pause and then suddenly the training grounds burst into activity.  I watched as the men sorted themselves based on how long they had been training.  Meanwhile Kyuhyun strode over to me.

“Grab this bag and follow me, I’ll have someone else bring the rest”

I nodded numbly, still a bit startled at this new side of Kyuhyun.  I had seen arrogant Kyuhyun, angry Kyuhyun, indifferent Kyuhyun, and even caring Kyuhyun, but I had never seen Commander Kyuhyun.  It was difficult to wrap my brain around his change.

I pulled the heavy bag as I trailed after him, there was no arguing or insulting banter.  Truthfully, I was actually a bit intimidated by him.  Being a slave, I was highly sensitive to the chain of command and this was the first time I actually felt like Kyuhyun was someone to serve.

If Kyuhyun noticed the silence, he didn’t show it.  He just continued to walk in his unconcerned manner, not noticing the slight awkwardness that seeped into the air between us. 

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t notice that Kyuhyun had stopped until I crashed into his much larger frame.  I let out a startled squeak as I lost my balance and promptly fell on my .  I glanced up and glared when I saw Kyuhyun smirking down at me, his brow raised in amusement.

Just like that, the discomfort dissolved and he was just Kyuhyun.  Not the future Head General, or someone to serve, just Kyuhyun.

He didn’t offer to help me up, but I never expected him too.  I got to my feet and we resumed walking, but this time instead of trailing after him, I walked at his side, no longer treating him like royal personage.

We arrived at a large tent set up at the edge of the training grounds.  The tent held a few chairs a leather sofa and a large mahogany desk.  One side of the tent was obscured by a thick, velvet curtain.   Kyuhyun seated himself behind the desk and motioned me to the chair that faced his desk.  I dragged the bag to a corner of the spacious area and then approached, seating myself in the indicated chair.

Kyuhyun leaned back in his throne-like chair, tapping his fingers on his desk rhythmically.  I rolled my eyes and snorted,

“I swear, your ego is over-inflated”

He arched an eyebrow in response and I quickly elaborated,

“Only a complete narcissist would have something this elaborate set up for training sessions”

“Oh this is only half of it”

Kyuhyun chuckled, standing up and walking to the curtain.  He pulled the thick cord and the curtain slid to the side revealing a huge bed covered in silken sheets and goose down comforters.

“Are you kidding me?!  You have a perfectly good bed back at the castle!”

Kyuhyun shrugged,

“This is in case I get tired on the job.  We can’t have our resident military god get sleep deprived”

I rolled my eyes and fought the urge to make a sarcastic comment, it wasn’t worth it.  Kyuhyun obviously took my silence as victory and he let the curtain fall back in place, his point made.  He settled himself back into his chair and pointed his finger at me.

“Okay, here’s the deal.  For the time being you are my personal servant, you’ll take care of getting me water or fetching equipment as I need it”

I sighed, but nodded in agreement.  A devilish smirk played on his lips and I knew he had something else in store.

“Also, this is your fore-warning, l have every intention to use you to make Yesung mad”

He chuckled to himself, his eyes glinting evilly. 

“Is that really necessary?” I sighed, wondering how I got caught up in this idiotic feud.

Kyuhyun shot me a pointed look and I had my answer.  It seemed that I would have to endure playing a pawn in Kyuhyun’s power game.  In any other situation I would have felt smothered and maybe even a bit insulted, however in this case I barely even blinked an eye.

I simply chalked it up to me getting used to Kyuhyun and his stupidity… at least that’s what I tried to convince myself…

**********

I grumbled under my breath as I lugged a pail of water over to Section 5 of the training grounds.  Earlier that morning Kyuhyun had designated different numerical markers to divide the area into training sections.

Section 1 was dedicated to sword play, Section 2 was for those specializing in hand combat, and so on. 

I wasn’t particularly thrilled with my current task for several reasons.  For one thing, this damn water was heavy and my arms hurt from carrying it across the vast field.  Secondly, Section 5 was where the cavalry was situated and cavalry meant horses… I wasn’t a huge fan of horses…

The only thing I was grateful for was the fact that the snow had been cleared in preparation for the training.  If I had to carry water while trudging through knee deep snow I would have spit in Kyuhyun’s food as revenge.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I finally reached my destination.  I lugged the pail over to the water trough, carefully pouring its contents inside.  Almost immediately horses came ambling over, eager to drink.  I made a small sound of discomfort and backed away, trying to put as much distance as I could between myself and the giant beasts.

I gasped and spun around quickly when I accidentally stepped on someone’s foot.  I bowed immediately, hoping the person would be forgiving.  I could only imagine Kyuhyun’s mocking if he heard that I couldn’t even get water without causing problems.

I stiffened slightly when a large, calloused grasped my chin and tilted my face up.  I looked up to meet the face of a tall, muscular man.  I shuddered slightly when I saw the lewd smile that stretched across his thin lips.

I tried to get away from him, but he refused to let me go, his hands closing around my wrist easily.

“Well aren’t you a pretty little thing” he purred in an appreciative voice.

My lips curled in disgust as his eyes raked over my body, his eyes lighting up in anticipation.

My stomach went cold with dread and I tried to yank my arm out of his grasp.  Unfortunately he was not only much larger, but also much stronger than me.  My efforts did little else than excite him further.

“Oh, a feisty one!  Fun” he growled, his eyes turning a shade darker.

I looked around, desperate for anyone who could help me.  Unfortunately, this was a rather secluded section of the field and it seemed like no one was around to hear me if I screamed.

I pulled again, this time more panicked and desperate.

“L-let me go!” I hissed, trying and failing to sound fierce.  The tremor in my voice gave away my fear.

“Sorry dear, but I can’t do that.  You’re much too pretty, if I let you go, some -crazed fiend might snatch you up”

I continued to struggle as I shot back,

“Like you’re any better, you sicko!”

He didn’t even try to deny my accusation, but instead leaned close.  I flinched at his breath stung my ear as he grunted,

“I’ll make it good for you too little bunny”

The hand not clamped around my wrist came up as he attempted to slip it beneath my shirt.  I whimpered and tried again to jerk away.   I squeezed my eyes shut, trying not to sob.

My eyes flew open as I heard a loud thump and the pressure around my wrist disappeared.  I looked up with watery eyes to find a furious Kyuhyun beside me.  My eyes followed his hateful glare and I found my attacker splayed out on the ground, a bleeding wound on his forehead.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Kyuhyun asked in a scarily calm voice.

My assailant looked up, shocked at Kyuhyun’s sudden arrival.  He scrambled to his feet, wincing and touching his head gingerly.

“I-I, um… I can e-explain C-commander…”

Kyuhyun’s eyes grew impossibly harder as he hissed,

“Don’t bother you piece of !  I swear to God if you ever touch Ryeowook again I will publicly castrate you and leave you to bleed out.  Now get the out of my sight before I do more than make you bleed a little!”

The man paled and bowed hastily before scrambling away, almost tripping in his haste to get away from Kyuhyun.  I watched as Kyuhyun clenched his hands into fists, taking deep breaths to calm himself.  When he finally seemed okay he turned to me and looked at me carefully.

I looked away, not sure whether to be ashamed at my weakness, or grateful that he had come along.  I tensed slightly when a warm hand wiped my cheeks.  I touched my face and was surprised to find that tears had unknowingly leaked from my eyes.

“Are you okay?” Kyuhyun asked in a serious voice.

It was hard to detect, and maybe I was fooling myself, but I swore I could make out the slightest hint of concern in his tone.

Not trusting myself to speak, I simply nodded, avoiding his eyes.  He studied me a bit longer before wrapping his arm around me.

“No one will ever touch you again, I’m sorry”

I bit my lip, not sure how I was supposed to respond.  I happened to glance to my left and I saw my master watching us with an unreadable look on his face.

I realized that Kyuhyun was just doing this to make Yesung jealous.  I knew logically that the arm wrapped around my waist meant nothing, and the reassuring words were nothing but fiction.

I knew all that, but I couldn’t stop a little part of myself from wishing that his actions were genuine.

For some irrational reason, I wanted to believe that Kyuhyun cared.

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Long time no update huh?

Well this chappie a bit longer than usual so enjoy! ^^

Music: "Te Amo"- UKISS