Minwoo rode out into the sunny afternoon of his second day, fully armoured and only a little bit more used to it's strangely unfitted shape. He slowly approached the clearing where he had met the prince before, once again stunned by the beautiful landscape of the royal grounds. There were tiny wild flowers growing in the grass that he had never seen before. Among the trees he thought he could make out a doe settled in the shade, chewing peacefully on some leaves.

In the quiet he could make out the sound of hooves and quickly adjusted himself to sit straight, taking a deep breath. However the man and steed that approached from the direction of the palace was most definitely not the prince, but clearly much older and more serious. The large horse drew closer and Minwoo swallowed.

“Sir Minwoo?”

He nodded quickly. “Yes, that's me.” He paused nervously. “Where is the prince?”

“That's why I'm here,” the older man said, obviously unimpressed with the news he had to deliver, “He's waiting at the castle for you. There's been a change of plans.” Without another word, the older man turned his steed around and trotted off, leaving Minwoo baffled and alone.

He looked around, as though expecting a sign to pop up and explain what was happening. From the trees the doe stared back at him, serene and amused by his confusion. Or at least, that's what he imagined.

He sighed and looked down at his horse and gave its neck a gentle pat before steering it off towards the small castle, hoping he remembered the way well enough. The grounds seemed to be clearly laid out and divided, but there was still a chance he could accidentally wander into a maze or something else equally strange.

With some luck, either through his own memory or the horse's he wasn't sure, he was soon trotting towards the little castle. Outside waited the ridiculously armoured knights, stationed at the castle door as normal. He searched between them, hoping to spot the prince among them or near by. One of the knights seemed to notice his confusion, and subtly pointed up the tower.

Minwoo looked up into the princess tower, taking his helmet off to see better, and nearly fell off his horse in surprise. Instead of the princess leaning out the window in her beautiful garments and jewels, Prince Donghyun was gazing down at him with a broad smile.

“My knight, you have finally come to rescue me!” The prince called down from the window, waving with delight.

He stared up at him, alarmed. “Your Highness? What are you doing up there?”

“I've been kidnapped, and you're going to rescue me!” Prince Donghyun called back, sounding very excited for a faux prisoner.

He dropped his gaze to the knights, who took up their fighting stances. It didn't seem like he had any other choice. He shifted on his saddle and took a breath.

“Release the prince!” He called, trying his best to sound convincing.

“To rescue the prince, you must first defeat us!” A few of the knights shouted in response, apparently having not had the time to rehearse this change of dialogue.

“Then prepare to fight!” He called back, feeling incredibly silly to repeat the lines the prince had used before.

He shook off the feeling with a swift dismount and drew his sword. With the change of battle dynamic the knights seemed a little confused, but it was quickly remedied by them more or less lunging at him one at a time. It was a little awkward at first, but soon enough they fell into an easy strike/counter pattern.

With a few carefully trained motions and a little bit of navigation he managed to 'defeat' all the knights. Prince Donghyun applauded loudly from above. He shook his head and gave the 'dead' knights an apologetic look before heading into the tower.

He stepped into the dark room and ignored the skeletons staring at him as he headed up the stairs. Before him loomed the wooden door, beyond which the prince was waiting. He was almost expecting some sort of trap door to open.

When nothing happened he awkwardly reached out a hand and pushed the door open, not really wanting to shove it dramatically as he had the day before. As he entered the room he braced himself for a prank or trick, but instead was greeted with the prince's beaming expression.

“You've come to save me!” He cried brightly, striding towards him with open arms.

“Yes, of course..” he began, but was quickly but off by the prince grabbing his hand.

“Take me to safety, oh brave knight!”

“Um,” He blinked “Right! Yes, come this way, your highness.” He stepped back towards the open door, viciously conscious of the way the prince held tight to his arm,and wondered if there was a polite non-treasonous way of making him let go.

To his dismay, the prince clung to his arm all the way down the stairs and out of the castle. As they stepped out he spotted a few knights raise their heads or carefully shift their positions to watch them. He felt very hot under the amour.

To his mortification, the prince hopped up side-saddle on the horse – who seemed to be giving Minwoo and expression of great offence. He repressed a deep groan and mounted the horse as well. The prince wrapped his arms around Minwoo's waist, making the whole situation all the more mortifying.

“Onwards, knight,” Prince Donghyun chimed happily, leaning against Minwoo's back.

He bit his tongue and encouraged the horse to ride back to the village, dreading the responses of the villagers.