It was only a matter of time before they found him. 

Kim Taehyung reluctantly wrapped a military bandana around his forehead and then tied his long black hair up while waiting to check in to Goryeo’s mandatory military training. All males between the ages of 16 and 25 were required to serve in the nation’s newly developed army. That meant that Taehyung should have begun his training 5 years ago, but military officials had only barged into his home a week ago to notify him. It wasn’t that Taehyung had knowingly avoided his duties, but fate had managed to delay his enlistment since his hometown was such a neglected area that most of society had forgotten people still lived there.

Ever since the war with the Khitans began in 993, the nation had been rattled – constantly watching and fearing, for another war. And of course, it eventually occurred. After General Gangjo assassinated the King and placed his grandson, the current king Hyeonjeong, on the throne, the Khitans sought revenge for the murdered King in 1010, waging the second war. They burned the palace to the ground, causing the royal family to flee the capital, Namgyeong, until the King finally called for peace. Although the Khitans accepted this offer, relations between the two countries continued to face a downward spiral. Since then, both countries had been fortifying their borders, building military capacity, and gathering resources for the next war, which everyone knew was near.

Taehyung couldn’t care less about the nation’s well-being. His one and only dream was to become a general of the army – not for the moralistic reason of serving his country, but for the much more realistic goal of attaining enough power and resources to help his hometown, Daegu, prosper. That was the only reason he had come to the capital in the first place. If he could have it his way, he wished for Daegu to separate from all other nations and become its own, independent entity. It was the only good left in the corrupt and chaotic nation of Goryeo.

The government official sitting at the entrance of the training grounds quickly looked Taehung up and down before crossing off his name and handing him a generic sword to begin practicing with. Taehyung rolled his eyes when he ran his long fingers against the dull metal blade. He had sharper weapons to play with when he was five.

“They finally realized Daegu is part of the country, eh?” a characteristically familiar voice asked from behind him.

Taehyung’s eyebrows shot up in surprise as he turned around to see one of the older boys from Daegu, Yoongi, wearing an identical military headband as his. Taehyung and Yoongi were both major influencers in Daegu, taking after their fathers who were two of the most respected elders in the town. Despite the fact that the two individuals had a lot in common, their views about the town often clashed and their conversations almost never ended without either a heated argument or a physical fight.

Taehyung groaned, realizing that he would have to deal with Yoongi alone for a full year, without their families to break up their arguments.

“Wow, hyung, you really can’t get enough of me, eh?” Taehyung smirked, slipping into his natural Daegu accent, “I can’t believe you followed me all the way here.”

Yoongi barely batted an eye at the jab, seemingly used to it, as he pushed past Taehyung to pick up a shield, “shut up, I’m older, so if anyone’s following anyone it’s you who’s been stuck to my ever since you were born.”

Taehyung scoffed, picking up a shield and facing Yoongi threateningly, “let’s look on the bright side, now we can fight openly without your parents here to protect you.”

“And if I accidentally kill you, I’ll have a valid reason for it,” Yoongi retorted, swinging his sword at Taehyung and officially beginning their first military ‘training session’.

Years of constant bickering between them allowed for an evenly matched brawl, as each strike, each jab, and every step was successfully diffused by the other. As they became engrossed in their spar, it was blatantly clear that both men possessed far too advanced skills to be enlisted into a beginner’s military base. Taehyung glanced around at the inexperienced men around him, who could barely hold a sword without dropping it, and was suddenly grateful for Yoongi’s presence. Much as he hated to admit it, Yoongi was the only person who actually stood a slight chance of beating him in a sword fight, making their quarrels enthralling and unpredictable. Now, if it were an archery competition, Yoongi would never stand a chance. No one would.

At some point all the men had rid themselves of their shirts to compensate for the blazing sun that was directly above the military courtyard. Taehyung and Yoongi had been at each other’s throats for the past 20 minutes, with inconclusive results. Both men were sweaty, panting, and exhausted, but neither was willing to forfeit.

A few seconds later, however, Yoongi’s focus shifted to something behind Taehyung, causing him to falter and miss a step. Taehyung seized this opportunity to strike the sword out of Yoongi’s hands, immediately pressing his blade against his neck, and finally ending the brawl.

“Taehyung 1, Yoongi 0,” Taehyung grinned triumphantly.

Yoongi glared at him before shoving the sword away bitterly, “low blow, I was distracted.”