Jonghyun watched with barely concealed pride as Taemin swung himself onto the horse that had been provided to him. It was an hour’s ride to the arena and the duo had been well rested and refreshed for their journey. Their fast horses took them to the arena in forty-five minutes, which gave them enough time to water their horses and get to their tents. There were almost two dozen other pages who were to participate in their respective contests. 

*********************************************************

From his position at the pedestal, Jinki watched the pages walk towards the ground for the first contest in archery. One of the boys looked vaguely familiar to him, and Jinki almost jumped with a start as he realized who it was. The impudent imp from Prince Jonghyun's kingdom. Wondering if the lad had improved from the time they had met, Jinki leaned forward in his seat and watched with bated breath as the boy shot bull's eye after bull's eye. It was certain to say that he had surely trained for this day. Had his master trained him? Would it be safe to assume that Jinki would finally be able to meet the elusive Prince Jonghyun? Almost star struck with anticipation, Jinki waited to see who would be the next contender from that particular kingdom. Surprisingly enough, the same page was participating in all the activities and somehow excelling in all of them. The fire of determination in that boy's eyes highly impressed Jinki who felt ready to give him a token of his appreciation even if that kingdom didn't win the prize money. 

*********************************************************

Taemin grinned triumphantly as he saw the leaderboard with his name right at the top. Due to the days of vigorous practice, he had done his best at all types of events. From the corner of his eye, Taemin could see the smile on Jonghyun's face and felt the true pleasure of making his lord proud. 

Jonghyun smiled as he saw the tired, dirty Taemin jumping up and down not unlike a child, waving his arms at the cheering crowd. He was surely the underdog of that side competition, being scrawnier than all of the other pages, and had won the respect and love of all the members of the crowd. Now it was the turn of the princes and their proxies, and Jonghyun walked boldly to the arena, burning with the urge to win. The grand prize would surely help him to restore the glory of his kingdom, and he would soon be able to claim the throne. Stripping off his tunic to reveal his white vest, Jonghyun picked up his bow and instantly dominated the event of archery. Though the bow was heavier than what he was used to, he lifted it easily and struck his targets perfectly. Prince Jinki had stepped away from his spot on the pedestal, but the enthusiastic crowd was more than making up for it. Their cheers ignited the winning spirit inside him, which brought him to the top of the leaderboard with quite a large margin between him and the others. The next event, wrestling, was something Jonghyun knew he would excel at, having spent the past few months training. The type of wrestling was something quite unusual. Opponents would stand on a wooden plank above a moat, and try to throw each other into the water below. Gripping the hands of his opponent, Jonghyun shifted his weight onto his legs as he bent himself backward till his hair touched the plank, before suddenly flipping and tossing his opponent into the water, causing a huge splash. Jonghyun’s muscles hurt him a little as the majority of his opponents were heavier than he was. Straining slightly, Jonghyun managed to come out on top, as usual. 

******************************************************

Jinki spotted the leaderboard as soon as he returned. Prince Jonghyun was at the top of the list and would surely win the tournament. His wise courtiers wanted him to get married to the winner who would prove to be the strongest and most skilled person in the land. Marrying Prince Jonghyun definitely wouldn't be a bad idea, considering the name he had made for himself, Jinki was quite sure that this match would be the best among the rest of the contenders. The last event was swordplay where the winner was the one who disarmed his opponent first. Raising his eyebrows as he recognized Prince Jonghyun's proxy, Jinki felt a few beads of sweat roll down his forehead. It was the blonde man whom he had wounded, and judging by the look of panic on his opponent's face, it was clear that this mystery warrior was immensely strong and skilled. If only he could get over the immense feelings of rage that boiled his insides, Jinki knew that his own army would benefit from having someone like that warrior leading them to victory. Making up his mind to recruit that man as soon as the match was over, Jinki sat back in his seat to watch the fun. Watching the swords clanging against each other, Jinki felt happy as the mysterious warrior won his match, just as everyone in the audience had predicted. Prince Jonghyun would be his. Although this was to be an arranged marriage, Jinki couldn't help but be thrilled to think of what was to come. Finally, a worthy partner for him. 

The page, Taemin had stepped forward to collect the bag of coin promised to the winner, which gave Jinki enough time to study him further. Somehow, the lad possessed royal features which confused Jinki entirely. How could a lad like that just be a mere page? Dismissing those thoughts, Jinki removed one of the chains from around his neck and presented it to the boy. 

"You did well, lad. Your master must be proud"

"Thank you, Your Highness"

Jinki watched the blonde warrior approach the other contestants, wiping away the sweat from his brow before congratulating them on their performance. From his place on the stand, Jinki called out,

"Well done, my good man. You've done your kingdom proud"

Turning to his courtier, Jinki announced that he was ready to marry Prince Jonghyun, and noticed the bright smile on the lad's face.

"The man who was your lord's proxy did very well. I'm sure he would do wonders leading my vast army"

"Your Highness, my lord doesn't have a proxy. That's my lord, Prince Jonghyun"