Irene

The sound of arrows hitting the dummy caused birds to fly away. Due to my duty as empress, it was rare for me to engage in sparring sessions. Now that Suho is back on his feet, I can go back to my usual routine. I spar in the morning - mostly practicing my skill of swordsmanship and the use of bow and arrow - then I will take my horse out on a ride with my bow - still practicing my aim while I am outside.

     I grabbed an arrow from the quiver beside me. The string stretched as I pull the neck of the arrow - my eyes focused on the target in front of me. Without a moment's delay, I released the serving and the point landed on the middle of the dummy's head.

     I heard continuous clapping behind me. When I turned around, I saw Suho.

     "Well done, Irene," Suho said.

     I bowed my head as a courtesy. "Pleasure seeing you here, your majesty." I gave my bow to my attendant before approaching the emperor. "I see that you finished the morning tasks. Are you here to watch me train?"

     "Watching is an understatement." Suho took off his coat and pulled up his sleeves before grabbing a sword - swinging it to test its weight. "I want to spar with the empress. It's been a while since we did."

     I chuckled. "All right," Suho threw a sword at me - catching the handle. "Let's see if you still have the skills, my dear emperor."

     As we are on the practice grounds, soldiers watched the emperor and I spar. It's no surprise that I can hold a sword since I am known as a swordmaster from the Academy. Suho and I would spar when we were kids and one cannot underestimate him - he and I will always win and lose.

     "Woah there!" Suho exclaimed, blocking my hit with his sword. I can see he is struggling to keep his endurance from blocking the strength of my sword. "You've gotten better with distributing your weight on your sword."

     I replied, "You're taking too much advantage of the saints' power." I kicked Suho's leg to break his balance but he predicted my move and was able to jump back. "Nice reflexes."

     "Well, I have my strength back. Is it bad if I savor the opportunity?"

     "To be fair, you are allowed to enjoy as much as you want."

     Suho aimed his sword at me, "Enough talking. Let's go all out, my beloved empress."

     I smiled - amused by the burst of energy and fiery passion in me. "Don't cry when I humiliate you in front of your subjects, your majesty." I replied, my pose in defense position.

     Sparring with the emperor is every soldier's wish while they serve in the palace, sparring with the empress, however, is a rare chance that even soldiers from different noble houses wish to have the opportunity to partake in.

     Suho and I slashed our swords against each other - going for offense and defense in every hit. The last time I held a sw