Baekhyun’s robes caught the wind as he walked with his huge book. The gold ts round the top of his collar shone when he entered the throne room, which was awash with daylight seeping through the windows. Jongin looked up from the giant gold-rimmed throne, the snakes that rose to the armrests following Baekhyun with their empty glowing eyes of emerald.

‘Speak, advisor. What is the news?’

‘Grave. War is coming.’ From the look on Jongin’s face Baekhyun knew that he had hoped for the best.

‘Very well. I don’t know what Kris is thinking, our army is better equipped and we have a huge naval base. How do they think they are going to defeat us?’

‘I think, Your-, sorry, Jongin, that Kris isn’t preparing for an attack on the sea.’

Jongin’s eyes widened in realisation ‘That means they have to take the route through Peace Valley.’

‘Precisely. Kris wants a showdown, and from our intelligence, I think they have more men. It’s going to be a matter of number.’

Jongin stared into space. Baekhyun knew he was trying to think of a plan to outsmart Kris and that it was going to take a long time, so without being excused, he left.

‘Chanyeol!’ Despite his higher position, and earlier discreetness, Baekhyun didn’t think it was going to matter much. ‘War is coming, Chanyeol. You have to hide. They are going to send every man out.’

Chanyeol stopped sweeping the straw under the horses and turned to face Baekhyun.

‘I was afraid you would say that… I- I can’t.’

‘Why?’ Baekhyun hadn’t missed the overwhelming fear in Chanyeol’s eyes and the trembling of the broom.

‘I have brothers, Baekhyun. I can’t let them go to war without me. It’s… unfair. I have to be there.’

Baekhyun felt his heart get heavier and his throat felt like it had turned to lead.

He didn’t say anything, because as a higher-up, he had never really cried before, and he did not want today to be his first day. The day of Chanyeol’s death should be his first day.

Chanyeol knew it too. They had experienced a war two generations earlier, and it had taken a long time for the population to grow from the few men that came back.

Baekhyun hugged Chanyeol. For some reason, it seemed the only thing that was appropriate to do. Not kiss, but comfort.

 

 

Kyungsoo had been summoned to the throne room, and he was excited. The rim of metal on his longsword sheath clanked against his armour as he walked, in time with his steps.

He entered the throne room with Kris in the Steel Throne. Although Kris was tall, the chair was enormous. Kris rested his hands on the bear’s arms while high about his head, the mighty jaw was open in one of a terrific roar. Kyungsoo loved that chair. He hoped to be one day sitting in it, as well.

‘Kyungsoo, captain of the guards.’ The way Kris addressed him made Kyungsoo’s blood boil, as if to remind Kyungsoo he was lower than Kris. Kyungsoo felt Tao’s eyes on him, willing him not to bow. It was suspected treason if you showed that much hostility. Rigidly, Kyungsoo bowed quickly, whilst his sword. That always made him feel calm.

‘You declared war.’ Kyungsoo stated the obvious, trying to ignore Tao rolling his eyes. He was convinced now. Instead of making Kris suffer through Tao’s muder, he would make Tao suffer through Kris’.

‘Yes. They will assume we are meeting at Peace Valley. You, and half of our men will go there. I hardly think there will be more need than that. Besides, I suspect that dimwit Jongin will think it cunning to sail round the back and sabotage us from behind.’

Tao joined in ‘We will also send a small fleet to the coast to the north-west of the Gold Kingdom. They will not expect us to take the trouble of the long route by.’

‘True, it poses no benefits apart from maybe surprise. But I thought our naval base was so small that there would be no point?’ Kyungsoo could have thought of a better plan whilst in his many dreams of massacre.

‘We have been building it. We have at least 40 ships in our fleet.’ Kris said it with pride.

As he left the board room, to let Tao and Kris proceed with their ‘council meetings’, as they liked to call it, Kyungsoo knew they would win by sheer number, not those two’s unstrategical plans. Jongin had such a huge fleet, he could place scout ships around the coast (which would be what to do if he was sensible), and the main guard of ships could easily intercept. Somehow though, Kris managed to make the country thirst for war, one of the only good things about his leadership.

Walking past the guard Kyungsoo saw a man with his back to Kyungsoo. Unsheathing his sword, he saw the laughing man stop talking to his friend, who had gone frozen with fear. Maybe the foolish man had heard the signature noise from Kyungsoo’s sword. Kyungsoo pointed the tip of the sword at the man’s neck.

‘Well, here are two men skirting their duty to banter.’

The two men dared not to speak.

‘Come on, tell me a joke.’

The man screamed as Kyungsoo swept the sword over his shoulder to waist high.

‘That is funny.’

Kyungsoo walked away. The look of panic on his friend’s face was over exaggerated. He would live.

 

 

 

Three days later, Baekhyun turned up to the throne room with red eyes.

‘Jongin, the armies will have arrived. There will be one horse sent back of the outcome.’

Jongin nodded ‘I guess it’s time for the disguise.’

Baekhyun chuckled. Jongin was called the shadows of gold. Despite his regal matter, he only had to grow a beard to be unrecognisable, and something about his manner made him slip in and out of different crowds like he had been there all his life.

The beard that Jongin had grow over the last few days gave a distinct impression of ‘poor’ even though he was completely clean and well dressed.

Baekhyun saw Jongin’s peasant clothes, and bid him farewell before Jongin slipped out of the back entrance into the women-filled streets. There were very few men around, but Jongin could easily pass off as a mason or some sort of weapon maker. Maybe even a highwayman, if he was lucky. No-one questioned who you were if they had a gun pointed at them.

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo felt an early rush of adrenaline as he saw the hoardes of soilders before him. No matter where he looked, they all looked scared, apart from a few. He made a mental reminder of their faces, so he could hurt them really badly. The scared ones were funner to play with the next time they came, whereas the brave ones were just a pain.

He unsheathed his sword. The round of arrows was over, and now was just the full on fighting. Kyungsoo may have had armour made of iron, and not as glamourous as his oppenents, but the red would soon disguise that. In war, everyone was equal. Everyone could die just as easily as each other, as long as they were on the battlefield. He ran.

 

He hadn’t lost his knack, and he felt the warm blood splatter on his face as all those times before. This was going to be the most blood he had shed at one time, and as he dodged a clumsy jab, he sliced through the person for their incompetence. He felt happy. Getting through the spear users, and to the real swords, he noticed someone. Even though he was just a stable boy, he was known because of his fire red hair and his good fighting technique. He was also one of the brave ones.

Kyungsoo glided, sliding his sword. One scream he vaguely recognised as his own team, but that person was weak. He deserved it. The boy glared as Kyungsoo moved closer, and Kyungsoo noticed there wasn’t that much blood on the sword. Sissy.

Kyungsoo stabbed, and Chanyeol defended his chest with his sword instinctively. Unfortunately, Kyungsoo had expected the sheer predictability, so he had stabbed at Chanyeol’s leg. The sword made a dull sound as the tip connected with bone, and Chanyeol veered to the side, to be lost in the storm of people.

Kyungsoo expected he would go off and die somewhere. Most people who tasted his sword did. He was known as the Black Widow, because the poison he used on his sword was so strong.

Hours later, Kyungsoo saw the result very clearly. As much as he had killed, Kris had miscalculated, and it looked like they were losing, even though they had a much bigger number. It seemed Jongin had done a double bluff, and actually sent his whole force. In the blur, Kyungsoo ran from the battle. He had his share, and besides, they would lose in half an hour. When he reached the trees, Kyungsoo realised he had run further into Gold Kingdom territory. It was too late to turn round. Kyungsoo grinned to himself. Even though this had been a mistake, it might be interesting.