Archive of Our Own

It was chaos.

Someone had tipped off their current residence to the government. Yun didn't know who, but he will be sure to find out soon once this situation calms down. Having fled from his father's clutches and then deciding to raise an uprising against the ministry didn't exactly paint him a good image to the public. Word had quickly spread about the son of Anwei's Secretary of State going astray, and ever since then his father had been relentless at hunting him down. 

Yun had thought that things were finally going smoothly, especially since he had just recently and successfully persuaded the Everstied prodigy to join their ranks, with much reluctance on the latter's part at first. They've temporarily parted ways after that, and had somehow never encountered each other for a few days after their discussion. But then other concerns were immediately brought to light, most especially the rumor that just broke out about the government finally making a move after a few weeks of silence. This effectively placed their accord to the backburner of Yun's mind, particularly with the assurance that Elias is finally among them.

Now, right when the ex-noble thought that he's slowly getting things under control, one of his men barged in gasping for breath, on the verge of collapse yet still managing to relay a vital report that instantly made Yun's blood run cold. 

They've been infiltrated.

With one command from his lips, everyone was on their move. Weapons were brandished, gates were fortified, and an escape route was secured. With their current numbers, they are in no way close to facing the forces of the government. The involvement of an Everstied was a reassurance, but even Elias couldn't possibly handle an entire army on his own. And with his hunches telling him that this was a move made by his ever so ruthless father, it was to be expected that a full-blown armed force is at their front doors. They had no other choice than to retreat. 

An explosion shook their halls, giving them the message that they were running out of time.

"Leave for the Valenmans Camp! Take only what's vital and leave anything unnecessary." he commanded. As much as he'd dislike this act of cowardice, anyone with a sane mind would know that they were not ready. If they were to face the government's forces now, they'd be wiped out in an instant, even with Elias at their side. 

Speaking of the said knight, Yun had to look for him. He cannot risk Elias being dragged back behind the bars when he had just brought him out, and he barely even managed it with his current resources. Taking him out a second time would prove close to impossible. Under these circumstances, Yun would be correct to assume that once Elias is back in the government's clutches, he'd be executed on the spot. The prodigy knight is an essential part of their uprising, and if Yun wishes to see the current government overthrown, then he'd have to make sure that Elias stands with them until the end. 

"My lord, your steed is ready. You need to get out of here now." Cassius, one of his most trusted ally who has aided his escape from their family's estate years ago, gestured to the secret passageway behind one of the corridor's walls--their escape route. 

"I'm not leaving until I'm assured that almost everyone has successfully fled." he argued, moving to head back to the main hallways. He shouldn't be prioritized. Yes, he was an important factor to the success of the future revolt, but he had already laid out a Plan B of sorts if something were to ever happen to him. This was war, and literally anything can occur. He's not willing to take any risks if everything comes down to choosing between his own life or the country's. He'd dove into this prepared, and it'd be more than alright if ever he can no longer resurface in one piece, so long as it is risked for Anwei to regain its peace.

If they were lucky, they can get out of here unscathed, and it would seem like nobody has ever resided here in the first place once the government's troops break in the front door. However, on a second thought, the explosion a while ago gave the implication that they already did. The growing noise of a fight coming from the main hall as he drew near also confirmed that some of them had no other choice than to fight to get out of here, or maybe to buy the others some time to flee. But he wasn't leaving yet. Not until he's assured that Elias is alive, at least. If the knight were to fall here, Yun's plans would go down along with him. 

And knowing that stubborn bastard, he'd most certainly be in the front lines as of now instead of escaping. 

When the ex-noble finally rounded the corner, his hunches were right. Among his own soldiers and the government's, there was Elias, holding up his sword and fending off the onslaught of the government's troops. 

This is where Yun realized that he had made a miscalculation. If the entirety of the invaders were the current numbers present in the main hall, then it appears that they were actually fewer than he'd first expected them to be. But they were still outnumbered. Even with the full force of Yun's gathered men here today, they'd only just barely make it out, along with a considerable number of casualties. So despite his miscalculation it was still a much better decision to flee. Better safe than sorry.

Now the current dilemma he's contemplating is how to pull Elias out of the fight. Knowing first-hand of a knight's pride and honor, Yun is entirely aware that Elias would rather face the army than back down and flee. However, he could not allow that. He might seem like he's underestimating Elias' capabilities, but just like what he'd said before, it's better safe than sorry, He'd disable Elias if he had to. A sprained ankle that would heal in one to two weeks was way better than a more major injury Elias would acquire if he doesn't get his prideful ass out of there soon. 

And as if he had mentally jinxed it, his eyes caught sight of an incoming blade aimed at Elias' back. The idiot was too busy holding off two soldiers in front him to notice the attack, and Yun had no time to think of another way before his instincts took over, throwing everything else aside and sprinting out of the shadows with his sword unsheathed. Damn it all. This fool would certainly be the death of him soon.

Stepping in right on time, his blade clashed with the approaching one. Weak wrists. Unstable hold on the hilt. This soldier is obviously a greenhorn. If the situation weren't dire, he would've scoffed at the government for sending such an inexperienced fighter to the field. Clearly not expecting another person to block the attack, Yun used the soldier's moment of shock to quickly parry the enemy blade and drive his own sword across the man's front. He automatically fell backwards in his own pool of blood. 

"What are you doing here?!"

Yun pulled on a side smirk at the voice that called out to him, turning to face his new companion while instantly seeing this as an opportunity to annoy him. "Saving the damsel in distress, of course."

He could practically see a tick mark forming on the knight's forehead. "I don't need saving!"

If both of them hadn't gotten their hands full of incoming enemies once again, Yun would have laughed his ass off at the fact that Elias forgot to deny the 'damsel in distress' part. 

"We need to get out of here, Everstied." his voice regained its serious tone as he continued fending off soldier after soldier. "I'll hold them off as you go."

As expected, the stubborn fool disagreed. "Bold of you to assume I take orders from you in the middle of battle." 

They stood back to back, swords held forward and eyes never straying away from the incoming horde. The gears in Yun's head twisted into an overdrive. These men . . . . it was clear as they that they are inexperienced. Almost as if they were fresh recruits. Why indeed would the government send new soldiers after them? Is this an act of belittling the rebellion's capabilities, thinking that they were so weak they would fall at the hands of barely trained men?

No, Yun knows his father. If the Secretary of State wanted a surefire way to get his son back, he would send the veteran soldiers after them--not the recruits. So it's either this invasion wasn't enacted as an attempt to take him back, or his father was not the one who gave the order.

And it clicked.

"This is not open for discussion, Everstied. We need to retreat." He sternly shot back, really hoping that he would not have to resort to deliberately injuring the knight in order to pull him out. His desperation to withdraw intensified once he finally realized what was truly happening. However, a particular someone had other thoughts.

"If all this struggle discomforts you, oh most honorable lord, then you are entirely free to flee on your own." Elias grunted as he parried another blade. "Your concern for my safety is appalling." 

Now that ticked him off. With his fuse partially blown off, Yun swung his sword at Elias' direction, fully aware that the knight is more than capable of blocking it. And as expected, he did.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Elias yelled at him, immediately moving to push him off. But Yun stood his ground.

"Listen here, Everstied. Do you know why a couple of my men remained here with you to fight?" He was eventually cut off by another incoming blade, having no other choice than to release their sword lock and fend off the attack. "It's because they know that this rebellion needs you alive! If you were to fall here, then we would have no chance at winning at all."

"It's ironic how you think I'm so important when you believe so little on my ability to fight." the knight retorted. Yun was so desperately close to pulling his hair off its roots.

"This is NOT the time yet!" If a hint of desperation managed to tinge his tone, he hoped it was masked enough by his seriousness. "You said that you believe that I can make things right, that I can set everything back to the way they were before. Then..." he sliced another foe coming his way, grunting as he pushed the body off him. "Then trust me once again when I say that this is not your fight yet!"

Elias paused this time, finally sparing him a side glance as if contemplating his choices. This man whom he barely even knew was asking him, an honored royal knight, to withdraw. The audacity of him to think that Elias would simply drop everything and follow his every command almost made the knight scoff. However, thinking back to their first and most previous discussion right before all this ruckus broke down, it made him ponder. 

Catching another government soldier coming his way from the corner of his eye, he twisted his body just in time to counter the attack. When the man fell, his gaze was immediately led back to the ex-noble's back. He had to admit it; this man's resilience and conviction was part of what made him join their ranks. He barely knew Yun. All he knows about this man was that he was the prized son of Anwei's Secretary of State, and that he had strayed from the path his father laid out for him in order to form an uprising with the aim to overthrow the government, with his own father along with it. He also didn't know Yun's full intentions with helping him out of prison. The reason he kept hearing was that a great swordsman from the Everstied clan like him would be an essential factor to the coup d'état's victory. Nothing else. And yet, despite all that, this man, smaller than him in both size and height, seemed to possess a kind of strength that wasn't just physical. The first time he caught sight of those golden eyes, he immediately knew that this man would be different. And with his knowledge and tact, he was proven to be a much more crucial asset to the group, especially with his previous status as a noble and a son of the State Secretary. This gave him a reassurance that despite knowing so little about him, Elias also knows that he could trust him. This was also what pushed him to actually stop and consider withdrawal. If this man says--with all that conviction in his golden eyes--that this was not their fight yet, then maybe it wouldn't hurt to trust him once again.

It didn't mean that this was not against his morals though. His pride as a knight was on the line. Retreating is not an option known and ever considered in the Everstied family. It was an act of cowardice. But he'd made his decision. Clenching his teeth tightly, he swiftly fought off another soldier before speaking out.

"Where to?"

Now it was Yun's turn to stop. Despite all the ruckus from the fight, his ears picked that up loud and clear. Elias was willing to withdraw. For a moment there, he truly expected it to not be that easy. He was even considering his original plan of spraining Elias' ankle and dragging him out of here. His men would have paved them a way. 

"I'll tell you once we get out of here. An escape route had been provided just down the next corridor. If we want to make it out here alive, we need to move. Now." he finished, his blade clashing once again with another. 

Elias' morals were screaming at him to stay. But he'd already decided to trust this man, and he was not one to go back on his word. Slowly, he backed away. When Yun saw this, he began doing so as well. If his hunches were right, his men would be enough to fend them off and would still be able to leave before it's too late. But for the two of them, they need to make haste. They really need to go right at this second. Any later and it would be dangerous. 

He had been stupid. How could he not have realized it in the first place?

He mentally berated himself at such stupidity, swinging his blade at another soldier before coming back to back once again with the knight. They were almost at the edge of the fight's perimeter. A couple more steps, and they would be able to slip away unnoticed. If these soldiers were what Yun had hypothesized them to be, then sneaking out of here would be an easy feat.

Or at least that was how he thought it would be until he caught glimpse of another soldier coming his way. However, he was already on a sword lock with the one in front of him. Everything suddenly went into slow motion as his brain went into another overdrive. He could push off the one in front of him and move out of the way, because he knows he wouldn't be fast enough to block the other one coming his way. But moving away would make Elias vulnerable to the incoming attack. And he would have no time to warn him, in the same way that he wouldn't be able to block. 

Yun mentally sighed. This fool would indeed be the death of him.

Using all of his remaining strength, he forcefully pushed off the blade locked with his own, making quick work of wounding the soldier's arm so that he wouldn't be able to retaliate. 

He knows that he won't be able to do the same quick work with the next one.

With the last of his instincts taking over, he utilized the final few seconds he could've used to move out of the way, and instead tilted his body slightly as a last attempt to misdirect the hit. With the blade's original aim to pierce his heart, he was able to slightly turn away in time for it to pierce the right side of his chest instead.  

He saw red.

His red.

He gasped out in pain, almost surrendering to the immediate pull of his body to crumple down to the floor, but he shakily held his ground, forcing himself to stay upright despite the immense sting that blurred his senses. It was as if the right side of his body was being lit up in flames. 

He barely had time to register anything else when the sword impaled in him was pulled out harshly. More red gushed out, staining the front of his uniform at alarming speed. However, the adrenaline powered him to swiftly bring his sword back up, using the soldier's recovery time as an opportunity to slash his front. 

If they thought they could stab him without getting struck back in return, then they had another thing coming. He was still trained to fight despite being raised as a noble. His physique was small, but he absolutely wasn't frail. His father had made sure of that back in his childhood.

But this was no time to fret over the darker days. His free hand flew to clutch at his dangerously bleeding wound. Black spots began dancing around his eyesight, and he knew he was staggering on the spot. 

For a moment, he half expected the barrage of soldiers to keep coming at them. But there strangely was none.

It took much effort to raise his head, and it was even much harder to see through his slowly darkening sight. But he miraculously was still able to make out the uniforms of his allies in front of him, moving to fend off the men he was expecting to come at him. 

It offered a second of comfort and assurance to him. If only his life wasn't hanging by a thread, he would have berated them for wasting their time protecting him. He was an unnecessary casualty. Yes, having him gone might cripple the revolt, but it would be not as huge as losing the only Everstied in their ranks. It was a risk he would gladly take.

Now that he'd thought about it, he only just realized the voice calling out his name from behind. But before he could even turn around to face him, the blood loss finally made his knees give up and everything went pitch black.

He belatedly realized that that was the first time his name had come out of the Everstied's lips. 

~

"You're an idiot, you know that?"

The ex-noble peeled his eyes open, finally giving up the act of being asleep. He had been awake for the last six minutes, and was really hoping to have more time in silence that's why he pretended to still be in slumber. If only sleep would take him back for real. 

As if reading his mind, the previous speaker spoke up.

"You might be able to fool the others with your acting skills, but I've known you long enough to point out if you were pretending or not, kid."

Aleida. Their resident physician. If she was here, then it only meant one thing.

They made it to the Valenmans Camp. 

Just like how it was named, it was a campsite located at the Valenman Hills to provide residence to the townspeople driven out of the county for various reasons. They were allies, victims of the government's corruption, however they were not meant to see war. Yun had intended to form their headquarters far from here so that in case anything happens, it would not trace their connection with these people and endanger them. But seeing as what happened today obviously placed them in a spot where they'd have nowhere else to go for recuperation, they've got no other choice than to return here. Yun immediately decided that they'd rest here for a day, two at max. After that, they'd set out to finding a new hideout, one even farther. The more they involve themselves with these people, the more they are risking the innocent.  And that was a casualty Yun would much rather avoid.

"How long was I out?" he asked, turning his head to the side to face the brown haired woman the moment his vision cleared up.

"Two days."

His adrenaline spiked. Two days? Already?

He instantly went to sit up. A bad move on his part.

The heavy feeling on his chest that he felt a while ago struck at him full force, reviving the painful sting that burned the right side of his chest. An effective reminder of what had happened to him.

"Easy, you fool. I've spent day and night stitching and redressing your wound. You were lucky the blade barely missed your lung. But it would still do you no good if you open it back up." Aleida chastised. "If that happens, expect that I'd kill you myself, since you were so hellbent on dying anyway."

Even with his vision swimming and the pounding in his head growing relentless, he still managed to grumble out. "I'm not suicidal."

The woman cocked her head in obvious doubt. "Really? Because when that knight brought you in, you were literally bathing in your own blood and was nearly half dead. It was almost a miracle that your pulse was still there when you arrived."

He admittedly lost track of what she was saying right after the mention of a certain man. "Everstied brought me here?"

"He did. All the way from your headquarters." she replied. "He'd lingered for a while when I was tending to you. And when I concluded that you were out of harm's way, he exited. He evidently looked less tense than when he first came in with you in his arms."

In his what?

"How long ago was this?" he asked, pulling up his hand to rest on his forehead. His headache wasn't making him feel any better at all, nor did it help him think clearly. He keeps on getting off track, There was something he had meant to say a few minutes ago but his memory was already blurry. Did he have a concussion?

"Yesterday. I initially had expected you to not wake up yet, at least not until tonight, But realizing how much of a stubborn bastard you were, I knew better." Aleida ranted.

Yun's eyes flew open. That was it.

"We have to leave." he declared, moving once again to sit up slowly this time. 

"If you're thinking that I'm letting you step out of this tent in that state, don't bother." she outright disagreed with him.

"Aleida, we've stayed here long enough." He argued, holding the right side of his chest tightly. "Any longer and we might risk you all into being found with us." If he had to drag himself out of here, he would.

"I'm strapping you into bed if you even think about sneaking out now." the woman warned him, aiming at him a dangerously looking scalpel. And he knew better than to take that lightly. "We are far from the government's patrol range. It's safe."

"But that doesn't mean--"

"Tonight." Aleida cut him off, finally relenting. Dear Lord, this boy's stubbornness is making her wrinkles more prominent. "I will let you leave tonight. You have my word. But now, rest."

She was firm. Yun almost had no say against that. If Aleida cannot compete with his stubbornness, he himself cannot also last long under her sternness. Besides, the clinic was her territory. No matter how skilled he was in a sword fight, right now he was at her mercy. Literally anything inside this tent can be made lethal once placed in her hands.

"Tonight." he reluctantly agreed. "The minute the sun is gone, we leave."

"Yes, yes, I hear you. But now...?" she raised her eyebrows at him, almost daring him to defy her. 

"Rest." he finished, relenting and slowly lowering himself back to the bed. "What about the others?"

"Only minor injuries. Nobody else sustained something as heavy as yours. With which I actually find weird, now that it's brought up." she narrowed her eyes at him, and he immediately knew that he was treading on thin ice. The minute Aleida pulls on that expression, it meant that she was about to tear him apart for answers, and she would never let the subject go unless she's satisfied. "You barely let yourself get injured like that in a fight. Your skill with the sword may not be as exceptional as a royal knight's--"

"Is that supposed to flatter or insult me?"

"--but your skills are obviously above average, enough to declare you worthy of a spot in the military's veteran unit--"

"Not that I would ever want to join their ranks, but thank you."

"--so it made me wonder why someone as skilled as you is felled by a soldier who appeared to barely have any experience in battle, based from the testimony of some of your men."

So they've noticed too.

He was about to speak up and ask more about these testimonies, but it was as if Aleida knew what was coming out of his mouth next, that's why he was immediately and rather rudely cut off.

"You're not changing the subject, young man. Answer this question. Were you really bested by one soldier...?" if the weight of her gaze was tangible, he would have been squashed only seconds ago. He sucked in a breath, already knowing what was coming next.

"...or did you allow that soldier to strike you?" 

She knew him too well. 

But still, he went for the option that was most believable by the majority. "Not all skilled fighters come out of a battle unscathed, Aleida. You yourself as a physician should know that."

But the woman didn't buy that. Just like how part of him expected.

Aleida wasn't the majority. She wasn't just some random acquaintance that he'd made recently, no. She literally knew him since he was a kid, having served in their household for quite an extensive time before he woke up that one day to find her gone. But that was a story for another time. 

And their history was also the same reason as to why he can never get anything past Aleida. Despite her living up to her age, she still seemed like the one person who had bothered to care for him in his childhood. The kind lady, as he would often call her in his younger days, He didn't even know why he even bothered to lie. If there was one person in this world that he can never ever fool, it was Aleida. 

So this time, he relented and went for the truth.

"If I dodged the blade at that time, we would have lost our strongest asset."

It was vague. But she understood. She always does. And instead of a triumphant grin to color her face just like how he'd anticipated her to, he was instead offered a flat look, almost as if she had predicted that kind of answer. 

On a second thought, maybe she did.

"Seriously. You and your self-sacrificing complex. When will you ever learn to give yourself value, you fool." If he weren't injured, he knew that she would have punched him by then.

"Losing me would not cripple the uprising as much as losing Everstied." he argued.

"Yes, that may be true, considering the fact that you've probably got everything laid out already in case something like that does happen." It's terrifying sometimes how accurate she knows and understands him. "But was that truly the only reason?"

That made him stop, and for a moment he lost his words to the point that his silence was enough to gather doubt, that's why he forced up a reply. "Of course."

His hesitation did not go unnoticed, though.

"You're a fool."

His face dropped. He almost failed to recognize it. If he wasn't looking at Aleida right now, he would have ridiculously thought that the woman's voice dropped a number of octaves.

But there was only one who truly owns that voice.

And it is with slightly wide eyes that he faced the lean figure standing at the entrance of the tent.

The said man stared back at him, his eyes reflecting an emotion akin to disappointment and something else that Yun found hard to decipher.

"Well, you aren't the first person to tell him that same thing today." Aleida huffed, rising from her seat. "I'll go get some more bandages. Your wound obviously won't redress itself." she said, before disappearing behind the tent flaps and leaving Yun alone with him before the ex-noble could even say anything. The traitor.

Not wanting the silence to stretch any longer and further thicken the growing tension, Yun cleared his throat. "So what brought you here, Everstied? You've come to reprimand me too?"

It took a few moments of silence before he was able to receive a reply. He almost thought that he wasn't getting any at all, until the knight finally spoke up.

"No, she'd done enough of that, it seems." he commented, inviting himself to the seat that was previously occupied by Aleida and leaning back to cross his arms. This gave Yun a sense of deja vu, the only difference is that he was stuck in a bed instead of sitting behind his desk, and that Elias was seated at a much closer distance than before. 

Yun chuckled at his reply. "That woman is a force to be reckoned with." he moved to sit up, suppressing the wince from showing on his face as he tried to ignore the protests of his wound at the sudden movement. He attempted his best to look composed, so that Elias would not feel obligated to help. The man, however, made no such move. But the way he abruptly leaned forward slightly, as if he was about to leap out his chair when he saw Yun's obvious predicament but immediately caught himself, didn't go unnoticed by the ex-noble.  

When he had finally situated himself and had leaned against the wall behind him, he tilted his head back to face the knight. "We leave tonight. Staying here would only do these people more harm than good."

Elias didn't show any sign of agreement. But Yun was slowly starting to learn that his silence was also his way of saying yes. He simply wasn't just a vocal person.

Now that would soon prove to be a problem. If Aleida does not come back soon, Yun would most certainly perish here because of the awkward atmosphere. 

"Why me?"

The ex-noble almost jumped at the sudden question.

"What do you mean?" he shot back with a question, clearly portraying his confusion with a small tilt of his head.

"Why'd you choose me to recruit?" Elias asked, raising his gaze to face Yun's head-on.

"Because your skills are--"

"I meant the real one." 

Yun paused. He raised an eyebrow at the knight. "I wasn't lying when I said that your skills would help us greatly."

"Yes, I know." Elias sighed, his shoulders sagging. "But there's another reason, isn't there?"

The ex-noble almost wanted to cower at the strange sense of deja vu. "You're strangely starting to sound like her and it honestly makes me feel uneasy."

Elias didn't look phased. His gaze never strayed from Yun's, and the ex-noble immediately knew that he wasn't getting out of this one as easily as he'd first thought. 

Finally, Yun led his gaze away and instead stared at the tent flaps, almost wanting someone, anyone, to come in and interrupt them. He momentarily pondered as he carefully chose his words. If Elias wanted the whole truth, then so be it.

"You never deserved what had happened to you and your family."

If he had angled his sight slightly to the side, he would have seen Elias flinch in the slightest at the unexpected mention of his family,

"There are quite a number of skilled swordsmen around Anwei, ones that would be much easier to persuade into joining. But I still chose to pull some strings and take the risk of infiltrating the prisons to get you out. Why, you ask?" Yun remembered the look in his Elias' eyes the first time he saw them. They almost reminded him of how his own eyes used to look like when he was first exposed to the dark side of the government, courtesy of his own father. To see those same emotions reflected on the Everstied prodigy's eyes, made Yun sure that he was the one he was looking for. "Your clan had been wronged. Despite your loyalty to the throne, you were still tossed away like nothing the minute the Crown was placed on the wrong head. That's why I wanted to give your family a second chance."

'I wanted to give your family what could never be given to mine' was left unsaid. 

"This uprising is not just a silly dream I've formulated over one night, no. I desperately want to see it succeed. To return Anwei to what it was before everything turned upside down. That's why I would go to any lengths in order to see that the seed I've sown will bear fruit, and that every wrong would then be righted." he trailed his eyes back to Elias' still figure. "Including the one done to your clan."

The knight was baffled. This man, a high-born who was supposed to have everything and not be bothered by such trivial things like how he had expected every other noble to be, was actually willing to reach out to the people rejected by the government he was supposed to stand with, even if it meant betraying his very own lineage. If this further strengthened Elias' respect for this man, only the knight shall know. 

"I admit," he led his eyes away, knowing that he won't be able to hold the man's golden eyed gaze once he gets this out. "When we first met in that room, I looked at you as the most arrogant, overconfident man who had the audacity to believe that he can accomplish an act as impossible as overthrowing the government. You are a high-born, you were supposed to stand with those blasted aristocrats who thinks that money gives them the power to bestow judgment upon anyone, innocent or not. That's why I found it difficult to believe that you were actually on the move to bring them down." he bit his lip, not daring to look back at the eyes that were boring holes into his skull. "But these recent events somehow made me think twice. Hearing someone like you speak of helping those who were forsaken and telling me your true intentions behind your wish to annihilate the ministry, made me contemplate on my choices and ultimately ended my doubts."

His stomach felt like a dense ball of iron, suddenly weighing him down as he remembered that moment when he turned around only to find the same ex-noble trembling on his feet and bleeding at a rapid and dangerous speed. The fact that he now knew the true reason behind the man's injury didn't make him feel any better. He felt like he's growing more indebted to the golden-eyed male the longer he stays with him. 

Yun narrowed his eyes. "What are you trying to say?" For the first time, he was uncertain as to how he should approach this. 

Elias sucked in a breath, summoning his might to finally trail his eyes back to the ex-noble, who wore nothing but a totally lost and confused expression. For some unfathomable reason, he could feel himself slowly grow rigid with resolution the minute their gaze reconnected.

"Remember what I said back there during the fight? When you had first told me that we needed to retreat?" 

Bold of you to assume I take orders from you in the middle of battle. Those words echoed in Yun's memory. "Yes."

"I know that I've already decided to join your ranks, but now I want to officially establish my loyalty." Yun could literally see Elias' eyes hardened with resolve. "My allegiance and my sword is now yours. I will stand with the revolution. From this day on, I will follow you."

The golden eyed man stared back at him in shock. 

To say that Yun was surprised was an understatement. For once, the ex-noble was speechless. He was absolutely at loss for words.

There were a lot of things that Yun was able to foresee. That's why he would always come in prepared in every situation, no matter how dire it would turn out to be. But this, this sudden admittance of loyalty was something he had never predicted. Thinking back in the first place that despite his successful persuasion of Elias to join them, he was also aware that they had not won him over yet. But now it was his turn to be shocked. Never did he expect that the honored knight would submit this easily. 

"Now this is a rare sight."

Both of them slightly jolted at the sudden voice, and two pairs of eyes immediately flew back to the entrance of the tent.

"You've got him tongue-tied, lad." Aleida didn't even try to hide her very amused smirk. What perfect timing. Yun sarcastically thought, glaring at her while trying to ignore the fact that he could literally feel his ears grow warm.

"What is up with you people eavesdropping on conversations from outside the tent?" he muttered, purposely not daring to look back at Elias.

"Oh shush it, brat. Everybody knows if I hadn't come in any sooner after that, you would've had a seizure from shock." the physician shot back in jest. If Yun weren't injured, or if he weren't inside a territory as dangerous as Aleida's clinic, he would have strangled her to keep her mouth shut. "Anyways, straighten up. Let me have a look at that wound." Yun instantly gave her a look, one she understood well. Do not put me first among others. "If you are worried about your men, they are all back in their feet. Rest assured. You're the only one wounded heavily by those sorry excuse for soldiers." 

Yun's memory abruptly spiked at the last sentence. "You've mentioned earlier that my men have noticed how inexperienced those soldiers seemed to be in battle. What else did they say?"

"Nothing much, really." Aleida knelt beside him, gesturing at him to start taking off his shirt so she could check on his injury. "Just that those men looked like they were just randomly swinging around their sword. The skill is there, but clearly lacking. Almost as if they were just..."

"Novices." 

Yun turned to Elias when the knight finished for her. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on top of his knees as he stared back at Yun with a question clear in his expression. "I've also happened to notice that. Those fighters clearly weren't the usual trained ones under the military's regimen. It is obvious that they were fresh recruits and were easier to defeat. The only advantage they have is their numbers, but nothing your troops surely couldn't handle. And yet you were dead set on withdrawing." Elias narrowed his eyes. "Why is that?"

The ex-noble huffed, trying not to wince in pain as he opened his buttoned shirt so that Aleida can do her job. "Ever wondered about why the government would send inexperienced fighters after us and not the veterans? Especially when they see us as a threat?" 

They see you as a threat. Elias added in his mind.

When Yun's entire front was revealed, the knight finally caught sight of how much damage the man had taken. It took all his might to not flinch at the previously white bandage, now stained red, stuck carefully on the right side of his chest. A heavy ball suddenly seemed to lodge in his throat.

"Perhaps they were underestimating you." Aleida voiced out.

"That was what I had thought first, but no." Yun thought back to the battle and frowned. "It was a test."

"A test?"

"How would you know?" Elias questioned, interest clearly piqued, forcing himself to look at the man's face instead of his injury. 

"I've seen this tactic before. It's what my father would occasionally do to his own enemies as a surefire way to take them down." If the physician and the knight saw Yun's fists tighten at the mention of his parent, neither of them decided to voice it out. "He'd first send in the weaker troops so that his target would let his guard down. And once their defenses are low, that's when he strikes with the bigger wave. He then sends the veterans to finish the job and to make no lingering trace of what he'd done."

"But if his sole intention was to take his enemy down, why not just send the veterans immediately to finish the job faster?" Aleida asked. She had worked with his family at their residence in her earlier years, but she'd never really got the chance to know the Secretary of State himself. The man was almost never there at all. But something tells her that it somehow didn't stay that way after she was gone from that household. 

"His enemies are powerful. They are the people who are more than willing to have him removed from his position, and they most certainly have the capability to do so if they so wish. That's why my father would always act first. He was ruthless, but also very cautious. This is where he got his tactic of sending in first the weaker fighters. It was to test his enemy's defense."

"So those men who invaded you days ago..." 

"Yes. They were indeed new fighters. Soldiers-in-training, at most. Yet to be hardened by battle. Treated like cannon fodder." Yun finished with a scowl. This wasn't even the full extent yet of how merciless his old man could be. 

"Therefore what you were meaning to say is that those men were sent simply to serve as a smokescreen for something bigger." Elias deduced. The ex-noble nodded.

"And if we had remained there any longer..." the knight trailed off, yet he knew that the answer was already clear.

"We would not have lasted." Yun finished for him, confirming everyone's suspicions. "Or worse, we would have been caught and publicly executed."

Realization finally dawned on the knight. 

Suddenly, Yun hissed from out of the blue, instinctively cowering at the sudden sting. 

Aleida gave him a flat look from dabbing antiseptics around his stitches. "I'm not apologizing. Deal with it."

The ex-noble huffed out a laugh. "What a compassionate healer you are." he sarcastically jested.

"But you are the Secretary of State's son." Elias belatedly realized what Yun's previous statement meant. "Executing me, I am aware of that possibility. But executing you? Wouldn't your father do something about that?" 

The ex-noble almost guffawed. A smile crawled up to his face in sick amusement. "If you think my father would bother about saving my life, you're horrible mistaken." he looked straight at Elias, and the knight almost winced at the blank look those golden eyes expressed. It was as if Yun had suddenly turned into an empty shell of himself like a flip of the switch, making the smile on the ex-noble's face almost seem crazed and hollow at the same time. "My father wants me dead, Everstied. If I were to be executed in front of the citizen's eyes, I swear to you, he'd be sitting right there at the front seats. That's why he was desperate to take me back, because he wants me to serve as a message to all, saying that every single one who would dare to go against the government would be punished, no matter who they will be." 

Elias didn't know what to say to that.

The way Yun had described his father somehow now made him even understand more about Yun's intentions. But Elias would also be lying if he were to say that he wasn't even the slightest bit curious as to what this man had went through in order to say such things about his own parent. Nevertheless, it was not his place to ask. Even he has his own secrets.

Aleida had an unreadable look on her face, staring into space with a faraway gaze. Having experienced the life in Yun's household gave her a gist of the underlying story behind the ex-noble's words. But just like what her gut feeling was telling her before, there was more to the story that Yun would most certainly take to the grave with him. 

In the midst of her distraction, she pressed accidentally to a wrong spot on the wound with a not so gentle calculated touch. Yun automatically made a noise of pain, to which made her respond instinctively,

"I'm sorry! Sorry. I pressed wrong." she hastily said without thinking, lifting the cloth she was holding to give his stinging wound space.

Yun's hiss slowly turned into a small chuckle, looking at her with genuine mirth now reflected in his eyes. "And here I thought that you weren't the apologizing type."

Aleida scowled at that. As retaliation, she re-covered the stitches with a new bandage, deliberately doing it in a much less gentle manner. Yun almost screamed in pain.

"Deal with it, brat."

The ex-noble glared at her.

She stood back up and started gathering her things. "I need to tell the troops that you're conscious and that you're leaving tonight so they can prepare." On her way towards the tent flaps, she stopped. "I'll go grab you something to eat on the way. Any requests? Our menu isn't vast, but we'll see what we can do." 

Yun made a move to get off the bed.

"If you do so much as step on the ground, I will cut you." she darkened immediately. 

The man tried to argue. "I can get my own food myse--" 

"Do. you. have. any. requests?" her face brightened up with a polite smile that made every person in that tent uncomfortable. Yun no longer thought twice the minute she saw her absently play with the scalpel in her hands. 

"...No. Anything would be fine." he gulped. This woman was dangerous in so many ways.

"Alright." she said, satisfied. But before she can continue walking, Elias suddenly stood.

"I'll handle the troops so that you can proceed to the kitchens." the knight offered.

Aleida pondered over this for a while, her eyes trailing back and forth between the two men. "Very well." she nodded at the knight before disappearing outside. 

Elias picked up his sword, heading to move out of the tent and to face their soldiers. 

"Everstied."

He stopped.

"I just wanted to make something clear." Yun bore holes into his back, fully aware that he had the knight's attention. "You are not a pawn in this war. Neither of us are. Not the soldiers, not the people here, not me, not you. Like I said, I'm not doing this for myself. I'm doing this for everyone." he looked away, momentarily contemplating his next choice of words. He sucked in a breath.

"I'm doing this for you." 

For some unfathomable reason, Elias' chest began to constrict.

"And for giving us your allegiance, I could offer nothing else but my gratitude." he bravely returned his gaze to the knight's rigid back. "Thank you."

Finally, their gazes locked. Elias turned to look at him with an unreadable look on his face. His grip on his sword was tight, almost as if he was holding on to it in order to ground himself. Yun boldly stared back, and yet at the same time trying to ignore how loud his heart was erratically beating in his ears, almost to the point he feared that the other man might hear it.

Silence passed for some time before Elias replied with a small, curt nod, and thus heading outside the tent at last.

~