Eternally theirs

One

*A little note to say that Y/N's name will be organized as such - first name, middle name, last name - in this story. The members will have the standard Korean order but you might see a bit of everything since I will not be using only Korean people to fill in the roles. You have been warned.

*Also, a lot of inner thinking in this chapter as I need to set the story. It might get a little boring, but it all serves a purpose, I promise

Please enjoy!!!

---

My opponent pushes forward with every swing of his sword to get me out of formation, and before I can recover my balance after a misplaced foot position, another hit from his blade sends my weapon flying out of my hand before he rests the cold steel against my neck with a triumphant smirk.

I pant, slightly out of breath because of this arrogant prick who took the opportunity to ridicule me in front of everyone after seeing how distracted I've been all day.

He knew that I wouldn't be able to defend myself like I usually do because of the letter that came in for me this morning and that makes me hate him even more. He chose me as his opponent on purpose and everyone's been cheering on him despite my situation.

Officer Kade, who supervises our training at this time of the day, a higher ranked knight who likes to bully me any chances he gets, sighs loudly before waving a hand to get me to come over.

I bite on the inside of my cheek before taking my sword from the ground and then make my way to the man who looks done with me, as I am with this day.

"Shields, you've been performing so terribly today that it's not even worth fixing. Go to the stable and clean up the stalls for the rest of the day, and don't you dare half-ass the job. Maybe spending some time in horse shit will clear your mind a little. Put your sword and armor in the armory and come back tomorrow if you feel like you can do better than that shit show you gave us" the old man demands drily before turning the other way and I gape at him while the other knights in training snort from their corners.

"Hear that, Shields? I guess being a knight just wasn't made for you, was it? I'll take you as my wife if you want, I'll treat you well, I promise!" one of the assholes of the order chirps and I breathe in through my teeth before turning my back on them, that's not even worth replying to.

"I'll do better tomorrow, sir" I utter before hurrying out of the training grounds and towards the armory, my yellow neck scarf pulled off with a huff, armor pieces removed on the way to leave me only in my sweaty cotton uniform, and when I reach the building's entrance, a young boy comes running to take everything from me before getting started on cleaning them right away.

I stare at him for a short minute, the sight reminding me of what I had to go through myself, my conditions even worse because I was the only girl in a world of men, a gender looked down on by those in power no matter what it is that we do.

Those seven years of being treated like dog food were... they made me open my eyes on a lot of things, one of which being that women are always seen only as play-toys by those who think with their dick instead of their brain, which is pretty much every men in the orders of chivalry, with a few exceptions.

It's only because I truly love being a knight that I'm still here right now because sometimes, leaving all of this behind to live a regular life instead becomes a little bit too tempting, even if it would mean losing the many years of hard work I put into this.

Even being a knight-errant is something I have begun to dream about as of late. The idea of traveling the world without a goal in mind to help those I encounter on the way... it might not assure a financial security, but a woman can dream, right?