His Knight | Taegguk

27| To Challenge the King

"My lovely civilians, I have gathered you all here today to witness something our kingdom has not witnessed for decades. Under order of my parents, the king and queen, an innocent man has been thrown into the dungeon for only the selfish reasons of the king. So I, the prince, have decided to challenge his power the old fashioned way. A duel!" He held up a sword. It shone in the sunlight, and the people cheered in excitement. There was a newscaster nearby, with a camera crew, undoubtedly streaming live footage. Jeongguk turned to the palace entrance, still brandishing the sword above his head. "King Jeon! Show yourself!"

The king appeared moments later, his own sword in hand.

"You want a duel, is that it?" He called out. The people cheered. "Fine then. If it's a spectacle you want, so be it!" With a motion of his hand, torches were lit as big and bright as bonfires. More cheers arose, but the king rose his booming voice above them. "What is your challenge?"

"If I win this duel, you must release him and give me your blessing for us to be in a relationship," Jeongguk replied firmly. The crowd gasped. Tension crackled in the air. "And if I lose..." Jeongguk swung the sword in a graceful circle before placing the tip of it in the dirt before his feet, standing at attention with both hands on the handle. "You may choose my future partner."

The king smiled, eyes sparkling with ambition. "I accept your challenge!"

The crowd cheered. Guards had come to stand in a wide circle around the gathering, spectating. They threw gasoline at the torches so the fire flared up for effect. A live band began to play Celtic music, drinks were being handed out. These kinds of things were rare nowadays and called for a huge event. It was almost a sort of celebration, Jeongguk realized. The people enjoyed the drama while he fought for everything he cared about. It was sick in the prince's eyes, yet he knew this was what he had to do: make a deal in the public eye so that the king had to honor it.

The captain of the royal guard stepped forward from the crowd. 

"Choose your starting position!" He called. More people cheered. The king stepped forward, holding his sword diagonally with both hands. The prince bent his knees, holding his sword horizontally with both hands. "On my call! Ready? Begin!" The captain stepped back again.

Immediately, the king swung. Jeongguk met his sword with his own. A loud clang of metal rang out, prompting more cheers. Jeongguk maneuvered around the king, swinging low, which the king blocked easily.

"Is that all you got, son?" The king taunted, jabbing his sword forward, which the prince dodged quickly.

"Just warming up!" The prince barked.

"Too bad, it'll be over soon-" their swords met in another clang "-because I won't go easy on such high stakes."

"You think your stakes are high?" The prince asked before grunting with the force he had to use to block another swing. "I bet my whole life on this duel!" 

"And when you lose maybe it'll teach you to listen to your father!"

Jeongguk had to jump over a particularly low swing of his father's sword. The crowd's cheers and the loud music pressed on his ears, and he had to tune it out to stay focused.

"That isn't a very valuable lesson. Not when you're being so unreasonable." Again, their swords met.

"I'm not the unreasonable one here." The king turned in a full circle, using the momentum to power his next blow. Jeongguk had to dig his toes into the ground, using all his strength to block it. "You're breaking tradition!"

"Tradition sucks!" Jeongguk jabbed at his father's chest, but the king dodged sideways. 

"It's worked for centuries!" The king argued as their swords met again.