This story, characters, events, customs, and places are purely fictional and in no way accurately represent the history and customs of any country past or present.The next day, he met with Physician Go, who gave him twelve books to read and a small human statue. "Your Highness, before I can teach you the art of healing, you must learn about the human body and its functions, and how our energy flows throughout the body. Those books will help you. Now let us begin" They started by studying the human anatomy and its different parts and functions."This is perfect," he thought "These lessons will help me improve my body strength" he studied diligently that day, immersed in the human anatomy. When the sun was at its highest instead of eating, he used the time to practice lifting the sword. When it was time to take philosophy and politics, he was able to lift the sword by six minutes.Before his studies started, Minister Im asked him, "Why did you decide to learn about politics?""Master Im only asked about politics, he knows that I must learn about philosophy, that is why he was only asking about politics, but why did I decide to learn politics" Young-Sik pondered for a while before he answered "I need to learn politics, to ensure that the King will always have an ally in me as long as what he proposes is beneficial to our nation and it's people"Master Im, smiles and nods at the prince's answer. "Politics is a game, like any game you must convince powerful people to align with you so that you can move your thoughts into actions and into edicts that will be part of the law" Master Im took out a scroll and opened it "read and understand it Your Highness, afterward I will ask you questions about how you understood these writings"A week has passed since their training began, and Young-Sik has gradually and steadily started to develop. He prioritized knowledge of the human body, particularly on muscle and bones. He learned the best nutrients and exercises and developed his body. This in turn helped him greatly in developing his strength, by the end of seven days, he could hold the heavy sword for ten minutes with both hands and two minutes with either of his hands. In philosophy and politics, he excelled in areas that focused on benefiting the public.In Mt. Yangge, Jin-Ri was less than enthusiastic about what she needed to learn. "Hong Jin-Ri!" Ms. So shouted one can see her trembling in frustration with the young girl as she once again failed to walk without spilling the cups on her shoulder and head."Even I know how to lose my temper, and let me tell you...I am losing my temper with you" Miss So pointed out "Again from the top, we will not proceed to the next lesson until everyone has mastered this basic step"Everyone grumbled and glared at Jin-Ri, who smiled nervously at the other girls. Yeng placed her arms on her hips and shook her head at her friend "What are you looking at?" Jin-Ri scoffed at Yeng.For the next three weeks, both youngsters continued with their training. By the end of thirty days, thanks to his knowledge of the human body and diligence, Young-Sik could show General Shin that he could hold the heavy sword with one hand. General Shin was amazed at the prince's determination. The truth is he never expected the prince to succeed in his challenge, and yet here he was, an eight-year-old boy, able to carry a sword three times the average weight.The General, had the soldiers bring in a training dummy, he then explained "There are nine angles of attack with a sword - straight down, straight up, diagonally down to the right, diagonally down to the left, diagonally up to the right, diagonally up to the left, left and right horizontal strikes, and a straight strike at the center of the body" He demonstrated on the training dummy "For now my prince we start with an overhead sword strike""Pick up your sword and face your opponent" The prince did as instructed, and he positioned himself in front of the training dummy "Facing your opponent, the feet are shoulder length apart, with your knees slightly bent. Remember what you learned when griping a sword, but as you raise your sword, only your thumb and index fingers will grip your sword. Make sure your left hand is at your center line. As you swing down, you will grip the sword, starting with your little finger until your left hand has completely gripped it, and do the same with the right. As you swing, make one step forward with your left foot, followed by the right. When you raise your sword, step back with the right foot first followed by the left. Practice that strike continuously, until I say so".Young-Sik attempted his first swing, but the moment he attempted the swing, his sword flew from his grip, missing a eunuch by mere inches. "Remember the sequence of the grip Your Highness" General Shin reminded him.Young-Sik nodded and quickly retrieved his weapon. Positioning himself in front of the dummy, he tried again. This time he exerted a conscious effort to follow his master's instructions, and he executed the technique correctly."Now continue repeating that swing, until you can do that strike without conscious effort" General Shin then left the prince again. Young-Sik started to repeat the sequence over and over with a smile on his face.Jin-Ri however, still lagged behind Yeng, not because of a lack of skills but rather a lack of concentration. "I'm telling you chief, this girl is utterly hopeless," Ms. So said, "She won't even listen to any of my instructions, she is so far behind, that she is dragging Yeng and the other girls down with her," she said explaining the negative impact of Jin-Ri's lack of dedication."Aigoo you little brat, making trouble wherever you go. What will I ever do with you?" Jin-Ri's mother said, slapping her hand over her forehead expressing concern for her daughter's inability to perform well in her training.The chief took Jin-Ri's hand and led her to the village's infirmary. "Take a look at our villagers" he ordered the girl.Jin-Ri shook her head, unable to look at the villager's pitiful condition, suffering from various ailments and sickness. The chief then held the girl by her chin and made her look. "Look at them, they are all at the brink of death. We can barely feed them, let alone help them get well" The chief said "This village and its people rely on the young and the strong to support us to help us with what we need"Jin-Ri started to tear up, remembering how Yeng lost her brother under the same circumstances. "Would you let this continue? Would you let another friend lose a loved one? Can you tolerate the pain if say your father was lost because of something like this?""No!" Jin-Ri shouted, "I will never let that happen to my parents!""Then work your best, it is only through our network can we survive, if that network fails, then the village, the people we love, and the peaceful life we have will all surely die" The chief then walked to one of the patients, and wiped the sweat from the patient' brow with a washcloth "Do you know, why I founded this village? It so that people like me, people whose loved ones have died of hunger, people who were cheated from a good and honest life can have a home" he then walked back to Jin-Ri and knelt in front of the girl "Is not that worth a bit of hard work and some sacrifice?"Jin-Ri did not reply but kept on crying. "We are a peaceful people and not bandits who indiscriminately steal or kill, we are just trying to make a living, we are only striving for better leadership"Without a word, Jin-Ri heads back to Ms. So, demonstrating, everything that was taught and performing them flawlessly. Ms. So was surprised, from posture to walking, to performing tasks to proper decorum and attitude. Jin-Ri did them all. The chief nods his head and smiles as he lets the girls continue with their training.Another month quickly passed by General Shin, Physician Go, and Master Im, were all impressed by how fast Prince Young-Sik learned the ideals, principles, and skills they were teaching him."To learn our fighting and sword techniques, will take the prince maybe three years, but to master it will take a lifetime," General Shin said as he drank his liquor"It is amazing how he, incorporates the knowledge that he learned from me into his sword training, making his body stronger and faster" Physician Go added, he then turned to Master Im "It is then up to you master Im, to mold his heart and mind, into a person that will love not just Chiongsun, but it's people as well"Master Im, sighed deeply "I am trying my best, but the prince is caught between a gray area, he thinks that it is a necessity to mix the light and the dark so he can protect what is dear to him" he drank his liquor as well "What scares me, is that the prince may grow up, thinking that the process can justify the result""Then are we on our way to creating a beast rather than a savior?" Physician Go asked his contemporariesGeneral Shin chimed "Who says, that a beast cannot be a savior? The three of us must make sure that he is always facing the light and that he must never set foot in darkness" The three teachers raised their glasses "May the prince never set foot in darkness" they said in Unison.Eight years have come and gone, Jin-Ri now fifteen has mastered the skills of cooking, housekeeping, etiquette, royal protocols, and customs. Though advancing in her training she still did not lose her mischievous and carefree spirit. "Jin-Ri wake up...we're going to be late again! Ms. So will be furious with us" Yeng shouted as she rocked the sleeping Jin-Ri"Aish..." Jin-Ri finally woke up and gave Yeng the stink eye "You little, why did you wake me up?""What do you mean why did I wake you up? We are going to be late, you know how Ms. So hates tardiness" Yeng reminded her friend"I already know what we're going to do today, and I've already done it. So let me sleep" Jin-Ri said, going back to bedConfused Yeng asked "What do you mean you already know? I mean how did you even know about it?""I heard them talking about an easter egg hunt, write your name on the egg once you find it and place it back. I already wrote my name on the egg. So I'm done for the day" She said then covered herself with her sheets. "But you should go there now, otherwise you might be the last one to the egg"Yeng, quickly got up but before she ran out "Where is it hidden?""Really? Look at this punk, like I will tell something like that. You'll never hear me say the chief went to the third water well last night. Just go you're wasting your time" Jin-Ri said under her sheetsYeng smiled at her friend "Thank you, you're the best" and she quickly ran to Ms. So and the other girls.In Pyeongcheok within the palace grounds, Young-Sik was busy practicing the fighting and sword skills he learned when General Shin approached him. The prince stopped what he was doing and bowed in respect "Your Highness...you are well on your way to mastering what you learned, but I want you to do so with this"Young-Sik looked at what General Shin brought "Master but wouldn't that""Think of it as the very first exercise that you did. You will be surprised by the results" General Shin assured the princeTrusting his master's wisdom, the prince continued practicing using the objects his master told him to use.Another seven years have passed, and Young-Sik and Jin-Ri have been training and practicing their crafts for fifteen years. They are now twenty-three years old and have grown to be of perfect physical fitness.One day, the now Prime Minister Lim Do-Yun and the Queen passed by the prince's practice area. They noticed that despite all the years he had been practicing, his movements were slow and awkward. He then had an idea to humiliate the prince "You said you would make the prince eat out of your palm, but he never did"The Queen scoffed at her supposed failure "The King shielded that brat even from me, such a despicable man, not entrusting his child to me"Minister Gi, chuckled "If he knew you the way we do, he would have you beheaded a long time ago""Enough" Minister Do-Yun said, "I think it is about time, that the prince's skills be tested""What would that accomplish?" Minister Gi asked skeptically"Animosity...The father will be disappointed with the failure of a son. The son will think his father failed him in his wish" Minister Do-Yun explains"Should I still take the role of a loving mother?" The Queen asked, her sinister intent evident in her voice."Of course, we will need every bit of power on our side, that inconsequential boy will still have a few ounces of influence and authority...and I want it all" Do-Yun greedily said, craving all the power and authority Chiongsun has to offer.The Queen snickered "Let me take care of the prince's soon-to-be humiliating demonstration of his mediocre skills'Later that day, the King and Queen watched Crowned Prince Man-Ju with his archery practice."Your Highness...we have already seen how adept the crowned prince is with his archery skills, but we have no idea how Prince Young-Sik fares with his skills." The dashing prince, now in his late twenties, stands at a confident five feet seven inches tall. He has long, smooth Black hair, a Lean build, Alabaster smooth skin, an oblong face shape, and narrow hazel eyes with long lashes. Rounded eyebrows, soft jawline full lipsThe King turned to the Queen with a smile "Your Majesty do you want us to go and watch the prince practice?""I was thinking about a skill demonstration, the crowned prince has been learning archery for over five years now, and look at how good he is" They both looked at Prince Man-Ju who hit another bull's eye "Imagine how skillful Prince Young-Sik was, knowing that he has been practicing his swordsmanship for fifteen years"King Seo-Jung, having thought for a while, agreed to the Queen's proposal, effectively falling for her trap "Very well, I will talk to the prince and we will have a skill demonstration for both of them in three days"The Queen discreetly let out a sly smile "In three days, the youngest prince will fall out of the King's favor and grace for being a failure" she whispered to herselfBefore the day was over, The King went to Prince Young-Sik's residence "Your Highness..." the prince bowed to his father "It is already late, there is no need for you to tire yourself, you should have summoned me instead"The King takes a look at how his son has grown. Prince Young-Sik grew to be six feet and two inches tall. He has long black hair, an oblong face shape, narrow copper eyes with fringed lashes, eyebrows with a soft angle, a pointed nose, a muscular jawline, with wide lips. He has a slightly lean muscular build and velvety olive skin. The King smiled and embraced his son, who embraced him back "This is fine with me Young-Sik, at least here we are father and son, not King and prince"The prince guided his father to the head of the room, once seated the prince sat in front of the King "How fares the throne father?"The King let out a small frown and a sigh "A lot of our people are rebelling in the far-flung provinces; I even hear of villages ravaged by bandits and curses. Don't worry about the Kingdom, I am here to see how are you doing. How are your lessons and combat training?""All is well father, The masters said they have nothing left to teach me and that I should continue to practice what I've learned, so I can master the knowledge and skills that I have" The price humbly said to his fatherThe King smiles and nods to what the prince told him "Then would you oppose a demonstration of skills and knowledge? Even The crowned prince will participate.""Well if the crowned prince will do it, who am I to sit on the sidelines?" Young-Sik confidently said"Perfect, the demonstration will happen in three days, bring your very best self that day," The King said to his son. They enjoyed each other company and talked and drank almost the whole night. Outside, Man-Ju looked from afar, wondering when he would have a time like that with his father.The King sends word to all his constituents of the two prince's demonstration of skills. Minister Do-Yun laughed aloud when he received his invitation "I can't believe it can be this easy, to sever the bond between father and son" Said Minister Do-Yun"It's almost torture just waiting for that occasion to happen," Minister Gi saidThat same day at the hidden village in Mt. Yangge, Jin-Ri was summoned by the chief. Moments later he was approached by a young lady. The chief looked at Jin-Ri all grown up. She is five feet and four inches tall, teardrop-shaped face Black bedroom eyes with long lashes and arched brows, Fair luminescent skin with rosy undertones, a low ridged nose, and thin red lips. Long jet-black hair in braids, and a slim body. Though her individual facial features are pleasing to the eye, she is somewhat plainly ordinary. Jin-Ri bowed "You summoned me chief?""The palace will be employing a batch of new court ladies, you will be amongst them" The chief then called out Yeng who is also now grown up, with similar features to Jin-Ri "Your friend will be going to the Cherry Blossom, she will join the new batch of Kisaeng." The two ladies bowed to the chief and temporarily went their separate ways to prepare."Wait, wait, whoa there...shouldn't I be the one to join the Kisaeng...I mean look at me" Jin-Ri bragged, pointing at her facial featuresChief Bong looked at Jin-Ri as requested "What am I supposed to see?" he asked confused and bewildered at what Jin-Ri was pertaining to."As I was saying, Yeng you will be with the Kisaeng group and Jin-Ri will be with the court maiden's group. All of you will leave in two days" Chief Bong, then left the ladies to tend to other matters of the village.Jin-Ri turned to her friend "You think I am the most beautiful here right? Seeking assurance from YengYeng sighed and gave her reply "Jin-Ri you are my dearest friend, so I will say this" Yeng paused dramatically "Stop being delusional!" She turned around and hopped and skipped away from a bewildered and speechless Jin-RiThree days quickly flew by and on the day of the exhibition, all the ministers and officials gathered at the royal courtyard. Inside the great hall, the price waited for the event to begin. Wearing his blue dragon robes, Man-Ju paced around nervously "You know this is all your fault, I was roped in doing this exhibition" he said to his brother "Are you seriously sleeping right now?"Young-Sik who was meditating opened his eyes "Hey...it's not my fault, father wanted for us to show off our skills, he said you already agreed so I said I'll join as well""Father only told me yesterday! And he told me you said yes, that's why I agreed!" The two of them laughed when they realized how sly their father was."Aren't you burning with that armor you're wearing?" Man-Ju asked his brother why Young-Sik was completely covered from neck to foot.Young-Sik was about to answer, but they heard their names called. Young-Sik stood up and picked up the sword given to him twenty years ago. Man-Ju slings his quiver over his shoulder and picks up his ornate bow.They entered the royal courtyard together, the place roared in cheers from the young noble ladies watching. They marched to the courtyard till they reached the foot of the great stairs. Everyone kept silent, as the crowned prince took his position, while Prince Young-Sik took his seat and watched. Man-Ju looked at four targets approximately a hundred meters or more away from him.He pulled an arrow from his quiver and loaded his bow. Taking a deep breath, he released the arrow, hitting a bulls-eye. He repeated the same feat in rapid succession. All arrows hit a bull's eye. Everyone in attendance cheered on, but the prince was not yet done. Again, in rapid succession, he launched arrows at the four targets, always splitting arrows and hitting the bull's eye. Man-Ju only stopped when there were no more arrows in his quiver. A soldier then went and inspected all four targets. After a few moments, he then shouted "All Bull's eye!" The crowd all applauded the crowned prince and his incredible skills.The crowned prince armed himself with three arrows. He instructed a eunuch to throw a silver coin. The eunuch threw the silver coin high in the air. Prince Man-Ju followed the coin with his eyes and when it was at its highest point shot an arrow at it. The arrow finds its mark and hits the coin on its right side. The coin was thrown up again, but this time it followed a leftward trajectory. The prince repeated the feat by striking the coin once more, on its right side, causing it to move further to the left, heading towards the King and Queen. He armed his final arrow and shot at the coin, striking it once last time on the right side. The coin flew straight towards the King who caught it with his right hand.The King observed the coin and saw the marks that the arrows made. They were all beside one another. The King stood up and clapped his hands, at the impressive feat.Young-Sik stood up as soon as Man-Ju took his seat. A lone soldier faced the prince, they were about to bow, when Minister Gi, stepped in "Your Highness... May we request that the prince battle one of my bodyguards, to make sure that the prince's opponent will not be intimidated by the prince's stature. So, he can convince us of his skills" All the left-wing ministers shouted "Please Your Highness...so the prince can convince us"Master Im who is now a minister protested what the left-wing ministers wanted "Are you deliberately putting the prince in harm's way, Minister Gi?""Not at all minister Im, we merely wanted a fair exhibition, the crowned prince showed us his skills, and without a shadow of a doubt, he is skilled. We just want Prince Young-Sik to do the same" Do-Yun said"It is all right Minister Im, they are right, I will comply with their request," Young-Sik said, to calm his master.Having heard, that the prince agreed, Do-Yun instead called his most skilled bodyguard and not the bodyguard of Minister Gi, he then whispered to the man "Defeat that brat soundly, break his spirit, if needed you can break his legs as well...I want him and the King and all their allies humiliated" The man pulled out his sword and grinned.The prince and his opponent met at the center of the courtyard, the man quickly attacked the prince, not giving him time to bow, Young-Sik pulled out his sword, but his enemy's speed and ferocity prevented the prince from unleashing his attack seeing that all he can do is block. The man pushed with his strikes, not giving the prince any breathing room for a counterattack.The man then launched a brutal overhead slash, Prince Young-Sik was able to block it, but he was knocked over. Before the prince could recover, he saw the man's sword pointed at his throat.The King's heart sank at Young-Sik's failure. All the left-wing ministers laughed discreetly at the prince "Practiced for fifteen years and he can't even land a single strike"The right-wing ministers all bowed their heads in shame at the prince's seemingly sound defeat. Minister Do-Yun then had the brilliant idea to hold General Shin accountable. "Your Highness... General Shin has failed our prince he should be held accountable and punished"General Shin, the prince's instructor, stood up and spoke "Why Minister Lim? The battle has not yet ended"The Queen then stepped in "What are you saying, General? Do you take delight in seeing my son fail?"General Shin faced the Queen and bowed to her "Not at all Your Majesty...I'm merely saying the prince has not yet shown his true abilities""Your Highness...the match has not yet ended, let me finish my match" Young-Sik requested his father"But you barely able to survive his attacks," The King said worriedly"It was just an experiment I tried to conduct, don't worry Your Highness, I will win easily," The prince said with the utmost confidenceUpon hearing the prince's cockiness, infuriated Minister Do-Yun, he went to the bodyguard and instructed him "If you kill that arrogant brat, you won't be arrested and I will make you a rich official" The man smiled and again went back to the middle of the courtyard.The prince also faced the man, but before they started, to everyone's bewilderment, the prince began to remove his arm braces, greaves, shoulder, and breastplates, the prince's accessories fell and cracked the pavement where they fell. The ministers saw how the eunuchs strained to lift each accessory the prince removed. Even the King, Queen, and the crowned prince were shocked by the total weight the prince carried."Fifty kilograms," General Shin said "The prince has been carrying a total of fifty kilograms constantly for eight years" He went to the prince and gave him a different sword. It had a white ivory hilt, wrapped in a white handle cord. The sword's sheath was also made out of ivory, polished to make it glisten under the sun's bright rays. The hand guard, blade collar, and notch were all made of steel. The blade itself has a feathery pattern on it, indicating that the steel used to make it was folded a hundred times to increase its strength, a technique used by Aranese sword smiths. It was clear to everyone that it was the previous crowned prince's sword. "The prince wields a sword so heavy that it weighs three times more than a regular one."The Left-wing ministers stopped laughing as they finally understood why the prince lost. Even Minister Do-Yun's bodyguard was no longer sure if he could defeat the prince. The King seeing the tables have turned, shouted "Begin!"The man could not even react because of Young-Sik's lightning speed. Everyone was just stunned when Young-Sik was at the man's side and the prince's blade was at his throat in a blink of an eye.Not to be outdone, Minister Do-Yun requested the King "Your Highness...this trickery not swordsmanship" he saidYoung-Sik, approached the minister and said "Let's play your game minister, how many would I defeat to shut you up?"The anger can be seen in the minister's eyes after being talked down by a mere boy. He clenched his fist and answered "Defeat ten of my men and I will fear your skills with the sword"The prince turned his back to the minister and said "Ten? Send Twenty." He then walked back to the center of the courtyard.