Junseo stood just inside the gate of his uncle's house. He took a deep breath, adjusted his greaves around his shins one more time, and scanned the sky. High wisps of clouds signaled the winds should pick up later. He longed for a chance run with a kite again, actually he longed to be anywhere but in the middle of the fuss surrounding his preparation for the champion's parade. It would have been far better if he had been able to leave from the regular training yard but staying with his uncle, and making an appearance at his school, was the deal he struck to be able to borrow the javelins he would be using later today. His uncle had a handful of special guests there to see him off and Junseo did his best to look interested during the speeches.

Trainee In-Yeon led the big bay gelding over and held him steady while Junseo mounted. The horse picked up on Junseo's nerves and put on a display, pawing, and tossing its head as they headed out. In-Yeon stayed close putting a hand on the horse's nose when it tried to dance sideways down the street. Junseo smiled bravely but could not stop a sigh of relief when Hae-sung met them halfway to the arena. "Ready?" the older boy asked and Junseo could only nod. Their grooms led them to the proper place in line and stayed to settle the mounts as others joined up.

San Jin waited in the front rank with a tightly furled banner tucked under his arm. Xuiyang holding a loose lead-line, scanned the line-up to see who he might recognize from the other teams. Hae-sung directed Chenhui to the middle rank then encouraged the boy to go find a seat in the arena. Junseo's tried to keep from fidgeting in the back row as they waited. The fanfare signaling a royal had entered the grounds explained the delay. After the trumpets finished Junseo's horse sneezed and shook vigorously from head to tale. Junseo blanched but In-Yeon laughed at the antics and walked away still chuckling when the line started to move forward. Junseo caught a bit of the chatter from the other riders making wagers on which royal might have delayed the proceedings.

"The Prince never comes on the first day. We have to earn his attention." A boy in palace colors said firmly.

"I can't imagine any of the court ladies taking an interest. Not unless they have a close relative competing," an academy boy countered.

"Wait. Isn't that the Dowager's banner?"

"Can't be. She never leaves the Palace these days."

"Yeah, well who is that, then?" Another academy boy nodded toward two veiled women making their way to the royal box. Junseo craned his neck to try to see but the band struck up a different anthem and it was time to start.

For the first few minutes Junseo worried he had more horse than he could handle. As if his mount knew they were on display the gelding stepped lighter, rolled smoothly into a collected canter, and danced through the synchronized lead changes. The riding master gave Junseo a favorable nod after they finished threading the needle and lined up for the bow. Junseo jiggled on the loosened reins so his horse would lower its head and worked to stay balanced when his bay went down on one knee like the horses in the first ranks. The return to their regular position was not nearly as elegant as the others in the group but Junseo was pleased enough to reward his mount with a firm pat.

He quickly scanned the crowd, easily spotting San Jin's father getting ready to deliver the welcoming address. Knight-Master Lei's wide frame was clearly visible in the row of seats behind the royal box. He was disconcerted to see members of his own family in the next tier up. His Uncle sat among the heads of the other academies represented on the field and his Grandfather sat with delegates from Indochine.

Junseo's horse threw its head around, drawing attention back to the field and the group starting to exit the field. He handed his horse off to In-Yeon and nodded to the other members of the team serving as grooms then made his way to where the first round in the competition would start.

Armed with a bow and three arrows each competitor was assigned to a group to run to a different station, shoot the target, sprint to the next station, and repeat the process. The rankings were based on speed and accuracy. One missed shot was cause for elimination and a second round of quick shots used for tie-breakers. The extra drills Manager Doak ran with them, meant the team members were well prepared for this event. Hae-sung placed third overall, Junseo came sixth and San Jin eighth. The buzz over the remarkable showing for a new training yard sparked a new round of betting.

The next event was designed to accommodate the competitors who had opted out of the horse trials. Three young men presented themselves. An academy representative demonstrated his skills with axe throwing. He missed on his first throw but on the next try hit the target squarely from a distance matching the standing record. This gave him full participation points but no bonus.

One of the Sun Temple's candidates chose javelin and showed very good form on his first throw. Junseo accepted the equipment handed to him by the weapon's master but it felt off. He studied the javelin closely, noting the unfamiliar markings, then tested for its true balance point. He slid his hand back from where the grip had been set, took three swift strides, and launched his throw with a skidding stop just shy of the line. Even without as firm a grip as usual he was able to match his competitor's distance. For the next round Junseo selected a javelin with the school's familiar crest and made a much better throw. The final, tie-breaking throw, saw Junseo best a long-standing record thereby earning coveted bonus points.

There was no time for him to celebrate this accomplishment since even as the measurement of his last throw was being confirmed, the course was being re-set for a team event. The competitors were all herded to a separate bleacher where they were sorted into groups of six. Junseo was happy to see San Jin on his team along with a familiar looking boy from the temple but he did not recognize the others. They were blocked from being able to see the new course layout so Junseo took time to get to know each member of their group. One of the pair from the Prince's training yard turned out to be quite friendly, the other not so much. The academy boy seemed nervous, especially around San Jin, but with a little coaxing Junseo was able to learn enough to get a picture of the different strengths each member brought to the team.

The referee explained the line-up for the staggered starts and the scoring criteria. The ad hoc groups would be judged on teamwork as well as speed. A second official added, "Certainly one will lead to the other."

A wall climb was the first obstacle for San Jin and Junseo's crew. Noting he was larger than most of the others, Junseo took up a position at the base of the wall to boost the others to the top. The more reserved member from the prince's yard tried to get up the wall on his own but after two failed attempts accepted the offered boost. When it was Junseo's turn, he worried if he could get enough momentum to reach the top of the wall. As he stared to slow, he spotted San Jin reaching down and with his help scrambled up and over.

Most of the other obstacles were familiar but best tackled in pairs. Junseo found himself matched with the boy from the Sun Temple since they were closest in size. By unspoken agreement they tracked below the aerial run so they could boost anyone who fell back up onto the nearest platform instead of them having to return to the ladder at the start of the course. When the others were clear they sprinted into position and ran along the swinging pieces with ease as their whole group cheered.

The strangest challenge was a wall of doors behind a table full of puzzle boxes. Junseo opened his box on the first try but waited to see how the others faired. It was not hard to see how frustrated San Jin was getting so he offered help. San Jin passed over his box without hesitation and closely studied how Junseo worked out its trick. Junseo passed the key to San Jin and indicated his friend should continue along the course. The academy boy followed Junseo's lead and helped out the Sun Temple member. The pair from the prince's training yard did not work together. The one who worked out the puzzle raced away to try to get ahead of San Jin. The other struggled on his own finally throwing the box on the ground in frustration. As he picked up the puzzle, Junseo reminded the boy in black this was a team event by showing him the steps he should try. Once the key was extracted, they went to the remaining untried doors but found they had to trade keys to get through. The other boy rushed ahead but only got five steps before rejoined the rest of the team at the last obstacle.