"I don't know."
The words broke through the noise of the battle surrounding them. It was the dead-pan voice of Heuk-chi calmly informing him that he didn't know of a way to stop a spear from turning Taejun into a giant needle pad.
As the seconds ticked by, every fibre of his being screamed at him to fall back, find shelter behind his subordinates, and yet he just stood there.
He was frightened.
It stung to admit, but there wasn't any other way to describe why he simply stood there, frozen on the spot.
His heart was pounding in his chest and all he could hear was the deafening swooshing of his pulse in his ears. Despite seeing the soldier aiming the spear at him, he couldn't seem to make his limbs move even in the slightest. Before he could react he was shoved to the side by Heuk-chi who was yelling at him to get a move on, and in the last moment too. The spear landed just next to them where Taejun had been standing a moment ago, and mere centimetres from Heuk-chi who hovered over Taejun protectively.
He still wasn't moving though.
Heuk-Chi was protecting him. It was his job; Taejun knew that, but still, the mere idea that something would happen to his most trusted subordinate made his stomach churn nauseatingly, and what of the rest of his subordinates? How would he have the right to run to safety while they were battling impossible odds, desperately hoping that reinforcements would arrive before it was too late?
"Heuk-chi, I-"
"Master Taejun, how about you listen to me for once and fall back when you're told to?" Heuk-Chi interrupted his train of thought; and Taejun saw that he held his gaze still firmly planted on the approaching enemy soldiers, rather than turning to face him. "Just make a run for it, damn it, sir. We won't be able to hold them off for much longer and you really shouldn't be here then."
And finally, Taejun moved.
He ran, battling a desperate desire to get away from the battle as quick as possible with wanting to stay and fight, to make his brother proud, and her…
He was all too well aware of his limitations, and what it would mean if something happened to his brother or himself.
He wanted to be a leader. Not so that he could boss his brother's people around, but to help them as much as he could, and he could only do so if he didn't die a pointless death on the battlefield.
So he bolted.
He was of more use to those he wanted to protect that way.