From The Moment We Met, It Was You

「※」Chapter 8 「※」

Owen's POV

Days had passed and the attack on Claire's empire was getting near. It frightened me. I did not want to hurt her nor her family. Sadly, my father gave me no choice. As future ruler of his kingdom I was supposed to fight that battle and defend our family's glory.

The past few days I had trained with the knights. They taught me the best tricks and tactics. Every once in a while my father would check on me to see if I was making progress. It made me nervous when he did. His eyes burning in my back, watching every move. I wasn't ready at all. At least not to slaughter Claire's people.

"Your Highness, you must pay attention." Our army commander easily hit my sword out of my hands, snapping me out of my thoughts. "His Majesty needs you to be ready for the upcoming war against the Southern Empire. Please focus on the training." He spoke strictly. "My apoligies. I shall try." I slightly bowed my head as an apology and then picked up my sword again. We continued the training until the sun began to set behind the mountains. "I think we've trained enough for today. You can go rest. Tomorrow morning, at sunrise, we shall train one more time. Your battle skills have definetly improved but they have to be excellent in two days." The commander said. "Of course, sir. I will be here again in the morning."

***The next morning***

As promised I got to the training grounds at sunrise. Not much later the commander joined me. "Are you ready to prove yourself, Your Highness?" He hummed. "More ready than ever, sir." I pulled out my sword and got in position, just like my opponent. I had my eyes focussed on him, waiting for a move. He didnt move though. I stepped forward and struck out with my sword but he was faster and blocked my move. He then turned and sweeped me off my feet, causing me to land on the grass with a loud smack. "Ow.." I rubbed the back of my head. "You should have seen that coming. Alright lets try this again." He offered me his hand and pulled me up when I took it. We got into our positions again. This time I aimed straight for his chest. He slashed my sword to the side and wanted to lash out at my side but I blocked it and went for his arm. These were just practicing swords but if it was a real one he would have lost his arm by now. "Very well, smart thinking." The commander smiled satisfied. "Lets go again."

We trained for the rest of the morning. When the commander told my dad about my improvement, he seemed satisfied and proud. I was happy to see that. "You shall be an excellent leader once the time has come, my son." He grabbed me by the shoulder, giving it an approving pat. "There is food waiting for you in the dining room. Eat plenty, you will need to be energized for tomorrow. After that, rest. It's best to go to sleep early today." My father commanded. I nodded and went to the dining area. They had indeed prepared a whole table of food for me. I ate as much as I needed and then headed back to my bedroom although I couldnt fall asleep. My mind kept wondering about Claire. I would have to come up with something for tomorrow..