Curse's Vendetta Four: Vidi Melius Dies

Watch Your Enemy

Zyine POV

"Roman!" I yell to a Black Prior who had his back turned to me. He turns and looks at me. Something in his face felt familiar though I had never met him. I run to catch up to Roman.

"You're Zyine, right?" Roman says as I approach him. His voice was smooth, but commanding. I nod on response to his question.

"I was wondering if I could train with you today. I could only learn so much from training with the some person. Mother is looking for someone and I have nothing better to do than train. Will you train me?" Roman thinks for a moment.

"I could, but your mother was trained just as I was. We all ultimately learned from the man who started the Black Priors about forty years ago." Roman says. I didn't know that the Black Priors were only around for forty years. I grew up knowing about them.

"Mother taught me to survive, not fight. Plus she's older than she used to me. I could learn from someone younger who lives to right. Mother hasn't actually fought someone in years. She's been a guard in Anvil for as long as I can remember." Roman smiles a little.

"You remind me of myself when I was young." Roman says. "There was a time that I was a lot like you. I sought adventure and danger. I knew where to find it too, here in the Black Prior fortress. My mother had a conflicting thought about them so my adventures never came true until I was older. A lot has happened between then and now. Make sure you find the path you truly feel you need to follow." I look up at him. Roman was quite a bit taller than me, and most of his face was hidden by his Black Prior hood.

"You sound to wise for a guy your age." I laugh. I didn't actually know his age, but Roman looked to be in about his twenties. Roman smiles a little. "I just want to learn to fight. I have no idea if mother and I will stay around after she finds the guy she's looking for. At least I know you're not him. He's way older, like in his forties or something."

"Looks could be deceiving, Zyine." Roman says. "If you really want to train, then we can. I won't stop you from doing what you want. Just make sure it won't get you in trouble with your mother." Roman begins walking away and I follow him. I was excited to learn new skills from him.

"How long have you been a Black Prior?" I ask him. I was sometimes bad at starting conversations but Roman seemed like an easy guy to talk to.

"Not for very long. I got here a little before you did, but one of the other men here trained me. I had also met this orders leader many years ago and he taught me how to fight as well. I returned recently because I had realized that this is the kind of life I wanted. I wanted to protect those who needed it." Roman replies thoughtfully.

"We're you trained by Mercer?" I asked. I might as well try and help my mother. She never told me who Mercer was, but it didn't matter much to me.

"No. I had actually never met him. The man who trained me was a man named Vortiger. I believe Mercer was his son though." I nod, I knew that. Mother had called him Mercer son of Vortiger at some point. "Nevermind that. It doesn't really matter who trained me because I had learned a few things along the way as well. Come, we're almost there."

We approach a large clearing. There were a few people fighting, but other than that, the area didn't have anyone else. "And these are the training grounds." I say, then I turn to Roman. "How are we going to do this?"

"We fight." Roman says, and he unsheathes his sword. "We don't fight to kill, we fight to either draw blood or first to the ground. Along the way, watch what I do and learn from me, whilst doing so, I will learn from you. I'm ready when you are, Zyine." He says and holds his sword and shield at the ready.