Legacies of the Forgotten

3- The Secret

After that interaction with Laurance, we've been sneaking in stolen kisses and secret glances. He'll bring my food early and we'll spend time cuddling, reading or- you get the picture.
We haven't gone passed what happened that night, we're both too nervous. I'm still recovering and he's scared to hurt me. It's still to early on to even think to be going that far.
As I'm lost in my thoughts about him, there's a knock at my door, but when it opens, it's not Laurance. I slump in disappointment. "I know, I'm sorry. I'm not who you were expecting. Im Zenix. Laurance was granted time in the over world, to see his loved ones. I'll be taking care of you while he's gone."
"How long will he be gone?" I looked this man, he's got brown hair and golden eyes. He seems kind, but Im going to miss my time with Laurance.
"Not sure. But when he's back I will personally send him straight here." He gave me a soft smile and put down my breakfast. It was smaller than usual. "I'm not as good of a cook as Laurance but I hope it'll do. If you need anything, just holler, I'm right down the hall." He shot me another smile and left, closing the door.
I looked down at my breakfast. It consisted of a small omelet and 2 strips of bacon. A glass of water in the corner. As I ate, I noticed it wasn't on par with Laurance cooking, but it was still appetizing. It went down quicker than normal since the smaller amount.

I sat in my bed thinking about Laurance, I wish he had told me he was leaving. I wonder if he had any warning. Zenix came in and out throughout the week. I hadn't left my room, had any fun or quite frankly, done anything. Zenix would do more check ins than Laurance did, but didn't stay very long when he did. I missed Laurance terribly.

That night, my dreams were filled with him, his voice, his emerald eyes. I couldn't get my mind off of him.

"Good morning. You have breakfast outside your room this morning. I'll give you some time to get dressed." Zenix stepped out as I reluctantly woke up.

As I stepped out, Zenix led me down to the food hall. "From here on out, you will be escorted to eat here with the rest of us. Try to just keep your head down and mind your own business. It's the best way to stay alive and out of trouble here. Not all of them are as kind as Laurance and I." Zenix helped me grab a plate and we sat down at a table with others. Him and I kept to ourselves the whole time and when we were done he led me into a large weapon room.
"Zenix? What is this?!"
"Don't be afraid. This is our training room. You get your weapons issued to you today once we figure out what you're strongest in. Let's get started! There's a simulation room ahead. We'll go through each stage at beginner level and whatever you score highest in is what you'll specialize in!"
Zenix led me forward into a glass room with a panel outside. Zenix typed a few things in and handed me a sword. "First up! Swordsmanship!"
We went through every weapon class and so far, i failed everything. "Zenix, I don't think I'm ready. I'm not doing well. These are foreign weapons to me."
"Well, what do you recognize?" I looked around, finding some spears. That's what we were trained with in Falcon Claw.
"Why don't I try these? Bump up the difficulty."
Zenix tried to rebuttle but I stepped in and closed the door before he could.
The lights dimmed and shadows began to appear. I threw and got into a rhythm. I forgot what it was like to fight like this. Training memories filled my head as the metal left my hand. I swung it around, hitting a target then turning and launching the spear into the last shadow.
I gathered all of the spears and stepped out. When I looked up there were multiple Knights staring in. They began to clap and cheer. "Wow...I guess we know what you're specializing in." Zenix let out a chuckle.
We got my weapons issued to me and headed back to my room. "How did you learn to do that?! I've never seen someone fight like that!"
"In the town I was raised in we trained women and men. Spears were the primary weapon with a sprinkle of archery in the mix. We start very young, then get sent off the guard academy and each house has one child chosen to serve in our guard. I was chosen, that's how Laurance found me."
Zenix's face dropped. "I'm so sorry, Laurance had told me everything. He should be back in a couple of days. You can show him the progress you've made!" He gave me a soft smile.
"I can't wait for him to come back. I miss him terribly."
"You have feelings for him don't you? And him for you?"
"I-how did you know?"
"From the way he talks about you, the look in his eyes." Zenix smiled at me. "It's obvious if you ask me. I remember one night he came to the training room late, I was there too. He seemed in such a bright mood, one I haven't seen him in, in such a long time."
"Really? All I did was read to him."
"You showed him love. There's not a whole lot of that around here. If I were you, I'd keep that up, we need some joy here. It'll help you in the long run."
"Oh, well, my mother always taught me to show kindness to everyone because you never know what they're going through."
"That's a wonderful lesson. But I should let you rest up before dinner. I'll come get you in a bit. Also, I should let you know that soon the King is going to be sending you, along with all the new recruits to the over world. Part of your final training is to kill someone you love. It's horrible, Laurance still hasn't completed it. A lot of us haven't but there's usually no hurry. As horrible as he is, the King is quite reasonable and understanding of what it means. I will update you when I know more. It should be within the next month or so. But, anyways, have a great evening, I will see you later."
With that, Zenix took his leave and left me to rest. I laid down for a nap, trying to rest up as much as possible.

There was a soft knock at my door. "Good morning darlin'. I'm back."