The Lonely King (Book 1 of the Shadows, Roses and Ice Trilogy)

Chapter Twenty

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Amabelle's POV

Wiping the sweat off my forehead, I stood back up again, planting my feet in the stance Xavier had been teaching me for the last hour. Though the sun had begun to set, it was humid, making the air stuffy and hot. Which in turn made my training more difficult. My clothes were glued to my body from the perspiration drenching me from head to toe. Thankfully, since I had put my hair up in a ponytail, the breeze cooled me as it drifted across the back of my neck.

"Remember, use your opponent's weight against them. Your opponent might be stronger, but you are faster. The taller they are, the harder they fall." He reminded me, again.

At this point, I was convinced he was saying it to spite me. Maybe what he was telling me would have mattered if I was in fact faster than him. Unfortunately, I wasn't stronger or faster than Xavier, despite what he kept telling me.

My face contorted into an ugly glare as we circled. Xavier was teaching me to mimic his movements but in the opposite. If he stepped forward, I stepped backward, whereas if he dodged to the right, I would counter before he could see me coming. It was a game of guessing the unpredictable. Learning your opponent's fighting pattern, along with their footpath.

"Are you going to frown at me the whole time, princess?" Xavier teased, arching an eyebrow.

Without responding, I leaped forward and swung, my wooden sword hitting him with such force, I almost fell backward. Xavier blocked my next swing and the following.

In retaliation, he swung back at me. Luckily, I blocked it, holding his sword in a battle of who could push away the hardest. Gritting my teeth, I used all my strength to hold my sword against his. Xavier smirked at me, and my eyes flashed wide.

Before I could think to respond, he broke free of our connected swords and swiped his at my bowed knees. Pain stung my eyes, my legs giving out from underneath me, leaving me to fall straight onto my ass. He had hit hard enough to cause bruising this time. Whether it was to encourage me to fight harder or just to prove a point, it had not had the effect he wanted.

Now I was more defeated than ever.

Xavier held the wooden sword out towards my neck. "And you're dead, again."

Growling in fury, my wolf threatened to morph out of my skin. We had been training for so many hours I could hardly hold her back.

"This is hopeless," I muttered under my breath, gripping the sand underneath me.

"Oh come on, you're not giving up now, are you?" Xavier taunted, waiting for me to stand back up.

Shaking my head, I climbed back onto my feet. Once I was in my stance, Xavier didn't hesitate. He didn't give me a single moment to plan my attack or be ready for his. Striking me immediately, I toppled to the ground, again.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, giving him a scowl. "What the hell?!"

Xavier shrugged. "You have to be prepared for anything. Do you think that Kamil will play fair?"

Blinking, I thought this over. He was right of course, Kamil would likely not offer me any type of mercy. While I did need to be prepared for that, I was still royally pissed with the way he was behaving.

"Now, get up princess, we're not even close to being done." Xavier instructed.

I hoped my anger was palpable by Xavier at this point. Now ready for his blow, I stood up and blocked his first swing. And the one after that.

He did, however, keep swinging, one after another. Luckily, even though my arms were screaming, I was able to block each one. I even counter swung after the last one. Something like a second wind erupted from my body, and I swung again and again, and again.