Arcadia's Ignoble Knight: The Sorceress of Ashtown

Heart of the Matter

A/N: I apologize for the late update. I was having internet problems and it took awhile to fix them. Anyway, here is the next chapter. Please enjoy it!

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The tour had finished some time ago.

Morrison had shown him and Erica around some more, and then he had their single maid prepare dinner for them. During dinner, Morrison spoke with Erica at great length, though Caspian noticed how the Sorceress's attention kept drifting away. It was also during dinner that Caspian had met Morrison's youngest son, though the less said about that pretentious little brat the better.

After dinner, Elric had intercepted Caspian before he and Erica could return to their room.

"I was hoping we could have that spar," Elric had said, sounding almost uncertain. Caspian thought for a moment before deciding that, indeed, a spar sounded quite nice. It would give him a chance to test this young teen's abilities.

It's always good to know the skillset of your potential enemies.

And Elric was a potential enemy. He didn't know anything about this boy, but it didn't change the fact that he was a noble. Caspian had yet to meet a noble who was trustworthy, and he sincerely doubted he would ever meet one.

Elric led Caspian to a large training hall. While not as extravagant as the one at Arcadia's Knight Academy, it still possessed a simple sort of elegance, and the many tapestries hanging from the wall added a little color to the otherwise drab room. Also unlike at the academy, this hall didn't have a training matt. It was just a tiled floor composed of large stone blocks.

"It was pretty unusual of you to try and protect that dwarf," Elric said as he studied the many weapons situated on the wrack. "I was surprised."

"Yeah, well, you're not the only one," Caspian grunted, watching as the young man decided on a weapon to use. Standing off to the side, Erica and Morrison spoke in hushed tones, though it appeared the man was paying more attention to the Sorceress's bust than her words.

I wonder what Morrison's wife would think if she saw that, Caspian pondered the thought, then snorted. She probably already knows, if her hatred of Erica is an indication.

"You mean that you were as surprised by your own actions as everyone else?" asked Elric.

"I... I guess so."

Caspian still wasn't sure what had come over him when he'd tried to protect that dwarf. He had no real reason to care about what happened to their kind. They were a violent race who, without being held underneath the rule of humans, would have torn themselves apart centuries ago. Looking at it like that, what happened back there was nothing compared to what the dwarves had been doing to themselves centuries before humanity entered the picture.

So, why do I care so much?

"You're just a freak! The only thing freaks like you and your mom are good for is labor and whoring yourselves out!"

Caspian pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. His head throbbed like a battering ram was hammering away inside of his skull. He gritted his teeth, riding the pain out. The memory soon faded, and with it, the pain vanished as well.

"I guess I just don't like senseless violence," Caspian said at last. "It's one thing to defend yourself, or to fight against someone who is capable of fighting back, but it's wrong to fight someone who can't defend themselves."