The Realm of Roses

18.

"Fear not for the future, weep not for the past." ― Percy Bysshe Shelley
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Despite Lien's obvious thoughts of being used for the Princes' sake, Alfred had a complete different opinion considering the matter. After he woke up, the man was quick to prepare himself for the meeting. He was singing while walking down the corridor of the manor.

"This is exciting," the young Prince spoke to himself in a light-hearted way. It was not only the training that would cause him great pleasure, but the thought of befriending one of their new allies seemed to lighten his spirits. Alfred loved making new acquaintances, even if the occasion was rather extraordinary: Lien had threatened him with a knife days ago and the young Prince had to admit that it was brave of her. It fascinated him to come across a person like she was. Although his greatest hope of breaking the curse lay in the hands of Sakura; Alfred was certain that she could be the remedy for his brother's curse. After the injured huntress' arrival, the beast had shown several changes in his manners.

And supporting this development will be possible through befriending Lien – and he certainly did not disapprove this, for he felt excited for meeting her again.
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Lien was not eagerly waiting for the young Prince to arrive. Even if they had officially engaged her and Sakura to work as hunters for them – it was rather a forced alliance and still Lien would rather help them than the enemies of the beast. Lien felt uncertain of having private training hours with the youngest Prince of the household. If it was his rank or his flattering smile that somehow had the ability to cause her cheeks to colour, Lien was not sure. Although she presumed that those two were the reason for it.

"He is the Prince," she sighed to herself, reminding herself what her place was. The small huntress quickly thought of her older sister and her infatuation with the beast. For Lien, it was clear that Sakura's view of the enchanted oldest heir of the Whitefort Kingdom had changed. Her need for helping Arthur and the look of appreciation that had flashed in her eyes over the last days were evidence enough.

"We are subjects for their win pf their enemy . . . Even if they claim us to be their allies," Lien added slowly. As a bounty hunter, she knew the task that awaited her, and the importance and worth of her job. She was executing orders for money and not trying to impress her clients with her character. The same passed for her sister, who had to be reminded of it again. Even if that would hurt her.

"Miss Lien!"

As prepared and used she was to being approached by any person that may be a threat to her, Lien still startled as Alfred arrived at the gates of the yard. And forgotten were her former words as well, because the blonde Prince's smile was the most dominating feature on his face – along with his shining blue eyes and the dimples that danced on his cheeks.

How a man could be this positively happy of meeting someone, who had pressed a knife against his back, was a question Lien did ask herself.

"How are you?"

Now he stood in front of her, exchanging a question of her wellbeing – an action that unsettled her: not for feeling angry for his inquiries, but for the mere fact that he was sincerely interested in talking with her.

"I-I am fine," she answered quickly, supressing a small blush that risked to rise on her cheeks. "Your Highness."

With a waving hand, Alfred insisted to be called by his given name, now that they were considered allies, or as he worded it: Friends.

At first that notion was one she wanted to fulfil, but refusing a Prince's wish was almost impossible. So, Lien found herself nodding silently.

"A nice day! I wish that our training will be extraordinary," Alfred suddenly spoke, "Of course you will show me that move that you used on me" – at that Lien wore the expression of guilt as her eyes focused to the ground, before the Prince proceeded in his speaking. "And I will explain you the different tasks of the army and the Special operation team that works for my Kingdom. Of course it is a secretive organisation and I believe that you and your sister are well suited for this occupation."

Alfred stopped in his talking, considering one small detail. "Although I think that Miss Sakura will not be engaged in that team . . . Arthur will probably prevent it." The last part was muttered and still Lien could clearly hear the words. The man in front of her was not in the possession of a quiet voice – on the contrary, his voice was made for a commander on the battlefield.

Despite that clear statement, the small woman decided to not ask after that small notion the Prince had just uttered.

"So, I hope we will work finely together."

"I hope so too, Sir," Lien answered, earning a frown from Alfred for not addressing him as he had previously wished to.

Without wasting any time, both began their warm ups, before their sparring began. At first, Lien had been reluctant to attack the Prince, but after he had reassured her more than twice, their fight had intensified. For almost half an hour, both were hitting and blocking each's punches, before a pause was declared on Alfred's account.

The man was not exhausted from the workout but rather astonished from the petite woman's skill in fighting. Not only had her fitness proved to be exquisite; the stubborn look in her eyes had convinced Alfred that she was a brave fighter – he secretly admitted that he admired that expression and smiled at her, not knowing how this expression affected the huntress.

"Your capability of fighting is surpassing those of my soldiers. And you are not holding back, not like most of my comrades in the army."

"T-Thank you . . . Though your fighting skills are one of the best I have come across," Lien replied, a little embarrassed by his compliment. She had the urge to respond with a similar sentence as he did. And it was the truth after all: his moves were fast and his hits were powerful. She had struggled at the end of their fight.

"Thank you." Was the only comment she received from him, not realising that slight amusing look on the Prince's face.

The second round was ended quicker than the first one, for both decided to talk about the system of the organisation. Of course it was not a completely new field for Lien to become acquainted with – as a bounty hunter she was used to the ruthless methods some of the special corps had to carry out. A Kingdom could never reign without having control over criminals or enemy spies and as Alfred told her that a lot of enemy spies had been engaged in their Kingdom, Lien thought it a very concerning piece of news. It indicated that the rumours of the oldest Prince being cursed, had been a topic in a lot of other countries.

"Our family has always been in the danger of being overthrown, but now the chance of it has increased," Alfred admitted softly, his eyes focused on his hands that lay clasped on his lap. Both had seated themselves on a bench made of stone as the sandy-blonde man was speaking. The concern on his visage was mirroring the tone of his voice. Lien had noted that he was a person that spoke with his heart; his emotions could never be completely hidden, even if Alfred wished for it. His eyes were always betraying him – that clear blue that never seemed to remain calm.

And suddenly, the huntress understood her older sister's decision of agreeing on the terms with the cursed beast, as her own feeling forced her to help Alfred. If it was due to pure empathy or the look on his face – she had never seen before – Lien was not certain. Unknown to her, both sisters shared the same cause of their decision.
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[A/N: Time for some Ameviet :D . I deeply apologise for the lack of updates, for I had only time to write one chapter of my other story. Currently I have some work to do for university and in addition to that, a massive writer's block had prevented me from writing anything :O. ]