An Enchanted Liaison

New Beginnings

As we approached the doorway I saw that the usual guard was not on duty. Instead two men stood there deep in conversation. On closer examination I saw that one of the men was clad in a black robe that was lined with a blue and silver pattern. He was clearly someone royal and of some rank. In his hand he held a staff, its purpose unclear for he was clearly not old enough to require walking assistance, and his eyes were an unsettling colorless gray. Accompanying the robed man was Aiden. I spotted him as soon as I saw those brilliant green eyes of his. It was the same curve on his face, the jet-black hair, although his customary crooked smile was missing today.

After spotting his mother and me he pressed a small smile on his face.

"Adelina I think you have already met my son, Aiden, at the dance a few days ago" she nodded towards Aiden who winked back at me.

"This is Cain the lightkeeper of Iris. From now on you must strengthen and master your magic so you can use it for self-defense. Along with learning magic you must also strengthen your body. As Cain will supervise your magical learning, Aiden will be in charge of your combat classes" noticing my readiness to argue she added, "no if or buts Adelina, from now on you will divide your time between combat and magic. You can continue to attend classes with Paser, as I believe there might still be one or two languages for you to learn. As for mathematics we both know that you don't need to keep doing Master Tora's job. In addition to this you will be working alongside Danen in the infirmary. I think it is high time that you put your healing knowledge into effect."

With that the queen left me amidst someone I had never seen before and someone I hadn't been able to forget. Cain handed me my new schedule.

Upon glancing at it I realized my first lesson with him began at dawn tomorrow. Life is sure not going to be the same. He murmured his farewell and then it came down to just Aiden and I.

"We meet again, although this time in very different circumstances." His smile unarmed me and I mentally chided myself to hold onto my wits.

"So you are going to teach me combat? What qualifies you amidst all the others to do so?" I teased him hoping for cutting comeback that could ease the tension that followed me around ever since my injury.

His smile vanished as his gaze went to my wound. I immediately realized that he still hadn't forgotten the incident and most importantly hadn't forgiven himself for it.

"I know you have no reason to put your faith in me. I hope you know I'll never forgive myself for almost losing you that day."

I grasped his hand in mine and my heart went out to him. "It is because of you that I am still standing here Aiden. You saved my life."

I gave his arm a tug and thankfully he returned my smile. We fell into step together and he gave me a tour of the training ground. Unsurprisingly the grounds were filled with men, men and more men. "So am I the only girl in this part of the castle?" I joked growing a bit uneasy.

"I'm afraid so. I was speaking with Cain and his lesson with you will last just in time for the guards' daily run. I'll find you towards the end of the run and we can begin training for basic combat. You can attend your lessons with Paser and tend to the infirmary afterwards."

I inwardly groaned while maintaining my tight smile. No more lessons with Deidre. No more walks in between lessons with Sapphire and Camilla.

He picked up on my grimace and laughed. "Don't worry, they are all nice guys."

The sound of his laughter was infectious and a genuine smile replaced my forced one. The bell for the midday meal rang out and we both made our to the dining hall together. It was surprisingly easy to talk to him. Our hands grazed each other and my heartbeat quickened whenever he brushed a strand of hair from my face or innocently placed his palm on the small of my back. Training with him and not making an epic fool of myself was going to be the biggest challenge of my life.

Deidre spotted us from across the courtyard and I was startled to find my heart slightly dismayed at the sight of my friend. I painfully took a step away from Aiden and bid him farewell.

Deidre weaseled all the important information out of me. She gaped at me when I told her about my new schedule.

"With the guards? In the training ground? And what about your lesson with Danen?"

It came time to tell her about my so-called magical powers. Something I still had a hard time believing myself.

She froze and then slowly backed away from me as the information dawned on her.

"I always thought you were a genius but this makes sense now. The way your eyes glaze over when you are working and your reflexes intensify. Oh Addie."

She threw her arms around me and it felt good to have my friend hug me. She suddenly looked at me and murmured, "you need clothes for tomorrow, we can't have you running in a dress, now can we?"

I laughed at the sudden change in topic and ran after my friend as she headed over to Aria's to find me tunics and pants for my newly changed life.