Adelyn

*38*

"Sweet mother Hubbard!" I groan and roll onto my side. Even five days after I began training with Leon my body protests every morning I have to wake up at dawn.
"You better be awake, Princess!" Leon's voice comes from the other side of my door. "I've got a bucket of ice water I am more than happy to use!" His threat is enough to get me clambering out of bed, having dealt with the ice water the morning before.
"I'm awake!" I shout back while pulling open my dresser. I slip on a pair of black trousers and a red cotton tank top before pulling on my boots. "I'm coming!" I yank open the door to find that sure enough, he does have a large bucket of water prepared.
"Good, wouldn't want to waste perfectly good drinking water now would we?" He shoots me a fake smile and trudges away toward the practice field.
"I am starting to hate the morning," I groan and twist my hair up onto the top of my head.
"Did you say something?" Leon peers back at me with his bright green eyes.
"Nope, nothing." I yawn and stretch out my shoulders. My eyes droop as we walk, causing me to stumble every few feet. Suddenly cold water splashes into my face and my eyes whip open and a shriek emanates from my parted lips. The water soaks into my clothes and puddles in the bottom of my boots.
"Hey!" I scowl through the water droplets on my eyelashes at Leon. His lips are pressed into a thin line and his arms are crossed with a perplexed look on his face. I glance down at myself and see why. The water plasters my clothes to my body, exposing every curve and giving whoever might glance at me a great view of my entire body. My scowl deepens and I shove past Leon, not wanting to be gawked at any longer. My fingers close around my practice sword and I swing around to face Leon, this is how I will get back at him. Several more hours of painful practice and my arms once again turn to jello and I am panting like a dying animal.
"We can stop for today," Leon says softly, catching me off guard.
"We can?" I lower my sword slightly and watch him nod.
"Yeah, go eat or rest or whatever." He shrugs and takes my sword from me. The next several weeks pass like this, Leon ending practice when he could tell I was dying. Each day I grew stronger and I could longer and longer until even Leon himself was out of breath and we both sat down to drink lemonade.
"You've done well," he smiles at me before taking another sip of his drink. "In fact, you should go change into something nice. Meet me back here in two hours."
"What for?" I narrow my eyes at him.
"You'll see." He grins, a real face sweeping grin. He takes my drink from me a shoos me away back toward my living quarters. I take a quick shower and pull my hair back into a braid, which now rests just past my shoulders. My fingers graze across the different outfits in my wardrobe until I land on a midnight blue embroidered tunic. The hem is decorated with silvery thread, spun in swirls and stars. I pull the soft fabric over my head with a small grin, remembering back Robby dress from my birthday ball. The dress had been a very similar shade of blue with twinkling silver stars decorating the skirt and bodice. The hem of the dress rests just above my knees and the cut of the tunic makes me look more feminine. I pull on a pair of plane black sandals and exit my room, knowing I will be very early to meeting with Leon.
"Hey, Princess." A hand loops around my waist. "Where you off to?" Asher kisses my cheek softly and the new stubble on his face makes me giggle.
"I don't know, Leon told me wear something nice." Asher's golden eyes darken and his hand tightens on my waist.
"Like a date?" His words are harsh and almost cruel.
"No, he hasn't told me what it is for. And you know Leon is a jerk who would never see me that way." I shrug and pull from his grasp.
"Adelyn..." he sighs with a hurt look on his face. Ever since we left the tournament I haven't known what to think of Asher. He used to be so suave and kind, brave and sweet. Now he just seems like a jealous puppy... I think to myself. I enter the training grounds and look around for Leon, but only spot a few warriors training with their students. I glance down my feet when I feel all eyes turn to me. Several of the guys jaws drop and the rest stare, I am used to having the attention but it still gets to me every time. After the numerous dates and outings my step father made me go on, I have seen anything from shyness to outright ogling of my body. The trainers quickly reign in their students and send them away, leaving me with just them.
"So, you are Leon's student." One man waltzes up to me. "I can't wait to see my son crush you in the arena tomorrow." He sneers through his green war paint. My lips remain sealed, not carrying to enter into a bragging fest.
"Adelyn, you're early." Leon calls from the doorway. My gaze travels all over him, he is wearing the same outfit I saw him in the first time I met him. His vest stops just below his rib cage and hangs open, exposing his tanned flesh which is covered in tattoos. His war paint is on point, making his green eyes almost glow in his head. The thing that startled me though is his hair! His raven locks lay disheveled and loose from their usual braids. Only one strand remains with beads in it which rests just behind his left ear. With his hair like this, it is actually shorter than I presumed it to be. It falls in soft waves just below his chin on the left side. His hair has recently be cut, it is buzzed close to his head on the sides and only the top remains.
"Are you ready?"