The Stolen Throne

Chapter Three - Punishments

Lucy's blade parried Alex's as he lunged forward. They'd gathered quite the crowd of guards when they'd started dueling, all of them eager for the respite.

Lucy grinned at Alex before faking to the left and striking his right side lightly with the blunt training swords directly after. He almost blocked it but held his sword up a fraction of a second too late. Her strike was met with cheers from the assembled guards as she jumped back to avoid Alex's answering strike.

They carried on striking and parrying for several minutes, neither gaining any advantage until Alex saw his opening. He swung his sword in a circle around Lucy's, prising it from her grip. Lucy didn't even allow herself to feel shocked as she lunged forward, hitting his sword arm with her right palm and knocking Alex's blade from his hand.

Both now disarmed, they stood there panting as the guards around them clapped and whooped. 

Alex allowed them a few seconds of this before calling, "All right you lot! Time to get back to training now that you've laughed at me getting my arse kicked!" The guards laughed again at that but dispersed and took up the various training exercises they'd been practicing before.

Alex picked up both of their swords and handed Lucy's back to her, clapping her on the back once his hand was free. "You did well today." He said as he followed her back to the armoury.

"So did you." Lucy smiled as she placed her training sword back on the rack, "Shouldn't you be back overseeing the training by now?"

"Probably," Alex shrugged, "I just wanted to see if you were okay after yesterday. Brockam didn't sound happy at all at dinner last night."

"You were sat near him?" Lucy asked, her eyebrows raising in surprise.

"Near enough to hear him complain. No doubt he's told Esmeralda."

"I think he already has. Though, I wasn't sat close enough to her for her to give me anything other than several dirty looks when my father wasn't looking. And Fenwar kept shooting me dirty looks too."

"That sounds like Fenwar, always copying whatever Esmeralda does. It's no wonder he's her right-hand, he follows everything she does and everywhere she goes like a lost puppy. " Alex asked.

"Yes, a puppy who's a sadist and can physically rip your limbs from their sockets with or without permission from his queen."

"Have you heard anything about their meeting that was more important than the council meeting yesterday?" Alex asked as they made their way back into the early morning sunshine.

"No. Have you?"

"I was meaning to ask William about it but I haven't seen him yet this morning."

"That's weird, he normally comes down before training doesn't he?" Lucy asked as she wondered where her uncle could be.

"It's a Thursday, Luce. He'll be meeting with his lords." Alex said in a more hushed tone as they broached onto the subject of the reconnaissance network her uncle was the head of.

"Right, of course. I forgot." Lucy murmured as a servant rushed towards them.

"Your Highness," The maid curtsied, "His Majesty sent for you."

"I'll come right away," Lucy said, brushing the dust from the training ground from her amethyst tunic. She nodded once to Alex before following the servant into the palace. The maid led her through the corridors to her father's private study, the guards stepping aside once they saw Lucy and opening the doors.

King Thomas was sat behind his desk, a pile of papers in front of him. His hazel eyes shone with happiness as he beheld his daughter. He jumped up and made his way around the desk as the guards closed the doors.