The Dance of the Keepers

Chapter 16 A Duel of Steel

I awoke the next morning having slept fitfully, nightmares plaguing me half the night. At some point, I had dragged my sorry butt upstairs and collapsed into the bed, but had forgotten to pull pajamas on. The downside to sleeping in your jeans is the buttons tend to press into you and leave semi-permanent indentations. I peeled yesterday's clothes off and changed into sweats and a loose t-shirt, with no plans to go anywhere for the day. If Kyle was stupid enough to show his face and ask me to train I'd probably knock him out a window.

I was relaxing on the couch with a cup of coffee, lost in dark thoughts when there came a sharp knock on the door. Irritably, I got to my feet and padded across the tile, with full intentions on chewing out whoever was coming over to bother me.

"Good morning Miss Coften, I have been sent from the palace with a personal note for you from Prince Ranen."
A male servant in a sharp uniform bowed and presented me with a folded slip of paper.

That was unexpected. I carefully took the note and opened it up, noticing the fine quality of the paper. Was everything the royal family had nicer than what the rest of us were allowed?

My Dear Astrid,

I paused right there to appropriately scoff.

I was rather hoping you might join me this morning for a duel of sorts. I should like to see which of us is the better swordsman, are you up for the challenge? I shall send my guards to escort you to the palace training grounds at 11 AM prompt. Wear whatever you like and I'll provide the weapons upon your arrival. I'll look forward to a morning spent in your delightful company, presuming you're not too afraid to face me in battle.

His name was signed at the bottom in scrolling letters. I snorted and glanced at the clock; it was already 10:30 AM. The last thing I wanted to do today was fight, especially with the Prince, who couldn't even understand what I had gone through the previous day. On the other hand, I couldn't let him get away with the slight to my honor, too afraid to face him in battle my eye. Maybe I ought to teach him a lesson on insulting people's combat skills.

I handed the note back to the servant.

"Thank you."
I said politely, starting to close the door.

"And your reply ma'am?"

"Oh you can tell the Prince I'll be there, someone has to kick his butt."

The servant looked startled but bowed and left without another word. The door clicked shut behind him and I wondered what I ought to wear. Then an idea popped into my head and I smirked, enjoying the irony of it. I located a pair of boots and brushed my hair into a high ponytail, leaving the sweats and baggy t-shirt in place. When the guards arrived, I followed them dutifully to the limo, hoping there would be no stops in obscure parking lots this time.

My heart rate increased as we got closer to the palace and I momentarily wondered if I should really be messing around with the Crown Prince. As if I didn't already have enough trouble in my life. The limo stopped outside the grand entryway and the guards escorted me around the building to the back of the property where I discovered the palace's own training yard.

There was a large sandy courtyard, open to the sky and an oddly shaped building that ran around the perimeter. The stables were located to the back of it so there was a distinct horse smell to the area that was strong, but not unpleasant.

The Prince was standing in the middle of the courtyard taking practice swings with a fancy golden sword. The hilt was made to look like flames, not unsurprising for a Fire Prince, and the blade looked sharp enough to flay a person alive. He turned round and offered me a wide smile.