RavenGuard

Part 8

*I'll be editing this chapter in the next few weeks, so expect some things to change soon.*

Slowly, lessons and training sessions filled my schedule until I hardly had time to breathe. Meals were rushed, eaten quickly before being hurried off to my next gruelling appointment.

The subjects were quite boring to begin with, yet the grumpy tutors made it all unbearable. The practicality of it all remained a mystery to me. Why anyone needed five differnt forks to eat a meal, I would never know, yet the crabby old woman insisted the salad fork be used for nothing but the salad. At the end of each day, I would collapse onto my bed, managing a few hours of deep, uninterrupted sleep before Anna and Elise would pull me out of bed once again, only to repeat the annoyingly tedious process all over again.

The only enjoyable part of any day was the sparring sessions the queen had set up for me. She had arranged lessons in swordplay with a distinguished instructor, though the court's idea of duelling seemed rather foolish. I ended up practicing my other skills, and my tutor quickly grew frustrated with my unwillingness to learn.

I ended up sparring with the sons of dukes and counts, nobles completely unaware of the street fighting rules. Most often, the boys would underestimate my speed and agility and would find themselves on their backsides before they knew what hit them.

Soldiers and palace guards would come to watch the arrogant nobles get kicked to the floor by a girl half their size. All too quickly, my daily sparring matched became quite the event, amassing a larger crowd at each new fight. Even when trained soldiers challenged me, I never refused and I never lost.

One day, a man approached me after a particularly taxing fight, clapping his hands with a grin on his face. His slicked back hair was black as pitch, tied in a short, spikey tail at the base of his neck. He was tall, his eyes looking down from at least a foot above me. He was old, yet also young, with faint scars running back and forth across his forearms, face and neck, disappearing beneath his dark tunic.

"Bravo, little one. Very Impressive." He said, his deep voice echoing through the large practice hall.

"And who might you be?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"No one special." He replied. "It's good to finally see your fight in person. I had heard rumours about the mysterious girl who fought like a street rat, and I had to come see for myself." He chuckled and crossed his muscular arms over his chest. "I was quite entertained."

"I'm glad you were not disappointed." I said flatly.

"You know, it would be thoroughly satisfying to play your victim."

"What?" I spat.

"Think of it as a game." He replied, somehow amused. At my narrowing stare, he continued. "Perhaps I could sweeten this deal, hmm?"

"How would you do that?" I responded, a little too quickly.

"I will speak to the Queen about these lessons you've been having. Defeat me once, and I can make them disappear."

"And if you win?" I asked, putting my hand on my hip.

"Let's just focus on you goal for the moment, shall we?" He motioned to the makeshift arena I built for this type of fighting. We stood on either side of the white line running through the centre of the square. We readied ourselves, he in a low and stable position, while I remained high and on my toes. We both glared at each other for a moment, until he lunged forward. I quickly side stepped and struck out with the heel of my palm, grazing his ear. He shuffled back, maintaining his stance. I circled him, my eyes studying him carefully. He came at me again, kicking high. I tried to dodge like before, but the toe of his boot clipped my temple. My head spun and I fell, unable to breathe. I managed to catch myself, but I felt his foot pressing into the back of my shoulder. Immediately, I knew it was over.

After a few seconds, he eased off and I rolled onto my back. His grin remained pasted to his face as I stood, head pounding.

"Well, you have fared much better than I expected. Unfortunate that I managed to hit your head." He chuckled. The small crowd had fallen silent at my inexpected defeat. "Perhaps you will have better luck next time."

I shrugged it off and returned to my rooms, leaving his haunting laugh behind me in the practice hall.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Upon my return, Elise was waiting with a bath drawn. I soaked for hours, telling her about my less than normal day. When I described my defeat, her laugh rung out like bells through the echoing stone chamber.

"What?" I asked, tilting my head back to look up at her. She just looked away with a smile, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

"Oh, it's nothing, my lady...." She descended into another fit of giggles. I turned to lay on my stomach, my arms resting on the edge of the steaming tub. I grinned into her smiling blue eyes. She just blushed.

"Well, to think that you were.... It's just an interesting thought. You've overcome the best fighters this court has seen in a thousand years, yet in a matter of seconds, this mystery man has put you flat on your stomach." She offered me a warm towel, which I gladly accepted. "An unpredictable series of events, don't you agree?"

"Oh hush up." I said playfully, wrapping the towel around myself. We both laughed as she led me through a series of doors and into my dressing room. She immediately dove into the various wardrobes and dressers until she was satisfied with the variety of dresses laid out before us.

"Which one will you pick, m'Lady?" She asked with a curtsy, only half serious. I rolled my eyes jokingly and picked out a deep purple piece with criss-crossed black ribbons in the back. It was an unusual choice for me, but it was better than the absurd amount of lace or jewels buried in the others. We managed to squeeze my body into it, though it was a team effort. My head spun at the sudden decrease in the air that was reaching my lungs. It's only for one night. . . I reminded myself. Just get through this one night.

"You don't look nervous about the dinner." Elise said, tying the ribbon into a graceful bow.

"Why would I be?" I inquired, gazing into the mirror.

"These are the people who will be running the rest of your life. I just thought you might be worried." She said, smoothing out the fabric and stepping back to admire her work. A frown crossed her face, tearing the sparkle from her eyes. "Don't do anything reckless now. I would hate for you to lose everything you've earned."

I smiled and gave her a quick hug before moving towards the door. As I turned the cold, metal handle, it flew open as Eon tumbled in.