Element Sense

Chapter One- Another Day

Alyss checked her sewing for any mistakes. As usual it was infallible. She sighed. Could she expect anything less after doing it nearly every day for her entire life? Glancing out her window, she saw the sun was beginning to rise. She didn't have much time left. Her quilt lay to the left of her leg, completed, along with her thoughts on the Phoafean Drought.

With a practiced ease, Alyss slipped into her "commoner clothes" as she had dubbed them, put a large cloak on to cover them, and left her faithful chambermaid, Josselyn, with a fond smile.

Josselyn was still asleep-her soft snoring could attest to that-as nearly all the residents of the castle were. But Josselyn alone of the castle inhabitants -aside from Sadon- knew where Alyss was actually headed.  Although everyone was always on friendly terms with her, Josselyn was one of Alyss's only true confidantes in the castle and was prized highly for it. Alyss crept through the corridors, not wishing to disturb anyone's slumber, mostly for her own sake.

She tiptoed to the backdoor, the years of practice controlling her movements, not allowing any fumbling. Alyss approached the door, practically gliding, and nodded to the one other person she trusted completely in the castle, Sadon.

He acknowledged her presence with a drowsy nod, and opened the door quietly, leading her outside. The door opened to show the wonderful trees that made up the forest charged with protecting the hindquarters of the castle. Alyss winced at the small click made by the shutting door by habit, as it was the only noise she couldn't control after all the other precautions she took. She was always afraid of being caught and led back inside, never to be able to come back again.

They walked in companionable silence to the clearing where Sadon had begun instructing her in self-defense at her behest. Sadon began to stretch and Alyss followed his example, cheerfully. Sadon glared daggers, and she smiled back, amused. Sadon would never be content this early in the morning and became easily annoyed with anyone who was. Following the few minutes of stretching, she rose and began her warm-up lap, knowing that Sadon had done the same when grunts of annoyance and grumbling sounded behind her.

After jogging the perimeter of the area a couple of times, which totaled roughly two miles, they simultaneously slowed their pace and came to a stop. After resting for a couple minutes, Sadon tossed her a hand-and-a-half sword covered by an enchantment to dull the blade, and a lightweight shield. She quietly accepted them both, and prepared to spar. The world was altered into a blur as they engaged in a mock battle.

 Alyss swung her blade in wide arcs. She checked to see whether her defenses were covered. They were. Was she swinging too fast? When she had first begun training, Alyss would swing her sword too quickly to have any control of the movement. Sadon, being accustomed to her "fatal flaw" as he had called it, would wait calmly for the opening her crescent would unerringly give him, and take the opportunity to strike, thereby “killing” her.

In her opinion, the matches were never evenly matched; Sadon was a seasoned veteran. Alyss’s father, the King, had chosen him specifically for his post because he had become so distinguished as a soldier. She smirked. He complained about having to get up early for training all the time, but Alyss knew he enjoyed it. His level-headedness during the battle was only one of the contributing factors to his superiority as a soldier.

The tension in his body would ebb away as he danced to the melody of the battle, a beautiful symphony only he seemed to be able to hear, and Alyss yearned to hear as well one day. There was no doubt about it, he was a natural. A prodigy. And he deserved to be recognized as thus, in the eyes of others.

But off the battlefield he would always become flustered if anyone mentioned his excellence or gave him a compliment. He was raised as a humble farmer and it was simply in his upbringing to remain inconspicuous. Too much attention left him nervous and unable to speak properly.

Needless to say, Alyss loved to tease him about it. "So you can handle ten men on horses each with a sword and shield with nothing but your bare hands, but you can't withstand flattery?"

He, of course, would always deny it when he was with her, but she would have had to have been blind as well as deaf not to notice his darting eyes and stammered words as the spotlight fell to him with many strangers.

He was comfortable enough with people he knew, or even people he didn’t know, as long as the encounters were limited to one-on-one contact, but when he received decorations, he would awkwardly stumble over the lines he was meant to say, and leave embarrassed when he was meant to be proud of his achievements. It got to the point where the King was forced to award him his medals in private, something Sadon didn't mind. Although Alyss felt pity for his awkwardness around others, it never failed to brighten her day. After all, if he was allowed to tease her about everything else, then she could hold one thing over his head.

Speaking of: "Alyss!" His voice quickly jolted her back to reality. "You could have easily been dead by now, standing there gaping. Honestly, I wish all my enemies were like you. Just sitting ducks. They would have been a lot easier to kill. Oh and if they were ugly like you too, then it would have been easier to end their miserable lives," he paused to grin, which quickly turned into a scowl, "If only we didn't have to wake up so early!"

Alyss smiled. Make that two things to harass him about. However, as his taunting was a regular occurrence, it had little effect on her. She took a deep breath and concentrated. Focusing her keen sight on her opponent, Alyss analyzed him for any openings or the tell-tale shift in weight that meant he was about to spring. As usual, he hadn't left any easy paths for her to follow through. She looked up, slightly frustrated but willing herself to calm. Sadon's face came into view.

He had green eyes with a slight edge to them, tanned skin, was cleanly shaven and had auburn hair that fell in front of his forehead but was cut just above his eyes to allow him his vision in a skirmish. His head sat neatly atop his muscular body. He was two years older than Josselyn, she recalled, putting him at five-and-twenty.

He was also pretty popular with the ladies, from what she heard. Alyss smiled faintly, wondering if his pickup lines consisted of him carping about how tired he was from waking up so early. Oh, how the ladies would swoon. Her smile became wider.

"You can stop staring at me. I know I'm handsome, but the love of my life is much better than you could ever be, I'm sorry to say. She has been true to me since birth and only leaves me when you cruelly force her to. We were simply made for each other. Oh, Lady Sleep... We will be reunited soon..."

She rolled her eyes but couldn't resist the urge to smile. He became lost in thought, gazing at the clouds overhead, probably thinking about beds and unlimited amounts of sleep. She took her chance and lunged. This brought him out of his reverie and he parried. The "dull" metal swords clanged together with a brilliant sound, ringing across the clearing.

Since he had arrived at the castle, Sadon had assumed the role of her older brother because she had no other siblings. And, she had quickly learned, older brothers were extremely annoying. Still, he was a large comfort to her, and she wouldn't trade him for anything in the world.

He pushed her sword back and they began circling each other, with Alyss reverting to swinging her sword wildly. Sadon sighed. "Look Princess, you may succeed in confusing or distracting your opponent at first but it will all be for naught if you don't have the precision to deliver the killing blow. Mind you, you'll most likely never have to engage in battle with an enemy. And of course you would never be able to kill me. But I suppose you are right. It can't hurt to have these lessons-if only to catch your enemies off guard. And with you off gallivanting to heaven knows where, at all ungodly hours of the day..." He started mumbling about sleep again and his words trailed off.

She checked the speed of her swings and more swung down. Sidestepping her blow, Sadon attempted to inflict one of his own, but Alyss's sharp eyes picked up his slight movement beforehand and she quickly shied away. There was no talking now. The jokes were over; it was time to begin. They began fighting in earnest, their swords a whirl of parries and blocks and feints, neither giving in.

When they finished a couple hours later, they were both sweaty and slightly bruised. Alyss had been beaten a few times but had also managed to sneak a few victories in. Sadon, for his part, looked a little battered. They took a moment to rest and drink from their water flasks before picking themselves up and preparing to head their separate ways: Sadon to the castle, and Alyss to the village. Uttering a brief farewell, they parted.