Eloen watched Brenda go through the exercises trying to notice what Ballard had seen. She was agile and her movements weren’t bad for a first timer especially someone so young, but Eloen couldn’t notice anything special about how Brenda moved. Looking over at Ballard she simply shook her head. “Only time will tell.”
Brenda twisted and turned holding her sword at odd angles. It looked more like a dance performance practice from one of the traveling entertainment troupes than sword practice. While it looked delicate Eloen could tell the strain was having its effects on Brenda. Sweat beaded on the little girls brow and every time she had to flick her wrist she filched slightly. Though it was obvious that the girl’s muscles were hurting from the stain Brenda never asked to stop but continued on until she collapsed on the ground panting her body unable to go any farther.
“That’s all you got, and here you said you would last until I was tired. We won’t get to practice much while were traveling so we will have to work each morning before we leave and each night before we sleep. I promise you Spitfire by the time we reach out destination you’re going to regret the day you set your eyes on that little blade of yours.” Darryl said as he helped Brenda to her feet.
Brenda looked up at him defiance clear in her eyes. “I will not…. I am going to get better… and make you regret it.” She sputtered then stuck out her tongue getting a hardy laugh from Darryl.
Eloen followed Brenda back inside the inn and to the table in the corner where she collapsed in one of the chairs. The little girl was panting hard, sweat making her clothes stick to her small frame. As soon as the waitress sat down a glass of water in front of Brenda she chugged it down so fast small amounts of the water escaped out of the side of her mouth.
“Do you want anything to eat?” Eloen asked trying to stifle the laughter that was bubbling inside of her and failing miserably.
Brenda gave Eloen a look that showed her displeasure at her attitude but it looked so cute on the little girl’s face Eloen started laughing so hard she thought her sides would burst. “Yes, please.” Brenda said pouting as she slid farther down in her seat with her arms crossed over her chest.
“That was quite a display my little lady. At this rate you can become the youngest member of the royal guard.” William said walking up behind the pouting girl and placing his hand on her hair and tussling it.
Brenda’s attitude changed immediately to one of joy. “You really think so? I want to become so good everyone runs from me.” Brenda declared enthusiastically having finally found someone willing to praise her.
“I would not lie. You have more discipline than most of the soldiers I have ever met. I am sure if you continue on this path one day you shall be renowned as the best sword master in the realm.” The prince said flashing one of his haughty smiles that grated on Eloen’s nerves.
While Brenda ate a small meal to replenish her energy Eloen found the innkeeper and ordered a bath to be brought up to the room. While Brenda and the guys seemed to care little of the smells their bodies gave off she did. Not waiting for the others Eloen headed back to her room to prepare for their departure in the morning.
Back in her room Eloen started sorting through her magical pack Eloen pulled everything out. Most of the supplies had been used since they had left Farlan. The only things she had left was some mutton steaks and a bag of grain for the horses. The prince had taken over the duties of preparing for their trip and she wasn’t going to change that. The magical pack was useful but she was in no hurry to tell the prince about its existence. She still didn’t trust him completely. When she came across one of her three magical enhanced armors she stopped. She remember when Thad had spent days on end working on them and nothing else. Along with their enchanted weapons their small group of warriors were near unstoppable.
Looking down she let her fingers trace over the stitching of the armor and wondered what it was like when magic was commonplace. How much did skill with a sword matter when a mage could come along and grant items to someone untrained to make them fight on par with the best fighters in the land. Maybe there was a reason that magic had vanished from the world. From what she had seen there was little magic couldn’t do in the right hands, and in the wrong ones it could be even worse. Thad was kindhearted and helpful but if he had been power-hungry things might have turned out very different than they had.
Eloen’s aunt had groomed her to be her heir after her and had always told her that people in a place of power were there to help those below them, not to simply rule over them. “If those in power abuse what has been entrusted to them then it is the duty of their peers to bring them from power.” Eloen had always laughed when her aunt had told her that. She had never gave those words much thought other than the obvious meaning. She had always thought it was her aunt’s way of telling her that she must always act for the good of her subjects but now the words took on a deeper meaning.
“What’cha doing?” Brenda asked from the door starting Eloen and causing her to jump slightly.
“Just thinking Littlebit.” Eloen said placing the armor away back in the pack with the others. “The bath is ready why don’t you go ahead and wash up. We need to be getting to bed were going to be leaving early in the morning.”
Brenda looked over at the steaming tub of water. “Ugghhhh. Why do I have to take a bath I’m just going to get dirty again?” Brenda said pouting.
“Because I prefer not to have to sleep in the same room with someone who smells as if they have been rolling in filth all day.” Eloen said trying her best to imitate her aunt’s stern look that had always sent her running. She guessed she did a fairly good job at it because Brenda quickly stripped down and jumped in the water.
Eloen helped Brenda wash her long hair. Eloen both envied and pitied the girl for her long thin hair. When it was clean and washed up it looked beautiful but it was so fine it tangled easily and hours had to be spent combing out the tangles. Once she was washed and her clothes were cleaned and hung up on the small veranda Eloen ushered Brenda to the bed to sleep. Eloen didn’t know where the child got all of her energy. After watching her practice with Darryl she expected her to be eager to get to bed but she still found the energy to resist sleeping.
CHAPTER XVIII
Morning came early and for Brenda it seemed far earlier than she could handle, as Eloen had to drag the child out of the bed and walk her down to the stables. Yawning and only half awake Eloen still made Brenda saddle her own horse. The little girl had to do it five times before she got it right and even then Eloen still had to cinch down the straps as Brenda didn’t have the strength to get it tight enough so the saddle wouldn’t fall off.
Darryl was nice enough not to make the poor child train but he promised her at each stop she would be going through drills. Eloen expected Brenda to whine about the news but she gave the thin warrior a brazen smile.
While Brenda spent most of her free time practicing with Darryl Eloen spent hers with the prince. While she still hadn’t made up her mind about the marriage she was doing her best to keep an open mind about the request. Part of her knew that she could never truly love the man but she also knew that wasn’t needed at their level of society. The prince went out of his way to accommodate Eloen it was obvious he was trying his best to win her over but his attempts came over as needy and too eager. It was also obvious while she had no feeling for the prince he had some for her. It was all in his eyes. Whenever she walked near him his eyes would focus on her.
They had to move slowly due to the coach. The hard ground made it impossible to move fast lest they risk damaging the wheels. Sometimes the slow pace was a blessing as it allowed Eloen to think without worry of getting left behind but most of the time it grated on her nerves. If the prince had ridden a horse with the rest of them they would have been able to cut down on travel town by a large amount.
“What has you so out of sorts lately?” Ballard said as he walked over to where she sat watching Brenda and Darryl go through their practice
at one of their routine stops to let the horses rest.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Eloen said not wanting to bring her friend into her personal issues.
Ballard slapped her playfully on the back of the head, though it was still hard enough to knock her forward. “Don’t give me that Eloen. I know something is on your mind you’ve been brooding in your own little world since we left Treforge. At first I thought it was about losing Thad so I left you alone, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. So what is it that has your so out of it?”
Eloen gave in and told Ballard of the princes request his reasons and her own thoughts on the subject so far. “I can understand the benefits of the marriage and it seems like a good idea but I just can’t seem to make up my mind. Each time I think of a reason to agree my heart tells me I will never love him.”
Ballard gave her a sad smile. “You know sometimes I am glad I was born as a commoner. You don’t have a lot of say when it comes to a lot of stuff but you always have a say in the small things that make life truly worth living. You have been trained by the duchess as long as I’ve known you. It hurts me to say this but your life isn’t your own. Any decision you make effects all those of Farlan and this time Abla as well. It can’t be an easy decision and I am glad I’m not the one that has to make it.”
“You’re a big help.” Eloen said punching Ballard in the arm as hard as she could.
Ballard stood rubbing his arm where Eloen had hit it. “I do what I can. I wish I could help you but this is one thing that is way outside of my expertise.”
Ballard gave her a small smile than left her alone with her own thoughts. Everything he had said was true and things she had told herself a hundred times during the past few days. What if her decision to marry the price escalated problems with Farlan? She wasn’t sure how they would but nothing was simple in the world of the royals especially with the little hothead of a princess running around the capital. As much as she could tell herself that she knew that if the prince was successful to take the throne of Abla with her at his side it might be possible to create a lasting peace between their two countries.
“You don’t seem to be enjoying yourself this evening.” The voice of the last person she wanted to see at the moment said behind her. Turning around she saw William standing holding two glasses. “Care for some wine?” William said as he held on of the glasses out to her.
Eloen took the offered glass and took a large drink. It had a heavy sweet flavor that stuck to her mouth. It wasn’t bad but she preferred her drinks to have more of a kick and not be so sweet. “Thank you?” Eloen said as she ran her tongue inside her mouth trying to wash the sickly sweet taste from her mouth.
“Brenda is quite fond of her time with Darryl.” William said taking a seat next to Eloen. “She is advancing in skill quite fast. At this rate she will be able to beat me within the span of a season.” The prince said laughing.
“Then maybe you should join them in their practice maybe you could learn a thing or two.” Eloen said annoyed.
William scratched the stubble that had grown on his chin. Eloen had noticed that anytime the prince needed time to think of a retort he would always rub his chin. “I should practice a bit but I have never enjoyed swordplay. Thankfully with such skilled warriors around me if we need me to join in the battle we are in sore trouble.”
Eloen had to admit the prince knew who he was and that annoyed her. The man did what he wanted and always looked for ways to better his situation. Instead of learning how to fight he simply looked for others who can fight. It was the same thing the nobles in her own country acted. She wanted to have her own strength so she had joined the army and trained so if needed she could draw her own blade to protect what was dear to her. “Why do you not try and learn to fight?”
Eloen expected a witty retort from the prince as was his normal style but it didn’t come instead he gave her a small wink and a smile. “While I have no problem with those who learn to fight I prefer to spend my time on better things. It is true that knowledge of sword work could help me protect myself but one sword cannot protect a kingdom. It takes many swords to do that, and to make sure I put those swords to their best uses I have studied the major battles and tactics of any general I could find. You ask why I don’t learn to fight because it’s not my job to fight and die for my country it is my job to send others to do that.”
The sadness in the prince’s voice was palpable. She had heard him say he never wanted the throne before and now she could understand why. In all her time she had never thought of the time she would be the duchess and have to order others to fight for her. She didn’t think she could sit by and watch others die on her orders while she was tucked away safe well behind the battle lines.
“As your queen would I have to stand behind the lines and watch as the other soldiers die?” Eloen said her voice low and quivering slightly.
“As much as I would like to keep you far from the way of harm. That wouldn’t be possible. I need someone visible to the troops, to endure them to me and to our cause. To do that you will have to be on the frontlines with them.”
Eloen breathed a sigh of relief earning her a confused look from the prince. “It’s not that I don’t want to live a long life. I… just never liked to stand behind the lines while others were fighting.”
The prince shook his head and returned the sigh. “Though this time you will have to play center role. In the future you may have to watch others go to war while you sit back and wait for the news of the battle. Sadly it is our role in life to make the hard decisions and then watch the outcome it has on our people.”
“That is one role I can say I could live the rest of my life without.” Eloen said before downing the rest of the sickly sweet wine.
The Prince followed her lead and downed the rest of his wine as well and let out a loud groan. “I can agree with you there. I had always hoped for my father to live a long life and sire another son. One more fitting to wear his crown.” The prince said as he looked up into the sky.
“Then why don’t you let your uncle keep the throne?” Eloen asked slightly perplexed.
The prince looked at her than laughed. “That would be the easy way to go wouldn’t it. If I stepped aside for him I am sure he would make sure I lived the rest of my life in a comfortable exile. The only problem is while I don’t want the throne my father instilled a great love of my people within me. My uncle has no care for what his actions do to our people but only what it brings him. He will destroy our country if he is left on the throne and that is something I can’t sit by and watch.”
Eloen instinctively reached over and placed her hand gently on the prince’s shoulder. “Maybe that is the kind of king a country truly needs. One who knows the true weight of the crown he has to bare. Anyone with a clear mind wouldn’t want that responsibility but someone has to take it on. I believe you can will bear that weight with honor.” Eloen said kindly.
William looked over to her with a tight smile on his face. “If everything goes to plan I won’t have to carry all the weight on my own. It has been generations since Abla has had a strong queen to stand beside the king. I believe it is time for her to have one again.”
“How long after we reach Copperstone will it be until we get married…. If I agree.” Eloen asked in hushed tones.
William returned his gaze upon the sky. “It would take a good bit to get everything organized. I need a large portion of the nobles to be there to witness it. My uncle tried to hide me away but if I make such a public display he will try to have both of us assassinated before the wedding.” William looked over at her and smiled gently. “I’m not trying to scare you off but I want you to know what you would be awaiting you in the future should you agree.”
“Then again I would suggest that you take a few lessons from either Darryl or Ballard. I can’t protect everyone and it might come down to you having to protect your own life.” Eloen said returning the princes smile.
“Doe
s that mean you will agree to my proposal?” The prince said his voice betraying his yearning for the answer to the question.
“I can’t say for certain yet but right now I can’t think of a good reason to turn you down and many to agree to it. Though I really would suggest you take a few lessons. If you’re telling the truth about your uncle you may need your sword for more than something that hangs at your side.”
“Why not you give me a class or two?” William said returning to his normal arrogant tone.
Eloen looked him over. She hadn’t seen him handle his blade yet but from what he had said he wasn’t very skilled. Taking a moment to think she gave the prince an evil smile. “Sounds good to me. I just hope that ego of yours can take that your future wife will be kicking your hind end all over the place.”
Williams face showed his shock at her words for a few seconds than he began laughing. “My father always said beware the kind woman, for she will ensnare you with her wiles and control you with her smile. I think he might have been a little off. If he had met you he would have told me to beware a woman who carries a sword.”
CHAPTER XIX
It had been a few days since their talk and since then Eloen had tried to get the prince to practice with her every time they stopped but he had found a reason to dodge it each time. This time he was out of luck as she had threatened him that either he practice with his blade or she would use hers on him. It might not have been the best tactic but she was annoyed with his constant dodging her.
Now standing across from William with her blade bared she wanted to scream. She knew that he had said he was not much for swordplay but she expected him to at least know the basics. He was from Abla the country that boasted one of the best trained armies in the western kingdoms, but there he stood as if he had never held a blade before.
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