"Thank you, by the way."
Adi had returned from the kitchen just as Damia had finished getting ready. They were now walking through the castle, making their way down to the courtyard where the grandmaster was waiting.
Adi seemed a bit distracted and though he heard Damia, he wasn't actually listening, "Hmm?"
Tugging on his sleeve lightly to get his attention, "I was thanking you for the food you prepared for breakfast. I don't think I did so earlier and I don't want you to think I'm ungrateful. Honestly, I thought you were up to something sneaky when you made that comment the night before, but I never would have expected such an amazing breakfast."
That caught Adi's attention, and he was unable to restrain a laugh. "You doubted me? How dare you? Maybe next time I really should play a trick on you since that's what you think of me."
Damia laughed too, "Well can you blame me? You said it in such a suspicious manner, how could I think anything good of it?"
"Well I'm glad you enjoyed it, Princess."
"Are you feeling alright? You seem to be somewhere other than here."
"Oh really? I'm sorry. Yes, I'm fine, don't worry about it. I just keep thinking about returning to the royal court. It's been so long, I'm not sure how we'll adjust, how I'll adjust. I don't want to do anything to end it prematurely, you know?"
"Ah yes. Well I'm sure we'll both be fine. Even if it's been a while, everything at court is so superficial that no one will be bothered enough to question any of our actions, so long as we mind our manners of course."
"Yes, you're probably right. Anyway, we're here now so enough talk. Grandmaster Niklaus doesn't know what it means to go easy on someone, and if we seem even the slightest bit distracted, he'll be that much worse."
"Speak for yourself." Damia continued through the door leading out to the courtyard, with Adi now following a step behind her.
The grandmaster was standing in the center of the courtyard, along with Prince Elric. Both seemed to be engrossed in conversation until the Grandmaster looked behind Prince Elric and noticed the pair walking in their direction, prompting Elric to turn around as well.
"Ah Princess and Adi, perfect timing. The prince and I were just discussing what would be the best method for us to conduct this training session."
Elric looked towards Damia, and she returned his glance with a polite smile. He smiled back, but his smile was more genuine and it made Damia feel uneasy. She wasn't accustomed to him being so cordial with her and she had to wonder if there was a reason behind it.
"Princess, the grandmaster will be using Adi to demonstrate the basics of holding a sword and defending. Then, you and I will practice what they show us. Does that work for you?"
"Yes, I suppose that would be a logical approach to this training." Damia moved around Elric and grabbed one of the wooden swords that was lying on the table behind him. "Shall we get started then?"
"I like your eagerness, Princess. This should prove to be a delightful experience for you." Elric grabbed a sword himself, and both he and Damia faced Adi and Grandmaster Niklaus, who had grabbed wooden swords of their own.
"Alright Adi, show Damia the proper form for holding a sword during battle."
Adi did as he was instructed and then the Grandmaster followed suit.
"Now, strike me."
Adi moved forward with grace and elegance, but when he moved to strike, the entire scene became a blur between Adi's movements and Grandmaster Niklaus' counter, that Damia was unable to follow.
"Good Adi, but let's do it again. This time, we'll both take each step slowly so that as we move, I can explain each action to Damia. Again!"
Adi repeated the actions from earlier and Damia paid attention to each step he took, and the lines formed by his body. Watching the two fight, even if only with wooden swords, was like watching a dance between two peacocks, neither one wanting to be out done by the other, but both elegant all the same.
Elric leaned in to Damia and whispered, "You look mesmerized, did you catch everything? We're next."
Startled, Damia jumped back. She hadn't realized just how captivated she had been by the demonstration that Elric's change in proximity went unnoticed. He was too close, but if she moved, he might feel offended, so she just stayed there and nodded. "I'm ready."
"Alright Princess, you and Prince Elric give it a try now." The grandmaster and Adi stopped sparring to watch their demonstration.
Damia stood mirroring the position she had seen Adi hold earlier with the sword, then stood with feet apart as he had done.
"I will only defend, Princess. These are only wooden swords so come at me with everything and don't worry about hurting me." Elric was smiling at her as he spoke.
Damia observed Elric's stance. Even though she had never held a sword before, not even a wooden one, it felt comfortable in her hand. Actually, it felt a bit too light and a thought crossed her mind; perhaps it would be better to spar with real swords.
The thought shocked her, but she stopped digressing from the task at hand and moved forward to attack Elric. As she moved, she looked for openings, watching his feet move and the way he would direct the sword to block her attacks. She moved around him like an expert, accessing the best way to distract her opponent from the strike she intended to be the killing blow.
The Grandmaster and Adi watched in amazement. She wasn't just mirroring their actions from earlier, she was studying the Prince. In a matter of minutes, she not only picked up form, but strategy as well. Each move she made came closer and closer to hitting the intended mark, and they could see that the Prince was struggling to hold his ground.
Finally, after thirty strikes, she broke through Prince Elric's defenses and stopped her sword just shy of his throat. "I believe that means I win, right Prince?"
Elric was astonished by how precise she had moved during the sparring and impressed that she had been able to get the upper hand with him. He had spent his entire life training with the knights and he never expected her to become such an expert in such little time. Could this be another result of her latent powers coming through?
"Excellent job Princess. I'm thoroughly impressed."
Damia's breathing had sped up from the work out, but was still slower than Prince Elric's, as though her stamina was also greater than his. She took great joy in this as well.
"Yes Princess, you did very well. I think that should be good enough for our first session. We will meet again tomorrow, but I think we should practice on your magic at that time instead.
"Thank you, Prince. Thank you, Grandmaster."
Adi approached Damia and took the sword from her to set it back on the table along with his. "We still have half a day left. Would you like to take a stroll through the maze garden, Princess?"
"I would love that Adi, you must have read my mind."
He smiled at her, "But first, we should change out of these sweaty garments," and he pointed at both of their outfits.
Damia looked down and chuckled. "Yes, and I should probably go back to looking like a female."