Rukelion had gotten more heated than he meant to while talking about Veronica but he had meant what he said, if not in the way his listeners thought. He wasn't in love with her but everything else he said was true.
That seemed to have swayed Barry, who sighed. "Alright. I'll teach you. This will be hard work though, mind. You better be prepared for it."
He immediately brightened. "Of course! I won't let you down, Mr. Barry."
"Just Barry is fine. What's your name, kid?"
"Leo."
"Well, Leo, I expect to see you bright and early tomorrow. We begin training at dawn. What time will your girl be expecting you back?" Barry asked.
"I need to get to work at 9 AM."
"I see…then come back when you're done and we'll continue. You won't become a sword master overnight. And I won't tolerate tardiness or complaints, got that? I'm going out of my way to help you here."
"Yes, sir! I understand," Rukelion reassured him. "Thank you very much!"
"Yeah, yeah. Get out of here. You'll need your rest," Barry said as he waved him off.
He practically skipped back toward the farm. Yes! Something had finally worked out for him! Now that he had someone to teach him the sword, he needed to focus on practicing his magic. He should do that now that he had been caught since he still had time before being expected back.
Choosing a spot far enough away that Veronica wouldn't spot him but close enough that he could head back easily, he began practicing his magic. His father had been too busy to teach him magic but his brother Llyris hadn't been. Everything he knew had come from him.
Rukelion might not have anyone left to teach him specific spells but that didn't mean he couldn't train. He knew techniques that would help expand his magical capability level. Beyond that, he would need to do a lot of experimentation to discover spells powerful enough to destroy anything or anyone.
He was a bit concerned about that but he had time. He had a plan too now that he had found someone to teach him the sword.
He would stay here at Veronica's farm for a few years training to get stronger before enlisting in the Mirean army. That was the only way he would ever be able to get close to their royal family.
Becoming strong enough to earn major military honors was the real key to his plan. He needed to do something noticeable enough to gain an audience with the king. That was when he would strike unexpectedly. No one would be able to stop him!
Being in the army would help him gain loyal allies as well. He would need them to take over this kingdom and to stay in control. Most people could be bought for the right price and there were probably people who had been forced to join the army to feed their families who held no love for Mirean royalty.
He could totally do this! He set to work on his enhancing exercises and kept at them until dark when he headed back to Veronica and discovered she had just finished baking that apple tart as promised. She smiled at him as she pulled it out of the oven.
"Tada! One apple tart, as requested," she said proudly.
It smelled amazing. Rukelion's mouth watered as he sat down at the table and waited for it to cool. She joined him with a satisfied sigh and they sat in companionable silence until the tart had cooled enough to be cut.
Veronica set his slice down in front of him before blowing on a piece of hers and sticking it in her mouth. "Mmm, this is as good as I remembered!"
He couldn't help but wonder how long it had been since she ran away from whatever noble house she had been a part of. The way she was talking made it sound like she hadn't had sweets in a good while.
How had a nobleman's daughter learned to bake like this, anyway? Had she snuck into the kitchens to learn from the cook when she was bored between lessons or something? Or had she done it on purpose knowing she would run away?
"It's delicious," Rukelion told her between bites. "Thank you."
Veronica seemed pleased by the praise. "You're welcome! I'm glad you like it. I plan on making more apple treats if I have time. Pumpkin ones too. Tis the season and all that."
She must be referring to the harvest season. Back in the palace, that hadn't been as much of a problem since they had a large ice box in the kitchen that kept things cool and useable. All she had was the cellar, which was far less effective.
Though apple tarts were his favorite, he had been a fan of pumpkin pasties as well. He gave her a small smile.
"That sounds great."
===
Training was far more brutal than Rukelion expected, though he had been warned. But that wasn't the worst part. He had to go help with the harvest without having any recovery time then went straight back to training.
He hardly had a moment to himself, especially since he had told Veronica not to go into town without him. He was slightly regretting that now but he truly didn't want her to run into any more lecherous old men. He would simply have to deal with it.
She handled an entire day's worth of labor without breaks before sleeping and doing it all over again. He could too!
Or so he tried to tell himself. He was really struggling. Not only was Barry strict, the other mercenaries took turns thrashing him with wooden practice swords because they liked making fun of 'the new kid.'
More often than not, Rukelion found himself lying on the ground with a wooden sword pointed at his neck. The running drills and grappling training were rough too. The only things he excelled at thus far were dodging, sneaking, and heavy lifting.
The sneaking and fast reflexes were innate but he had become a lot stronger than he used to be from helping Veronica around the farm. It did help him here slightly but he kept falling short considering he was working against grown men. He hadn't beaten anyone after more than a week.
"Are you alright?" Veronica asked with a frown after he came home from his second training of the day.
Truthfully, he was about as far from alright as he could be but he was afraid if he told her that, she would want to know why. He could never tell her what he was up to or the reasons behind it.
"I'm just tired," Rukelion insisted. "Don't worry about me."
"…it's kind of hard not to with you looking like one of the undead," she said wryly. "Are you coming down with something? Do you have a fever?"
She walked over and laid a comforting hand on his forehead that sent a jolt through him. He hadn't touched her since the day he protected her from the cobbler and he had been too furious to think about it much at the time.
Now he was embarrassed. He swatted her hand away. "I told you, I'm fine!"
Veronica didn't seem convinced but let the matter drop. "Alright, if you're sure. At least let me get you some apple cider. That ought to perk you up a bit."
And it did. The sweetness helped revitalize him slightly. He would need an awful lot of sweets to survive what Barry and the others were putting him through but that shouldn't be a problem considering who he was living with.
After the apple tart was gone, she made an apple pie they were still working their way through. It seemed that she wanted to use up as many apples as possible since they had so many. Only about half of what had been harvested had been preserved so far. They had been eating a lot of fruits and vegetables lately in an attempt to use some that they didn't have jars for before they went bad.
Life on a farm was much different than life in a castle, where food was plentiful and only required ringing a bell for one of the servants. It must have been the same for Veronica before she ran away from home too but it seemed she had adjusted.
Her hands sported impressive calluses from all the carrying she did and she was strong but her looks hadn't worn down any from the hard labor. If anything, she seemed all the more lively for it.
Though Rukelion may worry about her, he knew she was no wilting flower. She was resourceful enough to run away and not get caught but that didn't change anything.
He was worried. He knew she probably could handle things on her own to an extent—she had been this long—but she shouldn't have to. She deserved a life of ease where she could enjoy all of the flowers that she wanted.
He felt a bit guilty that he hadn't had the energy to pick any for her since starting his training. She always seemed so happy when she was making flower crowns, necklaces, bracelets, or garlands.