The following day had me feeling like I was in some kind of surreal bubble. My nerves were taught as a bowstring, jumping at the slightest sound and turning towards every perceived movement. Everyone had noticed of course, even my father, as much as we both tried to ignore one another. Mother had pressed her lips to my forehead to check my temperature, but upon detecting no fever, she decided to let it go.
I ignored their concern, or rather my overly busied mind didn't spare any time for it. Instead I replayed the previous night's conversation over and over again like some drunk fool at a dingy tavern telling the same tale for the hundredth time, seemingly unable to decide which part was the most unbelievable.
'I am going to be trained! She as good as gave her word.'
'Why is that what you're excited over you buffoon? We met a princess. The Crown Princess of Aema no less!'
'And what was that she said about becoming a Shade. Can you imagine reaching such heights!'
'Who gives a damn about becoming a Shade?! A princess called me a knight, a beautiful princess no less.'
'Firstly the "knight" comment was a joke fool, and secondly, do you not think you might be getting ahead of yourself ogling a princess?'
My head felt like it was about to explode with either excitement, apprehension, or bewilderment. I couldn't quite tell which but it was definitely one of those. I had the distinct urge to jump up and down but had just enough sense to stop myself for fear of looking even more insane than I already did.
I passed through breakfast, lessons, and lunch in a daze, tapping my foot distractedly during Mother's lectures and wolfing down my meals as if that would make the hours pass more quickly. Normally I would read for a couple of hours before leaving the library, usually accompanied by one of my sisters, however today I was out the door the moment Mother allowed us to set down our pens. By this point I already had an elementary grasp of the palace layout and dashed directly to the training room. Before reaching there however, I had the good sense to slow my pace and walk around for a few minutes before entering. I doubted that anyone cared to have a small child followed, however a sense of urgency might be noted and I refused to repay Her Hi- Elliana's kindness by drawing suspicion to her sanctuary. Arriving to find the room disappointingly empty, I resolved to sit patiently in her comfy, if cluttered, loft, well aware of her demanding schedule.
Minutes stretched into hours and it took every bit of willpower I possessed to quell my impatience. As the empty silence pervaded the room and my head, I began to have doubts.
'Perhaps she meant it as a joke. Perhaps she reconsidered. She's a princess, I'm sure her parents could find a plethora of sparring partners more suitable than I by magnitudes.'
With a resigned sigh, I stood up to climb back down the ladder - and ran face first into a very startled princess.
Elliana recoiled with a yelp, almost falling down the ladder before I grabbed her arm and heaved her bodily into the attic.
"This is the second time you've assaulted my forehead." she noted with anger. "I'm beginning to think you mean this as a declaration of war."
She rubbed the forehead in question.
"Well, shall we begin?"
"I thought you weren't coming." I said, wincing at how pathetic it sounded.
"Unfortunately, my lessons with Mr. Ghil- your father dragged on for some time. Were you waiting long?"
"I've been here for almost 4 hou-"
I suddenly remembered something Amber had once said about waiting for girls.
"It's only been a few minutes."
I coughed awkwardly.
She raised an eyebrow but mercifully let the matter go. Leading the way, she climbed back down the ladder.
"Luckily for you, it shan't be too difficult to catch up with my training as I have only had two exercises to do. Here is the first."
She handed me a wooden training sword and I could only guess that the damn thing was quite literally filled with lead as I nearly dropped it. The sword must have weighed a good 20 pounds. Many times heavier than a normal longsword, heavier even than an Aeman adamant blade.
"Am I meant to spar with this?" I asked, confused as to how such an unwieldy weapon would help.
"Not at all. You are simply meant to hold it." She replied with a slightly sadistic grin.
Seeing my confusion, she moved my arms so that they were held facing forwards with the sword held between them as if I were stabbing something at chest height. Then she let go and gestured for me to maintain the position.
Walking over to the rack of wooden weapons, she chose a wooden quarterstaff and returned to my side, drawing up a stool to rest on. She seemed to take a perverse pleasure in my mounting agony as my arms began to shake.
"Finally," she muttered to herself gleefully "someone else will understand the hell that has been my last week."
My arms began to drift toward the ground but she immediately snapped her quarterstaff into my wrists. Pain flared through my arms and I would have dropped my own hellishly heavy weapon were it not for her glare that promised more pain should I relent.
We continued on like this for what felt like an eternity. Each waver in will left me with another bruise for my growing collection and my entire body poured with sweat. Both of my arms somehow felt simultaneously numb and immolated.
A normal human might have managed 10 minutes at best, even the strongest warrior would probably not reach 20. From the rapidly descending darkness I could hazard a guess that I had been frozen like this for nearly an hour, yet even goldeneyes had limits and with a pained gasp my arms finally gave out with no amount of smacking from Elliana able to raise them.
Sighing with relief, I collapsed onto the blissfully cool floor.
"Get up!" Elliana snapped firmly, transformed from charismatic princess to strict and unyielding instructor.
"I can't do any more of that." I protested "I do not mean I won't. I mean I can't."
"I do not expect you to."
I relaxed finally.
"Did I not say however that there were two exercises?"
My eyes begged for mercy.
I received none.
Elliana had the decency to help me to my feet before hoisting two long cloth sacks onto my shoulders. They were clearly filled with sand and each weighed 50 pounds.
"The inner perimeter of the walls measures roughly 1 ½ miles. An El'sui could probably make such a distance in 2 minutes. A Warrior of Violet or above could likely do it in 1. I expect you back in 5"
I glared at her, a muscle twitching above my eye.
"What?" she scoffed "You didn't truly expect that a swordsman only used their arms did you?"
"Well no but-"
"Then get going." she commanded, shoving me forward.
With a groan, I began to run.
5 minutes.
1 ½ miles in 5 minutes.
I could probably accomplish such a time with ease when rested but currently I was already exhausted and happened to be carrying 100 pounds of sand with me. I just barely made it. Elliana had been methodically counting down my time on her fingers. I returned with a pitiful two fingers left.
Staggering over to an empty stool I asked desperately,
"Is that it?"
"Yes that is all that your father has had me do - for now."
She seemed no more thrilled about the idea of more to come than I was.
The following morning was about as far from the previous' mood as possible. Rather than nerves and tension, my body felt nothing but aching agony. Every muscle felt taut enough to snap and even the slightest movement from my arms made me whimper. Gingerly, I made my way to the dining room and sat down. I then spent a full minute stock-still, considering if it was possible to eat breakfast without raising my arms and, if so, not raising any suspicions either. Giving up on such a hopeless track, I resolved to instead eat only with my right hand such that at least half of me would be spared.
The rest of the day was similarly stiff and painful. By midday as lunch rolled around, I had some confidence in my movement and was trying to ignore how abysmally that small comfort would translate to intense training…. or dancing.
My mother, rather than head back to the library after lunch, had decided that it was high time we children learned to dance.
'Why? Why now? Why today of all days?'
I let out a brief sob as Mother led us into an empty room she had requisitioned as a dance room. The following hour was more agonizing than the previous 5 put together. The one redeeming factor of these torturous lessons was that my muscles were almost forcibly limbered. The downside was that I was perhaps the worst dancer imaginable. Rather than hear a beat or pay attention to Mother's demonstrated steps and movements I was far too busy wincing as Jenny yanked me around the dance floor. It was some consolation that by the time I was released from the accursed room I was actually feeling somewhat better. This did not, however, make me any less apprehensive as I walked towards what I had termed the Sanctuary. As with yesterday, I arrived far earlier than Elliana, though when she did come it was perhaps an hour earlier than the last time. Her face was flushed and she seemed to tremble slightly as she sat down, all demure formalities gone. She glanced to me and seemed to flush even further - if such were possible - before explaining.
"I apologize for my appearance. I came here straight from your father's training. As you've now experienced it yourself, I'm sure the cause of my disarray is self evident."
"Oh it's fine." I said, realizing that she was likely embarrassed to be seen in such a state "You didn't have to go to such lengths to arrive earlier."
"Yes well it is imperative that neither of us waste one another's time and I would expect nothing less from you either Sir Halfeye. After all, in how many tales do you hear of a princess stopping for a rest to catch her breath?"
Her impetuous stare was tainted somewhat by a small impish grin. I laughed at the endearing contrast.
"While I do admire your commitment to this humble knight, a princess as delicate as you surely are should not push herself overly much."
I grinned mockingly at the word 'delicate' and she smiled back with such cloying sweetness that I feared for my safety.
"Perhaps the noble knight would perhaps like a demonstration of exactly how delicate I am."
Her eyes narrowed and she attempted to stand before collapsing back onto her cushion, legs too unsteady to make good on her threat.
"All jokes aside, you really should take some time to rest. You push yourself to hard. From lessons to training and then teaching me. If you don't take any breaks you're liable to collapse."
My concern was genuine. She seemed exhausted, not just from the training but every time I had seen her there was a slight weariness in her frame not often seen in a 10 year old girl. She smiled and this time it seemed warmer than the previous iterations.
"I appreciate your concern Cal. Just give me 10 minutes and I promise to help you train."
'she called me Cal…'
Only my family called me that. I blushed slightly and distracted myself by running off to fetch some food and water. The palace kitchens were perpetually busy and hellishly hot, not the kind of place where anyone noted, or even cared, about some welp snatching a loaf of bread or a pitcher of water every once in a while. It was also the first place I had made sure to find in the palace - by pure coincidence of course.
By the time I returned to the Sanctuary, Elliana was fast asleep on the wooden floor of the loft. I didn't have a blanket on hand with which to cover her and had to be content with simply propping a pillow beneath her head. Tearing the loaf I had filched in two, I made short work of my half and made myself comfortable beside Elliana to wait. I extended her requested 10 minutes out to 45 as I had a feeling she needed every second she could get. When I did wake her, she looked significantly improved and also very grateful for the purloined victuals. Seemingly past her exhaustion, she hopped to her feet and looked to me expectantly.
"If you are quite done procrastinating we have a training to get to."
She seemed to have reverted back to her drill sergeant tendencies.
"I'm the one procrastinating?" I grumbled, aghast.
Seeing my face she laughed.
"Oh don't look so indignant. You know that I am only teasing you. If only you didn't make it so easy."
She merely giggled when I glared at her.