Chapter Thirty-Seven – Ailith's Resolve

Light shimmering off the moons and through Ailith's bedroom window helped cast the perfect sparring partner.

Bouncing on her feet, she jabbed with her strong arms and weaved her upper body in a fluid motion. Her knuckles bobbed against the wall, careful not to damage the interior too much. This was merely an exercise of speed and stamina. She trained persistently for hours, despite her muscles aching, compelled to push herself until her dream became a reality.

Her eyes glimmered as the prospect of becoming a Knight felt achievable after Kuval's words of encouragement.

Nothing could stop her now. No one could stand in her way.

An image of Kardas appeared before her.

She grunted as her arm stiffened and failed to deliver another thrust. Hissing through gritted teeth, she stared at her trembling hand perplexedly. ''What is wrong with me?'' she muttered under her breath.

With the room almost silent, Ailith felt a presence. Turning sharply, she clenched her fists and shielded her body with a sheet of diamond over her skin. Standing at her door, Troy eyed her with a sneer. A sleek sheet of ice swathed over portions of his armour.

Ailith slowly relaxed. The diamond disappeared from her skin. ''What do you want?''

''I hope you don't greet all of your guards like that.'' He replied sardonically.

Biting her tongue, resisting the urge to counter his bitter tone, Ailith turned her back on him. She continued her shadowboxing, even under his scrutinising gaze. Her breath became visible as the temperature in the room dropped slightly. ''Usually, the guards stand outside my room.''

''Oh, your room, is it?'' he arched his brow at her, stepped inside and began to wander around the room. ''I see that you haven't taken long to make yourself comfortable.''

''I'm just doing what I can to help,'' Ailith said through a rapid flurry of punches.

Troy's eyes flickered from her training to the open books that lay scattered across the floor. He kicked them gently to reveal their crowded covers and stylised fonts. His lip curled upwards into an amused smirk. ''Is this what you hope for? To become a hero like those you've read about in these stories?''

Ailith slowed her jabs and glanced over her shoulder. ''If I said yes, what would your response be?'' she challenged.

''My honest response would be to laugh if you think that shadowboxing in a fancy room will get you any closer to your goal.''

''You might not have noticed, but I don't have much to train with here,'' veering her gaze away from him, she picked up the pace of her punches. ''Besides, it's done me well so far.''

He chortled. ''Yes, by next season, you might make Commander Emlyn break a sweat if you're lucky.''

Screeching to a halt, Ailith faced Troy. She felt the smallest hint of satisfaction seeing him flinch. ''Unless you want that duel we never got, you're wasting my time.''

His eyes tightened. ''I have another proposal.''

~X~

''I may not leave my room often, but I know this isn't the way to the Courtyard.''

''That's because I'm not taking you to the Courtyard!''

Ailith followed the Knight across the long corridor and down a flight of stairs before exiting the castle. A starlit night sky welcomed her. The sound of chirping crickets and hooting owls seeped through the sea of trees bordered around an open stretch of stone pavements.

Every muscle in Ailith's body buzzed as they travelled through a divide between the trees. ''Do you plan on telling me where we're going?'' she questioned.

''I plan on showing you,'' he said with a one-sided smile. ''You like a challenge, so I know the perfect way to see what you're made of.''

Though she wasn't happy about being kept in the dark, she rolled her shoulders and cracked her knuckles in anticipation. ''You're right about one thing. I do love a challenge!''

Arriving at a small clearing, Ailith was taken back with what she saw. Lying before her was an uphill bed of mud, fortified with thick, thorny branches. The spikes jutted in all direction a few inches above the sludge. She stood on the tips of her toes and straightened her back, unable to see what lied beyond the mounting knoll.

''Welcome to the Javelin,'' Troy said, stepping ahead of Ailith. ''When someone graduates from the academy, they don't become a Knight immediately. They will remain a trainee unless they make it to the end within a certain time frame. One minute, thirty seconds. Failure means they will have to wait a week before getting another attempt to prove their worth.''

''It's an obstacle course?''

''Of sorts,'' he responded with a smirk.

Beaming gleefully, Ailith shifted her attention to the muddy patch ahead of her. ''Let's do this!''

Stepping aside, Troy reached for something hidden underneath the neckline hem of his armour, revealing it to be a bronze necklace with a pendant attached to the chain. An image of a rose was engraved in the accessory. Flicking it open with his thumb uncovered a ticking watch.

He turned to her. ''Remember, one minute and thirty seconds. Not a moment more, or you fail.''

Ailith nodded and dug her heels into the ground, readying herself. If this was a test one would have to pass to become a Knight, then she knew completing it would prove without a shadow of a doubt that she had the power in her to make good on her promise. Her heart galloped as she waited for the signal from Troy.

It didn't matter what obstacles she faced, if it meant proving her worth, she would take on the world.

''Go!''

She bolted out of her starting position and towards the branches. Sliding under them with ease, the friction from the dry mud prevented her from skimming any further. Shifting her body, she began to crawl as fast as she could, working her muscles until they burned.

When she reached the halfway point, she felt the thorns pressing against her skin. Adjusting her body lower, she hoped to make it the rest of the way, only to feel the thorns continue to prod her, deep enough to risk drawing blood. Digging her fingers into the mud, she dragged herself as far as she could before she was practically pinned to the ground.

''They react to body heat!'' Troy called out. ''The longer you stay in there, the larger the thorns become.''

Struggling to make it any further and realising she was wasting too much time, Ailith formed a layer of diamond over her body for protection. She burst through the branches, snapping them to pieces and hurried the rest of the way up the hill. Her body jittered a few times, feeling the sting of the thorns plastered all over. Looking down the hill, she saw the branches shrivel and contort. Then, to her amazement, they grew and reattached themselves until they had returned to their normal state, good as new.

''Watch that time!'' Troy shouted, breaking Ailith out of her trance.

She turned without looking and stumbled down the hill's sharp descent. Rolling downwards harshly, her magic kept her body sheltered from any serious damage...and she was making good time.

She slammed into a deep body of water and her diamond layer disappeared instantly. The cold was unlike anything she'd ever experienced before. Chunks of ice shrouded her vision. Her lungs filled with water and she feared she would slip into darkness before she found that little bit of strength and pulled herself to the surface. Gasping and coughing, she pushed onward. Trying with all her effort to ignore her body screaming in agony, she eventually reached the other side and hauled herself out of the water.

It took her some time to uncurl off the ground and stand, still shaking and unable to think. Her vision blurred so much that she almost missed the rope hanging in front of her.

Rubbing her hands together, it took her a number of attempts before she was able to get a firm enough grip to begin her climb. The throbbing in her head took her out of the experience, leaving her dizzy and fearing that she would fall at any moment. Thankfully, she made it to the top, bumping her hand against a knot tied to the branch of a tree. With her other hand, she rubbed her eyes and saw something in the distance. A red flag swayed in the wind, signalling her destination on top of a hillside settled beyond the ocean of tall trees.

Before she could wander for too long how she could make it across, she noticed a series of wooden ledges and brackets circling the tree trunks.

Time was against her. So, without thinking, she jumped onto the closest ledge. As her feet touched the wooden surface, it jerked and started to spin, throwing her off balance completely. She staggered and reeled off the edge, plummeting to the Earth below. Reaching out with her diamond-covered hand, she grabbed the rope, holding tightly until she stopped.

Stricken with nausea, her eyes rolled as she almost fell into unconsciousness. ''Come on, Ailith! Come on!'' She willed herself.

Rising to the top again, she jumped onto the same ledge and prepared for the momentum that threatened to toss her off. Managing to stay on, she threw herself onto the next set, and then the next and the set after that. She repeated the dizzying actions, spinning around the trees and losing sight of the flag multiple times.

Running along the spinning ledge, almost tripping over her tired legs, she jumped forward, landing on the hill and next to the flag.

Her head ringing and limbs quaking, Ailith was content with lying on her back and resting. She knew that the required time had long since passed. However, she was too stubborn to forfeit and hoped she reached a target close enough to meet her expectations.

She looked up to see Troy approaching her, coming up along a walkway on the hill that diverted around the Javelin. Rolling onto her hands and knees, she saw him staring at his pendant intensely. ''How did I do?''

''Two minutes, fifty-three seconds.''

''What?'' she gasped in disbelief.

''It was a good effort. I'll give you that. But ultimately, not good enough.'' He looked down at her, on the verge of cracking an entertained grin at her expense.

She stared at the ground, her teeth still chattering. ''I want to try again.''

Troy shook his head. ''I told you, if a trainee fails, they have to wait a week before trying their luck again.''

''I'm not a trainee!'' Ailith retorted, her eyes burning with determination. ''I'm going to try again and again until I pass. Even if it takes me all night.''

~X~

It reached the point where Troy was no longer certain if he should sympathise or pity the young warrior.

Time and time again, Ailith gave her all. However, she would always come up short. It didn't matter if she changed tactics, or found a suitable route through the obstacles. Sometimes, she would make one small misstep in a jump or landing. Other times, the cold water consumed her strength. She continuously failed to reach the flag in time, but never stopped trying.

''Two minutes, three seconds!''

Again...

''One minute, fifty-eight seconds!''

And again...

''One minute, forty-four seconds!''

And again...

''One minute, fifty-seven seconds. You've gone backwards.''

''This is impossible!'' Ailith snapped, resting her hands on her knees and breathing heavily. ''How is someone supposed to complete this in such a short time?''

''I finished it in one minute, twenty-nine seconds.''

''You know Cryosormon! You can swim through the icy water with ease and you probably don't give off any body heat for the thorns. You have the advantage!''

He shrugged nonchalantly. ''You use whatever advantage you get to win.''

While it pained her to admit it, Troy was right. He learnt how to use his magic just as she learnt how to use hers, meaning he had every right to flaunt it for his benefit.

Allowing herself a moment to think, she knew that she was limited on chances. She felt on the verge of collapsing. This next attempt would be her last one. Suddenly, as she stared at the terrain of obstructions, a curious thought came to her. ''What's the fastest anyone's ever completed the Javelin?''

Troy stared at her in puzzlement. ''Fastest? You can't even reach the time necessary...''

''Tell me!'' She twisted her body to lock eyes. Though the colour had drained from her face, and her clothes were both drenched and shredded, she posed an intimidating figure.

Troy fought back a growl. ''Twenty-four seconds.''

Ailith stilled at the answer. ''By who?''

''Kardas Valkoinen.''

That's when something sparked and streamed through her like a fire. Waking over to her starting position, she dug her heels into the ground and waited, silently gesturing for Troy to begin the time.

Troy guffawed at her renewed grit. ''If you actually manage to beat the record, I will drop everything and devote myself to Comrade Chairwoman Ailith!''

Ignoring his taunts, Ailith set her sights on the Javelin, determined to conquer it.

At the word go, she blitzed towards the thorns.

She dropped underneath, coating her arms and legs in diamond and crawled frantically underneath. Hearing the branches and thorns extended, Ailith resisted every temptation to tend to her aching limbs and made it through to the top of the hill just as the tip of the thorns grazed the fabric of her clothes. Once she was at the top, she immediately leapt into the air and dived into the water like an archer's finest arrow.

Submerged in the water, the momentum from her dive carried Ailith to the bottom, allowing her to press her foot against the ground. Using all her strength, she pushed herself forward and rocketed across the water. Breaking through the surface, she reached out and luckily caught the rope. There was no time to thank her lucky stars that she angled her trajectory just right, as she tucked her legs and climbed the rope, refusing to slow, even when her arms felt like they would crumble.

Swinging on the rope, she pounced onto a tree branch that was underneath the circular ledge that caused her so much grief initially. She hopped from one branch to the other and timed her jumps to stay on the spinning ledges for only a fraction of a moment. If she could make the landing, she would dig her fingers into the tree bark and leap to the next tree without delay.

Halfway across, an idea struck her.

Putting her back into the next jump, she thrust her body onto a ledge and caused it to whirl. Her knuckles turned white as she hung on and waited for the right moment to launch herself off the ledge and over to the hill where the flag stood, crashing next to it with a heavy thud.

She heard Troy running up the hill, labouring to keep up with her. His eyes wavered back and forth between her and the pendant in his hand.

''Well?'' she asked, straining to stand.

''One minute...'' he paused, narrowing his eyes at her. But this time, not out of malice. ''Twenty-eight seconds.''

''I did it!'' She cheered, a huge smile growing across her face. The pain she felt was temporarily forgotten due to her excitement and elation, not that it didn't come back in force as she tried not to buckle. ''I do have what it takes to be a Knight!''

Troy placed his necklace into its proper place and hide the pendant under his armour, brushing his thumb over the rose carving once. An indecipherable expression was scrawled over his face. ''Why do you think I brought you out here?''

Pondering for a moment, Ailith stared at the Knight with certainty. ''You wanted to see if I had the courage to rise up to the challenge. You wanted to know if I would bulk under the pressure and give up, or endure until I won.''

''No,'' he replied. ''I brought you out here because I wanted to show you that no matter what you do...you will never be a Knight.''

Ailith's smile slowly faded. ''What?''

''Okay, I'll put this in a way that'll get through that diamond-thick skull of yours,'' he said with growing harshness. ''People like you don't become Knights.'

''If I am skilled enough, I deserve a chance!''

''See, that's how you think it works because you look to fables and stories. If you weren't born to become a Knight, then it doesn't matter how skilled you are.''

Scowling at him, Ailith's bottom lip quivered, and not because of the cold. ''I've done everything that I can! I've worked just as hard as anyone else! Perhaps more so, because unlike you, I didn't have my family bribe my way through an academy!''

''Oh, so you do know how the real world works?'' Troy mocked cynically. ''Remember what I said earlier? Use whatever advantage you get? Some people have the advantage of blood. That's the way it has been and that's the way it always will be because the moment someone like you comes along and disrupts the system that causes headaches for the Bluebloods. Change is a dangerous thing for those in power if it gives commoners the idea that they can be on equal footing. It's not just me saying this to you, Ailith. People like Kuval are just too pleasant to say it to your face. They were never going to make you a Knight.''

After everything that she has done in the short time since the tournament; the sweat, bruises and tears...had it all been in vain?

''This isn't one of your stories,'' Troy hissed. ''You're not some special little snowflake who thinks they can play model-prisoner, become adored by all, win the heart of the Princess, and save the Kingdom. You're just an insignificant runt who doesn't understand her place in the real world. The sooner you understand, the easier it'll be for all of us.''

''What's going on here?'' a stern voice caught them by surprise.

They turned to see Cadere march up the hill towards them, eyeing them suspiciously.

''Nothing, Marshal,'' Troy dismissed. ''Our guest felt like stretching her limbs, and I felt like giving a life lesson, so I happily obliged to both.''

Cadere narrowed his eyes at him. ''Return to your post!''

Giving his superior a curt nod, Troy walked past Ailith, but not before leaning closer to her ear, ''Oh, and just so you know, I actually completed my training at the academy, unlike others you know.''

Ailith stayed silent, never facing him as he walked down the hill and out of sight.

Cadere glared at Troy for a moment before staring at Ailith, as she remained rooted with her back turned to him.

''I shouldn't be upset,'' Ailith sobbed, her voice cracking. She finally turned to face Cadere, tears visible in her eyes. ''I've heard this so many times before. I've had so many people tell me I can't be a Knight, it made me more determined to prove them wrong. I learnt how to fight even if I couldn't afford a proper school. I learnt how to use magic that people thought was out of my league. I did that while people laughed at me. Sometimes, I would meet someone who said they believed in me. But, after being mocked so many times by so many people it's impossible for me to tell if words of encouragement are genuine or not. I hate it! I hate being told what I can or can't be!''

Despite her fury, Cadere didn't flinch. Her screams echoed around them, rustling the leaves of trees nearby.

''Come,'' he said in a calm manner and titled his head behind. ''It'll be dawn soon.''

Ailith brushed her wet cheeks with the back of her hand and panted heavily. Too drained to say anymore, she nodded and followed him down the unwinding path back to the castle. Her chin dipped and her eyes didn't look up until she had returned to her room.

A/N: Hello guys, girls and everyone else. What did you think of this chapter? What was your favourite part and what do you think will happen next? I told you things weren't going to be easy for Ailith. Can she find a way to become a Knight? Don't forget to vote to help support this story and add it to your reading list if you haven't already. Until next time, take care.