"No. No. No. You have to hold the blades up higher than that," Carrick shouted at Mauve.

Valda laid sprawled on the grass a few feet away, drenched in sweat. It was fair to say that their first sword practicing lesson was not going to plan. No one had been injured yet, but Valda didn't like the look of pure loathing on Mauve's face as she glared at her brother.

Carrick had pushed them hard as soon as they'd made camp that night. Tevin, having been excluded from the lesson, was instead preparing dinner, which was now roasting nicely over the fire. It was some bird the likes of which Valda had never seen, but the smell was mouthwatering.

"Should we stop for dinner?" Valda called out, still panting from her practice with Carrick. Thankfully, she had done some fencing in school so the sword didn't feel so alien in her hand.

But Mauve was a different story.

The sickle blades slipped out of her hands every time she moved to intercept Carrick. She would curse, pick them back up and start again. Each time her frustration increased along with the volume of Carrick's voice. His attempts to encourage her had begun to sound more like criticism.

"Not until she can block at least one of my strikes," Carrick shouted back before Mauve could admit defeat. Her murderous expression didn't fill Valda with much confidence.

Once again, Mauve took her position, raised her blades and stepped.

"Damn. Blast these silly things." Mauve stared down at the one blade that had slipped through her fingers and now rested amongst the grass stalks.

Carrick's expression was one part disbelieving and one part exasperated. If Valda didn't know better, she would have said Mauve was doing it on purpose.

"Mauve, don't-"

"Don't say another word, Car." Mauve cut him off with a deadly look.

Wisely, Carrick kept his mouth shut as Mauve picked up the offending blade and settled back into her position. She breathed a few times to calm herself, before feeling ready to try again.

"Would you mind if I try?" Tevin moved swiftly, not waiting for Carrick's inevitable rejection.

He came to stand behind Mauve and wrapped his hands around hers where she was clutching the blades.

"What do you think you're doing? Back away from my sister!"

"Knock it off, Car. Let's just see what he has to say." Desperation was making Mauve more trusting, though Tevin's closeness made her feel weird. She pushed the uncomfortable emotion away and focused on what he had to say.

When Tevin could see that nobody was going to attack him, he began moving Mauve's arms in fluid motions.

"Sickle blades are different to swords. They have to work together without getting in each other's way. Think of the blades as an extension of your arm. They can reach places that you can't." He pushed and pulled Mauve's hands through a few more moves before instructing her to move her feet.

They slashed forward and blocked as they stepped back. Performing wide arcs and movements that Valda would have found impossible with her sword. It was almost like watching two people dancing, only much more deadly.

"Very good. Now, Prince Carrick, step forward and try to strike."

It was easy to see Carrick was not happy with being given instructions, but after a small internal battle with himself, he raised the sword and took a few steps forward, swinging it in slow motion.

CLANG.

Valda jumped at the sound of metal on metal. Mauve's blades had come together and Carrick's sword was caught in the curve.

"Now again." Tevin stepped away, which earned him a desperate glance from Mauve. "You can do it. Remember, the blades are a part of you," he reassured her.

Mauve nodded her head, looking uncertain. She shifted the blades in her hands as if testing their weight. Resolve slowly replaced the panic in her eyes as she readied herself.

Carrick moved in again and this time Mauve moved by herself, gripping the blades and blocking her brother's sword before deflecting it. Seeing Carrick stumble had Mauve smirking in triumph.

"I did it. I can't believe it. I actually did it." She stared down at her hands as if seeing them for the first time.

She turned to Tevin and blushed a little at his proud smile. "Thank you. I could never have managed that without you."

Valda wanted to fist pump the air. Finally, someone other than her was understanding just what Tevin could do for their group.

"Just how do you know so much about sword work? You're the same age as me and too young to join the guards." Carrick's voice was hard and filled with accusation.

Tevin's smile slipped from his face. "That's none of your business," he snapped back.

"Oh, I bet your father had you in so many classes preparing you to help take over the castle. To sit by his side and be a good little boy," Carrick sneered at him.

Tevin's face became stony. "You don't know anything about me!"

"I know that your mother didn't want you. That's why she left. She couldn't stand being married to your father and having you for a son!"

Carrick's words hung in the air like a black cloud. Valda expected Tevin to retaliate, but he turned and walked away.

"How could you say that to him?" Mauve demanded, turning on her brother.

"I'm going to go after him," Valda said, picking up her sword and leaving the siblings to argue it out.

It only took her a few minutes to find him.

She plonked herself down on the other end of the overturned tree and just watched him.

He made no move to talk, although he knew she was there, instead he rested his head in his hands and ran his fingers through his white hair.

Carrick's words had brought memories to the surface that he'd rather not have to remember. The feel of his mother's arms around him. The sight of her smile when he'd done something right. Moments that he wished he'd savoured knowing now how numbered they were.

"He lied. My mother still loves me." She may not be able to show it openly, but there were still the secret letters she sent him and the wooden figurines she carved.

"What did Carrick mean, that she left?" Valda asked cautiously.

Tevin lifted his head and stared into the forest. It was already growing darker, the shadows all melding together to form a giant blob of blackness. His mother had always told him to never fear the dark, the dark was somewhere he could always hide and be invisible. Now he realised what she'd wanted to run from.

"My father was a hard man to live with, and my mother was too soft and loving. Being married to him was like a cage for her. I realise now that when she wasn't with me she was lifeless, an empty shell. I was the only thing that brought her light. Things between her and my father got worse as I got older until she couldn't stand it anymore." Tevin clenched his hands as the last memory of his mother burned through his mind.

She had been pale and scared when she'd rushed into his room that night. Her clothes had been strange. Gone were the gowns fit for a Lady and in their place was a rugged dress he'd often seen the maid wearing. She was leaving, but more importantly, she was leaving without him.

"She couldn't take me with her. She didn't know where her life would lead her and to take me too would have been dangerous for both of us. My father would have never stopped looking for me. So I had to stay."

Tears brimmed in his eyes and spilled over onto his cheeks. His father had been furious when he'd found out. That night he'd lashed out at anyone close enough, his manservant, the maids, even his own son. No one had been spared in Lord Blaan's assault.

He blamed everyone but himself for his wife leaving. Most of all, he'd blamed Tevin. Their already strained relationship became worse, though Tevin never mentioned to his mother how bad it was for fear she would come back.

"So you stayed to protect her?" Valda nodded her head, understanding now why Tevin had found it easy to betray his father.

"She's safe in Relas, the city South of Lania. I was going to join her before I found out about my father's plan with Lorcan. And then... well... you know the rest."

And Valda did. His Dad had imprisoned him to stop him from telling everyone else about what was coming. He was only let out when he pretended to renounce Lania and Queen Orlaigh's reign.

"The way Carrick and Mauve reacted to you. Does everyone react that way?" It was something that had been bothering Valda for days. Her cousins were good people, she knew this, but the way they isolated Tevin was different. It was cruel, but matter of fact. As if they couldn't understand why he shouldn't be treated that way.

Tevin had to look away for a moment, pushing away the memories of his lonely childhood exploring the hidden passageways in the castle.

"Yes, everyone acts that way. My father's temper is well known. Nobody would risk their children playing with me in case they fell out of favour with him."

"They should have been protecting you instead."

Tevin's head turned to look at Valda's fierce expression. He felt a lump form in the back of his throat. No one had ever really cared for him, except for his mother. There had been no one to help fight for him or make him feel wanted. But Valda did. She'd given him a chance even after she knew his secrets.

Talking to her was like talking with his mother. It made him feel like he was being heard, but with Valda he didn't feel the need to edit anything.

"Thank you for allowing me to accompany you. I will get you to the rebel stronghold, I promise."

Valda seemed startled at the sudden change in topic, but then she smiled.

"I know you will. I trust you."

Those three words meant so much to Tevin that for a moment he could not speak.

"We should get back and see if we can salvage that bird before it's too burnt."

Valda grimaced and hoped her cousins had the forethought to move it further away from the fire. A cold dinner would be better than one that resembled charcoal.

She nodded her head and ambled to her feet, already feeling the aches and pain from sword fighting with Carrick. Her arms felt like lead weights were tied to them.

Tevin chuckled at her pained expression. "It takes time to build up the muscle. At least your magic lessons are going better."

Thoughts of her earlier lessons were Mauve almost made the pain better. Almost.

Her affinity with fire also extended to earth and air magic as well. She could now levitate small items and control young plants. Tomorrow, Tevin was under strict instructions to find a reasonably deep lake or pond so she could practice water magic. She was looking forward to it.

Both of them felt lighter for their conversation and followed the smell of burnt bird back to camp.

Silence greeted them when they broke through the trees. Mauve moved towards them, holding out a tin of food. She smiled brightly at both of them before shooting her brother a pointed look.

Carrick sat on the other side of the fire, picking at his food, looking grumpy. His head lifted, and he looked at Tevin.

"Look, I shouldn't have said what I said. You're right, I don't know you or your family. Truce?"

As apologizes went, it wasn't the best one and from Mauve's sigh she was thinking the same.

Tevin pondered his response. "The reason I'm good at sword fighting and hunting is because I spent as much time away from my father as possible. I hung around the royal guards so much they took pity on me despite my blood and taught me how to survive outside the castle. So that if I ever needed to get away, I could look after myself. If you believe that we can have a truce."

Carrick and Tevin regarded each other over the fire. Despite what they thought, they were more similar than they realised.

"Truce," Carrick agreed.

There was still a prickle of unease between the two young men, but it was like the aftereffects of a storm. For the moment they were both still weary, afraid of further damage, but there was a promise of something more. The barest glimmer that they could be more than just enemies.

That night, the tension in the group was remarkably reduced. And as Valda looked around her, she could feel the change. It gave her hope that they could do this.