Hortus {garden}

Arya's bones were aching as she made her way inside the castle once again. Madame Kenna had woken her before there was even a spec of light in the sky and brought her outside. Arya had been shivering but it was as if Madame Kenna didn't care one bit. Arya had worn the warmest clothes she could find, but when you only had the stars to guide your pathway, it showed how dark it was.

Arya knew the reason for Madame Kenna's early training. She most probably had witnessed Aaron's fight yesterday and she knew that Arya had to become better. The two didn't say it, but Madame Kenna was training her to defeat Aaron. She had even enlisted the help of Sir Samuel who was barely awake as he kept trying to rub the sleep from his eyes.

Madame Kenna had glared at him and snappishly told him to wake up. Sir Samuel had grunted in response saying how he had been on guard late at night which is why he was so tired. Madame Kenna had responded that the best knights were always awake even when they weren't actually awake.

At this point Sir Samuel and Arya had exchanged a glance as if to share the thought that whatever Madame Kenna was saying made absolutely no sense. Sir Samuel had then gotten straight into training and if Arya thought that having Madame Kenna pressing her was annoying, she now had Sir Samuel on her back as well.

Not to mention that Madame Kenna and Sir Samuel didn't agree on much either. Madame Kenna would make her do one thing, while Sir Samuel would reject the idea and propose a new one. At the end of training not only was Arya exhausted physically but mentally as well.

When Arya arrived in the hallway she could see that most of the girls had already woken up. Some were chatting amongst themselves while others were busy getting ready. On the other side of the hallway, the boys were doing the same. The two academy students barely interacted after yesterday's scene had gotten a bit too heated. The tensions were high between both schools with each wanting to win just as bad as the other.

Arya quickly got dressed in a tunic and trousers one that were fancier than her usually since today they would be having a formal breakfast with Lady Zelie and Prince Zander. She wasn't sure if the twins were being civil to one another but she sure hoped so. Arya strapped Anaz to her side and stepped out to see Yasmin and Silvia waiting for her.

"Where were you? We tried knocking on the door but there was no answer." Silvia asked.

"Training," Arya answered as she barely covered her yawn.

They joined the rest of their classmates and walked towards the dining hall. Once the doors opened Arya saw that Prince Zander and Princess Zelie had already been seated and were talking softly amongst themselves.

The food had already been laid out and little cards had been placed to signify where everyone was supposed to be sitting. The twins looked up at the arrival of their students and they smiled.

"Take a seat where you are supposed to." Lady Zelie said to the incoming students.

Lady Zelie and Prince Zander were seated on the opposite sides of the table and on their right sides all the seats had been claimed by the teachers. Arya assumed that they would be siting to the left of their principals and she was correct. Arya sat done in her seat and was pleasantly surprised to see Yasmin and Silvia were seated next to her. Across from Arya were Aaron and Damien as well as all the other boys from the Narvanian Academy.

"What we didn't tell you was that there would be two very special guests for today's breakfast." Prince Zander said with a smile.

Everyone looked at one another puzzled but the piece fit in when one of the knights at the door announced, "Introducing His Majesty King of Kalvarian King Rupert Ashfield Greaves Breckenridge and his wife Her Highness Queen Marie Monroe Breckenridge."

There were gasps and as the King and Queen of Kalvaria entered the room and all the students bowed down in respect. Arya knew that they were surprised to see the King and Queen up close since the only interaction they had was at the opening ball. Arya on the other hand, had seen the King and Queen in their throne room when she had come on behalf of Lady Zelie so she wasn't too surprised.

The King and Queen took a seat at the very end of the table. The royals looked in a good mood as a smile graced both of their faces.

"Good morning." The Queen said softly to everyone at the table.

They all replied to her greeting in return.

"We haven't gotten the chance to speak with you since the Heres Gladii began so Zelie and Zander suggested that we didn't." King Rupert said.

The students nodded. The King pointed to one of the students, "tell me how your experience has been."

"It has been well Sire." One of the boys from the Narvanian Academy spoke.

The King listened to him intently. For the rest of the morning the King would pick random people and ask them specific questions about the Heres Gladii, what they had participated in and basic training that they received at the Narvanian and Narvian Academy. Arya had seen what Lady Zelie and Prince Zander had done. They had forged a better connection between the students and the rulers which would no doubt help both parties in the future.

Arya couldn't help but allow the soft smile that came upon her face when one of the student's faces lit up when the King or Queen addressed them. It was as if they were receiving the best present ever and Arya was also able to notice that the tensions between both schools had dimmed as well. It looked like Lady Zelie and Prince Zander had killed two birds with one stone.

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Arya stepped out of the arena trying to find a quiet place. In mere moments the town would be crowded with people from both the palace as well as inside the stadium. Arya had just fought another battle and unfortunately this one had done some damage. Her side was bruised but she knew that she would have to participate in another duel late into the night.

From the corner of the eye, Arya could already see people starting to trickle into the market place. With Anaz by her side she moved quickly through the streets towards the palace. She had decided where she would get her piece of mind, the gardens.

Once Arya arrived in the gardens her immediate choice was going towards the bench that was placed in the golden pavilion. As Arya walked there she was surprised to see someone already seated on the bench and the familiar ash blond hair reminded her of who it was.

She was about to turn back when she heard a low voice, "Join me." He said.

Arya looked between Aaron and the palace. She could either go to the palace and be surrounded by more people preparing for lunch or she could stay here with Aaron and enjoy the warmth of the sun. Arya choose the latter as she moved closer enough to be standing directly behind him.

A small smile made its way to Aaron face as he patted the seat next to him, "You can sit down you know."

Arya eyed the bench warily but the collapsed on the bench of her exhaustion. She needed to reserve all the strength she could for her fight later on. She felt sharp pain in her lower abdomen and her hand grasped the area to help stop the pain.

As usual, nothing went unnoticed by Aaron. "Your fight?" He questioned.

Arya nodded in response.

Aaron seemed to think about it. "You're a good fighter. I saw your fight the other day. Unfortunately I couldn't watch the fight today."

"Why?"

Aaron grinned sheepishly, "Well I was spending the time to train with Sir Alexander for my next fight.

Arya snorted. It wasn't as if he needed the training. He had probably held a sword as soon as he began to walk.

"I didn't know your father was Sir Letholdus." Arya commented as she peered straight ahead at the river in front of her.

"Many don't know that fact since he was killed protecting Prince Zander when he was a young child." Aaron said quietly.

Arya was unaware of how to approach the conversation. He had told her something personal, was she supposed to do the same?

"I joined the academy when I was thirteen. Prince Zander took me under his wing and raised me as his own child. For quite a few months the academy had nobody so it would only be the two of us and any teachers that were around." Aaron said.

He had a nostalgic smile on his face. "Then miraculously, one day a bunch of students arrived. After that, more and more students started coming in. A table that once held only nine seats had grown to accommodate over a hundred students. It was hard had first but slowly it seemed that my heart opened and I found ways to include all my friends their as well. Prince Zander is both a father and brother to me and I feel as though he feels the same."

Arya listened carefully to all his words. She knew how he felt. It was actually quite surprising how similar their stories were. Arya had been the first student in the Narvian Academy and then when other people had begun to attend she had felt weird. If she was to be complete honest, she still felt that.

Aaron turned to look at her with his beautiful blue eyes which looked silver under the light. "So faithful one, what is your story?"

A troubled look appeared on Arya's face and she felt her body go stiff.

Aaron noticed her discomfort so he spoke the next words, "You don't have to tell me." He said. "But if one day you need someone to listen, I'll be there."

Arya looked at him gratefully. She knew that she wasn't ready to share her story but she might be one day.

"So tell me about the Narvian Academy? Are there any stories you remember? Good times with friends?" Aaron asked.

Arya looked at him in a peculiar manner. She hadn't really considered anyone around her a friend before.

"What defines a friend?" Arya asked softly.

If Aaron looked surprise he hid it well. "Well I like to say it's someone whom you can place your whole hearted trust in. You know they will have your back no matter what."

Arya nodded processing the information that Aaron had given her. When he put it into those words, Arya knew there were many people she could consider her friend. Lady Zelie, Madame Kenna, even Silvia and Yasmin seemed like those people.

Arya then had an enlightening memory from the academy. It had been one of those days that had brought a real laugh out of her. There had been a rumor going around that there was a ghost in the academy that would haunt people at night. Arya had obviously not believed in the senseless rumors until one day she had heard a loud scream.

When she went to investigate there was a huge shadow that looked extremely and many of the girls were holding onto each other in deep fear. Arya had strode forward and found out they were only cowering from a cat that had gotten a sheet thrown over him. As if to make matters better that cat had jumped on the girls and they had escaped running in fear. Arya had thought the whole thing had been rather hilarious.

As she finished the last words from the story, it seemed that Aaron thought so as well. He was laughing and it was something that Arya had not seen him do much at all. It released the tension from his face and made him look much younger. For the rest of the afternoon Arya and Aaron continued exchanging stories about their respective academies. Arya found that it was quite easy to talk to Aaron and she didn't mind when he asked her questions. She felt at peace, something she hadn't felt in a long time.

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Arya glanced down at the area waiting to see both Silvia and Walter in action. They were both holding their swords and in position to attack. Arya had not seen Walter fight before so she didn't know who had a better chance of winning.

"You may begin!" The Knight shouted.

Walter was the first one to attack as he thrusted his sword to Silvia's left side; she was barely able to block the blow. Arya immediately knew the tide of this battle had turned. Walter was holding the ball in his court and all Silvia would be able to do is defend herself. Arya was very fearful of this match outcome.

"He is very good," Yasmin whispered to her.

Arya nodded, praying that some miracle would allow Silvia to win because as of right now, she knew that everyone believed that Walter would be the winner. Walter continued attacking and Silvia was left to defend herself. Walter suddenly switched his step which took Silvia off guard.

Arya knew what would happen even before it occur. Walter had caught Silvia and she could not escape. The sword was pointed to her neck as they both breathe heavily. Silvia had lost in a matter of minutes. Arya had thought Walter would be powerful since his father was the Earl of Dzfrah. The nobles began training at a very young age but she hadn't expected the battle to finish in the blink of an eye.

Arya couldn't make out Silvia's face as it was shielded by her red hair. She knew that in the moment, Silvia preferred to be alone so she didn't leave the stadium to chase after her. Instead she remained rooted in her seat to see the next battle play out. The next opponent was Damien facing one of the Narvian Academy girls. Battle after battle it seemed as though the boys were on a roll. The next match was between Aaron another female and the males won again.

Arya could see that Lady Zelie was beginning to worry. Her face appeared to be in a cool mask but the only thing that gave her away was her deathly grip on her sword. Arya could see that her skin turning red as she nervously twisted the ring on her finger. Beside her, Prince Zander was smirking. Of course he would be since his academy seemed to be beating his sister's.

"Next up we have Yasmin Al Amari facing off against Jacob Winthrop." The knight announced.

Arya looked at the male surprised to see that it was the boy who had challenged her the day she had stumbled upon the Narvanian males training. Well it seemed that he did something right if he was able to make it thus far. Arya quickly assessed the two of them and decided that it would be Yasmin who would win this fight. She was wielding a curved sword like the boy Duncan had and by the relaxed grip on her sword, Arya knew she could wield the weapon well.

Went the knight called the battle and it ended a few moments later, Arya knew that she had been correct to place her trust in Yasmin. The curly haired girl was holding her sword in the sky with a big smile upon her face.

The smile was directed in particular to a man dressed in white robe who was wearing a red headdress fastened together by a black piece of rope. The man was almost smiling down at Yasmin as if to say that he was proud of her. The similarity between the two was not a lot but it didn't go unnoticed by Arya. She would ask Yasmin about the man later on.

Arya looked up to the balcony to see Princess Zelie grinning. She knew her highness felt good about the win which is why she looked so cheerful. Even before her name was called, Arya knew that it was time for her battle. The opponent she would be facing was Walter. She unsheathed Anaz and gripped the pommel with both her hands. It had been a good idea for Arya to watch the battle earlier as it gave her a sense of Walter's capabilities. Arya also wanted to get back at him for defeating Silvia and part of her was doing it for the girl's honour.

"Let the match commence!" The knight shouted and pulled her flag down.

Walter and Arya encircled one another each watching the other like a hawk. Arya knew that at this point she had the advantage since she had seen him fight before. On the other hand, she wasn't sure if he had been present at her other duels which would mean that they were nearly equal. Arya still had the upper hand however as she had seen his moves recently and didn't need to rely too much on her memory.

Arya ran forward thrusting her sword to Walters's legs. He blocked the move with ease and proceeded to use the strength of her sword against him. Arya wasn't going to let him do that and she jumped back quickly allowing Walter to merely swing his sword in the air. She purposely left her position open for a second time hoping that it would bait Walter. It did not.

She merely shrugged her shoulders in the lack of his response. It was his choice. Arya stepped forward and began her attack. Right, left, step back thrust, block. She was on a roll. She closed her eyes for a mere moment and tried blocking out all the noises. What she needed right now was to be able to focus her energy into anticipating Walter's moves and figuring out her own.

She heard the slight sound of someone approaching her and in her head she though what a fool. Walter had become arrogant enough to attack her in what seemed like she was in a vulnerable position.

It was quite the opposite.

Arya could hear every sound he made and she could guess his position as well. When he attacked Arya she blocked his movement and opened her eyes. Walter looked extremely shocked as he stared into Arya's Aztec eyes. Arya took this moment to turn the tide of the battle and she use the weight of his sword against him and out Anaz under his throat.

"It's over," she smiled satisfied with the outcome of the battle.

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So how did you guys like this chapter? The Aaron and Arya scene in the garden? The surprise visit from the King and Queen? The many battles? Comment below I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please remember to vote and comment:)