Avala

"Hold your sword a little higher", Edan Duncan demanded. Sweat had started to saturate my clothing. My training clothes were pitch black and two sizes too small. I hadn't tried to exercise since years, and every ounce of my body had started hurting.

If cooperating had meant sitting in a a library with a brooding knight, I would have been able to arrange myself with the idea. But cooperating meant running around and learning various names of weapons. I had found a passion for throwing stars, mainly because I hoped to wear them as a hair accessory. Edan had explained me the theoretical use of them in a dreadfully long and patient speech. Though I liked the aesthetic of the throwing stars, actual sword training felt like hell. My arms weren't used to carry much weight and the sun was sitting in my neck.

"I'm trying to hold my sword a little higher. But it is useless. If I get into a fight you and your little guard buddies will be there, unless you are to busy trying to fix your hair in the mirror. In that case I will be killed, but death is inescapable. I rather live a fulfilled life without sword fighting and die young than continue any more of this torture", I told him and put my sword back on the ground.

"If you keep refusing to listen to me, this is going to be a rocky road for you. You know from your physique you have the same disadvantages as Keeva. You are both scrawny like birds. But what differs you from her, that you are a distracted little kitten and she has eyes like an eagle.", his voice had started to become more familiar. We were forced to spend a lot of time together. Sometimes he was even bearable, when he wasn't comparing me to Keeva.

"Can we not go back to history trivia? " I asked him hopefully. I missed the quiet library brooding. However I was still relieved that it was Edan who he taught me the correct fighting position and not Captain Adalsteinn. If it had been here I would have thrown the towel on day one.

The afternoon sun combed through my hair. Edan was wearing a maroon training and his butterfly pin. "No, we can not. I also would prefer having some nerve left, but my orders are strict."

I hoped to distract him with some small talk. "Why do you know so much about history? About Captain Adalsteinn has order you to study with the masters."

"Keeva had wanted me to learn it. That I was able to be her advisor once she was queen and help her during lessons and prepare for her exams. We had a great amount of fun, unlike you she is able to listen to what I'm telling her.", he explained to me.

Classic Keeva, letting Edan do the dirty work and letting him cram the knowledge into her head.

"But what you are assuming about Captain Adalsteinn is wrong. She not only trained me to fight, she also taught me some great deals about life. For example to not give up and be patient. She once made me work on a tulip farm for some months. I had seen the most wonderful flowers grow. They always will hold place dear in my heart. Tulips are superior to any other flowers, especially roses. They have a simplicity in their beauty, there are no thorns and you will never cut you, unless you are unable to work with garden scissors or do a terrible job in cutting of the stem.", he explained with an odd passion in his eyes. He was still in fighting position, waiting for me to pick up my sword again.

"So you are basically saying what makes them average, makes them beautiful. Well in that case that makes you the most handsome guy in the whole realm.", I told him sarcastically.

Edan wasn't very happy with my comment and made a peeved gesture towards my sword. "Keep going, Av.", he ordered.

"You know if you have to give me a stupid nickname, can it be something less related to my dead parents, please. It's not really putting me in a great mood." Nevertheless I picked up my sword. I relocated my weight and tried to mime the posture, which I have been showed earlier. My knees were bent, my eyes fixed on him, my sword held higher than before.

Edan gave me a nod of approval and made a leap into my direction. The clank of blade on blade was loud an clear. The force of his strike made me tumble, nonetheless I parried and deviated his attack. Our swords clashed together, like waves entering the shore. Edan had the power of a horde of bears in his arms, my muscles were trained for lifting the fork at dinner. With all resistance I tried to press my sword against his. Edan took a step back, so I could regain my strength. I have seen Keeva fight on many occasions. She was able to keep up with Edan, agile like a young bird she moved over the ground, excelled him in speed with ease. I didn't. There was a sharp pain in my left shoulder, my tights were burning, I was out of breath.

"That wasn't even that bad. If you give me a sweet smile I might let you have a break and a trip to Sir Callum, to see how far he is with your gown.", applauded Edan.

Instead I showed him my favorite finger.

"That was unnecessary unladylike. Maybe we still should talk about etiquette and what is expected from you, I mean you are a princess after all. Don't you want some influential husband?" he asked me scornful.

"What if I wanted to have an influential wife?" I retorted.

He raised his dark brown eyebrows, but there was no surprise or negative note in his voice. "Even influential wives demand some amount of respect. You don't want to spend your life hidden in some library."

"I might marry Master Eachann, then I could get access to all of his books. " That wasn't even that bad of an idea. Master Eachann and me got along very well, he might be old, but he had a heart of gold. Living somewhere in an old estate, making conversations about book, socializing as little as possible sounded like music to my ears.

"That wouldn't be an inordinate sexual relationship.", Edan pointed out.

"I don't want any children anyways. I don't have to birth an heir. That is all on Keeva, when she finally gets her ass back. Are there any news of her whereabouts? Has she been crowned queen in the North? Has she joined the army of Dorchadas? Is she a waitress in Sligeanach? Has she decided to become the assassin of Teliassen? Is she the assassin of Teliassen?", I hit back.

Edan shook his head neatly, so that his soft brown hair reminded me of the color of tiger's eye. "There are no signs of her, although I doubt that Keeva would set her feet on pirate ground. Also the myth of the assassin of Teliassen is a good bed time story, but there is nothing remotely veritable about it. It's fabricated to not let little children join the business travels of their parents. It's there to scare them from Teliassen and to feel save and sound in Melar"

I crossed my arms with my sword still in my hand. I managed to nearly cut myself, but I was truly piqued by his words. How dare he not realize that our whole magnificent history is veritable. "You are absolutely wrong. She is real, she killed thousands of people for what we call the greater good."

"You are allowed to believe in fairytales.", he told her with a shrug and pointed the end of his blade down to the ground.

"The assassin of Teliassen is real historical figure. The goodness of Arnemetia is a fairytale. Just because you and your little guard buddies are afraid of her, doesn't mean she isn't real. I'm aware of the fact that she hasn't surfaced for a while now, but the knights before our time were just not able to catch her and that is why her story has been swept under the carpet.", I informed him with my head held high.

"Whatever you say, Avala. I think that is enough for today. Shall we pay Callum a visit?" he was clearly fed up by my arguments and superior historical knowledge.

I gave him a quick nod and put my weapon down on the ground. I rather would have a cold shower than talk to the tailor demon, but it was a better alternative then to continue fighting with him.

.

He walked so fast I found it hard to keep up with him. Every single movement of him was neat, as if he would calculate every step, as if his bones were springs. His elegance didn't make up for his tomfoolery. I remembered the first day, I had seen Edan Duncan. He had arrived when Keeva and me had celebrated our eight birthday. Many young nobles spent their youth at court. But Edan Duncan didn't treat us with courteous apathy like everyone else did. The second he had entered court, he had acted like this place was his. He nonchalantly decided to be the best friend of the crown princess, to get trained by the most famous Captain, to act like the world owed him everything. The rise of Edan Duncan had been a fast process and his charismatic arrogance had brought him to the top. Everything he had done was with a self-evident ease.

He pushed the door open to the tailor. And a loud gasp and ruffled noises were audible. A rumpled head of black hair was staring into our direction. Colia took a step away from Brynja. Edan had made a leap backwards taken aback and nearly bumped into me.

Well that was unexpected.

While Colia Adalsteinn desperately was searching for words to vindicate the situation. Brynja had started to brush her hair straight and pull up the strap of her green silk dress. I was was faster than all of them and wanted to spare them an awkward excuse.

"We are searching for Callum Reed, well more for his notes for my ball gown. Lady Brynja could you please do me the favor and help us search?" If I had considered Colia my friend I would have asked her about the incident. But Colia wasn't my friend, she was my lady.

"Callum Reed, has left the city at dawn. But we have found some hunting clothing earlier. I'm afraid that your ball gown isn't ready yet.", Brynja gathered herself quickly. She swept through the room to show me some clothing.

"I don't need hunting clothing. I don't hunt. I don't even know how to ride a horse.", I stated, hoping that I didn't have riding lessons on my be-like-Keeva-training.

"Why am I not even remotely surprised.", Edan mumbled behind me.

"Didn't you have a horse called Horsey McHorseface?", Colia asked Edan with raised eyebrows while walking towards a shelve filled with different cottons.

"Why am I not even remotely surprised.", I repeated and sat down on the edge of Callum's big work table.

Edan looked like he wanted to burn Colia alive or feed her to the sharks. "First of all I was a child when I named my horse like that, second of all it has been renamed to Heosphoros, third of all that was a deep secret from my youth I shared with you."

"Secrets never stay hidden", Brynja said gravely. I wasn't sure if she was talking to all of us or just Colia.

.

My eyes were fixed on the dark ink of the letter of my book. I had sunken into the world of witchcraft and darkness. I could sense moss under my feet, the breeze in my hair, an adventure with a deadly price, the music of dark magic. Books were so interminably perilous. They were able to carry you wherever you want, whenever you want.

With my hands I traced over the flavescent pages. I felt the uneven ground on my fingertips. The silence of my room, the noise of my thoughts. I closed my eyes to absorb it.

The stroke of wings ripped the tranquillity into shreds. My eyes reopened. A small vermin had placed itself on the mattress a few centimeters next to me. Without hesitation the book in my hand shoot down. There was a sound muffled by the feathers.

I lifted the book up again. It was covered in black blood, exactly like the duvet underneath. With shaky fingers I brushed the blood off my book. The substance decomposed like ashes under my fingers. It felt like I was touching the dark sand of Melar.

And after a while, I felt like crying.