Meenu shot another arrow and grinned when it, yet again, pierced through the leaf she was aiming at.

  She jumped up and cheered as Knight barked in joy.

  Suddenly, she heard clapping.

  Meenu turned her head and saw Blood watching her from high in the tree.

  “You’ve improved greatly.” He said as he disappeared and reappeared in front of her.

  “Can you teach me how to move as fast as you do now?”

  Blood laughed. “That, Meenu, takes years of practice.”

  “I can start now!” She said, eagerly.

  Blood looked at her. “I don’t think you’ll have time to learn that.”

  Meenu raised her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

  “I heard you’re getting married to the King?” Blood said, crossing his arms. “If that’s the case then you don’t have much time left.”

  Meenu’s shoulders dropped and she turned around.

  Before she did though, Blood captured a glimpse of her distressed look. “You don’t want to marry a King?” He asked.

  “That’s not… That’s not it.” She loaded another arrow and aimed it.

  “Then why do you look so worried?”

  “I’m just trying not to get my hopes up.”

  “Really?” Blood asked, curiously. “Why is that?”

  “Because I know he’s going to call it off eventually.” She said as she shot the arrow.

  She missed this time.

  “Is he?”

  She nodded. “Once he finds out what all the villagers think about me.”

  Knight started to whine, sensing her sadness.

  “They always do. There’s just something wrong with me. I’m prone to being disliked.” She sighed. “I’m not meant to get married.” She then turned to Blood with a smile, trying to lighten the mood. “I think I’m meant to become a warrior. I cant be a warrior if I’m married had have children!”

  Blood snorted. “Not with that kind of attitude.” He said. “I will not train someone with such an attitude.”

  Meenu hesitated. “What? What did I do? What’s wrong with my attitude.”

  “You have no confidence in yourself.” He said. “A warrior who lacks confidence in his or herself can never survive.”

  “I don’t lack confidence!” Meenu argued.

  Blood smiled behind his mask. “Prove it to me then. If you do, I will train you. If not, then today will be the last time I see you.”

  “How am I supposed to prove it to you?” Meenu asked.

  She was then startled when he pulled his sword out of its sheath and pointed at her.

  Knight started to growl.

  “Use your sword to fight me. If you can take me down and remove my mask, I will continue to train you.” He said, ignoring Knight’s growls. “If not, then you will never see me again.”

  Meenu scoffed. “I don’t even own a sword! Let alone know how to use one!”

  Blood lowered his sword. He then threw it in the air and caught it, his hand wrapped around the blade. He poked Meenu just above her breasts with the hilt. “Use mine then.”

  Meenu swallowed hard, but took the sword.

  The second he let go, she gasped at the weight and the blade fell into the ground, digging into the soil.

  She never imagined a sword to be this heavy; she thought it would be as light as a feather. After all, it was thin and long and most knights and warriors held it with one hand. Like Blood just did. But it probably actually weighed more than a baby did.

  How could Blood hold it so easily?

  Blood let out a laugh. “Have you never held a sword before?”

  Meenu felt her upper arms ache as she held it out in front of her with both her hands. “My father and brother never let me touch their swords. They never let it out of their sights.”

  “Hmm.” Blood pulled out two small fighting knives and held one in each hand. “Maybe they have a good reason too. I guess I’ll find out soon.”

  “Blood!” Meenu called. “I don’t know how to use a sword!”

  “You seem to keep emphasizing your lack of confidence, Meenu.”

  Meenu swallowed back her fear. She then turned to the growling Knight. “Sit, Knight. It’s alright.”

  Knight hesitated, but sat like his mistress told him too.

  She looked back at Blood, took a deep breath and charged at him, yelling loudly.

  Blood chuckled and obviously dodged her attack.

  He appeared behind her and poked her with the hilt of his fighting knife.

  “Ow!” Meenu yelled as she jumped forward, dropping the sword and falling down.

  “God, you’re horrible.” Blood said.

  Meenu got up immediately, picked up the sword and ran at him again.

  And again he dodged, appeared behind her, and poked her.

  And again she fell.

  This went on for hours and hours and hours.

  She even almost got him once. But he grabbed her arm, tugged it and stepped aside so that she’d fall yet again.

  Soon, the sun was starting to set and Meenu was exhausted.

  But she charged at him once more.

  Blood stood still as she ran towards him, but he flipped the fighting knives in his hands so he was holding the hilt again.

  When she reached him, she swung the sword forward and it clanged loudly against Blood’s fighting knives.

  She pushed as hard as she could, trying to push him back.

  But then she felt a sharp pain on the side of her leg.

  She blinked and then felt Blood pull the sword right out of her hands as he knocked her off her feet.

  Meenu screamed as she collapsed onto the ground and groaned as Knight ran over to her side, licking her scratched face.

  But she flinched when she heard the blade of Blood’s sword pierce into the ground not too far from her.

  Blood returned his fighting knives into its sheaths. He then picked up his sword and returned that into its sheath too.  “Give up?” Blood asked as he turned to Meenu.

  She sat herself up. “No!” She yelled.

  Blood smiled. “Really?”

  She stood up and held her hand out. “Give me back the sword.”

  Blood watched her, his smile growing. “Alright, alright. I’ll train you. You’ve proved it.”

  Meenu hesitated. “What?”

  “You’ve proved to me that you have confidence in yourself.”

  “But I didn’t…”

  “It was just a test.” Blood said, chuckling.

  Meenu fell back onto the ground, groaning. “Do you know how much it hurts?” Meenu scowled at the orange sky.

  Blood walked over to her and pulled his sword out, but with the sheath as well. He dropped it beside her. “Keep this.”

  Meenu turned her head and looked at the sword that was wrapped in its beautiful sheath. The sheath had lovely designs on it, just as her quiver did. She sat up again and looked at Blood. “Really?”

  Blood nodded.

  “Why are you giving this to me?”

  “You said you don’t own a sword. What type of warrior doesn’t own a sword?” He said. “Besides, I can get another one easily.”

  Meenu stood up, lifting the sword with her. “Really? Can I really keep it?”

  Blood nodded and looked at her.

  He was surprised to see how happy she was.

  “Thank you!” She said, happily. “I’ll take very good care of it.”

  “I will start to teach you how to use it starting three days from now.”

  Meenu hesitated. “Why not tomorrow?”

  “I’m not a kid like you, with time to run around and do nothing.” He said. “I’m a busy man.”

  Meenu kept smiling, since she was so happy. “Fine! I will see you in three days.”

  Blood smiled behind his mask. “Let me take you home.” He said. “It’s getting late… and the ogres will try to attack you when you are alone.”

  “I can go home on my own!” She said, still smiling. She turned to start running, but she froze as her muscles started to ache.

  Blood let out a small laugh. “You may have a couple of bruises.” He said. He then took the sword from her and handed it to Knight. “Hold this, Knight.”

  Knight hesitated, but took the sword from the frightening man that he hadn’t gotten used to yet, clenching it between his fangs and holding onto it tightly.

  Blood then handed Meenu his quiver. “Hold onto this, will you?”

  Meenu took it from him and threw it over her other shoulder, sine she was already carrying one.

  And then Blood bent down. “Get on my back.”

  Meenu hesitated. “What?”

  Blood rolled his eyes. “Just get on, hurry. I have work to do.”

  Meenu hesitated for a moment longer, but then climbed onto his back.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and tightened her grip when he stood up. And before she was ready, he started to run.

  Meenu gasped as the world flew by her so fast that she could see nothing clearly and the wind was thundering in her ears.

  Normally, it would take her quite some time to return to her village. But Blood ran and jumped up through the trees and entered the village in moments.

  And a moment later, she was at her front yard.

  Blood let her get off and Meenu lost her balance, dizzy. She fell onto her bottom and gasped.

  “Whoa. Watch my arrows.” Blood said as he took his quiver from her.

  Meenu shook her head and turned around. “Knight! We left him behind!”

  “He’ll be here in a moment.”

  Meenu stood up and dusted herself off. “Thank you again, Blood.” She said with a smile.

  Blood smiled back, though she couldn’t see it. “I will see you in three days.”

  Meenu nodded eagerly.

  And with that, Blood disappeared.

  Meenu turned and looked around, wondering if she would one day be able to do that.

  Suddenly, Meenu remembered what Blood said about her running out of time. Her heart then sank a tiny bit.

  But she shook her head with determination. Just because she might be getting married doesn’t mean that she had to stop following her dream to be a warrior.

  Meenu smiled, and when she did she saw Knight approaching.

  When he reached her, he dropped the sword at her feet.

  Meenu bent down and kissed her wolf’s head. “Good boy, Knight.”

  Knight licked her cheek and then followed her into their home.

  It was late in the evening and Meenu had been at her bed, cleaning the sword for quite some time now.

  And then there was a knock at the door.

  “Come in!” Meenu said as she wiped the sword once more.

  Meenu’s father walked into her room with a smile, but his smile faded when he saw the sword. “Whose is that, Meenu?”

  Meenu looked up and hesitated.

  She figured that she wasn’t allowed to tell anyone it was Blood’s. So she smiled and held it out. “Isn’t it pretty? I found it in Feyran!”

  Lord Kyrus took it from her and examined it. “It’s a nice sword.” He said. “I’m surprised someone would lose this.”

  Meenu nodded. “I know, right?”

  “Well, you should take good care of it, in case the warrior or knight who owned this wants it back.”

  Meenu nodded again. “Yes, papa.”

  He then sat down next to her on her bed, putting the sword aside and trying not to wake Knight who was sleeping on Meenu’s bed. “Meenu… Your mother hasn’t spoken to you about King—”

  “The King wanting to marry me? No. But I know about it.” Meenu said as she stroked her fingers through Knight’s fur.

  Her father watched her carefully. “And… what do you think? How do you feel about it, love?”

  Meenu shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “Do you want to marry him?”

  “It doesn’t really matter to me.” She said. “I mean… it’s not like anyone else would want to marry me so might as well.”

  Lord Kyrus gave Meenu a sad smile. “This isn’t a small decision, Meenu.” He said. “Your life will change. You will be a Queen.”

  Meenu looked at her hands. “I know.”

  “Do you want that?”

  “Sure.”

  “Meenu…” Her father sighed. “I need you to be serious with me.”

  Meenu thought of how happy her mother would be if she finally got married off… and to a King? Well, she wouldn’t be just happy, she’d be ecstatic. So Meenu turned to her father and smiled. “I’d like that… I think I’m just a bit nervous… I’ll get used to it soon, I think.”

  Her father could see that she was more than a little nervous.

  “Don’t worry, papa… I’ll be okay soon.”

  Lord Kyrus smiled at her. “Should I say you’ve accepted, then?”

  Meenu nodded. “Go ahead.”

  Her father leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “I’m proud of you, love.”

  Meenu smiled and hugged her father tightly.

  When her father left her alone again, Meenu took her trousers and her tunic off. She looked into the mirror as she put on her nightdress, but the gasped.

  She turned around and looked at her body, which was covered in bruises that were caused by the hilt of Blood’s fighting knife. “Oh… that’s going to hurt in the morning.”

  She sighed, but smiled.

  She couldn’t help it as she was starting to really enjoy her time with Blood.

  But she wondered what his real name was. And she wondered about a bunch of other things related to him too.

  And before she fell asleep, she reminded herself to ask him all her questions when she saw him next.