The arrival of Lord Sebastian Baylon has made the castle restless. I believe I am being watched now more than ever. I must continue to study the book and keep a record of the events of Princess Illyana's rising. A message from Fallon has told me that already,  almost three months in, she has the loyalty of three races. The Mer. The Centaurs and the Sirens. Technically, she has succeeded in the trial. However, she is venturing to the Lupine. I can understand why. With the Lupine behind her, there is no way the Fae and King has a chance against her. However, I fear that the Lupine loyalty will not be easily given.

Within the city, the princesses are working tirelessly to stop the rumours being spread about Princess Illyana. I have heard some pretty disturbing stories of the Princesses attempt over these last few weeks. All spread to try and tarnish her name. I am not sure whether it is being believed or not. I would hope not. On my trips through the city, I have seen Illyana's mark painted on the walls of street corners. Written around them the words:

"The True Queen will rise. Down with the False King."

Either way, something is spreading. I just hope it is belief in the Princess instead of hatred and fear. I have no doubt that the other princesses will succeed in swaying the minds of this nation. However, I fear what will happen to them should their involvement be discovered...

The Rising of the True Queen. Chapter One. Written by Master Audwin. Master Scholar during the reign of King Orion and the King Chosen Matthias.

I am awoken to a pounding on my door. Razan lets out an annoyed huff as he stands up and shakes off. Groggily, I stand up and go to answer my door. A woman barges in before I get there. I jump and Razan lets out a low growl. The woman says something in Lupine to my wolf and he stops growling. I just watch wide-eyed.

"Princess," she says, her accent thick as she speaks in the common tongue.

"Ana, please," I say back. She nods her head.

"Ana," she says as she walks to the windows and throws open the wooden shutters. It is still dark outside, though I can tell the sun is just about to rise.

"You are still in last nights dress?" she asks. I look down. She shakes her head.

"You have a lot to learn before you can even go to breakfast," she sighs. "Sit," she orders. I take a seat on one of the chairs in my room.

"My name is Riva. The Solavar has appointed me as your tutor," she tells me. I nod my head.

"Okay," I reply. She isn't a particularly tall woman. Nor is she muscular like a lot of the other Lupine I have seen. Her skin is dark and golden. Her eyes are dark brown too. She shouts something in Lupine and I jump. A wolf walks in, looking around nervously.

"This is my wolf, Tia," she tells me. "She is very shy." Tia looks at me with wide dark brown eyes before scuttling quickly to Riva and hiding behind her. She isn't as big as some of the wolves. Tiny in comparison to Razan. She only comes up to my waist in height. 

"She's beautiful," I say and Riva smiles, gently stroking Tia's fur. She is a white wolf with patches of silvers and greys. I look back at Riva. Her hair is a warm brown colour and tied up in a tight, braided bun. 

"First things you need to know before you make another public appearance, is how to style your clothes and your hair. Hair is very important because it is what identifies your role within this society." My eyes widen. I had known that braids were important, but I didn't realise how.

"The way I have my hair tells people that I am an educator," she tells me. I nod, the tight bun seems appropriate. "There are many ways an educator can have their hair, but there must be a braid and it must be in a ball," she tells me. "Only once an educator is qualified, can she personalise her hairstyle. Once that hairstyle is chosen, that is the one that is kept. I prefer to keep it simple. However, some of the other girls like to make all sorts of complicated twists and braids that I frankly don't have time for," she mutters. "For farming girls, hair must have two balls on either side," she says pointing to the side of her head. "Again, they can be personalised but must include a braid. Servent girls must have half their hair braided and the other half down. Trade girls, so women who work in jobs like blacksmithing, baking, clothes making and provide a trade must have two braids. One on each side. Prostitutes must have the top half of their head sectioned into at least four small, tight braids and the rest left down." She speaks so fast that I struggle to understand and take in everything. "Unemployed girls will have no braids. Girls in training will have a universal training braid for whatever field they are going into. You, will be training to be a warrior. Warrior braids are single braids that must secure all of your hair. As you will be training, you will not get to personalise it. Let me teach you the training braid," she says as she walks over to the dressing table and pulls out a brush. I don't have time to argue before she is yanking the brush through my hair. I try not to wince as she roughly untangles the knots.

"Men don't have braids," she continues. "Their job roles are identified through piercings." She then proceeds to list off the places on a man that gets pierced for whatever they are doing.

"You may have seen a few men wearing braids," she tells me. "A man will only be braided if he mates to a woman. Where he will take on a variation of her braid. When a woman is mated to a man, then she will be pierced in the same location he is."

"Okay," I say, trying to take everything in. She finishes brushing my hair and leads me over to the mirror.

"The warrior training braid is simple. You start at the top with your three strands and the more you plait down, the more you add until all your hair is collected at the bottom." I nod. So it's a simple braid that I have done plenty of times. I start folding the three strands over each other.

"No, no," she snaps. "Do it the other way. Fold them under each other so that the plait is sticking out from the rest of your hair. Make sure it is tight also. No lose hair when you are training," she snaps. I gulp, let go and start again. As I braid, I make sure I am pulling my hair as tightly as I can so it is secure.

"Good, I wasn't sure if a princess had every done her own hair before," she mutters. I don't say anything. "Now, we need to sort out what you wear." She then goes into another long lecture of different types of clothes for different job roles before finally giving me the training uniform. I've never trained in anything like it before.

The first item of clothing I pull on are long sock type things that come all the way up past my knee caps. They are brown and fairly thin, though not see through. I then pull on some boots which have hardened leather pads going over the shins. Next, more pads are placed over my knees. On the top half of my legs, are shorts of sort. Well, they go on like shorts with material clinging tightly to my bottom and thighs. However, over top is a skirt made out strands of thick leather that come down to just above my knee caps. From a distance, it would almost look as though it was pleated. A heavy, leather belt goes around my waist which my weapon will attach to. Over my chest, I have a hard leather corset type thing. It is brown and fits to my torso nicely. Covering my chest and stomach fully as the material goes up and around my neck. Almost like a vest. Over my hands are leather gloves that attack to more hardened leather pads around my forearms.

"Not like southern armour," she grins when she sees my expression.

"Er, no," I tell her. I feel a little more protected when wearing trousers and full-length sleeves. She chuckles.

"There may be a little less clothing than you are used to," she tells me. "But when you train outside during the hottest parts of the day, you'll be thankful your whole body isn't covered in metal," she grins. I nod my head. "You will see variations of this from other warrior women who are now fully qualified and allowed to make the uniform their own," she smiles. She then gestures for me to sit.

"The Solavar, his Starva and whatever Alpha's a currently visiting all gather for meals twice a day. Breakfast and dinner. Invited to these meals are anyone currently residing in the castle. Well, invited is a strong word. Attendance is..." she frowns trying to think of the word in my language.

"Required?" I ask. She grins.

"Yes," she says. I nod my head. "There are lots of people who will be there. All the Solavar's warrior generals or top protectors. The leaders of the High Families and their heirs. The Starva, the Alphas," she continues, mentioning them again. "Some guests from visiting to conduct business and trade with the Solavar from other parts of our territory."

"What are the high families?" I ask.

"There are four High Families. The Maovessa House. The Orzanya House. The Holdyn House and the Valmir House." I nod my head, remembering Kai say something about there being four important families. "These families are seen as the Lupine's strongest. Since Visara took the throne and the years began again, there have been twenty-seven Orzanya Solavars and fourteen Orzanya Lunavars. The Maovessa House have had twenty-nine Solavars and thirty-two Lunavars. The Holdyns have had nineteen Solavars and sixteen Lunavars and at the very top with fifty-six Solavars and thirty-eight Lunavars are the Valmirs." My eyes widen as I do the maths in my head. That is two-hundred and thirty-one leaders in total in the last fifteen hundred years.

"Each of them ruled a long time," she says. "Of course, there were other Solavar and Lunavars from other families around those. Some tried to rise to the status of the High families but were never successful. Our Solavar now is not from any of these families," she tells me. "He is a very new name altogether," she smiles. "That is why he is so well-liked. People get bored of the same families swapping ruling between them. Our current Solavar is backed by the Orzanya house and the Holdyns," she tells me. "It was with their support that he got to the throne. He managed to steal it from underneath the Valmirs and the Maovessas whilst they were battling between themselves for it."

"How are they with him now?" I ask, almost feeling nervous thinking that he could be overthrown or challenged at any time. 

"The Maovessas don't have a champion strong enough to beat the Solavar in a challenge and neither do the Vilmirs. Nor do they have the support of the other two houses and the Alphas," she explains. "The Vilmir champion, I believe you have already run into. Hadya." I let out a long sigh. "She was the most peoples bet to becoming the Lunavar before our current Solavar snuck in her way," the woman chuckles. I nod my head. "So now, the Valmirs are trying to get her to be Lunavar another way," she frowns.

"Mating," I state, feeling my stomach almost drop. She nods her head.

"The Starva and Alphas are pushing the two together. Hadya and Malakai would make a very strong couple and would help Malakai grow his family name so that his descendants have the most chance of being leaders in the future." I frown at her use of his name.

"Are you from any of these families?" I ask. She smiles.

"I am Riva Orzanya," she tells me. My eyes widen. "When I was your age," she begins, "I was being pushed to be Lunavar. But, I lost out to Kai's predecessor. "A Holdyn," she sighs. "My sister is the head of the Orzana house now though, I am not strong enough any more. So, I teach," she smiles. "I also pushed to support Malakai," she grins. I nod, enjoying the history lesson. "We made a good choice with him. Very popular among the people, he is," she smiles. I can't help but smile too. She then looks at me with a stern glare. "You have a lot of work to do princess if you want to get these people to like you. I myself have not decided yet. The best way to win support is to gain it from the families, so use me as your practice attempt," she tells me. My heart races in my chest as I listen to her. I am just a ball of nerves this morning. "Having him," she gestures to Razan who is napping behind me, "Will help a lot," she tells me.

"Is there anything else I need to know before breakfast?" I ask. She goes through a few more bits of Lupine etiquette and gives me a timetable of when I will be training and when she'll be teaching me. It is a busy one. I have to learn Lupine history, the language, the religion and that is just a little bit. I then have to spend at least ten hours of my day training. She looks me over before we leave. My shoulders are exposed from the shape of the vest. She pokes at the scars in both shoulders from the claws of the Sin cat when it attacked me. The three deep wounds are healed, thanks to a Siren's tear. All that is left are three thick white lines on each shoulder. She frowns. Her eyes then look down all the tattoos that swirl down my right arm. The blood promises.

"Be careful what you promise here," she warns me. I nod my head. Her eyes go back to the scars but she doesn't say anything. She leads me back to the ballroom. It is busy with Lupine entering. Now that it isn't festival night, they are all wearing the correct uniforms and hairstyles of their job roles. I get a few funny looks from Lupine as I enter. Four tables have been set up on the dance floor. One head table which goes across the room horizontally right at the back. Kai sits in the middle. Next to him is Hadya and on the other side some other Lupine.

Riva told me that on that table sits the Solavar or the Lunavar or both if there is a mated pair. There is then the head of the four houses and their heir's. Also sat at that table is the Lupine council, or Starva as they call them, which consists of six Lupine. The other three tables are much longer and stretch vertically across the room. The middle table is full of visiting Alphas. Riva told me that each member of the council has one of six sections of the Territories to look over. Within each section, are smaller territories that are governed by the Alphas. They report to their council member and the council member reports to the Solavar. Apparently, the Alphas like to make their stays here as long as they can so they don't have to go back to their patches of territory as much. Though eventually, they are told to return home. I can believe that now as the Alphas table is pretty full.

Going down the right side of the room is the high families table. Where the rest of the high family members sit who aren't on the table with the Solavar. It is pretty full and I can see the invisible line where the families are ever so slightly split up from each other. The end of that table is empty though. Apparently, when there are guests, that's where they sit. It would seem there aren't any today. Well, apart from me. My space, however, is on the left table.

I look over to the table that runs down the left-hand side. It is by far, the loudest table in the room. It is the table where the warriors sit. I gulp as their eyes turn to me and they mutter to each other in their language. Kovan stands up and gestures for me to sit next to him. I look at Riva who just nods and turns to find her place at the High family table. Razan follows me as I walk toward Kovan and Aaliyah. Kovan pushes Karn down the bench to make room for me between the two of them.

I look behind me to Razan. He sits down by the wall next to some of the other bonded wolves. There are lots of wolves here today, all sitting close to their Lupine. Razan gives Karn's wolf, Nyxa, a little nudge and I smile.

"Good morning, princess," Kovan smiles as he scoots up closer to me. I let out a groan as I am practically wedged between the two huge Lupine. Wyatt appears and sits down with Zoran opposite me. They are both dressed in the male warrior training uniform. Zoran has an annoyed frown on his face. He is muttering in Mer to himself.

"Something wrong with the Merman?" Kovan asks. Zoran just glares at him but doesn't say anything.

"I heard you were coming to train with us today, princess," Kovan says. I nod my head, slightly nervous about it. "Guess which handsome men are going to be getting you up to Lupine standards," he grins. I groan again and look between the grinning brothers.

"You're fucked," Wyatt laughs.

"That would be nice," Kovan replies and I slap him on the shoulder. He lets out a booming laugh.

"Nice to see the vote of confidence," I tell my friend. He just shrugs.

"Do you think you're going to get off lightly?" Karn asks him. "We are all ready to beat some southerners," he grins wickedly. Wyatt crosses his arms.

"I think you're going to be disappointed," he replies back.

"Seriously?" I ask the two of them as I laugh. Aaliyah leans forward to talk to me from the other side of Kovan.

"Don't worry, Ana, I'll make sure they don't hurt him too much," she grins.

"Thank you," I laugh.

"Hey, whose side are you on?" Wyatt asks me.

"You're fucked," I reply back to him with a smug grin. "Don't say it," I laugh at Kovan as he goes to open his mouth. Aaliyah and Karn laugh next to me as Kovan looks disappointed.

"Princess, why must you ruin all my fun?" he asks and slaps me on the shoulder.

"Why are you always thinking with your co..." Kai standing stops all conversation at once. He doesn't speak common tongue as he begins his talk.

Riva said that the Solavar will always lead with a small talk and then everyone will say a prayer. I bow my head when everyone else does and listen to the words Kai says. They are gentle and soft as he speaks. His deep voice ripples almost like music throughout the hall as it captures everyone's attention and devotion.  Then, it is over. No one speaks as large plates of food are brought out and placed at even points along the tables. When it is all done, Kai takes the first bites before nodding his head for everyone else to start eating. At once, everyone grabs for the plates and starts hauling food onto their own plates in front of them. I can't tell what it is. Some kind of strange oat mix and thinly sliced meats. Karn dumps a huge pile of both on my plate and I look down at the nasty looking sludge with a gulp.

"Not nice," Kovan says as he starts digging in. "But eat it all," he says all jokes gone from his tone. "You're going to need the energy," he tells me. I do so and take a bite of the sloppy brownish oats.

"What is it?" I ask as I chew on the sludgy mix. It tastes of dirt and I have to force myself not to retch.

"It is oats," he begins "Mixed together with mushed red potato and whatever milk of an animal we have enough of," Karn tells me.

"It's disgusting, but it provides us with the energy we need for training," Aaliyah replies.

"Being a warrior is the best, you always get the most food," Kovan replies as he shoves it into his mouth at the same time as the thinly sliced meats. I look over to the other tables and realise their dishes of oats and meats are much less than ours.

"Come on, princess. Force it down you," Kovan says as I gulp down another mouthful. "Best get used to it now, this is your breakfast for the rest of your stay here," he smiles. With a sigh, I grit my teeth and eat as much of the muck as I can. 

Zoran's plate stays clear.

"Not eating, Mer?" Aaliyah frowns, almost offended. Zoran looks to her, annoyed.

"I do not require food like this," he tells her. "I eat it only when I want to. My time out of the water and in this heat has made me hungry," he begins. "But not for this," he continues. "It will not sustain me." I nod my head. "So, if you have any prisoners you want to be executed quickly and brutally, then do not hesitate to come to me," he finishes, keeping his face straight. No one says anything. I don't think we know what to say. "I suggest you hurry up too, you're all starting to look..."

"Okay, Zoran, we get the picture," I say and look up to Aaliyah. Wyatt looks at Zoran out of the corner of his eyes and smirks. He leans over and whispers something into Zoran's ear. Zoran's lips twist into a smile and he looks at Wyatt with hungry eyes. Wyatt just grins at him.

"I will go and speak to the Solavar," Alliyah says, interrupint them as she scoops the last of her oats into her mouth and stands. She walks confidently toward the Solavar's table. I can see the nods of respect she gets when she passes the council. Even Hadya respects her.

"Aaliyah is the Solavar's Second," Karn tells me in my ear. I nod my head.

"What does that mean?" I ask.

"It means that she has the second-highest rank here. Her main job is over the warriors, but she also does a lot more behind the scenes than people realise." I nod my head. "She should be sat with the Solavar, but she chooses to sit with us. I think that table is boring," Karn says. I smile as I watch the Solavar's table as they talk amongst themselves. It is a polite conversation. Formal and political. Nothing like the shouting and the banter that comes from this table which makes the most noise in the room.

Kai leans back to let Aaliyah whisper in his ear and nods his head. The two have a quiet conversation and I look back to an even more annoyed-looking Zoran.

"Come with me," Aaliyah says to Zoran when she returns. I watch as the two vanish.

"I do not want to be clearing up after him," I chuckle as they vanish. 

"The servants are used to cleaning up bloody messes and bodies," Karn shrugs. I let out a sigh. Shaking my head I look up to Karn.

"Trust me," I say. "They won't be used to that." He frowns and I shudder, remembering the way Zoran tore up the Fae girl at the mine. That image and the huge amount of disgusting sludge that now sits in my belly has me almost retching.

"What do the wolves eat?" I ask.

"They don't really need to once they're bonded," Karn tells me. "They like too," he says, narrowing his eyes at Nyxa as she hovers over his shoulder to get to the slices of meat on his plate. "But they essentially get their strength from their Lupine." I nod my head and look back at Razan who is also hovering. I stroke his muzzle and laugh.

"You thought you could keep that a secret from me, huh?" I ask as he licks his lips. He lets out a low whimper and widens his eyes. Trying the adorable look again. I laugh.

"That only worked when you were a pup," I tell him with a sigh and scoop some of the meat in my mouth. He drops the act and nudges my face roughly. I laugh and take a slice off my plate to give it to him. "This isn't going to work every time, pup," I tell him as he goes and lies back down comfortably and looks up at me with those wide eyes again. I shake my head and finish what's on my plate.

Looking up at the Solavar's table, I see Hadya giving me a cold glare. Kai looks at her and follows her stare to me. He whispers something in her ear and she looks away and frowns at him before muttering something in his ear angrily. His eyes find mine again and he smiles softly. Razan nudges the back of my head, drawing my eyes away from Kai. 

"Hey," I mutter to him and stand up to scratch his muzzle. "Stop getting so jealous," I tell him as he licks my face.

"Come on, Ana," Karn and Kovan say as they stand up next to me. They look back at Hadya and then me again. "Let's go and see what you're made of."

"Why does she keep glaring at me?" I ask them. The two brothers look at each other before answering.

"Hadya has always thought of Razan as hers..." he says slowly. My fists clench and I stop. Razan lets out a whine and nudges my body softly. I smile and relax a little at his gesture. Though the thought of someone else bonded to my Razan makes me see red. He is mine and I am his. That is that. Razan seems to echo my thoughts as he hangs his head over my body protectively.

"Why would she think that?" I finally ask. The two look at each other again and I put my hands on my hips.

"Razan and Nishka are a mated pair," he begins. "A lot of people believe that when wolves are a mated pair, their Lupine will be too." My heart stops in my chest at that statement.

"Er," I begin to say and Karn quickly continues.

"Hadya wants the Solavar so naturally, she wants Razan too," he tells me. I still try and find my words after the mated pair statement. "Everyone has assumed that the Solavar would mate with her eventually," he says. "Now, however, people aren't sure."

"Why not?" I ask, my voice a whisper.

"Because of you and Razan." My eyes widen and I look at my wolf. Kovan mutters something to Karn. The younger brother looks between the two of us before walking away.

"Ana," Kovan says to me when we are alone. "I remember that trip," he tells me. "I know that you and the Solavar were...close," he tells me. I nod my head shyly. "But you are going to have to be so much more careful here. The Lupine have certain expectations when it comes to a Solavar choosing a Lunavar. So far, Hadya has been the people's favourite. She is popular and strong. Everything the Lupine look for in their leaders. The fact that Razan and Nishka are mated has brought on a lot of questions around the court about you and the Solavar."

"You're basically telling me not to interfere?" I ask.

"I am just saying that you and Kai need to be careful should you decided to continue where you left off three years ago..." he warns. "Being caught this early on may lead to both of your downfalls." I stop and nod my head.

"I understand," I say. He nods his head.

"Now, if you prove yourself that is another story," he says and pats my back.

"No," I tell him. "I am not doing this for the Solavar. I am doing this for my sisters and for my throne. I can't have any distractions."

The training area is a large open square surrounded by the walls of the castle on each side. Much like a courtyard. It is huge though and full of various equipment.

"A lot of warriors will have started training at sunrise," Kovan tells me. "Going back for breakfast and then will be continuing to train until dinner." My eyes widen as I take in the scenes before me. A Lupine woman has a blindfold on. I watch as a Lupine throws a spear at her. She dodges out of the way out of it and it flies into a board behind her. He throws a couple more, the weapons flashing through the air. The final one, she catches in her hand with a victorious smile. I turn to see a group of four other warriors jogging out of a large wooden gate and toward what looks like the huge bridge that sits above the city and leads to beyond the city walls.

"Wow," I mutter, shaking my head as another group of Lupine lift up various lumps of rock or wood.

"We work on more than just fighting skill here," Ana Karn tells me. "Fitness, strength and reliance on our senses are just as important." I nod my head.

"It looks intense," I say. Kovan shrugs.

"We heard you killed forty men in the combat trial," he grins.

"I did," I reply with a nod. "But they were not experts at combat and I was able to thin the heard our a little with some of the obstacles," I sigh. Kovan shrugs and Karn looks down at me.

"I saw you with the Fae, Ana. You may not be up to Lupine standards yet, but you are in no way far off," he tells me. I smile.

"Thank you," I say.

"We'll test you today before coming up with a training program for you to help you improve. We'll whip you into shape in no time," he grins. "We'll test your hand to hand combat first," he grins. I nod my head and try and slow my racing heart.

"Una!" Kovan calls. A Lupine woman rushes over, a wolf chasing after her. She is about my height with toned strong muscles. She bows her head slightly at the brothers. I wonder how highly ranked they are.

"Una, this is Illyana," he says and points to me. She narrows her eyes. "The princess," he continues. Her expression doesn't change. She is pretty. A round face with large eyes surrounded in black paint. Her skin is dark and smooth. Braids have been tied in equal sections along the top of her scalp. They are tied so tightly, that there are clear lines of her partings and scalp exposed. They are all gathered into a ponytail at the top of her head. The long black braided strands all hang down to her hips and are twisted together to make one thick, more intricate braid. Woven into this braid are ribbons of colour which are bright against the glistening black of her hair. Her eyes are a spectacular shade of almost aqua blue. Made even more spectacular when in contrast to her dark skin tone. Looking at the brown wolf next to her, which stands at almost the size of Razan, I can see he has the exact same shade of aqua coloured eyes as her.

"Ana, this is Una and herwolf. Lucian." I smile at her. She just frowns. "Una has only recently passed training and is looking for a partner." Her eyes dart up to Karn with a  cold glare. She says something in Lupine before lowering her head with a glare from Kovan. Her uniform is similar to mine. She wears a hardened leather corset though hers is strapless. Going in a straight line around the top of her chest. It is done up tightly, like mine also, and it comes up high enough to show no cleavage of any sort, like all the other Lupine women. Over her shoulders are thick pads which are attached to ones that go around her neck. They are decorated in little silver spikes. Going down her bare arms are a couple of leather bands and some pads along her forearms which have the same metal spikes as the ones on her shoulder. On her bottom half, she wears trousers. They aren't leather. Instead, they are a softer material and slightly thinner than leather. Thicker than my tights though. Over her shins and knees are more pads that are attached to leather boots.

"It is nice to meet you," I say to her. She narrows her eyes and huffs at me. Tough crowd.

"All Lupine has a partner they will train and work with. Una will be yours. When you pass training and are sent out on missions, you and Una will be together." She snaps something in Lupine again and is glared at by Karn.

"Speak common tongue with the princess for the first few weeks, Una. Until she has learnt enough of our language to understand you." She shakes her head and looks at me.

"You had better not bring me shame," she snarls her accent probably the thickest I have heard yet.

"I won't, " I tell her. 

"Una is one of our rising warriors. On her way to great things. Many newly trained Lupine have been wanting her as their partner." I gulp. So I will already be unpopular among other warriors then. Great.

"We think that once you've brushed up on your skill a little, you and Una will be a great match." I nod my head and gulp.

"Okay, Brinya," she spits. "Let's see what you've got," she grins. I square my shoulders and lift my head high, letting a smile fall on my face. She gestures to a sandy square on the ground and I walk over with her. I am nervous as we face each other. Her eyes scan me and my fighting stance like a predator ready to devour their prey. I look at her too, trying to analyse anything. All I can see is strength and confidence.

This is a big moment. I have to show my own strength and get off to a good start. I don't have to win, but I have to put up on hell of a fight.

Karn lets out a short and sharp shout. There is a wicked grin on Una's face as she charges toward me. I smile. This will be just like fighting Fallon. Instinct takes over as I calm myself down. I have done things like this countless times. I can take a beating and I can get back up again.

She is upon me in a second. I block her first attack as she goes to kick me before arching back as her other foot swing out to where my face just was moments again. I jump away and dodge her next few attacks as I try and study the way she fights. Her next attack, a kick to my shins takes me by surprise and I let out a little yelp of pain as my leg almost buckles. Her fist slams into my chest and I go flying onto my back, slightly winded. Quickly, I roll out of the way of her boot and grit my teeth as I jump back up.

Okay. Enough of this now. It's my turn.

She is on me again in a second. This time, I attack. Her leg swings up to get my chest again. This time I grab it and yank her toward me, slamming my fist into her face before twisting her leg. She lets out a yell and drops to the floor, using her leg and arms to throw me over her shoulder. I fly onto the ground with a thump and jump up quickly. She is up on her feet too, glaring at me. We get back into our fighting stances again. My mind focuses on her, not noticing the gathering crowd around us.

This time, I run toward her. This takes her slightly by surprise. She goes to swing for me, but I duck underneath and slam my fist into her belly. My hand moves in a flash, moving from her stomach to swinging so my elbow can slam into her face. She is knocked back, stumbling on her feet slightly. I don't give her time to rest before I am kicking her knee caps before twisting around to build momentum for my other foot to slam into her face. When my foot hit her knee, she buckles. My second kick sends her sprawling to the ground. Before I can recover and regain my balance, she grabs my other foot on the ground and yanks. I slam onto my back and the air is almost knocked from my lungs. She is on top of me in an instant. Pain explodes in my face as her fist lands against my jaw. I let out a grunt as the stars begin to fill my vision. Not giving up and realising I am already fucked from her blow anyway, I slam my head into hers. She lets out a grunt of her own and falls backwards. We stumble up slowly and I wobble on my feet slightly. Tasting blood in my mouth, I wipe away the sticky liquid from my nose with my arm before spitting onto the floor. She does something similar and then charges again. It is slower this time and I can't do much to fend it off. I manage to knock her arm out of the way and knee her in the gut, but she wraps her arm around my neck and twists so she is behind me. I let out a gasp as she begins to cut off my air. Her other arm pins my hands to my side as she squeezes tighter. Not letting panic take over I think about what to do quickly. With all the force I can muster, I kick back at her shins. She lets out a grunt behind me, her grip loosening on my arms enough for me to rip one out of her grasp. In a flash, I swing behind me and with precision, slam my fingers into her eye in a quick sharp poke. She lets out a scream, letting me go and stumbling back. I fall forward, desperately gasping for breath. Una recovers quickly, quicker than I do. Her foot slams into my back and I land on the ground heavily. I twist before she can apply pressure and grab her ankle in my hands. I give it a good yank and she falls onto the ground next to me. I swing my leg all the way to connect with the bottom of her chin. She lets out a grunt and I pull my leg away before she can catch it and use it against me. I quickly come up on my feet and jump onto her body. I manage one blow before her elbow slams into my face and I fall back onto the ground again. My whole body hurts as she grabs my arm and pulls it away from me, pinning it uncomfortably as she positions her legs around my neck. With my free arm, I punch her in the stomach once before she catches it and moves it out of the way. Again, I am gasping for breath. I know I have lost, I manage to slightly tap my hand against her. Yielding. She lets go of me immediately and rolls onto the ground to lie next to me. Both of us panting for breath. Karn appears above me and holds out a hand. With a groan, I take it. He yanks me up onto my feet, a massive grin on his face. Kovan helps up Una. Her face is bloody with cuts along her cheek and forehead as well as on her swelling, bleeding lips. It also pours from her nose. I image I don't look much better. She spits on the floor.

"Go and clean up," Kovan tells us and shoves me toward Una. She catches me reluctantly and I find my footing.  We lean against each other as Una leads to a large dip in the ground. It is full of clean water. Both of us scoop it up to our faces, the water quickly turning red. I scoop it up over the other bloody parts of my body, feeling much fresher once I am done. Though I can still feel the stinging from whatever damage Una caused. Finally, she looks at me.

"I suppose you aren't bad," she says. "With some improvements, you'll be good enough to be my partner," she tells me. I smile and turn as Razan comes trotting over with Lucian. Razan walks over to me and rubs his face over mine.

"Nice to know you had my back there, pup," I joke. He whines and licks my face. I feel an odd numbness take over my skin. Well, that and the icky wetness from his saliva. Knowing it makes him feel better, I let my Razan lick my wounds though. I also remember the healing properties that a Kintara wolf has. Looking over, Lucian is doing the same for Una.

When Razan is done, I give him a gentle stroke and a kiss on his nose. He looks at me with those wide eyes and I laugh and hug his huge face. Once he is happy, he nudges Lucian and trots off.

"Well, at least our wolves get on," Una says to me. "Come on princess, there are still some tests we need to put you through," she calls back. I sigh and follow after her.