It had been a while since the last time Raven had had the chance to learn of something new.

Now, however, as she sparred with General Allyss, she felt she had fairly gotten the hang of what a friendly duel was supposed to look like.

In the beginning, she had hesitated a fair lot, not sure how far she was allowed to go. But the General had attacked her, and Raven had learnt the limit of the ferocity you could use in a friendly duel.

Albeit it was difficult to hold back her instincts.

Any other time, she would fight blindly, letting her subconscious lead her body, slashing through flesh and bones. Now, however, she felt attentive and alert, unwilling to hurt the older woman.

More than twice, she almost went slashing right through the General's guts, only realizing her error when it was a second away. In such a case she would have to twist her sword and aim for the arms instead.

General Allyss suddenly gritted her teeth, and lunged, her sword aimed straight at Raven's heart.

Raven's body reacted before her mind could. She twisted, letting the General's sword slice through air, and the butt of sword landed on the other woman's face.

General Allyss stumbled back, and when she raised her head, droplets of blood trickled from her nose.

Raven didn't quite know what to do as the woman wiped her face on her sleeve, and re-gripped her sword.

"Raven," She said, out of breath. "Stop holding back."

Raven tilted her head. She was slightly panting herself, her sword still raised.

"Just because this is a friendly duel does not mean that you do not fight to your best." She continued. "The sole reason we fight today is so we can see what you are truly capable of. Do not shy away from showing us what we want to see."

Raven took a deep breath.

"I..." She began, and then paused. "I do not wish to harm you, General."

The other half-smiled. "Then defeat me."

She lunged again, aiming for Raven's neck, and the latter dodged, her leg coming out to trip the General, but she stepped over it. Raven slid her sword towards the latter, her movements freer now, but not quite so completely.

Raven decided to use the trick that worked best in first time fights.

She aimed for the other's stomach, showing as if any time now her sword would be through her stomach, and as the General brought her sword up to block the attack, Raven changed its direction. She rested it, clean and precise on the nerve the throbbed against General Allyss's throat.

Just like that, the duel was over.

The General looked satisfied, a smirk etched on her face as she turned to their audience, panting. Raven slid her sword back into her sheath, and turned to follow her line of gaze, taking deep breaths through her nose to steady herself.

The room was silent for a minute or so.

Then, the Chancellor turned his gaze away from the women, and whispered softly into the King's ear. The King smiled, and returned a remark, to which the Chancellor nodded, agreeing.

Then, the King stood up, walked over to Raven, and placed a hand upon her shoulder, his face filled with new hope.

"Thank you," Was all he said.

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Surprisingly, that was all it took to convince the Royals that Raven was enough for the position of Princess Anya's personal guard.

After re-discussing her working conditions and signing her most loyal services to Navaya, Raven had received a silver badge, and a Letter of Employment from the Chancellor.

A servant showed her to her quarters an hour later, where her luggage had already been delivered from the carriage.

Raven's room was gorgeous. There were two windows studded into a wall such that they sun's rays would fall directly onto her huge poster bed the first thing in the morning. There was a balcony, standing where she could have a beautiful view of Navaya. A table and chair stood by another wall, and there was a mirror in one of the drawers beside her bed.

A bathtub stood behind a wooden screen, and a tall closet stood beside it, where she loaded in her clothes.

Her appointment did not officially start till the next day, so she was free to roam the Castle as much as she liked, which was a welcome luxury.

Her accommodation had been arranged for right next to Princess Anya's room, and when Raven stepped out, she could see guards stationed at either side of the hallway.

Speaking of which, the hallways all looked the same in the castle, with wooden floors and walls lined with numerous portraits of the previous rulers and warriors that had gained fame at the battlefield.

Raven almost subconsciously memorized some emergency routes: from the main staircase to her quarters and from her quarters to the kitchen and infirmary.

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The next day, as Raven got ready, she put on the badge she had been given, and stared down at it.

It strangely made her feel as if she was someone. Someone important. She wasn't just some orphan who had grown up murdering in the streets of Navaya anymore. She was a protector, someone who served the Royal family.

She had never been one to care for fame, but it had never occurred to her that she had been living a fruitless life all this time.

The thought made her feel like she was doing the right thing.

Raven shook her head, as if to clear it of emotions, and stepped out of her quarters, shutting the door behind her. She then knocked on the Princess's door.

"Come in." A voice said, and Raven complied.

The Princess's room was only slightly different than hers. Someone had painted the walls colorfully; there were objects, people, places, monuments from all around Navaya sketched beautifully, like a kaleidoscope of color. There were some extra pieces of furniture as well: a settee and a vanity table.

Princess Anya was sitting on a stool in front of the vanity table, as a maid combed through her hair.

"Oh, you're here!" Princess turned around to look at Raven, a smile on her face. "Sorry to bother, but can you wait for a moment? I woke up late today, and Joanne here-" She gestured to the maid. "-didn't even wake me up."

The maid seemed to scoff. "I tried to wake you, Your Royal Highness; only you simply turned around in bed, asking me to let you sleep five more minutes."

A maid wasn't supposed to talk back to her mistress, much less is that mistress was the Princess of a kingdom, but from the way Princess Anya simply jutted her tongue out in response to her banter, Raven guessed they had a closer relationship than that of a maid and a mistress.

Joanne laughed at her actions.

Raven stood in a corner as they exchanged insults, feeling a bit left out. Princess Anya was her age, and Joanne seemed like she was twenty-five at most. Yet Raven did not feel at ease, as if they weren't her kin.

They had such a lovely bond, one of the sorts Raven had never shared with anyone. They were what you would call friends.

Once the Princess's hair was done, she stood up, brushing her skirts, and turned to Raven.

"I was told I have to go visit some foreign representative today?" Princess Anya asked Raven, who nodded, having been told the schedule prior.

"Julian Mambo, from Columbia," She said, reciting from memory. "His King has been reluctant to increase the import of Navaian Silk into their kingdom."

"Ah, yes," Princess Anya nodded, as if remembering. "Despite the fact that our silk sells the best in their kingdom, they are unwilling. They seem to think we take up too much money from their economy. It'll be hard to convince him."

Princess Anya stepped out of her room, and Raven followed. They went down the main staircase, across a few halls and out of the Castle. A carriage awaited them before the entrance, and the Princess climbed in.

Raven went and sat next to the coachman, whose name she learnt was Thomas.

They drove out of the Castle and across the flush green fields that surrounded it, before entering the nearest town, and Raven realized she felt more comfortable sitting in the front watching the horses than being stuck in the wooden box.

As they reached almost the exact center of the town, the carriage stopped in front of a tavern, where the Princess climbed off, taking in a deep breath.

Raven followed her, her eyes scanning the street. It seemed as normal as it could. No passerby was staring at them half a second longer than they should, and no weapons, outside of Raven's own sword, were in sight.

They entered the Tavern, and immediately a servant stepped up to escort them across the wooden floor, up a squeaky staircase and to a private room.

Raven pushed open the door, letting Princess Anya enter first, before following.

A man was sitting on a bed against one wall, opposite to which was an armchair. He stood up as they entered, and curtsied. Princess Anya returned the gesture.

He signaled for her to sit as he started speaking, and Raven stationed herself in front of the door, blocking out their voices with her mind.