The End of Innocence: Book 3 of the Kinstone series

(Me)

I wake up early, having barely slept at all since Rachel flew to England yesterday. I sit up on my bed, feeling my muscles ache some. Swimming with Tariel definitely helped relieve some of the stress and frustration when I saw my mother leave.

I’ve finally reconciled with the fact that my plans are now shot to hell, and I’m stuck here until she gets home. But…things could be worse. Like I could be in my old apartment again right before I moved here.

I quickly punch the side of my head, okay maybe not that bad. I throw off my covers and roll out of bed, heading to my bathroom for a moment.

When I got out, I glance over to my balcony. The sky is lightening, signaling that the sun was rising. I rock my head from side to side, feeling the joints pop. I did the same with the rest of my body, groaning as I stretch out my body. I stand up, joints and muscles now burning with life. I turn to my closet and pick out my training clothes, slipping them on.

I glance back towards the balcony. Why not get in some more sword training? I look up and find my summer training shorts, quickly putting them on.

I close my closet and walk over to my stand with my swords. My hand stroke the scabbards for both. Right before I went to bed, I pulled each of them down and cleaned the blades, giving each weapon the full and proper treatment. I hadn’t done it since I got home for Japan, so I figured that it to be a good idea. It always felt good after I cleaned each blade, similar to coming out of a long meditation period.

My eyes still gleam over them. Each is battle ready, but I had never drawn them other than to clean or sometimes to train. Neither had tasted blood or flesh. Morbidity aside, while they are gifts, I pray I never have to use them in real combat.

I pick up my Han kote, slipping it over my left arm, rotating until it felt right. I turn to see Fenris again, resting on my bed.

Ever since returning from the lake, he’s been sticking closer to me than usual, obviously due to my loneliness with Rachel and Silvi leaving. It’s times like these I feel blessed to have bonded to such a being. Father, partner, companion, he means so much to me and I find it hard think of my life without him.

I quietly tiptoe over to him, kneeling in front of the bed. The wolf’s body rises and falls with each breath he takes. Each long and steady, perfectly at peace.

I stare up into his face, catching a glimpse of a fang from under a lip. I smile, reaching up, inching my hand to his muzzle. His head then jerks softly as a low groan rumbles from him.

My smile stretches into a grin, leaning in closer and planting a kiss onto his nose. “Morning Papa Wolf,” I whisper. His eyes slowly open, revealing two ice-blue orbs amidst a sea of dark fur.

His head rose slowly, but only just, and proceeds to lick my face. I giggle loudly, feeling his hot tongue lapping around my face. “Good morning, little Aria, did you receive enough rest?”

I wipe the slobber from my cheeks, “Yep. Was going to head down and do some sword training. Wanna join in?”

The wolf gently slips off the bed and stretches, listening as his joints pop. His body then shakes, fur flying loudly in the air.

I grin, “I’ll take that as a yes.”

He smiles and steps over to me, pressing his face into my chest. I dig my fingers into his soft fur, raking them down his mane. Oh, I should also add “pillow and blanket” to the list of things this wolf is. I giggle, burying my face into his, nuzzling it softly.

I pull back and look to him, “Ready?” He lets out a huff, wagging his tails. I bob my head and head for the door.

The morning air is nice and humid. The sky was mostly clear, brightening skies with patches of fluffy clouds gently floating about. My feet slosh through the dew-laden grass, feeling it cling to my legs with each step.

I still refuse to wear shoes while training in the summertime. To me, I feel…more connected to the earth, more natural. Either it stems from first training with Silvi or having my beliefs become more and more like those of my mother’s, I never can tell. But it shouldn’t matter all that much in reality. Just a fact of life. Much like everything else is nowadays.

We reach my training grounds, after our long journey to it. This always has been a great way to wake up in the morning, with a long leisurely walk out on the Estate. Whereas twilight is my favorite time while in the Manor, early morning is the best while outside.

Even in the midst of summer, this part of the day is the most comfortable to be outdoors. Trees from the forest rustle as a breeze kicks up around me. I kneel down and press my hand onto a small stone slab, summoning a large rack containing various wooden weapons.

I peer over to the right and rest an elbow on my knees, humming softly, tapping my chin. A few yards from where I’m standing hid over a dozen pillars I use for training. It had been a couple days since I last utilized them. It felt tempting to summon them along with a small contingent of mud golems. A temptation that steadily grew stronger.

“Good morning, Your Highness.”

I spin on my ankles, watching my knights quietly strolling towards me. I smile, seeing them flanked by Abigale and Lyra, with the latter apparently sharing in my idea of getting in some training.

I slowly rise off of my knees, hearing them pop, “Morning, care to join me?”

Orga bows his head, “As we stated before it just would not be…proper for us to do so.”

I groan, rolling my eyes, “You do know I’ve never bought that line. It’s been over a month since I started asking so what is the deal?” Both are silent, unmoving.

I reach behind me and pick a wooden kodachi from the rack. I twirl the blade around, catching it by the hilt, and resting the back of blade against my arm.

“So if not station then…” leering to them, “you’re worried about using your real weapons on me aren’t you?”

Both knights stare on in silence, hiding their gauntlets. I sigh, thought so.

I shake my head, “You know…if you told me that sooner, we all could’ve remedied that little issue.” Both maids then walk behind me, “Thankfully…I thought ahead and had these made for you.”

Lyra and Abigale then appear before each knight, with the valkyrie holding a full-size wooden replica of Orga’s behemoth sword. She is mirrored by the kikimora bearing the same for Kateryna’s sword. The couple look on in awe, slowly taking their respective weapon.

“This, this is incredible, Your Highness,” exclaims Orga, swinging it around. “It bears the same weight and feel of my real blade.” He peered over to his wife, who bares the same look of surprise. “How were you able to deduce their dimensions?”

I tap my sword against my arm, “By listening to how your swords clashed. That and a lot of help from Emeline, her husband Chulak and the other salamanders, our resident blacksmiths. They really were able to determine their weight while watching the both of you train.”

The pair blink softly at each other, turning to me. Kateryna again rolled her sword, “How were these created? They appear to not have been carved.”

I grin, “I asked the dryads to grow them specifically for the two of you. Both of those are just as strong as the real things, but a bit more flexible.” Holding up my bokken, “All of the weapons we train with were created by them. Grown and shaped from within this very forest.”

The couple continues to examine their real weapons’ counterpart. “Incredible,” exclaims Orga.

I hold my arms behind my back, “So…now do think you are up to sparring with me?”

Kateryna tilt her head, “Why are you so insistent on training with us Your Highness?”

I dip my head, nodding for a moment, “It’s to foster a stronger bond between us. Plus I want to see how I stack up against a pair of knights.”

They each regard me with confusion. Arms then wrap around me, leaning my head up, gazing into Lyra’s eyes. I look back at the couple, holding onto her arm, “I’ve been training with maids for over a year, and we’ve grown closer because of it. Well…that and we just love each other to death.”

I feel a kiss being planted onto the top of my head, causing me to giggle.

“The truth is, sir and madam knight,” started Lyra, “apart from wanting to train with you, she wishes to see your true feelings.”

Again the knights stand silent. I know they were nervous and unsettled. I was asking them to potentially put my life at risk, given the considerable gap in terms of experience between us, not to mention years of training.

The elf leans forward, “Are…are you questioning our loyalty,Your Highness? If we have done something to offend you, please tell us.” She sounds hurt, and slightly insulted, “And we already have seen your prowess during the tournament.”

I shake my head, “It’s not that. I know you’re loyal to me, that’s never been an issue. But words only go so far. I want to know what lies beyond those words, and one way to find out is through combat. Plus I want to measure myself against you.”

Both knights then stand somewhat straighter. Their eyes glitter softly, confusion still floats about, but so did a growing understanding.

I hold up my bokken, “As you’ve already guessed, I’m not the sort of princess who likes to just express herself through poetry or is fanciful in my speech or flutters around her castle, wearing pretty little dresses and going to balls. I’m a fighter, a warrior. So sometimes I do hide things from people. I’m beyond insecure about my feelings and often am way too nervous on how to bring them out.”

I stare at my blade, “Through sparring and fighting, I’m able to release those feelings. I do it all the time with Silvi, the maids, and even my mother, who really is infinitely more powerful than me. I’m able gleam some hidden feelings from everyone, if there’s something weighing on our hearts.”

I then giggle, “Plus it's stupid fun for me,” looking to them, “I don’t mind getting thrashed during a session. Hell…just watch whenever Silvi and I cut loose. We’ve been known to draw blood on occasion.”

The couple regards each other for a moment, sharing a silent conversation between them. Lyra holds me closer to her body, with Abigale resting a hand onto my shoulder.

I know both of them are somewhat out of sorts about doing this, and have been for a while now. But it’s just one thing that I’ve wanted to do for some time now.

Orga looks to me, “You truly bear a warrior’s heart, Your Highness. I also wish to dispel a couple of misconceptions you have of us.”

I tilt my head, “Okay...what is it?”

The knight steps closer, “You have been under the assumption that we have declined your requests out of fear we might possibly harm you or as you have deduced, lie of it not being proper to train with. Neither of which could be further from the truth. We trained with Princess Celestine and her family. As is with you and your sister, our sessions held the potential be become rather, heated.”

I stare at them, both now standing just a few feet away

Kateryna leans forward, her emerald eyes staring into mine. Her lips stretching into a grin, “So you truly wish to test your mettle against us?”

I smirk, “Yep.”

She leans back, drawing her sword from under her gauntlet, and hands it to Abigale. The kikimora bows her head, turns and walks over to the rack, placing it onto a shelf.

Orga does the same, watching as his sword grow into a behemoth. Abigale struggles for a moment as she carries it over to the rest of the weapons.

I look up at Lyra, who gently smiles, kissing my forehead, “Be careful, Young Miss. You and I still need to settle up from our last session together.”

I grin, “You’re just a sore loser.”

She smirks, “Snarky little fox.”

I let out a giggle as she let go. Both maids then walk over to the rack, with Fenris sitting beside them.

The knights and I stride some distance from each other, each side taking a stance. I lower my body, holding the wooden sword out. The couple raises their weapons, with Orga, holding it much like how Guts does in Berserk.

His sword is about six feet in length with just the blade alone, hell the width is at least a foot. It’s nowhere near the same insanity as Dragonslayer, but it still boggles my mind that such weapons really exist, even if this is just a training sword. His wife then raises her sword, activating her shield.

I tilt my head, “So…is your shield a hard-light construct, or will burn anything that touches it, like a beam shield?”

She gives me a confused stare, “’Beam’…shield?”

I smirk, “Never mind.”

I crouch lower, launching myself as them. Orga swings his massive sword with such ease and speed; it appeared to be nothing but a blur. I duck low, dodging the strike, and spin to my right mid-step, bringing my sword up to him. The knight follows the motion of his swing, with his wife soon emerging from behind him, slashing down at me.

My right arm had already cleared my swing, bringing up my left, watching as her sword glance off of my gauntlet. I still was spinning, now threw a kick into her to where she also counters but spins herself, bringing her shield around and shoving my foot away.

This knocks me off-balance, as my body begins to fall to the ground. In the corner of my eye, I see a blur speeding its way to my face. I thrust my hand into the ground, and lift off, just barely missing the blade slashing past my face.

I land on the ground, and roll onto my back, flipping to my feet. Orga resumes his previous stance with Kateryna now leaping towards me. Her swing was swifter than her husband’s as it bore down on me.

I parried it with my sword, hearing the wooden blade clack against the other. She followed up with a series of downward and upward angle strikes, each faster than a human could reasonably follow, let alone counter. But I parry each, and retaliate with my own, being subconsciously aware of my footing. We each dive and weave through slashes and parries, some off of our weapons, with the others from our shields.

Her movements are nearly the same as Yukari’s, hell they even feel like hers. Each swerve of her body, every dodge, every turn, flows like water.

So this is the agility and grace of the elves? I think as a grin rises on my face. Just then I hear the sound trampling grass as Orga comes swinging from my left.

I parry yet another strike from the elf and spin on my foot, kicking his blade up. This was a move Lyra had taught me when encountering opponents with huge swords. Think of it as a form of “irregular guarding”.

My body is still spinning in the air, landing on my left I pushed off of it, propelling into him. Both knights shared a huge advantage over me, aside from experience and stretch, reach. Being adults, and taller than me, it means I have to fight up super close.

He quickly intercepts my leg, pulling me towards him. As I pass his torso, I twist my body, landing a kick to his side which forces him to let go of my leg.

I land right next to him and spin around, attempting to hit his torso again, only to dodge out of the way as a sword then jabs across from him. A crazily risky move, but clearly one made with upmost trust between both knights.

I spin away, back pedaling a couple steps from them. My smile grows broader, holding up my sword. This is way more fun than I thought it was going to be.

Don’t get me wrong, training with Lyra and Abigale is equally as exciting, but this is what I’ve been wanting from both knights. It’s a chance to see how I’d fare against them. My arms shake and legs tremble. My excitement only grows with every moment.

Kateryna suddenly vanishes from sight, only to appear right in front of me, swinging her sword upwards. I lower my blade to defend, bolstering it with my left arm. The blow lifts me off of the ground. The elf then sidesteps as her husband soon appears, swinging his sword towards me, and batting my tiny body away.

I toss on the air for a moment until a right myself, jabbing my hand into the ground, arresting my motion as my fingers dug into the soft dirt. I pant heavily, my body ached from the blow, but nothing felt broken. I chuckled, just kneeling there on the ground.

The brief moment of respite ends as the pair charges at me once more. I roll towards them, dodging a swing from Orga yet again. I spin and strike against the back of his left knee, forcing him to the ground.

His wife grabs my shoulder and pushes me away. It wasn’t a malicious shove, more like she merely wanted me to get away from him.

I dive a few feet away as she comes in close, swinging her sword at me. Again I parry it with my own, having spun on my heel. My body continues into the spin, grabbing her right wrist with my free hand, and lands a kick to her abdomen.

The elf grunts for a moment, as I wrap my legs around her arm, pulling her headfirst into the grass, still spinning in the air.

She rolls her body, swinging me through the air, and slamming my body into the ground beside her. I feel the air escaping from me. I couldn’t believe how strong this woman was. Granted Rachel has often had zero issue doing the very same to me.

I cough for a moment, regaining my breath. I rise into a sitting position, resting my sword into my lap. Their strikes were heavy and precise, clear hallmarks of experienced soldiers from a period long past. No malice, no fear, no hesitation were present their blows.

I look at both of them for a moment. Neither shows the smallest sign of fatigue or weariness, while here I am wheezing and nearly out of breath. This is intense…and I love it.

I rose to my feet and raised my sword, ready for another round. My knights were all too happy to oblige with Orga swinging in first. I ducked low again, parrying away his sword as Kateryna came in beside me, thrusting her sword.

I leaned back, kicking away her arm away, and spinning back-handing her leg. The elf’s leg buckles for a brief moment, while a fist soon comes into view. I dodge the punch, leaping into her husband, sending a knee to the gut. Instead of muscles caving in, my knee bounces of a wall of solid muscle. It was like I kicked a brick wall.

Kateryna soon joined her husband, swinging her sword, forcing me dodge and weave through each attack. My body moves like a reed in the wind, watching how every blow and swing pass within inches of my face. I spin around, kicking and leaping into the air, in a way, dancing on the field through a flurry of sword swings.

All the while, I felt happiness in my opponent’s blows as I parry them with sword and gauntlet.

I think in the back of their minds, they too wanted to spar with me, but were indeed afraid the skill gap between us was far too great. But then again, so is the same between everyone else I train with. It’s how I grow, by facing someone who is far better than me and learning from them.

Orga’s ability to swing his massive sword is unreal. His real weapon easily weighs well over a hundred pounds, and yet he’s able to wield it as though it were weightless. I barely keep ahead of his swings, with several hitting their mark.

The only few ways I’d be able to counter involved parrying into his swings, pushing them away from me. Another is to do the same with my gauntlet, daring not to take a blow straight on, standing a solid chance of my arm shattering or worse.

Kateryna is different in that her sword easily carried a fraction of the weight, but makes up for it with speed and precision.

I slide under yet another of Orga’s swing, parrying the sword with my own, sending it away from me. I spin around and launched myself at Kateryna, who brings her shield around to block me.

Her husband soon appears to swing at me once more, only for me to leap over it and place my free hand onto it to spin in the air, landing a kick to his arm. The knight’s arm feels like a wall of rocks, very much Silvi’s.

My body is still spinning the air as I push off of his blade and into his wife. The elf raises her shield to catch my kick. The shield, while made of pure magic, is like a sheet of solid glass. She shoves me back, hurtling me towards her husband who again swings down his sword. I land on my hand, and twirl my legs, launching me away a few paces.

I leap into them, feeling my muscles aching from the parrying, slashing and kicking. My joints were screaming at me, and places on my arms and legs where their strikes hit home burned. I batted away strike after strike, landing several of my own.

I really was having fun. The speed, the ferocity, is beyond intense. I now had to move faster and adapt far quicker than I normally had to. The only other time apart from this was when I had to fight for my life over a month ago. But this is completely different.

No stakes, nothing to fear, aside from having bones break with the right strike. The three of us dodge and weave, flip and spin through the air, kicking and slashing at each other.

I close my eyes for moment, remembering when Yukari helped me refine my agility as a kitsune, and I could feel that coming through. I felt more and more like a kitsune as I fought, letting myself slip into that state of being, allowing that part of me to come to the surface, without transforming of course.

Orga lunges at me just as his wife pulls back, bringing his sword around one more time, only to be stopped mid-swing as the sound of clapping echoed over the field.

“I believe the Young Miss has had enough sir knight.”

I pan over to see Abigale walking towards us. We each lower our weapons, with me “sheathing” mine. Only for it fumble out of my fingers and drop to the ground, forgetting I wasn’t wearing a scabbard. I kneel down and pick it up, feeling my cheeks burning a deep red.

The assembled party laughs as the knights both then bow to me. “Thank you for a splendid session Your Highness,” said Orga.

“You truly were magnificent,” adds Kateryna.

Regaining my composure, I too bow, “And thank you for finally agreeing to spar with me.”

We each stand, only for the pain and fatigue to catch up, forcing me to the ground. I lay back onto the grass, panting heavily, feeling my body tremble and ache from every blow I had to absorb.

The knights then rush over to me, “Are you all right Your Highness?” asks the elf.

I bob my head, feeling my muscles shudder and twitch from the strain. I let out a moan, as my body aches.

A shadow appears beside me, craning up to see Lyra kneeling with a small bottle with a pinkish liquid, “Drink Young Miss.” I sit up and take it, and down its contents.

“What is it Her Highness is consuming?” asks Orga.

The valkyrie smiles, stroking my hair, “It is a recovery drink. It allows her body to repair whatever damage she incurred during intense sessions such as this one.” I pull the bottle from my mouth, coughing a bit.

She leans in, “You needn’t drink so quickly Young Miss. It won’t do you any good. In fact it might upset your stomach.”

I plop back onto the soft grass, feeling my heart pounding rapidly in my chest.

I soon find my head being lifted up and placed onto a pair of knees. I looked up to see Abigale’s gentle gaze hovering over me. The head maid tenderly strokes my hair, smiling, “You indeed did well Young Miss, but so much is left open for improvement.”

I sigh, “Thanks Miss Abigale.”

She leans over and kisses my forehead, “You’re quite welcome Young Miss. You have plenty of time to refine your abilities, so no need to rush headlong into anything.” I smile, slowly feeling my heart settle.

The knights continued to stand overhead, unmoving. My head turn to them, “Y’all can sit if you want. I know you have to be at least somewhat tired from all of that.”

The couple smiles, crouching down onto the soft grass. Gentle breezes whip around us, listening to the trees rustle against it. The air was now warmer than before as the sun now sat higher into the sky.

I’m barely able to move, but the shake slowly begins to rebuild my burning and exhausted muscles. Lyra hand the knights each a bottle of the same shake I just downed. Both study the bottle before opening it and taking a sip, quickly finding it to their liking.

“So were you able to determine our feelings Your Highness?” asks Orga.

I giggle, “Yep. You’re sincerity was definitely present. Not to mention how much the both of you were enjoying sparring with me.” He grins, bowing his head. I looked at them both, “And you two? What did you learn about me?”

Kateryna smiles warmly, “Apart from being utterly surprised by your agility, of which truly is shocking. Makes me wonder how you will be in a few short years, a terrifying thought to be sure.” I giggle, blushing softly.

She smiles, “I found you to be a gentle soul, while enjoying the thrill of combat, have no passion beyond defending your home and loved ones.”

I sigh, “Family and home are important to me.”

“You fight fiercely Your Highness,” adds Orga, “but restrain yourself far too much. I witnessed you on many occasions in which you held back a decisive strike. Your technique is well-honed, but you seem afraid at times.”

I peer at him, bobbing my head softly.

“I believe there will be times in which you should merely forego the confines of whatever is holding your back and unleash your true self onto the field.” He smiles, “And in that moment, you shall discover the well-spring of strength hidden deep within you.” I grin gently.

Warrior to warrior, make thine heart known to the other through our blows and let not the tongue sweeten your ears with the sweetest of honeys.

It’s a phrase Lyra taught me when she took over as my sword master. I guess having a person from a culture whose history and legends often speak of battles reinforces the notion of actions speaking louder than words.

I want to close my eyes for a moment, just to listen to the grass as it danced in the wind. I felt like laying here forever, letting the world pass by. While on the Estate it felt as though outside world was a million miles away.

Time has no meaning here, just the present and nothing else. One might complain about being cooped up it left alone for too long. Lord knows I surely felt that way a month ago and it sort of did. Kept hidden away from anything and everything, but now…not really that much.

I sit up on the grass and pull my legs into my chest, gazing out on the Estate. The sky now appears slightly clearer, with fewer clouds rolling past. My eyes catch the sun reflecting off of the lake, making it shimmer.

This is pure peace, if not for the fact that several key people were now absent. Another dark shadow materializes as Fenris lays down next beside me. I reach over and dig my fingers into his fur, feeling it now hot from having back in the sun.

I turn my head, looking at my knights, “I really am grateful the two of you came into my life, and not only because you saved it.”

The couple bow their heads, “We are honored Your Highness.”

A smile rose on my face. While at first I couldn’t stand being called that, it steadily grew on me, now becoming just one more thing people here refer to me as.

I take a few long breaths, now calmer than before, “I hope I don’t embarrass either of you when I say the both of have become like family to me, even if it’s only been a month.”

The knights smile, bowing their heads again, “You honor us again Your Highness.”

I sigh, “Then there’s the fact you both assimilated here faster than I did, and that’s crazy.”

Kateryna tilts her head, “What do you mean Your Highness?”

Lyra scoots closer and wraps her arms around me, “When the Young Miss first arrived here, she was extremely nervous. She wasn’t sure if either the inhabitants here genuinely accepted her or if they had been ordered to do so. Her visits were highly sporadic during the early months, only able to come when it was the best time. So this further increased her wariness.”

The valkyrie grins softly, “She also was paranoid if she was to upset or disappoint her Ladyship in any way, and then would be banished from here. So the Young Miss endeavored to pour every ounce of her being into her studies, in the hopes to please her Ladyship. This all changed two years ago when she had a falling out with her birth family, which devastated her.”

Lyra then holds me tighter, “She immediately came home to the Estate, when her now mother helped heal her. A month later, her Ladyship revealed she didn’t have to work so hard to garner her favor. This allowed the Young Miss to finally relax and truly love being here.”

I felt my cheeks burning hotly. It really did take a lot of time for me to break out of the shell I had placed myself into when I first got here. Once I did, I had never been happier in my life. I love my life here, the people I had come to know, and the world that I now called my own.

My eyes close for a moment, “Maybe I should give Marron a call and see if she can come over.”

Orga leans closer, “So that you might spar with her as you did with us?”

I smirk, “Nope, just to have her around.”

He tilts his head, “Strange how you insisted to spar with us in order to foster stronger bonds and yet this woman seems different.”

Abigale leans and scoots right behind me, stroking my hair. “Miss O’Connor was the first person whom the Young Miss came into contact with nearly three years ago from our world. The two instantly grew close to point of becoming sisters. Their relationship truly is special, and their bond just as strong as it is between her Ladyship. When the two are together they are inseparable.”

Again my cheeks burn even hotter than before. I bury my face into my knees, trying to hide my face.

Kateryna smiles, leaning in close, gently wresting me from Lyra’s grip, and holding me in her arms. She felt warm, giving off the presence of a mother, knowing that she was once.

“I will admit that this era has been filled with its share of oddities. It hasn’t been easy to adjust to it, but I truly am grateful to be here. Granted…having a princess whose hobbies and behaviors are strange when compared to those of her ancestors has been somewhat of a challenge to comprehend,” winking to me, which made me blush all the more.

“But I wouldn’t have her any other way. Although I should teach her how to better conduct herself while shopping,” leaning over, “there’s no need to act as a terror over a dress,” flicking the side of my head.

I look away, pouting, “Not my fault she didn’t want to give it up.”

The elf leers at me, “There are more important things in life than clothing.”

I roll my eyes, “I know,” then gazes out into the distance, thinking of my future. “What should I do with being a princess? If I were to decide on not to seek the throne, would you still choose to stay with me?”

Another hand begins to stroke my hair, “We are sworn to you Your Highness. Whether you seek that which yours by right or not makes little difference to us.” I roll over to see Orga’s face smiling to me.

“Princess Celestine also struggled with such thoughts, having times when her cousins would steadily grow out of control. But her mother was there to help her as well. Although I wish his Lordship had been present more often. He could’ve have prevented some of the damage caused by Nethune.”

He sighs, shaking his head, “I miss all of them terribly,” looking to me, “but I am blessed to see them all live on in you.”

I curl up into ball. Putting being heir to the throne aside, I don’t know how to live up to a legacy I didn’t know I had.

He smiles, “I know you have doubts in yourself Your Highness. I would be surprised if you didn’t. I know you are not your ancestors and you are under no obligation to be as they were. You should endeavor to remain as you are today. I will be here to guide you in any way you seek.”

I look up to him, “Thank you.”

His hand gently brushes some hair out of my face, “You are most welcome Your Highness.”

My eyes close for a moment while thoughts raced through my mind. I could feel Kateryna stroking my hair as she held me. So much had happened in such a short period time, and all right after coming home. It had just been over a month, and everything in my life had changed.

I felt some sort of innocence had been stripped away once more, much like the day when Beltrok appeared. It was then lost again the day I learned of my newfound heritage.

I often wished or desired to simply slip back into the shadows of the world, much like how Rachel and the Coven had done. Just to be a normal little girl, whose future is now a complete mystery.

I breathe a sigh, partially opening an eye. I gaze back out onto my home as yet another breeze washed up against my face. A quiet peace rests around us, one I had come to love and appreciate ever since I first arrived. It was just now missing several important people.

My stomach then loudly made its presence know, wheezing and complaining for food. The group of adults smiles, with Kateryna stroking my hair, “Hungry Your Highness?”

I giggle, “Yep. I think we could do with a spot of breakfast,” imitating Rachel’s accent.

The group chuckles as we rise from the grass and stretch. My shoulders pop and burn, pulling them out behind me. The maids step back and retrieve the knights’ weapons, swapping them for their wooden counterparts, watching as they then slide them back into their gauntlets.

We made our way down the hill towards the Manor, feet swishing in the grass. I hadn’t noticed it but it now felt a bit cooler than before. I tilt my head, maybe we’re getting cold front. I eye the horizon, seeing a few clouds off in the distance, nothing of note. I shake my head, thinking of other things to do for the day.