4 A Sword Master

Rukelion Blaze didn't know what to make of the girl who had saved his life. He gave her a false name because he had no idea if she was an enemy or not but it became apparent rather quickly that she wasn't out to get him.

She didn't even know where she lived so it was doubtful she knew about the royal family of the fallen nation of Katalya. She simply saw a runaway in need of help and decided to take him in.

He didn't think she was entirely altruistic though since she was making him work in exchange for staying here. After a couple weeks of being here, he was beginning to realize she was in over her head trying to run this place on her own.

Rukelion didn't know her story. All he really knew about her was that her name was Veronica and that she had run away at least once in her life though he had no details about it.

He couldn't deny being curious about her but he wasn't here to make friends. Honestly, he wasn't sure what he was here to do aside from recuperate and figure out a plan. He needed to take revenge but didn't know where to start considering he didn't exactly know where he was.

However…when Veronica introduced him as 'Cousin Leo' to her farmhands she said he was from a few hours east of here. He had been traveling west—he had no idea how she guessed that—but it was much farther than a few hours.

Then Callum asked if he was from Derby. Rukelion didn't know much about geography outside of Katalya but he had heard of Derby. It was one of the few big cities in the kingdom of Mirea. If wherever he was happened to be a few hours west of Derby, he was still there.

Perfect. He had managed to end up in enemy clutches right from the start. Some escape!

Though it was highly unlikely these countryfolk knew anything about how to get to the capital or the royal family. They and the Mirean army were his true enemies.

Rukelion didn't know what he was supposed to do. He wasn't getting paid to work here; his labor paid for his room and board. He would need capital to overthrow the kingdom and reclaim Katalya.

Capital…allies…sword skills…and to improve his magic. How was he supposed to accomplish any of that out here in the middle of nowhere? He would need teachers and they were likely in short supply here. Wherever 'here' was exactly.

Obviously, he had tutoring before he came here but he would need much more than that to become an expert swordsman and mage. He needed to be far more powerful than any other member of his family to take his revenge.

You would think fire magic would trump plant magic but the Mireans had been ruthless. Especially since they had allied themselves with water mages. Fighting against water with fire magic was a lost cause.

Rukelion's flames needed to burn so hot that he could make water evaporate. This would require extensive training but where was he supposed to find a fire mage? They had all been killed! He might have to practice magic on his own. That wouldn't be an option when it came to swordplay.

There had to be someone he could practice with! Some retired soldier in this backwater hamlet who would be willing to teach him.

He pondered all of this while working out in the fields with the Krinzels. In the distance, he could see Veronica churning butter with all her might. The expression on her face was quite funny and he found himself snickering.

Living in a castle hadn't given him much experience seeing how regular citizens lived. He had noticed that she did almost everything around here herself, relying on numbers solely to harvest fruits and vegetables. She was the one dealing with the animals, taking care of the house, doing the cooking, and handling the creation and sale of various dairy products.

Rukelion truly didn't understand her. She simultaneously seemed used to hard work and as clueless as he was. Why was that?

He had watched Veronica the day Ginny first came over to help her can things. She had been learning how to do it as much as he was. He could tell. Wouldn't a country girl know how to do such a thing already?

She also occasionally muttered under her breath about missing running water. As far as he knew, that was only available to aristocrats. She didn't have any family out here so it was entirely possible she had run away from some noble house or other. The real question was why.

Rukelion knew he didn't have the right to ask. He was keeping secrets from her so she was allowed to have a few of her own.

He got the strange feeling they were more similar than he originally thought. She wasn't stupid as he had supposed her to be because she didn't even know where she lived. She was a quick learner as well and managed all of the finances around here by herself. That was no small feat for a girl her age.

Veronica was a real beauty. Had she run away to avoid being married off to some onerous old duke? None of the court ladies back in Katalya had anything on her. Even hard work and grime couldn't diminish her looks.

The Krinzels didn't seem particularly interested in her (Callum was married so that made sense but were the other two blind?) but the first time Rukelion snuck into town looking for a sword master, he noticed that others were. Lecherous eyes followed her as she went from stall to stall examining goods at the market, many from much older men.

He felt oddly protective of her. Why? He couldn't protect anything or anyone. That was why he had to destroy this kingdom. One girl—even one who had been kind to him and might have some idea of what he was going through—couldn't change that.

Despite not having any coins to spend, he headed to a nearby pub in search of a sword master once he saw Veronica safely leave the market. He heard mercenaries frequented the taverns back home so maybe it would be the same here. A mercenary would make an excellent teacher.

The pub was dark and dingy even though it was light out. Most of the people here seemed to know each other but he noticed someone hiding out in the corner wearing a cloak. That might be promising!

Rukelion's hood was up as well because he hadn't wanted anyone in town to spot him (especially Veronica) and he slid into the seat across from the man, who looked up curiously. "Whaddya want, kid?"

"Are you a mercenary?" he asked simply.

"What's it to ya?"

"I'm looking for a sword master to teach me. It's very important. If you know how to wield a sword—"

"It's very important, huh? Don't tell me. You want to kill someone," the man said, cutting him off, as his dark eyes glittered from beneath the hood. "I can see the murder in your heart and I don't want that on my conscience. Find someone else, kid."

Rukelion was startled and it must have showed on his face because the man laughed as he shooed him away with a hand. "People are so predictable! Seriously though, get lost. Whatever you're trying to do, I want no part of it."

He didn't want to start a commotion in the pub so he left unwillingly. That had been his only lead and he wasn't about to let it go!

Waiting until the hooded man left and following him was simple enough, though it did take more than an hour for him to come out. Rukelion had always been excellent at tailing people. His brothers used to get mad at him for appearing out of nowhere. It wasn't like he did it on purpose; he simply had quiet footsteps and a relative lack of presence.

The man didn't catch him and he managed to follow him all the way to a base camp with a band of men twenty strong milling about in a part of the forest that wasn't terribly far from Veronica's farm. Excellent!

If he wouldn't teach Rukelion personally, he supposed he would have to learn by watching the way he did on the farm. He could come here whenever he wasn't doing his chores no problem.

Pleased with himself, he shimmied up a tree the way he used to when he was hiding from his little sister and watched as some of the men engaged in a sparring match. Their skill level was roughly the same as the royal knights back in Katalya. It seemed he had found himself a sword master after all.

He hungrily watched the mercenaries go until the sun set and he realized he needed to get out of here before it was dark. Veronica was probably wondering where he was at this point.

Rukelion planned to come back here tomorrow at first light and see what else he could pick up. He could stay for a few hours before the Krinzels arrived and needed his help since they all still had things to do at home before coming over. They usually arrived around nine but Veronica was up long before then tending to the animals, making breakfast, and doing other household chores.

Sometimes he wondered how she managed to do it all. She didn't even seem particularly tired running on little sleep. If a runaway noble girl could do it, so could he. He was a proud prince of Katalya! The only one left.