Three can keep a secret if two of them is dead.

Boom! A loud explosion rocketed the trees around us. I have to shield my face from the falling branches and twigs, when I hear Cinthea's voice next to me.

"So you're telling me, that Prince Noctis, the King's son, challenged you, Snow Hathaway to a duel?" She screeched. I rolled my eyes and glared at her.

"Yes, Cinthea. That is what I've been telling you for a past half an hour. And keep your voice down would you? We don't want that thing to hear us," I whispered-yelled. I peered around the bark of the tree to see if I could spot the thing Cid brought us out here to kill. I sighed, she wasn't kidding last night when she said I had to keep my energy levels up.

She brought the entire sqaudrion to the edge of the city before dawn, where she told us that we're on a mission.

"There has been an increase in reports about demon sightings outside the city wall, so today we are going to help the city wall patrols, by killing some of these demons." Cid declared. I thought it was just some outdoor practise, to help us get feel for when we go on actual missions, but when Captain dropped that bomb, we were all shocked into silence.

"You've all been training indoors for most of your Guardian life, but today I want to you experience what it feels like to be out on missions and fighting these monsters. Because you will encounter them. They've become a real problem over the years, so you will have to face them one way or the other. You'll be divided into teams, and have a few patrol troops to lead each team. You will do exactly as they tell you, if you don't, you will die. This isn't some experiment, or training exercise, this is the real deal, so take it seriously," Cid stared sternly at all of us.

"B-but, we've never fought them before, and some of us have never even seen one," One of the younger girls asked. I actually kind of felt sorry for them. They're still young, even though only a year younger than me, but from what I've heard, demons is nasty monsters, and no one should be exposed to that kind of evil.

"Well then, today is going to be your lucky day. Good luck. Just remember your training and you'll be fine." With that Cid turned around and walked away to go talk to a few Guardian patrols. A few minutes later we were divided into teams and met our team leaders. They told us the plan and then we took our positions. They led us through the canopy of trees that grew outside the wall, and came to a stop in a clearing. Scouts reported seeing a demon in this area, so all we had to do was wait and listen for the beast to show up. Luckily my friends and I am in the same team, so I quickly filled them in on the situation with the prince. That's also when we heard the first explosion, and now we are here, hiding behind trees for cover while we hunt our first demon.

"And you agreed? That's a first." Cinthea snickered. I only turned to glare at her, before peering back around the tree.

"She's trying to get him to leave her alone," Yuna's voice came from the opposite side.

"Why would she do that? The prince giving you his attention is a good thing. Any girl would go nuts to get the chance to talk to him," Cinthea held up her crossbow, not meeting my eye. Her voice sounded bitter. Is she jealous of me? Ugh, I hope not. I really, really hope not. I didn't ask for this. If I could I would try to shift his attention to her.

Wait a second. Maybe I can. If... no, when, I win tomorrows duel, I'll try to get the prince to notice Cinthea. She seems really upset about the fact that I don't like his attention, yet still getting it.

"Get ready. Here he comes," One of the patrol leaders whispered. When I peered back around, I saw the most ugliest, stinkiest, thing, I've ever seen.

It wasn't exactly huge, but its definitely intimidating. It looked like rocks sticking out of its arms and back. It looked like an ape, really. His arms was longer than its legs. His teeth looks really pointy, most of it sticking out of its mouth. His eyes was beauty red. Almost glowing, but we learned in school, it was a trait every demon had. Its something to use to identify them, if the looks and stench isn't enough for ya.

"Alright, remember the plan. Archers, stay behind the canopy of trees, the rest of you surround it, but be careful. Try to keep out of its reach. Those rocks in its arms and back can kill you if hit," She looks us over then she counts to three and we all jump to attack.

I ran with the others to face him head on, while the rest of the group shifted to face him from behind.

"Keep out if its reach, but try to distract him, so the others can get him from behind," the Patrol leader yelled.

The demon's eyes looked between us, keeping his focus in front of him. That's good. That means the others behind him can safely kill it.

Boom!

My attention was caught on the others teams battling with their monsters. They looked bigger and more powerful than ours. We are in total 5 groups, with 10 members each, consisting of archers and short range fighters. I saw how a Guardian is slammed into a tree, cracking the tree and didn't get back up again, making me wince.

"Watch out!" A voice yelled. My head snapped toward the sound and saw a shadow move out of the corner of my eye. I looked up and saw a massive rock sailing through the air towards me. Without thinking I dived out of the way, but the crash send me flying into a tree.

Air left my lungs, leaving me gasping with pain. I breathed in then out, trying to get back on my feet.

"You okay, there?" The leader yelled.

"I'm fine," I gasped. I inhaled deeply, watching the scene unfold. This isn't working. I'm not the only one who just got wiped out. This beast is throwing huge chunk of rocks at us, keeping us far away from him. Even the ones behind him, can't get close enough to kill it. The archers arrows isn't doing much damage, it just bounces of off him.

Rocks. The demon is made of rocks, its not just some defence layer that you can penetrate to get to his skin. His skin is made of rocks. There must be some other way to defeat this thing.

I watched the beast swat the others like irretating flies. He suddenly roared and punches the earth, making it quake. I can barely keep my footing. I leaned against a tree, trying to keep my balance, but my hand slipped and I felt a stinging sensation and something warm dripping down my arm. I couldn't stop the hiss escaping my mouth, and lifted my arm to see what caused it.

Red, that's what I saw on my arm. Dripping leisurely to the ground. At first it didn't sink in what it was, and where it came from. Then I saw the deep cut on my hand. It wasn't like it was the first time I got a cut, or an injury. I've bled many times before, but for some reason it just felt different this time. Then a memory hit me:

I closed the door to my grandmother's house, setting my backpack down in the living room.

"Grandma?" I called cautiously.

"In the kitchen, love," Her voiced called back. I made my way into the kitchen and found my grandmother sitting at the kitchen table with a box in front of her. I frowned.

"Did I forget a birthday or something?" I asked. She laughed.

"No, this is for you. You're joining the Guardian Core soon and turning 16 next year, only a few months from now. So I thought I'd give you a little something," She smiled fondly at the box before sliding it in my direction. I sat down across from her and opened it. I gasped. I pulled out a katana and held it up. I glimmered in the sunlight and it looked like their was some sort of special design on the sword. The edges looked blue, but I couldn't be sure. I stared at it for a long time. It kind of looked familiar.

"Blood calls to blood," My grandmother murmured.

"What?" My brow furrowed.

"Your father gave it to your mother as a gift," She talked quickly, like she couldn't get the words out of her mouth quick enough. I looked at the sword in awe. So it was my mother's. My first sword was my mother's. I thanked my grandmother with a big hug and went to my room.

The memory faded and I blinked adjusting to my surroundings. That was when I still lived with my grandmother, before I moved into the dorms to become a Guardian.

Blood calls to blood. My grandmother's voice echoed in my head. I picked up my sword and held it in the light. Blood calls to blood. Arthur Kingston. My father. Then another memory entered my mind:

"This is Arthur Kingston," A teacher- who's name I forgot the minute I graduated from school- held up n photo of a rather handsome, young man. He wore a beard, and his hair was brown. He had green eyes, but betrayed no emotion, "he was a powerful person, known as the Piercing Whiteblade, and had three types of powers," A collected gasp filled the room and chatter immediately followed. In our defense it was the first time we learned about him.

"Quiet! Yes, it's very unusual. As you know only the royals have powers, but Arthur Kingston was an exception, and he had three types of powers, and as you also know, the more abilities you have, the more powerful you are. Most royals have up to two abilities. So for a non-royal to have three abilities was pretty unusual," We all looked at each other with awe. I remember thinking that he must have felt so lonely, since he was different. Just like me.

"And this, was his famous sword that can pierce through anything. This sword was Arthur's only weapon and could wipe out entire armies or the most powerful demons," The teacher explained further referring to the sword in the textbook. There was two photos. One of Arthur Kingston holding a katana. The blade had little designs carved into it, and seemed to be glowing blue, but in the second photo its the same sword up close, with the same designs, but its not glowing. I noticed the same thing, that's why I put my hand.

"Yes, Ms. Hathaway," The teacher nodded.

"Mam, in the photo where Arthur Kingston holds the sword, the little designs are glowing, but in the second photo its the exact same sword, only the glow is missing." I remembered a few kids making cruel remarks about my witchy eyes seeing things that aren't there, but I just ignored them, like I usually did. The teacher gave them stern looks, before smiling kindly at me.

"I'm glad you asked Ms. Hathaway. There's a reason for it. That sword is attuned to his blood, and the only way it can pierce through anything, is when he wields it. Otherwise its just a normal weapon," The teacher explained kindly. After that the other kids just asked more questions, and the memory faded away, but one thing stuck with me.

I took a look at my sword. It had the exact same engravings.

In the name of seven hells.

This was my father's. How did I not realise this sooner, but in my defence, we were taught that many years ago. That's why I never recognised it until now.

Blood calls to blood.

Why doesn't it glow like it did with my father? Maybe it can only be used with his powers. No, my grandmother gave me this for a reason. Not just because it was my father's. I lifted the sword with my good hand, in the air. It looked dead. Like it had no power. Then a thought occurred. Maybe it just needs a little boost. Like a power boost or something. Like something that needs charging.

"Uhh, Snow. We really need your help over here if you will," I looked back and saw Fay standing behind me. She's still shooting her arrows, even though we both know its not working. Her pigtails bouncing with every shot. She swapped her glasses for contact lenses, which is probably for the best, since fighting with glasses isn't the best choice.

"Yeah, yeah. Just cover for me for a moment, please. I think I've figured out how to defeat this demon," I asked her, ducking behind a tree for some cover.

"Alright, Snow. But hurry. This demon is wiping the floor with us," I could hear the battles raging on around me. Trees cracking, the grunts of impacts. I had to figure this out fast. I tried poring my power into the sword, but the only thing it did was making it float.

Blood calls to blood.

The sword reacts to his blood. His DNA. Which is also my DNA. Excitement filled my body. I think I've figured this out. I lifted my injured hand and held it over the blade. The blood dripped once, then twice. That's when the forest lit up like fireworks. The engravings glowed blue, just like in the photo.

Woah. This is... this is amazing. I laughed breathlessly. I am holding the famous sword in my hands. I can't even remember all the times I've thought about how amazing it must be to be so powerful and to hold this sword, knowing what it can do. And now it is in my hands.

"Are you done yet?" Fay yelled, pulling me from my thoughts. I could hear how out of breath she was already. I smirked. Just in time.

"Yeah, I'm done," I jumped out from behind the tree, nearly shocking Fay to death. She screamed a very girly scream, and I couldn't help the smile that came to my face.

A thought came to mind while I was running toward the beast. I stopped in my tracks. If I do this. Kill the beast with this sword, people will know. They know what the sword looks like, and everybody always wondered what happened to it, but just assumed it was buried with him. The powers can still be explained as one thing, but if I reveal this sword, there is no going back. They will know that I'm Arthur Kingston's daughter. Am I prepared to take that risk. Doing so I can endanger everyone around me.

I looked around. Everyone was tired and bruised. Then my head turned to the side when I saw movement, the other troops came to help. Looks like they killed their demons and now came to help kill ours. It seems we've got the more troubled one. Great.

"Archers! Try shooting it in its eyes, maybe if we blind it, we'll stand a chance," Our patrol leader yelled. Its a good plan, I'll give her that. The archers shot and three hit their target out of all of them. The beast roared with pain, clawing at his eyes. He went down onto his knees, still crying out, this black ooze dripped onto the ground from his eyes. Gross, that must be their blood. I tilted my head, watching on. Maybe they didn't need me after all. I started to sheath my sword, so it wouldn't attract attention, when the beast suddenly stilled. The demon lifted his head. It looked like he was watching us, without seeing us. Creepy, for sure. I noticed he had his one hand on the ground. I watched him very closely. This demon isn't a common one. He's smart. Which I hate to admit. I have a sinking suspicion I knew what he was doing.

"Alright, short range fighters, he is down. Now kill it!" Our patrol leader yelled, and everybody let out a battle cry and charged.

"No wait!" I tried to yell, but my voice couldn't be heard over the others. The demon turned his head to the nearest on coming charge and fisted his hand, which was on the ground. Suddenly rocks came out of the ground knocking them of their feet. Others jumped out of the way, but some weren't as fast. They were badly injured but they didn't look dead, at least. I had to do something, otherwise we might get killed. I drew my sword. This is the only way. I don't think this is only for getting a feel for what's happening anymore. This is turned into survival.

I charged. I have to be very careful. He keeps his hand on the ground at all time. My theory is its so help him see. The vibrations we set off when we walk or run, gives him the ability to "see" where we are. The ground just became his eyes and ears, and the reason the rocks is coming out of the ground now, is because he is attuned to it. His whole focus is the earth, so if I can get the drop on him, he won't be able to "wake up" fast enough to stop me.

His focus is solely on the left side, so if I can come at him from the right...

I moved around him and tried to attack, but he saw it coming and his other arm took a swing at me. I quickly rolled away and moved out of his range. Its not working. I need a distraction.

"Snow!" Someone touched my arm, and I swung around to see my best staring at the sword in my hand. She blinked then lifted her gaze to me.

"That's..." She began, but I interrupted her.

"I know. The legendary sword. I had it all along, and I'll explain everything later, but right now I need your help," Pleading entered my voice. The longer we stood here chatting the more people will get hurt. Understanding flashed in her eyes, and determination appeared on her face.

"Anything. What do you need?" I explained my theory as quickly as possibly.

"I need someone to distract him. Keep his focus of off me, so that he'll never see me coming," I finished explaining. Yuna nodded.

"It makes sense. I'll get the others. One distraction coming up," She winked making me smile.

"Thank you," She smiled in return and turned to move to find the others.

"And Yuna, be careful," Please.

"You too," She quickly hugged me and ran off. I saw her gathering the others and explaining what needed to be done. I can see their shock from here. Hopefully I'm not wrong about this. Thea and Fay gave me a thumbs up and Cynthea nodded with a smirk. I gave them a grateful smile.

Thea ran up to the patrol units and told them something. I furrowed my brow. What's she doing. A distraction needs only a few people. I can see them looking at me, then at the demon. One looked down and shock rippled across her face. She pointed to me and the others turned to look with shock and disbelief. Then I realised they weren't staring at me. They were staring at me sword. I stop myself from trying to hide the sword. If I was going to do this. They had to trust me and I have to trust Thea that she had a plan about involving them. They looked back and forth between me and Thea and then nodded. I let out a sight of relief. Then they turned away, and said something to the group, their voices carried over to me.

"Listen up! A plan is made to stop this thing, and to prevent from anyone getting hurt, you will stand back!" I could feel my eyes widening. Thea is a genius. Then nobody can stand in our way and get hurt. I looked around and saw others backing away into the canopy of trees. Some looked relieved and leaned against the trees, while they were seeking medical attention. Others kind of looked annoyed to be called back, but I could live with it. The only thing I can't live with, is if somebody dies and I could've prevented it.

My eyes found Yuna and she gave me a questioning look. I knew what she was asking. Am I ready?

I nodded. As ready as anybody can be when fighting a crazy-ass demon. I moved into position, climbing the tree. Doing this, it might not alert him to my presence and it gives me a nice vintage point.

The four of them moved to stand in front of the canopy of trees I was hidden in, in front of the demon, but still out of reach. The demon snarled.

"Hey ugly! You ever heard of taking a bath?" Fay yelled.

"Yeah! 'Cause holy guacamole, you stink my friend," Cinthea exclaimed, pinching her nose. The beast growled, showing his teeth, but he ended up looking funny, instead of scary. My friends shared a look and burst out laughing.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but showing off your teeth won't help," Yuna snorted.

"If we're done here, we can get you an appointment at the dentist. I was planning on going my self, but it would seem you need it more than me," Fay commented, making the others laugh again. I myself I had hide a smile. The beast roared, making Cinthea take a step back, waving the air in front of her nose.

"Man. At least your breath is no exception to the whole stink thing you've got going on for yourself," Cinthea continued to fan the air, making the others crack up.

"It must get old for you to roar the whole time, huh. I mean, every five seconds I hear you roar. Its not gonna help your breath, you know. For that we're gonna need toothpaste," Thea said.

"And mouthwash," Fay piped in.

"And a makeover," Yuna added, pretending to look deep in thought, the others laughed again.

"You are totally right, Yuna. Taking that stinky breath away, won't help at all if he is as ugly as the devil," Cinthea commented, making Thea snicker.

"Definitely, I mean I think he can give the devil a run for his money in that department," She said, the beast growled and took a step forward.

Thea held up her hands, "Hey now. No need to get angry, just because you are ugly as hell, doesn't mean it can't be fixed," She took a step back.

"I don't think ugliness of that level can be fixed," Fay observed, making Yuna laugh, but she quickly stifled it, masking it into a cough.

"Sorry, something in my throat," she said.

"Well, at least when we kill you, you'll go to hell and become satan's stinky problem," Cinthea said, but that was the wrong thing to say. The demon gave one blood thirsty roar and charged at them. Fear spiked through me for me friends, and I heard Yuna yell something.

"Well, now you've just made him mad, way to go Cinthea!" But I could see Yuna's smile

"Well, its all part of the plan," Cinthea winked and they all sprinted, disappearing into the trees.

"It's all you now, Snow," I heard Fay yell. Indeed it is.

When he reached my mark, I lunged. The sword burning in my palm with anticipation and adrenaline. I hit the ground right in front of him, and thrust forward. My sword made impact, impaling him, sending a jolt through my arm. The momentum he built up, pushed as a few feet backwards, but quickly came to a stop. That same black ooze leaked out of his wound and I quickly pulled my sword free, resulting it to spurt out. I jumped back, to prevent that stuff to fall on me. The demon just stood still for a moment, then his gaze turned to me and the sword in my hand.

"Blood calls to blood. The blood of the lost hero returns. The demon lord will burn the earth to the ground searching for you, little one" He chuckled, his blood spurting from his mouth, "Thought it was gone for good. Master will be surprised to learn that you still live," It grumbled, "So the prophecy lives on. Pray he never finds you, little demon killer." It gave one last chuckle, giving me goose bumps, before collapsing to the ground. I furrowed my brow in confusion. Prophecy? What was he talking about? Is there another part of this my grandmother never told me. He said the same thing my grandmother said. Blood calls to blood. How did they know about this. I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Yuna asked me, I turned to find a lot of people staring at me, or rather my sword. I nodded.

"Where did you get that sword?" A girl asked. I turned my gaze to her and she flinched. I sighed, even after many years, they still can't handle my gaze.

"My grandmother gave it to me as a gift when I first started training to become I guardian," I kept my voice hard as steel.

"Your grandmother shouldn't have given it to you," A patrol officer said, stepping forward. I glared at her, making it clear that she should not take one more step.

"Oh and why the hell not?" My voice came out as icy and bitter. The patrol officers exchanged looks.

"Look, I don't know how the sword can work without Arthur Kingston's blood. Its not supposed to, but that is a legendary sword. It belongs in the castle before it can fall into the wrong hands," The same patrol officer spoke again, reaching forward to take the sword. I hid it behind my back. No way is she going to take my sword away.

"No, this is my sword. Its attuned to me. Without this-" I held it in the air, "you would have died today," I kept my voice hard, but inside I was afraid. I didn't want to lose this sword. This sword connects us. I can't lose it, its all I have.

"That may be true, but the fact still stands that it doesn't belong to you," Another patrol officer answered. She's not so kind like the other one. She kept her hand on her weapon, its like she's threatening me. I wonder if she knows what I can do.

Wait, what? I took a deep breath. Having poisonous thoughts is not helping. And what exactly will I do to her, that I won't regret in the end. If I want to keep my sword, I have to have a clear head, and persuade them to let me keep it.

"Yes it does. Arthur Kingston is my adoptive grandmother's son in law, as some of you know. She has every right to gift this to me, but you have no right to take it away," It felt strange to say it say adoptive grandmother, when I know that she's my real grandmother. I look around and is met with shocked faces, but the patrol officers exchanged another glance, when the one who spoke first sighed, and the others looked resigned, but one patrol officer looked proud. Then I realized she was our group's patrol leader. Does she know something then? No, can't be. All of these secrets are making me paranoid.

"You make a good point. So I guess you can keep it, as long as you protect it and prevent it from falling into the wrong hands, since everything is so strange, who knows what will happen then," She wiped her hands over her face. Fatigue lining her eyes. Everybody looked tired. It was a long day, but the sun is still high in the sky. If I had I had to guess it's about three o'clock in the afternoon.

"Wait, but how does the sword work with Snow, I mean isn't it supposed to work only with Arthur Kingston?" Cinthea asked, turning to me. All my friends was quite up until now. But the one question I hoped that everyone would over look, was asked by one of my best friends. How ironic, but then again, I never did tell them about my parents, which is an overlaps on my part and I'm going to get some serious hell for this when I can't spin the story to keep everything from falling apart. I shared a glance with Yuna and she looked as nervous as I felt. I wanted to tell them, but I was so focused on training these last two months, that I never got the time to tell them. Or maybe that's what I kept telling myself, but either way, I'm seriously screwed. If I can keep everyone from finding out and tell them afterwards, they'll be angry, and if everybody finds out right now, they'll be furious.

Talk about stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"I don't know," I shrugged, "I'm just as surprised as you are."

"That's one word for it," Fay said, inspecting me. I could almost see the gears turning in her head, as she tries to figure out this new puzzle.

"Maybe its because she's like him," Yuna said. My blood froze. I turned to her with with visible panic in my eyes. What are you doing? I tried to ask her.

"What do you mean?" Thea asked.

"She has powers right. Abilities no one can explain. We originally thought because her parents could be royals, but what didn't make sense was, why was she only showing them now, and not from the beginning. And now with the legendary sword, I think its safe to say she is like Arthur Kingston," Yuna calmly explained her theory, and I could see a lot of people nodding and whispering, but they seemed to believe what she told them.

"Makes sense," Cinthea said, and the others agreed with her. I shot a grateful look at Yuna and she gave me a look that spoke volumes.

You need to tell them. Soon.

I sheathed my sword and the crowed began to dissipate, when Cid burst through.

"Is everyone alright? I was in a meeting with the King and now only heard what had happened," Cid looked actually frightened, looking around until her gaze landed on me. I lifted a brow. She crossed the gap and pulled me into a hug.

"Oh thank goodness. When I got the report saying your group was struggling to defeat a demon and many was hurt, I feared the worst," Cid said into my shoulder, pulling back she looked me over for any injuries. I forced an eye roll.

"Wow. Thanks for the faith you have in us. Its much appreciated," I deadpanned. She just smirked.

"Just be glad you have someone who cares about what happens to you," She gave me a pat on the cheek. I struggled to keep a straight face, but ended up smiling anyway.

"Anyway, I'm just glad you all are alright. By the way, what's this I hear about the legendary sword being used to fight a demon?" She gave me a questioning look.

"Yeah. My hand got cut, and some of the blood dript on the blade, and then it just glowed. Like in the photo's," I pulled the sword free to show her, and she nodded.

"Makes sense. You are special enough for it to have been a possibility," She winked, and I was grateful that she didn't mention the real reason for it to be a possibility.

"Alright I'm going to see if everyone else is okay. You can head back to the dorms, we are finished for today," She said waving us goodbye when she walked away. Cinthea linked armed arms with me and Yuna while Fay and Thea walked behind us whispering about something. When they met my gaze, I lifted one brow in question and they flushed with embarrassment before looking away. Hmm, I wonder what's that about. Cinthea's voice broke my train of thought, when she spoke.

"Oohh, look who came to say hello," I followed her line of sight and was met with the royal highness. The one and only Prince Noctis.

Charming.

My thoughts weren't the only one interrupted by Cinthea's voice. The prince was speaking to one of the patrol officers, when he heard Cinthea's voice.

"And look. It seems he has already moved on. So maybe you don't have to duel after all," Cinthea's snark could've been heard as far as the next kindom, and attracted everyone's attention. I groaned. I was so caught up in all the sword talk, I forgot all about the duel tomorrow. I noticed some were looking between me and the prince and others were whispering and pointing.

"Well thanks for reminding me. And you couldn't have said that any loader, even if you tried, could you?" I deadpanned and tried to ignore the little bite Cinthea took back there.

"You guys, please don't fight," Yuna begged, cutting off anything Cinthea would've said, and just in time to see the prince excuse himself and make his way over toward us.

"Afternoon, ladies. Glad to see you're still alive and well," Prince Noctis said. We bowed in return, before Cinthea spoke.

"Of course. Little bruised, but nothing we can't handle of course," Cinthea gave her best smile, and I refrained myself from rolling my eyes. She is still your friend, even though she can be a real bitch sometimes. The Prince nodded, giving a small smile, before turning his attention to me.

"Of course. I wouldn't expect any different, but I hope you aren't too bruised for the duel. We can always postpone it," He had this little twinkle in his eye. Almost like he dares me to tell him I'm too sore to fight, but I won't rise to the challenge.

"No," I said almost too forcefully earning raised brows from my friends, and a smirk from the Prince, I cleared my throat, before I tried again.

"I mean, no. That won't be necessary. I'll be ready. Just name the time and place," I told him, holding his gaze. His smirk only grew.

"Alright, the training hall. In break time when you've finished your morning training. That should make it easy enough for you, since you've already trained a bit," He had a mischievous look in his eyes. I hate him. He knew that's when everybody would be there. Its lunch time, and we'd get a huge break before we train again. Everybody would be watching.

"Unless its too crowded for you then. You know, with so many eyes watching," He pretended to whisper. I was seriously considering punching him. I forced a smirk.

"No need. Its perfect. That way everybody can see how I kick your ass. Victory would taste so much sweeter," I had the pleasure of watching his smile vanish when a few whistles and oohh's went up. I looked beyond Prince Noctis' shoulder and saw his friends standing there laughing. The blond one- Promto, I think,- came forward and threw his arm around Prince Noctis' shoulder.

"Duude, she totally put you in your place, man," He burst out laughing again, "Never thought I'd see the day," He glanced at me and put his hand out.

"I'm Promto, by the way. I don't think we've officially met," I shook his hand.

"Snow Hathaway."

"I know. This guy wouldn't shut up about you. Everything he knows, we know too. So don't freak out if we say something you know you've never told us," He winked, making me smile. Promto looks nice enough. Easy going and fun to talk to.

"I don't talk about her that much," Noctis looked between us, then shook off his friend's arm. He looked thoroughly annoyed. His friends took my smile as a sign to come closer.

"I'm Ignis, and this is Gladiolus," Ignis gestured to the bulky guy next to him. Up close he's even more huge. Its impressive.

"Hi, I'm-"

"Snow. Yes, we know," Ignis interrupted me. I blinked and Promto laughed at my expression.

"See, told you we all knew you," Promto said. He kind of looked cute smiling like that. Come on self. I don't think Prince Noctis would appreciate it, if you made googly eyes at his friends. Not that I care what he likes or not. I cleared my throat.

"Yeah, I see that now. Anyway, these are my friends. Yuna, Cinthea, Fay and Thea," I gestured to my friends, introducing them. Everybody shook hands, and I noticed Gladiolus and Cinthea linger a little longer together. Hmm, interesting.

"So Snow, did you figure out why you have powers yet?" Promto asked, and suddenly the group was silent. What did I do to be put in the spot like this, today? I could feel my walls slide into place, and met his stare head on.

"No. Not anything worth much. New things happen everyday," I answered keeping my voice neutral.

"That is true. Today we learned that Snow could wield the legendary sword," Yuna added. The guys eyes were wide. Shock and awe written across their futures. I knew she wanted to help, but this was very dangerous territory we were headed in right now.

"That is incredible," Ignis breathed.

"Indeed it is. To wield such a powerful sword, means you must really be powerful," Noctis said. Amazement shined in his forest green eyes, making me almost blush. Almost.

"Can you show us? Does is glow like in the photos? Does it feel any different, than other swords?" Promto gushed. Excitement filled his face, making him bounce on his feet. How can one say no to something that cute? I grinned at his excitement.

"Sure, yes and no. There isn't really a difference, but then again I've been fighting with this sword since the beginning," I pulled the sword free and immediately the designs on the blade began to glow.

"Woow," Promto whispered. His eyes transfixed on the sword. Gladiolus stepped forward, holding his hand out.

"May I?" His deep voice asked. He spoke almost softly, but I can hear his words clearly. I nodded and handed him the sword. Almost immediately the glow snuffed out. He murmured something, that almost sounded like: interesting.

"Gladiolus is like a sword master. His father could make any sword, and knew almost everything about them too," Promto explained. Gladiolus handed the sword back to me, and I sheathed the sword. Then a thought occured to me.

"Wait. Why are you here?" I asked Prince Noctis.

"I had to sit in the meeting with Cid and my father, when the news came. The others were already waiting for me, so we decided to come and see if everything was okay," Noctis said.

"Yep, we were actually supposed to go out for a drink, but Noc rather wanted to come see you" Promto said, grinning and earning an elbow from Prince Noctis.

"Well, sorry for ruining your plans," I said, smiling.

"No need to apologise, besides, we wanted to meet the girl that gives our poor friend such a difficult time," Ignis said. A smile gracing his lips, and earning a few chuckles from my friends.

"Well, that is Snow for you," Fay said, smiling. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Well, at least you don't have to worry anymore about missing out on bro time, because after tomorrow he'll have no choice but to go with you," I said, teasingly. Noctis snorted.

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Because, I'll be the one winning tomorrow, and the only thing you'll have is a bruised ego," I told him. The others burst out laughing and I could see him trying to hold back a smile.

"You sure are confidant are you. Just be careful that you don't get too cocky. You know what happens to people who get too cocky..." He winks. I snickered.

"I'm not cocky. I'm just that good," I said, without missing a beat.

"Ohhhhh," Everyone chored, making him laugh. Promto crossed to my side, before throwing an arm over my shoulders.

"Noc, I like this one," He laughed. Something flashed in Prince Noctis' eyes when he saw Promto's arm around my shoulders, but it was gone before I could analyse it. Noctis smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"You really are different. Well then, I'll guess we'll see how skilled you are," He said. his eyes surprisingly soft.

"Lets," I smirked. He held out his hand.

"Until tomorrow, may the best warrior win," He said. I shook his hand, smiling a little.

"May the best warrior win," I echoed.

We went our separate ways after that, walking back in silence, each of us in our own thoughts. I noticed the sun was at the verge of setting. Were we really chatting that long with the guys? It was kind of nice. They each have such a strong personality, but they fit together so well, and they make you feel a part of them immediately.

"Promto seems quite taken by you," Thea said, interrupting my thoughts and speaking for the first time in a while. I noticed we were already at the Guardian Core building, the sun casting an orange, red glow on the roof.The others were already making their way up to their rooms. I laughed, only because I was shocked that the she came to that conclusion. She didn't seem upset or anything. She just made the observation and voiced it out load.

"Well he seem nice enough, but I don't think their is anything more than friendship there," I admitted. She was lost in thought for a moment before nodding, then she broke into a smile.

"He is kind of cute, isn't he?" She giggled, making me smile.

"Are you taken by him?" I asked, keeping my voice innocently. She made a face making me laugh.

"No way. I like my men my age, thank you very much," She laughed, "would you kiss him?" She asked, making me laugh.

"Are you kidding? No!" I laughed. I swinged my arm around her shoulders while we walked to our rooms.

"You should. Just to see what Prince Noctis would do," She said, nodding sagely.

"Now why would I do that?" I smiled.

"Because its fun to watch Prince Noctis being jealous over you," She stated. A surprised laugh bubbled out of me.

"He is not jealous over me," I laughed, and she gave me a knowing look.

"He sure is. Did you see how annoyed he was when he saw how good you and Promto hit off, and then again when Promto made that comment with his arms around your shoulders," She said, a grin appearing on her lips, making my eyes role, good heartedly.

"Yeah, well he has no right to be jealous," I said, in a matter of fact way.

"Yeah, but he still is. He is falling for you, and because he is only human, its natural for him to get jealous over you," She told me, making me laugh.

"When did you get so sagely?" I ruffled her hair.

"With experience," She stopped by her door, but hesitated to go in. I frowned.

"Everything okay?"

"Fay and I talked, and we know there is some things you haven't told us, and Fay and I might have an idea what it is, and we're not mad that you haven't told us yet, we understand the risk, but I think you should tell Cinthea soon, because we both know how is she feels about secrets," She said, entering her room without waiting for a response.

Damn, so that's what they were talking about, before the Prince and his friends arrived. If they've figured it out, how long will it take before the rest of the kingdom do. Looks like my sins are catching up to me. I sighed before turning down the hall and opening my door. I'll have to tell her, before its too late, but I fear it might already be.