Acerose Mean

The snow fell on his head. Lanert remembered this was a dream. He remembered this was his last time fighting like a woman. After this day, he would become a tiger while fighting against the enemy.

"Come, little Bro." Tall, handsome, curly golden hair. Alrich always became the sun and pulled everything with his stunning graviton look. "Stop looking at Alice. Instead, you must make her look at you in amazement! Hurry up, raise your sword!" He kicked snow to Lanert, who stood next to the bench.

"Okay." Lanert pulled his heavy feet to the arena. It is cold back then. He prefers sitting on the bench with hot chocolate or cuddling with a thick blanket in his chamber. But his father forced him to train. He said man must be able to fight with any weapon if he wants to be a man.

"What happens to that long face?"

"Hurry up, let's end this quickly." Lanert prepared his stance. "I want to take a rest on the hearth."

"Hey Alice, look how your boyfriend fights like a girl!"

The courtyard rang to the song of swords. Under black wool, boiled leather, and mail, sweat trickled icily down Lannert's chest as he pressed the attack.

His big brother pivoted, launched a counter-attack, and Lannert stumbled backward, defending himself clumsily.

"Come on, little brother. Father would school you if you acted like this. Come up." Alrich von Gosh helped his little brother up. 

"This sword is too heavy for me, Brother."

"Your arm is too weak. Look, even Alice could raise her sword better than you, and she is a woman. Are you letting her beat you with a sword?"

"No, of course not, but—"

"No, don't give me but, only yes, sire. Come, let's train again."

When Lanert raised his sword, Alrich went underneath it with a sweeping blow that crunched against the back of Lanert's leg and sent him staggering.

"Come on, little bro. Or do you need to spice it up a bit? Hey Alice, look, your boyfriend is weak. Find another boyfriend, will you?"

His words boiled Lanert's heart. He stepped up. Lanert's down-cut was answered by an overhand that dented his helm. When he tried a side wing, Alrich swept aside his blade and slammed a mailed forearm into his chest. 

Lanert lost his footing and sat down hard in the snow. Alrich knocked his sword from his fingers with a slash to his wrist that brought a cry of pain.

"Enough!" Father had a voice with an edge like a sword.

Lanert cradled his hand. "Father, Brother broke my wrist."

"Cry baby," Brother whispered. "Alice should be with someone better than you, a stable boy perhaps? Look. They are sparing merrily. Yet, you, tch…." He teases Lanert, messing up her hair.

"Father, big bro—"

"Your big brother hamstrung you, opened your empty skull, and cut off your hand. Or would have if these blades had an edge." Father gestured at two young squares to come. "Get Lan on his feet, and put him back in the mansion. No food for him tonight!"

Alrich gave a mischievous smile while accompanying Lanert. "Oh boy. Stable boy going to marry Alice for sure."

"Shut it." Yes, Lanert saw they are training together. Yes, Alice giggled. Yes, she keeps an admiration for a groom.

"Look, Alice even pulled him off," Alrich whispered. "The stable boy would saddle Alice at the barn tonight."

"I beat him!"

"Oh, sure, he's going to beat you. Look at his masculine body. Alice always sees his arm and abs. She wants him, bro."

"Shut up!" Lanert face purpled.

"He's going to steal Alice. Bedding her at a straw in the barn, witnessed by horse. He would fuck Alice like a stallion."

"No, Alice would not allow that."

"He will overpower her. She will cry, oh Lanert, help me, but you can't. Then she realized you were weak and opened her thighs for him and said, yes, harder. Make me your woman, a stable boy."

"I beat him! I will kill him!"

"Good luck."

"Alrich! Back to your training!" Father ordered. 

Back then, Lanert's heart was shrouded with jealousy and anger, and he lost control. He dashed and hit the stable boy. They brawled like a schoolboy. Back then, Lannert was a teen fighting against a seventeen years old boy.

They rolled in white snow. They looked like cinnamon on sugar powder. Lan landed many punches on his face, then the stable boy said. "Get off me, or I will punch you!"

"You want to saddle her?"Lanert yelled. "Do you want to saddle her? I kill you! I will kill you!"

Yet, Father ordered no one to separate them. Father let a stable boy beat Lanert hard and trashed his son. "Let him learn how to be a man."

The stable boy smirks. He got on Lanert, sat on his belly, and beat him hard. Lanert almost fainted. Luckily Alice came and pulled the stable boy. She beat him up. Then everything was dark. 

While Lanert opened his eyes, he found comfort warm in the glittering golden chamber. It was in his bed-chamber, with Alice groping his right palm, face lying on the bed, and his stepmother on a sofa, snoring. It looked like two ladies were there for a whole night. 

"Alice."

"Hmm? Oh, you wake up." Alice drolled, closing her eyes while smiling. 

Lanert sat and pulled Alice in, hugging her tight. He pulled her, chest against chest, and his chin landed on Alice's shoulder. "Never leave me! Never go with that stupid boy again!"

"What? Who?"

Lanert ends up hugging her, now directly in her eyes. "Stable boy. Ignore him."

Alice giggled. "He? Yeah, he has a crush on me. He tried to seduce me. Rest assured, I beat him in the barn and beat his two other friends. Your mom ordered those boys to be away. Now, they do not work here anymore."

"What? How fast? How long did I sleep?"

"It's been three days already. He beat you hard. I beat him hard, and I tried to ask for forgiveness, but that happened."

"At the barn?" Just like my brother said. "You hardly trust anyone, but why do you trust that stupid boy?"

"Don't laugh."

"Okay."

"He wanted to teach me how to make a boy love me. So, I trust him. Besides, he seems nice, and your father trusts him with a horse. How foolish I am. 

The girl catches Lanert off guard. "What? Who? Who do you want to love? Tell me, tell me who!"

Alrich's blithe spirit echoed and almost woke up Mom. He put his voice down. "Well, Alice, he would be jealous if you got near a man. So, you better avoid another man that potentially steals you from your boyfriend."

"I am not." Lanert looked reddened like boiling meat. "She is free to go with anyone, and I am not her boyfriend."

Alice blushed, tild her eyes down. Her smile was innocently sweet. 

"So, to keep your flower away from other bees. You need to sting them, my sweet little brother. Here, I have something for you." Alrich showed a scabbard that created a fuss in Lanert's eyes.

"A sword?"

"The slimmed sword I ever saw," Alrich added.

The sheath was soft grey leather, supple as sin. Alrich drew out the blade slowly so that Lanert could see the deep blue sheen of the steel.

He put the sword in Lanert's hands, showed his little brother how to hold it, and stepped back.

"First lesson," Alrich said. "Stick them with the pointy end."

"Thanks, bro." Lanert gave him a whap on the arm with the flat of her blade. Alrich found himself grinning like an idiot. "I know which end to use," Lanert said.

"So, what are you going to call it?" Alice asked. "Every sword has a name, right?"

Alrich answered, "Widowmaker?"

Lanert nagged. "That sounds too scary."

"Stable boy's worst nightmare?" Alrich giggled. 

"I named mine Winter Solace, or winter for short." Alice showed her weapon. "Because it's white, and while I grab it, it gives me solace."

"Acerose."

Ace, from Alice and Rose, because Alice was Lanert's most valuable rose. He smiled at Alice, her rose that was always with him.