Sparring with Samuel

Isabelle ate her lunch in the servants' quarters, sitting next to a very talkative Jane. She giggled at Jane's enthusiasm to share the latest gossip, glad that she wasn't the subject of it but rather another handsome man in the city. She helped to tidy afterwards and supported some chores as she tried to clear her mind.

"Did you hear of the occurrence the other night? With his highness, the princess, and the duchess?" Some young maid said quietly but not quietly enough for Isabelle not to hear it from inside the laundry room. Her heart sunk and she felt a painful knot.

"I did! What did she think?!" Another maid answered.

"I know! It is so obvious that his highness cares about the princess. I've heard some of the things he yelled at the duchess. It seems that she tried to seduce him."

"Poor princess. It must've been horrible to see."

"Well yes, but if my husband reacted like that at a naked woman I would be rather pleased." The maid chuckled.

"That's true. It is obvious that his highness is smitten with his wife. I just can't believe that the duchess thought she had a chance!"

The maids slowly walked away, still not realising that Isabelle was nearby. Isabelle contemplated the words of the two maids and was surprised to realise that the gossip spreading was in her favour rather than in Annette's favour. She felt a pang of guilt at that thought. Cassian and Annette loved each other and only because of this poor arranged marriage Cassian was with her.

Isabelle dwelled on it all the time that she folded the laundry which only worsened her mood.

Later in the afternoon Isabelle went back to the greenhouse very happy with the progress of all of the plants. Her grandfather used to say that she had a green thumb, a gift. Things used to grow somehow quicker and healthier when she tended to it. Isabelle knew that it was just her attentiveness. Her head was filled with the memories of her grandfather Gideon and it fuelled her feeling even more upset.

Samuel found her when it was almost the agreed time of their sparring session.

"How did resolving the brawl go?" Isabelle asked as she wiped her hands clean from the soil.

"It's all sorted and a few disruptive individuals are in a dungeon awaiting a trial." Samuel said with satisfaction.

"It sounds like you've resolved it rather swiftly." Isabelle nodded in approval as they've walked towards the training grounds.

"Yes. It's not an issue." Samuel was so nonchalant with her. Isabelle knew that she could relax completely beside him. She didn't force a fake smile on but rather let her emotions show. "It helps that I am well experienced in starting the brawls. I know the triggers and hence I know how to stop them."

Isabelle gave him a bit of a side-eye.

"And I almost started to form a better opinion of you." Isabelle shook her head.

"Did you? That's interesting." Samuel laughed deeply.

They've approached a fenced area with equipment laid out on the table. Isabelle wasn't shy in picking the wristbands and gloves that were to protect her uncovered skin in case the blades slipped. Samuel did the same, taking his cape off and making sure that his hair was tied.

Isabelle picked up a sword and looked at it up and down, feeling where the balance of it was before she turned around and looked back at Samuel. It was a decent craftsmanship but it was certainly a training sword.

The training grounds were quiet with barely a few distant passersby. The wind was gently blowing and the sun was creeping from behind the thick clouds. The weather was quite temperamental these days but improving from day to day.

"Are you ready?" Samuel asked with a smirk, convinced that he was going to win. Isabelle didn't look like a fighting opponent today, still wearing her dark green dress of light fabric and her hair still flowing in locks. She didn't do anything to prepare for the sparring session. The dress was comfortable enough to move and breathe in.

Isabelle nodded, walking towards the centre of the area. The ground was muddy, squishy under her feet. Her boots were sinking in with every step. The days of rain softened the soil making it a challenging terrain to move quickly in.

Samuel rushed in first and Isabelle deflected the hit with an ease. The confident smirk vanished off Samuel's face before he charged again. Isabelle defended with a fiery force.

However, Isabelle's calmness slowly transformed with every new hit. She went from her defensive stance to being the one attacking. The fight finally opened up her bottled emotions. The anger that Annette played her and Cassian like that. That she was a laughing stock at a palace with everyone seeing that Annette was his love. Her step-mother and half-sister coming to tell everyone that she wasn't Adeline with no though of the consequences for Isabelle and only because they now know that Cassian was going to be a king. She was wounded and hurt. 

"Woah!" Samuel took a few steps back after a particularly heavy hit. Only now he realised how serious that fight was becoming. He saw Isabelle's face twist in anger. Her eyes twinkled with danger. She didn't intend to fight as seriously as this but as they fought, the bottled anger started to rise up. Everyone in the court pretended that they believed her to be Adeline, including Samuel who then acted as if he was doing her a favour for 'hiding' her identity. Another hit almost knocked Samuel off balance. "What the heck?!" Samuel started to feel the risks of the fight. "Are you angry or something?"

"You knew that I was Isabelle! You acted as if you kept my secret! You made it seem like you were doing me a favour!" Isabelle shouted her last thoughts as she swung the sword with a fierce force that Samuel has not yet experienced. Each and every hit made him stumble back. He was taking on solely the defensive stance. Isabelle spat out her words in fury.

"Chill out." Samuel managed to mumble, for the first time fearing for his life. Isabelle saw only red and hit once more. This time with sufficient force that Samuel fell back, sinking into the mud. She pointed the sword at Samuel's neck with no intend of harming him. But fear flashed through Samuel's face. He breathed heavily, looking down at a blade with his lip quivering. Isabelle stopped, in shock of the reaction she accidentally evoked, and an unexpected win.