SWORDS AREN'T TOYS

[LUCA]

The princess stalked off ahead of me as if she knew where we were going, even though I hadn't told her where or what we were doing yet.

It didn't come off as a surprise to me when the King told me about Lena's training, but I knew how happy and excited she would be when she found out. Over the years, Lena had changed in the way she carried herself, but deep inside was still that young girl who craved for adventure.

I smiled. I allowed her to lead the way and see where she'd take us.

I wondered why she didn't want her friend to come along. I was fine either way, but I guess it was better this way. Cecelia wasn't cut out for what we'd be doing.

"Wait." I stopped her just before she could walk out of the palace doors. "Where are you going?"

"Aren't we going outside?" she asked impatiently.

"Yes, but you probably need to get changed first."

Lena looked down at her extravagant but stiff-looking dress and smiled sheepishly. "Oh."

"Change into something simple. Comfortable," I suggested. "Something you can move freely in. Including your shoes. I'll be waiting for you here."

"Be right back."

She came back ten minutes later, tailed by a gaggle of maids, who were still trying to fix her hair and the new dress she was wearing. It was looser and more casual, but it was still a dress.

I frowned. It won't be easy for her to move. She could easily trip and fall. But what did I expect? Pants would've been more appropriate, but she was still a woman. They weren't allowed to wear those, sadly. It would just have to do.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Leave me," she muttered at her maids, who were now giving me the familiar interested looks, giggling and staring at me.

I ignored them, but Lena noticed.

"Leave!" Lena demanded, scowling. "Let's go, Luca." She took me by the arm and led me outside. She threw one last dirty look at the maids who were still milling by the entrance, and they quickly scattered.

"Where do you think you're going?" I asked as she led me along the courtyard.

She realized that her fist was still in a tight grip around my wrist, and she quickly dropped it. "I don't know, Luca," she grumbled. "Aren't we playing with swords today?"

"Swords are not toys," I told her.

A crease formed between her brows. "Whatever."

Something must've triggered her annoyance that I didn't know of, but I knew that the best way to handle it was to ignore it. After some type of distraction, she'll be back to her normal self in no time. And what we were about to do was definitely a good distraction.

"We're going to the training ground," I said.

Her eyes lit up in surprise. "Really? I'm finally allowed to go there?"

The princess's life was restricted within the palace and the inner ward, which comprised the palace grounds and the woods. The palace, surrounded by the woods where the princess often escaped, was situated on the highest point of a hill.

The steep rock face on the sides of the hill was impenetrable to invaders; that was why, whenever the princess went missing in the past, abduction risks were ruled out just as long as she wasn't seen leaving through the only entrance and exit to the outside world, a portcullis gate which connects the inner ward and the outer bailey.

The outer bailey, enclosed by fortified walls, is where the barracks, armory, stables, and training ground were located. A sloped, winding road leads to the outer gates at the bottom of the plateau, where it opens up to the rest of the kingdom of Ephemere. In the past, the princess was forbidden from venturing into the outer bailey.

The pure happiness on her face was very heart-warming.

I nodded. "As long as you're with me."

Lena grabbed my wrist again and steered me to the gate that led to the outer bailey. She lifted her head up high and eyed the guards warily as we walked past them, daring them to stop her.

I hid my smile. No one was going to stop her, like I'd said, as long as she was with me. I was already reputable among the guards, much more when I became captain. All of my business around the kingdom was on the King's orders, and no one would question it.

Men were going about their normal day, tending to their duties as we walked by them. Several looked up and noticed the princess at my side; and after getting over the initial surprise of seeing the princess up close for the first time, they quickly fell to their knees before her.

"Please, get up," Lena told them kindly before she moved to my other side and hid behind my shadow, urging me to walk faster.

The training ground, an area dedicated to the training of soldiers, was nestled in a corner of the battlements, behind the barracks. There were two entrances — one connected directly to the barracks, and the other one was a gated entrance on the side, often used for transporting heavy equipment. I led her to that.

After I opened the gate, Lena rushed inside the covered pathway beyond, looking relieved.

"Scared of people that much?" I commented.

"Of course, not!" she said fiercely.

I knew she just didn't want to draw any attention to herself, but that didn't prevent me from teasing her a bit.

Lena gasped once she saw the training ground. It was an open, grassy area, bordered on two sides by tall battlements, while the barracks and the back of the armory served as its third and fourth walls. Various training dummies made of thatch, wood, or bags of flour bound together by burlap sacks to wooden poles, dotted the area. Racks of weapons were set below a roofed section against the barracks' wall.

A number of guards were using the area, practicing with weapons on the wooden dummies. One of them had just retrieved a bow and arrow set from the weapon rack, about to start his training.

It took a while for them to notice our arrival, but when they finally did, they dropped their weapons and hastily approached us, bending their knees at the princess.

"Your Highness," the guard with the bow said nervously. "We weren't aware you were visiting."

"It's okay," Lena replied, sounding equally nervous. Please, carry on."

"No," I interrupted. "Leave us. The princess needs privacy for her training today." It was for the best. Knowing Lena, she would hate it if she knew other people were watching her.

"At once, Captain." The guards quickly returned the weapons and left us. They would inform the barracks that the training ground was off-limits for now.

"You didn't have to do that," Lena said quietly.

"I want to," I replied.

She looked at me in wonder and gave me a grateful smile before averting her eyes.

It wasn't long before excitement danced on her face again. I showed her the different weapons stored in the racks. They were training weapons, real ones, and available for anyone to practice with.

"So we're using swords, right?" she said cheerfully.

My eyes narrowed. "Not so fast."

"Why not? They're all here," she declared, waving her hand at the rack.

"In your current state, you won't be able to swing one, much less carry it," I said. I opened a chest beneath a rack and selected a lightweight wooden sword that the princess could easily handle. "You'll be using this for today."

"No. I'm more than capable of handling a real one," she insisted, scornfully looking at the wooden sword in my hand. "Didn't you just say swords aren't toys? Well, that is a toy, Luca."

I met her stubborn glare with an amused look.

"Okay, Lena." I decided to humor her. I took one of the real swords from the rack and held it out vertically to her, handle up, with the blade tip almost touching the ground.

She gave a smile of triumph and grabbed the sword handle.

I let go.

She was still holding on to the sword, but it instantly dropped to the ground, the tip embedding into the soft earth.

Just as I expected. The weight of the sword was too much for her weak, inexperienced arm to bear.

"Ow. Why is it so heavy?!" she exclaimed, trying to lift it with both her hands. The sword rose to about a couple of inches before it struck the ground again.

Using only one hand, I plucked the sword out of her hands effortlessly and secured it back on the rack. "Like I said…" I pushed the wooden sword into her hands. "We'll be using this today."

"Fine!" Lena shot me a defiant look, but she accepted the wooden, much lighter, wooden sword. "But only for today."

I smiled. I was quite fond of her stubbornness. "This way, Your Highness."