A Delicate Flower

While William and Viola were on their date, Cecilia was at a secluded field training. She finally felt that she was at a place where she could join the school's tournament. Even without a talent for nature magic she wanted to prove herself. When she left for her training, she brought three well-trained palace guards with her. She practiced hand to hand combat with one of the palace guards she brought with her and went through similar training set ups as the kingdom's soldiers. She no longer wanted to only be regarded as the beautiful or the intelligent princess. She wanted to be recognized as true royalty, to become even a third as powerful as Viola was. Using Viola as her goal might have been ambitious but it was better to aim high rather than settling for a mediocre standard.

After hours of training, she took a break. The sun was covered by the clouds and the wind lightly brushed against her skin. The scent of the grass and earth surrounded her. She sat on the ground and crossed her legs, then looked down at her hands which now no longer resembled those of a delicate princess. A faint smile appeared briefly. It wasn't much but it was a beginning, the beginning of her change.

Of the three palace guards which were with her, one had gone to get refreshments and the other two were guarding the surrounding area rather than hovering around the princess. Cecilia was grateful that they respected her wishes. It was quiet and peaceful. She looked up at the sky, the clouds, free to move as they pleased. She then lay on the ground and used her palms to hold the back of her head. As she continued to watch the sky, her mind started to drift.

When Cecilia first started at the Briswold Academy, she was brimming with excitement. She couldn't wait to learn new things, meet new people, make friends and grow stronger. It was bright at the beginning but grew dim over time. As everyone around her was rushing forward, she seemed to remain stagnant. Things got worse when one day she accidentally overheard a conversation between two girls she thought were her friends.They called her "Princess" in a mocking manner, laughed at her lack of talent and reveled at her naivety. When she saw them later that day, they smiled as though they were angels but they could no longer hide their horns from her. Those she once held close, never held her close. After that, she had her classes changed to be primarily done with Delima. She didn't attend the Academy unless it was necessary. She built a wall around herself and shielded her heart.

"Princess, he's back!"

The palace guard's words brought Cecilia back to reality. It was for the best. There was no good that would come from thinking of the past.

While the Princess had some light refreshments, she started thinking about the upcoming tournament. The school's tournament lasted for three days. The first day was usually considered a kind of warm up where it was easy for participants to get points. Once you could show a decent performance and earn points, those points could be redeemed at the Briswold Academy for items or special privileges. The events of the first day would consist of archery, single and team races, which were held among different classes, and an obstacle course. The second day would be a group hunting activity. During the hunt, teams would be formed through drawing lots and the number of members per team would vary based on the difficulty of the hunt and the number of overall participants. The third and final day was for individual, 1 v 1 matches. These matches are what normally draws the most attention, you can not only gain more points but also have a chance to showcase your talents to the royal family, high ranking priests and military personnel. It was a good opportunity for both the participants and observers as it made recruitment easier.

Cecilia had already started to think of strategies that could be used during the tournament but she also knew quite well that there would be some things which would be beyond her control. Whatever the case may be however, she didn't want to end the tournament with any regrets.

After finishing the light refreshments, she stretched for a bit then resumed training. She practiced hand to hand combat with another one of the royal guards until it was time for the sun to rest and the moon to rise. If not for the guards constantly urging her to rest, she would've kept going until the sun rose again. Her perfectly formed ponytail was a mess, her training suit was covered in dirt, she was drenched in sweat and her legs and arms quivered. Luckily they had a carriage, otherwise, she may not have been able to walk back.

When the Princess returned, she was told of Viola's visit. While she wanted to rush to see her immediately, it wouldn't have been appropriate at that time plus she didn't have much energy to 'rush' anywhere. In addition, it didn't seem as though it was anything urgent so while she wanted to see Viola, she decided to prioritize her training. She continued her training routine until the very evening before the tournament.