𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟏 — 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭-𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫!

"Get back up, Adeline," Aeron barked across the field when my back, for the 12 times today fall back onto the ground. My partner, a 6 feet tall male name Lucian, once again held his hand to my front for me to take. I huffed a strand of hair at the front of my face before taking in his hand.

Standing back on my two feet, Lucian doesn't waste much time before he once again lunges forward and hit my sides and the side of my calf. "Ouch, have mercy on me would you?" I said, glaring at the brunette man. His ivory skin glimmers under the sun. His thick brows arched and his deep chocolate eyes stared right at me with a slight hint of amusement.

"I would've been merciful to a lady," he started, as he slowly turned his posture into a laid-back stance. "But this is where you had to picture yourself on a battlefield. You have to attack and stop hesitating on your moves," he said, bringing his wooden sword to his sides.

Then he held his stare until he coughed and cleared his throat. He then placed his sword behind his back and look back at me before saying, "I have a proposition. I want you to hit me with all your might. I wouldn't fight back. I can only defend and dodged your attack. And if. And only if, you hit me, then you win."

"What do I get if I win?"

"You will at least be faster than how you are now," he said, shrugging in a nonchalant manner.

"But that is not a gift."

A chuckle emits from him as he sizes me up, letting his eyes run me with pure interest. "Yes, it is," he said again.

"No, it's not," I pushed.

"Take it or else."

"Or else what?"

His lips opened to reply but then he stopped as they hang open without words rushing out of him. I raised an eyebrow staring at the man. I could see his crease deepening and his face filled with uncertainty, trying to find the 'punishment for refusing his gift'.

I shook my head as I laughed lightly at his reaction. I would never have guessed I'd be seeing this side of the knights before this. Especially not after what I experienced during my first arrival.

"You can buy me a drink if I win," I offered him a suggestion. To which he quickly nodded. "You really want me to hit you?" I gripped the end of my stick tighter as my eyes starts running around his figure, starting to come up with visions of attacks that I could use on him.

"Yes," he said, nodding as he once again, placed his hands on his back. "Give me your best."

And immediately I sprang up and lunges at him. Every hit that I attempted, was to my dismay, dodged. He shifted left and right, jumped, and easily ducked each of my attacks. Yet I keep going. I keep trying. The more times I missed, the more determined I was to catch him, at least once.

But Lucian is as quick as a bunny. He's too swift for me to catch.

My breathing grows harder as time passes, and my feet start staggering clumsily, trying to catch him.

But alas, when Aeron called everyone off the field for a break. I still haven't been able to get my sword close to Lucian. And he smiled, patting my back lightly. "You did a wonderful job on your first day, lady."

"I have a name, you know," I said, staring up at him.

"So do I. And you know mine and I do hear yours being spoken around once in a while," he said. "Adeline, is it?"

He knows my name.

"Yes. I know your name. You're actually the talk in town these past few days."

Of course. That's how he knows me. The girl who wouldn't stop approaching danger or rather be approached by danger.

He nods as if reading my mind. "That is why you have to learn how to grow and fight to protect yourself." I stared at him in disbelief. The people in the army is a bunch of mind reader it seems. And as I thought that, he grinned and suddenly, leaned in and whispered. "You may never know. You may be right and I might just as well be a mind reader."

"Wha– how did you do that?"

"Do what?" he asked, pulling himself away from me with a face of ignorance.

"Read my mind, more than twice."

"You're just easy to read, lady."

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are." He reached forward and start pinching my cheeks, earning himself a glare from me. "Your little small face makes it so obvious what you may be saying in your head," he said, laughing lightly.

"Oh hahaha," I laughed dryly alongside him. "I do seem quite so gullible aren't I? Can you let me go now? It's impolite to do this when you just met me today, Lucy."

He paused for a moment. His expression halted. "You gave me a lady's name," he said, with a slight grimace.

"Yes. Now let me go."

"No." His serious expression that had been laced permanently on his face the whole day today was now gone. In its place was his toothy childish grin. He smiled with a twinkle sparkling in his eyes. And his laughter which echoed through the area was pleasant, but not to my ears. I merely glared at him, wanting to be off of him.

"Oi, stop being cat and dog you two," Aeron yelled from the porch. "Come on in, everyone's eating. Aren't you two going to join us?"

"I'm alright," I heard Lucian yell back to Aeron, without turning his head away from me.

He might be good with skipping lunch, but I'm not. I'm terribly not. I'm famished. Today was so hard for me and I'm hungry and tired. All I want is to eat and sleep. Back on my bed. I don't care where. In Hilda's home or in Nicholas's home. If only I can be granted at least a fifteen minutes rest.

I stared at Aeron with pitiful eyes, as if to beg him to save me from Lucian's grip. And he sighs, shaking his head.

"Lucian," he started. But before Aeron could finish what he was about to say next, my stomach suddenly growled loudly, resonating across the field. Earning me the eyes of both of the males. I turned my gaze away, embarrassed as I mutter curses under my breath at the audacity of my stomach lowering me down more than I already am right now.

Lucian laughed as he finally lets my cheeks go. "You could've just said that you're hungry."

"I could've," I said shortly, not sparing him a glance as I hurriedly ran passed Aeron and walked into the kitchen to join the others. I sat in one of the chairs, sitting opposite Jude. I didn't notice it before, but when I was addressed by a familiar voice, I looked up and was almost surprised to see him.

Greysen is joining us for lunch. His eyes were intent on me, with full interest. He arched his eyebrow my way before asking, "I asked, how was your first day, Adeline?"

"Oh. It was fine. I'm bad at it. As you can tell."

"That. Is as expected," he said, before continuing, "But Aeron wishes to keep you under his wings. So I wished you good luck, Adeline."

I merely nodded at him. Gazing around, no one dares to make any move toward the food in front of them. They merely stared at Greysen. Almost as if, waiting for him to take his first bite. As much as it tortures me, I waited just like the others.

Greysen hardly even acknowledge the food. He keeps asking questions and demanding answers. Alongside it, I heard quite a few more important intel that I could share to warn Odell later.

"Any recent news on witchcraft activity in the woods?" he asked them.

"I saw a young girl running in there yesterday," one of the knights answered.

"How is that relevant to what I'm asking?" Greysen asked again, in a monotone voice, his eyes were staring deadly at the knight who had just spoken.

"She had antlers."

Oh no.

"Spawn of devils," I heard Greysen comment after.

"Do you know where to find the girl?" he asked again, towards the very same knight.

"Yes, sir. I called her over and gave her some treats and offered to walk her home," the knight answered. "At first she was hesitant but then, she lets me and I was taken deep into an invisible border which separates the wood from a village. Before I was found out by the others, I hurriedly left the town."

"Just like that? You let her go, just like that?" Greysen's voice was suddenly high as he slammed his palm onto the wooden table making everyone grow alerted to the point that their back suddenly sat straight. His eyes were staring straight at the shaken knight.

Aeron who couldn't stop fidgeting, suddenly interrupted the two, "Sir, if you may. I like to think Gareth did well letting her believe that he was not a threat. It would make it easier for us to fool them if we do need entrance. Besides, now we know where they were hiding."

For a moment Greysen stopped.

For a moment he sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He leaned his back against the chair and nodded. "That's right. Well done," he said for a moment before continuing, "That sure moves our plan closer to the annihilation of those– those... devil's spawn." He cringed as he mention it.

Then suddenly, he pushed his chair away from the table. Staring down at us. "Go ahead and eat without me. I'll be upstairs if anyone needs me." And then he walked away. Leaving the quiet room alone.

Even after he left, no one makes any sudden move to grab any of the food laid on the table. It would be a waste and despite how much my stomach is protesting, I think I had lost my appetite after all. I couldn't possibly eat at a time like this. Not when my guts won't stop twisting with worry. It's not helping when my mind just won't stop running either.

A hidden village? Antlers? Odell's family?

More and more questions flows through my mind and I stared blankly into the empty space. I was held in my own mind and was only brought out of it when I heard Aeron's voice calling out to me as he gently shook me out of my string of thoughts.

Turning to face him, he gave me a sympathetic look. "Did he shock you?" he asked. His head hang low before he continued again, "He can be hard and cruel on people sometimes. But you'll get used to it. He isn't that horrible. He's just more on edge lately."

He's talking about Greysen.

I merely nodded at him.

"You can eat. You were hungry a moment ago."

"No." I shook my head. "I'm not hungry anymore," I lied.

Nodding as if understanding my discomfort, he didn't push me further. In the corner of my eyes, I can see Lucian staring at me and I turned to face him, meeting his eyes. He didn't budge at the contact and kept his gaze on me as I did the same.

Suddenly he coughed and stood up from his seat. Then he cleared his throat and look directly at me, "Adeline, let's go and spar again," he said to me.

And I nodded, following him out of the room while the others stays in there having their peaceful lunch.

"He's a hot-headed man. But he was more reserved today. Maybe because you were here. If that is why he was acting differently, I can almost say, I'm glad you are here," he spoke lightly as we arrived back outside.

"That was a matter of uncertainty and if that was true, that would be weird. Forget that bit. You can already be happy with just me being here because I'm special. I bet you have never seen any fighter like me before," I said, grinning as I wiggled my brows.

"Yes. you're extremely special."

"Hey, I wasn't that bad!" I laughed, picking a wooden sword off the ground.

"Right. You didn't even tap me once."

"You said I did well for a first-timer!" I pouted at the man, my sword held on my side.

He responded with another laugh as he held his hands back on his back. "You were good... if you fought along some 8 years old," he said, grinning mischievously at me.

"Oh, you're so going to get it."

And as he laughed, I lunged at him again, once again trying to tap him, at least once with my sword.

"Come on, Adeline, Is that the best you can do?"

"Urgh, shut up. I'm trying my best here! Stop going away so fast!" I keep trying to slash him, but all my sword could feel was the empty taste of the air every time he turned swiftly away from me.

"You're clearly not doing enough," he chuckled.

What a prickly little bunny.

We spent hours that felt like a couple of petty minutes training sword-fighting, or more specifically, me slashing the air and him hopping around joyfully like a crazy maniac. We laughed at every move we made. The noon soon ended and evening soon arrived.

What a bizarre pair.