Chapter 6: Alice

Aside from Grey's encounters with Verion's soldiers or the townspeople, Grey didn't exactly get much interaction with kids his age. Verion wouldn't let him train in the different academies or let him run around the town meeting and playing with other children. This wasn't much of a bother to Grey, as he was used to being alone from his time living in the village of the Nightshades. So he happily lived his life, ignoring children his age, continuing to run around training and playing all alone, that is until not long after his 15th birthday, 5 years after having met Verion, Grey met another influential figure in his life, a girl, and this girl was the definition of calamity. Her name was Alice, and from the moment Grey saw her he was enamored by her.

Grey stood beside Verion nervously wringing his hands together. Verion glanced down at Grey and smiled, "Why not take a deep breath hmm? The purple lilies are in full bloom, they are quite beautiful are they not?" Verion said, gently swinging his cane at Grey.

"Mhmm. I guess." Grey muttered. He looked up at Verion. "How long is she gonna be staying with us? I mean, a girl? And from what you told me she isn't some normal farmers girl either, well not saying there's anything wrong with a farmer's girl I was just saying that the way you described her that she seemed like she was a princess or something so I was just wondering-"

Verion put his hand out, "Woah there kid. Let's take it down a notch ok? Just take a deep breath."

Grey looked out towards the castle gate breathing in deeply, "You're right. You're right. No need to freak out. At. all." Just then an envoy of about 30 soldiers entered through the gate to Verion's property, all covered in immaculate silvery armour, and long blades hilted at their sides. Upon their chest was the image of a winged beast covered in cracks, the crest of the Availion Kingdom. A few of them were marching in the front, while the others formed a circle around an ornate carriage.

"Shall we say hello?" Verion said to Grey, pulling his hat off and bowing. Grey gulped and followed suit, bending over just a tad bit more than he should have.

"Uncle Verion!" Grey's eyes flew open, and he stood up straight, and straight in front of him was the image of an angel. A frilly looking girl with long silky smooth blonde hair, and angel blue eyes. Her skin, from what Grey could see through the decadent dress she wore, was almost a rose gold color. Verion slapped Grey on the back jaring him back to his senses, "This here, is my pupil. His name is Grey."

Grey's face reddened and he looked away from Alice's gaze. He felt like running away. "Not freaking out? Yeah right!' Grey thought, ' Verion didn't tell me the girl coming was gonna look like THAT! This is brutal! Argh! I'm gonna make a fool of myself, but It's not like I'm Verion's son right? Right?' But just as Grey's nerves were getting the best of him, he felt a warm gentle grip clasping both his hands. Looking back at Alice, Grey froze.

Alice, with her head slightly tilted to the side, holding Grey's hands, giggled, "I'm Alice. Nice to meetcha!" Grey thought his heart was gonna explode.

But like a hero coming to save a damsel in distress, Verion swooped in, extending his arm out towards Alice. "Young maiden, if I may, I would like to give you the tour."

Alice smiled, "Of course uncle!" She said, letting go of Grey's hands and wrapping her arms into Verion's.

As they began to walk away, Verion turned back towards Grey and whispered in his ear, "Oh yeah, I forgot, she is a princess." As he waltzed away from Grey's reddening face, he shouted, "Grey, don't forget you need to go train with the captain today!"

Alice looked up at Verion, "He trains with the captain of your guard?"

"Oh yes my dear." Verion purred, "Grey is my finest soldier. A true specimen. A man among men..."

Alice laughed, "I get it uncle, I get it. I'll have to get to know him better then." She said, looking back at Grey who was still standing dumbfounded by the events that had just transpired.

Grey shook off the nerves and angst of meeting Alice, but he couldn't wipe the smile from his face as he made his way into the arena where Captain Pierce was standing, sword in hand. "You're late." Pierce said tossing Grey the sword he had been leaning on.

Grey smirked, "Sorry," He said, smirking, "Got caught up with a uhh- situation."

"Whatever, doesn't matter. Do you need to stretch or warm up? Or are you good to go? I don't have particularly long today so I need to make sure we-" Pierce was interrupted by the clank of metal hitting his sword.

Laughing, Grey said, "Captain Pierce, you talk too much." Grey, having closed the distance between him and Pierce shifted his back legs weight behind him and dipped the hilt of his blade and jammed it into Pierce's stomach.

"Mhmm." Pierce grunted. "Bastard." Pierce brought his left hand up with the speed of lighting towards Grey's throat and wrapped his fingers tightly around his neck. "Too cocky kid. You can't just dive forward and expec-"

Grey used his left hand to push the blade of his sword with heavy force into Pierce's jaw causing his grasp on his neck to let go causing Grey to drop to the ground. Dashing back Grey began to regroup. Standing up straight he began to spin his sword in his right hand. "You ready old man?" Grey said, twirling his sword in his fingers. Captain Pierce spit out blood and smiled. Grey smiled back, and brought his sword up to his left shoulder, and slashed outward, his signature move.

"Haha!" Pierce laughed, "Is that supposed to intimidate me?" Pierce put both hands on his blade, and charged towards Grey.

Grey met him halfway in a full sprint, his sword in his right hand. Grey sword came flying up from the lower left while Pierce's sword came crashing down from the right. The two swords clashed together. Grey tucked to the left bringing the sword under Pierce's blade to his left shoulder, but while he was turning his wrist to turn the blade to slash Pierce pushed the tip of his blade down toward the ground and swung his blade towards Grey once again. Grey stepped his left foot out and spun in a full circle evading Pierce's blade. While spinning, Grey rotated his wrist back the other way and brought his sword upward. Before the blade could reach Pierce's neck Pierce's left hand grabbed the blade. Immediately following up with his slash Grey's left hand came crashing into the side of Pierce's face in a left hook. Pierce, using the force of the blow, ducked his shoulder under Grey's blade pitting the flat part of the blade between his shoulder and inner neck. Then, with massive power and force he thrust his shoulder back snapping the blade in half. As he snapped the blade back his right hand came flying around and crashing right into Grey's face sending him flying backwards.

"You always try to do cool closers right off the bat." Pierce said brushing his shirt off and picking up his blade off the ground.

"Well yeah. What if there were more opponents or someone I needed to protect. Isn't it better to quickly finish off your opponent rather than wasting your energy trying to wait for the perfect opportunity to strike them down?" Grey said, picking himself off the ground while wiping the blood from his nose.

"Son of a… I got blood on my shirt!" Pierce shouted. Pierce looked back toward Grey with a look of annoyance, "Yes." He said, walking back towards the entrance. "Well honestly it depends. With the way you fight it probably is best if you just go for their throat right off the bat. But be careful of that. Everytime you go for one of those finishing blows you make yourself vulnerable to a counter attack, just like what happened a minute ago."

Grey's face was serious as he stared off into the ground. "Ok. Awesome. Gotcha. We doing another round?"

Pierce's back was already facing Grey. "Not today kid." He said, raising his hand in the air waving. "I'd lose face if I beat up a kid too many times."

"Whatever old man." Grey said smiling, blood still dripping from his nose.