CHAPTER FOUR

Thankfully the training yard was empty, no one was here trying their hardest, pretending to know how to properly swing a sword.

I spent most of my life away from the capital of Moonspear, raised alongside Acrisius in Temeria when my aunt Erynis was baroness before she died.

One interesting thing about my aunt is that she wasn't like the other noble ladies, take for example countess Alexandra whose favorite hobby is to eat cakes and spend lavishly on toys for her dogs.

Aunt Erynis was a fighter, who taught me all I knew about swordplay.

The changing room was empty as well, I went to my closet where I stored my fighting leathers. I changed into them and picked my favorite weapon from the array. My sword chaos.

The sword itself was light, but sharp as cut glass. If someone was to cross me while I wielded this blade, well… they would find themselves adorned with cuts.

Amenadiel had his sword unsheathed and his cape discarded unto the ground when I returned from the changing room. "I figured if you wanted to hit something, it should be a moving target don't you think?" he smiled, and I couldn't help but smile too.

"No thank you," I told him "The last time I swung a sword at you, I was flat on the floor"

He barked a laugh "You told me not to hold back your highness" I did, but I never expected him to be so quick.

"I'm glad you didn't. You're a great swordsman, probably the best I've ever met" apart from my aunt of course. I know for a fact that if she still lived, she would plant Amenadiel's back on the ground.

"Get ready then," I told him, then swung.

Amenadiel easily dodged the first three swipes with his hands at his back, I always wondered how he did that. "Come on, your highness," he taunted. "Show me what you've got."

And I'll show him alright.

I darted forward, chaos flashing in a swift, precise arc. Amenadiel parried easily, his sword meeting mine with a ringing clash. We danced across the training yard, our blades weaving a complex pattern of attack and defense.

I tried remembering the moves he used in our last sparring match, and I was getting them. I anticipated his strikes and parried "You're doing well your highness" he commended.

He then suddenly moved faster, and swung harder, pushing me to do the same.

Sweat dripped down my face as I launched chaos in a flurry of rapid strikes. Amenadiel stumbled back, his eyes narrowing as he struggled to keep up. I sensed victory within my grasp for the first time since we've sparred, and I pressed my advantage. That's when I heard Acrisius' voice, calling out from the sidelines. "Natalya, be careful!"

My concentration wavered, my gaze flicking towards Acrisius. Amenadiel seized the opportunity, his sword flashed in a swift, powerful arc, knocking chaos from my grasp. I tried to recover, but it was too late.

Amenadiel swept my legs from under me, and I landed flat on the ground, the wind knocked out of me. I glared up at Amenadiel, who offered me a hand up, his expression triumphant.

"I thought you knew not to get distracted during a fight" he said.

I ignored the triumphant look on his face as I walked straight up to Acrisius.

"Unless you have a good reason to distract me and cost me the first victory I would have had over that mountain of a man, I suggest you get the hell out before I stab you" I told him.

I didn't actually mean it of course, but it's always fun how my cousin shivers at my threats. If Acrisius has a list of people he fears, I'm definitely on it.

His eyes fell to his boots, as if there was something there more interesting than I.

"I came to apologize, cousin," he started.

"Apologize for what Acrisius, you'll have to be more specific."

Oh, how I love taunting him, and I can't be blamed, he makes it so easy.

 "I should have taken your side at the meeting, though it would have not made much of a difference, I should have. It was wrong of me, and I apologize"

Under my hardened heart and witty remarks, I held love for this ogre of my cousin, and I would do anything for him. He is the only true family I have after all.

"All is forgiven cousin," I told him and delighted in the smile that elicited from him.

"Now how are you going to manage both Temeria and Sundara at once?" that was the real problem.

"I'll have to go home and go through the accounts, I need to squeeze out what funds I can and begin to send to Sundara, I also need to appoint an administrator… what am I going to do Nat?" my heart ached at his despair, what hurt me more was that there wasn't much I could do. Unfortunately, when I returned to the royal household, my allowance had been significantly cut, meaning I didn't earn as much as my brother before he became king.

That isn't going to stop me though, Acrisius was family, and I do anything for family.

"Let's go to your office and speak there"

Acrisius' office is a modest, unassuming space that reflects his practical and studious nature. The room is small, with plain stone walls and a simple wooden desk that dominates the center of the room.

The desk is cluttered with stacks of books, parchments and scrolls, giving the impression that Acrisius is always in the midst of researching something, but in reality most of those books are mine, borrowed from the library and unreturned.

A single narrow window high up on the wall lets in a silver of sunlight, casting a warm glow over the room. However, the overall atmosphere remains subdues, with a sense of quiet focus that suggests that he spent most of his time here, which he did.

There are no fancy tapestries, no ornate furniture, and no signs of opulence. I loved it.

I sat down on the fluffy couch and watched him pour me a glass of wine as he did for himself.

"What did you want to discuss?" he asked.

"It may not be much, but I am willing to split my allowance with you, to aid you in your rule"

I could swear I saw the light return to his eyes, and it almost creeped me out.

"But what about you?," he asked

"I'll be fine, it's a bit excessive for me anyway. You're family cousin, I'd do anything for you, as I know you'd do me"

His eyes brimmed with tears, and he intertwined our fingers together and planted soft kisses on them.

"Thank you Natalya," he cried as he continued to kiss my hand "Thank you"

I wrenched my hand free from his grasp and cleaned it on my leathers. "No need to make this overly sentimental cousin" I said, and immediately, he wiped his tears and sat upright.

I took the last sip of my wine and stood up.

"I need to get changed out of this sweat drenched leathers" I declared.

"How will I ever repay you?" he asked.

"Not interrupting my sparring match would be a start" I answered.

He barked a laugh, it was a genuine one, and it warmed my heart to hear it, I walked back to my chambers thinking about how my mother and Ramiel were setting Acrisius up to fail, how wicked could they be?

But he has me, and I will make sure failure is far from him.