The Promise of the Dawn

Chapter Twenty: The Tears of a Warrior

I may have been too carefree when accepting The Duke's invitation to rejoin training, because the second I walked onto that field and saw everyone staring at me, I wanted to retreat and hide within the elaborate covers of my bed back in the Estate. However, the one person I did not want to see wasn't there, so at least I had that going for me.

Or so I thought.

"Alright everyone, your attention please. As you're now all aware, Amaris will be rejoining our training, but only for a certain amount of time. Her and another classmate have been assigned to the first real mission of the year and will be away for that in a week's time. Now. You all know the drill. Lets break off into our pairs to start the day" The Duke demands, scattering the trainees.

It occurs to me that I now no longer have a partner, seeing as Arthur is nowhere in sight, so I begin to look around for Cael nearby, but am startled when I lay eyes on the very person I did not wish to see. Arthur. In the flesh. And he was walking towards me with a smile on his face like nothing had happened.

"Hey, partner!" He yells as he approaches me.

I've never despised a single human being more in my life. 

"I'm not your partner" I respond, swinging at him with my wooden sword.

He ducks, narrowly missing a blow to the head. And with that, we've engaged in a duel. And this time, it's not a friendly one, if it ever was before.  He swings and stabs at me with his sword, and the longer I see his face, the more I'm tortured by thoughts of that night in the Bathhouse, and the more tears well up in my eyes, preventing me from seeing.

On top of my rapidly declining eyesight, I can feel sobs collecting in my chest, which slowly affect my ability to breathe, and soon, after being defeated by Arthur, I run away towards the pond, sobbing profusely. Cael was right. I hadn't been ready for this.

I sit at the edge of the pond, trying to take control of my weeping.

"Are those tears in your eyes, Miss Amaris?" The Duke's voice asks me. I turn my head to look over my shoulder at him, quickly wiping away the tear that's slid down my cheek.

"No sir" I reply, putting on my best facade to make him believe I was okay.

"Well they better not be" He replies as he approaches me, sitting on the bank of the pond beside me.

"Because you're a weapon, my dear. And weapons don't weep" He explains, wiping the tear from my other cheek as I look into his eyes, trying desperately to keep up my unbothered facade.

"Remember that next time. And there will be a next time. We simply can't exist in this world without going through hardships. You must learn how to take those hardships, and redirect them into your fighting. Once you can do that, no one will be able to stop you. Got it?" The Duke asks.

"Now, lets get back to your studies" The Duke suggests, standing up and offering his hand to me, which I take willingly, letting him pull me back towards the training grounds.

Arthur still stands where I left him, probably wallowing in his victory, but I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction.

"Amaris wants a rematch" The Duke says as we approach the group.

Arthur looks me up and down doubtfully, but then shrugs, drawing his sword. I draw my own, setting myself in a powerful starting stance.

I take a deep breath, closing my eyes as I do so to center my thoughts and focus on the task at hand. When I open my eyes again, Arthur has charged at me, swinging his sword aggressively, but being blocked by my sword, which receives a strange look from him, like he was surprised by my ability to block it. The look in his eyes itself inspires me to fight harder, and I begin advancing on him.