"Are you sure your father will approve of this?" Ailwin asked Lin. She laughed, "Obviously not! He wants me to be a well-mannered lady, not the best soldier in all of Amaranth!"
"You know you can't be the best after just one training session." He told her, grinning at her confidence, one of the many qualities he admired about her.
"Of course, silly! That's why you will be training with me every day, so I can improve and become the best soldier ever!" her bright yellow eyes seemed to glow with excitement. Ailwin's smile faltered.
"But... I'm crippled. I can't train with you! I can barely stand." Ailwin said, glancing down at his amputated leg and the crutches that allowed him to stay upright, "I would never be able to fight like a soldier."
"Oh shut up, you pessimist!" Lin playfully shoved him, "you're always so full of self-doubt. If you just decided to let all of your insecurities go, you might actually be able to do something in life other than your silly magic and healing!" She grinned. He shoved her back.
"At least I'm not sick at the sight of blood!" Ailwin countered
"I am not!" Lin laughed, "I just... don't think father would like it if I stained my dress."
"Liar," he smirked, "you would do anything to get rid of those dresses."
"I bet you would wear a dress if you wanted to impress Prince Janis" Lin said, knowing she had won. She always won.
"I do not have a crush on your cousin!"
"Are you two arguing again?" interrupted a deep voice. They had somehow failed to notice the King enter the room.
"No, father. We were just... disagreeing." Lin said meekly.
"Is that a sword I see in your hands?" The humour in his voice disappeared, "Aureolin, you cannot become Queen one day if you insist on becoming the opposite of the polite young lady I have tried to raise."
"Yes, father," Lin said lowering her gaze to avoid the look of disappointment in his eyes.
"And you, Ailwin should be studying. I'm sure that Cassius has a new spell for you to work on." The King looked at him pointedly.
"Of course, Your Majesty, I'll start straight away" Ailwin said, glad to have an excuse not to train with Lin.
"You don't have to call me 'Your Majesty' all the time, Ailwin. Just Gervin will do."
"Of course, Yo- I mean Gervin," Ailwin bowed and left the room, eager to be gone before the King started on one of his lectures about how Lin needed to be a proper lady.
Ailwin sat up with a gasp, his eyes shining with tears. The blankets were twisted around him. He got out from his bed, grabbed his crutches and went to the window, the moon casting a silvery glow on his face. The stars twinkled in the black of night. Every night since Lin's death, he had been plagued with dreams of all his memories with her. He would then wake up with tears in his eyes.
Lin was his best friend, and now she was gone. And he didn't know what to do without her.
