Erivale: The Lost Princess

Chapter 12: Part 1

Leaving the practice facility, I was sweaty, and my muscles were already growing sore. Gerard intercepted me on my path back to my room.

"Ah, Amberleigh, I was just on my way to fetch you. You have a lesson with Soren in half an hour's time."

I groaned in exhaustion. "I can't even get a little break?" I gave Gerard my best puppy dog face.

"I, uh, well, if you really need it, I can discuss with Soren to reschedule for a later date," he rambled nervously.

I laughed gently. "It's okay, Gerard, I'm mostly teasing. I just need to get ready quickly."

"I've already had Leda summoned to your chambers."

"Thanks, Gerard, you're a lifesaver."

A wide grin split his tanned face. "Why, thank you! That means very much to me coming from you, Amberleigh."

Leda helped me to quickly bathe and change into a proper dress. The left shoe was just sliding onto my foot when Soren was announced by the guards and was allowed entrance. "Hello, Amberleigh, how was your first combat lesson?"

"Is it normal for my limbs to feel like they are going to fall off?"

Soren chuckled, "Yes, yes, it is. I remember I was sore for three weeks straight when I first started."

"Great," I mumbled.

He laughed again. "Sword fighting is an art that requires complete control of your body, training, and suffering now will give you a greater chance of surviving later."

"So Ulric has been telling me," I said.

"Enough discussion on sword fighting, I'll leave that between you and Ulric." He winked. "Today, I thought we could move our lesson to the library. It's a wonderful place and will give us access to all the books we need."

"This place has a library?"

"Yes! One of the largest libraries in Erivale as a matter of fact," Soren said proudly.

"Wow, I guess I should have guessed. But now I'm excited, I love libraries."

"Then you will love this one," Soren said happily and stuck out his arm for me to grab. Saying goodbye to Leda, I left with Soren as he walked me through the palace. I tried to keep a close eye on the turns we took, knowing that if I ever got any more free time that I would love to spend it reading in the library. Although free time was a rarity for me nowadays.

We stopped in front of a pair of ornately carved wooden doors. The honey brown surface depicted swirling vines and leaves at the base. The plants crept their way up the surface and then began to morph into the shape of Elves. Soon Elves were standing fully formed at the top of the door. It was beautiful.

"This image is popular amongst history texts in Ithica, it's one of the origin stories of the Elves. We'll get into it in our lesson today," Soren explained.

He pushed open the door that whispered across the floor as it revealed the contents it was hiding. My mouth gaped open to the sight inside. The floor was a patterned diamond tile that was polished to such a glassy surface that it was able to reflect the shelves around it. The walls and shelves were all white wood with gold accents and the towering stacks of books spanned two entire stories. The library stretched about 50 yards deep and had beautiful Frescos within the domed ceilings.

My eyes didn't know where to look first. The large stacks of books were begging me to investigate them, but the fresco on the ceiling was calling to the painter in my soul.

I was shaken from my ogling when Soren walked past me and sat down at one of the many tables within the room. I took my seat across from him in a cushioned, wooden chair.