(Thank you for all the votes and comments so far on my story! I am happy everyone is enjoying it :) )
The next few days went by without a hitch. I progressed through Seth's trials for sword fighting, and today I was beginning my second set of classes. I didn't yet know who my trainer was, but whomever it was going to be was already 10 minutes late.
As I stood beside the gardens with my wooden sword in my hand, I yawned softly. The sun was beginning to warm the chill in the air on this cool autumn day. It was nearing the middle of November now, meaning soon the snow would start to fall. I hoped Sirius would be back soon from his stint on the front lines, and I also hoped this war would subside before Christmas time.
"I'm ready." A soft, meek voice muttered beside me, and I was shaken from my deep thoughts. I looked over and watched the man with long, purple hair pass by me calmly, stepping to his position a few feet from me. Once he was at his target distance, he shifted into battle stance. His bright, golden eyes were fixated on me.
"Luka.." I couldn't help but mutter in surprise and awe. Luka had always been so quiet and shy, but from a distance I could tell he was not only a skilled Army member, but a serious, well disciplined man.
"Are you prepared Alice?" I shifted my feet to one infront of the other and shook the thoughts from my head. I set my focus on Luka.
"I'm ready."
Within seconds he was infront of me, throwing blow after blow at my sword as I flailed back and forth, attempting to dodge. I was shocked at his speed, he was the fastest I'd seen yet. The fight was over in milliseconds as he pushed my sword back and tripped me, me falling back onto my behind and Luka thrusting the rounded point of his wooden sword to my chin.
The moment had been so heated, I found myself panting in anxiety.
"Checkmate." He muttered in that calm, dull voice, before holding his hand out to me.
"But...h-how?!?" Was all I could stutter as he helped me to my feet.
Luka looked down at me with that same curious look he always wore.
"Practice, and peace of mind."
I stared up at him, dumbfounded.
"......what?"
"Unecessary wonders on the battlefield are unaffordable distractions. Keep your mind focused on your goal." He picked up my wooden sword and handed it to me, before walking off to his position once again.
He was so serious. And so calm. I wondered if this training session was going to last forever at this rate..
I positioned myself at the ready and looked to Luka. He looked back at me. But before he charged, I watched him take a single deep, calming breath. When his golden eyes fixated on me, he nodded. His glance signalled me to do the same.
Surprised by his signal, I did so. I closed my eyes and re-focused my mind with a single deep breath. It cleared away the slow, familiar fears that were creeping up in the back of my mind.
Once I was done, Luka paused just a moment, before charging straight at me. I was shocked. His speed allowed him to change his strategy this time, and he approached me from the left, swinging a hard right above me and causing me to duck in panic. I swung my sword upward under his arms and he did a graceful back flip, then charged head on at me once again. Our swords collided and he pushed against me, causing me to cower just slightly under his added strength. I then ducked again and attempted to swing upwards but he was too quick; he looped his right foot around my left and tripped me again. I fell backwards with a girly squeak.
When I opened my eyes, I was facing upwards, but I had not yet hit the ground. I was suspended by something..
I focused my gaze and saw Luka's torso and face, looking down at me. He was holding me, like we were dance partners in mid-dip.
I lit up like a volcano about to explode.
"That was better." He chided softly, and pulled me upwards to stand. I was so bashful and stiff I felt like an unoiled tin man.
He picked up my rounded sword again and held it out to me.
"You have been through alot, so this will take some time. But the calmer you are, the more speed and technique you can attain." He ran his fingers through his bangs (in an amazingly hot gesture, by the way), then glanced at me.
"Are you ready for round 3?"
I hesitated. He was just so gorgeous looking.
"Kelly?"
I snapped out of my awestruck gaze and shook my head clear.
"R-ready!"
--------
By evening, I was covered in sweat, sore and tired. We had been at this all day. And boy it was not easy. The attacks I'd learned from Seth did do me well, but Luka had a completely different strategy, and his speed made him impossibly hard to beat.
Over the course of the day we had hardly spoken, which seemed to be Luka's forte, but he did switch my form when needed, and gave me small pointers along the way. As the evening progressed I found each session getting longer and longer as I was able to fend him off for longer periods of time.
"Last time Kelly. Ready?" He muttered to me, and I nodded, our bodies lit up in yellow light as the setting sun shone over us.
And in pure Luka fashion, he took off infront of me, changing up his strategy for what seemed like the 100th time. It was entirely on purpose, he was keeping me on my toes and teaching me to expect the unexpected in every fight.
This time, he charged at me straight on, but at the last second he ducked and slid at my feet baseball style, attempting to knock me off my feet. I hopped forward in a shakey somersault, then turned and hastily stood as he came at me again. We knocked swords and continued to diagonally swipe at eachother, matching hit for hit each time. Luka then rose his arms for a higher, more direct diagonal swipe, and I took this chance to duck and shove both the side of my sword and my shoulder into him, knocking him directly in the chest as I twined my foot with his to trip him. He slipped up and immediately toppled backwards, but as he did so, he looped his sword with mine and pulled me with him. We both fell to the ground in a heap, dust and dirt flying about us with a thud.
I found myself laying on-top of his warm, broad chest. As I sat up in surprise, I looked down and gazed into his golden eyes. He was..smirking?
"Well done. Your progressing well." He sat up and I quickly sat up and back, getting off him and turning away before he could see my over the top blushing.
He stood and dusted himself off, then offered his hand to help me to my feet. I smiled softly and stood with his help, dusting myself off. A sudden strike of excitement passed through me.
"I did it!" I grinned and hopped in joy.
He picked up both our swords and wiped some sweat from his forehead.
"Very good. Let's practice again, same time tomorr--"
"LUKA, SIR!"
Luka was suddenly cut off mid sentence and we both looked up towards the path outside the gates. A group of 50 men were riding and walking towards us.
I gasped. The Army was coming back from the bridge..
And in the front was a line of atleast 25 troops being supported by eachother, wounds cascading their bodies, blood falling from their injuries as they limped towards home.
"Oh my god the wounded.."
I muttered in sudden realization and immediately ran to the line of them, fear rising in me.
Please not Sirius...not Sirius... My mind was praying, praying that he was okay.
But as my legs bolted as fast as I physically could towards them, I caught the glimpse of dark brown hair and bright purple eyes near the front of the crowd. My breath hitched in my throat and I started to shake uncontrollably.
"Sirius!!" I called his name and ran at him. I stopped infront of him and began looking him over in panic.
Blood was dripping from his chin, waves of crimson coming from his lips. His right arm was around the shoulders of the troop beside him as the man supported him to walk. His left arm dangled limply; definitely broken. He had a heavy limp in his right leg, so I suspected that was sprained as well. His uniform was tattered and torn, and he had a deep gash on the left side of his head. Half his face was crimson.
I was at a complete loss for words. Tears welled in my eyes as I stopped infront of him. He looked up to me with his right eye, his left shut as it was covered in blood, before he looked down again.
"Nnngg..." Was all he could muster to speak in his pain. I looked around at the troops all limping beside him. Their wounds were just as bad, if not worse.
"M'lady, we were ambushed at the Black Bridge.." The solider spoke, fear and anguish in his voice.
I held out my arms to Sirius and he leant forward but suddenly collapsed, his weight falling into me as I fell to my knee's to support him. Holding his form I glanced over and saw both his eyes were shut now. He'd passed out instantly.
My shaking arms held him as I buried my face in his shoulder. My eyes were staining his tattered jacket with tears.
"Who did this, Jeren?" Luka spoke from behind me, calling the solider by name. I could hear from his voice that Luka was much more irritated than normal.
"Luka, sir, please bring the King." Jeren shakily replied.
"Amon and his Magic disciples appeared out of nowhere. They ambushed us and forced us from the Black Bridge! We didn't stand a chance against them and the Red Army.."
I felt my chest tighten at Amon's name. Traumatizing fear welled up inside me and threatened to throw me into another panic attack. But as I sat up from Sirius' shoulder, holding the man I loved as he suffered, another emotion began to rise inside of me, overtaking my anguish and fear.
I grit my teeth. Anger, frustration, and a seething need for revenge overtook every cell in my body.
I squeezed Sirius' shoulders in my disdain.
I knew now what I had to do..