The door creaks open, and I feel something weighty drop on top of my covers. Annoyed, I peek open an eye long enough to see the glint of silver before someone grabs ahold of my foot and shakes me rapidly. "Ror-innn, get up. CHOP! CHOP!"
Bennett.
Tossing the covers back, I push up from underneath them and reach out for the hilt of the sword he dropped down. "What's this?"
He frowns, and a soft knock echoes, "is he ready?"Willasks, a tinge of eagerness in his voice.
"Ready for what?" I grunt, rubbing my eyes with the back of my hand.
"It's morning." They answer simultaneously, before Bennett adds, "in the morning, we spar. Let's go, up up your Highness."
I gnash my teeth at the two of them, kicking my legs over the side of my bed and disappearing into the bathroom. Into the bathroom that has a mirror – and I look like hell.
There are dark, heavy bags underneath my eyes — I can thank my lack of sleep for those – and the exhaustion is clear through every line in my face. Running a hand underneath the hot water, I splash the droplets up onto my face and rake my damp fingers through my hair, the curls slowly untangling as I work through them.
They’re both waiting for me, Will tossing my clothes at my feet while Bennett does the same with my sword. Quickly, I dress and Will, in an uncommon sign of familiarity as of late, dips his chin and clasps my shoulder.
The three of us walk through the dark hallways towards the sparring arena, the sounds of her army practicing ringing out distantly in the background, the closer we get.
“Will, moderate for us, will you?” Bennett chirps, unsheathing his sword and taking up a stance in front of me. He spins the hilt of his sword in his right palm and crooks his fingers at me with his left.
Cracking my neck side-to-side, I draw out my own sword and mirror his position.
He makes the first move, diving for my knees and cutting his blade down. “So, last night was… interesting.” His comment distracts me, and I jump away from the bladetip at the last second, his sword meeting stone instead of my ankle.
Spinning on my toe, I bring mine up and over, “she has her way.” I grit.
Bennett recovers quickly and brings his blade back up, the metal colliding loudly together.
"OOF!" He grunts at the weight of the impact, pushing him back.
“Her ‘way’ should not include mutilation daily. And of one of her nobles!” Will shouts over the clamor.
I shrug and circle Bennett, the two of us engaging in a game of chicken. “That was… a bit unorthodox.”
“Unorthodox? It was mental.”
I huff, “what do you want me to do about it now?” Bennett uses the diversion to kick out at my foot, causing me to stumble forward, "fuck!" I hiss, fighting hard to catch my balance.
There’s a snort of laughter, and the three of us pause, turning our heads. In the archway are Max and Millie snickering. I roll my eyes and focus back on Bennett. He shifts over on my left, and I lunge towards him, jamming the pommel into his ribs.
He sucks in a sharp breath, doubling over from the hit. "Don't… tell me you're going to start fighting dirty." He coughs out.
"A pommel," I pant, adjusting my footing and bringing my sword back up, "is just as dirty as a foot, Haid."
CLANK!
“What I want you to do about it–”
“NOT NOW WILL!” We both shout, sparks flying off the edges. We push our blades into an "X", the sweat visible on both our brows.
"You going to call it?" He grunts through clenched teeth. His eyes dart over to Will, who’s quieted himself on the sidelines. He waits a few beats, then nods, telling us to back off and regroup.
We split off the floor, and I head over to the weapons table, choosing which item I'll go for next.
A sharp gasp rings out from behind me, and a burning sensation spreads through the right side of my head. A garnet droplet hits the blade gripped in my hand, and slowly I lift my chin to see a throwing star embedded in the wall. Setting down the weapon, I bring my hand up to my ear, grazing the torn skin. “Ouch!” I hiss, pulling my fingers away to see the sticky red liquid on the pads of my fingers.Damn woman.I smile to myself, inhaling a big breath before I pivot around.
Eveera stands at the edge of the floor, a smug look on her bronzed face as she palms a second one.
