The world spun. Alaric felt extremely nauseous as he stared at the bittersweet mixture sitting in front of him. He was told by Lord Moats that he had been asleep for nearly a month after the first dose, a week after, the second, and then a day. It was supposed to be his final powerful dose, but he wasn’t sure that he could finish it.

Amindra sat patiently next to him. Her face gave away almost nothing. Alaric had to admit that she was extremely beautiful for a maid. She had long, black hair and deep blue eyes. She had high cheekbones that framed her face perfectly. She was slim, but she had curves that gave her body a fair amount of contrast.

Despite Amindra’s physical beauty, her voice was like nothing that Alaric had ever heard. It was almost as if she was singing with every word the most beautiful song that he had ever heard. It was alluring just hearing her talk normally.

Alaric knew that he was betrothed to the Princess, but Amindra was nearly tempting enough for him to attempt pursuing her. She bore no confidence though. She could have taken the heart of nearly any one of the nobles, but she acted as if she was worth nothing. Alaric tried to be kind to the poor girl in hopes that over time, she would grow into a stronger woman.

Amindra spoke softly, her voice like a melody,”You need to drink it, Alaric. It is part of becoming a Dragon Knight. The great dragon said that you had to do this. It was a prophecy!”

Alaric shuddered at the word. “The dragon does not control me, nor does the king, and nor do you. I am my own man.” He hated that he had been forced into the role of royal. He mostly hated feeling so out of control.

Amindra frowned beautifully. “You are strong-willed Lord Alaric, but no one can resist the will of Lady Fate. You truly have no choice in the matter.”

“Amindra, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you that way. The world just seems to be moving so fast, and I can’t seem to keep up.” Alaric stared into the bowl before pulling it up to his lips.

Amindra placed her hand on Alaric’s shoulder as he choked down the vile substance. “You’re going to be an amazing king. Princess Lilia is a very lucky woman indeed!” Amindra’s smile made him shift. He had to look away to avoid getting lost in her face.

Once he finished draining the bowl, his eyes started to grow heavy. “I think that I am going to rest now, Amindra. I appreciate your help.”

Amindra smiled. “I’ll wake you in a few hours. Lord Darren said that this time, you should only sleep for a few hours at most!” She stood and turned gracefully before exiting the room.

Alaric watched her every move intently. He was gone before she made it out of the room.

Suddenly light flooded into the room. Alaric covered his eyes to block it.

“Get up. Quit being lazy!” Lilia’s voice came sternly. Her hair was brown and her eyes were light blue, almost the color of cold steel. She was built much like Amindra, so much so that they could have nearly been sisters. She held herself with air of confidence that Amindra lacked. Alaric thought that it had to come from being a princess.

Alaric threw his blanket off and climbed to his feet. “What purpose does this serve? Why torture me?” He wished that it had been Amindra that had woken him. She was much gentler and sweeter.

“What’s wrong? Would you rather be woken by the servant girl? Am I not pretty enough? Or would you rather me sing to you like she does?” The Princess stood with a hand on her hip. The look in her eye dared him to speak, but he knew better than to admit that she was even close to right.

Alaric just grunted in reply. He refused to give her the satisfaction. “What do you want, girl?” he asked sharply.

Lilia pursed her lips. “It time to train. You haven’t had the opportunity yet. I’ll be in charge of making you catch up to the rest of the Initiates.”

“I’ll be fine. You probably aren’t much of a teacher anyway. You have no patience.” Alaric smiled daringly at his wife-to-be.

She dropped her arms to her side and frowned. “Alaric, I will not marry someone so weak and arrogant. Could you at least try not to be such a fool?”

Alaric straightened. “Could you get some food? I need to get dressed without you in the room with me.”

Lilia flashed a devilish smile and sat down in the chair that Amindra always sits in. She waved her hand toward a tray near the edge of Alaric’s bed that had some sort of stew and bread on it.

Alaric sighed. Lilia was very forward, but she had never been so bold. “We aren’t married yet, Lilia. You should go.”

Lilia shook her head slowly. “I’m not going anywhere, my love. I’ve seen everything already. Who do you think cares for you while you sleep? It is not Amindra’s place, as your wife-to-be, it is my duty.”

Alaric frowned at Lilia. Things were different in the capital. Much more different than he thought that he could ever get used to. “That isn’t the way that we do things in Baerlon. It isn’t right and you know it.”

Lilia stuck out her bottom lip as if to pout. She stood and pressed her lips and body against Alaric’s. Her warm body felt good pressed against his, but he pushed her away. “Lilia, I barely know you. This is not how any courtship should be.”

Lilia blew out in frustration. “You’re impossible. What do you even want from me? I can’t fathom how you and I could ever fall in love.”

Alaric chuckled. “It’s almost cute to see you so frustrated, now go. I’ll be out quickly.” He gently nudged the girl toward the door.

She turned her head to meet his eyes and smiled. She gave him a parting peck before leaving the room.

Alaric shook his head. He didn’t understand women, but the Princess made even less sense than a normal woman. She was hot then cold, happy then angry, seductive then repulsive. She loved him and hated him but also wanted him and wanted nothing to do with him.

Alaric dressed slowly. The outfit had been picked out for him, most likely by Lilia. It was nice. His trousers were blue and his shirt was grey. They weren’t his first choice, but he wanted to do something nice for Lilia while he could, even if she was hard to deal with.

Once he was done, he sat at the edge of the bed. He grabbed a slice of bread off of the tray and dipped it in the stew.

A sharp knock came from the door. “Come in, Lilia,” Alaric said.

He met the beautiful princess with a warm smile. She eyed him wearily but returned a gentle smile. Alaric realized suddenly that he enjoyed making her guess where she stood with him.

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Alaric stood and extended his arms. “What do you think, Lilia?”

She frowned at him. “You look like a fool. Did you really pick that for yourself?”

Alaric looked at the clothes. They were nice and paired well together, Amindra must have picked the clothes then if it wasn’t Lilia. “What would you rather I wear then, Princess?”

“Throw on your leathers. We’re training, not going for a casual stroll through the flowers.” Lilia stode over to a chest of drawers and pulled out a leather outfit that had been fitted for him for training as an Initiate.

Alaric caught the clothing dropped it on the edge of the bed. He stared at Lilia while he peeled off his clothes and slid into the leathers.

Her face turned red, and she looked away once she realized what he was doing. It turned out that she wasn’t as bold as she pretended to be.

Alaric had to try not to laugh. He changed slowly to savor extended her discomfort. With her, romance seemed to be nearly a game. They hadn’t really been able to spend any extended amount of time together because of the concoction that he had to drink. He shuddered at the thought of taking in any more of the drink.

“I’m ready now, Princess. Let’s get to work. It’ll be good to finally stretch my legs.” Alaric started toward the door.

He had only taken a couple of steps and suddenly, Lilia was standing in front of him. He nearly staggered back. He had no idea how she moved so quickly, but she was blocking his path.

Her eyes were daring. It seemed that she had recovered from him changing in front of her. “You play a lot of games, but I will figure you out. You should know though that I will make sure that you survive your training. You will be mine and I yours, whether you like it or not.”

Alaric cocked his head to the side. “You have more to learn about this world than you know. I’ll not accept anything that the dragon said except the things that I decided. You’ll be my wife, if I decide that’s the case.” He pushed her gently to the side and then walked out of his room.

“Do you even know where you’re going, Alaric?” She shot from behind him.

He looked back over his shoulder at the red-faced girl. “Not at all, but with how fast you are, I assumed that you would take the lead no matter what.”

Lilia glared. “Follow me then.” She moved quickly, but slower still than before.

Alaric nearly had to run to keep up with the girl, but they didn’t travel far.

Alaric was fairly certain that they headed south. It was hard to be certain of the direction in the evening without being able to see the sun past the walls.

“Why are we training so late? Everyone else must be preparing for bed,” Alaric said as he caught up to Lilia.

Lilia didn’t bother a reply. She waved toward the opening that they had almost reached.

The training ground was an open field of green grass within the high walls of the castle. It seemed that none of the Initiates in the castle were preparing for bed.

The dozens of men and women in the field stood still and silent. They stared expectantly toward the entry way that Alaric and Lilia came through.

The eldest stepped forward. She carried herself with authority. Alaric knew instantly that she was the Dragon Knight in charge.

Her eyes were as dark as her long, jet-black hair. She was the thinnest person that he had ever laid eyes on. She wore a black suit that was nearly skin tight with a sword at her waist.

The Dragon Knight eyed Alaric carefully. It felt odd being studied so intently. Alaric wanted to step behind Lilia and let her soak in the spiteful gaze.

Her voice was indifferent but still somehow soothing. Alaric had heard tales from his father of venomous beings that appeared in the shape of a woman, but turned later into horrific men-devouring monstrosities.

Alaric pushed the thought away. She may have looked like a being from his father’s stories, but she was a Dragon Knight. That meant that she was of noble blood and not a literal monster.

“Lord Alaric, I welcome you to our training grounds. This is where you will spend much of your time for the next several years. It is time to show you what it means to be a Dragon Knight though.” As she finished, a large blob of an initiate waddled out of the crowd with Alaric’s sword. He looked much like Darren, the two had to be related in some way.

Alaric had been so occupied with the potion and his new roles and rules that he had forgotten about his father’s parting gift. Alaric braced to take the massive sword expecting the weight.

He nearly jumped when the sword fell into his hands. Alaric knew that he was one of the strongest men in his hometown. He had always been larger than most and working steel had helped him grow strong. Despite that, his sword had always been heavy in his hands, but the sword in his hands felt as if it weighed nearly nothing.

The Dragon Knight spoke in response to his surprise,”It is the potion that you drank, Lord Alaric. It makes us stronger and faster. There are different levels of effect though. We shall now see how strong and fast you are.”

As she finished speaking, she drew her thin falchion. Alaric could feel immediately that she was slow and strong despite her appearance and thin blade.

Alaric suddenly felt a rush of excitement. Alaric’s eyes widened with fear and bloodlust as he lost control of his body.

He could feel every muscle fiber move individually as he flipped the great sword’s pommel into his hand. Once he had a firm grip on his sword, his body launched forward like a wolf leaping at the throat of a bull.

The Dragon Knight sidestepped and partied carefully. Her face was calm and collected, but Alaric could smell her fear.

A smile crawled across his lips that felt more like a snarl. He pounced again, but he watched her more closely. When she stepped to move and parry, he twisted in the air and flicked her sword away. From there, he spun and stopped with his sword at her throat.

She pushed the sword gently away. “You are faster and stronger than any other initiate. I’m impressed. Let me attack you know, and we’ll see how well you fare.” Her voice was calm and steady. Alaric was unsure of how she could act so calmly. He could feel her heart pounding rapidly in her chest.

Alaric stood up straight and nodded. His body was relaxed, and he felt no concern or nervousness facing her.

The woman reached down to pick her sword up off of the ground. From her crouched position, she dashed toward Alaric.

Her movements were fluid but slow. Alaric didn’t feel the need to avoid her strike. He instead reached out and caught the blade between his fingers. The rest of the woman crashed into Alaric, but she wasn’t heavy enough to shift his balance.

The woman leapt to her feet. She showed no sign of angry or frustration or fear, but she reeked of all three.

“Very good. I think the other Dragon Knights will like to come and fight against you. There is little question as to why you are here.” The woman straightened herself and turned to the other Initiates.

Alaric frowned. He could feel his body loosening. His whole body began to tingle. He glanced at Lilia from the corner of his eye.

The beautiful girl eyed him warily. Alaric knew after facing the Dragon Knight, that he was stronger and faster than anything that they had ever seen.

“...now let's get to work training.” Alaric heard the Dragon Knight shout at the Initiates. He realized that he hadn’t paid any attention to the woman.

She faced him. “Lord Alaric, my name is Erika Abigor. I am Lord Domayne Abigor’s eldest child. It is a great pleasure to meet and train next to the next King.” She bowed deeply.

Alaric could see the resemblance between the venomous High Lord and his daughter. She seemed to be much more honorable and sensible than her father was. Alaric returned the bow. “It is a pleasure to meet you. I met your father when I first arrived. I have much to learn from you. I’m excited to train.” He felt that his response was formal enough.

The woman smiled and nodded in approval. “You’ll be training with me today. The other Initiates wouldn’t be able to keep up with your abilities. You need to learn technique.”

Alaric nodded. He had little clue how to effectively wield his weapon despite his success. “Let’s get to work then.”

Alaric glanced around to look for Lilia. She was sparring with the hulking blob that was Darren’s son. They both paused to glance at him occasionally. Alaric would have time to chat with them after, he hoped.

He turned his focus to Lady Erika. “No one has actually explained to me anything yet. My time here has been a painful blur. Why do the nobles become Dragon Knights and what was that liquid that I was forced to drink?”

The Dragon Knight smiled. “It is not my place to teach those things. That will be another Knight’s duty. Mine is to teach you technique with the sword. My teaching is less important for a king though, especially one such as you. Ready yourself, Lord Alaric.”