Mido lunged forward, thrusting his sword at his target before jumping back, keeping light on his feet. He threw his sword across in defense, ducked to the right and thrust his sword forward once more. He stood for a moment to wipe the sweat off his forehead. Footsteps behind him caught his attention. He turned and bowed when he saw his king enter.

“I see your training is going well,” he said. Mido returned his sword to his sheath.

“I wonder if you'd consider training my son,” the king continued. “He's been nagging me about becoming a soldier.”

“He is of age,” Mido said.

The king sighed. “Yes, I suppose he is.”

“I guess I could show him a thing or two,” Mido offered. “Send him over now.”

“Excellent. He'll appreciate that.”

Mido bowed and King Sloan left. Mido drew his sword and shifted it in the light as he waited. He thought about what Calliope had said about war. He looked out the window and watched the townspeople bustle below the castle. He imagined Calliope was amongst them somewhere. There was no sign of magic to delight the children. He wasn't sure whether that made him uneasy or not.

Prince Lucas's voice brought Mido back to reality. He peeked around the corner.

“Mido?”

Mido bowed to the young prince. Prince Lucas straightened, his shoulders back, and entered the room.

“Father said you would train me to be a soldier.”

“That I will,” Mido said, handing Prince Lucas his sword. “You'll need one of those, but for now, you can use mine.”

Lucas admired the heavy weapon in his hands. He watched as Mido set up a dummy. He swung the sword around in the air and watched the sunlight bounce off the blade.

“Careful with that,” Mido said.

“When can I be a knight?” the prince asked. Mido smiled.

“When you have proper training,” he said, taking the sword out of Prince Lucas's hands. He gripped the sword in his hand. “Look, like this,” he said, showing his trainee the proper stance. He gave the weapon back to Prince Lucas. He practiced this stance for a moment before approaching his target.

“It's all in your feet,” Mido said, bouncing on his toes. Lucas watched eagerly, learning how to move his body with the sword. Mido taught him different tactics and how to attack and defend. He demonstrated how to fight with a shield and the weak points on the enemy. Mido watched as the prince bounced on his feet as he did, thrusting his sword at his enemy and bounding back, quick to dodge his opponent's imaginary strike. When Lucas grew tired of the day's training, he returned the sword and shield to Mido.

“I'll never get to fight,” he mumbled, feeling as though he were wasting his time.

“What makes you think that?”

“Scarletta was our only enemy. Father would not let me join the fight. Now, that's over. That's the only reason he agreed to this.”

“I don't think that's true,” Mido said. “Besides. Someday, you will take over as the king. A king must know how to defend his kingdom.”

Lucas nodded. The thought of becoming king excited him.

“For now, you train. And, who knows, maybe you'll get to fight soon.”

“We have Calliope, though. She could do all the fighting for us.”

“No, she will not.”

“But she's a witch. What's the point of having an army when she could take out an entire kingdom on her own?”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“Witches are not thought of as kind creatures,” Mido said. “Not everyone is happy she is here. Outside of Librona, other kingdoms fear witches. We'd make fast enemies if they knew there was a witch in our army.”

Lucas shrugged. “Well, thanks for the lesson.”

Mido nodded. “Get yourself a sword,” he said as the prince left.

Lucas continued to train with Mido every day. Mido watched as his technique grew stronger as the weeks passed. Mido and Lucas fought together outside of the castle, dodging and defending against the other's attack.

Calliope took to watching their training sessions, often accompanied by Fallon and Tianna. Fallon mothered her little sister – who constantly teased the horses and disappeared from sight – but Calliope always made Fallon gawk in awe and wonder like a young child as Calliope entertained them with her magic.

Prince Lucas grew stronger and his attacks became more and more accurate as they trained. Calliope watched with the young princesses near the stables while Lily grazed. She patted the mare's neck and watched the sunlight gleam off the blades as they made contact. Mido and Prince Lucas laughed at their mistakes and fumbles and Mido corrected his stance. When the day's training came to an end, they put their weapons away.

Tianna ran to Mido, jumping onto his back as he occupied himself with his equipment. Mido grabbed at her wrists and she giggled as he spun her around.

“Again,” she demanded him.

“I don't think so,” Mido said, putting her back on her feet. The little princess crossed her arms and pouted.

“I'm the princess,” she hollered at him, stamping her foot. “You gotta do what I say.”

Mido laughed and bowed low. “I fear for this kingdom if you become it's queen.”

“That's not how a lady acts, Tianna,” her older sister scolded her. “You apologize to Mido.”

Tianna looked at her feet. “Sorry, Mido,” she mumbled.

Mido got to his knees and took her hands in his. “Be a good princess and we will play later, okay?”

Tianna nodded enthusiastically, grinning from ear to ear. She took Fallon's hand and the two sisters made their way back into the castle. Mido found Calliope and made his way to her side.

“He's doing well,” Calliope said to Mido.

“Yeah, he's coming along.”

“He's got a good teacher.”

Mido smiled a crooked grin and patted his horse's neck. “Thanks.”

Calliope watched him and he met his gaze.

“Want to get out of here?” Mido asked.

Calliope smiled. She looked forward to this time every day where she and Mido could escape the hustle and bustle of the city. They would gallop across the kingdom and sit in each other's company. Mido lifted her onto Lily's back and they made their way to the favorite spot in the kingdom by the river, watching the sun dip behind the horizon.

They sat together on the grass while Lily grazed nearby. The evening breeze played with their hair. Mido laid back on the grass. Calliope let her head rest on his chest. She could just make out his heartbeat. Mido let his fingers twist in her hair and sighed. He felt a sense of joy he hadn't felt in a long time when he was with her. He found it strange how much he had grown to care for the witch. He smiled crookedly at the sky as he thought about her, feeling her head on his chest. He hadn't felt this way with anyone else; perhaps it was some spell she had him under.

“What are you thinking?” Calliope asked as she watched the pink clouds float by. Mido pushed himself up and Calliope met his gaze.

“I don't know,” he said with a shrug.

“Oh.”

“What are you thinking?”

“I'm thinking...” Calliope hesitated. She opened her palm to reveal a butterfly. It beat its wings and took off with the breeze. “I'm thinking humans are boring.”

Mido smiled. “I'm sorry we can't all live up to your expectations.”

Calliope shrugged and smiled as she watched the grass sway. Mido watched as strands of hair blew across her face. He let his fingers push a lock of hair out of her face, entranced by her golden eyes. His heartbeat quickened as he admired her, calling for her touch. He took her chin in his hands and her eyes met his. Her gaze was soft and curious on his. Calliope held her breath as her heart fluttered in her chest. They held their gaze on each other, neither saying a word. Mido searched her golden eyes and smiled. Calliope opened her mouth but couldn’t make a sound. Mido pressed his face closer to hers until their lips touched carefully. He let his hand weave through her hair as he pressed closer. Calliope's heart thudded in her chest. Her head felt light as she felt his lips on hers. She let herself fall back onto the grass and wrapped her arms around him. Mido pushed back suddenly; his face felt hot.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, looking away. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt shy, as if he had never been with a woman before.

Calliope pushed herself onto her elbow. “Why?”

He shrugged and laughed hesitantly. “I don't know.”

Calliope smiled sheepishly, her face warm. She had read about kissing in her book, but that was even better than she could have imagined.

“It's okay,” she whispered.

Mido turned to her and smiled. This time, Calliope's lips met his. They wrapped their arms around each other as their noses bumped. Mido let his forehead rest against hers, his hands twisting in her hair. He kissed her once more, his lips lingering on hers. He pulled her close and she rested her head on his chest. They sat in their embrace as the stars dotted the purple sky.