Pearl sighed. She closed the window even aware that the privacy wards were in place. After Dawn's little thespian act and Blast Fireball declaration, the group froze.

Sora was the first to break the silence, "We are plotting murder now. We are planning to kill the heir to a throne. After kidnapping princesses and fighting otherworlders, we are diving headfirst down the chasm that is court politics and intrigue. Awesome," She vented, full of irony.

All gazes shifted into the conspiring couple. It was Dawn that answered. "He is coming whether we like it or not. And he is coming for this body, not for the person wearing it. To claim a prize, a trophy. He hurt a lot of people already, and I don't think he will honor that trade deal once he gets what he wants."

"And you think you can beat a guy that spent his life living in this world at his own game," Sora waved her arms, distressed. "You are sure that is what you want to do?

He looked at the girls and sighed, "No. What I want to do is go home with you. But I can't. Too many things to do and the hydra keeps growing heads. "Aidan shrugged, "Brody deserves it, Sora. And Lumina agrees to it. In fact, the only reason I can say 'Brody' out loud is because of that." He said without heeding his company.

"Hold on for a second," Prince Lucien extended a hand. "Why saying 'Brody' makes you react like that? You almost died just now. I can understand my sister reacting badly like that, but what do you have to do with that?"

'Yup, big blooper. Way to go, talk about your secrets in front of prince sis-con.' Aidan chastised himself. He looked at Lucien with an apologetic face but delivered his comeback with a diversion.

Dawn waved her hand to call their attention, "Pearl, Lucien. I have something to show you." She went for the vanity and Sora held her, prompting Dawn to smile at her, "It is fine, Sora. I am in control." She opened the vanity, took the diary and unlocked it. The entries were one page per day, so she took a sheet of paper to cover days nobody else should read.  "Read this. Written by Lumina. See what Brody did to her, and tell me what you want to do."

She showed them the entries where Lumina tells of his attempts at assaulting her. Lucien closed his fists along his sides, his teeth clenched and his breathing heavy.

Pearl shook her head. "That alone is enough reason for execution."

"just executing him would cause a total war. I'm going to trick him into waiving his family's rights to retribution." Dawn announced.

Sora asked as she closed in on Dawn, whispering in her ear. "You are going to explain everything to me before you put this plan on the road," Dawn answered with a nod.

Aidan clapped Lucien on the shoulder, "And I need your help to make it happen."

Lucien crossed his arms. He was not used to be treated as equal. He glared at the young man, his dislike for the boy was still there, only suppressed. But taking a mental step back, this guy was the scion of the God-Slayer. Even if it were by the skin of their teeth, his group finished one of the most troublesome otherworlder types possible. He had his father's favor. His two sisters'. He closed his eyes with sorrow as he remembered. Queen Alina, their late mother, absolutely loved the boy. She even...

'Am I blinded by my hatred? By my pride? Is there something in this boy that everyone around me can see but I cannot?' Lucien felt that might be the truth.

His accolades went beyond those. He somehow saved Lumina after the attack. Lucien talked to the healers and doctors that cared for them. Their bodies were crushed to a pulp. He couldn't believe what they reported, but his father confirmed it. Their heads were the least damaged, but even there Lumina had a huge cave-in. She spilled some of her brains in that square. What kind of dark pact this man did to keep his sister alive? Was that the reason her personality reverted to a likeness of when she was small?

Astromelicus knew the truth. It was no small boon to be taught privately by the Archmage and it was almost every day. The prisoners. Claire was also in the loop. They were accomplices ever since they absconded with Lumina from the hospital.

And now this weird offer and death pact. As Pearl put it, a murder conspiracy. Brody deserved death, that much is true. The last time he was in town, he assaulted some maids at the castle. It would mean war. A war they have little chance of winning without heavy losses. And getting the trade route north cut off was already a heavy loss.

But there was no doubt in Lucien's mind or heart. If he had to choose between Lumina or Brody, Heath might as well burn to the ground. And to get a glimpse of the truth behind everything that was happening for the small price of training Aidan and possibly making him bleed a lot, it was easy to choose.

With his mind clear, Lucien answered to Aidan.

"We have a deal."

Aidan smiled and spread his arms, stretching before he started,  "Good. As you know, Lumina and I were ridiculously wounded by the rhinorses two years ago. As in crushed and pulped." Lucien nodded. "And I know you suspect my magic had something to do with that, and you would be correct to suspect that."

"I'm with you. Everything you said is true." Lucien made a gesture for him to keep talking.

"During the attack, I grafted a piece of Lumina's soul to mine and vice versa. This way I was able to use Undying Resilience on both of us. As long as I wouldn't dismiss the spell, neither would die." Aidan paused to let Lucien take in his words before continuing, "However, we didn't expect to stay a whole year knocked out. This caused quite a lot of damage to our souls, and we couldn't be separated without killing us both. Helios was intent on sending Lumina to the Holy City, and we fled the hospital to survive."

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"Why didn't you just ask for help? Why was it too hard to tell the truth?"

"We were scared. Hindsight is a bitch. Back to our story. We fled to Gohar through the smuggler's tunnel that is now scheduled to become the new trade route and I developed a spell to restore us back to our former selves. However as you can see, Lumina is still not with us."

He stopped, not willing to go any further. But Lucien still wanted a bit more. The prince decided to share what he thought to see if it would get him more information.

"Tell me if I am wrong. Archmage Astromelicus is helping you restore Lumina, but you have to keep it under wraps because you are doing forbidden magic."

"That is correct. We know you are a good guy, Lucien. But we are doing some pretty heavy stuff under closed doors. I would dare say some things we are doing would even earn your wrath, and the chance we have of getting Lumina back would be ruined."

A somewhat polite way of telling him to shut up and stop probing for more information. Which Lucien blatantly ignored. In fact, the prince turned around to face the girl he was calling sister all the time.

His voice had a subtle threat underneath it, "Who are you?"

Dawn curtsied, "I'm Dawn the adventurer. Currently custodian and caretaker of Princess Lumina's body." She kept a business smile, despite the scowl the prince was showing her.

"What are you?" He lashed. Without even noticing, his hand was already in a position to draw his sword.

"I can't give you a proper answer, your Royal Highness. But if I had to guess, I think I am the reflection of what Aidan thought was Lumina as of eleven years ago.

Pearl calmly moved to put herself between them. "Lucien, I can vouch for her. As she said, she is the custodian and caretaker of Lumina's body. As much as Aidan is keeping her soul alive inside him. We are working on putting them back together, and we would do so in the next days if it were not for our sudden and unwelcome visitor."

She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, whispering "I can't believe i am doing this," under her breath.

Pearl continued, "And it brings us to this moment. We are conspiring to murder Brody. Once he is out of the picture, Lumina will return. But you could see her loathing right now when her very soul rejected the idea of being near him. That happened to us on the road a few times, if I recollect it well. Now that you know part of the secret, do your side of the bargain. Train Aidan."

Lucien slammed Aidan's back, pushing all his air out and making him wheeze and gasp. "You've got yourself a teacher, champion."

That was how the two young men ended up in the academy's knight training grounds. Lucien and Aidan in rough linen training clothes, sharp weapons in their hands. For the last hour, they've been sparring, with Dawn sitting on a shaded bench on standby for the magical healing and to keep Undying Resilience up. Aidan had several cuts in his clothes. Lucien didn't go for any vital strike like last time, and he applied healing magic as soon as he was hurt to avoid much blood loss.

Suddenly, Lucien calls a halt to their sparring. "Stop, stop. Aidan, this is not working. You are not aggressive enough. You have good eyes, you can predict most of my moves and that is a huge point for you. You got training in several weapons, but if you don't come at me with the intent to cut, bleed, and kill me, I am going to become very comfortable in just assaulting you, and then you are going to lose when I poke you. Your stance only prolongs your loss.

"You got magic, and in a serious fight, you want to just keep the enemy at bay while you blast it to the next realm. But I don't think the sword is the weapon for you. Maybe if you couple it with a sidearm like a parrying dagger or a shield, but then you won't be able to cast as easily."

Aidan knew it was true, but it still shocked him. "What would you suggest, Lucien?"

"Not all weapons work for everyone. The blacksmith's work would be way easier if it was true. The sword is practical because you can keep one by your waist and remain with both hands free, only moments away from being armed again. It is also sharp and you don't need to make a deep wound to give your opponent a grave injury. But so are most blades. An untreated cut or a puncture in the right place will kill a man. However, when one finds a weapon most suited for themselves, a sense of belonging, of being one with the weapon washes over you. You'd know if you find yours."

His words reminded him of when he found the rapier in master _________'s shop. Of how the rapier felt as if it were meant for her hands. "Maybe you are right. I think I can relate to what you told me. What should we do?"

"We can try another weapon for you. Let's see how you fare with a spear. It has good reach, versatility, and more defensive options than a sword. It is a bit awkward to carry around, but you would be a fool to just ditch your sword. Keep it at your side and broaden your choices."

Lucien called an older knight that was the spear trainer. He showed Aidan a few spear moves, and Aidan quickly absorbed them. He had some spear training during his stay at the academy, it was one of the basic courses for infantry training. After two hours of training with the spear, sparring with both the instructor and Lucien, the prince called for another pause.

"I can see the reach of the spear gives you more confidence. But it still didn't feel like the right weapon for you. You are instinctively using the shaft for defense..." Lucien snapped his finger. "That is it! You are a mage after all. Instructor Harris, we thank you for your time."

The spear instructor saluted the prince, "Your Highness, it was my pleasure." He faced Aidan and saluted again, "Young man, stay sharp. You have good instincts and a good eye, you just need to find your rhythm and polish these instincts. You have great potential once you conquer your wavering eyes and learn to focus on the battle."

"My thoughts exactly, instructor Harris. Thank you once more."

The spear instructor went away, and Lucien sent for another knight.

"Your Highness, what do you require of me?"

This guy had a well-trimmed beard, a slim build and looked far younger than he should. Lucien did the introductions.

"Instructor Jameson, meet Lord Aidan, a personal friend of the royal family."

"Isn't this the brat that used to torment us alongside young Lumina? I see the princess right there, yes. You took after your mother, boy."

Aidan was surprised. This guy knew his mother? Jameson laughed. "I'm older than I look, kid. Long story short, I have fae blood. And yes, I know your parents."

"Jameson here is one of our senior knight instructors. Jameson, could you train Lord Aidan in the ways of the quarterstaff? I have some business to attend," Lucien faced Aidan and excused himself.

"Alright, young cadet. Let's see if you can avoid embarrassing yourself in front of the lady over there." Jameson took two polished poles from a rack and handed one to Aidan.

They trained the quarterstaff for a whole two hours. Instructor Jameson called for a time-out.

"It is getting dark, kid. We should stop for today. How do you feel?"

Aidan stopped to look around. Indeed it was getting dark. He didn't even feel the time go by. He blinked and double-checked.

"It seems you've found your flow, cadet. Even her Highness over there was enraptured by your performance," Jameson winked and cackled.

"Yes, I feel just like you described."

"Good, good." Jameson grinned. "Prince Lucien left just after we started, he told me to give you some private lessons. You will meet him at the castle three hours after lunch for sword practice. Is that understood, cadet?"

"Tomorrow one hour before sunrise. It is better to work before the day warms up. And it will get warmer now that all the ice thawed and the rivers returned to their normal flow."