Grace had always been the shame of her father, it wasn't her fault. King Alden's only desire was to have male heirs to the kingdom. In his opinion women were just dead weight that couldn't be useful in any way or form. Grace didn't take this sitting down, from an early age she would try to impress her father trying to prove her worth.  

Everything from studying hard and earning the praise of her tutors, or even being involved with the Kingdoms politics, her father still wouldn't turn to face her.

After running out of ideas she would wander the Kingdom in search of things to do. When she was reaching the age of thirteen a ship from one of the Northern provinces arrived at the harbor. It was a large battleship with beautiful deep brown wood with red and gold trim around the edges. There were 40 magical cannons facing her which meant the ship was equipped with 80 total. The sails shown blindingly white and a large flag, deep red with the Alden crest rode the wind at the top of the main mast.  

Grace always loved the look of the large ships and she made a mental note to try sailing someday. A long line of people streamed out from the harbor. In front was a lord, probably here to discuss governing issues and politics of the sort. He strode confidently through the town toward the castle.

Behind him a long train of people were carrying gifts, supplies, and belongings for their visit to the capital. In the front a man next to the lord caught her eye. The man was reaching his older years, maybe late 50's or early 60's. A maroon and gold coat covered his shoulders and on his belt he wore 2 thin swords, one longer than the other. He was the only one the lord let walk by his side.

The lord and the gentleman wasted no time and walked straight into the king's study where they exchanged pleasantries and got to work. Grace peeked around the door trying to discern the meaning of their conversation.

"-the uprisings have been quelled without a trace. Your skill in battle is quite incredible blade master"

at this point Grace had her face right against the keyhole of the door, absorbing every detail.

-blade master eh? Father seems to honor him greatly  

The meeting had slowed and the men prepared to leave. Grace quickly sneaked into the closet across from the study entrance and cracked the door to catch a glimpse of them passing. The lord and the gentleman both made their exit. As the gentleman closed the study door it seemed as if his eyes drifted toward the closet door and if not for a tiny millisecond Grace might have believed that they had made eye contact.

Grace made her way back down the hall and ran back to her room. The way her father had addressed the man replayed over and over in her head as she lay fully clothed on her bed. Eventually she fell asleep and when she awoke it was deep into the night. Grace knew what she had to do. She stood with a quiet determination and slowly opened her door making sure not to make it squeak. Tiptoeing down the corridors she made her way to the guest chamber.

reaching the doors for each room she looked for the room in which the gentleman was staying.

-hmm, this one is usually for the visiting lords so maybe he is in the room next door      

She opened the door silently and slowly stepped in. Nothing. The bed was still made and there were no signs of occupation.

-damn where could he b-

A shadow descended upon her and Grace felt a dagger press gently upon her throat. A hand held her mouth as she gave a muffled yelp in surprise.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"Has the king sent his own children to do his dirty work or do you have some other reason for trespassing upon me at midnight?" His tone was gentle with a hint of naughtiness at the end of his speech

Grace furrowed her brows at the old man's language

-of course not you old prune bag let me go!  

The old man seemed surprised at her struggle

"O ho you've got some fight in you! well I'll let your mouth go in three seconds and you will quietly tell me your purpose for being here. No funny business now"

After the three seconds he released his hand but kept the dagger in place.

Grace composed herself quickly.

"I wish to learn the ways of the blade"

she pushed away the dagger and looked him straight in the eye

"ah, ok I see, then... WHAT!"

the old man looked at her in shock almost raising his voice to a dangerous level. Here was the princess of the most powerful kingdom asking for his apprenticeship.

"um maybe you should leave the dangerous stuff to your father and brother"

"NO!"

she said resolutely

"shhhh shhhh shhhh!"

old man once again held her mouth. If he was caught with the Kings thirteen year old daughter at midnight the only punishment would be death. Unfortunately for him Grace seemed to be aware of this.

"lessons now or I'll scream"

he muffled voice sounded through his hand

you little demon thought the old man, it was now lessons or his life.

In the days that followed Grace and the old man as she now called him practiced fundamentals of swordplay.

"Call me master goddamn" he would say

"nah, more practice old man!" she would shout.

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Master's (POV)

The girl is improving rapidly so quickly in fact its a bit scary. We started with wooden swords and endurance training and she trained herself night and day. There is this look in her eyes as if she has something to prove and she will stop at nothing to reach her goals. After she passed basic training I taught her the different stances and forms. She kept a notebook handy and studied endlessly.

Honestly this girl has nothing better to do but train all day. She barely interacts with any members of her family and only does the bare minimum when it comes to social interaction.

The real concerning factor is nobody really cares. If she were to disappear today no one would notice until probably the day after. The only time she breaks this behavior is when she comes for the daily lesson. The princess can be seen bounding across the field to the forest where we train in secret.

During the lessons the girl has a wide smile on her face and speaks brightly and happily. Though I can't condone her disrespectful nature.  She learns the styles and the moves as if they were second nature to her and her speed is difficult to track when you count her size. I was hesitant and unwilling to take her seriously at first but now I can say I am proud to have such a hard working apprentice at my side. She is well on her way to becoming the worlds strongest swordsman and surpassing even me.

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