Bran still sat on the ground using his fallen opponent as a back rest. He didn't exercise much so the battle had completely drained him. The crowd had now quieted down and excited chatter filled the square. There were many who had lost a lot of money betting against the boy who somehow took down such an impressive adversary. The princess had made her way down to him taking slow steps. She was making strange shapes with her face and it was obvious she was having trouble choosing her words. Taking notice, Bran decided to speak first.

"Thanks for your help, I would be a bloody stump with legs if that mace had hit me..."

Grace's face relaxed a bit and she gave him a confident smirk.

"I am to be the successor of the blademaster after all, you and your 'plan' weren't too bad either Sleepyhead."

Bran looked replied to her words with a warm smile that didn't match his tone

"I know introductions are late but the name's Bran, where I come from it is common practice for people to have a name, how about you princess?"

The princess returned his smile with one of her own

"People call me princess but I don't prefer it, call me Grace"

"You certainly don't act like one" Bran mumbled

"What was that?"

"nuthn..." he looked the sky

They shook hands and waited for the guards to arrive.

Five minutes had passed, still the guards were yet to be seen. The electric atmosphere of the crowd had completely dissipated at this point.  Instead there were murmurs of concern spreading throughout the stands. Many spectators were conversing to each other in low tones and pointing at them, giving critical glares.

"What's this about?" Grace frowned

Bran fiddled with stones on the ground and gave a shrug

"I dunno, whatever it is, we seem to be the center of it, though if you asked me I think someone may have a problem with that sword being here." He gave a motion to the glowing sword that she had concealed after the battle.

"I don't think that's the case, I did my best to customize it to my tastes, I changed the hilt to white and added some flowers for a nice touch." Grace obviously seemed proud of her efforts and puffed out her chest

Bran still looked unconvinced

"Still, the thing glows, I think that's a pretty big giveaway, I mean someone's bound to ask questions."

Grace understood his reasoning and gave a slow nod with a frown. Then the frown changed to an expression of dread and she began to pale. Bran felt a chill go down his spine.

"umm what's wrong?"

Grace looked at her feet in despair.

"I expected to get a lot farther than this..."

Bran gave a sigh and rolled his eyes

-she doesn't really think these things through does she...  

He got up and faced her

"Well you said that this 'old man' will back you up so everything will be fine in the end right? Who is he anyway? I thought your old man was the king, wait... no way... are you an illegitimate child?! No wonder you don't act like a princess, yes this must be it"

Grace looked at him and spoke in a mocking tone

"You can sure speak a lot when the content is nonsense, wait... don't tell me this is why you're always so quiet?!"

Grace forgot her worries and prepared for a battle of sarcasm

While the two butted heads the guards finally made their entrance, however it wasn't only the two escorts from before. This time, an entire group of 30 or so came marching into the arena. Leading the group was the king and his personal royal guardsmen. He gave a single motion and the two were seized and shackled. Grace fought and struggled in the chains and Bran just sat casually, waiting to see what happened next. The king gave them a menacing glare and then passed a long sweeping gaze over the audience which now sat silently. After a few more moments he began in a booming voice.

"My good citizens! I'm sorry to interrupt your day of joyous entertainment and celebration. However it has come to my great displeasure that a grave crime has been committed within these castle walls. Thankfully due to the quick action and response of the guard, we were able to apprehend these criminals before any further harm could be done. The two you see before me are not worthy suitors looking for my daughter's hand in marriage, they are in fact dastardly thieves of the worst sort possible! The item they stand accused of stealing is the blademaster's legendary sword itself!"

Gasps resounded across the square and King waited for the whispers to die down before he continued  

"For such a great offence to our hero and this great nation, it has been decided by me and my advisors that the punishment be nothing less than death!"

The two were then quickly dragged out of the arena by the guards who had also gagged their mouths to prevent any outbursts. The crowd jeered and condemned them as they were sent away.

Bran couldn’t believe his luck

Man…. things were just too good to be true....officer to national villain, I have a feeling things are only going to get a lot harder from here on out.... he gave a gut wrenching moan, just thinking of the work he had ahead was too much to bear.

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Night had fallen and the two were placed in a cell together. Grace still wore the disguise and for the most part there was no one other than Bran that knew she was the princess. The first couple of hours passed in complete silence. Then when evening had settled in Bran voiced his concern.

"Hey it's been awhile now, are you sure the old-man is coming?"

Grace sat staring at the stone wall in the corner, she spoke without shifting her gaze.

"I have no doubts, he will be here."

Bran looked at his feet

"Do you have a plan B in case that doesn't happen?"

Grace turned to him fiercely and snapped

"He will be here!  

Bran nodded and looked out through the bars in the cell. Except for the single torch in the hall there was no other light source. Two guards were stationed in the room across from theirs. Bran could hear them conversing and the faint clinks of silverware could be heard.

-ugh, foood. There probably aren't going to be any leftovers especially for the evil villains we are…

*grwwoollllll*

A noise resembling a lonely dog resounded from the corner

-heh, looks like the princess is missing her meals, I wonder if plan B is looking attractive to her right about now?

At that moment the clinking stopped in the room next door. After some sounds of shuffled movement the door swung open. One of the guards was holding a freshly baked bun, he walked to the cell and viewed the prisoners in disgust.

"I've got sum' food ere' for yeh. te problem is, tere's only enough fur one uv' yeh."

He gave a sinister smirk

"how bout' you two fight for it? It might break sum uv' this late night boredom?"  

He rolled the bun through the bars into the middle of the dirty cell. For a second both didn't react. Then Bran took the roll and tossed it to Grace who looked back at him in surprise. With his head turned from the guard he mouthed

"Plan B"

Bran began to mock the guard without mercy

"I see you get others to do the fighting for you, if you and I were to fight I bet you would go down even faster than that big idiot of man I took down earlier. If boredom is your disease a beating will be your cure"

To top it all off he gave the cockiest smirk the world had never seen.

Grace just shook her head at the nonsense taking place before her.

-this guy is going to get himself killed before the execution...

Bran was still going on in the meantime. Making dumb faces through the bars.

The guard's face had now become beet red, the veins in his clenched fist and neck were deeply pronounced. Finally he closed the door so they would be out of sight of his partner and he turned to the cell. Bran mocked him even as he reached for the cell key saying things like "oh is this your first battle" and "maybe you should wear gloves, you wouldn't want to bruise your soft hands now?" The guard's hands were shaking violently as he put the key in and turned the lock. Though he never opened the door. At the sound of the lock Bran sent a swift kick in between the legs of the guard through the cell bars.

*OOOooooffffffffffuuuuhhhhhh*

His face went from red to purple, the pain was so intense the poor guard was unable to even speak as he passed out in agony.

"I've made up my mind, you're a horrible person" Grace said while still shaking her head

"kill or be killed, my friend. And in this scenario he's still alive, so all is well!"

"that's some messed up logic" Grace mumbled with raised eyebrows

Bran swung the cell door open and stood stretching in the hall.

"I say first we get some dinner, and then find the old man."

Grace slowly stepped out of the cell, the guard gave a slight moan causing her to jump and impulsively send a brutal kick to his head completely knocking him out.

"Some angel you are" Bran chuckled

"Let's just take care of the other one Ok?" Grace sighed

Grace easily took down the guard in the next room with the assistance of the sword from his fallen companion. She quickly surprised and overpowered him in one elegant motion.

"That was amazing" Bran said

"I learned from the best" Grace smiled proudly

They quickly located a large platter of chicken legs and ate their fill. Bran packed some away for later in a bag he found on one of the guards.

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"Bran this is not the time to be stockpiling food, we have to get moving."

"I know I know, just one more........Ok, that should do it"

Bran led the way through the prison. The cells where they had been held were located in the basement level. The front door out of the prison was on the first floor just above. The only problem was their way out was blocked by dozens of the kingdom's finest warriors.

"ok, please tell me you have a plan" grace said

"What! me? I was actually expecting you this ti- OW! ok ok! I was just kidding!"

Grace folded her arms and waited. Bran cracked the door and surveyed their options. The rooms were bustling with activity. Many officers were running in and out, giving orders and managing their squads. Bran closed the door and began to think.

-hmm, there is no way those guards won't recognize us. We need something like a distraction....no...there are still too many, I personally don't think this old-man is coming. It's been too long, if he had the power to get us out of this he would have done so already. Damn it! we cant just waltz through the front can we? wait....can we?

Bran looked back at Grace and stared, deep in thought, a sly smile appeared at his lips.

-no one knows she's the princess yet. And no one would dare question nobility right? hehe we can just bs any excuse to buy time with her majesty at our side.

Grace saw Bran's stare and felt a chill go down her spine.

I have a bad feeling about this...

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"Hey you! We need those supplies now! I want this place locked down by midnight! You two over there, return to your posts! I won’t have any breakouts on my watch!"

A senior officer was barking orders left and right through the bustle at the jail. A great noise was made from the commotion. Armor clanged in huge boxes, and the footsteps and marching of countless squads rang off the stone brick ground. However the chaos was halted in one area where the princess had made a surprise visit.  Actually it wasn't much of a surprise as she was often seen wandering around the castle grounds anyway. She wore some strange makeshift dress that looked ragged and a bit dirty. Again she was always doing something strange so people stared but not for long. At her side was a gangly looking guard. He stood stiffly and moved as if his limbs were made of stone.  Many found his presence more puzzling than the princess's as she usually traveled without an escort. Onlookers also scoffed at the guard's sloppy attire. His armor was loose in places and some pieces were put on incorrectly. His helmet was way too large and it cast a dark shadow around his face. Still they reasoned that having a guard made sense in light of recent events and it wasn't their place to criticize the princess's choice in protection.

The visit was brief and the two soon walked out the front door leaving the others back to their work.

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The warning bells sounded in the morning when it was still dark. Grace was by herself in the castle, a look of desperation clouded her face.  Immediately after breaking out with Bran she had ran to her room, changed her clothes and searched for the blademaster. Grace, now free was in no danger, Bran however was at the outskirts of the wall hiding by the cliff. Every guard in the kingdom was now searching for him and while he was well hidden it was a matter of time until someone on the island found him.  Grace needed to find the old man fast and resolve the issue. Though her main concern was why he didn't show up and why the sword was reported stolen in the first place. She firmly believed that there was a reason for his absence and shook her head scolding herself for ever doubting her master

The old man wasn't to be found inside the castle.  Most of the residents were up and about with the bells ringing all over the island. After searching in vain for an hour, Grace checked the last place she could think of. Running through the grounds she made her way into the wooded end of the island where they had practiced for all those years. At first she thought he wasn't there. However after a few moments she saw a familiar figure standing against the trunk of a tree. Grace wasted no time, and began speaking at breakneck speed.

Old-man! Master! I've been looking everywhere! Didn’t you hear of the incident of the square? Ah well no matter, there's no time to lose. They think an innocent man has stolen your sword! Thankfully he sorted out most of the mess. But I need you to speak to father to correct this before it’s too late!"

Grace spoke all in one breath.

The blade-master reacted calmly to her explanation. He sat up slowly and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Lead me to one who was accused, I will set things straight child. First, calm down and explain"

Grace smiled in relief and retold everything that had happened.

"Why didn't you come earlier?" she asked

"I was busy at an emergency meeting at the castle, I could not attend the event. It lasted for quite a while as well so there was no way for me to know what had occurred. Let’s get going then it seems like your friend has found himself in quite the dilemma"

Grace nodded and the two ran off to the cliff.

The blademaster knew a shortcut through the wall and soon they found themselves facing the water. Outside the wall

"He should be around here somewhere ....HEY SLEEPYHEAD!"

The sound of bushes rustling to their left drew their attention and a young man came out scratching his head while yawning.

"you know I hate that name, well is this the oldman?.....ahhhh I see now, you're the blademaster."

He gave a short bow of his head in respect. However that was all, Bran stopped advancing and stayed standing by the bush.    

"Grace, get away from him right now."

"What? No. stop fooling around and get over here we nee-" at that moment Grace heard the familiar sound of a sword being unsheathed. She was able to pinpoint the direction of the sound and dodge just in time.

"Wh-wah- what do you think you're doing old-man?!" grace shouted and turned in alarm

"Damn. I just missed. I definitely trained you well." The blademaster's face was darkened and a he looked at the sword with a sad smile.

Grace sat on the ground frozen in shock. The blademaster once again began to advance

"The fact that I had a successor was a matter to be kept in complete secrecy. Once you revealed the sword in front of every damn person in the square I knew questions were going to be asked." he pointed the shining blade at her face.

"What do you think you're doing! This is a joke right?" Grace stared into the eyes of the one who had taken care of her the past six years.

"I'm sorry my dear, you were an excellent student and indeed it would have been useful to have someone working on the inside for my plan. Alas, it was not to be."

"Working on the inside? What do you mean?"

"Basically, he's a spy" Bran said

The blademaster chuckled "you catch on quick. Well, I've been rambling for a while now. Let’s finish this." He raised the sword and quickly brought it down upon his apprentice. Grace was still sitting in complete shock. She flinched right before the sword came upon her. However the cut never came. Instead there lay Bran with a nasty gash down the side of his abdomen.

"gah-haa....haah"

Bran clutched at his side in pain.

Grace came to her senses and dragged him further away from the blademaster who swiped the blood off his sword with an elegant twirl. The two were now dangerously close to the cliff and strong gusts from the sea roared in their ears. Grace examined Bran's wound, it was bad. If she couldn't think of something fast there was no doubt that he wouldn't make it.

"You sure have made a nice friend, such a shame it had to end this way."

"Just shut up" Grace said in a small voice.

-I won’t let him win, I will catch him off guard right before he attacks. I won’t let Bran die in vain. I won’t let him win…

"Your options have run out. Make this easier for both of us by accepting your fate." Again he made the motion to bring down his sword. This time grace was waiting for it. She lunged forward grabbing his sword-hand and brought her knee into his gut.

*uuuuuf*

The bladmaster stumbled backwards holding his stomach in pain. Grace followed through with a kick. Unfortunately this was not enough.  He avoided her kick and pushed her back.

It was over in a second. Grace stumbled and tripped across Bran. Then the blademaster thrust out the sword and materialized a pointed shield. He pummeled the shield into the earth and sent it in deep. This loosened the cliff where Grace and Bran lay. Grace could only watch in terror as the ground shook between she and her old master. Then everything beneath her gave way and the two plummeted toward the water. The last thing she remembered seeing was the sun coming up over the endless sea, the light seemed to erupt with a roar of fire. Then just as quickly as they came the flames were extinguished by pitch black.    

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Sorry about the late chapter, this is about the third time it's been re-written :)