44 Chapter 44

~Talfen, the capital of Coldshore~

~Inner Court, The Royal Palace~

Andras barely heard the rest of Captain Gautier's words, already looking forward to the upcoming duel. He briskly strode back to the living quarters where he had already spent his last night without even knowing to get Outlaw.

He found the living quarters empty, his fellow trainees already out for the morning drill. He headed straight for his mat, reaching underneath his pillow to pull out the sheathed sword.

He took off the sword that had been given to him by Royal Smithy, while it was a much better upgrade from the aged sword he had been using before he arrived at Talfen, he couldn't wait to use Outlaw.

Andras was led to the inner court by another duo of grumpy guards whose moods worsened when it was evident that the very lucky trainee simply didn't care about what they thought and how they felt.

He was taken right to the courtyard of the Crown Prince's Palace where he was already going through the motions of sword moves. He was left in the open space, waiting patiently for Prince Cederic to acknowledge him.

He noted that the Crown Prince used a broadsword, quite well as a matter of fact, well enough for Andras to be impressed by his weapon handling. And while Andras' proficiency was single long-range weapons, he wasn't the least bit worried about the upcoming battle.

His ancestry aside, he had simply spent far too many years training to be bested by a mere human who had only lived one-tenth of his current age.

Prince Cederic spun to a stop and then turned to the trainee that he had summoned, his gaze immediately dropping to the swords in the sheathes strapped to his belt. Gautier had told him that he had brought with him a very impressive weapon and he had been looking forward to seeing it in person.

He strode over confidently, muscles bulging through the thin undershirt that he wore which was made from a very fine material. "Andras? Is it?" He questioned when he was within earshot.

Andras dropped down to one knee as he was required, "Yes, Your Highness, I'm honored."

Cederic waved his words away, impatient to get a gander at the weapon in question. "Rise, I understand Captain Gautier has filled you in?"

Andras rose to his feet, "Yes," He said shortly.

"Draw your weapon," Cederic said, eyeing his middle.

He intently watched as the trainee, Andras, smoothly unsheathed two expertly forged swords with a metal that he could not recognize and merged them into a single two-handed sword.

"Exquisite," He whispered, his dark eyes gleaming in the first lights of the morning. He drew his sword and settled into a fighting stance, "I do not intend to hold back even though you're a trainee, you have to earn your promotion."

Andras nodded subtly hoping that the Crown Prince kept to his words, he stood in a relaxed position though, not bothering to strike a stance. It wasn't because he wasn't taking the duel seriously but because he didn't need to take a stance.

Cederic stuck first, wanting to gauge his opponent's strength and prowess. He went with a simple but nonetheless powerful attack.

Andras deflected the blow with ease, keeping both of his hands on the hilt of his hefty sword although he could easily hold it up with one. He followed back with a strike of his and that started off a series of brutal rapid-fire attacks on both sides.

The clang of metal and the glint produced by the striking swords filled the courtyard as the dawn rapidly came. It was by no means a short duel, especially not for the people involved but it ended in no time, Cederic conceding defeat.

Andras had been careful to not injure the Crown Prince, there was no telling what penalties there were for that, he couldn't take that risk. Besides, he was a good enough fighter that he could accomplish that with ease without taking damage as well.

"I'd be more hurt about you going easy on me if it wasn't the reason I am still in one piece," Cederic said bluntly, his tone less formal.

Andras stood quietly after sheathing his swords, he hadn't even broken a sweat from their duel but Prince Cederic had to bend over to catch his breath which came out in harsh pants, his undershirt sticking to his skin.

"Spar with me every morning." The Crown Prince blurted out and for the first time, it wasn't a command, it was more of a request.

Andras didn't mind, although Prince Cederic was a largely inferior fighter to him, his fighting style was unique from what Andras was used to, which made it fascinating enough for him.

"As Your Highness wishes," He bowed.

"While we spar, we're merely partners, you can refer to me as Cederic then, I grant you permission," Cederic said boisterously.

Andras took this in stride, bowing lightly again while making no effort to do as he was told and refer to the Crown Prince without honorifics.

"I'll let you resume your duties… and also…" He tagged on after Andras had started to walk off, making him pause. "I intend to force you to dual-wield during our sparring sessions." He said with determination.

A shadow of a smile ghosted across Andras' face, he could respect that. He walked off without a word, he needed to return to the trainee's living quarters one last time to get his personal items. He had come to and fro often enough that he could make his way back to the living quarters without guidance and in no time was back at the inner court with his traveling bag.

Andras wondered what uniform a personal bodyguard wore, and decided to ask the patrol guard that was currently taking him to the Angel's palace.

"That depends entirely on Prince Reqiel," The patrol guard said helpfully, clearly a different sort from the nasty guards that populated the outer court. "You may also request to have your choice."

Andras winced at this, he didn't trust the troublesome Angel not to make him wear brightly colored clothes. If that wwerethe case he would prefer to keep wearing his trainee uniform, at least the gray was far more tolerable.