15 Chapter Fifteen: Strength and Courage

(HEY READ THIS!!!! If you read Chapter Fourteen: Happy Birthday yesterday, I accidentally released it before Chapter Thirteen: Rapier and Dagger! Please go back and read that one, sense Chapter Fourteen probably made no sense!

Sorry! Here's Chapter Fifteen!)

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Alice woke up the next day to a quiet castle. She had difficulty getting to sleep as the ball continued well into the night.

She rubbed her head, yawned and got out of bed, intending to take a bath. After her bath, she slipped into her training gear and walked outside, being greeted by two voices.

"Hello, Alice!"

"Hello, Alice."

It was Jason and Zach. They stood next to a carriage and their mother, Victoria. "Hello, Alice. How are you today?"

Alice ran up to them. "I'm good, Mrs. Victoria. Hey, Jason, Zach, do you guys want to fight?" She had a hint of excitement in her eyes.

Zach rubbed his chin. "I don't know, we both have years of experience with our weapons..."

Jason agreed. "Do you even have training, Alice?"

She hit them both. "Why else would I ask?"

They looked at each other and agreed, saying they won't hold back. Jason pulled out an axe as Zach equipped a longsword.

"You just carry your weapons with you?" Alice asked out of confusion.

They both nodded. "Let's hurry up and fight! I want to see your weapon!" Jason said.

Zirian has walked out to greet Victoria and heard this, deciding he would watch. Victoria decided she would as well.

After they arrived at a fighting ring, Zach and Jason put on some defensive armor so that way they wouldn't get injured.

Alice said what she already had on was fine since she was 'part Demon'.

She stood at the opposite side of the ring than Zach and Jason. She drew her rapier and dagger, getting into a defensive stance.

"It looks like she focuses on defense." Zach analyzed her stance and told Jason.

He nodded. "Yeah! This'll be fun!" Jason charged Alice with his axe, and the former dodged out of the way, hitting his back with the pommel of the rapier, causing him to stumble.

She ran at Zach, who swung his longsword, only for Alice's dagger to catch it. She thrust her rapier at Zach, who pulled away right when the blade would've hit his stomach.

As all this was happening, Zirian and Victoria were talking.

"I hope that one of them get to marry Alice. They both seem quite fond of her." Victoria said.

Zirian laughed. "Well, it's either one of them or one of your older sons, and they're much older than Alice."

Victoria nodded. "Yes, nineteen and twenty-five. It'd be strange. Besides, they both have interest in some girls they've met."

Zirian sighed. "I wish I had told her about what it meant, a vow I mean. I didn't even think she knew that word."

"Well, Zirian. If there's anything I've learned from being a mother for thirty two years, it sometimes takes leaving children alone to learn for themselves."

Zirian turned his head, alarmed. "She's nine!"

"I know, Zirian. I know. Just look at her though, the smile on her face."

He turned to look at Alice who was thrusting her sword into Jason's defense. "Maybe you're right. I just never liked the idea of a political marriage... and she caused it herself."

Victoria sighed. "Get over it. She will have to do it, or else in the years to come after her sixteenth birthday, the treaty will quickly fall apart."

"Aye, listen to her, Zirian. She knows what she's talkin' about." A voice sounded out behind them. "A choice must be made."

A small man looked at the two as they turned around. "Hello, Odis. Welcome back." Zirian greeted the man.

Odis nodded. "I've got her sword and dagger, forged from celestial crystal straight from the elven mines."

Zirian chuckled. "Well, you'll have to wait. She's fighting it out with potential fiancés at the moment."

Odis Walked up to the ring. "Alice! Stop the fightin' brats!"

They all stopped swinging their weapons. "Master Odis!" Alice said.

"I said just call me Odis. These are the weapons that Zirian promised ya for yer ninth birthday. I couldn't make 'em while I was trainin' ya."

Alice's eyes went wide. "You're a dwarf?"

Odis showed a big toothy smile. "What? Did ya think I was just short?" He took the weapons she was using and handed her pair to her. "They are called Strength and Courage." He pointed at the dagger and then the rapier. "The dagger is strength that helps ya keep yer courage strong. It defends ya and yer courage, so that ya may face the trials ahead, and beat future foes without fear."

He chuckled a second. "Draw out your courage, and tell it what you want."

With that he went and sat with Zirian and Victoria. Alice pulled the rapier out of it's beautiful black and red sheath. The blade was pure white, and gave off an air of comfort.

Alice breathed in, and then out. "I want to defeat all my enemies." After saying that, the blade began to vibrate quickly, and the pure blade suddenly had red coursing through it like veins.

"Oh... that's a rare color." Odis said. "She must really believe in what she wants."

She pulled out the dagger. It was also a sword breaker. "I want you to help give me the strength to help me achieve this." The dagger also began to pulsate, before it's normal looking blade became a pure white, like how the rapier was. It didn't create veins.

It was just white.

Turning back to Jason and Zach, she raised her rapier. "Let's finish this!"

"Oh yeah!" Jason screamed.

Zach just looked at her as their weapons also began to create veins, although they were orange and blue.

Odis nodded. "This will be interesting to watch. Very interesting kids."