The Blood King's Bride
Chapter Fifty Nine

The surrounding darkness was brightened by the torch Aaron carried as they headed to

the warriors training grounds. Aaron told them that most of the warriors would still be awake but that they won't be active in the training field, so they had privacy for the rest of the night. The field was precisely how she expected it; huge. There were training equipment that

Elena was sure was taller and bigger than her, and she found herself wondering what type of warriors used them to train. Other than that, there was enough space available for them that they could use to prepare.

"Take up your fighting stances," Aaron called out after letting them get comfortable with

the environment. Elena and Elion turned to look at the other, then did as they were told. Aaron began to pace in front of them.

"First of all, I am going to test your knowledge of fighting. You both would give me

some fighting stances and sword movements that you know. From there I would be able to decipher where to start my training. Thinking of sword dances, do you both have swords?" "Yes," Elena nodded her head.

"Good. You will use it in the next class. There would be injuries and pain, and I will not

go soft on you. But for now, you would make use of wooden swords." He walked over to a part

of the field where training equipment were placed and brought out two wooden swords. Then he walked back, throwing the swords over to them.

"As you can see, our atmosphere is much different than normal. There is no night and day here, and it has been that way for centuries. Our warriors have been trained to overcome the partial blindness of walking in this darkness, and can now proudly walk through it without the use of a torch. Unlike us though, you both weren't trained from birth like that and would find it difficult to navigate through it just like we could. In this area, you would hone your senses; to be able to feel without sight. That would not only help you here but also on the battlefield." Elena was tired, but the more Aaron spoke, the more she felt like a bubbling mass of energy. She wanted to try out her fighting skills. She wanted to improve. All these started as a means to destroy her father, but the more she learned the art of swordsmanship, the more she fell in love with it. The beauty, the elegance, it made her feel more powerful. She threw back the thought that she would use this power to take a person's life, burying it deep in her soul. She promised herself that whoever died by her sword would deserve it. But till then, she would practice till her arms fell out. And hopefully, once she leaves the kingdom, she will find Calhoun, the Old man Porv and her other loved ones.

Elena sighed. She couldn't remember the last time she felt romantic. Her experiences in Pres did well to destroy any remaining feelings. But Calhoun was the most beautiful thing that had ever happened to her. He listened, he advised, he comforted. She imagined herself cocooned in his warm embrace, how they were molded together the night before she left. She would not worry about him. Not now. Her lover screamed power and danger. He was more than capable of protecting himself and those he came with.

"Take up your fighting stances," Aaron commanded. Elena and Elion stood straight, their backs ramrod, and their legs widened.

"Begin your sword dance."

Elena and Elion began the dance learned due to Calhoun's and Old man Porv's training.

At first, the old man had taught them, but Calhoun removed some parts and added new ones to

make their strikes more lethal and potent. With the way Aaron looked at them with awe, she knew that they had done excellently well in the dance. They moved in synchrony, their moves mirroring the other. Elena could feel her fatigue wash off and the buzz of power and excitement in its place. Finally, they were done with their moves.

"That was beautiful." Aaron complimented his voice, a mixture of awe, pride, and curiosity.

"Where did you learn it?"

Elena and Elion looked at each other. "We had help from outside," Elion answered. Aaron nodded his head and began pacing, seemingly deep in thought.

"This dance made me understand that you are not to be trained like us. Instead, where we rely on brute strength, you will use lethal grace. With your stature, it would be easy for you to learn to be fast in whatever you do. Be it in your moves, you would have to apply speed to accentuate the lethal grace that you already possess. Our warriors are stronger than most, so we rely on brute strength most of the time. That doesn't mean we aren't quick though. You would see that the biggest of us is faster than any other. You both have an edge though. Unlike us whose appearance screams fear and danger, yours scream elegance and grace. If you can use it well, your enemies will underestimate you so deeply, and you can end them before they know what happened."

"Aren't your female warriors like us too?" Elion asked, genuinely curious. Elena noticed a fair blush stain Aaron's cheek.

"I told you before. Our women are treated the same as men. Since we started training

from birth, obviously, our women would too. They do not undergo the sort of elegant training you guys went through, but instead the one which increases our brute force, speed, and power. So you can imagine what they would look like after practicing for years!" He said, softly scratching the back of his head. Elion's eyes widened in understanding, but Elena couldn't get what they said.

"How would they look like?" She asked, genuinely curious. Aaron's blush deepened.

"Like... me," he answered. Elena dragged her gaze down his form and immediately

understood. Their women were feminine versions of their men. With a cough, she tried to change the subject.

"So what do we do next?"

"I am going to time you. You are both going to run a lap around this field, practising

those earlier moves you had shown."

"Wouldn't that be a little hard? The movements may be destroyed by our speed."

"Exactly," Aaron said, nodding his head. "It is why I want you to carry it out. I want you

to be able to increase your speed and manage your footwork. This will help when fighting a large group. Then, you wouldn't have to talk time to think of your swordsmanship. You may be able to defeat a person with the moves you have already, but if so many come at you simultaneously, it would be difficult. Your stances have to be so ingrained in you, it becomes another extension of your body. I want you to build it into your bodies' reflexes, and as time goes on, you will be able to discover new moves by yourselves and with my help. Now, let's get started, shall we?" They nodded and began the race to the other side of the field, moving and jumping as required by their sword dance.

*****

Several days had passed since Elena started working in the Blood castle. Whereas she did the job expected of her by day, she trained tremendously at night. At first, it was so tiring that

she caught herself dozing off on several occasions, but as more days passed, she was getting used to the activity.

Elion still looked like her usual self. She hardly looked like someone who barely had

enough sleep. Elena noticed that her skills in fighting had become smoother as time went on, and she was grateful for it. She has become acquainted with some of the servants and has even gotten a chance to serve some royal guests.

The Royal guests mainly consisted of those in the king's court. Elena didn't know what was wrong, but she was familiar with a king's court and politicians. Something was brewing within them, and Elena didn't know if it was good or bad. She decided not to overthink it. Just because she worked in the king's castle doesn't mean she was one of his citizens. She was able to glance at the royal mother once, and even though she didn't see her full features, what stayed with Elena was the grace by which the former queen carried herself.

Ever since Elion started working as a servant, many warriors started visiting the royal kitchen. During her free time, she always went to practice in the warrior's training field, and so warriors found a way to make time to 'visit' her. Elena asked Forest what his take on the situation was, and his reply was,

"Have you seen their women? They look like the female version of our boy Aaron. And my sister is beautiful looking, not that you're not beautiful, but she has this warrior vibe around her. Even when we first met her, you could tell that she was someone who fought a lot. Now combine that with her beauty, she is a magnet for proud, honourable warriors. You, on the other hand, are like this precious little flower that people just want to feel and protect. You do not exude danger as much as my sister does, which is a good thing in a way, because that makes you more at an advantage. Whoever comes across both of you would want to attack her first, giving you the chance to strike before they know what happened."

"Aaron said the same thing," Elena said.

"See?" Forest said, grinning widely. "I am more than just a pretty face."

Days bled on, and they continued their work and training. Elena was beginning to find comfort in her work, and she knew that she had become better in her training. Aaron taught both of them some new tricks in fighting, and they used it well. Elena could only imagine Calhoun's face when he saw how she had improved.

She was just returning from placing food at the royal dinner table when a giant bell rang. Immediately, people started running from every area of the castle. They were all running to the castle's entrance, and Elena scrunched her brows, curious about what had caused the alarm. She headed to the kitchen and then saw Forest walking towards her.

"Do you know what is going on?" She asked him.

"The Blood King has returned." he said, panting heavily when he reached her and tried to catch his breath. Elena knew that the Blood King was not in the kingdom but had set out on a quest. Rumors had it that he was on a quest to search for his Bride, and Elena silently wondered why he just couldn't pick from the females in his kingdom. Heaven knows that she had seen a lot of beautiful females since she arrived there. She was about to ask another question when the High keeper met them.

"What are you two doing here? There is a lot of work to be done! Haven't you heard that the king has returned? Don't just stand there, join the others in the kitchen." They ran to begin their work at her incessant nagging, and the more time she spent preparing for the king's welcome, the more curious she became about the king.

"I can't believe he is taken? He came back with a woman! Our handsome king is finally

out of reach!" A maid next to Elena said to her partner, sighing heavily.

"Word has it that she is weak looking, something that could easily be crushed." The second maid spoke up.

"Do you think if that is the kind of women he was always into? The women of this kingdom are pretty, seductive, but never weak."

Elena felt her growing curiosity mount higher. Apparently, the Blood King was the kingdom's heartthrob. People weren't going to readily accept his Bride.

Her preparation included adding new plates for the king and his guest on the table. The Royal mother and the former king were at the castle entrance, waiting for their son. So many maids had gone to the hall entrance, though not close to the king's parents, to have a look too. Elena was also curious and went to have a look at the king. She wanted to go with Forest, but he had disappeared since they started preparing for the king's welcome.

She walked to a hidden part of the entrance hall, and there were some maids there already, their excitement thrumming through the air. In fact, Elena could feel the thrum of expectation and excitement running through the whole atmosphere ever since the king's return was announced. She could see the queen from where she stood with her husband, standing proudly to welcome their son.

Immediately a hush of silence passed through the place as the king walked inside the castle. Elena released a silent gasp as she recognized the powerful, graceful, and lethal stature of the man who had walked in, one she recognized very well.