Her Second Chance✔ (Completed under edit)

4 (Edited)

Andre

He went in close, blocking the side-kick aimed at his middle and the fist coming for his face. Grasping the extended arm, he unbalanced and used his opponent's momentum to throw him to the wall. Turning with the throw he moved in on his friend as he struggled to get up.

"Enough!" Their fighting instructor called out.

Andre shifted his stance until he was relaxed and ready and watched his friend scramble up to stand beside him and face their training master. Richard kept a wary distance between them, aware that the master could call for a continuance without warning.

"Andreas," he addressed him. "The king requests your presence in his office. Go."

Andre frowned. The king would know he was in training, which meant it was something serious for him to call on him. King Fredrico valued training in his pack and those who came to be under his care for various reasons. He avoided calling upon them when they trained.

"Do I have time to change?" He asked. One didn't go before the king in training clothes and with sweat soaking said clothes.

"No." The master left no room for argument in his tone.

Andre nodded. Exchanging a look with his friend, he took a wet towel and wiped himself as quickly as he could. Richard tossed him a clean shirt and with a grateful nod he removed his wet one, wiped even more sweat and wore the other on his way out.

The halls of the palace were as empty as expected at this time. Most of the people in the training part of the warriors' wing were closeted in their training rooms with their trainers. There weren't as many guards in this part of the castle since warriors frequented it, but they could still be seen.

He marched his way to the office wing which, though it was a distance, was close to the warriors' wing for safety's sake. The guards on his way eyed him, but kept their posts as he walked the office wing. The closer he got to the royal offices, the more the guards were.

They were impassive, their flinty gazes sharp and missing nothing. He knew each of them had taken note of what he wore and checked him for any signs of a weapon. Luckily for him, the training clothes left no place to hide anything, otherwise, he was sure he'd be searched.

He smiled at the thought.

To get to the king's office, one had to first enter his secretaries' office and the guards at that door opened it without his having to knock. Inside, the overly large office held two desks. One each to the side of an ornate door that held the royal crest and the king's name on it.

Two guards each stood on both sides of the door with others lining the room. Even the two secretaries were well-trained guards themselves. Everyone's eyes trailed to him as he entered and one of the secretaries took up her phone and put a call through to the king.

"Andreas is here." She informed, then listened for a moment. "Yes, sire." She dropped the phone and then nodded to one of the guards at the door.

The guard opened the king's door and Andre walked into the king's sanctum. The place was ridiculously huge. Vaulted ceilings with exquisite paintings of royal exploits gave the room a touch of timeless beauty against the modern setting of everything else.

A pale oaken desk dominated the room, framed by huge pillars with platinum scrollworks leading to a huge balcony. Behind it, a private and lush garden brought the rich scent of nature into the room.