Promised to Wolves

éndeka

We paid no attention to the shocked looks we received from the hundreds of male warriors as we stepped out onto the training field in very unladylike clothing, choosing a quieter area to start stretching. Bending down to stretch my legs, I could not help but recall the way Andreas' eyes had shone as he had gazed at me and I shivered slightly as the memory of his scent came to mind.

After he had disappeared, I had stayed hidden around the corner until the meeting ended and I met up with the Princess. Immediately, she had declared that she wished to train and dragged me back to her chambers, followed by the two Lieutenants who had stood guard I had helped her strap on leather armour over breeches and a loose-fitting red shirt. Whilst doing so, she had tried to ask me about what had happened with Andreas, her eyes twinkling with excitement, but I had dodged her questions easily and, once we were in the company of the lieutenants again, she had stopped.

However, I was sure she would find time to interrogate me later.

"Come on then, Artemis," Princess Octavia called out as she unsheathed her steel sword and moved into a fighting stance. "Unless you are too exhausted from your meeting with Andreas to fight me."

I unsheathed mine, twisting it around my wrist as I got used to the weight of it. In practice, we did not fight with the silver swords of the Agem because it was too dangerous. A single cut from a silver weapon meant a slow, agonising death with no cure. So we had to use steel swords instead, which were slightly heavier and clumsier. Still, I handled it with expertise.

"Perhaps the Lieutenants should fight, your highness," I answered, looking over to the two warriors who stood watching with keen interest. "We have no idea if they possess the skills to protect you." The last part was uttered bitterly as I knew they could never replace Marcella. But there was some logic in it and the Princess took that as a challenge.

"Very well. I will fight all three of you." She turned to them with a wicked smile on her face. "Are you ready?"

Excitement fluttered across their face at the opportunity to fight and beat the Lamia Princess, not knowing how naive they were. The only people I had seen take down Princess Octavia were her brother, her parents and Duke Titus who had almost a century of combat training more than her. But the Lieutenants would try, and they would fail. And I would enjoy watching their vampire healing chase away all the cuts, bruises and broken bones. 

"We are ready, your highness," Lucia responded, bowing grandly as she lifted her sword. 

"Indeed we are," Felix cut her off, moving to stand beside me as any trained warrior was meant to do. It almost made me hate him less when he matched his own stance to mine, so he would strike the Princess on the opposite side to the side I attacked and not get in my way. 

"Very well." She prepared for our attack, shifting her feet and adjusting her weight whilst I steadied myself to strike. "One more thing, Artemis. You are a Luna Princess now. You don't have to address me with my title."

Surprise distracted me as she moved with deadly speed and power, her sword slicing through the air and heading straight towards my unprotected neck. It was extremely lucky my reflexes were extremely fast and I leaned far backwards, feeling the ripple in the air as the sword travelled directly above my face. 

Twisting upwards and to the side, I brought my sword down on the moving blade, forcing the tip to collide with the ground and a stalemate to form as I trapped the Princess' sword with my own. "I am still an Agem," I growled, staring at her crimson eyes with animosity as the adrenaline rushed through my system. 

"But not for long," she replied snarkily and drove her elbow into my face. The sickening crack of bones was heard as my head snapped back and the pressure on her sword was reduced, allowing her to lift it up and knock my own out of the way.