Heir of the Sword

09 | Admiratio

Admiratio {Astonishment}

Arya had been riding constantly for almost a day and a half. The only times she had stopped was at nightfall and when Eclipse needed a break. Her lower back was sore but she knew that she needed to reach the Academy first. Glancing at the map once more, Arya made sure she was heading on the right path. According to the map, she would be nearing the Academy soon.

Earlier in the morning, Arya had ridden through the city of Xuthviy. Zelie had told her that the academy was located behind the city and acted like a covering, much like the city of Dzfrah did for the Narvian Academy. The sun's rays burned through Arya's back. It was mid-day now and the sun was at its highest point. Arya tried staying in the shade of the trees but the curved path strayed from it.

In the far distance, Arya could hear something. She closed her eyes trying to focus in order to heighten her hearing. She was sure that the noises were human, and they seemed to be male. This meant that Arya was nearly there. She dismounted Eclipse because his hooves were making too much noise on the path. She tied him to a rope around one of the trees and whispered, "Stay here boy."

He neighed loudly but Arya patted him to soothe him down. "I'll be right back, I promise."

This time Eclipse didn't say anything as Arya left him heading towards the direction of the noises. She tiptoed further as the noises became louder. She peeked around trying to locate the owners of the voices without any avail. It was time for step number two. Nimbly she started climbing the closest tree. The branches were much sturdier making it easier for Arya to keep her balance. When she believed that she had reached enough height she moved the branches to get a clear view.

What Arya could see took her breath away. There were boys of all ages lined up and dueling in the open courtyard. Their moves were in unison something she had not seen in a while. Instead of fighting, they seemed to be blocking their opponent's moves and learning how to work as a team. A man with strands of silver-grey hair stood in front of the boys with his sword resting at his hips. He was gazing very intently at the boys and made sure to point out any mistakes they made.

Arya looked on amazed at how they were practicing. Perhaps she became too absorbed as she didn't notice the figure approaching under her before it was too late.

"Oi, whoever you are, make your way down at once!" The voice shouted at Arya.

She was quite startled and the branch she was sitting on rattled. Thankfully, it didn't break. Arya ran through the possibilities of her going down and decided that she rather stay where she was hoping that the person on the ground would give up. But no such thing happened as a few minutes later an arrow whizzed by her ear missing her by an inch.

She sighed; it looked like she was going to have to climb down after all. Carefully, she made her way back to the ground to come face to face with familiar face. It was the male guard she had met when she had been travelling with Damien and Aaron. The guard himself looked quite surprised to see Arya as his hand rested on the pommel of his sword.

"Miss, what are you doing here?" he questioned.

"I have business to attend with Prince Zander." Arya replied.

He looked confused. "Why were you up in the tree then?"

"I was merely curious," Arya responded in a clipped tone not revealing anything else.

The man slowly nodded as if his brain was trying to process the information. "Would you like me to accompany you to the academy then?"

Arya slightly tilted her head. "That would be appreciated although I do have to fetch my stallion before we go."