Lies Dressed In Lace

Your Madness, Not Mine

Chapter 12 Your Madness, Not Mine

    After we get back to the castle and I sneak wolfie in, who curls up on my side of the bed and passes out, I finally lay down but before I could get even an hour of sleep Valtok knocks on my door waking me up like an animal. "Do you ever sleep?" I groan as he tosses clothes at me somehow missing the giant wolf laying beside me who hasn't even stirred, what a good protector.

    "Come on we have more training and now you get to do it before dawn." He smiles evilly at me.

    "I'm gunna die aren't I?" He nods smiling happily at my pain.

    "I wouldn't be doing my job if you didn't during training." He practically skips out of my room slamming the door to make sure I'm up. Damn him. Wolfie doesn't move a muscle as I get up and put on a tunic and put on the new pants Nalia made for me from another fabric she found thats more durable than the Kwaylarian pants but also just as stretchy and form fitting. As I'm lacing up my leather boots Wolfie wakes up with a big stretch and rolls over to the edge of my bed next to me and lays on his back I laugh scratching his belly like I would to the hound puppies in training. His tail thumps on the thick mattress till I stop and stand up.

    "You are a silly thing Wolfie, I have to go train now so you can come with or go terrorize the cast...you should come with me." I say realizing that letting wolf loose in the castle would be a bad idea especially with my pregnant sister wondering about. He hops up and follows me out to the training yard where Valtok is already practicing with a bow staff.

    "You're late." He says throwing out a jab with his back turned to us.

    "I know I wanted you to wait for me." I say as Wolfie lays down beside a little pile of weapons. I grab a slightly shorter staff thats a little heavier than a normal training one, it's a dark red and smooth to the touch with a few little engravings of knot work.

    "Oh sorry didn't know I grabbed that one too." Valtok plucks it out of my hands and slaps a regular one in its place.

    "It's beautiful, where did you get it?" I ask twirling the staff around my knuckles.

    "I got it at the market last week, thought you would like it as a fully trained gift, but I guess since you've already seen it I could give it to you now," He says looking it over and slightly tipping it towards me, I reach out to take it but he yanks it back before I can, "I'll just keep it till then so you have an incentive." He puts it back by the other weapons giving Wolfie pointed look not to touch it.

    "Fine, if you're gunna be like that." I swing my staff out smashing it against his thigh making it buckle under him and laugh.

    "You are such a diary fighter, no wonder I'm in love with you." His smile drops from his face as he realizes what he just said. Before I can even think I slam the end of my staff into his sternum knocking him on his back.

    "The real wonder is that you keep fighting me and are still not ready to block a damn blow." I say just as he grabs his staff again trowing full force into the fight and the leg shot knocking me on my back too. I try to catch my breath as he lifts his knees up to his chest then kicks his legs up flinging himself onto his feet and standing above me.

    "What can I say? I like you on your back." He runs the end of his staff against my collarbone.

    "Really? I thought you loved me." I laugh when he jerks his staff off me then turn kicking my legs out to slam into his chest and getting up onto my hands for more power and twisting just right to almost cartwheel onto my own feet. He stumbles back give me room to move then jacking up his staff like a sword with both hands and going for my head. I block the blow spinning away and smacking the back of his ribs with my staff making him cough. We keep going blocking and thwacking staffs together. After a while of us smacking each other around some more Valtok stops to show me a new move, Wolfie growls when he touches me a little louder each time. I only laugh as Valtok glares but continues to help me.