The Heir and the General

One.

The sounds of blade against blade rang out through the war camp deep within the mountains nestled in the Northern Kingdom. Reyna, daughter and heir to its King and Queen, leaped and circled around the mud-packed training ring as the warmth of the spring day, even within the mountains, made the hair that escaped her dark braid plaster against her sweat-soaked brow.  Even the material of her thin shirt clung to her chest and back, having discarded her leather jacket over an hour ago. Her legs barked in pain as she moved, but she would not stop-- not when she was facing Thessan, her father's General, in that ring, circling across from her.

And especially not when her father and mother were observing them from the outskirts.

Rikard, King of the Northern Kingdom, remained adamant against sending his firstborn to the camps in the mountains, and even in their recent correspondence and conversations, Reyna felt as though he was still in denial as to how quickly the time went by.  She felt his icy gaze as he stood from outside the sparring ring with Queen Feith, daughter of the Eastern Kingdom by his side. With every clammer of her blade against Thessan's, Reyna knew he still wondered whether or not allowing her to come to train here was in her best interest.

It had taken some serious arguments from Feith on Reyna's behalf to convince Rikard to allow his daughter to be sent to the camp.  The pleas from the two most important women in his life must have eventually weakened his resolve, for the King finally conceded. Still, Reyna set off to the war camp far later than most warrior younglings were shipped off for training.  And, of course, the King wouldn't subject her to the mercy of just any camp's leaders like the other children either- in this he stationed Thessan at the same camp indefinitely.

That his General and his daughter happened to reside at the camp was insisted to be merely a coincidence, but Reyna knew better. She knew how honorable and devoted Thessan was to her father and their Kingdom. She'd never have a true ally in him, not when he was no more than a glorified babysitter.

So the King and Queen continued to visit their daughter as the years went on. Reyna knew if Rikard had his way he would have found an excuse for permanent residence within the camp, and thanked her mother often for assisting in diverting him from doing so.

And even though the King used such visits to tend to matters that required his attention while he was present, he made time to watch Reyna as she trained.

She made a point of getting into the sparring ring every morning at dawn, and every evening at dusk. Thessan usually joined her, but she remained uncertain if it was because the General wanted to keep a closer eye on her per his King's instructions, or because they both knew she had kicked the ass of every other warrior within her age group without remorse.

She smiled at the thought as she continued to face off against the General. She was good.  She was damned good.  And she would do everything within her power to show her parents-  her father- that their decision to allow her to train at the camps was not only in Reyna's best interest, but for the best for the Northern Kingdom as a whole.

She was the Heir after all.

And today was no exception.

The King and the Queen arrived the night before, and rather unexpectedly.  When questioned, Rikard told her it was a simple visit to the camp to make sure its Lords were handling the new recruits as well as they should be.  Reyna knew, though he would never admit it, that they truly were checking in on her. Again. Especially with the Trial so soon and her obvious desire to attend.

Too many times her father denied discussing the conversation.  But she knew.  And it was that thought alone that put an additional spring in her footing as she raised her blade and again lunged towards Thessan.