Jaron had Imogen. Tobias had Amarinda. But Roden? He didn't need anyone. He was happy having his friends, his position, and his father. What more could he ever ask for? This is the story of how that changed drastically in an instant. The story of how Roden found himself with feelings he never really was able to explain. How Imogen and Amarinda had a new close friend to welcome, only to lose again. And how Jaron suddenly found himself in the middle of a plot to overthrow him right under his nose, but not in the form of any evil regents, pirates, thieves, or wars of any sort. In fact, it came from a close friend, who would never have meant any harm at all. And it all began with a young servant girl.
Jaron's POV.
I had noticed her a few minutes ago, although she might not have known it. Honestly, I couldn't even swing a sword for practice without the entire kingdom coming to observe. To be fair, it was only one person, but still it was frustrating. She had hidden herself well behind those shrubs, and was probably there far before I'd realized, but she couldn't have expected to remain hidden for very long undetected. Finally I looked over at her, and shouted, "you, there!" There girl nearly jumped in fright, but, trembling, she stood, head in a bow. I frowned. Something about this girl seemed… familiar. I then realized what it had been. It was like looking at myself in the mirror, but as a girl. I found this peculiar and somewhat amusing.
I gestured for her to come forward. "Come here! Don't be afraid." It was like coaxing a kitten, but there most probably wasn't any other way for her to get her to move without her bursting into tears. No matter how similar she looked to me, she hadn't so much of a fraction of my personality. She rushed forward immediately, head still down, hands behind her back. Her clothes were drabbed, practically rags, and her hair was in a servant's braid. She looked almost like Imogen when I'd first met her, except for her hair, almost exactly the same shade as my own. Yes, she looked almost like Imogen, until she looked up, and galaxies exploded inside my head. Her eyes were bright green, with a mischievous glimmer in them, and almost all her features were like a feminine version of my own.
"Is… everything alright your highness?" she said, seeing my shocked expression, surprising me even further. She spoke with an Avenian accent, one I'd never heard from a girl, except from the servant girls at Tarblade Bay. It was so much like my own impression of an Avenian tongue I nearly burst out laughing.
"No, no everything's alright," I replied, composing myself. "What were you doing in the bushes?" The girl made an apologetic smile, so mischievous I could have thought she was actually burning the castle down. The same smile I'd likely given to my father and his regents when I happened to be doing that exactly. "I was watching you practice. I heard you're a spectacle when fighting." I thought for a moment. "Do you fight?" I asked. Her face paled, at an utter loss for words. She stammered, "well… well, I… why would you say that?"
It was obvious. At least, to me it was. She looked like a fighter, and if she was so interested in watching my practice, she had to know something about the sport. I walked over to where the swords were, and picked out one of my own favorites. I handed it to her.
She was shocked. "Your highness, I don't even know how to hold it!" she objected, staring directly into my eyes. A bold move, I thought, for a servant girl who supposedly couldn't even hold a weapon. "I think you can," I insisted. "Take it and try it. That's an order." She sighed, clearly annoyed, yet another bold move that rather amused me, and took the sword. She held it perfectly well, and ran her hand along the flat of the blade. She clearly had an experience with swords, although she wouldn't admit it.
"Good," I nodded. "And now fight me." Her eyes widened. "No! I can't fight! Especially not… you!"
"I'll take that as a compliment. Now hold it." Reluctantly, she did. I counted down from three, and the moment he did, she struck, surprising me. I blocked her blow, and smiled. So she could fight. An unusual skill for a servant girl. It was my turn to lunge. She jumped out of the way and we locked blades. That was when I realized the arm she favored. Her left. It was so surprising I was caught off guard and pushed down onto the ground. She swung her sword with such ease it was hard to believe this was the girl practically cowering five minutes ago. I blocked and rolled to the side as another hit came at me. I stood up, and the next thing I knew I had my sword at her neck, and hers at mine. The girl burst out laughing in a way so similar to mine, had to smile and laugh too.
"What is your name?" I asked after we had withdrawn our swords, now ultimately curious. "Asher," she responded. I nodded. "You're good with the sword, Asher. Who taught you?" She looked down, smile sliding off her face. "Someone very close to me. He was like a brother. He passed away a few years ago." I was now certain this had to be the biggest coincidence in the history of coincidences. My actual brother was poisoned a few years ago. I decided it might be fun to experiment a bit. "Meet me here tomorrow, in the same place at the same time. There's someone I want you to meet." I was thinking of Roden. I wanted to see what the Captain of my guard would think of this female warrior. She nodded and bowed. "Yes, your highness."
"Call me Jaron." She smiled. "Alright, Sir Your Highness, Jaron." Yep. She was too much like me for her own good.
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