AN: This chapter is SHORT. Very SHORT. But I got what I wanted to say in this chapter across so that's okay.

Lemme just respond to Half-beastdragonsoul2013: Thank you very much! Although OC's name isn't Marie, I used Marie in the title as a reference to another clueless princess; Marie Antionette!

Anyways, here it is!

Chapter Three: Cue the Training Montage Music

Surprise! By the time Lord Vestra comes to take me to the meeting room to re-sign the coronation thing-y, I've forgotten how to spell "Hresvelg" and "Edelgard" both.

"Don't tell me," Mr. Beady Eyes sneers. "Have you become illiterate now, Edelgard?"

I scowl in frustration at the stupid page and try and formulate—wait.

I quickly find a solution to my plight; doing that loopy signature thing nobody knows how to read anyway. Hopefully, I won't have to use it again for something else, because what I've conjured up on the paper really is just a random uncoordinated collection of squiggly lines and loops.

It doesn't matter for now though, because when Lord Arundel picks it up and gives it a once over, he nods and gives the nobles a smile. "It is done."

Thank God. All hail the loopy-thing!

I go to bed that night feeling very proud of myself, and wake up, get dressed, and head to breakfast continuing to feel lucky.

Then that stupid, stupid son of Mr. Beady Eyes ruins everything.

"Your Majesty," Ferdinand says as he bows lightly before taking the seat a butler pulls out for him. "If I may beg a favour from you?"

"You may," The Emperor says.

"Would your arena be open for Princess Edelgard and me to duel?"

Duel!?

I cough on the hot chocolate I've been drinking and pound a fist repeatedly against my chest to stop from suffocating or drawing attention to myself.

Too late, the whole table turns my way either in curiosity, concern, cruel amusement or in Lord Arundel's case, frustration.

Sigh. Again, I hate it here.

"I'm sorry, Edelgard," Ferdinand frowned. "Are you not up to it? I suppose I should have asked you first."

Okay I take it back, Ferdinand isn't stupid and I desperately cling to the lifeline he's tossed my way. "Yes! I mean…yes, I don't think I'm up to it today, I'm—"

"The exhibition is in one month's time," Mr. Beady Eyes says. "If Her Highness is to not make a fool out of herself, she must get back into peak form immediately."

…but his father is.

"With all due respect," Lord Vestra begins, clearly lying about the "respect" based on his clipped voice and subtle growl. "Lady Edelgard has just gone through intense trauma."

Intense trauma. The scars beneath my layers of makeup begin to itch and I tug at my hair lightly.

"For the sake of an Empire that she will lose if she doesn't act according to the strength she has garnered," Lord Arundel says casually, dabbing his mouth with a napkin. "I am in agreement with Lord von Aiger."

Von Aiger. I file the name for later but vow to continue calling him Mr. Beady Eyes in the safety of my head.

The Emperor frowns in discomfort but says nothing while Lord Vestra narrows his visible eye in frustration. But my attention is taken over by Lord Arundel who gives me a hard, unyielding gaze.

The sword over my neck reappears and I swallow.

"Um…okay, yea—yes," I nod and force a smile. "I'll duel."

Spoiler, that was a mistake.

I hit the arena ground with a gasp of pain and a gag as sand fills my tumbling body. I come to rest on my back and groan tiredly at the spinning high beamed ceiling above me.

Ferdinand stands over me, the infuriatingly smug smile he wore at the beginning of our session had slipped and slipped and slipped after every end to our second long battle and is now more of a grimace.

He sighs and holds out his hand for me to take for the tenth time in two minutes and I spit out the sand and hair from my mouth before taking it. "This…isn't exactly what I had in mind when I asked for a duel."

Lord Vestra, who currently leans against the weapon rack nearby, scoffs.

Ferdinand flinches and bows his head. "You really aren't in good condition, are you?"

I shrug apologetically and shake my head. "Nope." I wince. "I mean…no."

Ferdinand hums as his frown deepens and he places the back of his hand against my forehead. "Maybe…maybe this is wrong. Prior to your illness, we were evenly matched at the very least and now we're…" he trails off and looks away awkwardly. "I think maybe you should rest after all. At this rate, you won't put on a near good enough performance for the exhibition."

Ouch. But at least he's being polite with his honesty because he is absolutely right; there's no cheat code to help with stupid, stupid axe wielding like writing nonsense loop-de-loops to sign stuff and learning how to breathe right from a book.

That being said—and ironic for me to say this as well—I don't want to know what Lord Arundel's threats include.

So…

"Maybe you can…help me?" I ask with a nervous hand wringing and awkward smile.

Both Ferdinand and Lord Vestra look at me in shock, before Ferdinand's face brightens like a Christmas light at midnight. "You…you want…truly?"

"If it's no trouble—"

"Yes! A thousand times, yes!" Ferdinand exclaimed vivaciously. "Aiding you will be the absolute and utter pleasure of Ferdinand von Aiger!"

I snort a bit and smile a bit at his excitement while Lord Vestra narrows his eye at me.

Crud. Did I do another out of character thing?

Ferdinand follows my line of vision curiously before rolling his eyes. "Don't be jealous, Hubert. You can teach Edelgard magic if she wants."

My eyes widen and I gasp. Me? Learn magic? Hell yes!

"Could you?" I ask excitedly. Magic sounds way, way more fun than swinging axes and swords all day.

Lord Vestra's eye widens again and he jolts back as if he's been hit with a bullet. But as soon as the expression appears, it smooths out to stoicism. "If she so desires."

Geez, this guy is a walking mime field; I need to figure out more about him pronto. For now, though, I'll learn how to swing axes without twirling around like a cracked up ballerina or hitting myself in the thigh on accident.

"First of all your stance is…hm, interesting," Ferdinand says with a frown. "Step back—no, just the back leg—excellent! Now, observe." He sinks into the stance he's just put me in and holds his out.

"Now I'm more attuned to a lance, however, the axe has a similar handle length so holding it is about the same, see?"

The training session leaves me filing a bunch of useful information into my mental bookshelf, and while I'm sweaty and tired, and only managed to hit that stupid straw dummy one time, I feel that feeling of silly accomplishment returning.

"Thanks—er, thank you, Ferdinand," I say as I put the axe back and smile at him over my shoulder. "That was true edutainment."

Ferdinand's bright smile freezes on his face. "Ah…what?"

Ah, boy. "…pretend I didn't say that?"

"But that word sounds genuinely interesting! Truly, what does it mean? Perhaps I can finally know something that Lindhart doesn't and trap him in a conversation."

I have no idea who "Lindhart" is, but I'm so charmed by his genuineness that I turn around to shrug and smile at him. "It's really just a word used in the rare times when learning is fun."

"Oh!" Ferdinand says, flushing bashfully and laughing. "Why you've…become so flattering, Edelgard."

"Continue helping me train and I'll keep the compliments coming, in that case," I say as I give him a hand to shake.

"Why of course! This time every day?"

"Every other day?"

"Deal!"

He gives me a firm shake before signing contentedly. "Well! I now have a bathtub calling my name. Until next time, Princess?"

I give him a wave before turning to the stoically staring Lord Vestra. "So, is there a bathtub calling my name too by any chance?"

He doesn't answer and my smile fades as I remember he's threat numero dos to getting away with my identity theft. I have to give him an explanation like I did with Lord Arundel quickly.

"Lord Vestra," I begin hesitantly. "I—" I pause as I think about what to tell him. "I need to settle back in so that's why I'm acting weird" works for being cruddy at axe wielding and knife cutting but not for having an entire personality overhaul.

But what would happen if I tell him something like "I have amnesia and don't know what the heck is going on" instead? He clearly isn't as uptight about me being a perfectly presentable princess like the other nobles sans the Emperor so he probably won't chuck me out for being a lost cause like they would, but with no memories, I'm probably just as much not Edelgard to him as if I told him "hey, I took over your real princess's dead body somehow".

"Lady Edelgard?" He prompts.

And then what? Whatever obligation he has for Edelgard he doesn't have for me surely. I risk losing my only outspoken ally in this whole mess.

"Lady Edelgard."

I blink out of my stupor and flinch back instinctively from the hand against my arm. "Oh I—sorry. I'm just going to…" I make a vague motion with my hands before striding out of the arena as fast as possible.

I feel his gaze burning a hole in my back, and I worriedly wonder if I've just made things worse.

AN: Nothing to say, just that I have a ko-fi (ko-fi slash thefantasygoddess) where you can tip and ask for commissions from me!

'Bye for now!

Fantasy Fan OUT!