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SONIC CHAOS 3: UNDERGROUND ARC - ALEENA
Tutor
The would-be suitors lined up before the young princess. As with every time before, all were sent away dejected. Aleena hated herself for it. Hated to hurt them. Once the last of the suitors had been sent off, she went up to her room without a goodnight to any of her family. She wasn't in the mood for pleasantries right now. Meeting her mother's eyes was another thing she avoided. She didn't want to see the pain and hurt reflected in them. She couldn't handle that now. Things would be better tomorrow, she told herself. After all, tomorrow was a new day.
SU
Sleet looked around the barracks. They weren't bad, he supposed. Not good mind you, but overall livable. At least when there weren't a hundred other men around to share them. He grimaced at the thought and scowled at his stroke of 'luck'. He looked over at Drago in annoyance, who had stopped by to speak with him before heading back to base.
"Now that we're in, we can get to work on phase two. Satisfied?" Sleet bit as his employer slash partner smirked in twisted satisfaction.
"I have to hand it to you Sleet. When you set your mind to achieving a goal, you achieve it by whatever means necessary," Drago said.
"I never planned on throwing myself under a bus to get it! Now no thanks to you, I might end up sent off to war," Sleet snapped. All of this just to get a foot in the door. This was why he tended to avoid contracts involving royalty. If he was sent to battle, he was deserting the first chance he got, he bitterly promised himself. He owed no loyalty to the king and queen, and certainly not to the princess. "Now how about you not screw this up and make my job harder than it needs to be?"
Drago frowned. "Don't you worry about that. I'll handle it just fine," he said.
"Oh really? Because I'm not convinced you have the slightest idea how to proceed from here," Sleet challenged bitterly, eyes narrowing as he crossed his arms and glared at his partner. Drago scowled at him, but inwardly and bitterly acknowledged he couldn't argue his partner's words. "Now you listen to me very carefully. Make a habit of dropping by the palace regularly. The more often she meets you, the higher the chance she begins to seriously consider you. Start with a weekly visit and work up to daily. Your presence shouldn't be overwhelming to start with. On the day I leave to go fight some battle I wanted no part of, you show up to the castle and speak to the princess. As much as it may pain you, pretend you care and ask after me. In this instance, it pays to play vulnerable."
"Too late. Already announced loud and clear my hatred of you," Drago said.
"You brainless buffoon!" Sleet shouted angrily.
"I won't pretend to care, but I'll see you off. Tell her that I hope you succeed for her sake. Sappy enough?" Drago asked.
"That depends on how you deliver it," Sleet deadpanned, crossing his arms. "Depending on the impression you make, it could just as easily come across as a threat. A word of advice? If you want to make a good one, don't be you. Be someone civilized. Be me! If you can't pull it off, and I'm willing to bet that you can't, then pray I'm still alive when the soldiers return from war, so this whole scheme doesn't fall through."
"If you think you're so suave, Sleet, play with her yourself. You're good at faking things, so fake love and double our chances of catching her in our net," Drago replied.
"What do you think the first thing I tried to do was? Two seconds in her presence and I knew it wasn't going to work. I can't stand that royal little brat," Sleet said. "I'd just as soon rip her apart as look at her. Now get out, idiot! The both of us have work to do." Drago harrumphed, but badgering Sleet any further would get him nowhere. He wasn't concerned, though. The Princess was as good as his. After all, in the end Sleet would do whatever he needed to, to complete a job. He always did. It was about the only thing the bounty hunter was good for. Turning, Drago left without a word further.
The Next Morning
Aleena stood high on her balcony, overlooking the training yard far below where Commander Jules was at early morning practice with his men. The defiant Sleet would be with them by now, she knew. Her eyes sought him out and remained on the man once they found him. She had to confess curiosity, there was no harm in that. Who was he really? Where had he come from? What in his past had made him so bitter? She couldn't help but wonder. No doubt she despised him, but he intrigued her all the same.
As she watched him, she mentally took notes. It was abundantly clear that if leadership was determined by skill, he would be the one who was their Commander. Not even Jules, for all his talent, could compare. Sleet was undisputedly the best swordsman of them all. The best gunman as well. His hand-to-hand was beaten out only by those significantly larger and more powerful than he was, and all in all it was plain to see that the man was a natural born killer. She supposed, though, that wasn't a surprise. After all, it seemed that when it came to prolific hunters, canines, arachnids, serpents, and felines had the vast monopoly. Sighing in frustration, she shook her head. She simply didn't know what to make of this one, and that bothered her to no end.
SU
From a balcony across the way, Queen Sonya watched her daughter in interest. Of particular note was her child's intrigue with the young wolf Sleet. In fact, the queen couldn't recall a time Aleena had been so curious about any man. Or half as fascinated by one.
"I swear, if that miserable cretin left so much as a bruise on our daughter's hip, I'll see him hung!" her husband ranted behind her as he paced furiously. He had gone on and on about the 'appalling behavior' of their daughter's mock knight since the moment the two of them were alone after the banquet. In fact, he had at one point chastised her most thoroughly for insisting they give the young man even a chance at redeeming himself. "We put a false and mock knight in service to our daughter! Why could we not have given her a true knight in the form of perhaps Commander Jules? To even call that wolf a mock knight is granting him too much honor."
"Don't count the young wolf out yet, my dear. He may impress us yet," she answered, rolling her eyes hopelessly.
"Aleena deserves better than him in her service," Maurice said in disgust.
Sonya sighed. Her husband, she knew, would only accept the best for his little girl. In everything. Even regarding courtship. She had had to press him harder than ever before to get him to even consider opening the door to middle and lower-class men, let alone soldiers. Now that he had, though, Aleena might not need to look beyond the walls of this courtyard to meet her match. The Queen looked towards the mysterious canine who had caught her daughter's eye. True, Aleena's interactions with him thus far had been disastrous, but Sonya saw potential. Her husband would be vehemently against it, of course, but she could convince him otherwise if it came to that.
"Are you listening to me, my dear?" Maurice questioned, frowning in vague annoyance.
"Aleena wouldn't mention a bruise even if one had been left, and she certainly wouldn't show it if she believed it would result in a man's imprisonment or death," Sonya answered.
"She would show you though," Maurice pointed out.
"She would. And I would lie to you for the same reasons as she," the queen said.
"That rogue's actions were inexcusable!" the king insisted.
"That rogue is hardly more than a boy! I would be surprised if he were older than twenty-five, considering he's even reached such an age yet," the Queen said, hands on her hips and a frown on her lips. She approached her husband, adjusting his shirt. "I think Aleena was quite pleased with the challenge he provided her besides. I wouldn't go so far as to say she approves of him, in fact I suspect she thinks quite lowly of him, but he challenged her nonetheless and goodness knows it's been some time since anyone has, so let it go my dearest." She finished adjusting his shirt and strode passed him.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"To speak to our daughter of course," the Queen answered. "I'll try to get her to show me any bruises, certainly, but don't expect the news to get back to you one way or the other."
"But I..." the King began. His wife waved her fingers at him with a smirk and left. He sighed hopelessly and let it go.
SU
Aleena watched the training soldiers. They were in the middle of practicing hand-to-hand combat. She frowned a bit. The opponent Sleet was facing off against was a moose. A very large, very powerful, very determined moose. The moose attacked unrelentingly, and Sleet was being soundly battered. She heard him yipping and yelping even from here, whenever solid contact was made. Another solid blow sent Sleet to the ground. He struggled to get up this time. She leaned forward a little, eyes fixed on the scene. She willed him to rise before realizing her own thoughts and kicking herself for them. Let him stay down. Perhaps the humility would do him some good.
She scanned the soldiers. Her eyes, it seemed, were not the only ones on the wolf now. The other canines in the ranks were starting to take notice and beginning to gravitate towards the wolf and moose. Sleet gritted his teeth, staggering to his feet and growling darkly at his opponent. Steadily and carefully most of the other canines began closing in, turning their backs on their own matches and beginning to form a circle. Aleena held her breath, eyes wide. The moose had begun to take notice too, and was now scanning his surroundings looking unsettled.
The canines slowly but surely tightened their circle around the wolf and the moose. Sleet, it seemed, commanded their attention and respect. Why that was the case was beyond Aleena's understanding, and she was more than a little annoyed to see it. Still, this seemed familiar. She'd read something about it before. She tried to recall from her lessons what the phenomenon was. Hmm… A large group of canines was called a pack, she believed. Yes, that was right. So then were the canines among the ranks 'packing up', so to speak? If that was the case, then they had clearly determined who their leader would be. Their choice would be to their detriment, she told herself with a quiet scoff.
"Aleena dear?" her mother said from behind.
Aleena caught her breath, jumping in surprise and covering her chest. She turned quickly. She hadn't even heard her mother come in! "Mother, you startled me," she said in a breath.
"Startled you? You're not one to be easily startled, dearest," her mother said. "What's on your mind that has you so distracted?"
"Nothing," Aleena answered. Nonetheless, she turned to look back over the edge. Jules had stepped in and was breaking up the circling pack, greatly relieving the stressed moose. Even still, though, the canines stuck close together, eyes keenly observing all that was going around them. Her eyes locked on their leader. He stood in the center of them all, eyes narrowed and calculating as he scanned the battalion. She felt her heart speeding up. Not in the romantic sense, more in a stressed and unsettled sense. It was not any sort of girlish crush causing her heart to race. It was fear.
"Aleena, your father would like to know if you sustained any injury from last night's dance," her mother said, suddenly much closer.
Aleena jumped and gasped again. She closed her eyes in annoyance and willed herself to get a grip. She turned around to face her mother. "No. I didn't," she replied, willing a calm smile onto her face.
"Would you show me your hip then please?" her mother asked. Aleena was still for a moment, smile rapidly disappearing. "Darling, I have no intention of bringing the news back to your father," Queen Sonya said.
Aleena looked back at the training yard nervously, then to her mother again. "There is a bruise where his fingers dug," she quietly confessed. "But then I marked him as well with my nails."
"Are they very bad bruises?" her mother asked.
"No," Aleena answered, shaking her head. "They've already begun to disappear."
"Good, but that doesn't mean what he did was excusable," her mother said.
"And what of what I did to him in turn?" Aleena challenged.
Her mother smiled a little. "Nor was that, but you are royalty," she answered. "He isn't. See to it such a thing never happens again on either side, daughter." Aleena turned away from her mother to look down upon the courtyard again. "Darling, really. Whatever is so fascinating down below?" her mother asked.
"The soldiers at practice," Aleena confessed.
"I guess we know your type then," her mother teased, eyes mischievous.
"Mother please," Aleena said, rolling her eyes. "I have no particular fondness for soldiers. I do admire their skill though."
"Hmm... Speaking of skill, Aleena, are you still interested in learning to wield a sword and blaster?" her mother asked. "I know when you were younger you were quite keen on it."
"Why do you ask now?" Aleena warily asked.
"Well, I thought that perhaps you would be interested in one of the soldiers teaching you some things so that, should you ever need to, you may defend yourself if your guards aren't present," her mother said. "It seems a practical idea to me. It always did despite your father's arguments that you were too young. Then you can boast that you no longer wield a blade solely for ceremony as well."
There was a beat of silence. "Truly mother?" Aleena hopefully asked.
"Truly my dear," her mother confirmed, smiling and turning to leave. "I will arrange it all. You shall have only the best of the best."
"Mother, th-thank you," Aleena said, sounding overwhelmed.
"Of course, love, of course," her mother said, leaving. Not to say Aleena would be pleased for long, but her displeasure might only last a little while if all went according to the Queen's desires...
SU
"My most skilled man?" Jules asked, sounding confused. His friend Amadeus was at his side looking equally puzzled. "Why, your Majesty?"
"I would have him train my daughter," the queen answered. "Aleena wishes to learn to fight so that she may be able to protect herself, if ever the time comes that her guards will not be able to do it for her. Naturally, if my daughter is to learn to fight, she must have the best."
Jules was quiet, watching the queen a moment and seeming conflicted. At last he sighed, bowing his head. "I understand..." He looked back up at the Queen. "The most skilled man I have currently in my company, though, is the one who antagonized your daughter last night at the banquet."
"He is?" the Queen asked in feigned surprise.
"It's a shock to all of us," Jules bluntly said, grimacing. He stood by his statement the wolf could not have held his own against the four best blades in the army, but he could certainly hold his own against one or two of them. "I never quite realized just how skilled he was until, well, today."
"I see... Then he can consider training Aleena to be part of his formal apology to her," the Queen answered.
"Will you not at least consider settling for second best instead?" Jules asked, voice quiet. Frowning curiously, the Queen tilted her head. "I would train your daughter happily, your majesty, and teach her absolutely everything I know so that she'd always be safe! But Sleet... Who knows what he'll do?"
The Queen nodded, committing the warning to memory, then glanced at Jules once again with a ponderous look in her eyes. "I would have the best train my daughter," she at last said. "But in exchange for you allowing such, I will afford you every opportunity I can to spend time with Aleena, as long as she too is open to it. The time you will miss out on spending with her, while she is at her lessons, will be repaid you twice over."
Jules perked up hopefully and nodded his head in understanding, smiling at the offer. "Thank you, Majesty," he said, pleased by the compromise.
The Queen smiled back. He seemed a good man. She should like him to have a fair chance. "Jules, would you like to train Bernadette perhaps? She's never been as interested in it as Aleena, but she could use the skills herself," she said.
"It would be my pleasure, my Lady," he answered, bowing to her. He rose and turned to Amadeus, who seemed to be quite interested in the conversation. "Amadeus, find Sleet and bring him to me," Jules ordered.
"Of course Jules," Amadeus answered, saluting.
SU
It wasn't long before the fox returned, Sleet in tow. The wolf glared warily at the Queen. "Your majesty," he said to her carefully, bowing at the hip.
"Sleet, wasn't it?" she asked.
"Yes Majesty," he answered.
"Hmm... I have a proposition for you, Sleet," she said.
"I'm listening," he carefully replied, straightening slowly up.
"My husband is most displeased with your display last night at the banquet, and your treatment of our daughter. If he had his way, you would hang. I, however, am far more reasonable and less prone to overreactions. I will take your side and stand at your defense against my husband, but you see, you also left a bruise on my daughter. That, of course, cannot be overlooked."
"And what of the marks she left on me?" he bitterly asked.
"You are not royalty," the Queen answered simply. "Naturally, you must make amends for your error in judgement. Your service to her makes up the dishonor you showed, but the bruise you caused must be addressed separately, if I'm to properly take your defense and convince my husband to be lenient with you. Considering, of course, he should ever learn of it. So, I'm giving you a way to make up for the wound you caused as well."
"And what way is that?" he suspiciously questioned, tense and wary now.
"I would have you tutor Aleena. You have shown yourself to be just about the most skilled man among these ranks, or so I'm told, and I would have only the best train my child," the Queen said.
There was a beat of silence. "Hang me," he deadpanned at last.
"Oh come now, it won't be so bad. It seems having you tutor her would be a more fitting punishment than death anyway, given death is more preferable to you," the Queen said.
"I thought you were more merciful than your husband," he flatly said.
The Queen couldn't help but smile. She certainly saw why her daughter was so intrigued. Aleena had always been drawn to wit. It had manifested early in her childhood crush on Argus, who had always been quick to a clever little joke. He had returned the affections before developing into something of a ladies' man, and on occasion man's man, in their youth, though in recent years that had subsided and his affections for Aleena were becoming more pronounced again. In Aleena's teenaged years, her draw towards intellect and wit had become even more pronounced. The nobleman Titus had possessed both, and so after Argus was gone, the two of them had struck something up. There had been an undeniable spark between them that Aleena had entertained a while, but in time Titus had grown too self-absorbed and selfish for her liking, so that relationship had ended around sixteen or seventeen. Titus still held some fondness for her daughter though, and she for him. Hence the reason Aleena was not opposed to his occasional attempts at courtship.
"Do be reasonable, Sleet. How old are you? Surely too young to be executed," she said. His jaw twitched a bit and he refused to answer that. "Age shy?" she teased.
"I'm twenty-three, majesty," he said through gritted teeth.
"Certainly too young for hanging," she said with a laugh. She turned to Jules and Amadeus. "Escort him to the training room tomorrow around eight in the morning. The lessons will begin then."
"Yes Majesty," Jules answered, smirking a bit. Inwardly he was quite pleased by Sleet's discomfort and agitation. It was extremely satisfying to see someone knock him down a peg.
SU
Aleena awakened about six thirty in the morning, eager and excited for her first lesson. She was quick to dress herself and prepare for the day, sporting her usual gown. Quickly, but willing herself to maintain dignity, she went downstairs to join her parents and cousin for breakfast.
"A dress for training dear?" her father asked as she came in, sounding amused.
"If I'm to learn to defend myself properly, then I must learn in the outfit I'm most often wearing. Odds are it will be the one I find myself battling in," Aleena replied.
"That's very practical, darling," her mother said.
"I'm eager to meet my tutor," Aleena said, sitting at the table next to Bernie, who smiled at her. "Will it be the Commander?"
"If not him, then his best soldier I'm sure," her father replied. "Your mother will be meeting him with you. I, perhaps, will stop by later or on another day. Whenever I can. I'm quite curious myself. Commander Jules pleases you, I take it, if you enquire after him."
"He pleases me," she confirmed with a smile.
"No qualms at all that he is your half-brother's brother?" her father asked, a bit surprised.
"Since he isn't related to Aleena by blood, why should she have qualms?" Bernadette said, cutting in. She smirked at Aleena. "He's Chuck's problem, not hers."
Aleena smiled at the mention of her older brother and finished her breakfast quietly but quickly. "My, my, you weren't exaggerating the eager bit, were you?" the Queen asked, smiling and standing. "Very well. Let's get on with it then. I'm curious to see who your tutor will be too." Aleena rose quickly, and mother and daughter together walked out of the dining room.
SU
The Queen and Princess entered the training room. "Jules will be along soon with whoever it is that will be your tutor, assuming he himself is not your teacher," the Queen said. Aleena nodded.
The doors opened and the princess gasped in excitement, looking quickly over with eyes wide. Jules entered, looking a bit troubled, and she frowned in concern. "Jules? What's wrong?" she questioned.
"Hmm? Oh, nothing Princess. Only distracted," he replied, pausing in the doorway.
"By what?" Aleena wondered.
"By many things, majesty. The war, your pending training, my annoyance that it won't be me teaching you," he answered, smiling a bit.
"It won't?" she asked, sounding a little disappointed.
He ruefully shook his head. "I'm good, your highness, but I'm not the best. That honor goes to another," the Colonel said.
"He must be very wise and aged, if he is so experienced and skilled," she said.
Jules grimaced, shifting uncomfortably. "He's not," the Commander answered. "Truth be told, he's very young and very arrogant, but his kind are natural born warriors."
Aleena frowned warily, feeling herself bristling a bit as she began to piece things together. Her mother had wanted her trained by only the best. The best was a youthful man. The best was a natural born hunter. The best outshone even the young Colonel in skill. She had only seen one soldier among the ranks that could possibly have fit all three descriptions, and her excitement was quickly becoming disgust and horror. It couldn't be. Fate wouldn't be so cruel.
Jules looked behind him. "Sleet! Come forward," he called out.
A horrified gasp escaped Aleena's lips. Fate was that cruel! Sure enough, on cue the wolf stepped from the shadows and into the light. For a long moment, Aleena was stunned to silence. "He is for a certainty your best?" Queen Sonya soon asked.
"He is uncontested," the Colonel confirmed, looking worriedly at Aleena. Aleena stared numbly at her would-be teacher, still trying to wrap her head around it.
"Princess Aleena," Sleet coldly greeted, begrudgingly bowing to her. He didn't bow low, though. Certainly not. That would show entirely too much respect, she bitterly noted to herself.
Sensing the tension in the air, Jules uncomfortably shifted. "Uh, I think it's best I leave you to your lessons. Princess, I look forward to perhaps meeting with you later."
"Yes. Of course," Aleena replied, glaring darkly at Sleet. The Commander bowed and quickly left the trio to talk. Aleena summed the wolf coldly up. "I wish to learn to fight. You are capable of teaching me?" she asked, sounding mildly annoyed.
"Oh more than capable, your highness. Be careful what you wish for," he coldly answered, eyes narrowed icily.
"Well, I suppose I shall leave you two to it then," Queen Sonya said, turning to her daughter. "Don't worry, dearest. Argus and the guards shall be just outside in case anything goes wrong. Don't be afraid to call for them, if you feel you need to."
"Your confidence in me, your majesty, is flattering," Sleet bitterly bit.
The Queen looked at him with a frown. "All I care about is that you do a fine job teaching my daughter, and cause her no harm. Everything else comes secondary to that," she replied. "I'm leaving my most precious treasure in the hands of a stranger who has wounded her once already in the passion of a moment. Forgive my paranoia, Sir Sleet."
"A false title if ever there was one," he bitterly replied.
"Would you prefer Mr. Wolf?" the Queen asked with a smirk.
"Humorous," he dryly answered, vastly unimpressed. Aleena looked equally unimpressed, giving her mother an annoyed look for the so-called 'mom joke'.
Her mother giggled a little. "Have fun kids," she sang, leaving the room. Both of them grimaced, giving one another disgusted looks. Somehow, they doubted 'fun' was the operative word.
SU
Sleet and Aleena stood apart from one another glaring, both with blades drawn but hanging at their sides. He eyed her form and harrumphed. "First things first, even when idle, don't be. Always stand battle ready, prepared to spring at any moment. One swift blow and your sword, as you're holding it now, would be flung from your hand. If your blade is drawn, stand idle as if anticipating an unseen attack," he said. She eyed his own form. His blade was down at his side like hers was, but held firmly in his hand a little bit away from his body, ready to be raised or swung at a moment's notice. She tightened her grip on her sword and held it a little ways away, attempting to mimic his stance. "Good. You're paying attention," he said. She gave him a dark look, turning the sword in her hand a bit. He smirked. "You want to strike me," he said. "I see it in your stance and eyes. What's keeping you, princess?"
"Good behavior. Something you lack," she answered.
"Oh, there's no need for good behavior here, Aleena. No one is watching," he said.
"Good behavior is an admirable quality, Sleet. One well worth nurturing," she said, slowly starting to circle around him but keeping a great deal of distance between them.
He watched her carefully. "Good behavior is a luxury not all of us can afford," he said.
"That's merely an excuse made by those too indifferent or jaded to want to try," she answered, continuing to circle while he kept his eyes on her.
He chuckled darkly. "Naïve girl," he murmured.
"Jaded boy," she testily replied.
"Strike me," he said, lifting his sword and crossing it over his chest. She was silent. "As your teacher, I order you to strike me. If you can. Consider it an assign..." He hadn't even fully finished the sentence when suddenly she was tearing across the room and striking at him hard. Scowling, he blocked the blow and shoved her roughly back, causing her to gasp and fall onto her backside with an 'oomph'. She gasped when the tip of his sword was suddenly at her throat. "Quick, unexpected, an excellent attempt to be sure." He pulled his blade away. "But you rely too much on your speed to carry you. Your strength is sorely lacking, and your skill. The moment I defended against your attack, you should have used your speed to your advantage. Pulled away or dodged the blow and gone for a more vulnerable part of my body. What possessed you to go for the front is beyond me. Especially since my sword was clearly raised and ready. This isn't a duel, Aleena; some show fight for the entertainment of the aristocracy. This is battle. Choreography doesn't exist." He cut his sword through the air. "Pomp and show are for those skilled enough they can afford a bit of it. Now get up," he ordered.
Glaring at him, she bitterly rose and looked up at her tutor. She noted again how tall and broad-shouldered he was. A finely built young man. It was plain to see that in a fight, he had the distinct advantage. Even if they had both been equally matched in skill.
"Now, where do we start, princess?" Sleet asked.
She considered her answer to his question carefully. "Teach me how to defeat you," she soon said. At first taken aback, he smiled in vast amusement. He approved of the request it seemed. Very much so.
SU
"Darling, it's a little soon to be dropping in on Aleena's lessons, don't you think?" Queen Sonya nervously asked her husband. "Perhaps you should give it a few days! Give her time to adjust to her new tutor."
"Nonsense, dear. I would watch my daughter at practice," King Maurice insisted. He slowed down, frowning a bit and pausing when he heard the distinct echo of swords loudly clashing in the training room. "My, it sounds quite... rough," he worriedly noted.
The Queen, teeth clenched and fingernails at her mouth, quickly hid the display of nervousness as her husband turned to her. She grinned innocently up at him. "Oh, I'm sure they're just... getting a feel for one another. A practice duel perhaps."
"Perhaps," the King said, continuing on. They rounded a corner and gasped. "Where are the guards?!" the king exclaimed.
"I..." the queen began. Before she could answer him, though, he was racing towards the training room. She swallowed nervously. This, she sensed, was not going to go well.
The King threw open the door to the training room and gasped when he saw the guardsmen all lined up inside, looking shocked and worried. Some had their weapons drawn, others were prepared to draw, but none of them were advancing. "Argus! What's the meaning of this?" the king demanded.
Argus gasped, turning quickly. "Y-your Grace!" he said in shock. "Oomph!" he grunted when he was shoved out of the way.
The King came to a stop, gasping and paling. "Aleena!" he exclaimed in alarm.
SU
Aleena and Sleet fought viciously against one another, swords clashing and hacking at one another in what would have appeared to be a vicious fight, to anyone outside looking in. Aleena, teeth gritted, knew otherwise. Her tutor wasn't going all out. What he was doing was getting a sense for just how capable she was. She took more than a little pride in the fact he seemed begrudgingly impressed and somewhat annoyed. They darted around each other, clashing and attacking at every opportunity. She swung at him and he ducked quickly under before lunging at her, seizing her by the throat and throwing her up against the wall. She cried out in alarm and pain, losing hold of her weapon. She coughed and gasped for breath, glaring angrily down at him. This was far from the first time he had taken an opportunity to pin her with one arm. In fact, it seemed a pattern of his.
"You like your displays of strength and power, young man. But they make you vulnerable to this!" she said, delivering a driving kick to his stomach with both legs and causing him to yelp, flying back in shock and hitting the ground. She landed on her feet, seized her blade, and leapt at him again.
Sleet gasped, barely managing to block the attack in time. He scowled up at her. "Cute. How long did it take you to figure that one out?" he bit.
"So you know of that weakness then. What happened, I wonder, to training weakness out?" she said.
"Habit is much harder to break," he replied. "But oh, looks like I'm not the only one forgetting to guard my body." She frowned the gasped. He kicked swiftly and harshly up with his feet, sending her flying over his head with a cry! He moved quickly and pinned her beneath him with a scowl. She barely got her blade up in time to protect herself and block his own attack. A wicked grin spread across his face that made her shudder.
"Seize him!" she suddenly heard her father call, and the both of them gasped, looking quickly back. Aleena's eyes widened in alarm when she saw the guards lunging and her mother standing behind her father, mouth covered in fear and eyes wide.
"Darling, no!" the Queen exclaimed to her husband, seizing his arm frantically.
Aleena gasped and acted quickly, throwing Sleet aside and rising quickly. "Wait!" she exclaimed, getting between them and him. She had no affection for her tutor, but she would not see him seized unjustly for doing nothing but the job he had been hired to do. The guards paused, unsure who to obey. "Father, please, he isn't a threat to me!"
"One girl's opinion," Sleet muttered from the ground.
"Be silent or I may casually forget I'm trying to save you," she sharply and testily hissed at him, looking spitefully back with a scowl. He rolled his eyes. Not that she was shocked at the lack of gratitude. Thankless dog. Well, wolf. She looked back at her parents and guards. "Father, he is only my tutor. This is just a mock battle where I practice with all the skills he has taught today. There's nothing more to it than that!" Now truth be told things had gotten very, very heated—hence the reason her guards had seen fit to come inside the training room ready to fight in the first place—but that was beside the point now.
"He is the wolf from last night. The one you danced with!" her father angrily replied.
"No, not at all! I'm his twin brother," Sleet sarcastically replied. Aleena groaned and face-palmed before giving him an angry scowl over her shoulder.
"Seize that mongrel!" her father furiously shouted, pointing at Sleet again.
"Papa, please!" Aleena pled. "I swear to you all is well."
"Dear, we did say we only wanted the best to train our little Aleena," her mother spoke up, squeezing the king's shoulder firmly and reassuringly.
The king sneered and looked towards the soldier in question once more. "He is the best, your grace," Argus almost timidly spoke up. "Heard it from Commander Jules' mouth myself."
"Father, listen to them," Aleena pled. "I beg you."
"Your grace, as long as there is breath in my body, I will never let him hurt her. Neither would Commander Jules. If he thought this arrangement was unsafe, he never would have allowed it," Argus said, backing up Aleena and Queen Sonya. "Sleet is in service to your daughter. It would be to his detriment if anything bad befell her, and all responsibility would be on his head. You really think he would risk that?"
"I think he is reckless enough that he would risk a great many things," the King darkly answered, glaring at Sleet.
"Calculated risks, sire, not reckless ones," Sleet corrected with a self-satisfied smirk. He gasped in pain as Aleena sharply stomped on his foot and scowled at him. Grimacing, he huffed and folded his arms, shutting up. Not before the King gave him a disgusted scowl all his own.
"Maurice, let it go," Sonya gently pled.
For a long moment, the king was silent. "Fine," he at last relented. "But I would have her elder brother present for each lesson from now on. He's due back tomorrow."
"Very well," Sonya agreed, nodding. Harrumphing, the king nodded and turned, leaving the room. Sonya smiled reassuringly at her daughter, though the smile was a little strained, and followed her husband.
The two waited until the King and Queen began. "Now where were we?" Sleet said to her at last.
"Here!" she replied, spinning quickly and striking him with the blade. He bit back a yelp, staggering, then scowled at her and went at her once more as the guards watched haplessly.
SU
Jules practiced alone in the training yard, his thoughts on Aleena. He was nervous. He hoped he had done the right thing in allowing Sleet to be her tutor. Could the wolf be trusted not to hurt her should things get too tense between them? He didn't know, and that worried him. "Jules!" he heard a voice call. Curious, he turned. He relaxed a little and smiled when he saw Bernadette coming towards him. "What are you doing out here all by yourself?" she teased.
"Chuck isn't here, Aleena is occupied with lessons, and Amadeus has gone home to Knothole along with the other Knothole natives, so I'm afraid I'm quite alone at the moment," he said.
"Well then we should change that, shouldn't we? I'm sure I'll prove decent company until Aleena has gotten out of her lessons, don't you think?" Bernie asked, perching on a stone wall.
Jules smiled at her and focused on the training dummy again, attacking it with practiced skill. "I suppose you wish to debate again?" he asked. "What's the topic this time?"
"Whether a training dummy or sparring partner are more useful in practice," she said with a smile. "I claim the sparring partner angle."
"It seems you much prefer to choose the winning ones, my lady," Jules said with a laugh.
"Oh come now, don't roll over and give up. Give it a shot," she said.
"Hmm… A training dummy is useful for precision training and coordination," he said.
"A sparring partner is a more realistic method of learning, as they are unpredictable just as an enemy would be in battle," she said.
"A sparring partner can be accidentally hurt or killed, which puts you down a much-needed warrior or two, as often the opponent who took the life will be too guilt-stricken to ever recover. There's too much risk," he said. "A training dummy you don't have to worry about."
"With the proper safety precautions, a sparring partner can be perfectly safe and still more useful," she said.
"Precautions are not guarantees," he answered.
"The benefits outweigh the drawbacks," she said. "Don't be reckless with a partner and the two of you will be just fine."
"Seeing as you're such an advocate for training partners, Bernadette, why not try your hand at becoming one?" he said, pausing in his onslaught against the dummy and turning to her. She blinked in surprise and he smirked. "Why should only one princess learn to fight when the other has just as many reasons to? Wouldn't it do to prepare for any would-be assassination or kidnapping attempts?"
Bernadette smiled a bit. "I'm not a princess, but that aside it would make sense," she answered, hopping off the wall. "I assume you have another sword?"
"Always," he answered with a smile. He went over to a weapons rack and selected a blade, weighing it out in his hand, then returned to her and handed it over.
Bernadette took it, smiling. "So where do we start?" she asked.
"Stance and grip," he replied, chuckling a bit. "I promise. By the end of the week, I'll have seen to it that you've gotten a firm grasp on the basics."
"I look forward to it," she replied, grinning at him.
SU
Aleena panted for breath, leaning by an open window and relishing in the cool outside breeze. There was no part of her body that didn't hurt. They'd been at this for hours now, and he showed no signs of wearing out. Not outwardly, at least. His skill was quite impaired by this time, though, which told her he was far more tired than he was letting on. She looked towards him. He was breathing quickly too she saw, now that he thought she wasn't looking. She grinned a little, quite proud of herself for that, then looked out the window again.
"Had enough, princess?" Sleet asked.
"I never give up," she answered.
"Then one day you'll fight yourself to the death," he replied. "Sometimes retreat is the best option."
"Circumstances would have to be dire indeed," she replied.
"There's admirable, then there's foolish," he replied.
"Forgive me if I question a bounty hunter's perspective on what is admirable and what is foolish," she replied, giving him a sharp look.
"Touchy, touchy," he mocked with a smirk.
She harrumphed and looked out the window again. For a moment there was silence between them as they rested a bit and caught their breath. "The day you were caught up in the ambush with Jules' company... what were you doing in their camp?" she asked, turning to him. "Robbery gone wrong, or wrong place wrong time?"
"Neither. The Commander was far too kind in his narrative," Sleet answered. "I was precisely where I wanted to be."
Aleena frowned, trying to piece it together. As she did, her eyes slowly widened. "He was one of your bounties," she realized.
"Clever girl. I was hired by a maimed ex-soldier to take him out of the picture. I made a stupid mistake I should never have made. Underestimated him. I suppose I should be grateful that he decided I was worth sparing. He let me go with my life on the condition I never returned to my old employer. With the tip of a sword at my throat, it seemed reasonable. Unfortunately for us both, the ambush happened before I could leave. I ended up stuck with them. It was that or go off alone and be captured or killed."
"He should have jailed you when he had the chance," she bitterly replied.
"How right you are. After all, I'm not through with him yet," he answered. She started, stiffening up. "Some time before joining up with General Armand, we were caught up in another touch-and-go battle. I deserted in the hopes your sweet Commander would perish. If he had, my contract would have been completed without my having to get my hands dirty. Clearly he survived. More his misfortune than mine."
"So you're a deserter as well," she asked. "You know that being such is punishable by death?"
Sleet simply smirked. He could care less what she thought of a deserter. "Death has yet to catch me. I don't fear it much anyway," he said.
"I don't suppose you do, given the risks you take," she replied.
"I'm surprised your reaction to a deserter isn't greater," he dryly said.
"It doesn't matter to me like it would to my father," she said with a sigh. "Fear can be overwhelming, and panic or shock gives rise to decisions that cannot be taken back no matter how deeply you regret them. To flee from danger and death is our nature, and I will not fault a man who was afraid to die, or who could not bring himself to kill another. The reasons would have to be far more selfish than that to give rise to my ire."
"I suppose I must raise your ire quite a bit then, since I had no good reason for fleeing and would have happily killed another," he said. "My desertion was purely selfish."
"Yes, but you would be hard pressed to raise my ire more than you already have," she bluntly replied, eyes narrowing at him as she crossed her arms.
"Oh believe me, princess. Nothing gives me more pleasure than to displeasure you," he said, giving her a bitter look. She rolled her eyes. "We're finished for today. You were passable." She gave him an annoyed look, then turned and walked away wordlessly, leaving the wolf alone to glare after her.
SU
Aleena smiled up at Commander Jules, walking hand-in-hand with him through the garden. "So, how did your lessons go?" Jules asked.
"He was infuriating," she replied.
"Not surprising," he answered with a chuckle.
She smiled and hesitated briefly. "He told me something," she said.
"Oh?" he asked.
She nodded. "About what he was doing in your camp the day your battalion was ambushed," she carefully breached. She felt his grip on her hand tighten a bit. He didn't answer. "Do you know what he is?" she soon asked.
Jules was quiet, considering his answer. "Yes," he finally confessed with a sigh.
"Then why did you let him go? Especially knowing what his intentions for you were. How can you be so certain that he will leave you alone because you spared him? The last thing he strikes me as is an honest man. What if you're still in danger? He implied to me that you were," she said.
He considered the question quietly. "I'm not afraid of him," he finally answered. "He puts on a show, but when all's said and done, he's an opportunistic coward." For a moment there was silence between them. "I'm pleased to be spending time with you, Aleena," he eventually said, looking at her and smiling. "I was quite disappointed when your mother requested the best and I couldn't quite make the cut."
She smiled back. "I am pleased by your honesty, even if it seemed detrimental to your desires to spend time with me. More pleased still that there is time we can spend together now. What were you doing during my lessons?" she asked.
"Teaching your cousin," he replied. "She came by to watch me training, we got into a bit of a verbal spar over the merits of using a dummy versus using a sparring partner, and it inevitably led to me teaching her some basics with a sword. She's promising."
"Chuck taught the both of us a few things when we were younger, and continued to teach us on and off as we were growing up. Bernadette eventually lost interest. I maintained it, so was given a little more training than she was. Her interest in it has begun to grow again recently though," Aleena replied. She turned to the man and smirked. "I wonder why," she teased.
He started and flushed a bit, awkwardly clearing his throat and looking away. "Come on Ally," he pled.
"If she deems you worthy of indulging in debates with, you've caught her eye," she said. "Should I be jealous?"
"Are you?" he asked with a smirk.
"Mmm, we'll see," she said, a twinkle in her eye. She looked ahead and stopped suddenly with a gasp. He frowned and followed her gaze. He too stiffened a bit when he saw who she had spotted. The white wolf from the ball.
"Drago? What's he doing here?" Jules said.
"Perhaps he's come to check on Sleet," Aleena warily said. "Neither of them are friends, he claims, but they remain useful to one another."
"Then he's probably protecting an investment," Jules said. "Maybe he hired Sleet for something and now it's been delayed. If he paid out a lot, he'll want to be certain it doesn't end up money wasted."
"The thought of Drago hiring Sleet for anything is terrifying," Aleena gravely said. "Is there any chance he's the soldier who wants you dead?"
"No," Jules replied, shaking his head. "I never had a wolf under my command before Sleet, and even he technically wasn't under my command. Commanding a pure-blooded wolf in any capacity, primal or otherwise, is a herculean task. Unless they're of a particularly reasonable nature, or are extremely fond of you, don't expect them to happily follow the lead of anyone who isn't another wolf. If you've proven yourself an ally and have earned their loyalty, they might follow you more willingly, but still. According to Chuck, even before they were all but wiped out it was rare to find them in anyone's army other than their own. They're powerful, prideful, prolific, and don't give their trust easily to anyone who isn't of their kind. Not that they can be blamed, given how relentlessly they're hunted down by their enemies. Or how much they're feared and despised by those who don't understand them. Even before they were such a rare sight, their mere presence unnerved the most iron-willed of soldiers."
"Really?" she asked.
"According to Chuck at least. I was too young to notice back then. He said it was the strangest phenomenon. He would witness some of the most cowardly people suddenly become the most courageous, and some of the most courageous shudder in dread and shy away. Most often the cowardly who became bold were other canines, usually those who tend to pack up. Meanwhile, the brave men who suddenly became unsettled were almost exclusively species that once upon a time would have been hunted by more predatory ones," Jules confirmed.
"Fascinating," Aleena said, quite interested in all of this. "I should speak to Charles some time and ask him questions about such matters."
"Why not ask your tutor himself?" Jules asked.
"Because I can barely stand being around him as long as I am?" she dryly replied. "Even if I could, I heavily suspect he would grossly exaggerate. Particularly if they are as prideful as you say."
"Well, once they were at least. In the wake of almost being wiped out, though, I suspect they got a harsh dose of humility," Jules said. "Neither seemed keen to reveal their species, initially. It could be shame or the desire to avoid talking about their people altogether. Maybe it's a painful topic for them." He thought a moment. "You should do some research into your libraries about what happened to the wolves. It might be worth it to know."
"Perhaps I shall," Aleena said, looking thoughtful.
SU
Aleena stood in the library, scanning through book after book searching for information. There was precious little, which she found strange. All she had learned was that once upon a time the Wolf Nation had been vast and extensive, among the most powerful to have ever existed. Despite their power, they'd been overall peaceful and kept to themselves. When threats emerged against them, however, they became formidable foes. The stuff of nightmares.
That was all it said. No mention of how they'd fallen, no record on what had happened, no files or documents or royal decrees or anything! It was like they had disappeared altogether. It puzzled her. Perhaps she should ask her parents about it. She returned the latest book she'd been scanning to the shelf and checked the time. There was still an opportunity to ask them before they retired to their chambers for the night.
Aleena left the library and set off through the castle, making her way to the throne room. She pushed open the doors and peered inside. Her father and mother were holding court, but were speaking to the last citizen who would come in today. Soon the man left, and Aleena took the opportunity to slip inside and approach them. Now that she was here, though, she wasn't sure what to say or do. How was she supposed to breach this topic?
"Aleena dear, something the matter?" her mother asked, noticing her first and smiling.
"Mother, father, I have a question," she said.
"What is it darling?" her father asked.
Aleena hesitated a moment, grimacing, then looked at them. "Why are there no records or books on what became of the Wolf Nation?"
"The Wolf Nation? What a strange question," her father said, mystified. "Why on earth do you care what happened to the Wolf Nation?"
"The first two primal wolves who have been seen for years appeared together at our debutante ball from out of nowhere, claiming to be sons of a forgotten nation. Of course my curiosity was peaked," Aleena answered.
The Queen and King exchanged looks, grave expressions on their faces, then turned to her again. "We don't know, darling," Sonya confessed. "No one does. At least no one who has come forward with information. Not even the many wolf hybrids lingering about have much to say about their wolf ancestry. If they know anything at all, they shut down and won't say. Whether out of fear or resentment or distrust, who can know?"
"Their arrival was jarring for us as well," the King said. "It's been a topic of great concern since they made themselves known. Most of court today was spent assuaging people's fears about it or answering their questions as best we could, and as best we could wasn't very good. Have you checked the library?"
"I have. It's like every document and book written about them since their disappearance has been disposed of or was never written. The closest to any sort of an answer I came was a book simply saying that one day that great nation disappeared and no one knew how or why," Aleena replied.
"It would be recent history," Queen Sonya said, frowning at her husband in concern. "There's no reason documentation wouldn't have been kept or written, right?"
"All I know is that one year's census, the wolves were thriving. The next year there were almost none. I did launch an investigation into it, but no one came up with anything. They were just gone," King Maurice said. "It caused quite a stir, if I remember right, but eventually it was forgotten about. The wolves were never really close friends with anyone. Just one another. No one even knew much about them, so when they vanished, while there was concern, interest quickly faded. Most chalked it up to them moving further from civilization and going deep into the woods to live in isolation, undisturbed by the rest of the world. It seemed a reasonable explanation to me, if a little odd."
"Why odd?" Aleena asked.
"Well, last I understood it they were attempting to expand their trade and forge alliances. Other lands with high concentrations of humans were becoming a threat to Mobian ones, trouble was brewing, distrust was rising, and the more allies our kind made, the better off we promised to be. The wolves knew it too. They were at considerably more risk. They and a few other species were very close to such human dominated lands," King Maurice said. "It didn't make sense why they would abandon all attempts at forging friendships then just… disappear."
"Perhaps they believed they would be better off hiding deep away in the woods where no one would ever find them," Queen Sonya gravely said. "Maybe they were right to."
"Then where have Sleet and Drago come from, and why, if isolation was the goal?" Aleena quietly mused, looking down at the ground. Her parents shifted, looking uncomfortable. Neither of them had an answer to that.