The Reaper had been a common companion of mine throughout my life on the mountain. The cold would creep into my bones, its deadly embrace slowing my heart and body as I worked. The worst days were those in which Death and I worked the fields side by side, his black presence more real and terrifying than any words could express. Those fields of glittering flowers taught me how mortal man truly was, and how one mistake might cause the Reaper to reach out his hand, and touch you.
Six
Time moved oddly in the Darkness that held me. I could not feel my body, could not taste the air or hear myself breathing; it was as if I had no body at all. I found no fear in this idea, only a lazy curiosity. The void shifted around me, its black folds twisting into and over itself as if it had a consciousness of its own, and I found myself watching the bending and turning of it in rapt fascination. After what might have been a thousand years or a fraction of a second I noticed a shift in the Nothing. Warmth, starting in my fingertips, appeared in the same moment that I became aware of the fact that I had hands. It moved up my arms, gathering speed as it spread, and soon I was discovering each body part as if for the first time. Another eternity-second passed, and the warmth that had by then completely enveloped me began to grow hotter. It very quickly became uncomfortable, and I scrunched my nose in distaste.
"Rhyce?"
I knew that voice. A blurry memory swam to the front of my mind as if tugged forward by a string. That voice belonged to Arrus, and he sounded worried. I wondered what he could possibly have to worry about. All was well as far as I could recall, though my memories were admittedly sluggish. We had made it to the king's castle, I remembered clearly, and had even gone so far as his throne room. Something hot and red flashed before my vision. There had been blood. Had it been my own, or had there been an attack on the king?
"He seems to be coming back to us."
The voice that spoke then immediately sent a spike of fear down my spine. It belonged to the Seer. Cloudy images of a sword point sticking out of my chest and my life's blood staining the floor wobbled into my brain. The king had ordered her to perform some sort of test. Why had I been stabbed? Had that been the test? If so, it did not seem to be a very well thought out one, I decided with growing anger. A dull throbbing broke my increasingly dark train of thought. My chest was sore, each breath I took sending pain through my torso. I started to lift my hand with the intent of rubbing the tender flesh, but it only twitched slightly at my demand. To my immense frustration I still had not yet regained the strength to move.
"Rhyce!" Arrus called again, relief coloring his tone. I hated to hear him sound that way.
"Stop scowlin' so hard yeh'll give yerself wrinkles before yeh hit thirty!"
That was definitely Sarj. He sounded pleased as well, and it was then that I began feeling true chagrin. Had I truly caused them so much worry? By now the Darkness had lost its depth and almost entirely receded. Feeling was fast returning now, and I wished that it would slow down. Every heartbeat caused a surging of pain in my chest and back, and the blankets covering me were insufferably hot. Underneath them I could feel very few layers of clothing on me. Realizing this, I was suddenly glad to be stuffy in return for privacy. My three guardians, two more welcome than the other, began to argue among themselves as the glue of exhaustion holding my eyes shut began to loosen.
"What sort of absolutely ridiculous test was that?" Arrus demanded. "What would have happened if he had not spoken the spell?"
"Then the child would have died." The Seer answered smoothly. The lack of remorse in her tone sent a shiver down my spine. I decided I would keep my eyes closed a little while longer and let the discussion continue.
"This war is too important for you to be risking our only chance this way! There are other ways you can prove a person has magic!"
"You are not incorrect. I could have had the child perform a small healing spell or bewitch a broom to start sweeping the floor, but we are not searching for parlor tricks. The runes carved into the sword were purposely laid down in such a way that only one of true potential could bring them to life. If the child had not already had the makings of a powerful Wielder the spell would have failed."
"You and my father should thank the gods that the boy lived." Arrus said softly, his voice suddenly becoming calm and cold. Never until that moment had I felt such a dark hatred emanate from my companion, and I was afraid.
"Watch your tongue. Your father is still the king, and I, his advisor."
"My father can go to-"
"Arrus…" Sarj cut in gently.
"Leave us, Seer." Arrus demanded after a heavy silence, "I do not want to see your face a moment longer."
"As you say, your highness." The woman said coolly before drifting away with the sound of shifting fabric.
Deciding then that it was time to open my eyes, I cracked them a bit against the purple light of the torches on the wall. Once my eyes adjusted some I opened them entirely and tried with slowly increasing success to focus on the men standing to my left.
"I…do not like…her…" I choked out roughly. My throat felt as if it were coated in a layer of cotton.
"Wha-" Sarj began to sputter, but the prince cut him off.
"How long have you been awake?" Arrus demanded. Taken aback by the fast return of his temper, I only stared at him mutely.
"Did you hear me?" He asked, reaching out with both hands to grip my shoulders.
"I…since…you said my name." I struggled to answer.
"What were you thinking?! Why would you try and stop me from taking the sword out? Why didn't you speak immediately when you woke up?"
He shook me as he threw the questions at me, wracking my chest with pain. I gasped but had no strength to fight him. His face froze at the sound, and his hands loosened their grip immediately but did not let go. For a long moment he seemed to be wrestling with something within himself until, finally, his face settled back into its usual mask.
"You worried us both." He said simply before releasing me.
"Don' listen to his fallacies! The boy was beside himself until he realized that yer magic mutterin's started the sword t'healing yeh." Sarj boomed merrily. He started to clap me on the shoulder but, after a rather charming moment of him fretting over what to do, settled for a pat on my head.
"The sword…was healing me? How long was I…" I asked in shock.
"The spell you cast activated runes etched into the blade. When you spoke them the sword started working its way back out of you, healing its damage as it went." Arrus explained emotionlessly, "The Seer avoided your heart and lungs on purpose but hit one of your blood wells. You were only another minute or two from bleeding out there on the throne room floor. To answer your second question, you were unconscious for a full day and night."
If I had not felt his hands shaking as they held me I might have been fooled into believing that he was not angered by this. I disliked that I had upset them so much, but knowing that they cared enough to feel fear for my life brought a warmth to my heart. Arrus and Sarj truly were amazing friends to have made.
"Thank you, Arrus…and Sarj, too." I said with the deepest of gratitude and slowly lifted a heavy hand to touch two fingers to the scarred back of Arrus's hand. To Sarj, who stood too far away to reach, I sent the biggest smile I could muster.
"Don't be stupid. There's nothing to thank us for." Arrus said stiffly, but he did not pull his hand away from mine.
"Aye, ther's no reason to be goin' soft on us." Sarj rumbled with some embarrassment. His ears even turned a tad bit pink.
"How are you feeling? Can you sit up?" The prince asked as if to change the subject.
I nodded hesitantly and attempted to lift my own weight to little success. Arrus moved to assist me, slipping his hands under my arms and gently lifting me up to settle me against the wall. I weakly nodded my thanks to him.
With a better view of my surroundings I could now see that I was seated on a small bed in what had to be a maid's chambers. Covering me were at least three wool blankets of varying size and make, and behind my back was a giant, handmade goose down pillow. The stone walls were bare except for the far right corner that housed a small wooden dresser full of what I assumed to be the maid's clothing. On either side of us one purple torch flickered, casting a shifting but consistently bright light throughout the room. To my left stood Arrus and Sarj, dressed now in a less bulky sort of armor I could only imagine had been designed for wearing indoors. The design of it, with its many hinges and plates, certainly did not look any more comfortable.
"May I look at your back?" Arrus inquired softly. I shrugged consent.
Helping me lean forward, an action that had to be achieved one agonizing inch at a time, the prince lifted my tunic with one hand and angled me toward the light with the other. His fingers were surprisingly warm as they made contact with my skin, tracing something I could not see. I could feel him beginning to shake again as Sarj let out a low whistle.
"The magic healed yeh but didn' care to be gentle 'bout it." The large man said sadly, "Yeh've a scar. Cut straight through yer bandages, too. It's a miracle nobody noticed with all of the fuss going on."
"My father's expression never changed." Arrus muttered darkly, his breath fanning out across my neck and raising goose flesh down my arms. "He only ordered that you be carried away and your mess be cleaned up."
Without another word Arrus carefully tucked the fabric back down over my new wound. I had many scars, mostly on my arms and hands, so the knowledge of one more did little to bother me. What did concern me was the look of hatred in the prince's eyes as he came back around to look at me. It was not right that he should have to feel such a thing. I wanted to make him smile. With no idea how to achieve the desire I could do nothing but sit and feel useless.
A knock on the chamber door made us all jump.
The woman that entered the room without waiting for an invitation could only have been the Seer. Arrus stiffened at her approach, but she waved a calming hand at him.
"The king as sent me to express his content that this child has passed the test. I am to take her to her first training session with the others." The woman spoke silkily. Her voice seemed less like a voice and more like a chiming of bells. It was as deceiving in its pleasantness as her beauty was. Every feature of her face was perfect, as if sculpted by the gods themselves. Her hair, as white as fresh snow, billowed behind her in a waterfall that ended at her ankles, and her curves were so sensual that there could be no mistaking her for the woman that she was. Everything about this creature invited you in, told you that if you wanted to you could experience pleasure more profound than one could ever imagine. Then your gaze fell on her eyes, black as night and just as devoid of warmth, and you knew instantly that it was all a trick. They shown with a deep intelligence that seemed to look straight into your soul, and their stare promised no pleasant endings should you fall victim to her charm. Right then those eyes were settled on me, her full lips curving up in a smile that did not reach the black orbs above.
"He is in no position to be taught, thanks to your attack." Arrus stated firmly while moving to stand between the Seer and me.
"The child does not have any choice in the matter. The king wills it." The Seer said sweetly. I hated this woman and her falsehood with every part of my being.
"Then allow us t'help him ready himself." Sarj spoke up quickly as Arrus opened his mouth to speak. "Where is he t'be taken?"
"The tournament grounds in the rear of the castle. The child must be there within the hour." She replied. Her eyes never left my face though she was clearly responding to Sarj.
"Consider it done." He said with a nod. The Seer dipped her head in acknowledgement and left just as quickly as she came. The layers of pale blue silk she wore gave the illusion that she was floating away rather than walking.
The moment she was gone Arrus turned on Sarj.
"You could have fought her. Rhynne is obviously not able to do any sort of training today." He said coldly. His voice cut the air like a blade, and I found myself becoming more and more relieved that I stood as his ally the longer that I knew him.
"Aye, but the king is still the king, and whether yeh like it or not we must obey. Fightin' him will only cause more hardship for the lass. You know what happened the last time you-"
"Enough!" Arrus cut him off, "If she must be there within the damned hour then so be it, but we will not allow her to go unprepared."
With an angry shake of his head Arrus left the room briskly only to return with fresh bandages a few minutes later. One meaningful look had Sarj turning to face the far wall, though I could not fathom what about their silent conversation could turn his ears red. It was not until Arrus turned his gaze to meet mine and allowed his face to grow less severe that it dawned on me what he thought had to be done. Mortification filled my belly at the thought of him seeing even half of my bare body, and I shook my head no.
"Please," I croaked, "Let me try, first."
After a short hesitation, in which I pleaded with my eyes, Arrus handed me the bandages and joined Sarj's side. Taking a pained breath I gripped the end of my tunic and forced my arms to lift it over my head. The tunic was stiff from my dried blood and did not go easily, but I succeeded after several agonizing minutes of work. The ruined wrapping I had had on fell down around my waist. This told me two very wonderful things: nobody had fully undressed me after the incident and, because of this, no one knew of my true gender, yet. Glancing down at my chest I was met with a mild surprise. My back had not been the only place to be scarred. A thick line of pale pink scar tissue at least three inches long sat perfectly in the middle of my breasts. Half an inch further on either side and I would have lost a lung or been stabbed straight through the heart. Swallowing softly at how close death had truly come I went about the painful and slow process of binding my chest. Wrapping it proved easy enough, but getting the fastening to stick soon became an impossible task with my fingers as clumsy as they were.
"Arrus…" I called his name in shame at my failure. At least my chest was covered now, so it as not so horrifying for him to turn and see me. He was instantly by my side, tugging the wrappings a little tighter before deftly fastening the back so that they would stay. My tunic had fallen onto the floor before I had had the chance to catch it. Cast more fully in the light the large cuts in its back and front were all the more obvious, and the amount of rust colored blood dried into its fabric made me shiver. Without a word Arrus went to the dresser and searched through drawers until he found a simple green tunic. Our fingers brushed as he passed it to me, and he took a big step back once it was in my hand. I smiled sheepishly at him and tugged it on. It was not easy to admit defeat to your own body.
"Yeh ready?" Sarj asked gruffly from his corner. Laughing, I informed him of my being dressed.
"We need to get you on your feet." Arrus instructed gently, offering me a hand. I accepted gladly. My arms were slowly losing their sluggishness, but it was going to take a lot of moving round to get everything properly working again.
"Why is it…so hard to get my body…to listen?" I asked breathlessly as my knees threatened to buckle under my own weight. Arrus supported me by wrapping one arm around my waist and pulling my left hand over his shoulders.
"You lost a lot of blood. Magic can put something back together again, but it couldn't replenish what you lost on the floor." The prince explained as we moved at a crawling pace towards the door while Sarj held it open.
Once in the hallway Arrus guided us deeper into the castle. The tournament grounds were in the back of the castle, the Seer had said. The idea of having to endure such a long trek brought moisture to my eyes against my will. The fire in my back and chest felt as if I were being forced to hold a hot coal in my throat, and every halting step we took stoked the flames higher and hotter. For perhaps too long I refused to complain or call out. After several agonizing minutes of biting the inside of my cheek, however, I suddenly became aware of the metallic twang of blood in my mouth. I knew then that I could go no farther.
"Arrus, I can't keep…this up. We won't…make it there in time with these…ridiculous legs of mine not cooperating, anyway." I panted angrily at last. We were barely making any progress at all. The prince sighed and bent over to hook his arm under my knees. Before I quite knew what he was doing I was cradled in his arms. We were immediately moving faster, but the sudden movement caused a bit more pain than I could hide.
"I'm sorry, but it's the best solution." He apologized softly as he picked up his gate to nearly three times our original speed. I nodded acceptance and tried to gasp in discomfort only occasionally as his walking jostled me.
After a small eternity, we finally came upon two thick wooden doors that led outside of the castle. Beyond them was an enormous courtyard surrounded by a stone stadium of sorts. Arrus quickly walked us across the short distance between the door of the castle and the arched entrance of the stadium, and then he slowly sat me back on my feet. Sarj stood a few feet behind us, having uncharacteristically not spoken once since we had left the servant chambers, and I tilted my head at them both questioningly.
"It will look bad for us to show you favor in front of the rest." Arrus explained.
I nodded in understanding and used the wall to support myself as we continued. Inside the stadium a group of a dozen or so boys of varying age were already gathered. They stood on a rectangular platform that I would later learn was the sparring ring, listening to an oddly dressed man talk about the importance of a good defense. At our arrival several of them turned to stare. One look at my pained expression brought understanding and sympathy to most of their faces, and I felt guiltily relieved that they had had to go through the same test. The knowledge gave me the strength to hobble very, very slowly up to the platform under my own power.
One of the boys stood out from the rest as I grew closer. When our eyes met he did not look at me with sympathy but rather disgust and turned away with the air of someone smelling something unpleasant. I disliked him just as instantly as he seemed to dislike me. The boy's hair was an odd orange color, like fresh carrots, and his face and neck were covered in freckles. At least I would be able to pick him out easily in a crowd.
"Welcome! Welcome! You seem to be in much pain, child, did you recently undergo the king's test? Nasty business, that test, wouldn't you agree? I don't so much go for stabbing people in the back. It's much better to do so from the front, yes? It allows the defender to, well, defend! Ah! How clumsy of me! What is your name, boy?"
The man that had been instructing the others had noticed me at last and unleashed his jumbled string of questions all in the same breath. A little shocked that a person with so much energy could exist, I forgot my dark train of thought and simply stood there, dumbfounded.
"Rhy-Rhyce, sir." I finally managed to croak out after a long silence during which the old man waved his hands encouragingly.
"That's a wonderful name, Rhyce! It suits you! Bit fine featured right now but you'll grow sturdy and strong before you're done! Come forward, forward! Introduce yourself to the crowd! Let's find out where you're from!"
Before I really knew what was happening I had been ushered up onto the platform and forward to the front of the group. Looking around wildly for Arrus and Sarj I caught just a glimpse of them as they left the way we had come. Caught in a sudden terror of being placed in the view of all these men I had no idea what to do. They all stared at me with expressions that ranged from pity to cruel enjoyment at my situation. The carrot haired boy from before openly sneered.
"Go on! Go on! What's your full name and where were you snatched from?" The man insisted.
"I'm…Rhyce Mountsman? I'm from a farm on the northern mountain of Tera." I said through my thick throat. It had been getting better but now seemed even harder to speak through than before.
"A farm on a mountain? Explain! What could you possibly have grown?" The old man was almost annoyingly enthusiastic.
"I raised Dragon's Heart…for ten years for my father." I answered hesitantly. The boys seemed genuinely interested when I mentioned the crop I had grown.
"You mean there really are people idiotic enough to live up there growing flowers?" Carrot Head asked. His eyes were dark green, the color of fresh vomit, and his many freckles covered so much of his face that you might have been able to draw a map of the king's castle on them with accuracy.
"It earned that man a fortune. Many die attempting to grow Dragon's Heart. I nearly died every day in the fields." I said stiffly. Logic told me there was no reason to defend my old way of life, but something about Carrot Head made my blood boil.
"I'm impressed!" The old man cut into the growing tenstion, "It is an honor to have such a hard worker among us! You will learn much very quickly, I dare say! Now, I am your teacher, and you may call me Norm. Since you're in recovery why don't you sit down for this one, hmm? Follow along with your hands."
"As I was saying, the best sort of defense is a cunning offense!" He went on as I sat down a little away from the rest to listen.
Norm went on for quite some time, and I had thought him oddly dressed upon first seeing him, but as time went by I grew more and more convinced that he was strange inside and out. Physically, he sported a beard that he had parted into three frizzy braids, which he had then braided together into one large braid. On his tall frame he wore what could only be described as a wizard's robe. It shifted and shimmered as he moved in such a way that made you wonder if it was alive. The robe was a deep purple without a pattern, but on at least two occasions I could have sworn on my life that I saw writing dance across its surface as he threw his arms around during animated explanations.
For two hours or so he described how to best disable a swordsman with nothing but wit and powers of Wielding. The whole lesson was quite entertaining and informative, and without any of us noticing it began to grow darker and darker until, finally, Norm raised his hands for quiet.
"We are out of time for tonight, alas! Ha! I said that backwards! It should have been alas first, and then, well that's hardly important! Tomorrow we shall put this lecture into practice on this very stage! You shall be paired up with squires and taught the spells that will render them incapable of cutting your little heads off! Until then, sleep well and be gone with you!" Norm said merrily and all but danced off the ring. I did not understand that man in the slightest, but I found him to be a great deal of fun in spite of myself.
The boys dissolved in every direction as they returned to their rooms for the night. All too quickly, I found myself alone on the platform. It was then that my horror set in. I had no idea where I would be staying tonight and even less idea how to get there. A soft chuckle interrupted my panicking before it could grow into full hysteria.
"Did you think I would leave you to find your own way back in your state?" Arrus asked as he stepped out of the shadows. I smiled at him in heady relief.
"I'm damn happy to see you." I admitted with a heavy sigh. He blinked at me blankly for a moment before shaking himself.
"Come, you will stay in my chambers tonight. Tomorrow we will find you your own." He said after an oddly charged moment and held out his hand to help me down from the platform. That I would not have to spend my first night in that awful castle alone was more than I could have hoped for, and I took his outstretched hand readily.
"How are your legs? Can you walk alright?" Arrus asked, the hand not holding mine hovering near my waist as if waiting to catch me.
"They're coming along. It doesn't hurt so much to move anymore, and my knees actually bend when I command them to, now." I was pleased to report. Norm had had us all practice writing runes in the air as quickly as possible, and the constant movement had helped me regain some motor control. I had still been the slowest, though.
"I'm famished!" I declared in the same instant my stomach let out a loud growl. Arrus laughed and held his arm out for me to take as we began the walk to his room.
"I will call for supper to be brought to the room." He promised me with a wink. He was allowing me to take the walk back under my own power, but never pulled his arm away. The prince's unspoken support was more than enough to keep me moving forward without complaint.
"Here." He said after some time. His chambers were not even half of the distance we had had to travel from the maid's. Hiding my relief at the shorter walk I allowed him to open the door for me and usher me inside. The room was surprisingly small for one that belonged to a prince. Bookshelves lined almost every wall, all of them full to bursting with books and scrolls. In the middle of the far wall, flanked on either side by more shelving, was a simple bed just big enough for one large person. The room seemed better fit for a scholar than a prince. I loved it.
"There's so many!" I exclaimed excitedly as I limped to the nearest shelf. The prince followed me silently and did not stop me when I pulled a volume written in a language I had no hope of understanding. Against the right wall housed a cluttered desk and chair. Sitting down with a contented sigh I nestled the heavy book on my lap and started carefully going through its pages.
Its language was foreign to me but the hand painted illustrations were absolutely beautiful. Each page was unique in its decoration and more beautiful than the one before it. On one a silver armored knight battled a grotesque dragon, and on another beautiful sirens lured a sailor to his death. A page near the middle paused my hand from turning to the next. The illustration was of a ragged army facing down an enormous force of hideous monsters that I had only ever heard described in stories. The tale went that the Ugran had once been the most beautiful creatures that walked the earth, but a small fraction of their species broke away from the rest and made a pact with a serpent god. The pact earned their species long life and strength of battle at the cost of its beauty. Before that fateful event the Ugran were a peaceful cousin to the Ancients, unmatched in their grace and intelligence, but the serpent god as greedy and took that, too, leaving their bodies morphed forever into something more reptilian than man. The entire Ugran people went mad with their loss, and now they existed only to wipe out that which reminded them of it. They were a lost, evil people torn by countless millennia of grief and fury over their folly.
I closed the book with little appetite left to search for more.
A knock on the door broke into my darkened mood. A maid had arrived with two steaming plates of meat and bread. I had not even heard Arrus call for it to be brought. The prince thanked her with a copper and took the plates with a shallow dip of his head. Without bothering to move his open scrolls he sat the plates down on his desk. The sight of freshly cooked pork and roasted potatoes all but chased my negative thoughts completely from my mind.
"Eat your fill." Arrus offered kindly and broke off a chunk of bread.
I did not need a second offer. Practically inhaling the food before me, I paused every few bites to rinse the scalding food down with water. I did not slow down until my entire plate was almost empty, and when it was clean I sat back with a contented sigh. My belly groaned at me for having filled it with so much so quickly, and I patted it absently.
"That was the best meal I've ever eaten." I confessed. My eyelids were beginning to grow heavy as the meal settled in my stomach. Arrus shook his head as one would at a rascally child and ruffled my hair.
"You need to rest and let your body restore itself." He instructed. I nodded, already half gone.
Arrus moved out of sight, and the sounds of a small struggle started to fill the room. Confused, I glanced behind my shoulder only to whip my head back around in embarrassment. The price had been removing his armor, and I had had the misfortune of turning right as he had removed his tunic. Cheeks aflame with mortification at seeing his bare chest I squeezed my eyes shut against the image. Almost madly I wondered if I would ever have quite so many muscles as he would once my training was finished, then laughed nervously at the folly of it. I was not a boy like him. No, I corrected myself, Arrus was certainly a man.
"Are you ready?" He question came from above me. I glance up to see him leaning over the back of my chair. His chest was covered now in a long night shirt. I nodded, too fearful that I might sound a fool to speak.
Without any warning he reached down and lifted me from the seat. With a surprised squeak I clung to his shoulders for balance. Damn did I hate when I did such unmanly things. The prince's chest vibrated with a silent chuckle as he carried me to his bed. Eyes wide with the realization of where he meant me to sleep I started shaking my head fervently.
"Arrus, there is no way in hell you are sleeping anywhere but in your own bed!" I said firmly, pushing off from his chest to glare at him. There was no forgiving such a thing as making a prince sleep on the floor or in the chair.
"I did not intend to sleep anywhere else." Arrus said simply. I opened my mouth to protest a second time and never quite got any words out. While I tried to gather my rebuttal he laid me down on the bed and stretched out beside me.
"This is hardly any better!" I finally managed to exclaim. He turned to stare at me with a blank expression and raised eyebrow.
"Are you worried I might try to take advantage, farm girl?" He asked, voice so completely devoid of tone it sent a shiver down my spine. A shiver of what, I could not say.
"No, of course not! I just-"
"Then there's no reason either of us should be worried." He interrupted before turning away from me. As if waiting for his cue the purple flamed torches died down until the room was almost entirely cloaked in darkness.
At a complete loss as to what I should do I held as still as a wooden beam while Arrus shuffled around on his side of the bed. When he was finally settled he lay under the blankets facing away from me. He seemed quite at ease with the situation, but I had never done anything as strange as sharing my bed with another person, much less a grown man. For what felt like hours I lay awake, trying to calm myself enough to sleep with little success. Finally, a thought presented itself that took the tension out of body almost instantly.
This was no stranger. This was Arrus. I trusted this man with my life, so why should I be so uncomfortable? With this epiphany my heart rate slowed at last, and my eyes began to grow heavy again. Realizing that I was chilled, I carefully and slowly wiggled myself under the covers for their warmth. Arrus's body heat filled the whole bed, warming me faster. My final misgivings left me in a sigh as sleep took its hold on my senses.
Tomorrow, my true training would begin.