The following morning Aiyana did not join the Commander for breakfast; something which left Valek feeling mildly empty inside. You are being ridiculous Valek. You can't possibly have feelings for her and even if you did you couldn't act on them so get her out of your head. Giving himself a mental shake he went about his day. It was mid-afternoon before Valek got all his paperwork done. He stood and stretched his back. His shoulders ached and he needed a good workout. He headed for the training grounds.

When he arrived he found there were plenty of challengers for him to fight. He challenged them willingly and beat them easily, although Maren pushed him close again. She would beat him soon if he wasn't careful. When the fights were over he felt exhilarated, it had been a good workout. Looking around as he stretched he was surprised not to see the Power Twins. Ari and Janco normally at least watched the challenges he fought; they liked to keep an eye on the competition. Hearing noises from a more secluded part of the training ground he walked over. There he found Ari and Janco wielding swords, training a figure dressed in light brown to defend against them using a bow. The figure handled the bow well and seemed to have a good grasp of the basic moves. Ari and Janco were starting on some more complex moves when Ari spotted Valek watching. He straightened.

"Good afternoon sir."

"Good afternoon Ari." He said walking over. The figure turned and Valeks' step faltered slightly. Despite being sweaty and covered in mud; the sight of Aiyana still hit him hard. Her eyes shone with enjoyment. "Hello." She said. Unable to trust his voice, he nodded.

"We were tutoring Aiyana in the art of self-defence." Janco supplied.

Tearing his eyes from Aiyana helped Valek find his voice. "So I can see. She seems to be a fast learner, those moves are quite accomplished."

"I like to think she has good trainers." came the quick-witted response.

"Really….well, in that case, let's see how well you teach." Valek took up a fighting stance with his sword. Aiyanas eyes lit up and she readied herself in her defensive stance. She put up a good fight when he attacked and the fight lasted a decent about of time but ultimately Valeks training prevailed and she was disarmed. She once again landed in a puddle breathing hard. To Valeks surprise she grinned broadly, the stunning one she had given him the night of her arrival, and then started laughing. She was joined by Ari and Janco and eventually Valek had to smile. He offered her his hand, which she took, and he hauled her to her feet. The spark of electricity he felt with her hand in his warmed his heart. The shock at this wiped the smile from his face. Aiyana frowned.

"You aren't cross with Ari and Janco are you? It's not their fault." If you smiled that smile at them they definitely had no control o f their actions. "I wandered out here yesterday afternoon to try and work out my travel stiffness; they said I wasn't completely useless and offered to help me get better. You don't mind, do you?"

Forcing himself to look at her and speak at the same time he said "No I don't mind." To Ari and Janco he said "Just don't let her training get in the way of your duties."

"No Sir" they said in unison.

A noise behind him made him turn and he saw some of General Brazells men coming out to train. Moving closer to the Twins he said. "And keep half an eye on who's around when you train. The Commander has charged me with her safety for the time being and I'm not sure some of the Generals would approve of outsider training." They understood immediately. "Yes Sir."

Aiyana said goodbye to Ari and Janco and headed inside to clean up. Her hand was still warm from Valeks touch and she couldn't forget the way his eyes lit up when he smiled.

For the next couple of days Aiyanas routine stayed the same. She woke early, dressed and went to the kitchens before breakfast. She loved watching the cooks baking before she met with the Commander. Then she went to the stables to check on her horse. She spent a couple of hours mucking out and grooming Aslan before heading back inside for lunch. She then changed and headed for the training grounds. Ari and Janco had moved her sessions forward so that her training was mainly done before the bulk of the soldiers came out for their sessions. Afterwards she headed out to the paddock to ride. Valek knew all of this because he found himself keeping a much closer eye on her whereabouts than he needed to. He found that knowing where she was at any given time allowed him to concentrate on his tasks; a fact that worried him. Never before had he allowed someone to get this far under his skin; especially a girl and especially one he barely knew.

Both mornings when he arrived for breakfast, usually late, he found the Commander and Aiyana discussing events in Tertia which had happened during the separation. It seemed to Valek that while Aiyana seemed well versed in the politics of Tertia; he supposed she spent a lot of time at meetings like he did; she seemed swamped by the amount of questions the Commander asked. The second morning in particular, the Commander fired a whole string of questions and Aiyana sat there, mouth working but not making a sound, clearly at a loss as to how to start answering them. The Commander was finishing his breakfast and didn't notice. Just before the silence drew the Commanders attention to Aiyana, Valek spoke.

"Ambrose, can these questions wait? I have not yet had the time to discuss security arrangements for the Princess' arrival with Aiyana. May we be excused?"

It was enough to throw the Commander off his stride. He paused for a split second before recovering with a smile. "Of course Valek." To Aiyana. "Don't let him keep you all day; he can be a stickler for details!"

"Which has kept you alive." Valek muttered under his breath.

Aiyana nodded to the Commander and pushed back from the table. Valek moved to the door, reaching it first, and opened it for her. She smiled shyly at the gesture and ducked out of the room. He started down the corridor to his office; Aiyana once again following him silently. When he reached his office door he opened it and motioned her inside. She entered and glanced around; stopping just inside the door. When Valek followed her in and closed the door he was stood close enough to smell jasmine. The scent was intoxicating; he couldn't move. Her hair was so close her could almost feel it on his face. He was still for several seconds before he realised she also hadn't moved a muscle since he'd entered the room. He took a breath and leaned in so his mouth was just above her shoulder.

"Do I scare you Aiyana?" God, he loved the way her name sounded.

She let out a silent breath. "No." She answered confidently.

Surprised, he walked past her and turned to face her, replacing his emotionless mask. His still stood close enough to smell her scent. "Are you sure?"

She held his gaze. "Yes."

He smiled a small smile. "Then you would be the only person I know."

"I have learnt it is not always best to judge people by reputation alone."

"Even a master assassin?"

"I would hope you were a man first and an assassin second. It would be the man I would wish to know." That thought made him pause. He was pretty sure she was the only person he'd ever met who thought that about him. Most people only saw an assassin; a man to be feared. She broke the thread of their conversation.

"What do you need to discuss about the Princess' visit?"

He broke the eye contact and moved to his desk. "Nothing. You looked like you could do with an escape clause."

She pursed her lips in amusement, before smiling at him. "Thank you." She turned and opened the door. With her hand on the handle he said "You're welcome." She slipped out of the room, giving him a small wave as she looked back on her way out. Valek got very little work done that day.