She had the curliest hair and the brownest eyes the girl had ever noticed. Her body, small and sturdy yet strong and fast. Scars lined her arms, neck, and face and most likely hid beneath the rest of her armor as well. Her arms were behind her back and her stance was straight and still, she was being shouted at, the warrior in front of her face had turned red with anger.

"You imbecile! You freeze at a crucial point in a duel?" he turned around and grabbed a blade and continued, "You mustn't stop yourself no matter who it be, strike when you have any type of chance!" He put the blade against her throat then, and put firm pressure against it, "Otherwise this will happen and you wo-" He was interrupted when his foot fell from under him. His arm which held the blade was pushed back and the rest of his body fell back as well. He lay on the floor with the blade on his throat now held by Ruby.

"Won't be able to win?" She was smiling, having successfully thrown her opponent off and made up for her mistake. She spoke after a short silence, "Looks like we both need to pay attention more." Her hand fell from his throat and she set the blade down.

"You won't ever be an actual warrior," he spat, "Our highness just pitied you."

"Watch your tone. It's fine to be bitter, but disagreeing with the king won't get you anywhere," she spoke even and quick enough for him to hear it as he turned and walked out.

She was smiling as she but the blade down and paused.

"You're aware I noticed you, correct?" She spoke to the figure behind the wall to her right. Ruby stood in a duel pit for training, from there she could look up and see the railing where people could watch, and there had been, that's why she had froze, she was told it would be a private training session. She hadn't expected it, and while she knew it was no excuse to stop, she couldn't help but stop so she could make out who was watching her. Her feet moved towards the stairs.

"I am," the owner of the voice spoke, her tone was smooth and confident. No hint of shyness, "I apologize for distracting you."

"That was my mistake, no reason for an apology," Ruby spoke as she climbed the stairs, she rounded the corner of the top pillar on the stairs and instantly went to her knee, "your highness I apologize, I di-"

"Oh stop, no need for that formality," She moved forward and her dress, along with her bangs swooshed back and forth with the movement, "Stand, please." And Ruby did. She stood straight and struggled to look forward at the other. She didn't dare speak a word, that's how she was trained, she remembered every wound that was given to her so she would understand that.

"Your name?"

"My what?" She mentally scolded herself for not listening right away. Damn her racing mind.

"I would like to know your name," She smiled as the words escaped her mouth, Ruby flushed.

"Ruby, you're highness,"

"Do you know my name?"

"I'm embarrassed to say I don't," she knew the names, but not their faces. The king has three daughters, she never thought it important to know any more information than that.

"Sapphire, Pleasure to meet you Ruby," Her hand moved forward for a greeting but pulled back when she heard a familiar creak of a door opening. She was gone as fast as she had appeared, leaving Ruby alone with the approaching warrior.

"Congratulations, you managed to piss him off for the third time this week," While his tone was serious, the smirk on his face showed his playfulness.

"He deserves it, you must agree with me about that,"

"I never said I didn't agree," he mumbled as he picked up the blade and inspected it, Ruby looked at the boy in front of herself, his jet black hair and blue eyes gave him the appearance of a cold exterior but Ruby knew, he was much more than he appeared.

"What's the occasion Nicholas?"

"What am I not allowed to spark up a conversation?" His head peered up from the blade to Ruby then.

"Considering you hardly ever speak at all, I have a reason for my question,"

"You know why I speak to you," His voice was gentle, as he threw the blade in his hand at the target in front of himself. It was an inch up and to the right of the center when the blade dug itself into the wood.

"I do," Ruby understood his reason for being mute most of the time, truly she did, how could she forget their first encounter. Ruby paused as she reflected on the memory.

"A girl? Ha! You will not last but a week!" The blond man shouted in her face when she first walked into the room for the beginning of her training. They all treated her like that. Knives were thrown at her, people's words always tended to be negative to her. It was her first dual when Nicholas decided to speak for the first time since the beginning of his training.

"You there! Girl!" The blond man shouted, "You are first!"

"Chris, she's had no training, she's not ready for a duel," One of them spoke, she couldn't tell which one.

"Nonsense! This is how she will prove herself! Ha!" He lunged at her with a knife he drew from his side. Ruby clumsily dodged his attack and looked around, the two were surrounded by men, she couldn't get to the weapon table. Ruby rolled to her left when she heard chris behind her. He missed again and his face, red with anger, did nothing but strike fear into the curly haired girl.

"Wait!" Ruby shouted as she dodged another attack, "I am unarmed!" No one cared about her words, she quickly realized what she had to do. Chris came at her again and tried to bring the blade down with two hands, before the knife even got to Ruby, she sprung between Chris's legs and used her size against him. Before he could turn around, Ruby jumped on his back and took him off guard. The impact of her jump sent him forward and he fell. Ruby flung herself and pried the knife from his hands, the blond man began to stand, Ruby took her chance and took the blade and put the tip through his throat.

The room was silent as he fell over. Ruby's breathing was the only thing she heard.

"She killed him," One of them said. Her brown orbs looked down at the pooling blood next to the blond mans head. The knife protruding from his throat, its blade gleaming from its position, the trail of blood leaving his mouth.

"How dare she!" A man drew his sword and pushed through the crowd to the girl.

"Stop!" A boy shouted, His black hair was the first thing she noticed, then his face, contorted with anger, he took a daring step in front of her. His lanky figure not threatening at all compared to his voice, "How dare she? How dare you! All of you!"

"Stand back boy, her life be none of your concern," the armed warrior growled in a low tone.

"I'd rather have my throat slit then step back!" He screamed. His voice echoed and he drew his sword, "All of you watch as he tried to kill her! As she was unarmed! This girl even voiced how she was unarmed! And you all stood and watched, excited for her death to come." He turned and looked at her then, "Your name?"

"Ruby," she said.

"You all sicken me," He spat as he looked around at the men again, "She's been given a chance to be a warrior and we shall respect her for it! Not kill her! And this man," He turned and walked towards Chris's body, "Will get none of my respect, but if he gets any of yours? Shame on you." Towards the end of his words he took the blade protruding from the man's throat and slid it free. He wiped the blood on the body's clothes, then handed it to Ruby, "Take this, It will be good luck, your first kill."

"Do you remember how badly we were beaton?" She asked, a smile on her face.

"You got the worst of it," He remembered, "You were punished by royal staff for killing him, I was just pushed around like a rag doll by the other warriors." He looked at her before he continued, "She's been watching you a lot lately,"

"Who?"

"The princess,"

"Really?"

"Yes, I've never seen her even bat an eyelash at the king's warriors until you arrived,"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm not sure,"

"God, you're always so mysterious," Ruby laughed, "You should stop that, otherwise no woman will ever love you,"

"What? How could any of them not fall for this?" Nicholas proceeded to flex then and pose keeping Ruby's laughter going. He stopped then and looked down with a smile, "It wouldn't matter anyway, we're all bound to die before we find love," he ended his sentence with a bitter tone. Before Ruby could question his voice hit her ears once more, "Are you excited?"

"For what?"

"The end of your training, what else?"

"Oh, well of course, but there's no reason to be excited until we learn what are positions are," Ruby's voice ended bitter as Nicholas's did before. The positions are what warriors are stuck with for the next two years. It ranged from farm work to bloodshed, Ruby knew she would be stuck with the shit work, it had been that way her entire life. Ruby was too young before to understand that not every person trained to be a warrior actually did go out into battle. Oh how she hoped for a job not too awful.

"Line!" The royal guard shouted. They all lined up, all eight of them. Only eight out of the twenty in the group training had survived. Whether they found it to be too much and took their own life or couldn't keep up with the rest of them and had their lives taken, Ruby and the other men didn't know. What they did know was their only option was death.

"This be it?" The king mumbled, he shifted his position on his seat, clearly unhappy to see such a low number.

"Yes your highness,"

"Hmm," He mumbled as he stood, his eyes moved down the line before he spoke again, "As most know, are executioner has died, one off you will take his place. Which one of you would want such a task?" No one stepped forward, leaving him no other option but to choose, "Nicholas, Step forward," He did as he was told, his face unmoving and cold as ever.

"My king,"

"You will be the one who must handle this task,"

"I'm honored," His voice echoed in the big room. Ruby knew the truth though, she knew the boys hatred for killing, she knew he was far more gentle than he appeared. She pitied him.

"Thadius," The third man from the end stepped forward. "You're my royal messenger for the time being,"

"I'm honored my king," Ruby smiled as the words left her king's mouth, most knew royal messengers did nothing but travel till exhaustion set in. She was happy that the man she had been dueling with for the past week had gotten such a task. He was an asshole.

"Ruby," His voice surprised her.

"My king," she replied.

"You will be looking over my daughter, Sapphire. You will do everything in your power to make sure she is safe. You won't leave her side unless for obvious reasons."

"I'm honored my king," her eyes never left her king as she said so. He turned and opened his mouth to call another name when he stopped himself, he turned back to the short warrior girl and spoke once more.

"Remember, everything and all that you do, is for her."

His words haven't left Ruby's mind in weeks. The thought was constant and thriving through her mind. Her feet would pace from the princess's doors too the grandfather clock halfway down the long hallway. The face with the time stared back at the curly haired child, her eyes would stare back in amazement at the ticking and movement.

The sudden sound from the unfamiliar contraption snapped her back from her thoughts, her body jolted as the ticking device made the strange sounds.

"You fear clocks I see," Ruby looked to her right so quickly the she felt her body adjust and form an attack stance, only to see the princess before her with nothing more than a playful smile. Ruby felt her body heat up. This was not how her first night guarding the princess outside her doors was supposed to go.

"Princess, I apologize," Ruby spoke her words quickly, and went to her knee.

"What for? And no need for that formality, we've spoke of this before." She spoke with an even tone, and Ruby could hear the innocence behind it. What the Royal didn't know, was that there was a need for her formality. Ruby was beaten enough times to understand that. If any warrior or royal staff witnessed any informality, she would be punished. Sapphire didn't have to know that.

"My formality will stay until it's no longer needed."

"Stand, please," the princess asked politely, Ruby did as she was told and looked at Sapphire. She grew uncomfortable.

"Was there something you needed, your highness?"

"Yes, water,"

"You would like me to go fetch you some I assume?"

"I would like you to accompany me while I go and get some," She said, the smile on her face returned. "They didn't say much to you when you were assigned this task did they?"

"In all honesty, no,"

"Come along now, Talk with me."

They roamed the halls of the palace for the kitchen, both silent. Ruby never met a person who did everything with such grace, the poofy dress which would have restricted her own ability to walk normally, swished evenly and subtle with every step from Sapphire. The blue fabric brought out the tan skin and bright blond hair. It also looked tight around the waist, uncomfortably so, she looked smaller than she truly was.

"For one who wanted to talk, you seem unwilling to strike up a conversation," The words left her mouth before she considered how rude they may be, not that it mattered.

"For one who I asked to talk with, I could ask the same thing,"

"So be it then, tell me, why try to hold a conversation with me?" Ruby asked. It was a fair question, she thought.

"You're the first female warrior ever heard of in this kingdom, and perhaps others. Am I not allowed to be impressed with your accomplishment?" Sapphire said as she walked pass a royal staff member.

"No, not at all, your highness," her formality returning. Sapphire whipped around to look at her assigned warrior then, once again trying to end the others formality.

"How many times must I-" her words fumbled to an end as she caught sight of the others face, the furrowed brow, mouth a thin line, and a pleading look in her eye.

"Formality is a necessity your highness. I apologize, I know no other way to speak to you,"

"I apologize, I hadn't understood for so long why you needed to," Sapphire whispered.

"Princess!" His voice was booming and a huge smile was plastered around his face, his open arms were anything but a sign of aggression, so Ruby only watched as the large man hugged the tiny Royal.

"Tye! How is the most talented in the kingdom doing?" Her smile was wide, Ruby noticed, It fitted the girl, she thought.

"You flatter me young one, truly you do. Why do you come here at this hour? Dinner was only an hour or so ago."

"Water," was her simple reply.

"What! Where is the boy who was to bring a pot up hourly?"

"Newly assigned task, the new executioner I believe,"

"Nicholas," the name was softly mumbled from Ruby's lips but it was heard.

"Ah! Yes! Nicholas was his name, a sweet young man wouldn't you agree?"

"I would have no way of knowing, he spoke very few words to me," Sapphire said.

"Would you know warrior?" The man labeled as Tye asked.

"He is," Ruby spoke, "truly a person who cares not for himself, but for others," her eyes went to the ground beneath her feet, focusing on the wavy pattern of the floor.

"Let me fetch your water, your grace," Tye said as he walked away.

"Are you worried?" Sapphire mumbled.

"About?" Ruby answered quickly, completely unfocused.

"That boy, Nicholas?"

"Completely," Her words and answer both simple.

"He is more than capable of it, you're aware of that?"

"Very, I just..." her words trailed off, she didn't know how to explain it.

"Did you enjoy his presence? You must miss him."

"Well of course, he was a great friend I-"

"Water your highness!" Tye bellowed, the grin plastered on his face.

"Thank you Tye, that will be all. I thank you," Sapphire mumbled in a cold tone.

They walked through the halls in silence once again, reversing their way to get water. Ruby had never felt so awkward. Not because of the silence, because of the tension. Sapphires cold tone voiced anger and irritation, why? Ruby for sure didn't know.

They were steps away from her room when she stopped and asked another question, "Ruby, why did you become a warrior?"

The question made her freeze, she had told the story to the king, everyone should know the story. But why did this time, why did her saying it make her uncomfortable?

"It's not wise to ask questions we aren't prepared to hear the answer for, your grace,"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"It's a long story princess,"

"Well," she paused mid sentence to open her door and look back at the other, "we have all night for you to share."