Author's Note:

Everybody welcome Jack to the group! He's an angsty teen, but hopefully he'll grow out of it. This chapter is another OC chapter, focusing on Emma's time at the School of War and Magic. If you want only canon plot, go ahead and skip this one.

There is also a bit of a time skip, but that only pertains to Emma's story, and not the rest.

-Tangent

Sweat dripped down the girl's face, falling to the wooden floor as she lowered her body once more, and up again. The whole group of recruits was doing their morning exercise, supervised by Captain Kevin. He was a fair commander who pushed all of them to their absolute limits. And she knew from experience that it would be her limits that stopped her before the commander.

"Stop! Everybody up!" He barked, and Emma jumped to her feet along with everybody else. The months of training were beginning to have an effect on her, and she was stronger and faster than she'd ever been.

"Crunches!" The captain bellowed. "Begin!" Emma began performing the exercise as quickly as she could, her green hair damp with sweat. She had cut it so that it would not be in her way, but sometimes it still managed to get in her eyes.

Of course, they'd say it was for a different reason. Emma was the only girl within her class, which led to several less than pleasant remarks from other cadets, thinking themselves superior. But the girl didn't care. In fact, she reveled in the pain, realizing that it was necessary to grow stronger.

"Up!" Emma jumped to her feet again, breathing hard.

"Get some food, soldiers. Back here in fifteen for combat training!" Several recruits began filing towards the doors, but Emma held back until nearly everybody had gone. It was easier to remain unnoticed.

"I'm beat!" She turned to see the only person who qualified as a friend in the class: George. He was a smaller boy, but he seemed determine to become a knight. Seeing that they were both outcasts, Emma had extended a hand of friendship to the boy, and he had accepted gratefully.

"Come on, let's get some food." She said, and they departed the training room for the mess hall. The entire school was underground, as that was the only space large enough for the many training rooms and offices of the military school. They passed two older recruits who were on their way to spar and entered the cafeteria, where they joined the line waiting to be served.

Emma had just sat down next to George when she heard a voice behind her:

"Oh, if it isn't our lovely girl! Haven't you given up yet?" Gritting her teeth, the woman turned to look at her least favorite person in the class: Bjorn. He was a bit, burly man who was very strong for his age. He was also an incredible fool and a jerk who tried to make her life as miserable as possible. Emma merely kept eating, not even glancing up at him.

"What, are you scared of me?" The man taunted. "Realizing you aren't cut out for this sort of thing?"

"Leave us alone, Bjorn." George said quietly. "Go pick on somebody else." The man chuckled.

"Ah, it's the faithful sidekick. Still trying to get between her legs, then?" The whole cafeteria began murmuring as Emma's face darkened at the comment. Suddenly, she stood from her table, facing Bjorn, who stepped back slightly.

"Take that back." She said quietly, but he merely laughed.

"I don't take orders from a woman." His friends laughed, and Emma's temper snapped. With a swift movement, she kicked out at the man's stomach, sending him backwards into a table. He staggered to his feet, and his mouth twisted into an ugly sneer.

"Haven't learned your lesson yet? Fine." He, along with two of his friends, advanced on Emma, fists raised. She waited patiently, remembering the lessons she had been taught so far. Although she did not realize it, the girl had a true talent for fighting, once that had been awakened by her initial training. As one of the men lunged at her, she sidestepped, tripping him with her feet. The other man swung, but she swayed back from the blow and landed a square punch to his stomach, causing him to stagger. A second later, Bjorn's fist crashed into her side, knocking her over and sending her sliding across the floor.

"Enough!" A voice roared as Bjorn raised his hand again, face lit with anger. The man paled as Captain Kevin stormed forwards. "Meals are not for fighting! If you want to settle it, settle it in the circle!" He barked several more orders, and the entire class jumped to their feet and ran from the room, heading back to the training area.

"And you," the captain said as he looked at Bjorn's friend on the ground, who was clutching his ankle. "Get him to the healer, you idiot." Bjorn's other friend helped the man up and escorted him from the room, leaving only Emma and Bjorn glaring at each other.

"You two are first up in the ring. Now get moving!" the captain roared, and they ran out of the room without speaking to each other. When they arrived, they fell into place without a word, standing at attention.

"It has come to my attention," the captain said as he entered the room. "That there are some who believe themselves better than others within this class. In and of itself, this is not necessarily a bad thing. It is true that we all have different skill sets. However, those who think themselves superior will inevitably fall. Which is why I will beat those thoughts out of you! Willow, Gjalund, get up here!" Emma and Bjorn saluted and approached each other silently, standing in the center of the circle. The rest of the class, as per the drill, formed an edge around the entire ring, trapping the combatants inside.

"We are practicing hand to hand combat, and you will fight as such. Anything goes, unless I say it doesn't! Ready?" Emma glared at the man opposite her.

I'm going to beat it out of you.

"Begin!" With a shout, Bjorn lunged at her, swinging his fist in a powerful arc. She dodged under it, deflecting it to one side, and countered with her own punch, which the man blocked. They backed away from each other, still glaring.

He's strong, but not quite as fast as me. I have to wait for him to make a mistake before I can finish it. Across from Emma, Bjorn had evidently finished his own strategy, and he launched forward again, leg swinging low in a kick meant to sweep her feet from under her. She dodged it once more and rushed in, fists swinging as she and Bjorn began battling for real.

It was Emma who landed the first hit to Bjorn's side, and he staggered slightly before delivering three crushing blows to her guard, which she managed to stay clear of. They kept going, each landing a hit on the other until Bjorn finally knocked her down with a powerful right hook. Emma hit the ground and rolled, evading the kick that followed and getting to her feet. Bjorn was upon her in a flash, his eyes filled with anger that she had resisted him for so long.

It's over. As he swung wildly, Emma straightened up and delivered a powerful blow to his side, sending him flying into the crowd and out of the ring. He lay there, panting and exhausted as Emma moved to the center of the circle and saluted the captain.

"Well fought, both of you." Kevin said with an appraising look. He studied Emma for a moment, a strange look in his eyes as he contemplated the green-haired girl. "Listen up!" He shouted. "The first person to knock Willow down gets extra rations from the kitchen for a week! Only one person at a time may fight." Emma's jaw dropped at the mention of a continued fight. She was already quite exhausted, but she knew that the captain's word was law.

"Yes, sir." She said quietly, and readied herself once more. A large boy stepped forward, a sneer on his face.

"This'll be easy, Willow." He swung, and Emma swept his feet from under him in one smooth motion, sending him to the floor with a thud.

"Next!" bellowed the captain, and another man stepped forward with his fists raised.

I'll show them all!

Uthar entered the training room to see a most unusual sight. A soldier was in the middle of a ring of people, and people kept stepping forwards to fight him, one after the other.

No, wait. It was a girl in the middle of the ring, and he watched as she effortlessly flipped a man twice her size onto the ground.

"I've never seen anything like it." A voice came from his left, and he turned to see Captain Kevin watching the fight as well.

"Who is that?" Uthar asked, but he had already recognized the green hair from before.

"Emma Willow, a new recruit."

"And what exactly is she doing?"

"Proving herself." Kevin responded, and did not say anything further for a moment. They watched as Emma landed a square punch to another man's stomach, finishing him off with a kick. The next opponent stepped up, but was immediately flung back by a roundhouse kick that sent him back into the circle of men.

"She's incredible. And she's had no combat training?"

"None at all. She's learned this in just under a month. It's as though she was born for combat." Uthar looked at the man next to her.

"So why have her beat up the others?"

"They have to see her might for themselves, or they won't respect her as they should. She'll be a knight just as much as any of the others."

"Hmmm…" Uthar frowned. "I can't help but feel as though we're wasting her talent."

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about, sir." Kevin said with a smile. "I think Willow would do well to be placed with an advanced tutor. She could complete the training in a matter of months!"

"Do you think that's wise?" Uthar asked. "She's barely even of age."

"With all due respect, sir, I've never seen anybody advance through the drills so quickly. We'll need her at her best for the upcoming war." The captain's face was grim at the mention of Shaenlir.

"Very well." The prince said. "Who do you want to train her?" Kevin merely smiled slyly.

"Well…"

Emma gasped as the recruit barreled into her, knocking her over and sending her outside of the circle. She was completely exhausted, and couldn't stop herself from being disqualified. The class roared as they finally saw Emma brought down, but it was not a malicious cheer. Although she did not see it, many of the men's eyes were wide with admiration at the display of sheer combat ability. She sat up, breathing hard as the man who had knocked her over held out his hand.

"That was some fight, Willow. You would have beaten me fair and square." The woman grasped his hand and let herself be pulled to her feet, still winded.

"I… I think you did win, fair and square." She said with a smile. Looking around, she saw that nearly all the men were smiling at her courage, except for a few who were evidently sore losers.

"Well done, Emma." The voice came from the circle behind her, and she turned to see Prince Uthar standing with Captain Kevin.

"Oh! Um…" She said clumsily, attempting to kneel in her tired state. "Your Highness, I…"

"You need not kneel. Down here, I'm just another soldier." Uthar suddenly raised his voice. "Well, now that you've seen what young Emma can do, how do you feel, gents?" There were several murmurs of praise from the crowd, but most just seemed ashamed, Uthar let the lesson sink in, and he turned to leave.

"I trust you'll be more accommodating now?"

"Yes, sir!" The men shouted, and Uthar left the room, and Captain Kevin turned back towards the group.

"Well? What are you staring at? Everybody, form up and begin the sparring drill!" Emma dragged herself over to one side as George approached her, admiration in his eyes.

"How did you…"

"I'm not sure." She replied. "I just couldn't let Bjorn show us up, could I?" George grinned at her as he began punching, giving her time to deflect the blows. The point was not to hit your partner, but give them practice in blocking blows. He glanced over to where Bjorn was fighting, a frown on his face.

"He seems angry."

"He won't do anything now." Emma said dismissively. "I'll beat him again." George laughed quietly, and increased the pace of his punches.

After another two hours of sparring, more exercising, and a run around the castle grounds, Emma was thoroughly sore.

"Remind me not to do that again." She said as she winced in pain, holding her side. They had just arrived back at the castle, and were preparing to eat lunch.

"Willow!" Emma turned to see the captain standing there, a frown on his face.

"Sir?"

"Come with me." He ordered. "Not you, Miller." George turned and left, giving her a subtle thumbs up. They strode through the castle, Emma still breathing hard, until they arrived at a room Emma had never visited.

"This is my office." Captain Kevin said as he entered. "I spend little time here, but.." He sat in front of his desk, and motioned to the other chair. Emma sat, looking at him worriedly.

"That was quite a fight, Emma." He said, and she looked at him in confusion.

"I did my best, sir."

"Oh, I know. There's just a couple of things that bother me. You said you've had no combat training, but are you sure that's the case? I won't be angry." He added as Emma's confusion turned to worry.

"I haven't had any training, sir. I just wanted to beat him so badly, I…" She trailed off, remembering the fight she'd had in the cafeteria.

"Yes, your fight with Bjorn. I'm not punishing either of you for that, as I feel you've both learned your lesson. Right?" He said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, sir!"

"Good, then. But we must discuss one more thing." He leaned back in his chair, and Emma was astonished to see him smile.

"I want to accelerate your training. I know we aren't due to begin bladework for another few months, but I want you to get started early. You've got potential, kid, and I'll be damned if I waste it."

"I… Why, sir?"

"Well, it was partially Uthar's idea." Kevin said. "And he's the one who'll be training you in the arts of war and magic." Emma's jaw dropped. Tutoring from the prince of the kingdom?

"Unless you don't want it?" He asked, and Emma frowned.

I promised I'd help them as much as I could, and I will.

"I'd be glad to accept, sir. Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet, Willow. You've got a long road ahead of you yet, but I have faith that you'll pull through." He shooed Emma out of the office, and she descended the stairs with a grin on her face.

Maybe I'll make it sooner than I thought.

Two Weeks Later

Emma slammed painfully into the wall, but still managed to dodge the wicked thrust to her stomach. As she had quickly learned, the wooden practice swords were quite dangerous when they connected. And Uthar always managed to make them connect with her legs, arms, and anywhere else that was exposed when her guard dropped.

She was so focused on dodging that she didn't see the following strike, and her legs were knocked from under her by an armored shin. When her vision cleared, there was the point of a sword at her throat.

"I win." Uthar said casually, helping her up. "Still, you're learning." The prince of Thais was dressed, like her, in half armor. He was also carrying a wooden sword and shield, which were lowered at his side. His brow was sweaty, but he seemed remarkably unhindered.

"Thank you, my lord. But…" Emma hesitated, not wanting to sound foolish.

"What are you doing wrong?" He finished, and she nodded. "You keep your eye too much on the enemy's blade, and it distracts you. Remember, you need to be aware of everything around you, not just the sword and shield." The woman nodded and resumed her position, concentrating hard.

"Ready? And… begin!" Uthar swept a blade at her head, which she deflected with her shield, and she thrust her blade at his gut in the simple maneuver she had been taught. It poked him in the side, and he stepped backwards with a smile.

"There you go! See, told you that you'd pick it up. Again!" They repeated the drill until it was ingrained into Emma's arms, which felt like they were about to fall off. After about an hour, Uthar called for a break, and they sat on the ground drinking water.

"Kevin still has you doing basic exercise with the class?" Uthar asked, and Emma grimaced.

"Yeah, and he pushes me harder than anyone else."

"He knows you can take it." The prince said with a chuckle. Emma rolled her eyes.

"Maybe so." She paused for a moment.

"May I ask you a question, sir?"

"There's no need for titles, Willow." Uthar admonished her. "And yes, you may."

"Where did you learn to fight?" Uthar's face tightened slightly, although he did not admonish it. His eyes were filled with something like longing as he stared off into the distance. Emma let him sit there, unsure as to what she should do.

"I went on a lot of adventures as a young man. I was taught to fight by my father, but I wanted to learn even more. I went to Seri to deliver a message, and that's where I met the man who taught me my unique fighting style. He was… very skilled, although not so much socially. I left after a while, and sailed the world for a little bit." Emma knew there was more to the story, but she did not press him.

"Thank you." She said, and Uthar nodded.

"I'll do my best to pass on his teachings." He jumped to his feet, drawing his sword once more. "Now, the next move we'll cover is…" He demonstrated the cut to Emma, adjusting her stance until he deemed it fit to proceed.

That night, Emma fell into her bunk totally exhausted, weary from the motion of holding and swinging several pounds of wood around all day.

This is intense. But I think I'm beginning to get the hang of it now. She envisioned herself being able to travel with her friends once more, and thought gave her resolve as she drifted off into sleep.

I wonder where they are right now.

The days slowly began to turn into weeks as Uthar did his best to instruct the green-haired woman on wielding a sword. There were so many details to cover: footwork, guarding, and a million different ways to attack your targets. Through constant practice, Emma began to hone her skills into something truly powerful. She no longer lost with ease to Uthar, although he was still the better swordsman of the two. In between lessons, he would lend her his knowledge of the world, and the two became fast friends.

"When do you think they will return?" Emma asked one day, and Uthar smiled.

"They should have arrived in Seri by now, but I do not know how long it will take for them to make sense of the situation. We have time, yes, but the Snow Queen is unpredictable as ever. Which is why I'm going to tell you something new today."

"Something new?"

"Yes." Uthar stood with a serious look on his face. "The art of battle magic." Emma had heard about it, but it was normally not taught to the recruits for at least two years. Uthar must have seen the look on her face, because he said: "Don't worry, I'm just explaining the concepts to you."

"Oh, okay. Carry on, then." Emma said, and Uthar held his sword in front of him horizontally.

"Most people don't know this, but they actually have trace amounts of magic in them. We do not know why, but with enough training, anybody could harness it. Now, this wouldn't normally be enough magic to really do anything, but the blade masters of old created a training method that allows the user to tap into this when fighting. If used correctly, it makes one slightly stronger and faster." He paused for a moment, letting Emma process the information.

"So all the knights are trained to use it?"

"Yes. We have modified it, but it still serves the same purpose." He gripped his sword in two hands, gesturing at a nearby dummy.

"What will happen if I strike it as hard as I can?"

"Your sword might break." Emma said instantly. It was one of the first lessons Uthar had taught her: Never put all your effort into a strike.

"You would think so, yes?" Uthar said as he strode over to the dummy. Drawing his sword back, he let out a yell and swept his sword in a two-handed slash towards the neck of the figure. The sword met the wood and sliced through it easily, knocking the head off the shoulders of the wooden man. Emma's jaw dropped.

"How did you-"

"Ah, that's the modification to the training." Uthar said with a smile. "We can use the traces of magic to actually harden and sharpen our swords to a much higher degree than normally possible. Of course, there is still damage," the prince said as she showed Emma the edge of the sword, which was blunted and slightly cracked. "But imagine if this was a steel sword." The woman gazed at the weapon in amazement.

"When can I learn that?" Uthar laughed.

"You still have a while, but there is one shortcut."

"What is it?"

"Practice more." Emma groaned, but drew her sword and prepared to duel the prince once more.

Soon, Uthar had her fighting with a real sword, although it did have blunted edges for safety. This was accompanied by a full set of armor, which was very heavy.

"So, how do you find the armor?" Uthar said across from her, where he was sharpening the nicks out of his practice sword.

"Well, I've been trying to find a way to get acclimated to it."

"And?" The prince looked up at her, eyebrows raised.

"I've started doing my exercises while wearing the armor. It's painful and very tiring, but I'm getting used to that feeling. This way, I'll be able to travel in it a lot easier."

"That's a smart tactic." Uthar commended her. "But I think I can help out a little more as well. The armor we give for training is not the best quality, but we do normally issue a better set for graduation. I can see about getting you one of those." Emma considered this for a minute.

"If you wish, Uthar." They rose to their feet, drawing their blades as they considered one another.

"Well? Show me what you've got." Uthar said with narrowed eyes, and Emma lunged at him with a yell. The room was filled with the clash of steel on steel, a sound that matched the wild beating in Emma's heart.