The Emperor rarely called his youngest child in for a meeting, and today was one of those rare days where Alesia met with her father in the privacy of his main study. However, instead of it just being her and her father, Rogal Dorn and his first captain were also present.
"My daughter," her massive father began, all serious, "in light of the incident that occurred last week, it has been decided you shall take you combat training to the next level effective immediately."
"What will that entail, father?" She felt her stomach drop and every fiber of her being was screaming that the Emperor was about to become one of her least favorite people real quick.
"For one, Horus will no longer be teaching you sword fighting."
Okay, that's not so bad I guess. As much as she loved her brother, Horus, he was way too soft on her and she felt stuck in her progress in mastering the blade.
"You will be learning from the best of the best in my Legion, sister." Dorn spoke up and gestured to his captain. "Sigismund has agreed to to be your mentor."
Ffffffuuuuuck!! This was the worst! Sigismund, First Captain of the Imperial Fists Legion, was the best swordsman in 40k lore. He would be the ideal teacher, granted, but Alesia knew he was not going to go easy on her just because she was the Imperial Princess. It didn't help that she had no idea what kind of teacher he would be as all stories he appeared in didn't show any snippets of what he did in his downtime or if he'd ever taught anyone.
"When do these new lessons start?" She asked timidly.
"Immediately," the first captain spoke and strode past her. "Come."
Alesia sighed and muttered, "Good thing I hardly ever wear dresses."
"All will be well, sister," Dorn said in an attempt to lighten her mood as she followed the Astartes out.
"Father, are you sure it wise to reassign Horus entirely?" Dorn asked in his normal monotone voice, not vocalizing just how concerned he truly was. "He always looked forward to training with Alesia."
"He can still train with her, just not as her mentor," the Emperor sighed. "You know just as well that he was not bringing out her full potential by trying to force her to emulate his fighting style. I have seen Sigismund in battle many times and have seen him adapt to every situation he's thrown in. You even vouched for him to be her mentor without a second thought."
What was left unsaid was the fact Alesia had gone to her guard, Kithes, after several lessons to get additional help only for her brother to criticize her improvement because it wasn't exactly what she was taught. The constant frustration she felt brought up traumatic memories from her first life in the second millennium and, compounded with the attempt on her life, had culminated in an outburst of pure frustration that left Horus unconscious and a Primarch shaped indention in a wall. Guilliman had witnessed the whole blow up and had been the one to bring the issue up with their father in the first place, even suggesting to assign the Princess a new mentor.
"It is for the best in the long run," Dorn ultimately agreed. "Sigismund will be the best mentor for her."
Upon arriving at the training grounds, Sigismund tossed her a practice sword and charged at her without another word. Alesia blocked, dodged and parried as best she could, even landing one hit on the sword master, but ended up heavily bruised and out of breath by the time he called the match to a halt.
"See how pathetic I am?" She asked in between pants.
"You are not pathetic," he said, taking her practice sword and going back to the weapons rack. "You are used to using the wrong weapon and focusing on the wrong skills to utilize. Your brother was doing you a massive disservice in training you as one of his Lunar Wolves."
"And how am I supposed to know which weapon and skill I need to use?"
He turned to face her and tossed her a different practice sword. This one was slimmer, lighter and with a different center of gravity.
"Lord Horus focuses on raw might and brute force. You do not have that level of strength, but you have the advantage of speed. The White Scars's methods in battle will serve you better."
Now things were starting to fall into place. He was evaluating her, gauging in what she was best at and what needed improving and actually giving her suggestions. She adjusted her stance, getting a better feel for the different weight of her sword as Sigismund got back into his stance.
"Again." He charged forward first, thrusting his practice sword forward, and she side stepped and knocked his blade away from her. Remembering the rare few times she saw Jaghatai spar with their brothers and sister, Alesia mimicked the evasive tactics the White Scars used and observed her opponent's movements. Only when she was certain she could land a hit, she struck out and almost knocked the practice sword out of Sigismund's hands.
"Good," he remarked before knocking her sword out of her hands again. "We will train per your normal schedule."
They put away the training swords back on the rack and the First Captain turned to their hidden audience.
"Are you satisfied, Custodes?" He addressed Kithes as the Princess's guardian made himself known.
"How long have you been there? I didn't notice you at all!" Alesia was very surprised she didn't see her guardian at all during this training session.
"I wanted to remain out of sight, Princess," Kithes said before answering Sigismund, "and the results are like comparing day and night. I am satisfied that you are her mentor now."
Sigismund only nodded before dismissing Alesia and watching her leave with her guard.
"Are you satisfied, Father?" Sigismund said, knowing his gene-Father, Rogal Dorn, had been watching from the shadows as well. It didn't surprise him to see his Primarch step out from his hiding place, and somehow he was not surprised to see another Primarch, Corvus Corax, accompanying him.
"I am very satisfied, Sigismund," Dorn responded, barely showing his approval for what he observed.
"How did you know she would be better suited for the White Scars' way of combat?" Corax asked, likewise barely showing any emotion like his brother. "Why not any other non-brute-force Legion such as the Ultramarines?"
"Your sister is closer to your brother, Lord Kahn, and has observed his fighting style for longer, and her body build is not conducive to a heavy hitting warrior. She can make up her lack of strength in speed and quick attacks."
"I observed that much, as well as Guilliman," said Dorn. "Perhaps she could also learn from you as well, Corvus?"
"Maybe, but after she yarn bombed Father's personal study, I'd rather not teach her how to sneak around any better than she already is."
Dorn snorted at that memory. This had been before the Kor Phaeron incident, and everyone residing in the palace still talked about it. Granted, their father had simply stated that it made the room more cozy and went straight to work, not even bothered by the fact his desk had been covered in crochet work along with the rest of the furniture.
"I believe everyone would agree with you on that, Uncle." Sigismund visibly shuttered at the thought of Princess Alesia learning how to melt into the shadows.
Then he spotted the distinctly Horus shaped indention in the wall behind the Primarchs. He had heard of the incident between the Princess and the Primarch of the Lunar Wolves that led to the the wall receiving a make over.
"Is that ever going to be repaired?" The First Captain pointed to the indention and the two demigods knew what he spoke of.
"Not any time soon, I think," Dorn chuckled. "Father wants it to remain there for a while to, and I quote, 'remind Horus the consequences of tunnel vision and hubris'."
Alesia sighed as Sylla gently brushed her hair; her nanny-turned-maid always loved to play with the Princess's hair and she always enjoyed these quiet moments with the woman, especially after a grueling training session like the one from earlier.
"My Lady," the woman said and Alesia gave her her full attention. "I met someone."
The Princess immediately spun around in her chair and looked Sylla dead in the eye. Rarely did her nanny speak of her personal life, so she was sure her excitement and joy was on full display since she couldn't hide her emotions to save her life. For once in this grime dark future, she felt like a teenager gossiping with a dear friend in high school again. Kithes even got right next to Alesia like they were in an old anime.
"What're they like? Give us the details!" The Princess and Custodes demanded like teenage girls. "Leave nothing out!"
Sylla giggled and blushed, clearly thinking about this person. "Well, he's a guardsman. We actually met when I was coming to fetch you from your studies. We bumped into each other multiple times since, and we got to talking…"
Alesia almost squealed in delight as the woman trailed off, clearly thinking of the man that captured her heart.
"We've been courting for a year now," Sylla continued, "and he's asked me to marry him!"
Now she couldn't hold it in. She squealed and grabbed the womans hands while saying, "Please tell me you said yes!"
"I did!" Sylla squealed back and the Princess hugged her nanny tightly.
"Oh my stars! I'm so happy for you!"
"But, my Lady, that means I'll be leaving you soon too."
"So? Have you seen how much I've grown lately? I'll be fine!"
"I'll miss you, my Lady!"
"I'll miss you too, Nana!"