An immense wave of relief crashed over me, but I refused to let it drag me under. I hadn’t been found out—and even better, the Prince expected me to pass. I allowed a smile to play across my lips, a practiced balance between grateful and assured.
“Thank you, Your—I mean, thank you.” I caught myself just before I made the mistake of using the same title he’d requested I didn’t use. “I wouldn’t dream of failing you.”
I nodded, pleased with the response he’d given me. Not too confident, staying within the line.
“Tomorrow will be a busy day,” I said, looking at Key on my shoulder, who had begun to doze off. “Eat well. Official schedules will be given out tomorrow. You have an advantage since you’ve read about the Other Realm, but we’ll see how you fare physically.”
I wasn’t sure why I was giving him that much attention, especially since I didn’t even know his name, but I suppose it was because I was curious. How would this one survive? What type of a creature would he summon? What type of a bondmate would he be to his own?
I was utterly baffled. Why was the Crown Prince in my shared dormitory, giving me this much attention? Complimenting me, even? Naturally, I let none of my bewilderment show, merely nodding.
Of course, I knew that I was built differently than most of the other students due to the fact that I was actually of the opposite sex, but one advantage to my wiry, slimmer yet athletic figure was that it caused people to underestimate my strength. A lifetime of dancing and skating had assured that I was not lacking in physical aptitude, despite how much smaller I looked than the others.
Looking over at him one last time, I let my eyes roam around the room again, landing on the room that was supposed to be mine.
I walked in that direction, opened the door, and without another glance back, I entered it and shut the door.
I wanted nothing more than to fall asleep right at this moment. Training with a bondmate was exhausting. I laid a now sleeping Key on the side of my bed and climbed in myself, laying back and heaving a heavy sigh.
My eyes widened at the Prince’s retreating back the moment I saw him lay a hand on the doorknob to one of the four bedchambers. Colton Miller was my roommate? For (hopefully) the whole year? I’d always assumed that he had a private room of his own, being the heir to the throne, but….. apparently not.
I couldn’t decide whether or not this was a good thing or a bad thing,
The next morning, I was up early despite wanting to sleep in. I’d had my daily dosage of caffeine, Key sprawled on the couch lazily.
”What are we doing today?” he asked, waggling his tale.
”Training,” I answered as if it was obvious. Today, the seniors would be training the juniors. It was a good opportunity for the juniors to learn more, especially from those who had recently went up a level. Each of us were assigned different students. Once we attended the class, we’d know which student we needed to train.
”I pity the idiot who ends up as your pupil,” Key yawned. ”You’re going to give him hell.”
I said nothing in response, instead preparing to walk out of the room to head for breakfast before the alarm rang. That was one thing I hated about this school that my father wouldn’t change. When it was time for food, the dorm bell would ring loudly, a shrilly voice that rendered you deaf for a good ten minutes. One day I was going to destroy that thing.
Despite my desperation to stay up late and watch the stars shift across the velvet sky, I’d resolved to discipline myself and sleep soon after the sun did in order to wake up before six in the morning, which would give me plenty of time to prepare for the day and study to refresh my memory before classes started.
When a deafening, ear-shattering alarm startled me enough to make the notebook slip from my hands, I did a hasty sweep of my room to ensure that nothing feminine would be visible to any possible intruders and headed down to the dining hall for breakfast.
Breakfast for today was simple. Roasted chicken, cupcakes, bread and butter for those who didn’t like to eat much, sandwiches, as well as juice and other beverages to drink.
I took a seat next to my father at the royalty’s place, Key on my shoulders, munching on the small piece of chicken I provided him with.
“How are the new students?” My father questioned curiously, knowing I’d already interacted with them.
My mind went from the disappointment I felt to the new kid who had gained my attention, Elliot.
“Disappointing,” I answered blankly. “One or two have potential. Others look like failures. People have stopped taking this seriously, Your Highness.”
The king frowned, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Just then, students began piling in the hall, bowing to us before taking their seats.
I took one of the last available seats, squeezing between a redheaded junior I recognized from yesterday’s class and a bafflingly turquoise-haired senior I’d seen wandering the hallways. Breakfast was simple but filling, the Academy cooks had evidently fine well today, and I took my time, carrying food to my mouth in the almost dainty manner my brother and I both used.
It was time for the training lessons to start. The seniors, including myself, were supposed to get there early, so I excused myself from my father's presence. Along with the others, I walked into the field we were supposed to teach. It was rather annoying teaching those kids, but being more experienced, you get what you get.
”I hope you get stuck with the most troublesome one,” Key snickered.
”If I get stuck, you get stuck,” I responded with a shrug and Key seemed to realize. He immediately shut his mouth and began pouting.
A few minutes later, the juniors started to assemble, excitement on their features. The second they saw me, it immediately died. I was pleased. This was not something to enjoy. It was to be taken seriously.
After our morning meal, we—that is, each junior—lined up on the field. I ended up in the front row, my chin up, hands nearly at my sides, posture radiating confident control and discipline. I’m reality, all I wanted to do was laugh and free my limbs, but I had to keep up the painfully restricting act for the sake of the incredibly desirable endgame.
The Prince approached us, a stony expression dominating his features, and I head the enthusiastic murmurs around my fade away. Naturally, I was immensely excited to be taking one step closer to the Oath, to my bondmate, but I continued to do what was expected of me and kept my expression vacant of such emotions.
The instructor clapped his hands loudly in an attempt to gain their attention.
“This time around, we will be going things differently,” he started, looking at each individual. “To get you trained properly and ready for the Oath, we’ve decided to assign seniors as your training partners.”
The juniors gulped visibly, possibly dreading being my student.
“We have, in face, decided this on luck. These two boxes you see have numbers one to twenty. The seniors will take from this box, while the juniors will take from the other. The ones who get the same number will be paired up. Now, form a line and get your number!”
As I predicted, I was given the chance to go first. I slipped my hand into the box, grabbing a slip of paper and pulling it out, reading the number on it.
6.
The juniors all shuffled reluctantly into a line, shooting the seniors anxious glances every few seconds. In order to expel some of my pent-up energy, I bounced, extremely lightly, on the balls of my feet, otherwise a vision of calm.
When my turn had come, I slipped a hand inside the box and withdrew a small sheet of paper, which I slipped over to read one I’d stepped out of the way.
6.
Once everyone was done, the teacher instructed the seniors to hold their number high so our juniors could see.
I sighed, unfolding the slip of paper again, raising it high. Whoever it was, I wasn’t planning on going easy. Being paired up with me was, like Key said, the worst thing that could happen. I was not lenient. I demanded perfection, respect and accuracy.
Waiting for my junior to approach me, I began answering Key’s idiotic attempts at cracking jokes.
Six…..
My eyes drifted over each slip of paper, searching for the number that matched my own. I was shocked to see that fate had decided to pair me up with the Prince, who was standing only a few feet away.
I either have ridiculously fantastic, or exceedingly awful luck… I thought to myself, unable to decide on which felt more accurate as I slowly approached Colton and held my number out to him.
”Looks like you got the interesting guy,” Key sighed with relief. ”But the poor guy… I pity him.”
I ignored him, waiting for Elliot to approach me, hardening my expression.
“I do hope you’re prepared,” I finally said when he stood in front of me. “I am not lenient. I expect hard work and point near perfection. I look for nothing less than that. Training will always start before breakfast for ten minutes. At the end of your classes, excluding this one, an hour would be dedicated for more. I expect you to be punctual. I do hope we’re clear on that, otherwise we will have terrible problems.”
“Understood,” I replied, calm and assured. Obviously I was more than a little daunted by the intense show the Prince had put on, and the fact that I would be training with him daily, but I refused to both let it show, and let him down.
I motioned for him to follow me, turning around to walk slowly, starting with the basics.
“What is the basic need for training your physical form?” I questioned him the second he caught up to me. “Why would we need to train our body when we have our bondmates?”
I fell into step beside him, never once breaking my near-perfect stance. “Since we would be bound in soul to them, our state reflects theirs and vice-versa,” I answered without missing a beat, “Therefore, by retaining physical strength, we would help our bondmates as well. Adding to that, it’s especially important for Defenders and Attackers to be fit in order to fulfill their roles.”
I nodded in approval.
“There are also chances where you will need your physical training rather than the magic you’ll get,” I added. “Sometimes you can’t always rely on your abilities. It requires a lot of stamina, so you always use it as the last resort.”
I stopped by a table with weapons on it, gesturing him to choose one.
“The weapon you choose will not be changed,” I said to him. “So think wisely. You may select a second if you need, but only if you’ve mastered your first.”
I chewed on my bottom lip, eyes drifting thoughtfully over the wide selection of weapons before me. I had been using a rapier since I was roughly eleven, and even my strict, upright mother had admitted that I was suited to its style. However, I was oddly drawn to the crossbow as well…
Finally, I spoke up. “And if I have already learned to fight with one? Can I choose another?”
I raised an eyebrow. This one was full of surprises.
“Only if you’ve mastered the other,” I answered. “Go ahead, pick out the one you’ve learned, and the one you’ll learn.”
Satisfied with his answer, I selected a well-balanced rapier that fit smoothly in my hand. Next I hovered over the crossbows, resting each one in the palm of my hand before deciding on the second smallest, a slim but powerful weapon.
“I’ve chosen,” I told the Prince, angling my body towards him once more.
I nodded at his choice of weapons.
“Set them on the side,” I instructed. “Run five laps around field.”
Once again, I did as I was told and set my newly-chosen weapons aside. Just keep yourself together… this is easy for you.
And in truth, it was. Endurance was something that came much easier to me than short-distance sprinting, and before long, I was coming to a stop in front of Prince Colton after completing his task.
Smart, intelligent and well trained. It seemed I was in luck. My student wouldn’t be falling flat on his face on the second lap.
“Excellent,” I nodded at him. “Fifty push-ups, arms wide. While you do so, I’ll be right back.”
I resisted the urge to reply with a curt ‘yes sir!’, instead nodding and dropping down to the ground. As a dancer and a figure skater, my leg and core strength was much higher than that of my arms.
My arms were trembling by the time I reached my fiftieth push up, but I’d pulled a hard mask of determination over my face, not daring to show any further signs of weakness.
I weight ahead and got weightlifting gloves and shin guards. The purpose of this was to have him carry extra weight. The more he got used to carrying the extra weight, the faster he would become. When it would be his final day to wear these gloves, I assume he would be light on his feet. If he did what I asked.
Once I got back, he’d just finished the exercise. Unlike before, he seemed to be tired, which was expected. I stopped in front of him and let what I got fall to the floor with a loud ‘thud.’
“Wear these,” I ordered. “The only time you’ll be taking these off would be when you’re showering. This will pull you down unless you get used to the weight. I’ll be increasing the weight the more you get used to them. By the time you finish your training, you’ll be light on your feet if you’ve been wearing them correctly.”
I inhaled deeply, shifting positions until I was sitting on the ground in front of the items the Prince had dropped in front of me. I stared at them—a set of gauntlets and shin guards—for a split second, but quickly slapped an unreadable expression on my face and reached for the first shin guard.
“And when I sleep?” I asked Colton, glancing up from where I was buckling the straps beneath my trousers.
"Take them off," I answered curtly. "But wear them first thing in the morning."
I looked around the field, where others had joined. Unlike what I had planned out for Elliot, the other seniors seemed to go easy on their juniors. I scowled before shaking my head and turning my attention back to the boy on the floor.
"We'll start your crossbow training tomorrow," I told him. Once he wore what I told him to wear, I turned my attention back towards the field. "Five more laps."
