Hey, readers! I apologize for the length of time it took to finish this one. Action scenes are definitely on the difficult side for me, and it's a really important scene, too!

Anyway, on to the early preview of next chapter of the story! We're back with Aiwin's perspective this chapter! It'll be the last free chapter (for now), but you'll still get a little something every now and then. I've been outlining some short stories and novellas, too!

You can read all three chapters here, if you need or want to read them there, but I'll add the third chapter right at the end of this email!

Chapter Three

Saeward was a heavy weight on their shoulders as Aiwin and Marnan guided him away from the chatter of gossiping royals. He smelled of wine and bread rolls. His face looked puffy, but he wore a goofy smile.

"You're so pretty, Winny," Saeward said, slurring hid words. "Did I ever tell you that?"

Aiwin could not help but feel her cheeks warm. She turned away with a cough.

"Let's focus on keeping our balance," Aiwin said. "I can't believe you of all people drank enough to get this drunk."

Saeward scoffed.

"As if I would allow myself to get drunk," he said.

Marnan giggled while holding up Saeward from his other side.

"You can't even stumble about on your own," he said.

"I can handle my wine better than you, little fairy," Saeward said.

"Little? Aiwin, I think he's begging to be dunked into the nearest cold river to sober up, don't you think?"

"I'd like to see you try."

They emerged from the cold halls of Castle Moore and entered the training courtyard. Tall green grass rolled in the salty breeze, except for one large circle in the center that was full of sand. Wooden training dummies decorated the area, and all the training weapons had been taken to the armory for everyone's safety.

Dozens of guards in red patrolled the perimeter of the area. A few royal families had escaped the bustle of the feasting hall and the throne room to enjoy the outdoors under the low evening sun. Many of them sat on straw bales that had been meant for archery training. Closest to the sandpit were Princess Libaya, Prince Brinthor, and their entourage. There was a pile of hay bales near them that remained free for the taking.

"I didn't imagine there would be this many people out here," Marnan said.

Aiwin scanned the field, but nothing out of place caught her attention. Saeward, Marnan, and she all had a special status that was supposed to protect them from sudden attacks, but to think there would never be someone who would violate that sacred rule would be foolish.

"Please let me spend my last full day here in the only place where I had any fun in this accursed castle," Saeward said. "Please. I don't want to be crammed in my parents' chambers just yet."

Marnan cast an annoyed look in Aiwin's direction, but she only shrugged a shoulder. She was just as reluctant to stay in the king and queen's chambers as Saeward. He rolled his eyes, but he huffed a laugh.

They looked around the field in search of any hay bale next to anyone other than the spawn of their king's enemies. Even if they were there to celebrate the Chosen Prince just as much as everyone else, Aiwin imagined how awkward it would be to sit next to them. Their conflicts were the only things they had in common. Yet as they guided Saeward through the field, Aiwin could make out Libaya's look of amusement as she watched them.

"We could always just sit in the dirt," Aiwin said.

Marnan scoffed.

"I'm not sitting in the dirt because you two want to be silly," he said. "Let's sit with our hostile neighbors. If there's enough drama, it might actually be fun."

Marnan pulled Saeward ahead, and Aiwin had to keep up before Saeward fell over.

"Well, if it isn't our dear Chosen Prince," Libaya said. "It is an honor to be in such an intimate proximity to you."

Libaya stood, and she bowed. Aiwin noticed the look on her face remained a smirk full of amusement rather than reverence. The unfamiliar guards scrambled to their feet to bow themselves. Brinthor was slow to do the same himself, keeping a keen eye on them.

Saeward waved a dismissive hand.

"Please don't," he said. "All of these formalities are giving me a headache."

Libaya chuckled. She sat down, motioning for her brother and her guards to do the same.

"I would rather think that's because of all the wine you drank," she said. "I apologize for not bringing you a few bottles of wine as a gift. It seems it would have been well-appreciated."

"It may not have been wine," Marnan said, "but I do recall a set of knives had been sent ahead of you. They are quite beautiful."

"Oh, right, the knives," Saeward said, hiccuping the last word. "They were nice knives."

"We have some of the finest blacksmiths in the realm," Libaya said. "My father had them commissioned as an apology he could not make it here himself. He's quite busy. That's also why he sent us instead. I didn't expect you to be familiar with us, but it sounds like you are."

"Princess Libaya and her half-brother Brinthor of Stahl Kingdom. We know a little too much about each other, I'm sure."

Libaya hummed. She turned her attention to Aiwin, examining her like she was appraising a valuable work of art. Aiwin felt her cheeks turn red. Then, she turned her attention to Marnan, who squirmed under her gaze.

"You know, it's a shame," she said, "that you three will get to trot off and save the world without showing off your fighting prowess. We managed to send one of our greatest fighting instructors to train you, and I think a friendly spar would be fun. I had assumed we would get to see some spars as part of the entertainment, but alas, that's not a common custom here in Troyer."

Aiwin noticed Brinthor stiffen, but she felt a thrill through her chest.

Saeward gave an exaggerated sigh.

"I love sparring," he said. "I would have done anything to have a friendly tournament instead of this boring feast."

Libaya gave a little hum, and she smirked as Brinthor drove an elbow into her ribs. Aiwin could make out his frantic whispers:

"Don't. Are you mad?"

"Come now, brother," Libaya said. "Aren't you curious? And this is our last chance to see their skills. Besides, our dear Chosen Prince wants it as well. Who are we to deny him such a precious gift?"

"Our dear Chosen Prince is drunk," Marnan said. "He won't be much fun to fight."

"But we're not drunk," Aiwin said. "We're in perfectly sound condition to spar."

"That's the spirit," Libaya said. "And pitting our two elemental fighters together might be an even match."

Aiwin braced herself for Libaya to add "even for a girl," but no such comment came.

Marnan scoffed, but Saeward leaned toward Aiwin and gave her a heavy nudge with his elbow.

"He has been looking rather smug toward you all evening," Saeward said.

Brinthor's eyebrows flew toward his hair, but before he could speak, Marnan waved a dismissive hand.

"If any of us are going to spar," he said, "then, I volunteer. I did not go through all the trouble of picking out Aiwin's dress just to have a couple of drunken fools talk her into ruining it."

Aiwin pouted, and she opened her mouth to speak before Libaya's cackles interrupted her.

Libaya grabbed Brinthor's arm, and she shook him.

"Please, Brin!" she said. "You have to do it now! He volunteered!"

Brinthor swatted at Libaya, who giggled as she drew away.

"Fine, fine, fine, fine," he said. "But if anything goes wrong, I'm pinning the blame on you."

"Don't be too gentle, Guardian Marnan," Libaya said. "It would be greatly amusing to see my brother knocked onto his rear."

Brinthor stood with a sigh, and he went to the center of the sand pit.

"How are we doing this?" he asked. "Are we going hand to hand?"

Marnan laughed.

"Have you seen the size of you?" he said. "We're using magic, but it'll have to be gentle magic. I don't want you incinerating my Chosen Prince by accident."

"You want both of us to use magic?"

"Of course. It would be unfair for me to use it and not you as well."

Brinthor frowned, but before he could say a word, there was a loud sound, like ripping leather. Marnan was gone in a blink, but with another ripping sound, he appeared behind Brinthor. He swung a fist at his lower back, and Brinthor took it with a grunt, taking a step forward. As Brinthor turned, he swung his own fist, but Aiwin noticed a strange flash, like she had blinked.

Aiwin had not blinked in that second, she was certain, but perhaps it had been some kind trick of the light.

Brinthor's fist connected with Marnan's shoulder, and Marnan stumbled back. Marnan's eyebrows rose, but Brinthor swung his other fist toward his face. With a magical blink, Marnan stepped out of the way, but Brinthor sent a strong gust of wind, forcing Marnan to brace himself. It gave Brinthor time to step back into his personal space, but there was another sound of ripping as Marnan disappeared and reappeared beside Brinthor.

Marnan swept his leg behind Brinthor's, but there was another blink just before Brinthor stepped over the limb. Brinthor grabbed Marnan's hand and yanked him toward him while extending a fist, using Marnan's momentum to punch him in the chest. While in Brinthor's grip, Marnan could not rip through time to step out of the way, so he coughed as air rushed out of his lungs.

Brinthor swept his leg under Marnan,and the latter fell onto his rear with an audible "oof."

"There's the first out," Libaya said, "unless you want to call it now, Guardian Marnan."

"Not on your life!" Marnan said, earning a hardy laugh from Saeward and Libaya both.

Marnan lost the second round as well, and he demanded they go for best three out of five instead. Aiwin could have sworn she witnessed Brinthor pull his punches so Marnan would win the next two rounds, but she thought it best to keep that to herself.

A small crowd of other royals gathered around them to watch the match, but as the evening drew darker, they wished their favorite fighter good luck before heading inside the castle. Aiwin sent little fires above their area to help illuminate the sandpit.

By the time they made it to fifth match, Aiwin felt her eyes grow heavy from the exhaustion of the day. It was a shame because Marnan's strikes were far harder and faster than the previous rounds, putting Brinthor on the defensive.

Marnan drove an elbow toward Brinthor's face, and there was another blink just before Brinthor leaned back and out of the way. There had been enough blinks that Aiwin was less and less certain that it was a mere trick of the eye. It should have been simple to accept that Brinthor had World Control Divinity just like Marnan, but she had already witnessed his Elemental Divinity, which he had also used during his spar with Marnan.

Aiwin's chest tightened as she watched the spar. Saeward cheered on Marnan as if he had not noticed the odd blinks that were the same as Marnan's blinks. Every part of her mind wanted to believe it was impossible for Brinthor to have more than one Divinity.

Aiwin had been torn from her elven family to train as the Chosen Prince's Guard. She had been forced to live among humans under a king that had once tried to cleanse her people from this planet. She had undergone grueling training that she had feared she could never heal from. She had thought herself lucky that Saeward had endured the same training and had been all the kinder to her because of it.

Brinthor blink out of reality one last time, allowing him to dodge another elbow from Marnan, and he grabbed Marnan's robes while sweeping his leg. Marnan fell onto his rear again, and he flopped onto his back and groaned.

"Shall we make the spar best out of seven rounds?" Libaya asked, amusement in her tone.

Marnan huffed, and he forced himself upright.

"Of course, not," he said. "The only way to prove myself would be to strip out of my robes, and none of you are worthy of such a sight."

Brinthor gave a breathy laugh. Libaya cackled.

"Blaming your clothes again, are we, fae—elf boy?" Saeward asked.

Marnan cast a rather deadly look in Saeward's direction, but it only earned him another hardy laugh.

Aiwin stood, and she went to Marnan's side.

"You fought amazingly well," she said.

Marnan scoffed. Instead of addressing her, he turned to Brinthor, and he bowed.

"Thank you for indulging our local idiot known as Prince Saeward," he said.

Saeward laughed.

"No, thank you for indulging my idiot, Princess Libaya of House Messalina," he said.

Libaya scoffed, but the smile on her face showed she was anything but offended. She looked at her brother. She stood, and their bodyguards stood as well, surrounding both of the royals from Troyer.

"I would take your arm, brother," she said, "but you're far too filthy."

Brinthor laughed.

Aiwin, Marnan, and Saeward allowed their guests to walk into the castle alone before they made their own way into it. Saeward teased Marnan for the friendly spar he had been annoyed into fighting along the way.

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