Chapter 4: -Problem 1
The sound of wooden poles clashing against one another, rang through the training hall. The sound rang through like echoes in the air, drowning out all the other sounds of fighting.
Torches lit the long stone hallway, on pillars of pure limestone., as their decorated arches held up the roof. Men and women could be seen below, fighting with swords, spears, daggers, and the occasional summoned creature.
Groups of soldiers could be seen crowding around different fights, cheering on for their comrades in their challegend spar.
But one group stood apart from the rest. Some of the toughest, and largest of the soldiers stood crowded around one fight, covering over a dozen feet. The fifty or so soldiers cried out in cheers as more and more 'thwacks' could be heard.
Soon, the two fighters could be seen easily as sweat dripped down their necks and heads.
One was an old man, somewhere in his sixties to early seventies, but what shocked most was how easily he was fighting like he was a young adult all over again. It made people wonder what this man would have been like in his prime.
The other was a young girl, in her twenties, who fought with nearly as much ferocity as the old man did. Constantly striking her quarterstaff against the staff held by the old man.
It was so fierce that many onlookers wondered if it would break simply by force. But over and over again, they were proven wrong as both the staff and the old man failed to be pushed back, and instead pushed on ahead.
It was the constant push and pull of the battle that drew in the onlookers.
Here, in this hall, you were not judged for wealth, power, or prestige. You were human first and foremost. You were a warrior through and through. All they respected here was strength. The warriors mantra.
Al Shir continued to push his force against Lia, but over and over again, she defended in the most uncanny ways he had ever seen. She was adapting. This is what truly made him love his sparing time with Lia, how she was always adaptable to the worst of scenarios.
He swiped his quarterstaff to the right, momentarily throwing Lia off balance. Taking the chance, he threw a quick jab in her chest area, confident to put her down.
However, just as the edge of the staff was about to come into contact with her rib cage, Lia twisted her heel, turning her body, and letting go of one side of the staff, swiped clean and threw to the right. Like a sword on wood, the staff broke in half to the sheer force of her might.
The onlookers roared in fear, changing her name.
"Lia! Lia! Lia! Lia!"
But just as the soldiers gathering around were about to celebrate Lia's win, she suddenly got back into a defensive stance, ready and prepared.
Soon, their eyes fell on Al Shir, whose body was now covered in a turquoise hue, and he held the broken end of his staff up with one hand, like a sword. Slowly, the hue surrounding Al Shir's body began to surround the broken staff.
There was no reason to be afraid of him. After all, he was just an old man wielding a broken weapon, but that didn't stop all the soldiers watching them as they began to shake in their boots.
Danger was what their mind screamed at them.
But, no matter how afraid they were, they were left in awe at Lia, who stood her ground, with no power to match, but held her own.
Both participants slowly breathed out a long sigh, before Al Shir shot forward in a lightning fast manner, appearing before Lia, and slashed downward towards her staff.
Lia, of course, did not sit still during this. Instead, she tensed her calves and raised her quarterstaff to meet his attack head on.
As the two came in contact, Lia's staff broke down the middle, shattering in two halves. However, instead of sitting still, Lia ducked down, bending below the attack, curving her arm in an arch upward, meeting Al Shir's wrist just as it came into range.
The attack lasted a few seconds at most, and just as quickly as Al Shir had shot out from where he stood, he was standing, pinned by one broken staff to the throat and stomach.
Al Shir had lost.
The crowd erupted in cheers and praises, as many came forward patting Lia on the back, congratulating her for her win. Soon, the event's excitement died down a few notches, and Lia and Al Shir left soon after, careful not to draw any attention to themselves.
"You did well girl."
Al Shir did his best to keep his voice down as they left the training hall. It wasn't necessarily needed as no one here would rat them out, but he still did so out of pride. For someone like him complimenting another would get people riled up. It would ruin how people looked at him.
"You held back."
Lia's voice was calm and quiet, but like the cold that seeps in, it stung like a bee to the brain.
"Oh, do tell me how?"
There were faint hints of humor in his voice. It was clear he did so on purpose, but whether it was simply to mess with her or not, she could not tell.
"Why did you hold back? You never go down that easily."
"I was testing you."
Lia cocked her head to the side. Her master had given her many tests in her life, but never once did he ever hold back on them. You don't give out an easy test. That's just how it works.
As if reading her mind, Al Shir spoke up, answering her questions before she could ask them.
"I tested your reaction speed. You'll need good reaction speed if someone is attacking you up front."
"But why hold back?"
Her question went unanswered for several minutes. What she asked wasn't necessarily wrong considering that the more he pushed her, the faster her reaction time would become. This was what had been grilled into her for so long. Through trial and error you would grow stronger.
So why was he going against his own teaching? It didn't make sense.
"I held back because my skill level and that of a normal person are different."
"Now you're just complimenting yourself."
"No It's true. My power is greater than that of a normal soldier, and if you're so busy training to guard against me, you'll end up overthinking the simple moves of a normal soldier. Then, you will die."
His reasoning made sense, if you looked at it from the eyes of a soldier. Through trial and error, as well as experience, Al Shir had concluded that Lia would undoubtably die if she was preparing for an attack from his strength, she would be blind to anything lower than himself.
What he said wasn't an insult, it was just the truth.
"But aren't you training me to have an advantage when fighting summoners? I thought that was the whole reason we started this training."
Al Shir let out a deep sigh as he pinched his brow, closing his eyes.
"Lia, of all the millions of people that live in this world, a small portion of a few hundred thousand are in fact summoners. What about the other near millions?"
"...well.."
Lia was unable to answer momentarily.
"There will come a time when you will be forced to do battle with someone else. Someone other than a summoner. And even then, just because they have a summons, doesn't mean they can't fight as well."
Lia raised an eyebrow in question. She had trouble believing that a person with a powerful summoned creature would fight in their own battle. If so, what was the point of having one in the first place?
Seeing her vivid confusion, Al Shir could only sigh.
"Lia, what was the first thing I taught you when we started hand to hand combat?"
Lia's confusion drained, as it was soon replaced with a serious expression, as she recited her master's words back to him.
"Always expect the unexpected."
"Correct. Now, everyone, other than a select few, expects the summoner to let the summons do all the work. However, if they are faced with the unexpected, they will fail in every battle."
"So you believe that having a summoner fight in a battle between summons is better than letting them duke it out themselves?"
"Of course. Especially if you have a weaker summons, giving it some aid would double your chances. Plus, if you're fighting the summoner, while your summons are fighting each other, then it's a two battle scenario."
"But I don't have a summons."
Al Shir turned to meet Lia's gaze.
"True, but that doesn't mean you can't be knowledgeable about these things. It's best to come to a table and know what cards your opponent will play."
And with that, he turned and walked away, followed closely behind by Lia, who continued to grill Al Shir for questions regarding fighting. As of now, having trained with Al Shir for over a year, Lia had already become stronger than the average fighter, making her a keen asset to anyone who would find use in her.
But if one took the time to notice, they would see that her potential did not lie in the path of a soldier, but as a commander with her quick wits and fighting styles.
Al Shir saw this in her, and decided to train it into her the way of the blade, as his master had once done for him. He was required by contract to train both Rall and Clara, but they only saw the end result of the training, whereas Lia saw the experience she could gain rather than strength.
It was then that Al Shir recalled some words his master had once told him.
'The way of power is a cold, dark and lonely path. But for those who seek it, it is a necessary sacrifice.'
Back then his master had told him the word sacrifice not for the faintest of heart. If one truly was willing to give up so much for power, they had to have a reason to sacrifice it for. With Rall and Clara, they both only saw power for the greed it would give them. They had no reason, and as such had no sacrifice.
The same could be said for Lia however. But the difference between Rall and Clara from Lia, was that they had not learned the meaning for sacrifice. Lia had. She was willing to give anything for even a small ounce of peace. She just had nothing to give.
She was never greedy, and if one got to know her like Al Shir did, they would know that Lia was simply a broken girl on the inside, constantly weeping at the betrayal to her family. She knew what it was like to lose everything. She knew loss, and would soon learn sacrifice.
Al Shir smiled to himself. If his master was here, she would tell him his choice in a successor was the right one.
It was true. Al Shir knew Lia would never be accepted back into her family, even with the regrets the king had laid on his own shoulders, the rest were too far gone to accept Lia back. So, as selfish as it might sound to move on someone's painful history, he knew such a talent did not deserve to be wasted.
True, she might not have the powers of a summoner, or the influence of a politician, and many may see her as simply useless. But Al Shir saw her tenacity and her struggles. And through that, he could see the experience she would gain, the end result she would have.
He wished to turn her into another version of him. A teacher. A warrior. A scholar.
A Legend.
***
Al Shir and Lia continued traveling down the dark hallways of the palace, occasionally passing by a maid or two, who quickly scurried away at the sight of Al Shir.
"You're quite the scary person, master."
Lia's comment made Shir chuckle.
"They fear what they do not know. Rumors and worries become the norm for those who haven't seen it up close."
"Would you say the same thing about the southern seas/"
Al Shir's face suddenly became serious. He had traveled the southern seas all his life, and through thick and thin, he had heard all kinds of rumors involving the seas he once traveled on. The monsters that lurked below, but also the beauty the setting sun can have on the water's edge.
"I would."
Al Shir's answer didn't surprise Lia. She knew her master's love for the seas, and his long time wish of dying at sea. It sounded dark, and sad, but now that she knew her master better and more personally, she understood that his love for the sea never founded him. His love was so strong that he would never let anyone bury him on land. That was just his home.
It made Lia think for a moment, on where she would be buried. She thought of the places in the palace burial grounds where she would be found, or the tombs underneath the palace that extended far beyond the walls of the city.
She quickly discarded the idea. She didn't hate her ancestors, but she doubted that her family would even allow her to be buried in the same place as such powerful people. Especially when she was so weak, while they were titans among humans.
A sudden thought struck her as her mind passed over the memories of her family. She quickly turned to her master, worry written on her face.
"Master, why did you tell the king and queen about my training?"
At the sound of this, Al Shir stopped. While gazing out the large glass window, back facing her, he responded in a subtle tone.
"Odd. Why do you not call them father and mother?"
Lia did not answer, and she didn't need to. Al Shir already knew the answer, but chose to ask anyway, wondering to himself if this question was fueled by rage or anger.
When her parents disowned her, she disowned them just as fast, almost as if she was expecting it to happen, which made it even more pitiful for someone so young at that time. Instead, Al Shir knew she was simply hoping to block all pain off from ever reaching her, by keeping her parents at bay.
If this question was fueled by anger or hatred, he would not answer. If it wasn't, he could rest assured that she had her deepest fears and emotions under control. Meaning he wouldn't fuel her pride with these next words.
"I told your parents about your training because we would have had to anyway. We couldn't hide it forever, and even if we did, we would be left with the complication that someone would see our actions as untrustworthy."
Al Shir glanced behind him to find Lia frowning. It was clear that she didn't like the idea of her parents knowing about her training, but she also knew he wasn't wrong.
That was the face of a woman who felt conflicted between two wrongs and a right.
"If I had prolonged my confession, the king and queen would have seen our actions as if we were purposely hiding something from them. Which in turn we were, however, it would have caused more problems if I had kept up with the act."
"...I see."
Lia mumbled in understanding. Though she didn't like it, she couldn't deny that what Al Shir was saying wasn't true. If they did wait until their lessons were eventually uncovered, then it would be worse than the suspicions they have now.
But it made Lia worry, knowing that her family was aware of her lessons with Al Shir. She could already think of the number of things they were plotting. Whatever it was, Lia knew that they had one goal in mind.
Prevent her from getting stronger.
Jealousy would obviously overtake Clara and Rall, but she was more worried about her mother and father, and how they would react. It chilled her down to the bone, knowing they were plotting something.
This, of course, did not go unnoticed by Al Shir, who continued walking ahead.
"Don't worry girl, I doubt anything will happen to you with me here. They still need me to teach Rall and Clara for the next few years. They wouldn't risk upsetting me so easily."
Lia simply nodded her head in response. It was clear that her worries had not yet left her.
"Listen to me girl, your siblings are silver in likeness. They are valuable when it comes to power and influence, but also through their training. It's what makes them so polished and poised as silver. But they aren't gold."
At the sound of this, Lia lifted her head slightly and glanced at Al Shir.
"To be gold, they would need real combat, and real experiences that make them know what the world really is like. If you never show the child what lies on the other side of the wall, they will never come to believe that there is anything on the other side of the wall. So, if you teach that child that there is in fact something over that wall, they'll build self confidence before they ever even face it."
"Is that what you were trying to do with Rall and Clara?"
Lia asked, her tone giving it away that she was indeed curious about Al Shir's gold and silver theory.
"In a way. I tried to build their confidence when dealing with worldly troubles. War, poverty, famine, and so on. But…I think I've failed."
His voice grew solemn when he mentioned his failure in preparing Rall and Clara. Lia noted that he held a deep sadness within him at the knowledge of his failed pupils.
"What I wanted was to give them armor for war. Even if it was thin, and wouldn't stop all the mental blows, I still wanted those barriers and knowledge to expel some of the damage their minds would take. Oftentimes, when you send a child out to war, they'll come back looking like Hell. But if you send the child, who grew up on the streets, fighting for food, with no family to call home, they'll be far better off than the child who grew fat on their parents sheltered life."
Now it made sense to Lia. Al Shir's true goal in training Rall and Clara, was to prepare them for the responsibilities the real world would throw at them, and be placed upon their shoulders. But instead, the two became arrogant and fat of the idea that they were untouchable and would reach a level of power they thought was deemed to be theirs.
They weren't willing to work for that power the crown would hold. They simply thought that power was theirs to begin with. That it belonged to them.
That is why they were only silver in Al Shir's mind. Because they were not willing to work to become gold, and simply thought it belonged to them.
In his mindset, if they were not willing to work for their goal, and simply believed that goal belonged to them, they had no right to reach that goal.
A sudden thought struck Lia as she thought this over. She quickly looked to Al Shir, who, as if reading her mind, simply smiled at her, before continuing forward.
By the time they reached the tower once again, their conversation had easily shifted from Rall and Clara, back to more laid back topics. And ones that wouldn't deem execution if someone of high power got wind of their conversation.
"Tell me Lia, how is the book that I gave you. It's only been a few days, but knowing you, you've already gotten through half of it."
Lia couldn't help but smile when he said this. What he said was in fact true, in some regards. Because of the sheer dump of information this book gave her, she had barely made it past the tenth chapter, which, she suspected, was the reason he gave this to her. To slow down her speed reading habit.
"To be honest, it's quite the information dump."
Al Shir only nodded his head, knowing full well that the book's information would be too large for someone of a novice level like her to be able to fully understand. In fact, it would probably take her a month just to read the full thing, then she'll want to read it over again, in case she missed anything.
In total, he estimated that it would take her - with her pride - a few months just to finish it. He secretly smiled at this.
'Now she'll learn to love a good book.'
As they came through the hallway that led to Al Shir's tower, they're eyes soon fell on two figures who stood on either side of the door. Both were dressed in clean silver armor that fit their figures well.
Instantly Al Shir was able to tell that both were summoners, both were female, and both were incredibly powerful. It brought only one question to his mind.
'Who are such powerful people protecting?'
As they grew near, one of the figures stopped conversing with the other, once they saw Al Shir and Lia approaching.
Instantly she blocked the both from continuing forward through the door, which annoyed Al Shir who asked why they were here.
"I'm sorry sir, but you can't continue."
"You didn't answer my question."
Al Shir's tone raised, as it could be vividly seen that he was upset by this sudden interruption. Much less by someone of the palace guard.
Ignoring Al Shir, the guard walked up to Lia, who was standing by the side, watching the whole exchange.
"You've been summoned to the prince's quarters. Will you come without any problems?"
"Excuse me?"
Lia was vividly confused. For one, her brother would never even think to contact her, let alone send two palace guards to escort her. And two, they were speaking to her as if she was some palace maid. Even the nobles that talked bad about her, still referred to her as a princess, whereas they spoke with her like she was little more than trash.
But what did she expect? Lia knew that this was how people looked at her nowadays. The strong trample the weak, where the weak can do nothing but squirm.
Before Lia could continue speaking, she found herself turned around by force, and pushed forward by the guard she just spoke to.
"Move."
The guard continued to push her from behind, much to Lia's verbal dismay. And she was not the only one, as Al Shir's patience met his end when he watched how Lia was being treated like an animal, being pushed forward and spoken down to like nothing more than dirt.
But before he could reach her to stop the guard, he suddenly found a dagger's tip against his back. He turned his head slowly to find the second guard standing there, holding back his left hand with her dagger in her right.
He cursed himself inside his head for letting an enemy get to his back voluntarily. But he didn't expect to consider these palace guards as an enemy in the first place.
"We have permission to use force if necessary sir. And we would prefer not to do so."
Permission? So they were told to do this by the prince, and were even given permission to use deadly force. Now he saw them as an enemy, and with one quick motion, he could have easily killed both of them.
However, with Lia, a normal human nearby, he quickly shelved such an idea. If she was caught in the blast radius, he knew he would be killing for no purpose.
And so, inevitably, with a worried heart, he watched as Lia was taken away, and out of sight.
***
Lia was taken to the prince's quarters in under ten minutes of walking. With her were two female guards who were her escorts for the journey. Though escorts could be a stretch. Prison escorts would be a better term, as now, Lia felt as though they were moving her like she was a prisoner.
When they neared the door, one of the two guards knocked carefully.
-Tok -Tok -Tok
After a few minutes, a sound could be heard from the other end of the large wooden door, as a person shuffled around inside. Before long, a voice sounded out, becoming us in.
"Enter."
Was all the voice said.
One of the guards calmly opened the door, while the other shoved Lia forward through the threshold. There, sitting down on a large red wool chair, her eyes soon met with Rall's.
Where he sat, it was clear he was playing King right now, as if she was a prisoner, waiting for her sentence. It was a feeling and look Lia detested the moment she laid eyes on his face.
"You're here."
Rall calmly spoke, though acting like his voice was towering above her's. It was not.
"Why am I here?"
Lia was quick to question his reasoning for dragging her here by force, and even threatening her master, who she was just barely able to see was pinned by a dagger. If Rall's goal was to piss off his teacher and lose his training, he had succeeded. Because there was no way Al Shir would train Rall anymore.
Rall's face soon contorted at the sound of her voice, almost like it disgusted him to his core.
"I hear that you're training with my master. Is this true?"
"He's not your master…"
Lia knew this would come sooner or later, but she had hoped that it wouldn't come at all, considering Rall's attitude and behavior, she knew he would go above and beyond in arrogance.
"What?"
Rall's voice was shewed in anger and humiliation. Lia could immediately tell that he would go overboard if she continued, so she quickly decided to stay quiet and let this play out.
Rall easily calmed down from his anger, using his years of education in etiquette to calm himself, knowing that showing emotion was the first step in losing a negotiation.
"Drop out."
Lia's ears perked up at the sound of his voice. It was subtle, but loud enough for her to hear him. And she did not like what she heard.
"What?"
Now her voice could be heard with anger.
"I want you, Lia, to drop out of your lessons with Master Shir. You have no need to be trained by a man like him, when you have nothing. Let his time go to someone else who actually needs it."
Silence descended onto the room for several minutes, before anyone spoke again. The silence was almost deafening though no one spoke.
"No."
A weak and muffled voice finally broke the silence, and led a chain reaction of a loud voice filled with rage.
"What did you say?"
The prince stood up from his chair, appalled that Lia had dared to go against him. He felt like hitting her - beating her even, no one would stop him. He could do whatever he wished to her, and no one would care.
He raised his hand to strike in an instinctive manner. Lia below him turning her head, bracing for the impact did nothing but fuel his rage.
'She doesn't even bother to beg for mercy.'
His anger was plastered on his face as he prepared to strike.
But suddenly, a thought stuck in his head. It was just a small thought, but one that poured oil to the flames of his rage.
'Master Shir would be furious if he found out I beat her.'
Slowly, Rall lowered his hand, but continued to glare at Lia. Such a glare would normally send people off to their deaths, as he had done so many times in the past. But with her, he was blocked from doing so, and he hated such a feeling.
"For a princess, you know little respect."
The prince's voice was low but filled with hate, like a grumble a child would make when grounded by their parents.
"I didn't think you still saw me as a princess?"
Lia on the other hand, had a voice filled with a chill, that even made the two guards on either side of her to question her sanity.
Rall said nothing, and instead moved back to take his place on his golden chair.
"If you think sitting on that poor excuse for a throne makes you king of this room, you're wrong."
Rall vividly flinched at the sound of her voice, but was soon replaced by a frown at the words that came out of her mouth.
Suddenly, Lia felt a heavy force come from behind her knees, as they buckled underneath her. The guards escorting her seemed to have less patience than Rall, who simply sighed at their thin resolve.
"Watch your tongue."
"I may not be king, but I am still a prince, and if you knew proper etiquette, you would treat me as such."
Rall's face contorted and cringed when he thought of a proper version of Lia. The only good use she had to be dressed in that fashion, would be a political marriage.
"Since you clearly don't know respect, and you won't obey my request, then it's obvious you're nothing more than dirt."
A crooked smile found its way onto Rall's handsome face.
"If you think Master Shir can protect you, then you're wrong. I won't harm you and deal with his rage. But don't think that I fear him, after all, he is still under contract for the next half year. I'm certain I can break through then. And if not, then I'll force him to resign another one…"
Rall leaned forward bringing Lia's face near his, speaking in a voice low enough for only them to hear.
"...this one without any loopholes for your rat-like self to squeeze through."
He stood, and walked slowly towards the door, as Lia breathed a sigh of relief. But it soon became an inhale of fear, as Rall turned to her from behind.
"Of course, we can't have the people of this castle seeing someone so uneducated like you roaming the castle. But don't worry Cleo and Teela will gladly give you a thorough lesson."
With this, he calmly walked out the door closing behind him. The first punch was thrown even before he closed the door.
"Maybe then you'll learn to respect me."
******************************************************
A/N: Sorry it took so long for me to write this one. I was so busy with school, and everything else I wasn't able to write much. Lots of trial and error in this chapter also played a role there. Thank you for your patience.
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