The weather outside was showing signs that summer was approaching. The warm air and peaking sun traveled into the depths of the mountains. There were symbols of life with the clumps of grass and plants pushing through the cracks in between rocks.

Kari was desperately trying to meet new people but it was hard. She didn’t have a lot of freedom and everyone she did come across seemed busy. That was why she was excited to attend the dance, she would be able to see people in a social atmosphere.

That evening she slipped into the bath. The oil infused water slithered around her skin and left a sweet-smelling residue. She closed her eyes and sank completely under the water. Weightlessness consumed her senses. The tingling fresh sensation on her face was the most notable. She slowly returned to the surface and rubbed her hands through her hair. She contained her wandering strands by clumping them together behind her head. When she stepped out of the basin, she felt hints of cool and warm air circling her skin. It reminded her of summers when she would wade in her pond back home.

She dried her body delicately, carefully edging around the cuts and bruises she got from traveling. There were two really big marks on the inside of her thighs from riding on the horse so often. She cringed as she touched them. When she was relatively dry she sat down on the bed and her eyes fell onto the bag that Robert packed for her.

She thought about the last time she was in her bedroom. Robert was collecting her things and shoving them in that bag. She walked to it. She hadn’t gone through it completely. There were several hard objects at the bottom. She pulled out the clothes, then a book. She set it flat on the desk. It was a book from her father's library, which Kari was instructed to never enter. She wondered how it ended up in her bag, it definitely wasn’t in her room at the time that Robert packed her bags.

She had only been in her fathers library a few times, most of those times were when she was very young. It was often locked and he made it clear that no one could go inside without an invitation. She always tried to sneak glances whenever they opened the door. She remembered that there were tons of maps draped over the tables and the walls were covered with shelves. Shelves filled with hundreds of books. She looked at the book in her hands. It was really old and the leather binding was falling apart. Before she could open it, there was a knock on her door. She jumped up and covered herself with a blanket.

"Yes?"

She walked to the door and talked through it. It was jeplin.

“I can’t open the door, I'm sorry I was taking a bath and I haven't dressed yet."

"When you are ready, meet me at the entry hall."

She agreed and quickly went back to dressing. She looked through all the clothes that she was given and found a beautiful black dress. It was tight around the chest and flowed down her hips like a delicate waterfall. The skirt was large and extended two times wider than she was. She let her hair fall down her back and when she felt like she was ready, she left her room. She walked to the hall. She held small pieces of her dress in each hand to keep it from dragging. Jeplin immediately noticed her. He was talking to some people at a table across the room and as she approached, he stood, ignoring them, to meet her.

She did not recognize him at first. He was wearing silver armor and a green cape. He was dressed like a royal knight which was very outlandish for him, but subtle compared to what his position actually was. She blushed as they locked eyes. Jeplin was also feeling the same embarrassment. He admired Kari, her tan, flawless skin, and beautiful blue eyes. Everyone who walked by stared at them. She looked at him again and he held out his arms. They slowly walked to the ballroom following the many others. After a few minutes, they veered off the course and took a back staircase.

They were followed by several soldiers. The passage reappeared at the landing of the giant staircase towering over the gathering. There were about thirty soldiers waiting for them. The most elite of Jeplin's force. She looked at them wondering if she would recognize any. She grinned at the sight of a familiar face, Marcel. She waved to him, but he did not see her. He was stone-faced along with the others. They were all wearing formal garb and they all had a similar crest. A white raven.

Jeplin led her to the center of the platform and they stood in the middle as the soldiers lined up on either side of them. She heard music from the room below. Beautiful string instruments being plucked delicately and in the most desirable manner. The guests below all turned to the staircase. The dance floor was flooded with whispers as they descended the stairs. The people began to cheer for them, Kari felt uncomfortable though she assumed that they were all doing so for Jeplin and the other men, and she was just caught in between. They parted the crowd and made their way to a table on the other side.

A guard gestured for them to sit. Jeplin sat in the middle with Kari next to him. Jeplin was very uncomfortable with the rituals but as Kari was told, it was necessary for hope and spirit.

The crowd returned to partying and Jeplin excused himself from the table to talk to the other men who were beginning to mix with the crowd.

Kari sat at the table with all the decorated fighters feeling not worthy of her seat. A man who was sitting two seats away approached her.

"May I join you?"

She nodded.

"It is an honor to meet you, my name is Grett."

He continued.

She was very confused but too polite to inquire any further.

She decided to just let him talk assuming she would figure out his intentions later.

"You know, the last big war, people think that it ended, but honestly it's been going on for ages. I think at least two generations, though, I could be mistaken. The way things have been going with all of the killing and trickery and the turning of Ocarithi and Necropolis. It is a comfort for us to see you alive. It is like the old dynasty is still around."

The last thing she associated herself with was anything old or traditional. Before she could respond, he was called over to join another soldier. She was confused by his words, but then she rationalized that he must have thought she was someone else. She held off the thoughts until Jeplin returned to her side. He noticed that she looked uncomfortable.

"What's wrong?"

He asked.

She pointed at Grett and told him what he said.

"What does that mean? Does he think I'm someone else?"

Jeplin hid his anger,

"He is a great fighter but believes a lot of old lore."

He placed his hand on her shoulder and told her not to worry about it then walked away, leaving her in no better condition. She looked around the room and then locked eyes with Marcel. He smiled and approached her.

Marcel knelt down at her side, his height allowed him to kneel and still be the same height as she was sitting. "Would you like to dance?" He asked, sticking out his hand. Still smiling she placed her hand in his and they stood. He led her gracefully to the dance floor. He was very fluid on his feet and she felt swept away. Their enjoyment allowed her to forget all of her worries. She looked up at him, his bright green eyes reflected the light brilliantly. His posture was very erect and easily spun her around the room. Her hand held onto his and he could feel her soft skin in his palm. As they slowly turned around the floor, she caught the eye of Jeplin who looked concerned. She Ignored his odd reaction. Marcel pulled her closer. She placed her hand on his arm. She could feel how strong he was when he moved. His hand was on her back, it made her feel comfortable. Jeplin approached them looking annoyed.

"May I take over."

He said almost glaring at Marcel. Marcel smirked and let go of Kari. Kari responded,

"I thought you didn't dance?"

He defended his decision,

"Well I thought it would be rude if I didn't, I mean since I'm in charge of you."

"Oh,"

She said looking down,

"You are only dancing with me because you don't want to be rude?"

Noticing she was disappointed, he responded

"That is the whole theme for me on these nights ..."

He replied.

She was a bit offended by his reasoning, but as soon as his hands embraced her and they began to dance her anger completely melted away. She looked up at him and his eyes were looking back. They were a haunting brown. She blushed. He was strong and only a few inches taller than her so when he pulled her in they aligned perfectly. As the music slowed a bit, he held her hands.

“Are you …”

He began but before he could get any other words out there was a high-pitched shriek.

People were running and yelling. Kari was able to gather that someone was stabbed. Jeplin grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room as he simultaneously drew his sword. They ran quickly through a back passageway to a room covered in maps and books, similar to that of her father's. He secured the room and locked her in before leaving.

Most of the rooms had an abundance of food in them, very convenient for her situation. Time passed slowly as she ate a large portion of the dried meat stored in a basket casually on the table. After a bit of sitting silently, she decided to look at the books. She pulled out books that looked interesting and flipped through them. Kari was led back to her room much later that night by one of the soldiers. She heard nothing new of the attack.

In the following days, Jeplin was barely around. He was occupied with something that was connected to the attack. Everyone was busy. Which meant he had to speed up his plans. Kari understood, but his absence left her feeling very lonely.

A few days later she found herself sitting in her room alone again. She was wearing a blouse, tan straight pants, and boots. After she finished her lunch she decided to wander around. She strapped a knife to her waist and tried to remember the way to the ballroom. She was curious to see if there were any clues as to what happened the night of the dance. She found a collection of bloodstains that permeated into the stone floor. As she knelt down to look at it a few men passed through the hall. They remained silent. Jeplin was immediately informed where she was and moments later he appeared.

At that point, she was reading the scroll posted on the wall by the stain. He looked at the blood then at her.

"How did you find me?"

She said amused.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?"

"I would rather not,"

Jeplin said honestly.

'"Though, I can let you know what our next plan of action is for you."

"Oh?"

She said.

"You will begin training tomorrow."

"Training?"

"Yes, the training your father meant to give you before the attack."

She nodded remembering it being mentioned before.

"Will you be training me?"

She asked.

"Under the circumstances, I can't be there every day, if we had started earlier I would’ve been able to dedicate all of my time to training you but I can't now. I will give you as much time as I can."

She smiled

"I appreciate that."

He, relieved at her understanding, began to relax.

"One of my men will meet you at your room tomorrow. I will try to join.” She hugged him. He stepped back defensively until he realized what she was doing, then he reciprocated.

After breakfast, she heard something knock on her door five times. She knew it was not a person's hand hitting the wood because it made an odd echoing metal sound. She opened the door and Marcel was standing there. They both smiled at each other. He handed her an old sword.

“You are my teacher?"

She asked excitedly.

"Yes, let's go."

He said

gesturing down the hall with his hand. Marcel led Kari down the hallway, a hallway that she knew well enough to navigate herself. They passed the door that led to the indoor garden.

"I love it in there."

She said pointing to it.

"You have already been in there? You must have had a great introduction to the castle."

She laughed

"Actually I was really bored one day and began to wander around."

Marcel opened one of the doors beside it.

"What does that say?"

She pointed to the sign that was in another language.

"Fighting,"

he said simply.

Past the door, there was a stone staircase that led to a cavern even deeper below them.

"Do you know how to fight at all?"

He asked.

"Yes, sword combat."

She said.

"Well, it's a good thing I am here."

He said,

"I am the best."

She smiled not sure if he was amusing her or just very cocky. She liked both scenarios.

"What are we going to do first?"

"At the bottom of these stairs, there are rooms dedicated to training fighters."

"A boy I met a while back mentioned that he is trained in a group, will others be joining us?"

"No. You will train alone with me or Jeplin for a while, then after you get better, or if I am called away, you might join a group.”

They reached an empty training room. She could hear the clanging of swords echoing from the others. The room was stone and covered in torches. All that could be expected, it was essentially a cave. On one side of the room, there were barrels filled with old weapons, on the other, there were hay-filled targets. Marcel tested her on basic strikes involved in using a sword. The sword he made her use wasn’t her own. It was a random crudely made one. She was not used to its off-center balance and when she attacked and Marcel parried and she fell forward.

The sword clanged against the stone floor and echoed in the cavern followed by a scream. The floor was cold and unforgiving, she stood up and her chin and palms were bleeding. Marcel steadied her with his hand on her shoulder and put the sword back in her hands.

Kari spent the summer learning how to fight properly, and due to Jeplin and Marcel’s training, she learned advanced skills very quickly. That afternoon after lunch they all stood in a training cavern. Marcel was leaning over with a shield perched on his arm.

"Attack me!"

He said dramatically.

Kari ran towards him. Jeplin watched the events coyly from the side of the room. He was leaning casually against the stone wall smoking a pipe. She jabbed her sword into the shield, burying the tip. She tried to pull it out, but it would not move.

"Now you know what not to do,"

Marcel said laughing as he whipped the shield around quickly pulling her with him. She realized too late that she should have let go of the sword and she fell to the ground.

"Let me show you what to do if that happens again."

He said while helping her up.

Normally they closed themselves off in the room, but Jeplin had left the door open when he joined them only minutes before. Several other students walked by and a few stopped at the doorway. One whispered.

"That is so unfair, that girl gets to train with Jeplin and Marcel. They are some of the best fighters of all time."

"Don't be so mean."

Said another.

Jeplin and Marcel, to demonstrate several moves to Kari, went at each other. As they quickly swung and dodged each other a third student chimed in.

"You're right this is totally unfair, our teacher is a drunk."

They heard that comment, Kari, Marcel, and Jeplin all looked over. The kids froze in awe for one moment then ran. Marcel and Jeplin laughed. Kari did not join. She thought about what the one student said.

"Are they right?"

She asked,

"What do you mean?"

Jeplin responded.

"Those students said it is not fair that I get special treatment. Why don't you teach them?"

Jeplin continued.

"Kari there is no reason that fair or unfair should ever be an issue. Fairness is usually based on an opinion, it was not fair that you were taken from your home and they are here voluntarily. There are too many factors in every situation to deem a proper judgment of what is fair."

"Also,"

Marcel said,

"We are in the middle of a war, nothing is fair."

She smiled.

The next day Kari found herself wandering around the entry hall free from training for the day. After lunch, she made her way to a sitting area by one of the fire pits. It reminded her of when she first arrived there months before. The bench was a softer wood, and very dark. She ran her fingers across it. A girl was watching her from the other end of the room. Kari was not paying attention, she was immersed in her own thoughts.

The girl made her way over to her. The movement made Kari look up.

"May I join you?"

She asked.

"Sure"

The girl exhaled, relieved that her bravery had paid off. She was very friendly, her hair was blonde and long and her eyes were dark brown.

"I'm Carth. What's your name?"

"Kari."

Carth continued,

"How long have you been here, I haven't seen you before."

"A few months, since the beginning of spring."

"Spring."

She said.

"I miss spring, well I miss any season, really."

Kari looked at her.

"It sounds like you have been here too long."

She laughed,

“Yes. Honestly, I don't know how long now, probably close to three years."

Kari was shocked.

"I just assumed everyone here had arrived around the same time as I did!"

"No,"

Carth answered.

"This place was an anacadamy, built hundreds of years ago. It was even abandoned for a while. More recently, within the decade, people have come to hide here. Kari nodded. She then remembered the garden room.

"I haven't been able to see many rooms but the garden room is magnificent."

"Garden room?"

Carth said furrowing her brow.

"The indoor garden?"

Kari said.

“I haven't even heard of it."

Kari felt that was odd considering she found it within the first week she was there. Kari pointed down the hall.

"It's down there. It's a room that leads outside and has tons of plants. It is really breathtaking. It's a great relief to see after spending time with all of this dark stone.”

She gestured to the walls and floor. Carth stood up with her hands clasped together.

"Oh, please take me!"

She pleaded.

“I really want to see the garden.”

Kari smiled

"Follow me."

She jumped up, and they both raced to the hallway.

The sun began to set as they lied on the ground looking up at the sky enjoying every last minute of the light. The fresh air engulfed them creating a natural ecstasy. Kari inhaled and closed her eyes. She tried not to think about what happened to her home, she tried to assure herself that everyone was safe. Jeplin would not broach the topic and she did not want to know the answer for fear it was painful. She opened her eyes. Tiny remnants of tears seeped out of the corners. Carth did not notice. She wiped her face and sat up.

"I'm getting tired,"

Kari confessed.

"Really?

Carth said.

"I could stay awake out here forever."

"Normally that would be the case for me too but I have been training and I'm incredibly sore."

"You train! That's great! I do too. How have I not seen you?"

Kari was reluctant to say why because of the other student's reactions, though she told her anyway.

"I train privately."

She said almost wincing

"I would totally hate that, I like that I can blend into the crowd and not be noticed during a class."

She laughed.

Kari and Carth spent a lot of time together. They ran through the halls and explored the garden a lot.

Winter approached and Kari was allowed to join the group training when Marcel and Jeplin were busy. Carth was happy to introduce her to everyone in the class. Their instructor was a young man, Julius. He seemed foolish but was decent at teaching the art of fighting. She enjoyed the change at first, she made several friends

As several weeks passed the games and foolishness that kept the fighting lighthearted began to wedge in between the students and learning. The time seemed to be wasted, and it became almost unbearable to watch. Julian reached the pinnacle of his drunken hysteria when a boy broke his sword-fighting another and he spurred on the concept of revenge. He fueled the child's fire that had not existed before. Kari was disgusted by him. After a while he just stopped showing up to teach together. They were young so being left alone was not helpful. Kari and Carth kept training with a few others, but distraction was easy, even Kari wanted to skip some days. The only reason she stayed was because she knew it was important, and that meant she was left alone some days. Kari would’ve told Jeplin about the events but he had been gone from the castle for a week or two. When he returned she was very relieved. She had acquired many friends that she loved to be around but Jeplin’s presence was always more comforting. She revealed the state of the training sessions at dinner and he became irate. After they ate he sped off to handle the situation.

She didn’t hear from him the rest of the night and in the morning she was greeted by a woman as she left the dining hall.

“Kari?”

She turned to her.

"Jeplin sent me to teach you today, my name is Javelit."

Kari smiled,

but on the inside, she felt a pang of jealousy. She was very tall, not elegant like Kari was, but she was appealing, nonetheless. She was wearing tan pants, knee-high boots, and a black loose shirt. The sheath for her sword was casually draped around her hips.

"You don't know many people here do you?"

Kari was jerked back into the present.

“I wouldn’t really say that.”

She said.

“No family though right?”

Kari felt weird about the tone of her voice. It was like she was intentionally trying to make her feel bad.

“No, I don’t have any family here.”

She said, trying to act unbothered.

"That must be hard."

"Do you have any family here?"

Kari asked.

"Two sisters and one younger brother. My older brother is off fighting somewhere with my parents. "

"Wow, do you ever get to fight with them?”

Kari asked.

She loved the idea of being able to fight and travel with family members.

"I used to when I was younger but now I hold my own too well so I'm used elsewhere."

Kari stopped asking her questions. They spent the day going over fighting tactics

As they finished for the day Javelit told her that she would not be with her tomorrow. Jeplin switched her instructors every couple of days, this allowed the rotation of the methods she learned and weeded out if anyone was slacking on the job. During this particular period, Kari barely saw Jeplin. Jeplin was still within the castle but Marcel left completely. She learned about a training excursion that the newly led group fighting class planned. The teacher would take the students into the mountains and they have to survive and deal with any creature that comes their way. Jeplin agreed to let her go if he thought she was ready by the time they left. As the winter grew colder the training excursion crept closer. She was not sure whether she would be ready to join them or not. One rare moment, after lunch during one of her days off, she spotted Jeplin in the dining room. She was just about to leave when he sat down across from her and smiled.

"Hello."

She said a bit surprised.

He returned the greeting.

"The training excursion will be leaving in a few days and I think you are ready to join them."

Kari smiled.

"I tried to be available to join you but I can not. The new group teacher Calliope will be taking everyone. I have worked with her for many years, she is very talented. Kari immediately ran to tell Carth the good news. She enthusiastically knocked on Carth’s chamber door. Carth pulled the door open as though she was ready to fight anyone who was standing there. She smiled when she realized it was Kari.

"Come in."

She said, stepping back into the room with the door. Kari looked around. She was very curious as to what other bedrooms looked like. The only other bedroom she had seen was Jeplin's. Carth's room was a lot smaller than hers, she felt bad. It had a small bed made of hay and a small fire pit. There was not a basin for bathing. Kari wondered where she bathed. She did not ask because it would have alluded to the fact that she had a basin. Despite the smaller room, Carth had things Kari did not, actual positions, hundred of items scattered about. Kari realized then that Carth was indeed luckier.

"Wow look at all of these books."

She said.

"I was only able to bring one."

"I'm sure you will be able to go back someday and recover the rest,"

Carth said hopefully.

"No,"

Kari said sadly,

"They burned down my home."

Everyone seemed to know who ‘they’ were, so she no longer felt the need to explain.

"I am so sorry,"

she said sitting on the bed across from her.

"I always assumed people came here before they were attacked, as a safety measure."

"Not at all, as we were being attacked, Jeplin led me out of my house and we have been traveling ever since."

"Wow if the others in the group knew that they would probably be nicer to you about not training with us anymore."

"It's fine."

Kari said,

“I barely know them and they barely know me, I don't mind being judged, If they got to know me they wouldn't feel the same way."

Carth smiled,

"I could give them a little push.."

Kari laughed.

"It sounds like you were not really able to gather your positions. Were you able to grab anything else but that one book?"

"No, in fact, I didn't even grab the book, my brother threw clothes and random stuff into a bag before sending me off.“

" I always felt slighted that I had to leave my home, but at least I still got to bring all of my possessions."

She sat for a moment and then it hit her.

"Wait, Jeplin came to rescue you, what about the people that lived with you?"

Kari looked at her sadly.

"I'm sorry she said, I didn't mean to be so personal."

"No, it's OK,"

She responded.

"Honestly, I don't know what happened to everyone else there. I have heard rumors around that allude to the fact that some people from there are alive, but honestly, I don't want to know the answer, because it could be heartbreaking."

“Who did you live with?"

"I lived in a manor, with many people but my father and brother were the only immediate family I lived with. Occasionally distant relatives passed through.”

"That's incredible,"

Carth said, in awe.

"It's lucky that Jeplin was there."

"It was not luck, my father was expecting him, they knew there was looming danger and he wanted him to take me. The attack was just sooner than they expected."

Kari was more confident about the trade-off of information and felt that she could ask her about the lack of basin.

"Oh." Carth laughed. None of us have basins, we all share the bathhouse at the end of the hall."

"There is a bathhouse?"

Kari said excitedly.

The last one she visited was the one at her estate.

"Do you want me to show you?"

She asked, smiling knowing that she would say yes.

They left her room and raced down the hall like children. They stopped at a large wooden door, it took both of them to push it open. There was a long stone corridor with torches on the other side. Their feet made an appealing clacking sound on the solid stone floor. They reached another door, this time it was much easier to open. Rays of light flooded the hall. The room was enormous and had a huge pool of water. There were a few men and women soaking in it. A couple of dozen people could have easily fit inside. There were marble benches on the sides and piles and piles of oils and dry leaves for the skin. Carth and Kari looked at each other.

"Want to give it a try?"

Kari nodded. She was excited until she realized that most of the people there were naked.

"Don't worry,”

Carth said, assuming she read Kari's expression correctly. “

You don't have to take off all of your clothes, leave your undergarments on."

Kari laughed as they both undressed.

The waves splashed around in all different directions as they plunged into the water. They both screamed as the water engulfed their bodies. The water was decently warm but it was not warm enough to emulate the baths that she took by the fire in her room. She was grateful to have her own private bath. She loved her personal bath more but she did enjoy the public one. It was not until they were drying off that Kari remembered why she went to see Carth in the first place.

"I forgot,"

she said.

“The reason I came to your room was to tell you I am able to go on the excursion with you guys!."

"That's wonderful!"

Carth said excitedly.