Sharia The Warmonger hadn't woken up before Isalene. Isalene hadn't expected to see Sharia asleep when she woke up. At first, she assumed Sharia was awake since she was still standing where she was before. She also had her helmet on so Isalene couldn't tell if her eyes were closed. Of course, when Isalene slowly crawled closer to Sharia still on her bed, she could hear the subtle sound of her breathing. It was calmed and at a constant pattern. After a bit of listening, Isalene heard Sharia let out a small snore. That was when Isalene knew for sure that Sharia was asleep.

Now, of course, there were multiple reasons why Isalene woke up first. One was because Sharia stayed up most of the night to keep watch and only fell asleep an hour ago. Isalene was also stressed out and woke up because of her stress. The last reason is that Isalene normally gets up early. Of course, Sharia is a light sleeper. If anyone were to break into the room, she would wake up instantly. Years of warfare have taught her to wake up at even the slightest noise, no matter how sleep-deprived she gets.

Luckily, for Isalene, the smell seemed to be gone. With a sigh of relief, she went to wake up Sharia. Of course, Sharia hear the sigh and woke up, surprising Isalene when she moved to stretch her arms.

"Good morning, Isalene. Slept well?" Sharia asked. Isalene thought she was covering up the fact that she had been sleeping on the job but decided to let it go.

"I slept well," Isalene responded, though she did not sound like she did. Sharia could see small bags under her eyes. Sharia decided not to comment on the matter.

Sharia made her way to the door and left so Isalene could get changed. Once Sharia was outside, Isalene let out another sigh of relief. She realized that, just like Sharia, she has been sighing a lot, though she had a feeling it was for different reasons. Isalene got dressed in a nice green and yellow dress and put on a nice light blue ribbon in her hair. She felt a little giddy when putting the ribbon on. She had a feeling Sharia liked the ribbon. Once she was done freshening up, Isalene walked out of her bedroom where Sharia was waiting. Isalene noticed a slight stench coming from Sharia and realized that Sharia has yet to have a bath or get herself ready since she has been guarding Isalene all day and most of the night.

"H-hey, Sharia. Why don't you get ready?" Isalene suggested.

"Are you sure, Princess?" Sharia asked, though she really didn't care for the answer. Isalene nodded her head so Sharia started walking towards the room the King has given her. She has yet to get all her stuff into it but Sharia liked that the room was to her liking. Sharia assumes Grillant told the King what Sharia likes and dislikes. How else would the King know how Sharia likes her room?

When they arrived at Sharia's room, Sharia opened the door and went in. Even though she closed the door shortly afterwards, Isalene saw that her room was...red. The walls weren't pained red but more of the dim sunlight coming through the window was red, giving the room a red glow. It was also a little bit messy but a organized messy. There was a lot of stuff but it seemed to be in neat piles.

Isalene was confused at first as to why Sharia closed her door until it came to her that Sharia was going to remove her helmet to get ready. Isalene felt a bit hurt at the fact that Sharia did not mention that and just closed the door and that Sharia still did not show her what she looks like under the helmet.

'Maybe she has a horrible scar underneath her helmet?'

If that was the case, Isalene found herself thinking she wouldn't mind. Normally, she'll get all queasy even thinking of horrible wounds or scars. Yet, she really wouldn't mind if Sharia's face had a scar on it. Still, in case that is the reason why Sharia hides her face, Isalene decided to visit the arena again so she can try and get used to gore. If she got used to seeing the blood and death of the arena, she'll hopefully won't flinch when she sees Sharia's scarred face.

Isalene waited for Sharia to come out, and yawned when she heard the sound of a bath. It looks like Isalene will have to wait a little longer.

By the time Sharia came out, Isalene was asleep, curled up on the floor. Sharia put a hand to her face and sighed before freezing. She had forgotten to wear her helmet. Sharia let out a nervous chuckle and made to go back into her room when she stopped. With another sigh, Sharia turned back around and picked up Isalene, and carried her into her room. She set her down gently on her bed and turned around to put on her helmet.

"Mmmm."

Sharia froze slightly when she heard Isalene moan behind her.

"Sharia, is that you?" Isalene asked in a sleepy voice. Sharia put on her helmet and turned around.

"It is. Sorry for taking so long."

Sharia took twenty-four minutes to get ready, which isn't that long compared to most nobles, though Sharia isn't a noble. Isalene was just ver tired. Before the two could say anything to each other, Isalene flopped back down on the bed, asleep. Sharia watched her sleep for a bit before moving over to her and lifted her up in a princess carry. Isalene let out a tiny groan and snuggled deeper into Sharia's chest, even though it was covered by armor. As Sharia made her way out the door, Isalene shifted.

"Arena, Sharee."

Sharia looked down at the Princess. She was still asleep, her face one of comfort. Sharia didn't quite know how to feel about the nickname Isalene had just called her nor did she know if the Princess wanted to go to the arena. In the end, Sharia decided to go to the arena and ignore the nickname. She was not some pet.

If Isalene wanted to know why she was at the arena, Sharia will tell her that she told her to go to the arena. She'll obviously leave out the nickname. The last thing she needs is for the nickname to stick, even if only a sleepy Isalene will say it.

________

Princess Isalene woke up in an unfamiliar place and saw the back of someone unfamiliar yet familiar. Short black hair that barely reached past her shoulders. Then, she called out a name.

"Sharia?"

....

Princess Isalene woke up with the feeling of the sun on her. She got up and rubbed her eyes and realized she was outside on a familiar bench. Twelve royal guards, the ones she normally picks to go to the arena with her, were standing next to her. To her right, standing next to the edge, was Sharia, looking at the arena below.

Isalene remembers this spot now. This is where she used to go back when she was watching Sharia before she became her personal guard. Judging by the familiar sounds of clashing blades and cries of pain, there was a fight going on in the arena.

Isalene got up and made her way over to Sharia, who backed away from the edge and turned around to greet her. Isalene felt like she saw the back of Sharia's head but, since Sharia has never taken off her helmet in front of Isalene, Isalene assumed she never saw it.

"You're awake," Sharia greeted Isalene, nodding once before turning back around to look at the fight going on below. Isalene made her way over to the edge so she can watch the fight better. The fight seemed to be nearing its end. From what Isalene learned, the type of fight that was happening was a brawl. Two teams of fifty went against each other with four knights on each side. This fight seemed to have been all but won. There were three knights left, two of them on the same side were teaming up against the last remaining knight. The last remaining knight was one of the knights that uses shields. Even though the shield gave him the edge in defense, he was injured badly and the two knights with greatswords were healthy. They were keeping the knight pinned.

"Isalene, who do you think is going to win?" Sharia asked suddenly. Isalene was about to say the two greatsword knights when she paused. Maybe this is a trick question? Still, no matter how much she looked at it, the knight with the shield was losing.

"...The two greatsword knights," Isalene answered, sounding a little uncertain. Sharia nodded.

"That would be a great choice. The knight with the shield is more experienced and would normally kill them pretty quickly if he was in his best fighting shape or if they fought him one on one. However,"

The knight with the shield bashed one knight and flipped him over, stabbing him in the process with his sword, cutting through his neck. The other knight went in and plunged his greatsword right into his enemy's gut and ripped right through his right hip when he tore his sword out.

"the most likely answer is that no one wins. They'll kill each other."

The knight with the shield snarled and lunged at the greatsword knight, who dodged to the side and brought his blade down at his enemy's neck. The shield knight had planned for this and blocked it with his sword and threw his shield at the feet of his enemy, causing them to trip. The shield knight wasted no time and reared up and brought his sword down right in the neck of his enemy. He was still for a few seconds, panting and his breath ragged, before he flopped over, dead.

"Hmmm. A waste of a good knight," Sharia muttered before turning to walk away. Before she could take two steps, Isalene grabbed her arm.

"I can save him," She told Sharia, who was confused for a couple of seconds before she nodded in understanding.

"I forgot you nobles can do that. If you can save him and that ninja over there, it will be greatly appreciated."

Isalene looked to where Sharia was pointing and saw a black-dressed ninja slumped up against the wall. Isalene has seen a few ninjas before since she was a princess but she never saw one in the arena. Ninjas originated from Senshi but could now be found everywhere. They could best be described as warrior assassins.

"While he doesn't seem to be much of a fighter, he is skilled in other matters."

Sharia didn't know if what she said was true, besides the whole fighting thing, she has a strong feeling she is right, and her feelings are usually never wrong.

"Alright! This brawl ended in a draw! If any noble wants to save two of these poor souls, please raise your hands now!" The announcer shouted, a big smile on his face. Isalene has never seen him truly frown before.

Before Isalene could raise her hand, someone else did. Isalene turned to look at was surprised to see that it was Marcus, standing there with his maid, Dorean.

"I want Thomas Dusk," Marcus told the announcer, pointing at the shield knight. Sharia clicked her tongue.

"He's going to make him a bodyguard in Theshvale. What a waste," Sharia muttered to herself, though once again, Isalene heard her.

Surprising Sharia, Isalene raised her hand and stepped further out, becoming visible to all. She met Marcus's surprised gaze and gave him a friendly smile.

"I would like Thomas Dusk and the ninja," Isalene told the stunned announcer.

The spot Isalene used in the past and is using now is partly hidden in the arena. The royal guards often visit there so when the announcer saw the royal guards there he didn't think anything of it. But to think Princess Isalene is there. Doesn't she hate violence?

The announcer also saw someone he didn't think he would see again this soon. Cruel Knight. He was standing next to Isalene, added flags on her cape. He shuddered just looking at him. To think that he would be chosen as Princess Isalene's personal guard. The pair definitely do not suit each other. One was a kind and gentle-looking girl and the other was a knight who loves to be cruel. The green and yellow of the Princess's dress do not match well with the black, gold, and red of Cruel Knight's armor.

"P-princess Isalene! I-I didn't know you were here. I'll get those two fixed right away."

The announcer waved to a mage in a white cloak. The mage raised her golden staff in the air and both the knight and the ninja lifted up in the air, their wounds closing up. Mages like her are called Mage Medics, since they heal wounds and can even bring back the dead. However, it takes a lot out of them to do so. That is why these mages are used so rarely. They focus all their magic on healing and, as such, they can easily be killed in battle.

The healed warriors were set gently back on the ground where a team of medics took them away so they could recover. Isalene turned to Sharia and waited for approval. Sharia looked at Isalene and patted her on the head.

"Are you not going to ask why I want those two?" Sharia asked Isalene,

"I do not really want to know. I don't like violence but, I trust you enough. Besides, even with those two, you can't betray the Kingdom," Isalene pointed out, though she didn't mean it in a rude way. Sharia knew that of course.

"Well, you shouldn't trust me. You really shouldn't."

Sharia stopped petting Isalene's head and rested her weapon on her shoulders. Isalene watched her for a bit before walking to the edge and look up at the sky.

"I know, but I just can't help it," Isalene whispered to herself.