"I'm not much of a trainer" Selene breathed so fast like she had run a marathon. "Though swordsmanship is a loving sport, I never fancied it" she cooed.
She hit on his shoulder and he groaned "then why learn it?" Zayn sidestepped a hit on his waist. That was instinct not a technique.
"Someone taught me" she smiled so brightly than when he relented starting to train. Her eyes sparkled like she was reminiscing a moment but it dropped "my father was angry that I was learning from that person" her voice said.
"Then why didn't he teach you?"
She drily sniggered at that "he would never teach me but though after the ordeal he had to teach me for some time before ash took over. I wanted to learn it but stopped overtime and began my magic classes. He always hated me doing this"
She pushed him and he stepped back before rolling the sword in the air and she laughed at how mediocre he was at the skill.
"Don't try that again. You are bad at it" she pointed at him still doing it like he wasn't seeing her laugh at him. He started after her and she stepped back before running to him and pointing the sword straight at his throat, his sword falling to the ground.
"You are so weak zayn. You need to fight me like you mean it. Being all weak and shaky when holding a sword won't do you no good when the enemy walks into that gate killing everyone"
He pushed the sword from his way shoving his hand into his air in exasperation "For God's sake I'm not one of you and can't be"
She picked up the sword and her hair fell into her face which caught zayn's eyes but he detached immediately "you don't need to be one of us. Everyone needs to have each other's back." She looked back and saw everyone was leaving. The grounds were getting empty. She looked down at the sword, a memory fleeting past her memory.
"My dad didn't want me to partake in this war which you must have noticed. After a very big ordeal not just in my life but it really created enemies out of our kingdom and this realm with other continents. My father locked me up where—"
"What's happening here?" Ash's voice came in from Zayn's back but he didn't turn his eyes on Selene. She wanted to say something which he knew was going to change his thinking, and the way things worked here. Her face returned back to the ever cheerful and serious Selene.
She dropped off the sword traipsing towards ash and linking her arms with him. We were just talking more on what we discussed and again we trained. I helped him train though I know I'm not that good in it"
Ash's eyes went to zayn who hadn't still turned and his eyes twinkled "and how did it go?"his voice and words laced with derision.
"Not much well" zayn answered turning "I'm not a warrior and a war fighter like you" he waved his hands in the air "I know nothing of course forget I pushed you to the ground in front of your soldiers and Selene. No offense but that was umm…how can I put it hmm… an inclination to save myself from harm" his eyes met a furious face and he walked past him like he knew where he was going.
"And you think inclination to save yourself from harm would save you from creatures like the umbra boy" he guffawed mockingly. He didn't know what an umbra and even haven't heard it before but maybe could decipher it from sight.
Those books must have helped somehow. He didn't answer but walked more away.
**
Strolling around the castle not knowing where to go he stood at where could be the back of the castle. His eyes followed the soldiers who ran past him shouting things he didn't know.
He stepped back as some few people pushed him to pass, noises as people he didn't know were in the castle spring out.
"They are at the borders"
"Go"
"Go"
"Move" a voice barked at him, nearly knocking him into the wall behind him and disappearing into the crowd. Zayn turned, staggered, before finding himself leaning on the wall giving more space to the soldiers.
He wasn't trained for this. For war. Violence and everything he and I come to know in this place. Finding his feet after some minutes he disappeared from the ramblings and yellings. Turning to the east wing which thankfully a narrow set of stairs trailed up, dark as lonely.
"I wouldn't go there if I were you" the tiny animated voice in his head said and he groggily shook it off, nearly stumbling but caught himself by the railings.
What was happening to him?
He put his leg on the first step and then the second before raising his squinted eyes up stairs, his eyes following it up. It was a long spiral staircase. He exhaled ready to march up however someone appeared by the door.
"I don't think that place is for you zayn