Snippet #1492315

"Again," The shout was cold and fierce. Adelaide secured her helmet, two dark eyes glinting beneath it, full of a determination like steel. Moving into position, she bent her legs, raising her hands that gripped the hilt of a sword. It glinted in the morning sun asn she shifted slightly. Not once did her gaze falter from the shadowy figure in front of her. The britches and boots she wore were covered in the dust from the hardened ground, but she paid them little heed. It was not often that the Princess was seen to be wearing such an attire, only when she was practising in the field. Long ago had she given up trying to conceal her plan of fighting from her father. He knew about it and whether he choose to ignore it was up to him. But she continued nonetheless. She needed to for when the time came for her to face Lionel and his deadly blade.

Launching himself towards her, the figure swung his sword, which was blocked by Adelaide with an ease flick of the wrist. He delivered blow after blow, but with a lesser force that she had grown used to. The man was going easy on her. After her last sparring partner had been sent away by her father on a "special mission", as he had referred to it, they had been forced to find another. Adelaide refused to fight Kervall Winsler for the time being, for she knew he would be too soft on her. But it looked like he might be her only option should this fool refuse to fight her properly. Stepping she avoided yet another blow that would do nothing more than scratch the skin, let alone kill. Lionel's approach would be much more deadly than this.

With a gentle growl to herself, she took the offense into her own hands. Moving quickly, the young man barely had time to block the coming blow. The clang of metal reverberated through the air. Before it had faded, Adelaide whipped into another attack, though not hard enough to harm the man. When it came to fighting Lionel, all she had to do was injury him badly enough for him to bleed, the rest was out of her hands. Blow after blow, knocking the man further back towards the edge of the ring. Finally he seemed to get the idea and offered a fair fight of his own, but it wasn't enough. Adelaide kept going, stepping neatly out of the way, blocking and sparring, aiming blows where she could. Her technique was not quite flawless, but she had come on far with the sword that she held. Having always been a fast learner, she had picked things up fairly quickly and Kervall was a great teacher. He had shown her things she could have never picked up from merely watching and had educated her well on the fighting techniques. Now she just had to master it. After only ten weeks, Adelaide was more than capable of handling herself when it came to an attack.

Knocking her partner's sword from his hand when he dropped his defence, she pressed her blade to his neck as he raised his hands in a quick yield. Smiling, she stepped back, scooping up his sword and handing it back to him. Thanking him, she turned to those watching. With a smooth movement, she removed her helmet, her cascade of dark hair falling around her back and face. There was splattering of applause, though most did not know how to react to the Princess defeating a man in combat. Rolling her eyes, she tucked the helmet under her arm, sheathing her sword. Even covered in dust and dirt, a flush to her cheeks, there was something enchanting about the young girl.

"So, how did I do?" She asked the general crowd, though her words were intended for Kervall. She could not see him, but she did hope he had been there to see her defeat this man. A murmur of approval ran through the small crowd, but many averted their eyes. They would never understand her need to fight. Lionel wasn't going to stop at anything to get the crown back even if that meant destroying her and Raban. Adelaide would rather die protecting herself and her younger brother than simply sitting back and watching. Instead she intended to be as active as she could throughout this war.

However, war was not what Adelaide had wanted. But she had no say in the matter. King Henry, her father, had announced war and that made it final. So, she had to watch as everything went to chaos and turmoil. Certainly now no-one would listen to her, even with her raised standing in court. Even though she had now reached the tender age of 16, as of three weeks before, there was no more standing for her than there had been. It was as though she were unable to speak. To be seen and not heard as it was so kindly put by her mother once. Her mother who was now long dead and buried. The thought saddened her somewhat, but since Morgana was brutally killed Adelaide had been forced to be stronger than ever. Although she had realised soon after the death that it had not been Lionel who had plunged the sword through Morgana's stomach, she was still intent on making him pay. Her father wanted him alive. Adelaide wanted him dead. It was the only way to end this once and for all.

Taking a cloth that Mary handed her, unseeingly, she ran it over her forehead, before handing it back. She squeezed the girl's arm, a sign that she was smiling. Ever since Mary had given her word that she would stand alongside Adelaide and Kervall, the two had become inseparable. The serving girl had become more of a friend to Adelaide than ever. Although she still remained one of the staff, her position was somewhat elevated in Adelaide's eyes. But they were going to need more allies than just Mary if they were to win this war. It was certainly going to be bloodthirsty and violent if the Winslers and Lionel had anything to do with it...