The Knight of Avalon
Chapter 9

After Prince Thomas had left, I took a moment to gather my thoughts before heading back to my cottage. The night was cool and clear, with the stars shining brightly in the sky overhead. I walked slowly, savoring the quietness of the evening and the gentle rustle of the leaves as a light breeze blew through the trees. Once I reached my cottage, I lit a fire in the hearth and drew myself a hot bath, letting the warmth of the water soothe my tired muscles.

After I had finished bathing, I changed into a comfortable nightgown, headed to bed, and grabbed the book from the nightstand. The soft glow of the lamp cast a warm and cozy ambiance over the room, and I felt a sense of happiness settle over me. As I read, I lost myself in the story, letting the words transport me to another world entirely. It wasn’t until the book slipped from my hands and I felt my eyes grow heavy that I realized how late it had gotten. With a sigh, I set the book aside, snuggled into my blankets, and let sleep claim me, feeling grateful for the peace and solitude of my little cottage.

The next morning, I woke up feeling well-rested and ready for the day ahead. I stretched my arms and legs and took a deep breath, relishing the peaceful atmosphere of my little cottage. After getting out of bed, I made my way to the kitchen, my feet padding softly on the wooden floorboards, and began to prepare breakfast.

I decided to keep things simple and made myself a cup of tea along with some fried eggs and toast. The smell of the eggs sizzling in the pan was heavenly, and I couldn’t wait to dig in. As I sat down at the table to eat breakfast, my mind went back to last evening with Prince Thomas saying that Prince might have a crush on his sister. “I did make a joke about it, and he did blush when I mentioned her name,” I thought to myself. Or maybe he’s just nervous about them visiting. After finishing my breakfast and cleaning up, I headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth and take a quick shower.

After I finished with my bath, I dried myself off and headed to my room. As I opened the door, I caught sight of my knight’s armor shining in the morning light. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride and purpose as I approached it. I carefully put on my armor, strapping each piece into place. The weight of the metal settled on my shoulders, and I felt the familiar sense of protection that it brought. It was a reminder of my duty as a knight to protect and serve the kingdom. As I finished putting on my armor, I grabbed my sword, sheathed it, and headed out of the door. I didn’t go towards the stables or the palace; instead, I headed straight for the training grounds, which were behind the palace right next to a forest.

As I walked towards the training grounds, I couldn’t help but notice the lush forest that lay just beyond them. The trees were tall and majestic, their leaves rustling in the gentle breeze. It was a peaceful and serene sight, one that provided a welcome contrast to the harsh realities of my duties as a knight. I arrived at the training grounds and found a few of my fellow knights already there, sparring and practicing their sword fighting. I greeted them with a nod and made my way to an open space, unsheathing my sword and getting into a defensive stance.

I began to practice my strikes and parries, moving with fluidity and grace. The sound of metal clashing against metal filled the air, echoing through the trees and into the forest beyond. “That’s a good stance, but your footwork needs improvement.” I turned around to see Prince Thomas all suited up in his own armor. “Why are you following me?” I asked him with a hint of annoyance in my voice. He grinned mischievously. “I thought I’d join you for some training,” he said, brandishing his own sword.

“You want to train?” Isn’t there anything else you would like to do, such as spending time with Princess Amity and Prince Frost?” I asked with a curious expression, “Actually, Prince Frost is giving my sister another tour of the place. It’s been a while since we’ve been here, but I find the tour pretty boring,” he replied.

I’m very surprised to see a prince taking an interest in combat training. “I didn’t know you had an interest in sword fighting,” I remarked. “Besides, it’s good to be prepared for anything,” he replied. I nodded in agreement. He walked over to me, and we both took a moment to adjust our armor before facing each other. “Let’s spar,” he said with a grin.

I hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was appropriate to spar with a prince. “Are you sure about this? I don’t want to harm you or leave a scratch,” I said. I may be a prince, but I’m not delicate. I can handle myself,” he said. And besides, it’s good practice for both of us. We’ll keep it friendly; there’s no need to go all out.” “Okay, don’t come crying to me when you get your butt whooped,” I replied with a smirk. “I’ll take that as a challenge,” he replied.

We both took our positions, swords drawn and ready. As we circled each other, I notice that he was quite skilled with a sword. He moved with a fluid grace that was impressive. The clanging of our swords echoed through the training grounds as we clashed and parried. It was a tough fight, but eventually, I landed a blow that would have been fatal if he hadn’t been wearing armor. We both took a step back, panting heavily. Prince Thomas grinned at me again, “That was a close one.” I smiled back, “Indeed it was.” We both lowered our swords and took off our helmets. As we caught our breath, we chatted about our training routines and shared tips on how to improve our techniques. It was nice to bond with the prince over our mutual love for combat and to see a different side of him outside of his royal duties.

As Prince Thomas and I wrapped up our sparring session, I realized that we had lost track of time and that lunchtime had already arrived. We made our way to the palace dining room, and as we walked in, we saw Prince Frost and Princess Amity laughing heartily. Curious about what had tickled their funny bones, Prince Thomas asked if they would share the joke with us. Prince Frost looked up and grinned. “Just reminiscing about the time when Thomas here got a little too overconfident during training and ended up flat on his back.” Prince Thomas groaned and rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on, Frost. That was ages ago.” Princess Amity giggled and chimed in, “It’s always fun to tease each other about our past mistakes, isn’t it?”

“By the way, Thomas, where have you been? We’ve been looking for you, and why are you sweating so much?” Princess Amity asked her brother as we sat at the table. Prince Thomas wiped his brow with a napkin and grinned sheepishly at his sister. “”I was training with Alexis here, and I must say, she’s quite a skilled fighter. We were sparring for a while, and I guess I got carried away,” he said with a grin. Princess Amity’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really? I didn’t know you were into sparring. You’ve never shown an interest in it before.” Prince Thomas chuckled, “Well, I thought it was time to brush up on my swordsmanship skills. You never know when we might need them.” Prince Frost nodded in agreement, “He’s right. It’s always good to be prepared for anything.”

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