Truths from the Past: Book 5 of the Kinstone series
Chapter 24: Training

I hear my alarm going off once more, forcing me to fly out of my bed again. I quickly run and shut it off. I sigh, feeling my heart racing. I take a breath and calm down. I walk back over to my wardrobe and slip on my training outfit, replaceing my boots and Han Kote. I smile, feeling again at home within my impromptu armor.

My sessions with the knights have truly been intense, with me often getting thrashed about. It’s nothing new to me. Silvi and I always went at it hard.

Speaking of the knights, Piotr himself volunteered to be my sparring partner. I smile each time we train. Not the kind of smile that one might construed as something deeper. He and I have become friends, with us often talking while the others take the ring for drills.

I grin softly as I lace up my boots. I will admit that while older, he is cute. He’s refined and has a good heart. However, I won’t pursue him. My heart already belongs to another. No matter the circumstances, I won’t forsake my heart. Nor the unspoken vow I made that final morning.

I stand up and braid my hair into something for a run. Yep, I’m finally heading into forest for a run. Serasfall said my boundaries were the surrounding forest and only to the second level before the road. That actually gives me a little more than three quarters of a mile radius to play in. Not to mention that the trees are also forty to fifty feet tall. I grin, tree running time.

I finish my prep and leave my room.

I leap from branch to branch, tails flying and waving behind me. I grin, seeing deeply into the dark, catching any little movement with my kitsune eyes. It really feels no different than at home or in Japan. I flip and leap, sometimes even twirling while midair. I smile, having missed the true pleasure of parkour.

Each of my steps are light, barely even registering the fact that I am stepping onto a branch. My spirit truly is free while in the forest, any forest for that matter. I am a fox within the forest, my domain.

I leap off of another trunk and towards a tree limb. I twist my body, twirling in the air as I catch it with my tail and tuck my body, facing downwards. The momentum carries me down and hurtles me to the ground. I grin, righting my body, landing onto a patch of underbrush, tails flared outward.

My breathing is labored, yet I smile greatly. I peer up to see the sky slowly turning brighter as it’s filled with whites and bright blues. I lean up against tree, letting my heart settle down. I close my eyes, feeling a soft breeze whip around me.

My ears flick around, hearing the sounds of birds rustling in the trees above. I nod, feeling at peace within nature. I pan over to see a lake shimmering within the deep forest. I smile, thinking if I could venture out to it, it be nice to walk around. But that’s for another time.

I lean forward and stretch, groaning as my arms burn. I smile, twisting my body and head back up the stairs.

When I return the courtyard, I catch Fenris trotting off with Rhea. I smile, knowing the pair often prefers to train in the early mornings. While I do love training with the knights, I will sneak off and watch the wolves practice. Whenever I do watch them, I have a similar feeling as Mom and I did when she first started teaching me. I grin, knowing he looks to her as a mentor.

I decide to follow after them. I know today is when the knights come and train, but I can afford to be a little late. I don’t actually have to be there when the session begins. In fact I really can be late to it. So I think I will be.

I leap onto the roof of one building and run across it, stepping softly along the tiling. I peer down seeing both wolves walking closer to where the den is. I slide down and replace a patch grass under a tree. The area close to the den is large flat plane with pillars and trees sprouting from the ground. Serasfall told me the pillars act as training tools. I grin, knowing exactly what she means.

I watch as the pair begins their session. Fenris starts by expanding his shadow, seeing it begin to churn and bubble as though it were water. The shadows then rise, forming into solid shapes, be they cubes or other simple objects. I grin as they then reform into full-sized clones of himself.

Fenris truly is skilled and powerful when it comes to ice magic. He and I often trained heavily in the art while at home and afterwards. So here he’s learning more about the other side of his abilities.

The clones break off and run around the area. My bonded watches each of them, appearing to guide each of their movements. My attention then shifts as small disks within the tiling begin to glow and reshape, becoming mud golems.

I giggle, shaking my head. It really shows that no matter what era you replace yourself in, mud golems will always be the most tried and true training method.

Fenris then directs his clones to attack the golems, slicing and shredding into them. The golems quickly reform, transforming from pudgy dough men into sleeker, more canid-like forms. I nod, remembering doing the same thing while at the Ranch.

As the golems retaliate, smaller pillars rise from the ground. Small clay disks then shoot out from them towards my bonded. Fenris crouches slightly, summoning tendrils of darkness from his shadows.

He then leaps back, shooting them at the disks shattering them. He uses some of the tendrils to grab a few disks and launch them towards the golems.

I look over to Rhea, seeing the look of shock of her face. I grin, knowing it’s a tactic I use with water magic.

I tilt my head as I curl my tails around me. So is shadow magic similar to water magic? I mean in terms of control. Well the obvious answer is no. However certain philosophies can be applied to all forms of magic. Albeit in limited instances. I smile, thinking of possibly studying the magic.

Beside Rhea sits Athena, watching as Fenris runs through his exercises. I smile, stroking my tails. She looks magnificent as the rising sun catches her fur, causing it to shimmer. Even simply sitting there you can’t help be in awe of her beauty.

If I have to compare her to Fenris, I say he is like a mountain, majestic and proud. Athena is more like silvery band in the wind. It’s almost ethereal as it glides gracefully through the air.

She watches his every move intently, never losing sight of him. Even when he shadowwalks, she tracks his every move.

My ears then flick as I hear someone approaching me. I crane my head over to see Piotr, garbed in his training clothes. I smile, “Morning.”

He stops and bows to me, “Good morning, Lady Aria. When you didn’t arrive at the start of today’s session, I came looking for you.”

I grin, “I might come later. I just spent over an hour running through the forest.”

He bows his head, “Understood, my Lady.” He then looks up, “Would you mind if I joined you?”

I shake my head, patting the grass beside me. He nods, crouching down and sitting next to me. I peer up at him, getting a good look. He’s face has a certain ruggedness to it. His clean-shaven face seems to glisten as the light hits it. I catch his hair as it waves in the wind.

Yep, if I were any other girl I’d be falling head over heels in love with him. However, I am thankfully not like any other girl. A princess I may be, I already have my knight.

He looks on, watching Fenris as he runs through his drills. “I must be honest, my Lady, when I say I am in awe of your wolf. The abilities he is performing often take months, if not a full year’s worth of training to not only learn but master. And yet, it’s only been a couple of weeks since he began.” He peers over slightly to me, “Is he a prodigy by chance?”

I grin, folding my tails over my feet. “The night he and I bonded, we of course traded memories. We also traded certain abilities, with me I gained a power boost and increase in my ice magic. For him, he gained a boost my mother gave to me. This boost allows for us to learn quickly.”

I look to him, “It’s how I’ve been able to acquire Alcoran in the same amount of time.” During my lessons with Mom, he would always be watching, always learning. The same again is said during my sword training with Lyra. We both learn through watching the other.

He nods slowly.

I smile, pulling my legs into my chest. I then watch and several golems converge on Fenris. My wolf races through the group, forming blades with his shadows, slicing through each of them.

“I must admit too how much I or mean we…have come to enjoy your presence during our training sessions. You are an admirable warrior.”

I smile, “Thank you.”

“We are happy that you are here, my Lady,” he continues. “Your smile and personality have become a new sun for us. You possess a rarity, a grace that few exhibit these days.” The knight then smiles, “Be either human or kitsune, you are a beauty that many see.”

I blush, feeling the tips of my ears burning. He’s flirting, albeit politely. His words are gentle and sincere, and also genuine. If circumstances, not to mention other factors and reasons were different, I might lean over against him. However, I simply can’t.

He then peers down and gives me a glancing smile. I peer up, smiling in return. His eyes shimmer softly as I gaze into them. As I do, I see something within them, something I’ve noticed during our sessions together. When combined with his compliments, one can tell what it is.

My ears then flick as the sound of heavy padding comes closer. I peer over to see Fenris walking over to us, stopping a few feet from where we sitting. I smile to him, leaning forward. “Hey Papa Wolf, enjoying your session?”

He looks to me, nodding. “That I am, little Aria. I see you went running today as well.”

I grin, “I did. It was nice to explore the forest around the estate.”

He smiles, then looks to Piotr who instantly stands and bows to him.

“Greetings, Master Fenris,” says the young knight, sounding nervous.

Fenris eyes him, looking intently, much like the father that he is. I grin, knowing what’s going through his mind.

“Would you relax?” I giggle.

He nods slightly while still eyeing the knight. Piotr is slowly becoming nervous the more my bonded stares at him.

I shake my head, smiling, “Would you just drop it, Fenris?”

He nods and turns, trotting back down to Rhea. I smile, watching as Athena intercepts him. The two wolves nuzzle the other. Sounds of light groaning and murmuring can be heard from both wolves. I tilt my head. Wait…I know the pair has gotten close, but are they really together?

I then watch as they trot off together. As they do, I watch as they wrap their tails around the other. I peer down, playing a thousand thoughts in my mind.

I sigh, shunting it all out. I look at Piotr, still seeing the knight standing at attention. I grin softly, “You can relax as well, you know.”

He finally shakes loose of his nervousness. “Right, yes.”

I giggle softly.

He smiles to me. “Would you like to come join us my Lady?”

I smile and nod, “Love too.”

The knight then leans over and offers a hand. I grin, taking it as I am then hoisted onto my feet. After brushing off my rear, Piotr and I leave and head for the training courtyard.