"Good morning, Percival. I need your help training these two little ones," said the queen.

Percival raised his head and looked at Prince Arthur. He smiled when he noticed the sword hanging from the boy’s waist and stood up.

"So, you want to train, huh? Then you’ve got the right person for the job!" the young knight shouted, raising his fist with a huge excited grin. "Hippogriff, the swords!"

The beast flying above them was a Hippogriff, named exactly that by Percival. The winged creature, half eagle and half horse, dropped two strange objects from the sky, which the young knight caught with agility and elegance.

They were wooden swords.

"If you’re going to train, you’ll need these. They’re made from wood blessed by our star sorceress, so they shouldn’t break, though you already knew that, right?"

Cinder nodded, but Arthur didn’t understand the last part. The confusion was obvious on his face.

Percival handed them the swords, and each child held one with ease. The wooden weapons were small enough to look natural in the hands of two young children.

"Since this is training, trying to hurt each other is forbidden. Only defensive sword exchanges, please. And yes, I know anyone can get carried away; everyone loves a good fight. But the prince is our guest, and we can’t injure him. Understood, Princess?"

"I know already. You don’t have to treat me like I’m stupid."

"And aren’t you?"

"What exactly are you implying?! You’re the idiot!" the princess shouted, but the moment she realized she was still in front of the prince, her face turned tomato red and she took several steps back. "Whatever. Let’s just get started."

Arthur calmly walked several feet away from Cinder and said:

"It’s fine if the princess fights seriously. I’m strong and resilient. I won’t start crying over getting hit, because what kind of king can’t endure the pain of his people?"

Those words struck Cinder like a divine revelation, because several months ago, that unfortunate incident had happened on the battlefield. Her previous embarrassment vanished instantly.

"My queen, what do you think?" asked Percival.

"I think Prince Arthur has the makings of a king, so I will take responsibility if anything goes wrong."

"As you wish," Percival declared, pounding his fist against his chest.

He turned toward the children and scratched his head with an amused laugh.

"Well, looks like this has become a friendly duel. Don’t hurt each other, alright? If necessary, I’ll step in. Ready?"

"I’m ready," said Cinder.

Arthur nodded.

"I’m ready."

Percival raised his hand, then brought it down with a powerful shout.

"Begin!"

Cinder gripped the wooden sword with both hands and assumed a stance she had practiced hundreds of times with Percival. Her left foot moved forward while her right foot dug into the flowers flattened by the wind.

Arthur, meanwhile, raised his sword with only one hand. He didn’t seem nervous or excited. His breathing was calm—far too calm for an eight-year-old child.

Arthur was the first to move.

He took a short step forward and launched a diagonal slash straight toward her shoulder. Cinder reacted quickly, raising her sword to block the attack, but the moment the enchanted wooden blades collided, a heavy vibration traveled through her arms.

Both children stepped back two paces.

Percival raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Oh... that was a pretty good strike."

Arthur didn’t answer. He took advantage of the opening and attacked again with another horizontal slash. Cinder lowered her body and barely dodged it, feeling the wind stir several strands of her silver hair.

The princess spun and counterattacked toward the prince’s side.

Arthur blocked effortlessly. The dry sound of wood clashing echoed among the flowers.

Cinder attacked repeatedly, trying to break through the boy’s defense, but Arthur retreated exactly as much as necessary. Not a single step too many. Not one too few.

The queen watched silently.

"He has strange control for someone his age..."

Percival nodded slowly.

"The prince doesn’t waste movements. It’s like he’s fought hundreds of times before."

Cinder frowned. She didn’t like that feeling.

Every time she attacked, Arthur seemed to know exactly what she was going to do. No matter the angle or speed, he always managed to stop her at the perfect moment.

"Stop standing still!" she shouted in frustration.

"I’m moving forward," Arthur replied calmly.

And he was right. Even though it looked like he was defending, Cinder realized she was slowly being pushed backward. Arthur controlled the distance of the fight without even making it obvious.

The princess clenched her teeth. Then she suddenly rushed forward.

Flowers burst beneath her shoes as she unleashed a flurry of rapid attacks. Vertical, horizontal, and diagonal strikes rained down relentlessly on Arthur.

The prince finally had to use both hands.

The swords clashed again and again, sending small white petals swirling around the two children.

Percival let out an excited laugh.

"That’s it! That’s how you fight!"

"Percival," said the queen with a dark and terrifying smile.

"Ah... right. Stay calm, little ones."

Cinder took advantage of a moment when Arthur blocked too high and kicked directly at his knee. The prince lost his balance slightly.

The princess’s eyes lit up. She twisted her sword and attacked straight toward his chest, but Arthur reacted immediately, deflecting the strike by mere inches before stepping toward her instead of retreating. Their shoulders collided.

"Huh?"

Cinder lost her balance from the surprise.

Arthur tried to take advantage of it and tap her neck with the wooden sword, but the princess threw herself backward and rolled through the flowers before quickly standing again.

The two separated once more.

Cinder’s breathing had grown heavier. Arthur still looked almost the same as before.

"Guinevere, you’re using too much strength," the queen commented.

"I know..." she replied.

Cinder grumbled, though in truth, she didn’t know at all. She understood Arthur was strong, but this felt strange. He didn’t seem faster than her. Nor bigger or heavier.

He was simply better.

That realization ignited a small flame inside her chest.

She didn’t want to lose.

Arthur raised his sword once more.

"Shall we continue?"

"Of course."

This time, Cinder took the initiative, but she completely changed her fighting style. Instead of relying on strength, she began moving around the prince.

Her small feet crushed flowers as she searched for a blind spot. Arthur followed her every movement with his eyes. Then she attacked from below.

Arthur blocked, but the strike was a feint. Cinder twisted her wrist and redirected the attack toward the prince’s left shoulder.

The wooden sword managed to touch him.

Percival’s eyes widened.

"Nice hit!"

Arthur lowered his gaze toward his shoulder. Then he smiled faintly.

"That was amazing."

Cinder’s face turned red for an instant.

"I-I already knew it would work."

"Of course," Arthur replied.

The prince’s tiny smile made the princess awkwardly look away.

Percival burst into loud laughter.

"Oh, Goddess... they’re adorable."

"Percival," sighed the queen with a tired, passive-aggressive smile.

"Yeah, yeah, I’ll shut up."

Arthur returned to his stance. This time, he moved faster.

Cinder barely managed to react, and the impact made her sword tremble.

Arthur twisted his body and launched a second strike immediately from the opposite side. The princess managed to block again, but pain shot through her hands.

Then came a third strike.

And a fourth.

Arthur wasn’t aggressive like a wild warrior. His attacks were clean, precise, and constant, like waves crashing against a shore.

Cinder kept retreating farther and farther.

Finally, Arthur found an opening. He twisted his sword and partially broke apart the princess’s stance.

Cinder’s eyes widened.

Arthur aimed directly at her neck, but before he could touch her, the princess stepped forward instead of backward.

"?!"

Cinder slammed into him with her entire body.

Both children lost their balance at the same time. Arthur tried to steady himself, but the crushed flowers beneath his feet slipped slightly.

The two of them ended up falling to the ground. Their wooden swords flew several feet away.

Silence.

Percival stared at the scene for several seconds before bursting into laughter.

"That definitely counts as a draw!"

The queen let out a small elegant laugh.

"I agree."

Arthur was the first to sit up on the grass. He looked at Cinder and extended his hand toward her.

"That was fun."

The princess stared at his hand for several seconds. Then she looked away. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"...It was fun for me too."

Even so, she took his hand.

Percival walked toward them with a proud smile.

"I have to admit it, Princess. You’ve improved a lot."

"Obviously."

"But Prince Arthur is terrifying."

Arthur tilted his head slightly.

"Terrifying?"

"Yes. Very," Percival replied with a laugh. "When you grow up, you’ll definitely break a lot of hearts... and probably a few swords too."

Cinder puffed out her cheeks.

"He didn’t beat me."

"No," Percival replied. "But you didn’t beat him either."

The princess clicked her tongue softly.

Arthur, meanwhile, simply watched the field of flowers swaying with the wind beside the enormous statue of the Goddess of Light.