Chapter 14
Slate
The king had designated Princess Gray’s training schedule to begin first thing in the morning before school for two hours. We were to meet in the training room at five a.m.—further proving how cruel he could be.
I arrived thirty minutes early, full of anxious jitters that this was actually happening. That the fate of…well, everything depended on the princess getting trained and trained well. No pressure.
However, I wanted to build her up and genuinely give her the confidence that she deserved and needed to fend off the negativity she faced from the outside world.
The training room was empty this time of day, so I fidgeted with the weapons, making sure they were in their proper order and lined up just right. I stretched and even did a small workout, seeing as I needed to bulk up just a bit.
In the midst of my push-ups, a pair of feet appeared directly in my line of vision. I paused in a plank, peering upward to find the princess standing before me with her arms crossed, unsure. When she looked down, I couldn’t stop the broad smile that swept over my face. “Good morning, Princess.”
Gray’s tight expression softened as she backed away to give me space to stand. She cleared her throat and looked away. “I don’t know how you did it, but here I am.”
Shaking out my arms, I said, “I promised you I’d make it happen.”
The princess hugged herself tighter. “So…what do I do?”
“First, we stretch.”
I walked Gray through a series of stretches, ensuring she wouldn’t pull any muscles, tendons, or ligaments.
It was a struggle for her, which was to be expected for her first day.
Eventually, she would gain flexibility, which would serve her in many ways when it came to sparring and fighting with weapons.
Once finished, I couldn’t help the grin that, again, took over. “Good. The more flexible you are, the more you’ll be able to do. So, we’ll continue to work on it.”
Gray nodded as she twisted at the waist to stretch out the aches.
“Now, we need to build up your stamina.” My cheeks would be hurting by the end of this session if I didn’t stop smiling so much, but I suspected she’d hate this part, so I was already prepared for her objections. “So, you’re gonna start by running five laps around the training room.”
I almost laughed at the look of pure horror on her face. “What!”
“Run five laps. It’ll help warm up your muscles while building your stamina, too.”
She groaned and slumped her shoulders. “You can’t be serious. It’s only the first day.”
I chuckled, angling my head. “I’m very serious. Now, let’s go. You can walk if you need to, but not for long. I’ll join you.”
The princess tossed her hair into a messy bun and took a deep, reluctant breath. “Fine,” she groaned. “Let’s go.”
I started, jogging at a slower pace than I normally would to run with her. Gray began strong, keeping her eyes forward while maintaining an even pace. As she tired, I fixed her posture and stance to increase her oxygen intake.
Gray didn’t say anything as I corrected her; she just applied it with apathy. When she slowed to a walk, I stayed beside her, and once I assessed she was fine, I pushed her to start jogging again. She got winded easily, which was to be expected, but she never complained.
Finally, on the last stretch, I encouraged her to sprint to the end, pushing herself as hard as she could, even fatigued.
When we returned to our starting point, Gray dropped to the floor, heaving for air, whereas I was barely winded.
Especially not after the rooftop chase with Chrome a couple of days ago.
I strode over to her, offering my hand out for the princess to take. “Up. Hands on your head and walk around. Trust me.”
Gray complied, and once her breathing slowed enough, I handed over a water bottle to which she gulped down as if she were in the desert.
“You did well, Princess,” I encouraged her.
Gray chuckled, no mirth present. “You don’t need to lie to me, but thanks.”
“I’m not. That was your first run, and you handled it really well,” I explained, stretching my legs again and motioning for her to follow suit.
Gray bent over, pulling out the tightness in her hamstrings with a wince, but she didn’t respond.
“You’ll get there in no time.”
After the first hour of warming up, running, and stretching, I started teaching her the most basic stances for sparring.
Gray stood facing me, her shoulders squared and feet planted like I’d shown her with her chin tucked; that same emptiness glazed in her stormy blue eyes.
I closed the distance between us, dropping my focus to her hands by her sides. Glancing back up at her, I lifted my brows in question. “May I?”
She followed my gaze and crinkled her brow in confusion. The moment she understood what I asked of her, her eyes lit up, and her mouth opened just the slightest. “Oh,” she breathed. “Yeah.” She lifted her hands and held them out in front of her body, giving me permission to touch her.
I gave her a gentle and appreciative smile and took her wrists in a loose grip, positioning them in the proper form. “You’ll want your hands to serve as not only weapons, but as a shield. Doing it right can be very effective.”
It was clear what thoughts churned through her mind as a look of fierce determination set in her jaw. Her chest rose and fell as she stared at her fists skeptically. I could bet she imagined using them against her father during any of her punishments.
My fingers were still wrapped around her delicate wrists when our eyes clashed again, my heart jumping at the vulnerability that shined within them, showing her strength. “Good,” I said. “Now, drop back into the stance I just showed you with your hands in that position.”
Gray obeyed as I stepped back to give her space and for me to observe.
I squinted my eyes. “Relax your shoulders.”
The princess took a deep breath, the stiff tension in her shoulders falling away, making her appear more natural.
I nodded in approval, pride filling my chest. It was small, basic even, but it gave me hope nonetheless.
For the rest of the second hour, I walked her through several more stances. A quiet and soft tension rested between us, and the more time I spent around her, the more I felt compelled to find any reason to touch her with her permission.
When we finished, I walked beside her to gather our things. “You did great today. You’re gonna be dangerous.”
Gray huffed. “Yeah, we’ll see…”
“You will. Just have some patience and keep showing up like you did today,” I assured her, glancing at her from the side.
Gray reached behind her head, grabbing the tie that held her hair in a messy bun, dragging it down and letting the waves fall loose around her shoulders. She stared at the ground as she walked, running her fingers through tangled tresses and shaking them out.
I found myself staring, absorbed by the magnetic energy that she didn’t know she possessed. My heart faltered, and my breath stuttered in my chest, yearning to reach over and comb my fingers through her waves. Somehow, I’d gone from feeling overly protective to crushing on the princess.
“Ugh, I’m so sweaty and gross. I need to shower,” she grumbled as we reached our things. She bent, gathering her water and hoodie.
As a teen, having just gone through puberty, I had to block out the intrusive thoughts of her in a shower. I cleared my throat. “Yes! A shower. Should be good, right?” I chuckled awkwardly. “You’ll appreciate it when you’re in class.”
What. The. Fuck. Slate? I forced a smile and averted my attention to the door, wanting to dart through it to save me from myself.
The princess assessed me with a quirked brow and tilted head, clearly trying to figure out why I was so bad at flirting.
Or maybe she was wondering why I suddenly turned into a dork who had zero social skills.
Which I did, or at least I used to until I started receiving inappropriate thoughts of Gray in the shower…
Gray narrowed her eyes. “Yeah. A shower. So, I better go. Don’t want to be late.”
I took in a much needed breath. “Yeah. Can’t do that.”