The silence ( A 1x1 fantasy RP between Rena and NFW)
 

Okaay!!! :D So, this is a one on one, which means no posting for all you other RPrs out there! :D Please and Thank you! :D

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Ameera, the princess, was changing out of her practice clothes and into her normal princess gown. She loved being gifted, but it was a burden at times. She was never allowed out at night, or during the day alone for that matter. When she was young, about age eleven, her father used her abilities to find and separate the band of assassins that were working against his army. However, when Ameera separated them, and brought them to the palace, she recognized that one of them was younger than she was, and begged her father to let the boy go and to serve her. After all, who else would do a better job than a former assassin? Her argument won, and her new guard now stood outside her room.

Ameera sighed as she put on the dress, not needing help, as she used her water to assist her. "Why do i always have to go from something i love to something i hate?" She was getting ready to practie her embroidery, something she despised. Ameera finished sinching up her gown so that it was comfortable enough to move around in and so that she could breathe easily in it, something her mother would probably notice and attempt to fix so that it fit her body and not her comfort level. "A princess always cares about her appearance, not her comfort. " she would say. Ameera shook her head and brushed her hair, combing it roughly before braiding it into little braids that would sit upon her head pinned down with her tiara. Once finished, (the whole process took about five to ten minutes) she got up and walked to the door, opening it. "What do you think?" she said to her silent guard.

Found an image for my char, don't really have the items to actually make my avi resemble him. I hope that's ok. :]

Shajir stood in front of the door motionless, his hands crossed behind his back. A servant or guard would pass by every now and then, but it was rare for one of them to even notice him. The young man had an uncanny knack for blending in, becoming a part of the scenery with seemingly no effort. The fact that he didn't make a sound helped as well - it wasn't only that he didn't talk, his footsteps and even the breaths he took were eerily silent. So much, in fact, that he often unnerved the people around the castle who had to be around him for more than a couple of minutes. Anyone besides Ameera, that was.

He remembered the day of their first meeting...vividly. It was, after all, the day in which she had saved his life. His initial nickname "that mute idiot" - if it could be called a nickname at all - hadn't stuck for long, since he had been able to best the castle's swordmaster in a practice bout the first time he was allowed to use a weapon since his capture. Ever since then, he was mostly known as the princess's "silent companion" - a fitting one, seeing as how he was never farther than thirty feet of the girl. In truth, he wasn't mute at all. But he still knew things, secrets taught to him by his order - The Grey Blades - which he wouldn't allow anyone else to find out. He owed a debt of blood to Ameera, as the code he followed was very strict and precise, especially about matters of life and death. In a sense she owned him now, even though she may have not realised it yet. His loyalty was fierce and unwavering, but he wouldn't brake his vow of silence even for her. Seeing as how he was the last of his kind, the knowledge he had was probably going to die with him - a fact Shajir had already come to terms with.

As he heard footsteps behind him, the man turned towards the door and took a bow when Ameera appeared in front of him. Standing up again, he looked at her from head to toe with a humorless expression on his face, even though it was visibly softer than the one he had a few seconds ago. He placed his fist on his chest and closed his eyes, lowering his head. "Impressed beyond words" was the silent message - he had gotten really good at communicating without his voice in the last few years, doubly so when he was conveying his thoughts to the girl. He hadn't lied now too - she had grown into a beautiful lady, a fact even the worst dress wasn't going to be able to hide, and this one was far from the worst. After answering the question, another series of short gestures followed, finishing with a questioning look towards the end of the corridor. "Where would you like to go?" A light, easy to miss smile appeared on the assassin's lips, as another series of gestures ended with his thumb making a slicing motion in front of his throat - "Who would you like me to cut down today?". He often asked this, making it into a sort of a joke - she had never actually ordered him to kill anyone, but talks of the "spawn of murderers" could still be heard around the castle. Those he made fun of - he really did find them somewhat amusing. If he wanted to kill, he would do it, without drawing attention to himself. It almost seemed like the less he behaved like an assassin, the more he was percieved as a threat. How ironic. He crossed his arms behind his back once more, the two long swords making a quiet metallic noise. Nobody seemed to notice how his eerie aura of silence seemingly disappeared when he was in the presence of Ameera.

((Perfectly fine. I love it! :D I tend to have enough for my own items, and hopefully our RP will help you with your gold count too so that someday soon you may be able to buy the items you want or need for an avi you wish to have. :] ))

Ameera Smiled at his gesture of killing someone. "No one today. and thanks. And Mother wants me to do some embroidery today. Ugh. I hate needle work." She shook her head "But ' it will make me a well rounded individual, fit to be a queen that i someday will be.' " She mimicked her mother's voice. She pulled a bit of water from her room and used it to in a way nuzzle Shajir. Ameera held out her hand, "Ready?" she asked, implying that he were required to go with her. He had always been there for her, especially in the past few years when she was learning how to control her fire ability. He had attended to several of her burns during the years, silently helping her and reminding her what to do. He had yet to cross swords with Ameera, who had by this time excelled past her instructors, though none of them knew it yet. "Mother would hate to see my latest burn. The one i got last week? Yeah, it's blistered now, and it makes wearing tight clothing a pain in the rear end." She refrained from swearing in the castle, but outside, when it was just her and Shajir, she swore like a sailor. "It hurts even now, but there's some of that salve you made me for the burns on them for now." She sighed and awaited Shajir to take her hand and walk with her to where her mother was.

Shajir simply shrugged when Ameera mentioned embroidery, clearly demonstrating he could care less about the activity. To him this type of skill were all but useless. Stitching was fine since everybody needed clothes and open wounds needed to be closed, but embroidery? Ballroom dancing? Silly hobbies of people whose life had never been on the line or even endangered. His typical, almost invisible smile returned for a split second as he felt the touch of the cold water even though the guard remained motionless. He still remembered his efforts not to draw his blades out when that happened the first few times. It wasn't easy for him in the beginning. In his world at the time physical contact was made only with those Shajir had to erase from existence and those that wanted to do the same to him. By now Shajir had gotten used to it, even enjoyed it at times, however Ameera was still the only person he allowed to do so freely. Then again, it wasn't like there was a queue of people waiting to touch him.

He looked at her and clenched his fists, gritting his teeth, following with a few easily interpretable gestures: "Better to endure. Pain makes the mind strong.". that much was true, at least according to his beliefs, but there was another reason for this advice. The salve he had prepared for her some time ago was probably the most efective localised anesthetic there was, not to mention its restorative qualities...but it was also addictive. The burns he had used it on in the beginning were more serious than a blistered thumb and he had no real desire to see the girl in that much pain but if anybody besides her knew of the medicine's side effects, Shajir was probably going to get executed for endangering her health. He could understand the reason though - he had seen people in final stages of the addiction. Their minds had started inventing excruciating pain on their own in order to recieve the next dose of painkilling salve. It wasn't pretty and he had to make sure it didn't happen to the princess. Ameera had only used it a few times so she was far away from becomming a slave to the drug but it was still something he had to watch out for. Thankfully she had already learned to control fire enough so that she wouldn't injure herself seriously. He envied her abilities a little - although he also possessed several inhuman skills he never showed, being able to tap into the power of the primal elements was...impressive, even for him. And people who could impress him he could respect which was a part of the reason why the two got along just fine.

Shajir nodded to signal he's ready, then took her hand and walked forward, eye wandering around in search of...anything worth noticing. There hadn't been a serious attempt on her life - yet - but remaining ever vigilant was the only option for him. Predators only struck when they sensed weakness. "I heard we will be having guests soon. Possibly the one the king wants to marry you to. You are of age now." he gestured with a hint of hestitation. He understood this arranged marriage custom noblemen stuck to, but had seen no proof that it helped with anything besides strengthening political connections. He appreciated the girl for more than her noble heritage, magical ability and influence over her subjects. Ironically, it seemed - at least to him - that her parents didn't. He still wasn't aware who they had chosen as a potential partner but had no doubt it was going to come to pass in order to secure this border or that trade route. In fact, he wasn't even supposed to know anyone was coming at all but somehow he managed to hear about seemingly everything that was going on around here - knowledge he often shared with Ameera who was most often kept in the dark "for her own safety and well-being". "Are you sure embroidery is the thing you want to spend your time on?"

Ameera and Shajir walked down the hallway. "I know, don't remind me." She had said when he had mentioned the marriage. She hated the tradition with a passion, and she had once, when she was younger and didn't know that there were other rules written that needed to be kept safe, tried to in a way drown out the rules. She got reprimanded harshly, and then knew not to do it again. Fortunately, she was able to draw out every last drop of moisture from the scroll room at that age, but still, she knew she would grow up to resent the fact that she would someday have to marry.

The burn she was talking about was on her back, near her shoulder. Sometimes she thought about making her self covered in burns, just so that she would have no chance with finding herself in an arranged marriage.

"As for the embroidery, Trust me. If i could avoid it without getting into trouble, i would." she said, not caring who heard her. Ameera's only real friend was Shajir, even though he never said anything. "Mother would throw a fit and i wouldn't be allowed to practice anything but embroidery for the next week. You know that!" She smiled. "Anyways, what else is there that is going around the castle that they don't want me knowing about?" She asked a little too brightly. she loved hearing what was going on around her.

Ameera took her time finding her mother, though the fire in the castle told her exactly where her mother was. No one really knew what Ameera could do just yet with the fire other than control it. They didn't know she could listen and almost see through it if she wanted to, and they definitely didn't know she was working on controlling the temperature of the fire. They knew about everything with the water, and had made her sign a pact when she was old enough to understand not to use it to spy on people in the castle.

The young man paused for a second before his free hand began the next series of gestures. How much of the information he had gathered could he share with her? Ironically, he was also shielding her in his own way. During his stay in the castle he had learned a lot of things about a lot of people. But was it really necessary for her to find them all out? What good would it do her to know that the treasurer, for instance, was having an affair with one of her chambermaids? Or that the recent heart attack of one of her father's advisors wasn't a heart attack at all? Shajir could never mistake an assassination for anything else, he was sure who had ordered it...he even suspected that the king was aware of the deed and intentionally hadn't pursued the murderer. The late advisor had made one too many deals with the wrong people. And those were just the tip of the iceberg. If Ameera knew, she would probably try to 'fix' it all or at least those things that were within her power...and that would have drawn attention to her. Not the good kind of attention either. Life among the high society was treacherous and could be just as deadly as a battlefield. Shajir had spared her the facts that didn't involve her for the most part but perhaps it was time for him to stop. He had said it himself: she had come of age. Maybe it was time for her to find out the dirty secrets that practically filled the castle. The princess was bright enough to probably have her own suspicions that life within the citadel wasn't all roses, but how much did she actually know?

"Nothing specific yet. Treacherous rumours. Whispers in the wind. Ripples in our calm water." he responded after the short pause. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at her "Can't be good. Enemies inside, enemies outside, all starting to lift their head. A soon-to-be queen always has those. Those outside are easy to spot. They are the reason for this marriage you so dislike. Those inside..." Shajir smiled but this time his smile was cold, unnervingly so "...I wait for them. You will know who they are as you look at their corpses."

At times like this, when he was being absolutely serious, it was as if his human nature stepped back and allowed the emotionless assassin to peek through the gray eyes. It happened rarely, only when he percieved something as a threat. Often, right after such a moment, he would reach for his blades. This time, however, he was only stressing out the importance of his message. Playtime had come to an end. Now that she was about to get married, those that didn't want the king's dynasty to survive would target her. He knew what such men were capable of and was prepared. The main advantage at his disposal was that they had no idea what he was capable of.

"You can avoid it. Look." Shajir had returned to his original calm and demeanor, almost soft in comparison to the previous look on his face. He pointed to a window, through which the road to the castle could be seen. Red banners were visible, though still far away "Your admirer. Use him as an excuse. A princess must look perfect when greeting royal guests. A princess has to prepare for an hour or two more. Or tell me to find a way" the guard tilted his head to the side, smiling a little "Remember what I am. You use me, my talents, too sparingly. I haven't found a way for you to avoid this because you haven't ordered me to. ". Indeed, she had to get used to setting him to purpose. Everybody around knew, theoretically, that he was dangerous but the assassin was certain he would have to show his skills in practice eventually, probably soon. It was best she knew of them beforehand so she could put them to use adequately. The last couple of gestures ended with a curious look "Shall your schedule change?"

Ameera had looked oout the window when she was asked to, and watched Shajir's expressions and gestures. "You have a lot to say today. And as for your servies, they won't be needed unless there's a threat against me, okay?" Ameera hiccuped. "[COLOR="rgb(154, 205, 50)"]Yeah, i need to get ready instead. mother will just have to understand. And so, that leaves me... with time to change, get some more practice in, and then change again after bathing.[/COLOR]" She wished that she could challenge her dear friend, but knew that it wasn't going to happen anytime soon. She turned around with Shajir and they walked back to her room, left him at the door, changed back into her practice clothes, and pulled her braids into a bun, knowing that she would lose her tiara if she practiced with it on. She placed it in it's case and set it in the hidingplace she had made under her chest at the food of the bed in the floorboards. She did all of this fairly silently, as she used the moisture in the wood to pull up the floorboard after lifting the chest into the air. She then replaced the floorboards and the chest silently before going out into the hallway to see what shajir was doing. "Boo!" She said before going into the hallway, as she opened the door. She knew it was futile to do so, as shajir would never jum ir flinch, but she did it anyways.

When the door opened, Shajir was already facing it, shaking his head with an amused expression. "Someday, princess." was the meaning behind the crisp movements of his hands and his expression. The smile didn't last, as always, the assassin nodding in the direction of the training grounds. As they started to walk towards the place, the young man seemed lost in thought. Today was a special day. Normally he wasn't nearly as talkative, not even with his sign language. The royal visitors were a sign that the calm days within the stone walls were coming to an end. He had expected it, Ameera couldn't avoid getting attention indefinitely but he had thought it was going to take more time for her father to find a suitable match for her. That wasn't the only thing that worried him. After her marriage was finalized, how long was it going to take before her...betrothed decided that an assassin was too dangerous to keep around? Not long, surely. And since his blood debt meant Shajir wouldn't allow anyone to seperate him from the girl, he would eventually be executed. No, the situation was far from good. He hadn't mentioned any of this to the princess - it was pointless, seeing as how it was a thing beyond her control. She was to be married to a noble, her parents made that decision and said noble was ultimately going to decide that her mute guard was...redundant. Unpleasant as this was for him, he was actually more worried about not being able to fulfill his oath. Despite her considarable power, she was still vulnerable. He had watched her closely at every combat training she did - it was a small miracle her parents even allowed her to do this much. She was a quick learner and an intelligent combatant but she was taught wrong. Her stance was full of openings, her movements - constricted because of the wrong style the swordmaster had trained her in. Not only was that man not competent enough, his teachings applied best to strong, durable warriors, emphasizing on force rather than agility. The result was a young girl, very skilled on the first glance...but if one had the eyes to see them, the gaps in her fighting abilities were visible. Shajir was certain that he was able to exploit them, not leaving her a chance to use her magic. And if he could do it, there was a chance another one would be able to. No, traditional combat lessons weren't made for her. In truth he knew the perfect style for her but had always postponed showing her, believing he'd always be around to make sure she was protected, at the very least until she would unleash her magic. These techniques were only ever taught by his order and that knowledge he wasn't keen on sharing. But the situation had changed. There wasn't much time and he had to make sure he had done what he could to ensure her safety...even after his death.

As they entered the large hall, where different weapons were hanging from the walls and a few training dummies were placed in the far end, the assassin looked around to make sure there was nobody else around, closing the thick wooden door behind them. It was fortunate they were alone. Nobody else would be allowed to witness this. "No trainers today." he gestured, shaking his head, then made a few steps back and drew his swords, nodding silently "Watch carefully. This is important."

The guard assumed a perfect standard fighting pose, making a series of slashes and parries against an invisible opponent. His movements, precise copies of the swordmaster's double-blade style, were fast and accurate, the wide swings combining with shorter, ones that made the blades blur from the speed. After about a minute he suddenly stopped, shaking his head and thrusting his blades in the wooden floor in order to make a few new gestures. "Slow. Clumsy. Predictable. Not for you. Now pay close attention. I will show you the Dance of Blades."

Suddenly the swords were in his hands again and the young man started fighting anew...in a totally different way than before. He was ducking, weaving, jumping and twisting, using his entire body to dodge and make strikes from unbelievable angles. Sidestepping, switching directions, making slashes and thrusts from every possible direction...if the blades were blurry a second ago, now they were forming a deadly gray mist all around him, despite his efforts to not use his maximum speed. It wasn't as easy as it sounded with this style, in which momentum played a major role. Quicker movements here increased both attacking power and the effectiveness of the defense. There were no heavy hits, but the sheer volume of attacks and their unpredictability made it next to impossible to defend against. Also, the combination was...mesmerizing in a way. It was beautiful, despite its deadly effect. A style relying on speed, agility and precision with next to no strength - one of the assassins' infamous Blood Paths. Shajir knew it would fit the princess like a glove. The irony was not lost on him.

"I will teach you this, for as long as I can" the young man motioned to the princess to come closer right after he stopped his demonstration. "Show me what you saw. Ask me about the things you did not. On one condition." Shajir looked dead serious, his gaze was adamant as he finished his gestures "You only use this to save your life...and you kill anyone that saw you perform the Dance. Such is the price."


///You can include his actions in your post if you need him to tell you something, spar with you or anything that would help you write your post...if Ameera is planning on accepting his offer, that is. :]

Also, wow, really didn't expect to write as much. :DD ///

(( AHH I LOVE YOUR WRITING!!!! I LOVE that it's so long. I had to take breaks though cause staring at the screen for too long reading gives me a slight ache behind my eyes. Anywayssss....))

Ameera watched silently catching as much as possible. when Shajir was finished, she looked down, and said, "We shouldn't practice out here if those are the requirements to learning Your techniques." she looked up at him. "We wouldn't want me getting into too much trouble before i'm married." She rolled her eyes at the word. Marriage. Blech, More like slavery. She would probably find herself married to a man who thinks of her as some helpless creature that couldn't defend herself. "Come with me, i guess." She grabbed her weapons: a bow and a quiver of arrows, a couple thin blades, and a dagger, which she strapped in to her belt. She then led Shajir into a secret passageway that only her and her father, and now Shajir knew about. It led into a room that had no windows. "This way, i don't have to kill anyone unnecessarily, and you can teach me what you need to teach me."

She pulled her thin blades out, the ones that resembled Shajir's, and messed around a little. "I know that my instructor doesn't know what he's doing when he's training me. He's not used to training girls, and he's not used to training female warriors." She looked at shajir, "So you want me to show you what i saw." She tried mimicking what she saw, and did very well, though she did not do perfect. "I'm not used to this." She said, turning to Shajir, her face determined. "But... Shajir... " She turned and pulled an arrow out, placed it in the bow, and fired the bow, aiming right past Shajir's ear, sending the bow into the rock wall several feet behind him. "I've never been trained for Archery. You know this. So show me something i need to know if i run out of arrows or my bow breaks. I'll always have a dagger, even while i'm in my fancy garments. You know better than i do that i need to know how to protect myself at all times." Her face was dead serious. She knew that something could happen to bring them apart. Either his death, oh his banishment, which would mean his death.

She tried not to think of these things too often, but they came up often. "Shajir, You're my best friend." She paused. "Thanks."

///Thanks :D I think this usually happens when I haven't had much sleep before. Go figure. :D///

Following her silently, Shajir looked around the secret passage and later - the room. It was an interesting place to see. He had made it his business to know every such hidden path in the castle...or at least all entrances. Because of his duties, he had never had the time to actually study them all. In the end, he had concentrated mostly on those that could lead outside the citadel. What he had found out was both a blessing and a curse - the stone hid a lot of them, so much that in the assassin's mind the whole building resembled a giant bee hive. King after king had added hidden rooms and corridors to either hide something or make sure he could move around freely and escape safely, if needed. As a result the castle had become a very unsafe place, given that an enemy had knowledge of one or more of the passageways. That was a big part of the reason why he had refused to venture far from the princess - danger could strike very suddenly in a place like this. Maybe he was being paranoid, but that was a part of his trade as well. In his world there were only predators and prey and he wasn't about to let the girl become the latter. Her best friend...how had it come to this? He remembered clearly he had despised the girl in the beginning, even after being spared by her. Maybe even because of that. When had his attitude changed so?

"You honor me." Shajir bowed slightly, taking the bow from her hands and motioned her to take a step back before making another series of gestures "I know you are not comfortable with these weapons. It matters not. The Fangs are but a small part of this Dance, princess. I only wanted to see you move." the assassin tilted his hand to the side "You are the ocean, your blade is your tide. Your movements must flow. Remember this, even if it sounds strange. Now watch again. I will try to explain as I show."

Suddenly the guard threw the bow in front of him with enough force to push back, maybe even knock down a man. Even with an empty quiver, it could buy a second and a second was plenty. That was his first lesson. Before the weapon had even fallen on the floor there was a sharp metallic sound and a vicious swing sliced the air in front of him. Ameera was not the only one that carried a dagger on her person at all times. His stance and the aura he gave off were different than before. Now he looked almost sleepy, lazily transfering his weight between his front and back leg, crouching a little. His free arm started forming another gesture "Enemies look for openings. You give them an opening to focus on. You bait." she had enough training to notice the apparent gap in his defense "As they strike, the tide pulls back." he switched the center of his mass again, leaining back in an angle that clarly showed his flexibility, as if dodging a swing "Their attack pulls them in the deep sea sea. Your domain. Then the tide drowns them." the slow, flowing movement of the dodge turned into a circular motion from his waist, the momentum making his own counterattack slice through the air again with an impressive force and at an angle which was going to be impossible to block with a single weapon after the initial attack "There are those that can swim, however. Patience. Watch them. Learn their flow. They step forward - you step back. They swing, you flow with their swing, make it only just miss. Make them think you know not how to strike yourself. You haven't the looks of a warrior. Use this. Make them grow complacent. Force a mistake and punish it. One near miss, two, three - as much as are needed. After you've copied their flow, they become predictable. A single wave will drown them."

The slow combinations were indeed reminescent of water, "absorbing" the invisible hits and striking in return. Shajir moved smoothly, his eyes fixed in front of him, as if they really saw somebody there. It was a counterattacking style, relying on precision, flexibility and agility above all. One strike - one kill. That was the golden rule of the Coming Tide. Ameera, with her slight frame and freedom of movement was perfect for it. He had no doubts she would pick up on it quick. After the several minutes of demonstration, the assassin stopped and put away his dagger, the long jagged blade seemingly disappearing without a trace. It wasn't his favorite weapon in a fight, but it was perfect for when he wanted to resolve a...problem without even coming to a fight. It wasn't the perfect tool for self-defense either but the Coming Tide made it into a deadly instrument, one that used the enemy's own 'flow' against him. If anyone ever made the mistake of underestimating the girl and the short piece of metal in her hands...he was going to die very surprised. Shajir was going to make sure of it.

"Practice for as long as you want. Ask about what you do not understand. Then practice again and again. Until you no longer feel whole without feeling the handle in your palm. And never hestitate" the guard raised his hand higher, thus signaling that this part was crucial "The Tide is not for hurting, princess. It is not a gentle stream. It drowns, kills. If you pause or waver, your edge becomes dull and your life becomes forfeit. Always remember." Shajir stepped back and nodded, carefully following the actions of Ameera. He was about to see whether he had gauged her correctly. He'd wait for her to practice, look at her form, mark any gaps in his mind and come back to them whenever they had time again. It probably wasn't going to be today though...given her schedule - something the assassin was looking forward to, but not for the reason one would think. There was a slim chance this marriage wouldn't come to pass in the end, for one reason or another...and Shajir would gladly become the reason, if that meant she was going to be safer and happier. For better or worse, today was apparently going to be full of important events...

Ameera Watched, studying his movements. When he was finished, she tried her best to mimic him, but she didn't do it the exact same way. She made it her own, and though it wasn't perfect, it worked for now. when she was finished, she looked at shajir for approval. "Does that work?" She asked, ready to try it again. She put the dagger back into her belt, and found herself thinking, "Man, i'm glad my best friend was an assassin. He should have been the one teaching me all along. then i wouldn't have to worry about retraining myself. Jarred isn't that bad of a teacher, he's just... not the right one for me. He wouldn't even have let me near a bow, let alone shoot one by him without flinching." Ameera shook her head."I need to go get ready. Even though i'm fast, i'm not THAT fast." She said, pulling a ball of water to her from outside of the room.

She formed a gown with the water and showed Shajir. She had found a way to bend the light in the water to form color. The dress was yellow, and showed her stomach and had a high slit in the side, much like the purple dress she had worn before, though the purple one didn't show her stomach. But then she changed it into a dress that was dark teal and black,, and puffed out. "Mother wants me to wear the second dress when i meet this guy. She just had one of the maids lay it out on my bed. The first is the one i want to wear." She sighed. " Oh well. I suppose the second is more appropriate for meeting a man i will probably end up..." She shuddered. "Marrying." She hated the word. She didn't want to marry someone she didn't know. She'd rather marry Shajir. and she didn't want to marry her best friend cause that would be weird to her. She wished that she didn't have to have an arranged marriage, or even marry at all. But she had no real choice. She would try her best to scare off this prince, but she knew not of whether she would be able to do so. "Should i wear my hair up or down?" she asked, mostly talking to herself. She took Shajir's hand and led him out of the secret room, carrying her borrowed weapons with the water. Once they were near the training grounds she peeked out and made sure that no one would see them. She was sure that Shajir wasn't allowed to teach her anything. Once the coast was mostly clear, she let go ov shajir's hand and focused on moving the weapons to the weapon rack silently and made sure that the "floating" weapons were invisible until they were behind the rest of the weapons and blended in when they appeared as the water fell away. "C'mon."She said softly, as the training grounds emptied out. "We should be able to get back to my room with out any problems." She was a little worried about her mother being upset and running into them, but Shajir being with the princess wasn't anything new.

She started to make her way with out any problems until she remembered the dagger. "Shajir, i forgot to hide the dagger. I can't take it out of the training grounds without getting into trouble. Here, take it until we get to my room." She took the dagger out of her belt and handed it to him hoping no one was watching. She scanned the area and saw her mother at the far end of the corridor. "Hurry." She stepped closer to Shajir as if to hide the dagger from her mother.

"Ameera! Why aren't you getting ready like you told me you were doing?" Asked Ameera's mother.