Nymera and her guards have been here for three days now. I'd been dreading this visit ever since I heard about it, but it hasn't been that bad.
It's kind of nice knowing my fiancé doesn't want to marry me either. Maybe I should feel a little insulted about that though. Oh well, since we're in agreement, I guess it's fine. Throughout her stay, I've been able to learn quite a bit about both her and her kingdom.
First, she's not the perfect princess she pretends to be. She's actually just a normal girl underneath that façade. She likes spending time with Ren and causing trouble, she's sarcastic, and has a bit of a sharp tongue. Honestly, Nymera's the type of person I can really respect.
During her stay, she's also been teaching me a bit about demi human culture. Raefauna isn't completely like our kingdom here. In Solareth, the only demi humans most people accept are elves and dwarfs, not therianthropes or anyone else with fur, scales, or feathers. Raefauna on the other hand enriches its culture through diversity.
They also believe in harmony between civilization and nature. For example, those giant lions they had pulling their carriages are called Ironmanes. They're from a jungle terrain that's considered sacred grounds. Apparently, Raefauna doesn't domesticize them, but they instead lend their abilities to the kingdom willingly. Most people believe it's because they descend from the same ancestors, so they have a closer connection than others.
Second, Raefauna doesn't follow the same type of noble hierarchy as the other kingdoms do. Instead, they choose to follow a model of interwoven clans. Each major species maintains their own customs and leaders, but decisions of nation importance are made by a rotating council comprised of chieftains and elders. Since the lion tribe was the one who originally united the clans, they were made the official "royal clan" of everyone.
Third, while all demi humans are allowed in their kingdom, not all of them belong to their kingdom. The best example would be Garm's old wolf pack. Even though he's still a therianthrope werewolf, Garm's never actually been to Raefauna, so he wouldn't officially belong to any major werewolf clan they'd have there. That's not to say he wouldn't be welcome there, but he'd have to go through some kind of ritual to be completely accepted into their culture.
Finally, Raefauna is currently the only kingdom that isn't completely against the demons. Apparently, this is due to their history being told differently from ours. In human culture, the demons are always depicted as evil beings that we banished to the end of the world, but in Raefauna, demons are actually considered half of their ancestors.
Therianthropes are apparently descendants from the unions of more animal-like demons and humans. In their history, they were born from the unification of those rogue demons and humans who abandoned the war. That's also why they're not accepted by humans. To most humans, therianthropes are considered impure abominations to nature. I'll never understand how anyone could see them like that, especially the ones with fluffy tails and ears.
Although, after hearing their side of history, I guess it makes sense why most humans don't like demi humans and therianthropes. Even during their joint training, the royal guards look like they want it to end as quickly as possible.
Speaking of training, I've noticed that Nymera's personal guard keeps staring at Mom a lot. I think she wants to talk to her, but she's too scared. Maybe I should give her a hand after training today.
...
[Sakyo] You know, if you want to talk to her, just do it.
Yukina jumps, her senses somehow slipped through by the one she was training with.
[Yukina] S-sir Sakyo! I'm sorry, you startled me.
[Sakyo] If you don't mind me asking, how come you're always staring at my mom?
[Yukina] I-I wasn't... I didn't mean...Is it that obvious?
[Sakyo] Only to everyone who can see you.
Yukina collapses to her knees, distraught at her embarrassing behavior being seen so openly.
[Yukina] Oh no. I thought I was hiding it. Did I creep out Lady Reika?
[Sakyo] Don't worry about it, but can you answer my question now?
[Yukina] I-I just wanted to ask her for some pointers on my training. I've always wanted to meet her. I guess I got too excited at the opportunity that I panicked.
[Sakyo] So you're a pretty big fan of my mom, huh?
Suddenly, Yukina's eyes light up. Her earlier embarrassment forgotten as words being to spill from her mouth. Her tail begins wagging faster as she keeps talking.
[Yukina] That's an understatement. Of course I'd be a big fan of Lady Reika! She's the only female knight captain is all of the seven kingdoms. Not to mention she was able to reach that position when she was only fifteen years old. Every girl in Raefauna who trains with a sword looks up to her. With her unmatched fire magic, she became one of the strongest knights in the entire world. They say even the empire wants to bring her into their most elite forces.
Yukina continues singing praises of Reika's feats while Sakyo can only look on dumbfounded.
[Sakyo] (Wow, Mom would love her.) Why don't I just introduce you?
[Yukina] A-are you sure that would be ok?
[Sakyo] Sure, I don't mind. Hey Mom, come her for a second!
[Yukina] Wait, right now? I'm not ready! I'm still all sweaty from training!
Reika walks over, seeming slightly amused by Yukina's over the top panicking.
[Reika] Hey there, kids. You wanted something?
[Sakyo] She wanted to meet you.
[Yukina] H-h-h-h-hello. M-m-m-my n-name is Y-Yukina. I-i-it's nice to m-m-meet you.
[Sakyo] (Wow, she's even more awkward than I thought. Maybe I should've let her prepare for this. So much for that whole dignified warrior impression she gave when we first met.) Yukina here was hoping you'd give her some pointers on her swordsmanship.
[Reika] Oh, sure thing.
[Yukina] R-really?
[Reika] Yeah, that's the whole point of this joined training after all, to learn from each other. How about you have a sparring match with Sakyo?
[Yukina] Yes! I'd love to!
[Sakyo] Sounds good to me.
Once all of the other knights leave, the two grab wooden training swords and get into position for their mock battle.
[Reika] This will be a simple training match. The battle will be over once one of you is put in position to receive a fatal blow.
[Sakyo/Yukina] Understood.
[Reika] With that, let the battle begin!
At her signal, the two being the battle with a clash of swords. Each one feels the strength behind the other. When the clash ends, both warriors keep their distance, waiting for the other to make a move.
[Yukina] (He's strong. I can't afford to hold back.)
[Sakyo] (She's fast. I'll need to outlast her if I want to win.)
Yukina strikes first, slashing at Sakyo's side. A simple strike to block, but nearly too fast to do so. Sakyo responds with a slash of his own to her arm, but she jumps back just in time. This exchange of wills continues with neither side gaining an edge.
After a few minutes, Yukina steps back to catch her breath. Sweat drips down her face, her panting coming in short gasps.
[Yukina] (What's with this guy?! I haven't been able to land a single hit. Even after all my feints, he doesn't even look like he's breaking a sweat yet. How can he have so much stamina? Is this because he's been doing the same training as Lady Reika?)
While a million thought race through Yukina's head, Sakyo takes this time to regain his own strength. Curiosity gets the better of him and he can't resist using {Appraisal} to peek at Yukina's status.
Yukina
Age: 10
Element: Earth
Power: 3
Magic: 0
Vitality: 1
Speed: 4
Trick: 1
Titles:
{Nymera's Personal Guard}
Bloodline Ability:
None
Skills:
{Swordsmanship (Intermediate)}, {False Footwork}, {Illusory Feint}
[Sakyo] (I see now, it's her reaction speed. I'm definitely stronger, and with these last few clashes, I've confirmed that I'm faster. The problem is her reaction speed. Her therianthrope instincts are letting her sense my attacks and block them before I can make contact, but she's getting tired. Her movements are becoming slopy. All those fast movements must be taking a toll on her stamina. This isn't the same as fighting Mom, I can win this.)
This time, it's Sakyo who rushes in to attack. Yukina blocks once more, but it gets harder each time. As her body reaches its limits, her arms slow down, feeling heavier with every move she makes.
Finally, with one last slash, her sword is knocked away as Sakyo's wooden blade stops just short of her neck.
[Reika] That's enough. Sakyo wins this match.
[Yukina] (pant) Thank you for a good battle.
[Sakyo] Same to you. You're strong, you should feel proud.
Hearing such a compliment from a boy, a light blush spreads across Yukina's cheeks.
[Reika] Good work you two. I liked what I saw, but there's still lots of room for improvement. Yukina, you're fast and agile, but you kept trying to match Sakyo in power. It's not good to suppress your own abilities to play into your opponents strengths. That's why your stamina was drained so quickly.
[Yukina] Understood.
[Reika] And Sakyo, you may have won this battle, but you kept falling for multiple feints. You were too focused on your initial plan of victory and missed other opportunities where you could've finished the battle sooner. If you don't learn how to adapt your strategy, you'll end up exerting yourself more than necessary.
[Sakyo] Right.
[Reika] That's enough for today. Go get some rest. I hear you're going into town tomorrow.
[Sakyo] Yeah, I'm gonna show Nymera around town.
[Yukina] And I must stay by my princess's side at all times. Speaking of, I should return to my duties. Thank you again for indulging me in my request. I was an honor to learn from you.
[Reika] No problem, you've got potential. I can't wait to see the kind of warrior you grow into.
Yukina leaves to return to her guard duties with her tail wagging and a smile on her face, leaving Sakyo and Reika alone.
[Reika] You know, you can have a few concubines after you get married.
[Sakyo] Don't even go there.
As the sun sets and the day comes to an end, everyone sleeps peacefully, waiting for tomorrow to come.