On a different day, despite weather that should have carried the first chill of the season, everything felt strangely hot right now. The ringing clash of steel blades filled the training grounds within the imperial palace, echoing from before the sun had fully risen until its light now shone once again over the Avandor Empire.
Drenched in sweat, Cedric gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, deftly parrying an attack from the man now standing before him. He was sparring with Gerard, one of the Empire's knights and Cedric's training partner as well as senior, though the man's own standing within the imperial palace could hardly be called secure at the moment. The two of them often spent their time sparring like this to sharpen their combat instincts — and for Cedric, it was the only way he had of clearing his mind from the tangle of thoughts that had been weighing on him lately.
