Morning crept in softly.
Birdsong echoed around the camp, and the first light of dawn stretched across the horizon. The air carried that fresh, quiet scent that only exists before the day truly begins.
"Hey, Elyra… wake up. Elyra."
Mireya's voice came in a low whisper, close to her ear
"Huh… what?"
Elyra stirred, her eyes only half open as she tried to focus. The world was still blurred with sleep.
Mireya straightened, hands on her hips.
"Training bell will ring any moment," she said.
"Unless you plan on making your first impression while half-asleep."
Elyra pushed herself up slowly, brushing hair away from her face.
"For a place that claims discipline," she muttered, voice still heavy with sleep, "they could at least let people wake up like humans."
From the other bed, Thessa was already awake, lacing her boots with quiet precision.
"You'll have time to complain after we survive the morning drills," she said calmly. "If we survive them."
Elyra exhaled, finally awake enough to register the weight of the day ahead.
The first morning at Falconreach.
No titles. No protection. Only skill would matter here.
She swung her legs off the bed.
Cadets drifted out of their tents in slow clusters as dawn settled over the training grounds. The air still carried the cool hush of early morning, but beneath it ran a taut current of unease. It was their first day. No one knew what would be demanded of them, or who among them would endure. Yet smiles were worn like armor. No one here wished to be seen as weak.
Ms. Frostvale stood before them only briefly.
"I trust you all slept well," she said in a voice devoid of comfort. "If not, you will learn to function without it. Eat. Then report to the grounds. Instructor Rowan Drake will take command today."
She turned and left without another word.
The cadets watched her go.
"She's… strange," one boy muttered.
"Strange?" another scoffed. "She's unsettling."
A third, quieter than the rest, spoke under his breath.
"Maybe that's her way of motivating us."
The other two looked at him as if he'd lost his senses.
"Motivation? Anyone could start fearing for their life listening to her."
A boy with sun-gold hair passed by them just then, his expression unreadable.
"If the wrong ears hear you," he said calmly, "you may find yourselves sent back home."
He would have kept walking, but a voice behind him rose with careless arrogance.
"Even if they send me back, my father will make sure I'm placed somewhere else. Here or elsewhere it makes no difference."
The golden-haired boy stopped.
Not abruptly. Not dramatically.
Just… stopped.
His gaze lowered to the ground before him. For a moment he said nothing, yet the stillness around him hardened. His jaw tightened, the faintest shift betraying the tension coiling beneath his calm exterior. His fingers curled slowly into his palms.
Privilege.
Careless, inherited, unquestioned.
The words had struck deeper than they should have.
A breath passed through him slow, controlled.
When he moved again, it was without turning back.
But something in his silence had sharpened.
All the cadets had gathered on the training ground. The lines were straight, but every face carried a different story. Some tried to look confident. Others hid their nerves behind tight smiles. Every gaze settled on one man stepping forward
Mr. Rovan Drake.
He walked to the front with measured steps, eyes sharp and observant.
"How are you, all of you?"
His voice was not loud, yet it carried across the entire field.
"Fine, Mr. Drake," they answered in unison.
"Hmm. Good."
He studied them carefully, as if memorizing each face.
"Today we begin with physical training. We'll see how prepared you really are. Are you all ready?"
"Yes!"
The reply was stronger this time. Fear still lingered, but excitement tried to drown it.
"How's the spirit?" he asked.
"High!"
The response came louder, fueled by effort as much as courage.
A faint, almost invisible smile touched Drake's lips.
"Good. Now pair up. Two in a group. Anyone you like."
The formation broke instantly as cadets moved to find partners.
Cael stepped toward Elyra.
"What are you looking at?" he asked quietly.
Elyra lifted a brow and looked straight at him.
"You. Problem?"
"None. I thought you might be searching for a new friend."
His tone was calm, lightly teasing.
"Cael. Not now," she replied.
A sharp clap cut through the noise.
Everyone snapped back to attention.
"So," Mr. Drake said, scanning the pairs,
"is everyone ready?"
"Yes, sir!"
Mr. Drake raised a hand for silence.
"From each pair, one of you will run forward," he said, pointing toward a massive log lying across the field. "Bring it back to your partner. Once it reaches them, both of you complete twenty squats together."
A ripple of unease moved through the lines.
The log was enormous well over eighty-five kilos. Heavy was one thing. Balancing it while running back was another.
"Move," Drake commanded. "I've marked the line. Take your positions."
Pairs stepped forward and made their choices.
Cael glanced at Elyra.
"What do you want to do?"
He didn't want to decide for her. Not without asking.
"You run," Elyra said calmly, eyes fixed ahead. "You're faster, and your balance is better. I'll handle the squats."
"You sure?"
"Completely. Now go."
Across the field, runners stepped forward
Cael.
Varric.
Rowan.
Thessa.
Several others.
All eyes locked onto the log resting in the distance.
Mr. Drake dropped his hand.
They ran.
The ground thundered under their feet. Dust scattered into the air as speed overtook hesitation. One by one, they reached the log and lifted.
It was brutal.
The weight dragged at their shoulders. The balance shifted with every step. Muscles strained. Teeth clenched. Still, no one stopped. Not here. Not now.
Varric moved first.
He lifted with a low breath, jaw tight, and turned back with controlled force.
Cael struggled for a moment before stabilizing the weight.
Thessa forced hers up with pure determination.
This wasn't just about strength.
It was about control.
One by one, they staggered back toward their partners.
Varric reached first.
Cael followed.
Thessa came next.
As the log reached Elyra, she caught it, adjusted the balance instantly, and dropped into position.
"One."
She began the squats without hesitation.
Nearby, Varric steadied the log for his partner.
"Balance first," he told him. "Then move."
Thessa reached Mireya.
"Careful," she said quietly. "Stay steady."
Time bled away.
Legs began to shake. Some cadets collapsed under the strain. Others fell mid-squat.
"You're out, Jessic," Drake said flatly.
"Roino. Jelo. Out."
One by one, he dismissed them.
Elyra kept moving.
Controlled. Precise.
Twenty squats. Complete.
Varric's partner missed by one.
Mireya fell short by one as well.
Drake watched them all with an unreadable expression.
Good,"
Mr. Drake said at last, his voice carrying across the field.
"You all did well for a first day. You didn't reach this place by accident. It took effort to stand here and I can see that effort in most of you."
He paused, letting his gaze move over the exhausted cadets.
"Rest for now. The next training begins shortly."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Cael stepped toward Elyra, who was still seated on the ground, breathing heavily from the strain. He offered his hand.
She took it and rose to her feet.
"Thanks, Cael."
He gave a small nod.
Mireya hurried over, still catching her breath.
"Wow. Elyra, Cael you two did great," she said.
"Thanks," Elyra replied. "You did really well too."
Cael nodded in agreement.
Elyra glanced around.
"Where's Thessa?"
"No idea," Mireya said,
looking back toward where Thessa had been standing moments earlier.
"She said she had something to take care of and left."
Cael glanced at Elyra and Mireya.
"I'll get some water. Mireya, do you want some too?" he asked.
"Yes—if it's not a problem," Mireya replied with a small smile.
"No problem," Cael said, already turning away. "I'll be right back."
He headed toward the stream.
Mireya watched him go, then looked at Elyra.
"Cael really takes care of you," she said. "You've known each other a long time?"
Elyra met her gaze.
"Yes. We've argued since childhood," she said lightly. "We rarely agree on anything. Doubt is… constant."
Mireya hummed.
"Still, when it came to teaming up, you took the lead."
Elyra gave a faint smile.
"Someone has to make decisions when it matters."
Both laughed,
"Come on," Mireya said, nudging her. "Let's sit over there."
They moved to a bench and sat down together.
At the river, Cael knelt and filled his hands with water, drinking deeply. Then he filled two bottles.
As he rose, a deep voice spoke behind him.
"You did well."
Cael turned. Varric stood a few steps away, watching.
"Thanks," Cael said. "You and Rowan did well too."
He began filling another bottle.
Varric's gaze dropped to the bottles.
"Looks like you're more tired than I thought. Two bottles weren't enough?"
"No," Cael said evenly. "One for my partner, Elyra. The other for Mireya. I was coming anyway, so I thought "
"That you'd bring some for them too?" Varric finished.
Cael nodded once.
"Yes."
Varric studied him for a moment.
"Interesting," he said. "A prince doing a commoner's errands."
Cael's expression hardened.
"Mind your business, VARRIC"
"I'm not insulting you," Varric replied calmly. "Just curious. It's rare to see someone of royal blood helping so freely."
"Elyra is my friend," Cael said, his voice firm. "A good one. That's all that matters. What she is or isn't doesn't concern you. And it shouldn't matter to you either."
He picked up the bottles and walked past him without another word.
Author;KRIS