Niel sat up straight in bed as a soft ray of sunlight drifted across his face.
"Hmm, morning already," he muttered.
He paused as his stomach let out a loud, empty growl.
Niel placed a hand on his forehead, sinking into thought.
I slept so long without even eating a thing.
He gently touched the bruise on his brow and sighed.
I'm such an idiot. Hurting myself like this when I have training tomorrow...
His hand came to an abrupt stop.
He repeated his own words in his head.
Training tomorrow.
Realization hit him.
His eyes widened.
He was going to have to survive that excruciating training all over again.
As if on cue, his bedroom door was suddenly pushed open by none other than Sky.
She stepped inside, only to find Niel instantly freezing before letting out a loud, exaggerated snore.
He was pretending to be asleep.
Sky looked down at him with a perfectly calm expression.
"I know you're not asleep," she said flatly.
Her words hit him instantly, causing Niel to flinch at the mere sound of her voice.
Minutes passed, and there was still no reaction from Niel beyond that initial flinch.
Sky's expression shifted.
He was actually continuing this ridiculous act, pretending to be oblivious despite the fact that she had literally watched him flinch.
She tapped her foot impatiently against the wooden floor.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Her voice turned dangerously cold.
"Do you want me to start your first training session right here in this room?"
Hearing that threat, Niel immediately abandoned his act.
He stretched his arms and yawned loudly, trying to look as surprised as possible.
"Oh, Sky! When did you get here?"
Niel quickly realized she wasn't buying his act.
He sighed in defeat and pulled back the covers.
"I'll get ready for training," he said softly, sliding his legs out of bed.
"A person who desires something deeply would do anything in their power to get it," Sky said suddenly.
Her black eyes locked onto his golden ones.
"Your reason for coming here is to win the heart of your kingdom's princess, but your actions are leaving me rather confused, Niel Adamson."
Niel stopped dead in his tracks.
He looked at her, his face becoming thoughtful.
Sky didn't break eye contact.
"You should be eager to train. After all, it is the only way you will ever gain the strength you need to achieve your goals."
"Well, if training consisted of something other than getting brutally beaten up and mocked, then I would have been more excited," Niel replied, keeping his expression perfectly calm.
Sky's brow twitched.
Niel pushed himself up from the bed and stood to face her.
He looked down at the palm of his hand as he spoke.
"I am eager. But I also see the bigger picture. Pushing my body through relentless training without rest won't make me stronger—it will only break my body down."
The room fell silent.
Niel and Sky stood facing one another, neither willing to yield.
They both wanted to achieve their goals.
But they believed the path toward those goals required very different things.
The tense silence was suddenly broken as the door swung open.
Neela stepped inside, looking for her daughter.
"Sky, is Ni—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
Her eyes moved between Niel standing beside the bed and Sky standing near the door.
The atmosphere was immediately awkward.
"What is going on here?" Neela asked, looking back and forth between them.
Sky didn't even look back at her mother.
"It's nothing, Mother," she said flatly. "I was just discussing something with Niel."
As she spoke, she fixed Niel with a fierce stare.
Niel shifted uncomfortably beneath it and finally looked away.
Even with his eyes on the floor, he could still feel her watching him.
Sky turned away and exited the room.
Her sudden departure left Neela staring after her in confusion, while Niel finally released a long breath.
"Niel, did something happen between you two?" Neela asked, turning her attention back to him.
Niel didn't answer immediately.
He kept his eyes fixed on the open doorway for a moment before quietly answering,
"It's nothing too serious. We just don't see eye to eye, is all."
After listening to him, Neela lowered her gaze for a moment.
When she looked back at him, her expression softened.
"Niel," she said quietly, pausing as if searching for the right words. "Why..."
Before she could finish, a loud, empty rumble echoed through the room.
Niel's stomach had answered for him.
Niel stared at her.
Then his entire face turned bright red.
Seeing his embarrassment, Neela put her questions aside and let out a soft chuckle.
"Oh my, I totally forgot you slept right through supper. You must be absolutely starving."
She turned toward the bedroom door and gestured for him to follow.
"Come on, there's some leftover food from yesterday."
She exited the room ahead of him.
Neela continued down the hallway toward the kitchen but stopped when she heard Niel's voice behind her.
"Lady Neela, thank you."
She turned around.
Niel stood in the doorway with a soft, genuine smile.
He pointed toward his waist, gesturing to the strips of his own garments that had been cut up and wrapped neatly around his torso.
Sky stood atop the high ground, a wooden scarecrow standing silently before her.
With a swift motion, she unsheathed her sword.
She wrapped both hands firmly around the hilt and took a deep, steadying breath.
Her mind drifted back to her earlier encounter with Niel.
His calm face.
His frustrating words.
Her grip tightened.
She lifted the heavy sword high into the air.
Then she swung.
The blade sliced through the air in a flash of steel, cutting the scarecrow cleanly in half.