Chapter 30

The pine trees danced gracefully to the rhythm of the wind coming from the lush green hills. You could hear the distant sound of flowing fresh water, harmonizing with the sound of the unknown forest. The striking hues of green, brown and blue dominated the surrounding as Sienna adjusted her eyes to the beauty around her.

The ancient stone castle standing proud in front of her was magnificent. The cracks and chips on the stonewall made it look historic and as she stared upon it, she could not help but feel like she was in the Middle Ages. Even though Sienna has her own castle, this was nothing compared to it.

Before leaving London, Sienna asked Jesse about this mysterious ‘knight’. The lascivious reaction from her girlfriends made her very curious and for some reason, neither of the girls would speak about their guilty weak moment. But to her vain, the only reply Jesse said was “ If you want the answer to that question, you need to see it with your own eyes.”

So here she was, standing in front of the Thurnberg castle near Koblenz, Germany for her monarch training. The location could not have been better. Lexy would never be able to trace her all the way to the small town of Wellmich in the southwest of Germany.

The door of the castle opened and a man in black suit came out with two other men behind him. The man in the suit had striking white hair, a face that aged gracefully and a very strong posture. To Sienna, he looked like a sterner version of Darius’s butler.

“Welcome Miss Masenfer. I am Dewitt, chamberlain of Thurnberg castle,” said the black-suited man with a German accent. Surprisingly his tone of voice did not sound stern to Sienna in any way. It sounded benevolent to her.

“Guten abend Dewitt,” replied Sienna with a smile.

“Guten abend to you too. The servants will take your luggage to your room and you can rest for the evening. It must have been a long journey to come here,” said Dewitt as he escorted her inside the castle.

“It was a long journey actually. So when do I finally get to meet Knight?” asked Sienna anxiously. The two men carried her luggage upstairs which Dewitt led. Sienna followed him swiftly through the maize like castle.

“ He is actually training right now but you are welcomed to see him. He thought that after the tiring journey, you would want to rest first,” said Dewitt as they arrived in front of a huge wooden door with old fashion gold door handles. The room was a colossal with carpeted walls and stone floors. The bed had a heavy wooden frame and was curtained with burgundy linen hangings. The windows were stretched out on one side of the room and were overlooking the town of Wellmich.

“By your bedside drawer is a navigation and communication device. A map and directory of the whole castle is installed in there. If you wish to go anywhere in the castle premises, the NAVCO could be of great assistance,” continued Dewitt as his men left the room.

“Great. Thank you Dewitt,” replied Sienna with a smile as she turned on the NAVCO.

“You are welcome. Knight will be in training room one of you wish to meet him. If you ever need me just use the NAVCO. Have a nice stay Miss Masenfer,” he said as he closed the wooden door.

Sienna immediately took of her suede Balenciaga boots and opted for a pair of comfy blue Keds. She tied her hair into a high ponytail and started browsing through the NAVCO. Training room one was located three floors up on the west wing. With one quick look at the small town, she was out of the room.

Sienna passed through vast portraits and knights armors that occupied the hallways. The NAVCO led her to a flight of stone steps that led her straight to the third floor. The evening rays shined through the small circular windows by the stairs, causing halos of light on the steps. Sienna finally arrived at a big bolted door. Before she could take one step forward, the door was already opened.

Training room one was a long rectangular room with a long maroon carpet covering from one end of the room to the other. On one corner of the room was stocked with swords and sharp weaponry, which hanged in glass cupboards on the wall. There were also various designs of swords hanged up in plaques on the wall in between the windows.

In the middle of the room swiftly parrying each other’s attack were two men. They were both fighting using a different type of weapon than a pariser. What surprised Sienna was that neither of them was wearing the standard fencing protective gear. They both attacked and parried each other with speed and precision. One of the males had a weak moment so the contender took the opportunity and gave him an unexpected strike.

The striker then walked forward to the glass cupboard of weapons, not revealing his face to Sienna. The other guy, the one who got attacked placed his sword between his teeth and took out a bandage from his left pocket. Sienna saw the blood trickling down his right wrist and immediately came up to him.

Sienna took the sword form his mouth and placed it on the floor. She then took the bandage from him and ripped it into two. She took one half of the bandage to wipe the blood off and then she gently wrapped his wrist with the other half.

The guy just stood there and observed how attentively Sienna tried to stop the bleeding. He saw the hint of horror in her gray eyes when he was struck and the solicitude when she handled his hand.

“Such a compassionate future monarch. Not like the others,” he said from under his eyelashes. Sienna was startled by the word ‘future monarch’. She immediately looked up and almost drowned into his limpid blue eyes.

“Being a monarch does not give me the excuse to be egotistic. You should put some antibiotic on this wound, just in case,” said Sienna after she securely tied the bandage.

“ I will remember that. I am Karsten Kirshenbaum by the way,” he said with a smile. Sienna took a good look at him and analyzed his features. He had more of a pretty boy sort of face to Sienna. His dark blonde hair was styled in layers and his long lashes emphasized his deep blue eyes.

“I am Sienna Masenfer. Are you by any chance the Knight?” asked Sienna as she crossed her arms.

“No, I am,” said a voice from behind. Sienna gazed at the figure that was walking towards her and Karsten. She instantly knew why her girlfriends gave such lustful reactions at the sound of his name. The Knight had a ravishing visage that was enough to make any girl stop and stare. His hair was a beautiful color of light ash blonde that lightly fell sideways down his forehead. His eyes were a rich shade of green, almost similar to the green forest outside the castle walls. He had beautifully shaped lips that accentuated his strong jaw. Sienna thought he definitely looked like a sexier version of a medieval knight, waiting to save a damsel in distress.

“Duval, but my friends call me Tristan,” he said with an extended hand. Sienna gently shook his hand and caught Karsten gazing her from her blue shoes up to her wavy ponytail.

“ Well I have some duties I need to attend to. It is an honor to meet you Sienna. I am truly looking forward to your rein in the society and thank you for your medical assistance,” said Karsten as he picked up his Korbschlager.

“Bye Karsten,” replied Sienna. Before he left the room, Karsten turned around to face Sienna and Tristan.

“Wunderschon,” he said with a smirk

“ Ja doch. Es gereut mich der nachteil. Leb wohl,” said Tristan to him in fluent German. When Karsten left the room, Sienna turned back her attention to the striking Tristan.

“What did he say?” asked Sienna curiously.

“He said you were very beautiful,” replied Tristan casually with crossed arms.

“And what did you said?” asked Sienna as she narrowed her eyes.

“I agreed with him. So do you like what you’ve seen?” he said in the same casual tone, like it was no surprise that Sienna was an attractive person.

“I like your way of fighting but when it comes to your physical features, I have seen better,” replied Sienna, trying to hide her smile with a pout. She had no doubt that he was a captivating person but Darius would always standout to her.

“Sardonic little monarch. Tell me Sienna what are you doing here?” asked Tristan in a more serious tone.

“To learn how to defend myself,” replied Sienna instantly.

“Defend yourself from who?” he asked again. That question made all the horrific events swirl inside Sienna’s head. She remembered all the dangerous vulnerable times. She felt once again all the fear, the worry, the pain and the rage.

“Everyone. Everyone who is against my family, everyone that disapproves of my love towards Darius, everyone that thinks I do not deserve to be a monarch. I am not here to prove to all of you that I deserve this position. I am here to prove to myself that I can be a great leader,” said Sienna with sincerity.

“Your aim is set and I am here to help you achieve it, Sienna. Are you well enough to start right now?” he asked as he grabbed a pariser from the nearby cupboard.

“Absolutely.”

“All right. But let me warn you that I am very strict when it comes to training people. I do not tolerate grousers or tantrums. When we are practicing, I am the instructor and you are the novice. Are we clear?” he said as he gyrated Sienna while playing dangerous tricks on his pariser.

“Yes,” replied Sienna instantly, not taking her eyes off the flying pariser.

“Good. So tell me what sort of activities or sports you do,” asked Tristan, still circling her with the pariser.

“Well when I was young my mum immersed me in a lot of things. I did equestrian for a while and also fencing. My dad thought me how to arch and drive fast cars,” answered Sienna. She suddenly remembered her first horse when she was 9, the firm gripping of her pariser, the satisfaction of hitting a bulls eye and the adrenaline rush she had when she drove more than the speed limit allowed.

“This means you have all the basics. All I need to do is refresh your memory and train you to use your skills for combat. It should not be hard for you but it will be tiring,” he said with a halt.

“Not hard? What you did with Karsten was so fast and you both did it with such precision. You call that easy? And what do you mean I have all the basics?” asked Sienna.

“Sword fighting is somewhat similar to fencing. There are just more complicated moves and you fight with a sword than a simple pariser. By learning archery, you know how to hit a target, which is useful for a lot of things. It seems like both of your parents have already exposed you to the fighting skills of the society at a very young age. You just haven’t noticed it before,” explained Tristan. Quickly he threw the pariser he was holding directly at Sienna. Sienna amazingly caught it by the handle.

“You are very swift, Sienna. Why don’t you get use to the pariser, refresh your memory a little. Your practicing schedule is in your NAVCO. We will begin practice tomorrow morning at 6.30 sharp. Good day Miss Masenfer,” said Tristan with a charming smile. He then left her in the training for the evening.

As the door closed, Sienna examined the pariser in her hand. She thrust the weapon forward while balancing her feet at the same time. She tried to recall all the moves and tactics of fencing that she learned when she was young. She bended her wrist and turn it clockwise effortlessly to do a simple quarte move. Apparently she still remembers the moves.

Sienna was determined to succeed. She was going to do whatever it takes to bring out the warrior in her, the monarch in her. After this, she would be a better and stronger Sienna Masenfer. She would evolve into the great monarch that her family wanted her to be, the monarch that would bring salvation to Eternelle Situation De Trio.

~*~

After breakfast the next morning, Sienna went back to training room one for her practice. On her way there, she checked her training schedule on her NAVCO. Apparently her training sessions will continue for the next 12 weeks. Twice a week for 3 hours, she would have to study about the society history at the library. Sienna did not mind, she would do anything she can to be the best.

“Good morning Sienna. Suit up, your suit is on the chesterfield,” said Tristan who was fully dressed in his white fencing attire. Sienna instantly put on her white Kevlar padded fencing jacket and gloves. Tristan then threw her a pariser, which she caught easily.

“The type of fencing we are practicing with today is Epee because this type, your target is not restricted. Now before you attack, I want you study all the possible angles you could strike me with. In combat you must think and strike fast. No hesitation should appear,” said Tristan.

With that, they both put on their fencing masks. They saluted each other with their parisers and took position. Tristan made the first strike that was parried off by Sienna. Sienna quickly replied with a septime move but missed and was struck by Tristan on the torso.

“Try to anticipate your opponent’s next move,” said Tristan as they moved slowly in a circle, waiting to strike each other. Tristan attacked first with a lost tempo move and Sienna parried it off.

Tristan maintained balance and observed Sienna’s determination. Then he quickly riposted but Sienna counter parried it and lunge forward afterwards with a counterattack. Unexpected by the first time counterattack, Tristan did a counter time, which lead Sienna to lose her pariser.

“ That counterattack was a brave dauntless move. I would never expect it on our first fight. You have good footwork and balance but you lack anticipation. You need to gather instinctive understanding of your opponent’s actions and responses,” commented Tristan.

Sienna picked up her pariser and process all of his words.

“Anticipate opponent’s actions and responses. Got it. Shall we go again?” asked Sienna with a smile. Tristan admired her tenacity and lifted his pariser for an on guard position.

~*~

The learning transition from fencing to sword fighting was somewhat easy for Sienna. She just had to get use to holding a heavier and lethal weapon. It took some time for Sienna to fairly defeat Tristan because he was a very handy swordsman with unexpected tricks and cunning tactics up his sleeve. But after much practice, Sienna was getting faster and better in her sword moves.

Archery was facile to Sienna compared to sword fighting. All she had to do was imagine Lexy Pierce’s head on the target, a fatuous but very effective trick. After the first week, Sienna received a small token from Tristan in the form of a small pocketknife. Its handle was made of light brown wood and dangerously attached to it was a shiny clip blade. Before going to bed, Sienna would flip it open and then flip it back in multiple times in a very fast motion. She continued doing it until it practically became a habit for her. She would walk around the castle unconsciously as she toyed rapidly with the pocketknife.

After spending much time with Tristan, the slight infatuation towards him dissolved in Sienna. As charming as Tristan is, he is mostly a sedulous, vigilant and sometimes shrewd person. Chivalry and solicitude were his best qualities but it rarely showed during training. Their relationship evolved into a brother-sister camaraderie, which mostly circulated around the feelings of vexation and cynicism. Irksome usually boils up in Sienna due to Tristan’s inability to tolerate weakness. So slowing down and stopping during training would lead to a belligerent howling from Tristan.

As occupied as Sienna was, loneliness would somehow find its ways into Sienna’s heart. Sienna sometimes would yearn for her friends but the ache for Darius was constant the whole time she was there. She was allowed to go out from the castle premises but unfortunately the small town of Welmich did not offer much fascination except for its irrepressible beauty. But her desolation was perished due to the arrival of a certain person.

It was a Tuesday morning on the 7th week of training. Sienna entered the dining hall as she inhaled the wonderful smell of freshly brewed coffee. But instead of finding Tristan sitting at his usual seat at the long table, she saw a slender olive skinned girl sitting on the right side of Tristan’s seat.

She was wearing a short navy silk robe and her glossy dark brown hair was swept to one side. She was reading the newspaper as her perfectly manicured finger was fiddling with the silverware. Sensing someone was watching her; the girl turned her head and locked eyes with Sienna. Smiles flitted across both their faces as they saw each other for the first time in a while.

“Good morning Sienna,” she said happily as she stood up.

“Meraille…” said Sienna, surprised by her presence. They both hugged each other and as they let go, Sienna could not help but smell a familiar scent that was lingering on Meraille’s skin.

“So how are you holding up with all the training? Is Tristan making you wake up this early everyday?” asked Meraille as they both sat down opposite of each other.

“ Yeah. By the way, where is he? He is usually the first one to wake up in this place,” asked Sienna as she poured herself a cup of coffee and dwelled upon Tristan’s mysterious absence.

“He is still sleeping and do not worry, your practice this morning will be adjourn because Tristan will most probably be too tired. He did not get much sleep last night,” explained Meraille as she took a bite off her toast.

“What was he doing last night?” asked Sienna curiously. Meraille just lifted her left shoulder in a shrug and gave Sienna a very mystifying half smile. With the movement of Meraille’s shoulder, the sleeve of her robe slid down to reveal a lacy white and blue bra.

Sienna suddenly realized the familiar scent that was all over Meraille and a smirk crossed her face. Apparently her observant habit can accidentally answer all the unanswered questions. The sense of surprise did not leave Sienna as she said her next words.

“No wonder you smell like him,” said Sienna with a raised eyebrow. A laugh escaped Meraille’s thin lips as she silently praised Sienna’s observant behavior. Moments later, Sienna joined in the jocose atmosphere.

“I did you a favor. Now you have the whole morning off,” said Meraille in between giggles.

“I’m not mocking you. Ok maybe I was a little sarcastic but I have always been that way. I guess I’m just stunned that one of my friends is dating my trainer. Wait, you two are dating right? This is not a secret affair or a one time hook up,” asked Sienna.

“No it is not a hook up. I have been with Tristan for a year and a half now,” replied Meraille with a smile. Now that flabbergasted Sienna. A year and a half was a long time. Sienna kept wondering why neither of them mentioned anything.

“How come you have never told me that you are dating one of the most ravishing guys in the society? I mean seriously, when Jesse mentioned his name for the first time, the look on Teagan and Julez’s faces suddenly lit up like he was a this chivalrous knight. I had to wait till I met him face to face in order to understand Teagan and Julez’s reaction,” said Sienna, finally admitting to someone that Tristan was actually a good looking guy. Sienna’s remark made Meraille smile even more.

“ I am used to reactions like what Julez and Teagan expressed to you. Everyone has a little crush on my knight. But excuse me Sienna, you are the girl that tamed and conquered the heart of the society’s most eligible future monarch,” replied Meraille with a pout. Sienna contemplated on Meraille’s words about Darius and her. Sienna never thought of her relationship with Darius as an achievement. She did not even know that Darius was as desired as he is until later on in their relationship.

The similarity of the two girls dating a coveted guy in the society was obvious but there was a big difference. Meraille was still able to call Tristan her own. Sienna kept wondering if she still could consider Darius as her own. Does she still have the prerogative to refer to Darius as ‘my love’?

Suddenly a very shirtless Tristan entered the dining hall and for once his gorgeous blonde hair was not immaculately in place. Instead it was immaculately messy in the most desirable way. It was the first time Sienna saw the knight’s lusty bare chest and washboard abs and she thanked god no salacious thoughts invaded her mind.

Tristan looked up and was shocked to see Sienna seating by the table. It was like for a second, he totally forgot that Sienna was even in the castle. Sienna stared at him with her arms crossed and eyes narrowed. Tristan looked tired but there no doubt that there was a hint of sparkle in his eyes that morning. Sienna could already guess where the sparkle came from.

“ Good morning,” said Meraille lovingly to him. With those words, Tristan suddenly snapped back into reality.

“Sorry, good morning. Sienna I am sorry for my late awakening today. We could start your horse riding activities this afternoon if you do not mind. I am surprisingly still exhausted…” explained Tristan who was almost jabbering with his words.

“ You two must had one hell of a night,” said Sienna under her breath that brought a kick to her leg by Meraille who heard what she said.

“ No explanation is needed Tristan. I understand. You can go back to sleep if you want to. Plus I think it would be better if Meraille joined you too,” she said with a cheeky smile to Meraille. Meraille got out of her seat with rolling eyes and went towards Tristan.

“She knows about us. The little monarch figured it out herself. Come on, let’s go,” said Meraille as she took Tristan’s hand. A wave of relief wash through Tristan who was suddenly happy that he was not there during Sienna’s discovery of his relationship with Meraille.

“ Horse training after lunch, all right?” he said, smiling for the first time that morning.

“All right… Now go!” said Sienna with giggles. Tristan placed his hands around Meraille’s waist and they both left the room.