The distinct cold sharp point of a sword pressed against her chest, directly over her heart. Aila's eyes flew open on instinct as she awoke from her sleep, immediately registering that she wasn't inside her tent. She didn't make any sudden movements, aware that any could kill her.

Her eyes met familiar blue ones as she registered Kaiden standing beside her, his swordpoint currently a millimetre above her chest.

She released a breath as he grinned and withdrew the sword.

"I believe you owe me a rematch, milady."

"That's not an appropriate way to wake someone up, milord." Aila glared at him, mocking him with the nickname. She turned her gaze to a bored-looking Castor, who was leaning against the trunk of a tree and watching the exchange. "You let him turn his sword on me?"

Castor shrugged. "He promised he wouldn't kill you. It was good enough for me."

Aila rolled her eyes.

Before either of the two men could blink, she was on her feet with her own  sword in her left hand.

"The last match was weaponless," she breathed.

"We've surely improved enough since then to handle a blade, no?" Kaiden raised an eyebrow.

"Suit yourself," Aila shrugged, as she adopted a combat stance and poised her steel, ready to strike.

Kaiden appeared to be waiting for her first move, as if she were still employing the same tactic she used to use all those years ago. Aila smirked internally and held her stance, waiting for his attack.

When he eventually thrusted his blade forward, Aila parried and countered. Kaiden's face was a mask of concentration as he met her sword, strike for strike.

The constant clash of contact was a soundtrack to the battle they waged, each striking, parrying, finding another opening and repeating the process.

Aila's left arm grew heavy with the strain, but she pushed through the pain, imagining her instructor back home shouting at her to continue.

Changing tactics, she began to circle around Kaiden, still maintaining their exchange of blows. Kaiden, less agile and graceful on his feet, found it harder to move that way. She managed to hit him in his torso, having enough control to allow the sword to only rip his shirt, and not draw blood.

Kaiden glanced down at his ripped shirt, making the mistake of losing Aila's eye contact. She drew her sword up, shredding his shirt to pieces and revealing smooth bronze skin and a toned set of abdominal muscles.

Her opponent quickly recovered and thrust his sword out again, whirling on his feet and advancing at such a speed that Aila was unable to maintain the circular movement and instead retreated backwards, unable to find an opening.

Her heart pounded as she ceded the ground to him. Her breath became uneven as Kaiden's blade met hers, but he applied more pressure, forcing it flat. He then knocked the edge of his against hers, and Aila lost her grip, dropping the weapon. She cursed, regretting the fact that her dominant arm was out of action.

Her eyes widened as Kaiden kept advancing, even when her back met a tree. He still approached, closing the distance between them and pressing his blade against her throat. Aila inhaled a sharp breath as the cool steel met her sensitive skin, the scent of cinnamon spice enveloping her like a caress.

His blue eyes blazed with an intense passion as they trailed their way slowly down her face. He was breathing heavily. Aila wished she could know his thoughts in that moment, but his expression was hard to read.

It would've been so easy for him to run her through, to end her and Cas, mount Kallias and gallop to The Dragon Temple, where he'd find the answer to Perador's victory.

Instead, Aila found herself releasing a breath as he cast his sword aside, walked backwards and gestured for her to advance with his fingers. She understood what he meant. He was prolonging the fight, giving her another chance to defeat him in hand to hand combat.

She didn't wait this time, once again reverting to her old strategy of charging to catch him by surprise.

It worked.

She slammed a fist into his gut, sending him half-doubling over. She quickly succeeded the blow with two more before Kaiden blocked, wincing as pain shot through her injured arm. He returned with a blow of his own, not holding anything back; the power behind it knocked the breath out from Aila's lungs and made her wheeze. She raised her leg to kick, but Kaiden swept her leg out from under her, something she had been expecting. As he had done so, she simultaneously grabbed his arm and judo-flipped him over her shoulder, gasping as her arm burned with fire. She ignored the pain and smiled as they both landed in a heap on the floor side by side, out of breath.

Kaiden panted, looking dazed as if he didn't know how he had ended up on the floor. Aila used his confusion to her advantage and rolled to her left side, pinning him down with a foot, her other knee anchored to the ground. She raised a fist above him, ready to strike.

"Concede?"

"Never," Kaiden replied. He tried to roll, but Aila applied pressure with her foot and he winced in pain as even more oxygen evaded him. Aila sent a strong punch to his gut, and he doubled over, clutching his stomach as if the pain from body-slamming the earth and taking so many punches would decrease.

"How about now?"

"Okay," Kaiden wheezed, attempting to chuckle but groaning in pain as Aila's foot left his stomach. "I concede."

Aila could tell he'd gone slightly easier on her. Though he'd still been a formidable opponent, he'd held back at times, unwilling to injure her further. She didn't yet know whether or not she was grateful or irritated, so she chose not to dwell on the fact any longer.

She stood and offered a mock bow to Castor, who had watched the whole fight with interest in his brown eyes and with his breakfast in his hands. She smiled at the sight of Kallias nuzzling against him, as if they were old friends.

Aila offered a hand to Kaiden to pull him to his feet, having a distinct feeling of deja vu from the last time she'd done so.

She wished she could go back to when times were that simple, but then again they weren't all that simple even then. She had just been oblivious.

"Another truce?" Castor asked.

"Perhaps," Aila mused.

"Or two different fights with a victory each," Kaiden suggested.

"Let's just say you're better at swordfighting, and I'm better in a fist-fight," Aila said, frowning at the wound on her arm that had opened, at Kaiden's shirt soaked through with blood.

"Agreed," Kaiden shook her hand, solidifying the label. His eyes flicked to her arm in concern and he took a step forward as if to help, but his eyes shifted to Castor and he retreated awkwardly instead.

It should have been reassuring that they both had different strengths. Though she was still skilled with a sword, and he was still more than capable without one, it meant that as a team they could bring different aspects when facing the trials.

Aila however, couldn't shake that feeling in her gut that told her that as Kaiden's swordfighting ability was slightly more advanced than hers, he'd be able to stick his blade in her back at any given moment.

She just had to be quick enough to evade it when it inevitably came.

Hiya guys! Hope you enjoyed this update, please vote and comment if you did!

Quick question: how many of you do martial arts?

I really want to be able to fight someone like this, in an unrestrained, chaotic way. But in my dojo, we don't make contact, and my family and friends aren't particularly keen on fighting me.

I promise I'm not a violent person. I just want to know if this is a normal desire! 😁

~ MaddyWilson 💙