Kaden made his way through the halls and towards the palace arena, his weapon strapped across his back in a makeshift sling. He'd constructed the apparatus to hold it firmly and at the ready.

He was certain Sakhar Bul would be waiting for him and furious that the Karo Shar was late for his daily lessons. Kaden would just have to explain that his tardiness, again, was due to Hernah and her desire for sex every time the suns rose to accompany the go they had every night.

The oppressive demands had been going on since the day she walked into his room weeks ago. And while pleasurable, the near constant lovemaking sometimes left Kaden exhausted throughout the day.

Princess Lyla's slave wasn't much for conversation, but Kaden tried to talk to the young woman nonetheless. He wanted to see if there was more to her than simply a vessel for sex. He felt a need to connect with her because beyond the pleasure of their romps, the time he was spending with her was unfulfilling. And, if he were honest, he was getting bored with that. There was only so much pleasure to be derived from a toy, which is what Hernah basically was.

Six sunsrises ago Prince Relastin had left to deal with an incursion on Ison's western border. Isol, Ison's neighbor, was growing restless and Prince Duror wanted to test his brother's resolve.

This was not an uncommon occurrence. Prince Duror, Son of Arban, was jealous of his brother's progress towards the Gates and regularly marched an army out into the Barrens to stir conflict and distract him.

Since then, and until the prince returned, Sakhar Bul was the one solely seeing to the Karo Shar's training. Sakhar Bul enjoyed their sessions immediately at sunsup. The prince preferred to at least have a breakfast first.

As Kaden made his way to the arena, he couldn't help but noticed the sound of ringing combat on the air. Someone was already engaging in some practice. Entering, the Karo Shar saw a sight that stunned him.

Sakhar Bul was there, face covered as always, bare chested as to display his manly features. But his opponent was what truly astonished Kaden.

Twisting like a dust devil upon the desert sands, Princess Lyla clashed swords against him.

Her armor was hardly that. Mostly they were red silks that flowed smoothly upon the air. But she wore a small breastplate that hugged her bosom tightly, flattening her womanly figure. There was a belt and two guards on her upper arms. But nothing else for real armor.

She sliced her twin swords around and around with a smooth fury that prevented any attack from Sakhar Bul from succeeding in striking her. Kaden could tell just from watching that the guard captain was trying much harder against her than he'd ever tried thus far against the young Karo Shar.

The dance continued, it seemed, until the princess decided she had enough. Deftly, she disarmed Sahkar Bul and planted a foot into his ribs that pushed him to the ground. Kaden had never seen the mighty warrior in such an undignified position. She crossed her blades across his neck and waited for him to yield. That surrender came with the utmost haste.

Princess Lyla backed off, but did not offer her defeated foe any assistance in standing. She then, and only then, noticed Kaden lingering and watching her.

"That was impressive," Kaden said, entering the arena fully.

The princess smiled at the compliment, pushing back a wisp of hair that had fallen. "Sahkar Bul," she said to the man Kaden was supposed to meet. "Leave us."

"My princess," the defeated man stammered as he rose and recovered his sword. "The prince has left the Karo Shar in my—"

"I will take care of his training today. You are dismissed. Make sure we are not disturbed." The proclamation stunned Kaden and Sakhar Bul simultaneously, and neither moved. That forced the princess to be more aggressive. "If you don't leave now, next time we spar, and you lose, you won't keep your head."

Sakhar Bul bowed deeply as he backed up. "Yes, my princess." He then hastily left, all while the princess smiled at being obeyed.

"I didn't know you could fight," Kaden said, approaching.

The princess ran her swords back through the loops on either side of her belt. Even as they hung there, they were menacing. She struck a pose that was a cross between annoyance and something else that Kaden couldn't place.

"Why?" She asked. "Because I'm a woman?"

"Because the thrones do not allow women to fight."

Princess Lyla's laughter spoke to the deep humor she found in the statement that was considered common wisdom. "Women do not fight? Oh, my dear Karo Shar, my boy, women used to fight for Imeron all the time."

"Wait, what?" Kaden lost his breath and his words. "They did? I've never read of such in any of the historical texts."

"No, of course you haven't." She redrew her swords and allowed their ringing to provide emphasis. "Now, as I said to Sakhar Bul, I will conduct your training today."

"Ah, ok." Kaden felt as though disagreeing was not the prudent option. Although he was unsure agreeing was any more reasonable. He unslung his pole arm with the blade on one end and the fork on the other from his back.

The maneuver was awkward, and he needed practice in doing such. He readied his stance, recalling the latest he'd read on techniques for fighting with spears and similar weapons.

"That is an impressive weapon," the princess said. "But I doubt you know how to use it."

"I've been reading." A swipe of the bladed end down before him emphasized Kaden's attempt at intimidation.

"And is that all you've learned?" She mocked him. For her response, Princess Lyla performed a ballet of fluttering silk and twisting swords that ended with a spin and twist of her body and a raised eyebrow that uttered the silent words, 'You're going to be in for it now, boy'.

Kaden was unfamiliar with the combat stance she was now in. He'd never fought against a foe with two swords. Unless one counted the Night Terror and the twelve on the tips of its fingers. He just stood there and wondered what to do next.

The princess solved that problem for him. Her leap at him was graceful and smooth and aggressive—like a stoke of lightning. Her swords came at him one at a time and Kaden deflected both with clangs off opposing ends of the weapon.

"You have learned some things," the princess acknowledged as she stepped back. It wasn't a retreat, more like give giving him some room. And a chance to fear what would happen next.

Kaden decided to show her what he'd learn. Adjusting his grip, he held the forked end out in front of him. He widened his stance and shuffled his feet towards her, bringing the bladed end around and then punching it forward like a spear towards her head.

She sidestepped, and Kaden lost balance and fumbled forward. The princess rewarded him with a fist to his jaw, but otherwise let him recover without further attacking him.

She shook her head. "Your thought process is good, but your technique is shit."

Like a whirlwind, the princess came at him again. Kaden blocked and blocked and block some more with alternating ends of his weapon. Each time backing up and giving ground.

"You're being too passive," the princess scolded. "Stop looking for the perfect opportunity and take whatever you can find."

Kaden couldn't find anything. It was all he could do to just keep up and defend. Although, Kaden could tell she wasn't being as aggressive or fast as she had been against Sahkar Bul. And he was thankful she was showing him a little mercy.

When there was a fraction of a second longer between a pair of her strikes, Kaden swung the forked end around in a wide arc. The princess ended her assault to duck. She bent over backwards as the shaft flew above her head. At that moment, Kaden decided to try to follow through and sweep her leg. Same as Prince Relastin had done to him.

He went for it. And he missed spectacularly. He missed because the princess back flipped away and was now out of range.

That was when Kaden saw the diabolical spark in her eye. One that told him he was about to be in for it. The princess decided she'd had enough play time.

When she came back at him, there was no quarter attack speed. Everything was at full force and velocity. Her blades churned like the teeth in the maw of the Night Terror.

Kaden managed to block the first two strikes, although the second one only barely and by the rarest of luck. But the third and forth saw the blades of her swords bite into the skin on the back of his hands. The fiery pain that ensured forced him to drop his weapon.

In mid attack, the princess halted. "Seriously? You dropped your weapon? I barely cut you?"

Kaden clutched at the wounds that stung. He risked a look, but when he did, he felt ashamed. The wounds didn't even bleed much. That was how minor they were. The skill of the princess saved him for worse injury.

"Damn, they hurt," he complained.

"The Karo Shar cannot be this weak!"

Kaden rubbed at the wounds that barely qualified as such. "Sorry to disappoint you."

"I cannot have someone this pathetic by my side. Do you understand me, Karo Shar? If you want to be my husband, you need strength and courage without a reliance on essence. And you need better skill." The princess slammed both her swords back into their place at her side. "Do you want revenge?" she asked. "For what my brother did to your father?"

Stunned, Kaden stared at her. He didn't know what to say.

"Do you think I don't know?" the princess continued. "That I don't know what roils in your heart, Karo Shar? I see it through your eyes, even as you try to hide it."

"I am loyal to the prince." Kaden tried to avoid the treasonous subject.

"Well, see, then that's going to be a problem between us. And your desire to lie to me is going to be another. You see, as I have said, I have plans, Kaden, Son of Orl, Traitor of Ison. And those plans can either involve you, or not."

"And those plans are?"

"Oh, you are impatient," the princess stared hard at Kaden. "That is a poor quality in a warrior. See, I'm going to rule this land. And you can either be by my side and in my bed, or not."

"And how's that going to work exactly?" Kaden's tongue grew bold. "Last time I checked, your brother wasn't exactly the sort to just abdicate. And, uh, I don't know how to break this to you, but there's another problem with that little plan of yours."

"Really? Are you referring to the fact that I have tits rather than a cock?"

Kaden answered bluntly once he overcame the shock of her words. "Well, yes."

Princess Lyla laughed. "You don't have any idea, do you?"

"Uh, apparently not?"

"Until not that long ago, the women of Imeron fought bravely alongside of the men. Both in the Barrens and in the Abyss. Princesses even sat upon the thrones and some became High Queens of Imeron." The princess wouldn't pause to allow Kaden to say anything. "There was even a ninth throne called Ieron—The Kingdom of the Barren Sands. What we now call only the Barrens. Ieron was always ruled by a princess, and her army was comprised of only great women warriors. They were called the Sava Warrioressses, and they protected all routes between all the other kingdoms. Keeping them clear of bandits and, at night, the Black Rohs."

"Wait, huh? A ninth throne?"

"Yes."

"And queens and princesses and warrior women?" Kaden scratched his head in disbelief.

"Yes." There a certain annoyance evident in the word as the princess repeated it.

"Why are they gone now? What happened to them if they were so great?"

"They were purged from memory and censored by men. Men who wish to rule with less competition for their power. You see, the Princess of Ieron often made the Gates on par with any man ruling any of the eight other thrones. And after all these sunsrises and sunsets, we're ready to return to our rightful place."

"O...k. And you are, I assume, planning on—"

"Killing my brother." Princess Lyla had grown irritable and completed Kaden's thought for him. "And taking his place."

Kaden's mind contemplated the information. His silence drew another response from the princess.

"You don't think I can do it?" she growled.

"No. Uh, I mean," Kaden was having trouble getting his mouth to follow his mind. "I just saw you kick shit out of Sakhar Bul. So, obviously you can fight. But you're going to have to fight the entire Royal Guardians of Ison if you want to do what you're saying."

The princess stalked up to her soon to be husband. "Oh, Kaden." She patted him on his cheek with gentle slaps. "You'll see what my plan involves." She walked away from him. After a couple steps she stopped to feed him further information. "But I need my husband, the Karo Shar, to be ready. And not so weak as to discard his weapon upon receiving a mere paper cut. Can you do that? Can you be ready?"

"I assume you're not giving me a choice in this matter?"

"No. And if you want your revenge, and know what's best for you, you'll go along with my plans." She started once more to leave, but stopped again. "Oh, and go lick your pathetic little wounds. Then meet me back here tomorrow and I'll show you how to use that thing you carry strapped to your back."