The sun was just barely rising when Gwen woke up the morning of the second trial. The room was silent; the skittering of servants finally ceased at the early hour. She walked out onto the balcony attached to her room. It overlooked the castle's garden. Gwen felt a quiet peacefulness at the sight.

The gardens were filled with beautiful flowers. The Queen was very fond of the gardens, and Gwen had heard she often tended to them herself. Summer in Othera was warm and humid, ideal for the brightly colored flowers the Queen favored.

She could see the stables where her father worked; he would be arriving to the castle soon. She decided to head down before she had to take the trial. Maybe visiting Midnight would help her focus on the task at hand.

Gwen pulled open her door, wincing at the loud creaking. To her relief Jennings wasn't waiting outside her door. She preferred to be alone with her horse, and had been constantly surrounded by people the last couple of days.

Tiptoeing down the hall Gwen kept a sharp eye out for guards. She knew she wasn't supposed to be wandering around alone, and had been caught more than once. The halls of the castle were starting to make more sense, and she thought she had an idea of where she was headed.

Gwen came upon a large set of doors that led out to the stables, but two guards stood in front of them, chatting quietly. Gwen watched them for a while, waiting for an opportunity to get through. They didn't seem to be moving any time soon so Gwen decided to approach them.

The guards shot her a curious look as she walked up to them. They slowly shifted back to their posts, watching her warily.

"I was just hoping to visit my horse," Gwen said before they could question her.

"You have to be accompanied by a guard. I'm sure that was made perfectly clear yesterday," the taller guard sneered at her, giving her a skeptical look up and down.

Gwen glared at him, not appreciating the rude attitude he was giving her. She tried to push her way past him, but found herself abruptly pulled to a stop and shoved back.

"You heard me the first time. Do I need to repeat myself?" he growled at her. Gwen yanked her arm away and looked to the other guard.

He looked uncomfortable, and was shifting from foot to foot.

"Henry," he said softly, addressing the first guard. "It's the girl, the one the Pr-" he stopped, shooting an embarrassed glance at Gwen.

"Fine." The guard pulled the door open, glaring as Gwen walked through. She shot him a superior smile. "But if I lose my job you'll be hearing from me."

Gwen made her way down the path to the stables, musing over what the guard had said. What were people saying about her? Was he going to say something about Prince Rowan?

The endless questions faded away as Gwen reached the big barn doors. She hadn't been to the castle stables since she was a child and her father had brought her. The pungent smell of the horses overwhelmed her nose and the loose hay crunched under her feet. There were about thirty horses in total, each in a separate stall which lined each wall. She wandered around, searching for her own horse.

A soft murmuring brought Gwen to a halt, just before she rounded a corner. She peeked around, not making a sound. She didn't want to startle the person, or the horse.

In one of the back stables Prince Rowan held an apple, and was coaxing a sickly looking horse towards him. She could see the horse's ribs jutting out through its patchy coat, and its eyes looked sunken and hollow. She could tell it was a very old horse, it turned its head away from the food and Rowan dropped it back into his pocket.

She saw the pain flash through his eyes as he ran a hand down its bony side. She felt like she was intruding on a private moment, but she couldn't bear to miss the tender look on Rowan's usually somber face.

Gwen found herself leaning against the wall, eyes trained on the Prince. She watched him as he methodically groomed the horse. Gwen kept her breathing quiet, hoping he wouldn't notice her. Rowan filled the horse's food and water troughs, working slowly and carefully.

Gwen shifted slightly to keep her eyes on him as he moved further away from her. A board creaked under her foot and she winced. Rowan's head shot up, anger filling his dark eyes. She stepped out from behind the wall, holding her hands up in surrender.

"I'm so sorry, I was just trying to find my horse and I saw you and didn't want to interrupt. I didn't mean to intrude I'm really sorry," Gwen babbled, shame evident on her pink cheeks.

Her jaw dropped as he stalked past her out of the stable, not saying a word. He had never acted so coldly towards her, although she had been very rude to him at the trail.

Gwen gasped; she had forgotten she was supposed to be in the training room by now. She had spent more time than she had meant to watching Rowan, and hadn't even seen her horse.

She sprinted out of the stable, not wanting to be late for the trial again. She passed Rowan on the path, but didn't stop to speak to him. She assumed from his attitude earlier he wouldn't want her to.

She arrived at the training room just as the head guard was explaining their next trial.

They would be paired up to sword fight, depending on their rank in the last task. There was a chalk circle drawn on the floor. If either competitor stepped out or was pinned to the ground, the fight would be over. Two of the King's elite guard would decide who the bottom five were, out of those who lost their fights.

Gwen was desperate to impress the guards. She knew their opinion of her could sway her chances immensely if she got the chance to try for the elite guard herself.

The trial started immediately. Gwen was first, and paired with none other than Benjamin Cartwright, one of the boys who had given her a hard time the previous day. The excitement in the room could be felt, and Gwen tried her best not to let her nerves show. She would prove herself to the guards, and to Rowan, who she hadn't failed to notice was watching intently from the side.

Gwen knew she was outclassed as soon as she stepped into the ring. Training at home she had been very skilled, but she had never trained with a real sword. There were no guards in her family; therefore they had no reason to own one. She had trained with branches, and anything she could find that resembled a sword, but it could have never prepared her for this experience.

The clang of metal on metal hurt Gwen's ears as she struggled to hold her own against the well-trained man in front of her. He was much stronger than her, which made it hard for her to block his blows.

Gwen used the only advantage she had in the situation; while he was large and powerful, she had speed on her side. She deftly danced around the ring, attempting to avoid most of his hits. She knew there was no way she would win like that, but she hoped he would eventually tire of chasing her and become reckless.

Gwen's arms began to ache long before Cartwright started to show any sign of fatigue. Usually the battles were short, and one soldier would obviously have the upper hand.

The jeers of the surrounding competitors filled her ears.

"Coward," one man called to her.

"Afraid to fight like a man," another said.

"Women don't belong in the army," they yelled.

The support for her opposition was clear to Gwen. She knew coming in that she would have no support or respect from the men. She knew she would prove them wrong. She proved them wrong in the archery trial, she could do it now too, she resolved.

Determination flooded through Gwen, her arms and body flew around the ring with a renewed vigor. Cartwright's movements began to slow, and Gwen could get a solid hit in once in a while. She started to gain the upper hand; she was the one pursuing him around the ring. The pounding of excitement in her head drowned the yelling around them out.

A flash of movement took Gwen's attention away from the fight for a brief second. Lurking in the corner behind the rest of the crowd was a tall blonde boy. Although he didn't look like the same boy she remembered. The previously shiny hair hung limply down his forehead and his mischievous eyes had lost their sparkle. He looked defeated; there were dark bags under his eyes, his oh so angry eyes. They glared at her accusingly, whispers floated through Gwen's mind.

'How could you do this to him'

'You betrayed him'

'You're no better than Kai'

Before she knew it Gwen's breath was knocked out of her and she was lying on the ground, glistening sword inches from her throat. She looked up at her opponent in despair. One tiny distraction, when she had it right within her reach. The large man drew the sword away from her, victory dancing in his eyes. His eyes seemed to be taunting her.

"Can't protect yourself without your little prince around can you?" he asked gleefully.

Gwen ignored him and pulled herself to her feet, glancing back to the corner. Xander was gone.

Cheers erupted around the arena and Gwen caught the pitying eyes of Rowan. She ducked her head, feeling as if she had let him down somehow. She had been so ready to prove herself to him, and she hadn't been able to carry through.

She would never ride a wyvern, she would never be a soldier, and worst of all, she would never be one of the thirteen elite guards.

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I can't even express how incredible it feels to have people enjoy something I've written. The amount of feedback I've gotten on this is so amazing and it makes me so happy. I've noticed people starting to stick around for more than a couple chapters and their comments make my day so thank you so much.

xoxo Emma