Trinity woke up to the sun shining through the thin material in her tent. The needle still in her hand. She held up her project and smiled to herself. This'll do nicely.

Takeo had been awake since before the sun rose, afraid that something was going to come for his mate. He took his spot on top of the wall overlooking the town, unbelieving how it now looked. The dust was visible from miles away as tents and trash got caught up in the wind. This is disgusting. I need to stop this. I have to. He hopped off the wall only to come face to face with Trinity. She was smiling ear to ear. He looked her over to make sure she was okay, then matched the smile on her face.

"Good morning," she chipped cheerfully.

"Good morning. Went shopping did we?" He laughed.

Trinity frowned, "Wha do you mean, 'shopping'? Where the hell would I go shopping in the middle of the night out in the forest?"

Takeo laughed again, "I guess what I meant to say is that it looks good. I love the jump suit."

Trinity, in fact, was wearing a jumpsuit-like outfit. She had stayed up all night sewing the skirt of her white dress together in order to make some sort of pants. The stitching wasn't amazing, but she had done it herself and was incredibly proud of her job. She smiled, "Thank you. Maybe now I can kick your ass." 

Takeo laughed and tossed Trinity her sparring stick, "We'll test that out now won't we."

Trinity started to circle Takeo, who flashed her a smile as he crouched lower to the grass. Trinity smirked, she knew what was coming next. Takeo lunged, moving faster than any human possibly could, but Trinity dodged to the side at the last minute, managing to poke Takeo in the side as she avoided him. He looked shocked that she was able to touch him at all. She let out a laugh, "I told you that skirt was an advantage for you. Looks like now we're on even ground."

He responded with a smirk as he flipped his sparring stick and caught it behind his back, "I'm looking forward to a real fight instead of the fancy footwork you've been giving me thus far."

Trinity huffed and took position to attack. This time, she was going to take the offense. She took a step towards Takeo, jabbing at him as she moved swiftly on her feet. Unfortunately, he was faster, tapping her stick away as he took one step back at a time. Finally, he swung his stick to meet hers, throwing her off balance and causing her to stumble. She quickly caught her footing and was up and ready to attack again.

Takeo chuckled, "I though you promised a real fight," he snickered, "I shouldn't have expected much." Before he was able to regather his complexion, Trinity was on top of him. She had slid her stick on the ground as she crouched, hidden by the tall grass, where it landed perfectly between his legs. She knew he would see her pounce and as he took a step back to prepare his defense, he tripped over the stick. Takeo didn't see it coming at all, falling flat, and hard, on his ass.

Trinity blew the hair out of her face, laying on Takeo's chest, pinning him to the ground. He reached for his stick which had landed above his head, but it was just out of reach. Trinity knew that Takeo wouldn't dare try to kick her off, so she sat there, snuggly with a wide smirk on her face. 

She used her fingers to walk her hand up his chest until she was able to boop his nose. "Well, well, well. How was that for a fight? I always keep my promises, Takeo." Her smile widened.

Takeo shook his head, but couldn't help but laugh, "I shouldn't have doubted you for a second. Stick between the legs? Good trick. I don't remember teaching you that." 

Trinity jumped up and offered out a hand to help him up. Takeo shook his head, still laughing, but took her hand anyway. "Not everything I've learned, I've learned from you, Takeo. I'm a princess now anyway, I have to learn to strategize myself." She patted some of the dirt from the face of her jumpsuit and turned to walk away. 

Takeo jogged to come in front of her and put his hand on her shoulder, "Hey, you're doing great, Trinity. I'm sorry if I haven't let you do things for yourself and you're right, you have to start strategizing and doing things for yourself. But I'm proud of you beyond belief. You've grown so much already, and I'm proud to call you my mate." He smiles his crooked smile which nearly had her melt. 

He gently moved his hand from her shoulder to her cheek. Trinity flourished in his touch and nuzzled to meet the heat of his hands. He stared deeply into her deep hazel eyes which she returned, just as hungry for more. Before she knew what she was doing, Trinity was leaning in close, craving his lips on hers. Before she got to his lips, she stopped. "Takeo," she whispered.

"Yes, Trinity." His voice quivered slightly and she smiled in the revelation that he was just as nervous as she was.

"I don't want you to be my protector anymore." A deep silence feel through the field as Takeo took this in, their mouths still mere centimeters apart. He didn't know how to respond. Trinity smiled to herself, "I don't want you to be my protector, Takeo, because want you to be mine, forever." He smiled for a quick second, and then her mouth was on his. Takeo's other arm wrapping around her waist to draw her nearer. She breathed him in, not wanting him to let go. 

She gasped as bright colors blurred her vision, rushing into her head. Memories, flashes of the past, Takeo, her family, the wretched king all swarmed her. Takeo disappeared from in front of her as an invisible wind scooped her up in it's grasp. Trinity was off the ground, weightless, as the visions continued to dance and swirl around her head. She knew who she was, how she got there, how to shift, and how to defeat the king. The colors grabbed her violently, and then all of a sudden let go as she crumpled to the floor.