Chapter 10: A Dream Long Ago


    Eleven Years Ago...


    Melinda opened the door to the barracks that surrounded the open training field before her. It was a tower-like stone building that stood together with other buildings of similar make. Her light blue eyes were fluttering around, looking for her master. At eleven years old, Melinda was already tall for her age, taller than most of the other soldier boys that were training out in the field close to her home, which made them say nasty things when they believed she wasn''t listening...she was always listening.


    The inner barrack contained many men and women wearing steeled armor underneath their orange and purple surcoat. She always liked those colors; they reminded her of festivals nearby that she could go to and the purple reeds that were sweet. When was the last time Eleaine had brought those to her? That question lingered in her mind before looking over the copious people within. They were sitting on small benches that were by the large tables draped in red and blue cloth where they were talking, drinking, and laughing.


    She looked between each soldier, looking for Eleaine, who she assumed would be around this area. She didn''t see her fading golden locks of hair or ornate saber on her right side. She also wasn''t in the main foyer where she was normally; that was odd. She walked between the benches of soldiers and the racks that carried steeled weapons before she was starting to get worried.


    "Where is Eleaine?" She had thought in her head before trying to remember if she had said something to her the other day from their last session. It had only been a few moments before she had heard snickering in her direction from a group of men soldiers. She had looked towards them incredulously as they looked away from her when she had stared them down. She glared towards them and walked up to them.


    "Do you guys know where...Eleaine is?"


    There was a murmur before them, some almost backing away from her and others who were talking amongst others. Was she that important that she couldn''t ask her own father''s soldiers questions? One of the soldiers, a nervous man one whose skin was deep orange and whose hair was a flaming red, coughed nervously as he looked away from her.


    "Well, Mistress Paramore, I think Curator Eleaine is--"


    One of the soldiers laughed as they slapped the man on the back, his cheeks flushing a deep red, which almost looked like his skin was changing color. He yelped a bit as the others chuckled; it was a light laughter, like someone was laughing with them, not against.


    "C''mon Feumon, do you have to be so formal around here? Mel, Eleaine should still be in the training room with Kogon."


    She smiled a bit as the man speaking smacked Feumon the other on the side of the shoulder as he laughed. There was friendliness that she wasn''t particularly familiar with amongst the other soldiers. Maybe it was because she was the daughter of a well-known family; either way, she smiled towards the others with a wave.


    "Thank you!" She had begun to walk over towards the large double-doored entrance into the sand pit of the training room. Before she got too far, one of the other soldiers, a dark-haired man, yelled over towards her.


    "You aren''t going to be training in "that, are you?" She looked towards him as he motioned towards her dress. She had nearly forgotten. She was wearing a light teal dress that was typical of her status; it hung towards her shins as she was nearly holding up part of it to run. She felt her face redden as she still walked over to the room. Eleaine usually had a change of clothes for her, so while she was still embarrassed, she kept the same pace towards the door.


    Melinda heaved the door open as she could hear the clashing of steel ringing through her ears. The room was shaped like a dome, with the light of the midmorning day shining down through the windows of the domed roof. She could see the soldiers huddling around the rounded sand pit in a circle, obstructing her path. At first she could see the light swings of a slashing weapon of blue... she was definitely here.


    Melinda walked through the crowd; unlike a normal event of warriors, there was very little cheering. In fact, it was mostly silent besides the few huddled gasps of the crowd and the banging of weapons against sand and stone. They whispered murmurs of contempt and praise towards the fighters in the center. She could hear the heavy grunting of the Volcano himself as he heaved his heavy weapon. Melinda didn''t need to see to know what was going on, but that only made her want to see even more.


    As she made it towards the front, the crowd moved to let her stand right on the edge of the pit, denoted by a ring of stones carved in perfect semi-circles. She stood at the front as she saw the blazing golden hair with silver highlights that shined like Lutana in front of her. A flash of blue rounded her back as her beautiful sapphire hilt gleamed towards her. The woman in front adjusted herself as Melinda noted Kogon running towards her.


    He was wearing nothing but his long training pants and deep auburn combat boots as he hoisted a heavy war maul and was charging towards her with his left shoulder facing forward into a charge. Melinda was right behind her, as Eleaine looked behind to see Melinda staring up at her with stars in her eyes.


    "You''re late, Melinda Paramore." She was going to continue what she was saying before she rushed forward to meet Kogon face to face. She stopped right before he met her with his larger weapon as she pivoted her foot to the left, as his heavy-handed right swing went blank as he carried that momentum to the ground as bits of sand went flying. Eleaine tilted her head to the side as she fiddled with her sapphire saber weapon. Its long, thin blade was almost entirely composed of sapphire; Melinda knew that it was her reward after the Battle of Orage Valley, one of the greatest creations from the best human smith, Maumoon.


    The sword itself had a runic silver cross guard; even the knuckle guard was made of that intricate metal, though the blade itself was made of the blue gemstone. Melinda had meant to ask why, but she had never seen it thoroughly until now; its deep ocean blue luster made Eleaine''s form shine even more in the light of the room. She held it in a forward lunging position: Advance Form. She pushed off quickly into a rush as she ran the blade forwards towards Kogon''s face.


    He was able to barely dip his head into a diagonal lunge, which only made the blade cut his cheek. He used that forward momentum to turn his hammer upward into a heavy swing. The hammer went past Eleaine''s golden hair as she twisted forward into a downward slash that cut his pant leg as he had backed up. His oil-like blood spilled in small droplets from his leg as he backed to the middle of the ring.


    Kogon''s breath is hasty between the close-knit attacks as Melinda watched Eleaine circle around him, her sword tilted towards the ground. Her eyes never break the sheer focus between him; those amber-colored eyes made him shudder before he flexed his muscles, ready to attack again.


    She breathed in quickly before she held her saber towards her head in a thrusting position and her left arm was behind her back. She said nothing as Kogon''s face darkened in what Melinda could only assume was embarrassment.


    "So confident that you don''t even need your other hand?!" In a shouting challenge, Kogon barreled towards her as he kept his hammer back into a strong horizontal swipe. Melinda could see the power of his muscled mass as Kogon swiped so hard that the wind seemed to swipe with him as she could hear the whooshing sound of the wind resisting his strength. Melinda was almost worried, worried about Eleaine being hit by an attack so heavy and powerful. Almost.


    In an instant, Elaine used that thrusting motion for a forward lunge with her sword held down. In a half dive, she had ducked underneath Kogon''s mighty swing and stopped herself before twisting back towards him as she pointed her sword towards his nape. She was like the wind, a blur of motion that Melinda could feel. She could almost barely see the motion of her master, but with her months of training, she could finally see the talent behind the blade.


    "You''re dead, Kogon." She said sharply and flatly, keeping that professional tone well within the room as she held the blade down and walked towards the back of the room. Melinda was about to push through the sand pit to race towards her teacher and ask all sorts of questions that she figured she would answer with more questions, but she saw that Kogon, who was still in shock about his loss, looked towards her.


    His face soured, a strong grimace plunged his face in the space of darkness where the rest of his back held the light. His rage drilled into his eyes as he stared back at Melinda, her heart beating too fast and too out of control. She had felt the fear of his strength, that look that kept her legs locked in place, before he turned towards the walking sword master as he yelled out.


    "We''re not done! Again! I want to go again!" His voice was hoarse, like he was screaming hours before this as he gripped the handle in both hands, and the sweat dripped off his chin. Melinda saw Eleaine stop for a moment and turn back around, her face never losing that calm discipline that she had shown during the combat.


    "You know when these happen, and when they do not. When that leg cut heals, you can challenge me again." The crowd of people was already disappearing into the other section of the keep and grabbing other equipment. Melinda was now there watching Eleaine stare up at Kogon, who was only a little bit taller than she was. Even at seventeen, Kogon was larger than other men from her father''s soldiers; his skin was rough from battles, and his voice was even rougher.


    Eleaine had looked towards her with a stare that was telling her to come. Melinda picked up the sides of her dress before rushing over across the sand, her shoes and the bottoms of the frill on her dress getting dirty from the sand.


    "Master! I''m sorry I''m late. I was—" She didn''t finish before Eleaine crossed her arms and looked towards the exercise mats of a softer fabric.


    "You were still late. We will double the training regimen and the battle briefing as punishment. Understood?" Eleaine''s voice never carried that much emotion, at least none that Melinda could hear. Melinda didn''t know what to say, so she simply nodded as Eleaine grabbed a set of thin training robes on a nearby table that Melinda wore when they were together.


    "Good, put these on, and let''s get those exercises started." She held out the clothes as Melinda let go of the sides of her dress and watched it drag through the remainder of the sand to grab her clothes. Eleaine sighed as Melinda had sighed; she had knelt down and wiped some of the sand from her dress.


    "A warrior must always be presentable and punctual. Try not to be late again." She said, brushing the remaining bits of sand from her dress. Melinda felt the embarrassment of her lack of punctuality, but more so how her own master was brushing the sand out of her clothes like her own mother. She had moved out of the sandpit around the rocks and looked down towards Eleaine, who was still kneeling down.


    "You don''t have to do that, Master! I-I can take care of myself!" She said, with a flush coming to her face. She saw Eleaine tilt her head in confusion before looking at Melinda.


    "There was sand in your dress, and you were late. I often think that it would be better if I would just sit in your room and act as your personal wake-up servant." Despite the words, Melinda wasn''t sure if she was being serious or not. It didn''t help that Eleaine''s golden face carried no emotion or indifference to whether she was genuinely confused by the statement. This only made Melinda even more flushed in the face before Eleaine had stood up and began to walk out of the circle.


    It wasn''t until then when she heard a huff from Kogon still standing there as he stared back at the both of them. His face contorted in both annoyance and anger, only staring at Melinda. She had backed up slightly before Eleaine seemed to notice the look plastered on her face before she turned her head towards him once more.


    "Tell me, Master. Why do you not look at her, like you look at me?" Melinda could almost feel that stare still boring into her eyes, like it would turn her to stone. Eleaine tilted her head slightly, which made it clear that she was confused.


    "I do not understand, Kogon. I simply look at her lower, since you are taller than--"


    "Don''t try and belittle me! You know that you treat her like the Concepts themselves!" Kogon had let the other hand yank free from the grip to point at her, and the hammer fell to the ground with a thud onto the sand. It took only a moment for Eleaine to raise her eyebrow, but after a second she fixed her gaze once more back to him.


    "You and Melinda Paramore have different needs. I only ask that you trust me in this process. I don''t see you as--"


    "Then spar with me again! If you truly believe that!" Melinda had never seen Kogon this passionate before. The young man seemed to almost be pleading with her now, as his hand went to his chest, like he was trying to pull out his heart and show it to her. Eleaine''s expression never changed as she sighed and walked back into the sand pit.


    The look on Kogon''s face surprised Melinda; it was the surprise of his plea mixed with a certain fear that washed across it. He gripped the hammer back into both hands as Melinda stood back just a little bit to watch them.


    However, Eleaine placed her right hand across her belt of her ornate Paramore family garb and unlatched the sword from the belt and, in a swift motion, grabbed the sword and sheath and threw them into the sand. Melinda couldn''t see the face Eleaine made, but part of her still believed that stoic face still stood firm in the light shining beneath the glass windows.


    "Fine...but I won''t be using my saber." Melinda couldn''t believe what she was saying. She had seen her train and fight only with her sword; what could she do without it? She knew that Eleaine was a skilled warrior, but to fight someone barehanded even for a Creti, was that possible?


    Eleaine stood at the near edge of the pit before she put both of her hands behind her back, linked together like she was being jailed and cuffed. Kogon''s face showed it all before he stood straight.


    "Come, Kogon." She said as that same tone echoed through the chamber before her. Melinda held onto the clothes tight, her eyes glued to the scene before her. Kogon''s shocked expression changed from that of anger as he grunted in frustration before holding up the hammer in a battle stance.


    The air was still before Melinda watched Kogon kick up the sand in a powerful charge, faster than he had before. Eleaine''s arms didn''t move as she twisted to the left with a strong leap in the same direction. Melinda could hear the wind whoosh behind the strength of Kogon''s attack before loosening the grip in his hand to the far end of the shaft. In a hip-rotating twist, he let the hammer swing into an upward arc coming from the sand, only to miss wide as Eleaine ducked down and to the side before she stood back up, staring back at Kogon.


    The sand sprayed across the field in a golden haze before coming to rest as Melinda couldn''t find the words to express the beauty of the moment, her hands gripping tightly the training robes she held in her hand.


    Eleaine twisted and turned like a dancer she had seen before during festivals nearby, as Kogon was trying to hit her with wide swings that kept almost moving the wind behind his hammer. He leaped into the air with a smash before she leaped back before it smacked into the sand. Kogon looked back at her before she stood up straight.


    "Her hands still haven''t moved..." Her thoughts became jumbled, trying to break down and find pieces in her movement and strides. But how could she? Watching Eleaine almost waltz around, almost dancing around Kogon like it was nothing. Was this the power of a Creti? Could something like this be learned?


    The fight continued as Kogon kept up the spinning hammer swings as Eleaine kept dodging and weaving in and out of the attacks before. She hadn''t even attacked yet; she was walking around Kogon before each strike. Melinda could hear the strain in his voice before the sweat went down the side of his face, but he was still going. The next attack from Kogon, another upward swing, came close to hitting Eleaine but didn''t make it as she simply leaped back.


    With each strike, he was getting closer and closer to hitting her, his hammer swings getting closer as his strength began to surge more and more with each strike. His form started to take place, his footsteps deep into the sand, more solid as his feet began to place back into the footsteps created. Like an intricate dance, it was almost as if Eleaine was--


    "She''s training him!"  Like the wind guides the leaves and seeds of flowers and trees towards somewhere new. She could see it now; Eleaine''s movements became almost predictable. She was moving in different places, yes, but every time her moves were the same, no matter where she was. Her swift golden locks moving in that same intricate dance the entire time.


    Melinda watched as each movement between them was a dance, each footstep and swing of his hammer almost matched them perfectly...where did she fit in with this? When was the last time she had to do something like this? Was she being treated differently compared to him?


    They were both being trained by her, but this was one of the first times she had seen him fight against her, one of the first times she had seen Eleaine fight so seriously before. She might not have been using her sword, but even she could notice, ever so faintly, the way her eyes shifted to the attacks.


    Melinda didn''t know how to describe it before, the way Eleaine fights, but she could almost picture it now. Eleaine was the wind. Not a mockery, not someone who was purely imitating the part of the concept: she was simply the wind. Her golden skin swirled with intricate markings and tattoos shined brightly through the morning light, which made her seem like the flickers of fire from the fireplace. She was perfectly brilliant.


    She spun in place once more before Kogon''s hammer went wide. A light sparkled in his eye before he placed his left foot forward into a forward strike. Melinda saw Eleaine prepare to leap back from the strike. Kogon took the swing as the blow went wide. Right before he prepared a new strike, he pushed forward with another large step as he looked back at the hammer and kept the same momentum from the same strike into a strong circular spin to release the strike once more.


    Now, he was spinning the hammer almost twice as fast towards her, who was directly in the air as it came down on her mid-swing. Melinda gasped in surprise as she was squeezing the clothes tightly in her hand. The hammer swung fast as it crashed down to the ground. Kogon was sweating profusely, and his breath was hitched as he kept the hammer imbedded into the solid hole in the ground made by the force.


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    Melinda looked over to see Eleaine standing next to him, with her hands still behind her back. Kogon looked over in surprise as Eleaine kicked the cut on his leg, and he fell to the ground, letting go of his hammer.


    "Good, now let that wound heal, and we can try again next time." Eleaine walked away before she stared at Melinda. She couldn''t process what had happened. Eleaine was just there; the hammer was going to hit her. How could she have avoided that? She looked back at Eleaine, who had an eyebrow raised in confusion.


    "Master, how did you... I can''t. When did--"


    "I don''t see you doing your exercises... Let''s move those muscles." She said, making jogging motions with the same stone face that was there the entire time.


    "Wait! How did you--"


    "Any more wasted time, and I think we will have to push your training to three times for you being moderately late." Eleaine said while looking at the clothes still in Melinda''s hand. Melinda simply stuttered for a second before she ran to the nearby bathroom to change.


    She really didn''t want to exercise any more than necessary.


    ****


    Melinda''s favorite part of her day was the battle tactics she and Eleaine went through. She sat within the third floor''s library, in a small corner of the open space with a chalkboard and desks that faced the board. It didn''t really matter where she sat on the third floor; most of it was cleared out for her lesson anyway, so she spent a few hours here each day going through the history of battles as well as tactics.


    Every corner was covered in layers upon layers of twisting bookshelves and carts of books yet to be placed back in. It was a treat to see new things added into the library, like when a festival came around close enough to her home to be able to go. She was fond of books, but mostly she loved the library itself.


    There was calm serenity in her mother''s library, like she was sitting with her in the calm evenings, studying the things she would have. That feeling more or less pushed through the top of her thoughts as she was watching Eleaine draw a simple battle map with her white and yellow sticks of chalk.


    Her book was filled with sketches of similar things, with each page being filled to the brim with notes and questions during the lessons... and yet. Today, as the midday came to a close, she sat with her notebook not filled with the lessons and the drawings on the board, but the movements of their fight from before.


    Moments of captured time ran through her head in sparse bursts during her initial exercises and break for lunch, but now all she could think about was the fight. The way Eleaine moved through the sand was like the wind dancing through the branches of trees, the way her feet moved rhythmically to the sound of the heavy hits of Kogon''s maul.


    She took a small quill, dipped it in a vibrant gold as she flexed her fingers, and slowly drifted the nib into the unfilled spaces of white from the paper. She wanted the picture to stand out, so the gold flecks with small bits of a light sky blue made the picture pop just a bit more.


    She took her time, slowly etching the ink into the paper as she was just starting to color in Eleaine''s golden skin, the same that all Creti had. However, hers still had flecks of silver, which made her golden skin sparkle and gleam in Lutana''s light. She took out another small jar of ink she kept in the small pocket of her satchel, with an opalescent white. She cleaned off the ink with water and dipped it into the white and gently pressed it into the space of the head of Kogon''s hammer.


    It was basic drawing; it was the only one she could do since it wasn''t her main passion, but she was trying to capture that moment. The moment when the golden sand caressed over Eleaine''s body as she hopped to the left in a sideways jump, and Kogon''s hammer was arcing right over her, his face gritted in force as Lutana shined down beneath them.


    She frowned just a bit at the drawing, looking between the two drawn figures, as the memories of their fight flashed back into her mind. The synchronized dance as sand and light glazed across their skin in a tapestry of coordination. When was the last time she and Eleaine had actually sparred together? She only remembered when they had begun training, when she was testing her Embody; it had only been a short time, but she could remember when she stood so much taller than she was now...and nothing had changed.


    "You know that you treat her like the Concepts themselves!" She had remembered him saying right before they had fought once again. Perhaps Kogon was right; was she treating her differently? Melinda looked over, just for a second, as Eleaine was still drawing out the battle map from before. Could she even ask her? Even if it wasn''t true, it was hard to ask Eleaine questions; she never liked to answer them with words.


    He was probably right still: When she was late, Eleaine was there to wake her up. She had brought her clothes and food during lunch and would often have to reexplain things for her. She had even had to patch her up when the beginning exercises were too much. She felt like she was being pushed, but was it really as much as Kogon? Did Eleaine not believe in her?


    She had been tapping the quill against the paper in small blots as she noticed how she basically finished the rough colors. It was...fine, as much as she could do without any real proper training in artistic ability. They say in Kursoon that most women and men learned a few of the artisan trades, like sculpting and painting. She had never found too much interest in those, but she felt like in this moment she definitely could have used it.


    "I don''t think that is the battle plan I laid out." Melinda yelped before looking up at Eleaine, who was staring at her notebook bent down in almost a 90-degree angle as her head was tilted to the right. Melinda had grabbed the book and pulled it towards her body with a flush on her face. Eleaine stood back up, and Melinda had put the book back down with a huff.


    "You scared me, master!" Melinda set her quill away into a small foldable case, and Eleaine sat down in a chair nearby, grabbing a peach from her pocket and taking out a small knife and cutting pieces out of it.


    "I''ve seen your notes; I''ve never seen your drawings, though. Is this a new hobby?" Eleaine''s tone never changed as she spoke; if not for the slight rising intonation from asking the question, it was hard for her to tell if she was asking a question or just talking to herself.


    Melinda liked Elaine much more than the others she had been set up with in the past few years. She felt so much more alive, which was almost odd to say as her voice didn''t indicate that. She carried this aura of wisdom that couldn''t be placed, so often that it felt like she spoke with someone centuries older.


    Melinda looked through the drawing as Eleaine had begun placing pieces of the fruit on the table towards her. Melinda looked over as Eleaine was simply going back to cutting before slipping another piece onto the table. It took a moment before Melinda grabbed it and ate the sweet piece quickly.


    "No, I just... I was really infatuated by you and Ko''s fight today. I thought there was something about it." Melinda said, half disappointed in herself for not paying attention, but the other half still worried about what Kogon had said.


    Eleaine looked back to her, still cutting away at the fruit. She breathed in slowly as she took a small piece and ate it. Melinda kept her eyes low to the table, fingers gliding over the smooth pages and the creased lines where the quill pushed in a little too much.


    "Oh? You wanted to be there doing the same thing?" Eleaine questioned with only a slight vocal difference.


    "No, I just...you two did so well. I just liked watching." Her voice came out in a low murmur, a soft hum that she was sure Eleaine couldn''t hear.


    "You will be doing that too, soon." Soon. Soon was always farther and farther away when someone told you, but closer and closer those days seemed to be when the words were left unspoken. It had been a little over a year; when would she start to learn?


    "When?" She huffed, straightforward and stoic, as if to imitate her master.


    Eleaine shuffled in her chair as she pointed to the corner of the small space. There on a table for two was the gaming set for Warbonds. Melinda stared at the two empty seats before she stood up and walked over to the table and took a seat. Her heart beat rhythmically in her chest, trying to steel those nerves she had every time she played.


    "I formally challenge you, Eleaine of House Insight, to a game of Warbonds." She announced to her. Warbonds required a formal challenge; at least that was what Eleaine told her. Eleaine stood up and strode across the room as she sat down on the chair opposite Melinda and held out her hand.


    "I, Eleaine of House Insight, accept Melinda Paramore''s challenge to Warbonds." Melinda grasped Eleaine''s hand with as much strength as she could muster in a firm grip before they nodded to each other and began to set up the pieces.


    Melinda looked across the board, the large rectangular shape with the grids that spanned its entire length except right before each player''s space, which had small art of barracks where each player could put their pieces and their gold. Eleaine had already begun setting up her figures and taking out small plastic tokens of gold.


    Warbonds was a simple war game. Every player had eight figurines of soldiers that fought in the game board battlefield. It was an eight-by-eight field where each soldier was similar; however, the player could make special moves to change the soldiers actions each turn. It was a simple game, and yet Melinda had not begun to fully understand.


    Eleaine grabbed a small plastic golden token and flipped it before she watched it spin into the air. "Heads." She said calmly and plainly before the coin flipped back down into her hand. She grabbed the coin before she spun it on the table until it eventually landed on the side with the tail of a dragon.


    "You are first." She breathed seamlessly before folding her arms together and staring back at Melinda. Melinda nodded without so much as a breath before she took one of her soldiers and moved it up two spaces in front of her.


    Eleaine simply watched as she took one of her back soldiers and moved up another two spaces. Melinda watched as her fingers tapped gently on the board, slowly and steadily, before Eleaine looked back at her.


    Melinda was starting to feel the pressure before she had moved the space piece to the right one space and looked back at Eleaine. The silence in the room began to stifle, with only the slight interruptions of the slightly heavy pieces being toppled onto the table. Eleaine had begun to place her pieces around each in a diagonal pattern as her eyes fluttered between each piece.


    Her eyes were the color of soft amber that gleamed in the remaining bits of the midday sun. There''s a fraction of something beyond in those eyes, that part of Eleaine that Melinda could never truly understand. What was going through her head every day? That question remained unanswered as Melinda pushed another piece closer to the middle.


    "Your tactics have been improving." Eleaine remarked, the depth of her voice like a warrior of one thousand battles. Melinda took a second to process the information as she nodded slightly and watched Eleaine move another piece close to the middle in a funnel position the rest of her soldiers were taking.


    Melinda opened her mouth to say something back, but her nerves kept her from saying too much as she went in for the attack. She used the attack command by tapping the figure and took out two of Eleaine''s soldiers of eight. Her mind was calm before ending her turn. Eleaine''s brow furrowed as she had attacked the same piece with one nearby and took one of Melinda''s pieces.


    Melinda tightened her fist as the piece was taken, and she moved one of her pieces forward. "I issue the charge command." She declared. An issue to make every single piece move forward two spaces. She could only do so many commands before she ran out, indicated as she placed some of her plastic tokens back into the bag.


    Every piece moved up two pieces, as the pieces all sieged the funnel position Eleaine had made. Melinda felt a surge of confidence come into play as she smiled just a bit from the play. Her turn was over as she watched Eleaine move a piece forward past one of her soldiers to the right.


    "She''s trying to surround my troops."  However, Melinda knew better.


    "Retreat!" she commanded once more as she took away one of her tokens and went to grab her pieces to move them. She reached down as she grabbed a piece and--


    "Are you sure that is the best plan?" Melinda had looked up to see Eleaine still keeping that stone-cold expression on her face. She was watching the pieces as she said it, not looking at her and only watching her amber eyes flicker between the pieces.


    "Best plan? She is trying to surround me; how is that not the best plan?"  Her mind collected those jumbled thoughts together to try and see what she was saying. Her plan was perfect; a surrounding push meant that Eleaine''s only real strategy was to either push them together or retreat. Since she wasn''t going to retreat, all she had to do was back off and take her soldiers down one by one. It was foolproof...wasn''t it?


    Her fingers began to tap more rapidly on the game board; her nerves began to shoot up in her chest as her heart pounded like a drum, trying to keep herself calm. She kept the piece held in her hand, trying to understand what she meant by that.


    "Is she saying that as my mentor? It''s a good plan; I''ve seen it in the books. I need to just stick with the plan."  Despite her saying that to herself, it was almost like her body had a different plan. She had begun placing the piece down. She felt those nerves come back; clouds of doubt seized that logic in her mind, trying to understand what to do next.


    She had placed down the piece and took back the coin. Staring in between the pieces of what her next plan was. The seconds became a few minutes as she felt the seed of doubt plant in her mind, trying to understand each piece. She looked back to Eleaine, trying to find some piece of advice in her face, only to be met with that same face of mystery staring into the board.


    She tried to collect her thoughts as she grabbed one of the pieces and simply moved it forward to attack. Her heart pounded in her chest at the play; it was wrong, she knew it was wrong, but the doubt almost commanded her to make a move, any move.


    Eleaine nodded as she spoke. "Charge." Melinda knew that was bad. She took most of the pieces and moved two spaces closer to her pieces. She was being surrounded. Eleaine looked at all the pieces as she spent another token and commanded two of her pieces to attack. Two of Melinda''s pieces fell as she was surrounded by the remaining seven pieces Eleaine had. She was in trouble.


    She still had three tokens out of her four, but what could she do about the tactic? Whether she used the rest of her tokens to call more soldiers, it wouldn''t matter. It would take too many turns for her to get them to the field, and with that many... she couldn''t win.


    Her eyes darted across the board, trying to find something to use to win the fight. What could she do now that she had nothing to use? Her eyes closed as she breathed in deep and placed all three tokens into the bag. She would go down.


    "Reinforce." She sternly said before bringing three more figures at the end of the board. Eleaine''s eyebrows rose in surprise as she had begun to attack Melinda''s remaining soldiers. Melinda kept the attack from her soldiers, trying to keep the figures even until Eleaine''s soldiers were to fight through.


    It only took a few more turns for Melinda''s remaining troops to be defeated, not without defeating all but one of Eleaine''s. When Eleaine destroyed her last troop, she bowed her head deeply and picked up the remaining pieces.


    "Good game." She spoke as she put the soldiers back into place and put away the small bag of plastic tokens. Melinda looked at the board before balling her fists up tightly, her voice a hollow shell of what it was before. Another loss, another day of training and studying for it to be wasted on another loss. Her head was faced down towards one of the pieces she still held in her hand; the tiny soldier figurine depicted stared back at her.


    Melinda looked back at Eleaine with a sigh as she stared back at her, trying not to look directly into her eyes. "Yeah...good game." She sighed in one breath. Eleaine seemed to notice the change, as when Melinda looked down towards the piece, she breathed in slowly to speak.


    "That push through was a good move; you almost had me." She said with little remorse. Melinda had looked up to see her again with confusion. Almost?


    "If I almost had you, why did you ask if that was a good move?" Was Eleaine really wrong about what her plan was going to be?


    "No, that can''t be true. One of Kursoon''s top Battle Curators and eldest daughter of House Insight... Was she just seeing wrong?"  She had thought before Eleaine adjusted her garb.


    "War, no matter if it''s from a game or not, is about judging and misdirecting the opponent. If I had let you get off that retreat, I would have lost. Simple as that."


    Melinda couldn''t believe what she had said. She had been tricked. Eleaine, the honorable warrior and battle curator of the 7th division, the same one from her father and mother...had just lied to her face. She was mad; she was furious. Part of her wanted to hit Eleaine, to be mad at her, to yell and hit something...and yet.


    "I... I fell for her trick." She was the one to get tricked, the one who fell for a simple ploy of doubt, where the confident reign and those who can''t even believe in themselves enough shrivel up and die. Is this what it meant to be a battle curator? A chosen Engrave made to choose who to save and who to lose.


    It was just a game, but it felt so real. All that treatment by Eleaine and she was still so far from her dream, what would her mother think if she knew this was her daughter?


    She heard the soft footsteps of Eleaine saunter over before she heard the squeak of a wooden chair being dragged across the floor before being plopped down right next to her. She looked over to see Eleaine sit down in that chair and raise her hand towards Melinda. She flinched, only for a moment, as if she was going to be hit.


    Then, Eleaine patted her head gently with her ungloved left hand. Melinda''s face blushed a faint pale from embarrassment as she lowered her head from shock rather than any malicious intent. Eleaine kept patting gently, ruffling around her black-stained hair until parts of its meticulous straight curls started to come undone.


    "Master?!" Melinda was baffled before Eleaine was staring back at her, not stopping the gentle taps against Melinda''s head.


    "You seem distressed. My sister always does this when I get too stressed; I thought it might help." Eleaine spoke elegantly in a soft tone, as if she was trying to whisper. Melinda couldn''t believe it; the great Battle Curator of House Insight was patting her on the head like a child.


    "Master, please! I''m not a little girl!" Melinda said with hesitation. Eleaine looked halfway confused as she was still staring back at Melinda, who had now tried looking at the other wall nearby.


    "You are eleven; I think that still counts, Melinda Paramore." Eleaine said pragmatically. Melinda couldn''t believe what she was saying; she was still right, of course, but it baffled her all the same. Melinda simply sighed, looking back towards the game.


    "When will I ever win? Every time we play, it feels like I''m up against an impossible challenge. Kogon starts his training; when will I ever finish this? I can''t even take my first step." Melinda remarked slightly, leaning to Eleaine, who was nearby. She didn''t know why she did this; maybe she felt more comfortable this way. Either way, Eleaine let go of her head and looked over towards the board with her.


    "You will one day, but there is something you are missing." Melinda looked back towards her, a hope reborn from the depths of her heart.


    "I''m missing something?" She remarked before looking back at the pieces. The game was the same every time; she had tried nearly every possible solution for the plan. What could she be missing? The pieces all stood at attention on both sides of the board, like soldiers awaiting commands. Was there a rule she wasn''t familiar with?


    "When you look simply at what you have, and what is already there, you never see the full picture." Eleaine retorted before holding her scabbard on her right side. Melinda could only stand up and look through the pieces.


    "I can only make judgments based on what I know and see; how could I be missing anything?" Maybe this was another trick, a ploy she was saying to remove any hope of her winning. But why would Eleaine do that? She had tricked her in the game, teaching her about false pretenses and looking through enemy bluffs, but what lesson was this for? Surely there was something more.


    "Tell me, Melinda Paramore. What are the rules of war?" Eleaine questioned before circling around the table back to her spot where she had played the game before. She then sat down and moved one piece further.


    "Rules of war?"  That question found ample room in her head as she had grabbed a piece and held it in her hand. The soldier figurine has small marks at its base from all the times they have been playing.


    "There are rules to war?" War was about winning; it was about securing an advantage over the enemy and beating them so they wouldn''t do it again. The Battle of Orage Valley proved this; they had won, and now their house sat as one of the key trading junctions between the Midlands and Kursoon. War''s only rule was about winning. To win is the only rule in war.


    "To win, that is the only rule." She confirmed, with as much confidence as she could muster. Eleaine moved a piece forward in response to the answer.


    "What does it mean to win?" Eleaine retorted quickly.


    "Well, winning means...that you beat everyone and force a surrender." Melinda almost yelled, but she calmed herself down in acknowledgment of her volume. Eleaine moved another piece forward, imitating the same play she was making during their game.


    "What if they don''t?" She had watched Melinda stare back at the pieces. Melinda didn''t understand what she was trying to say. She had studied the histories of battles, their motivations, and their causes. Despite all the many reasons they would give, it was always about winning until the enemy surrendered. What was Eleaine trying to say?


    "T-Then...we fight until they do!" She claimed that answer, like it was a part of her that she never wanted to let go. Eleaine moved a piece closer, the formation of the surrounding pieces beginning to form.


    "Even if it costs everything?" There was a silence in the air now, like every noise was swallowed up and let in a deep place where nobody could find it. Melinda looked back to see the soldier figurines still lined up on the field, as Eleaine''s were marching forward.


    "I...don''t know." The uncertainty left a strain on her mind; it taxed what little energy she had left from the day as she sat back down in her chair exhausted. Eleaine moved a piece closer to her side and looked back at her.


    "Then, tell me...what are the rules of war?" Melinda said nothing as she let each breath linger in the air for far too long. Eleaine moved her piece closer and knocked over one of hers and stood up.


    "Until you can answer that question, until you are certain of what it means to be a Battle Curator, then you will have to keep climbing that first step." Eleaine said as she had stood up and walked towards her. Melinda watched her walk over, her tired eyes beginning to close. She didn''t realize how tired she was. She felt her body slump over, without so much as an ounce of strength left within to keep herself from falling.


    She felt herself collide with something as she was now being lifted up. Eleaine was carrying her on her back as she began to walk. She let Eleaine carry her as her eyes began to drift away. She had heard Eleaine say something right before she fell asleep.


    "And I''ll always take that first step with you."