“We need our hero, no matter who it may be.” The queen’s words have been ringing through Antia's head since she was escorted back to her room. While laying on the too-soft bed, Anita wondered if she was being selfish. All the other heroes before her have been princes, men who dominated their fields and fought evil without a second thought. Anita had several concerns about her life back in Aquatila. The country was expecting a new hero to guide them through a tough time and all Anita could think about was her job. If the darkness wins, there will be no teashop to work. There would be no friends to go back to. With this, Anita came up with her solution. She would help only as long as it takes to send the darkness away, then she would take up her old life. After thinking it over, she was finally able to get some rest.

The next day, Anita was abruptly woken up by loud yelling. Again, the queen and princess were arguing and it seemed like a normal occurrence. No one else paid it any mind. Anita rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and got up to open the door when instead came swinging towards her.

“It's not fair! Look at her, she looks like fighting is a word in a foreign language, get her a different teacher-”  Anita did look very weak for her age but was good at running. With her hair down, it looked longer than before. Anita couldn't argue with the princess, as she’s never been in a fight before, but she felt she could probably think of more reasonable solutions than running headfirst into one.

Sometimes, you just gotta run headfirst into a fight. Feel the wind in your hair and the sword in the enemy- Anita turned to glare at the sword- Rune. ever since they first interacted, the sword was filling her head with information and opinions Anita didn't care for. They have a mental connection and talking telepathically was normal. Well, as normal as a talking sword can get.

That makes no sense Anita responded, if you run without thinking you're just gonna get hurt.
Of course, you're gonna be hurt in a fight, but it's up to you to decide if it is worth it. the sword, of course, felt very proud of its teachings. Anita wasn't paying much attention. 

yep, caring, uh huh- Still outside the room, Mars sighed loudly, grabbing both the attention of Anita and the sword. 

“My mom has put me in charge of training you so get dressed and let go.” With this, the door was harshly slammed. Anita felt kinda bad for the princess, but it was quickly nullified by the idea of being kidnapped. If this dumb princess wanted her empathy, they would have to earn it. After rummaging through the room, Anita finally found an outfit she felt she could train in. She wore a pair of black leggings and a white shirt, which she carelessly tucked into her pants. She slipped on the same boots that she came with, which were old and worn, falling apart and stitched together again several times over. To others, they looked like garbage, but to Anita, they were her most important possession. Grabbing her sword, she opened the door, and outside was standing the princess. Mars wore her cropped hair in a short ponytail and a choker with the royal crest. She was waiting at the door, glaring at Anita like she killed her pet.

“Let's go hero, we've got a lot to work on.” 

Anita followed Mars through the halls, taking in their surroundings now that she wasn't trying to escape just yet. The walls were gray and shined in the lights. The floors were a wood no longer known to the world, as it somehow shined gold. There were large tinted windows every few steps taking up the top portion of the walls. The door they stopped at was made of black metal, and had no handle. The princess placed her hand on the door and it slid open. Anita immediately thought of witches. Rune corrected her. 

The door has been hardwired with recognition magic. It can tell who it is by reading its magical energy. It was a little upsetting that her sword knew more about magic than she did, but she kept it hidden.

The room itself was fairly small, with the walls coated with padding and a few benches. 

“This is where we will train with your sword.” The princess stated. “Hard floors, soft walls, basic beginner’s paradise.'' Mars removed their cloak, revealing the white turtleneck underneath. On their leg was a sheath holding a dagger, and on their waist was a brown belt, holding a sword holster. Mars unsheathes the sword, and an orange blade is revealed. 

“Does your sword talk too?-'' Anita asked. She immediately regretted it when she saw the look the princess gave her.

“No, it's a regular elemental sword. This is Reoia and she is what I will be training you with. 

“Elemental? What elements do my sword-”

“Your sword doesn't have a distinct element. My does, because it's an elemental sword. It is imbued with elemental power and if it breaks, the power will be lost. Reoia is a fire blade, so don't touch it directly trying to block it. Don't try to block a sword with yourself ever. Now grip your sword and take a fighting stance.'' After getting into a very bad fighting stance, Mars went over to help position Anita better. “See, maybe you're not such a lost cause.”

They learned quickly that Anita was more of a lost cause than Mars first realized.

“Pick up your sword and swing it!” yelled Mars. They have already beaten Anita several times over, and Anita was currently lying on the ground. 

“I have, many many times-” Anita groaned.

“Not good enough if you keep falling. Keep your stance and swing, it's not that hard!-" Mars exclaimed.

“I don't know if this is a punishment for you or me” responded Anita. Mars groaned.

“We're getting nowhere, so let's take a break.” Mars left the room and came back with two bottles of water. One was dropped onto Anita, which she gladly took. Mars then took a big swig of water.

“... so why don't you like your mom?'' Mars choked on the water.

“Why- none of your business,” Mars responded quickly. “It's not like she likes me back. All she does is criticize my every move and decision. I know she’s my mother, but she can be a good jailer because her idea of queen training is to lock me to a desk for the rest of my life, but I don't get it. Why lead a country when you don't know who you're leading? Who and what are you fighting for if you don't even know what's beyond your glass castle? I want to see the world and explore before I have to take on my duties, but mom just loves telling me what to do with my life. ‘Eat less dear, you’ll grow fat’, ‘a royal doesn't slouch or fraternize with citizens’, ‘meet a nice prince with diplomatic power and immunity-’”

at this point, Anita has finished chugging her water and is studying Mars’s expression with great interest. Even though they blatantly refused to answer the question, Mars is going on about her parental issues. The cropped black hair Mars sports is somewhat sticking out with stress.  As Anita no longer has parents, she couldn't weigh in on the topic. Her parents died in a collision years ago, and Anita only has a few old belongings to remind her of them. By the time Mars was done ranting, Anita was well-rested and ready to go again.

“Now hold it like this,'' Mars explained as she positioned the sword in Anita’s hands. Putting their hands over Anita's, she helped position them. “Good, now arms up, foot out, and strike.” This time when Anita struck, she tripped over her own feet, falling into Mars. They crashed into a heap on the ground, groaning.

“You are a lost cause,” complained Mars. They crawled up from the pile, leaving the room in frustration. Anita was left to escort herself back to her room.

You suck at this Rune mentioned. Anita groaned once more.

I Know.