Kadin was just finishing up his stretches when Alrik stormed into the training grounds, his expression furious.

Thankful that the rest of the Guard trainees were at lunch, it wouldn't do for them to see the prince looking like this, Kadin stood and slowly made his way over to where Alrik was searching through the weapon racks as if he could find the perfect weapon.

Making sure to leave a little bit of space between them in case the prince lashed out, he said quietly, "You know, one training sword is much like the other. I don't think that there is a better option for wooden swords, don't you agree?"

Alrik growled, his hands clenching and unclenching. However, he said nothing else and Kadin resigned himself to the inevitable. "C'mon, let's spar and see if we can get you back to where you can use your words and not scare off your future guards when they return from lunch."

Alrik's expression turned icy and he nodded, grabbing the first training sword he could and moving out into the middle of the room. Kadin sighed, taking a little more time to pick a sturdy training sword. It wouldn't stop the prince from destroying it before the match was over but it might buy him a little more time to dull the edge of the rage the prince was feeling.

Internally cursing whoever it was that had upset his friend so badly, Kadin joined Alrik and moved into the ready position, making sure to brace himself for the first strike which would surely contain the brunt of his friend's anger.

Sure enough, as soon as he was in position, Alrik leapt forward with a punishing overhand strike. Kadin managed to get his sword up in time, hearing the wood creak even as the blow pushed him back a few steps. Sliding his blade along Alrik's, he twisted it viper fast and aimed for the ribs. After all, it was hard to fight or be angry when struggling to breathe.

Alrik was quicker though and sidestepped, a snarl slipping from him as he started circling Kadin, looking for an opening.

Knowing that it was exceedingly rare for Alrik to show his true emotions, Kadin decided to take the opportunity to allow the prince to vent all of his carefully pent-up feelings. Circling Alrik warily, Kadin taunted, "Look at you now, the golden prince. Everyone always thinks that you're so nice, the epitome of kindness and gentleness. If they could see you now, wouldn't they be surprised?"

The words had barely left his mouth before Alrik closed in again, a flurry of punishing strikes aimed toward where Kadin's shield would've been, if he'd been using a shield. Instead, he had to deflect the edge of the sword in short parries, the force of the blows stinging his hands from the vibrations.

He had rarely seen Alrik this furious and it was especially strange, considering what a good mood he'd been in earlier. They'd been planning to go out for a hunt after training was over, although it was a hunt for flowers for the princess rather than for live game. Many of the other nobles would've scoffed at such a thing, but it was reassuring to Kadin and the rest of the Del Wintrix family how close the royal family truly were.

So for his mood to have changed so drastically since they parted, that meant something must've happened during his time with his family. Knowing that Alrik wouldn't speak without it being pried from him, Kadin decided to go on the offensive. Although Alrik was the stronger of the pair, Kadin was quicker.

Determination filling him, he moved forward, slipping inside Alrik's guard to try and land a blow on his wrist so he'd drop his sword. Alrik managed to pull back in time that the blow fell on the crossguard instead of his wrist but Kadin could tell that the blow had jolted his grip.

Keeping their swords locked together at the guard, Kadin shoved forward until Alrik's arm was trapped between them, giving him a fierce grin. "What's the matter, golden boy? Parents tell you that you got an engagement offer or something? Think you'll have to marry someone who has their nose higher in the air than that stuck-up baron's daughter who's been trying to catch your eye?"

Alrik snarled, shoving him hard enough that their swords fell apart and Kadin staggered for a second, barely managing to catch his balance before Alrik was there. As he rained down a series of punishing blows as if Kadin were a beast needing to be eradicated instead of a sparring partner, Alrik gritted out, "I'm going to end that Council if it's the last thing I ever do!"

Surprise filled him, even as he scrambled backward, narrowly avoiding or deflecting the blows. "Wait, I was right? The Council wants you to get engaged?"

Alrik's expression turned darker than Kadin had ever seen it as he advanced menacingly. "Not me. They want to sell Aleydis off to the highest bidder. Oh sure, they haven't said it outright. But they don't need to, their intentions are clear without saying anything at all."

Kadin froze, which was a bad idea, cause that was the moment that Alrik struck. His sword shattered as it spun across the training area, his hands stinging from the vicious blow. He managed to force out a strangled, "What?"

Alrik blinked, suddenly seeming to come back to his senses. "Are you okay?"

Kadin frowned, struggling to follow the abrupt change. "What?"

Alrik moved over, tucking his broken sword under his arm as he gestured imperiously, "Hold out your hands."

Kadin grumbled as he held out his hands, irritation flaring to life. "They're fine. It'll take more than that to hurt me." And it was true, his hands had a couple of tiny scrapes but they wouldn't bruise from the blows. "Now what were you saying about the Council? Tell me I heard wrong."

Alrik sighed, sitting down suddenly and running his hand through his hair, not caring that he was sprawled on the ground. "I wish I could. But I heard it from my parents myself. Well, actually, it was Aley who guessed it before I did. I would've never thought that the Council would be so bold as to even consider such a thing."

Kadin sat as well, relieved that Alrik was talking. Although he would've been willing to go another few rounds if that was what it would've taken, he was relieved to not have the bruises that always came from sparring with a furious Alrik. He didn't mind doing it, Alrik didn't have anyone else close enough to him besides his family who he would allow to see his emotions. But that also meant that he was the only one who could help out Alrik when he got like this.

Sighing, he nudged Alrik with his foot. "Okay, let's start from the beginning. Your parents wanted to see you and your sister. I assumed that it had something to do with your lessons, since you made another tutor cry during our most recent lesson."

Alrik scoffed, "Well, he shouldn't have tried to convince me of Bantayan superiority. While yes, Bantaya is a larger kingdom, it's much worse off than Colbini. The last tutor was at least subtle in his attempts to sway me. I can't stand incompetent people."

Kadin wrinkled his nose as he remembered the last tutor. Yes, he had been a fairly decent tutor but he had had a nasty habit of twisting Kadin's words every time he spoke while pretending that Alrik could do no wrong. As much as he respected Alrik as Colbini's prince, his friend was not perfect, nor did he want to be. Alrik wanted to be the best possible person for the country but his family came first above all. He would happily watch the country burn if it meant that his family was safe, would light the match himself without any remorse or a second thought.

Remembering the princess's slightly guilty look, Kadin ventured, "Well, if it wasn't about your tutor, then did the princess do something? I'm pretty sure I saw her in the garden without any attendants the other day, did she slip away from her maid and guard again?"

Alrik grinned, relaxing a little. "Yeah. I'm sure she's done something recently, but it didn't come up. No, Mother and Father had just finished up a Council meeting and they wanted to see what our feelings were about trying for the crown."

Kadin asked, "Oh, does your sister want to be queen? Cause I know you'll make that happen, no matter what the Council may try to do."

Alrik sighed and muttered, "I wish that were the case. She'd be a better queen than I would."

Kadin rolled his eyes, well used to Alrik's fondness for his sister. "I agree, you'd be a terrible queen. However, you are going to be an amazing king, as long as you don't kill the Council first."

It was Alrik's turn to roll his eyes. "They deserve it. Anyway, Aley doesn't want to be queen, she wants to support me by being a diplomatic envoy."

Remember the cheerful princess and how she seemed to make friends with absolutely everyone, Kadin nodded approvingly. "That's a good choice, especially considering her cheerful disposition. But why don't you seem happy about that? It's better than an arranged marriage with some other kingdom."

Alrik frowned, "She wants to go to an academy so she can start building connections. She's obviously put a lot of thought into it, cause she had that stubborn look in her eyes."

Now, that was surprising. Kadin never thought he'd see the day when the princess would willingly agree to leave Colbini.