Mine At First Sight
Chapter 10 - Trial And Error

▪️L E N N A▪️

A big smile adorned my face as I went about my day.

Since Edric had given me permission to read books from the third floor, it was near impossible to tear me away from the library. I found myself getting lost in the old musty pages, enjoying the hours of solitude.

There were so many books on magic, ranging from light to dark.

I tended to try and see things from a grey perspective. Though many would disagree, I personally felt that the concept of good and evil was not as straightforward as people claimed.

My time was split, however, between researching my own capabilities and reading anything and everything I could replace on the Malvar Lineage. It came as no surprise that their history was vast, and I found myself enjoying learning about their roles in shaping the large landmass over the centuries.

As I walked through a particular section, I furrowed my eyebrows, thinking back to the events of last night and Einarr’s role in all of it.

The last few weeks, I had not put too much thought into researching Edric’s parents and their era, as I had been working my way down the family’s timeline. Now, however, my curiousity about the estranged Einarr was piqued once again, and I felt it necessary to skip ahead.

From what I had gathered, based on what had been written down, I felt that Einarr perhaps had been misunderstood.

It was obvious that the death of Caelina had been a trigger for him. After all, I could barely imagine the pain he must have felt watching the love of his life marry his younger brother.

Not to mention the complete and utter agony he would have endured, seeing her grow round with a child that was not his.

I could easily visualise myself in his position, and I felt a stifling heaviness in my chest. I silently wondered how Edric felt, and the burden he must be carrying on his shoulders.

From what I had learnt about my King, he had always been a warrior and an explorer. Edric never had had any ambitions to sit on the throne. However, he was an honourable man, and bound by duty. So, he wore the crown and served his people as best as he could.

That would explain his excessive grumpiness, I thought.

As I closed one book and reached for another, I wished that I could see what was going on beyond the Soljord Mountains.

The fact that the Lugarhou were willing to follow Einarr, a direct descendant of the very man who had banished their ancestors, was surprising for me. Not to mention how the werewolves at the borders willingly sacrificed their lives for the sake of whatever experiments, gave me pause.

“They must believe in him somewhat, if they’re so willing to give their lives for him,” I softly said to myself, forgetting that Drengr was sitting at the opposite end of the table.

“Don’t get too caught up in your feelings, Lenna. I know that you want to feel sorry for him, but you shouldn’t waste your sentiments on someone like Einarr. He’s not worth it. We all have to give up something we love in this life at some point. But the way he went about dealing with his grief is inexcusable,” the Lycan said, his tone firm.

“I suppose, but everyone reacts to things differently, not so?” I said, my fingers fiddling with the corner of the book in front of me.

Putting down the scroll, Drengr sat up more attentively, “That’s true. But what does it say about a man who was willing to murder his own parents and siblings for that matter. I’m sure that by now you must have heard about the origins of the scars on Edric’s face.”

My eyes gaped wide as his words sunk in.

I knew that Edric and Einarr had fought. However, I had no idea that the eldest brother would have sought to attack Eginhard and Eckart, who were much younger at the time, and thus unable to defend themselves.

“Wait, Eckart would have just been a baby…”

A shudder passed through me, making me unable to finish my sentence.

“Correct. Now what kind of man would kill a child, his own brother at that?” Drengr asked me.

I desperately wanted to argue and question how what Einarr had attempted to do was any different from what King Eberhard had done to thousands. But knowing that it would sound disrespectful, I decided to hold my tongue.

After all, I had yet to fully understand the entire history surrounding the Mad King.

Realising that I had yet to answer Drengr, I nodded my head in agreement before I bowed and apologised for my earlier remarks.

Shaking his head, Drengr replied, “It’s alright, I know that you’re just trying to view things from both sides and given your empathic abilities, you would obviously see things from a wider perspective. What I’ve observed from being around you is that you don’t judge people by their reputations, but with your own eyes, wanting to see their overall character, which is something that I admire greatly.”

“Thank you for not misunderstanding my intentions, I meant no disrespect.”

“Of course,” he said with a smile and resumed reading.

Shifting in my seat, I pulled the open book closer to me, and as I stared at the bold printed words, I decided to focus on happier thoughts.

I could not believe that I was getting to see the Lycans train, and excitement flowed through me at the thought of getting to work on my own combat skills. Though I did not yet know who would be my teacher.

To be honest, I was silently hoping that Eginhard would be able to train me, as both Edric and Master Odun scared me. Just thinking about their brooding faces made me shiver slightly.

Knowing that there were others like me out there only added to the invisible pressure I had already been feeling.

Moving to the Lycan region had become more than just Edric keeping me safe. Deep down, I felt the need to keep him safe, as well as everyone else.

My lips twitched at the irony; me, a human, aiding in defending such a massive empire.

But then again, it was like my mother would often tell me, the werewolves and the Lycans had always underestimated us humans. It was in their nature after all, only viewing strength through physical means.

Humanity, however, was special. For there was more to us than just what was seen on the surface.

When Suvarna came to escort me a few hours later, I thanked her for fetching my bow and arrows, knowing that the bows the Lycans used would have had too big of a draw length for me.

Once my bow, arrows, and gloves were secured safely in my quiver, I slung it over my shoulder with a smile as we quickly left the library.

Her enthusiasm matched my own and we idly chatted while walking through the castle, making our way towards the large training grounds.

Before we could even see anything, we heard the sounds of the Lycans practicing their drills.

The noises of their harsh grunts and growls could be heard from over the wall. Taking one of the side entrances, we walked up a short flight of stairs so that we could observe from the platform seating that gave a nice view of the grounds below.

Gripping the railing, my eyes widened as I looked down at the grassy field before me. Men and women were training together, their weapons clashing.

It was a such a sight to behold!

There were various groups littered about. Some were doing target practice with their bow and arrows, while others were throwing axes and knives with astounding accuracy.

Additionally, the shouts of many filled the air, as they fought hand to hand.

Most of the men were bareback, and I heard Suvarna wistfully sigh then giggle next to me when she spotted Ulrik sparring with Eginhard a few feet ahead of us.

I could not help but smile at the way her face lit up when she saw Ulrik.

It was obvious that my friend was in love with the young Lycan, and I felt sad that they would not be able to be completely open about their relationship. Nonetheless, they both seemed happy with their current arrangement, and that was all that mattered.

As I observed the way Suvarna stared at Ulrik, I silently wondered what it would be like to be in love. Although, I figured that I may never get the chance, since I was the King’s slave.

With all my responsibilities coupled with the threat of war, I barely had time to think of much else.

Even if by some miracle I found a male human I was attracted to, I figured that things would not work out. I just knew that I would not have the time needed to build a proper relationship that could eventually lead to me falling in love.

But then again, given my skin condition, I already knew that no human would want to be with me. At the thought, I ignored the sour taste in my mouth.

Perhaps being in love was just not in the cards for me.

I knew the feeling attached to loving friends and family, and even though I had been very attracted to Berengar, I was not in love with him the way he had been in love with me.

Images of my best friend’s face suddenly flashed before me, and I could not help but pout slightly. I had yet to receive a response to the letter I had sent to him nearly two weeks ago. My family and Dakini had already replied and were happy that I was okay.

Perhaps Berengar no longer wanted to be my friend.

Not that I blamed him.

Since my arrival in the Lycan region, I had reflected much on my life, having come to the realisation that I had abused him and our friendship. Having known that Berengar was in love with me, I still selfishly asked him to take my virginity, eagerly wanting to know the touch of a man.

I had not stopped to take into consideration how our sexual relationship would have affected his feelings for me. Not to mention what those intimate moments during those two years would have meant for him.

Werewolves, like Lycans, did not have a fixed mate bond, from what Berengar had told me.

He had insisted that I was the only one for him, and I would jokingly brush his admissions off and tell him that he would forget about me as soon as the right werewolf came into his life.

But now Edric had claimed me as his slave, and to top it all off, had embarrassed the both of us while exposing our secret before taking me away. I would not hold it against Berengar if he never wanted to speak to me again. Though, a part of me always thought that our friendship would have been able to survive anything.

The sound of Suvarna’s excited tone pulled me from my gloomy thoughts.

“Look, Lenna, look! They’re waving at us!”

Refocusing, I saw Eginhard and Ulrik looking right at us.

Their faces were flushed and their muscled chests rose and fell rapidly from their intense training. However, the sound of Odun’s booming voice filled the air before we could even get a chance to wave back at them.

“Keep your shafts in your pants and focus!” the Lycan shouted, as he came up behind them and whacked them on the back of their heads with his open palms.

This caused a few snickers from those nearby, to which Odun glared at them, and they quickly diverted their attention back to what they were doing. He then narrowed his eyes and glared up at us, no doubt silently accusing Suvarna and I of being a distraction.

Speaking of distractions!

It was then that I noticed Edric walking bareback out onto the grassy field.

Oh my!

His body was, dare I say, just simply magnificent.

I was ashamed at the way I reacted to his presence; it was hard to miss the well-defined muscles on his torso as he moved. Blinking rapidly, I audibly gulped as the early-afternoon sun beat down on his smooth skin.

“See something you like?” Suvarna teased as she whispered in my ear.

Shaking my head in denial, “Pfft, no! I was just expecting him to be much hairier!”

With a snicker, she let me be, while my attention continued to be completely focused on the King.

“Causing trouble again, little brother?” Edric questioned while ruffling his short dark hair before dragging him into a headlock.

“Hey!” Eginhard struggled against him while Ulrik tried to hide his smirk.

Odun immediately mimicked Edric’s movements as he grabbed his own son into an identical chokehold, “Don’t you dare laugh! I swear, the two of you cannot see a skirt without turning to mush!”

“Dad!” Ulrik yelped and thrashed uselessly against the older man’s bare chest.

As they all playfully wrestled, it was interesting to see Edric interact with his brother in such a way, allowing me to get a glimpse of another side of him, a softer side that I knew existed.

“Lenna!” I heard Odun loudly calling out, pulling my attention to him.

“Yes, Master Odun?”

“Stop wasting time staring into the sky and get down here!”

Suvarna wished me good luck.

Walking down to where they stood, Eginhard playfully bumped my shoulder and I returned the gesture by light-heartedly swatting his bare shoulder, forgetting that we were in public.

“What was that for?” He whined playfully while rubbing the area.

Quickly realising what I had done, I immediately apologised and bowed my head, the skin of my face tingling in slight embarrassment.

“How easy you forget your place, slave!”

The voice caused me to stiffen.

“Leave it be, Beyza,” Eginhard commanded, “we were clearly just playing.”

Scoffing, the female Lycan replied, “My Prince, we’re here to train, not play! Why is she even here anyway? Doesn’t she have chores that need attending to or something? What’s that?” Beyza asked, pointing at my bow and arrows.

“These are mine,” I said, being sure keep my eyes lowered.

“You? An Archer?” Her laugh mocked me while she continued, “Don’t make me laugh!”

“I am sure she can aim better than you. We both know how inaccurate you can get when you let your emotions get in the way,” Eginhard said, his arms crossing his chest as he smirked.

Widening my eyes, I gave him a sideways glance showing my uneasiness.

I had no intentions of wanting to challenge Beyza in anything. The female Lycan hated me enough as it was, and I had managed to stay clear of her wrath these past few weeks.

Which, if I had my way, was something that I had hoped to continue going forward.

“This should be interesting,” Odun commented, with equal amusement.

Glancing up, I saw Edric looking down at me, his expression unreadable, though he gave me a slight nod as if to say, go ahead.

Beyza huffed as she walked over to where the archery targets were.

I silently followed and watched as the female Lycan frowned and got ready. Edric told us to aim at the first five targets in front of us, and whoever hit closest to centre would win, or if we both hit the targets equally, it would come down to whoever finished the fastest.

Removing my bow and string from my quiver, I then kneeled. I wanted to make sure that I strung up my bow properly, though Beyza’s harsh voice called out to me.

“Would you hurry up!”

Taking a deep breath, I ignored her snarling tone while I took my gloves out of my quiver and put them on before standing back up. Looking over at Beyza, the fingers of my left hand tightened around my weapon while patiently waiting my turn.

The Lycan seemed agitated as she took her time to fire each arrow.

It was hard not to notice that she held her draw longer than necessary before releasing. When Beyza was finished, the wooden shafts had hit the centre of all the targets. Though from the tightness in her shoulders, I knew that she could have been faster if she had been more relaxed.

I ignored the sneer she gave me when she walked past and told me that it was my turn.

Exhaling calmly, I walked up to position and took two of my arrows out. I could feel the eyes of all the Lycans staring at me and I tried my best to calm my racing heart. I wanted to show everyone that I was not some weak and useless human.

Paying attention to how the wind was blowing, my eyes surveyed the targets before me. With my bow in my left hand, my right hand held the arrows on the left side of my bow.

In theory, I should have brought my arm guard, but Berengar had taught me to shoot without one by bending my bow arm very slightly at the elbow. He also trained me to use multiple arrows at once, and reiterated that I was not to draw my bow until I was ready to shoot.

Keeping myself steady, I raised my bow and arrows and got ready and quickly aimed.

Inhaling, I pulled back the bowstring, using the steady rhythm of my breathing. Exhaling, I released my arrows, one after the other never missing a beat, while quickly pulling two arrows at a time from my quiver to repeat the movement.

One after the other, my arrows flew through the air in quick succession, hitting all five targets dead centre.

Though my last target had two arrows embedded in the centre as I had pulled a total of six arrows when I had only needed five. I supposed I wanted to illustrate that my aim had indeed not been by chance and I had hoped that my years of training was evident.

Even though Beyza had also hit each and every one of her targets at the centre, I had somehow managed to hit all my shots faster that she had. But I blamed it on her being emotional for I did not want to be egotistical enough to think that I had the speed to match against a Lycan.

Faeda shouted out as soon as the last arrow hit, “That was amazing!”

I nodded at her politely, a bit surprised at her outburst, wondering when she and Ghaffar had shown up.

Turning to face everyone fully, I lowered my bow, noticing how many of the Lycans looked at me while whispering to each other. I felt an intense pull as my eyes were forced to lock with Edric’s. I could tell that he was surprised, and I was unable to stop the small smile that tugged on my lips.

“She got lucky!” Beyza said with a scowl as she continued, “If it were a hand-to-hand challenge she would surely lose!”

Pressing my lips into a thin line, I breathed out and said, “Indeed, I would.”

This only seemed to enrage the female Lycan even more, “Why you little shit! You’re lucky that I can’t–” Beyza’s words cut off as a sudden idea hit her, “My King! I challenge your slave to a duel with my own! Hasso, come here!”

“What!” Eginhard and Faeda yelled at the same time.

I watched as her human came to stand at her side. Hasso was about 5foot 10inches, his body leanly muscled. Both sides of his head were shaven, visible tattoos etched on the skin of his skull. His hair was one long brown braid that reached the middle of his back.

Hasso had a reputation of being a great fighter among the humans, and won many of the bets.

Standing next to Edric, I could feel him tensing.

Usually, the bets that were placed were between same sex fights. This was so as the female humans did not usually train in hardcore fighting, though there were a select few who could hold their own.

With what I knew about Lycans and their pride, it would be seen as a sign of weakness if the King did not acquiesce to the challenge.

Not waiting for him to answer, I blurted, “I accept!”

Tugging on my arm, Eginhard hissed softly, “Lenna, you don’t need to do this! You’ve proven yourself enough for the day!”

“I will be fine,” I said to him, as I gave him my bow and quiver to hold.

“Do you even know how to fight?”

His question held no mockery, for there was a genuine look of concern on his face, which only served to show me just how much he cared about me and I was honoured to have such a friendship with him.

“Just a little,” I said, then chuckled as his eyes widened in surprise.

Coming to my side, Faeda stated, “Beyza is overstepping her bounds, she knows that only trained humans participate in such challenges. You don’t need to fight.”

“But I should, right? I mean, a human is a representation of their Lycan. If I don’t accept, I would look weak, and in turn that would make King Edric look weak, no?” I asked, my eyes switching between Faeda and the others.

I could see that Faeda was impressed with my understanding of their culture as well as my display of honour.

“Are you sure?” Edric asked.

I quickly peeked over at Hasso once more, observing his height and body mass. It was easy to note how much smaller he was in comparison to Berengar, and I knew that I was more than capable of facing him head on.

Returning my eyes to Edric, I asked, “He is human, yes?”

“He is,” he answered, the corner of his lips twitching with understanding.

“Then I should be fine,” I winked, before making my way towards an assortment of weapons that were specifically for the humans to use.

“Damn, I think I am in love!” I heard Eginhard light-heartedly say before Edric growled at him.

Taking my time, I sorted through various swords and shields before making my way towards the centre of a large circle that was formed by the spectating Lycans.

It seemed like word had travelled fast, as I looked up to the platform and saw that it was filled with many humans.

I easily spotted Suvarna and she gave me a thumbs up while Dhamin who was also next to her grinned down at me. Taking a deep breath, I refocused on my opponent.

“Are you not taking a shield?” I asked Hasso, noticing that he just had one sword in his hand.

Beyza answered for him, “He doesn’t need one!”

Odun came to stand in the middle of us, “I’ll keep the rules for this challenge simple, the first one to draw blood wins. Or, if an opponent should yield for whatever reason, then the other wins.”

“Are you sure that you don’t wish to surrender now? I wouldn’t blame you if you did…” Hasso taunted with a smirk while swinging his sword impressively through the air.

Returning his smile, I banged my own sword against my shield, “Are you sure you don’t want to get one of these?”

Odun gave me a curious look before he shouted, “Begin!”