To drop down the chain (Raziel and Devxx)

“Therein lays the problem.” He said softly. “It takes a lifetime of conditioning to be a warrior. It also takes a lifetime of conditioning to be ready for the politics of ruling a kingdom. Few, if any, have the time and energy to do both, especially at the age that they have to start.”

He shook his head slowly. “Warriors rend armor. Political royalty rends flesh. One cannot function fully without the other. We send the warriors to war as we try to destroy the enemy from the inside. I can fight physically from training myself the last few years, but it’s mostly stall tactics. Espionage, stealth, anything with a hole in the armor is a target for me.”

He sighed, turning to face her. “Nobody can do it all. Show me someone with a sly tongue and sharp sword, and able to use both with equal tenacity, and I’ll show you a future overlord.” He took a bit of bread, biting it lightly. “I’m sorry, I’m rambling. So, your plans for me today? Or should I get ready to break out of ropes and lock once more?”

"Still, isn't your whole life laid our for you? From the moment you were born you're a political pawn for your kingdom. I can always retire to an estate and leave my life as the Black Knight behind but you will always be a prince." If she ever did get tired of all of this she had an estate in the eastern kingdom that she could live the rest of her life in. Yet Alexander would always be a prince and that was something that he couldn't turn his back on no matter what.

"No, no ropes today. Though it was kind of fun seeing you tied up." Sabine snickered slightly as she took a sip of her water. Right now she doubted there was anything in the castle that could hold him for very long. Hell, even if she handcuffed him to a steel pole and locked him in a room with no windows and then cemented the door he could probably still find a way to escape it all with a grin. That was a very handy trick and something most warriors didn't learn. They were always taught to fight their way out of a situation with brute force and few of them would stop to think of using their mind first.

"Well there's no way I'm letting you near the horses or the armory." Sabine said as she got up off her chair and walked over to Alexander. Her hand trailed over his shoulder as she thought of just what she was going to do with him. Leaving in his room all alone was probably not an option and she couldn't risk him escaping before even the dignitaries arrived. "I do have to check some of the outposts in the forest. I guess you'll be accompanying me."

“My life was chosen for me before my birth, and I have come to accept that. It has given me the power to do whatever I wish. I’ve gained stealth and my own sort of strength that a warrior wishes that they had. I can hide in the public eye if necessary. I will be a prince, and eventually king, forever. But I will always have my escapes temporarily, even if I wished it was a little more permanent at times.” He didn’t look at her for a long moment.

He couldn’t help but smirk back at her when she mentioned the ropes. “I think you just like the thought of me under your control. The strong, rebellious prince that has been such a thorn at your side, helpless to your punishments.” He smirked a little wider at her before taking another bite of bread.

“Ah, patrols in the forest. If I can have my own horse, we can move faster. Rope my horse to yours if you think I’ll escape.” He stood, brushing off his pants before looking at her. “Well, lead the way. Best to get your work done fast. I may have my own combat to teach you later, if you’re willing to listen on the ride.”

"I'm not going to deny it, the whole power struggle was fun for me even if it didn't really end up the way I thought it would." Sabine said with a shrug as she led him towards the stables once more. Walking over she pulled out two of the mares that they usually used for patrol. They weren't incredibly fast or strong but they had a good even pace and if push came to shove they were good in most situations. She got two of the saddles off a shelf as well as a length of rope to tie them together with.

"Here, get on." Sabine said as she handed the bridle to Alexander before getting on the other horse. This should only take about an hour or two since she was just doing a run through and not a close inspection. Usually the border patrol would do it but now that she was back from battle the king liked to have her check it every once in a while. "Oh? And what kind of combat can you teach me?" Sabine asked over her shoulder as she led the horses out of the stable and towards the forest.

The castle was surrounded by trees on it's south, west and east sides with only the north side being open as a road between the castle and the nearby villages. It was always important to make sure the posts in the forest were secure because they never knew what kind of attacks could come from there.

“Nobody expects such things to happen. It’s on how you react when they do that defines a person.” Oh good, he was being philosophical now. He was waiting for the moment when she asked for his snarky attitude again. “Either way, it was amusing.”

They reached the stables, and two mares were pulled up rather promptly. She saddled the horses herself and gave him one to get up on. It took a moment, trying to jump straight on as part intimidation, part showing off. He failed easily though, and soon settled to using the stirrup to pull himself up. They left in silence, thankfully.

“Yes, fighting. Hand to hand, unarmored.” He said, as they went at a good pace towards the nearby forest line. “It can be very useful. Armor makes too much noise. Getting close to someone and killing them non-lethally can make going through an area much easier.”

"Hm, I suppose. My fighting style isn't really what you'd call quiet. Though you've already had a first hand experience with that." Sabine said with a chuckle. She was used to leading charges against battalions of men and it was hard to be sneaky when it came to something like that. She knew how to handle her sword in and out of armor but when it came to actual hand to hand she didn't fare very well. Her size was a definite disadvantage and as much as she didn't like to admit it, physically she didn't have the strength that most of the men under her lead did.

"So...why did you escape?" Sabine asked, finally giving voice to the question that had been burning in her mind since yesterday. "I left you there with no guards and your hands were completely free. You had every chance to escape but you didn't take it. Why not?" She stopped the horses and turned to look at him. He had every opportunity to escape and yet he didn't take it. She wanted to know what was going on through his mind that he decided to pass up that golden opporunity.

“You mean, why didn’t I escape when I had the chance to?” He said, slowing his mare down while she stopped and turned to face him. “Don’t you have any idea why I wouldn’t?” He urged his mare to keep going, but soon the rope stopped him from going forward. He turned to face her, his face a little non-chalant.

“Besides you tiring me out last night? The fact that had I did, it would have been your head.” He turned away from her, back down the path. “I couldn’t let that happen.” Silently, he pushed his mare to move forward, and it was soon that they were moving again. This time, he was silent, averting her gaze.

She let the information sink in as she watched him turn away and start moving along the path. Her mare followed along him as the rope pulled her along to follow him. He had actually thought of what would happen to her and decided to stay here just to protect her. The thought of it struck a cord in her that she hadn't thought was there. In war it was so easy to dehumanize your opponent and think of them only as the enemy and not as another human being with their own thoughts and opinions. Sure she had sacrificed herself to save her men and they had done so for her in turn but the fact that this man who had been her enemy just a day before would put himself in danger to protect her was something different altogether.

Digging her heels into the side of her mare she caught up with him and grabbed the bridle out of his hand and pulled both horses into a stop. She turned so they were facing each other and that she could actually get a good look at his face. What she was planning on doing was completely stupid and the logical part of her was telling her not to be it was being silenced by something else. Reaching over she grabbed onto the collar of his shirt and pulled him close until her lips were pressed up against his into a kiss.

This morning she had told herself that what happened yesterday had been a one time thing and that it wouldn't happen again but here she found herself kissing him and wanting more still. Sure it was probably completely stupid to be doing this out in the open where anyone walking by could see them but she really didn't care right now. All she wanted was to pull him close and forget about the rest of the world around them.

He seemed more than willing to just let the two of them go by in silence, but it didn’t happen. She pulled up beside him, took his reigns, then his collar, pulling him in and kissing him deeply. His eyes were open wide for a long moment before slowly closing, moving closer to her, a arm wrapping around her as he deepened the kiss.

After a long moment, he broke the kiss, slowly. He looked up and down the road before into the forest proper. After thinking for a moment, he took the reigns back, and led them into the denser trees. He kept them going for a minute before letting the horses stop. Suddenly, he pulled her closer, kissing her again, deeper, more passionate than he ever thought he was possible of doing. No words needed to be shared. They both knew what they were doing. What could happen from this.

Sabine let him take the reigns and pull them over to the denser trees that would provide more coverage for them. What they were doing was completely irrational and stupid beyond belief. If they were caught then chances were the king would have both their heads on a platter. This entire thing was completely stupid and reckless but for some reason that didn't seem to matter.

She broke the kiss for long enough so she could get off the horse and pull Alexander down with her. The trees here would provide enough cover to keep them safe unless someone was pointedly looking for them. Luckily it was quiet enough that they would be able to hear anyone who was coming. Taking hold of his collar she pushed him up against a tree and her lips pressed against his once again. Her hands traveled over his shoulders and down his arm as her body pressed up against his. To think just this morning she had promised herself it would not happen again and yet here she was, with her body on his and it still felt so right.

She pulled him down from the horse and had him pressed against a tree before her body was up against his, rather tightly, and he enjoyed it. The returning kiss was delicious and full of energy, and he gladly gave it his all, a arm wrapping around her hip, the other sliding up her back and holding her shoulder, keeping her close to him. Always close to him. She may have been the enemy, but she surely touched the heart of a cold man.

But soon, what could happen to her if they were caught came to his head, and he slowly broke the kiss. “We have to stop for now.” He said in a low, soft voice. “I can’t give them the chance to find us, no matter how sweet the moment is. Later, though…” He kissed her again, nipping her lip lightly. “This dear old slave can give his mistress all the delights she wishes…” He meant it as a endearment, and he hoped that she took it as such. “After I teach you some more combat techniques.”

She was sad when he pulled away but she knew that he was doing the right thing. The chances were too high of being found out right now and if that happened there would be hell to pay. "Mm, I believe your mistress will be happy to show her slave his place." Sabine said with a grin before pulling away. She still had a job to do anyway and people would be suspicious if it took her too long to do it. Plus they still didn't know when the dignitaries would be coming and no doubt they would want to make sure their prince was still in good shape.

"I am interested in learning some of your combat techniques. They could come in quite handy if I ever find myself in a jam." Sabine mused as she leaned against a tree away from him. A warrior could never be too prepared and as the black knight she had a perpetual target on her back from either rivals or enemies who would love nothing more then to see her gone.

“Mmm…. Mistress…” He whispered to her, liking the idea of it despite never seeing himself as the slave type. Hell, all men become a slave to the woman they become betrothed to at one point in time. Though if he was to make that his aim, he would have to work fast to get both of them free, and he only saw one way of doing that.

“I can’t teach you everything.” He said, moving over to her, pushing against her and kissing her lightly before moving to the mares, getting onto his own. “Let’s go quickly. The faster we get your chores done, the more I can train you, and the more… fun… we can have later…”

She nodded before getting on her own mare and getting back to work. Leading the way she took them across the eastern part of the forest where the main outposts were located. This part was usually considered the castle's blind side considering the trees were the thickest here and they didn't have any slopes or rivers to protect them from an oncoming enemy attack. That was why it was so vital to make sure that all the posts were being guarded and up kept.

Coming up to one of the posts she called up to the watchman who was on duty right now. They exchanged pleasantries and she started asking him if anything had been going on. She had been gone for three long months so it was always good to be updated on even the smallest things. "No sir, nothing strange has happened recently though a month ago we did see some smoking coming from about a mile off. We sent some people to investigate it but they didn't find anything." The guard explained with a shrug. Every now and then they would see some strange things here or there but so far they hadn't proven to be a threat. Nodding she led them to the other outposts and they were done within the hour.

"I'm probably going to have to check them again in a couple of days and have a talk with the groundskeeper but nothing seemed to be out of place." Sabine explained as she led the two horses towards the stable. "So about that training you were talking about..." She led off as she dismounted her mare and handed it off to a stable hand.

He stayed silent the whole time, letting her do her work. Going back on his word would set him back immensely, and her trust was the most important part of him getting out of this hellhole. Even if this hell had such a nice piece of Eden in it.

They HAD gone fast, faster than they had started off even with him rushing them. They got back to the stables, and the first thing she had really done was ask him for the training. “Ah, yes. Get three of your men, no armor but weapons. Doesn’t matter what. Just nothing far ranged.” He kissed her cheek. “I know where my room is, and I’ll see you there. I must get prepped.”

She nodded and led him the his room before going to the guard room and getting three of her best men. They were all in their mid thirties and were battle hardened from years spent fighting in the war. "Come with me." She said as she pointed to the three biggest she could find and led them towards Alexander's room. Of course they were curious as to what was going on but they learned a long time ago it was better not to question her orders. If it was anything they needed to know she would have told them and it wasn't like she would lead them into danger directly.

Walking in front of his door the guards stepped aside before she pushed it open and led the men inside. Obviously they were more confused now and were looking around for some kind of answer. "Sir, what are we doing here?" The biggest one asked. His name was Nicholas and he had been fighting with her ever since she got her title and rank.

"Apparently the prince wishes to give a demonstration of just what he's capable of." Sabine answered simply as she walked over to the other side of the room. Admittedly she was curious to see just what Alexander could do against three of her best men. He had said this was a special training so it would be interesting to see just what he could teach her.

It was a funny thing that he was giving himself time to prepare himself, considering that any time that he would have to use these abilities would mostly be life or death, where he wouldn’t have time beforehand to get ready for it. Either way, this would be useful for him. Get his mind ready. He could DIE if he messed up. They probably didn’t use wooden weapons for training. They probably wouldn’t assume to use them, anyway.

He peeled his shirt off and tossed it to the side as they got to his room, before starting to stretch his muscles out. He hadn’t over the last few days, and now without the room to at least help train himself mentally, a small sense of claustrophobia sank in. But that was nothing compared to when she came back with three other men, apparently her best.

“You see, I would love to show you just how much I know, but there’s just one problem.” As his face was nearly buried in one man’s shoulder, and he could feel a shoulder being pushed into his back, he didn’t feel that it wasn’t obvious. But it had to be said. “There’s no room in here for such a thing! We need a bigger room. Preferably outside.”

"Letting the slave outside?" Nicholas asked incredulously as he turned to look at Sabine. He trusted her completely as a leader in battle but letting the hostage out in the open could lead to problems. He understood that the prince was her slave and that he would be heavily outnumbered if he tried anything but he still didn't like taking chances. The younger man was right though, there was no room in this little cell of his.

"What do you think he's going to do with guards running everywhere? He'd be completely lost and if he tried to escape then he would get caught." Sabine explained simply as she started to edge her way out the door. Being in a crowded room with a bunch of men wasn't exactly her idea of fun and as much as she was a fierce warrior she was still a fairly tiny girl and these conditions didn't help. "Come on, we can go to the practice fields. Besides, it would be good for all of you to get some training in. Don't think I haven't noticed how you've been slacking off." The young girl said pointedly as she gave the men a look. The large men looked around sheepishly as if they had been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

The men grumbled a bit but they followed her out into the training fields. They made sure to keep Alexander sandwiched between them and watched him intently just in case he had any thoughts of escape. These were all trained men and they weren't going to be taking any chances with the hostage prince.

If he could have, he would have crossed his arms at the remarks that he heard. Either way, he frowned. “Me? Escape? If I had found a way to, I wouldn’t be having the king’s best taking me outside to do so.” At least Sabine was on his side, and even got them to feel guilty enough to begrudgingly follow her to the training field. They made sure he was in the middle of the group, a precaution that he understood but was useless.

Thankfully they were outside soon, in the training area. He took a deep breath before turning towards the group, his arms behind his back. “I feel free to show you this simply because just seeing it would be quite useless without knowing every part of the body. Still, seeing it slower is better than fast, so one at a time.”

(you may enjoy this part)

The men grinned as they looked down on the prince. They were all older then him and bigger men in general. If this little pampered boy thought he stood a chance against them then he was sorely mistaken. "You shouldn't be so arrogant kid, we might just hurt you." Sean, the smallest of the three, said as he walked over towards Alexander.

"Hey, if you think you can take him why not go for it?" Sabine said as she gestured towards Alexander. The girl was curious to see just how he would handle her best men on a one on one basis and what he could possibly do to them. Sure he was tricky and she had seen him knock out her guards when they were already half asleep but these men were all trained to be the best and wide awake. Still, she knew that he had something up his sleeves and she couldn't wait to see just what it was.

Sean stepped forward and stretched a bit as he loosened up. The man followed suit and took off his own shirt while Nicholas and Erin walked over to where Sabine was to get a better view of what was going to happen. The men were already taking bets on how long it would take for Sean to take down the prince and have him on the ground begging for his mommy. "Don't break him now Sean. The king still wants him alive." Erin called out with a grin as he watched the two. Alexander was obviously outmatched from where he stood.

Grinning, Sean looked the prince up and down before taking his stance. "If I get too rough don't be afraid to tell me little boy." The man said with a grin before making a fist and charging at Alexander at full force.

The other men were peeling off their shirts as well, getting ready as they were mocking him. He would enjoy this immensely. Their taunts did nothing to him mentally, and he simply looked at his fingernails as they chose who was first going to go after him.

“What is this? I specifically said they were weapons free.” He said, turning to Sabine. “Meaning they got free and full access. Now I have to think of fighting a little more fair. This will hardly be fun.” His arms crossed behind his back as he watched the man - Sean - getting himself psyched and ready for his apparent easy victory.

The remark did nothing to hamper his current straight standing form, and he simply waited for it. Sean charged forward, fist pulled back for a huge hook of a punch… And Alex wasn’t there a moment after. His body shifted to the side, his hand reaching out and holding his upper body above the ground before he swung his leg full around quickly, making contact with the back of Sean’s knee. It easily gave way, and he was eating dirt thanks to his momentum of attack a moment ago.

Alexander stood back up, dusting his hands off while looking at Sean on the ground. “You’re the smallest, so I thought you were use to the taste of dirt in your mouth.”

Sean was caught by surprise as his fist went past Alexander before feeling an excruciating pain travel from his knee through the rest of his body. When he opened his eyes again he found himself face to face with the ground where he was currently sprawled out. Somehow the smaller man had managed to overpower him and had thrown him against the ground. "Why you son of a bitch." Sean shouted angrily as he turned around to glare at the man. He wasn't going to let this pampered prince make a fool of him in front of his captain and his fellow comrades. This pathetic boy had managed to bring him down but it wasn't going to happen again. "That was luck and I can promise you it won't happen again." Sean said through gritted teeth as he pushed himself up off the ground. He already had some scrapes and cuts on his body where it had come in contact with the ground and he could feel the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. His fists were clenched in anger as he circled the boy with rage burning in his eyes. This had turned from a simple little exhibition to a battle between two sides and it was one that he had no intention of losing.

"What's wrong Sean? Did you really get your ass handed to you by the slave?" Erin called out with a grin as Sabine and Nicholas tried to suppress a chuckle. Sean was the youngest of the three and the most hot headed of them all. He always felt a need to prove himself in front of the rest of them and this little exhibition had turned very dangerous very quickly. The two men egged him on, eager to see just what Alexander had in him. They could have stepped in but the prince had wanted it to be a one on one thing and for now they would respect those wishes. Still, if this smug little act kept up they would be hard pressed not to charge him and wipe that smirk off his face.

Sabine herself stayed relatively silent as she watched everything with a critical eye. Sean had a size advantage over Alexander but somehow he had managed to turn that against him. The man was strong but Alexander was quicker and smarter and had used his momentum to throw him on his ass. The prince was a lot stronger then she had given him credit for and this little display was giving her an idea of just what he was hiding. Not only was he accomplished and picking into locks but he was also a brilliant fighter. It made her wonder just how their first meeting would have ended up if her and her men hadn't caught him by surprise. Hell, she might have ended up as a hostage if things had been turned around.

Sean let out a growl before running at Alexander once more. Rage had blinded him and he wasn't thinking clearly or watching his opponent. All he wanted to do was land his fist on Alexander's smug little face and feel his bones break under his fist.

One could say that the waves of rage that was radiating off this man was feeding Alexander. Alex was standing again, arms behind his back, standing still as Sean circled around him. “Temper your rage. It blinds you to what your opponent is capable of. Rage blinds the mind and eye and opens up gaps in defense.” Of course, he wouldn’t listen to him.

The best thing about a enraged opponent is that they didn’t learn from their mistakes. Twice more, as the man rushed at him, he moved to the side and kicked his knee out from under him, watching him get more and more exasperated. Easier to read. And seemingly finally learning his strategy. At the final charge, Alexander feigned to the right and down. Sean went for it, angling his attack to the side, but Alex got up nearly instantly, spinning his body. His elbow went out, hitting Sean in the gut hard with his own momentum and Alex’s spin, knocking the air out of him and making him topple to the ground.

Alex simply dusted himself off again. “Go settle down. You’re going to get yourself killed if you keep this up.” He lifted his head to the other three, his arms crossing over his chest. “Who’s next?”

True enough Sean had let his rage get the better of him and he found himself on the ground once again. Sharp pain exploded through his body and he writhed on the ground in pain. He struggled to get up as he continued to glare at Alexander with hatred in his eyes. "Sean, stay down. You've done enough damage and the boy already proved he could handle you." Nicholas called out from the side as he walked over to the younger man. Nicholas knew that Sean was in no position to fight right now and if he charged Alex again it could do some lasting damage.

"Well now, I think it's my turn." Erin said as he stepped forward. The man had a good natured grin on his face as he walked towards Alex. Erin wasn't one to let his emotions get the better of him and often the men would see him with a smile and a joke to tell. He didn't let things get too serious and preferred to let this little demonstration be just that. He had already seen a gauge of Alex's skill and movements from his little bout against Sean and knew better then to just charge him. Instead he stood a good 15 feet away and waited for Alex to make the first move.

Sabine stayed silent through it all and watched everything critically. Sean made a stupid mistake and let his head get clouded by rage. Alex didn't just fight a physical battle he fought a mental one as well. It would be interesting to see him pitted against someone like Erin who was more in check with himself.

Sean was quickly removed from the battlefield, to be exchanged with a new adversary. Alex took a moment to study his opponent before getting ready for an attack. Of course, that meant that he stood completely still as he stared down his opponent, ignoring the rest of the stimuli of the onlookers.

The standoff went for at least 5 minutes, the two of them just staring into the other’s eyes, looking for a weakness or something that would tell the thoughts and maneuvers of the opponent. At the end, Alex simply bowed. “You know something that your friend didn’t.” He said in a low voice. “Combat, harming someone, is hardly ever necessary. Best to let someone go if they aren’t crucial.”

He couldn’t help a smirk. “And what point is a self-defense ability if you attack with it? No point. So unless you feel like attacking, stand down. You won this test.”