"It’s been a long time since I last sparred with you," Lord Newton said as they made their way to the garden. And as far as he could remember, it had been months if not years since they last sparred with Isadora. He had grown her grow from a toddler to the woman she is now.

"I can’t even remember the last time we did this," Isadora said as she made her way to the front. She picked a sword from a knight who was standing by and so did Lord Newton. A mischievous smile curved on his face all the while Isadora was swinging her sword in a playful manner. Isadora could see how he was looking at her from the corner of her eye.

"What?" She asked as she swung her sword in the air, perfecting on her moves.

"Well," Lord Newton began as he scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I am just happy and surprised at how fast you’ve grown and the woman you’ve become now." He added letting his gaze linger on Isadora’s curve for the briefest of moments before he quickly averted his gaze. This had not gone unnoticed by Isadora of course. She smiled knowingly.

It was not her fault that she was born a woman, a beautiful one at that and neither was Lord Newton’s fault to be a man. And as humans, they had feelings as well. The desires of the flesh were the most tempting of all. And come to think of it, Isadora was one of the victims of these desires. And though she couldn’t balme herself, guilt feelings overwhelmed her and she cursed for having fallen for that brat. Her face grew a few shades darker when a memory of the good times they had with Alexander flashed across her mind.

"Are you alright?" Lord Newton asked when he noticed the sudden change of expression on Isadora’s face. She lifted her face and forced a smile out, easing Lord Newton’s worry.

"I’m fine. Let’s do this," she said and walked towards the center of the garden, holding the hilt of her sword in a defensive stance. Lord Newton just followed blindly though he was certain she was not alright. Since the moment she came back to Crescia, he saw how she had gladly changed. She had gone through the worst, and that, he could tell with just one look. She had also lost some weight. Maybe it had to do with the maid staff. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Maids were overworked in every palace so it was only natural that Isadora would find it hard to cope with the jobs. Little did Lord Newton know Alexander had put her through hell in her first day as his personal maid. The flight of stairs she had gone through that day had a great impact on her petite body.

"I hope you didn’t forget what I taught you," Lord Newton said, looking her in the eye for the first time. These were the times he didn’t display his naivity. He was an expert in this field, reason why he had been chosen to be Isadora’s trainer. Isadora nodded softly as she braced herself.

"Don’t go easy on me, because I won’t go easy on you either," he warned her. Isadora just nodded again and bit her lower lip. She was now clad in a trouser that accentuated well with her petite body and curves. The knights who stood on the garden could not help but throw lustful glances at her petite back as she braced herself for what was about to come.

Lord Newton unsheathed his sword as well before he lodged himself towards Isadora. She was however quick to dodge his attack effortlessly, surprising Lord Newton. He was certain he had attacked when she had least expected. A smile curved on his face at her quick reflexes.

"That was awesome," he commented after regaining his composure.

"Thank yo.." Isadora said but Lord Newton didn’t give her the luxury to finish. He wanted to show her that such an opportunity was enough for an enemy to finish her off. He had ceased the moment since she had lowered her guard and now his blade was resting on her delicate neck, it’s shiny surface reflecting the mid-day sun.

"Never let your guard down even for a second. That time alone is enough for your opponent to kill you," he said and withdrew his sword. Isadora just gave him a stern look before she nodded knowingly. That was a surprise attack that she hadn’t expected. She had lowered her sword to receive the compliment and maybe acknowledge it when the tip of Lord Newton’s sword suddenly rested on her neck. That was a trick one would use against an enemy you were well acquainted with.

"Let’s go again," he said and swung his sword in a graceful manner. "Remember you are Crescian Isadora. And each Crescian has their inner power. What is your inner power? Use it!" He added.

And now that he mentioned it, what exactly was her inner power? Unlike most Crescians who discovered their inner power when they were still young, Isadora had not unveiled hers to date, something that not so many knew about. She was a good swordswoman so she didn’t use her inner power, which she didn’t have to begin with. Gareth, Newton and her uncle, Griffin all had discovered their inner powers, but she had not.

And to begin with, she was a royal member of the Crescian royal family. A royal member was termed as the most powerful Crescian there ever is. In fact, she was supposed to be stronger than her uncle since she descended directly from the king and queen, the true royal members. But why? Why didn’t she unveil her inner power till date?

"What are you thinking about?" Lord Newton asked when she didn’t move after a while.

Isadora blinked twice as if woken from a reverie. She suddenly felt the urge to find out why she had not unveiled her inner powers. And there was only one person who could answer that question.

"I’m sorry Newton but I have to go, now," she dropped her sword on the ground tied her hair into a ponytail. Lord Newton’s face turned a few shades darker. What had really happened to Isadora?

"Why the sudden change Isadora?" He asked but Isadora was already picking her jacket and striding out of the place. She turned to face Lord Newton one last time before she said,

"I’m sorry Newton. I’ll explain everything once I’m back." Lord Newton was about to say something but Isadora took a corner and was out of his sight now. His hands fell on his side as a look of disappointment registered on his face.

Isadora pulled her coat over her shoulders. The scorching sun was still high above the sky when she stepped out of the palace walls, unnoticed. She knew Griffin would scold her later for this but all she wanted right now was answers. Answers to the question that had been boggling her mind all these years. And why had she not thought about it before? She berated herself for this.

After a twenty minutes journey from the palace, Isadora came to a halt in front of a large cave opening. The inside looked pitch black that it made her wallow in fear. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she placed her heel softly on the rocky floor. The inside was eerily silent. Only the echoing sound of her footsteps could be heard resonating in the empty space.

She continued slowly in the cave, taking every step with caution. Isadora suddenly halted on her tracks. A glowing pair of eyes in the darkness was staring right at her. Those eyes, they looked like the devil’s! Her heart began beating erratically in her chest and her breath came out in shallow pants. She didn’t know what that was but the way those eyes looked at her! She swallowed in fear and took a step back but tripped over a small rock and fell on the cold floor.

She lifted her face as fast as she could. This was not the time to contemplate on the pain. But what she saw nearly made her heart jump out of her skin. A man, or was it a woman, was standing in front of her holding an owl on his hand. He was patting it’s back in the most loving manner, and when he lifted his face, everything seemed to have come to a halt for Isadora.

He flickered his hands and several torches suddenly lit on the cave. Isadora looked around confused before her gaze travelled back to the man. Yes, he was a man. His hair was white, as white as snow. And his eyes, they were silvery in color. A frown settled on Isadora’s face. She had never seen a person with silvery eyes her entire life. And his long white hair added to his silvery eyes and the white robes he wore made him look like a god in disguise.

"I was waiting for you."