She was drowning.

Summer struggled to break free, but the heavy weight of the water shackled her body. Everywhere around her was an absolute blackness. Her senses were dead. Her lungs were on fire. If she could just swim to the surface...

But her body wouldn't cooperate.

Then a hand pierced through the darkness and pulled her out. Black turned into a green clearing drenched in blood. The scarlet glittered under bright sunshine.

Pain stabbed her shoulder. When Summer looked, a sword was sticking out of it. She reached for it, her heart thudding in urgency. She had to get out of here. She had to get back quickly or Leon would die.

"Killer." The rough whisper was like sharp needles against her skin. She turned her head to find a man. She remembered his name. Colt. He watched her with a bloodied grin, his eyes laughing at her as he said again, "murderer."

His neck suddenly twisted with a loud crunch. Bones breaking. A muted thud when he dropped on his back. Dead.

Warmth dripped down Summer's hands. Blood. Her own or someone else's? When she looked up, Colt was standing before her. The sword that had been in her shoulder moments earlier held in his hand. His crimson grin widened before he thrust the blade in her stomach.

Summer woke up with a scream lodged in her throat. Sweat slicked her body and stuck her hair to her face. Her breath came out in short, fast gasps. Her stomach roiled.

Shoving the damp covers away, she scrambled to the washing room right in time to empty her stomach. The loud pop still echoed in her ears. She'd never forget that sound. The sound of a breaking neck. The sound of death. The sound of murder.

Cold water on her face and neck made her feel only slightly better. Still, there wasn't enough air in the room.

She swung the window open. Dawn painted the room in shades of gray and blue. Outside, the world awoke. The sound of distant voices, chirping birds, the castle coming to life like a giant stretching awake.

A slight breeze played on her skin. The greenery under her window and the sprawling city beyond the castle walls banished the horrors of her nightmare.

Slowly, her heartbeat returned to normal, and the hazy veil the dream draped over her mind lifted. And she felt more like herself.

As she changed her clothes, Summer eyed the collection of dresses, tunics and pants displayed inside the tiny closet room. Before yesterday, she hadn't wondered who paid for her clothes?

When she voiced the question to Lily the previous night, the young maid's reply was an instant, "his highness, of course."

Summer's pride was taking a hit. She never had much to her name, and whatever she had, she'd either stolen, hunted or made on her own. But she'd always taken care of herself, no one ever provided for her except Boyd, when he was around.

Now she ate mouthwatering foods and dressed in the finest materials. But none of it was deserved. It was charity.

The thought chafed. But she mollified her bruised pride by the fact she wasn't yet free to go and make a living.

Summer strolled out of her room, her muscles sore from the previous day's exercise. Sparring with Leon had been a marvelous experience. She never had the chance to push herself that way since Boyd passed away. Leon was a formidable opponent.

He was also an insufferable asshole. She pushed away thoughts of their conversation the day before and moved in plain sight through the lively hallways. The maids and servants who saw her nodded. The guards watched her like hawks. But no one stopped her as she made her way outside to the gray lake.

The air near the water pebbled her skin, her long blue tunic and pants a thin barrier against the cold. It didn't bother her for long, though. She began performing a series of combat movements that she was familiar with. It was one of the first things Boyd had taught her at the age of eight. The movements were burned into her mind and body.

She struck and sliced and kicked in controlled bursts that soon heated up her blood and sharpened her mind.

As she came down from a full round spin kick, she heard footsteps. Still far enough that she could hide had she wanted to. Except that she recognized the light tread.

She finished the routine, her sore muscles loosened and the ache that had settled deep in her bones after weeks of being limited to bed faded away. Summer simply wasn't built to stay idle.

Turning toward the trees, she espied the kid's hiding spot. The boy had potential.

"I know you're there." She put her hands on her hips. "Come out, kid."

A second later, his dark head peeked out. His blue eyes held a touch of suspicion and wonder at the same time. Summer grinned. "Good morning."

Summer looked skyward. The sun had barely come up, but the vibrant blue already dispelled the gloom of dawn. "Are you sneaking out on your mom?"

He hesitated, then shook his head. Summer sat on the ground and ushered him closer. He sat across from her, keeping enough distance that she couldn't reach for him. Careful kid.

"My name is Summer." She picked up a stick and wrote her name on the dirt between them then handed him the stick.

Call me A.

"A?" Summer arched her brow. His attempts at being mysterious were adorable. The boy nodded. She shrugged. "Okay, then. A it is."

Where did you learn to fight like that?

She twisted her head to read the words then replied, "an old man taught me. I guess I was about your age when he first started training me."

Can you teach me?

Summer raised her brows. "I don't think it's a good idea. Your parents probably won't agree. Even if they did, I really don't think they'll want you to spend much time with me. I'm a stranger."

His chin came up a notch as he wrote, my mom is dead.

"Ah," she said. "What about your dad?"

The boy shifted on the ground. He hesitated for a brief moment before writing.

He doesn't let me do much. I have a sword teacher. But they think I'm weak.

"Why do you say that?"

He shrugged and wiped the dirt with his palm before writing.

The teacher goes easy on me. I can tell because when he trains other boys, he does it more seriously. My dad is the same. He treats me like I'm still a baby.

"How old are you?"

8

"Hmm, you're not a baby. But you're still young, I guess."

You said you started training my age.

Stubborn kid. Summer smiled. "You know what's the first thing Boyd made me do?"

The boy looked up at her, his blue gaze pinning her in place. His eyes were quite intense. He shook his head.

"He made me run," she said. "Then he made me swim. Then when I could run and swim for long periods of time, he made me practice a simple punch and a simple kick until I hated him."

The boy stood up, his face set in mutinous lines.

"So if you're a spoiled kid who'll start complaining after a few laps, or if you are going to quit when things get hard, you better not start. I'm not a good teacher, and I will probably make you hate my guts," Summer said. "So, you still want to learn?"

The boy nodded. He was stubborn. She didn't know why he didn't speak, but even without words, his strong spirit shone through like a blazing fire. Hmm. The kid's father probably wouldn't mind his son training since he already has swordsmanship classes, right? Besides, Summer wouldn't mind doing something new for a change.

"Alright, let's run."

It was around one hour later that the kid and Summer went their separate ways. Only after extracting a promise from him that he would not skip school again did they make a schedule for exercising everyday at the same time after dawn.

He was a healthy kid and he had good endurance compared to what she remembered of herself at that age. But it was expected since she had been malnourished for a long time as a child.

Lily had run a hot bath for Summer. After Summer washed, Lily also had breakfast brought to her room.

"You're an angel, Lily," Summer said, sitting at the chair near the dead fireplace. The small table in front of her held a feast.

Lily beamed, standing to the side no matter how many times Summer invited her to sit down and share the food.

"More chocolate came, my lady."

"I can see that," Summer said around a bite of buttered bread. She was in love with the smooth taste of chocolate. She eyed the chocolate bowl on the breakfast tray with suspicion.

"Lady Ida said to meet her after breakfast, my lady."

Summer paused with the tea cup halfway to her lips. "Did she?"

Hmm. Did it have anything to do with Leon's offer for revenge the previous day?

The painting flashed before her eyes. Boyd. She couldn't believe he'd been one of the late king's trusted men. Seeing his face painted so accurately had brought tears to her eyes.

She missed him so much. The grumpy replies he always had ready for her, the rare open loud laughter whenever she did something that amused him, the head pats whenever he came back after traveling around for a while.

Putting the tea cup on the saucer, Summer swallowed past the lump in her throat. "Do you know what she wants?"

"No, my lady," Lily said. "But she said to dress in comfortable training attire."

That confirmed Summer's suspicion. She stabbed a slice of fruit. Pink, tangy and smooth, the fruit was one Summer had never seen or tasted before. The memory of yesterday's conversation with Leon was fresh in her mind.

Leon had asked her to teach the boys who'd ganged up on her a lesson.

"I'm sure you want a chance to get even," he had said while they stood in front of the painting, clasping his hands behind his back and looking every inch the royal that he was. "Also, do it in front of their fellow students."

Summer stared at him. "No."

Leon blinked. "No?"

"No, I won't beat up a few kids because you say so."

"They didn't have an issue beating up an injured girl locked in a prison cell."

"Then punish them." She shrugged. "If you're responsible for their punishment. Why do you want me to do it anyway?"

"I have my own reasons," he replied.

She laughed. "I'm not a tool for you to use, you arrogant asshole."

"Watch your mouth," Al grumbled.

Summer smiled at him. "Go screw yourself."

Al's dark eyes flashed. He took a step forward. "He can throw you in a dungeon if he pleases."

"Al," Leon warned.

"Then he can go ahead and do it, I didn't beg for his help." Summer told Al, her temper rising. "I'm not going to be anyone's puppet."

Summer had left after throwing those words. Her freedom and her body were the only things she had to her name. She hadn't lived her entire miserable life defending them only to be used as a pawn to some prince.

The novel taste of the fruit faded in the face of her thoughts. Ida's request to accompany her must have something to do with Leon's offer.

Summer didn't lie to herself. If she got her hands on those boys, she wouldn't be able to resist teaching them a lesson. However, doing it for someone else's agenda went against her beliefs. She wasn't a thug. She was actually disappointed in Leon. She didn't think he was such a person.

But then again, he was the prince of the kingdom. He must be used to people doing his bidding without question.

A knock sounded on the door and broke her futile thoughts. Ida.

She was dressed in her green uniform with golden buttons. Golden embroidery ran down the left side of her top in a wide band, ending where her sword was strapped to her hip.

Her polished boots clicked on the floor as she stepped inside. "Are you ready?"

"Where are you taking me, Ida?" Summer asked.

"I thought you'd want to explore the outer perimeter of the castle."

"The outer perimeter?"

"Yes, where the military academy is located. That's where all military personnel, combatants and non combatants, train before being assigned. The four boys you had the displeasure of meeting in prison are students there."

Well, at least she was straightforward. Summer downed the rest of her tea, shoved the remaining biscuit in her mouth and chewed, regarding Ida. The other woman raised her brows, but remained quiet. Lily's gaze danced between the two of them.

Brushing her lips from any crumbs, Summer rose, "does this have anything to do with Leon's request?"

"Yes," Ida replied. "However, I'm not demanding anything out of you. All I'm asking is for you to accompany me and have a look. I'm sure you're interested in seeing where the kingdom's best combatants are trained."

Summer pursed her lips. True, she was curious to see beyond the castle and the gardens. Besides, she had no doubt Ida would be true to her word.

And so Summer went along.

They rode down the hill to their destination. Ida's brown stallion was now familiar with Summer. Beyond the gate of the walls surrounding the main keep and its gardens, the constructions built between two of the protective walls were mostly sprawling one floor buildings.

Dirt paths cut through lush green grass, leading from the gate to the different buildings. Circular patches of bare ground were scattered all around the area.

"Those are training rings," Ida explained after they dismounted and she tied the horse's lead around a tree.

"There is an indoor training arena there." she pointed to one of the buildings. "But students mostly spar here when the weather allows it."

They trade along one of the dirt paths. "The students will be out of their first lesson in a few minutes."

Summer remained quiet, absorbing her surroundings, when Ida said, "you know, Leon doesn't really do things without a reason."

Summer shrugged. "Yeah, well, I'm not a mind reader, Ida. if he has reasons, he needs to spell them out, because I will not be scrambling around to execute his orders like a pet dog."

Ida nodded. "He's the prince, he's not used to justifying his actions to anyone. Well, maybe to the king. But I understand, and I agree. He should have explained his request."

"It wasn't a request, it was an order. And yes, he should have." Summer glanced at Ida. "I assume that's what you will be doing in his stead for the upcoming several minutes."

Ida chuckled. Her silence lasted until they reached the shadow of a large tree and leaned against it. From there, they could see a collection of training rings close to one particular building.

"This is the training area of the first years," Ida said. "Do you know how many females applied to the academy last year?"

Summer shook her head.

"More than one hundred, from all over the kingdom," Ida said. "Only around seventy make it to the selection procedure."

"What about the others?" Summer asked.

"They don't come," Ida said. "Most of them apply without their parents' consent. So when they are called for the selection exam and their parents hear about it, they forbid them to come. That does not happen to the boys. Almost all those who apply show up for the exam."

Summer frowned, remembering Lily's words about Ida and women in the military in general.

"Only half of those who apply actually succeed in the exam," Ida said. "And it's not for lack of potential. The majority of the exam committee are men, and some have very definite ideas about females. They're predisposed to see certain flaws in them. Flaws they would otherwise brush aside in male candidates.

"I'm not saying we should accept females just because they're females. I know that men are usually stronger than women, physically speaking. But some women have more potential than the average male. Also, the military academy isn't only fighting and combat. There is research and science and strategy and medicine; there are areas where females can be just as talented as males."

A bell rang in the air, and seconds later, a flow of similarly dressed young people came out of the different buildings. The group closer to them were dressed in uniforms of light blue.

Ida indicated their ranks with a tilt of her head. "The sky blue uniforms are the first year students. The dark blue are the second years. And the dark red are the third years. These are the students training for the guards positions. The royal guards are often chosen from their ranks. What do you see?"

Summer studied the different groups. "There are less students in the third year compared to the others. No, wait. There are less female students. They fail?"

Ida shook her head. "They quit."

"Quit?" Summer glanced at her in surprise before looking back at the students. There were around three hundred students in total, give or take a dozen. Only twenty were females.

"Yes," Ida said, watching the first years. They gathered around an older man. Probably the instructor, Summer guessed. The man spoke for a while before the students dispersed. A few minutes later, some of them began sparring with wooden swords, others in hand to hand combat.

Summer had always been observant. It was a skill honed by years of survival. It wasn't difficult to pick up on the subtle, and not so subtle, undercurrents of the scene before them. How the girls stayed together, drifting apart from the boys. How some boys looked and whispered, throwing snide remarks and comments designed to carry to the girls' ears.

There was more harmony between the genders in the second and third years' ranks compared to the first years. The difference was glaring.

Summer spotted a face that she recognized. Two of the four boys who had attacked her in prison. They were first years. And they were leading a group of five more boys towards the cluster of female students.

Summer didn't hear what was being said. But she could guess from the leers on the boys' faces and the pinched expressions of the girls. The instructors were nowhere to be found.

"This is why Leon wanted me to intervene, didn't he?" Summer finally guessed.

Ida sighed. "I don't presume to know what his motives are, but I can guess it is something along those lines. The boys who beat you up? One of them is the son of a general who doesn't like the presence of women in the government, especially in the military. That old bastard and I have clashed heads more times than I care to remember."

Summer examined the boys. One of them was the obvious leader. "So the boy inherited his father's view."

"Yes."

Hmm. "Why not you, though? I'm sure you're more than capable of taking on the spoiled brat."

"That's exactly why. I could beat some sense into the kid, but I'm a royal guard. I'm expected to be able to beat him. His defeat on my hands won't have an impact on the other students."

"I, on the other hand, am outside the power structure."

Seemingly an untrained young woman. Challenging the boys and defeating them would take them down a notch, it would also highlight the fact that females have a potential to be just as good as men.

Summer still felt uneasy about it. As much as she didn't like the way Leo tried to manipulate her into doing this, she understood his motives. She did have the urge to go down there and bash those young heads together until they saw the light. But they were young boys, barely out of their teens. She couldn't just stride over there and beat them up.

Ida sensed her hesitation. "If you want a shot at the kids, however, you would have to be irritating enough to make them throw the first punch. That way no one will accuse you of attacking them."

Summer's smile was slow and deliberate. "I can be irritating."

She stretched her arms and legs then strolled down towards the students, close enough to hear their conversation.

"That sword looks heavy for you, Blossom," the general's son said, his hazel eyes twinkling with ill-concealed mockery. "I can carry it for you, if you wish."

"Ever the gentleman, Blake," one of the girls said, her expression frosty. She couldn't be more than nineteen. Her skin was a warm light brown tinged with gold, her eyes dark and framed with thick brown lashes, her brown hair a sleek ponytail with streaks of sunshine.

"Thank you, but are you sure you can even carry your own sword?" Blossom continued. "I heard you've spent a few days in the infirmary."

Summer smiled as she crept along the edge of the group of girls. She liked Blossom already. Blake's face tightened, his nostrils flared.

Before he could reply, Summer piped in, "he was in the infirmary? How awful. Now I feel guilty."

The boys and the girls jumped and turned to face her, clearly startled.

Blossom narrowed her eyes. "You're the person who put him there, aren't you?"

"I do have that honor, yes."

Blossom's doubt was written all over her face. What the young girl saw was a woman of less than average height, a slight build and delicate features. She looked even smaller among the group of girls. She must appear a negligible threat to them and to the boys.

A fatal mistake.

One of the first lessons Boyd drilled into her mind was to never underestimate a person.

"How is your friend's arm?" Summer asked Blake, whose expression had morphed from surprise to open hostility. "I don't see him around."

"What are you doing here? A criminal like you should be rotting in prison."

Summer grinned. "A criminal, huh?" Summer grinned and opened her arms. "Yet here I am, walking free."

Skipping ahead until she was a couple of feet in front of Blake, the girls at her back and the other boys quietly watchful behind him, Summer made sure her hands were firmly clasped behind her back. She wouldn't want anyone saying she touched him first.

People like Blake were easy to rile up. Self righteous, overly confident young boys who thought their truth was absolute.

Now she just had to make him mad enough.

"I do disagree with Blossom, however. You're no gentleman. Neither is your friend," She said. "You're not even men."

"You- you- how dare you!" He took a step forward, his chest puffed up with indignation. "Who are you to judge me? You're nothing but a thief!"

"And who are you to judge that I am a thief?" she arched a brow. "Besides, thief or not, ganging up on a defenseless, injured person is hardly the sign of real men. Oh, and you know what's funny, girls?" Summer glanced behind her. The girls looked at her with wide eyes, some were surprised, some amused. "I was injured, and there were four of them. Yet I still managed to break a few bones and throw them in the infirmary."

Summer looked back to Blake. The boys around them whispered. Summer realized they were attracting a little too much attention from the other students. She had to get this over with, quickly, before someone intervened and ruined her fun.

"We didn't go all out on you," Blake said, color rising in his face. "You wouldn't have survived, otherwise."

Summer smiled and leaned forward, making sure her voice carried only to Blake and the boys behind him. "If you were on your own, Blake, I would have wiped the floor with your smug face without breaking a sweat, you pathetic excuse of a man."

The whispers increased in volume and intensity. Blake's face twisted into an enraged mask. Summer felt guilty for a fleeting moment before Blake pushed her. Hard. She had seen his hands coming and let him shove her to the ground.

She grinned, and while still on the ground, swiped his feet from under him in one swift kick. He would have fallen, except his friend held him up.

Blake shoved his friend away. "Back off. I'll take her on my own!"

Everyone gave them space. Now the ring was Summer's personal theater.

--- ---- ---

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M.B.