After only a few weeks of his mother’s training regiment, where he felt scrapped to the bone every day, Boren could really feel the difference in his body. With the incredible power and muscle he had put on in his limbs, both arms and legs felt and moved differently. It was like he was lighter and more comfortable in his own skin.

The problem was that Boren was bored. He was committed to the process and would continue to do the training eagerly. No one should doubt that about him. He needed to get away and do something adventurous, take his new body out for a spin, so to speak.

“These four walls are starting to feel like they are closing in.” He said into the quiet of his room. “I need to get out for a few hours and return refreshed.” And he needed to do that without the fanfare of being the King’s son. It was irritating to be out in the city but not interact with any people there. There remained this barrier between him and the people in the capital. They all seemed happy, but how did he know with the filter of palace guards and his parent’s protection?

No, I need to get out there by myself and really feel the city's heart. Father says it is vital to know your people's wants and needs. The thought bolstered Boren’s confidence, and he redoubled his conviction on the actions he was to take. But before that, Boren would need to head to training. He had a morning session with Lori and her second Baldwin. If Boren was honest, the man scared him a little with his switching personality and casual attitude towards killing.

It was hard to get the man straight in his head even though he had grown up around him. No point in dwelling on it. They will not wait around patiently if I waste their time.

Rushing out of his room, he had made it a habit to run whenever possible. He quickly made his way to the underground training room. It was a special place for more obscure and secret training his mother conducted. Boren now suspected that his mother ran a spy operation, controlling people all over the continent, maybe even the world. Boren had no idea of the extent or even if it was true, but suspicions abound.

“Well, I see someone decided to sleep in! Sorry to call you Princeling!” Boren winced at the sharp tone of mocking in the voice. Lori really didn’t pull her punches with people that wasted her time. Except with the King and Queen.

“Sorry, Captain! I promise I will work on getting better. I was sore yesterday, so it was hard to get my body moving again.” Nothing but the truth, but it would still be unacceptable. Enemies were rarely considerate enough to wait for you to be at your peak condition. In fact, if they were smart, they would catch you ill and asleep.

“Captain, what say we teach the boy a lesson in timekeeping?” Second-in-command Baldwin Gunther said as he unsheathed wooden practice swords, tossing them onto Boren and then running a hand through his hair. Did it have a sheen to it? The man seemed to play with that hair a lot, Boren had seen him on the ground beaten, but he would take the time to run a comb through his hair. Complete nutcase, that one. It seemed he had come to play today. “Get ready, Boren!”

With only that warning, Boren snatched the sword from the air as it soared towards him just in time to parry a slash from his demented mentor. It felt like he was on the back foot already, and Boren hadn’t even had a chance to stretch and warm up yet. Thank god he jogged here. Although not ideal, it served to warm him up and extend his tired muscles.

When Baldwin got the momentum going, he was like a bull, unstoppable. Again and again, the two wooden blades clashed, the older long-haired man bringing his formidable size and weight to bear and attacking all out. If there was anyone Boren might consider had Berserker in them, it was this mad man. It would be a while before he eased up, and he would do so only to change weapons. Who goes all out on a child? He didn’t like considering himself a child, but he wouldn’t mind the person across from him going a little easier when his life was on the line.

“Keep your sword up! Don’t relax. You would have even more weight to deal with if you had a shield. We will be adding a shield to your training in the days to come or a second sword. Hmm, maybe we should do both. Better to train with all possibilities from the beginning.” Lori said sharply between Baldwin’s blows. Boren was having a hard time keeping up, as always. From the beginning, he had been on the back foot with this man somehow, even though he could feel his growth. On that front, nothing had changed.

Sweat began to pour in earnest from Boren’s brow. He didn’t have the extra energy to wipe it away, instead just letting the flicks of his head as he turned and slashed and parried to carry the droplets away. Still sore from yesterday’s training, his muscles cried out in protest. Another of their restrictions was ‘no healing between training sessions. On the face of it, this wasn’t a problem. He didn’t lose Health, only Stamina and then Mana in the evening training. But healing didn’t only increase his Health; it also smoothed away other lingering ailments. Sometimes that was sickness; sometimes, it was soreness in muscles. They said he needed to learn to fight while fatigued. Boren scoffed at the idea. When would that type of scenario ever happen? He was a Prince and, as such, would always have access to potions and other resources that most others had to do without. But he wasn’t about to tell crazy here about his scepticism.

THWACK!

Boren had not been concentrating. Baldwin whipped around him and smacked him hard on the thigh. “Ahhh!” Boren gasped and hopped on the already sore muscle a couple of times before retaking his stance. He needed to focus.

As if reading his thoughts, “Boren, you are losing focus!” He was overthinking. “Stay in the moment. If this was a life or death situation, you would already be at your end!” Baldwin’s smooth and jovial tones contrasted with the seriousness of his words. It unnerved Boren more than Lori’s sharp bark could have.

Swallowing, Boren refocused and took Lori's stance the first day. Stable, knees slightly bent, left leg back and right forward. Sword pointing up and forward towards his assailant. Baldwin charged straight for him. After a few weeks of training, he didn’t need any tactics with someone as green as Boren. Boren dearly wanted to make him regret underestimating him. Boren sidestepped the charge and swung at the man’s left hip. Before Boren reached him, he felt a wooden sword slap against his right shoulder with a painful sting. Boren gasped but didn’t lose focus. He turned to see that the man was standing next to him, grinning.

Boren was embarrassed to realise that the grin infuriated him until he almost lost control of himself. That would not do, and he was a Prince. He took a deep breath and focused again, the sting in his shoulder lessening a little after the strike.

The training continued for another few hours, but Boren felt like he was more liquid sweat than a solid person at the end of it. Still, it had been effective, just like every day was. After many days without, they had finally made a concession and allowed him healing. One of the healer recruits was called, but Marasa came when she realised it was him that needed healing. She really was the most incredible woman, and he loved her dearly. She had been one person that raised him with kindness and care, much like his mother showed him.

After the healing and feeling refreshed but still covered in sweat, he decided to execute his escape plan. “Going to have a wash!” He said to the assembled people. After a short break, his subsequent training session would start in roughly an hour. Fenwin or another scholar would come and give him a lesson during that time. So him going for a wash was unusual, especially since he would get sweaty again in an hour. “Healing makes me feel like I want to be clean.” He was glad they had allowed the healing. The constant strikes were making him hurt everywhere. Baldwin seemed to have given him a harsh lesson today. He was going to have to make sure he was never late again.

After his bath and cleaning up, he snuck out of his rooms as quietly as possible and made his way to the palace entrance. Luckily, he did not run into anyone he could not easily hide from. Foremost of those would be his mother or father. Deciding the best course was to creep through the garden and hide near the gate, he continued stealthily in that direction.

Boren would need to be ready when someone suitable walked past. He would try the guards by himself with his disguise if no one did, but he wasn’t holding out much hope for it to work. Perhaps one of the kitchen staff could help him sneak out. Boren only intended to be out for a few hours. Still, Boren knew all too well what could happen if his mother found out about his activities. He would never hear the end of it. Not to mention what was likely to happen to the staff that helped him escape.

Boren knew almost all the staff by name. He had grown up with most of them, so the newcomers were always what drew his attention. He had always enjoyed meeting new people, but maybe that was because he had so little chance to under normal circumstances. Haemish had introduced him to the Slime, Resh. Well, he goes by Aarav for the most part now. He was the first newcomer Boren had met in about a year. In his life, that was a really, really long time!

Boren crouched behind the bushes to the side of the gate. The guard needed not to see him, and he wasn’t entirely in disguise yet. The final look would depend on who walked past since it would need to be believable, so Boren had kept a bag with a few choices of uniforms. Fingers crossed, he waited.

About twenty minutes passed, and Boren was losing confidence in his plan. Hiding from people was so much fun, but Boren really wanted to get out of the palace. That was when he saw it. The Slime that Haemish had introduced him to, by coincidence, happened to be looking to leave the court today as well. Boren could hitch a ride with him and then explore on his own after they were out of the gate. The Slime was about the same age as he was, maybe younger. This would be perfect.

Boren crept a little closer and hissed at the Slime. He looked different, but what else could he be, Boren had never seen a fairy that size, and he was the only creature he had met that could change his appearance. “Over here, come here!”