Training continued and she had taken to training with the soldiers, shaking them up and getting them to see a smaller, more delicate adversary as a real challenge.
She hadn't been out to humiliate anyone, only to practice and train. They had been glad for the new challenge at first, at least until she started kicking their arses and leaving them sore and resentful.
She had to remind them that she was over nine hundred years old and had been fighting for survival the whole time, but it didn't seem to do much for bruised egos.
Being female meant they didn't think of her as a threat and that was going to get them all killed. As a result she was eagerly beating a healthy fear of women into them, refusing to let any of them die as a result of a strong female fighter.
"Faerie is made up of a majority of women. If you underestimate them you will die!" she screamed to the crowd that had come to see her latest fight.
"Yes, it is," A voice said and she turned, her eyes falling on the strange male she had seen in Winter and she realised he was also the male that had appeared at the ridge after they had returned from The Underneath.
"Who are you?" she asked warily and she approached him, circling him once.
He was tall, willowy slender with pale fawn coloured skin and those dark blue triangles leading down from his eyes in a sharp point.
He had long fingers, long ears and a small frown set into a devastatingly attractive face.
The smell of magic wafted off him and she noted with a flicker of fear that he was a member of the Fae.
"Uzo," he said simply as she moved back before him, her eyes searching his face.
"Uzo?" she asked, only two feet from him and able to see every detail.
He was wearing a black, long sleeved shirt that was open to just under his sternum, the collar lifted to draw more attention to the area. Black pants and smart, expensive looking black shoes.
His hair was unstyled and spikey, reaching just below his ears in a mess that looked annoyingly attractive, as though he ran his hands through it so many times it simply grew that way.
"Uzo Ernin, high Lord of Winter."
She took a step back from him and frowned, her eyes trailing down and then back up his form.
"We're not related," he said after a pause, the crowd had gone silent and tense, unsure if there would be a fight or if they should be protecting her as the princess.
"Why are you here Uzo of Winter?" she asked warily, her hand resting on the grips of her swords.
"I've been looking for you. I knew your father."
She narrowed her eyes at him, her body tensing.
"Why have you been looking for me?" she asked, not understanding.
"Your father and I were comrades, he asked me to find you just before he died and ensure you were safe."
"That was a very long time ago Uzo," she was getting angry now, this man coming into her life now with some idiotic well-meaning attempt to obey her long dead father.
"You're not exactly easy to find. You're good at hiding," he seemed irritated by that.
She shook her head and drew her sword, pointing the tip at him and sliding her left foot back, her eyes dangerous.
"I don't need your help Uzo of Winter. I never needed your help."
He looked angry and hurt for a moment, but then he smiled.
"We shall see, little princess," he said and called for a sword.
He was given one and she was nervous to see him moving seamlessly into an attack posture.
"Now Etania, I'll try to go gentle on you," he said and then attacked.
He moved like lightning and she could barely hold him off, his attacks calculated and smooth, seeming to blur even to her eyes and she slid her second sword free of the sheath, working to push him back but he was physically stronger than her and his age made him fast.
He pushed her back until the crowd was forced to move or get involved.
***
Getting in close to her, she found him to be grinning, but it was a nasty grin and she had needed both swords to block a powerful overhand blow.
He had driven her to her knees and they left deep gouges in the packed dirt.
Looking up at him, she gave a low growl and pulled at both swords. They screamed as his sword was thrust up and she rolled, spinning herself up to her feet and backing away from him.
The crowd had gone entirely silent, watching the fight between the Fae.
He came at her again and she was forced to defend herself and she had the sudden, terrible realisation that he wasn't really trying.
His hand flung out and he struck her across the face to send her flying.
She rolled, landing on her back and she blinked up at the sky, her hands empty. He approached at an easy pace, calmly cutting the ribbons and as she pushed herself up onto her elbows, he levelled the point of his sword against her throat.
Her hair had come free of the braid, partly covering her face and sticking to her skin.
He didn't even look ruffled as he met her eyes.
"You're still a child Etania," he said softly, pressing her back down with the sword.
She lifted her hands in surrender, his blank face making her think he might try and kill her regardless.
"You have no choice in my being here, girl. Your father and I have our deal and you are going to have to endure."
At no point did he raise his voice, speaking in a low tone as he studied her, trapped under the point of his sword.
"I surrender," she breathed, swallowing at the blade pressing lightly against her throat.
"There is no surrender in war Etania. You fight or you die."
Jagum had moved forward, angry that she had still been pinned down.
He swiped at the Fae, Uzo seeming to melt and appear back several feet, the sword at the ready.
"We are not on the field yet," the enormous cat growled, holding his hand out for her. She took it and he pulled her to her feet. "We allow our partner to surrender and we fight again at a later time."
"You are teaching your soldiers to be weak," uzo said, throwing the sword to the one who had given it.
Jagum was looking down at her, the pad of his thumb brushing away a small drop of blood at her throat.
"We are training. We are getting stronger, not weeding out the weak," Jagum said as he turned on the Fae.
"That is enough for today," she said, glancing towards the castle and she frowned at the sight of Alaric.
He had been watching every one of her fights and now his attention was on Uzo. She knew what the king would be up to and she didn't think she liked the idea of Uzo being collected by the man.
Jagum bowed and she swept from the field. Collecting her swords on her way out back to the castle, the crowd parted for her, looking shocked and almost afraid of the Fae.
She had shown them what Faerie could offer, Uzo had shown them that the strongest in Faerie would bring to a war, and it was terrifying.