Lyne held the silver blade with golden head tightly as she walked on the green fields. Zeidan had come to her that morning, telling her he had something to show her.

"Hey. I have something for you." He winked.

She had risen from the bed, immediately going to wear her robe but he stopped her.

"You can...you can change. I'll have Amber bring you some clothes for the gift. It's a surprise that I pray Amber doesn't reveal it to you. That girl is such a chatterbox."

"She is over a hundred years old and not a girl," Lyne told him casually and he looked at her wide-eyed.

"She told you that?"

"So much a secret for someone who is a chatterbox." She turned to go to the washroom but not missing his last reply.

"Don't tell her I said so, okay?"

She laughed and took her bath quickly. On getting back to the bedroom, she could see silver and black leather jacket, black pants, black belts with a golden head of a Wolf head design, then a pair of black pumps stood erect by the foot of the bed. 

She tilted her head, wondering why Zeidan had chosen this kind of outfit if he wanted to give her a surprise. It's a pity she didn't attempt to travel into his head or she would have known his intention but she didn't want to ruin it. She had gotten into the jacket and pants and then rushed to the nursery to check on her daughter. After spending a few minutes with her, she asked Amber to keep an eye on her always. 

"What are we doing here?" Lyne asked, looking around and swirling her sword in her hand, counting her steps.

"Well, what does it seem like?" Zeidan retrieved his sword from his sheath, giving out a swooshing sound and swirling it around him in an expert way. 

He was also wearing a black overall coat over a black shirt and pants and boots. His brown hair was pulled back in gel and he looked extremely handsome with his clean-shaven jaw and the color his eyes gave under the morning sun. 

She tilted her head, the sword dug into the ground to balance. 

"To play?" She teased but he didn't smile. Instead, he came closer, swooning the sword.

"Nah." Before she could blink, he had charged at her with the sword gliding before her in an attempt to slash her throat but she was fast enough to do a backflip, kicking the sword in the process and landing on her two feet. 

Zeidan brought back the sword. The sun shone directly on the blade, giving off a bright light on it. 

Lyne understood and she swirled her sword, dragging it over her arm as if getting ready to strike.

"Bring it on." She said to him and Zeidan half ran half jumped towards her, pointing the sword at her which she slashed with hers but Zeidan's grip was so strong he counter-attacked her and she turned three sixty but fast enough to balance and stop Zeidan's sword from going through her chest.

Lyne threw off his sword and threw hers to slash his stomach but he dodged by moving back a bit, grabbing Lyne's hand, and kicking her on the back. Lyne fell with a thud on the floor and she looked back immediately, her hair swaying behind her.

"You have to learn how not to be too fast and not to be too slow, Lyne." He mentioned, sounding like Azrael when teaching her siblings. "Balance is the number one skill you must learn in fighting."

Amber taught her so much about how to fight but she wasn't this straightforward. She simply was taught the basics of fighting.

"Okay."

"And you have a lot of holding back. This time," he stared at her intently. "Don't hold back."

"What?"

"Think of Brady. Think of protecting Aurora." He said and she thought of it. He was right.

Exhaling audibly, she nodded and stood up. "Okay. Let's do this."

They were standing before each other again, both keeping straight faces. 

"Imagine I'm Shelbrooke."

"That's ridiculous!" Lyne said, dropping her arm.

"I mean, Shelbrooke has a scar. You look nothing like him."

"Then, resolve to give me that scar."

Her heart skipped a beat. What was Zeidan doing? Why was he so sure? She gripped her sword and lifted it, swallowing and letting out a shaky breath. 

"Alright. Let's do this." She muttered and charged at Zeidan, gritting her teeth. 

As she moved closer, Zeidan placed one hand behind him and used the second one holding the sword to counter her sword. They both twirled their weapons, Zeidan turning on a spot and placing his second hand on his sword which he pointed at Lyne's throat.

Lyne hit his wrist in an attempt to make him lose balance on holding his sword but he turned her with his second hand so that he placed the sword over her throat, his breath on her neck.

"If I was Shelbrooke," his deep voice reached her. "You'd be dead by now."

But Lyne chuckled knowing fully well what Amber had taught her. 

"Wrong choice of plan, Shelbrooke."

She raised her heels and kicked his thigh and as he flinched, and used the opportunity to hit his jaw with her elbow, making him release her. With a finishing touch, she jumped and kicked him in the face, making him fall by turning over. Zeidan groaned.

"You nasty bitch!"

She laughed. "Sorry."

But he stood abruptly and swooned his sword at her again without warning which she kept dodging by stepping backward but when she was tired of dodging, she propelled herself forward and somersaulted, jumping over Zeidan and landing behind him. As she made to kick his back, he turned and grabbed her leg throwing her off across the field. 

She cried in pain and writhed as she managed to stand. Zeidan had gotten closer and he raised his sword as if to stab her but she raised hers horizontally to block him. He raised his sword again, causing their weapons to give a slashing sound when two blades clashed. He was too fast for her that she had no other choice than to block him with her hand but it was a bad idea as he slashed her hand.

She let out a pained cry as blood gushed out of her wrist. She held on to it dearly as the wound stung like a scorpion bite. Her hand burned and when Zeidan ran to her, he crouched and tore a part of his napkin, wrapping it around her wrist. For a while, Lyne just looked up at him.

"I doubt if Shelbrooke will do that on the battlefield."

Zeidan stopped what he was doing and looked at her.

"He won't but I'm not like him." Helping her up, he led her to the horse.

"Lest I forget. Gabe is back and I need you to go through his head."