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“I wasn’t well liked. The rest of the class mutually agreed that I was too…aggressive. They felt it would be better if I didn’t participate.” Dossidian frowned.
“Sounds to me like they didn’t like getting their asses beat by a girl. And a pretty girl at that.”
I snorted. Yeah, right.
“So, you have some experience boxing, that’s great to know. Let’s work on some hand to hand.”
I nodded and moved back into the center of the ring.
“Let’s see what you’ve got with some basic combos. Give me a one, two.” He held up his hands, gesturing for me to aim for his palms. I nodded curtly and obliged. Jab, cross. He grinned. “Good! Let’s see a one, one, two,” jab, jab, cross.
“You’re quick. Ok, let’s get a little more advanced. Give me a five, two, three.” It took me a second to remember the combo, but it came to me. Lead uppercut, cross, left hook. “Nice! Try that again, but this time, don’t drop your elbow on your left hook, you’ve got a bit of a hammer first thing going on.”
We continued running through the combos until I was out of breath, flushed and sweating. I was out of shape and out of practice, but Dossidian was a patient coach and I had forgotten how much I enjoyed boxing.
I was good at it and had always resented that they hadn’t let me continue that class, even though I did have a bit of a violent streak. Logically, I could understand the faculty reservation around me learning how to be an even better fighter. However, it had also been a healthy outlet for me. I was glad to have the opportunity to come back to it now.
“Great work. Let’s break for lunch.”
Was it lunch time already? I noticed the sun’s place in the sky in surprise. The morning had flown by.
Dossidian waved a hand and a small spread of sandwiches appeared on one of the stone benches next to the weapons rack. I took a few sips from the water fountain before grabbing a sandwich and joining him.
“So, how long have you known Amon for?” I asked, taking a small bite of my lunch.
“Several hundred years. I met him right after he completed his Quickening when he came to serve at Aleites’ court.” My eyes rose at this.
“You both served Aleites?”
“Yes. I am originally from the Court of Wrath. Prince Sirroco is my father.” I choked on the bite I had been swallowing.
“Prince Sirroco? Isn’t that the guy who hid your sabers in the desert? Doesn’t that make you royalty or something?” Dossidian grinned at me.
“So many questions.” He laughed. “To answer the question of whether or not I am considered royalty, the answer is - kind of.
“Before Ash Nevra announced herself Queen of The Dominion, my father’s title was King. My brothers and I had the title of Prince. It is unlikely I would have ever taken the throne, as I’m third in the succession line. Both of my brothers are older than I.
“It also helps that I have no interest in ruling a court, so when I completed the Quickening, I left the Court of Wrath to see what else the world could offer me and ended up serving in Aleites’ guard.
“I had heard of Amon but had always thought of him as a bit of a spoiled twat.” I almost choked again. Dossidian gave me a wicked grin before continuing.
“He showed up at Aleites’ court one day with that crazy sword of his and asked if there was an opening on the guard. I told him if he could beat me in hand-to-hand combat, I would allow him to try out.”
“So, he beat you.” I assumed. The image of Amon dangling Rycon, who was a trained mercenary, off the floor as if he were a rag doll flashed across my mind. Dossidian barked out a laugh.
“No, I wiped the floor with him. I figured he would whine and cry to his father about it like the spoiled little prince I thought he was. But instead, he came back the next day, and the next. Until finally, I agreed to train him myself for tryouts.” I gaped at this. The idea of Amon being beaten by anyone felt unfathomable to me. Dossidian chuckled at my expression.
“Amon is very powerful, but at that time, he relied a great deal on his magick alone. His hand-to-hand combat skills needed a great deal of work. My own magick is extremely volatile and difficult to control. I typically only use it in times of great need, as there is always a risk, I may hurt people on my own team when I am forced to use my powers. So, when Amon came asking for a position in guard, I told him he would need to beat me without any magick.”
My eyes widened. Looking at Dossidian’s hulking form, I understood. He would be a formidable opponent, especially without the use of magick.
“As I got to know him, I learned that his father was an abusive prick, and had been his whole life. He was power hungry and always looking to better his court’s position in the Dominion. Back then, when Aleites ruled, each of the courts operated as their own independent kingdoms.
“Aleites was more of a god than a ruler. He rarely interfered with the business of his creations unless he felt it absolutely necessary. So, there was a great deal of political jockeying, strategic marriages between courts, and everything else in between.
“Amon’s father loved to be right in the thick of it, and taught Amon how to be a politician as well. So, for his early years, Amon had sought his father’s approval, but quickly learned that to do so would mean allowing himself to become as cruel as he was. His mother, I think, was one of the only good role models he had until he came to serve Aleites.
“When Amon came into his power, everyone noticed. With the gift of Bond-Breaker added into the mix, he was truly a force to be reckoned with. I think his mother knew that his father would begin to see him as a threat to his throne and sought to protect him. That is why she sent him away to serve Aleites.”
