PeaceMaker

Adia froze, gazing at Litian, everything seemingly pausing as tension flowed in. They stared for a few more seconds before she smiled, changing her stance to face Litian. "When did you get over there?"

"Answer my question," Litian pressed as she continued to hold the sword up in the direction of Adia, her grip on its hilt strong.

Adia looked down at Litian's sword and then back up to her. "Do you plan on attacking me from there?" she asked with a light chuckle.

Litian didn't answer back but Adia knew the answer. Judging by those stoic eyes and the grip on her sword, she was very well ready to attack at any moment. Adia looked at the spot where Litian once stood and then back up to her. 'And judging by how I didn't even notice her moving, she would have no problem getting to me from that distance.'

They exchanged glances for a few more seconds before Adia sighed and smirked, giving Litian a little bow. "Adia Sole here," she greeted with a bright smile, "His Honor, Boris' official advisor from outside the palace."

"Adia sole?" Litian repeated, the grip on her sword not lessening in the slightest.

Adia nodded, "I was there earlier at the meeting," she explained, "standing behind Boris."

Litian tilted her head slightly to the left for a moment before lowering her head and sliding her sword back into its case that hung on her waist. She turned around and began heading down into the sparring grounds. 

"I suggest that you return to the meeting," Litian advised. 

Adia turned to look down the hallway of where they came before turning back to Litian and following her. "And you? I remember you benign at the meeting too and your seat being at the dinner table. Are you going to stay out here?"

Litian hesitated before responding. "Yes. I will."

"Then I'll be staying out here with you," Adia shrugged.

Litian walked for a few seconds until she reached the bottom of the declining hill she had walked down from the castle to the hard cement ground of the sparring ground. "I recommend returning back to your post. Your presence might be needed."

Adia's eyebrows raised slightly as she set foot on the cement ground. 'Post?' she thought to herself. "My presence would be needed as much as yours will be."

Litian turned to face Adia, observing her for a moment before turning and walking to the large boards from which weapons hung from. She hung her sword on a hook and picked up a practice sword. 

"Besides, I'm not sure I even know my way back up into the castle," Adia sighed as she walked to the board and picked up a sword of her own. 

"You didn't seem to not know your way around the castle when you followed me," Litian returned as she swung the sword back and forth, getting used to the weight. 

Adia chuckled, pretending to be hurt by Litian's comment. "A low blow there I see," she joked, "you make it sound like I'm a stalker of some sort."

Litian turned to face Adia for a moment, shooting her a look she understood immediately. "Is that not what you are?" she asked, her question matching with her expression.

Adia didn't get the chance to respond before Litian turned away and walked to one of the wooden figures, raising her sword to the figure. 

"That's not a very good first impression of me that you have there," Adia grinned as she sat down on one of the many benches that sat beside the wooden board of weapons, "I'd hate for the word stalker to be associated with me every time you see me."

Litian didn't respond to Adia's comment as she slowly seemed into a focused state, drawing her sword back as her stance changed. She sucked in a deep breath, her eyes closing as she inhaled and opening once she exhaled, focusing on her target. Slowly her hand rose before swinging down on the target, slashing it across its wooden chest.

Clang

A shiver ran down Adia's back as she watched Litian deliver her first blow on the wooden target, then the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth, her eyes transfixed on Litian's movements. 'Woah…' she thought to herself as her heart skipped a beat, her eyes sparkling. 'So this is what her sword-work looked like…' 

It was a beautiful sight. 

The way the sword swung back and forth in such a smooth fluid movement, the speed at which it hit the target, and the amount of force the attack delivered. 

Adia glanced at Litian's footing and then up to the way she held her sword. 'Everything from her stance to the way she hit the target to her speed is absolutely beautiful and powerful…' Adia thought to herself as she watched Litian slash the target again, 'the way her sword approached the target… it could have slashed it in half with the amount of force her swings looked like they were carrying, and yet…' 

Adia looked at the target who remained standing but riddled by deep slash marks from Litian. Brutally riddled with cuts that lined its wooden body, but still standing. 

'The way she's able to control her attacks..' Adia thought to herself, another shudder running through her as Lititan attacked the wooden target. Her eyes gleamed brighter and her grip on her sword tightened. 'It's immaculate. So beautiful and graceful…' 

Adia shivered again as her eyes followed Litian's movements like a cat trained a mouse, watching each swing, the damage of each attack, the little smooth movements of her wrist as she directed her sword. 'Everything is so captivating and elegant…' she thought to herself, 'and throughout it all…'

Her deep-brown eyes glistened with amusement and intrigue as she looked up at Litian's face. '...not a single drop of sweat yet. Her features aren't strained, and she doesn't look the slightest bit tired even with how much controlling and preciseness she does with her sword.'

Adia flinched as the loud thud of Litian's sword slamming into the target rang through the air into her ears. Her heart skipped another beat as her grip on her sword tightened further. 'So graceful…' she thought to herself as a smile slid onto her face, her heart thumping loudly in her chest. Slowly, she stood up from her seat, her heart skipping another beat as Litian delivered another blow to the target. 'So powerful..'

She walked towards Litian, stooping a few feet back, staring for a few seconds before opening her mouth. "Wait.." she muttered.

Litian delivered another hit whose sound ran through Adia like a thunderbolt. She stopped and turned to Adia, her hold on her sword shifting slightly. 

'Even the way she stopped right after I called out to her..' Adia thought to herself, her smile growing slightly, 'everything about it is so captivating.'

"What is it?" Litian asked, her face still in its stoic state as she peered down at Adia. 

Adia shivered from Litian's gaze, her smile spreading widely to a grin as her eyes gleamed. 'Oh gosh…' she thought to herself, 'I want to try…' "Spar with me," she asked, raising her sword slightly as her eyes locked with Litian's, "for one round." 'I want to get hit,' she thought.

"What?" Litian retorted to which Adia giggled. 

"Just one," she pressed, her sword rising higher as she grinned. 'Just once… I want to get hit by that sword.'

*

"So that was what happened," Kalmin nodded as he retold the last of the incident of Boris and Grayson. "In the end, Grayson ended up not returning back to the palace, hence the reason why his seat is empty at the advisor table."

He looked up at Dominic, his eyes assessing Dominic's reaction. He was shocked. Thoroughly shocked and taken aback and all that shone in his eyes was a concern. 

Kalmin paused for a moment before continuing. "We have sent out searches to look for him at that time. We looked in his usual places of rest, in his mansion, his little houses of rest that he has and even his friend's residences," Kalmin explained. "But he's nowhere to be found."

"What about other places?" Dominic asked to which Kalmin shook his head. 

"Nothing. We are still currently searching for him throughout the entire kingdom," Kalmin informed, "and thanks to some extra troops from Adia, Boris' exterior assistant, we have eyes all around the kingdom, in the noble wall and outside the first wall. Everyone is on the lookout for him and people associated with him."

"Have there been other people in the palace that disappeared with him or have any relevance to him?" Dominic asked, his voice low.

"We have questioned people of his family line like Falls Hane who is in the council and after further watching, he doesn't have anything to do with Grayson so far," Kalmin answered. "As far as I know, he doesn't have that good of a connection with his family members in this kingdom at all, the only people he may be close with would be Antonio Hanes, who lives in King Theodore's kingdom and therefore can't have any association with Grayson."

Dominic leaned back in his chair and covered his eyes with his eyes for a moment, his golden gazes gazing through them at the ceiling. "And he dares to hide this from me…"