Nova found herself two years later living being trained and dealing with the horse**** followed by the constant terrible food and solitude of an empty room the only social interactions being allowed by tutors and trainers though strict and abusive were good at teaching. The only thing that kept her from ending it all were her dreams her own sanctuary safe from everything but only when she sleeps an oath she made in her own place for her to be. Hell was the only way to describe it she hasn’t seen Hugh since she has been brought or anybody back at school to visit her. Maybe they didn’t even know where she was or remember as a matter of fact but since she was stuck there she had to escape she figured she was strong enough already and it’s time to leave time to get out of this disgusting place somehow someway.

The door in her room was locked everyday she was left inside no matter how much damage from the inside she did it would never match with the outside and every time she would leave the damage would be reverted the door would be back to it’s original state. The door wasn’t the only problem seeing as how they installed windows in the room last year it felt like they were playing with her able to look out and feel the air but always blocked and locked out never able to leave this birdcage.

Through this period of time she has been learning though through torturous methods still learning learning more from her dreams if anything. A dreamy place where she would still fight and fight without a break either in the real world or her own place to herself. Regardless of that she knew better how to control her magic apparently all nobles know magic in some way but the only thing that mattered is the way the magic was used, each was unique to them and them only.

Gustavo enters the room Nova stared at him with eyes intent on murder but he didn't mind too much

Gustavo:"Come now his Majesty wishes to speak with you kid"

Nova stayed in her room ignoring him before he comes up behind her she swings at him only to get stopped by his arm with a protective plating

Gustavo:"Ha ha ha! Nice try little one but there is a reason you haven't killed me and escaped yet isn't there? That's right you're too green right now goddamn pig" 

He holds her by the hair and forces her to come along with him through the grand hallways of the castle and eventually through and through to a doorway a normal looking one like all the other rooms 

What awaited was a middle aged man whose hair was red and had an inspiring beard who was looking at papers before looking up with a warm smile she was smitten with before being thrown in by Gustavo.

??:"Oi! Knock it off you old brute get the hell outta my sight"

Gustavo looked away and sighed before leaving the room and closing the door behind them

The king takes off the choker and throws it into a fire pit

??:"Soooo uhhh would you like some tea or milk maybe?

Nova looked at him with hostility and didn't answer before he looked at her stood up and gave her a glass of milk Nova takes it and takes a sip then finishes the drink.

??:”Do you want cookies as well child?"

Nova nodded and he got a platter of chocolate chip cookies which Nova accepted graciously

??:”Do you know why I called you here?"

She shaked her head 

??:"You don't speak much do you? Well either way uhh I was wondering if you wanted to go to school you know? I heard from Hugh a couple years back about you but then I fell into a deep slumber so uhh sorry about that. Anyways it won't be like usual you'll just be with my oldest who's bodyguard decided to retire he's 17 and still learning a lot uhhh I know he can handle himself and quite frankly from what Gustavo told me I think you'd be a better bodyguard than most even though you're really young. Anyways I think you wanna get out of this castle and I was cursed to fall in a deep slumber so my wife had to take care of the kingdom affairs and didn't focus on what her kids were doing and then I wake up and I was told all sorts of shit. Sorry bad language you don't really care as long as you can get out right? But uhh hold on I have a better weapon for you I'm sure that dagger is well good but I think mine is better..."

He searches through the drawers of his desk before pulling out one that had what looked like a cloud of ice surrounding it. 

??:”Here this should do take care of it and it will take care of you uhh keep it in a sheathe just here" 

He gives the knife and continues looking to find a sheathe one you wear on your leg he gets up and stands over her before kneeling down and tightening it around her leg it readjusts to her size

She slides the knife inside the sheath, the icy cloud being contained and seemingly waiting to strike

He heads back to his desk with awkward silence ensuing

??:”If you want you can come here anytime you want and uhhh you know while I'm here too obviously and just eat more cookies and milk whi-"

Nova:”Where's Hugh...?"

He scratched the back of his head as if he's thinking of what to say before turning back to Nova before sighing

??:"Hugh I don't know he went missing a year back after he had a falling out with my wife and decided to expel out a group of an enemy kingdoms knights my wife hasn't heard anything from him since and well I just woke up a week ago so I'm sorry I don't know what happened to him."

Nova:"Oh"

Nova looked with a blank expression yes she knew what it was like but it was hitting harder than before her parents and before her own self this was the first person to show care for her but she sat there silent 

??:"Ahem! Umm would you like to see my son you know meet him before the day of school happens?"

She nods and gets up

The king stands up 

??:"Would you like to get on my shoulder?"

Nova looked at him weird and just nodded 

He picks her up and puts her on top of his shoulder just one side being able to support her hmm she felt on top of the world now like riding a giant tamed soft beast 

He waves over her head and her ears seemingly disappear feeling the top of her head this wasn't invisibility they were just simply gone for now replaced by normal ears now 

They reach another door it was much more grand this time compared to the king's office he knocks on it only to receive no answer 

??:"Encio! Open the door!"

Still no response he kicks the door down for them two to see a boy in bed surrounded by 3 women his eyes turn dark before going back to a friendly smile 

??:"Ladies if you could please" 

They were under the blanket with nothing in their hair but as the king waved his hand over them seemingly their hair became decorated with ornaments and they came out from under the bed fully dressed and out the room

Encio:"Dad what the hell?!"

The king yanks the blanket off of him

??:"GO GET YOURSELF IN PROPER CLOTHES"

He runs off to the closet coming out after a few minutes he had silver hair that went down to his shoulders.

Encio:"So who's the kid?"

??:"Your new bodyguard"

Encio's jaw dropped

Encio:"Wait! What? Hold on dad! You can't be serious right now"

??:"Oh as serious as I'll ever be this kid could beat your previous guard with ease and she'll be going to school with you so you'll have a bodyguard without anyone knowing it is your bodyguard perfect right? And I'm sure you got a few uniforms in that closet of yours that'll fit her"

Encio:"Dad... DO YOU REALLY THINK I'LL HAVE ANY OF HER SIZE LOOK AT HOW SMALL SHE IS NO WAY"

??:"Oh potato potato go to school tomorrow without a bodyguard then and get her a uniform so she can get in"

Encio:"Wait wait how is that my responsibility"

??:"Because I said so"

Encio:"Duh-"

Nova sat there silently noticing he lowered her carrying her in his arms now eye level with his eldest

Encio:"... GAHHH FINE DAD I'll go ask them right now to make a uniform to her size but she can't be next to me in school! I don't want the other kids to think I like them young"

??:"Hear that Nova? Keep your distance from the fool but if he's in trouble help him out alright?" 

Nova nods at the king 

??:"Well boy! What are you doing? Shake her hand!"

Encio raises his hand out to Nova as she takes it and shakes it 

Nova taps the kings shoulder and taps the top of her head questioningly.

??:"To make your life and little easier while you're there get good grades and I'm sure I can do something about your reward alright?"

Nova:"Why can't you do the same with my clothes that you did to the other girls in the room?"

??:"That's because well only temporary those clothes I put over the would maybe last 30 minutes but since your ears are much smaller it would be about a month before they come back again" 

Nova is confused but just nods

Encio:"Wait wait ok I'll go get her uniform on one condition! She has to fight me in a duel"

??:"Oh come on Encio that's so old minded"

Encio:"I'm serious dad! What's the point of having a bodyguard if I don't even know if they could guard properly?"

??:"Nova are you fine with this?" 

Nova:"Yea... That'll work for me"

They head over to the training grounds where the castle soldiers were practice dueling they looked at the eldest and Nova with the king being them they stop and bow down

He waves for them to continue before heading over to an arena

??:"Ok first one to lose is knocked out and will wake up in an hour the arena will prevent any mortal wounds and if you "die" in there you will be fine so fight to your hearts content without worry"

Encio:"Yea yea I know already"

??:"Shut up I'm telling her dimwit not you now get in there"

As they both get in they were hit with a smoke where the room got foggy and they both fell asleep

Nova wakes up in a green field with Encio standing across from her like the same green field in her dreams she gets up 

Encio:"So are you ready?'

Nova:"Yea I'm ready"

Encio:"Then let's start!"

Encio summons a massive greatsword at his side that he pulls out from the ground his hand goes on fire as he wakes it across his sword his sword starts blazing... Halfway 

In the middle of his preparing Nova picked up dirt then pulled out her dagger and it tinted green as she rushed towards him and slashed his hand before he could finish with his sword

Encio flinches back and does an overhead swing at her small figure only to crash into the ground and get stuck allowing Nova to get next to him as he was defenseless

Her dagger was on her right hand and he was to her left she did the next best thing and shoved a handful of dirt into his mouth and dug her finger into one of his eyes she goes around him and stabs him in the back.

Encio pulls out his great sword and swings around him Nova getting out of there just barely but now there was a problem for her,her dagger was stuck in his back as he pulled it out he kept it

The dagger was in his pocket and one of his hand was over his eye Nova's arm had a green vein in it before disappearing and reappearing in her fist 

Encio started spitting out dirt and when he did Nova lunged at him for him to swing again and miss her she gets close to his face and punches him only for it to do nothing until a green after cut appeared on his face slashing open the cheek from one side to another his hand burns on fire and grabs Nova by the neck quickly slamming her down and lighting her neck on fire Nova's hand reaches the dagger and stabs down on his hand that let goes of her she puts out the fire suffocating herself with her own hand before looking up and seeing a sword coming down on top of her fully blazing 

She pulls out the kings dagger which she was trying to save from using and wanted it as her trump card and this seemed like the perfect moment as her two daggers held its own against the great sword she's able to roll out before it slammed into the ground

Encio:"Damnit! Slippery little bugger aren't you!?"

Encio prepares his next attack Nova gets away from him she has her original dagger in her right hand and the ice one in her left 

Encio's hand drops his sword and one of his hand goes on fire while another becomes a bright light as he waves over the sword with both hands it is enveloped in a white flame before he throws it in the sky and it stops, aiming at Nova the sword splits into smaller swords and a bright light forms at the tips of them raining down metal fragments at her and coming back to form a shield around Encio after hitting the ground.

Nova ran out of its way but it tracked her as she was using her daggers to block it it got past and she got cuts all over her arms,legs,face and torso. The metal fragments that were stuck in her were suddenly pulled out towards Encio yanking her body towards him and all the cuts suddenly started burning blazing with a fire she stabs herself with the dagger the king gave her and suddenly her body is enveloped in an icy wave the fire gets put out as she pulls the dagger out of her shoulder. 

Encio is stunned by the sheer tenacity of Nova before snapping back to reality his shield is broken through by her her eyes were a rabid red now as she lunged forward through with two daggers she suddenly sheathes them and upper cuts him while her hand is completely still they both go flying and he is attacked by the wind punching him over and over before she summons a gust of a tornado in her fist and then punches sending him flying into the ground.

Encio's sword repaired itself in his hand and he sees Nova's green tinted dagger coming at him he raises to block only for the tint to go away and redirect into her own body she lunges herself at him throwing her dagger into his arm that was holding his sword causing it to drop on the flatside on top of him. Before he could get back up Nova was on top of him she pulled out her dagger and then the king's dagger on top of him she slashes over and over at his arms which were protecting his face then the top side of his chest. Encio screams in agony as he takes the chance to punch her off sending her flying back he opens his eyes to look at his mangled arms and his chest looking like fillets of fish he uses his own fire to burn up and close his wounds. He couldn't do the same for his arm and he couldn't hold his sword anymore Nova gets up and her dagger glows green, burn marks all over her body with cuts and stabs, one from herself she throws it at him and as it lands in his feet suddenly his wounds reopened with what felt like an endless amount of the wind cutting his top chest back open and digging deeper into his arms.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Nova finishes it stabbing him in the heart and officially ending the duel.