Rumors spread and one sudden day William’s opponent had changed face.

He should have known things would be different. For he hadn’t seen that fool mope around the stables that morning. Instead, he stood waiting with Avian and the instructor, chatting merrily.

William liked being the background character in this castle, yet suddenly people were coming after him left and right these days! How was he supposed to keep up the facade if someone starts to question his origin!? This kind of development brought him nothing but trouble!

Solomon went over to William to let him in on the changes, “Today you’ll have the honor of facing off against the lord’s son. Here’s your sword, William. Good luck with the match”. For this match, a shield wasn’t needed because Brice preferred the sword alone.

William held the sword with quivering hands. To think the day would come that he could legally punch and maul Brice to his heart's content... But what if he overdoes it? Brice does, after all, have an abundance of stubborn pride surging through his veins… William reined in his wild hopes. He might be able to withstand this fella for a few rounds but who said Brice was easy to beat? Just like William, Brice trained a few hours every day to keep up his strength.

His challenger stood ready. Seeing that the other party was hesitating, he decided to taunt the page, “You’re William, correct?... I’ve heard great things about you from Avian over here. Why don’t you show me some of your tricks and I’ll try not to beat you to a pulp? Sounds good? Then come over here and fight me!”.

William clenched both his fist around the sword’s handle. Whatever his retribution might be, this golden chance he had gotten to vent, would certainly be worth it! “Since you’re the lord’s son, I’ll let you have the first strike!”, William roared back at the other. Doing these battles he could never rely on pure raw power. He had to use the opponent’s attack against them, so he invited Brice over for a quick stab.

Brice’s blade was horribly fast. Beyond what William had expected from an unbonded. Thus he missed his chance at curving around it and was pommeled to the side with a hard thrust. William coughed a few times from the hit. Thinking: Next time, surely I will get the timing right!

The second stab that he had waited for, came like lightning against his thigh. Thankfully it didn’t connect as William managed to make the curved swipe that he had wished for. This technique made his foe open up like a clam, exposing Brice’s soft spots for him to misuse. William wanted to leave a certain mark. So he quickly forced Brice’s head down into his knee. There came a nice crunchy sound from the impact. After his hit had successfully landed, he used his foot to kick both parties apart. Creating a safe distance for himself once again.

Brice lifted his head seemingly unfazed. He wiped away the blood that streamed from his nose and said, “You like to fight dirty, huh?... Not that, that’s a crime or anything…”.

William shrugged his shoulders and replied with a few gasps in between, “I’m merely using my assets the way god created them”. This comment made Brice smile. For some reason, it wasn’t his usually cocky grin that was plastered on his face. This time for some reason it actually seemed genuine?

William didn’t get the time to bask in this rare sight. For this time he was met by countless feints that aimed sometimes directly at him, other times a short distance away from the direction he was evading towards. To withstand this storm of attacks, he had to parry some of the hard-hitting blows even though they made rattling, painful shivers run through his arms.

There was no time to ease the pain! For with every swing he had to figure out whether its intentions were true or not.

At the speed they were going at, it was like playing chess with only a second given to each participant to move their piece in. The battle’s outcome would depend on who could outsmart who.

No matter what, William wanted to win this fight! Just once he’d like to show this person who’s boss! Alas, these cocky thoughts were quickly dispersed by a dangerously close shave and the realization that he was nearing his breaking point. William’s body was exhausted because this battle didn’t end quickly like they normally do. So he decided to take a gamble. He would take one of the attacks that wouldn’t pulverize him completely, for the chance to make a critical strike on Brice!

It was done in an instant but William’s mind perceived it as if it was in slow motion. He let his own sword slide along the blade of his enemy’s. The friction was high enough to release a few sparks before Brice’s blade made contact with his neck. Going from an angle up high. It would have been a heavy hit but thanks to William’s interference, the sword only made ‘light’ contact. It still hurt as ****. The direction his own blade went for, was of course, also Brice’s neck. If both didn’t both wear protective gear on the area… It could have lead to some dark circumstances…

Both warriors staggered backward, giving sound to the pain they each felt. Solomon clapped his hands as the judge and declared, “It seems we have a draw! Well fought! Both of you”. The other students cheered as well. For some strange reason, it had become a morning ritual for William to fight nobles. Although these fights were short, they still left an impact. He should probably take a break just for a few days if he doesn’t want others to see his wounds and put two and two together.

When the duel was over, the other’s went back to their usual training. William wanted to soak his wound in some cold water but was caught off guard by Brice. He thought he was in for an earful but instead he was praised. “I’m afraid that you lack strength but there’s some truth to your instincts being good and all… Heh… You can’t say this to anybody else but this match really worked wonders for me. So here…”. Brice handed over a pouch filled with pence and said, “I know that you peas-... That money is always a welcome gift… So please accept my gratitude through these tokens of goodwill”.

William glanced from the pouch up on Brice. He was so perplexed that he blurted out, “Are you okay?”. Brice knew what he implied and so he retaliated, “Well if you don’t want this money, I’ll just keep it for myself”. It dawned on William that he wasn't, in fact, Mirabelle right now. Instead, people viewed him as a promising page in training. And so did Brice. His attitude towards him was similar but also a bit nicer?

William wanted to test his limits and so he took the pouch without further ado while explaining, “Who said I didn’t want it?... You merely took me by surprise... I didn’t know our young lord was so generous and thus I thought that I might have hit you too hard in the head… You could say that I was simply worried about your health…?”.

Brice chuckled and said, “Why that little scratch there? I would have totally forgotten its existence if you didn’t have the guts to point it out just now”. There was a comical tone to this scene as Brice’s nose was still bleeding like a faucet.

William caressed his own wound and half-praised Brice, “Lucky you! See this one here? I’ll be feeling it for a few weeks from now on… I wouldn’t dare imaging where my head would be if your attack actually connected as it was intended... Tell me, was this the reason why you brought along some money? To perhaps pay my family for their loss? Haha. Nah, I’m just kidding lord Brice”.

At first, they taunted each other in a way that seemed ill-intended but it actually brought them joy. The more they bantered about the topic of fighting, it almost seemed like they were long lost friends. This revelation made William both relieved and strangely sullen. How come when he was ‘William’, Brice would actually treat him like a human being but when it came to ‘Mirabelle’ it was do this, do that and don’t expect me to treat you with any respect...

Avian also came over for a quick chat. Since they were both of higher status, Solomon didn’t force them to train. With the new member joining their conversation, Brice went back to the topic of strength, “So tell me, William. How come you’re still an unbonded?... To me, you seem more than ready to go out and fetch your own dinosaur”.

This question made William forget the throbbing from his throat. He thought: Is it true?... Am I really ready for such a feat?

This idea warmed his heart. To think he was this close to achieving his dream. But being ready physically wasn’t the only requirement he would have to check off his to-do list. He would also need an expert, who would be willing to guide him through the lands and show him how to make a bond. Because he was still clueless on this part. For Joss still didn’t want to spill the beans. It wasn’t written anywhere, neither did Remony know of its procedure. Other than it should be fairly simple to do.

William had even gone as far as to ask Harvick for help but he never replied back! Therefore William couldn’t help but lament how much easier this process would be if the book had just explained the procedure! But it never did! Instead, it always went into great detail on how the protagonist would subdue and get close to his targets, and then it would happily use the phrase: ‘And then they bonded’… If William had that book in his hands right now, he would chew it to death!

Besides not knowing how to bond, he knew that going out alone and lost on what to do, would be the same as going out on a suicide mission. And was he really ready for the consequences of being a bonded? He wasn’t like the boys who would be accepted for it. He would likely be called a heretic and burned at the stake if he wasn’t careful!...

Although William wasn’t convinced now was the time to be rash, he still wanted to acquire this knowledge that he lacked. After all, both of these boys knew what it took to become a bonded. So he told Brice, “I’m afraid I still have lots to learn before I journey out to commence the hunt… Mentally… If you know what I mean?... Anyway, I was wondering how exactly do you do it?... How do you bond with another creature?”.

With a deadpan face, Brice stared at William. Laugher was on its way but Brice managed to restrain it. This reaction made William grind his teeth while seething inside: Am I a joke to you!?

The lord’s son took forth his usual arrogant mask and wore it comfortably, before he teased, “Are you kidding me? That’s the first thing a page learns to do. It’s as they say. First, you share the flesh, then the mind. There’s nothing more to it really… But I see now what you meant, about the whole not being ‘mentally prepared’ thing, hehe… I feel bad for your master. To have such an excellent student with the sword but a bit lacking when it comes to the arts, huh?”.

William sighed and falsely admitted, “Indeed…”. In truth, he wanted to make a comeback but it had to be supple… William churned his brain for interesting ways to payback Brice for all this ridicule. Then it dawned on him. Didn’t Remony once spill a secret about Brice? Something about him being overly prone to eat up superstitions as if they were facts?...

“Hehe…”, William softly chuckled to himself. Let’s tell this daring ginger a story or two...