The Dragon Warriors

I looked at my teacher/bodyguard and wondered what today's lesson would be in. Averan had been guarding me and teaching me since I was born. Unlike other Heir-to-the-thrones that I have been taught about, who were raised by nursemaids and nannies, my chief bodyguard Averan had raised me.
I was hoping for something light today considering that today was 16th birthday and I would be meeting my bride to be. Though we will not be married for nearly a year when she turns sixteen, it was still going to be a long day since today I would also be formally inducted into the DragonWarrior legion. So by the end of the day I expected to crawl into bed and never want to get out.
So I should not have been surprised when Averan said. "Today Nevine we will practice Dragon sword and go over the Noble Nations of erehwon". The most tiring and hated lessons, respectively, that I had. But no one excepting my mother and father ever complained let alone said no to Averan, so I replied cheerfully "Which are we to start of with?"
"I think today that we will do both at the same time." he said and must have seen the grimace that I tried desperately to hide because he added, "Unless of course Nevine feels that I am putting on him too much." Any reply to this and there would be no coming out of this with even a shred of dignity.
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And so I moved over to the rack holding the practice Dragon swords are kept and grabbed one for each of us. Dragon swords receive that name for two reasons first is that the sword is specifically designed for fighting on a Dragon. Secondly dragon scales are used in the forging of the swords. The blade of the sword is between 66" and 72" long with another 18" for the handle. Normally a sword this long would be next to impossible to use. However nearly two thirds of the blade consists not of steel but of dragon scales which are extremely light but stronger than best forged steel. The dragon scale forging has another benefit in that it has been known to take literally centuries to dull the edge of a Dragon sword.
The practice blade I brought to my teacher is considered a practice blade because the blade has was forged with a slight bluntness which would never be sharpend. Unlike a fighting sword which, when properly sharpend, could cut through a feather with only the weight of the feather for pressure. While this is still dangerous weapon still, I have had many bruises to prove this fact, in the hands of a half-way competent swordsman the worst in will do is leave crack ribs or bruised bones. .
"So who makes up the royal house of Sevan?" my teacher asked as we started circling.
I replied "Queen Seyina, King Korigan, princess Reina, princess Alliya and prince Korvan."
"What is the rule of succession Sevan?" he asked. As he began his first attack, a slashing move from his lower left side.
Which I blocked to my lower right and brought our swords over heads and twisting my sword, just after they past over are heads, and started a downward sweep. Replying "House Sevan is descended down through the female line. Princess Reina is the heir-to, princess Alliya is next in line and prince Korvan would rule until he can be married to one of the other major house’s daughter. Then she would ascend to the throne."
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We continued in this thrust and question, parry and answer combat for nearly three hours. I lost seven of every ten matches but even this record made me proud for very few of his students ever got this good. With two more years of training still to go I have plenty of time to improve even further.
"Now that I have gotten you good and awake for the day why don't you go get breakfast" Averan said.
"Thank you I'm starving"
"Well off with you now I will join you soon"
As I go down the hall to the dining hall I wonder which one of the many princess I recited over the past three hours is the one that arrived two days ago. I off course was forbidden to leave my rooms while she and her entourage arrived and I am strictly forbidden to enter the amassadorial wing until after we meet. My father even went as far as having the banners and the armor of my wife to be entourage covered to prevent a stray rumor from the city letting me know what kingdom she is from and thus who she is, there are after all only a dozen or so princesses of proper of age and obviously they are from different kingdoms so if I could find out what kingdom I would know who she is.
He has his reasons of course though I understand them I still do not like them. He explained it to me when I first found out about the marriage. "Son the warrior kings and queens of Dracon must be strong in all things not just in their fighting skill. You must handle surprises by both being able to convince others that it is no real news to you and by continueing on in your activites like things like this happen all the time."
So I asked"Why?"
"Remember what I have always told you about being a leader?"
"That a leader needs more to lead his people but also inspire confidence in those he leads"
"Thats right and by taking surprises in stride you will inspire confidence in those around you and dispel their doubts and their fears."
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Personally I thought the best way avoid being startled by surprise was to find out everything that you could so you didn't have any nasty surprieses. Unfortunetly my father knew this as well which is why I got such a nasty surprise when i managed to sneak out of the palace the day the princess arrived to view her coat of arms and possibly her and found all the crests covered and the her carriage completly draped. I was still unsure whether my father had done it only as a precaution or whether he actually new that i had managed to sneak out to get a look. Not like I could ask him right out anyway.