"Hnnng…" Rize groaned dryly as he opened his eyes. He felt quite groggy and exhausted, but he still forced himself awake and rose from the bed slowly. "Ugh… Where… Am I?" He asked under his breath as he looked all around him.
Immediately, he recognized the room he was in, and relief washed over him as he quickly pulled the blanket away and checked his body. All the bruises and injuries were gone, and there was no trace of blood or infection anymore.
"Sigh, I actually made it back… I don't even remember the last hour of me walking. I was dead… completely dead." He muttered as he left the bed. "That was truly hell. But I somehow made it."
Feeling a sense of pride and relief, he walked to the mirror and checked his body. His clothes were naturally battered, and there were blood and dirt stains all over them. They were barely covering his body, and he sighed, knowing these were his favorite clothes to train in.
With that in mind, he turned around and walked out of the room, going down the stairs. "Sir, are you there?"
However, as he called for Geralt, he didn't hear a reply. He frowned; usually Geralt would be in the cabin when he woke up, and it was the usual time he would wake up. After all, even if he was exhausted and injured, nothing could beat habit.
"Sir?" He looked around the cabin before he finally decided to walk outside to check. As he was heading to the door, he suddenly heard noises outside.
"Hm?" He frowned as he stopped and listened quietly for a moment. 'What is that? Is it Geralt?'
The sound appeared to be too feminine to be that of Geralt. So, Rize simply opened the door. However, who he saw there made him completely freeze in place and lose all thoughts he had in mind.
Standing in the middle of the field training with a wooden sword was a girl so beautiful that it struck him like lightning. He stopped for a moment, simply unable to believe his eyes.
'White hair… Blue eyes… That…'
It didn't take him a second to recognize who that was. 'What the… What the hell is she doing here? This didn't happen in the original story. They are supposed to only meet 9 years from now. What is happening?'
A thousand questions popped into his head, and he lost focus to the point where he didn't even realize that the girl was staring directly at him now.
"I see that you're awake." Her voice snapped him out of his daze as he stared at her again. His eyes squinted slightly before he sighed.
'Yeah, this story is already going to hell. This moment will change everything in the future.' He thought to himself before he replied.
"Yeah, ummm… you are?" Rize asked, pretending not to know her as he walked down the stairs. "Where is Sir Geralt?"
"He left to do something. He will be back later. As for my name… You can call me Venera." She said.
"Venera?" Rize raised an eyebrow. "As in… Princess Venera?"
"Indeed." She replied. "And you are Rize, correct?"
"Yeah. What are you doing here?" He asked. "I don't think the princess of the country is supposed to be here, no?"
Venera was immediately taken aback by Rize's attitude. Usually, when she introduced herself, people would instantly change their behavior around her. They would speak respectfully, smile widely, and try to gain her favor. She was always treated as if she was a deity around people and yet… This boy still talked to her normally.
Even though he knew who she was. That made her lose focus for a second.
"Venera?" He asked again.
"... No, it was…" She cleared her throat. "I heard some information that my father was preparing someone to be my escort, and I wanted to see this person myself."
"Oh, right. Yeah, that's me." He said. "It's nice to meet you. I didn't think our first meeting would happen in such an odd manner."
'I wish it didn't happen at all.' He thought to himself.
"Yeah, and you aren't the type of person I expected to meet." She said as she put her sword down. "Certainly not what Geralt described to me."
"Is that a bad or good thing?" He asked.
"Neither… Just interesting."
'I expected him to be more like Geralt and the rest. He doesn't sound like someone ready to sacrifice his life for me.' She squinted her eyes.
"Well, if that's what you say. I will be heading back inside. If you need anything, I will be there." He said awkwardly as he turned around and started walking inside.
However, just as he reached the steps, Venera called for him.
"Hey, Rize." She said. "Would you mind indulging me for a second?"
"Hm?" He turned around.
"Let's have a little spar with swords."
"A spar?" Rize frowned. "Why?"
"For no reason." She said as she turned around and grabbed another sword before she threw it to him.
Rize caught the sword and looked at it. 'She's being serious right now? Knowing Venera, she probably thinks I'm a fraud, and she wants to confirm that I'm really strong enough to follow her. She really didn't change one bit even as a kid.'
Sighing inwardly, Rize walked down the stairs. He knew he could turn her down. But, for some reason, he felt the urge to try and test his progress against the princess of the nation. This was an opportunity not many could ever even dream of, let alone experience.
Besides, the story was already going to hell by the fact that he even met her at this point. Was there really a point in him trying to avoid her?
'The story will change quite a bit; I hope the most important parts remain intact.'
"Sure, let's spar. I didn't think I would get to spar the princess so soon." He said with a faint smile.
"Life is very unexpected," Venera replied as she took a fighting stance, one that Rize had never seen before, indicating that her fighting technique was different than his. So, the boy held the sword with one hand and took his stance.
The two stared at each other silently for a few seconds, neither moving nor making a noise. The wind swept through the plains as the grass danced with it. Leaves flew everywhere around them. Then, one particular leaf started falling before them, and the two watched it as it swayed down to the ground.
The moment it touched, both instantly dashed forward.
*CLING*
The swords made a loud noise as they clashed in the middle. The two stared at each other as they took a step back and clashed again. Then, Venera suddenly pulled back and thrust forward. Rize side-stepped the attack and tried to counter with one of his, only for Venera to duck under it and try to tackle him down.
The boy was quick to react as he spun to the side and swung his sword at her.
*CLING*
Their blades clashed again, merely inches away from Venera's face as they vibrated. Then, the two took several steps back.
Both knew one thing from that interaction.
'He/She's strong.'