Another week passed quickly, but there were no more long, awkward pauses in conversation. No uncomfortable glances across the room. Aleksandra had done away with all her embarrassment and had resolved to kiss Aulfr as frequently as possible. When they weren't sparring, she always sat close to him. She didn't always touch him, but she did like feeling his strong, solid presence beside her. She was surprised by how much she missed him when he went to long war councils or out on some hunt or raid.

To combat this new feeling of loneliness, she prowled the halls of the castle each day when Aulfr wasn't around, looking for suitable women to begin assassin training. She tended to drift toward the smaller women, though there weren't many of those in Noxus. All of the maids seemed to be reasonably attractive, though. Many of them were a bit plump for fighters. She singled out five young women eventually, all of them with the most athletic builds she could find and all of them of varying heights and features.

She began training with them four days later. She had to allow time for gathering everything she'd need, including weapons, clothing, lock-picks, poisons, and other various items that would kick start her students' education. And of course, she and Aulfr had to approach the women to inform the of what would be happening. And so, the first day of training began in a disused suite of rooms next to the courtyard where Aulfr trained his own warriors.

At that moment, her five students were sitting cross-legged on the mats she'd prepared in what had been the bedchamber. She would be using this room to teach them the basics of fighting and self-defense. And none of them looked at all comfortable with this turn of events.

Two of the women, Levana and Nalani, were both from the Banti desert, as was evident from their deep brown skin and slightly upturned brown eyes. They were cousins, sold into slavery together. Both were tall and slender, and each moved with a feline sort of grace that Aleksandra knew would be beneficial in their training.

The third woman was very small and delicate, from Xiang-Bao. Her name was Mitsuka, and she'd chosen to live in Noxus and work at the palace of her own free will. She had ridiculously long hair, almost down to her knees, and a mischievous glint in her eyes that had made Aleksandra pick her in an instant.

The final two were from Noxus, of average height and with the usual dark-blonde hair and blue eyes. Karina and Natasha were their names, and out of all of the women, they seemed the most disturbed by what was going on. And the most frightened of Aleksandra.

She puzzled over how she might put all these women at ease. She wasn't the type to make jokes and play around when training. She needed these women to understand how important it was that they trust her. Which meant a demonstration. So after a few moments of staring at them and having them stare back, she marched over to the nearest window and threw it open. The sounds of men fighting poured in, soothing her nerves immensely. "Prince Aulfr," she called. "I could use a bit of assistance in here."