[b]Chen![/b] "Oh Chen," your mother's voice finds a new warmth that still hides a deeper chill. "I'm proud of you! Standing up to Princess Qiu and Princess Yin at the same time? That's exactly what you should be doing. Of course I'll help darling, you're the speartip of our entire Alliance in this matter, and I'm delighted you're taking this so seriously!" She hangs up and you're left waiting. An ugly bird cry echoes out from the mountains, and a little while later a small herd of bearded horses canter to a weary halt down a little way away from you and give you suspicious looks as they start to graze. As you watch them the wind picks up, chill and arctic. [i]Follow the snake[/i], it rasps in your ear, and it does not leave. It surrounds you like the opposite of a blanket, present and waiting for its next instruction. [Princess Hesha takes a string on you] [b]Rose![/b] "Hmm. Hmmm! [i]Argh[/i]!" the Scales threw up her hands and covered her increasingly red face - a sound so loud it caused half a dozen bearded mountain horses to gallop across the path in a startled rush. "Shut up! Today has already been the worst! You are the worst! What the fuck happened up here, that the god-damn [i]Hunter[/i] has turned into such a smart-mouthed brat! You used to fit into the world, not like..!" She folds her arms and retracts her neck and huffs into her damp suit. She mumbles aggressively and furiously to herself for a minute, practically steaming with the blushing fury of it. Down below the air chills. The ice had been lessening as you came downhill but here it is again, growing more and more intense until it reaches a soft bundle of deadly princess. [b]Yue![/b] "I'm asking you to hold it," said Hyra, hands gently but firmly placing on your shoulders from behind and straightening them, "so that it stops being scary to you." Her fingers run down your arm and catch on your elbow, twisting it into a position that feels more natural. "Stories of swords, seeing them in battle... they're glamorous..." she pulls your left hand into position, wrapping around you from behind as she brings both of your hands to hold the sword, "... intoxicating, dangerous..." Now it's her foot, hooking around your ankle and pulling it to the left, widening your stance. "... [i]distracting[/i]. And that's the main reason why nobody can stand against a princess but a princess. Beauty," the breath on the back of your neck almost carries the touch of lips, "is perilous. In the face of it," her hand traces over your shoulders, across your collar - and then pulls. Your entire body rotates seamlessly - all the corrections she made to your body flowing together at once to make that simple turn the most elegant thing you've ever done in your life. "you can lose yourself." She steps away and oh, you did not notice how cool the evening was until it was contrasted with the warmth where her touch lingers. "So hold the sword," she said, smiling and tracing your jaw with a single finger. "Learn to see it as an irritant. Learn how awkward it is, how heavy it can feel, learn its flaws and limits. You'll cut yourself, and that too will be a lesson. You'll build up a tolerance and become blind to beauty, and that's when you can [i]really[/i] start to explore your weapon's secrets."