"What are you doing up so early and staring off into space like an idiot?"

My musing into my past was cut short by the demanding princess's question. She was leaning on one of the columns around the court yard with her arm crossed and an unreadable expression.

I sighed and lowered my sword. "Well, princess, I was having a good practice before you interrupted me. Why are you up so early anyways? Usually it takes you forever to get up and if you are woken up early; you become a very, very agitated little princess."

She blushed slightly at my last sentence because she knows it is true. She huffed, "Well I just wanted to see what all the palace girls were so intrigued about that they would wake up extra early just to catch a glimpse of. But clearly, they have bad taste because there really is nothing to see and be impressed with."

Why that sharp tongued little brat.......

I clicked my tongue and pretended I did not hear that comment, or I'm pretty sure I would blow my top off.

She sauntered over to where I was and looked me up and down in scrutiny. "So once a soldier, always a soldier?" It sounded more like a statement instead of a question.

I hummed in response.

She looked down at my sword before asking curiously, "That's not a normal sword that ranked officials carry. Where did you get that anyways?"

I raised my sword and looked at it intently. The feelings that overflow in me at how I obtained the sword were sentimental for me. "It was a gift from someone important to me," I answered simply.

We stood silently for a few minutes with neither of us speaking; it was awkward. Finally I couldn't take the silence, so I blurted out, "I'm going to the dining hall," before retrieving my scabbard by the nearby bench and walking off without a word to the princess.

My stay at the palace had been a pleasant change of scenery from the battlefield, but it had also turned into a battlefield of sorts. On more than one occasion I wanted to strangle the damn princess. Let me tell you, she is as beautiful as she is cunning and sly. I could understand now why the Emperor told me that the previous guards he had on his daughter all but quit within a few weeks. She made it her point to drive them nuts with incidents. For example, if not careful one might find themselves drenched in a bucket of dirty water from above that accidentally was dumped, by all innocence, they didn't see you below. Or, accidentally being slammed in the face by a large wooden door. Apparently, you are standing too close to the swinging door; people go in and out of doors you know.

Now, being a monster is great with the whole perception and reflexes, but you can only do it so many times before people get suspicious of you being able to duck frying pans being chucked at your head when your back is turned. Also, that high alert feel gets annoying after so many times, and trust me you have to let your guard down at some point to unclench your from anticipation.

But, hey, I'm a stubborn monster. She can play her games all she wants; she will only get my ignorance of her petty little games, her attitude and her bi-polar personality