DΛY FIVΣ

"You're cheating!"

In this moment I find myself itching to pull my phone out my pocket. Hell, even a watch could've helped right now. I'm thousands of years in the past surrounded by people who should be dead, thousands of years in the past where all I have is the sun and the moon to help me tell the time.  All I knew was that it'd been hours since the ordeal with the overseer and the king, hours since Yves agreed to train me.

And that's how I found myself where I am now.

I'm drawn back to reality when Jungeun sends me down once more, falling flat on my . My bones practically rattled in my body as I landed with a quiet 'ooft!', the palms of my hands stinging from grazing against the floor. I glared up at the blonde girl who merely shrugs and tightens the buckle of her shoulder plate, getting back into a fighting position. I push myself back to my feet when she quirks an impatient eyebrow.

"There is no cheating when you're headfirst in a battle. You either live or you die. Simple." She says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. 

I raise my arms in defence and wait for her to make the first move, not trusting myself to initiate it first. Perhaps I should've been more prepared than I was.

Her body spins around in a quick three-sixty as she generates enough power to send me a hard kick, her leg coming in direct contact with my gut which has me doubling over in pain.

"Five seconds. It's a record." I briefly heard Olivia mumble from behind us, snorting. My cheeks heat up red, completely embarrassed.

Yves watching me get my beat. Exactly what I needed.

princess; 4.

"Come on, Y/N, this is the seventh time!"  Jungeun's shout has me tuning back to reality, pulling myself back onto my feet once more. This time I make the first move, my arms swinging wildly but not once meeting its target.

"I'm! Trying! OOPF-" I call out between hard inhales of air, completely out of breath. Before I knew it I was on the floor once more. 

Jungeun doesn't bother holding back her groan this time, rubbing her temples as a hard sigh leaves her lips.

"I give up. I'm done. Find someone else to be your Muhammad Ali because I think you just broke my back... And my legs." I try standing up but my whole body felt weak.

Their sudden silence has me furrowing my eyebrows. I'd gotten use to Olivia having something snarky to say back, gotten use to Jungeun finding any excuse to disagree. I'd gotten use to Yves's occasional confused 'huh?', her eye rolls and curt 'stop talking you're losing focus' glares.

(Okay, the last one definitely didn't matter right now, but in my defence-- yeah, there's no explaining that one.)

Looking up at their confused faces I realised my mistake. They didn't know who I was talking about. He was well after their time. Just as I open my mouth to change topic, I'm caught by surprise when Jungeun tilts her head. She helps to my feet.

"Muhammad Ali? Who is that?"

I was sure my eyes lit up instantly.

"He's the best fighter of all time! He once said float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. I thought it made absolutely no sense but dad loved it..." 

Dad. The memory has me trailing off as a crestfallen expression surely crosses my face. Dad.. For the nth time since I woke up I feel guilty. Guilty that I've continued a life here that I never knew I had, guilty that I left him. I didn't even know if he was alive.

I'm cut out of my thoughts when a soothing voice speaks, catching me off guard. She'd been otherwise silent until now. 

"What does it mean?"

I meet her eyes.

Yves looks at me in this moment with an indescribable look on her face which doesn't fail to bring a flush across mine. Coughing, I will myself to push it aside and answer honestly.

"It means you can't touch him, but he sure as hell will hurt you. Dad thought it was brilliant. He always taught me to be better than others, that if I put in the effort then nobody would be able to bring me down... too bad I wasn't graced to be a boxer. But he's always been proud of me anyway."

The three girls take my words in, but I don't pay Olivia or Jungeun any mind. My gaze not once tears from Yves; our eyes seem to stay locked onto one another as she hums.

"To us butterflies symbolise breaking free. There are obstacles for everyone's hopes and dreams, but we can all overcome them and only fly upwards... Whatever your dad sees in that quote, maybe he's right. Faith is a beautiful thing, Y/N."

Faith.

She searches me, staring daggers into the pits of my soul with her enticing eyes. Perhaps I was being rude by staring for too long. After all, she made it very clear that one wrong move would cause bloody murder. But in this moment I can't help it. Can't help but feel like the world around us drones out as I cling onto her every word. It had to be the first time since we met that she let herself be open, not guarding herself in stoicism. 

The feeling of my body suddenly being slammed to the floor has me ripped out of our staring contest. I don't miss Olivia's laughter nor Jungeun's sly grin she shoots the princess' way as she brings me down. The princess snaps her gaze away from mine. A small cough escapes her lips and I don't miss the faint flush of red that crosses her cheeks, but before I can dwell on it a groan tears from my own throat.

"Maybe that's all for today. Get some rest and we will begin again tomorrow."

In that moment as Jungeun and Olivia stalk off I don't bother hiding the dirty glare I send their way. In that moment I feel my teenage naivety re-sprouting.

We were having a moment! Who the hell are you to ruin it?!

 I don't miss the pointed stare they share between me and the princess (nor Jungeun's nonchalant shrug at my blistering stare) but before I can even so much as think about charging after them in a fit of rage-- I'm stopped.

"Take my hand."

I freeze. She stands above me with her hand held out refusing to meet my eyes, waiting for me to take it. I wait until the two girls are no longer in sight and hesitantly reach up, taking hers in mine. She pulls me to my feet swiftly and lets go immediately after as if she'd been burnt, bringing her arms to her sides. I felt confused. Her hot and cold behavior was giving me whiplash, her indecisiveness driving me crazy. I'm cut from my thoughts when she coughs, clearing .

"It's come to my attention that I've been harsher than necessary." She says her words as if she was trying to apologise without saying the two magic words, her attention drawn on the wall over my shoulder. She spares a momentary glance at my face before looking away once more. But then I furrow my eyebrows.

"Did they say something?" For a moment I felt sick. What if Jungeun and Olivia told her the things I said? Is she mad at me? Will I be committed for treason?

As if noticing my stress she shakes her head and offers a tight lipped smile.

"No. They didn't have to."

Well now she knows.

Yves ignores my grimace and continues her spiel, careful in her wording.

"My father only wants whats best for his people. But with the overseer being interrogated and the threat of the north growing stronger, I fear the war will come sooner than expected." She trails off. As much as I wished to ignore it, there was no denying the chill that runs down my spine when she finds the confidence to meet my gaze once more. She continues.

"Butterflies teach us to have faith and trust in things you can't control." She nods her head with every word she says. Despite her vagueness I find myself clinging onto her words, waiting for the punchline. Waiting for her to somehow belittle me or push me away, waiting for her to somehow offend me. She catches me by surprise for the nth time today when she sighs.

"I'll put my faith in you as long as yours is in me."

I still. I take her words in as an almost embarrassed look crosses her face, clearly out of her element. The way her eyes bored into mine in this moment made me nod my head almost