I slipped forward and half bowed to the master before shifting my weight. The attack came suddenly and I slid to the left as I pulled both short curved blades and deflected one of the master’s. I continued moving as I slipped his next strike away and sliced with my other blade. It was deflected up and out and I brought my other blade in and turned to block a strike.

This was not the first time we had faced one another and I let the motions flow through me. Block, slide, slash, shift, turn, stab, block. Finally the master stepped back and bowed. I sheathed my blades and bowed, “Thank you master.”

He smiled faintly, “Do not thank me Dancer.”

I bowed again, “As you wish.”

He gestured to the door, “Never forget the dance.”

I turned and walked out without looking back, that was a year ago. The court was full of talk about the elves that had returned with the prince. The Kingdoms of Ginge and Floff to the south were preparing for war and we knew the foul ones would be looking to cause trouble too. I was only a baron, my father had died suddenly ending my time with the master.

Each morning I went to the practice field to exercise. The other nobles and even the soldiers laughed. I moved through my dance ignoring those around me. I shifted at a disturbance and blocked the sword reaching for me. I slid to the side as my other long knife slashed and the elf slid back quickly. A new dance began as I slid his sword away each time it came towards me.

The elf was grinning as he blocked and spun, lunged and slid to the side. I followed and knew he was not as good as the master and finally slid in instead of away. One knife held his away and the other stopped against his throat. He froze in surprise and slowly stepped back and bowed, “Your master taught you well.”

I turned and walked away, “You move too slowly.”

I had barely entered the keep when a throat cleared. I glanced to the side at another elf but continued walking. He fell in beside me, “We did not know your master still taught.”

I stopped and turned to look at him, “What do you want?”

He raised an eyebrow, “You have a problem with elves?”

I smiled faintly, “I have a problem with arrogant people.”

He bowed slightly, “My pardon.”

I turned but did not leave, “I was my master’s last dancer.”

I walked away and went to the small room the king had given me. I used the basin of water to wash and then dressed in the soft green clothes I loved to wear. When I walked into the throne room everyone stopped talking. I walked to the throne and bowed, “Your majesty.”

He smiled slightly, “Baron Sinclair. I heard you taught our friends a lesson.”

I shrugged, “Perhaps a small one.”

He grinned and then sighed, “I have conferred with the chamberlain about your problem with the bandits. I am afraid it is part of what is coming. We believe they are a small band of goblins with a rogue telling them what to attack.”

I nodded and glanced back as the elves walked into the room with a confident swagger. I looked at the king, “May I have leave to follow and remove these ... pests?”

He sat back and looked at me before grinning. He looked at the prince, “Take your friends and go with Baron Sinclair. He will command you until the matter is resolved.”

The prince frowned but nodded, “Yes father.”

I bowed and turned, “I leave in an hour.”

It did not take me long to pack and I ended up sitting on my horse waiting for the prince. When the hour was up I glanced at the elves who were also waiting and shook my head before turning and leading my pack horse out. It was a half hour before the prince and the elves caught up. The prince was red faced and started to say something when I caught movement from the corner of my eye.

He jerked away and fell from his horse as I slash across in front of him. The arrow was knocked away as I dropped the lead rope for my pack horse and kicked my horse into a run. I slapped two more arrows away before pulling back on the reins and dropping to the ground. I pulled my other knife as I slid forward towards the three men.

I shifted and slapped a lunging sword aside before slicing across to cut the man’s throat. I spun and rolled a slicing sword up and over me as my other blade sliced through his stomach. I slid in as the last man took a wild swing and deflected it away before slicing his hand. He jerked and dropped the sword as I slid closer and put a knife blade against his throat, “Yield or die.”

He stood frozen and finally stammered, “I yield!”

I snatched the dagger from his belt before stepping back, “Who sent you?”

He looked from me to the elves as they rode up. I reached out and sliced his cheek, “Who sent you!”

He jerked, “King Kronis!”

I turned as the white faced prince walked up, “You are very lucky prince Alex.”

He nodded and looked at the other two dead or dying men before looking at the last man, “Who told you I would be here?”

The man looked around, “We were just to kill any travelers.”

The elves snorted but the prince had made me think, “When were you given your orders?”

He licked his lips, “This morning.”

My blade flashed and sliced open his other cheek, “King Kronis is two weeks away!”

He jerked back and dropped to his knees, “It was a messenger!”

I looked at the grim faced prince as one of the elves came close. He barely paused before slicing the man’s throat. I spun and looked at him, “What are you doing?”

He shook his head, “He was a hired killer and you know as well as I that he would have little information.”

I shook my head, “Just what the messenger was wearing and if he had any badges.”

The elf blinked and I pushed him out of my way, “Interfere again and your long life will end.”

I caught my horse and the pack horses and swung up before turning and heading towards the troubled villages. It was early evening before I slowed and sat looking at a smoldering farm house. I glanced at the Prince, “We will stay here tonight and then follow the trail.”

He nodded and gestured, “We can use the farm’s well...”

I shook my head as I swung down from my horse, “They always foul the wells.”

I led the horses down to the small stream not to far from the fields. I unsaddled them and let each drink before putting them on long leads. I glanced at the sky before laying out a ground cloth and making camp. One of the elves sat across from me as I started cooking, “You have a lot of anger inside.”

I glanced at him but went back to what I was doing. He sighed and turned to bring out a wrapped package. I nodded when he unwrapped it and I saw the block of cheese. He started slicing as the others began adding things. After we ate I cleaned up and put out the fire. I sat back against my saddle, “I did not ask for my position. My older brothers were killed by bandits and my father died early.”

The prince opened his mouth but an elf touched his arm as another leaned forward, “You wished to teach the dance.”

I hesitated and then nodded, “My master said I was the best he had ever taught. I was going to breath new life into his school.”

I looked up at the stars, “Now I am my peoples servant.”

The elf chuckled and I glared at him. He shook his head, “You have not thought it through Dancer. You are a Baron with many people that need your time. You also must make sure they can take care of themselves, true?”

I nodded and he shrugged, “Than teach them the dance.”

I sat back to think and then looked around as the night birds went quiet. I stood, “We have company.”

The elves slipped into the darkness leaving the prince and I. I pushed him towards the horses as they shifted and stomped, “Protect them.”

I pulled my blades and waited, a minute later I slid into the rushing goblins and cut one’s throat and gutted another. I twisted and slid to the side as I pushed a reaching dagger away and stabbed through an eye. The dance always has a pattern and I found this one easily. Shift and cut, turn and slide, slice and block. I stood alone after the last goblin fell and looked around in the moonlight.

There were more goblins out in the field, killed by the elves, a few were close to the horses. I knelt and cleaned my blades and then my hands before going to check the horses. Prince Alex was wide eyed but kept trying to calm the horse. I pushed him towards the camp, “Go clean the blood off and put your sword away.”

It took us an hour to pull all the bodies out and away from the camp. We took turns watching and listening for the rest of the night. I was up early and stretched before moving into a field as it began to get lighter. I pulled my blades and looked at the prince and an elf as they walked towards me. The prince bowed, “Would you teach me?”

I looked at him for a moment and finally nodded, “You need two knives.”

He pulled his sword and dagger and I smiled, “Learn the reach of each and do as I do.”

I stretched before facing the prince and beginning to dance slowly. I watched him carefully as he tried to follow. The elf began to echo my dance but I ignored him. When I finally stopped I nodded to the prince and started explaining some of what he was doing wrong. I left the bodies of the goblins before walking to the burnt farmhouse.

I began following the track as the prince said we had already killed the goblins and asked why I was following them. I glanced from him to the elves, “Ask your friends.”

I began to trot as I kept following the tracks. The elves explained that a pack of goblins would keep going to attack another farm and not return. I found their camp site an hour later and followed the tracks out. One of the elves took over and it was another hour before he stopped and looked back. I could hear the fight and kicked my horse into a run.

We broke out of the woods and I saw the goblins around the farmhouse in front of me. I let the horse run and yelled, “SINCLAIR!”

I dropped off the horse at the last moment and let it crash into the goblins crowding around the front of the house. I pulled my blades as I swept into them and began to dance. Arrows flashed past me and into the goblins as the elves stayed back and began killing them. I cut the last one’s throat and spun away as it fell and looked around at the carnage.

I straightened and glanced at the farm house door as I knelt to clean my blades. The farmer and two older lads came out. I stood and put my blades away, “You will need to bury these away from your fields.”

The farmer grinned, “We have plenty of wood to burn them clean first my lord.”

I smiled and turned as the elves rode closer, “Fire might help.”

I let the elves collect arrows before swinging up into the saddle. I headed out the lane towards the nearest village. We reached it a little before the sunset and I led the way into the village guard courtyard. The single guard came out, “Lord Sinclair.”

I smiled, “It has been awhile Edward. We need to stable the horses and use the guard hall.”

He nodded, “I have reports for you.”

I sighed as I dropped off the horse, “Have the tower flash my signal.”

He turned and trotted towards the edge of the village. I led the way towards the stable beside the guard building and started unsaddling the horses. When I came into the well kept house I turned to the small polished desk beside the door. I sat and reached for several sheets of parchment. I glanced at the prince when he carried his saddle bags in, “Your father sent news of more highway men.”