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There was, incidentally, a training room buried deep within the hotel and it had taken Zelda this long to find it. She usually liked to go out of doors as much as possible as she hated being confined but today she had sought out amusement within the hotel itself; doors were still something that were hit or miss and she hadn't felt like taking the risk today.

It looked nothing like a Hylian training room would look. The equipment was all impossibly modern and several contraptions were so complicated that Zelda did not have any desire to try to learn how to use them. What was of interest were several training dummies that looked remarkably like the ones used by the Hylian army to hone their sword and shield skills. This, she could work with - but not in a dress.

She returned to her room and changed into Sheikah training garb she'd worn all her years as Sheik but decided that she wanted to hone her physical skills in Zelda's body and not effect the change. Not today. It would cause too many questions and produce lies that she was unwilling to keep up for the moment. So much of her life had been trafficked in secrets and the hotel was the one place where Zelda wanted merely to be honest.

The fit was a bit tighter, considering, but Zelda had always been slender no matter which form she took. It would work for her purposes today and she stole back down to the gym to train. She had daggers tucked in her boots and launched an attack, daggers flying into the face of the two dummies to her left and right as she flung herself toward the center one to use fists and feet.

It had been a long, long time since she'd been able to use this particular set of skills.

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"Will you train me further? I want to learn to swim and be deadly in the water too," Zelda said, rising to her feet and grinning at him. "I want...I want, when I return to Hyrule, to be fully equipped to lead an army into battle if I have to. I want to take my kingdom back brick by brick."

"I'll do everything I can t'help train ye," Erik replied while getting slowly to his feet. He waited a moment or two before springing at her, taking her wrist and getting it up and behind her back.

"Now. How would ye get out of this one?"

Being held this way effectively cut her strength in half. Zelda sunk down, wondering if she could use his height against him but that only pulled her shoulder and made her yelp out in pain. "Ah! I have no idea, Erik. You'll have to teach me the right way to get out of it."

Erik loosened his hold at her yelp, but not enough for her to free herself from it. "From where ye are, ye've got a few vulnerable area for attackin. A quick snap of yer head backwards would get m'chin, stompin on m'foot at th'instep would to t'unbalance me. But the best way t'drop a man holdin ye thus would be a quick elbow backwards," he told her. "Guaranteed t'take down any man with ill intent and free ye t'get distance enough t'arm or run as the case may be."

"So, like this?" she asked, sharply jabbing him with her elbow so she could pull free. It was effective, even if she hated hurting him to get out of it. Apparently learning combat with someone she was attracted to made it much, much harder to actually implement anything of use.

Erik thought, as he dropped to his knees again, that he probably should have added a warning to not make the motion now, but to file it away for future use. But he hadn't and, because of their height differences, her elbow caught him in the worst possible area. An area even further compromised because holding her close as he had been, his cock had started to stir to life again.

"Aye," he coughed out. "Somethin like that."

Zelda's eyes widened a little. "Oh, Erik, I didn't mean to hurt you!" She honestly hadn't, even if it had been good practice for the future. She drew up close and lifted his hand to her mouth, pressing her lips against his palm. "Perhaps that's enough practice for today, hmm?"

Erik chuckled in spite of the discomfort in his groin. "I'll live through it, m'lady," Erik assured her, "but good example of what, and where, any man attackin ye would be most vulnerable. And manage it hard enough and that other danger ye mentioned wouldn't be an issue either."

He slipped his hand up to cup her cheek. "I'm fine, I promise."

"I still feel bad," Zelda said, laughing a little. "So I would like to make it up to you, if I am able. Is there any way that I could do that?"

Zelda had no idea if Erik would play along with her or not but she hoped she knew him well enough by this point to think that he might.

Erik sensed something in her tone and paused a second before answering. "Yer quite a clever lass, Princess," he said at last, his thumb grazing her lower lip. "I'm certain ye could think of somethin."

Zelda rose on her toes and kissed him, soft and sweet. It was an apologetic kiss because she really, really hadn't meant to hurt him when trying to break his hold. She had learned a great deal and wanted him to know that she appreciated it immensely.

Erik made her feel things she had never allowed herself to feel before and it was a little overwhelming.

"It's part of training," Athos says. "I assure you, I take great strides to make sure he fights Aramis and not I." Though, he believes that Porthos takes fights with both of them kinder than he would with an enemy and Athos does fear for that. Staggering to his feet, he disturbs the bottle of wine he had brought with him, listening to it clank as it rolls on the ground while he tries to steady his balance, running a palm over his face. "What are you doing here?" he asks, as though the answer is not obvious.

Erik didn't hesitate to slip his arm around her waist and pull her close when her lips touched his. Because of the recent insult to his cock, he felt certain it would mind it's manners and not insult her. His other hand slipped into her hair to cup the back of her head as his own slanted to deepen the kiss.

Zelda did so love to kiss, especially with Erik who was far more talented at kissing than anyone had a right to be. Zelda did not have anyone to compare him to, of course, but she imagined that few could be quite so skilled.

"By the Three, you're good at that. It seems sinful."

"Training," Zelda said, brushing her hair off her forehead where it stuck there, sweat-soaked.

"I have become lax in my combat skills since I have been here in the Nexus and I wish to correct that. It has been a long time since I had to fight anyone since it's so safe here."

Erik's mouth had left hers, but only to trail kisses along her jaw, his breath and words warm against her ear. He wasn't crass enough to tell her how he'd honed that craft, he was just grateful that he'd listened and learned, so he could bring her pleasure from it.

"Aye, lass, it is. As only things that feel good can be," Erik whispered. "and it's just the beginnin of how good it can feel."

It catches up to him a moment later that they appear to be in a room for exactly this purpose. Inhaling sharply, he sees it for what it is, and sees an echo of the garrison's own training grounds in it. Perhaps he had stumbled here because of the sense of familiarity. "And you have no one to train with you?" he enquires, before he makes such an offer.

"You tempt me. But my innocence is something that must be maintained," she said ruefully. How she wished she could just go with what she was feeling and ignore wisdom for the time being!

"Then again. I am the last of a royal line and meant to be queen. My marriage prospects are high no matter what I do."

"No. My bodyguard did not come through the door with me," Zelda said. Impa had been gone long before she came through here, too busy with her duties as the Sage of Shadow.

"I have to train myself now."

Erik groaned and leaned his forehead to hers. "Aye but ye do tempt me lass, especially now with the taste of ye on m'tongue leavin me nothin but thirsty for more. I'll abide by yer need t'stay pure, as I said I would," he finished with a deep breath and with a force of will managed to step back from her.

"I simply do not know if I will be able to abide by my own promises," she said softly. "For I want to say damn the rules and just let things happen as they would naturally. I am the last of my line. There is no way I would be turned down for political alliance even if I wasn't pure."

"I wish I could help ye with it, lass, but I'm afraid I'd not be an impartial opinion. And I'm not the one left explainin the consequences to that future match ye make." Erik's hands roamed along her back as he spoke, fingertips along her spine, thumbs at her sides. He spoke again after a short silence, taking a chance on the suggestion. "There are ways."

Athos breathes in sharply through his nose. "While I do not look entirely up to it, I assure you that if you seek a trainer, there are no finer in the art of swordwork," he remarks, bowing his head and grimacing when it takes quite a lot of effort not to simply let it fall. "Though, I am typically more sober than this when in the midst of my works."

"Ways of what? Avoiding my inevitable surrender?" Zelda meant it to sound like a tease but instead it was terribly sincere. She was in entirely over her head and needed to try to logically think of a way out of this and think of a way to enjoy her time with Erik without wanting anything more than a few kisses and some companionship.

"I know little about using swords," she said, considering his offer with some great deliberation. It was a weapon that she had always disliked because it was so heavy and she was so small but it would be a great advantage. Using a sword meant longer reach and it was less likely she would have to get in close quarters with her opponent.

"What would you want in exchange for lessons?"

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