"You're pathetic," Kieran snarled, his practice sword knocking Lia's bde from her trembling hands for the fifth time. "The old Allura could at least hold a weapon properly."

  Lia gasped for breath, sweat stinging her eyes. The ALICE mission had seemed straightforward: learn basic combat skills from the Dragon Knight Commander. But Kieran's training methods were merciless, his contempt for her apparent in every barked order and bruising blow.

  "Pick it up," he commanded. "Again."

  Her arms felt like lead, muscles screaming from three hours of relentless drills. "I need a moment—"

  "The enemy won't give you a moment!" His emerald eyes bzed with barely contained fury. "You think saving the prince with one lucky move makes you a warrior? You're still the same scheming noble pying at heroics."

  The words cut deeper than any sword. Exhaustion, frustration, and accumuted emotional turmoil from recent events finally shattered her composure.

  "I never asked for any of this!" The scream tore from her throat, raw and primal. She colpsed to her knees, months of pent-up anguish pouring out. "I never asked to be here, to be her, to carry expectations I don't understand, to fight battles I never chose!"

  Tears streamed down her face as she pounded the training ground dirt. "I'm not a warrior! I'm not a spy! I'm not even Allura! I'm just... I'm just trying to survive in a world that isn't mine!"

  The admission slipped out before she could stop it. Silence fell over the training yard, broken only by her ragged sobs.

  "Leave us," Kieran ordered the watching knights. Once alone, he crouched before her broken form. "What do you mean, 'not Allura'?"

  Lia looked up through tears, too emotionally drained to maintain pretense. "Nothing. I'm just... tired of being someone I'm not."

  For the first time, uncertainty flickered across his scarred features. "The way you move, speak, react – it's all wrong for someone raised in noble luxury. I thought you were acting, but..."

  He reached out hesitantly, then stopped. "You really don't know how to fight, do you? Not because you're weak, but because you've truly never learned."

  Lia wiped her eyes with dirty hands. "Would you believe me if I said I come from a pce where women don't need to wield swords?"

  "A peaceful pce?" His tone held genuine curiosity rather than mockery.

  "Different," she whispered. "So different."

  Kieran sat back on his heels, studying her with new eyes. The hostile commander facade cracked, revealing glimpses of the man beneath – one who recognized genuine distress when he saw it.

  "I've been cruel," he admitted gruffly. "Based on who I thought you were. But this..." He gestured to her tear-stained face. "This isn't the Allura who tormented servants and maniputed court politics."

  "People change," she offered weakly.

  "Not this much." He stood, extending a calloused hand. "Come. Let's start over – properly this time."

  When she pced her hand in his, his grip was firm but gentle. "I'll teach you to defend yourself, but at a pace you can manage. And perhaps... you can teach me about this different pce you mentioned."

  The shift was subtle but significant. As they resumed training with modified intensity, Kieran's touches became guiding rather than punishing. His voice lost its harsh edge, offering correction instead of condemnation.

  By sunset, Lia had mastered basic defensive stances. More importantly, she'd glimpsed the honor beneath Kieran's rough exterior – a man who could admit mistakes and adjust his perspective when confronted with truth.

  "Tomorrow, we'll work on footwork," he said as they parted. "And Allura – or whoever you are – strength isn't always about swords. Sometimes it's about facing each day in a world that doesn't feel like home."

  His unexpected understanding brought fresh tears to her eyes, but these were tears of relief. Another wall had crumbled, another connection formed with someone who saw beyond her facade.

  "Breakthrough achieved," ALICE noted. "Kieran route initiated. Combat training will now proceed with adjusted parameters. Warning: Multiple romantic interests showing increased investment."

  But warnings felt meaningless when understanding repced hostility, and gentle strength emerged from fury's ashes.