Pride and Arrogance: Berkut x reader

Zofia

"I won't go too easy on you. You have to learn from hardship or else you won't really learn the Rigelian way."

With that, we rushed at each other, blades clashing and the sound ringing throughout the area and even reaching the barracks where some trainees were watching.

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We continued our sparring session throughout the night, only stopping after our blades broke from overuse.

"Well, you seem to be adept with a blade, so how about learning a few spells?" Berkut picked up his lance, striding towards me and taking me inside. "I will get you a blade tomorrow. For now, let's work on basic magic."

Berkut walked with me to a tome armory of sorts where past mages would practice magic. It's not used much anymore because all of the magic users are kept in Duma tower.

"Pick any one you'd like to start with. I'm not well read in magic so I can't be of much help besides a target for your practice." Berkut picked up a medium-sized book and settled in the center of the room, diving into his reading straight away. I believe the title of the book had something to do with lances and the art of war.

Picking up a dark yellow and white book, I started reading on the art of lightning and light magic. The lesser was a rarer art and more powerful, so I'll keep that section for later.

As I read through the pages from the light magic section, I heard a crash behind me. Turning around, I saw that a weapons rack had been knocked over by Berkut. He must have leaned on it thinking it was a wall and resulted in knocking it over.

"My apologies, my lady. I didn't mean to cause this much commotion." Berkut turned away from me, barely concealing his embarrasment from me, but not taking notice of the dagger in his leg from the tumbled over weapons.
"Berkut, you're hurt." Kneeling down to get a closer look at the wound, I flipped through the pages of my book until I found a basic light spell for healing magic. It looks simple enough, and all I have to do is focus on healing the wound.

"Stay still, Berkut. I don't know what this'll feel like, so prepare yourself." A warm light emanated from my hands, and as I pulled out the dagger and pressed the light to the wound, the light transferred to the gash and left nothing behind but smooth skin much like an infant's behind.

"Thank you, my lady. I should be more careful." Berkut pulls me up from my kneeling position, brushing stray hairs out of my face when a guard walks into the room.

"Pardon the intrusion, Lord Berkut, but you and milady are being sent to the border to take care of a few things."

Not much else was explained, besides the random military terms I had little knowledge of, except that we needed to leave immediately.

"Shall we, milady? We shall ride together and take care of whatever this problem is."

Berkut's horse was waiting for us outside, fully armored and itching to leave. Berkut rubbed the creature's nose, climbing up onto its back and settling himself into the saddle. Once comfortable, he lent me a hand and assisted me into the space in front of him. "Are you ready, milady?" He took the reins before me, turning his steed towards the front gates.

"The Zofian border is about a days ride, so you can practice your magic along the way if you so desire." The horse snorted, taking off at a gallop down the road, causing Berkut to take one hand off the reins and hold his arm at my waist to keep me on the mount.

The periods in time where we were out in the open or away from towns, I'd read through the tome, sometimes trying out simple spells. One of them I accidentally shocked Berkut and had to heal the damage I caused.

"Be careful, my lady. Until you get better with your spells, I have to be ready to protect you."

"My apologies, Berkut." I whispered the apology, watching streams of light dance between my fingertips.

Between my light shows and Berkut's showing off his horsemanship, we had arrived at the border between Rigel and Zofia. It was a dam that crossed the river acting as the border between our countries.

"Here we are, and no invaders in sight. How odd." Berkut glanced back and forth across the border gates.

"Maybe it was a ruse just to get you out of the palace. I've used that tactic while playing chess: lure the strongest piece out so you can storm in behind them and take the king."

"Uncle is away, though, so there is no use in storming Rigel castle. Valentians wouldn't be that idiotic to do that anyway. There must be a trap further ahead." Berkut reined his horse forward, but I grabbed them and brought us to a halt.

"If they capture you, they'll kill you. Let me go first; I'm invaluable compared to you."

I hopped down from the horse, tome in hand. Berkut held my other hand, his eyes full of worry.

"I will come for you if you are taken. I swear on my status as prince."

I smiled at him, urging him back over the border and crossing the gate. I looked around for a while and continued onward until I got to the far side of the dam.

"Hm, no one here. Maybe I was wrong, but why would we be sent here if there wasn't any activity?"

"Because there is." In the blink of an eye, I was surrounded by soldiers of all classes. I wouldn't be able to fend them all off if a fight arose. Looking behind me, I nodded to Berkut. He nodded in understanding and turned away, leading his horse back to Rigel.

Looking back to my captors, I saw one stood out among them: a Hero class in blue armor. He seems to resemble lord Rudolph, but I must be imagining things.

"You'll be coming with us for now, miss. Not just anyone is seen riding with Berkut to the border, so we must keep you for information later." The boy gently held my arm and escorted me to their encampment nearby. They had taken refuge in a fortress that used to belong to Rigel. There were torn and half-burned Rigelian flags here and there from the past.

They put me in a tent with multiple guards standing outside at all times. They allowed me to keep my tome, mistaking it for simple healing magic, and gave me a meal before the boy from before returned.

"If I may, I want to ask you some questions."

I nodded to him, not wanting to cause too much trouble.

"Why were you with Berkut before? You don't seem to be a guard, and you look to be of a priestess class of some sort."

"I was sent with him mainly as a healer. Plus, Berkut likes my company so I'm always around him."

The boy I came to know as Alm continued to question me for a few more minutes until he decided to give me a break until tomorrow.

I could've swore as he left I heard him say, "she'll be mine."