Claudia was searching for Cain, he was quite late for his lessons. Which was unusual for him, considering he's usually quite punctual. Even if he's off doing whatever he does when he runs out of the palace. Two years of teaching and the boy couldn't even properly form a sphere with his magic, something considered to be a fundamental skill in spellcasting. At best he could create a wave of magical energy that he could lash out with in a pinch. Otherwise, it could barely be called proper magic. His control wasn't much better either. It never really seemed to leak out of Cain from what the girl could see, but that didn't change the fact that he was sort of a dullard when it came to proper magics.
It wasn't all studying and practice though. There had been plenty of social activities over the two years they'd been together. From boat rides, to flower picking, Cain actually did most things with her. If she really thought about it, they were really only apart when they were in bed, where she would stay up from time to time thinking about how all that separated them was a wall. The more she thought about it, the more she realized just how much they did together. Shopping for dresses, parties together, gardening, even. Hells, she'd even just sit there and watch him study for hours on end, daydreaming about… something… she wasn't really sure what. At least, until recent events had transpired. Oh… maybe that's why he's avoiding her.
Surely not though. After all, just a few days prior, they were spending time in the garden talking about things of little importance to the world. Not something Claudia was used to in all honesty, her whole life had been primarily spent practicing, adapting, and learning magic. Old and new spells in hopes that she'd be able to make the lives of everyone better. Cain, however, he'd helped her out of her shell a bit. He'd made her realize there was much more to life than sticking her nose in books and writing up research paper after research paper. It was fun, it could be fun. Nice even, if not a little confusing whenever she took a glance at the boy she found accompanying her so very often.
What's more, Claudia had begun to get closer to him recently, not just emotionally, but physically. Just her scooching her chair closer and closer, a little bit each day as Cain studied and learned all he could. Practicing what he learned to the point where if he were anyone else they would have collapsed from exhaustion. This made the lack of any real results far more shocking to Claudia, and to the boy's admitted disappointment, who couldn't understand why he still seemed to be making abysmal progress. Until yesterday, when she was finally right next to him, close enough to where she could have reached out and taken his hand in hers, or rest her head on his shoulder. This was the closest the young princess had been to Cain since his arrival, and if she had taken the time then to ponder it, to anyone except her mother or father really. Yet, in her young and excitable mind, Claudia was busy going from thought to thought, and suddenly acting on an overwhelming impulse, she had decided to take it a fateful step further.
At some point, Claudia exited the castle and approached the magic knights out on the training grounds of the palace complex. Cain had started spending time practicing with them after a few months of his lessons with Claudia, deciding at some point to begin learning to fight with his sword, though perhaps not on the level of the Militaran weapons and combat training. He'd primarily focused on the basics that he'd admittedly learned rather quickly. All while still attempting to figure out that magic thing that kept eluding him. She'd sat in on some of the practices, finding his way of fighting interesting compared to the other knights.
While the various knights and squires of the kingdom focused on common fencing techniques and stances, Cain seemed to have an understanding that his weapon wasn't particularly the most efficient in that. Lacking some of the important pieces of the normal long sword, rapier, or really most swords crafted within the kingdom, he either understood or learned quite quickly that the hand he held his weapon with was less protected than his normal opponents. Not that he actually used Cord during training to begin with.
This pushed Cain to develop a style of fighting that took advantage of his stamina and agility. Preferring to dodge and weave around strikes before taking down the opponent with a decisive strike, tiring his opponent's by forcing them to quickly turn around or on wider strikes where he can. As another result, he tends to leave himself significantly more open, creating deceptively more easily strikable spots on his body in order to bait strikes for retaliation. Claudia couldn't help but think that he was probably much easier to hit than the knights thought he was. Magic knights had a higher focus on the magical portions of their fighting than your normal soldier would after all. This was just a suspicion she had; however, she'd no evidence to back this up.
One of the magic knights notices Claudia, taking a knee for a moment before standing up to begin conversing with her. Beginning with a greeting. "Ah, young lady, what might bring you here today?"
"I was hoping to find Cain. He wasn't in his room when I knocked this morning and he doesn't seem to be anywhere I might normally find him. Have you seen him by chance?" She asked him after acknowledging his greeting. Giving him a small smile, as she'd been told by her mother that it helped make her face seem at least a bit more friendly.
"Hm? Oh, no, young lord Cain hasn't joined us today." She couldn't see it under his helmet, but his brow had furrowed a bit at the question. "Besides, he was due to leave quite late last night. Sometime after we'd all gone to bed."
"What? I was not told of this!" Her entitlement, though appropriate as this was her friend who'd been leaving, rarely showed its head. She was unable to help it this time however.
"Ah, perhaps I have my days mistaken then. I can't imagine that boy would just up and leave without at least giving you a goodbye." He takes a moment to think after saying that. No, he was sure Cain was set to depart late last night. It was a strange time to leave for sure, but still, he'd remembered the boy speaking of leaving for Militaria that day. "Maybe your mother knows something? Her golem knights may have seen him if nothing else."
"Yes… I will do that… Thank you sir." She grants him a quick nod of the head that he reciprocates before turning and walking away.
She was beginning to get a little nervous about her inability to find the boy. Was he hiding from her because of what she did yesterday? No, that can't be it, Cain wouldn't do that, especially not to her. He most certainly wouldn't just up and leave on her over it, right? That would be ridiculous! She wouldn't be offended if he told her no, that he'd rather stay friends or whatever. Running away is completely unreasonable, but she was certain there was nothing to worry about, after all, he would never ever just…
"He left late last night sweetie. He said he was going to Militaria to learn to fence like the soldiers there." The girl's mother said to her daughter. She hadn't looked at Claudia yet, but if she had, she'd see a look of shock on the young girl's face that would likely be enough to break the mother's heart. "Did he not tell you? I'm sure it must have slipped his mind. He should be sending a letter to us when he gets there. I told him to, so we know he made it safely after all."
"Mother…" She was trying to hold something in, speak clearly, but her voice felt wrong. Shaky, horse, and her throat, it felt so dry. She'd never felt like this before, at least, not that she can remember. It felt like there was a hole where her heart was previously, maybe it fell into the pit that had formed in her stomach. She'd have to find it later. "Is… is it normal for boys to leave after a girl kisses them?" Her mother stiffens, still as death for a few moments, thoughts of whether or not she heard her daughter correctly run through her mind for a few moments before she turns to see the child who shared her name. Tears stream down her younger look alike, tears that the young one hadn't realized began flowing yet.
Quietly, the mother steps over to Claudia and crouches down, ignoring the fact that her dress would likely get wrinkled in the act. She got eye level with the young girl before pulling her into a hug. A rage was boiling inside the mother, but she kept it down for the sake of her little girl at this moment. She felt the smaller arms grasp the back of her dress as the young girl cried into her mother's shoulder. Quietly, softly, but only because the girl didn't want to be loud. The mother would have preferred if she cried as hard as she wanted in that moment, but she knew that her daughter didn't need words. Not right now. This was enough.