Lamont could do nothing but stare as Kiara talked. Where did this compassion come from? He understood now -- they both needed to stay alive and get along to break this hard war with peace -- but still. If she was like this after barely knowing him, what would she be like later? Would she grow annoyed by him, resent him, hate him? Or would she...

Lamont shifted his gaze to the floor. "In the past, my brothers have always protected me. I never got along with any of them, but we were never closer than during the face of danger. I know nothing about your guard Ostus. Mother has not told me about him yet. I don't know if I am willing to train with him because I don't know him." He lifted his eyes, his gaze searching Kiara's face. "But I'm willing to give it a try."

He smiled then, a flicker of a genuine smile, and threw back his shoulders. "I expect to not be laughed at, scoffed, poked fun at, or in any way disrespected," he commented, a little of his mother's haughty tone glimmering through. "And just because I'm not a skilled fighter does not mean I don't know how to fight at all, nor that I've never been trained. It so happens I am [i]very[/i] good at avoiding direct attacks at least."

He began to feel a little better talking with Kiara and hoped that she was feeling the same way.