She almost smiled at the assurance in his features. "Oh, am I?" she mocked, taking his hand.
He pulled her off the bench, grinning as he walked backward from her. "Definitely. It's going to be great. You can tell me all about what you're scared of while you're beating the shit out of me," he said with a wink.
Nadir grabbed two of the great bamboo sticks from beside the steps, and he had her grab a couple of torches before he led her out on the beach. Once the torches were stuck in the sand, he tossed her a stick.
Her feet set, and Nadir gave her an upwards nod as he did the same.
"One blow, one fear," he told her.
She huffed but nodded anyway.
Nadir charged at her. She blocked straight, pushing back as he whipped around, and she was reminded of the quick Commander she'd watched earlier in the day. So she held her ground and noted his movements. Every tense of muscle in his shoulders, every flinch of his thighs. He blocked the strike she jabbed at his legs, and he smirked triumphantly at her.
She glared but thought of a fear nonetheless. "Mirrors," she said.
Nadir paused. "What?"
"You asked for a fear. That's my first one. Mirrors."
She struck at him low, but he blocked. "Why mirrors?"
Nyssa's cheeks flushed. The warmth of it spread up to her ears as memories of her standing in front of the great mirror as a child with her mother behind her flickered in her mind. She wasn’t sure she was ready to talk about it that night.
"Another night," she told him.
Nadir didn't push it. "Set up."
She did, and he lunged at her. She noticed where he was going this time and shifted just as he pushed. His stick caught the air instead of her, and she whipped around, cutting behind his shins.
Nadir landed flat on his back. Nyssa allowed her own smirk to rise on her lips as she stepped over him.
"Ohshit," he grinned. "My Princess came to play."
She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling, and she offered him the stick. "What did we say about your claiming me?"
"Again, I wonder why you think I shouldn't want that again," he bantered.
Nyssa rolled her eyes at his flirtation. He grabbed the end and hauled himself to his feet.
He whirled the stick once, and then he jumped at her.
She flinched despite herself, bamboo coming up in front of her face, split shriek emitting from her lips, and Nadir's deep laughter bellowed out. He was mocking her, and she wanted to slap his stupidly gorgeous face.
So she swatted for his shins, and he blocked.
His laughter faded, and he set up again. "Another fear, Princess," he asked as the water brushed over their feet.
Nyssa gritted her teeth and kept forward, determined to take him to his knees again. They parried, and she blocked him again and again as she thought of her next one.
"Being alone," she admitted.
Nadir's brow flinched upwards. "That’s fair," he said, the sticks clacking as they continued. "What—“
"I don't just mean being alone," she admitted, to which Nadir paused. "I mean... Being truly alone. Completely separated and cut off from everyone I know. I've always been surrounded by people, by my family, at least one of them, or even Willow. My eagle... Being truly alone terrifies me, and I think that's the scariest part about this war.”
"You'll never be alone in this war," he told her.
It sounded like a promise, and she hated it.
