Squaring up with Golden on the sparring mat, she positioned her relaxed fists in front of her face defensively, her feet planted in the right place. Her back was to me, so I couldn’t see where her eyes focused, but surely she remembered me drilling into her head to train them on her opponent’s chest, not eyes. It was difficult to predict a damn thing that way.
Unsurprisingly, Golden was the first to strike. With a quick jab to Gray’s chest, she stepped to the side to dodge, knocking his forearm aside with her own.
My heart clenched. The unrelenting drive to jump in and kick Golden’s ass myself was going to drive me insane.
A crowd formed around the mat that Golden and Gray occupied, watching their princess in action. Everyone was expecting to see Gray lose, but I only hoped she proved them all wrong.
Gray leaned in for a strike, to which he blocked and then swiftly returned, landing a harsh blow to her gut. She grunted from the impact, but maintained her composure.
“One day,” Golden said, “you’ll be answering to me.I’llbe the legendary one.”
My eyebrows shot to my forehead. Excuse me? The laugh that barked from my chest had Golden’s glare darting at me.
Gray capitalized on the slight distraction and fired quick jabs to his cheekbone and liver. Golden stumbled back, nursing his side with a cough. Gray didn’t hesitate and swept his feet from underneath him, shoving him in the chest to the floor, helping his descent.
The action was so quick that Golden didn’t have a chance to defend himself. Straddling his stomach, Gray’s knees dug into either side of his ribs before she began pummeling his temples, making sure to throw in swift hammer fists to his nose and eyes.
The brutality of her blows was the result of years of repressed rage. No longer did she have to take others’ abuse. No longer helpless. The little warrior that she was rose to the surface. Pride threatened to burst from my chest for her new empowerment.
Golden blocked his face, exposing his other weak points, which Gray targeted. Finally, Golden seemed to snap out of it, bucking her off his torso. Gray plunged forward over his head, catching herself and rolling away. He spun onto his front, latching onto her ankle and clumsily snatching her back to the mat. It was Golden’s turn to take the upper hand as he scrambled on top of her.
My fists clenched at my sides as my heart beat a death knell within its cage, sounding my vengeance for the man who thought he could hurt my girl.
“Who knew Princess Gray would be scrappy?” Golden chuckled, a hand sliding around her throat while his other hand pinned her wrists to the floor above her head. “But now that you’ve had your temper tantrum, you can be reminded of your place.”
I wasn’t sure what he thought was going to happen. Clearly, he thought she’d cave to his will. He’d underestimated her and her growth over the past several months. And despite the pulsating drive to storm the mat and beat the shit out of him, I trusted Gray would give his ego a lashing.
I crossed my arms, relaxing into my stance as the crowd around us started to jeer Golden on. It disgusted me. I’d never truly seen the king’s brainwashing for myself until this moment. In a way, I was glad because at least now, I got to witness the moment Princess Gray would claim her respect.
Golden released his hold on Gray’s throat and wrist to launch blow after blow against her face. She took the pain in stride.
“Fucking block him, Gray,” I muttered under my breath, unable to tear my eyes away from her getting beaten. Grimacing, I held my breath, waiting for her to do something to take the upper hand.
The longer she took, the louder the crowd cheered and chanted, “Not our princess! Beat the weak!”
Without realizing it, I had taken steps toward the sparring mat. An arm slapped against my diaphragm to stop me. “No interference! If she can’t hack it, then she doesn’t deserve to be here,” a guy with iridescent hair told me without removing his gaze from what appeared to be a loss for my girl.
“Tap out, Princess, or I keep going,” Golden taunted, continuing to pulverize her bloody face.
Gray tried to strike him in the side, but Golden blocked with his arm. But the move gave her the reaction she wanted. While he blocked her lower punch, she snuck one to his throat, abruptly halting his assault.
Gray didn’t hesitate. Pushing onto her knees, she hooked an arm around his throat in the position I taught her. She squeezed tight, falling onto her back and wrapping both legs around his midsection to trap his arms at his sides as he fell on top of her.
The move quieted the bloodthirsty crowd. No one expected to see her come back from what looked like a sure loss.
My fingers dug into my biceps as I waited for her to make him pass out. Golden flailed, trying to release his arms or to knock her hold from him.
Blood stained Golden’s hair, his eyes fluttering shut as he fell limp in her arms. She didn’t relent until several seconds later, ensuring he was unconscious before she let go.
The silence enveloping the training room shifted the hostile energy that previously followed the princess. The people may not like her yet, but at least now they respected her. They knew to think twice before challenging her for a laugh.
Gray stood up, face bloody and swollen. Her magic would soon heal the wounds. She scanned the crowd with her lip raised and chin tilted upward. “Now, bow before your princess.”
It wasn’t a unanimous bow as if it were the king, but one by one, Kinetics reluctantly dropped to a knee.
My heart soared for her. Gray had just made her bold statement to the Royal Domain that she was no longer one to be easily targeted or bullied. She wasn’t the weak girl her father made her out to be. She wouldn’t roll over and just take anyone’s abuse—aside from the king, unfortunately. The princess claimed her respect, and whether the people accepted her or not, she was the king’s heir, and she belonged.
Naturally, there would be others who would challenge her, desperate to knock her down.
