"Very well." The prince twirled his sword and then pointed at me.
Win this fight.The shadows in my mind urged. Defence. I was going to be on defence.I repeated to myself while ignoring the shadows that whispered the exact opposite. The prince was swift and accurate when he swiped for my left. I had only managed to avoid his strike in a mere second. It was as if he was using thatfirst strike to test my reflexes before delivering faster strikes. I raised my blades up and avoided his slashes and strikes as best as I could. Moving around from one spot to the next, never wavering. Just like Dezimus had once taught me.
"Come now, warrior. Don't let me do all the work." The prince panted and the sweat on his jaw slid down to his smooth neck. The distraction cost me a blade that was knocked off my hand from the prince's sword. The soldiers around cheered. Red didn't look the least worried, it was as if he held all the trust in the world for me.
"Like what you see, warrior?" As if the prince's smirk couldn't become any more pointed.
"No." I avoided another strike from him, and I knew the fight would only continue if I stayed on defence because it did not seem like the prince would be tiring any time soon. I ducked then side stepped him so that I could strike him when he least expected it. Swift enough to knock the sword off his hand. I panted and couldn't help but smirk at the prince. The prince's eyes danced with mischief while he raised up his fists. We circled each other now. Prey and predator. I held my blade tighter. Or is it predator and predator? The fight that decides who stands at the top of the food chain. His bright calculating eyes clashed with my watchful ones. Light and darkness. We both went for the first hit. He held my wrist with the fire blade up and I jabbed a punch into his rib. He twisted my arm sharply and I didn't have enough time to cry out from the pain before he turned me around to hold me against him. His naked chest pressed warmly into my back. His hand tightened around my wrist, making me drop the blade onto the floor.
I panted and struggled against the prince. "I win, Mor." His voice was soft against my ear and something in my heart felt like he wasn't just talking about the fight. His fingers lightly grazed my hip, and I had to refuse the urge to arch into him.
Darkness never loses.The thought in my mind was so sudden it had me using all the strength I had left in me to hold onto the prince's arms tightly and flip him over my shoulders. Immediately reaching for the blade I always kept in my boot to press it against his neck. I pinned him down with my weight and the prince just looked at me. Relaxed. A slight smile on his face. Calm.
Surprised gasps came from the soldiers. They stared at their prince on the floor. My eyes found the prince's red ones. "Yield." The word came out rough, but I needed to hear it before turning my back on him. Trust never came easy in a fight yet the fear of him actually betraying me made me sick to my stomach.
"This position feels rather familiar," He murmured, looking into my eyes, searching for a heat he knew he would find. "I hope to arrive at my death; sailor drunk, high on gold root and kissed thoroughly. Could you perhaps grant one of those wishes?" His whispered question caught me so off guard I got off him with a frown and turned away to not show the blush creeping up my cheek. He must have hit his head hard.
I picked up my fallen fire blades and made my way out of the crowd that formed with soldiers looking at me with slightly more respect.
"I knew you'd be able to do it." Red ran up to me with the biggest smile on his face accompanied by soft jingles coming from his pocket.
"What is that—"
"He made bets with the soldiers, and they all lost, including myself." A voice from behind me interrupted my question. I turned around to see Inanov frowning at Red.
They still doubt your abilities after everything you have done.The shadows softly clawed at the mental barrier in my mind. I did my best to suppress them and shook my head, chuckling at Red's audacity.
"I can't wait for you to teach me all your techniques." Red punched the air comically.
It made me smile and reach to shuffle his hair. "Don't ever change who you are, Red," I whispered and was unsure if he heard it.
The hours of the night went past, where we ate and listened to old tavern stories that all the soldiers were excellent at telling. Midnight was upon us, all the soldiers were either stationed to take watch or had retired to their tents.
This meant I soon had to retreat to my own tent or should I rather say the prince's tent...
I made my way to the yellow tent that was noticeably bigger than the rest in comparison
"I hope to arrive at my death; sailor drunk, high on gold root and kissed thoroughly. Could you perhaps grant one of those wishes?"His words caressed my mind in a soft allure. It was just going to be himself and I in one tent. Where his scent and aura would be stronger to feel. I clenched my fist when I remembered how he had kissed me in Abdera under the moonlight. How his kiss felt greedy, hungry, and addictive. How I wanted to feel it again... I hesitated to open the tent. I let out a nervous sigh before finally willing myself to open the tent and step in.
And to my absolute horror, the prince had his hands raised up with a blade against his neck, held by a masked stranger who had bright blonde hair.
"Ah, warrior. How convenient for you to finally join us. See, stranger, as I vowed. My warrior would be here any second." The prince smiled but I could see the slight bob of his throat. Uncertain if he'd be getting out of this situation alive.
I unleashed my fire blades without a thought. "Release him," I firmly ordered.
"Or what?" Her voice sounded hard and cruel, eyes meeting mine. Tanzanite blue and jade green, eyes so different. Unlikeany I had seen before. It shone fiercely like how Fala's silver eyes would when she was angry.
"Or I will set everything and anything in this tent aflame," I answered, and the blades in my hands caught alight without me having to command it. The blades sensed my threat so intensely that it fuelled it to come alive. Happy to cause the destruction it wanted. The masked woman looked at the fire blades with slight interest. She sniffed the air and then looked at me with curiosity.
"Ironic howyou'reprotecting him of all people considering... well, that you're you." She removed the blade away from the prince's throat. He visibly relaxed and frowned at the stranger.
"Shut it," I immediately snarled. The little girl that haunted my mind had woken up from her slumber to look at this stranger who seemed to know too much. "Fight with someone that’s actually a challenge." The woman rolled her neck and then shrugged with a single shoulder.
"Very well." And then she did.
Chapter 41
Flame and Shadow
