by R. C. Reigh
I didn't like it. Not at all.
I shoved against his chest with my palms and was surprised when he yielded, giving me space. My bosom rose in rapid swells as my eyes blazed into his. The heat from his kiss still seared across my delicate lips. Instinctually, my hand flew up from my side and I slapped him.
His long fingers rubbed at his jaw, but there was a light in his eyes that matched that excited grin on his face.
"I will do whatever it takes, and I mean anything, to make you walk away," I ground out in a raspy voice that I barely recognized.
For a moment, a flicker of concern crossed his face before the arrogance returned.
"Eventually you're going to give in, princess." He slowly raised up to his full height, forcing my eyes upward to his commanding presence.
My nostril flared as I jutted my chin.
"Over my dead body."
DANE
I slumped down onto the wooden bench in the preparation room that I had been assigned to and began sorting through my gear.
Nearly two weeks had passed since my last encounter with Amelia. I had thought that maybe if I gave her some time, she'd realize I was right, but I was starting to see that wasn't working.
Within the confines of my duffle, I located my enchanted tournament blade and set it beside me on the bench.
Perhaps I had gone too far by kissing her, but those soft full lips had been just inches from mine, inching further and further into my space. I hadn't been able to help myself. I wasn't surprised when she slapped me. Frankly, I deserved it, but I was shocked by her other response. For a few brief moments, she had actually kissed me back. While the euphoria in that moment had seemed worth it, the fallout this week had been infuriating.
I'd sent her beautiful flowers.
She gave them away.
I'd sent a feast to her people in her honor.
She refused to eat it.
I'd sent her an amulet that I had commissioned especially for her from an elite mystical jeweler in Laramidia.
She sent it back.
Amelia wanted nothing to do with me and, clearly, her affection wouldn't be bought. She still wouldn't even look at me. Every time she saw me, she hurried away.
Now I had this nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I may have put the idea in her head that sealing the deal with that human would set her free. It was a mess. Being fated should have been a blessing, but it felt more like a curse. It didn't help that I knew absolutely nothing about females. Especially human ones.
If my mother were still alive, she would know what to do. What I wouldn't give for one more chance to talk to her, to see her face again. I wasn't entirely comfortable confiding in Althea, my father's current wife. We didn't exactly have that kind of relationship. I had to give her credit that she had tried, but with my much younger half-siblings keeping her hands full and my nearly constant training schedule, we had never become close.
I shook my head and buckled the strap of my leather shoulder pauldron for my sword arm. I needed to put all of that out of my mind for now and focus on the event. I had been looking forward to the competition.
Since Amelia hadn't been impressed thus far, I planned to show her my capabilities in the arena. My objective was two-fold: intimidate Adam and impress Amelia.
The tournament rules were simple:
The match only allowed the use of magic and physical combat skills.
No shifting allowed.
No death blows in hand to hand combat, which essentially meant only maiming was allowed.
To ensure that there were no accidents with our swords, they were placed under enchantments that made them hurt, but not actually cut. They would leave a magical mark that would allow the judges to determine if a strike should have been fatal, and thus help them determine who to declare the victor.
Through the tunnel leading toward the combat arena, I could hear the sounds of the crowd gathered in the coliseum. My lips tugged up in a smile. It was nearly time.
There was something about the night air whenever I was getting ready to fight. The way it seemed to come alive and send a prickle of exhilaration over your skin.
I strapped on my wrist bracers and shin guards.
This was what I was born to do. It was what I lived for. Well, what I used to live for, anyway. These days it seemed to barely register as a close second.
Rising to my feet, I headed toward the tunnel to await my match. I hovered at the entrance, shaking my arm muscles loose as I bounced on the balls of my feet. I was ready.
The harold's introduction broke the din of students’ murmurs in the arena.
"Prince Daneatous of Carpathia, Champion of Avonlee,” he announced.
I had given him clear instructions to add the second part.
I strode out of my tunnel and into the coliseum with the confidence and bravado expected of a skilled contender. Cheers rumbled around the massive amphitheater until I reached the center and waited.
The harold then announced my competitor. He was a Fae by the name of Tauze, from the Kingdom of Heinez. Another round of cheers rang out as his tall and lithe frame strutted out from his tunnel toward me.
I tilted my head as I gauged him. The subtle hints of his overconfidence made him easy to read. There were various mistakes that hinted to his weakness, like leaving his vulnerable areas unprotected. In fact, he was wearing almost no armor and was poorly protected for a physical fight. In other words, he was cocky and too reliant on his magic.
Good news for me. He was an easy target.
When he reached the center, we shook hands before the head judge sent us back to our respective sides.
The gong sounded, signaling the beginning of the match. Without hesitation we advanced toward one another.
Once he was within range, I shot a bit of magic at him, tripping him up as he crossed the arena. He flashed me a wry smile and caught himself mid-fall, keeping himself from face planting into the sand.
I shrugged and grinned back at him. I was just getting warmed up.
Tauze retaliated with a showy magic burst of his own. He'd made it all too obvious that it was coming, and I easily blocked it. I pulled my sword and spun it as I closed in. Cheers erupted from my Carpathian brethren.
Tauze chuckled. Apparently, he found swords laughable. I was about to prove him wrong.
I swung out with precision, careful not to touch the skin as my sword tore through the fabric of the Fae's shirt at the midsection, slicing the lower front half clear off below the navel.
It served as a warning. I was in control.
The crowd erupted in laughter, and I smugly grinned along with them.
His eyes flew to his newly cropped top, and his jaw tensed. The humor drained from his face and was quickly replaced by outrage.
While he was distracted, I shot a complex spell at his hands, rendering his magic weak. It wouldn't last forever, but long enough. He was now at my mercy.
He raised his hands, suddenly aware of the binding. His eyes darted to me in accusation. With a lopsided grin, I shrugged.
Sorry, Fae-boy. It’s not against the rules.
With a burst of energy, I rushed at him. As I swung my enchanted sword, he leaned back and I narrowly missed his chin.
Using the momentum of my swing to propel my body around, I delivered a roundhouse to his face. When my foot connected, the resounding crunch heralded his broken nose. Blood spattered onto me and at least one tooth shot off into the distance.
He flew back into the sand. I prepared myself for the officiants to call the match, but the Fae rose to his feet in a daze. Blood streamed from his nose as his hand reached up to his face. When he pulled it back from his nose, his eyes widened as he witnessed the scarlet color coating his fingertips.
The fool should have known better than to get up. I shook my head.
"Alright, you asked for it,” I mumbled under my breath.
I stalked toward him, ready to end the match. The hint of fear mixed with the ang
er in his eyes as I approached. He knew what was coming. I taunted him with punches, left then right, then left again. In a daze, he tried to hit me back and missed.
He tried to use his weakened magic to heal himself, but the effort was draining his strength.
As I reached to my waist, I twirled, swinging out my broadsword. Adrenaline surged through my veins as the blade landed against his ribs with a sickening snap. Had it not been enchanted for the match, the sword would have cut him through. Instead, he only staggered back, clutching his broken ribs and gasping for air. He sank to his knees, wheezing.
I stood over the groaning Fae as he gave the sign for submission.
I grinned, flashing my bright white teeth to the stands. Victorious, I raised my arm high in the air, my body covered in blood and sweat.
The crowd erupted into applause and cheering. All while tossing a barrage of favors down into the sand.
None of it mattered to me. I closed my eyes to find her scent in the arena. Exhilaration rushed through me when I opened them again. Already knowing exactly where she was, my chest heaved with the exertion of my breathing. My gaze bore into her, but she didn't look excited. Instead, another emotion consumed her beautiful hazel eyes.
Fear.
My heart sunk in my chest. I had intimidated the wrong Avoleean.
Cora
Well, that had been brutal. Apparently, Dane had something to prove, and by his absolute dominance over the less than three-minute match, I'd say he had made his point. I'm sure the Fae prince from Heinez was none too pleased with the state of his competitor.
I quickly glanced to my right. Amelia was silent, but I could tell what she was thinking by the way her hands trembled.
"Are you okay?" I asked discreetly, placing my hand over her wrist.
She looked down and her hands stopped trembling. Her eyes turned back up at me with a forced smile.
"Thank you, Cora, yes," she lied. Her reply was intended more for the eyes and ears of those around us than my own.
I jerked my head toward the exit, and she nodded. We weaved our way through the students and out of the coliseum toward the path to the towers.
I didn't dare to ask her questions out in the open of our trek, where curious ears might hear. We took the tunnels under the central octagon-shaped academy building to the Avoleean convocation room since they were the fastest and most direct path. When we hit the steps to our quarters without a word spoken between us, I was nervous that Amelia may be near a breakdown.
Once inside our room, Amelia paced, and I sank down onto the sofa.
"I have to talk to Adam," she finally managed in a barely discernible whisper, still avoiding my gaze. Her statement surprised me.
"Ugh, definitely not a good idea," I replied, wide-eyed.
"I need to see if he wishes to return to Avonlee." She finally took a moment to look at me. Now she was making sense. "It would definitely be safer for him there. Maybe he could return now, and then I could convince my father to let me return at the end of the term."
My heart sank, and I shook my head.
"Amelia," I said as I rose.
She was still pacing, mumbling with her hands clutching at her shoulders.
"Amelia." I stopped her by placing my hands on her biceps. She looked up at me with frantic eyes as I delivered the truth, "It's time to let him go."
Her face was wrought with pain, and her tears broke free. I pulled her into a hug, and for a moment, she hugged me back before pushing away again.
"I can't." Her chin trembled as the tears brimmed over from her eyes. "I can't be with someone like Dane. Because of him, I will never find another who will look at me like Adam does. I have to hold on to him."
And there it was. The truth. This was never about her love for Adam. It was about her freedom and her fear of losing it, once and for all.
"What are you going to do, huh? Order him to be with you?" I held up my hands on a shrug.
"But, I love Adam,” she said as she started pacing again.
"No. You don't." I swallowed back my next words, but then thought better of it. It was time for her to face the truth. "Like him, sure. But, let's be honest. You are in love with an idea. The idea of making that choice for yourself, Amelia."
She whirled around mid-pace, her mouth dropped open and then closed, but no sound came out, so I continued.
"This has to end."
She tossed her hands up in the air high above her head.
"So, what? I should just give up and marry a jerk that I can't even stand and live a lie?" she snapped at me.
"I'm not saying that. I'm saying that you should take some time for yourself." She went to interrupt, but I held my palm up, "Hear me out. Once some time has passed, and things cool down, then ask your father to start negotiations. One thing is for sure, though. You can't keep using Adam like a pawn in this game because there is no scenario where he comes out unscathed."
She slumped down onto the sofa with silent tears streaming down her face.
"And if you really care about him, you won't be okay with that," I finished, quieter now.
"I need some time alone," she squeaked out after a few moments. She was dismissing me.
"Amelia--" I began to protest, but she raised her hand to me this time and shook her head.
"I just need a little bit of time." She wouldn't look at me, but she seemed a bit more collected.
"Okay, I'll be down in the community room if you need me," I said quietly before turning toward the stairs.
I was heartbroken for her. I hated when we fought, especially over something like this, something neither of us could change. I was going to have to keep my eye on her in case she got the wild idea in her head to run off. I didn't really think she would go through with something like that, but everything was such a mess that I didn't know what to expect anymore.
When I reached the bottom of the steps, I crossed the second-floor community room to the sofa closest to the exit, and plopped down with a sigh. It was certainly going to be a long night.
Amelia
The cotton of my nightgown swept softly over my skin as I leaned over to put out the light. Shrouded in darkness, I set the stopper on the bedside table before rolling onto my back and pulling the covers up to my chest.
Visions of the fight kept flashing through my mind. The way Dane had not only dominated, but tormented that Fae. His message was clear, Adam would never stand a chance. Then there was the way his eyes had quickly found me amongst the fray of students. The way they had seemed to bore straight into me was disturbing. It was as if he had pinned me to my seat with just one look.
I had taken great care to blend in, only entering the stadium after the champions had descended to the lower levels for preparations. There was no way he could have come up and looked for me. Cora or I would have seen him.
I knew now that my actions had been no less dangerous as if I had been taunting a rabid dog restrained by only the thinnest of chains.
Adam would never be able to last a minute in a fight with Dane. The idea made me feel entirely hollow. I still had to talk to him. I still had to tell him I cared and how much he meant to me. Cora was right. I couldn't order him to be with me.
With tears threatening to overwhelm my resolve, I rubbed at my swollen red eyes and rolled over onto my side, facing Cora's bed. She hadn't returned after I dismissed her. She was giving me my space. My cousin had always been understanding like that. Even so, I couldn't count on her to help me arrange a meeting with Adam. She had made her position clear, and I was certain she'd suspect I'd try to run away with him.
She wasn't wrong. I had to admit that the thought had crossed my mind, but neither Adam nor I would last a week in the wilderness on our own. What once had seemed like a possibility between us now seemed like an insurmountable summit.
Pulling my blankets up to my chin, I let the tears fall.
There was an old adage, 'If you love someone, let them go,' and now I was going to have to figure
out if it was possible for me to do that for Adam, or if I even could.
DANE
I was wearing a path through the rug in our quarters. Ivan and Ellis were lounging on the sofas closest to the fireplace, regaling the guards who had been on tower watch of my conquest in the arena. Even their excitement couldn't relieve the feeling of dread bearing down on me.
I had only wanted to scare him. I certainly didn't want her to fear me. In my eagerness to impress Amelia, I had gone too far. Now she only saw me as a monster.
My thoughts flickered to the day I had kissed her in the Bastion hallway and the book she carried in her arms. It was a book about healing. My stomach did a backflip of regret as it dawned on me. Amelia was a healer. Of course she wouldn't enjoy watching someone's needless pain. How could I have been so stupid? I had let my foolish pride cloud my judgement and it made a mess of things.
The laughter of my comrades broke my train of thought for a moment. Ellis and Ivan were performing a reenactment of the fight. Ellis held his ribs and fell to his knees. I rubbed my temples in frustration.
As part of my damage control, I had gone to see the Fae in the infirmary to apologize for being needlessly rough with his challenger. Luckily, Tauze was already nearly healed, and the Bastion healers assured us he would have no lasting injuries or disfigurements.
Prince Fasian had been more understanding than expected. He seemed to think he held at least some of the blame by not sending a more advanced adversary to face me. He had also thought the message was meant for him and admitted that he had been running his mouth off about hand-to-hand combat being a waste of time.
Wrong.
I'd never heard of his pander, but I went along with it anyway. It could have gone a lot worse.
