The King And His Goddess Of War

Chapter 3: Play Fight

I walked down the breakfast quickly, nearly feeling somewhat comfortable in the clothes I was wearing and my surroundings until I was pressed against the wall, my hands pinned at my sides and some of my hair falling in front of my face.

"Well, hello," I grunt, cursing under my breath as I tried to move my arms to move the hair out of my face. The person in front of me chuckled, a deep and raspy sound that made my spine tingle. "Isn't this a great surprise," I muttered sarcastically.

"Good morning, Arianna." A sweet whisper by my ear. A hand brushed my hair out of my face and behind my ear, softly brushing my skin in the process. Prince Zuka's face was the first thing I saw. "I thought you would have been breathless like the rest.”

"The rest?" I say, raising a brow. "You mean those brainless women who are definitely not the daughters of Hecette because they are completely stupid for falling blindly for a prince who seems to attack women in their few waking moments."

"Hecette grants intelligence?" he chuckled, moving his hands so they were on the wall beside my shoulders. 

"Nope," I say, popping the 'p'. "She grants common sense."

"Ouch," he says, faking pain and clutching his heart. "I know pain is your specialty, but I thought we were past that."

"Nah, I love the language I speak and would rather not give it up even for royalty."

"Well, unfortunately, I could get you fired." I tensed up as he chuckled once again. "Not really. The advisors wouldn't be happy with me if I did. Plus, I rather enjoy your company already."

"Threatening my job isn't funny," I say, crossing my arms across my chest. Then my hair fell on my face again. He brushed it away once more and gave me a small smile. 

"It's not funny for you- just me," he replied simply, inching closer to my face. Now my eyes were locked on his, my breath catching at how close he was. I couldn't move anywhere. He had put me against a wall and his arms blocked me from going anywhere. His eyes flashed down to my lips and then back up my eyes once before he scolded himself and left, quickly going down the opposite direction we were going for breakfast.

I lifted myself off of the wall and continued down to breakfast, listening to the soft patter of my combat boots against the tile. 

What was Prince Zuka playing at? He was starting to make me nervous- the kind that sent butterflies to form in my stomach.

I went into the soldier's quarters where the breakfast was laid out in the counters of the small kitchen we had for ourselves. A couch was positioned in front of the TV with a coffee table between them, a large dining table beside all that for dinners. Some video game consoles rested on top of an entertainment center where another TV rested on top with video games below. Bean bags were thrown around that area that seemed super cozy.

Even at this time of day, the soldiers were bustling along and hurrying to get finished eating to get to the first day of their jobs. I had nothing to do today unless something came up and if someone were to contact me, so I naturally took my time getting my coffee and my muffin, sitting in one of the beanbag chairs and watching the TV. The men sitting at the couch were watching a crime show, so I just watched along. 

"The headmaster of the mansion wouldn't approve of you having a knife for defense underneath your pillow, Billy!"

"Well, he wouldn't like people going around at night with mysterious clocks on to stalk the kids!" 

It was getting heated with drama and I was into it until Tyson dropped in the beanbag next to me. He burped loudly and the surrounding men nodded approvingly. "So, Ari, how are you this morning?"

I thought about my interaction with the Prince this morning and I nearly got lost in thought. "I’m fine, I guess. I don't have anything to do so far."

"I am just stationed outside in the gardens and on the lookout for any danger. Best part- if there is, I am the one to alert the Guardian!" he says, excited.

"Do you use your power for your job?" 

"All around the gigantic garden," he replied, stuffing a muffin in his mouth. It took me a minute to realize that he stuffed my muffin in his face. I hit him at the back of his head disapprovingly. "Aww c'mon! Sharing is caring!"

"But I don't care if you're too lazy to get your own muffin, so I don't share!" I retort, glaring playfully at him. 

"Is Arianna being trouble already?" Colby stepped into the soldier's quarters and sat in the beanbag in front of us, a smile across his face. "I guess my brother was right all along."

"But you said trouble was always bad," I shrug. "But it's not me this time, Colby! It's Tyson!" I glare at Tyson again before continuing, making him laugh. "He stole my muffin!"

At that, Colby picked up my coffee that I had just put a whole lot of sugar and creamer in to make it actually taste good, and chugged it, smirking when he finished and placed the empty mug at my feet. "You bastards." I muttered, leaning further into the beanbag.

"That's what my mom calls me," Tyson grinned, putting his hands behind his head in a relaxed position. 

I was out of there after an hour or so from talking to Colby and Tyson. Since I had nothing to do, I went outside. I might as well explore the garden and the castle while I have a free day. Who knows what'll happen? Maybe tomorrow I'll be gone for another week, protecting the innocent and fighting off African forces.

I walk out, fidgeting with the hem of my shirt. I went down the stairs to the first floor, the garden flooded with beautiful tapestries, flowerbeds, and large trees that looked overhead, flowers budding from their stems. Flower petals fell everywhere around me, Summer growing nearer and nearer. Maybe these flowers will bud one more time before Fall, but I wasn't going to count on it. 

I walked forward towards the hedge maze of plants, admiring the beautiful flowers and vegetation. I was rather intrigued by a pond that I stumbled upon inside the hedge maze. From what I knew from looking overhead when I walked down the stairs, it was the center of the entire garden. It bustled with life. A tree was on an island in the center, the roots spreading to the floor of the pond. Wild grasses grew freely as well as wild flowers, giving the whole place a nice aroma. Animals scurried across the clearing, gathering nuts that fell from the tree or trying to catch some goldfish that lived in the pond. 

It looks like they built the garden around this place, adding onto the beauty instead of destroying it. 

I left once I had enough and continued forward, the sound of swords clashing gaining my attention. Behind a few more hedges, soldiers were practicing, two sword fighting on a training platform and others placing their bets on who would win. 

Swordplay was my specialty, but I left my own obsidian sword back in my room. Well, it looked like I would need to use a regular sword anyway. People who had special swords made just for them were placed elsewhere in the training area to make it fair. I stood beside some of the soldiers, recognizing some from the Academy and remembering some new faces.

The two men on the platform tossed each other around, one backing down and the other attacking, then the opposite. It seemed to be a fair and very boring game. Men stopped cheering after a while, boredom overcoming them. They eventually called it a draw. 

Another man stepped up onto the training platform and the look on his face made my blood run cold. It was the boy I got in my first fight with. I never really got his name since we were rarely in the same classes after that incident, but I never forgot a face. His eyes scanned over the crowd for a challenger, but seemed unsatisfied with any of the opponents here.

Then his eyes found me.

"Arianna Heather, I challenge you to swordplay," he said, his blue eyes covered with ice. His intentions were not to practice. "Let's see who's better now that I've grown. I know the General is afraid of you because of your abilities and your skill with weaponry. But I say that's a bunch of bullshit. I mean, why does Serria not choose more children?"

I narrow my eyes at him and he smirks. Not a playful smirk like Tyson or Prince Zuka, but a hellish smirk. One that craved the blood of his enemies. "I accept your challenge, but don't be running to your mommy when I kick your arse."

"Oh, I could say the same for you," he grinned. I stepped up onto the platform, men already placing bets for my opponent. "Besides, why did they make you Guardian? A weak woman that barely made it into the Academy in the first place!"

I strike first, my sword ripping the fabric that rested against his ribs. A small nick on his skin revealed that I was not here to tease anyone else. I just wanted to win this challenge. He struck back, trying to swing at my knees. I jumped above his blade and gave another strike, ripping the cloth on his shoulder. He tried to hit me with the butt of his sword on the top of my head, which would have left a nasty headache and bruise for later, but I ducked and kicked his feet out from underneath him with my leg, making him fall to the ground. I stood above him until I saw the beads of sweat fall from his forehead. 

I then stepped away from him, declaring the battle a victory for me. Men murmured curses among themselves and gave each other money for losing bets. I heard a footstep behind me and I sliced backwards, blocking an illegal strike from hitting my face. The man who I fought let out a growling sound and tried to strike again. The blow would have chopped off my entire hand if I wasn't yanked to the side.

My titanium crest on my shoulder pulled me aside harshly, making me slide away from my opponent and fall onto my side. The man glared at me, his eyes showing confusion as to why I was pulled aside. No one manually did it, so what happened?

"That will be all for this challenge, Alex," a voice demanded, footsteps sounding from behind me. "You had the intention to kill Arianna and I cannot allow that. I will notify the General of this and make sure he gives you a proper punishment for what you tried to do. No more challenges for you."

Prince Zuka. Hearty arms lifted me upwards to my feet and a hand grasped my wrist and drew me away from the soldiers. Zuka pulled me behind a hedge a little bit away. We were fairly close to the pond and I felt calmer when I was closer to it. 

He backed me against the hedge, his arms pinning me back again, just like this morning. "There is no need for that," I muttered, dying to move his arms. He didn't budge. "And I had that challenge under control, Prince Zuka."

"You did up until you almost had your hand sliced off," he grumbled. His eyes flashed with curiosity and playfulness despite the tone he used. "Besides, I couldn't let my favorite company in the castle be put in the infirmary and not be the Guardian my family wanted you to be."

"How nice," I said sarcastically. He chuckled lightly. "Why were you watching the challenges anyway? Don't you have Prince duties or something? Or maybe you have to prepare to be King?"

"I won't be King until my father hands it over or he dies, and I know that won't be for a long time," he explained. "I just love watching the soldiers play fight. It makes me remember my days when I was fourteen. Thankfully, I finally found someone of my swordplay skill level."

"No more fourteen year olds?" I ask, smirking slightly like he always did.

His lips turned up into a small grin at my imitation of him. "No, now I can fight someone like any other war without having me cut off someone's arm or having to hold back my power. Besides, who else has a titanium crest? Only Serria."

"So the rumors are true," I whisper. "You can control all metals."

"All true," he sighs. He leans forward and glances down at my lips one last time before placing his mouth beside my ear. 

"You are finally tamed, Arianna."