ALLEGIANCE OF THE INFIDEL

INFILTRATED MY HEART

Astrid stood stagnantly and drew a heavy breath. The battleground stood still and everyone gaped at the girl disguised as the warrior. The minister looked at Astrid with utter disappointment and pushed her towards Lord JulianusCaelestius...

The quietude was replaced by the whispers

and murmurs of the spectators. Lord Julianus leaned forward with a semblance of frank disgust. He, therefore, cleared his throat and declared, "Since when warfare and battle became the concern of a woman?"

Astrid glared at him in disbelief and appealed for justice, yet the aloof man didn't yield. Moreover, he mocked the naive young woman and provoked her further. He asserted that Astrid shall be granted to battle if she would agree to discontinue the art of warfare if she lost. Then, the man chuckled and said, "That might be the case if you'd manage to dodge the shackles of death".

The crowd amused itself on the accord of the insult that was bestowed upon the girl. Then, the laughter faded gradually with an abrupt interference. The anonymous voice held contempt and exclaimed, "It is still arduous for us to believe that a mere woman holding a sword could be threatening to men".

Astrid averted her gaze towards the source. Delilah stood at her place and began to move towards the battleground at a fast pace. Then, she approached Astrid and bowed in front of the lords and ladies of the court.

Then, she asserted, "If you are bestowing upon her the free will to battle, then it would be inappropriate to deny me of my right. While she wishes to fight a man, I just wish to fight her. If she is able to secure victory in the battle, then let her fight the brute. In your stead my lord, let me bear the burden to humble her".

Then, she averted her gaze towards Astrid and inquired, "What are your views on the subject, My Lady?"

Astrid bowed in front of Lord Julianus and then asked for his approval. LordJulianus gave them the consent and both of them began to wear their armours and headgears.

Astrid's eyes held nothing but contempt for the woman.

They both took their positions and waited for the horn to blow. WhileAstrid had a sword for the battle, Delilah chose to fight with spears.

Though Astrid had sweat beads formed over her forehead, Deliah held a calm demeanour.

Meanwhile one of the men from the peasantry class exclaimed to another, "Imagine if they were to rip off their clothes while battling each other. Wouldn't that be a delight? I would love to see some cleavage".

The other man nodded, and then fixed his gaze upon the match.

Then, the horn blew and Delilah began to swirl her spikes and move towards Astrid, then she tried to pierce her vital organs but Astrid kept dodging successfully.

Delilah's movements were swift, but that didn't abate Astrid's gallantry. While Astrid was engaged in defending herself, Delilah kicked her upon her stomach.

It was an afflictive kick. It left a lasting pain and wretched her guts. She spat blood and then began to move towards Delilah who had a sneer upon her face. Thereafter, Delilah kept harming her and managed to land several bruises upon her.

While bleeding heavily, Astrid panted and kept fighting. Delilah seemed pleased as she always passionately waited for the advent of that very moment. The moment in which she would squash her pride like a bug.

The battle was eventually getting graver. While Astrid had bloody bruises and a battered face, Delilah had scrapes upon her body that weren't that severe. Lady Messalina couldn't even bother to hide her gleaning smile, she just hoped that Astrid died in the battle. Lord Julianus was astounded to observe the movements of both the women. It was a rare sight as women were not trained in the military and warfare in their kingdom.

While she fought, Astrid realized that Delilah had been trained already, and when she asserted that she needed to learn Swordsmanship, it was a feign act for garnering her trust and observing her movement. Since the day of her birth, she had seen nothing but people betraying each other in the name of power, wealth and glory. But that wasn't apparent in Delilah's case, she just wanted to crush her. So, Astrid firmed her resolve and began battling with all she had.

She began dodging all of Delilah's attacks and a considerable change took over her. The power of the nymph that was subdued by her very own mother, seemed to have begun working in her favour. She dodges the fierce attack that Delilah made towards her heart and ended up kicking her so hard that she lost all her balance and landed on the ground. Then, Astrid began to attack her heinously. She managed to land bruises upon her and she bled heavily.

Astrid was about to make her final blow but was halted by the pleading face of Delilah.

Then, Delilah mocked her by asserting that she was a "nincompoop", and landed a piercing blow on her left arm.

Astrid groaned in pain and then gaped at the cunning deceiver with rage. Her eyes held nothing but detest.

She tied a cloth upon her wound and began attacking Delilah. Delilah found it hard to keep up with the swift movements of Astrid.

Then, Astrid managed to land a hard blow on Delilah, and Delilah ended up having her left hand severed. She fell on the floor with blood oozing out the wound. She gaped at Astrid with pleading eyes, but there was nothing that could have been done then. She groaned in pain and then whimpered before passing out.

Astrid was chosen to be the winner for the day, and the battle with the brute was shifted to another day due to her injuries. The crowd, especially women cheered for their brave princess, but Astrid’s eyes brimmed with tears. She detested the glory that was endowed upon her by butchering another. While she wept, Lady Messalina cursed her own fate.

Sirius gaped at the persisting glory of her half-sister and clenched his jaw. It was discernible that the woman's excellence overshadowed his own. He feared that she might end up inheriting the throne.

Thereafter, Astrid was taken into the chamber of medical assistance. There, she received proper treatment and calmative anaesthesia. She drifted off to sleep and then was moved to her own room. The nightmares of Delilah's cruel death kept her awake for most of the time. She kept staring at the ceiling, and the tears just couldn't stop.

After her mother's death, this was the first time she missed her more than ever. She wished that she would be serene if she were to catch even a glimpse of her mother.

Then, the absence of any sound but her cries was broken by a blatant laugh. She removed her gaze from the ceiling and eyed the source of the laughter.

"Who are you? This is infiltration! Go away!" exclaimed Astrid in an agonizing voice.

The man approached her in stern steps. He was wearing all black and had his face covered with a black cloth. She noticed his azure eyes and remembered that he was the guy who attacked Prince Andre of Preonamond kingdom on the night of the gala.

He approached her and then lowered himself and placed his fingers upon her cheek. Then, he gently caressed her cheeks and wiped her tears. She pushed him away, and then he fell to the floor. It was obvious that his back was hurt. He approached Astrid again in swift steps and asserted, "It hurts, moron!".

Astrid began to simper like a child. Even she didn't know how long it had been since she smiled. She felt relief and comfort in the company of the anonymous man.

The man placed a chair near the bed and sat upon it. Thereupon, he began to ask her what she had been agonizing for.

Astrid had a hurtful smile on her face and struggled to put her words together.

Then, after drawing a heavy breath, she told him about everything. She didn't know if it was the right thing to trust him, but she just couldn't handle everything on her own. She needed a 'friend'.

Her broken smile and melancholic eyes made the man's heart wrench in pain. He patted her head and tried to comfort her by telling her about the happenings of the outer world. She was clueless about it as she had been reclining and napping in order to revive her health.

She got to know that Delilah wasn't dead. Though she lost her left arm, she is still alive.

But that didn't necessarily comfort her, she realized that Delilah would persist like a cripple from now onwards. She held herself responsible for Delilah's predicament and tears began to well up in her eyes.

The man tried to console her, but her grievance was grave. She couldn't stop herself from crying and then she said, "It is never the same after hurting a person. I will never experience any happiness as I hurt someone else".

The man pinched her cheeks and asserted, "if you hadn't attacked, she would've killed you".

She rubbed her cheek and gave him a jovial smile. The man removed his headscarf and Astrid's tender heart began beating hastily. His azure eyes, soft curls and a beautiful smile compiled with the face that glistened with sweat charmed her.

The man gradually decreased the distance between them, cupped her face and kissed her passionately.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

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