CHAPTER 106: A TRAINING
The rays of sunlight streamed through the windows. It casted long shadows across the wooden floor of the training hall. Sweat ran down my face from my forehead despite the cool morning air. My muscles twitched contracting as each swing of the wooden practice sword.
Kieran ever agile and sweating as well circled me. He had become more determined in taking me on this practice than I who first talked about it. Since the ceremony, our training sessions had become a daily ritual and the unspoken tension between us had become too hard to ignore. Today, it felt sharper and much heavier.This is from NôvelDrama.Org.
“Again,” Kieran barked. He easily deflected the swipe of my sword. His eyes was usually filled with playful arrogance that held a serious glint sent a wave of emotion. And it wasn’t just any emotion. I was anxious.
I gritted my teeth and forced myself back into a defensive stance. The weight of the wooden sword weighed on my hand. Every muscle fiber in me screamed to retreat. I just wanted to go back to my bed and continue my morning nap. But whenever I tried to call it all off, maybe from having an aching arm from swinging too much or a painful back from having to do the tumbles. The memory of the attacks will resurface, and the fear that lurked just beneath the surface would poke me and I would be in the training room again. I didn’t know for how long I would keep it up but I had to.
As I pounced forward making an attempt at an offensive strike, Kieran effortlessly came on me, the wooden sword fell to the floor with a dull thud.
“Tired?” he asked moving towards me. His closeness made my breath to stop. I could smell the earthy aura of him, a scent that had become strangely comforting in the past few weeks.
“No, I’m just… getting used to it,” I mumbled, avoiding his gaze as I bent down to retrieve the sword.
“There’s nothing ‘just” about it,” Kieran said, his voice hit sharp. He reached out to me and his hand brushed against mine as he took the sword from me. Just then, I felt it again, like a spark of current that shot through me, making me yank my hand away.
“Look, Clara,” he began, his voice was softer now. “This is important. You’re the Queen now. You need to be able to defend yourself. I was really glad when you suggested this.”
“I know it is important. Just never done this before.”
“We can take a break if you want.”
“No, I want to win this war.”
“This isn’t just about war, Clara. There are threats, dangers that lurk in the shadows. You need to be prepared for anything. That’s just what it is about. Let’s not push it.”
He was right, of course.
“Alright,” I agreed forcing myself to meet his gaze. “Let’s try again.”
Kieran nodded as a faint smile came on his lips. We spent the next hour locked in the training hall. He pushed me, testing my limits, his every movement was unique. It was hard to win him. The more I fought, the more focused I became. It was like the world around us faded away until it was just me, him, and the wooden sword.
As the training session drew to an end, I stood panting, my arms ached so bad that I felt it might pull out. Despite the pain, I was satisfied. I may not have been a warrior, but I was learning. I was getting stronger. I could feel it.
Kieran stood across from me. I watched as his chest heaved. He locked is gaze with mine and I looked away sharply
For a moment we said nothing to each other it was more of an intense feeling.
“You’re improving,” he finally said, his voice was rough maybe from being exhausted. I smiled. His words somehow sent a warmth to my chest, a feeling I couldn’t quite explain. Was it pride? Or something else entirely?
I cleared my throat, forcing myself to look away. “Thanks,” I mumbled. And then it a went quiet again. It was thick with unspoken emotions. At that point I wish I could read minds. I wanted to know what he really felt. What he thought of me. It felt important that I know because there was something building up in me.
“Let’s… clean up,” Kieran said finally, breaking the silence. I nodded and followed him out of the training hall.
We got back to his chambers feeling all hot and sweaty.
“Do you want to go in first?” He asked.
“Where?”
“The bathroom. I mean we are both very sticky.”
“No, you can go in first,” I said.
“Why?”
“It’s your chambers Kieran. I was thinking, maybe I should go back to mine.”
“Why?”
“I can’t keep inconveniencing you especially at times like this.”
“You are my mate. What do you think the people will think if they find out that you’ve moved out of my room during our honeymoon? It would only confirm their suspicion. ”
I exhaled, “but I can’t keep doing this. To us, we are just room mates.”
“Well, that’s not how the people see it. And until the duration of the honeymoon is over. We act as mates, please. Come on you should be happy that we are doing this.”
“It’s okay I understand,” I said.
“Now, you go in first. And there is no argument there.”
After the cold shower, I retired to bed while Kieran went to his study.
The rhythmic click of his quill against paper filled the otherwise quiet study. I walked out of bed after giving up on having any sleep. I sat curled up in an armchair by the window. But before I settled in completely, I took up a book and placed it on my lap. Opening each pages, its ancient words blurred before my tired eyes.
Weeks had passed since the accident and the mating ceremony. And our days had fallen into a routine tiresome training sessions in the mornings, followed by some tedious queen duties in the afternoons. Evenings were mostly spent in silence in our shared chamber. It was supposed to be a merry honeymoon but I was forced to sit with the lie that bounded us.
I let out a sigh and it echoed in the room. Glancing up, I saw Kieran shift in his chair, his eyes met mine before going back to the document before him. He glanced through the paged with core concentration as strand of his hair fell across his forehead.
Suddenly, the urge to reach out, to brush that stray strand away, surprised me. I quickly ignored the urge and forced my gaze back to the book. This growing fondness for Kieran, this undeniable attraction, was a dangerous path I didn’t want to tread on not after what had happened.
“Having trouble understanding that?” Kieran’s voice rumbled breaking the silence. His tone held a hint of amusement.
I scoffed and looked at him again.
“No more trouble than you seem to be having with whatever you’re working on,” I retorted, my voice was sharper than what I had intended.
Kieran raised an eyebrow.
“Touche,” he said.
We settled back into the silence, the only sound was from the rhythmic scratching of his quill and the rustle of turning pages. But the silence felt different now like it was charged with something.