“Moveout of the way, soldier.Move!Whatare you assholes doing?”Avlynshoved our way through the crowd.Icould tell by the sounds of clashing swords that some of them must have been dueling in the center.Notso uncommon whenAvlynwasn’t around to wrangle them, but normally they didn’t get this worked up about it.Theidea of getting a good fight in sent my stomach churning.
Iinserted myself betweenNokiandRaulato get a better look.Isaw two fae soldiers rush at a third, but he parried them both off easily.Asthe two attackers side-stepped to try a new maneuver, my heart stopped.
Thedefending fae wasAbraxashimself, and it was almost comical how fucking stunning he looked.Almost.
Hewore traditional black training leathers that clung to his strong legs and had forgone a shirt, like many of the soldiers did.Instead, he wore a black leather pauldron on the shoulder of his guard arm, a single strap of leather bound it to him by wrapping it under his chest.Hewasn’t as ridiculously defined as some of the other young soldiers, but there was no doubt that he was nothing but solid muscles, the veins in his arms standing out from the effort of the swordplay.Alarge scar cut around his ribs, andIcould hardly imagine what kind of injury it would have taken to leave a scar like that.Hehad that mesmerizingVof definition that led me exactly to whereIneeded to avoid.
Hehad tied his hair half back, out of his face, platinum locks still trailing him as he easily dodged another attack from his opponents.Butit was his face that stunned me most, a hungry and youthful expression, oneIhad seen so often on the other soldiers when they riled each other up.Puremale bliss.Itcurled heat deep in my stomach andIdid my best to swat it away.
Hemoved to the offensive now, but his attackers didn’t know it yet.Theyflew at him again, but this time as he parried, he sent one of the other soldiers flying into the other.Theystumbled over each other, andAbraxasused the opportunity to engage one of the soldier's swords, twirling his blade and disarming him.Hetripped trying to reclaim his sword, andAbraxasslapped the training sword over his back, a clear defeat.
Thesecond soldier corrected, however, and reengaged.Sparksflew as their swords met, drawing jeers from the crowd.
Asthe clash of steel echoed through the training ground,Icouldn't tear my gaze away from the captivating display of skill and power unfolding before me.Abraxasmoved with grace and precision, each strike executed with calculated finesse.Theintensity in his eyes was undeniable, a hunger for victory burning within him.
Thesecond soldier fought with renewed determination, refusing to yield to his king.Theirswords met in a symphony of metal, sparks dancing in the air, eliciting cheers and applause from the enthralled crowd as they were swept up in the exhilarating dance of the blades.
Abraxas, undeterred by his opponent's resilience, countered every attack with fluidity and expertise.Witheach swift maneuver, he inched closer to gaining the upper hand.
Ina calculated moment,Abraxasseized an opportunity.Asthe second soldier lunged forward, he expertly sidestepped, causing his opponent to overextend.Withlightning-fast reflexes,Abraxasexecuted flawlessly, slamming his elbow into the soldier’s nose, and sending his weapon clattering to the ground.
Hehadn’t even broken a sweat.Afew of the soldiers from the crowd tried to help the loser with his broken nose, but he was obviously more embarrassed than anything else.Someof the others clappedAbraxason the back and jested with him.
“Nottoo bad for an old man who sits on a throne all day?”Hechuckled, and the other soldiers bantered around him.
“Nottoo bad?!Iftwo fae soldiers can’t stop you, then my half-fae ass surely won’t try,” one of them said.
“Hemay be on the throne all day, but all night is a different story,” quipped another.
“Hell,Ifuck all the time andIdon’t fight like that.”
“That’scause you’re a fuckin’ liar.”
Apart of me wanted to melt away, to vanish from the crowd before he saw me.Seeinghim joke and boast like this was a sideIhadn’t seen much of, and it felt like early mist that would soon be burned away by the morning sun.Butanother, bigger part of me wanted to stay— craved to stay.
Thecrowd started to disperse,Avlyndoing their best to get the morning formations started, and slowly everyone started falling in.Aspeople moved away,Abraxas’ eyes locked on me.
“Ah,Princess,Iwas just getting warmed up for you.”Hecrossed the sand to me in three strides. “Areyou ready for our match?”
Myhead whipped toAvlyn, who gave me a wink that made me want to punch them right across their smug face.Wasthis what they thought would prepare me forHadeon’sarrival?Theywere in for it later.
“Idon’t think it will be much of a match,YourHighness.”Itwasn’t a lie, not really.Ihad seen him fight just now, and he hadn’t even been trying.Besides, it would be dangerous to show him how wellIcould fight in an even match.Thatwas my card to hold.
“Neverseen you this modest,Princess.Ihave always admired a woman who knows how to handle a blade.”Hetossed a long sword at me.Icould practically feel the necks of the soldiers snapping as they looked back at us, butAvlynshouted louder, getting them back in line.
Itook my position across from him and dug my toes into the sand.Iraised my sword up to my first stance lazily, and he batted the tip with his own sword, sending me off balance.
“Ido hope you are taking this seriously,Princess, becauseIcertainly am.”Withthat unnatural speed he came at me, and without even engaging our swords, he swept my legs out from under me, andIlanded flat on my back with a thud.
“Again.”Iparried his first strike, but again he quickly got inside my guard, knocking me down again.Werepeated this several more times, each time with him quickly disarming me, and on the last pass, he managed to graze my arm.Thesword wasn’t sharp enough to cut, but it stung.
“Youaren’t even trying.”Ishrugged my shoulders.Icould see the anger rising in him, but then a shadow passed over his face. “Well,IguessIshouldn’t be surprised at your training, considering who taught you.NowonderNiatafell so quickly.”Iswung my sword overhead uncontrolled, and he parried, but not beforeIshifted my body inside his guard and struck him with the pommel of my sword.Iwas very satisfied with the grunt he emitted, as he stepped back.Hehad that stupid grin on his face, “Better.”
Hecame at me again, but this timeIengaged.ButIcouldn’t get inside his guard again, he’d already anticipated me and adjusted his technique.Itried to outpace him, as was often my strength, but he was too fast for that.Itried a series of fast strikes to throw him off, but he parried me easily, and my speed overran my footwork, andIstumbled.Heused the opening to his advantage, striking my thigh with his sword.
“Notbad technique, but you aren’t able to execute well enough.Maybeif you had more control…”Heswung again, forcing me to take a step back, and he managed to land another blow across my ribs this time.Nowhe was really pissing me off.Iknew what he was trying to do, and it was fucking working.
Almostall the soldiers were completely ignoringAvlynnow, fully focused on us.Ipaced around him, trying to find an opening.Butit was useless, he had speed he shouldn’t have had for his size, and his reach was longer than mine.Iwould have to use close quarter fighting to win, butIcouldn’t do that with the long sword.
