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“Then I challenge you, Naaro. I want to fight you for your throne, your pride, and your command of Orestes,” Ava thrust out her chin and stared daggers at him. She had spent her entire life fighting, and she had never lost. But this was an entirely different fight to anything she had been involved with before.
Naaro twisted his head to the man standing beside him and then allowed it to bow. “I understand that you are frustrated, but you cannot simply come into my home and challenge me. It is not as simple as that.”
“Then let’s make it simple. Does this not give me the right to test my strength against you?” Ava asked, opening her palm and allowing Gargann’s tooth to fall to the floor before her. Naaro and the other man leaned forward, peering at the ground.
“She earned this?” Naaro asked, looking towards Mika.
“She did,” Mika replied begrudgingly, turning his head away.
Naaro turned to the man beside him. “What do you think Divad?”
“I think if she wants to challenge you then you should let her. Some people need to be taught a lesson the hard way,” he said.
“This is madness! It’s only going to end one way. She’s just a girl,” the younger woman said.
“I am a Lioness and I will face any lion you put in front of me. I am the slayer of Gargann, this great beast that brings such fear to you. I will kill anything you put in front of me, but right now I want you Naaro. I will soak your throne in blood and then take it for my own, and then we shall see how much time is needed to make decisions,” she pointed towards him and her words dripped with venom. She then turned from their audience and strode towards the entrance, heading straight towards me.
“Come on Lanas, we have a fight to prepare for.”
I followed her along the corridor, scurrying behind her as I twisted my head back to the throne room where the other lions remained. I thought Mika at least might have chased after us, but he didn’t. We were left alone. We ended up in a chamber with a bed and some rudimentary furniture. There was a desk upon which food had been placed, as well as drinks. I still marveled at the fact that they had so much in abundance here. I wandered over to it.
“Look at it… it’s just in every room, waiting to be eaten as though there’s no worry of it running out at all,” I gasped.
Ava was pacing behind me. I could feel the weight of her steps thudding against the ground. “Because they don’t know what it’s like to struggle. They have no idea what it’s like to spend every day looking out at a world that wants you dead, feeling the harsh sun upon your skin. It watches us, waiting for us to die. They’re spoiled here,” she spat.
I lowered myself onto a chair, easing the pain away from my aching muscles. “What happened in there? I’m sorry that I could not keep up.”
“What happened? I’ll tell you what happened. I thought they were going to treat me with respect. I thought they were going to be proud of me for finding my way back here all by myself, and I thought they would be excited to learn of another pride, especially one they could help. But instead, they look suspicious and worried. I told them of our pride’s name and they sent someone to check their records and do you know what they found?”
“What?” I asked, the word forming a lump in my throat.
Ava stopped pacing at this point. She stood there with her hands on her hips and her gaze lifted to the roof. She shook her head and ran her lip under her teeth, sighing. “Apparently our pride wasn’t made up of explorers or warriors. They were criminals, sent away to face trials in a new world, with the aim of giving them a place where they could thrive away from the people they had hurt. The hope was that the struggle of building a new colony would teach them humility and teamwork, and they were glad that the pride had survived for this long. But of course, us being descended from criminals means that we do not automatically qualify for their help. They need to discuss it and talk about and think about and do all these things that don’t actually help us because why on earth would they want to help their own kind? They exiled us a long time ago, and now they need to figure out if they can dare let us back.”
“But that’s… that’s not fair.”
“No, it’s not. I tried to argue our case, but they weren’t having it. They asked me to be patient and I asked them if they could be patient if their pride was stuck on an unforgiving world. It’s not as though we’re the ones who committed crimes, and who are the lions of Orestes to decide who lives and who dies anyway? No, it wasn’t good enough and I wasn’t going to stand there and be disrespected like this. I am going to lead my pride to salvation, and if it isn’t here then it’s elsewhere, but before I leave, I’m going to teach them a lesson.” She snarled as she said this, her eyes burning with rage. I became afraid for her.
She moved to the window and looked out at the stars. The moon was a crescent, and its gentle silver light fell upon the wide, lush world, sprinkling upon every part of it. It was a good world, a fine world, and there was plenty of it to provide ample space for us to live. But if the lions of Orestes did not want us here then they would surely make that wish known, and would likely force us to leave.
I pushed myself up and moved to join her at the window. I did not want to enrage her further, but I was the only one of the pride she had to listen to, and I felt obliged to try and offer some reason.
“Lioness, are you sure challenging him to a duel is wise? You know nothing of him. You have not had a chance to scout him. What if… what if this is where you meet your end? The pride will be lost without you.” I wanted to add that I would be lost without her as well, literally and figuratively, but I assumed she knew that.
“Do you lack faith in me?” she hissed.
“Of course not!” I stammered, bowing my head out of respect to her. I feared I had overstepped my mark and that she would now seek to punish me. Instead, however, she smirked and placed a hand on my chest, patting me gently.
“I’m sorry Lanas. It’s just that these people have enraged me so much and I am not sure how to handle it fully. I know you are concerned, and yes, perhaps challenging their leader is not the most sensible move, but I have never made any decision based on how much sense it makes. I live by my heart, and my heart tells me that I need to challenge them to show them that I am serious. I will not stand by and suffer this disrespect. I shall not wait for them to tell me if my pride is worthy of being saved, just as I would never have allowed them to be condemned in the first place. The only language we lions truly understand is combat, and I will say all I need to say in the arena with him.”
“And if he kills you?” I asked, shuddering at the prospect because I couldn’t bear the thought of living in a world without her.
She left her hand upon my shoulder and her tone grew quiet. I had been chosen as her mate, although she had had other ideas of where our paths were going to lead. But now we shared an intimate moment. I could feel the sweetness of her breath drifting towards me, and the gentle heat of her body was a welcome salve for the anguish I felt. I wanted to be close to her and let her know how much she was adored and appreciated.
“If he kills me then you will be the only one left to fight for the pride Lanas. If I die it will be after I have given him the toughest fight of his life, and I will have given him something to think about. It will be down to you to convince them that the rest of our pride is worthy of saving.”
“But I’m not sure how,” I said.
She moved closer towards me and placed her hand upon my cheek. She spoke softly, as a whisper. “I have faith that you will find a way. Think of how many men I have been presented with, but only you have been trusted with the truth. Only you had the capability to pull away my bracelet and free me. You will be able to do more as well, Lanas.”
