Chapter 5

• “Are you sure you’re okay? Do I need to call a doctor or something?” He continues to ask her over and over again and the Queen kept resisting treatment,
• “I’m fine Xerxes, you know how she can be at times, make sure you don’t spare her during her session, she needs the workout.” She laughs out loud, “I can handle myself.”
• “You still haven’t told me about the dream you had, have you found out what it means yet?” His brows crease for a moment before relaxing again.
• “I’m working something out and to be honest it’s not a laughing matter. Please, train my daughter’s she needs to be able to fight, things aren’t going to be easy anymore, especially for her.” She takes his hands into hers and begs him with big eyes.
• He bends to give her a quick kiss,
• “She’s my daughter too, I would make sure she’s the best warrior in the kingdom. Whether she likes it or not.” He slowly let’s go off her, “rest well Octavia.” He leaves her through the door.
• Arcadia is swinging her bladed fan in the air as she bends to rhythms, perfecting the stances her Master taught her, she was breathing gently as she was just warming up,
• “I wander what type of punishment I’ll get this time around, mother is always getting me into trouble with master Xerxes.” She murmurs to herself before blocking a blade that aimed for her head. It was a standstill and she was glaring at blue orbs before she pushed the attacker back, “is this my punishment?” Her expression is bored as she stared at him.
• His deep chuckle rings in her ears, “think of it as a challenge and not a punishment.” He readies his blade with a stance and charges for her, she blocks it with an upward swipe and twils to his side to land an attack but he dodges it quickly, “not bad.” He commends her.
• “I’m your student after all,” she’s as proud as her mother, “but master, why are you freaking out because of a simple sprain? You do know that mother was lying?” She pleads her case as she really didn’t want to fight her Master, she knew she would lose and lose bad.
• “Yes, I knew, but you still made her run after you, you’re no a kid anymore Arcadia.” He swings his death bringer once more and she narrowly evades it this time her around, her blue eyes embodied fear in them, “you know how much the queen means to me.” He plays his trump card which makes her roll her eyes.
• “Why don’t you marry her then?” She gives a smug reply before throwing the fan at him only for him to block it, but that was only a distraction, she grabs his hands that were firmly holding the handle of his sword, she flips him to his back with the help of her legs, applying a significant amount or force in a kick to be able to move him off his feet and use his hands to propel him to land on his back.
• She learned that from her mother,
• “Do I win the challenge?” She smiles triumphantly as she stared at his body that was beneath her knee, he smiles back at her only to give her a leg sweep and direct his sword at her neck as he did a get up,
• “No you didn’t, you managed to knock me down but you didn’t take me out. Taking out your opponent is very significant in winning wars Arcadia.” He preaches before pulling her to her feet, “but I fancied the move you used on me, your mother’s specialty?” He smirks at his most prized possession.
• “You’re always talking about her, she’s not your student, I am.” She pouts cutely, “I don’t want to see your face.” She picks up her fans deciding that training was over.
• “But didn’t I praise you just now? Do you want me to keep singing your praises my apple?” He pulls her cheeks like she was a child,
• “Stop calling me that, I’m not 10 anymore.” She swats his hands away from her cheek as a nasty blush decorated her face. She loved it when he showered her with so much affection, he was the only one who did so, the king was too busy to even pay any attention to her, he couldn’t even train his daughter.
• He made sure to spoil her with whatever she wanted but Xerxes made sure she was mentally and emotionally fed and not starved, so she preferred to be in his company.
• “If it is what the princess wishes, but I wish for her to go back to training, there are still a lot of things you need to learn.” He pulls her back to the middle of the training grounds, “first your stances, you legs still shake when you move into some positions. Begin!!”
• And the training session starts, and it lasts for hours, Arcadia is sore so they decided to get tarts to celebrate her not complaining throughout the practice. They’re staring at the sunset while they are their tarts, sitting beside each other and enjoying the scenery, enjoying each other’s company,
• “I think this is the most beautiful thing one can ever see, the sun making way for the moon to shine.” She sighs lovingly, but Xerxes laughs a little making him choke on his tart, “what is so funny Master?” She couldn’t understand the strange puzzle he his behind a laugh,
• “Well, the sunset and moonrise is beautiful, but there is something more beautiful than that.” His eyes dilated as he thought of something, more like someone, the one who held his heart,
• “And what could that be? Please do educate me on it.” She is suddenly excited and even drops her tart to listen to what he has to tell her. He takes a deep breath as a pause before throwing out one word,
• “Mate.”