My body flies mid-air; the smirk plastered on Rhys's face is the last I see before my body, bum first, hits the grass letting out a soft thud. The sharp pang from the impact surged from my bottom to my back, and I moan out in pain. Through gritted teeth, I push my aching body up.
"Your punches are pitiful. You fight like a girl! Get up, put in the effort to hit me harder," goaded Rhys while motioning his finger to go at him.
What an egotistical pudding-head. He's unknowingly trying to kill me.
My eyes flared, fists clenched, and through gritted teeth, I charge towards him, catching him by surprise, his eyes widening. I grab him by his waist, tackling him down, and he falls backward, hitting the ground. Straddling him, I throw punches on his face while he tries blocking it.
I thought of how close I'm getting him to surrender when he catches hold of my wrist with his hand, his other hand on my belly. There was a slight pause before he hurls me up, and in just seconds, I scream as my back hits the ground once again.
I hold my arm while groaning out loud, my vision clouding from the pain. Rhys, who's by my head, begins to get up, and I struggle but still urged myself up. Again, I come face to face with this ignoramus.
"Really?" he glares at me, wiping away tiny bits of grass that got stuck on his hair and white long-sleeved laced up pirate-looking shirt. It's the first time I see him dressed casually, not in that heavy knight attire. He looks pleasant but dressing that way made him ten times worse today.
I still hold on to my aching arm, "cut me some slack, it's my first time fighting," I sneered, and he gives me that psychotic smile. I want to punch that smile off his beautiful face.
"Hey, stay clear from my beautiful face."
I give him a look. Did he just read my mind? I didn't just call him beautiful. Even Talus is much more pleasing to look at.
"And I don't care," I say, word for word, before lunging straight at him.
My fist ready and balled together, I swing my left fist aiming for his left cheek, but he's fast enough to block it, except I take this chance to strike his stomach. As soon as my fist comes in contact with his stomach, he bends a little letting out a groan.
I wanted to pause and celebrate for finally succeeding in punching Rhys, but I forgot that the guy I just punched is an experienced knight who probably killed numerous creatures with his fist and his deadly sword.
At that very moment, I knew that I was dead meat.
Rhys didn't need a second to revive himself. He takes my already injured arm, twisting it, so he has it locked on my back, and he pulls on it making me yell out from the pain. He must've forgotten that he's fighting a newbie; with his leg, he kicks my back, and I come crashing down the ground with a scream of agony.
Mentally, I cursed Rhys wishing that he would choke on his next meal or he would come stumbling down four flights of stairs. My body has been through suffering but never like this. I've never tasted this kind of misery, and I never want to again. I regret today's training.
I think I laid on the ground for quite a long time until Rhys eventually noticed that I'm never getting up if he doesn't do anything. He makes me flip over, so I have my back on the ground. He scoops me up in his arms, earning a cry from me when my arm is squished on his chest.
I keep my eyes closed while Rhys rushes me inside the castle. Murmuring follows as soon as Rhys burst inside. He holds me close to him while he speeds through the castle. One last door he opens before he puts me down in a soft single-bed mattress. I look around, recognizing the familiar-looking curtains.
It's not that I lost consciousness; I felt so feeble but remained awake throughout the entire process of an elf doctor spreading cream all over my bruises and dressing my shoulder with a cloth.
Rhys waited outside the curtains while the elf does what is necessary but as soon as she was done, he came back in, his eyes never leaving me. I send him a scowl, and he looks down at his feet. A smirk made its way up to my lips.
None of us wished to speak; we stayed silent until Ena and two other knights came rushing inside the room.
They stop in front of us; Ena clears her throat, "Commander Rhys, Blossom wishes to see you right now."
Rhys straightens up, nodding. He looks at me and says, "you better be fine by tonight we're going to the festival, remember?"
"Forget about it," I glower at him, "thanks to you, it hurts to move even just a bit."
He huffs out of frustration before walking away with the knights. I couldn't help but start laughing out of sheer disbelief, did that guy just huffed frustratedly because of me or himself. He better be frustrated with himself; he beat me up to a pulp. He caused this.
The curtains from my right withdraw abruptly. I straighten my back out of fright, but I yelp, my sudden movement causing discomfort. I turn towards the person who frightened me and gasped when I see her.
"Faye!" I breathe out in surprise, examining her appearance, "you look much better now," I say, relieved seeing her looking healed. She moves the stool beside her bed next to mine, taking a seat.
"I wondered who got hurt because of Rhys' harsh training this time. I didn't know it was going to be you," she says, looking worried. Then her worried expression switches to anger in a flash, "I'm going to kill that boy."
"No, I urged him to train me even tougher. I thought our start was slow-paced, forgetting that I'm still new with combat," I conceded. I was the one who pushed Rhys to start one on one combat without learning the basics. Though, why'd Rhys agreed to it? Did he want to beat me up badly?
She sighs, "you shouldn't do something so careless."
She unties the cloth that wraps around my shoulder to support my broken arm; her sudden actions puzzled me. I gave her a confused look and asked, "what are you doing?" Only for Faye to shush me.
After successfully removing the cloth, she heads back to her bed with her back facing me. She lifts the mattress taking something she hid inside. She closes the curtains surrounding my bed before sitting back down.
My eyes go round after seeing the object she's holding. It's the tiny bottle that magically appeared on Blossom's palm, the healing water.
"There's still a few more drops left," she says, bringing down her voice. She pops out the lid of the bottle, holding my injured arm and pouring a drop of water on it. My arm feels numb at first, but to my amazement, the pain started fading.
Faye lifts the bottom of my white long-sleeved shirt the elf made me change into. I flinch, stopping Fay's hand, "wait, why."
"Your bruises," she plainly says.
"Oh, okay," I let go of her hand, moving it to my chest, covering my pendant inside the fabric as Faye pours droplets of water on my bruises. My aching body heals in just seconds, I look at what once was deep purple colored bruises on my stomach, and on my sides, it was gone. I felt good as new. She brings down my shirt, closing the lid of the bottle, and stares at me.
"Is that necklace special?" she asks. I went stiff and mentally panicked, uncertain of an answer.
I laugh anxiously, but she gazed at me, waiting for an answer, "it belongs to one of my aunties, they discard unwanted jewelry every month, but this just caught my eye. I always wanted to have one."
She pauses for a bit. I would watch her expression if she accepted my lie. Then she nods, smiling at me.
I thank her for healing me. Feeling much better, I take my dress hanged by the railings that hold the curtains to change.
Faye speaks up, "so you're going to the festival?"
"No, I think I'll stay here. I'm still mad at Rhys."
"I think you should go," she unexpectedly says. I raise my brow at her. I thought she'd agree with me staying in the castle, "you're urging me to go?"
She rests her hands on her lap, "your mother loved that festival, and I think you would too. If it weren't for my condition, I would take you there myself."
"There's going to be a full moon today; there won't be for another month."
My forehead creases. What's so important about a full-moon? Though, Faye is right. It's my chance to explore the center realm. I truly wanted to visit the town of tinkers when Rhys mentioned it.
Yesterday, I got in trouble for sneaking out to train with the elves and Talus. Knights came after me, sent by Blossom. I didn't think she'd allow me to go with Rhys tonight. She looked very disappointed. She said that it was dangerous for me to roam outside without a guard. I promised her I wouldn't do it again.
Maybe Rhys' charms worked on her.
"I don't think Blossom will permit me to step out of the castle after today, then I'll take this opportunity," I tell Faye with a smile.
She nods, reassuring me with an even kinder smile, "maybe you'll find more answers about Rosetta tonight."
And I'll do just that.
My mother, Rosetta, and grandmother Lucia. I won't go back until I uncover every secret that I have yet to know.