Amina dressed slowly, pondering the feelings she had noticed growing deep inside her. She felt something for Nero, she just wasn't sure what. Was is just desire? Was it just their circumstances? Was it something akin to like? Love?
She shook her head at that last thought, laughing it off before slipping on her shoes and bounding out the door to go and find the boys. She wasn't sure which door to use so she chose the one connecting their rooms and knocked. She heard shuffling and cursing as someone scrambled to open the door and she couldn't help but giggle at Prince Oro when he finally unlatched and opened the door looking a mess. His usually tidy hair was down and obscuring his face, his clothes slightly askew as he had missed a button in his rush to get dressed.
"I'm sorry to bother you, Pr—Oro. I wasn't sure where we would be meeting or if Nero had finished with his bath yet. Should I come back later?" She asked, hiding her coy smile behind her hand. She feigned ignorance when Oro questioned whether or not she had laughed at him, promising she would never dream to laugh at her prince.
"Your prince? Miss Amina, I wasn't aware that I belonged to you now, forgive my rude behavior before now," he joked, chuckling and lifting her free hand to kiss it. Amina blushed, still not used to a man's touch and Oro's teasing.
"Oh, stop teasing me, you know what I meant!" Oro fluttered his long lashes in response, proclaiming his innocence when a towering shadow overcame them both. Nero cleared his throat loudly before telling Oro to release Amina's hand. Amina glanced back at Nero to find him still slightly warm and damp from his bath, his black hair curling slightly and revealing more of his face. Amina frowned when she could see more scars spread across his chiseled face.
"We should begin our discussion, right, Oro?" Nero prodded, stepping closer to Amina's back and resting his large hand on her shoulder. Her body immediately heated up from his touch and she quickly moved away and into Oro's room to take a seat. The men stood there briefly confused before following her and sitting down around the table. Before they could start a hesitant knock was heard at the door and Oro called for them to enter. A shy boy holding a tray full of tea walked unsteadily toward them, setting it before them as he began to serve them. Amina could see the poor boy's hands trembling from either fear or nerves or both and felt sorry for him. She smiled gently before thanking him for his consideration and kindness in bringing them tea. The boy's hand stopped short of setting Amina's cup down when he heard her sweet voice. The boy blushed and both Nero and Oro frowned. Amina, oblivious to the men's obvious distaste for the young lad, grabbed her cup from his hands, her fingers brushing his as she thanked him for the tea.
"A-anything for you, my lady...Sirs," he hastily included the men who were now blatantly glaring at him. The boy bowed before scurrying away. Amina giggled and remarked at how cute the boy was.
"Cute?" Nero and Oro echoed dubiously. Nero leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms and refusing to drink the tea the boy had served.
"Wasn't he? Like a nervous little lamb. He reminded me of some of the small, timid animals I've encountered in the forest," Amina explained, unaware of the fire she was fueling in both men who scoffed at her explanation.
"More like a mouse, I'd say," Oro replied, Nero nodding his head in agreement. Amina rolled her eyes before sipping her tea and asking when they would finally address the purpose of this meeting. Oro cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed by his reaction to the young boy and Amina's fondness for him.
"Yes, well. It's my belief we need to evacuate this village and others nearby and send out an imperial order to the black knights. Demons were thought to be exiled after Nero defeated the Demon King, so the fact that there is more than one concerns me greatly. We need to be cautious and investigate further without any prying eyes." Amina felt her stomach sink and her palms go slick at the mention of the Demon King. Was he being resurrected? Was he never truly dead? How could there be demons coming through to their realm without him? And why were there so many?
"We should call upon the holy knights," Nero added. Oro's face became grim at the prospect but he nodded his agreement.
"Amina, dear, how many exactly did you sense in the forest?"
"Close to fifteen. They felt... different. I've only been in close contact with one demon in my life before yesterday and today when I was younger and I don't remember it well but... I can tell you these demons are different. Smarter."
"True, they did seem to have more intelligence and were stronger than usual, especially the high level demon Nero defeated the other day. But even the mid-level demons we encountered today were stronger than usual," Oro remarked.
"Mia, from now on, you need to stay very close to one or both of us. They seemed... attracted to you," Nero spit the last few words, seething beneath his calm facade. Those demons were more than interested in her. They wanted her. Reached for her when she was in his arms. Killing them hadn't been enough to assuage his fears.
Amina felt cold fear run down her spine. She was terrified but tried her best to hide it. They quickly finished their discussion of future plans before returning to their rooms. Amina followed Nero closely as they left Oro and grabbed his tunic as they approached her room. Nero turned his attention to her, his hand immediately reaching up to stroke her face. Amina grabbed his hand firmly and squeezed it to pluck up some courage as she looked up at Nero.
"Nero..."
"Yes?" His thumb continued lazily caressing her cheek.
"I want you to teach me how to fight." His hand instantly froze, his eyebrows bunching together in distaste.
"Mia, I'll protect you. You don't need to worry," he soothed, hoping she would drop the subject. Her small, fragile body could be so easily hurt or broken. He didn't want to train her. If he did, he was sure she would go out and get hurt trying to protect others. She was too kind to fight.
"Please, Nero. I don't want to be a burden to you or anyone else. I should be prepared to protect myself in case we get separated or the need arises out of other circumstances. And I want to learn from the best," she finished with a beaming smile, trying to appeal to his ego.
"Mia..."
"Please. Do this for me, Ro," she whispered, embarrassed to call him by the nickname she had been calling him in her head. Nero blushed deeply and a slight smile curving his attractive lips upward. He liked that she gave him a nickname. He liked how it made him feel. Damn, she wasn't fighting fair.
"Fine. But we do it my way, at my pace, and I decide when and what you can safely do. I don't want you getting hurt," he finished, already regretting his decision. Amina beamed and flung herself at him, hugging him around his waist as tight as she could, thanking him over and over. He sighed and squeezed her back, remarking at how slight she was and heaving another sigh at the thought of this small frame struggling to learn how to fight like a knight. He just hoped and prayed she never had to use what he was going to teach her.